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Omar has a totally unique, individual style and sound still marks him out as a future thinking and utterly unrivaled artist, who has collaborated with so many legendary names that it would be foolish to deny his worldwide reputation - who would dare contradict the likes of Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Carleen Anderson, Angie Stone, Common and fellow fans and followers like Maxwell and Jarrod Lawson

Following on from 2013's album The Man, 2016 sees his new long player further cement this undeniable reputation. Love In Beats is Omars' 8th studio album of his long, illustrious career and may just be the most eclectic & varied to date. Somewhat more electronic in it's conception and sound than it's predecessor, Love In Beats incorporates soul, Caribbean rhythms, an undercurrent of funk, with touches of zouk, a jazzy waltz, spoken word and also features collaborations with Us soul legend Leon Ware, Blue Note pianist Robert Glasper, grime MC Ty, Guadeloupe born singer Jean-Michele Rotin, and Uk soultress Natasha Watts, The Floacist and Mayra Andrade, the Cape Verdean born singer who lives and records in Paris.

Co produced by Scratch Professer, Omars Grammy winning brother,this collection should create excitement worldwide, the sounds are varied - but all have Omars' unique fingerprint on them, style and substance beautifully merged!

Favorite Recordings proudly presents this new official single reissue of I Believe! by Calvin B. Rhone: A very rare Gospel/Disco masterpiece, originally released at only 1000 private-press copies, and surprisingly unknown and underrated until today.

Calvin Bernard Rhone, a native of Los Angeles, has been ministering in word and song for more than 40 years throughout the US and abroad. He acknowledges that he is passionate about music, yet purposed for ministry. Beginning his professional singing career at age eight, he has shared the stage with possibly every major Gospel artist from the 60's to present.

In 1983, he released the album Intimate Friends on his own label, C.B.R. Records. Recently discovered by DJ and collector Charles Maurice, the LP has never received the attention and fame it deserves. It was anyway obvious for the DJ and Favorite Recordings, that some of the tracks it includes would for sure become real classics for all Disco and Funk music lovers and deejays.

Officially licensed to Calvin B. Rhone himself, it's today reissued for the first time, as a 3 tracks vinyl single.

Brand new Transatlantyk release contains elusive synth works of Sasha Zakrevska aka Poly Chain.
She likes to call herself a 'Ukrainian ambient chavette' and the title of her debut album is a tongue-in-cheek spin on Eno's classic. 'Music For Candy Shops' is much more sticky and syrupy than its famous predecessor though. In every track on this record Poly Chain's rich and warm synth textures are glazed with another layer of radioactive sweeting.
From atonal melodies on top to occasional spicing in form of odd reverbs, delays and drum sounds - it's all there.
Let me tell you straight up: this candy shop serves some weird sort of sweets, inducing hallucinations, anxious feelings of omniscience and transcendency. Use with caution!
Available as a 200 copies only vinyl LP

Breakbeat Paradise Recordings is turning back time to the early 70s when funk music was made by talented musicians joining forces in bands with the objective to create the next big funk anthem. So many big tunes and classic funk productions came out of this era and it also harnessed a new breed of funk bands across the globe who is dedicated to continuing the legacy of the funk music in the new millennium.

Breakbeat Paradise Recordings has proudly collected 4 bands to represent the new era of funk from various parts of Europe. German based Grand Slam, Swiss funk band Grand Mothers' Funck, Nasa Funk from Greece and A Man About a Dog from the UK has all provided original funk jams to this groovy 12" vinyl.

Leading the way on the a-side is Grand Slam who has created a big summer tune which sits in well with some of the current radio funk jams and will be sure to bring the ladies on the floor. Grand Slam has been around since 1985 by incorporating various flavors from Rock, Jazz, Soul and Hip Hop. The Get On Down jam from their upcoming release due May 2017 shows just how its done to do classic oldskool P-Funk which sounds as fresh as anything else on the radio here in 2017! Produced by (and featuring) veteran P-Funk legend Gary "Mudbone" Cooper!

Grand Mother's Funck means business on the straight up funky The Dog tune taken from their brand new album Take The Money. A special edit was done for this release as they are celebrating their 12th album release from a legendary veteran funk band who has been tearing up the Swiss funk scene for over 23 years now.

On the flipside the funk is riding equally high as Nasa Funk rolls in their Stand Up jam. Straight outta Thessaloniki, Greece comes this 5-man band with vocalist George Perin leading the way. This tune is produced with old friend of label Basement Freaks.

Last but certainly not least we turn our attention to the UK where the band A Man About a Dog has cooked up a latin-inspired and jazzy funk tune called Pollos.

That sums up the first all original funk release to be dropped on Breakbeat Paradise Recordings. After digging in a sampling so many great funk tunes over the years, this seemed like only right way to pay our respect to the genre of music we love and cherish so much.


[B] A2 | Grand Mother's Funck - The Dog (Throw Me A Bone Mix)

*Singer-songwriter Amelia Harmony is a welcome addition to the Partial Records roster. Although relatively a new comer, over the last few years, Amelia has been playing with bands of varying genres and styles in and around her native Derby, as well more roots reggae-orientated releases on labels such as King Earthquake, Instrument of Jah, Mellow Vibes and her own recently established Soulshine Music label.
*`Fear and Love' is an uplifting rootsy steppers rhythm with a positive message and soulful vocals topped off with some tasteful acoustic guitar licks. Amelia's delivery oozes cross-over appeal. We will be hearing lots more from her.
*Produced by Liam McGurk for his own well-established Partial Records label.
*The Dub version is mixed by UK dub master legend Dougie Wardrop at Conscious Sounds studio, London

Repress

After last years slick selection for the series from MCDE, Young Marco steps up with a great set of obscurities. Top Tip!
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Born Marco Sterk, he certainly doesn't come from a standard DJ background. A former skate rat who grew up loving American post-hardcore and '90s hip-hop as much as early Warp Records, he's been affiliated over the years with Amsterdam institutions such as Rush Hour, Red Light Records (where you'll find him most weekdays!) and, of course, Dekmantel itself. Still, there's no question that he's always followed his own path, even during the years that playing his favorite records meant that he was occasionally clearing dancefloors.

Things are different these days, of course, as Sterk now regularly plays around the globe and has been widely hailed not just for his DJ talents, but also for his digging prowess and uncanny ability to pluck jams out of genres, eras and geographies that even veteran DJs will often ignore.

Still, Marco's entry in the Selectors series isn't some soulless collection of 'Holy Grail' rarities. 'Where's the fun in that' he explains. 'Anybody with an internet connection can check what flavor-of-the-month records are in demand.'

Just like the first Selectors compilation, this is not a mix CD, but a collection of hand-picked, unmixed tracks that Sterk has personally chosen from his own vinyl archives. Moreover, Marco has put together a collection of tracks that represent not only how he plays music, but also how he makes music himself. The songs here are melodic, electronic and bound together by a refreshing sense of naiveté. Nothing sounds overly calculated; the tunes here span several decades and include dollar-bin records, avant-garde records, club records and yes, a few things that collector types have likely been looking to get their hands on. It's not meant to be a grand statement, as Marco would rather provide an honest snapshot of his musical tastes and share a few of his favorite tracks and artists in the proc

Adriano Canzian has by now developed a trademark sound unlike any other, a genre-twisting hybrid of EBM, techno, industrial and acid beats that has acquired nuance and influences throughout the years, aiming at that uniqueness he's always been reaching for. Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind is a breathless, unrelenting march of a record, a whirlwind of classic industrial sounds driven by a hammering pulse and a shimmer of melting matter. David Carretta's remix smoothens out some edges into a mix of techno and new beats, then Canzian charges on again with Sick Goates , skillfully adding noise frequencies to a goth background, before letting Spain s The Plumbers close with their rendition of Sleeplessness , marked by a dub-sprinkled techno no less belligerent than most of Canzian s catalogue.

This release - a collaboration between Ali X (Alphonse from Azari & III) and Mexico's Theus Mago - turns the heat up all the way to 'ON' and just leaves it there. The lyrical content of the title track would lead many to use descriptors like 'sexy,' 'sleazy,' and 'steamy like you wouldn't even believe,' and while the music also bears that out it's important to remember not to stigmatize something that almost everyone does at least a couple of times a week. 'Vision,' meanwhile, offers the perfect B-side accompaniment, a sci-fi techno workout where you don't even have to think about sex if you don't want to. The EP features dub versions of both tracks for more stripped-down club sets aimed at people who understandably have problems with the sound of the human voice. It also includes a remix by Curses, whom we recently 'bumped into' (he says 'cornered") in Berlin and asked if he'd provide one of his trademark eerie downtempo excursions. Long story short: he said 'yes.

Lovin' Mighty Fire' is Howard Williams' third Japanese music compilation for the Ace Records house of labels - this time, for BGP International. Assembled in between his job as a record distributor and his monthly Japan Blues show for NTS radio, the first two have taken a look at the late 50s for a blast of Japanese rockabilly ( Nippon Rock'n'Roll' CDWIKD 313), then the 60s and 70s for a romp in Japanese surf music ( Nippon Guitars CDWIKD 297). Following his retrospective of jazz singer Maki Asakawa for Honest Jon's, this new outing searches for the soul music of Japan, from the early 70s to the early 80s.

Japan has long been known as the final destination for many a collectible soul record. Yet, who suspected that some fine soul grooves were recorded for the domestic market, from ballads, to funk and disco Strangely enough, some of the busiest writers and producers in this field came from a late 60s rock band, Happy End, but on listening to their collaborations, their rhythmic, soulful feel is immediately apparent.

The bluesy funk of Lily, the soul-diva brilliance of Minako Yoshida - represented here in both slow-grind mode and epic disco, the maverick genius of Haruomi Hosono, the lively songstress Yasuko Agawa, and the sultry steaminess of Mari Natsuki, and more. This album finally plants a Japanese flag firmly on the global map of soul.

It's a pleasure to introduce Tony Rainwater - undoubtedly the most productive and creative savage we've come across recently. See usually we don't do this, Lehult is a crew affair, but this guy left us no choice. Being a music enthusiast, DJ and dancer for a long time, Tony has only most recently picked up producing his own music, yet at a stunning rate: When we first asked him for a demo - three months after he started producing - he swiftly dropped us a set of twenty-five tracks, another set of fifty more soon followed. His productions are straight rough edged, no-prisoners-taken Jams, combining samples from the most far-flung corners of his eclectic music collection. His magical patchwork wild style is on full display on his debut "Rockberry Jam" EP for Lehult. The A-Side takes us through the lighter side of his repertoire with the title tracks slow building house groove, some dizzy medieval monk grooves on "To All The World" and seductive R&B on "Lay It On The Line". On the flip "Operalight" irresistible groove and "Black Dream Flowers" provide some darker moments, before "Alone" closes on a soft note. The Vinyl version includes an extra goodie after the runout's. Tony is now a fixed member of the crew already and we're proud to have him and his crazy energy on the team. This won't be the last you'll hear of him.

It was the spring of 2007 when Paul 'Mudd' Murphy and Kevin Pollard announced the arrival of the former's Claremont 56 label with Villa Stavros', a magical frst collaborative 12'. It
seems somewhat ftting, then, that Claremont 56's fnal release of its' frst decade will be N7 Odyssey, the frst collaborative album from Mudd & Pollard. By the time Villa Stavros' came out, the pair had already been regular studio buddies for a couple of years. Initially, Murphy had recruited Pollard - a hugely talented keyboardist and composer - to play on tracks he was working on for Rong Music. One thing naturally led to another, and soon they were joining forces to make music as Murphy's home studio in
Holloway, North London. As the years rolled by, further acclaimed singles followed Villa Stavros' - the bubbly, Rhodes-laden Balearic disco shuffe of Vincent', and the lilting, intergalactic dub disco of Scaffold', most notably - before the duo's other musical commitments began to take precedence. Murphy had his hands full running the Claremont 56 and Leng labels, while Pollard carved out a successful career as a soundtrack composer for both flm and television. Now, the album they set out to make all those years ago is fnally fnished and ready to be
released. N7 Odyssey - titled in tribute to the Holloway studio they recorded in for many years before Murphy moved - draws together freshly re-mastered versions of their previously released singles with a clutch of previously unheard tracks. Built around the duo's own fne musicianship, with Pollard handling synths, keyboards and electric piano, and Murphy guitar, bass and percussion, the album's ten tracks offer a musical journey through their shared love of shuffing grooves, sun-kissed soundscapes and
gentle positivity. Highlights come thick and fast. There's the swirling strings, futtering futes, jammed-out electric pianos and heady female vocals of Far Away', the enchanting new age ambience of December', and the rush-inducing Balearic disco breeze of Mawson's Walk', a former single blessed with sublime horn solos and rising, cinematic strings. Check, too, the head-
nodding beats, fuid electric piano solos and jazzy guitars of Inatin', the gentle Eastern mysticism and vintage ambient house aesthetics of Anura', and the ultra-deep house pulse of N7 Odyssey'. The album fttingly fnishes with a sublime ambient interpretation of Scaffold', arguably the duo's most celebrated track. It may have taken a decade to emerge, fully formed, but Murphy and Pollard have delivered an album that's beguiling, magical, and hugely comforting. Clearly, it's an odyssey worth
taking.

- Weller's landmark, multi-platinum selling No. 1 album which stayed 87 weeks in the chart. It spawned the classic hits 'The ChangingMan', 'You Do Something To Me' and 'Broken Stones'.
- Gatefold LP sleeve featuring legendary Peter Blake design
- Colour inner sleeve with photos and lyrics

Vlad Dinu opens Mihai Bravu's 1st release starting the audio journey with 'Deep in my house' , a track that occupies the entire A side, just like a proper tool should.
As the name of the track hints, we find ourselves submerged in deep territory : a tight and groovy bass line, laced with a steady percussion, sprinkled with some 16bit arcade reminiscent accents and soothing intermingled vocal cuts. The deep vibe is crafty perpetuated by several synths at play,
which together combine in such a way to add a wide atmospheric feel to the composition. Definitely 'Deep in my house' sounds and feels more like of a 90's tune, and while listening to it, one could easily find himself drift into the nostalgia of the good old days.
Side B goes even deeper with two tracks defined by the notion of 'head tracks' . 'Gun Zah' continues the storyline with twisty percussive rhythms and a groovy atmosphere, tailored into a bangin floor choon while 'Questions Answered' submerges the listener into layers of groovy basslines, swifty percs and milky synths, all put together into the form of a most 'alive' track.

DJ, musician, former saxophonist - there's a combination of skills you don't get to see too often. Get acquainted with DEMIAN, then, aka Damien Pontonnier, a French artist who relocated to Paris after an influential career as

electronic music pioneer and party organizer in Northern Spain. Now an accomplished producer with releases on labels such as Correspondant or Clouded Vision, he presents the MILESTARS EP for Kompakt - a quirky and vibrant track trio with an obvious knack for catchy melodic details in a kinetic techno corsage.

Having amassed quite the experience portfolio when it comes to grassroots club culture, DEMIAN knows a thing or two about inspiring a dance floor - but that doesn't necessarily account for the artistic versatility or genuine lust for sonic adventures and happy accidents that these cuts exhibit: opener DÉCLICA boots with deliciously stoic cowbell-isms that leave the doors of perception wide open for some iconoclastic, yet surprisingly effective synth action.

Meanwhile, the title cut invests in texture-rich atmosphere without forgetting about the precise amount of momentum you need to tip the floor over the edge. Closer NO HYPE FOR THE FISH takes things in a more hypnotic direction, intertwining freeform arpeggios and tape delay with smart beatmanship. Simultaneously lush and lean in its overall aesthetic, the MILESTARS EP will feed both the nerd and the dancer in you - a swiss army knife with all the right tools for masterful crowd control.

Cookin' On 3 Burners are Australia's foremost organ trio joining the dots between funk, soul, boogaloo & jazz. Long time partners Lance Ferguson (guitar), Ivan Khatchoyan (drums) and Jake Mason (organ) have taken their home brew of soulful Hammond get down everywhere from jazz festivals to after hours bars and clubs. Their top notch reputation led to them supporting Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings in Sydney, jamming live with Breakestra and becoming THE in demand band south of the equator. With a musical CV that includes names like Joe Bataan, Alice Russell, Mark de Clive-Lowe and The Quantic Soul Orchestra, as well as the world beating outfit The Bamboos, it's not surprising this latest CO3B album has generated huge interest even prior to its' release. Their first Freestyle album 'Baked, Broiled or Fried' featured the group in a hardcore funk groove but on 'Soul Messin' sees the sound, feel and influences widened further with some quite magical results. Versatile singer Kylie Auldist (Tru Thoughts Recordings) opens proceedings on the deep funk groove of 'Push It Up' but it is the Freestyle 45 'This Girl' (FSR7057) that provides the mellow, beautiful and incredibly catchy vocal highlight of the entire collection, shimmering horns ride over this laid back, future deep soul classic. We don't yet know what Gary Numan will make of CO3B's version of his 80's synth pop hit 'Cars' (CD only) but Jake Masons organ playing (including simultaneously supplying the super funky bass lines via his Hammond foot pedals and left hand) takes this track in a direction no one was expecting! Drummer and top notch singer Fallon Williams provides his gritty, searing voice on 'Hole In My Pocket' and 'Seen Through Your Disguise' sounding very much like US soul legend Robert Moore and the band display their versatility whilst doffing their caps in the direction of The Meters on the numbers 'Dog Wash' and 'Piranha' The down tempo, moody album closer 'The Proving Grounds' (CD only) once again shows the groups expanding musical textures and rounds off 'Soul Messin' the bands most varied and accomplished recording so far.

Recent Mark Lamar Live Session on Radio 1

"This Girl" has been Freestyle's top selling single of 09 so far !

Fresh off Son Of Sound releases on Delusions Of Grandeur and Local Talk, New York based Henry Maldonado is back on his District 30 label with Son Of Sound 05 / The Love Up Beat Down. This 3-tracker features something for everyone, as Jackin' House, Disco-Chug and even Detroit Techno are well represented. Kicking things off on side A is 'Bout Love Again, an adrenalin induced shot of disco house served up the old fashioned New York way. MPC style loops, chop-ups and breakdowns give a nod to the '90s House 2 House style tracks Henry produced on Strictly Rhythm. Not falling too far from that tree is the disco-house chugger Need Each Other.
Rhodes chords accompany a bed of sliced-up New York Disco, for an infectious groove that will denitely keep that 120BPM momentum.Lastly we round out this EP with Inuence Is Bliss. This one will denitely appeal to lovers of Detroit Techno and House alike. Pounding drums, 16th note ride cymbals, arpeggiated synth lines and ghostly soulful chord progressions effectively distract you from the fact this track doesn't even have a bassline.

Outta the shadows and into the strobe-light, Alex Lewis aka Turinn debuts on Modern Love with a highly rinsable debut double-pack of sawn-off brukbeats and anxious, nerve-riding grooves brewed in the ravines of North Manchester. Turinn emerges from a new generation of producers in the city that include longtime spar Willow, and upcoming producer Croww, soon to offer up his own debut recordings.
Crooked and rugged AF, but tempered by an acute emotive sensitivity, 18 1/2 Minute Gaps renders a bleedin' cross-section of mongrel, hybrid style 'n pattern in a breathless, deceptively freehand fashion that comes riddled with an electric blue energy all of its own.
Committing ten trax of fractious, mutant funk and sore feels, 18 1/2 minute Gaps serves to cap Turinn's formative phase of production like a lead lid on a nuclear rave implosion; trapping original 'ardcore 'nuum, Detroit booty and dank post-punk elements in a perpetual flux of in-the-pocket grooves which ravenously attempt to split at the seams, alternately pushing into Muslimgauze-like buffer zones of distortion or resoundingly wide ambient dimensions, and often both at once.
On the first plate, this ambiguous dichotomy is epitomised between the rare surge of quick/slow torque in Ovum, which almost sounds like Chris Carter sparring with Burial Hex, and then in his nod to the Italian new wave with Elba, which seems to find the square root between Lorenzo Senni and some skudgy as heck Kassem Mosse grind, whereas the bittersweet soul of 1625 finds compatible links with his close peer, Workshop's Willow as well as Japan's Shinichi Atobe and scene enabler Move D, while Parratactico swaggers into quantum dancehall meters.
The second disc is no less deadly: the album title track runs at a nexx level Detroit momentum like DJ Stingray flipping Derrick May and Carl Craig's Kaotic Harmonies, before ESO cuts in like a super cranky El-B wearing itchy Primark underwear, and the bone-rattling hardcore jungle of Spawn soon enough gives way to the sweetlad couplet of Petrichor and Ondine, where his elusive, distressed melodic touch really shines thru.

Simbad (aka SMBD) is a stalwart of the underground music scene in UK and because of his vast arrays of releases it's very hard to put him into any box or music category. Since his 2007 album Supersonic Revelation & his worldwide acclaimed dancefloor hit Soul Fever, the London based frenchy has been constantly travelling the five continents entertaining delighted clubbers with his super energetic dj skills or producing and recording various artists from many different genres including deeper Dubstep don Mala (DMZ), UK Hip Hop star Roots Manuva, Cuban songstress Dayme Arocena, Detroit House producer Kai Alce, Berlin based deep Techno artist Fred P, Seun Kuti from Afrobeat's most famous family, Brazilian superstar artist/actor Seu Jorge and being production mentor for the king of cool, radio DJ Gilles Peterson (who made him one of the resident at his Worldwide Festivals). With the Moon Theory EP Simbad demonstrates his talent on some deep analog frequencies for the very solid & ever growing label that is Apron Records. As the music wizard puts it himself : 'im just trying to make some timeless shhhhh man, soul in all forms really, trying anyway ! And I guess that the best is yet to come.

After a first collaboration focusing on the City of Angels, LA legend John Tejada and acid innovator Tin Man (Johannes Auvinen), this time brooding on the latter's home city, and former's birthplace, Vienna. The Austrian capital is known as "the city of music" and the "city of dreams," two broadly aligning concepts that go far in describing this beguiling 12-inch. The four songs were mixed down live to 2 tracks, created in the real world without a daw, or multi tracking, which has really captured the spirit of performance and improvisation. Succeeding "Railjet," a tense drum workout, comes "Bim," referring to the colorful trams that run through Vienna. Here, Auvinen sculpts his 303 into near-pizzicato form. The acid box is accompanied by stately pads making for one of the duo's most memorable tracks yet. The next cut, "Danube Nights," references the mighty, ancient river, the flow motion mirrored by a couple of widescreen acid lines. A pensive lead and some melancholy chords emerge, but the drums roll right along like the water- tough enough for a heaving floor with a hint of fragility for the headphones. The record concludes with the acidic "Prater Allee," named after idyllic, sprawling park on the banks of the Danube. The duo's love letter to Vienna is well-suited for travel, for the dance and for dreaming.

The first live incarnation of Naples' infamous Mystic Jungle collective.
Analogue improv captured live in front of an audience of around 100 people in an art-space in the city.
Sprawling across 2 sides of wax uninterrupted and encapsulating the tribe's cosmic drenched machine funk 'Live In Napoli' is a fascinating document of a crew formulating something that touches equally on Boogie, New Age, House and Esoterica with ease while oozing the sophistication and singular style the MJT have become known for in recent years.

Double LP of the influential third LP from Iggy & The
Stooges. Includes both the original Bowie mix and the latter
Iggy Pop mix.

Jacob Long's newest recordings under the Earthen Sea moniker deepen his compelling synthesis of shadowy rhythms and opaque atmospherics, drawing on the most potent qualities of melancholic ambient and dub techno.

An Act Of Love' follows 2015's Ink,' released via Ital's Lovers Rock imprint,
and was inspired by internal tribulations and the experience of exploring an empty nocturnal metropolis. Careful waves of tones drift and decay, beats materialize and pulse across twilit landscapes, a noir mood reigns.

Given Long's background as bassist for revelatory tribal-punk trio Mi Ami, An Act Of Love' showcases a musician in the midst of transcendent redefinition, crafting an immersive language of texture and motion.

From Jacob Long:
This record was made over the course of the most emotionally difficult and stressful year in my life thus far. As such, it is both a reflection of that experience and also something that gave me space to begin working through issues to see a way forward, to a better place both psychically and physically.

An idea that was also central to my thoughts while creating the album was the concept and reality of being out in the city at night, wandering around a large urban area after dark - the contrast of empty streets but with life still going on all around, and the openness and possibilities that can bring. This music was an attempt to capture that feeling.

To begin the year with, Antinote summoned Panoptique and JC Satan's Paula to release a badass two-tracker, paying a pared-down tribute to a very overlooked period in recent musical history: the accursed electroclash-era.
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At a time when 'Balearic' has become the new musical gospel, the holiest adjective one can use to describe one's music (and therefore, electroclash has become the musical antichrist - to keep going with the biblical comparison)... while everyone seems to glorify stuff like Ibiza's 'endless sunsets', the duo happily kicks over the anthill with a song, a record and a band soberly called Succhiamo (first person plural of 'to suck' in Italian). The title-track straightforwardly announces what the main elements of Succhiamo's music are: over-saturated simple patterns of drum machines and EBM-infused lines of synths backing overtly sexual vocals in Italian. Nothing more, nothing less.

On the flip side, Succhiamo deals with the same formula in depth, engaging this time in detailing a meaningless list of products available in the 'supermercato'. The song conveys a nihilist - but fun - attitude, and it just sounds as if the band was crashing a car in a commercial zone in high spirits... As a kind of inheritor to Ich Bin, Succhiamo offers to bring some stupidity in the club and gives serious dance music producers the finger, like some irreverent Franco-Italian Beavis & Butthead.

Released in 1982, "Weltweit" was the sole output of the band. It has appropriately become quite rare and difficult to find with the resulting high prices to obtain an original copy. Inspired by the greats such as Kraftwerk, YMO and Klaus Schulze, the three members crafted an exquisite collection of electronic pop songs played on a very impressive collection of analog synthesizers (Arp Odyssey, Korg MS series, MiniMoog, PolyMoog, Moog Modular System 55, PPG 360, some Rolands, and Doepfer sequencer), self-builds and drum machines (Roland TR-808) that were considered cutting edge at the time. The band would have recorded a second album but split up before that was possible. Members of the band continued to be involved in the music industry at least peripherally but didn't participate in further collaborations or bands. Also interestingly, MONOPOL was basically a studio-only project and actually never played live (despite some TV appearances).

Definitely a must-have for fans of NDW such as Bal Paré, Grauzone, Piefke & Pafke, Rheingold, Stahlnetz, Ti-Tho and the like.

Jump in your spaceship and join us on our intergalactic exploration, as we are happy to announce that our next vinyl release is from Blossom Kollektiv's very own Leo Woelfel . Making his debut last year with a digital only release we are very excited to present his first vinyl release for the label titled Heuweid EP. The four track EP features three originals and a remix from Matthias Vogt that will take you on a deep exploration of space so buckle up and get ready to blast off.

We start our journey with the Frizzante mix of 'Heuweider Mineral' the track features a deep brooding bassline but with deep and dubby pads that takes us to a universe that plays with the darkness but keeps the light in plain sight. Backed with a solid kick and percussion to give the track a fully rounded feel this is one track that will put a big smile on any lover of the deeper side of house music.

Next up we get Matthias Vogt's interpretation of 'Heuweider Mineral.' Bringing a more broken beat reconstruction of the original, Matthias brings a raw flavor with a roaring bassline, moving snares and a redevelopment of the dubby pads that transforms the track and creates a feeling of weightlessness while floating through space.

On the flip side we are presented with a more classic deep house vibe with Leo's original 'Elke Ueber Der Bruecke ' this track is careful crafted with the dance floor in mind. A strong kick paired with tightly woven percussion and a classic deep house pad keeps everything moving in this distant but familiar world.

Our final stop on our planetary adventure is 'Stahlgruber Andacht' speaking to us in echoes the pads gently intertwine with a detailed drum patterns until the moving acid like bassline comes in to create a whole new dimension of sound. This concept is something that isn't all together new but done in a new and forward thinking way to finish off the full package of a finely tuned deep house record.

Art, of any kind, encompasses the unique and distinctive output of its creator: an inimitable human being. It points to a blueprint map of who this creator is, encapsulates their experiences and somehow points to how they arrive at their creation(s). This blueprint, although lending glimmer into one life, connects deeply into an unfathomable amount of other lives - lending an expression and effect. With this in mind, we go on a journey with Dowinowe - the first solo artist release for the Gqom oh! label - on his debut "GQOM004" Dominowe is a 19 year old producer from the Newlands east township of Durban, South Africa who started out making music just for his friends. This release snapshots important themes in his evocative personal journey - expressed in his own very unique style. Releasing on Vinyl in 27th of January 2017, the EP, titled SiyaThakatha', showcases Dominowe's original style in the context of the Durban electronic music scene especially when paced beside Gqom and Sghubu. The listener gets a real sense of his complexity and the variety of styles Dominowe is capable of producing. "SiyaThakatha", the EP name, is translated _black_ _magic,_ or, _we witching - _ which is right at the heart of this release: that listening to these sounds invite you into the universe of an unseen world, putting you in touch with what can only described as invisible energy - a combination of the ideal, the intangible, the unattainable and the other-worldly whilst on journey with a 19year old from Durban whose music is composed of influence and innovation. It is about gqom working its magic on the dance floor for people to move - to the distinctive beats and cultural rhythms. It features four tracks - including one skit outro - as well as three tracks on digital download. The tracks were chosen specifically as a reflection of the variety of styles Dominowe produces and the originality of his productions.

COMPILED BY PETE PASQUAL, ERICA OLSON & DJ KINETIC

Following on from acclaimed compilations like 'Down Under Nuggets' and 'Heavy Soul' (and two other new titles 'Running The Voodoo Down' and 'Dodgy Bossa (& Silly Sambas)' - details below), Festival Records presents another deep dig into the archives, this time shining a light on rare Australian soul-jazz, jazz-funk, and freaked-out groove rock from the late '60s and '70s.

BACK ON THE STREET AGAIN - AUSTRALIAN FUNK, SOUL & PSYCH (MOSTLY) FROM THE FESTIVAL VAULTS is a stunning 20 track CD and 2LP release that highlights a point when the previously disparate styles of rock, jazz and soul all started influencing each other, and exciting new genres were created. To quote the liner notes (by DJ Kinetic):

Australia produced some amazing music during the 60s and 70s that sat outside of the normal rock mould. Avant guard artists like John Sangster pushed boundaries and experimented with the fusion of local and overseas influences, artists like Dalvanius recorded soaring disco music that was lost amongst the popular music of the time, only to be rediscovered by DJs overseas who were searching for unknown sounds, composers like Brute Force and His Drum took risks and recorded left-field funky sounds hidden within their more mainstream compositions, and popular artists like Billy Thorpe occasionally strayed from their A&R directions and took leaves from the books of American artists who were largely unknown in Australia at the time. Beneath the veneer of bland rock and roll lay an unknown multitude of funky sounds hidden from mainstream view.

In addition to the artists that Kinetic mentions (and the compilation features two John Sangster tracks - stunning versions of 'Hair' and the Beatles' 'A Day In The Life'), the collection includes iconic names of the era like the Daly-Wilson Big Band (featuring Kerrie Biddell), Renee Geyer and the Johnny Rocco Band. '60s sides from Ross D Wyllie and The ID (featuring Jeff St John) reveal the various styles' roots in American rhythm & blues, and the unexpected inclusion of some legendary Australian rock outfits like Tamam Shud and Blackfeather reveals the psychedelic and progressive rock influences at play. The full range of the music is highlighted by the inclusion of both cabaret/daytime TV performer Al Styne and outrageous Kings Cross club act Count Copernicus & The Cosmic Fire as well as the in-house studio 'pops' orchestra, Festival Studio 24 Orchestra.

Co-compilers Pete Pasqual, Erica Olson and DJ Kentic to undertake interviews with specialist media around release. Facebook ad's around release.

After a short break Unison Wax returns with a brand new four-track collection of music from the bossman himself, Diego Krause. The Berliner took a year off in 2016, concentrating on other projects and letting the label have a rest, but now he's back with a refined sound. Unison Wax embodies a more sophisticated aesthetic, with warm analogue hues and subtle textures to push things forward a little. After all, we couldn't come back from a break without progressing, huh!
First out of the blocks is 'Nihilate', which helps introduce this updated Unison Wax sound, crisp beats lock us into a groove in conjunction with a dainty selection of analogue effects and a funky little b-line. Diego carefully adds new elements as the track progresses, keeping you interested right until the end.
Next is the title track, 'Rituals', which kicks off with an insistent bassline and spellbinding percussion that keeps you gripped from the off. He throws in some claps to add energy and muted pads, which slowly rise to prominence, giving the track an emotive atmosphere which wraps itself around you. One for the eternal dreamers...
Flip the record over for side B and 'Dysfunction', which turns things grimy. Marauding beats and bass conspire to create a morose atmosphere. Diego's penchant for super sharp beats is present here again, and the energy builds slowly but surely. A new layer creeps in every few bars and sucks you right into the track's lair. Expertly done, and impossible to resist, this is darkside pressure at its best.
'Eudaimonia' rounds things off, with more deep grooves. Initially propelled by minimal percussion, the track really gets going when more beats are added. It maintains a laid back feeling and, while the drums are solid, the atmosphere is mostly quite soft with swirling pads keeping things light in the top end. When they fall away towards the end of the track we have a rather gnarly close to the composition, as the beats and bass take over.
And there it is, the welcome return of Unison Wax - smooth and refined for 2017...

Side A, put the needle to the groove for an opening introduction to the sound of Midu aka Nicolas Midulla (Funky Monks Records) - "Salcame Selva" is the name of the track and we are presented with some deep, soul-washed house, laced with delicate, shimmering chords and propelled forward by an infectious, rhythmic -baseline. On to track A2 and we find ourselves listening to the unmistakable sound of Tommy Vicari Jnr. Cooking and reshaping the original "Salvame Selva" in a cauldron of bubbling-funk, spring-loaded drum-beats and seasoned with just enough bounce, to elevate the most static of dance-floors. Turn the record over to the B side, where you will find the sound of Prang aka Quitter (Ammo84 / Charmin / Les Temps Difficiles). Meeting you head on and slicing through your consciousness like a scalpel blade, "Last Few Bars" has been designed with precision and intent, to direct the dance floor, enchant and hypnotize, with consuming charm. The finale for the labels second release, comes from Frankfurt, Germany - from the mind of Nils Diezel (Nixwax). "Moody Sundays" plays host to a track, which appears to invoke ecstatic and magical rites, elevating your mind, enveloping the senses and leaving the listener in a dream like state.

Sometimes in life you find yourselves at a point where you need to walk away and leave something behind if you ever want to go back to it. Other paths must be walked, other experiences learnt from to give you a fresh view of where you've come from. In that sense going back to the roots, rediscovering their past with fresh eyes, is the concept behind Richard Dorfmeister & Rupert Huber's new Tosca album, 'Going Going Going'.For over two decades and several albums Tosca has served as a vehicle for Richard and Rupert to express their personal moods and impressions, each release holding up a mirror to their inner lives. Now though after ten albums the journey has come full circle and once again they've returned to the kind of instrumental tracks, full of deep beats and dubbed out textures that made Tosca's name. The result is 'Going Going Going', an album that Tosca fans will immediately recognize and yet one that doesn't just trade on former glories. Hitting the ground running opening track 'Import Export' sounds like a Lee Scratch Perry version of a Ennio Morricone soundtrack, a motif reoccurs throughout the album, most notably on 'Dr Dings', their reinterpretation of America's classic 'Horse With No Name'.

Six years after his last album on Miasmah, Schattenspieler, it's great to find Marcus Fjellström resurrected after several long years spent composing his audio-visual opera Boris Christ.

Born out of shattered dreams and an obscured vision of the future, Skelektikon is a delirious yet lucid exploration of the farthest and most conflicted reaches of the heart, teeming with confusion, passion, and ghostly shadows. Being no conventional composer in any way, Marcus stumbles further down his musical domain of detuned orchestral (re-)arrangements and pain-inducing synth passages, arriving at a most unique and personal result. Where Schattenspieler gave way to noir filled alleyways, Skelektikon fills them with paranoia. It's the sound of Limbo, of dancing amoebas, of deviant skeletons, nostalgia and futurism, or quite possibly none of that.

Inhabited by the bizarre and the beautiful, Marcus's music is a blurred yet encouraging representation of how you can never trust your own feelings - or eyes and ears for that matter. And yet, we can't shake the idea that the truth is to be found somewhere within this alien language, as delivered to us through the speakers. Opening our eyes after the final track has dissipated, we wouldn't be surprised to find someone or something there, staring at us, in silent and unsettling knowledge.

Fans donated €25,000 to Emika for the project
Fans paid for the album before hearing any music
Electronic & Neo Classical. Fits 2 genres / Cross over
The composition is inspired by electronic music
Emika hired double the amount of bass players in a normal orchestra
Emika created a new seating plan for the orchestra, to sound more like a wide stereo pop album
Echo concepts (electronic music)
Romantic piece, lyrical piece, universal themes of love and sadness, huge beautiful melodies
50 piece symphony orchestra
Silver-toned soprano Michaela Srumova
Composed in Berlin
Recorded in Prague at Czech Radio Studios.

* The crossover between electronic music and classical composition has never been in more vibrant and dynamic health. Multifarious musician Emika explores this fertile ground on her ambitious new opus 'Melanfonie': her first orchestral composition, some four years in the making.

* Funded by a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign that exceeded its target by an impressive €25,000.
* While many rebel from their classical training never to return to it explicitly, Emika has always been attracted to the potential and freedoms offered by the symphony form.

* As well as taking inspiration from her electronic music background in composing the music itself, Emika also applied some of production and playback principles from that realm to create a piece whose every element has been carefully considered.

* Emika is on a quest to try and change what we mean when we talk about 'classical music'. For her, the magic of the 'genre' is about the instruments themselves and more importantly the people who play them; not the restricting traditions and conventions of the classical world itself.

* I want to change the face of classical music and give it a more honest and real image. It is time we had something other than pomp and circumstance and avant-garde squeaks and pops..

Supported by
Chilly Gonzales, Zola Jezus, Ellen Alien, Nina Kraviz, Mala, Christian Kellersmann, The Barbican, Francesco Tristano.

Yellow Vinyl

Elektro Guzzi combine club music and live performance to a unique, energetic mixture. They overcome the rigid boundary of analog versus digital, unifying the human being with his machines in an unprecedented way and surprising the listener with their innovative productions. Sónar, Roskilde, Melt!, C/O Pop or Mutek are just a few stations among others, where Elektro Guzzi fascinated with their dynamic live show, without the use of computers or loops.

With their new EP - Parade , the first release on German label Denovali, Elektro Guzzi broaden their trinity of drums, bass and e-guitar. With implementing trombones as extra oscillators, dissociating them from their conventional use, the trombones become part of the human-machine-universe and are used as an additional sound source in order to modulate and explore its variety live on the stage.

The four tracks emerged from commissioned work for the Artacts Festival for Jazz and Improvised Music. They move along familiar paths, but also show some new, unusual dimensions of Elektro Guzzi. Opener - Element starts gently, bringing the trombones slowly into appearance, culminating in that driving groove, which whips the melancholic sound of the track. Title track - Parade reveals the new source of inspiration of the Vienna-based trio. From Haitian Rara music, through New Orleans brass bands to Basic Channel dub, Elektro Guzzi create rhythms beyond four-to-floor, with that special, warm vibe, which remains in the ear of the listener.

Recording, mixing and sound design results from a collaboration with sound enthusiast Nik Hummer. The - Parade -EP hypnotizes the listener with its diversity of sounds, with floating and dubby rhythms, situated in a stunning sound aesthetic, in which the feeling of its live performance is conserved.

Ekambi Brillant was born in the village of Dibombari in Cameroon in 1948. In 1962 he attended school in Yaounde and learned his musical craft. In 1971 he heads off to the big city lights of Douala. Here he finds himself in a French TV, music competition hosted at "Le Domino" nightclub. It is here where he brushes shoulders with other Cameroonian music legends such Manu Dibango and Francis Bebey.

The music contest win gives him the break he needs and in 1972 and with the support of fellow troubadour JK Mandengue he finds himself with a record deal with Phonogram and his first hits in France.

Its in 1975 where we pick up this merry tale. Because it is in 1975 when things start to get a bit funky. Which is just how we like it here at Africa Seven. In partnership with French producer, guitarist and all around hero, Slim Pezin he creates the "Africa Oumba" album. He goes on in the two subsequent years to record the Soul Castle and Djambo's Djambo's albums also with Slim.

Our compilation focuses on the funkier end of Ekambi's music drawn mainly from the 1975 to 1978 period. Things open up with our theme tune "Africa Africa" (of course). It's tribal twisted psych funk is the perfect start to any album. We then move to "Aboki" possibly Ekambi's finest dance floor filler. Next it's the choppy disco strings and slap bass of "Nyambe" and the swirling African swing of "N'Kondo" and the pulsing chop-funk "Ekila".

The flip side starts off with "Soul Castle" an ordinary day tale for our hero. "Massoma" and its funk boogie get things bopping next up before "Machine Ma Bwindea" gives us some punchy brass and low slung funk grooves. "Mother Africa" shows us the songwriting power of Ekambi while also managing to have one of the funkiest flange basslines we have heard in a good while. Things close off with swing-time of "Lambo Lena".

Ekambi Brillant would go on to become one of the big name legends of Cameroonian music with nearly 20 albums to his name. He has contributed to the emergence of several Cameroonian artists such as Marthe Zambo, Valery Lobe, Aladji Toure and Africans. He now spends his time in Cameroon and Washington DC. Ekambi, we salute you sir.

The xx today announce details of their highly anticipated third album. Titled I See You, the ten song album will be released on 13th January 2017 via Young Turks. I See You is the follow up to The xx's two previous albums - xx and Coexist - which have sold over 3 million copies between them, winning a host of accolades along the way.I See You marks a new era for the London trio of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith, both sonically and in terms of process. For while xx and Coexist were both made in relative isolation in London, I See You was recorded between March 2014 and August 2016 in New York, Marfa TX, Reykjavik, Los Angeles and London, and is characterised by a more outward-looking, open and expansive approach. Produced by Jamie Smith and Rodaidh McDonald, I See You is The xx at their boldest yet, performing with more clarity and ambition than ever before.I See You will be available on CD and LP, with each physical format featuring a debossed mirri board sleeve.
Two vinyl versions of the album, with full product descriptions as follows - Standard Vinyl: 10 tracks, in a debossed mirror board sleeve with a download + CD copy of the album - Deluxe Box Set: Silver mirri board debossed box containing the album on 180g heavyweight vinyl, with an extra 12' including 3 bonus tracks, album CD, enhanced CD featuring a live video of bonus track 'Brave For You (Marfa Demo)' and 3 exclusive prints by Alasdair McLellan.

2x12"

Ruin possessed a fierce insistence on being present in the moment. They were intent not on simply beating themselves against the membranes that contain them but on breaking the fuck through.

Originally active from 1982 to 1986, this five-piece unit was sometimes mistakenly described to the unaware as a 'Buddhist hardcore band.'

Along with a few singles and compilations, they released two albums: the definitive blast of 1984's He-Ho and the somewhat more polished Fiat Lux in 1986.

This archival collection contains these 2 full-length, remastered albums plus several bonus tracks*, an 8 page 12'x12' booklet, which contains extensive liner notes, lyrics and previously unpublished photos. May you be Ruined...

He-Ho Tracklist:
 A1 Alter 3:23 A2 Dionysian 1:55 A3 Freedom Has No Bounds 3:01A4 Baby Doll 3:12 A5 He-Ho / Laudium 4:07 A6 Alarm 0:45 A8 Phenomenal Expression 0:50 A7 Love Dog 1:30
B1Master Song 2:20 B2Where Fortune 1:34 B3 Play With Fire 3:44 B4 Twilight 2:47
B5 Proof 1:54 B6 Rule Worshipper 1:15 B7 Mouse 4:48

Fiat Lux Tracklist
A1 You 1.04 A2 Make Believe 1.50 A3 Hero 2.34 A4 Famous Blue Raincoat 3.41 A5 Life After Life 3.47 A6 Proof 3.12 A7 By the By 2:45 B1 China 2.50 B2 Taster 2.38 B3 White Rabbit 4.44 B4 Ruin 1.10 B5 Great Divide 4.14 B8 Real Good Time 2.38

Italian Roberto Clementi has really struck a chord in the hearts of Northerners, with releases on Scottish Soma, Danish Echocord Colour and Swedish Kontra-Musik. Perhaps it's his ability to create evolving and often emotional melodic landscapes over raw, punchy beats that's especially appreciated north of The Wall. This is very much true for True Rotary Recordings, in any case, bringing Roberto Clementi in for the label's second release. 'To Balance a Tide' is perfectly set in the True Rotary Recordings universe, combining analogue warmth with genuine musicality. There's no question Roberto Clementi has soul and has willingly poured some of it into this release, the music has a considerable thickness to it that's very pleasing to the ear, yet it's still exceptionally artful. Clementi's soul seems to be an ancient one, given the timelessness of his tracks - old SVEK releases come to mind but with an added futuristic twist. This is music for dancing and music for dreaming, all in one package.
True Rotary Recordings is run by Joel Alter and Ena Cosovic. Stemming from a longstanding mutual appreciation for the combination raw techno with more seductive sounds, the label is a natural development of Joel's and Ena's musical and personal partnership. True Rotary Recordings represents their mutual musical vision and vibe that they love. Keeping it raw and genuine.

Translated from Spanish as 'The Shade', Chip Wickham's debut album La Sombra drops after a 25-year career touring, recording and experimenting across three decades of jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, Latin and electronica. La Sombra is a monumental record for Chip as it symbolises the moment he stepped out into the light as a director of his creations with freedom to explore his roots, express and tell his version of jazz and pay testament to his heroes Roland Kirk, Yuseef Lateef & Harold McNair.

Now living in Dubai after an intense and productive six years in Madrid, it was Manchester where Chip studied in the late '80s and became enmeshed in the chaotic and thrilling music scenes emanating from one of the world's most culturally prominent cities of the time. Recording and generally 'keeping things real' with Manchester's hip-hop collective Grand Central Records, Rae & Christian, The Pharcyde, Fingathing, Nightmares on Wax, Graham Massey (808 State), Chip was in a city that was undergoing a music revolution with the Haçienda as its temple. Yet it was the headlights of the M62 motorway and not the strobe lights that were lighting Chip's path during his student years ('88-'92). The lure of the jazz and funk clubs of Leeds, where The New Mastersounds were breaking out and building the blocks that would lead them to UK funk royalty status, proved too strong.

In the 1990s Chip continued to refine his craft in the rainy city and the gigs booked were growing in stature. It wasn't long before he was on the road with Roy Ayers and Badly Drawn Boy. Around that time Chip met up with trumpeter Matthew Halsall that was the beginning of a friendship that lasts to this day. Chip was a recording artist on Matthew Halsall's breakout album Sending My Love and continues to work with him, with live dates confirmed in spring 2017. This close connection with Halsall gave rise to other collaborations, such as with Nat Birchall and Go Go Penguin's Rob Turner.

Three decades after his late night excursions to Leeds, Chip found himself recording with Eddie Roberts from The New Mastersounds in Madrid, as part of their new band, The Fire Eaters, which he'd formed soon after he moved to sunny Spain in 2007 - the same year he released the Fried Samba album under his moniker Malena, his electronic Latin band that became a hit at the turn of the century for Freestyle Records. During his time in Spain he connected with the local scene and brought together many of his musicians colleagues from the UK to Spain and it was for a local and well established label, Lovemonk, that he released two 45s blending raw funk and Latin. These new roads and musical leanings led to an invitation to play for the prestigious Craig Charles Fantasy Funk Band. Based on a poll from Craig Charles' top rated BBC6 radio show, Chip was chosen to play alongside the cream of the UK funk & soul scene: James Taylor (JTQ), Snowboy, The Haggis Horns (Mark Ronson), John Turrell (Smooth & Turrell), and Mick Talbot (The Style Council).

La Sombra takes an altogether more rooted direction than Chip's recent collaborative work, with the jazz of the late '60s and early '70s a dominating influence to the recordings. Comprising of seven tracks recorded in Madrid with musicians assembled by Chip from Madrid's jazz scene, it combines contemplative explorations akin to Yusef Lateef's early work on tracks like 'La Sombra' and 'Pushed Too Far'. There's a fiery cover of Camarón de la Isla's classic 'La Leyenda Del Tiempo' and tracks like 'Sling Shot' and 'Red Planet' are locked in a groove harking back to Freddie Hubbard's Blue Note era and Luv N Haight's Nathan Davis.