The franchise goes one cut deeper as Parasols AKA Ali Renault and Antoni Maiovvi team up on this dark as hell during an eclipse set of grime soaked grease sleazers. Parasols throws forth two sharp as blades numbers with a guest appearance by the one and only Unit Black Flight with his first ever remix. Antoni Maiovvi closes things with something from the vaults, the 808 and sub bass sleekness of Shivers, remixed by Black Metal EBM overlord Equitant. Guaranteed nightclub nightmares as we put on the gloves one more time...
quête:one two
One of the most exciting artists to emerge in techno circles in recent times, Drumcode is excited to present the label's first EP from Boxia. Over the last 12 months the UK artist has impressed with his classy take on techno that mines two decades of rave.
Last year's 'Colour Sequence' EP on We Are The Brave marked one of 2017's standout releases, before being tapped by Maya Jane Coles to remix a track from her latest album 'Take Flight', while B.Traits also shone the spotlight on him for a Future 12 residency on BBC Radio 1 throughout September.
Boxia first came into contact with Adam Beyer when he opened the Car Park at Tobacco Dock for LWE's NYD event in 2016, and since then the pair have spoken regularly sharing similar tastes in music and DJing. He dropped his first cut on DC during the summer of '16, with 'Revolution' that featured on A-Sides Vol. 5, making him primed and ready for his first full length EP in 2018.
The four-track work lives up to his growing reputation for crafting beautiful, nuanced and ultimately very powerful electronic music. The EP opens with 'No World Order', a deep transcendental slice of techno propelled by a wicked acid line and vocal that leads to a galloping finish.
'Only Human' is drenched in atmosphere and old skool wonder, a brilliant composition of punchy multi-layered drum work, catchy synth lines and cutting acid that reveals its tender side with emotive broken beat interludes. 'Unreal' is a big peak time belter, raising the tempo to sweaty palms level, as a propulsion of acid and a memorable riff fill the techno sphere.
The title track 'Ethereal Education' closes out the work, a beautiful chord-driven vocal cut that evokes images of the classic dance that characterised Boxia's earlier years and makes a fitting outro to this outstanding EP.
* The follow up to Shawn's Timespan album for Pittsburgh Tracks is "...The Next Planet Over"--an EP featuring four new tracks from Pittsburgh's synth maestro. The EP opens with "Works on Paper", which is like a cross section of Shawn's acclaimed improvised live techno sets. The collection continues with "Last Light On" and "Switching Rails"--two deep, driving synth numbers that are the product of Shawn's interaction with the beautiful surroundings of Pittsburgh and its Midwestern grit. Finishing the EP is "One More Sometime" a rare downtempo excursion propelled by synth bass and lush atmospherics.
* The follow up to Shawn's Timespan album for Pittsburgh Tracks is "...The Next Planet Over"--an EP featuring four new tracks from Pittsburgh's synth maestro. The EP opens with "Works on Paper", which is like a cross section of Shawn's acclaimed improvised live techno sets. The collection continues with "Last Light On" and "Switching Rails"--two deep, driving synth numbers that are the product of Shawn's interaction with the beautiful surroundings of Pittsburgh and its Midwestern grit. Finishing the EP is "One More Sometime" a rare downtempo excursion propelled by synth bass and lush atmospherics.
originally released in 1990-with Liz Lamere - Never released on vinyl-
Born in Brooklyn, Alan Vega was reared on the rock 'n' roll sound of Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison, but originally struck out on a career as a visual artist and light sculptor, making pieces out of electronic debris. But on the occasion of seeing Iggy Pop fronting the Stooges at The Stooges at the New York State Pavilion in 1969 was an epiphany for Vega. It showed me you didn't have to do static artworks, you could create situations,' he said. That show was the first time in my life the audience and the stage merged into one." It was that eradication of barriers between the two that Vega took to heart.
Their first two albums, 1977's Suicide and their 1980 follow-up, remain two of the era's greatest touchstones, beacons for others seeking to transform their worlds with sound. And even during the group's hiatus through the 1980s, Vega continued to pursue his singular vision across an individualistic solo output. From his 1980 self-titled debut and rockabilly-infused albums like Saturn Strip, through bracing albums like Power On to Zero Hour and IT, Vega forged his own singular path.
For all the darkness and despair that encompasses this moment in our world - and despite his work being depicted as bleak and nihilistic - for Vega there was always a sense of hope and a place for dreams to become reality. People have always told me that my music is angry,' he said. To me, it was always just an energy. It was the way I perceived the world. The key Suicide song was 'Dream Baby Dream,' which was about the need to keep our dreams alive. I knew back then that something poisonous was encroaching on our lives, on all our freedoms.' He fought to his very last breath for that freedom.
originally released in 1993 - with Ric Ocasek & Liz Lamere-Never released on vinyl-
Born in Brooklyn, Alan Vega was reared on the rock 'n' roll sound of Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison, but originally struck out on a career as a visual artist and light sculptor, making pieces out of electronic debris. But on the occasion of seeing Iggy Pop fronting the Stooges at The Stooges at the New York State Pavilion in 1969 was an epiphany for Vega. It showed me you didn't have to do static artworks, you could create situations,' he said. That show was the first time in my life the audience and the stage merged into one." It was that eradication of barriers between the two that Vega took to heart.
Their first two albums, 1977's Suicide and their 1980 follow-up, remain two of the era's greatest touchstones, beacons for others seeking to transform their worlds with sound. And even during the group's hiatus through the 1980s, Vega continued to pursue his singular vision across an individualistic solo output. From his 1980 self-titled debut and rockabilly-infused albums like Saturn Strip, through bracing albums like Power On to Zero Hour and IT, Vega forged his own singular path.
For all the darkness and despair that encompasses this moment in our world - and despite his work being depicted as bleak and nihilistic - for Vega there was always a sense of hope and a place for dreams to become reality. People have always told me that my music is angry,' he said. To me, it was always just an energy. It was the way I perceived the world. The key Suicide song was 'Dream Baby Dream,' which was about the need to keep our dreams alive. I knew back then that something poisonous was encroaching on our lives, on all our freedoms.' He fought to his very last breath for that freedom.
First Word Records is very proud to present the triumphant return of the UK's finest Hip Hop Soul duo, Children of Zeus, with a double-header of brand new material.
Since the release of 'The Story So Far' EP in 2017, Konny Kon and Tyler Daley have proceeded to draw in the attention of tastemakers across the world, receiving big ups from Hip Hop, Soul and dance music royalty, such as US legends Jazzy Jeff & DJ Spinna, and UK heavyweights Stormzy & Rag'n'Bone Man.
In addition to relentlessly rocking stages and studios all over Europe, Children of Zeus have somehow found the time to write and produce their debut album proper. This is the first taste..
'Slow Down' is a sure-shot Summer anthem, with a twist. A deceptively soulful slow jam that lulls you into a false sense of filtered smoothness, before a floor-shaking beat & trill hats drop in from above, as if thrown in via a thunderbolt from Zeus himself. On the flip, we have the uptempo boom-bap steppa, 'All Night'. Konny sets this one off on some straight b-boy isht, riding a rhythm that's guaranteed to make grown Hip Hoppers reminisce, before Tyler's sweet swing-tinged vocals glide into play to keep you firmly steppin' - this one again illustrating the Mancunian duo's craft of creating timeless Hip Hop Soul music.
Manchester has been riding a wave of immense creativity & musical prowess in recent years. Children of Zeus exemplify the heart and soul of Manny's now-movement - but don't get it twisted - the vibe is universal, and they definitely ain't new to this. Two decades on from the inception of Broke'N'£nglish and Hoodman, Tyler and Konny have consistently persistently held their corner, stayed true to the music they love and nurtured their own unique sound. It's almost time to drop that album... But for now, here's more future classics.
Foxy Red Recordings is proud to announce their first vinyl release consisting of four deep & funky House tunes by TiTLEZ!
If you're up for the warmth, depth, and feel of the classic House sounds of Chicago - look no further! TiTLEZ's new EP delivers the goods while going for a diverse, organic, and eclectic productionapproach. You can expect punchy drums combined with live(ly) percussion samples, jazzy piano chords, and spacey pads, among otherstudio trickery.
The tracks on TiTLEZ's new EP are carefully produced and naturally dynamic, not only mesmerizing the audience with beautiful
soundscapes but also telling powerful stories in a heartfelt, honest, and emotional way. 'Family Affairs' is all about taking the listener on an atmospheric journey and exploring the needs and desires of human beings... while bringing massive grooves to the floor!
Side A features 'Longing' and 'Love', two tracks that focus on the story of love and loss, making for a dreamy, spacey, and nostalgic tone and stretching out the line between love that imprisons and the one that sets free. On side B, 'Fame' and 'Richness' tell the story of wealth and recognition, putting a modern twist on the classical notion of these concepts.
TiTLEZ is a driven, talented, and diverse music producer and his sound is influenced by Afrobeat, Latin grooves and jazz, which all play a vital role on his tracks.
As a result of his kaleidoscopic influences, TiTLEZ developed a unique blend of deep house with a tech and afro twist with an edgy and authentic feel. His work is all about telling stories and conveying that deep, warm feeling to his audience. TiTLEZ's tracks stand out for their diverse approach and catchy vibes, showcasing world-class production aesthetics and excellent musicianship from this promising artist.
On this joint EP with Reggie Dokes, Gari explores the world of deepness without hesitation. He takes us on an intergalactic mind trip, while keeping it true to the dancefloor.
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On the A side is Reggie Dokes, who gives us deep house, then without shame moves us into that Detroit style of techno, cultivated by the Motor City. Mr. Dokes likes to walk in both worlds of house and techno, and not confine himself to one particular genre. This EP is the perfect
marriage of two creative producers, who bring excitement and inspiration to the dancefloor.
DJ, producer and Rex Club resident Molly presents the third EP for her RDV Music imprint, drawing on talent from across her native France, featuring fellow Parisian Aleqs Notal (Clek Clek Boom, Sistrum) and 1977, as featured on Syncrophone's For Those Who Know imprint. While each side and artist offer their own distinctive flavour, percussive, classy late-night house music is the main course; ideal for late nights under dim red lights.Aleqs Notal pays tribute to the timeless appeal of spinning analogue wax throughout opening track, 'Sweet Rotation'; a simple hymn to the essence of house music, bubbling gently on bright keys and woozy basslines. 'Hands On' follows, offering a more nocturnal angle on this enduring aesthetic, reducing the energy but enhancing the atmosphere even further, both on-record and across any packed dancefloor.The more Southern sensibility of 1977 brings drumwork to the fore, weaving an exotic, patient tapestry of bubbling, alluring synths and analogue feedback across two confident, percussive jams. While 'Vodoom' indulges in tension and intrigue, EP closer 'Jdlf' is pure, unwinding pleasure, across which each of 1977's influences and instruments are offered freedom to breathe and evolve.With this installment of emminently classy and supremely confident house, RDV Music continues to prove itself as one of the most worthy musical institutions on the contemporary Parisian scene.
The Works of John B. McLemore, the star of one of last years biggest podcasts, S-Town, which is coming out on Dais. The story behind this release is truly fascinating.. the music itself is ambient remixes of Tor Lundvall's best works, but with John's idiosyncratic slant on them, with some having been woven together using the horde of clocks he use to keep in his basement. This story is really worth a read if you get a chance."In September 2012, I received an e-mail from someone named John B. who said he had assembled a lengthy remix of my music, which also incorporated some of his own material. John asked if I'd mind if he posted this recording on YouTube, to which I agreed. He also mentioned that there was a second part to his mix that was "roughed out", but never completed. I was curious to hear both parts, so shortly afterwards, John mailed me two CDrs which I enjoyed very much. The recordings were hypnotic and haunting, evoking images of vast fields at twilight. I was especially fond of the second disc which had a darker atmosphere and featured more of John's original material, beginning with ghostly clock chimes and ending with a mysterious piece using dried seed pods and other cryptic sounds that slowly built-up into an intense, almost claustrophobic environment.
My correspondence with John lasted about two months. In one of his final e-mails, John said "I have to observe that your paintings seem to have a great deal of loneliness involved in them... even multiple characters seem to be together alone, so to speak... I really appreciate looking at your paintings as well as your music, I think I have connected with the spirit of them both as much as anyone can." He went on to discuss his struggles with depression, caring for his aging mom and his concerns about the future. I tried to encourage his music as a possible outlet, perhaps as a means to help transform his feelings of loneliness into a more content solitude. Always easy to say, but as I well know, not always easy to do.
In his last e-mail in late October 2012, John sent me a beautiful slideshow of his Fall flower beds and his dogs. I was touched and I told him how much watching his video had brightened my day. That was the last time I heard from him.
Last year, I visited John's YouTube channel to see if Part One of his mix was still posted, which it was, and still remains. I was shocked and saddened to read in the comments section that he had passed away. The comments also suggested that John had received some sort of national attention recently. This quickly led me to the S-Town podcast. Although I had mixed reactions after listening, I was thankful that S-Town shed more light on John and his remarkable life... but somehow, I just couldn't place the person in the podcast with the person I had corresponded with. Had I not listened to S-Town, I would have remembered John as a very private, somewhat dark and lonely person. He may have been these things, but there was obviously far more to him than that.
After finishing the final episode, I decided to play the second, unreleased CDr of John's recordings for the first time in years. Listening to his clock chimes ringing in the dark was an eerie and chilling moment. I was reminded of a line from my song "29" which says "I live with dreams and a lonely mind, my clock is set to a different time". I wondered what those lyrics might have meant to him.
John had mentioned that he wasn't satisfied with his final mix, but I felt his work was too special not to be heard. I hope that these recordings offer another glimpse into the creative mind of a unique, complex and gifted individual who tragically left this world all too early."
Tor Lundvall
January 17th, 2018
JOHN B.'s NOTES:
This is what was intended to be the second part of my Tor Lundvall Remix series. Unfortunately I am dissatisfied with it due to a few defects, and it is highly unlikely that I will ever be able to complete it. Still it serves as a testament to my interest in the work of Tor Lundvall that I made it this far. Defects are as follows: The first movement is too 'fussy', and the first section of the fifth movement seems a bit long and may bore the listener, but since it consisted of so many slow moving textures, I don't know how I could redo it and still achieve what I was wanting to accomplish. Additionally, this recording was done just days before my Father died, and there are many feelings of guilt associated with the time spent on it. If you are receiving this recording, either you are one of my better friends, or you are a great admirer of Tor Lundvall, and requested that I send it to you.
1st Part: Basically a track of me fiddling around with old clock bells, and air turbulence mixed with Tor Lundvall and Field Recordings of rain, birds, cicadas, frogs and such.
2nd Part: My interpretation of Lundvall's Dark Spring. This track was inspired by the music of Carl Michael von Hausswolff.
3rd Part: Very ambient Field Recordings inspired by the work of Francisco Lopez.
4th Part: A Very Quiet passage consisting of delicate Field Recordings.
5th Part: Music performed entirely by me inspired by the Darker paintings of Tor Lundvall. Most of the instruments on this piece consisted of dried seed pods from the plant; Showy Rattlebox (Crotolaria Spectabilis), that I had collected and dried the previous Fall. There are other sounds from my own environment as well.
This mix was assembled in the Late Fall of 2003. There are some very Quiet passages in this piece, so it requires a nearly Isolated listening environment... It should be heard After Midnight, in the Late Fall of the year, and, not surprisingly, a Very Long Attention span is a Prerequisite.
John B. McLemore
September 10, 2012
Japanese vocal performer Hatis Noit will release her enigmatic EP Illogical Dance via Erased Tapes worldwide on 23rd March 2018.
The arresting 4-track record creates unique song-worlds with transcendent vocal interpretations that at once deconstruct and recombine Western Classical, Japanese folk and nature's own ambience atmosphere. Illogical Dance also features Björk-collaborators Matmos, who were so impressed with Hatis Noit's recordings, they volunteered to edit the lead track Illogical Lullaby.
Hailing from the distant Shiretoko, a small town in Hokkaido, which is the largest island in north Japan, Hatis Noit's accomplished range is astonishingly self-taught, inspired by everything she could find from Gagaku — Japanese classical music — and operatic styles, Bulgarian and Gregorian chanting, to avant-garde and pop vocalists. The sounds she created on Illogical Dance, co-produced by Haruhisa Tanaka and Matmos, bring to mind the experimental vocal patterns of Meredith Monk with the attentive production of Holly Herndon.
It was at the age of 16, during a trek in Nepal to the Buddha's birthplace, when she realised singing was her calling. While staying at a women's temple in Lumbini, one morning on a walk Hatis Noit heard someone singing. On further investigation it was a female monk singing Buddhist chants, alone. The sound moved her so intensely she was instantly aware of the visceral power of the human voice, a primal and instinctive instrument that connects us to the very essence of humanity, nature and our universe.
The name Hatis Noit itself is taken from Japanese folklore, meaning the stem of the lotus flower. The lotus represents the living world, while its root the spirit world, therefore Hatis Noit is what connects the two. For Hatis Noit, music represents the same netherworld with its ability to move and transport us to the other side, the past, a memory, our subconscious. It is the same for Illogical Dance, a set of transformative songs that taps into our most primal instincts.
The human voice is our oldest, most primal yet most powerful instrument. I use it to describe nature's many sounds, a language that isn't logical. Yet it forms a beautiful conversation that isn't restricted to words like the human language is. I want my music to remind us of that.' — Hatis Noit
Wanting to interpret and mimic the sounds Hatis Noit hears in nature, Illogical Dance is as unpredictable, beautiful and mysterious as the world around us. Each track is made up from multi layers of vocals, all improvised and without words, before being carefully pieced together. Astonishingly no samples are used throughout, even the sound of crushing leaves came from Hatis Noit's own vocal chords.
The result is a stunning array of sound sculptures that see her switching between multiple styles with great ease. From the sweet operatics on Illogical Lullaby, the manipulated vocal loops duplicating electronic production on Anagram c.i.y. to the primordial chanting call to arms of Angelus Novus, a 10-minute odyssey that features whispering and leaves crunching, it showcases Hatis Noit's full range and introduces a truly original artist.
Previously only available in Japan, Illogical Dance will receive a worldwide release on 23rd March 2018 including a first edition on 12' vinyl. After participating in a ceremony for memorial and appreciation tailored to the withdrawal of the evacuation area in Fukushima on 31st March 2017, Hatis Noit collaborated with renowned visual artist Nobumichi Asai on a project titled INORI (prayer) which they premiered live as part of an Erased Tapes showcase at Mutek Japan in Tokyo.
Having recently moved to London and performed a first string of UK shows, followed by a special live performance at the Milan Fashion Week and Mutek Japan appearance, Peter Broderick has invited Hatis Noit to support him at the Jazz Cafe on April 15th. She's also been announced as part of this year's Sea Change Festival line-up, and asked to participate in a workshop with the London Contemporary Orchestra.
Crying Bamboos is a translation of the pidgin description of the sound of sacred flutes: "Mambu i cry, i cry, i cry".
Sacred flutes are blown to make the cries of spirits by adult men in the Madang region of Papua New Guinea. Pairs of long bamboo male and female flutes are played for ceremonies in the coastal villages near the Ramu River. There are seven male initiation flute cries from Bosmun, four flute cries from Bak: Borai with occasional single garamut percussion and two flute cries from Kaean, one with vocals and hand drums. The flute players were of the last generation to have learned this skill during a complete cycle of male initiation. These previouslyunreleased recordings were made in 1979.
Recorded by Ragnar Johnson
Notes by Ragnar Johnson and Jessica Mayer
Photographs by Ragnar Johnson
Tape to digital transfer and mastering by Dave Hunt at
Dave Hunt Audio, London
Cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates and Mastering, Berlin
Following the release of Baba Commandant's debut album "Juguya" in 2014 on the mighty Sublime Frequencies label, Mawimbi is proud to present Wasso, one of the best cut from the
album in brand new mixing shape alongsides killer electronic remixes from the likes of Mawimbi signee Loya and Mr. Boom.
A rather eccentric and mysterious character from the Ouagadougou underground scene, Baba Commandant started out as a traditional Bobo dancer, before engaging in a rich musical career and joining Burkinabé star Victor Démé as one of his touring musicians. Influenced by the likes of Fela Kuti, King Sunny Adé and Moussa Doumbia, Baba Commandant plays dozo n'goni, an instrument associated with traditional Donso hunters, bridging the gaps between different generations and strata of Burkinabé society. Recorded at the notorious Ouaga Jungle Studios, "Wasso" is a prime example of the band's unpolished and raw sounds, merging Mandinka blues, dub and Nigerian afrobeat with a punk feel. The A-side also features a remix by Mawimbi signee Loya, whose leftfield reinterpretation moves at
a much higher pace with epic modular synth motifs and subtle organic layers of sounds. The B-side of the record is made of two DJ-friendly remixes with impressive mixing work from Toulouse-based producer Mr. Boom. Stripping the original track down to its most lively elements, both mixes are perfect club-ready weapons for tropical-minded and house DJs alike.
'Source', a new release by Wolfgang Tillmans, comes in an original version and two remixes by legendary German producer Roman Flügel.
The sixteen-minute original version is a vocal piece in which Tillmans explores his abilities to generate vocal sounds to tell a story while refraining from using actual words. Meshing six different sequences into one composition, each sequence investigates different moods and emotions meandering between the guttural, sacral, and absurd. Recorded in a studio session in 2017, the piece focuses on the immediacy of vocal improvisation as much as on its post-production and edit.
Tillmans knows that whatever is achieved through spontaneity can as easily be lost, as he recently told Emily Bicks in a feature for 'The Wire': I am, of course, always planning things ahead, and I am managing an archive of 25 years, and communicating in the now with dozens of contacts, but the fortunate thing that I feel I've retained is an ability to get in touch with this moment of being in the here and now, and seeing, or hearing, or allowing words or melodies to pop into my head in such moments.
The A-side and an additional bonus track are both remixes by German producer Roman Flügel. In a ten-minute remix, the multi-faceted producer stays true to the original's spontaneity and develops changing arrangements wherever Tillmans' vocals are creating momentum. Exploring various directions, Flügel's experience allows him to glide effortlessly through the different sequences. The bonus 909 Mix instead takes a tighter direction with claps and high-hats and builds up around Tillmans' staccato laughter before culminating in beautiful house piano chords.
The title may suggest a specific origin, a 'source' that is to be located, but in Tillmans' understanding it is a transient space abundant of undiscovered possibilities.
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Best Works Records is back with a new offering from Spanish artist Luis Junior. The two new tracks "Ipsum" & '2DB2' come with remixes by the production duo Andre Lodemann & Fabian Dikof aswell as one from italian shooting stars Stereocalypse.
Luis Junior's track "Ipsum" continues to play with a slight Spa-nish flair reminiscent of his previous output with us. '2DB2' offers some more floor-ruffness and technoid play.
As remixers we are really happy to have Stereocalypse on board, some might know their amazing work for WhomadeWho. For the second remix label-head Andre Lodemann joins Best Works Records artist Fabian Dikof for their second remix collab after the success of their Compuphonic remix.
- A1: Coco Feat. Lilja Bloom
- A2: Hurt
- A3: For Rose
- A4: True Romance Feat. Lilja Bloom
- A5: Distance Feat. Lylith
- A6: Wake Up Sister Feat. Max The Sax
- A7: Let's Roll Feat. Blaktroniks
- B1: Sunny Bunny Blues Feat Veda 36
- B2: Dandy Feat. Yola B
- B3: Your Man
- B4: Promises Feat. Klaus Hainy
- B5: Letoile Feat. Max The Sax
- B6: You And Me Feat. Lilja Bloom
- B7: The Mojo Radio Gang (Radio Version)
- C1: Ragtime Cat Feat. Lilja Bloom
- C2: Silent Snow Feat. Max The Sax
- C3: Libella Swing
- C4: Catgroove
- C5: Matilda
- C6: The Flame
- D1: Fleur De Lille
- D2: Hotel Axos
- D3: Monster
Coco finally available on double vinyl for the first time. With his unmistakable sound-mix of Jazzand Swing samples and electronic music, Parov Stelar has secured his own unique position in the world of music.
The double vinyl starts off where his former successful LP's ended. On the other hand he is consequently developing his established jazzy sound, by adding new stylistic elements to his tunes. Also his dancefloor-productions, which
have been published only as singles, now find a debut to a greater extent on this album. They meet with Stelar's melancholic-melodious trademark-sound, which is well known from his earlier albums, but now also spiced up with Hip-
Hop beats and synthpads. An electrifying album to fall for. The two vinyls are originally thought of as one with tracks that can be danced to and one with tracks just for listening. Nevertheless the line between those two approaches becomes blurred in Parov Stelar's newer compositions. The
album makes your feet tap more and more with every track. The musician himself sees the LP as a 'book for musical readers' which is classically defined in introduction, middle part and end. Because of streaming hit singles the
consumer behaviour changed, people don't listen to albums the same way they used to. The whole experience that includes refelecting on less prominent tracks somehow got lost. Parov Stelar sets 'Coco' as a statement against this habit.
In recent times Alex Pletnev has been making his mark on the musical stratosphere with an array of works from from cold wave edits, through gorgeous adaptations of african and world music to tribal techno originals. He joins us as Pletnev for "Aztec Code / Daywalker", a 12" combining his abundant influences to take us to bizarre, far-off places.
"Aztec Code" is a pure dance thing. Inspired by the fat kicks and live bass lines of the Big Beat era, Pletnev combines a jumping beat with african percussion and a charismatic vocal that seems to call out from between the palm fronds of somewhere steamy as we work up a sweat. Tenderly crafted with samples taken from almost 10 records, one-shots, drum layers and melodic licks are treated and mixed, giving rise to a warm, lush atmosphere perfect for circling a fire deep in the tropics.
On the flip, "Daywalker" is a completely original, synthesised outing. A sleazy lead line charms and slithers upwards between layers of syncopated tabla and a sultry acidic groove. The tune spins and twists around this central oriental theme, ever-evolving as layers of detailed percussion and ad-libbed melodies intensify the tone.
Sound artist Eva Geist joins Fleeting Wax label head Mehmet Aslan to spin "Daywalker". The pair create a sonic bridge between the two originals. Their hazy rework dubs out some electronic elements, adding contorted sound design, distant vocals, lofi samples and an italo leaning bass. A mystic incantation for spaced out late morning moments.
Optimo Music is thrilled to release the new album from Jacob Yates. Not only is he one of our all-time favourite artists from Glasgow, but he is one of our favourite artists from anywhere. Criminally unknown except to a few who have been long transfixed by his recordings and performances, we hope this release will open a few more ears to his wondrous musical world.
The Hare, The Moon, The Drone' is the third album from Jacob Yates. This recording finds the band exploring dark hawthorn hedged lanes, moors and suburban, new build estates. There's something more earthy about the songs but the menace and darkness remains. Musically there is a big shift on this album, a field recording of a folk band from a dark, pine filled glen. The opener, The Car sets the scene for the rural side of the album, dank and stone cold. The tracks then shift through the woods, people turn into animals, we pass a sunlit glade, do you hear a love song Cassie Ezeji closes the side sweetly lamenting in Gaelic as the snow falls.
Side two is a more urban affair opening with despair in a bedroom in Belgium, we visit a faith healer and drop in on your lonely mother. Lovatt recounts the story of a karaoke addicted murderer before we finally go home to our new build just outside of town where the pylons tower over Michael and his sister Rachel. It's a journey you can go on, looking out of the window of the bus, glimpses of lives glide by, cards on seats promise to help you. Ding! It's time to get off.
Do you like Love songs After spending a lifetime spent avoiding this subject in song, Joel Sarakula finally admits that he does. On his new album "Love Club" Sarakula relives the golden age of Soulful and Romantic Pop music and connects it with a modern aesthetic. While a deeper message of love and peace flows through the record, Joel Sarakula is no old fashioned hippie: ",Love Club' is about connecting to reality and re-framing the idea of romantic love and loss in the present, loveless age ". Featuring eleven songs touching all genres from disco to blues, from soul to soft-rock, Joel Sarakula's "Love Club" is a profound pop statement.
Joel Sarakula has travelled the world in search of his muse, experiencing everything from being a victim of Caribbean carjackings to performing in the remote fishing villages of Norway, via the dive bars of Europe and the US. It was the hodge-podge musical tapestry of England's capital that finally drew him to a settling point, in the wake of seemingly never ending run of shows. With personal tastes that span from the more avant-garde to soul and pop greats like Sly Stone, Todd Rundgren and Hall & Oates, there are clear nods to contemporaries like Unkown Mortal Orchestra, Erlend Oye and Toro Y Moi in terms of ambition and style.
With his last two albums "The Golden Age" and "The Imposter" collecting strong radio plays at BBC Radio 2, BBC 6, BBC London, XFM Joel Sarakula has been play-listed nationally in Europe including Flux FM, WDR 5, Radioeins, Bayern 2, Deutschlandfunk and Deutschland Kultur Radio in Germany as well as in Benelux and Italy and Spain. He is a regular fixture on the live festival and club circuit in the UK, Europe and internationally including appearances at SXSW, Primavera Sound, Glastonbury, The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, Scala London, Tallinn Music Week, V-ROX (Vladivostok) and Reeperbahnfestival Hamburg.
"Love Club" is Sarakula's bold and unashamedly emotional next step. In essence the album is a homage to the soulful singer & songwriter artistry of the Seventies filtered through a darker contemporary lens - fitting for these uncertain times. "I always shied away from generic love songs," the Sydney, Australia born songwriter admits, "but on this record I embraced the subject wholeheartedly... and intellectually, looking at themes of love, lust, loneliness and everything in-between." Take the first single "In Trouble", co-written with Michele Stodart of The Magic Numbers, as the best example for Joel Sarakula's unique, and honest approach to making music. "We Used To Connect" questions the changing nature of relationships in our social-media addicted world: 'We used to connect in the real world too, now the touch of your hand is a digital cue'.
"Coldharbour Man", on the other hand, examines the identity of the song's narrator and the artist vs. fan dynamic all wrapped up in a disco love song: "There's a lot going on in this particular track. I feel my writing has grown emotionally...", explains Joel Sarakula. "Just best to listen yourself and make up your own interpretation!: 'We met in a song come to life like some fantasy cliché, though I'm known for my moves in the dark you flooded sunshine on my day'. Then there's "Baltic Jam", capturing romantic love and loss in authentic 70s confessional singer & songwriter style and of course "Dead Heat", a song about how there is struggle in the most perfect relationship pairings as the match is so even: "I recall an ex-girlfriend of mine... when we first met, we thought we hated each other but we eventually flipped that emotion and realised we had a deep passion and love for each other, there just was a lot of underlying sexual tension!" : 'It's a battle we could only win, if we lose. We'd be stronger if these lonely ones became two'.
More than a year in the making, Joel Sarakula recorded "Love Club" in various studios around London and Berlin capturing soulful performances from his many musical comrades on vintage analogue equipment. "This record has truly been a labour of love. Recording and privately sharing these performances amongst my collaborators started to feel like a bit like a club - I guess that lead to the album title! I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed the 'love-making process' and I look so much forward to playing these new songs on stage with my band." We can't wait, Joel Sarakula.
The next release on moreaboutmusic comes from one of Chicago house's best kept secrets, often name checked by legends such as Mike Dunn, Marshall Jefferson, Glenn Underground and Tyree Cooper to name a few.A DJ and Producer, Hugo grew up during Chicago's heyday, at one point living with Mike Dunn and Tyree Cooper, where they would spend their days producing and recording tracks on the 808, 303 and 909, along with any other equipment they could get their hands on.
The 'On to another time EP' showcases Hugo's talents, giving you two straight to the jugular acid tracks with 'In, Out & In (Part 1)' and 'In, Out & In (Part 2)' with the flip seeing the mood shifting slightly with the deeper vibe of 'On to another time', the EP finishes up with a cut up disco joint 'The beat goes' creating a solid ep and an excellent introduction to Hugo H.
- A1: Intro (Feat. Tarjei Kjerland Lienig)
- A2: Snow Flakes (Feat. Mette Henriette)
- A3: Obvious (Feat. Ivan Ave, Mette Henriette & Bendik Hovik Kjeldsberg)
- A4: Focus Point (Feat. Tarjei Kjerland Lienig)
- A5: While We Sip On This Brew (Feat. Azon Blaze, Skyblew & Lindsey Whittington)
- A6: Ethiopia (Feat. Dr. Kay & Deandre Trevon Grover)
- A7: 2015 Til' Infinity (Feat. Dr. Kay)
- B1: All Dreams, No Sleep
- B2: It's Been A Minute (Feat. Ivan Ave)
- B3: Jazz Cats (Feat. Mette Henriette & Dr. Kay)
- B4: Waiting Forever
- B5: Take Cover (Feat. Vincent Velur)
- B6: All The Way Down (Feat. Azon Blaze)
- B7: Good Night (Outro) (Feat. Mette Henriette)
Repress with new cover art & self adhesive vinyl sticker
Fredfades: SP-1200 / Eikrem: Trumpet
Remastered 300 copies
Ft. Ivan Ave, Azon Blaze, Skyblew, Lindsey Whittington
Cover by Even Suseg
For fans of J Dilla, Madlib, Mndgsn, Ivan Ave
Fredfades on the SP:1200 & Eikrem on the trumpet = "Jazz Cats". New cover art and remastered.
Fredfades is making his name in hip-hop circles worldwide as one of the most jazzy producers around. He's joined up with the gifted jazz trumpeter Kristoffer Eikrem for a full "Jazz Cats" LP. Needless to say, the project lives up to its title. The two enlist several other jazz musicians on this innovative LP, as well as rappers like Ivan Ave.
* Released for the first time on vinyl
* The ultimate collection of rare early materials by this electronic music pioneer
* Comes as a deluxe double LP set with insert and extensive liner notes . Limited black vinyl pressing (700 copies) with obi strip.
Klaus Schulze is a German electronic music pioneer, composer and musician that needs very little introduction. In the late sixties & early seventies he was a member of several iconic bands such as 'Tangerine Dream', 'The Cosmic Jokers' & 'Ash Ra Tempel' before launching a solo career consisting of more than 60 albums released across five decades. Collaborations were numerous and highlights include working with Steve Winwood, Brian Eno & Alphaville... just to name a few.
Klaus Schulze's proto moog-synthesizer work is regarded as a milestone in electronic music & during the decades he released landmark albums in genres catalogued as 'Ambient', 'Electronic', 'New Age', 'Berlin School', 'Experimental', 'Kosmische Musik' & 'Krautrock'. Mr. Schulze had a more organic sound than most electronic artists of the time, often he would throw in decidedly non-electronic sounds such as acoustic guitar and a male operatic voice. Schulze is also known for developing a Minimoog technique that sounds uncannily like an electric guitar, which is quite impressive in concert.
On occasions he would also compose film scores such as Body Love (1977), Barracuda (1978), Next of Kin (1982), & Angst (1983). His best known song 'Freeze' has been used in films like Manhunter (1986) and more recently in Sofia Coppola's 'The Bling Ring' from 2013.
In 2009, producer Klaus D. Mueller and Schulze began releasing La Vie Electronique ( The Electronic Life'), a series of sets that collected rare sought-after early works & unreleased tracks put in chronological sequence. These sets contain some of the best music Klaus ever created and are early 70's masterworks that will appeal to both fans and collectors.
Now available for the first time on vinyl, One Way Static Records presents the first volume in our new archival series 'La Vie Electronique'. This volume (1.0) focuses on the years 1968-1971 and is spread over two glorious LP's containing +78 minutes of Klaus Shulze rarities. This deluxe vinyl set also comes with an insert containing extensive liner notes.
Here Appear is an invocation, a salutation, and a celebration — of past and perfect lives, forgotten and remembered, exchanged and borrowed. Eve Essex's solo debut is a multi-instrumental fea(s)t combining synthesizer, drum machine, alto saxophone, piccolo, electric organ/harpsichord, harmonica, slide whistle, bells, guitar pedals, and voice— composed, arranged, and performed by Essex herself. What began as an improv set at Berlin's Harlekin bar, developed over the past two years into a complete body of work evoking multiple time periods, genres, characters, and sonic landscapes. The seven tracks that make up Here Appear harness elements of classical, drone, avant-jazz, and distorted pop, coupled with an ambitious vocal delivery that draws on the phrasing and articulations of Essex's own woodwind playing, to create a quasi-narrative me´lange retaining the vulnerability of live performance. On the opening track Grind Away,' otherworldly harmonica strains set the stage for lyrics citing Chinese sci-fi novel The Third Body Problem as source material. Saxophone and piccolo interludes Immediate Communicator' and Colorless Stone' move between medieval-tinged melodic inventions and textural noise, recalling a Pharoah Sanders-influenced fever dream, while the linguistic abstractions of Russian conceptual poet Lev Rubinstein guide the looped, layered, and textured vocals of title track Here Appear.' The album closes with a languid take on Jacqueline Humbert & David Rosenboom's 1978 composition Clear Light' from My New Music, recently reissued by Unseen Worlds. Here Appear owes its minimal production to the conditions of its genesis, evidencing the restrained process of the solo artist, instrumentation is confined to what can be played simultaneously. True to the album's avant-garde roots, each song involves an element of improvisation, often taking the form of prompts or variations on a melody rather than explicit compositions. Even its most structured pieces make use of live-sampled loops, which inject a spirited unpredictability into the songwriting process and subsequent performance. Classically trained in bassoon at New England Conservatory before receiving a BFA in sculpture from RISD, Eve Essex has performed as a solo artist at Artists Space, Commend, Safe Gallery, Signal, Trans Pecos, and U.S. Blues, in New York, Harlekin/Mathew Gallery and StudioAcht in Berlin, and the PUFFERSS Festival in Providence, RI. In addition to her solo practice, Essex regularly performs as one half of Das Audit (with Craig Kalpakjian), as well as in trios Hesper (with James K and Via App) and HEVM (with MV Carbon and Hunter Hunt-Hendrix), and has collaborated extensively with Juan Antonio Olivares as installation/performance-art duo Essex Olivares. Prior to the LP release on Sky Walking (April, 20), Here Appear arrives via New York City-based label Soap Library on March 9, 2018 in both cassette and digital format, mastered by Helmut Erler at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin and recorded by Al Carlson at Gary's Electric, Brooklyn.
Vinyl edition of Stars of the Lid 2nd album in print for the first time in over 20 years.
The release of Music for Nitrous Oxide, the 1995 debut album by Stars of the Lid, heralded a new strain of the american underground music scene, one borne of the heat and humidity, boredom, and the insular, constipated, rockist music scene of Austin, Texas, the home of the duo of Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie. It was a muffled lashing out against surrounding musical conventions, a small middle finger to the local dominant americana' scene, but one that nobody could see outside the shack of a house in which they recorded or at their occasional sparsely populated live performances. It was as punk a move as anyone could make at that place and in that time. But in a surprise to the two members of SotL, people took notice, as related rumblings and grumblings were taking place simultaneously in other parts of the american landscape.
Coming quickly on the heels of that release was our current subject, Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life, released one year later. This is a transitional release that travels from the scruffiness of the debut's ambiance to more extended and subtle undulating tides of assembled sound, yet still dominated by processed guitars as the primary sound source. It also serves as an omen to the mini-orchestral works to come beginning with the Avec Laudenum album a few years later. Gravitational Pull... is a small masterpiece.
Belgium-based Composer Christina Vantzou's Fourth Full-length For Kranky Ventures Further Into The Uniquely Elusive And Evocative Mode Of Ambient Classical Minimalism Which Has Become Her Signature: A Fragile Synthesis Of Contemplative Drift, Heady Silences, And Muted Dissonance. In Regards To The New Album She Speaks Of Focusing Particular Attention On The Effects Of The Recordings On The Body, And Of 'directing Sound Perception Into An Inner Space.'
No. 4 Took Shape Across Roughly Two Years, Incorporating A Diverse Array Of Musical And Conceptual Collaborators, Including Fellow Kranky Artists Steve Hauschildt And John Also Bennett (of Forma) As Well As Angel Deradoorian (ex-dirty Projectors), Clarice Jensen, Beatrijs De Klerck, And Members Of Belgium's Echo Collective. During The Creation Process Vantzou Wanted To 'blur Lines Of Hierarchy,' And Thus Allowed All Ensemble Members And Technical Assistants To Add Or Delete Elements. Despite Such A Spectrum Of Input The Eleven Tracks Feel Distinctly Cohesive, Weaving Elegant Textures And Resonant Open Spaces Within A Twilit Landscape Of Eclectic Instrumentation: Piano, Harp, Vibraphone, Voice, Strings, Marimba, Synthesizers, Gong, And Bells.
Vantzou Describes The Recording Process As One Of Prepared Spontaneity: That Is, 'having Plenty Of Ideas Ready To Explore Going Into The Session, But With Enough Time To Depart From Those Ideas And See What Happens.' This Mindset Of Premeditated Exploration Informs The Album's Emotive Textural Intuition, With Hushed Drones And Delicate Gestures Eliding In The Periphery Of The Mix. She Cites Sleep And 'the Loosening Of Time' As Two Formative Practices In Her Private And Professional Life, Which Manifests In The Quietly Hallucinatory Properties Of Vantzou's Music. No. 4 Feels Both Endless And Ephemeral, Immersive And Immaterial. It's A Music Of Horizon Lines And Half-light, Mapped With Feeling And Foresight.
Recorded In New York City And Brussels. Mixed In Berlin.
A Portion Of This Work Was Funded By A Generous Grant From The Flemish Community In Belgium.
Futile Demise EP is an emotional and disconcerting journey through the mind of Finnish artist Juha Puupera¨. Drawing on influences from Norwegian black metal, UK sound system culture and Italian horror cinema of the 1970s, Gruth mixes dark and aggressive tones in his sonic palette. His production methods are often experimental and the style rarely fits into one box as it spans forward-thinking techno, black ambient and doom industrial.
With his EP, Gruth shapes Montevideo-based Tormenta Electrica label's first release. Of the four tracks featured, two are collaborations with the Finnish techno and ambient artist Ikola, known for his Etherwerks label, while the mysterious Helsinki-based violinist and sound designer KuJo contributes to the other two.
The latest release on Serotonin brings recently remastered versions of four classic Synapse tracks from the early years of the label together into the "Cosmic Freak Gas Bubble" EP
Side A features two tracks from SER004 "Get the Freaks and Get Some". Side B contains two tracks from SER-002, a split EP with Auto Kine c.
"Cosmic Connecton" is classic Synapse electro-chill, featured
back in the day on the infamous late night German television
series 'Space Night' and related compilatons. This track is a call
to intelligent extraterrestrial seekers of intergalactc FNK. Fse
this as your beacon, broadcastng across the galaxy and bringing the aliens to you.
"The Freak" is an undeniable body mover and was featured on the legendary DJ Assault mix CD "Straight Up Shit Detroit Vol 3". An homage to straight up Detroit funk is exactly what Synapse was going for and with 'The Freak' they clearly hit the target.
Back in the rave days 'Gas" was an electro/breaks cross-over 'hit" in the FSA, getng play in dirty warehouses across the naton in 996. A randomly
selected spoken Japanese vocal clip provides a repetetve, non-sensical hypnotc hook. The sample apparently has something to do with environmentalism and sounds cool. The hybrid style of "Gas" hits a lot of the Serotonin values, from funk to new wave melody to breakbeat rave energy.
Just when you think you've fgured out what Synapse is all about, 'Bubble" presents yet another hybrid. The hypnotc dub techno chords create a dream state in which to lose consciousness of the fact that the infectous beat already has you rocking.
The "Cosmic Freak Gas Bubble" EP from Synapse is one record to have when you need some funk to match any occasion.
Partition', appropriately produced by label owner Deepak Sharma is gritty and raw, centered on being a powerfully effective DJ tool. It symbolizes a nod to the label's past and longevity but more so signals the future territory and modern world the imprint will reside in.
To commemorate the memorable occasion, one of techno's most authoritative, important and reputable producers, Developer of Modularz distinction has provided two heavy-duty remixes. Additionally, label staple Yuuki Sakai delivers an extraordinary remix to round out a historic release from Hidden Recordings.
FIRST EVER VINYL PRESSING OF JOHANN'S 2006 ALBUM - DELUXE GATEFOLD SLEEVE, 2 x CLEAR LP - TWO BONUS TRACKS, DOWNLOAD CODE INCLUDED
Never before pressed on vinyl, IBM 1401, A User's Manual, is one of Jóhann Jóhannsson's most loved works. Released in 2006, the decade since its release has seen Jóhann establish himself as one of the most important composers in the World today, most notably scoring movies such as Arrival, Sicario and The Theory of Everything.
Inspired by the work his father did in the sixties when chief maintenance engineer of one of Iceland's first computers, Jóhann originally wrote IBM 1401, A User's Manual to accompany a dance piece by long-standing collaborator and friend, Erna Ómarsdóttir. For this album release, he rewrote it for a sixty-piece string orchestra, with a new final movement (built around a poem by Dorothy Parker) and incorporating both electronics, and reel-to-reel recordings made by his father and friends in 1971 of an enormous IBM 1401 mainframe computer singing the hymn Ísland Ögrum Skorið by Sigvaldi Kaldalóns as it was being decommissioned.
The first ever pressing of IBM 1401, A User's Manual comes in a deluxe gatefold sleeve, having been reworked by Chris Bigg (v23) from his original design. Pressed on clear vinyl, two album tracks recorded in 2010 with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra at the Rudolfinum, Dvorák Hall in Prague have also been added and are exclusive to this release.
- A1: Gee Gee Shinn & Boogie Kings - Fever
- A2: Connie Kaye Trio - I'm A Woman
- A3: Bus Brown - Mr. L.b.j
- A4: Earl Demus Band - Her Spare
- A5: Chuck Finney Combo - I Want A Man Like You
- B1: Chick Willis - Sometimes Soon
- B2: Australia - Wide Awake
- B3: J.r. - Any Time Now
- B4: Joe Akens - Nice
- C1: Hummingbird 4 - Cho Cho San
- C2: Evangeline Made - Burnt Flesh
- C3: Dario & The Inferno - Brother, Where Are You
- C4: Swoop - Upside Down
- D1: You - You Got It
- D2: Hot Cakes - Harlem Shuffle Theme
- D3: Reunion - When The Well Runs Dry
- D4: The Counts - Get Up, Get Dancin
2x LP + 7"[22,65 €]
IT'S TIME TO PAAAARTY! Why The Universe knows that Tramp is celebrating their 40th trip around the sun in 2018. And what about planet Earth Well... it is as blind as it is in so many other situations. Therefore, it is time to shine the light on Tramp for all of its unremitting efforts. As musical diversity is vanishing, especially in the field of African American music from the 1960s/70s, it is our duty to stop the extinction of threatened species of music in the same way an animal welfare activist would do anything to save a gorilla's life. Tramp Records keeps this beautiful heritage alive, every single day, again and again and again. So we are here wondering why Earth people and especially to those from our beloved home country, why why are you just sitting there, going about your life unaware of this historic event What a pity!
The announcement is especially striking when it comes to the prestigious "Movements" series. Like all its predecessors, this ninth volume contains Rare Groove nuggets recorded between the early 1960s and the late 1970s. The fact that only one of the songs appear anywhere else is a jaw-dropping phenomenon! The chronological track listing starts with two amazing cover versions: "Fever" by Gee Gee Shinn & the Boogie Kings and "I'm A Woman" by Connie Kaye Trio. Bus Brown, Earl Demus and Chuck Finney remain in the same direction although their contributions are slightly jazzier. Chick Willis' gut-wrenching "Sometime Soon" easily rivals James Brown's "It's A Man's World" and the recordings by Australia, J.R. and Joe Akens are beautiful examples of privately produced soul from the 1970s. The latin-soul of "Cho Cho San" by Hummingbird 4 heads the sound in another direction for the next three tunes, highlighted by one more stunning cover version, Oscar Brown Jr.'s "Brother, Where Are You". The album closes with some pre-disco tracks from The Counts, Reunion and Hot Cakes' dance floor bomb cover of "Harlem Shuffle".
Over a hundred great unknown songs have been re-released on the first eight volumes in the "Movements" series, the majority of which can not be found elsewhere, and Vol. 9 is no exception. The work of Germany's tiniest but grooviest record label is still incomprehensibly underestimated. We know you diggers, collectors, mavens, aficionados, fanatics, completists, enthusiasts, and just plain record geeks know what's up and we heartily salute you! Without your support there would be no Tramp Records. But now it's time for a broader cultural shift for good music and a sweeping move to uphold the legacy of the unsung heroes of funk and soul. Therefore, we humbly petition you: in 2018, Don't keep all this glory to yourself! Turn your friends and neighbors on! Thank you!
- the double vinyl LP comes with a full album download code
- deluxe double-gatefold LP with detailed liner notes, label scans & unseen photographs
- all but one song appear on vinyl-LP for the very first-time
Born in Cameroon, Vicky began banging the drums at the age of 9. By 13 he had moved onto bass and within a couple of years he was playing every night from 10pm to 5am in the Castel Douala Cabaret. At the age of 19 Vicky moved to Paris to study Banking and Commerce and cram in even more music. He took classes at Épinay-sur-Seine Conservatoire music school and it was here that he met Bandmates of his Dikalo project.
Word spreads and he soon becomes one of the most sought after bass players in the Afro arena. His session work features on many scenes stars, Manu Dibango, Eko Tala AM, Kemayo, Sammy Massamba, Toto Guillaume and many more. A chance meeting with the Gibson brothers also see him play on two of their hit albums. In the 80's Vicky moved to the US for spell and excels as a session bassist and touring musician.
We pick up the story in 1981. With his stature as a musician and bass player riding high he takes a detour to Nigeria to record with the Afrodisia label in Lagos. The "Thank U Mamma" album is the result. It is repressed for the first time, here in 2018 on the revitalised Afrodisia label.
Musical proceedings open up with the heartfelt ode to his mother "Thank U Mamma", smooth pop meets afrobeat boogie. "Marina Drive" slows things down with its smoldering jazz. Side Two opens with "Its Not Serious" a catchy vocal number underpinned with funky guitars and striding basslines. "Stormy Rain" is lazy guitar jazz swansong. We close off the album with the ever so funky "You". Slick funk grooves powered along with a dose of slap bass. As a side note Vicky actually plays left handed but with a "upside down" right handed bass. This upside-down precursor making his effortless slap playing even more impressive.
Vicky went on to record a two other albums and still tours and plays as an ever-in-demand session musician.
- Black and Purple vinyl versions.-LP includes download.
-Son of Blue Note legend Bruce Lundvall.
-12 years since his last record to feature vocals.
Dais Records is proud to unveil the new dark pop masterpiece from artist and composer Tor Lundvall. His first vocal album since 2009's Sleeping and Hiding, and following the release of two instrumental albums and three CD box sets since that time, Tor returns with an album of beautifully intricate sadness and reflection: A Dark Place.Born in 1968 in Wyckoff, NJ, Tor Lundvall is a painter and ambient composer.
The son of Blue Note Records legend Bruce Lundvall, Tor was exposed to artwork, music, and creativity from a young age, and began his professional painting and music output in the late 80s. Widely known for his dark imagery and thoughtful, provocative soundscapes, Tor Lundvall's artwork is all-encompassing. His music, when paired with his paintings, creates a world within which one could easily disappear. An intensely private individual, Tor Lundvall eschews the gallery circuit and live performances for his private studio in Eastern Long Island, NY, preferring to show his artwork privately and focus on studio production and writing without the pressures of the audience and all it encompasses.
Dais Records is honored to provide another glimpse into his world through his recordings. We hope you find it as special and as unforgettable as we do. Artist Statement:It's been twelve years since I recorded my last vocal album, "Sleeping and Hiding" (released in 2009, but recorded in 2005). After completing those sessions, I felt that I had said just about everything I wanted to say lyrically. I wasn't sure if another vocal album would ever materialize, but slowly and surely, new lyrics came with new songs to accompany them. Finding the words to describe this album is almost as difficult as the past couple of years. There is a lot of pain, fear and sadness wrapped into these eight songs. More so than usual, I think. The loss of my father in 2015 and coping with his absence certainly hangs heavily here. I recorded this album at night while I stared out from my bedroom window into the shadows of the garden and the neighbor's house next door. The reflections of the flower lights encircling my bedroom window looked like distant, golden constellations through the glass while I worked. A nice memory. A few of the melodies were inspired by, or constructed around some of my earliest riffs and abandoned sketches, one dating all the way back to 1985. The lyrics to the final track, "The Next World", came to me while swimming alone in the bay one clear October afternoon about five years ago. I originally envisioned a lighter, more optimistic song to accompany my first draft of lyrics, but the piece evolved into a song about final reflections, lost dreams and the terrible sadness of the passing of time.
Mannequin Records presents a trilogy of reissues from the avantgarde Italian-born producer Doris Norton, "Nortoncomputerforpeace" (1983), "Personal Computer" (1984, originally released by Durium Records), "Artificial Intellingence" (1985).Apple's first music "endorsement" and Roland affiliate, Doris Norton is one of the most important women pioneer in the use of synths and in the early electro / computer music. Norton is the wife of Antonio Bartoccetti, progressive rock guitarist, and mother of the musician and techno producer Rexanthony. As a teenager, she was drawn to medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music, not to mention quantum physics, differential equations, organic chemistry, the experimentalism of John Cage and animated movie soundtracks. Her love for modules and circuits found expression through the waves of an old harmonium, the frequencies of a Minimoog, a Roland System 100M, a Roland System 700 and the ARP 2500/2600.
In 1980, Norton began her solo career by recording at Fontana Studio 7, the Milan studio of the composer and musician Tito Fontana, resulting in the electronic opera "Under Ground". Norton became more prolific, continuing her adventures in experimental electronics and computer music with Parapsycho (1981), Raptus (1981), Nortoncomputerforpeace (1983), PC (1984) - whose album cover prominently features Apple's colored logo - and Artificial Intelligence (1985).
While the beat-oriented style of Norton's music aligns her with such global fellow-travelers as Yellow Magic Orchestra and Kraftwerk, her championing of the personal computer as a tool for self-sufficient musical creativity also connects her to more artsy musicians such as Pietro Grossi, Laurie Spiegel, and the League of Automatic Music Composers. Norton's predilection for the bright, glossy timbres of early digital instruments also recalls Hubert Bognermayr and Harald Zuschrader's bizarre 1982 one-off Erdenklang.
Later, her talent and expertise attracted the attention of IBM, who in 1986 named her as an official consultant. Already the reigning queen of the Italian electronic scene, she recorded two CDs for IBM: Automatic Feeling and The Double Side Of The Science. Influenced by her son, the musician and producer Rexanthony, Norton brought her fascination with the early days of techno into the 1990s, when she released three volumes of Techno Shock on Italian trance/hardcore label Sound Of The Bomb.
While her music remains largely out of print and inaccessible, Norton's early records have recently begun to receive the inevitable rediscovery treatment.
"In the late sixties I had already conceived computers as personal.' I have always trusted in the benefits of solitude, (being) alone means freedom... What's better than a personal' computer for materializing ideas, by oneself" (Doris Norton)
- 1000 Hand Numbered Limited Edition rsd 2018
- First UK release
- Original US copies worth £300
- Curtis Mayfield song, first released on Curtom
These two classic tracks from the elusive Mary Clark were originally released on the P&P distributed La Shawn label in 1980. The Original 45 is now extremely rare and in demand and now sells for circa £200 if you can find one.
'Take Me I'm Yours' has that classic Patrick Adams NY Disco/Boogie sound and is a very popular club anthem, being reissued on 45 for the first time here.
'You Got Your Hold On Me' is a beautiful Modern Soul /2-stepper that has gained popularity in recent years. It is re-released on a single for the first time here.
This single will be very popular with DJ's and Disco and Soul collectors.
Limited to 1000 hand numbered copies with RSD and date in text.
The 12' you're about to read a few lines about is a laconic introduction to the music of an elusive new musician on Antinote. Biographical details about him would probably not help comprehend his music and might even seem slightly contradictory with the music itself, as Reigi / Haipa has been produced in Reims - at least, it would have been much more accommodating if the capital of Champagne was located somewhere in-between Sheffield and London...
.
Indeed, at first listen, Slowglide's music seems deeply rooted in a very British history of dance music. Reigi, on the A-side, unfolds a cavernous syncopated kick on which relies a compressed, flangered, smart but somehow handcrafted sound with an extra Kraftwerkian treatment (the obsessive robotic arigato gozaimasu' and the pocket calculator' bleeping melodic line), enlightened by discreet synth waves appearing in the middle of the track.
Haipa, the atmospheric B-side, is an even stronger throwback to a time when Intelligent Dance Music was ruling over electronic music, the likes of Aphex Twin and his fellow Warp-affiliates were about to be crowned kings and Ghost In The Shell was establishing itself as one of the most culturally significant pictures of the late past century.
Slowglide's music is not backward-looking, though. There's something that relevantly resonates with today's diffracted musical landscape, as the French producer gathers and updates bits and pieces from a thirty-andsomething yearlong history of electronic dance music. The result is probably Bass Music', something that one might have been tempted to describe as the future of Dance Music' a few decades ago - to quote these prophetic words written many times. It's probably not, but these two songs are certainly fresh and futuristic.
Dapayk Solo, Berlin based producer and veteran of the minimal techno scene, announces the release of his 10th studio album 'The Calling'. This latest project will be the producer's first solo album since
2015. The 8-track double 12inch LP will be available via Dapayk Solo's label Mo's Ferry Productions and comes with a free download voucher for the extended 12-track digital album.
The first track on this LP 'The Calling' shares its name with the album and starts off with a pang of energetic, chopped beats before exploding into a brassy melody, continuously gaining momentum.
'Blackout' immediately announces itself as a next generation Detroit House anthem. The rolling synths, hi hats, and vocals make this one of the most outstanding tracks on the album. 'Aurora' stays true to its name with a buildup composed of throbbing ethereal synths that give the track an otherworldly vibe. 'Flood' transports listeners to the dancefloor with its pulsating bassline combined with Komplement's quaint vocals.
The second part of the album begins with 'After All', one of the most enticing tracks on the album. It combines the groovy rhythm of four to the floor percussion with tantalizing vocals by VARS before New Release Information 'Low Tinnitus' reverts to Dapayk's signature minimalist sound. The transition into 'Wanderer' continues the momentum built up by the previous tracks. The closing 'Walk With Me' is a deep-house jam that features a rhythmic shaker layered under Mental Bend's powerful vocals.
Dapayk Solo, alias Niklas Worgt, isn't afraid to try new things. With 5 aliases under his belt, he continuously strives to experiment with different styles and production techniques to create innovative sounds. Throughout the span of two decades he went from producing drum'n'bass to house to ultimately crafting the groovy, edgy techno sound that he's now known for.
With more than ten LP releases and over 70 single releases on his record, he is one of the main protagonists in the world of underground electronic music. In 2017, he released an LP titled 'Harbour' with his wife Eva Padberg under one of his many projects, Dapayk & Padberg. While that album aimed to steer away from traditional club beats, 'The Calling' sees Dapayk reassume his deep, dark, and infectious sound. While Dapayk is often categorized as a minimal producer, the LP proves that he is capable of extending beyond the scope of a single genre. 'The Calling' is just another example of why Dapayk has managed to stay in the scene for so long: he loves electronic music and he's great at
making it, too.
- A1: Gnossienne #1 (Cabaret Piano)
- A2: Gymnopedie #1 (Sugar Plum Piano/Water Bell Synthesizer)
- A3: Gnossienne #3 (Street Corner Mouth Accordion)
- A4: Gnossienne #3 (Organ Ripple Synthesizer)
- A5: Gymnopedie #1 (Hesitant Piano/Confident Lips)
- A6: Gnossienne #1 (French Ice Piano/Siberian Snow Synthesizer)
- B1: Gnossienne #1 (German Haiku Pianica)
- B2: Gymnopedie #3 (Family Piano/A Hint Of La-La-La)
- B3: Gnossienne #2 (Perrier Swing Synthesizer)
- B4: Gymnopedie #2 (Resonant Concert Piano/Tide Synthesizer)
- B5: Gymnopedie #1 (Festival Soft Fanfare Synthesizer)
Sacred Summits returns after a two-year hiatus with an album of interpretations of the music of Eric Satie by acclaimed composer Morgan Fisher.
Active for over 50 years Morgan's career has moved from 60's number one hit wonders Love Affair, to 70's rock'n'roll keyboardist in Mott The Hoople, before finally on to 80's ambient, improvisation and soundtracks, working with the likes of Yoko Ono, Haroumi Hosono and Dip In The Pool.
Based in Japan since the mid-80s, Fisher's long-standing admiration for Erik Satie (1866-1925) led to these Inside Satie recordings. Satie's unique work as a precursor to artistic movements such as minimalism, surrealism and repetitive music are acknowledged but for long periods he not given the accolades his music warranted.
A strange, eccentric, surreal man, he was never as acclaimed as the established masters, but influenced not only the likes of Debussy but also many of the Dada artists. On this album Morgan played his music freely after just a brief look at the scores. Recorded in just three days, it features piano, melodica, synthesisers, and Morgan's favoured tape delay system.
'INSIDE SATIE is one of the first albums I recorded in Japan shortly after moving here in 1985. In three days I improvised on several of my favourite Satie themes. Mostly I played piano as well as the rich, analog-sounding Yamaha GS-1 (precursor of the DX-7), and sometimes used long tape delays to build layers of sound. All the pieces were recorded in single takes - no overdubs (no time!)'.
15th release of the strong Barba records! And its FBK who's back featuring a remix by none other than Claude Young - a Detroit heavy-weight who's been particularly selective with his output. Kevin's previous record for Barba, a 2016 twelve titled "Screaming Her Name", also featured a remixes by Terrence Dixon and Plural. Between then and now Kevin managed to put out a track for "The Cast Project" VA and a solo EP for Radio Slave's "Rekids" imprint. As we mentioned earlier, "Eclipse" features two original tracks, the title one and "To A Place I Know". "Eclipse" track is closer to the sound we've come to associate to FBK's productions - equally banging and meditative. This track takes you for a spin with hypnotizing lead synth, distorted acid lines and drums that intensify the vibe as the track progresses. It's dark and moody, but perfect for those moments when the dancefloor is ready to dive really deep. "To A Place I Know" starts on the similar note but as soon as the sampled vocal loop takes the lead it takes the song to a much happier place. Hypnotizing element is still unavoidably present but here the synth line is more subdued and plays a supporting role to the vocals. Something you would play when you need to dive out from the deep and feel some sun on your skin. Finally, Claude Young's remix of "Eclipse" is a fairly different affair, focusing on the meditative aspect of the original quite literally, and taking it to a whole other level. It is an exercise in restraint and patience, with a slowly-rising tension masterfully achieved by a piano line, ambient pads and synth textures subtly exchanging roles throughout the whole length of the song. Simply wonderful. All that, pressed onto a heavy duty 180 gram vinyl and beautifully packaged in an original artwork traditionally featuring local artists
Limited Edition Clear Vinyl
Includes 12' Vinyl and Deluxe CD album, 30 page hard back book
Now that I've been to Nashville,' Kylie Minogue says with audible affection, I understand. It's like some sort of musical ley-line...'
Golden, Kylie's fourteenth studio album, is the result of an intensive working trip to the home of Country music, a city whose influence lingered on long after the pop legend and her team returned to London to finish the record: We definitely brought a bit of Nashville back with us,' she states. The album is a vibrant hybrid, blending Kylie's familiar pop-dance sound with an unmistakeable Tennessee twang. It was Jamie Nelson, Kylie's long-serving A&R man, who first came up with the concept of incorporating a Country element' into Kylie's tried-and-trusted style. That idea sat there for a little while, with Minogue and her team initially unsure about how to bring it to life. Then, when Grammy-winning songwriter Amy Wadge's publisher suggested Kylie should come over to collaborate in Nashville, a city Kylie had previously never visited, something clicked. You know when you're so excited about something,' she recalls, that you repeat it an octave higher and double the decibels I was like that. 'Nashville! Yes! Of course I would!'. I hoped it would help the album to reveal itself. I thought 'If I don't get it in Nashville, I'm not going to get it anywhere.''
Kylie's Nashville trip involved working alongside two key writers, both with homes in the city. One was British-born songwriter Steve McEwan (whose credits include huge Country hits for Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood), and the other was the aforementioned Amy Wadge, another Brit (best known for her mega-selling work with Ed Sheeran). It was then a truly international project: Golden was mainly created with African-German producer Sky Adams and a list of contributors including Jesse Frasure, Eg White, Jon Green, Biff Stannard, Samuel Dixon, Danny Shah and Lindsay Rimes, and there's a duet with English singer Jack Savoretti.
However, the album's agenda-setting lead single Dancing was, significantly, first demoed with Nathan Chapman, the man who guided Taylor Swift's transition from Country starlet to Pop megastar. If anyone knows how to mix those two genres, Chapman does. Nathan was the only actual Nashvillean I worked with. He's got a huge studio in his house, which is probably due to his success with Taylor... there's plenty of platinum discs of her, and others on his walls.' There's something of the spirit of Peggy Lee's Is That All There Is, of Dylan Thomas' Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, even of Liza Minnelli's Cabaret about Dancing, a song which not only opens the album but sets out its stall, providing a microcosm of what is to come. You've got the lyrical edge, that Country feel, mixed with some sampling of the voice and electronic elements, so it does what it says on the label. And I love that it's called 'Dancing', it's immediately accessible and seemingly so obvious, but there's depth within the song.'
The experience of simply being in Nashville was an overwhelming one, before Kylie had even arrived. Once I knew I was going to Nashville, people talked about the place with such enthusiasm. They said without doubt I would love it and, I would come back with songs. They were sending lists of restaurants, coffee shops and bars. It really was a beautiful and genuine response and it felt like I was about to have a life changing experience and in a way, I did.' The reality came as something of a surprise, when she found a far more modern metropolis than the vintage one she'd envisaged. I thought it would be like New Orleans: little houses and bars, with music spilling out onto the street. It reminded me more of Melbourne: apartment blocks going up everywhere! The main strip, Broadway, where the honky tonk bars are, that's where the street was filled with music and it was just amazing.' Mainly, Minogue remembers the heat and humidity. It was 100 degrees. It was like it was raining with no rain.' She also relished the chance to wander around unrecognised, visit a few venerable music bars and soak in the atmosphere. I didn't get to the Grand Ole Opry or the music museums but I managed to go to a couple of the institutions there like The Bluebird Cafe and The Listening Room, and just by being there, through some kind of osmosis, you get this rejuvenated respect for The Song, and the writing of The Song. There's no hoo-hah around it. There's a singer-songwriter there, talking about the song and singing the song, to an audience who are there to listen. Although, I have to confess I was guilty of starting to clap too soon during a long pause at the end of one of the songs. The guy made a bit of a joke out of it and got a laugh from it, but I thought 'Of all people in the audience, no...''
It's probably no coincidence, therefore, that every track on Golden is a Kylie co-write, making it arguably her most personal album to date. The end of 2016 was not a good time for me,' she says, referring to well-documented personal upheavals, so when I started working on the album in 2017, it was, in many ways, a great escape. Making this album was a kind of saviour. I'd been through some turmoil and was quite fragile when I started work on it, but being able to express myself in the studio made quick work of regaining my sense of self. Writing about various aspects of my life, the highs and lows, with a real sense of knowing and of truth. And irony. And joy!'
The songwriting process allowed Kylie to get a few things out of her system. Initially, she admits, it was cathartic, but it also wasn't very good. I think I was writing too literally. But I reached a point where I was writing about the bigger-picture, and that was a breakthrough. It made way for songs like Stop Me From Falling and One Last Kiss. It also meant I had enough distance to write an autobiographical song, like A Lifetime To Repair, with a certain amount of humour. The countdown in that song: 'Six-five-four-three, too many times...'. I don't know if that will be a single, but I can just imagine a girl with framed pictures of past boyfriends, and kind of going 'Oh god, when am I going to get this right'' When she listens back to Golden, Kylie can vividly hear the Nashville in it. It is, she'll agree, probably the first time that a Kylie album has sounded like the place it was made. You wouldn't normally relate my songs to the cities. Can't Get You Out Of My Head sounds more like Outer Space than London. But Shelby '68, for example, was written in London but it was done with Nashville in mind. It's about my Dad's car, and my brother recorded Dad driving it! I don't think I'd have written a number of the songs, including Shelby '68 and Radio On without having had that Nashville experience.'
The latter, she says, is about music being the one to save you.' Throwing herself into the making of the record, she says, crystallised that idea. If there's one love that will always be there for you, it's music. Well, it is for me, anyway.' That song, in particular, carries nostalgic echoes of the golden age of Country, as heard through Medium Wave transistors and tinny home stereos in the distant past. Like any child of the Seventies, Kylie had a basic grounding in Country music, mainly absorbed from older family members. My Step-Grandfather was born in Kentucky and though he lived most of his adult life in Australia, he never stopped listening to his beloved Country artists.' If there's any classic Country singer whose imprint can be heard on Golden, it's Dolly Parton.
Kylie saw Dolly live for the first time at the end of 2016, at the Hollywood Bowl. It was like seeing the light,' she beams. It was incredible. Everyone, whether they know it or not, is a Dolly Parton fan. When I was in Nashville, I did pick up a T-shirt that said 'What Would Dolly Do' Maybe that should be my mantra.' And, whether consciously or otherwise, there's a timbre and trill to Kylie's vocals on Radio On that is distinctly Parton-esque. My delivery is quite different on this album,' she says. A lot of things are 'sung' less. The first time I did that was with Where The Wild Roses Grow. On the day I met Nick Cave, when I recorded my vocals, he said 'Just sing it less. Talk it through, tell the story.' This album wasn't quite to that extreme, but a lot of the songs were done in fewer takes, to just capture the moment and keep imperfections that add to the song. I remember on my last album, a lot of producers were trying to take out literally every vibrato they heard. And that's not natural to my voice. I mean, I can make myself sound like a robot, but it's nice to sound like a human!' Working within the Country genre also gave Kylie permission to write in the Nashville vernacular. Because we were going there, I wasn't afraid to have lines like 'When he's fallen off the wagon we'd still dance to our favourite slow song', 'Ten sheets to the wind, I was all confused', 'I'll take the ride if it's your rodeo'. The challenge of bringing a Country element to the album made the process feel very fresh to me, kind of like starting over. I started to look at writing a different way, singing a different way.'
If ever Kylie lost confidence in the Country-Pop concept, and found herself pondering This is great, but back in the real world - my real world - how will this work', Jamie Nelson was there to badger her into sticking to the path. We found a way to make it a hybrid with what we'll call my 'usual' sound. It had to stay 'pop' enough to stay authentic to me, but country enough to be a new sound for this album. The closer we zoomed in, and the more we honed it, I knew Jamie was right. We sacrificed good songs that weren't right for this album, because we wanted it to be as cohesive as possible. The songs that were hitting the mark were these ones, so we decided to be strong, and that's how we wrapped up the album. What he said, that stuck with me, was that 'I'd hate to get to the end of this and really wish we'd gone for it.'' Having worked with Kylie for so long, Nelson was able to put this latest shift of direction into perspective. He said 'You've traditionally done it throughout your career. You had your PWL time, then you did a complete turn when you went to deConstruction, then another complete turn with Spinning Around, and R&B dance-pop, and then another turn with Can't Get You Out Of My Head, icy synth-pop, and this is another one.' He was right. It felt like the right time to have a change sonically. New label, new stories to tell, and a new decade almost upon me.'
Kylie Minogue will, it's scarcely believable, turn 50 this year. This looming milestone is partly behind the album's title, and title track. I had this line that I wanted to use: 'We're not young, we're not old, we're golden' because I'm asked so often about being my age in this industry. This year, I'll be 50. And I get it, I get the interest, but I don't know how to answer it. And that line, for my personal satisfaction, says it as succinctly as possible. We can't be anyone else, we can't be younger or older than we are, we can only be ourselves. We're golden. And the album title, Golden, reflects all of this. I liked the idea of everyone being golden, shining in their own way. The sun shines in daylight, the moon shines in darkness. Wherever we are in life, we are still golden.' One of the album's shiniest moments is Raining Glitter, an exuberant banger which ventures closest to Kylie's traditional dance-pop comfort zone. Eg White, who is one of the producers and writers and a great character, was talking about disco one day. I said 'I love disco, but you know the brief.' We needed to be going down the Country lane, so to speak. But we managed to bring them both together. When I wrote it, I was thinking about the Jacksons video for Can You Feel It where they're sprinkling glitter over everyone. And I think there's a Donna Summer record that's got that feel to it. I think that's my job: I basically leave a trail of glitter after every show I do anyway.'
Kylie is looking forward to the challenge of incorporating the Golden material into her live shows. Mixing these songs in with my existing catalogue is going to be fun. And it could be fun to do some of those songs with just a guitar. It'll make my acoustic set interesting...'Her incredibly loyal fans - to whom one Golden song, Sincerely Yours, is intended as a love letter' - will, she believes, have no problem with her latest stylistic shift. My audience have been with me on the journey, so I shouldn't be afraid that they won't come with me on this part. I've had fun with it, and I'm sure they will too.'
The time spent making Golden has, Kylie says, been a time of creative and personal renewal. I've met some amazing people, truly inspiring writers and musicians. My passion for music has never gone away, but it's got bigger and stronger.' And if there's an overriding theme to the record, it is one of acceptance. We're all human and it's OK to make mistakes, get it wrong, to want to run, to want to belong, to love, to dream. To be ourselves.'
I was able to both lose and find myself whilst making this album.'
- A1: Never
- A2: Rocksteady
- A3: Sedated Private
- A4: Transmission 1
- A5: Psychology Of Destructive Cult Leaders
- A6: Hake
- B1: Dominocro
- B2: Bigger Heads
- B3: Here
- B4: Still Yours
- B5: Untitled
- B6: Wolfe
- C1: Anye
- C2: Stare
- C3: Oh, Won't You
- C4: Transmission 2
- C5: Red Dot, Green Light
- C6: Baron
- D1: Oran
- D2: Nothing
- D3: Home
- D4: Kidney Punch
- D5: Grid Lock
- D6: Wicked Ones
Spread across two 180g discs, spanning 24 cuts and served in a gatefold sleeve designed by members and affiliates, the Young Echo LP is a capsule intended for cementation through time.
It's been almost five years since their last album. As a group, extended radio submissions, prolonged studio sessions and notorious club nights make up the cogs of time. Over the course of these years, the network has grown continually, both as one, and with singular, multi-directional paths from each of the 11 artists that make up the Young Echo collective, counting Jabu, Vessel, Kahn, Neek, Ishan Sound, Ossia, Manonmars, Bogues, Rider Shafique, chester giles and Jasmine towards the crew, with projects such as Bandulu, FuckPunk, O$VMV$M, Gorgon Sound and ASDA adding to the table in their individual ways.However, this record aims not to be judged on any single producer or vocalist. It is most effective as a whole, simply titled Young Echo. Of course each of the artists has an important part to play, but it is very much about the act of balance, accepting individualism to form a greater whole.A good example is the welcome addition of new energy coming from Jasmine (1/3 of Jabu) who injects endless space with her vocals, perfectly answered by the cool-killin' wordplay of Manonmars - who makes his long awaited debut here - sharing stage with the immediate poetry of ASDA's very own chester giles, along the mighty sound of Rider Shafique, and Bogues' versatile style that can flit between rap & song within seconds. Five very different vocalists that could've tried to find a compromise, but instead choose to connect in different ways, finding their niche in the equal range of rhythms and sounds that sprawl in this shared space, the juxtaposition.
Detuned soundsystem stylings, love songs swaying in hacked up ambience, skeletal dancehall, microphone technique, dread electronics, outsider pop, this record manifests the outcome of the shapeshifting anarchy which rears it's head when no one idea can rule, embracing the diversities when one path must be made up of many.
- guest appearance by US hip hop legend Masta Ace
- limited to 300 copies
- both cuts taken from the forthcoming album "Golden Hits", to be released July 6th, 2018
Masta Ace goes Munich underground! The legendary US rapper teams up with the heads of Primatune to deliver a monster King Kong rap epic, fresh and full of energy - Hip Hop at it's best. This is what happens when Munich musicians celebrating the golden age of the 90s collaborate with one of their heroes!
On the B-side, Blockboy, another outstanding Munich underground producer, pulls out of his hat a funk groove instrumental, which is truly a dancefloor killer!
Both tracks are a foretaste of the upcoming compilation "Golden Hits - ten years of Munich underground Hip Hop from 2005 to 2015", which will be released on Tramp records July 6th, 2018. If you like these two tracks - be warned! Two LPs loaded with the most entertaining, fresh, real, and deep Hip Hop you haven't heard for a long time are waiting for your turntable. Hard to believe this music was flying totally under the radar, until pearl diver Tobias Kirmayer, Tramp head honcho, brought these treasures to light, out of the shallows of today's polluted musical ocean. Stay tuned!
Originally from the United Kingdom, funky soul-jazz veterans The New Mastersounds have been touring USA, Europe and Japan for over a decade and return here with their twelfth studio album, recorded in New Orleans and Denver and featuring a slew of musical guests.
"Renewable Energy" expands on the NMS template while still providing plenty of the band's trademark sounds. Guitarist Eddie Roberts, drummer Simon Allen, bassist Pete Shand and keyboardist Joe Tatton are joined on this 11-track effort by a number of guests: Sam Bell, one of the founding members of NMS precursor The Mastersounds who also guested on two previous NMS albums, plays percussion on most of the tracks. Mike Olmos and Joe Cohen of the West Coast Horns once again provide added horn action as they did on "Made For Pleasure" from 2015, while Adryon de León from LA band Orgone contributes vocals on "Gonna Be Just Me". Uptempo numbers "Tantalus" and "Yokacoka" see the band flexing their playing chops over a tightly-wound rhythm, while "Green Was Beautiful" and "Groovin On The Groomers" are toe-tapping slabs of soul jazz. The band's cover of James Gang's "Funk 49" takes the album in a fuzzed-out psych-rock direction with Eddie singing the lead, while the moody Hancock-esque inflections of "Stash" and the sweet mellow vibes of "Swimming With My Fishies" add the final brushstrokes of colour to the canvas.
The second of Alma Negra's 12 Rhythms Series is dedicated to the Maloya sound from La Réunion, a tiny island where a
melting pot of cultures is reflected strongly in its music. Maloya's roots go back to the time of slavery, its quick tempo and raw
energy making it not only a popular dance music but also a powerful protest through movement.
On their Maloya EP, the Basel collective pay tribute to the hypnotic rhythms that were feared both by the Catholic Church and the French government for the musical form's subversive part in the rebellion against colonialism.
The release revolves around two contrasting Alma Negra re-workings of Lindigo's Tany Be. The first takes a classic call &
response structure in 12/8 and 6/8 rhythms, adding a driving bass line and guitar licks. A solid 909-kick locks things in step,
along with a sax flourish and FM synths. Their re-imagining of African and Tamil influences for modern dancers is a triumphant
manifestation of the music's origins.
With the main reworking focusing on a rolling dance floor groove, the Dub Mix concentrates on trance-inducing aspect of
Maloya. Using a modular set up to pick apart layers of percussion, it is a dense and heady trip into the spirit world.
The B side focuses on Christine Salem, one of today's stars of the Maloya scene. Without wanting to squeeze the soul from her
deep tones, Kabaré is slowed down a notch, with drums added sparingly. This sensitive treatment gives the track just enough
weight and tension to punch in on todays dance floors without losing the intent of the original.
The source material for this EP has been road tested from the very beginning of Alma Negra's journey. The collective have gone
to great lengths to ensure the original creators are on board with their treatment of their music and are honoured to be given the
chance to distil their own ethos into a record that is bubbling with today's dance floor drive. Their reverent treatment aims to
preserve the power and beauty of the source material, to bring uncovered gems to a new audience.
By all rights, the name Chevals might be a new one on a few folks out there. But, we encourage you not to confuse pedigree with quality of output because with Chevals - the two go hand in hand.
His first two outings on Homage & Better Listen Records soared to the top of the sales charts and we're stoked to finally release our 10" with him to help keep the momentum for what is sure to be a successful run for the French beat-smith.
There are some records that manage to sound both of a time and utterly timeless and Bon Voyage Organisation's Jungle Quelle Jungle (a nod to Supertramp's Crisis What Crisis) is one of those albums. Its silken-smooth production, irresistible grooves, funk-tinged guitars, lush soundscapes and general glowing presence could easily lead one to believe that have dug up a lost disco gem from the 1970s. However, behind the disco-pop gleam lies eerie dystopian sci-fi ruminations of a futuristic bent and tones that can often feel as French as they do Asian or African.
This sort of cross-continental exploration is an expansion on BVO's previous two EPs, the man behind the Organisation, Adrien Durand, says. 'I tried to continue the musical expedition between dystopian Science-Fiction Haunted Africa - plus Haitian Vaudou on 'Soleil Dieu' - and futuristic Asia. Addressing, in a double entendre manner, some of the political issues that I am sensitive to.' In fact the jungle in question in the album's title is a metaphorical one and one that creates a vast series of environments for Durand to explore such subjects as world trade, utopian ideals and themes of idols, as well as of time and communication. However, one will need to speak French to decipher such explorations, as well as shake off the natural impulse to move with every glorious beat on its 13 tracks, of which are moved along by Maud Nadal and Agathe Bonitzer's golden vocals.
Durand is a full-time producer based in Paris, working with the likes of Amadou & Mariam, so it makes sense that this record would absolutely sparkle in this department. Durand feeds off the variety of musicians coming and going during recording sessions as well as the rotating members and numbers of people involved with the band but fundamentally he writes all songs on piano first before bringing them to record live. 'We recorded a rhythm section of five - drums, percussion, guitar and myself on bass/synth bass and keyboards - at La Frette which is a studio located in a mansion outside of Paris and fitted with a beautiful 1973 NEVE desk. We only used analogue gear, by taste really, and found it a pretty reliable way of doing things. This simply consists of putting good players together in a room and waiting for the right take to happen.' Two four-day sessions and a 'cooling off' period (to let the recordings settle) soon followed before Durand picked the material back up to give it a final polish.
The resulting album is one loaded with intricacies and idiosyncrasies, something that Durand puts down to his own unique approach. 'I don't consider myself much of a songwriter but I love arranging rhythm sections and I'm pretty proud of the ones on this record.' This applies when it comes to working with such musicians as Inor Sotolongo Zapata, who with Durand used traditional Cuban percussive instruments and explored Haitian rhythms. When Durand expands on some of the ideas and influences that were funnelled into the record, you begin to get a sense of the vastness of the sounds that fill his world, from Trevor Horn's production work on ABC's Lexicon of Love, to the literary work of JG Ballard to the visual flair of the original Blade Runner and even the Tuareg sounds of Tinariwen, due to the fact that his studio neighbours their manager's and he would hear their rhythms bleeding through the walls. You therefore end up with an album that offers tracks such as 'GOMA' that fuses Chinese and African rhythms as well as 'SI D'Adventure' a piece of pop music that is dazzlingly hook-laden.
As a result of this cooking pot of sounds, influences, thoughts and creations, Durand has more of a gumbo approach to making this music than a set-out scientific formula. 'There is no definite recipe for me to like the production of a record,' he says. 'Of course it really sticks out that my work is really influenced by the 1978-1983 period, the golden age and last stand of analogue studios and session musicians.' Whilst Durand adores the traditional and conventional music, he really views this as something bigger and wider. 'I have a taste for the otherworldly vibe from records coming from less sought-after musical scenes, particularly Poland, Haiti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Congo and early Cantonese pop. Languages and the rapport of the people involved in the making of those records really inspires me. I particularly hate the use of the word 'World Music' as a potpourri for everything that doesn't sound quite western enough.'
The early 2000s were a time of upheaval for hip-hop. The underground and mainstream divide that had dened so much of the previous decade was showing the rst signs of irrelevance. Timbaland and The Neptunes made radio rappers sound futuristic while independent artists struggled in a quagmire of backpacks and misguided claims to keep it real. Away from this, in a misunderstood middle ground between hip-hop and electronic music, a new generation of artists were busy imagining a new sound for hip-hop.
One such artist was Scott Prefuse 73' Herren, whose perpendicular MPC chops on his 2001 debut for Warp Records set curious minds racing with possibilities. That same year Tadd Mullinix released his debut as Dabrye on Ghostly International, a sonic wildstyle that appealed to both hip-hop heads and IDM nerds. Sometime that same year Herren and Mullinix met after sharing a bill in Detroit. CD-Rs were exchanged and a year later Eastern Development, Herren's newly launched label, released Dabrye's Instrmntl, a short album with a big impact. On its fteenth anniversary Ghostly International is reissuing Instrmtl on vinyl and making it available digitally for the rst time.
Instrmntl is a continuation of the beat experiments Dabrye began with One/Three and a bridge to the diverse textures that would dene Two/Three four years later. About half of its nine tracks (ten if you lived in Japan) were created at the same time as One/Three while the rest were newer or made specically for the album. Once again Mullinix looked outside of hip-hop to techno, house, and drum & bass for stylistic and technical ideas while embracing the blissful minimalism of a good hip-hop instrumental and the rhythmic nuance of Detroit.
Despite the similarities between Dabrye's debut and this follow up, Mullinix didn't simply replicate what had made One/Three so arresting. He pushed and pulled further between the two cornerstones of his approach to reveal more potentials. Instrmntl takes you deeper into electronic depths — the rugged synth stutter of 'Won', the tumbling, wobbling bass in 'No Child Of God', the electro get down of 'Prospects (Marshall Law)' — while also treading more organic grounds by letting samples breathe and moods unfurl at a gentler pace ('Take Me Home', 'Evelyn', and 'You Know The Formula Right'). And then there are the moments where this push and pull nds balance and the result becomes more, as it does on the mournful march of 'D-Town Tabernacle Choir' and the twinkling daydream of 'This Is Where I Came In'.
At just over 30 minutes, Instrmntl offers a snapshot of a time when potentials seemed innite, when lines could be drawn between jazz, ragga jungle, techno, and hip-hop and the resulting shape divined an exciting future.
- Reissue of the out of print 2002 album, available for the rst time on Ghostly.
- Includes previously Japanese-only bonus track, Gimme Lowlands'
- Standard weight blue vinyl is housed in a matte jacket.
- Dabrye's beats are like Jay Dee getting crunked up with Autechre.' — Prefuse 73
Paris club kid MAXIME IKO joins BPitch with this five-track trip into the depths of his mind !
Infused with acid licks and electro motifs, this is a scintillating debut from an artist who represents diversity and inclusiveness - two cornerstones of club culture. Maxime's influences range from the gothic, dark and lurid through to the often flamboyant gay culture, launching his own highly-regarded gay event at Rex Club called 'Cockorico' and, later, putting on 'Le Bal Con' at Badaboum - a party that celebrated the wild, creative side of nightlife with art performances and lots of crazing dancing. Maxime's 'Concilium' EP starts with the frenetic 'Achartade', a track which pulsates with eerie vibes, closing with the multi-tempo closer 'Concilium' - a demonstration of Maxime's penchant for playfulness and experimentation. In between those two killer cuts we have 'Repulsion', where the main riff has a jaunty, arpeggiated rhythm, 'Timeline's Wrong', a heads down acid roller with vocal stabs and a totally absorbing atmosphere and finally, 'Closure' a spine-tingling emotionally-charged adventure. One that will lift the roof off anywhere it's played. An accomplished collection from a man who values the roots of electronic music culture and brings his own unique vibe with each performance and new release... allez!
JoeFarr and his label User Experience are pleased to welcome a very talented to the roster, Insolate. The artist formerly known as Miss Sunshine is a DJ, producer, label owner and promoter who has been in the business for 20 years and considered as one of the best techno artist's from Croatia. The two original tracks ride a perfect balance between groove, power and emotion. JoeFarr does what he does best and turns out a killer remix.
Gqom Oh! records presents "The Originators", a five track EP respresenting the past, the present and the future of Gqom - the thunderous club sound from Durban, South Africa. The Gqom Oh! label was set up by Rome-based DJ and musician Nan Kolè to highlight the music and artists of Durban, the often overlooked cradle of the new South African sound. The label's 2016 compilation - 'Gqom Oh! The Sound of Durban Vol.1' - broke the sound out of South Africa, Pitchfork calling it The largest and most thoughtful survey of the genre available to western audiences to date'. Recently joining Kolè is Sboniso Brandon Luthuli aka Citizen Boy on the ground as local A&R. The EP's A-Side is dedicated to two of the genre's most prominent producers. DJ Lag is a frontrunner in pushing Gqom worldwide. Making music from a young age and building up a solid reputation in South Africa, he's known as the "King of Gqom". Griffit Vigo, a real innovator in the Gqom genre, grew up in the same area as DJ Lag and has attained a legendary status amongst his peers. "When I was in Durban the first time I noticed that Griffit Vigo was a kind of legendary figure, he'd been inspiring all the Gqom Durban artists for a long time. Nobody knew where he was but everybody was playing him and sometimes using his beats to make new songs. The main track 'Ree's Vibe' was the peak moment of DJ Lag's sets all over the world. If Lag is the Gqom King then Griffit Vigo is the Gqom Legend."- Nan Kolè. Sbucardo is one of the most respected DJs around the streets and the townships of Durban. Featuring Abnormal on 'Iphoyisa', whose lyrics in Zulu translate to We at the club, Mr police man don't disturb us", the track represents the South African scene and Gqom culture in Durban very well. Naked Boyz (officially the first in Durban to explore new territories in broken beat in 2011) 'Story Teller' is characteristic of the Sgubhu style, a blend of Gqom with more conventional house sounds, the new genre taking over Durban and finding its way onto mainstream radio. Scene kingpins Rude Boyz round off the release's line up of Gqom originators with 'Umshunto'.
"Real name Takeshi Fukushima, Takecha has been a key figure within Japan's electronic music scene for decades and belongs to the same pioneering crew as Soichi Terada and Shinichiro Yokota. Now in his mid- fifties, 'Deep Soundscapes' is an album encompassing Fukushima's sound with every track written by the producer between 1990 and 2013. Intricate percussion and crystalline chords set the tone in 'Deep Drive' before a funky bassline joins serene synths in 'Midnight Things'. Appearing in Soichi Terada's mix for Resident Advisor (under its promo title 'Deep Loop C'), 'Gradual Atmosphere' is comprised of a galloping beat and saccharine chimes, 'Factory 141' sees Takecha demonstrate a murkier aesthetic, whilst 'Rhodes Detox' is a definitive example of Takecha's flair for expertly balancing elements within his productions. An homage to Shufflepuck Cafe´, an old Mac Plus video game Takecha would play on a black and white 9- inch monitor back in the day, 'Shufflepuck' blends ghostly melodies with clicks, whirrs and pops. 'Calm Imagination' is a poignant affair from start to finish with its hypnotising atmosphere, contrasting to the more up-tempo 'Warm Rondo' with its soulful keys and purring low-end. Tying it all together, 'Genuine Innocence' is a cut that Takecha made two versions of; one with a solo from a pianist and another with more emphasis on the beat, the latter of which appears on this album."
The X Vinyl Series continues with label head Florian Meindl at the helm with the upcoming release Metaphysics. Synonymous with deep, dark techno, Florian does not disappoint with this 4 track EP, enlisting in demand producer and Rabe label boss Denise Rabe on remixing duties. Playing live with his Modular Synth set up, Florian began working on the concept for what would become these three original tracks while playing shows over the last month. The live jam character can clearly be felt in the first two tracks Metaphysics and Holomorphic Function. Florian's original Bell's Theorem has a deep melodic structure. With Denise Rabes interpretation, the track is contorted through some serious distortion pedals and broken beat to match her dark take on the synth line. The outcome is an impressive piece for one of those never ending nights in concrete walled rooms with oversized loudspeakers.
- A1: The Stand Feat Wildchild
- A2: Air Feat Doom
- A3: Machines (Part 1)
- A4: Encoded Flow Feat Kadence
- B1: That's What's Up Feat Vast Aire
- B2: Tell Dem
- B3: Nite Eats Day Feat Beans
- B4: Jorgy Feat Waajeed
- B5: Special Feat Gulty Simpson & Paradime
- C1: Bloop
- C2: Viewer Discretion Feat Invincible & Finale
- C3: Piano
- C4: Pressure Feat Ta'raach & Waajeed
- C5: Reconsider Feat Kadence
- D1: Get It Together Feat Invincible & Finale
- D2: My Life Feat Ag
- D3: In Water
- D4: Get Live Feat Big Tone
- D5: Machines (Part 2)
- D6: Game Over Feat Jay Dee & Phat Kata
Tadd Mullinix first made a name for himself as Dabrye in the early 2000s with a pair of instrumental albums combining the rhythmic finesse of Detroit hip-hop with the ingenuity of electronic music. But instrumental beats were only a temporary goal, a way for Mullinix to catch the ears of MCs. On Two/Three, his second Dabrye album for Ghostly International, Mullinix brought together a formidable crew of local and national talent to make the statement he'd always intended. Released in 2006, Two/Three o-ered a fevered vision of rap's future that remains just as intoxicating a decade on. Ahead of the long-await-ed conclusion of Dabrye's hip-hop trilogy in 2018, Ghostly is reissuing Two/Three.
Dabrye's move towards rap began in 2004 with the album's first single, 'Game Over' featuring Jay Dee and Phat Kat. An early inspiration of Dabrye's, Jay Dee invited Mullinix to his crib in 2002 for a listening session during which he picked the 'Game Over' beat to rap on. Crucially everyone involved was in accord that despite perceptions of their respective work this would be a hardcore rap song. Together with Kat, Jay delivered a one-two lyrical punch on 'Game Over' that no one saw coming. Detroit made the world go round and everyone's head spun. 'Game Over' set the tone for the album and, over the next few years, became a Detroit anthem — shortly after Jay's passing in 2006 the audience at Movement Festival sung his verse.
Moody, propulsive, and above all ambitious, Two/Three emerges from a sonic stew of Detroit and UK dance music, Jamaican sound clashes, and hip-hop sampledelia. The guests, a who's who of the mid-'00s underground rap scene, engage in a raucous rhyming session that pays as much attention to the realities of the streets as it does world events. MF Doom, Wildchild, Vast Aire, Beans, and AG represent for the various coasts while local talents — Waajeed, Ta-Raach, Invincible, Finale, Kadence, Guilty Simpson, Big Tone, Phat Kat, and Jay Dee — bring Two/Three alive with an infectious energy. In between bursts of raw rap and hard beats, Dabrye showcases detailed instrumentals that evoke bleak industrial futures, underwater meditations, and smoky late night sessions. With Two/Three Dabrye placed himself at the forefront of hip-hop's new wave, throwing a Molotov cocktail into the rap world as uncompromising as the head-twisting cover art from WK Interact. The independent press praised Mullinix's audacity. Over the following years the impact of Two/Threewas felt in slow increments as Dabrye's music became central to the sonic makeup of a new generation of producers. As this beat scene grew and moved away from rap, it showed Mullinix the influence of his work and the value of his vision for Dabrye as his own brand of Detroit hip-hop.
Signing on the second release of the label Blue Night Jungle, the duo DudMode disturbs its machines and inspirations around a wild and mystical acid techno - sometimes minimalistic, sometimes extravagant. Two faces of a same coin which the Lyon guys are trying to explore by inviting, for the whole B face, two french artists they feel very close with : Jibis, head-speaker of a new techno beat both dense and aerial , Vardae, owner of the label Allegorythme Records and great defender of a more mental and obscure vibe. « Une Nuit Dans l'Herbe » (« One Night In The Grass ») EP marks the strong come back of lyonnese rave culture's children, already sanctified by a long and sensual experience on the stage.
Alien Ensemble's trombone man Mathias Goetz caused quite a splash when he released his eponymous debut LP under his Le Millipede moniker back in 2015: The multi-instrumentalist's initial offering was clearly something else, impossible to grasp, a musical vessel beyond genre, beyond style or era, seemingly beyond space and time even, a vessel that carried an almost cosmic kind of song-craft - music with no fixed stamp of origin, though it did somehow feel like an Alien Transistor release. Followed by remix album Mirror Mirror, which comprised reworks by 1115, Protein, LeRoy, Olaf Opal, and Saroos, to name a few, it's now time for album #2: The Sun Has No Money.Let's face it: There's nothing as majestic as the sun. At least not in our world. If it runs out of juice one day, it's game over: The End. Light's out. For everyone. At that point, it wouldn't even matter if you're rich or poor. We're all equal under the sun. Same level. And yeah, this might not be major news, but then again... we're talking about the sun. The sun! Guess it's about time to acknowledge its power and superiority, right In fact, you can feel it on your bicycle: pedaling at night, when it's on duty in other hemispheres, and you're working hard at the dynamo, sweating, you can actually feel how powerful it is. In the end you get off the bike all recharged, a tune on your lips - and somehow feeling like a miniature version of the sun yourself. And whenever you feel like that, that's exactly the right moment to grab a melodica and get to work.Following an initial warm-up round sans electricity, this new album soon begins to glow: Mathias Goetz aka Le Millipede doesn't need pedals, he boosts circulation by single-handedly* playing tons and tons of different instruments - it actually feels like thousands, easily. And thus begins a show that has countless levels to it: There are various sonic illusions... and yet Le Millipede doesn't hide anything: He's also willing to show the inner workings, the actual recording process and everything else. In short: he goes meta. Makes songs about making songs. That's right: why not use all these beautiful means to address the issue of money It's not the sun that casts shadows, all it does is recharge, fuel: growth & thriving, that's the sun's area of responsibility. And yet there came a man whose plan was simple: steal the fruit from your garden, only to sell it right back to you, for money. We can hear the sea gulls crying in the distance, as somebody is throwing breadcrumbs up into the wind that carries their voices...It's not the sun that casts shadows - all it does is radiate light. And yet there came a time when someone blocked those rays of light. Now if you're some kind of Diogenes, you'll simply say, Move at least a little out of the sun.' But if you're a teacher, you'll maybe light up your pipe and use that to lighten up. What matters is that the percussion parts, in this case, resemble some serious musique concréte. The sun doesn't know shadows - all it knows, is itself. And yet somebody entered the picture and built an entire city. A city full of streets, so that houses can cast shadows into these avenues. Plus, there's music in the streets, music originally written inside the walls of said houses.One of those streets is known as the Tin Pan Alley: a place that got its name from a music writer who compared the sound of so many pianos to the banging of tin pans. That sound: that's one side of the road that is this album. Some of these melodies appear to be shadows of earlier tunes, dating back to, say, 1898 or even before that, melodies that were first registered in the Tin Pan Alley publishers' offices back in 1912 or 1917. We actually get to see this Alley at that point in time. We see the ropes, the workings. How things come together, the actual act of creation. Suddenly, we can hear the shadows!
Okay, so one side of this street is America. The US of A. The opposite side: Russia. And smack dab in the middle: Europe. A pothole in the center. All the back-and-forth that occurs between these two poles ultimately depends on the movement of the sun. Night and day, taking turns, commuting in and out of sight. We get to meet Prokofiew's and Scriabin's ghost, among other spirits, reframed and published by Le Millipede's own imaginary label imprint on the historic Tin Pan Alley. Indeed there are moments on this album when Le Millipede seems to be playing Scriabin's clavier a` lumie`res (tastiera per luce), when his performance seems to be based on synesthesia, a wild cross-pollination of colors and sounds. In case you didn't know this: In the States, Prokofiew goes by the name Brian Wilson, and Scriabin's also known as Sun Ra - yet another guy who's usually broke, but gets to spend a lot of time out in the sun. Together, these assorted protagonists ask the people of the Antilles for Mutabor dance-tokens and send postcards to Moondog in Germany, right back into the darkness. On the postcards you can see people dancing the Biguine...Firing foreign fossil fuels from all pipes (Brennelementsteuer!), Le Millipede controls the very center of this hustle and bustle: going as far as to employ some southern Chopped & Screwed styles, he's 100% current and zeitgeisty! Houston, we've got a problem: there's some kind of myriapod, centi- or millipede on the loose! Well, give me another sip of lean, sizzurp, dirty Sprite, and on goes the journey in the Pullman coach. Let's follow the sun! Keep on moving, keep things motorik! Here comes the Trans-Eureka-Express. Cherish the backpacking days! A piercing rhapsody of sound (bohrende Rhapsodie), we'll remember them fondly! And thus things move on, the sun, the days, the earth: rise, set, action, round and round... onwards eternally. The sun: the biggest loop known to mankind. As if it was some kind of sonic Rube Goldberg contraption, time seems to be stretching out while listening to that hmmm. After all: time is a lot (a lot!) more than just money. And yeah, the sun is the real big shot on (or rather: above) Planet Earth. Le Millipede's live line-up also includes Markus & Micha Acher (The Notwist etc.), Nico Sierig (Joasihno), and Manuela Rzytki (G. Rag & die Landlergschwister, Kamerakino etc.).
*sole exception: Evi Keglmaier (Zwirbeldirn, Hochzeitskapelle) plays the viola. Words/sun worship: Pico Be
Seven years ago, Max Tundra sent Daphne and Celeste a tweet, asking if he could write and produce their comeback single. Four years later their song You & I Alone ripped through the internet. Today they announce the forthcoming release of the most unlikely comeback album of 2018.
Three years after their comeback song, 'BB' arrives online as their new album's appetiser, an uncompromising takedown of the anodyne and anonymous. BB stands for Basic Busker,' explains Max, any one of countless identikit instigators of mundane melodies that have brought the mood down in recent years. Pop music should lift the spirits - so why are the airwaves full of these mundane strummers'
The world has changed a hell of a lot since Daphne & Celeste stormed up the charts with their effervescent earworms U.G.L.Y. and Ooh Stick You, back near the birth of the 21st century. So you'd be forgiven for failing to predict the fruitful union of D&C with a maverick electronic producer known for his records on Warp and Domino Records. But Max Tundra has long held an ambition to become a pop producer, and this new album is an addictive combination of the eccentric, creative and melodic.
After an initial sharing of tracks and ideas around the release of that first single in 2015, Max Tundra set about writing an album's worth of material, inspired by the unique kinship, born of shared experience, between Daphne and Celeste, and his own unexpected part in their story. Last year, Tundra brought his suitcase full of songs to a desert retreat near Joshua Tree, where he joined D&C for the 'working holiday' that produced Daphne & Celeste Save The World.
A full-length album of giddy, ridiculous, genre-bursting pop, 'Daphne & Celeste Save The World' finds our friends in fine, soaring, melodic voice, with Tundra's restlessly inventive production a toothsome, chordy, maximalist feast. These 13 songs touch on subjects as varied as time travel, succulents, pipelines under the ocean, cabins in the wood, unadventurous guitarists and different regions of the brain, but above all the sweet, enduring friendship of those two people who, long ago, told us all to Ooh Stick You.
Intimate November tour also announced After their 2012 Mercury Prize nominated debut and 2015's Top 20 follow-up 'Born Under Saturn', musical adventurers Django Django are back for 2017, exploring new sounds with their brand new album 'Marble Skies' which will be released on January 26th on Because Music. Today the album launches with first single 'Tic Tac Toe', a rousing, trippy upbeat rock track with an enormous echoing hookline which will excite fans of the band's rockabilly-influenced elements. The accompanying video for 'Tic Tac Toe' was directed by John Maclean, brother of Django Django drummer/producer David Maclean and director of the critically acclaimed modernist western 'Slow West'. It depicts vocalist/guitarist Vincent Neff enjoying a rapid-fire day-trip to Hastings which takes a turn into the surreal and sinister when a ghost train puts him on a collision course with a grim reaper inspired by Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal. As John Maclean explains: The film could be about the fading era of the beach arcades, time moving too fast, love and games, horror and happiness but it is actually about a man who needs to go buy a pint of milk to make a cup of tea.' After the brilliant, rave-shaped grooves and expansive arrangements of its predecessor, 'Marble Skies' is a more concise and focused offering which recalls the dynamic, genre-blurring music of their debut. It's a return to form, an album which finds them returning to the handmade, cut-and-paste approach of the past. Upon finishing the 'Born To Saturn' tour, Dave ventured to LA to work on a production project, whilst the other band members went to India with the British Council. When they returned, the new album process began with a back-to-basics approach which recalled the DIY ethos of the band's early days, Django Django - minus an absent Maclean - assembled at Urchin Studios in Tottenham, London with Metronomy drummer Anna Prior to experiment with the idea of coming up with new tracks through loose jamming sessions. After ten days of recording, there was plenty of raw material to send up to Dave (then back in his hometown of Dundee) for him to edit, refine and evolve. As ever, all four band members (completed by Tommy Grace on synths and bassist Jimmy Dixon) contributed to the band's music, melodies and lyrics as the final album took shape. Parts of 'Marble Skies' find Django Django sailing into uncharted territories, not least the driving title track (propelled by Prior's drumming), with its echoes of Krautrock and Suicide. Meanwhile, the hazy Zombies-like summer pop of 'Champagne', which explores the joys and ills of alcohol, was inspired by the band's over-indulgence during a boat trip on the Seine that was hosted by their label. Those drawn to the more dance-orientated side of Django Django will find much to love in the twisted '80s electro pop of 'In Your Beat' and the dancehall-influenced 'Surface To Air', a dreamy-headed pop song fronted by Rebecca Taylor of Slow Club. The collaboration came as a result of the two bands meeting up at SXSW some years ago, where Rebecca and Dave in particular bonded over shared interests in R&B, hip-hop and dancehall. Another more surprising collaborator is Jan Hammer, the Czech-born, American-based jazz-fusion and electronic artist who shares writing credits with the band on the gorgeously floaty 'Sundials'. If there's a mood running through 'Marble Skies', it's one of reflection on things past and present, and finding some kind of peace with your place in the grand scheme of things.
Ben Gibson & Mary Velo step up with two tracks each that are sure to find it into many record bags.
On the A side Ben Gibson steps up with Now Here. Massive strings and hats with a solid groove that is sure to inspire dj sets and have guaranteed crowd reaction, it's a stomper. Ben Gibson follows on with Trsuru River, modulated synths whirl, it has an infectious groove. A sure fire record for the bag.
On The B side, Mary Velo steps up with Code Of behaviour, a deep cut that grooves and has infectious synths, one for the early hours or beginning of the night. Following on Rack steps up, its a big room stomper. Massive kick and big hats whirl and enhance its' presence. A peak time affair that is sure to find its' way into many a record bag.
Repress
Nektar Agu is next up on Fake Records with his 1111 EP. Two originals: '1111'and 'Vaeeke' that have been supported by S.A.M and Arapu and it comes with two Remixes by Cocoon Heavyweight and Raum Musik boss Markus Fix & Dorian Paic under their MFDP moniker, and also one from the man of the moment Jorge Savoretti who has recently released on Dorian's Raum musik and Priku's Atipic.
12" Vinyl. LTD press
TONE SERIES (TS) is glad to introduce to you to its second release TSRS02. In 2016, we launched TONE SERIES. So far, we've have released five EPs (consisting of two tracks each) all composed by French musician David K.
Midway between the first release TS10 and the last one TS01 (TS06 came out at the beginning of September 2017), we thought it would be interesting to ask artists we like to reinterpret one of David K's creations. As a result, we're delighted to present you TSRS02, 2nd EP of the TONE SERIES Remix Series, 2nd EP of the TONE SERIES Remix Series ... consisting of :
A-SIDE: 24 BARS PER DAY (TS08) remixed by English music producer, live performer and Mosaic label owner Steve O'Sullivan,
B-SIDE: FRIENDS (TS06) remixed by French music composer, DJ and C.S.R. label owner Cesar Merveille.
TONE SERIES is an ephemeral French music label dedicated to deep-house music. The project is originally inspired by David K and the different colours that emerge from his music. The name 'TONE SERIES' brings together the idea of interdependence between music and design: what colour follows on from music and, in return, which musicality comes out of a colour.
Wicked 4 tracker of
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Old Shady Grady & The Neighbourhood Character (OSGATNC for short) is the result of a chance meeting in Berlin the fall of 2013 between Eric Douglas Porter a.k.a. Afrikan Sciences, one of the most expansive and intensive musical torch bearers of modern experimental electronics and jazz, and Ari Robey-Lawrence, producer, vocalist, and DJ a.k.a. The Neighborhood Character, who began as a jazz guitarist and drummer. They quickly found a mutual bond and a musical partnership emerged soon thereafter, and debuted on Uzuri's The Wilderness Sessions with their EP, Tales from Caturday'.
Via their collaboration, Porter and Robey-Lawrence explore the intersections of diverse musical and emotional territories through improvisational, long format jam sessions-- experimenting both with a wide range of sampled sounds and expressive original vocals, sustained by pronounced, yet fluid rhythmic backbones.
Jordan GCZ says: I walked into their sound check at freerotation festival last year and was blown away. I feel privileged to be a part of putting this music out there'
It is Melodies International's greatest pleasure to bring forth its latest reissue comprising two stripped-back, reflective pieces of US folk soul.
Largely forgotten for the past forty-odd years, Bobby Wright (now Abu Talib)'s "Blood Of An American" and "Everyone Should Have His Day" resurface as politically-infused works that shine bright and still hold meaning to this day.
The 60s and 70s constituted an exceptional era for its unique blend of popular culture and political radicalism. Household names such as Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye and Gil Scott-Heron used art to express their discontent with the current state of affairs, namely the US government's involvement in warfare and their inability to deal with critical social issues of the time. Though not a musician, Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay Jr) was advocating a similar anti-government stance in the boxing ring, and his objection to serving in the Vietnam War sealed his status as an icon for the wider counterculture generation.
Meanwhile in Queens, New York City, Abu used to work several jobs as a construction worker and cab driver - but still found time to play with his band in clubs for $100 a night to support his family. Against the backdrop of international conflict and violence, most of his surroundings failed to listen to how he felt. However, he considered music to be the greatest form of communication with the world and it was his belief that a positive message should be spread to future generations.
After one band member was killed in Vietnam and another went into the service, Abu resolved to pick up his guitar and record these songs as a duet in 1974 with his bassist - the only other remaining band member. Combining guitar, bass and a voice that quavers with emotion he self-released the record in 1974, one which holds its own alongside the all-time greats.
These songs of introspection remind us of the beauty there is in simplicity and how moving art can be when the feelings expressed come from the heart. MEL009 will be released in its original 7" format alongside a 16-page Melozine, featuring words from Abu Talib, social studies professor Paul Rekret and much more.
In the late 1990's label manager Nik Weston was working for Island Records and in particular the label imprint Island Blue set up by Ross Allen. It was here that he first heard the timeless jazz version masterpiece of Amalia from Kirk Degiorgio's As One. The track featured on a promo cd but never made it to a commercial release for Island Blue and was later featured on the full length album release for San Francisco label Ubiquity Records a few years later in 2001. 'Amalia' is a sultry jazz classic featuring gorgeous keys from Jamie Odell aka Jimpster. As relevant today as it ever was when initially made and here presented as a single in it's own right for the very first time. On the flipside another track that never made it to single in this version was the unique jazzual 'Spiritual Rotations' by Butti 49 from Norway. Nik had later worked with Butti 49 whilst working for Exceptional Records for the Habit album in 2004 but 'Spiritual Rotations' itself initially featured as an exclusively album only track for Future Sounds Of Jazz Volume 8 in 2001 for German label Compost. So there you have it... two welcome killer Jazz classics that deserve a revisit for your attention cut on limited 180 gram vinyl for your ears, your turntable and your dancefloor....
Mogwai return with their 9th studio album which was recorded with renowned producer Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev, The Flaming Lip's, Mogwai's Come On Die Young and ROCK ACTION) at his Tarbox Road Studios in New York State.
Every Country's Sun named after a friends lack of knowledge in how the universe works, takes two decades of Mogwai's signature, contrasting sounds and distills it, beautifully, into 56 concise minutes of gracious elegance, hymnal trance-rock, and transcendental euphoria. It will definitely appeal to fans of the band and will gain many new ones along the way.
Boxset includes: White vinyl double LP, 12" black vinyl (containing 6 tracks of album demos), CD, plus a set of Tarbox Road photographic prints - Includes download card redeemable from the label.
It's the big 5! Berlin - Frankfurt based label House Is OK is celebrating its five-year long presence and has decided to mark that period with something special Label's story started with a sticker Homeboy printed in his former hometown, Zagreb, saying House Is OK'. Catchy, right It became an underground slogan of the local scene. It didn't take long for people to embrace the idea stating that it's OK to be into melodic, fresh, groovy yet, at times, a bit awkward dance music.
Just around the same time Homeboy's Frankfurt based bro's Oliver Achatz and Janis played with the idea of starting a record label. Guess what the logical choice for the name was
Ten records, dozens of original songs and remixes later House is OK continues to grow.
Literally. What was once a platform for the original three founders is now an international family affair supporting the talented artists from Frankfurt, Stockholm, Alexandria and Orlando. Nurturing the friendly approach this musical family continues to grow.
Looking back at the first five years, not only at the music that connected them all but at the bonds that deepened through the production process, House is OK crew wanted to take
create a proper reminder and thank the ones supporting them throughout the years. A double 12' pack titled Gemišt' seemed like a proper way to do that.
- Gemišt will be released as two separate EPs featuring the original music from Kornél Kovacs, Roman Flügel, Gavri & McQueen, TCB, House Of Life and the label makers themselves. Oliver and Janis deliver tracks under their known names, while Homeboy
introduces his new project with fellow Wilde Renate resident The Swift, called Longhair.
Croatian artist Ugruv Smek marks his yearlong collaboration with the label delivering yet another smashing artwork.
Mark the upcoming February when Gemišt part I' is to be released and while you're at it, move on to March just so you don't miss the Gemišt part II' release. And yeah, in case you're wondering - of course it's both 12' EP release and in digital format. House is OK's got you covered.
Off the back of Rudeboyz follow up EP entitled Gqomwave, Goon Club Allstars are back with an EP from UK Funky producer KG. In 2007 Karen Nyame, otherwise known as KG, was at the Nottingham Trent University producing beats on Fruity Loops. Slightly isolated in Nottingham - away from the UK Funky scene's London epicentre - KG posted her tunes on popular UK Funky message boards and Facebook pages, but never had an opportunity to properly stake her claim as one of the scene's heavy hitters. 808 and Midnight (Flute Riddim) are two lost anthems from that era, although receiving support from the likes of Marcus Nasty and others, they were largely forgotten amongst the numerous stand out tracks of the era, appearing rarely in mixes of those lucky enough to have digital copies. 808 is the party anthem, it's joyous, quivering melodies ascend above the thumping kick drum, while relentless crashing snares and carnival whistles rain down - guaranteed to heat up the coldest of dancefloors. Midnight (Flute Riddim) on the flip side is the softer, slinkier bubbler. Built for smouldering club action and hot sunny days. BSNYEA is a new addition to Goon Club Allstars' burgeoning family of artists. Hailing from the Bronx he is a veteran of the Borough's Litefeet genre that soundtracks the performances of subway dancers cross New York City's transit system. On his remix of 808 he focusses on the whistles and gutter synth lines adding in booming bass drums and lock inducing chants. Hitmakerchinx comes fresh from his anthemic Night Slugs compilation. Bringing his signature FDM energy he drops the tempo and builds on the light, airiness, letting the flutes play out softly underneath the thumping drums.
- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- GATEFOLD SLEEVE
- INCLUDES 4 PAGE BOOKLET
- FIRST TIME ON VINYL
- 5TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
- FEATURING THE HIT-SINGLES HERE'S TO NEVER GROWING UP', ROCK N ROLL' AND LET ME GO'
- LIMITED EDITION OF 3.000 INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED
COPIES ON SILVER & BLACK MIXED VINYL
Avril Lavigne is the fifth studio album by Avril Lavigne. It was released in 2013.
Lavigne collaborated with numerous producers including Martin Johnson, Peter Svensson, David Hodges, Matt Squire and her then-partner Chad Kroeger. The album features a more pop and upbeat sound combined with power and piano ballads. Avril Lavigne also incorporates electronic music, industrial and punk rock. The album features two vocal collaborations: Kroeger and American industrial metal singer Marilyn Manson.
The album debuted in the Top 5 in album-charts of the US, Canada, Japan, China and many other countries.
Five singles were released from the album. Its lead single Here's To Never Growing Up' peaked at number one on the in Taiwan and The Philippines. Other singles, including the duet with Chad Kroeger Let Me Go', Rock n Roll', Hello Kitty' and Give You What You Like' became succesful international hits.
Avril Lavigne received two award nominations, The Juno Award for best Pop Album and World Music Award for World's Best Album.
2018 marks the 5th Anniversary of Avril Lavigne. The album is now available on vinyl for the first time. This first, limited edition run is pressed on 180 gram silver and black mixed vinyl. Only 3.000 copies are available.
Black Vinyl[28,53 €]
Inventions & Dimensions is the third album Herbie Hancock ever released as a leader and proof that he was not an artist who was willing to be pigeonholed. Featuring a quartet made up of a bassist and two latin percussionists, Inventions & Dimensions explores the possibility of latin percussion outside the context of a latin jazz album. Comprised of post-bop and modal compositions all from the pen of Hancock, this is a beautiful album that shows the promise of a young and confident pianist and composer who would blossom into one of the most celebrated talents in jazz history. Essential.
WOLF welcome another new member to the pack, this time in the form of producer LB aka LABAT. The young Frenchman has already caused a stir in the two years since his first release, clocking up appearances on Faces, Robsoul & D.KO Records.
For his debut on WOLF he delivers four tracks in his trademark style of dusty jazz and hip-hop sample infused house music. This one's for the heads!
Deep Club resident dj and head strobe controller Lone Dancer marks our label's 4th entry with his
first solo 12' on vinyl. After finishing two quality tape albums in 2017 already for Jacktone and Always
Human Tapes, 'House is a Tunnel' arrives packed with 4 club-ready jagged tekno bangers and one cut
for the chillout room. Side A - Communication: The title track is a sure-fire party starter centered around
a thick kickdrum and a repeating synth rhythm laced with weird percussion and synth stabs trickling
through the texture. Next, 'PO12-3' combines crisp claps, hats, and a central synth theme that calls
for an intergalactic rave. 'Colony Dwelling' kicks off the Transportation side, taking our extraterrestrial
dancers to a new dimension steeped in fog juice and flangers. 'Floor' has a chill intro until it launches
into a gritty track that throws broken kickdrums and distorted synths in every direction. Finally, 'Night
Rain' puts the party to rest utilizng soft pads while hinting at moments from the night before.
Overall, 'House is a Tunnel' is a fitting dance-centric conglomeration of Lone Dancer's unique style of
jacking techno, broken beats, and spaced out tracks that has set him apart in 2017.
—Ryan Scannura
Support by:
Jackie House
Derek Plaslaiko
Noncompliant aka DJ Shiva
Heidi Sabertooth
Bil Todd
Dee Washington
Black Vinyl[14,92 €]
Inventions & Dimensions is the third album Herbie Hancock ever released as a leader and proof that he was not an artist who was willing to be pigeonholed. Featuring a quartet made up of a bassist and two latin percussionists, Inventions & Dimensions explores the possibility of latin percussion outside the context of a latin jazz album. Comprised of post-bop and modal compositions all from the pen of Hancock, this is a beautiful album that shows the promise of a young and confident pianist and composer who would blossom into one of the most celebrated talents in jazz history. Essential.
Björk has released two remixes of the track 'Blissing Me', from the current album 'Utopia', one which strips back the existing layers of song to purely her voice and a harp arrangement by herself, and another by the enigmatic artist serpentwithfeet who has gifted his heavenly gospel tones to the track.
Up next from the Rhythm Buro label is an EP from Cyspe, who might be better known as Robin Koek or for being one half of the almighty Dutch techno duo Artefakt. RB003 marks a special occasion for the label in releasing a full EP from a single artist. After This World seems to proceed forward fittingly on the same path once paved by Cyspe's debut record 'Amnesia', released on Koek's own label, Insula, in 2014.
From the label's inception, Koek has been a supporter and close friend of the Rhythm Buro team. Playing live at Rhythm Buro parties as Cyspe as well as live with Artefakt, the two have worked and partied close together. A release from Cyspe became a very welcome natural step for all.
A1 bursts open with 'Nexus,' a cerebral-atmospheric-blanket of a dance track, arguably the strongest offering on 'After This World'. Apparently, quite the story can be told in just seven and a half minutes for those attuned to listening. 'Mindscape' comes next, providing a notably nice ambient contrast to its dance floor-feeding predecessor. A2 maintains a similar vein and flavor of the sublime, if not a further development toward the heavenly and spiritual. The B-side proves to be a prime example of what 'deeper techno' is capable of: grooves that drive the dancer from this realm to the next. Both 'Earwitness' and the title track are sure to be rich vehicles for those sacred 'closed-eyes' moments on the dance floor.
Fantasy Life was a one-off Italo disco studio project that consisted of various producers, songwriters, and vocalists from Turin, Italy. The line-up included Lorenzo Avico, Maurizio Camoletto and Sergio Bergamin. They recorded their only single Over and Over' at Minirec Studio in 1985 with mixing engineer Gigi Guerrieri. It was released that same year by Thick Record a sublabel of Il Discotto Productions and became one of the most coveted Italo Disco 12's. Over and Over' is a parable that describes the story of a girl growing up, comparing her life to the changes of the moon. Signature Linn drum and Simmons drums create the driving rhythm track that hauntingly sways back and forth. The vocal version has a nearly two minute extended instrumental break in the middle of the song heightening the dramatic pace. On the B-side is a Dub Version with extended instrumental breaks, bass lines and occasional vocals. Both songs are remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl is housed in the original jacket featuring a painting by Andrea Franzoso and includes a double sided postcard with lyrics and notes
Described by Clash Music as one of America's best songwriters', Brendan Benson has consistently unfurled unparalleled melodies and lyrics in his acclaimed career. Over twenty years in, he's still wowing folks and Half a Boy, Half a Man' is a powerful dollop of power chords wrapped into a tale of split personalities. Backed with an astute cover of Jules Shear's Big Kid Face' from his 1989 album The Third Party' in which Benson helps shine a light on this oft-overlooked but seminal songwriter.
Best known as half of the songwriting team at the heart of the Raconteurs (along with Jack White) Brendan Benson's career has never slowed across six solo albums, two Raconteurs full-lengths, countless collaborations and placements and a seat as one of the most respected and reliable writer, performers, producer, engineer and musical jack-of-all-trades.
Following our first release with Opal, which aimed at the dance and the bodies, we wanted with this second EP to reach to people's mind. As a Geneva-based techno label, it was fundamental to work with our local hero: Opuswerk. He's already been working outside of the country with artists like Fran ois X and labels such as ARTS, Semantica or Dement3d. It was time we involved him in our project. Through this EP, Opuswerk clearly shows what he knows and does best. Much like his DJ Sets, he connects dots and layers in unexpected ways, like a rhizome connecting different multiplicities. Inspiration for the original tracks came from designing systems of independent yet connected sounds, where events are triggered, un-triggered and alter other events, each behaving on their own. As one of those elements, the artist acts as a guide, directing them from one place to the next acting as and with the machines. The "mot d'ordre" is about becoming one of the machines, blending techniques with vibes and catching them like ever escaping dreams. The result is two uniquely sounding spaces, either filled with raw energy like on Extensum or with subtle and serene ever-evolving bleeps on Spatium. Those two extremes are fitting to how we want present the multiple dimensions of our artist's works to the world. The same logic went into choosing the remixers, with whom Opuswerk had a human connection with. Inland and Antigone need no introductions, having both established their sound on labels like Countercharge or Token. Each brought their own re-interpretations of the original tracks bringing them closer to the dancefloors.
'Intraverso is a journey in that momentary 'inbetween land' that many of us experience sometimes. It explores the turmoil of feelings of when one gets stuck in the middle, floating in between ambition and complete stillness'.
Fabrizio Lapiana is a well-known name on the contemporary Italian techno scene. He has been involved in music since the 90's when he started DJ'ing in his hometown Rome. To date he has over two handfuls of releases on labels such as Figure Jams, Arts and M_Rec Ltd - as well as his own imprint, the well renowned Attic Music, founded in 2008.
Intraverso is Fabrizio's debut album, set for release on his label. The record is a very personal journey, according to the artist himself. You here find him examining different territory than where he usually heads within his productions. The album, which consists of nine songs in total, was composed between April 2016 and February 2017 in his studio in Rome. Written in a state of 'introspect', we here see an artist in motion. Changing. Evolving. The perfect moment to explore something new and unveil a different side of yourself to the world.
The intro 'Early Morning Waves' opens the album with its own quiet dramatic tone, waves hitting the shore as we move into 'Bret'. A cloud-walking kind of melody welcomes you, accompanied by a curious beat driving the journey forward. A deep heavy bassline and almost ancient sounding melody rises in 'Onironauta' (reflecting 'Early Morning Waves' mystical mood) until more playful elements blends in. The contemplative bass elements continue in the title track of the album; 'Intraverso' is a track of mind traveling discovery, yet before drifting too far you are grabbed by a snare, a clap of white noise and a pulsating beat to keep you on track. Further on, 'Lost In Negative Thoughts (reshaped)' reveals itself with its heavy ominous drumbeats and a dark spun web of strings is joined by sounds of distant life and machinery. Then there is 'Distance' which is the album's first flirt with more dancefloor friendly territory. Still under a veil of ill-lit melodies, expertly programmed percussion and claps creates something for a more personal body move experience. Moving into 'Again' sees the expedition continuing journeying through the dancefloor, albeit in a deeper landscape where flickering extraterrestrial sounds watches you go along. In 'Backlit' you find the albums most organic moment, an ambient slow thoughtful walk through the consciousness of the producer - only to end up with the album's final moment; 'Freckles (beatless)'. Here we drift deeper off into slow ambient melodies with a comforting thoughtful bassline taking us to the end of our voyage.
Lapiana has composed an album where you get to travel with him on a sonic journey into the deepest corners of his mind, baring vulnerabilities as well as strengths. Intraverso carries a feeling of ancient atmosphere via its melodic language through its whole running time, perhaps since the foundation of the album is based on emotions and the mind. Thoughts, feelings and mental states that always have been with us, no matter the time and place. It is a mature debut album for an artist that proves he is willing to risk going into different areas than the tried and tested ground. One might say Intraverso is a record created for an introvert introspective dancer, willing to see what lies beyond that of which is visible at first glance.
Grand Ancestor's eleventh release in the catalog features the legendary dub controller, Ras Muffet, of Roots Injection fame who's had his tunes played by the likes of Channel One, Aba Shanti, and Jah Shaka. With decades of dub experience, Ras Muffet dug deep into his vaults to produce two eerie dubs focused on the bottom frequencies and the continued evolution of the genre. Steppers enthusiasts worldwide will be delighted to get this weighty 12" onto their turntables before this limited pressing is all gone.
- A1: The Individual You
- B1: T.j.'s Disco Philosophy
- C1: Foxy Lady
- D1: Ycle Of Life
The first and only licensed reissue of this rare 1979 two disc set rescued from obscurity by Chris Veltri (Groove Merchant Records, SF) back in 2004. Few have heard it till now. T.J. recorded these four tracks in the South Bay, solo-style after stints in Bay Area bands The Mysterious Minds and Dawn & The Sunsets.
This release contains two 12 inch discs with four side-long tracks housed in a beautiful '70s style matte tip-on gatefold jacket. Disc one plays at 33 1/3 rpm and disc two at 45 rpm. A download card is included.
Two Dutch institutions in Delsin and 2000 And One team up for a reissue of the 1994 EP Belongings. It was an early release on 2000 and One's influential 100% Pure label and found him in full on space-techno. The EP has been fully remastered and sounds as gloriously futuristic now as it did more than 20 years ago. 'It Belongs To Me (Version)' is an intergalactic techno track with pads drifting off to an infinite horizon as a soft acid line burrows into the big, icy hi hats and punting drums. It's perfectly spacious and sombre, while 'It Belongs To Me (Reprise)' is a much more downtempo and thoughtful version of the track where pained leads synths take the lead and the drums are off in the distance. It's the sound of resignation and dejection in techno form. 'Crystal' then layers in new age harmonies as classic dusty break beats do their dance below. Again the synths are smeared and grand in scale and the whole thing feels like a blissful rave comedown. Last of all, 'Bowed' is a happy and manic melodic track with warped bass and fluttering snares that carry you away to the stars.
- A1: Carlotto - Come With Me
- A2: Cometa Music Hall - Cometa Music Hall
- A3: Music One - Musicone (Part 1)
- A4: Music One - Musicone (Part 7)
- A5: Music One - Musicone (Part 9)
- A6: Music One - Solon (Part 6)
- A7: Carlotto - Come Wirth Me
- B1: The One "O" One's - Radio Cosmo 101
- B2: The One "O" One's - Radio Cosmo 101
- B3: Don Bernini - Whirlwind
- B4: The One "O" One's - Radio Cosmo 101 O
Mondo Groove celebrates Italo-Disco in fine style delighting us with the most important tunes from the legendary Phantom Records; a ride deep into the world of the label that has not only produced renowned music, but has been acknowledged as a serious influence on modern disco sounds. Emerging in the late 70's to early 80s, Italo bridged the gap between disco and house, and was a staple of seminal Chicago DJs like Frankie Knuckles (who pioneered many of the drum machines and synths that are still in use today).
I-Robots, a true connoisseur of the genre, hailing from the Piedmont area of Italy, curated and carefully selected the tracks on this compilation.
This eleven track collection features originals and rarities, officially repressed here for the first time, and 2 tracks re-edited by I-Robots. The LP comes with the original Phantom Records logo on the front, scans of original 7-inch and LPs covers, as well as photos of the era on the back.
The sequence begins with "Come with me" by Carlotto. Roberto Carlotto was a keyboard player and singer who was very active since the 1960s. His solo recording career began in 1971 with a 7-inch release, and was followed by the progressive rock cult album "Dedicato a Giovanna G." signed under the pseudonym Hunka Munka. At the time he was distinguished by its remarkable technique and the high quality of its equipment that included an incredible number of keyboards and even the first examples of electronic measures. "Come with me" is an astounding unique Rock-Disco tune pressed only on 7-inch and highlights all of its instrumental and vocal prowess in a tight rhythm.
Comet Music Hall also came out as a 7-inch as a promotional edition for the homonymous discoteque - a kind of psychedelic-disco still currently produced by Enzo Draghi, a key figure of the Phantom, among others.
Roberto Ferracin is the man behind the Music One project, the name by which he produced only one LP of short electro-disco jingles. Included here are four of the most powerful cuts.
Every Italo Funk-Disco collector knows "Radio Cosmo 101", a soulful jazzy-disco-funk number produced by the homonymous radio station that was based in Alessandria in 1975, and spawned from the mind of Tony De Giglio, his two brothers, and a group of friends. At the end of 1974, Tony saw "American Graffiti", which instilled the desire to create a free radio format which became very popular in Italy. The programming took place at De Giglio's house and the wavelength was, in fact, 101 Mhz. The show immediately became quite popular, with programming that began in the morning at 10am and ended at 11pm. Included in this LP are the vocal and instrumental versions, as well as a long-version edit by I-Robots.
Don Luigi Bernini is a Piedmontese priest who has devoted his life to music. His father played the organ in church, and in those days the electric organ did not exist, therefore the father used little Luigi to push the bellows. The boy soon learned to play it as well. He then entered the seminary but continued to study music and graduated from the Vivaldi Conservatory of Alessandria in piano and choral composition. Later, he became a teacher of music education at the State School. He was introduced into the world of pop music by producers Riccardi & Albertelli and debuted with a single in 1977. Of his discography, his most interesting work is undoubtedly the weird "Telepatia" of 1979 - an experimental album, electronic, psychedelic, with the theme of good and evil always in the foreground. Featured in this collection is 'Whirlwind', which was recorded by Roberto Ferracin (Music One) and Enzo Draghi.
For all Italo maniacs!
Sparrow's visit of Jamaica, The Isle Of Springs', during the month of June 1963, has left him with very pleasant and joyful reminiscences of the love, warmth and hospitality of its people. From the moment his plane tipped down at the Palisadoes Airport', at a lounge in the ultra-modern terminal building he was entertained with a Rum Punch', Significant of Jamaican's ability to produce rums that absolutely no connoisseur can despise. Well! And it's from there it all started, for like Oliver Twist, Sparrow continued, where ever he went to ask for more, and, obviously when the drinks are in, the wits are out. You are therefore left to deduce whatever you may during his presentation of this contribution.
I'll Be Around (Bossa-Nova)" is a warning to one of his lovers of her promiscuous traits towards him and the retribution she would eventually suffer for so doing.
Theses two calypso songs were recorded with the famous Bert Inniss National Recording Orchestra. This single 7' is absolutely impossible to find and will warm any dances in the world.
Back to back in-demanders from producer - King Jammy's vaults recorded and mixed by Jammy at Channel One studio, Two of Johnny Osbourne's finest roots classics seeing first time single release complete with their lethal dub companions. Hi-Times band in full effect, top draw vocal and dubs cut loud and proud and housed in the classic Greensleeves 12" bag.
B. Fleischmann, the longest-tenured solo artist on Morr Music, returns with indie-spirited, electronica-enhanced moments of bliss on his new album Stop Making Fans': Recorded with a little help from friends including vocalist Gloria Amesbauer, Markus Schneider (guitars), and Valentin Duit (drums), it's a two-part reflection on artistic self-reliance vs. fame-seeking conformism, another deeply personal, utterly idiosyncratic album by the Indietronic trailblazer.Stop it and just DO,' Sol LeWitt once wrote to sculptor Eva Hesse - and listening to B. Fleischmann's new album, he indeed does both: He slams on the brakes and stops looking at what anyone else is doing, stops pleasing, stops being restrained, and at the same time he floors the accelerator and delivers the kind of high-paced work that bursts at the seams with polyphonic energy and an urgency unique to his music.Arriving with interlocked bleeps, the hustle and bustle of an invisible grand station's atrium ( Here Comes The A Train'), Fleischmann's trademark vocals serve as a gentle reminder to resist the siren calls, to not trust the latest hype. Energy levels remain high throughout the first part of the LP - whether it's the mumbling, personal stocktaking of what feels like an underwater hymn ( There Is A Head'), the robotic, immodest pop tune It's Not Enough' (feat. Gloria Amesbauer) or the return to light-speed mode on Wakey Wakey' - the first half of this album is indeed all about letting off some steam.After the collected canter of 7-minute instrumental Hand In,' the multi-instrumentalist & his studio mates kick off the slower-paced part II with the title song: a note to self, a reminder to never buckle or water down an original vision... and indeed, it's a sonic tapestry that's impossible to compare or pigeonhole when he changes the rhythm in mid-track and turns yet another corner when you thought you had discovered a fixed pattern. That said, B. Fleischmann certainly knows how to orchestrate an entire funfair full of sonic attractions. Guest singer Gloria Amesbauer returns for soothing tunes The Pros of Your Children and "Hello Hello . B. Fleischmann guides us to his almost jazz-tinged Little Toy , and leaves behind an Endless Stunner — another typically dense and shape-shifting stream of harmonies that keeps winding its way until the very end of this album It's rare that an album is great because it does not live up to its title - but here's one. Stop Making Fans,' his first full-length release in five years, is another totally unique, and thus potentially fan-base enhancing release. But then again, it's always been like that: We're usually at our best when we care the least - look at the delightful ways of toddlers or really old people. That natural ease, those invisible shrugs of shoulders: it's what does the trick. And you can hear a lot of that on Stop Making Fans'.
Belgian musician Dijf Sanders pens and produces soundtracks for distant, far-flung places that brood with exotica, psychedelia, jazz and electronica. His new album 'JAVA', is a psychedelic and modern search for the sounds of the homonymous Indonesian island. Armed with a set of field recorders, Dijf traveled to every urban and rural corner of Indonesia in the spring of this year. As a contemporary incarnation of ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, he collected an impressive repertory of recordings, commissioned by the Europalia Arts Festival and KAAP Creative Compass. 'Kacapi', 'Kendang', 'Angklung', 'Calung' or 'Gamelan' are not the names of indigenous tropical diseases by the way, but those of local instruments that Dijf encountered on his adventurous musical quest. For two weeks the American expert ethnographer Palmer Keen stood by Dijf through his total immersion into the island's colourful culture and rich, ceremonial traditions. On his return to Belgium, Dijf headed straight back into the studio with the gathered material and invited some of his musical soulmates to put the icing on the cake. It is no coincidence that the three guests - Nathan Daems, Filip Vandebril and Simon Segers - are all part of Black Flower, a band that famously flirts with Oriental sounds. From hours and hours of field recordings, Dijf distilled ten psychedelic pieces which ride on waves of ecstasy and trance, and bridge the gap between two worlds. Tribal rhythms and warm melodies are fused to a seamless and beautiful musical work in utopia. The Brugge-born, Gentbrugge-based musician is one of those great Flemish talents. In the past, he earned his stripes with Teddiedrum and The Violent Husbands and has produced bands like Kenji Minogue and Blackie & The Oohoos. He has also released music under his own name including the critically acclaimed album 'Moonlit Planetarium'. Welcome to Dijf Sanders' wonderful journey into future exotica.
Syncrophone is pleased to welcome Shuffles to the family!
Shuffless is a technohouse-duo hailing from the forests of middle-Finland. Their musical inspiration comes from the sounds of legendary techno and house cities, but in production they mix it with a Finnish twist. They make their music with a selection of hardware gear, and record the tracks live in the night to get the feeling right.Here is one of the two EP scheduled for the early 2018.
This superbly crafted recording features the versatile Japanese jazz/fusion keyboardist Jun Fukamachi as a veritable one-man band in a lively album that captures the essence of the original Beatles' tunes throughout. The innovative arramngements of the artist, tailored to get the maximum benefit from a surrounding instrument array, produce one of the best technical efforts. Synthesizer effects provide special flavor,' particularly at the close of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' on side one, and in the evocative opening of She's Leaving Home' on side two. Fukamachi blends a concert grand electric piano, Arp synthesizer, glockenspiel, bass drum, tambourine and other electronic instruments with results that indicate a group, not a solo, with ample display of each. Recorded ten years after the original, in 1977, this recording still sounds exciting, and an eye-catching cover with a mirror image of the famous photo shoot remains one of the most creative reworks of this 50 years old masterpiece' (Billboard)
It's the big 5! Berlin - Frankfurt based label House Is OK is celebrating its five-year long presence and has decided to mark that period with something special Label's story started with a sticker Homeboy printed in his former hometown, Zagreb, saying 'House Is OK'. Catchy, right It became an underground slogan of the local scene. It didn't take long for people to embrace the idea stating that it's OK to be into melodic, fresh, groovy yet, at times, a bit awkward dance music. Just around the same time Homeboy's Frankfurt based bro's Oliver Achatz and Janis played with the idea of starting a record label. Guess what the logical choice for the name was Ten records, dozens of original songs and remixes later House is OK continues to grow. Literally. What was once a platform for the original three founders is now an international family affair supporting the talented artists from Frankfurt, Stockholm, Alexandria and Orlando. Nurturing the friendly approach this musical family continues to grow. Looking back at the first five years, not only at the music that connected them all but at the bonds that deepened through the production process, House is OK crew wanted to take create a proper reminder and thank the ones supporting them throughout the years. A double 12' pack titled 'Gemišt' seemed like a proper way to do that. - Gemišt' will be released as two separate EPs featuring the original music from Kornél Kovacs, Roman Flügel, Gavri & McQueen, TCB, House Of Life and the label makers themselves. Oliver and Janis deliver tracks under their known names, while Homeboy introduces his new project with fellow Wilde Renate resident The Swift, called Longhair. Croatian artist Ugruv Smek marks his yearlong collaboration with the label delivering yet another smashing artwork.
Having been an electronic activist in Marseille for more two decades and more, DJ OIL is now a firm staple of LDDLM. Following the RAIN ep released in the summer 2016, here is the first 2018 outing from us: the already bubbling HERITAGE ep.
'Heritage' has been an Ivan Smagghe (and a few others) secret weapon for more than a year now, a strange sampladelic track featuring a full Marcus Garvey speech. A subtle yet powerful appropriation of early house clichés, the hit has one feet in tradition, one feet in political modernity.The EP comes with two more warped cuts: the slow guitar swamp of 'Brouillage' and the System 01/McKenna influenced 'May Be'. Psychedelics and sun.
A second 12' by DJ OIL will follow shortly, doubled with a full digital release of the two EP's with digital extras.
Expect new releases from our camp by Rheinzand, Init, Johnson and more...
The second album by Istanbul's clarinet virtuoso Cüneyt Sepetçi is an intense trip into modern Turkish wedding and party music. The foundations go deep into Turkey and the surrounding regions' history, which each generation innovates and develops. These days, no wedding or circumcision party is complete without the sound of the micro-tonal keyboard. A new addition, these Turkish keyboardists can play between notes, and supply banging club rhythms in wide variety of time signatures.Sepetçi uses the bedrock of Volkan Sever's synth insanity as a jumping off point for some truly crazy solos. His fluttering sheets of notes tie knots around the pulsating, fried synthesizer. For this recording session, Sepetçi brought in two drummers, Fatih Özden (tapan) and Samet Sertol (darabouka), to play along with the Turkish drum machine. A dense nest of rhythmic complexity is the result. And to further connect to this music's rich past, the ancient double reed zurna of Ahmet Özden and Yasar Uçar's European violin weave ancient melodies and incredible solos throughout.
These musicians are some of the best in Istanbul, and all of these songs are first takes, recorded live with very little planning. Sepetçi essentially leads the band through these complex arrangements as they play them.In Istanbul, one may see Sepetçi playing for change on Istiklal Caddesi, the famous Turkish walking street at the center of the city. Or one may see him on one of the TV stations, playing Anatolian songs in his inimitable style. He's even begun touring outside of Turkey—at Denmark's Roskilde Festival, and at concerts in Italy, Beirut, and Israel. I want to go to America. He says. Do they have mosques there
"I Can't Love You Anymore" is the first single by hard working soul performer Carlton Jumel Smith recorded with Cold Diamond & Mink, and the man has revealed his middle name just for the occasion. Otherwise known simply as Carlton J. Smith, there's no doubt he has swallowed a large pill of soul since seeing James Brown live at the Apollo Theatre as an 8-year old.
Smith's Timmion debut single sinks him into drum heavy southern flavored deep soul, a style that comes out of him naturally as water from a mountain spring. Backing him up on the falsetto parts is Pratt, who recently turned some heads with his Pratt & Moody release "Lost Lost Lost" on Stylart Records, and together the two basically NAIL IT.
When looking for artists, who just seem to move through time effortlessly with a steady air of confidence, passion and precision, one might pick up the phone and give CJS a call. Even though his discography of couple of late 2000's albums and some guest spots in early 90's soulful house 12"s is a bit mysterious, there seems to be not one bit of difficulty to his craft or personality. As a recording artist, "I Can't Love You Anymore" is a new opening into raw soul territory, and it is just what the world needs today. He laid down an album worth of tracks on his last Helsinki visit, and this might be something to look forward to.
To celebrate this new year Série Limitée is proud to announce a new release on Hors Série sub label. Whitek project was born in 2011 from the collaboration between two Italian producers: Mud.On & Mauro Rizla. This is not about hype or chasing music trends, Whitek has always been about pushing the boundaries of electronic music through an endless search and deep dive exploration of any kind of sounds. A groovy blend, offering various styles and traveling between past and future.
With one artist per side, we are moving away from our standard VA format, always used on Série Limitée releases. Inside this 'Papier-mâché' sleeve, you will find a 12' Vinyl containing 4 rough and eclectic tracks in a universe where Deep embraces Dub sonorities.
Returning to Metalheadz for the first time since 2010 we're delighted to have Seba grace the label with his 'Node 46' EP. The magical combo of Seba & Robert Manos head up the release with the Swedish producer also providing us with the dark and relentless title track on the other side. Two further digital bonus tracks complete an EP typical of Seba's incredibly unique style, one that he's so consistently built his reputation around.
Don't wanna move to Southern California / I wasn't really meant for LA...' So sang Dent May once upon a time, now he's eating those words with a side of avocado toast in his new Los Angeles bungalow. What made the lifelong Mississippi boy pull up stakes and head west No one looks at you funny if you wear a tuxedo to the supermarket.' What he means is he moved there to shake up his surroundings, clear his head, and write the most accomplished record of his young career, the magical mystery tour de force Across the Multiverse.
Following the lead of musical-polymaths-with-LA-ties before him like Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, and Harry Nilsson, Dent's style on Across the Multiverse will be familiar to fans of his previous work. Yet there's something more refined about this collection... Stately strings mingle with boogie piano like old friends. Synths weave a celestial backdrop throughout. Every verse, bridge and chorus in its right place, giving it the unmistakable feel of a true songwriting craftsman at work. Lyrically Dent has never been sharper, musing on themes like modern romance ( Picture on a Screen', Face Down in the Gutter of Your Love'), existential dread ( Dream 4 Me', I'm Gonna Live Forever Until I'm Dead'), and the distance to the moon ( Distance to the Moon') as he searches for meaning among the infinite scrolling feeds of our 21st century augmented reality. The title track, a duet with Frankie Cosmos, is a deep space love song about finding love beyond impossible boundaries.
Across the Multiverse was written and recorded in a sunny bedroom in LA's Highland Park neighborhood, with Dent producing and playing nearly every instrument himself. The tracks were selected from dozens of songs written after the LA move, a gold rush of productivity inspired by late nights DJing rare disco funk cuts at local watering holes. It's his first record for new label Carpark and will be released August 18th.
Dent May is a self-described hotel bar lounge singer and aspiring daytime TV talk show host - has been charming his way into the hearts of music fans since the release of his debut album The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele on Animal Collective's Paw Tracks label in 2009. The Mississippi-born, Los Angeles-based songwriter, performer, and Dolly Parton enthusiast has since released two more acclaimed records, Do Things (2012) and Warm Blanket (2013), dropped the holiday smash I'll Be Stoned For Christmas', and played hundreds of shows from Shanghai to Chicago. His latest album, Across the Multiverse, is an interstellar voyage of mythic proportions.
(Disclaimer: release notes refer to the combined CD double-album release "Hot Flash: Best of The Voltags" on which all tracks appear together. "Electric Nightmare" and "Danger High Voltag" are released separately on vinyl format)
It does not happen that often any more that unreleased music from 40 years ago surfaces. Even more unlikely it is that the songs put on tape are such treasures. The Voltags were right at the forefront of the local Washington DC New Wave/Punk scene of the late 1970s. Influenced by Kraftwerk, Gary Numan, The Clash, and The B-52's, they have released only one 45rpm single during their existence. But during the time span of not even 18 months, they had recorded enough material for an entire album - but the songs remained in the can.
This is the story of The Voltags, a short-lived band which could have become famous and mentioned in the same breath as the aforementioned music legends of that era - if their songs had been released back in the day. Dive in and enjoy the sound of The Voltags, it is truly special. We here at Perfect Toy are thrilled to be label to finally release their work and we sincerely hope that they are finally getting the appreciation they so richly deserve.
Detailed information:
Dave Bennett and Hangnail Phillips grew up in Brookside Park, Newark, Delaware, USA, a small suburban college town nestled midway between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Their first band project evolved into Pump Productions (Pump) under which they released their only 45rpm single in 1970 (one of the two songs, "Pappy's Rug", can be heard on "Down & Wired 3", Perfect Toy Rec.). Soon after the recording of the single the two graduated from High School and disbanded Pump. Both moved on to form two new Newark bands. Dave was a founding member of "Snake Grinder & The Shredded Fieldmice" and Hangnail co-founded "Rudy Baker & The Vegetables".
In early 1979, two friends of Dave's, Nick Norris and Mike Fisher, became partners in a music production company, White Clay Productions. One of White Clay's first artists was Dave Bennett who had just written two excellent songs: "Electric Jungle" and "Son Of Sam". White Clay set up a recording session and Dave assembled a group of friends to record the songs. Before the recordings were even mixed, Dave asked Hangnail if he would join in a band to support the single and other songs he had written. When James Keesey (drums) and Rick Reid (bass) were added the line-up was complete. For a while they didn't have a name and then one day Nick Norris was looking at a photo of Dave standing next to a "Danger High Voltage" sign. Dave's head was in front of the E in Voltage and Nick laughed "Danger High Voltag" and so it was soon suggested that the band should be called "The Voltags" (pronounced Vol'-togs). After months of preparing a repertoire they were ready to play out. Their first gig was (October 20, 1979) at a gay disco in nearby Wilmington called The Backstage. On December 30, 1979, White Clay decided to put on a big show at the State Theater to celebrate the end of the Seventies ("The End Of The Decade Bash").
For the next year, with the help of White Clay, they recorded 19 songs, both studio and live recordings with White Clay's mobile unit. If not for these "off the board" recordings, many of their songs would have never been recorded. There was always talk of a second Voltags single but the strains of working so closely together were taking their toll on them and Dave decided to leave the group in December of 1980. The Voltags couldn't be The Voltags without Dave, and by the end of 1981, Hangnail, James and Rick, too, were ready to disband.
- all songs previously unreleased
- mastered from the original reel-to-reel tapes
- limited vinyl release
- A1: Freely
- A2: I'll Be Ok Tomorrow
- A3: To See One Eagle Fly
- A4: I Believe That There's Good In This World
- B1: Dier Nier Nier Niernt
- B2: Summer Days
- B3: As The River Flows On
- C1: I Will See You Again
- C2: Beneath The Redwoods
- C3: Sonshine
- C4: Destination
- D1: On Mt Diablo
- D2: Seashell
- D3: All My Life
- D4: A Few Minutes Of Peace
All that changed when Morrison received an email from Spacetalk Records two years ago, asking about the possibility of reissuing 'To See One Eagle Fly', the B-side to one of their 7' singles that has long been a favourite of label co-founder Danny McLewin. Once a deal had been done, Morrison mentioned that he had hours of unissued recordings in his loft; a treasure trove of ultra-rare multi-track master tapes that could be freshly mixed and mastered for release. When the Spacetalk Records' team finally got a chance to listen, they were astonished by the timeless quality of the songs. Put simply, they just had to be released.
The resultant album is a stunning set: an intoxicating glimpse into the world of two previously unheralded master songwriters whose musical vision encapsulates all that was good about Californian music during the late '60s and early '70s. Rooted in the American folk revival and folk-rock movement of the late '60s, the album's 15 thoughtful, heartfelt songs are laden with sly nods to the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Ned Doheny, Michael Deacon, Cy Timmons, Gene Clark and Buffalo Springfield. The tracks were recorded at various times between 1970 and '82 and gives a small glimpse of the duo's total body of unissued work. The release comes with extensive liner notes telling the remarkable story of two lifelong friends and musical collaborators who thought their moment had passed.
- A1: Gee Gee Shinn & Boogie Kings - Fever
- A2: Connie Kaye Trio - I'm A Woman
- A3: Bus Brown - Mr. L.b.j
- A4: Earl Demus Band - Her Spare
- A5: Chuck Finney Combo - I Want A Man Like You
- B1: Chick Willis - Sometimes Soon
- B2: Australia - Wide Awake
- B3: J.r. - Any Time Now
- B4: Joe Akens - Nice
- C1: Hummingbird 4 - Cho Cho San
- C2: Evangeline Made - Burnt Flesh
- C3: Dario & The Inferno - Brother, Where Are You
- C4: Swoop - Upside Down
- D1: You - You Got It
- D2: Hot Cakes - Harlem Shuffle Theme
- D3: Reunion - When The Well Runs Dry
- D4: The Counts - Get Up, Get Dancin
2x LP[17,61 €]
**INITIAL 400 LPs CONTAIN A BONUS 7" BY MEL-O-MADNEZZ**
IT'S TIME TO PAAAARTY! Why The Universe knows that Tramp is celebrating their 40th trip around the sun in 2018. And what about planet Earth Well... it is as blind as it is in so many other situations. Therefore, it is time to shine the light on Tramp for all of its unremitting efforts. As musical diversity is vanishing, especially in the field of African American music from the 1960s/70s, it is our duty to stop the extinction of threatened species of music in the same way an animal welfare activist would do anything to save a gorilla's life. Tramp Records keeps this beautiful heritage alive, every single day, again and again and again. So we are here wondering why Earth people and especially to those from our beloved home country, why why are you just sitting there, going about your life unaware of this historic event What a pity!
The announcement is especially striking when it comes to the prestigious "Movements" series. Like all its predecessors, this ninth volume contains Rare Groove nuggets recorded between the early 1960s and the late 1970s. The fact that only one of the songs appear anywhere else is a jaw-dropping phenomenon! The chronological track listing starts with two amazing cover versions: "Fever" by Gee Gee Shinn & the Boogie Kings and "I'm A Woman" by Connie Kaye Trio. Bus Brown, Earl Demus and Chuck Finney remain in the same direction although their contributions are slightly jazzier. Chick Willis' gut-wrenching "Sometime Soon" easily rivals James Brown's "It's A Man's World" and the recordings by Australia, J.R. and Joe Akens are beautiful examples of privately produced soul from the 1970s. The latin-soul of "Cho Cho San" by Hummingbird 4 heads the sound in another direction for the next three tunes, highlighted by one more stunning cover version, Oscar Brown Jr.'s "Brother, Where Are You". The album closes with some pre-disco tracks from the mid-to-late 1970s. Funk 7" collectors will freak out to finally get a chance to listen to Mel-O-Madnezz' superheavy "What You Getting High On" but will certainly also enjoy The Counts, Reunion and Hot Cakes' dance floor bomb cover of "Harlem Shuffle".
Over a hundred great unknown songs have been re-released on the first eight volumes in the "Movements" series, the majority of which can not be found elsewhere, and Vol. 9 is no exception. The work of Germany's tiniest but grooviest record label is still incomprehensibly underestimated. We know you diggers, collectors, mavens, aficionados, fanatics, completists, enthusiasts, and just plain record geeks know what's up and we heartily salute you! Without your support there would be no Tramp Records. But now it's time for a broader cultural shift for good music and a sweeping move to uphold the legacy of the unsung heroes of funk and soul. Therefore, we humbly petition you: in 2018, Don't keep all this glory to yourself! Turn your friends and neighbors on! Thank you!
- initial 400 LPs contain a bonus 7" by Mel-O-Madnezz ("What You Getting High On")
- the double vinyl LP comes with a full album download code
- deluxe double-gatefold LP with detailed liner notes, label scans & unseen photographs
- all but one song appear on vinyl-LP for the very first-time
Raunchy R&B-Funk out of Seattle! Camelot Records, operated by Jan Kurtis Skugstad from 1964 to 1966, released an astounding number of 45s during its short time of existence. Jim Pipkin & The Boss Five's "Mr. C.C." and "Walkin' The Duck" were one of them. Camelot is best known in collector circles for two monster releases by organist Ron Buford (accompanied on vocals by Ural Thomas on "Deep Soul"). Originally "Mr. C.C." and "Walkin' The Duck" were released on two different 45s. From now on you can save your OG copies by playing this much crispier sounding re-issue.
Two of Alkan's most bombastic reworks over one disc. His scene-defining cut of Justice's breakthrough club hit 'Waters Of Nazareth' adds a subtle Chicago drum edit to the original's notorious snarl, while the Australian band's 'Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind' psych-rock is blasted through with euphoric electro energy.
Fernando Pulichino is no stranger to Leng Records. The bass guitar-wielding Argentine made his first appearance on the label five years ago via the cosmic disco/psychedelic rock fusion of Blue Impala, returning two years later with the similarly inclined brilliance of Giant Desert. Pulichino then resurfaced on Leng late last year with a superb, digital-only three-tracker called Natural 77.
Now he's back on wax, buoyed by the success of the acclaimed Shining EP on Is It Balearic
Recordings. This time round he's in Search of Indigo, shaping hazy, sun-baked soundscapes around his distinctive basslines, echo-laden synthesizers, meandering Fender Rhodes solos,
gentle dub vibrations and glistening, early morning jazz guitars. This is music for the heads, hips and feet, soaked in Fernet and left in the afternoon sun to slowly ripen.
Arguably the most arresting of the four cuts is the title track, a head-in-the-clouds vocal number rich in bubbly electronic riffs, laidback electro beats, ricocheting percussion hits, swirling wind
effects and rubbery funk-rock bass.
Pulichino's penchant for intergalactic disco shufflers once again comes to the fore on killer Sundown Visions', a saucer-eyed chugger that simultaneously throbs, pulses and sparkles
thanks to sparring synthesizer motifs and eyes-closed space rock guitars. We suspect Daniele Baldelli and Andrew Weatherall would approve.
Elsewhere, Pulichino indulges his passion for sofa-surfing jazz-funk on solo-laden EP closer Frontera', a relaxed and undulating jam rich in cascading electric guitars, fluid electric piano, delay-laden flourishes and deep space synthesizers. You won't know whether to lie down, dance enthusiastically or wearily shuffle, either way, play at sunrise or sundown for maximum
enjoyment.
The EP also boasts a first vinyl outing for the title track of last year's digital-only EP, Natural '77'. Seemingly partly inspired by legendary West Coast funkateers Steely Dan, it's a lazy, low-
slung affair full of languid guitar solos, freestyle vocal improvisations, bongo-laden drums and one of his most inspired and elastic basslines to date.
- A1: Introduction
- A2: C'était Il Y A Très Très Très Longtemps
- A3: Cosmogol 999 Carburant De La Fusée Gibi
- A4: Au Fond Du Cosmos
- A5: Le Lancinant Voyage Dans L'espace
- A6: Les Humeurs Géophysiques De La Planète Shadok
- A7: Le Devin Plombier Soigne Un Shadok Malade
- A8: La Machine À Pomper Dite Cosmopompe
- A9: Le Professeur Shadoko Parle De Son Invention
- A10: Shadok À Bicyclette Dans Une Route Et Sur Et Sous Et Dans Des Escaliers
- B1: Thème Gibi Classique
- B2: Air Gibi Hot
- B3: Air Gibi Sériel
- B4: Menuet Variation
- B5: Départ Solennel De La Shadokaravelle
- B6: Sérénade À Gégène
- B7: Faux Départ
- B8: Fête Gibi Et Errance Des Shadoks Dans L'espace
- B9: Fuite Dans L'espace
- B10: La Planète À Poissons
- B11: Guerre Musicale
- B12: Ambiance Nouilles
- B13: Difficile De Cuisiner Dans L'espace !
- A1: Bonus 7" Arrivée Des Shadoks Sur Terre
- B1: Bonus 7" Fuite Des Shadoks
Les Shadoks (50th Anniversary Edition) - Collector's VINYL Edition (LP + 7"): High glossy gatefold sleeve, French + English liner notes / poster inlay with Shadok drawing by Robert Cohen-Solal, hype sticker
- Les Shadoks soundtrack by Robert Cohen-Solal available for the first time ever in its entirety, cut and mastered from the original reels, made in cooperation with the artist.
- For fans of musique concrète, electro-acoustic, psychedelic, early electronics, experimental, soundtrack, library, oddities, cartoons, 60s and 70s music, Prospective 21ème Siècle series, Bernard Parmegiani, Jean-Jacques Perrey, Luc Ferrari, Pierre Schaeffer, Pierre Henry, Bruno Spoerri, Groupe de recherches musicales (GRM).
WRWTFWW Records is delighted to announce the release of the complete soundtrack of cult French animated TV series Les Shadoks (1968-1974) by Robert Cohen-Solal, available for the first time ever in its entirety. Right in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jacques Rouxel and René Borg's legendary television cartoon, this collector's item comes in two versions: a limited edition 12" + 7" vinyl album housed in a high glossy gatefold and with an exclusive Shadok drawing by Robert Cohen-Solal, and a digipack CD. Both versions are cut and mastered from the original reels under the supervision of the artist, and contain liner notes in French and English.
Electro-acoustic pioneer and eminent member of the illustrious GRM (Groupe de recherches musicales, the French equivalent of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop), Robert Cohen-Solal has explored music and sound alongside luminaries such as Bernard Parmegiani, Pierre Henry, Luc Ferrari, and Iannis Xenakis, and is responsible for numerous projects in the field of applied music, soundtracks (documentaries, shorts etc.), and experimental recordings. His work on Les Shadoks is simply extraordinary - a fascinating and bizarre collage of wacky electro pop (à la Jean-Jacques Perrey), drones, musique concrète, classical, and dadaist sound experiments seamlessly mixing into a cohesive and cinematic listening experience. The ideal soundtrack for what will remain one of the weirdest animated TV series ever created!
A true literary, cultural and philosophical phenomenon in France, Les Shadoks caused a sensation while airing between 1968 and 1974. Its unique combination of Alfred Jarry-style surrealism, off-centered British humor, and US comic strip inspiration, all brought to life by illustrated bird-like creatures (reminiscent of Paul Klee's La machine à gazouiller), left a lasting mark, making the term Shadok an often-used satirical expression to describe policies and attitudes considered to be absurd.
Following the success of our recent reissues of classic tracks from the vaults team-Jalapeno decided to start 2018 strong with another 7" release of two certified bangers from our very own breaks legends Skeewiff.
Our dear label co-founders and creative minds whose four Skeewiff albums set the agenda for the Jalapeno funk machine that you know and love - Alex Rizzo and Elliot Ireland have never been found wanting. These guys are the godfathers of the lounge and breaks scenes, they put the fun into funk, and if rumours are to be believed they could mix before they could walk!
From the very first opening horns salvo on 'Mexican Flyer' you know this track means business. A driving bassline and in-your-face drums provide the backdrop for all sorts of sonic madness with DJ cuts, horn solos and breaks galore. It's a bona-fide fiesta that fits neatly in your 45's bag.
With this little number in the arsenal the only worry that the DJ's will have is the stampede to the dancefloor...
Over on the flipside 'Delta Dawn' sees the guys get a little help from a famously little lady with one of the most recognisable voices in country music. But make no mistake - this is no barn dance... Breaks, bass and a healthy dose of Hammond wizardry inject the funk into proceedings to complete this 7" club weapon of mass destruction.
It's a double act that's up there with the best of them and a must have for fans of Jalapeno and high quality party music.
Our 7th production is about to come! (official release date on 12th of January) Once again in a different kind of music : this time Hip-Hop! Produced by Luke Vibert (Ninja Tune, Warp, Planet µ, Mo Wax, Rephlex...), with all rhymes by BluRum13 (One-Self, Bullfrog) and recorded by Kid Koala & DJ Grandtheft... in 2004! The album was at the time kept aside by Ninja Tune (only digital release) because of similarities with One-Self project (led by Dj Vadim).
13 years later, we are offering this UK Hip-Hop jewel secretly hidden on vinyl!
New tracklisting especially made for vinyl, which comes with exclusive track on bonus colored 7".
Some more good news : this reissue made the two friends work together again for a new collaboration coming out on 2018!
Avant Garde, Repetitive, Minimal, Stoner Rock, Religious.
A french trio called France, using drums, bass and amplified hurdy-gurdy. They perform only live, in the middle of the audience - turned in to face each other - full on smoke machines and strobes. And they play only one 'song' for the duration of their hour-long set. And it's the most transfixing live experience of intense physical and mental focus. The distorted hurdy gurdy plugs France's sound into the country's history of folk music and popular festivities, of communal trance and immersive pleasure. The rhythmic basis is pretty much the same throughout the whole live. One doesn't need to actually be tripping balls for the auditory illusions to start coming thick and fast. Those who've stayed for the whole duration of their performances know they've shared something. However disparate the phantom forms each might have discerned in the midst of the howls and groans. Gigs like this you leave feeling you're not quite the same person who went in, even though you'd be hard-pressed to pinpoint precisely what has changed. One certainty remains at least, that there is still a France we can believe in. David McKenna (The Quietus). The Release: Initially released as a 50 copies CD-r in 2009, swiss Mental Groove has teamed with french Standard-Infi to reissue this classic live performance onto glorious vinyl edition. The 45 minutes are radically sliced onto the two sides. The recording is raw and the mastering is fat. The first two pressings made in 2014 and 2015 were distributed confidentially and during the numerous live performances of the band. They are long time sold out and sought after.
A first-ever collection of the highly sought after and largely previously unheard recordings of the one of Turkish pop and rocks best kept secrets - featuring the two rare has hen's teeth 1 Numara 7' singles (which fetch in excessive of £200 on certain internet auction sites) - including a previously unreleased extended version of Evren The missing component in the history of Turkish pop and one of the earliest exponents of Turkish electronic music alongside Ilhan Mimaroglu and Bülent Arel, Gökçen Kaynatan electrified the rock and roll scene of the late 50s/early 60s - sending teenagers wild with his custom built guitars and back lines - helping charge the climate for the birth of Anatolian rock. Then, from the sanctuary of his private studio, he revolutionised the industry with his pioneering use of electronics whilst hanging the sonic wallpaper in the living rooms of an entire generation of telly addicts as in house composer of choice for Turkey's first national television channel TRT 1. Despite having a modest discography of only four 7' singles to his name his influence is a major current that flows through over 50 years of Turkish pop culture. Compiled with unparalleled access to his private studio vault, Finders Keepers proudly presents the first-ever collection of Gökçen Kaynatan's pioneering early electronic works. Featuring a selection of his experimental pop and rock recordings dating from as early as the 1968 it features both of the highly sought after 1 Numara singles - including a never before heard extended version of Evren - as well as previously unheard archive material and songs recorded for and broadcast exclusively on TRT 1 - most of them never to be repeated. In helping Gökçen end his self-imposed 44-year exile from the record industry we can now share with you the first of these important recordings from a genuine maverick who helped shape the face of modern Turkish music, as well as shedding some light on the rise of one of Anatolian rock and pops must fruitful and experimental periods that began with the arrival (and subsequent explosion) of domestic synthesisers on the Turkish scene.
Villa Åbo in the alternative solo project of Swedish musician and Villa Åbo in the alternative solo project of Swedish musician and producer Jan Svensson, who has been making electronic music for the better part of 30 years as the artist behind such aliases as Frak, Studio SS and Alvars Orkestra. Svensson also runs legendary Swedish dance and experimental music label Börft, the product of a mutual appreciation for Severed Heads and Terse Tapes. As Villa Åbo he released two records in 1997 on Börft and remained inactive for 17 years until the Dutch label Bio Rhythm coaxed him into revisiting the project and released a double 12 in 2014. Jan has since followed with a steady stream of 12' singles for Kontra-Musik, Noise In My Head and Radio Lundberg. 'Magnetic Moves' is Villa Åbo's debut album, originally released inan limited edition of 65 hand-numbered cassettes by Funeral Fog in 2016. Clocking in at over 46 minutes, this first-ever vinyl edition spreads the 8 ragged techno tracks across four sides for maximum loudness. Some songs are aggressively potent, with cyclical synth riffs and razor-sharp acid lines riding a heavy, funk-fuelled techno groove. Others tracks are more fluid, vintage Underground Resistance or Derrick May with killer drum machine workouts that come in handy as DJ tools. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The record is housed in a custom made jacket designed by Eloise Leigh, featuring a photograph of Jan's mother's house, the meaning behind 'Villa Åbo'. Each copy includes a double-sided postcard with notes.producer Jan Svensson, who has been making electronic music for the better part of 30 years as the artist behind such aliases as Frak, Studio SS and Alvars Orkestra. Svensson also runs legendary Swedish dance and experimental music label Börft, the product of a mutual appreciation for Severed Heads and Terse Tapes. As Villa Åbo he released two records in 1997 on Börft and remained inactive for 17 years until the Dutch label Bio Rhythm coaxed him into revisiting the project and released a double 12 in 2014. Jan has since followed with a steady stream of 12' singles for Kontra-Musik, Noise In My Head and Radio Lundberg.'Magnetic Moves' is Villa Åbo's debut album, originally released in an limited edition of 65 hand-numbered cassettes by Funeral Fog in 2016. Clocking in atover 46 minutes, this first-ever vinyl edition spreads the 8 rgged techno tracks across four sides for maximum loudness. Soe songs are aggressively potent, with cyclical synth riffs and razor-harp acid lines riding a heavy, funk-fuelled techno groove. Others tracks are more fluid, vintage Underground Resistance or Derrick May with killer drum machine workouts that come in handy as DJ tools. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The record is housed in a custom made jacket designed by Eloise Leigh, featuring a photograph of Jan's mother's house, the meaning behind 'Villa Åbo'. Each copy includes a double-sided postcard with notes.
Tachyon Audio is a new vinyl label that's focused on forward-thinking sounds in the techno realm targeting sweaty, dark places, with large, high-quality sound systems.
Inhabitants make a strong offering with their first EP as a duo, IGC. These two primates are often found inhabiting dark spaces, forging ahead on complex math equations. Their distinct, driving, mathematical, and drumming techno is a result. Expect more solid work from these two mysterious beings on Tachyon Audio as the label continues its progression.
Tachyon Audio is coming out of the gates strong with a diverse EP that touches on three techno sounds that are helping to lead the march forward into the future of sound production. The first Tachyon release comes from the mysterious dark studio of Inhabitants, who's inaugural release as a collaboration is sure to move feet on a diversity of dance floors. The A-side track, Mut14 (sc8.18 Mix) (A1) is a futuristic pounder that weaves its way into a frenzy with subtle yet penetrating synths that sweep through the soundscape. The simple and sound drumline will keep even the pickiest selectors satisfied. Side A ends with two separate open-source NASA space samples. The first, Iota_20_0.998_h (A2), is the repeating sound of two orbiting neutron stars. The second sample (A3) is two 50 solar mass black holes spiraling into an inevitable collapse, eventually becoming one. These samples are poised for reuse in production and make for good intro and looping material for performances.
The second side of the EP starts with the dark broken beat track, Mut7 (B1), that starts with a solid groove and works its way into a breakdown that captures the mind with a chopped and effected late 1990's Frankie Bones vocal. By the end of the track you'll be left wanting it to forge on, as it can flow well with a wide range of techno sub-genres, especially the dark, more broken beat tip. Inhabitants then continue to make their impression with Mut10 (B2), a track molded around an originally crafted 303 line that morphs and builds throughout and creates an atmosphere that separates itself from the remainder of the EP with a lighter, yet heady feel.
M=100 (2 - 50 Solar Mass Black Holes)
The night is what makes a big city come to life. Right after sundown, the hectic buzzing of downtown makes way for adventure playgrounds, bathed in neon light, revealing their countless chances and opportunities. It's when you'll find the subway spitting out it's purpose seeking passengers by the minute. A coming and going of restless people passing through. All it takes is a few hours, before the sunrise makes it all disappear. Mental Bend captures the magic of that very moment in their dreamy soundtracks. If you close your eyes, you can see blurry pictures passing in slow motion, accompanied by their atmospheric songs. Grainy black and white snapshots, fragments of memories lighting up somewhere in the farthest corner of the cortex. 'One Step' is the Berlin-based indietronica duo's visually vivid debut album, released on Enfant Fenou. Mental Bend are all about letting go. Sissip (voc/synth/bass) and Hendrik Havekost (beats/production) know how to trust their instincts, crafting their hypnotic signature sound, somewhere in between electronica, ambient and dream pop. Before founding the band in 2013, the two were already shaping their skills in all kinds of different formations and styles of music. As soon as they got together, they had a viral mini hit with their song 'Take My Hand', praised on various tastemaker blogs and generating over 100.000 likes on Soundcloud in no time. The band's first long play record 'One Step' is all about important experiences and decisions, small as well as big steps, all a part of making progress, which in the end can even be life changing. It was a step, that recently got Mental Bend their record deal on Mo's Ferry's sub label 'Enfant Fenou'.
This special collector's edition electronically reproduced stereo 7' single (only 200 copies), comes in two fantastic coloured vinyl options (100 x red vinyl and 100 x purple vinyl). A refreshingly new take on mono to stereo conversion. Elvis fans growing up in the 1960's and 1970's unwittingly listened to his 1950's catalogue in electronically reprocessed stereo, love it or loathe, it was pretty much all there was back then unless you could afford to track down expensive mono copies. To better understand where the electronically reprocessed stereo versions originate from, we need to go back to 1961, at which point RCA had begun the process of taking Elvis' 1950's mono masters and converting them into a stereo sounding effect. By 1960 when Elvis returned from the army, he was recording in true stereo and as far as RCA were concerned, mono was a thing of the past. You just need to listen to the sound quality of the 1960 'Living Stereo' version of the 'Elvis Is Back' album, to appreciate just how much the recording industry had moved on in just two years. Such was the demand for stereo records in the early 1960's most major labels had created their own process for converting mono into stereo or 'fake' stereo as it became known, with some labels producing better results than others. Opinions on Elvis' 1960's electronically reprocessed stereo versions are mixed, with some recordings making the transition from mono to stereo effect better than others. Some DJ's actually preferred playing the electronically reprocessed stereo versions, believing they gave a wider fuller sound on the dancefloor. By late 1970's, RCA had once again begun to re-issue original mono masters, giving many fans their first opportunity to hear how these tracks were originally issued. By the time compact discs had arrived on the scene in the 1980's, electronically reprocessed stereo was well and truly dead and buried. Very few electronically reprocessed stereo recordings ever made it onto a digital format and the few that did are now highly collectible. Recorded at RCA Studio 1, New York on the 30th of January 1956, My Baby Left Me is a driving powerhouse rockabilly masterpiece with a real Sun Records vibe to it (produced by Steve Scholes with Elvis on vocals and acoustic guitar, Scotty Moore on electric guitar, Bill Black on bass and D.J. Fontana on drums). Our flip side Blue Moon Of Kentucky is another rockabilly classic which first appeared as the opposite side to That's All Right (Sun 209) in 1955 (Elvis' first single). Blue Moon Of Kentucky was recorded on the 7th of July 1954 at Sun Records (produced by Sam Phillips with Elvis on vocals and acoustic guitar, Scotty Moore on electric guitar and Bill Black on bass). Both tracks have been painstakingly re-engineered to create a stereo effect sound. The result is a bigger, sharper sound that jumps straight outta the grooves at ya! One reviewer described the process as - it's as if a veil has been lifted off the tracks'. Both tracks are taken from the forthcoming album titled 'Elvis Presley - The 50's In Stereo' (mono to stereo re-visited). For best results play this killer double-sider very loud!!!
This special collector's edition electronically reproduced stereo 7' single (only 200 copies), comes in two fantastic coloured vinyl options (100 x red vinyl and 100 x purple vinyl). A refreshingly new take on mono to stereo conversion. Elvis fans growing up in the 1960's and 1970's unwittingly listened to his 1950's catalogue in electronically reprocessed stereo, love it or loathe, it was pretty much all there was back then unless you could afford to track down expensive mono copies. To better understand where the electronically reprocessed stereo versions originate from, we need to go back to 1961, at which point RCA had begun the process of taking Elvis' 1950's mono masters and converting them into a stereo sounding effect. By 1960 when Elvis returned from the army, he was recording in true stereo and as far as RCA were concerned, mono was a thing of the past. You just need to listen to the sound quality of the 1960 'Living Stereo' version of the 'Elvis Is Back' album, to appreciate just how much the recording industry had moved on in just two years. Such was the demand for stereo records in the early 1960's most major labels had created their own process for converting mono into stereo or 'fake' stereo as it became known, with some labels producing better results than others. Opinions on Elvis' 1960's electronically reprocessed stereo versions are mixed, with some recordings making the transition from mono to stereo effect better than others. Some DJ's actually preferred playing the electronically reprocessed stereo versions, believing they gave a wider fuller sound on the dancefloor. By late 1970's, RCA had once again begun to re-issue original mono masters, giving many fans their first opportunity to hear how these tracks were originally issued. By the time compact discs had arrived on the scene in the 1980's, electronically reprocessed stereo was well and truly dead and buried. Very few electronically reprocessed stereo recordings ever made it onto a digital format and the few that did are now highly collectible. Recorded at RCA Studio 1, New York on the 30th of January 1956, My Baby Left Me is a driving powerhouse rockabilly masterpiece with a real Sun Records vibe to it (produced by Steve Scholes with Elvis on vocals and acoustic guitar, Scotty Moore on electric guitar, Bill Black on bass and D.J. Fontana on drums). Our flip side Blue Moon Of Kentucky is another rockabilly classic which first appeared as the opposite side to That's All Right (Sun 209) in 1955 (Elvis' first single). Blue Moon Of Kentucky was recorded on the 7th of July 1954 at Sun Records (produced by Sam Phillips with Elvis on vocals and acoustic guitar, Scotty Moore on electric guitar and Bill Black on bass). Both tracks have been painstakingly re-engineered to create a stereo effect sound. The result is a bigger, sharper sound that jumps straight outta the grooves at ya! One reviewer described the process as - it's as if a veil has been lifted off the tracks'. Both tracks are taken from the forthcoming album titled 'Elvis Presley - The 50's In Stereo' (mono to stereo re-visited). For best results play this killer double-sider very loud!!!
Comet presents the reissue of Black Voices (1999), featuring remastered versions and Ariya (Psyche Juju Mix)' as bonus track, which was not part of the original release.
Tony Allen completely rewrote the books on what was possible within the AfroBeat genre with his stunning 1999 album, Black Voices. When one considers exactly "what" is going on throughout Black Voices, it is quite mind boggling, as it is almost impossible to associate a minimalist, electronic feel with the massive walls of sound which Allen was known to create.
Yet these walls of sound are still very present, yet they gain an entirely new feel due to the presence of the producer, Doctor L. He takes the mesmerizing rhythms that Allen creates and he spins them into a stunningly modern sound. While Doctor L's production work throughout Black Voices is truly fantastic, it is clear that the genius behind the album lies within the mind of Tony Allen. With the absolutely mesmerizing, funky grooves that Allen creates, it comes a little surprise that the vocal collaborations are handled by members of one of the funkiest bands in history: Parliament-Funkadelic.
For almost two decades, Black Voices has remained a stunning example of the fantastic results that can occur when seemingly unrelated genres clash.
Carl Gari is a group of three from Munich: Jonas Yamer, Till Funke and Jonas Friedlich. They released their well received and idiosyncratic debut (NPR mentioned it as one of the 50 best albums in 2016) on The Trilogy Tapes, for which they collaborated with Egyptian singer and spoken word artist Abdullah Miniawy. For the second release on Permanent Vacation they perfected their unique blend of psychedelic ingredients, dubbed out drums, drony sounds and a general hazyness. The mystic chants of Abdullah, who is also featured on two tracks, weave themselves into the band's lively sound texture. Apart from that Carl Gari showcase the diversity of their analogue driven and melodic approach to electronic music through four beautifully detailed tracks.
Granny13 opens with Nicola Ratti's 'Odd Doubt'. With the use of a modular system and tape loops, a broken rhythm is obtained by parallelism between single sound signals as LFO one or processed tapes.On the second side, Giovanni Lami's 'Johnny Leech' is made with a small bunch of equipment, just a chaotic hand-made synth (cacophonator) and a memoryman, working mainly on static electricity and leakage current in the synth used without any kind of power supply.
Reviews
The Wire
''Two Italian mucisians share a split single of glitchy fun and everyone goes some happy. Lami s piece uses a defective unplugged synthesizer to make huzzing chitters that have a kind of rhythm in spots. Ratti s contribution is a bit more structured it sounds like a record of accordion miniatures broken into pieces, then glued back together with little pieces of felt stuck onto it. Which would definitely be a pretty hep thing to hear.''
Textura
''Some releases qualify as art objects as much as musical collections, a case in point this recent seven-inch vinyl outing featuring material by Nicola Ratti on one side and Giovanni Lami on the other. That shouldn't be interpreted to mean that the musical content isn't worthy of one's time, as it assuredly is, but more to emphasize how striking the sleeve artwork by Opora is and how effectively it complements the musical content.Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi and issued in an edition of 150 copies, the release opens with Odd Doubt, a concise experimental setting by the Milan-born Ratti, who's issued material on labels such as Anticipate, Preservation, Die Schachtel, and Entr'acte and who's presently working with Ielasi in the project Bellows, with Attila Faravelli as Faravelliratti, and with Enrico Malatesta and Faravelli in ~Tilde. Though Ratti started out as a guitar player, his current focus is more on beat-analog experimentation and sound installation. In Odd Doubt, Ratti's modular system and tape loops generate broken rhythms that varyingly call to mind dub-techno, even if dub-techno of an extremely wonky variety. Off-beat chords, crackle, and snare strikes add to the dubwise flavour of the material, though ultimately it registers as more of an experimental exploration than straight-up dub exercise.The flip side features Johnny Leech by Lami, a one-time photographer now known as both a field recordist and a musician focusing on soundscaping and sound-ecology. In his contribution to the seven-inch, Lami's chaotic hand-made synth (cacophonator) and memoryman give birth to blustery smears of static electricity that ultimately mutate into an Oval-like array of ripples and scratches. Johnny Leech is so removed from anything conventionally musical, it makes Odd Doubt sound like a Top 40 pop song. Like Ratti's piece, Lami's is short, so short, in fact, it gives the impression of being an excerpt from a larger sound art work. Here's a release where the abstract nature of the musical content matches its visual presentation.December 2014''
Vital Weekly 951
''Granny Records is from Greece, but the two musicians here are from Italy, of which I don't I heard from Giovanni Lami before. His piece is called 'Johnny Leech' and he uses a hand-made synth known as the cacophonator and a memory man (a delay machine), 'working mainly on static electricity and leakage current in the synth used without any kind of power supply'. It makes up for a nice piece of chaotic lo-fi sound, which is put forward through methods of improvisation. Quite a nice piece and it fits the format very well. The crackling of vinyl surely adds an extra layer. Nicola Ratti uses a modular synth and tape loops, of what seems to be percussive material, but the rhythm is broken down and the whole thing has a nice gentle feel to it, even when it bumps, clicks and glides, but the synth makes it more subtle. Here too one could say this perfect for a 7": one doesn't have the idea that this is cut from a longer part as is not unusual with this kind music. Especially Ratti seems to have worked out his music as a composition, which is very nice. (FdW)''Vital Weekly 951''Granny Records is from Greece, but the two musicians here are from Italy, of which I don't I heard from Giovanni Lami before. His piece is called 'Johnny Leech' and he uses a hand-made synth known as the cacophonator and a memory man (a delay machine), 'working mainly on static electricity and leakage current in the synth used without any kind of power supply'. It makes up for a nice piece of chaotic lo-fi sound, which is put forward through methods of improvisation. Quite a nice piece and it fits the format very well. The crackling of vinyl surely adds an extra layer. Nicola Ratti uses a modular synth and tape loops, of what seems to be percussive material, but the rhythm is broken down and the whole thing has a nice gentle feel to it, even when it bumps, clicks and glides, but the synth makes it more subtle. Here too one could say this perfect for a 7": one doesn't have the idea that this is cut from a longer part as is not unusual with this kind music. Especially Ratti seems to have worked out his music as a composition, which is very nice. (FdW)''Vital Weekly 951''Granny Records is from Greece, but the two musicians here are from Italy, of which I don't I heard from Giovanni Lami before. His piece is called 'Johnny Leech' and he uses a hand-made synth known as the cacophonator and a memory man (a delay machine), 'working mainly on static electricity and leakage current in the synth used without any kind of power supply'. It makes up for a nice piece of chaotic lo-fi sound, which is put forward through methods of improvisation. Quite a nice piece and it fits the format very well. The crackling of vinyl surely adds an extra layer. Nicola Ratti uses a modular synth and tape loops, of what seems to be percussive material, but the rhythm is broken down and the whole thing has a nice gentle feel to it, even when it bumps, clicks and glides, but the synth makes it more subtle. Here too one could say this perfect for a 7": one doesn't have the idea that this is cut from a longer part as is not unusual with this kind music. Especially Ratti seems to have worked out his music as a composition, which is very nice. (FdW)''
Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin.
Hana's first and self-titled LP was recorded in Autumn 2010 at Facta non Verba and consists out of 5 tracks which are techno oriented with disposal of experimental and abstract elements.
Reviews
OMG Vinyl
Hana s S/T LP is easily the best promo records we ve gotten in months. This Greek duo has somehow, almost entirely below the radar, released one of the most exciting electronic records of 2011. Their wobbly brand of techno sometimes chugs ahead at full-speed, other times easing back into a wider waver, almost resembling some weird, warped IDM. I will be shocked if this record doesn t get wider appreciation very soon. Whether that happens or not, we fully recommend it, track one down.
Cyclic Defrost by Oliver Laing
Granny Records duo Hana come correct with their first album, offering a refreshing take on techno and IDM variants in the vein of Jan Jelinek, Raime, Actress and hints of the mighty Chain Reaction label. Mastered at Berlin s Dubplates and Mastering by none other than Rashad Becker, a name that often appears in the run-out groove of artists who inhabit a curiously funky techno-not-techno netherworld Hana s debut self-titled release grows in stature and listening enjoyment with every spin. With a sense of fun and adventure inhabiting the grooves, Hana (who are also part of label-mates, Good Luck Mr Gorsky), explore experimental timbres and ghostly vocalisations with a lightness of touch that belies their recording credentials.
Starting off with an abstract, Clicks and Cuts style intro, Liv slowly finds the sweet spot between mutant Detroit electro funk, a hint of the indie/dance territory of Matthew Dear and the abstract, yet rhythmic 12 releases on the Beatservice label, by Norwegian duo Information from the mid 90s. Obermaier implies the groove to begin with, until a wrong-footed man-with-two-left-feet rhythm leads into minimal acidic flourishes. Album opener SM heads in a Ricardo Villalobos vs. Nonplace Urban Field direction, as the lopsided rhythm and sepulchral vocals add a haunted edge to proceedings. CR80 uses beautifully syncopated live drums and urgent female vocals, and adds a driving, belligerent synth riff falling somewhere in between DMZ and Gary Numan. Echoic, boingy sounds threaten to derail the beat, but somehow it manages to maintain, reminding me of Shed and A Made Up Sound; more in overall feel than in the specific sounds. For those that enjoy abstract electronics that work just as well on headphones as on the dance floor, Greece s Hana are a duo to watch.
Textura
Hana's self-titled debut album arrives saddled with a (literally) cheeky front cover one would more associate with a 70s band like Wild Cherry than a Greece-based techno outfit formed in Thessaloniki last summer. Recorded in fall 2010 at Facta non Verba, the five-cut release finds Good Luck Mr Gorsky members Thanasis Papadopoulos and Thanos Bantis hunkered down in their chemical lab concocting formulae to go along with their material's stripped-down techno beats. Using analogue synths, samplers, and sequencers, the duo brings a decidely experimental edge to their productions, sprinkling as they do liberal doses of burble and flutter over bass-heavy techno rhythms.
The opening track, Sm, sets the scene with a heavy low-end pulse thudding alongside a steady kick drum and joined by acidy synths and percussive effects that suggest a lighter being repeatedly flicked open. On a slightly more aggressive tip, the B-side's Cr80 adds truncated vocal yelps to its bleepy, elephantine throb. A dubby dimension emerges in the track, too, when echoing waves drift repeatedly across the huge bass that slithers across the track's underbelly. The album's most elaborate track comes last. Liv opens beatlessly with flickering shudders and what could pass for the amplified workings of an ant community but then progressively fills in the dots with an insistent beat pattern, voice fragments, and even the demented meander of accordion playing. Though Hana hardly rewrites the techno guidebook on the release, it's nevertheless a pleasurable listen, in part due to the multi-dimensional experience provided by the vinyl format and the always superb mastering work done by Rashad Becker at Berlin's Dubplates & Mastering.
The Patchouli Brothers first began throwing parties in an Albanian dive bar in Toronto's east end, but have gone on to grace the stage at a spectrum of the city's establishments.
They hold down a residency at a rotating disco jam called Beam Me Up which, while held monthly at the Piston, has taken place in a film studio, an artist commune, above a furniture store and inside the Great Hall.
Their debut 12" for Basic Fingers features two cuts.
First up 'Wicked One', a fiery slice of gospel served with a rich piano hook.
On the flip we're treated to 'Magic Rhythm (Of Love)', a masterclass in pure disco-funk insanity.
Looking for a peak-time workout with lots of percussion Look no further...
It's impossible to talk about this album without acknowledging the spectre of death that hangs over it - not only is it the third entry in Strata-East Records' Dolphy Series, a collection of archival recordings from some of the label's close associates honoring the recently deceased multi-instrumentalist, but it is actually dedicated to two members of the band, Wynton Kelly and Kenny Dorham, who died in between the recording sessions and its release. The point is driven home even further by the fact that the album begins with a tribute from Payne to the fallen Martin Luther King, Jr., a piece that acts as a de facto solo for Dorham - his playing all rosy elegance and regal warmth - before shifting into the lighter (though equally coolly-paced) "I Know Love," a showcase for Payne's sax. While not the most somber jazz track ever recorded, this opening suite is a low-key and mournful way to open the affair, but thankfully the album really picks off and shows these musicians more in their element the rest of the way.
"Girl, You Got a Home" is a funky piece, beginning very soulfully with some tight interplay among the rhythm section of Kelly, bassist Wilbur Ware and drummer Albert Heath. Ware is in especially fine form on this track, tying together the disparate passages of the piece by grounding the more ponderous moments in a deep funk, while Kelly's playing is especially ear catching in the way he stabs at his piano like it's an organ. After the first two tracks take up nearly twenty minutes, the four-minute "Slide Hampton" feels almost impossibly brief, a feeling that's enhanced by its quick, jittery, and infectious rhythm, driven by some really dexterous work from Kelly. The final track, "Flying Fish," may be the album's highlight, a Caribbean-inspired composition that casts the rhythm section as flighty ground for both Payne and Dorham to vamp on. The track is oddly danceable for something released on Strata-East, maybe the most fun moment ever for the label, and relentlessly uptempo. Though this release may be in part defined by the deaths that preceded it, it's clear that the recording process was actually a lot of fun for everybody, as their enthusiasm and energy jumps right out of the speakers. This is one of the first Strata East records I really got into and is still one of my favorites, a must-hear for any fans of the flightier moments of Dorham or Kelly's career, and a fitting tribute for both master musicians.
Nicole Willis, known for her collaborations with The Soul Investigators & Jimi Tenor produces an album including some of the tracks she composed with the former as well as originals specifically for a fresh collaboration with UMO Jazz Orchestra. Jimi Tenor, who is a multi-faceted artist, has penned all arrangements for the big band and their talented rhythm section. Pete Toikkanen who is a mega-talent guitarist from The Soul Investigators, along with the two, composed those original tracks that highlight their alternative influences. Indie god & personal hero of Ms Willis, Ian Svenonius introduces Ms Willis on the first track and wraps up the LP with a final plea.
The chorus: that moment where everyone connects and participates in unity. A moment anyone who's shared a dancefloor can recognise whether it's a festival arena, subterranean dark room or an illegal rave in a field, warehouse or any abandoned canvas between... Like the ones Cologne's Julian Stetter has come from. Inspired by subversive communities, all pulling together for a greater cause, his background in underground parties can be felt in everything he's done so far: his work with the Ancient Future Now label, his vast imaginative techno constructions and now his work with Jennifer Cardini's long-standing community Correspondant with the widescreen odyssey that is 'Chorus' Six slices of evocative narrative-rich electronic soul inspired by his on-going international experiences on the road; loaded with poignant introspection, thunderous rumbles and playful theatrics, the EP is bookended by two versions of 'Chorus', a vision of scorching hope and lift that can seize a full floor's attention in seconds and full live up to the track's title, message and meaning. By far Julian's most significant solo EP to date, this is a moment for us all to connect and participate. Join in if you know the chorus...
Just in time to warm up your winter, Hell Yeah revisit the peerless recent Tsuki album from ambient and Balearic masters Tempelhof & Gigi Masin. Two tracks from the album are included on this new package, as well as a remix from Jex Opolis. Trancendental and dreamy drums characterise the new age 'Corner Song', which is the sound of laying back on a boat and bobbing up and down on gentle seas at sunrise. It's organic and soothing to the max.
The other original is 'Flying Man', a suspensory film that feels like floating amongst the clouds on a humid afternoon.
Wordless vocals add a heavenly feel to the lush and all encompassing chords and pads and nothing sounds sweeter than being lost in this one. It is Corner Song that gets remixed by Good Timin' and Running Back man Jex Opolis.
Famous for his disco infused synth pop sound he is a master of his own musical world. His version is eight minutes of laid-back tropicalia. Slowly churning drums and knotted funk-bass prop it up as an eco-system of pops, clicks and hits add to the steamy and sensuous groove. It's grown up disco for cocktails on the terrace and will have you hugging anyone in earshot.
Support by Calm, Lexx, Leo Mas, Apiento, Zambon, Max Essa, Kito Jempere, Buena Onda Djs, Balearic Gabba Sound System...
The album is the fourth LP from FM Belfast. Broadcasting from their home on a remote island you can sense that the tracks are personal. The album has 11 tracks, 11 intimate stories to dance to. It's like you've been invited to a Cabin Fever Dance Party in their living room. The lyrics are about bliss, euphoria, trying to be a human in this strange world, friendship, of loss and growing up.
ALL MY POWER The first song of the album deals with guilt. When you're surrounded with people who wake up early and do everything they are supposed to do but you can't get out of your own bed. This will make you feel guilty. The others don't need to rub it in since you already have bad feelings about yourself. There are two characters in the song. One is a blamer while the other one is being blamed. FOLLOW ME I'm not longer blind, you can follow me". The song is about a person who is no longer blind to the world around her. It's about taking responsibility for your choices. We are not just a group of individuals, we are citizens of this planet and we can't stand idly by when powerful people are destroying it in front of our own eyes. We have ways to connect and we can band together against the hatred and violence. The rich and the greedy are taking everything and ruining it for the rest of us. Being kind is not the same as being naive, it's a choice everyone can make.
ENJOY
Enjoy life while it last. Don't watch the world go by without having a good time. "Here's to feeling alive, everywhere, all of the time".
UP ALL NIGHT
Sometimes you just postpone everything you're supposed to be doing and run away from your problems. The night is the best time for procrastination, you can hide in the dark and nobody can see you waste your life.
AGENT
Like many songs on the album, this one is about holding your head above water in this strange world we live in. It's easy to get blindsided and lost but who's going to speak up for the weak if you don't do it.
YOU'RE SO PRETTY
The lyrics for You're so Pretty originally come from a short story written by Lóa. They are about getting old without maturing. The song is about being restless and broke. Sometimes you feel like there is nothing left to do but shout.
STREAMERS
Streamers is a quiet love-story about having found the person you want to sit next to for the rest of your life and watch crappy TV together. Lyrics are by Árni and Lóa.
LEAVE A MARK
Even if things are not great today, there is always tomorrow. Leave a Mark is a personal reminder to do something about the life you are given and not waste time. It doesn't have to be important, it could just be writing your name on a wall. I little bit of "I was here" for the people who come after you.
FEARLESS YOUTH
It's a nostalgic song about being a fearless adolescent and the friends you used to have. The lyrics are written by Örvar who's also a founding member of MúM.
STROBE
The Strobe is an atmospheric track. It's made for people who want to dance in a euphoric bliss. The lyrics are like a mantra: It's getting dark so turn on the strobe. Don't think, just get lost in the dance.
THE GAME
The Game tells you to resist the power of bad people and bad governments. There's a big game being played and you don't need to participate, you can resist. The power hungry people of this world will never be satisfied but you don't have to support them.
Henrique Oliveira aka HNQO, is the man responsible for this exciting full album release on DOC Records.
HNQO
is one of the fastest rising young stars in the techno, house and indie dance scene in Brazil.
Causing much attention and hype with his recent EP release on DOC Records (Balinese Death - also featured in MAGNUM VOL 1) and having reach the
#1 spot at Hot Creations Top selling single, it is time to introduce his first album "The Old Door", (influenced by Marlin Stimming and Anders Trentemøller, two of his heroes).
A weird string sound marks the opening of "The OId Door".
By mixing old sounds with new ideas, while recording different instruments, the track shows HNQO's life and it features Urzula Amen in the vocals.
"The Death of the Elephant' is a soundtrack to remind us how destructive human kind has been to the nature. Using sounds of Pizzicato Violin, "40s Cartoon' continues to take us to a journey through the artist's imagination.
The album is filled with the Henrique life moments during the year it took to produce the album.
For an example in "Egyptian Lover" HNQO describes how nice it would have been to have a lover flying overnight.
On this track Russian singer Cotry interprets the lyrics.
"Fallen Angel" is a dramatic piece telling a story still about flying.
"If" is another collaboration with the amazing Urzula Amen.
As we get closer to the end, when its finally time, 'Light a Cigarette' reaches a melancholic state where all melodies were recorded with eyes shut and in complete darkness.
A spiritual moment that became Henrique's favourite track of this project.
The scratch of a match, the flame and then a foggy synth that releases all the feelings in sound waves.
The album cover was inspired on a door.
A door that HNQO was able to enter by playing certain keys on his synths, percussions and strings that allowed him to reach a organic level while making it all a bit more human in terms of groove construction.
A poem from Rai Knight was perfect fit to give the density for the digital bonus track.
To get a better feel of what this album has to say, HNQO invites you to open 'The Old Door"
MW present two classic Minimal Wave tracks which have been on heavy rotation for years now, Computer Bank' and Like I Am, Comme Je Suis' remixed by The Floor (Veronica Vasicka & Karl O'Connor).
Five Times Of Dust was formed in Bristol, U.K. in 1981 by Mark Phillips and Rob Lawrence. Mark had answered an advert that Rob had placed in a local record shop and later that year they went on to record and release their first tape, The Dadacomputer. A standout track from that tape, Computer Bank' is a seminal, proto-techno banger'. The Floor remixed it a while ago to DJ it out and since then have been receiving many requests about where it could be purchased.
The flip side features Unovidual & Tara Cross' Like I Am Comme Je Suis'. It appeared on our first compilation entitled V/A The Lost Tapes LP, in 2006. Unovidual was a Belgian producer involved with the Micrart Group (Autumn, Linear Movement, Twilight Ritual) and Tara Cross, a long lost girl from Brooklyn' who used to play in small NYC downlown clubs alongside Madonna during the early 1980s when she was still an unknown. Unovidual and Tara collaborated on several tracks through the mail during this time as well as in the studio. Like I Am Comme Je Suis' was recorded in a studio in Ghent, Belgium in 1985.
We find both of these tracks prime examples of innovative and pioneering synth wave tracks that work on and off the dance floor. And through these mixes, The Floor aim to stay true to the artists' original intentions whilst making the songs more dance floor oriented.
Featured alongside these remixes, are two unreleased tracks. Rob Lawrence's Armoured Car' which at one point was released on a compilation CD as Robert (not to be confused with Rob Doran from Hard Corps) and Unovidual's Imponative', a beautiful minimal synth track which has remained unreleased to this day.
The Five Times of Dust / Unovidual & Tara Cross EP is pressed on standard weight royal blue clear vinyl and housed in a hand stamped disco sleeve. Limited to 600 numbered copies.
Berlin based Japanese industrial synth duo group A make their debut on Mannequin Records with a killer 3-tracks self titled EP.
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Tommi Tokyo (synth, drum machine, vocals) and Sayaka Botanic (violin, tapes and sampler) released 2 studio albums and 1 live album in Tokyo, before to move in Berlin in 2016. With their mixture of dark minimal synth, avant-noise, striking visuals and performance art, the duo still carries on the very breath of early industrial pioneers such as Throbbing Gristle, Die Form, Klinik, Cabaret Voltaire.
The EP was recorded in Tommi's bedroom and later mixed together with Mannequin Records head Alessandro Adriani in his own studio in Berlin. The first two tracks of the EP, 'T.O.P.' and 'Ketabali' represents the duo personal reaction against the current economy, an up yours to capitalism, news and politics, all permeated by industrial rhytmic-noises and words with no meaning.
The B2 'Alibi' instead was inspired by an autobiography of Hi-Red Centre(Japanese avant-grade art group in the 60-70's) written by one of the members, Genpei Akasegawa. Tommi found the word "Alibi" in the book and she just started singing about the group. As she never wrote lyrics for that, during their live performances they are always improvised, so changing and mutating every time.
As one of FUSE's original residents, Rich NxT played a major part in the brand's evolution, helping take it from that Sunday morning afters to being one of the most respected event brands and labels on the planet
Ever since the age of 10, Rich NxT has been involved in creating his own music. Thanks to his early training as both a drummer and keyboardist, NxT has an inherent musicianship fully apparent in his sound and style of production. Taking influence from the London rave scene of the early 90s spanning drum n bass and jungle and later the minimal and tech-house scenes of Europe, NxT's output found a platform on the now world-class FUSE London label (launched in 2011). A core artist for the label, with five solo EPs and a collaboration alongside Seb Zito, Rich NxT has been integral to FUSE's trademark sound with his debut EP 'Bristle' and 'Quixotic' EP two of the labels defining moments. NxT and Zito's chemistry in the studio is clear with a further two collaborations on FUSE sister label Infuse. Alongside his own productions, NxT's remix catalogue includes Seb Zito's 'Never' with Enzo Siragusa and his original breakthrough remix of Jon Maker's 'Seeker', which was championed by tINI and many other leading DJs in the minimal house scene.
By the end of 2016, a residency at Amnesia Ibiza with HYTE x FUSE alongside dates at Off Week in Barcelona and several stand out events on FUSE's 8th birthday tour including an epic after hours set at Berlin's Hoppetosse proved NxT is on top of his game. NxT also launched his own imprint NxT Records that year, another platform for his own consistently quality output. Several releases down the line, NxT's distinctive style layered with intricate percussion, obscure synths and ethereal pads combined with punchy snares and atmospheric vocals is marking out the producer and label as a prime source for DJs and vinyl lovers. 2017 sees the launch of a second vinyl only imprint What NxT, a home for musical discoveries that end up buried deep in his own record bag. Featuring both emerging talent and established artists from the UK and beyond, What NxT All roads lead to the rave.
In recent years the clamour for the funkier side of AOR, Blue eyed soul, funky rock or any other description you'd care to imagine has reached heightened places. The hardest diggers have been endlessly searching for breezy, soulful and rock-infused R&B gems hidden away in the recesses of the major and independent label archives. Miami's CAT Records - one such independent, and an off-shoot of the hugely successful TK Disco empire had made it's mark since the early 70's with stellar sides from Little Beaver, George & Gwen McCrae, Raw Soul Express and many more. It was later, 1977 to be precise, in the height of the Disco era when Chocolateclay appeared. Their self-titled and sole LP has long been a thing of sought after beauty, a real Miami rarity that showcases a classy blend of funk, soul and AOR stylings delivered by the solid pairing of George 'Chocolate' Perry and Clay Cropper. Perry's name is well known among rare soul aficionados due to his involvement in some classic underground records from that scene (Wizzdom 'I'm So In Love With you' etc) and his part in writing, producing and arranging for artists like Blowfly, Milton Wright, King Sport, Bobby Caldwell, Latimore, Joe Walsh and many more. Cropper was also well known as a solid Miami session man who played keys, wrote and produced for a plethora artists from that part of the world throughout the 70's and 80's including Betty Wright, George McCrae, Frederick Knight and more. To say these 2 guys were seasoned pro's would be an understatement. No surprise then that their contribution to the CAT catalogue is a finely tuned, funky, sunkissed LP of jams that will bring unlimited joy and warmth to you via your turntable. Languid, melodic, grown-up soul music here folks, drenched in that sunshine state goodness. Oozing positivity and class - Chocolateclay is as deep as it gets. Often selling on-line for tidy sums (£60 +) this LP is a true gem, now is your chance to own a %100 legit, TK Disco sanctioned, vinyl copy of this killer Soul LP. Re-issued just the way it originally came out in 1977, no tricks. Essential!
Most of the musicians who gathered to record this fantastic spiritual jazz record for the Strata-East label on May 24th, 1974 had crossed each other's paths in various musical pairings over the preceding few years. Husband and wife team Dee Dee Bridgewater (vocals) and Cecil Bridgewater (trumpet) had been working together on albums like Frank Foster's "Loud Minority", and Roy Ayers' "Coffy" and "Virgo Red". Ten weeks before the "Freedom Of Speech" session, the couple had been joined in Tokyo by Cecil's brother Ronald Bridgewater (tenor saxaphone) to record Dee Dee's debut album, the beautiful "Afro Blue". Also in the studio on May 24th, 1974 was Donald Smith, (piano, vocals), fresh from recording on his older brother Lonnie Liston Smith's "Cosmic Funk" - on which Ronald Bridgewater had also played percussion. Cecil McBee (bass) was also there - just two weeks before, he'd completed his own Strata East date "Mutima", and in February he'd played on Mtume's "Rebirth Cycle" - with both albums also featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater on vocals. He'd also played on Lonnie Liston Smith's "Astral Travelling".
So 1974 was a huge year for all five of these people. Donald Smith and Cecil McBee were six months away from recording on Lonnie Liston Smith's massive "Expansions", with McBee fitting in a few Pharoah Sanders albums in between.
AND THEN, THE MYSTERY ... So with all this fervent activity, the question has to be asked ...Who was Billy Earl Parker Jr (drums), the leader of this session
Billy Parker remains unlisted as a musician on all major jazz sites. His only other recording appears to be as a percussionist on Charles Tolliver's "Impact" in 1975. Then there's nothing.
Finally, by backtracking one of those Zoom info pages, I found a summary of a "SUNY Rockland Community College" 2002 press release that no longer exists :
"Billy Parker's Fourth World Legacy Concert ...The concert, Billy Parker's Fourth World Legacy, is the eighth annual tribute honouring the late percussionist and RCC educator, Billy Parker. A long-time Rockland County resident, Parker began his affiliation with RCC in 1987, building its jazz program and maintaining his life-long tradition of teaching and inspiring others. A lifelong student himself, Parker was near completion of his doctorate in music education at New York University when he died in 1996.
But then people began to read this blog post, and in the comments, Aaron Fuller said :
"Billy Parker was my uncle. He was an incredibly talented, smart, and kind man. I'm very happy to see that folks are still enjoying his masterpiece. Just to give you a bit more information about him... He was born and raised in Buffalo, NY and then attended college at Michigan State University. He met my aunt in Lansing. They lived in NY and toured in Europe for quite a while. Sometime later they relocated to Nyack, NY and he ended up on the faculty of the community college while he pursued advanced degrees from NYU. He was an Ellington scholar. Although his name isn't well-known even among the most avid jazz fans, I think that if you were to talk to some of the great NY musicians that were around in the late 60s and 70s you would find that most knew him. He also had a huge impact as a music educator and I have no doubt that his former students are all over the place, continuing to put his love of the art into practice."
Back fighting, kicking and beating as strong as or perhaps even stronger than ever before, Ivan 'Mamao' Conti is releasing a brand new solo album next year. Now fitted with a new iron hip- thanks to the immense generosity of his fan base who crowdfunded the operation - the Azymuth drummer still remains one of the greatest and outright funkiest drummers alive anywhere in the universe as he enters this new bionic era. As people of earth are not yet quite ready to hear the explosively ethereal cosmic samba of his new album just yet, we're easing into it with a series of appropriately propulsive percussive jazz-headed remixes. For the second 12' of the series we've enlisted two of the most on-fire producers in Germany: Max Graef and GlennAstro, along with one of the UK's brightest ascendant producers.
A new project by Trikk and Mathias Schober had his hour of birth on the recent Lossless Outbound compilation and now this is their first own 12inch. Two monster tunes that one could classify as new-wave-ebm-electrofied housemusic or if it needs to be more catchy Bladerunner house! Sounding amazing on a big system!!!
Born in London, 1945, Labi Siffre's recording career has spanned over 30 years and produced a body of work that has attained anthemic status across the world. He has had two number one hits (directly and indirectly) and is considered by those in the know to be one of Britain's most important musicians of the past fifty years. So it's a strange modern quirk that his actual voice is rarely heard, as it is from covers and samples of his work that he is best known. You may recognise his genius being sampled by Eminen for 'My Name Is' or the Madness cover of his song 'It Must Be Love' that was a huge pop hit across the world.
For his release on Mr Bongo we have gone back to the original source - his classic 1975 release 'Remember My Song'. This is his fifth album and features 'The Vulture', 'Sadie and the Devil' and 'I Got The', sampled by Eminem, Jay-Z, Wu-tang Clan, Atmosphere, The Beatnuts and Frankenstein, amongst others. Co-produced by Derek Lawrence and Big Jim Sullivan - a prolific session musician, artist and producer - who also worked with artists such as David Bowie, Serge Gainsbourg (on 'Histoire De Melody Nelson') and Frank Zappa. Brian Bennett of The Shadows, Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock aka Chas 'n' Dave also feature on this funk masterpiece from 1975.
This LP is reissued in new and improved sleeves (made in Japan) and features label designs as per the original 1975 release.
Melodies International proudly moves forward with an elusive piece of mid-tempo Chicago soul originally performed by Gloria J. Jennings in 1977.
Gloria was signed to Stage Productions as a gospel singer with pure and raw talent she had developed in the choir of her father's Southern Baptist Church. She was 16 years old at the time. To tutor her for R&B vocals, Willie C. Nance of Stage Productions spent 3 months taking the artist back and forth for vocal training 25 miles each way, 3 days per week.
At the time, Mr. Nance had made plans to work with singer and songwriter Theresa Eagins to record Know What You Want'. However, two days before the recording was set to begin, Ms. Eagins refused to move forward with the recording as she chose to take her religious faith more seriously and forgo the singing of secular music. Hence, Stage Productions turned to Gloria Jay to perform a song that would go on to move people thousands of miles away, many years later.
One of them was Patrick Forge: Back around 1990 I had a residency upstairs at the Wag Club on a Friday night alongside Paul Martin (he was Gilles P's A&R right hand man at Talkin Loud), the night was called Respect and we played mainly Soul, Boogie and Jazz-Funk. Many years later I bumped into Paul at a record shop and he quizzed me about a tune I used to play at the end of the night at Respect. Hhe described it as being an independent Soul seven inch on a red label, slow to mid tempo... and more to the point a bullet of a record. It piqued my curiosity so much I burrowed through my seven inches and even made Paul a compilation of likely contenders, his response was lovely selection, but it's not on there!'. Damn, a mystery! Many moons later whilst I was living in Japan, my tenant in my London flat said she'd found an old mixtape I'd done for her way back when and was desperate to know the identity of something she was calling the choo choo song'. Eventually when I was back in London she played the mixtape and I quickly identified her tune as Fabrica' by Cesar Mariano, however letting the tape play some time later a familiar descending chord sequence catapulted me back to those Friday nights at The Wag, and Gloria Jay's plaintive vocals reminded me of a record that had been absent from my life for far too long. I've no idea what happened to my original copy, I hunted another one down straight away, and I've kept it close ever since. Know What You Want' is a song that goes deep in such a simple, unaffected, almost naive way, Gloria's voice is both sweet and raw, it's built on simple chords and obvious instrumentation, but it's so much greater than the sum of its parts.
Know What You Want' is soul music, pure and unadulterated, there's nothing getting in the way of the feeling, it's straight from the heart.' Carefully re-mastered from the tapes, MEL008 comes forth in its original 7' format with a 14'x14' poster.
Although Rico Puestel has been producing since 2005, he still seems to be something of an insider tip. Since 'Caravel' though, his August release on Cocoon Recordings, things have taken a dramatic turn with Puestel currently enjoying 'man of the moment' status, especially when it comes to progressive techno and peak time action on the dance floor."973 picks up exactly where 'Caravel' left off, kicking powerfully with irresistable, effect-loaded breaks that really twist your melon. This one really works you over but there's also feeling and a touch of elegance, in fact we can't remember hearing anything like this since Len Faki's Dustin Zahn Remix! '973 proves that 'Caravel' was no flash in the pan, just one tantalising glimpse into the musical world of Rico Puestel and that's not the end of it..."272 is a little more stripped down and chilled to start with, but soon opens up into the same crazy atmosphere as '973. This is dominated by an up-and-running arpeggio synth, which combines with the now familiar effects-break motif to create an incredible hypnotic effect. A little less brutal than '973 but drenched in more reverb, '272 is something like 'kicking Deep Techno' with a nod to the Tech House corner in the style of Mark Broom or Joris Voorn. Mr. Puestel serves up two choice cuts here and there's no question that 973272 will be with us for a while. Buckle up, hold tight and off we go!
Native New Yorker Son Of Sound aka Henry Maldonado returns to Delusions of Grandeur with another fine EP including two floor-friendly originals plus a stripped back remix from Aroop Roy. For those too young to have been buying records in the early 90's Henry was a key figure, involved in seminal releases on Strictly Rhythm as House 2 House, Maxi Records as Deja Vu and MAW Records as Rhythm Section. To say this guy has history is something of an understatement having made an important contribution to the first wave of deep house with productions dating right back to '91. More recently he has created magic for Jus Ed's Underground Quality, Classic, Razor n Tape and Local Talk as well as establishing his own District30 imprint.
We kick off with NY Iz All I Know, a warm, soulful yet pumping slice of what can only be described as proper house music! Looped up vocal chops bounce around a classic disco groove until things breakdown into a new chord progression and saw wave bassline which add an interesting twist to the arrangement. Skin Tight drops next introducing a funk break underneath the solid four on the floor kick. One of Henry's trademark chord progressions emerges and the elements build up around to form another masterclass in sample-heavy house perfection.
Aroop Roy steps up for the remix following a run of fine edits and originals on the likes of Freestyle, Basic Fingers and House Of Disco. NY Iz All I Know gets stripped back and pumped up, taking the key elements and adding his own disco inspired groove and Moogy synth business for a floor- pleasing gem that we're sure will help find him new fans from across the house and disco spectrum.
Milan based collective Just This return with two VA releases to continue their 'Broken Promises' series. With the aim of documenting the progression of cultural movements, the label have pursued underground material since 2010. Broken Promises Part 3 and Part 4 are due for release on 1st December and 8th December respectively, and each feature four new tracks channelling refined techno with minimalist, ambient sentiments.
Hunter/Game open Part 3 with 'Distance', a meditative journey through ambient textures using expansive synths and vast acoustics. Next, Architectural brandishes 808 drums for a tense workout on 'Electric Soul'. On the B-side, label co-owner Pisetzky explores the darker side of minimal on 'Anterial', whilst Altman plays with moody bass and ricocheting percussion on 'Shapes'.
Part 4 opens with a shuffling rhythmic framework on Inland's 'Aechmea', followed by 'Zona', a pointillist groove by Ben Gibson, aka one half of the collaborative project Dyad. On My Flower's 'Kundal', a cyclical melody wanders through eerie acoustics whilst Hiver navigates a broken beat framework with glitchy distortions and dub echoes on 'Stellar Parallax Landing'.
Baltimore's PJ Dorsey has traversed a lifelong journey delving into psychoactive music which can alter one's cognitive and conscious state. He harnesses his experiences to create music as Tarotplane. Using guitar, effects and processing he produces time suspending soundscapes - immersive music for merging the mind and body.
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358 Oblique is the follow up to First which was released on Aguirre Records in 2015. Find yourself adrift in the lapping waters of a slow unraveling sea of sound, a spectral vortex of shimmering tones and discrete samples guide the listener into an aural abyss, while plangent six-string melodies offer glimpses into a sanctifying
sensory space. The two exploration provide an evocative journey through a psychedelic continuum and beyond.
* 2017 year marks TEN YEARS OF INTEGRAL RECORDS and looking back upon the label's incredible back catalogue, what a decade it has been for drum & bass music that we hold so close.
* Initially set up as a passion project and a platform for showcasing future talent, the label has been consistently releasing cutting edge drum and bass since 2007. The ethos of the label has always been about quality control and finding those special vibes that no question capture heart and soul. Honing their unique musical language, selections are carefully handpicked by head honchos Artificial Intelligence and more recently in collaboration with label manager Emma G that fit with the forward thinking, original spirit we know as Integral.
* Now 40-odd releases deep and renowned for breaking some of the most exciting artists on the roster today, the label also boasts signature classics from some of the scenes most prolific residents. Names include the likes of Lenzman, Lomax (one half of Loadstar), Alix Perez, Calibre, System, Zero T, Technicolour & Komatic (Technimatic), LSB, Steo, Dawn Wall, Mohican Sun, Phil Tangent, Satl and just recently, A.I. themselves.
* Celebrating the seminal journey thus far, a double album will mark this very special occasion. Part One will showcase a selection of the finest from over the years in a chronological journey of the label's sound (for digitial release.) A second curation will simultaneously launch across all formats of entirely new and most exclusive material to date, reinforcing Integral's place at the round table of bass.
* A perfect teaser for what's to follow, the Album Sampler will drop this November featuring two stunning tracks. First up, '1000 Souls' comes courtesty of A.I. - tones of the deep, lush and soulful set the sultriest of grooves. Beautifully moody keys entice, chill and soothe. On the flip, 'Defiance' from Mohican Sun follows suit. With a gritty percussive edge, haunting melodies and a desperately emotional vocal to boot, this music will draw you all into the most mesmerising of dancefloor spells.
* Mark November 24 as the official release of the TEN YEARS OF INTEGRAL Album Sampler across all formats. Bag your limited vinyl copy now.
Forriner is Lee Forster and Oli Worriner.
I made music together with Lee for years (alongside Mick Rolfe) as Last Waltz.
He also worked as Lizards with James Hadfield (James released solo for Me Me Me 02),
Oli Worriner, is a talented young northerner who's already making a great name for his solo output, both under his own name and his Traela Alias, as well his label 'Tunnyl Recordings'
I'm really flattered that they've let me release their first full solo release, and I love how they've brought out each others deeper and more emotive sides in these 2 tracks.
Shit Robot is a hero of mine. I basically wore out the grooves on a bunch of his DFA stuff from just over 10 years ago, and I've avidly bought everything he's released since.
I met him this summer for the first time when we shared the bill at a festival, and was so happy to find that he's also lovely guy in real life.
They say you should never meet your heroes, but I don't subscribe to that as this meeting led to not one, but two fantastic remixes for Me Me Me 08.
The originals are a bright mix of melodically analogue left leaning house, while the remixes zero-in on a punchier dancefloor vibe, with an epic version Goodnight, as well a more heads down Disco Dub.
So yeah, links within links, and keeping it Northeastern again I guess.
We started with the principle - the cosmic idea that we were taught by our father from a very young age - that the stars and planets make a sound, that deep in outer space there is audible harmony.'With its cathedral-like, richly resonant acoustics, the new HBE album is a brilliant expression of this interplanetary principle. The album is by turns urgent and contemplative, funky and reflective, varied in its textures, but entirely of one piece. Underpinned by concepts of our earth's place in the cosmos, held in place by meditation, swirling with notions of history, science, theology, ancestry, there is a rich conceptual brew here. But always, what talks loudest is the music. The album rings with what back in the 1950s the jazz critic Whitney Balliet called the sound of surprise'. At a time when the phrase Spiritual Jazz threatens in some quarters to become a tired cliche, this is a record that makes you believe again in the genre's validity.
Talking to Cid, one of the Ensemble's two trombonists, one phrase recurs: back to the beginning'. We wanted to go back to the beginning, when we were kids, real young, and our father would wake us up at 5 AM to practice for two hours before breakfast.' One outcome - initially unplanned but subsequently embraced - is that unlike their two previous albums on Honest Jon's, this is an album without a drummer. When we started, as Wolf Pack, just brothers on the street with our horns, there wasn't a kit in sight.' Book Of Sound retains plenty of rhythmic heft, but the absence of a drummer opens up space for a notably varied instrumental palette. Acoustic guitar, piccolo, synthesiser, alto sax - none of them typical HBE Instruments - all have their place on the album. Most striking perhaps are the vocal lines that thread through the album and give it a palpable warmth. In Wolf Pack, we rapped and played, this time we took it a step further.'
Sessions were recorded in Brooklyn and Chicago, and brilliantly mixed at Abel Garibaldi's studio in the Loop ( Abel was like a musician on this record'), and it's the Hypnotic's hometown that permeates. For Cid this is a deeply Chicago record: it's got the vibe of the lake, the vibe of the prairies opening up to the west'. It also has the vibe of those Sun Ra Arkestra albums recorded in Chicago in the 1950s, and - of course - the Phil Cohran albums from the 1960s.
It's Phil Cohran (the father of all seven members of the Ensemble and their first teacher, and not just in music) who is the album's guiding spirit. For Cid it's a major regret that, in the months before their father's death early in 2017, Phil was not well enough to play on the album. He loved the whole idea, and we had the perfect place for his zither'. But Book Of Sound is a magnificent testament to their Cohran legacy. You know, it's tough trying to satisfy everybody with our music. It's hard enough satisfying ourselves, let alone the jazz scene, the hip hop guys, what have you. With this album we just dropped all that as a consideration, and tuned into deeper principles.'
Everybody who knows Connaisseur, will probably be aware of the fact that we simply love the concept of remixes. To fnd the right person for a specifc track in order to turn an already amazing original into a new direction, is always an exciting challenge. Of course, there is always some wishful thinking on our side about what it will turn out to be like. Usually, we are completely wrong, which however doesn't mean that we are not happy with the result. Usually, we love the result even more than our own brainchild. In April, we released Of Norway's sophomore album
"The Loneliest Man In Space", a diverse masterpiece.
Since then, we have been searching for remixers whom we personally really like and of whom we are sure they can turn the track into a direction we can't even imagine. It was a bit of a journey, but now after the product ist completed, we are more than happy that we were able to bring such a group of remixers
together on one product.
As every remixer has delivered such a great interpretation, we decided to give each of themenough space to be discovered, which is why we will be releasing one remix per week over the course of two months. A selection of these remixes can be found
on a 12" extract. One extra remix is exclusively for radio and streaming.
For the vinyl extract we picked the interpretations by Lauer, Panthera Krause, Legowelt, Davis & Zopelar and Roy Of The Ravers.
Written, performed and produced by Thomas Moen Hermansen @M57 Studios Asker Jan-Sept 2016
Published by Smalltown Supermusic/Sony ATV Scandinavia
Mastered by Schnittstelle , Photos by Ragnhild Fors, Design by Metric Design
After the slightly more conceptual "Principe del Norte"album, "5" takes two steps forward and one step back
collecting a batch of tracks that was recorded right after it's preceder and in tandem with the recent "Square One"album with Bjørn Torske.
A "freedom"album of sorts, beyond the slightly misleading album opener "Here comes the band" there's a variety in these tracks tracing inspiration from 35 years (unhealthy)obsession with all things "good music" played enthusiastically.
"5" also marks the launch of my new label "Prins Thomas Musikk".
A run through the tracks with a couple of hints to titles and inspiration:
"Here comes the band"
A planned album of a fake band consisiting of me only was ditched. This is their only entry...
Very loosely inspired by "Bandwagonesque"era Teenage Fanclub
"Villajoyosa"
Melodic ideas hummed into a handheld recorded and specific notes about instrumentation scribbled down while on holiday in Villajoyosa in Spain turned into this little ditty when back in slightly colder Norway.
"Bronchi Beat"
Made in bed during a rough patch of bronchitis. Heavily influenced by prescription cough medicine.
Orbe from Madrid made a dizzy techno version which comes out soon enough...
""
I find great inspiration in working on new ideas while travelling the skies. Partly inspired by a detour into the soundtrack of my early teens (Paul Hardcastle, Warp 9, Maze, Mtume...)this particular one was started on a bumpy flight home from Athens and later finished in my tiny M57 Studio(R.I.P.)
"Æ"
Another bronchitis-ridden idea. Slow and low is the tempo. Beat originally inspired by Brian Briggs "AEO", melodies beamed in from Wally Badarou.
"Æ"is the norwegian pronounciation of the A in Acid refering to the 303 screeches going through the "song"
"Ø"
By the title you might think I'm running out of ideas. Not sure what happened here and why...
"Lunga Strada"
The track that took me the longest to complete hence the "long road".
Personal favourites The Pilotwings from Lyon sent over 2 ridiculously good and fun remixes which will
be released on a separate 10"
"London til Lisboa"
Another idea made on a plane when I should have tried to catch some sleep.
Direction steered by Plaid and Pat Metheny. Thank you for the inspiration
"Å"
Initially the final track AND then: scrapped idea for the alphabet soup of "Principe del Norte".
Later evolved into what we have here. Comes with a really nice remix by Pional on a separate 12"
"Venter på Torske"
The final recorded addition to the album. Made while waiting for Bjørn Torske to reply on a text message...
"Aske Hermansen"
In all seriousness, this is probably as soppy as it gets with me.
Tears into my computer keyboard, made on the road missing my wife and kids.
- A1: Tala A.m. - Get Up Tchamassi
- A2: Eko - Bowa'a Mba Ngebe
- A3: Uta Bella - Nassa Nassa
- A4: Charly Kingson - Nimele Bolo
- A5: Manu Dibango - Sun Explosion
- B1: Kemayo & K. System - Biram
- B2: Momo Joseph - Africain
- B3: Jake Sollo - Tinini Yanana
- B4: Pierre Didy Tchakounte - Soul Magabe
- B5: The Monstars - Funny Saga
It's just over 3 years since we launched the Africa Seven label in Paris and London. Our first release back then (Airways One) is still our best seller and had to be repressed 4 times so far. Forty or so releases later it is time to take to the clouds again. Being the unimaginative bunch we are, the fourth installment of our African sky filled musical cornucopia is called African Airways Four (Disco Funk Touchdown - 1976 - 1983). This time around all tunes have the Disco flavour. As ever it's all about the music... the skies are wide and funky and the air is filled with musical goodness. Your flight is about to leave.
Your flight opens with a punchy disco funk assault from Paris based Cameroonian Tala AM. Here with his drive bass and guitar funk riff 1981 stomper "Get Up Tchmassi". Next up and staying with the Cameroonian connection is Eko with "Bowaa Mba Ngebe". The lyrics talk of accomplishing the things in life for your family and yourself. The sweeping strings and gloriously uplifting music matching the sentiments of the words perfectly. Uta Bella began singing in the 60's and by the time disco hit in the 70's she was already established a singer in her native Cameroon, here the locked on groove of "Nassa Nassa" is a perfect snapshot of the sound and the African disco times.
Charly Kingson (cousin of Manu Dibango) is next with his "Nimele Bolo". Recorded in Germany with the cream of Munich's session musicians the bass synth is out in force on this one. Punchy brass, rock solid grooves and jazzy Rhodes add all the right ingredients for a fine disco synth excursion. Next is the musical heavyweight from Cameroon cousin Manu with his 1978 Disco, jazz funk masterpiece "Sun Explosion".
Side two opens with a blast of Elvis Kemayo and his piano and guitar funk bomb "Biram". Next Momo Joseph gives us "Africain". Best known in France as an actor, this disco funk groover was released on his self pressed LP "War For Ground" in 1983. A true gem indeed. Nigerian, ex Funkees member Jake Sollo is next with "Tinni Yanana". Recorded in the UK in 83 its slick and smooth with a hint of "at the car wash" groove. Pierre Didy Tchakounte follows on with his soul funk 'golden years' style groover "Soul Magabe". Produced by one of our favourite Parisian producers Slim Pezin. We close off our journey with the tribal chant disco-funk special from the Monstars "Funny Saga".
Ladies and Gentleman, we have landed at your destination, please remain seated until the aircraft has reached the terminal. We look forward to welcoming you aboard Africa Airways again soon.
Astray is the Sublabel of Away, Berlin. Tracklist A Wild Hunt AA Sahara Pump Theory B Wild Hunt (Mark Broom Remix) BB Hell For Leather INFO H4L After Discrete Circuit kicked off ASTRAY, another offshoot of the Berlin party series AWAY, the other half of their joint venture AWAY Soundsystem is in charge for ASTRAY's third installment. H4L, the Berlin-based live studio project, explores some tougher, jam-driven experiments resonating from two decades of warehouse reverberation experience. INFO Wild Hunt EP The title track starts off the release with a dusty, stripped-down pursuit. Marching forward with impelling kick drums, H4L creates an overall organic groove incorporating percussive, distorted sound particles, glancing up in and out of the mix like misty voices. 'Sahara Pump Theory' follows a more robust approach driven by vivid stab sequences and gnarly acidic bass elaborating a vibrant exchange of flow and energy. One of these unfolding weapons that know how to tickle that genuine peak-time madness. Speaking of weapons, UK producer Mark Broom is no stranger to that discipline after hitting dance floors with his ensouled workouts for more than two decades now. Following his old-school compass by calibrating the essentials of groove and melody, Broom's remix of 'Wild Hunt' throws the originals' core parts overboard to empower his highly effective hi-hats as the driving force rocketing into a distant atmosphere. 'Hell For Leather' tops off H4L's package with an unexpected hit-and-run sonic attack. Whether the competing broken and off beats, the IDM rooted drum patterns or the leftfield yet industrial jazz design - this reckless trip is by no means an easy finish, more like a feral crash course about an (almost) forgotten principle: electronic music is either an adventure or nothing at all.
With its sixth release NEW YORK TRAX continues the mission of highlighting the jewels of the New York underground. Liquid Asset is a Philadelphia-born Brooklyn-based hardware virtuoso who has made a name for herself by virtue of appearances on labels such as E-Saggila's Summer Isle Brooklyn's own Primitive Languages
Jacktone and Acid Etch where she has recently delivered a furious 7' split with Isabella. Liquid Asset built her own 808 and 303 clones by hand. The modified 303 is particularly audible in the opening track of the record Ephemeral Nights' where she did not waste time on an intro and went straight to creating a sonic pandemonium by blending an airhorn sound with frenzy acid basslines and a hardcore-leaning 909 kick. Contact' is a merciless creature of the night with its relentless dark groove building up throughout this composition cannot easily be classified as a representation of any particular genre. Controlperception' opens the B side. Here Liquid Asset plays with a cheerful acid line over a dreamy landscape often punctured with bleeping sounds. Finally in Forgetmenot' two opposite sounding basslines intertwine creating a minimal yet very capturing composition to close this one of a kind record.
*Landing on Alchemy Dubs, Reminiscence contains instrumental tracks from Ojah featuring Nik Torp (keyboard player from The Specials) on melodica duties, each with two dub versions.
*On the A side we find the track 'Reminiscence', a meditational UK steppers that drops incredibly heavy on sound systems. It's a mix of programmed and real instruments, and features Nik's tasty melodica melodies that take the listener to past, present and future. There are also two dub version excursions.
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*On the B side we find the track 'Anamnesis', a journey through time that features sounds from the N'goni (a west african string instrument) alongside Nik's melodica, synths, drum machines and some north african percussion. There are two different dub versions as well on this side, all executed live in one whole take.
*Limited edition of 500 copies, 180g vinyl, hand-stamped and hand-numbered, served in a reversed printed sleeve.
To progress towards a civilization which does not unconsciously perpetuate or aggravate inequality and poverty, we need to accept our many differences. For those who prefer uniformity or others who would rather avoid proximity, the celebration of diversity might sound ridiculous.
A certain measure of discomfort is required to reach compassion. But peace through diversity is no prophet's fantasy. It is no harder to imagine than the magical fact that we are alive right now.
The eternal act of dancing is one of the most active form of contemplation. Facing our own selves in the mirror of movement, we realize that we indeed are reflections of one another at all times. What will our own actions and thoughts feed around us
With over 30 years of combined dancefloor experience, Possible Futures have been witnesses to the wildest fauna and flora the great nocturnal jungle has to offer.
Sourcing their inspiration from the many shades of color that co-exist between black and white, it is through the open and eclectic selections of inspired and devoted luminaries that Possible Futures have found their manyfold sound: Frankie Knuckles, Larry Heard, Francois K, Carl Craig, Moritz von Oswald, DJ Harvey, Theo Parrish, Chez Damier, Ron Trent, DJ Deep or Moodymann, amongst so many others, have dedicated their lives to the flourishing of diversity on the dancefloor.
While the minds of Possible Futures float in the air with their bodies rotating behind the turntables, their feet are steadily rooted in reality, enabling their musical knowledge to unfold beyond the night. Through their own record label, Possible Futures share their therapeutic musical blends.
The first two cuts come from the grooves of Argentine old hand Leonel, a family friend of long date. 'Antares' and 'Bunda' drag their dusty trails across different genres, to be enjoyed at 45 rotations per minute. Curative properties guaranteed.
«Prelude» EP is the inceptive release of Oxmose, which marks the first entry in an ongoing catalogue, and the beginning of a journey with various artists. At its heart, the «Prelude» EP is a dialogue between two composers, a conversation that traces the line between abstract, electronic experimentalism and gliterring interpretive jazz. Parisian producer Shcaa takes control of Side A with 'Core', a near 20 minutes exploration into sound, which skirts the fringes of avant-garde minimalism and experimental rhythms. The song's acute cadence lays a dense and atmospheric foundation for the EP. - Side B sees Romanian artist Traian - Chereches offer-up an absorbing - counterpoint to Shcaa's opener on 'Cage'. The energy of Chereches' rebuttal fuses organic and interpretive sounds into a deft jazz reinterpretation, revealing a wide and surprising cinematic ambience. Mastered by Rashad Becker from Dubplates & Mastering Berlin, « Prelude » will be released on limited edition 12'', 180g heavyweight vinyl - with an outer sleeve featuring handmade artwork created by graphic designer Alice Voinea. The organic materials used in her work, emphasizing the interchange of the record, adding a further layer of continuity, one that streches between the artist, the music and the listener. - Written by Tom Fenwick
Tenderlonious led jazz outfit Ruby Rushton drop their second album of 2017. Following on from the success of 'Trudi's Songbook: Volume One' the band are back with their highly anticipated 'Volume Two'. Comprised of a further six cuts the listener is treated to another journey through modern day jazz!
Stand out tracks include "Tisbury Truckin", which is a stunning opener! Starting with an atmospheric soundscape it unexpectedly drops into a neck-snapping hip-hop groove with a punchy melodic line before effortlessly sliding into an up-tempo, afro-beat inspired rhythm with strong solos from trumpet and keys in tow. "Song For Christopher" is a heartfelt ballad, which begins with a touching flute solo and continues to take the listener on a journey through the emotions, ending in a crescendo of optimism - a fitting tribute to the late Christopher Rushton.
"Charlotte Emma Victoria" is another strong track and includes some tasteful sousaphone and trombone parts to add extra oomph to its bounce, accompanied by a soaring saxophone solo by band leader Edward Cawthorne (aka Tenderlonious). The album ends with a classic Herbie Hancock jazz-fusion standard, "Butterfly", which the band handle with finesse. A fitting cover that I have no doubt would impress its original writers.
'Trudi's Songbook: Volume Two' is a fantastic album, which further solidifies Ruby Rushton's place on the modern jazz scene. This is a must have album that would hold its own in any jazz enthusiasts record collection - make sure you check it out!
First Word Records are very proud to present an EP by Manchester's finest Hip Hop and Soul exports, Children of Zeus. This is 'The Story So Far...'
Konny Kon & Tyler Daley met back in 2005, after both performing a show near Paris in their respective crews, Broke'N'£nglish and Body Roq. The duo met up back home in Manchester, spurred on initially by a mutual admiration of each others music, and produced their first track together, aptly entitled 'Coming Home To You'.
A few years later, Tyler approached Konny about producing a full EP together. These sessions included the creation of a track called 'Still Standing', which ultimately saw the light of day last Summer on First Word. Still a highlight in their live sets, the Lenzman rub won "Best Remix" at the 2016 Drum & Bass Awards. The original has become somewhat of a British Soul anthem since its release, with people that missed it first time round still clamouring for it on wax. So we've included it on this EP.
As they've grown within the family of Manchester's music scene, they've provided a tonic to the city's bass-orientated club scene, breathing Soul back into the city, whilst maintaining their heritage of Hip Hop swagger. As an MC, Konny takes no prisoners, whilst Tyler (a prolific MC in his own right) has gained a rep as one of the UK's strongest Soul voices. Both artists have been blessed with the talent of beat-making. A combined craftsmanship upon the boards and in the booth.
From building a grassroots following of fans, they've since travelled the globe, sharing stages with giants and catching the ear of peers far and wide, from Pete Rock to Zed Bias. As well as hosting their own monthly radio show on NTS, they've collaborated with numerous Hip Hop acts, both sides of the Atlantic, as well as Soul royalty in the form of Caron Wheeler and Drum'n'Bass legends, such as Goldie (Tyler featuring heavily across his latest album).
Children of Zeus have finally begun the process of crafting together their debut album. This EP is a compilation of the creations the duo have produced themselves over the past decade, put together to appease their loyal followers thus far, and as an introduction to those yet to discover their talents. A snapshot of what has been, and a mere taster of what's to come. It features brand new tracks such as 'Smoke With Me' and (vinyl-only cut) 'Tonight', the anthemic 'Crown' (featured on First Word's 'Two Syllables' compilation previously) and fan favourites such as 'No Sunshine Tomorrow' and 'Push On'. A collection of raw, gritty, Hip Hop Soul music.
The debut album will drop in 2018.
This collection signals the end of the first chapter. A prologue even.
Get on board now. The time is right. This is the story so far...
Today, we are glad to introduce you to our TONE SERIES Remix Series. One and a half years after the launch of the parent label, TONE SERIES has released five EPs (consisting of two tracks each), all composed by French musician David K. And almost halfway between the first release TS10 and the last one TS01 (TS06 came out at the beginning of September 2017), we thought it would be interesting to ask artists we like to reinterpret one of David's creations.
As a result, we're delighted to present you as 1st EP (TSRS01) of this TONE SERIES Remix Series: DIPE (TS09) re-drummed by French music composer and DJ Traumer as well as WINTER BELLS (TS06) remixed by Japanese artist Tomoki Tamura, both artists getting the ball rolling for this new soulful and colourful series.
French psych duo The Limiñanas today released their new single 'Istanbul Is Sleepy' through Because Music. Featuring Anton Newcombe (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) and produced at his Berlin studio, the single is taken from their 'Istanbul Is Sleepy' EP out 17th November. The band, who are set to release a new album early next year, will play their debut London show at Oslo on 5th October. Directed by Jean Luc Moly, the moody, Sixties-inspired video to 'Istanbul Is Sleepy' premiered on Brooklyn Vegan: link here
Reflecting on the single and their collaboration with Newcombe, Lionel explained, "'Istanbul Is Sleepy' is like the classic dream where you become the hero, the Captain Blood or Midnight Sultan(). The one who rescues and seduces Maureen O'Hara or Ava Gardner. Anton is singing and playing guitar on the track. He was inspired, in particular, by The Cult during their 'Rain' period. Last year, Mojo magazine asked us to record a cover for a special Kinks tribute. We chose 'Two Sisters'. Marie and I were thinking for the vocal part it would be great to approach Anton Newcombe, having opened for The Brian Jonestown Massacre at Le Trianon in Paris. The work began like that. We had an album to record and we decided to finish it with him. During the Christmas week we took our demos, flew to Berlin and recorded at Anton's studio. Six days later we had a finished album".
One of France's most beloved treasures, The Limiñanas are Marie (drums/vocals) and Lionel (guitar, bass, keyboards and vocals). Hailing from Perpignan, the duo straddles the boundary between psych, shoegaze, and yé-yé. With hazy, reverb-laden hooks, combined at times with noisy distortion, and fronted by effortlessly cool vocals, reminiscent of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot, the band is at once timeless and quintessentially French.
Tenderlonious lays down his fute for this LP and goes back to the MPC, with help from the illusive Dennis Ayler. Comprised of ten cuts 'Brick City' takes the listener on a journey through Afro-House, Funk, Jazz, Rare Groove, Boogie and Broken Beat - something for everyone here! Brick City (4am)' and Buterfy' groove efortlessly whilst synth leads interject over tasty chords, all the while being supported by solid bass lines - these two
will undoubtedly set a strong pace on the dancefoor. 'Funky Booda' does exactly what it says on the tn, it's a straight Funk classic! Its infectous groove and soaring leads are sure to have you clapping your hands and stomping your feet. 'Be Ur Friend' is a fery Afro-House number - reminiscent of one of Tenderlonious's early releases 'Bob's Riddim.' There's also more hip-hop inspired selectons like 'Brick City (4pm)' or 'Pepe's Walk,' which bump hard and have strong traces of Sa-Ra and J Dilla infuence.
The record comes complete with quirky skits like 'Bootsy' and 'Ferndale Gateaux,' which blend in and out between the other tunes allowing the record to fow efortlessly from beginning to end. There is something for everyone on this album. It's the kind of record you can play at home from start to fnish or take out to the club as an essental dancefoor fller.
- A1: Love Love Love
- A2: Carnival (Feat. Shermar)
- A3: Work It Out (Feat. Fritz Helder)
- B1: Morse Code
- B2: Painting By Numbers (Feat. Uhahuh)
- B3: The Huggers
- C1: Porcelain (Feat. Iwona Skwarek)
- C2: Open House (Feat. Tee Flowers)
- C3: Daydream (Feat. Da Chick)
- D1: Hidden Affection (Feat. Best Youth)
- D2: Like A Man (Feat. Marta Ren)
- D3: Say It Slow (Feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow)
- D4: My Ladybug
Moullinex is back with his finest album up to date, HYPERSEX, a collective love letter to club culture and its celebration of difference, freedom and love. In his third length, Moullinex reached out to several guest singers: Fritz Helder (Azari & III), Georgia Anne Muldrow (Flying Lotus, Mos Def), Iwona Skwarek (Rebeka), Best Youth, Marta Ren, Da Chick, UhAhUh and Tee Flowers, crafting a uniquely fresh piece that combines many of his musical influences, from the funk, groove and sunshine of his debut "Flora" to the psychedelia and tropicalia of 'Elsewhere'. Moullinex is the alter ego of the Portuguese producer and multiinstrumentalist Luis Clara Gomes. He's established himself as one of the leading artists in the modern disco scene, with several singles such as 'Take My Pain Away' and 'Maniac' ft. Peaches, and remixes of acts like Røyksopp, Cut Copy, Two Door Cinema Club and Grammyawarded artist RAC. The road to HYPERSEX has been paved by various singles and videos in 2017, expanding the spirit of collaboration to directors and visual artists, and gathered wide support from international tastemakers across the globe, including Vice, NPR, KCRW, Triple J, Majestic Casual, Les Inrockuptibles and Tsugi Mag. HYPERSEX is like Hypertext between humans, a system designed to multiply ideas and connections between people. The dance floor is the perfect medium.
The Doors had one of the most extraordinary debut years in music history in 1967, releasing a string of hit singles and two platinum albums, beginning in January with the band's self-titled debut, followed by Strange Days in September. The latter peaked at #3 on the Billboard album chart and featured classics like Love Me Two Times,' When The Music's Over,' and the title track Strange Days.'
STRANGE DAYS (50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION) was produced by the album's original engineer Bruce Botnick. It includes the original stereo mix of the album on CD for the first time in a decade, with sound that's been remastered for the first time in 30 years. The second disc features the album's original mono mix, which has been remastered for this set and is making its CD debut. Accompanying the set are liner notes by music journalist David Fricke, as well as a selection of rare and previously unseen photographs.
Having a larger budget for Strange Days allowed the band to spend more time experimenting in the studio. They used an eight-track recorder for the first time, which resulted in some memorable overdubs like Krieger's double-tracked guitar on When The Music's Over.' Surprisingly, the trippy keyboard sound heard on the album's title track is actually one of the earliest appearances of a Moog synthesizer in a rock song.
Strange Days mixed new songs written on the road with some written before the band's 1967 debut. In fact, the band performed Strange Days' during its 1966 residency at the London Fog in L.A., while My Eyes Have Seen You' dates back to 1965. Another early track is Moonlight Drive,' which was one of the very first songs that the band practiced together, and where the band heard Krieger's haunting bottleneck guitar playing for the first time. It's also the song Morrison sang to Manzarek at Venice Beach in 1965 when the two former UCLA film students reconnected and decided to start the Doors.
After two hip-hop albums (Got To Get Down in 2016 and Impact in 2017), the unpredictable Afro Latin Vintage Orchestra comes back to its fundamentals with a new instrumental album:
MORPHEUS which repositions the band in the spirit of their previous spatial, almost cosmic albums Last Odyssey (2012) and Pulsion (2015), both released on Ubiquity Records and acclaimed by spiritual and fusion jazz lovers, library music fans, as well as rare grooves diggers (ALVO's first 4 vinyl albums now being out of stock).
Each new ALVO new release is a millesimal which evolved and learned from its predecessors.
Masta Conga, who's still leading the herd, has for main purpose to explore the musical space-time, gaining ground on never before revealed tracks, followed by his now faithful team of atypical and
farseeing musicians.
Compared to Miles Davis and his On The Corner by Wax Poetics, the band dives again in this realm of psychedelia and beyond', in particular with the contribution of Indian musicians. Twirling
around violins, superimposed patchy keyboards and effects, just as if their conductor wasn't already sufficiently influenced by Pierre Boulez and others such as Hiroshi Murakami... The result is however more uncluttered and loaded with multiple vibes than its predecessor Pulsion, which already carried the ceremonial characteristics of cult movie soundtracks. Tracks Moksha',
Air' and Morpheus' are the perfect demonstration, and far beyond their names. Simple grooves, lunar, but terribly efficient, emphasized by a mix that puts focus on these fiddly contributions of ethnic instruments, on percussions and horns on a drip of delay, reverbs and other space-echoes.
On the other side, the very rhythmic Descarga Uno', Descarga Dos' and Super Dopamine' show that the Parisian crew hasn't lost its good habit to look around latin, ternary, and syncopated
rhythms, in the ALVO only style! A new millésime, a Grand Cru maybe, but for sure to taste and appreciate in all weathers including space ones.
- A1: Anyway The Wind Blows
- A2: Cadillac Woman
- A3: Can't Get My Rest At Night
- A4: Days Like This
- A5: Down Home Girl
- B1: Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You
- B2: Hit That Jive Jack
- B3: I Can't Dance
- B4: Jealous Girl
- B5: Just For A Thrill
- C1: Keep On Truckin
- C2: Do You Or Don't You I Wanna Know
- C3: Motorvatin' Mama
- C4: Rhythm King
- C5: Rough Cut Diamond
- D1: Streamline Woman
- D2: The Joint Is Jumping
- D3: Tomorrow Night
- D4: Walking One & Only
- D5: Where's The Money
- E1: A True Romance
- E2: Bad To Be Alone
- E3: Bye Bye Blues
- E4: Crazy He Calls Me
- E5: Cry Baby
- E6: Every Sixty Seconds
- F1: Groovin
- F2: He's A Real Gone Guy
- F3: I Put A Spell On You
- F4: I Want To Be Evil
- F5: Long Walk To Dc
- F6: Love Letters
- G1: Snap Your Fingers
- G2: Mojo Boogie
- G3: My Handy Man
- G4: Oh Baby
- G5: Ring My Bell
- G6: Spooky
- H1: That's How Heartaches Are Made
- H2: This Ain't United Nations
- H3: Trust In Me
- H4: When Hollywood Goes Black And Tan
- H5: Yesterdays
- This four LP box set features some of the best studio recordings by Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, the ten-piece band that Bill
put together after leaving the Rolling Stones in 1992. Whilst the band features guest appearances by all-star musicians (including
Mick Taylor, Eric Clapton, Chris Rea, George Harrison,Gary Brooker and Peter Frampton on these recordings), it has an all-
star core line-up that features Georgie Fame, Beverley Skeete, Albert Lee, Terry Taylor and Bill Wyman himself of course.
- For this compilation, Bill Wyman has chosen forty three tracks that showcase the fantastic lead vocals of both Beverley
Skeete, perhaps the UK's busiest session singer, and Georgie Fame, a star (and legend) in his own right since 1964 of course.
- Each singer has two LPs: Georgie's features his renditions of songs by the likes of J.J. Cale, Mose Allison, Dan Hicks, and Bill
Wyman & Terry Taylor, while Beverley's features her take on songs by Nellie Lutcher, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, J.B. Lenoir and
The Rascals.
- This box set marks the first appearance of any Rhythm Kings recordings on vinyl. The four LPs are housed in an attractive rigid
outer slipcase and the inner sleeves feature all themusician credits.
In 2017, the musical term electronic' is nearly obsolete given the ubiquity of computerized processes in producing music. Even so, the prevailing assumption is that musicians working under this broad umbrella must be inspired by concepts equally as electrified as their equipment. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith has demonstrated in her still-blooming discography that this notion couldn't be further from the truth, and that more often than not, rich worlds of synthesized
sound are born from deep reverence of the natural world. Smith (who by no coincidence, cites naturalist David Attenborough as a contemporary muse) has embodied such an appreciation on
The Kid in as direct and sincere a way as possible by sonically charting the phases of life itself.
The album, which punctually follows up her 2016 breakthrough EARS, chronicles four defining cognitive and emotional stages of the human lifespan across four sides of a double LP.
The first side takes us through the confused astonishment of a newborn, unaware of itself, existing in an unwitting nirvana. Smith's music has always woven a youthful thread befitting of the
aforementioned subject. Here she articulates it in signature fashion on the track An Intention,' which serves not only as a soaring spire on The Kid, but on her entire output. There is playfulness here, but it's elevated by an undertone of gravity into something compelling and majestic that is fast becoming Smith's watermark. The emotional focus of side two is the vital but underreported moment in early youth when we cross the threshold into self awareness. The subject is profound enough to fill an entire album, but rarely makes its way into a single track, indicating Smith's ambition to broach subtler and deeper subjects than the average composer. This side offers up another highlight in the form of In The World But Not Of The World' which serves its subject well with epiphanic, climbing strings and decidedly noisy textures over a near-Bollywood low end pulse.
Side three emphasizes a feeling of being confirmed enough in one's own identity to begin giving back to the formative forces of one's upbringing, which is arguably the duty that all great artists
aim to fulfill. This side ends with the exploratory album cut Who I Am & Why I Am Where I Am' recorded in a single take without overdubs on the rare EMS Synthi 100 synthesizer. This humble
piece of sound design serves as a contrast to side four's verdant orchestral moments, all written and arranged for the EU-based Stargaze quartet by Smith herself. This final side represents a
return to pure being, the kind of wisdom and peace that eludes most of us until the autumn of life. On To Feel Your Best' this concept is voiced in the bittersweet refrain one day I'll wake up
and you won't be there' which Smith intended to be a grateful acknowledgement of life rather than a melancholy resentment of loss. The song has both effects depending on the mood of the
listener, and both interpretations are equally moving.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith belongs to an ilk of modern musicians who are defined by their commitment to creating experiential albums despite the singles-oriented habits of modern listeners,
and here she represents her kind proudly. The subjects on The Kid are not simple to convey, and yet through both emotional tone and lyrical content, Smith does just that. There is a similar
gravity to both birth and death, and rarely is that correlation as accurately and enthusiastically mapped as it is here.
Alan Watts, another logical inspiration of Smith's, once expounded that people record themselves to confirm their own existence, and as such, echoes and resonance are reminders that we are alive. You're not there unless you're recorded,' Watts muses, if you shout, and it doesn't come back and echo, it didn't happen.' The Kid speaks to this idea directly. As Kaitlyn Aurelia
Smith explores her existence through music, she guides us in gleefully contemplating our own.
Legendary James Brown's protégée Martha High teams up with mighty Japanese Osaka Monaural to pay homage to "JB's Funky Divas" in her new album "Tribute to My Soul Sisters".
Original Funky Diva Martha High has been an integral part of James Brown's life and career for more than 30 years. She was his backing vocalist, hair stylist, payroll master and his always loyal and reliable confidant.
The idea for this project was hatched back in 2014, when Martha was visiting producer DJ Pari, head honcho of the Soulpower organization and manager of soul legends like The Impressions, Lyn Collins and Marva Whitney. While reminiscing about tours with her fellow James Brown veterans, Martha felt that a tribute to the great soul sisters of the JB Revue, better known as "James Brown's Original Funky Divas," was very much needed.
"I looked up to these ladies of soul," says Martha, "Given the opportunity and the pleasure to perform their songs, is my way of saying: thank you, you're not forgotten. To record the music of the Funky Divas, would mean a lot to Mr. Brown. He always wanted the world to know he had powerful women on stage that could hold his crowd while he was off the stage. They were just as powerful and funky as he was."
Without further ado, following DJ Pari's advice, Martha partnered up in Tokyo with one of the hottest names of the new funk renaissance: Japan's Osaka Monaurail. Deeply influenced by the work of James Brown, Bobby Byrd, Curtis Mayfield and with nine albums under their belt, Osaka Monaurail have been leading the international funk scene for more than two decades, appearing at festivals such as Montreal Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival and Womad's, as well as recording and touring with funk legends like Marva Whitney and Fred Wesley.
This unique collaboration gives new life to 13 soulful pearls, masterfully interpreted as only an Original Funky Diva can do. To name a few: "Think (About It)", made famous by the female preacher Lyn Collins, "Mama's Got a Bag of Her Own", Anna King's answer to Brown's "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "This Is My Story", of which Martha recorded the original version with The Jewels, and the soul classic "Answer to Mother Popcorn" by Vicki Anderson.
Born in Victoria, Virginia, and discovered by rock 'n roll pioneer Bo Diddley, Martha started her career with the soulful, legendary doo-wop group The Four Jewels, with whom she scored the national hit "Opportunity" in 1964. Soon, The Jewels caught the attention of James Brown and joined the James Brown Revue in 1966. The Godfather of Soul recorded and released several songs featuring The Jewels until the group disbanded. Nevertheless, Martha stayed with James Brown and continued to work with him as his personal vocalist for 32 years. She was with him at the Boston Garden during the iconic 1968 gig after Martin Luther King's assassination. She was by his side when he performed at renowned "Rumble in The Jungle" event in Zaire. Mr. Brown produced several of Martha's singles on his own People label such as "Georgy Girl", "Try Me" and "Summertime." Meanwhile Martha launched her solo career in 1979 with the self-titled debut LP for Salsoul Records. Since, she has released five albums under her name and, being one of the "hardest working women in show business", she became one of the leading singers of saxophonist Maceo Parker's legendary funky music machine, working with him for 16 years.
Throughout her career Martha has shared stages worldwide with iconic artists like Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Michael Jackson and George Clinton. Martha has been carrying the torch of soul music for her whole life, like a true soul sister. Now, with this new effort, she is keeping the music of the Funky Divas going, and we are sure that the Godfather of Soul and her faithful audience would appreciate it.
Awake at an undefined hour. Floating between the realm of dreams and open awareness. Accept it — you're a headspace passenger. Talking to a machine is a thrill for a moment or two. You want to go out, need to get lost. It's still yet all under the surface ... but you know it's going to happen, eventually. What you need to do is: return to the same old place. What you think is:
I hope the roof flies off, and I get sucked up into space.
This is the debut album by Berlin-based musician and futurist Andre´ Uhl. Crackling noise, moody arpeggios, and haunting melodies tell tales of the hazy past, moving into the twilight of the future. Each of the 13 songs is a dark and cinematic piece on it's own - altogether combined a compelling story, here for the listener to explore.
The album is available digitally and on vinyl in a limited edition of 300 copies, including a booklet of 13 short stories by different writers like the Czech visual artist and poet Katarina Hruskova, Berlin-based subcultural magickian Daniel Jones, and the British novelist Chris Brownsword - each story inspired by one of the 13 songs. I hope the roof flies off, and I get sucked up into space is the first trueness presented by Neofakt, a new label for audio, text and visual art.
- A1: Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark - Awake O Zion
- A2: Dee Edwards - Put Your Love On The Line
- A3: Anubis - Ecology
- B1: Guy Cuevas - Ebony Game
- B2: Kiru Stars (Julius Kang'ethe) - Family Planning (Julius Kang'ethe)
- B3: Teaspoon & The Waves - Oh Yeh Soweto
- C1: Leny Andrade - Nao Adianta
- C2: Rosa Maria - Samba Maneiro
- C3: Tom & Dito - Obrigado Corcovado
- C4: Inezita Barroso - Maracatu Elegante
- C5: Joao Diaz - Capoeira
- C6: The Equatics - Merry Go Round
- D1: Elias Rahbani & His Orchestra - Liza... Liza
- D2: The Beaters - Harari
This instalment follows on from our acclaimed 'Volume One' - Lauren Laverne's 'Compilation Of The Week', supported by the likes of Disclosure, Jeremy Underground, Horsemeat Disco, Hunee and Laurent Garnier. 'Volume Two' picks up where the last one left off — with a touch more soul and disco — records we've been spinning in our DJ sets and on the radio show of the same name, that inspired this series.
We opened a new record shop in the centre of Brighton late in 2016 - 13 years after the mighty London store closed it's door. Now situated on the ground floor of our Gloucester Yard home the shop is open every Saturday to sell records that we love, some of which you'll hear on the radio shows, and on this album.
It's been a resounding success and we've been able to host sunny instore events and Facebook Live broadcasts with guests including Nick The Record, Dimensions Festival family Debora Ipekel, Flamingods, Slugabed, The Physics House Band and Remi Kolawole & Sensible J.
In 2017 and beyond, we will be releasing more of our official reissues including lesser-known essentials from Brazil, such as Gal Costa's 'India', Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti, Burnier & Cartier alongside 1980's Mexican psychedelia from Luis Perez. We've been digging deep, and will share another edition of our 'The Original Sound of...' series, this time across the border from Mali to neighbouring Burkina Faso. As ever, you'll hear these first, on our radio shows.
There will be more 'Mr Bongo Presents' events - we brought Alain Mion & Cortex to the Jazz Cafe in London in 2017 - and we've highly anticipated slots at Bestival and Lost Village festivals, plus a return to RAPPCATS in Los Angeles, more guest shows on Worldwide FM and NTS Radio and, of course, the continuation
of our own radio shows.
Compiled by David 'Mr Bongo' Buttle and Gareth Stephens,
plus a few personal favourites from Gary Johnson, Ville Marttila and Graham Luckhurst.
As a contrasting follow-up to our first single from Rooteo &
Mahura's Metta album, the second single on Made In Green
Records keeps the format intact with entirely different results. Deadbeat's remix on part one was both respectful and subtly transformative; on part two, New York's upcoming Max McFerren, whose busy 2015 included EPs on Ultimate Hits, Allergy Season, and 1080p, brings us a startling reinterpretation of album closer 'Harmal' very much in keeping with the vein of raw, aggressive house coming from Brooklyn since that scene's resurgence. The original version of 'Harmal' finishes the album in fine style, blending tablas, celestial electronics, and short melodica phrases that gradually swell with layers of vocal samples and orchestal pads before reaching a climax and slowly dying away in gradually receding layers of ambient electronics. McFerren's remix leads off with only a bare framework of techno percussion. The entry of a sampled section of melody from the original signals a rapid transition to more abrasive territory, with sheets of metallic noise slashing through the high end, short vocal syllables stuttering, and an insistent bass pulse building up and breaking down with at least one element constantly in motion.
Gilles Peterson says: "If a Cuban record had come out on Sleeping Bag Records in 1982, I think it would've sounded a bit like this. It's an eccentric middle ground between Latin-styled pop and disco".
Reissued from the Spanish version of this awesome Cuban records with a unique picture cover. Probably one of the best 70's Areito releases, for sure ahead of his times. The entire record minus two tracks of 10 total are all upbeat with afro-latin breaks, dope choral vocal arrangements and chunky bass and conga lines, but don t sleep, the lower bpm songs are great mellow gems. Gilles Peterson says: "If a Cuban record had come out on Sleeping Bag Records in 1982, I think it would ve sounded a bit like this. It s an eccentric middle ground between Latin-styled pop and disco".
































































































































































