Boogie Back Records proudly reissues BBR008 on 7-inch vinyl — a timeless slice of soulful innovation from Max Beesley, whose deep roots in the UK’s acid jazz and soul scene have influenced generations of musicians and listeners alike. A multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer, Beesley has collaborated with some of the most iconic artists of our time — Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Earth, Wind & Fire, James Brown, Incognito, Jamiroquai, and many more — contributing his signature touch on drums, percussion, keyboards, and vibraphone.
Originally released as part of Boogie Back’s 12” series, BBR008 captures Beesley’s unmistakable sound: rich harmonies, heavy grooves, and that soulful energy that bridges classic street soul and contemporary jazz-funk. This 7” reissue distills the essence of his acclaimed Boogie Back Records impacting era — a period defined by vibrant musicianship and cosmic jazz grooves ready for both the dancefloor and the deep listener. These two tracks showcase the full range of Beesley’s musical vision. “Night Daze” rides a hypnotic groove of cosmic Rhodes chords, tight percussion, and lush vibraphone lines, creating a cinematic, late-night atmosphere. On the flip, “Painful Truth” features the unmistakable voice of Omar, one of the UK’s most iconic soul vocalists — delivering a deep, heartfelt performance over Beesley’s rich, jazz-funk arrangements. This is another special and exclusive 45/7“ release via Soulkitchen Distribution…
Поиск:oma
Все
- A1: Poetic Sands (Interlude) - Brian Jackson Feat. Wes Felton
- A2: It's Your World - Brian Jackson Feat. Raheem Devaughn, J. Ivy
- A3: We Almost Lost Detroit - Brian Jackson Feat. Moodymann
- B1: The Bottle - Brian Jackson Feat. Omar
- B2: Peace Go With You Brother - Brian Jackson Feat. Raheem Devaughn
- B3: Beautiful Dame - Brian Jackson Feat. Raquel Ra Brown
- C1: Lady Day & John Coltrane - Brian Jackson Feat. Rahsaan Patterson
- C2: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Brian Jackson Feat. Black Thought
- C3: Addiction (Interlude) - Brian Jackson Feat. Raquel Ra Brown
- D1: Home Is Where The Hatred Is - Brian Jackson Feat. Lisa Fischer
- D2: Madison Avenue - Brian Jackson Feat. Raheem Devaughn
- E1: Is That Jazz? - Brian Jackson Feat. Rahsaan Patterson
- E2: More Than Ever (Interlude) - Brian Jackson Feat. Raquel Ra Brown
- E3: Now More Than Ever
- E4: Home Is Where The Hatred Is
- F1: Moonshine (Live) - Brian Jackson Feat. Carl Cornwell
- F2: Racetrack In France - Brian Jackson Feat. Josh Milan, J. Ivy, Moodymann
- F3: Winter In America - Brian Jackson Feat. Rich Medina
- F4: New York City
Produced by Masters At Work (Kenny Dope and Louie Vega).
'Collaboration is stimulating, it's in my blood.' Thus speaks Brian Jackson and his philosophy for making music and it's indeed collaboration that runs through this amazing album of reimagined and revisited songs from his artistic past. Featuring artists such as Black Thought, Rahsaan Patterson, Josh Milan, Moodymann, Omar, J. Ivy and others and being produced by Masters At Work, Now More Than Ever takes the enduring classic tracks that Brian made with Gil Scott-Heron and places them in the now over nineteen tracks and across a triple vinyl LP or double CD.
Songs such as Lady Day & John Coltrane, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Home Is Where The Hatred Is, Winter In America, The Bottle and more soundtracked a generational movement of Black Consciousness in the 70s and 80s. As Brian says, 'This album is one way to connect to what we were about in the 70s; we were about change and this is part of the lineage of resistance. These tracks mark a period of time when resistance was essential and now a younger generation has picked them up.'
'As young men in their twenties we (Brian and Gil) just wrote about what we saw and were feeling and people interpreted these songs in ways we never thought about but as Sly stone said the song comes from me but it's for you.' This statement from Brian perfectly sums up the collaborative nature of Now More Than Ever and the relevance of these songs in a contemporary perspective can be perfectly summed up by the songs themselves. The formidable stable of artists contributing to each track and the excellent production from Louie Vega and Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez make this album an event in itself. However, these songs are there to be enjoyed as a canon or as individual masterpieces, whether on the dancefloor or on a home system. ‘Now More Than Ever’ just has to be in everybody’s music collection.
BAR Musica Re-Present is happy to come back after the great success of BARREP05 by the master Ricky Montanari, with some new unreleased cuts by another Italian great project - Presslaboys.
Presslaboys had a massive momentum in the early 2000’s with releases on Crosstown Rebels and their own Presslab Records, delivering some of the best cuts in the new era called tech house.
We teamed with Omar J and found these unreleased cuts, a little different from what they were releasing at the time, but with a real progressive sound that we are happy to release
- A1: Get Up And Dance - Featuring Hil St Soul
- A2: Sending You Love (Parts 1 And 2) - Featuring Natasha Watts
- B1: The Special Branch
- B2: Feel So Good - Featuring Natasha Watts
- B3: Shining - Featuring Natasha Watts
- C1: Hermosa Bump
- C2: Bird Of Paradise - Featuring Guida De Palma
- D1: Ella’s Groove - Featuring Natasha Watts
- D2: You See Me - Featuring Guida De Palma
- D3: Umph!
After a gap of over ten years, the Grammy nominated Jazz Funk band Down To The Bone are back with their groove laden, Acid Jazz tinged new album “This Way Forward”– here on an ultra-limited, special release of a doublepack vinyl album. Bringing together a good groove fueled album of ten original tracks with a diversity of flavours – from Jazz Funk to Soul to Brazilian tinged delights that are sure to get the musical juices flowing. Packed full of the band’s trademark grooves and bringing together multi talented musicians from the past and the present all culminating into a melting-pot of sounds that together represent Down To The Bone’s essential sounds.
The new album also brings together multi-talented vocalists on no less than seven tracks From the exquisite soul talents of Hil Street Soul, who co-wrote the opening soul infused groove track “Get Up And Dance”, to the equally soulful tones of Natasha Watts and then the Brazillian sounds of Guida De Palma. The pulsing horn section of Tim Smart, Ryan Jacob (Bonobo/Alice Russell) and James Arben (Vibration Black Finger/Mulatu Astatke), together with Piers Green on sax solos, along with the driving bass of both Julian Crampton and Jo Phillpotts to the pumping beats of drummer Davide Giovannini (Snowboy/Jazztronic/Da Lata and Pucho/Lisa Stansfield), to the melodic chords of Neil Angilley (Snowboy/Jazzhino/Maceo Parker) and Anders Olinder (PeeWee Ellis/Courtney Pine), to the chugging guitar of Tony Remy( Dave Lee/The Sunburst Band/Incognito/Omar) and Mark Jaimes (Simply Red) plus Gianni Chiarello – and the icing on the cake with percussion from Joe “Bongo” Becket.
All working together to bring a stellar performance on this cracking new release to show that DTTB are a force to be reckoned with both on stage and on the wheels of steel.
Maria is the debut album from renowned Brazilian electric bassist and composer Moyses Dos Santos. A homecoming for the London-based artist, Moyses’ debut reconnects him with his North-Eastern roots while assembling an international cast of collaborators including legendary Brazilian arranger Arthur Verocai, US trumpet sensation Theo Croker and London-based vocal star Lynda Dawn.
After relocating from Brazil to London in the early 2000s, Moyses dos Santos quickly became one of the capitals’ most in-demand players, sharing stages, studios, and writing credits with best-selling artists including Nile Rodgers, Janelle Monáe, Emile Sandé, Gregory Porter and Omar.
In 2022, Moyses toured with Brazilian jazz-funk legends Azymuth, completing the rhythm section alongside Brazilian drumming master Ivan "Mamão" Conti. "It felt like he was my wise Brazilian grandfather figure." Moyses recalls. "When you spend so many years working internationally, you unconsciously start to leave certain parts of yourself behind. Mamão encouraged me to reconnect with Brazilian music, and that's where this record really began."
Brazil’s North-east, where African, indigenous and European traditions collided and fused most intensely, produced a musical heritage unlike anything else on earth, Moyses dos Santos is a product of this syncretism. On Maria, named after his mother, Moyses brings the musical vocabularies of his youth to the fore. From the soul of the church band where he began to learn his trade as a musician, to the rolling batucadas – maractus, baiaos, sambas and frevos – which he played throughout his teenage years.
Drawing on the lineage of North American electric bass giants like George Duke, Jaco Pastorius, and Stanley Clarke, Moyses runs Brazilian musical traditions through jazz, funk, soul and disco: his sound charged with the cosmopolitan energy of London's contemporary jazz scene.
Lead single and album opener “Boa Viagem’ is joyous, carnivalesque dancefloor jazz: a timeless groove for the nightclub and street party alike. Calling directly to a higher power “Brazilian Spirit” is an astral-jazz phenomenon, featuring the transcendent trumpet playing of Grammy nominated Theo Croker. On “Saudade” Moyses calls upon iconic Brazilian maestro Arthur Verocai, whose signature string arrangements cascade around the divine vocals of ascendant London artist Lynda Dawn.
With impeccable style, charisma, warmth and virtuosity, Moyses steps forward with his stunning debut Maria: out on vinyl, LP, CD and digitally on the 12th June 2026.
- A1: Nuevayol
- A2: Voy A Llevarte Pa Pr
- A3: Baile Inolvidable
- A4: Perfumito Nuevo (Ft Rainao)
- B1: Weltita (Ft Chuwi)
- B2: Veld (Ft Dei V, Omar Courtz)
- B3: El Clb
- B4: Ketu Tecr
- B5: Bokete
- C1: Kloufrens
- C2: Turista
- C3: Caf Con Ron (Ft Pleneros De La Cresta)
- C4: Pitorro De Coco
- D1: Lo Que Le Pas A Hawaii
- D2: Eoo
- D3: Dtmf
- D4: La Mudanza
Some big names feature on the second volume of ENSOULED's 'Freedom, Innovation, Resonance' series, and they serve up suitably profound sounds. Dutch mainstay Orlando Voorn gets the hairs standing on end with his 'Deeper', a sumptuous blend of soft synths, undulating rhythms and spiritual keys. The Cee ElAssaad remix has still soft edges but a little more upright groove, and then Chicago legend Boo Williams cranks it up further with his loopy, melodically intense 'Loose Cannon'. Lastly, Nawfel's 'Fight Or Flight' is a textural deep house affair with mechanical, rigid rhythms softened by the lush pads. It echoes greats like Omar S and Theo Parrish and closes in style.
- A1: Mo Miles Ahead (Intro)
- A2: Free (Feat. Yahzarah & Tarrey Torae)
- A3: Wake Up
- A4: Odyssey (Feat. Kamasi Washington & Mononeon)
- A5: Stay (Feat. Irene Blackman)
- B1: Finish Line (Feat. Chelsea Baratz & Omar)
- B2: Sunday Morning (Feat. Kendra Foster)
- B3: Betta Days
- B4: Imposter Syndrome (Feat. Rae Khalil & J. Ivy)
- B5: Nyc 'Ta Volado (Feat. Cimafunk)
Maurice “Mobetta” Brown has always thrived at the crossroads—between jazz and hip-hop, improvisation and songcraft, trumpet and microphone. With Betta Days, the Grammy-winning trumpeter, composer, and MC sharpens his genre-bending vision into one of his most dynamic statements yet.
The album plays like a conversation between worlds: lush horn arrangements sit beside hard-hitting beats, verses weave seamlessly through melodies, and Brown’s trumpet leads with equal parts fire and finesse. A student of jazz tradition who came up in Chicago’s storied scene, he’s since expanded his reach into hip-hop and soul, collaborating with icons like Aretha Franklin, Santigold, Talib Kweli, and Anderson .Paak. Betta Days captures the spirit of all those influences while standing firmly in Mobetta’s lane.
At its core, Betta Days is about resilience and growth—finding light even in heavy times. The songs carry a message of pushing forward, fuelled by the energy of community and the joy of creation. Whether he’s delivering sharp verses or soaring trumpet lines, Maurice Mobetta Brown reminds listeners that the future is wide open, and that better (or Betta) days are always ahead.
Perros' third installment is a sequel release from various artists that develops the theme Canerêve. Holding the usual multi-functional-tracker mission, this Volume 2 features four dancefloor house-lines facets.
DJ Cream struts with solid drum kicks that mellows into a structure that humps atmosphere dreams through a cheeky R'n'B sample, opening the record with warm charisma. A deep house blowgun truly on point. Following the info side of the record, we found a rising french producer based in Barcelona by the name of Groenogen, setting an elektrisch-soaked trip to tech house, throughout chunky basslines and infectious grooves that move inside a stridulous synth in combo with a sexy vocal chorus.
Artwork side, by the italian painter and tattoo guru FASE, starts with a showcase of layered high-quality projects throughout instruments knowledge and improvisation that just a live-act maestro like Emi Ömar can guarantee. Tribal, Deep, Acid, Electro,Funky. An immersive mixture of textures and emotions that enhances a full storytelling, a whole venture narrated by a hypnotic vocoder. The fourth and final track, comes up with a glimpse criteria, climbing the heights gradually. Then, when DJ Rou finally decides to start, that moment is just a boom! The break comes with energetic grooves, intricate percussions, sci-fi samples bounce all around with both acid and melodic flows of a potential hard-house hit.
French house mainstay Franck Roger has been cooking up timeless, deep sounds for decades and right now he is in a superb run of form. Seasons Limited is where he lands next with more of his signature sounds. 'Exodus' opens with a fat, warped bassline and far-sighted chords that hark back to early Detroit. 'Sokette' is much more dusty and minimal, and again has echoes of artists like Omar-S from the Motor City. 'Push It' is a more elastic groove with some aching vocal hooks and diffuse chord work to make this perfect for the late-night sessions.
Sechs Tracks. Zwei Seiten. Ein Gefühl
Manche sagen, diese EP sei wie eine Reise durch das Universum.
Andere sagen, sie ist einfach nur geil produziert.
Und dann gibt’s noch uns, REEEF, und wir sagen: Warum nicht beides?
Die „Universe EP“ ist der Beweis, dass Melodic Techno nicht nur tief und emotional sein kann, sondern auch richtig gut sitzt – wie dein Lieblings-Hoodie nach drei Tagen Festival.
Wir haben alles reingepackt:
Universe: Der Titeltrack. Ein epischer Opener, der mehr Stimmung macht als dein Barista mit Burnout.
Humanity: Technofrontalangriff mit Betonwänden – für alle, die es ernst meinen mit dem Raven.
Never Say Never: Melancholie auf House-Basis. Für den Moment, in dem du denkst: „Vielleicht bleib ich doch noch bis Montag.“
Daydreams: Der Track für 6:42 Uhr, wenn draußen der Nebel aufzieht und du kurz überlegst, ob das Leben nicht doch ein Musikvideo ist.
Bumblebee: Direkt im Ohr, klebt wie Honig im Hirn – nur eben clubtauglich.
Kryptonite: Der große Absch(l)uss. Melodic House mit Pop-Einschlag – emotional, energetisch, kein guilty pleasure, sondern einfach pleasure.
Für DJs. Für Hörer. Für Menschen mit Geschmack und funktionierendem Basssystem.
Auf 12” Vinyl gepresst, liebevoll angeordnet, Spielzeit optimiert – so wie Oma früher die Tupperdosen im Schrank. Nur mit mehr Kickdrum.
Fazit: Diese EP braucht keine Hype-Formulierungen. Die Tracks sprechen für sich. Und wenn nicht, übernehmen wir das Mikrofon – laut, tanzbar und mit einem leichten Hang zur Selbstüberschätzung.
REEEF – Universe EP! Jetzt überall, wo es gute Musik gibt. Und bald auch bei dir im Plattenkoffer.
- A1: Obadia - Slowride
- A2: Exxon Yazz - Tune
- A3: Smokers Delight - Do You Speak Spanish
- A4: Chukimai - The Girl With The Golden Fish
- B1: Ali Omar - Love
- B2: Move D - Tar Funk
- B3: Krii - Dzaes Manouverz
- B4: Adrien75 - Singularity
- C1: Bton - Fourth Floor
- C2: Transporter - Kind And Cool (Featuring Beni Reimann)
- C3: Analog Tara - Defunkt
- C4: Banquet - Hot Nachos With Cheese, Calling Cards, Cappucino
- D1: Bangtown - Ccvccd
- D2: Melchior &Amp; Anderson - Catch A Wave
- D3: Alex Cortex - Rosen
- D4: Digital Lofi - Transmission (Deep Space Dub)
- D5: Thomas Meyer - Values
- A1: Endtro
- A2: Guard The Fort – Ft. Lyrics Born & Gift Of Gab
- A3: Bruce 2Na
- A4: Distance
- A5: Superheroes Anonymous – Ft. Jake, Ang 13, Dynamite, Mc Spyce, Harry Shotta, Jake The Detonator
- A6: South Coast Rocks
- A7: Superhero Kit
- A8: Black Vapor
- A9: Feel The Power – Ft. Skye (Morcheeba)
- A10: Worth Fighting For – Ft. Omar
- A11: Waste No Time – Ft. Dynamite Mc
- A12: Stay Tuned
- A13: Heartbroken Ft. Skye (Morcheeba)
- A14: Skillz – Ft. Joe Charman
- A15: Hands High
The time has come for hip-hop’s favourite superheroes to unleash their highly anticipated album. The industry’s most recognisable voice, Chali 2na, and turntable wizard Krafty Kuts have been not-so-secretly preparing this project since 2017 through over 150 live shows and countless studio sessions. The time has finally come to grab your capes, don a pair of tights and load up the turntable ready for the show to begin. This is ‘Adventures Of A Reluctant Super Hero’ – prepare for the Purple Assassin and the Scratchman as they come and save your city, the scene and hip-hop as we know it.
Featuring a who’s-who of collabs and guest appearances from hip-hop royalty, this 14-track record takes you to just about every corner of the genre, leaving no stone unturned. With Lyrics Born and Gift Of Gab joining on ‘Guard The Fort’ to deliver a serious statement of intent to open the LP, the rest of the record is an adventure through funk, breaks, rolling basslines, buckets of groove and everything in-between. Throw in a generous portion of expertly delivered bars and vocals from genre sidekicks like Harry Shotta, Skye (Morcheeba), Omar, Dynamite MC and more, and you’re left with a hip-hop record that not even the comic books could have conceived.
LP version comes with an exclusive 8-page comic-book by official Star Wars illustrator JAKe + full album download.
Das Avant-Rock-Sextett aus Beirut verschmilzt auf diesem großartigen Nachfolger seines gefeierten 2023er Debüts "Mais Um" Psych/Kraut, Improv/Skronk, Elektronik, Gothic und Jazzelemente mit traditionellem ägyptischem Gesang und moderner arabischer Poesie. Produziert von Radwan Moumneh (Matana Roberts, Sarah Davachi, Jerusalem In My Heart). Der Titel des zweiten SANAM-Albums ist ebenso vielversprechend wie die Musik der libanesischen Band. "Sametou Sawtan" bedeutet aus dem Arabischen übersetzt "Ich habe eine Stimme gehört". Spukhaft oder spirituell, wie auch immer man die Phrase liest, sie spricht von der Fähigkeit von Klang und Sprache, innezuhalten, Aufmerksamkeit zu stehlen und uns für den Moment zu öffnen. In ähnlicher Weise vermischt die Musik von SANAM zarte Rasereien und feuerverbrannte Balladen, indem sie frei fließende Rock- und Jazzgerüste mit der tief verwurzelten arabischen Tradition verbindet. Sie in vollem Flug zu hören bedeutet, in der Gegenwart gehalten zu werden und sich neu zu orientieren, um einen offenen Horizont zu eröffnen. Die Arbeit an "Sametou Sawtan" begann im Frühjahr 2024. Die ersten Ideen, die in den Tunefork Studios in Beirut entstanden, wurden im April während eines Aufenthalts in Beit Faris, einem mittelalterlichen Haus in der Küstenstadt Byblos, weiter ausgearbeitet. Das Sextett: Sandy Chamoun (Gesang), Antonio Hajj (Bass), Farah Kaddour (Buzuq), Anthony Sahyoun (Gitarre, Synthesizer), Pascal Semerdjian (Schlagzeug) und Marwan Tohme (Gitarren), wurde vom Produzenten Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem In My Heart) unterstützt. Die letzten beiden Tracks des Albums sind Aufnahmen aus den Beit Faris-Sessions, während der Rest in den La Frette Studios in Paris während der Europareise der Band im Sommer 2024 aufgenommen wurde. Die Platte verarbeitet Gefühle der Distanz und der Entwurzelung. "In den letzten fünf Jahren hatte ich das Gefühl, dass jeder den Libanon verlässt", erklärt Chamoun. "Das Album handelt nicht wortwörtlich davon, sondern von der Vorstellung, dass dich etwas verlässt. Eine Distanz zu den Ereignissen, obwohl du in ihnen lebst, eine Distanz zu deinem Haus, obwohl du in ihm wohnst." Ob in der sehnsüchtigen Ballade "Goblin" oder dem langsam brennenden, autotune-überladenen Freakout von "Habibon", Sametou Sawtan fängt das Streben nach festem Boden in einer Welt ein, die diesen nur selten bieten kann . Das Album hat die hypnotisierende Intensität des SANAM-Live-Erlebnisses, während es der Musik Nuancen, Tiefe und eine enorme dynamische Bandbreite verleiht. Wie bei ihrem Debüt sind die Texte vieler Tracks entliehen, Worte, die in neue Kontexte gestellt werden, um die Gegenwart zu verarbeiten. "Hamam" interpretiert ein ägyptisches Volkslied neu. In "Hadikat Al Ams" treibt der krachende Hardrock-Stampfer den Text des zeitgenössischen libanesischen Schriftstellers Paul Shaoul an. Und sowohl "Sayl Damei" als auch der Titeltrack verwenden Gedichte des iranischen Dichters und bahnbrechenden Mathematikers Omar Khayyam aus dem zwölften Jahrhundert. "Wenn man etwas von Omar liest, fühlt man eine Verbindung zur Gegenwart", sagt Chamoun. "Das Gefühl, dass es keinen klaren Weg gibt." "Sametou Sawtan" enthält auch zwei Lieder mit Chamouns eigenen Texten, darunter den Opener "Harik". Es war die Keimzelle des Albums, geschrieben von Chamoun im Februar 2024, wobei die Band den Track um ihre Worte herum aufbaute. Es beginnt mit einem Schauder, zerfetzter Elektronik und einer keuchenden Stimme, die das Schlagzeug durchdringt, bevor sich die Band zu einem triumphalen Aufstieg aufschwingt. Es geht um Eintauchen in "ein unendliches Feuer", verrät Chamoun. Den Text zu "Tatayoum" schrieb sie allein, bevor sie ihn der Band vorlegte. Er spiegelt eine andere Art von Intensität wider, "eine Schleife, eine Besessenheit", wie sie sagt. Buzuq webt durch schwebende Elektronik und drängende Trommeln, während Chamoun arabische Worte rezitiert, die die Liebe beschreiben. Die unaufhörlichen Energien, die in diesen Tracks erforscht werden, sind nicht unbedingt negativ. Sie vergleicht deren Intensität mit der eines Schriftstellers, der in einem Gedankengang gefangen ist, im Guten wie im Schlechten. "Es geht nicht darum, deprimiert oder traurig zu sein", sagt Chamoun. "Es ist eine Falle, aber sie kann auch magisch sein." "Sametou Sawtan" wurde von Farah Fayyad mit ikonischen Grafiken und Design versehen.
We are excited to present 002, the second chapter in our vinyl-only journey curated by our head honcho, Reshio. This release delivers four powerhouse tracks.
We’re excited to unveil our first vinyl-only release, featuring four dance-floor-focused tracks from Kyiv’s Kiddmisha, alongside Tbilisi-based artists Reshio and Yamoc.
Each track offers a dynamic mix of electronic beats and rhythms, showcasing the energy and creativity of these rising talents in dance music.
Death Is Not The End's mixtape-style selection of clips from tapes recorded live at soundsystems playing during London's Notting Hill Carnival between 1984 and 1988, originally broadcast on NTS Radio in August 2018, is the latest to be committed to cassette as part of their 10th anniversary series. Featuring sounds from the likes of Jamdown Rockers, Saxon, Java Nuclear Power, Killerwatt Turbotronic, Stereograph, Sir Coxsone, Volcano Express and more.
Audio sourced with the indefatigable efforts of the Who Cork The Dance crew - big thanks going out to Jayman, Ruff House, Keimo, Omar, Gee Wizz and the one Jah Humble.
Tuskegee continues apace with ‘Work Come First’ from Life on Planets, a flawless blend of classic house, R&B, and conscious songwriting, remixed with finesse by Omar S and Soul Clap’s Charles Levine.
A modern-day hymn to hustle and stride, ‘Work Come First’ doesn’t chip away at the soul in pursuit of success. Working in collaboration with like-minded producer Seven Davis Jr., Phill Celeste applies his key alias to a triumphant, full-bodied songwriting moment. Led by beautiful organ piano, mingling with the artist’s defiant vocals and defined by the feel of a full live band, ‘Work Come First’ continues Life On Planets' beguiling, genre-crossing journey.
In ever-charismatic and minimal mode, Detroit icon Omar S breaks down ‘Work Come First’ into core elements for the floor, blowing out the system and applying Life on Planets’ vocal performance to a raw, lo-fi arrangement with a hint of street soul. In neat parallel, Charles Levine delves into the more full-bodied, rich elements of the track, tripping on the sophisticated funk long associated with the Soul Clap founder’s oeuvre.
Complimenting both takes, producer Seven Davis Jr. provides an alternate ‘Sev’s mix’, a little rougher around the edges for dancers under red lights.
- A1: She's Getting Married In August
- A2: Evenin' Rain
- A3: Les Papillons
- A4: Zeena
- A5: Virgin Morn
- A6: Seeds
- B1: Crystal Blue
- B2: Lady Carole
- B3: Lotus Child
- B4: Last Prayer
- B5: Hymn For Today
- C1: Boston
- C2: Blackbird Charlie
- C3: My Sun
- C4: Closer To The Truth
- C5: Strange News
- D1: Moonchild
- D2: Red Shoe Truckin
- D3: Beautiful
- D4: Opal Blue Sunday
First time vinyl reissue, expanded and deluxe double gatefold 140g double vinyl, remastered audio with restored artwork and fresh liners written by Paul Hillery (Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours)
Alan James Eastwood's glorious Seeds is a certified folk-funk lost-classic.
But who was Alan James Eastwood? He had never hit the big time and commercial success eluded him. By the mid-1970s, his musical career was pretty much over and he was almost unknown except among deep heads, amongst whom he would gain cult status.
Original copies of the 1971 vinyl release of Seeds exchange hands for high sums, if you can find one. This expanded 2LP contains an extra record, collecting 9 rare non-album singles and is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned liner notes courtesy of Paul Hillery (Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours).
With the long overdue deluxe reissue of this prized artefact, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Alan James Eastwood. RIYL Nick Drake, Rodriguez, Richie Havens.
Alan James ‘Bugsy’ Eastwood was a renowned musician and singer who came to prominence in the late 1960s with The Exception, an unsung but excellent band from Birmingham. The Exception released many singles, the first featuring friend Robert Plant on tambourine, before an album, The Exceptional Exception. However, by this time, Bugsy was feeling constrained and restless; he left the band within weeks of the release.
Having vanished from the scene, he was honing a deeper, introspective edge to his songwriting. His demos found their way to the sound engineer and producer Mike Cooper at Pan Music Studios in Denmark Street. Loving what he heard, Eastwood soon entered a recording session with Cooper. The session was just Alan, his guitar and harmonica and - by all accounts - it was remarkable. With the songs, the voice and such an exceptional talent, it was hard to go wrong. Says Mike: "We had John Hawkins do the big string arrangements and Richard Hewson arranged the string quartet. We overdubbed the orchestrations on Alan's original session recordings, adding Chris Karan on tabla and various percussion. We considered re-recording the vocals but found that the magic on that original session was so exceptional overdubbing would not be as good as the atmospheric 'live' performance."
Mike and Alan viewed each track as a different entity, giving the album a diverse sonic palette. Assessing each song individually, they decided which would be suitable for each arranger. Top-flight session musicians were added to the roster to complete the sound, with Byron Lye Fook (father of musician Omar) on drums, bassist Mike Ward, Brian Pickles on marimba and jazz drummer Chris Karan on tabla and percussion. Recorded in a matter of days in Pan's small 8-track studio, they carefully added overdubs, rhythm sections and four string sessions arranged by Hawkins, with Hewson's arrangements recorded at Trident Studios.
Seeds was Alan James Eastwood's debut solo album – indeed, his only solo album - and was originally issued on President in 1971. It melded Eastwood’s impressive rock sensibilities with a folk thread to superb effect. His arresting voice - its deep, rough-hewn soulfulness - coupled with gorgeous string-drenched backing, make this a phenomenal listen. It really is a great 70s singer-songwriter record - with touches of acid-folk and folk-funk throughout.
It opens with "She's Getting Married In August", a mellow tune with Richard Hewson's strings arranged around Alan's straightforward guitar structure. Up next, the joyous, sun-dappled guitar and strings workout "Evenin' Rain" glides by before the fragile, accordion-enhanced "Les Papillons" breezes out of the speakers. The bluesy "Zeena" follows, featuring vocals and acoustic guitar and showcasing Eastwood's effortless harmonica. Starting out as a ballad, "Virgin Morn" builds with soaring strings and gospel-tinged backing vocals from Marilyn Powell and jazz singer Josephine Stahl. The A-side closes with the title track, "Seeds". With a chugging mid-tempo beat, soulful vocals and a beautiful Bacharach-esque string arrangement, it truly is stop-you-in-your-tracks spectacular.
Side B opens with "Crystal Blue", gilded by Lye Fook's marimba, lush gospel-esque backing vocals and handclaps. Eastwood's acoustic guitar begins "Lady Carole", which starts as a bluesy ballad and builds with more string arrangement, lifting the track to another height. A towering highlight of epic proportions, "Lotus Child" is a true masterpiece of arrangement. It opens with simple yet stunning do-do-dah vocal harmonies blended with John Hawkins's strings, bass lines and rhythmic beats, forming a vibe very much in conversation with the sounds coming from LA's Laurel Canyon. Next up, the heartwarming "Last Prayer", dedicated to Alan's first and last love, contains a melancholic vocal with a wistful string-drenched arrangement that would sit comfortably in a Federico Fellini score. Bringing the album to a close, "Hymn For Today" is a melodic raga with tabla, strings and a soft-psych feel. Eastwood's prophetic whisper - "I am real. At last, I am real" - profoundly hits home.
Kicking off the extra disc is the sparsely funky and country-tinged "Boston", released as the flip to the astonishing "Seeds". Next up are the two tracks that comprised Alan’s debut solo 7" single from 1968. The laconic, Bobby Charles-esque "Blackbird Charlie" evidences a real depth and charm in Eastwood's songwriting whilst the starkly brilliant flip, "My Sun", was a horizontal, atmospheric folk-tinged soundtracky precursor to his later work on Seeds.
In 1972, two further standalone singles followed. The first was the evergreen flute-driven folk-funk bomb, "Closer To The Truth", backed by the funky blues of "Strange News". The second, a deeply moving Havens-inspired "Moonchild" - rightly fawned over to this day - was flipped with "Red Shoe Truckin'", a groove-infused track. Eastwood also paired up with Marilyn Powell for a single produced by Powell's partner, Mike Cooper. Under the name Eastwood & Powell, they released their staggering rendition of "Beautiful", a rock-blues-pop song arranged by Ivor Raymonde and written by Carole King. Over on the flip, a funky Eastwood original "Opal Blue Sunday" lurked. This is not to be overlooked.
Over the years, Alan remained active on the music scene, but problems with alcohol and health complications from diabetes severely impacted his career. He spent his latter years living in London until his untimely death from heart failure on 25 October 2007, just one day before his 62nd birthday and without his music having received the real acclaim it so dearly deserved.
This deluxe reissue, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to rectifying this tragic fact. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The original artwork has been lovingly brought back to life at Be With HQ, with the addition of passionately written liner notes specially for this landmark reissue by none other than Paul Hillery.




















