quête:no sister

This is the very first reissue on 7” single of these super rare and gorgeous early Reggae tracks by one of the most underrated voice of Jamaica. Both these tracks were produced by Dandy Livingstone and released in 1969 on the Downtown label, a Trojan sublabel, on two separate singles:
- DT-436: Audrey "You'll Lose A Good Thing" with Desmond Riley "If I Had Wings" on the flip.
- DT-414: Audrey "Love Me Tonight" with Brother Dan All Stars "Shoot Them Amigo" on the B side.
NOTE: Desmond Riley "If I Had Wings" is featured on our companion single also to be released on June 21, 2025.
This reissue brings these two rare gems together for the first time on a 7” single allowing enthusiasts and collectors to experience their gorgeous sound.
The original pressings have become highly collectible, with copies fetching big sums in the collectors' market.
This exceptional release will be available on our website and in select record shops worldwide from June 21, 2025.

Audrey Hall, aka Audrey was born in Kingston in 1948, sister to Pam, Trevor & Raymond Hall, all Reggae artists. She began her career as a duo, Dandy & Audrey with Dandy Livingstone. She recorded two albums with Dandy as a duo in 1968 and 1969.
She also recorded a handful of solo singles on the Down Town label with Livingstone as a producer. Dandy was a key producer shaping Jamaican sounds in Britain at that time. Although these tracks are actually all quite nice, two tracks really standout: “You’ ll Lose A Good Thing” and “Love Me Tonight” both released together for the first time on this single.
After the Skinheads craze subsided in Britain, Audrey moved to New York. During much of the 1970s and early 1980s, she worked as a backing singer alongside her sister Pam Hall. She made a real come-back as a solo artist in 1985 with producer Donovan Germain and scored many hits in the U.K.including “One Dance Won’t Do”, "Smile" and "The Best Thing For Me".
While she gained wider success in the 1980s with lovers rock hits, she did not quite get the recognition her outstanding singing skills deserved and she remains one of the most underrated voice of Jamaica…

Ukrainian Riot Grrl Trio 'Death Pill' Return With 'Sologamy' Their Much Anticipated Second Album. Two years on from their sensational debut, Ukrainian 'Riot Grrls' Mariana, Anastasiia and Nataliia, aka Death Pill are back. And back in full force, locked and loaded with a mighty set of tunes, _ as they put it. 'A bold exploration of personal empowerment'. 'SOLOGAMY' is fierce, heavy and melodic. The album's 10 tracks mark a bold evolution in the band's sound and Death Pill really deliver with ferocity and belief through multiple gear changes and genres as if it were easy. Hardcore, punk, grunge, thrash, riot grrrl, emo, are just some of the touchstones this album moves through, and all with the accomplished ferocity and memorable melody the band introduced on their debut. There are cellos, piano's, sound effects and ornate arrangements that open out their sonic palette, there's a bit of pop and even a bit of prog. But rest assured _ It's all pure 'Death Pill'. Thematically 'Sologamy' is, at its core, a celebration of the self! DP says: "The title, inspired by the concept of marrying oneself, speaks to the importance of making a personal commitment to self-care, happiness, and emotional well-being. In an era where that can sometimes be misconstrued as selfishness, Death Pill pushes back against these misconceptions, inviting listeners to embrace the power of prioritizing their own mental and emotional health." "Each track on the album is quite different from the last, and we see this as a way of accepting and supporting yourself in any emotional state. You arrive in this world alone and you leave it alone. The bottom line is: You're the only person you've got. "Every song on the album is a story that happened to us. Maybe it'll happen to you too. But every story deserves to become a song." "Sologamy" is more than just an album-it's a call to action" The very special LP version is not only frosted clear vinyl, but comes w/ foiled sleeve art, poster, sticker and free dlc! CD is nice too.

[e] B2 Ghostsandshadows, Arranged By, Recorded By [Cello] – Nicole Robson

Sneaker Social Club welcome a veritable supergroup of bass heavyweights in the form of Legion. Made up of Trends, Boylan, P Jam and D.O.K., this four strong collective first came to light with the We Are Many 12" on Artikal Music in 2021, and now they regroup for another four-strong payload of soundsystem pressure that embraces the darkness in devastating fashion.

The Sister Abigail EP leads with 'Rastaman', an ice-cold half-step drop that summons the spirit of early dubstep in its raw minimalism, eerie atmospherics and snarling low-end wobble. Without an ounce of fat, it's a lean workout of drums and bass that finds catharsis in simplicity without compromising on high definition detail. 'Souls' locks into a jerky groove to set the dance off at acute angles, nudging the textures up a notch without disturbing the spartan mood of the release. 'Sister Abigail' pushes the underlying malevolence of the Legion sound to the forefront with dissonant sheet-metal tones while packing the rhythm section into a tight, vicious formation of gnashing, chrome-plated teeth. 'Play That Vibe' seals the deal on the EP with a hard-thumping, propulsive groove that calls to mind the techy development of dubstep in the 2010s — a taut, tracky throwdown to keep the intensity on a rolling boil.

Drawing on the grounding principles of OG dubstep with a sharp line in crisp, modernist production and a ruthless economy of arrangement on display, Legion prove many cooks can still result in a potent, brutally focused broth.

* Limited edition 12' vinyl pressed on transparent red wax, housed in a full colour sleeve inspired by classic Philly Blunt artwork.

* Fresh Blunts Vol. 1 brings that same energy to a new generation of DJs and selectors, with four dancefloor-focused cuts that pay tribute to the label's roots while pushing forward with modern production values.

* On the A-side, Bladerunner steps up with 'Chronic' and 'Straight Up' — his first solo release on the label in over a decade. With his deep ties to the scene (Dread, V, Souped Up, Kings of the Rollers), these tracks are a masterclass in classic jungle flavour with upfront punch.

* The flip introduces Chimpo & Sl8r to the Philly Blunt catalogue, blending grime, jungle, and Manchester's unmistakable underground sound. Having previously released on labels like Metalheadz, V Recordings, The North Quarter, and Hospital, their debut here shows just how wide the Philly Blunt family now reaches.

* Launching the brand-new Fresh Blunts vinyl series, Philly Blunt Records continues its legacy of heavyweight jungle and drum & bass. Originally founded in 1994 as a raw, party-focused sister label to V Recordings, Philly Blunt helped define the sound of mid-90s jungle with anthems like Leviticus' 'Burial', Dillinja's 'Sky', and Firefox's 'Buck Rogers'.

* Strictly limited run!

Das Dream-Pop-Duo Sorry Girls aus Montreal kehrt mit seinem dritten Album "Dreamwalker" zurück, das über Arbutus Records erscheint. Ihre exzentrische Mischung aus nostalgischen 70er-Jahre-Powerballaden und 80er-Jahre-Kitsch durchbricht neue Schwellen, zerlegt vergebliche Illusionen, um der Kälte zu trotzen und zu fragen, was vor uns liegt. Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2015 haben Heather Foster Kirkpatrick und Dylan Konrad Obront ihre eigene Marke von üppigem, vergnügungssüchtigem Synth-Pop geschaffen. Dank ihrem Talent, persönliche Texte mit einem schrägen Sound zu verbinden, ist ihre durch David Lynch geprägte Welt frei und unheimlich. Alles scheint vertraut, eine Melodie plätschert durch eine alte Traumlandschaft, und doch ist etwas nicht in Ordnung. Die Band debütierte 2019 mit dem selbstproduzierten "Deborah", das von Pitchfork und Gorilla vs Bear gelobt wurde. Ihr temperamentvolles zweites Album "Bravo!" aus dem Jahr 2023 präsentierte einen mehr auf die erweiterte Live-Band ausgerichteten Sound. Inspiriert von Fleetwood Macs Tusk-Ära schlugen Sorry Girls ihr Lager für mehrere Monate im Two Sisters Recording Studio in Montreal auf, um "Dreamwalker" aufzunehmen. Da die Zeit knapp bemessen war, wollten sie mehr mit den Livemusikern zusammenarbeiten und schnelle und entschiedene künstlerische Entscheidungen treffen, um der Musik so treu wie möglich zu bleiben. Das Ergebnis ist ein Sound, der ernsthaft, emotional und klar ist. Verwaschene Produktionstechniken und druckvolle Basslinien paaren sich mit sanfteren, skurrilen Klaviertrillern und entspannten Drums, die das thematische Hin und Her zwischen zwei Welten wiedergeben. Die Texte spielen mit idyllischen Visionen von Liebesobjekten, Fantasien von zukünftigen Utopien und der obsessiven Sehnsucht nach einer Leichtigkeit und Neuheit, die sich durchsetzt. "Dreamwalker" ist selbstbewusst und ironisch selbstbescheiden, gefangen in der Spiegelung eines Fensters. Das Album fordert dazu auf, mutig zu sein - die Griffe aufzuschieben und ins Unbekannte zu treten. Musik für Fans von Haim, Men I Trust, Fleetwood Mac, TOPS

Best known for being the front - man of legendary US Hard Rock band ANGEL, Frank Dimino is now leading his own solo project and debuts with a fine Melodic Hard Rock album aptly titled Old Habits Die Hard. ANGEL is a band that was discovered (similarly to VAN HALEN) by KISS bass player Gene Simmons, who got them signed to Casablanca Records. With that label ANGEL released 5 critically acclaimed studio and one live album in the second half of the 70’s. After the band’s demise, Dimino went on to work with UFO’s Paul Raymond and worked as singer for Soundtracks, scoring a Platinum
album for the inclusion of his Cycle V song “Seduce Me Tonight” on the “Flashdance” soundtrack. While Frank is undoubtedly the brainchild of DIMINO, the new album sees him collaborate with some heavyweights of the Vegas music scene, which is where he currently resides. Under the production of Paul Crook (MEAT LOAF), DIMINO sees the participation – among others – of Oz Fox (STRYPER), Eddie Ojeda (TWISTED SISTER), Rickey Medlocke(BLACKFOOT, LYNYRD SKYNYRD), Jeff Labansky (ARMORED SAINT), and former ANGEL bandmates Punky Meadows(on guitar) and Barry Brandt (co-writing with Frank the song” Even Now”). Old Habits Die Hard has reached its 10th Anniversary and is being re- issued with the bonus acoustic track “Even Now”

’Still’ is a compilation album first released in 1981 after the death of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis. Their two previous albums had already cemented the Manchester’s band’s iconic status in music history and ‘Still’ filled in gaps.

It featured previously unreleased studio material, two non-album tracks ‘Dead Souls’ and ‘Glass’ and a live recording of Joy Division’s last ever concert, at Birmingham University. The show included the only live performance of ‘Ceremony’ by the band, who later morphed into New Order and released it as a single.

'I Choose You' 3 Winans Brothers Feat. Karen Clark Sheard remixed By Louie Vega is the very reason house music is known around the world as A SPIRITUAL THING! House and Gospel have shared a dance floor from the very start thanks to pioneers like Louie Vega who harness the joy and inspiration of Gospel with the motivational energy of House. Never was this more evident than in the 1st project Louie Vega and 3 Winans Brothers Featuring The Clark Sisters came together for in 2015, DANCE which was a world renowned sensation and the catalyst for 'I Choose You'.

'I Choose You' is the result of a combined 20+Grammy Award Winning artists THE WINANS BROTHERS & KAREN CLARK including our very own Louie Vega's Grammy win bringing forth music that not only stands out but is an undeniably exceptional sound that will undoubtedly reaching past the top of the charts to blaze a path for music that celebrates being thankful for the life we are given! The 3 Winans Brothers, Bebe, Marvin and Carvin, have come together yet again with their love for writing, singing, and performing music with 'I Choose You'. Karen Clark Sheard having laid down new vocals produced by Bebe Winans himself coupled with the additional Winans soulful vocals completely enhance the reaffirming message 'I CHOOSE YOU... the POWER of HIS Love, I could NEVER deny it'.

Louie Vega has once again delivered the ultimate composition and arrangements to complement the beauty that lives in the message of 'I Choose You' and brilliantly elevates the powerful voices of the Winans and Karen Clark Sheard that bring that very deep sentiment of hope and light forward. For music with a message as enlightened as the one in 'I Choose You' Louie enlisted Axel Tosca of Elements of Life band, the Cuban born pianist with an intense passion to bring any keyboard to life who transfers that energy into this exceptional piece. Every single harmony, each key, all seamlessly aligned with in various mixes with engineer Yas Inoue of Vega Records on the boards so that 'I Choose You' can be enjoyed by those looking to fuel packed dance floor or their own individual playlists. The icing on the cake are the new vocals by Karen Clark Sheard, where she is testifying and ad-libbing powerful messages to the world! 'I Choose You' 3 Winans Brothers Feat. Karen Clark Sheard remixed by Louie Vega drop at all vinyl outlets ....AND be on the look out for future performance dates in your country and city.... this message is going world wide!

Olympia erschien ursprünglich 2010 und ist eine meisterhafte Mischung aus Artrock, anspruchsvollem Pop
und elektronischen Elementen, die Bryan Ferrys charakteristische Eleganz unterstreicht. Das Album enthält
Kollaborationen mit Legenden wie seinen Bandkollegen von Roxy Music, David Gilmour, Nile Rodgers und
den Scissor Sisters und enthält neben Coverversionen von Song to the Siren und No Face, No Name,
No Number auch die herausragende Single „You Can Dance“. Mit seiner opulenten Produktion und dem
atmosphärischen Sound ist Olympia eine raffnierte und fesselnde Ergänzung zu Ferrys gefeiertem Katalog.
Das Album erscheint erstmals seit 2010 auf limitierter roter 1LP-Vinyl-Edition, wobei die CD-Version zwei
Bonustracks enthält. Bryan Ferry hat außerdem das aktualisierte Artwork für beide Formate gestaltet.

Die deutschen Epic-Doom-Metal-Meister Lord Vigo veröffentlichen im Mai 2025 ihr sechstes Studioalbum auf High Roller Records. Nach den von Presse und Fans gleichermaßen gefeierten "Danse De Noir" (2020) und "We Shall Overcome" (2022) handelt es sich bei "Walk The Shadows" mitnichten um den dritten Teil der begonnenen Trilogie. ""Walk The Shadows" steht für sich alleine und ist unabhängig von einem durchgehenden Konzept", erläutert Schlagzeuger, Sänger und Keyboarder Vinz Clortho. "Das war nach zwei doch sehr ausgefeilten Konzeptalben eine schöne Abwechslung für uns. Es hat wirklich Spaß gemacht." Stücke wie "Through A Glass Darkly", "Servant Of The Dark" oder "The Triumph Of The Killing Heart" verströmen eine Art von Gothic-Horror-Atmosphäre, die einem eklektischen Mix aus Sisters Of Mercy, Fields Of The Nephilim und sogar The Cure ziemlich nahe kommt. "Das kann man durchaus so ausdrücken", stimmt Vinz Clortho zu. "Das Album kombiniert viele verschiedene Stile und kreiert dadurch etwas ganz Neues. Meine Roots liegen im klassischen Metal, und dies in Kombination mit den düsteren Songs auf der neuen Platte ergibt eine komplett andere Richtung für Lord Vigo. Ich denke nicht, dass es ein Album gibt, das ähnlich wie "Walk The Shadows" klingt. Ich weiß nur nicht, ob das ein Vorteil oder ein Nachteil ist." "Der Song 'Walk The Shadows' ist die erste Single", erklärt Vinz. "Dazu haben wir auch ein Video gedreht. Jeder Song steht für sich. Deswegen ist es auch schwierig, bestimmte Nummern herauszuheben. 'El Hakim' ist zwölf Minuten lang, es ist nicht nur der längste Song des Albums, sondern auch der atmosphärisch dichteste. Ganz sicher einer meiner Favoriten." "Stilistisch ist das neue Album sehr wohl ein Sprung für uns" fährt Vinz fort. "Aber genau aus diesem Grund denke ich, dass es eine wegweisende Platte für uns werden kann. Es gibt Gruppen, die immer wieder das gleiche Album schreiben. Aber das sind nicht wir. Bei Lord Vigo klingt jede Scheibe anders. Diesmal haben wir unsere Komfortzone verlassen. Kommerziell mag das nicht unbedingt sinnvoll sein. Aber das ist uns ziemlich egal. Wir wollen Erfolg auf unser Weise. Stellenweise singe ich eine ganze Oktave tiefer als für gewöhnlich. Auch das ist ein Grund dafür, warum "Walk The Shadows" so klingt, wie es klingt."

David Lowery (Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven) to release his new 28-track solo album. "Fathers, Sons and Brothers" is David"s musical autobiography, celebrating his youth, family, friends and the highs and lows of his lengthy 40-year career in the music business. The album combines three of David"s previously online-only released autobiographical solo albums "In The Shadow of the Bull", "Leaving Key Member Clause", and "Vending Machine", and also includes four new previously unreleased songs, as well as four newly re-recorded tracks: He"s been writing songs about people on the fringe for damn near a lifetime. 40+ years of detailing the idiosyncrasies of outcasts, losers, freaks and outliers in society in his two acclaimed, if not totally different, bands - Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven.

If this LP exists it is thanks to the vision, energies, work and perseverance of Thomas M. Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton. He is the president and one of the founding members of the ZBS Foundation (ZBS stands for Zero Bullshit), where the audio dramas written by Lopez himself were born. Dramatic programs with stories that blended noir, comedy and science-fiction genres such as Ruby The Galactic Gumshoe or Jack Flanders were produced to critic and public acclaim. It was in Ruby The Galactic Gumshoe that the Android Sisters, who would later have their own spin-off series, first appeared. The characters represent two robotic siblings that Tom Lopez created under big influence from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the Philip K. Dick novel that was taken to cinema by Ridley Scott in Blade Runner. The Androids were performed by actresses Ruth Maleczech and Valeria Wasilewski.



The big success of these “cosmic and comic” sci-fi series, as they are described in the ZBS Foundations website, led to the releasing of cassette tapes, CDs, USBs and podcasting of the stories. Along with these, several music albums were also released in different formats. One of them is Songs Of Electric Despair, the first of two released by the Android Sisters. The songs contained are written by Tom Lopez and his long time collaborator experimental musician Tim Clark.



The Android Sisters Songs Of Electronic Despair LP was originally released as a ZBS Foundation cassette and also as a vinyl LP on Vanguard in 1984. It featured 11 compositions (two bonus tracks not on the original LP have been added to the Wah Wah reissue) on which the experimental synthesizer music of Tim Clark finds a perfect counterpoint in the deliciously surrealistic, cosmic social satire of Tom Lopez’s texts, magically performed by the robotic, yet sensual voices of the Android Sisters as performed by Maleczech and Wasilewski. Clark composed and performed the backing tracks on the Synclavier II synthesizer.



The Wah Wah reissue comes with two bonus tracks not on the original 1984 LP, respects the beautiful original album artwork and enhances it with a 4 pages full colour insert with notes and lyrics of the songs.



BARBARELLA MEETS PHILLIP K. DICK!



RIYL : SYNTH POP CYBERPUNK with DEVO’s sense of humor, LOGIC SYSTEM, FRANK CHICKENS or even some 1990s things to come such as LIKE A TIM or ARPANET.

If this LP exists it is thanks to the vision, energies, work and perseverance of Thomas M. Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton. He is the president and one of the founding members of the ZBS Foundation (ZBS stands for Zero Bullshit), where the audio dramas written by Lopez himself were born. Dramatic programs with stories that blended noir, comedy and science-fiction genres such as Ruby The Galactic Gumshoe or Jack Flanders were produced to critic and public acclaim. It was in Ruby The Galactic Gumshoe that the Android Sisters, who would later have their own spin-off series, first appeared. The characters represent two robotic siblings that Tom Lopez created under big influence from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the Philip K. Dick novel that was taken to cinema by Ridley Scott in Blade Runner. The Androids were performed by actresses Ruth Maleczech and Valeria Wasilewski.



The big success of these “cosmic and comic” sci-fi series, as they are described in the ZBS Foundations website, led to the releasing of cassette tapes, CDs, USBs and podcasting of the stories. Along with these, several music albums were also released in different formats. One of them is Songs Of Electric Despair, the first of two released by the Android Sisters. The songs contained are written by Tom Lopez and his long time collaborator experimental musician Tim Clark.



The Android Sisters Songs Of Electronic Despair LP was originally released as a ZBS Foundation cassette and also as a vinyl LP on Vanguard in 1984. It featured 11 compositions (two bonus tracks not on the original LP have been added to the Wah Wah reissue) on which the experimental synthesizer music of Tim Clark finds a perfect counterpoint in the deliciously surrealistic, cosmic social satire of Tom Lopez’s texts, magically performed by the robotic, yet sensual voices of the Android Sisters as performed by Maleczech and Wasilewski. Clark composed and performed the backing tracks on the Synclavier II synthesizer.



The Wah Wah reissue comes with two bonus tracks not on the original 1984 LP, respects the beautiful original album artwork and enhances it with a 4 pages full colour insert with notes and lyrics of the songs.



BARBARELLA MEETS PHILLIP K. DICK!



RIYL : SYNTH POP CYBERPUNK with DEVO’s sense of humor, LOGIC SYSTEM, FRANK CHICKENS or even some 1990s things to come such as LIKE A TIM or ARPANET.

Following ‘No Closer To Heaven’, The Wonder Years released ‘Sister Cities’, their most transformative work to date.
Recorded at Sunset Sound with Joe Chiccarelli (Manchester Orchestra, The Shins, Spoon) and Carlos de la Garza (Jimmy Eat World, Paramore), ‘Sister Cities’ is an album about distance, connectivity and the way humanity towers above boundaries.

What The Wonder Years do so effortlessly on ‘Sister Cities’ is no small feat; through poetic lyricism, ambient guitar swells and Jimmy Eat World-levels of crashing momentum. On ‘Sister Cities’, they take a massive, unexpected leap forward both sonically and thematically, now speaking confidently to the world at large.

Vocalist Dan Campbell on the inspiration behind ‘Sister Cities’: “It started with journals and photos. We started by documenting. We didn’t know where it would go or if it would go anywhere at all, but we wrote it all down. We took photos of everything. And
then when it came to put it altogether, we had this catalog of how we felt and what it looked like and sounded like and we built from there. Figuring out what the moments were that stayed with me the most. When did I feel most connected to the people around me and why? What did being in this place during this moment teach me? It was a difficult year personally and globally and we experienced that through this lens of being everywhere but home, kind of floating through places and seeing how being there altered our perspective.”
The album is housed in a 200-page, 13”x13”, full-colour book that includes photos, artwork, journal entries and lyrics. LP pressed onto Shinjuku Street Splatter coloured vinyl.
An overpowering sense of earnestness and vulnerability.” - Pitchfork
There is a lifetime yelled in every punk song, captured in the desperate and catchy ‘Sister Cities’.” - NPR MusicFrom the first notes, it’s already clear that The Wonder Years are stepping into uncharted territory.” - UPROXX

Dune: Prophecy is an HBO original series based on the
best-selling books by Frank Herbert and Brian Herbert, and a spin-off to the blockbuster movies of Dune.

The music for the series was composed by Academy Award-winning composer Volker Bertelmann (All Quiet on
the Western Front, Conclave, Lion), whose evocative, futuris- tic ambience, meets bold, powerful orchestral tracks on this score, accompanying the story.

Set 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, Dune: Prophecy follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fa- bled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit. Dune: Prophecy is inspired by the novel “Sisterhood of Dune”, writ- ten by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

The soundtrack of Dune: Prophecy is available as a limited edition of 1000 numbered copies on orange “Spice” marbled vinyl and includes a 4-page booklet with pictures from the series.

"Irrepressible, off-the-wall and utterly unique - the late 70s/early 80s Latin jazz-funk and leftfield electronic boogie of Japanese composer and pianist Izumi ‘Mimi’ Kobayashi collected for the first time.

A star in Japan, she moved to Europe to record global hits with Depeche Mode and Swing Out Sister, toured the world with the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra and made beats with Attica Blues’ Tony Nwachukwu. Now based in London, Mimi currently fronts Tokyo Riddim Band - the intergenerational live Japanese Reggae outfit born from Time Capsule’s acclaimed 2023 compilation of the same name - playing live shows and releasing a trio of recordings.

Choice Cuts 1978-1983 collects eight recordings from four of Mimi’s first five albums – Sea Flight (1978) recorded with her group Flying Mimi Band, and Coconuts High (1981), Nuts Nuts Nuts (1982) and Tropicana (1983) under her own name.

The compilation opens with a syncopated electro-funk cover of Sergio Mendes’ ‘Mas Que Nada’ (Tropicana) and the crisp and stripped back techno-pop of ‘Coffee Rumba’ (Nuts Nuts Nuts) with a keyboard bass line that would have made Stevie Wonder weep.

Alongside the off-beat synth jam ‘Quiet Explosion’ (Nuts Nuts Nuts) and piano samba of ‘Espresso’ (Tropicana), there’s two low slung soul-jazz numbers, ‘Naze’ and ‘Angel Sky’, from Sea Flight (1978) that recall the collaborations between Herbie Hancock and Kimiko Kasai. But it is around the two tracks from Mimi’s 1981 album Coconuts High that this compilation revolves (and from whose cover shoot it borrows).

Released on legendary guitarist Takanaka’s Kitty Records label, Coconuts High was recorded in LA with a jazz fusion backing band, including Alex Acuña, Abraham Laborial, Harvey Mason and the Tower of Power horns. A riot of playful Latin-tinged jazz, funk and fusion with the off-beat spirit of Kid Creole & and the Coconuts, the album became a cult hit. Here it’s the sultry, Minnie Riperton-esque ‘Crazy Love’, with its addictive groove and bittersweet melodies that makes the cut, alongside the steel drum-infused carnivalesque bounce of ‘Palm St’.

Choice Cuts 1978-1983 will introduce the idiosyncratic energy and playful verve of this under-the-radar pioneer to a wider audience for the first time. Welcome to the world of Izumi ‘Mimi’ Kobayashi."

A collection of The Handsome Family covers.