FÜR FANS VON: DEEP PURPLE, STATUS QUO, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, MOLLY HATCHET
Nach neun Jahren Pause sind KICKHUNTER zurück, um wieder besten Kick-Ass Rock’n Roll abzuliefern. Im Jahr 2000 von Gitarrist Stefan Aurel und Schlagzeuger Karsten Kreppert gegründet, hat die in Hamburg ansässige Formation bisher vier Alben veröffentlicht. Mit ihrem Debütalbum "Hearts & Bones" tourten sie 2003 gleich mit DEEP PURPLE und LYNYRD SKYNYRD durch Europa und gewannen viele neue Anhänger. Der international hochgelobte Nachfolger „Little Monsters“ erschien 2007. KICKHUNTER veröffentlichten im Sommer 2010 ihr drittes Meisterwerk „All In“. 2013, kurz bevor sie ihr viertes Album „Southern Kicks“ veröffentlichten, begleiteten sie die US-Southern-Rock-Legende MOLLY HATCHET auf ihrer Deutschlandtour.
Jetzt melden sich KICKHUNTER mit ihrem 5. Album „Now Or Never“ zurück. Produziert von der Band und gemischt und gemastert
von Eike Freese (DEEP PURPLE, EISBRECHER, GAMMA RAY u.a.) und Dennis Ward (PINK CREAM 69, MAGNUM, KYHMERA u.a.). Das Album enthält auch einen Gastauftritt von keinem geringeren als Gründungsmitglied und HELLOWEEN-Bassisten Markus Großkopf! Markus, der durch sein Engagement bei HELLOWEEN zeitlich sehr eingeschränkt ist, kann KICKHUNTER im Moment live leider nicht unterstützen. Für ihn konnten die fünf verbliebenen Originalmitglieder Tim Schwarz (XANDRIA, HARDBONE) als neuen Bassisten gewinnen. Außerdem gibt es mit Gitarrist Gerd Lehmkuhl einen Neuzugang an der Gitarre, der die Triple-Axe-Attack komplettiert!!! Wer nach echter handgemachter Rockmusik mit dreckigen Riffs, kraftvollen Hammond-Sounds und groovigen Drums sucht, der wird KICKHUNTER lieben!!!
Long out of print (10 years!), this new edition of Soul Jazz Records' classic Delta Swamp Rock, features a killer all-star line-up of seminal artists who all first blended rock, soul and country together to create a stunning new sound of southern American music in the 1970s.
Featuring the Allman Brothers, Dan Penn, Leon Russell, Tony Joe White, Johnny Cash, Bobbie Gentry, Big Star, Link Wray, Area Code 615 and loads more!
This album comes as a superb limited-edition gold vinyl double vinyl release complete with extensive original sleevenotes, interviews and exclusive photography, all spread over a 12-page full-size magazine and two bespoke inner sleeves. The works!
Delta Swamp Rock is an interstate southern road-trip through the United States of America where country, rock and soul met at the crossroads - an exploration of the musical and cultural links between the cities of Memphis, Muscle Shoals and Nashville in the 1960s and 70s.
At the start of the 1970s, a new type of music emerged out of the southern states of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida. Southern rock, the creation of young blue-collar white Americans, blended rock, soul, country and blues music together to present a new vision of the south – a post-civil rights southern identity complete with a celebration of the regions natural landscape and its way of life.
The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd epitomised the definitive southern rock groups – a mixture of blues-rock and country with a southern rebelliousness and attitude. Unfortunately both The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd were to be struck by tragedy, which would affect the movement’s rise and fall.
The backstory to southern rock is the fact that a number of the people involved in its creation had been central to the production of southern soul music in the 1960s mainly in Memphis, Tennessee, and the small town of Muscle Shoals (population around 10,000) deep within the bible-belt, liquor-free, deeply segregated state of Alabama, creating 100s of R&B hits on an almost daily basis.
Here in Muscle Shoals, with its proximity to Memphis and Nashville, an all-white group of in-house musicians, (famously referred to by Lynyrd Skynyrd in the song ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ as the ‘Swampers’), created countless classic soul records for the likes of Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Clarence Carter and more during the 1960s.
This album charts the rise and fall of southern rock from its funky swamp roots in southern soul to its phenomenal success in the first-half of the 1970s, including its influence on Nashville’s ‘outlaw’ country and tracing it right back to the arrival of rock and roll in the 1950s - the first meeting of black and white American music at the crossroads.
Ein Album zur Feier von James’ 40-jährigem Jubiläum. ”Be Opened By The Wonderful” ist ein Album mit 20 Titeln (19 auf Vinyl) mit einigen ihrer beliebtesten Songs, die mit einem 22-köpfigen Orchester und
einem 8-köpfigen Chor neu interpretiert wurden.
Fredfades is finally ready with his second album as a solo artist. The producer and DJ and has remained active as a musician ever since his debut single in 2008. Since he released his debut solo album 'Warmth' six years ago he's ben diving into a bunch of different genres and cross-ing musical landscapes such as ambient, hip-hop and house, which has led to releases and productions across labels like his own Mutual Inten-tions imprint, as well as bigger labels like Stones Throw, Fresh Selects and Jakarta Records. This sonic voyage has resulted in ‘Caviar’ - an album that tells the story of a producer who's ready to let go of his youthful love and indulge himself to electronic music.
Fredfades name is more often seen on foreign club posters than back home in Norway. This has colored the musical expression of the Oslo-born multi-artist, and on ‘Caviar’ he is gathering inspiration from every corner of the world where he has traveled. You can clearly hear the inspi-rations from the sounds of Rome, Manchester, South-Africa, Detroit, New York, Berlin, Paris and the Balearic ocean, which are all well repre-sented throughout the album's eight tracks. If you close your eyes and put your ears close to the speakers you will hear loons, running water, African percussion instruments, roaring saxophones, bit-crushed samples, moaning women, TB 303’s, bottom-heavy basslines and recordings of whales communicating at the bottom of the ocean. Everything seamlessly put together for Fredfades’ own sonic world view. The album features a bunch of talented friends of Fred, such as Telephones or the vocalists MoRuf and Kristian Hamilton.
Despite being known as more of a progressive and edgy DJ that haunts down a lot of indie and private press electronic music, Fredfades has cultivated a more elegant and controversial output in his own music. His progressions often consist of dwelling jazz chords from electric pianos or mellow sub-filtered synth patches that creates space where he can unleash rowdy basslines, rhythm sections and leads just as confident and captivating as the man himself. On the jazzy ‘Tenerife 1994’ you can hear a tribute to one of Fred’s greatest heroes in music: Pharoah Sanders, while on ‘My Heart Is On The Edge’ and ‘Summer of Love’ the energy and euphoria is boiling over and directs your mind towards the summer raves which Fredfades is known to throw down in Oslo.
On the LP covers backside Fredfades is posing with a Korg Wavestation in front of the block where he grew up in the suburbs outside Oslo, while the front cover is showing an airbrushed illustration of Caviar from sturgeon - ‘From block to Beluga’. The black vinyl contains magic grooves created by an electronic musical convertite, with the power to transport the listener from a perpetual winter to the 90s warm dance floors and the 'Second Summer of Love’.
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Erstauflage auf farbigem "Red & Blue" Vinyl. Jubiläums-Edition zum 30. Jahrestag des Debütalbums von Six Finger Satellite, The Pigeon Is the Most Popular Bird, mit einer brandneuen, vollständig remasterten CD und einer Doppel-LP-Neuauflage. Die 1990 in Providence, Rhode Island, von J. Ryan (Sänger/Keyboard), John MacLean (Gitarre), Peter Phillips (Gitarre), Chris Dixon (Bass) und Rick Pelletier (Schlagzeug) gebildeten Six Finger Satellite wurden für die Weapon EP schnell von Sub Pop unter Vertrag genommen. Nach Weapon machte sich die Band daran, ihr Debütalbum mit Bob Weston (von Shellac, die später eine Single The Bird Is the Most Popular Finger zu Ehren von Six Finger Satellite benannten) zu produzieren. Das 1993 veröffentlichte The Pigeon Is the Most Popular Bird war die erste Veröffentlichung, die den abenteuerlichen, bissigen Geist und Sound von Six Finger Satellite wirklich einfing. Das Album ist ein Meilenstein des lauten, beunruhigenden Post-Punk, mit Einflüssen von Gang of Four, The Birthday Party und Wire, aber auch mit einer gesunden Dosis der eigenen, einzigartigen Klangfeindlichkeit der Band. Zwischen den spröden Rocktracks finden sich auf The Pigeon Is the Most Popular Bird einige Keyboard- und Studioexperimente, die auf den späteren Alben der Band stärker hervortraten und LCD Soundsystem, DFA Records und einen Großteil des Post-Punk-Revivals der frühen 2000er Jahre vorwegnahmen. Pitchfork bezeichnete The Pigeon Is the Most Popular Bird zu Recht als "eine der besten Noise-Rock-Platten der 90er Jahre" und schrieb, dass "die Übergänge von albern zu bissig den unvorhersehbaren und ätzenden Ansatz von Six Finger Satellite hervorheben - dies war das erste von mehreren Beispielen dafür, wie sie Underground-Trends verschmähten, und ihre aufregendste bittere Pille, die es zu schlucken galt".
`Oh Me Oh My' is both elegant and ferocious. It is stirring in one moment and a balm the next. It details histories both global and personal. Lonnie Holley's harrowing youth and young manhood in the Jim Crow South are well-told at this point _ his sale into a different home as a child for just a bottle of whiskey; his abuse at the infamous Mount Meigs correctional facility for boys; the destruction of his art environment by the Birmingham airport expansion. But Holley's music is less a performance of pain endured and more a display of perseverance, of relentless hope. Intricately and lovingly produced by LA's Jacknife Lee (The Cure, REM, Modest Mouse), there is both kinetic, shortwave funk that call to mind Brian Eno's `My Life in the Bush of Ghosts' and the deep space satellite sounds of Eno's ambient works. But it's a tremendous achievement in sonics all its own. It's also an achievement in the refinement of Holley's impressionistic, stream-of-consciousness lyrics. On the title track which deals with mutual human understanding", Holley is able to make a profound point as ever in far fewer phrases: "The deeper we go, the more chances there are, for us to understand the oh-me's and understand the oh-my's." Illustrious collaborators like Michael Stipe, Sharon Van Etten, Moor Mother and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver serve as not only as choirs of angels and co-pilots to give Lonnie's message flight but as proof of Lonnie Holley as a galvanizing, iconoclastic force across the music community.
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Black + White Haze Vinyl. With a sound that was swampy, primal and modern-urban all at once_as much in the tradition of rock n' roll and punk rock as it was a rejection of those things, the Scientists' formula was as universal as it was specific to their own experience. The themes of getting wasted, driving around in hotted-up cars, being trapped in crap jobs, and paranoia were their subject matter. Machine throb bass and drums with jagged car-wreck guitars were their modus operandi. Fitting into no place or time they spurned all but the most rudimentary and elemental of rock structures to create a sound all their own. Quadruple CD includes their complete studio recordings, live recordings, and a previously unissued set from Adelaide UniBar, plus dozens of previously unpublished photographs, discography, and fold out Perth Punk family tree. Double LP version boils the box down to 22 essentials, plus unpublished photographs, discography, and fold out Perth Punk family tree.
t 20 THIS IS MY HAPPY HOUR LIVE AT ADELAIDE UNIBAR
u 21 FIRE ESCAPE [LIVE AT ADELAIDE UNIBAR]
[v] 22 WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE [LIVE AT ADELAIDE UNIBAR]
[w] 23 RAVER [LIVE AT ADELAIDE UNIBAR]
[x] 24 THE SPIN [LIVE AT ADELAIDE UNIBAR]
[y] 25 CLEAR SPOT [LIVE AT ADELAIDE UNIBAR]
[z] 26 REV HEAD [LIVE AT ADELAIDE UNIBAR]
[xa] 27 SET IT ON FIRE [LIVE AT ADELAIDE UNIBAR]
[xb] 28 BURN OUT [LIVE AT ADELAIDE UNIBAR]
[xc] 29 THIS LIFE OF YOURS [LIVE AT ADELAIDE UNIBAR]
[xd] 30 SOLID GOLD HELL [LIVE AT ADELAIDE UNIBAR]
[xe] 31 BLOOD RED RIVER [LIVE AT ADELAIDE UNIBAR]
[xf] 32 DON'T LIE TO ME [LIVE AT THE LOFT]
[xh] 34 MELODRAMATIC TOUCH [LIVE AT STOREY HALL]
[xi] 35 SLOW DEATH [LIVE AT STOREY HALL]
[xj] 36 STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT [LIVE AT THE SYDNEY UNI]
[xk] 37 I'VE HAD IT [LIVE AT LE TOTE]
[xl] 38 GONNA MAKE YOU [LIVE AT THE PRINCE OF WALES HOTEL]
[xm] 39 WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE [LIVE AT SYDNEY TRADE UNION CLUB]
[xn] 40 GHOST TRAIN [LIVE AT THE PRINCE OF WALES HOTEL]
[xo] 41 THE OTHER PLACE [1985 FLEXI DISC]
[xp] 42 SHE CRACKED [1985 FLEXI DISC]
Nachdem seine intime Underplay-Show-Tour „SHHH“ im März binnen Sekunden ausverkauft war, kündigt Archy Marshall sein mittlerweile viertes Studioalbum „Space Heavy“ als King Krule an. Erscheinen wird es am 9. Juni bei XL Recordings. Zehn Jahre nach der Veröffentlichung seines umjubelten Debütalbums „6 Feet Beneath the Moon“ zeigen die 15 neuen Songs den britischen Songwriter auf der Höhe seines Schaffens.
Entstanden ist das Album zwischen 2020 und 2022, als Archy Marshall sowohl London als auch Liverpool seine Heimat nannte und viel Zeit auf den Reisen von einem zum anderen Ort verbrachte. Während diesen Trips entstand seine Faszination für „the space between“, wie er es nennt: die Orte, die von Träumen voller Liebe verfolgt werden, während sich Archy in seinen Texten mit persönlichen Verlusten befasst. Nachdem die Texte fertig waren, entstand die Musik gemeinsam mit dem Produzenten Dilip Harris sowie seiner langjährigen Band, bestehend aus Ignacio Salvadores (Saxophone), George Bass (Schlagzeug), James Wilson (Bass) und Jack Towell (Gitarre).
In den 15 Songs von „Space Heavy“ verbinden sich viele Elemente seiner bisherigen Karriere mit dem klanglichen Kosmos, der ihm das Attribut als eine der Stimmen seiner Generation einbrachte. Die dichten Lyrics seines Debüts, die Verschiebung seines Sounds bei „The OOZ“ (2017), die Ursprünglichkeit von „Man Alive!“ und die rohe Verletzlichkeit, die er auf „You Heat Me Up, You Cool Me Down“ zeigte, fließen in den Sound seines neuen Albums ein.
Mit der Albumankündigung erscheint die erste Single „Seaforth“ mitsamt Video, bei dem seine regelmäßige Kollaborateurin und Visual Artist Jocelyn Anquetil Regie geführt hat.
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Introducing a new scintillating, transatlantic collaboration from Names You Can Trust and Loboko, a new group created in the fertile ground of modern New York City's melting pot. The band's debut recording features the young Congolese vocalist and guitar virtuoso, Yohni Djungu Sungu, alongside Soukouss-Stars legend and master bassist in his own right, Ngouma Lokito. The group is rounded out by drummer and co-founder Morgan Greenstreet (himself a contributor to NYCT and Combo Lulo's debut recording, amongst others). He, along with Yohni, helped spawn the group's few but raucous NYC live appearances with various members throughout a couple year period before 2020.
Built upon those influential jam sessions, Loboko took two original compositions to the studio in an effort to document some of the traditional Congolese music they have been cooking up. Rooted in a now ubiquitous guitar-driven sound of African soukous that have permeated the greater Caribbean music landscape for up to six decades, Loboko's take on the ethnic Baluba rhythm, mutuashi, adorns the single's A-side as "Kanyunyi." The B-side stand-out "Ekenge" draws from the Seben style. It's a familiar sound to those sound system aficionadas, an intoxicating guitar combination that has reverberated from the heart of the Congo, through a wave in France's popular African music industry, and into the discerning selections of Colombia's Pico culture. Loboko's original take on these rhythms is quite unique in 2023, eschewing any modern production crutches for the raw pedigree of an electrified trio, and ultimately represents a clear window into the group's authentic live performances.
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Edition of 500 copies. Comes with download code and insert.
' Funkadelic touring the vast Caribbean coastline of Venezuela, together with Afrosound and Grupo Bota, with endless supplies of Aguardiente and other substances, in a “Back to the future” setting. ' ....?
Lola's Dice's debut album is the result of a radical musical transmutation, marked by the phenomenon of massive Venezuelan emigration. The songs contained in "Pura maldad" expose the current point of that process with amazing detail. Rhythms that were considered exclusively "traditional" and almost untouchable back home (Tamborera, Gaita) get twisted, stretched and pushed beyond any imaginary limit, while being combined with healthy doses of Disco, Funk, Electro, Techno and their Caribbean counterparts, Merengue, Salsa and Compass.
Having taken their first steps in the key of Funk-Rock, things first took a turn after the leader Javier Bohorquez met Venezuelan producer Alex Figueira (Fumaça Preta, Conjunto Papa Upa, etc) at a show and he handed him a business card. The tropical psychedelic sound Figueira was specialized on spoke immediately to Javier, as it did combine many of the crazy and groovy elements he loved from the most "out there" Funk (a la Funkadelic), with the countless Caribbean rhythms he had been exposed to, having grown up in Venezuela.
After the first EP "Viaje al centro del ritmo", where everything acquired a decisive tropical tone, a further eccentric exploration of the music of their homeland became inevitable. The subsequent single "Cacri 'e Playa / Sr Cartujo" clearly showed where things were moving towards.
“Pura Maldad” is a true tropical lysergic trip, and while you see vibrant colors and things move in very strange ways, the sun never seizes to shine. Despite its profoundly experimental character, the album proves very useful to anyone in need of getting a party started, maintained or fully blown up, depending at what point of the evening it’s played.
Artwork by Colombian artist Kevin Simón Mancera.
Produced by Alex Figueira at Heat Too Hot, Amsterdam.
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Fronted by former South London lovers rock vocal harmony group, Alpha (sisters Jackie & Jean Heron and Marlene Richardson), Take Three was the brain-child of writer/producer trio "S.H.E." - Steve Sinclair, Peter Hinds & Kevin Ellis.
Meeting each other at The Factory community centre in Paddington (now known as the Yaa Asantewa centre and in the last few years, The Yaa Centre) Steve & Kevin began a partnership writing and directing their own theatre productions as part of The Black Theatre Co-Op, which called the centre home at the time. When a song they had written together for one of their productions received praise and plaudits, the path toward writing and producing records began, bringing in more seasoned hand Peter Hinds - formerly a member of key brit funk groups Light of the World and Beggar & Co, and player with Incognito, Imagination & Loose Ends - to complete the circle.
Following on from Freestyle's reissue of the group's first single around this time last year, in the form of 1983's Tonight's the Night, we decided to drop another killer 12" from the Take Three vaults - this time it's their last single released as Take Three in 1985. Can't Get Enough (of Your Love) was originally licensed out to, and released by Andy Sojka's seminal Elite label. It features two super extended mixes - the A side's "Soul mix" showcases the girls's harmonies pinned down by a big & heavy synth bass groove before moving into boogie-dub territory, while the B side "Reggae mix" introduces an ofbeat skank heightening the vocal stylings' lovers-esque tendancies.
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This release will come in 10 alternative sleeves limited to 100 copies of each so the bedroom design of the front cover has been painstakingly adapted for devotee’s of; 1. Sex Pistols 2. The Clash 3. The Jam 4. Buzzcocks 5. The Damned 6. The Stranglers 7. Siouxsie & the Banshees 8. Generation X 9. Ramones and 10. Blondie… and that design comes with a signed and stamped print of that design inside…
Mal-One’s new five track 12’’ offering has broached the tender subject of the bedroom wall and what as a teenager we would cover it with, as we revelled in our teenage glory. During what we now fondly remember as the Punk Rock period, this would have been the promo posters, gig tickets, flyers, badges, t- shirts anything we could find to extend our allegiance to the Punk Rock cause. Track one of this extended play covers this dilemma in fine style:
Side One
1. Punk Rock Pictures on my Wall …from floor to ceiling and ten feet tall !!!
2. JJ’s Alright relates a true story of Mal-One’s run in with the Euroman Cometh himself and finding out first hand that
even if his band The Stranglers were to become Punk’s social outcasts that in fact JJ was Alright and so in fact was
Hugh….
Side Two
1. The Buzz-Cocks Are Coming tells the Buzzcocks connection to this movement and their entry point into the affray.
2. Damned Disciple tells what is required to become a Damned devotee. Which includes amongst other requirements
and as stated on one of their early badges ‘skipping off school to see them play’
3. The Satellite Kid tells the engaging story of Mr Paul Weller coming to London seeing the Sex Pistols for the first time
at the Lyceum Ballroom on The Strand. In doing so he found some likeminded souls and more importantly people the
same age that he could relate to and forge an identity with.
Hopefully to hang on your bedroom wall… it’s never too late Punk….
Tidal Waves Music proudly presents ‘Fly By Night’ for the FIRST TIME on vinyl (the album was only released as a limited compact disc back in the early nineties).
This unique record comes as a deluxe 180g vinyl edition (strictly limited to 500 copies) with obi strip.NonReturnable.
This vinyl edition also features the original painted front cover artwork by Virgil Grady (known for his work with Tribe records) and back photography by acclaimed Detroit scene photographer & author Barbara Barefield, whose work has appeared in many renowned publications such as The New York Times, LA Times, People magazine and countless others.
Released exclusively for Record Store Day 2023 (UK/Europe) and available in participating stores on April 22, 2023.
Wendell Harrison was born in Detroit in 1942 where he began formal jazz studies for piano, clarinet and tenor saxophone. At 14, while still in high school, Harrison started performing & recording professionally with artists such as Marvin Gaye, Grant Green, Sun Ra, Hank Crawford … and many others.
In 1971, Harrison began teaching music at Metro Arts (a multi-arts complex for youth) where he also connected with Marcus Belgrave, Harold McKinney and Phil Ranelin…soon after they formed the (now
legendary) Afro-centric TRIBE record label and artist collective. TRIBE used the Metro Arts complex as a vehicle to convey a growing black political consciousness. Wendell Harrison also published the very popular TRIBE magazine, a publication dedicated to local and national social and political issues, as well as featuring artistic contributions such as poetry and visual pieces.
In 1978 Harrison and McKinney co-founded REBIRTH, a non-profit jazz performance and education organization, in which many notable jazz artists have participated. Around the same time Wendell Harrison
also created the WENHA record label and publishing company, which released many of his (now classic) recordings as well as those of other artists, such as Phil Ranelin, Doug Hammond and Reggie Fields (The Real ShooBeeDoo).
In the early 1990s, Wendell Harrison was awarded the title of “Jazz Master” by Arts Midwest. This distinction led Harrison to collaborate with fellow honorees and gave him the chance to tour throughout the UnitedStates, Middle East and Africa. Even to this day Wendell Harrison's recordings for the TRIBE, WENHA and REBIRTH labels have a large worldwide fanbase.
It is on WEHHA in 1990 that Harrison released (and self-produced) the opus: ‘Fly By Night’ which we are proudly presenting you today. ‘Fly By Night’ is a monster of an album featuring an all-star line-up that
includes Doug Hammond (Mingus, Lonnie Liston Smith) on drums, Kirk Lightsey (Chet Baker, Calvin Keys) on piano, Cecil McBee (John Hicks, Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane) on bass, Jaribu Shahid (Sun Ra) on contrabass and Pamela Wise (Tribe) on Piano. Harrison is killing it here with this selected ensemble (guys he grew up with in Detroit in the late 50’s, when hard bop was the thing and Miles and Coltrane were the heroes of the day). This group of talented veterans are taking this classic album to unseen heights.
On ‘Fly By Night’ the gloves come off…no more jazzy-funk or poppy-jazz. Wendell picks up his tenor for one tune but the remainder of the sessions he performs on clarinet. Wendell’s mastery coaxes the sweet piquant sound of the instrument and as it re-emerges in the contemporary jazz scene. The eight handpicked tunes demonstrate the fertile new directions Wendell Harrison has been working on, combing standards with a fresh new approach.
On these amazing recordings (recorded at the Rebirth Studios in Detroit) the listener is invited to experience a synthesis of what has been and what is now. The record shows Wendell’s trademark proficiency. All of the above makes this incredible record both timeless and as relevant today as it was back when it was initially
released.
'Malombo music is an indigenous kind of music. If you listen to it, you can feel that it can heal you, if you’ve got something wrong. It’s healing music.'
Lucky Ranku
"Lucas ‘Lucky’ Madumetja Ranku (1941-2016) was one of the greatest African guitarists of his generation. He first made his name with the Malombo Jazz Makers – the successor group to the legendary Malombo Jazzmen, formed in Mamelodi township by guitarist Philip Tabane, drummer Julian Bahula and flautist Abbey Cindi. When Tabane left the Jazzmen in 1965, Bahula and Cindi called on Lucky to replace him, and the Malombo Jazz Makers were born. Building on the popularity and success of the original Malombo Jazzmen, the Malombo Jazz Makers become immensely popular, touring widely, winning numerous jazz competitions, and recording two successful albums for the Gallo label.
The deep and hypnotic Down Lucky’s Way was their third album. Recorded in 1969, it was the first Malombo Jazz Makers album to feature additional instruments, and the first to feature Abbey Cindi on soprano saxophone as well as flute. But more than anything else, Down Lucky’s Way is a transfixing showcase for Lucky Ranku’s sui generis guitar virtuosity. Quite different from their previous recordings, the album shifted the Jazz Makers’ sound toward hypnotic, extended compositions, layered by organ bass and guitar overdubs. Of all the Malombo Jazz Makers recordings, Down Lucky’s Way is the deepest of mood, and the richest of vision.
However, through one of the erasures that are ubiquitous in South African musical history under apartheid, it seems that the record may not ever have been properly issued. Original copies are outrageously rare – only a few are known among collectors. When we asked Lucky about the album, he was unaware it had ever been released, and had never seen a copy. Perhaps it was pulled; perhaps it was pulped; perhaps Gallo simply took their eye off the ball. Nobody knows, but it is not impossible that the apartheid authorities were involved, for by 1969, the Malombo Jazz Makers were well known to them.
Julian Bahula’s introduction of malopo drums to the music of the original Malombo Jazzmen was a moment of crucial political and cultural radicalism for South African jazz. Traditionally used by BaPedi people for healing, the malopo drums of Malombo music re-centered jazz
around indigenous sounds and culture, and over the next decade, the Malombo Jazz Makers became deeply involved in political opposition to apartheid. Their recovery of indigenous sounds made them the musical standard bearer for the Black Consciousness movement, and they toured South Africa clandestinely with the writer and anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko. They also broke apartheid laws by playing with the white rock group Freedom’s Children, sometimes appearing on stage in masks or made up with UV paint to avoid detection by the authorities; they appeared regularly at the rule-bending Free People’s Concerts organized by David Marks, where Marks’ clever exploitation of a loophole – mixed audiences were prohibited from attending ticketed concerts where anyone was being paid, but the law said nothing about private functions played by artists for free – meant people could come together in defiance of apartheid laws. The notorious Special Branch would raid their concerts; Lucky remembered police storming an auditorium, throwing smoke bombs.
Eventually the political situation became too dangerous, and the band were being actively sought by the police. Though Abbey Cindi remained in South Africa, both Julian Bahula and Lucky Ranku went into political exile in the UK, where Bahula founded the group Jabula with Lucky and former members of Cymande, Steve Scipio and Michael ‘Bami’ Rose. With Jabula, Julian and Lucky worked tirelessly for the anti-apartheid movement, raising funds and awareness all over Europe and in the US. They played with Dudu Pukwana’s Spear in the joint formation Jabula-Spear, and worked together in Bahula’s Jazz Afrika formation, and Bahula organized the first Concert for Mandela in 1984 (it was Jabula that supplied the chorus for The Special A.K.A.’s hit single ‘Nelson Mandela’). Lucky also played and recorded with Chris McGregor’s South African Exiles Thunderbolt group. After the fall of apartheid, they both remained living and working in the UK. In 2012 the South African government awarded Julian Bahula the Gold Order of Ikhamanga for his cultural work during the struggle against apartheid.
Until his death in 2016, Lucky continued to play with countless groups and musicians. putting together the band Township Express with Pinise Saul, and leading his own African Jazz Allstars. The influence of his playing on the international perception of South African township music was immense, and he was held in the highest regard by his peers – ‘Lucky was a guitarist who could bring any house down’, said Michael ‘Bami’ Rose.
But despite his continuous presence on the UK live circuit over four decades, Lucky Ranku never recorded an album as leader. And so as well as restoring an important lost piece of South African musical heritage, Down Lucky’s Way is a precious opportunity to hear one of Africa’s foremost guitarists stretching out, in focus and in his element."
First issue since 1969 of the Malombo Jazz Maker’s unknown third album.
Liner notes featuring interviews with Julian Bahula and Lucky Ranku.
Fully licensed from Julian Bahula.
Svart Records proudly presents Sonny Rollins with the Heikki Sarmanto trio, in an extremely rare live performance at Finland Festival in the summer of 1972. Available for the first time, fifty years after it was initially recorded, this incredible show features Sarmanto on the Fender Rhodes electric piano, his brother Pekka Sarmanto on bass and Esko Rosnell on drums. Legend of American Jazz, “Saxophone Colossus” Sonny Rollins hand picked Heikki Sarmanto and his Finnish trio for this night of improvisation and mutual respect that culminated in years of collaboration after. The music conjured throughout this live extravaganza is everything a Jazz aficionado could have hoped for, with extensive improvisations and incredible soloing by the musicians. Two standards and one original by Rollins, which last between sixteen and twenty-four minutes, illustrate both the quartet’s vibe and supreme virtuosity. Taking place at the magnificent Finlandia Hall, an architectural marvel, which was completed only a few months earlier, and recorded by the YLE (The Finnish Broadcasting Company), this legendary concert has been expertly mastered by Pauli Saastamoinen at the infamous Finnvox Studios in 2022 to perfectly highlight the magic that was in the air all those years ago. Rollins seems to be especially in high spirits throughout the show and his powerful and expressive playing, full of humor, is simply marvelous. He even manages to quote some hints of Jean Sibelius’ “Finlandia” tone poem as a tribute to the venue. Through our tireless efforts at Svart Records to preserve our musical culture, you can now be re-introduced to an important piece in the jigsaw of Finnish Jazz history, immortalised on double vinyl gatefold and CD and both limited to only 1000 copies.
Colin McCann didn't pick up a guitar for nearly ten years. The Northern-California-based songwriter, previously performing under Long Dog Bird, had been creating music with longtime friend and collaborator Brian Gossman for much of their adult lives with early-00s Baltimore-based band Wilderness. So what would cause such a stagnant period? And how could McCann find his way back to the joy that music had once so easily conjured? The answer was to go back to the very beginning, where the kinetic forces that urged McCann to make music in the first place could emerge once again. But first, he had to make space in his internal world; a kind of silence where he could hear the exhale of his past, and the blossoming of a new song. That blossoming would soon become the first songs for McCann's latest project Vulture Feather. The band's debut album Liminal Fields exists on an intangible plane: a crack in the concrete, a gauze between worlds. For as long as McCann can recall, he's been using music as a vehicle to try and connect with an underlying, indescribable nature that only the sonic world seems to be able to reach. "There's a feeling of ecstasy that comes when one merges with music," he says. "It's what calls us all back again and again to listen, to sing, and to play." McCann had been striving to reach this outlying environment throughout his career, often stretching in ways that eventually came to negatively impact his life, and his health. The wake up call came when McCann suffered a near-death experience, eerily predicted by a friend through a dream she had had almost a year earlier. Newly awoken to the beauty of being alive, McCann strove to slow down, to listen to the inherent nature in all living things, and to rediscover our mutual connectivity. He stopped playing and listening to music, and instead soaked himself in the cacophony of silence. Then without any epiphany or grand catalyst, something urged McCann to pick up a guitar again. Ideas flowed more naturally than ever, and he soon realized that the liminal space he had been searching for was there all along--he only had to listen. McCann tentatively reached out to Gossman to collaborate and the friends found themselves once again jamming together, in an off-grid quonset hut where they now practice. "It was like no time had passed," McCann says. "That feeling of ecstatic joy, of forgetting your own name, came flooding back." They were soon joined by another old friend, Eric Fiscus, who completed Vulture Feather on drums.
Die Power Metal-Titanen GLORYHAMMER sind zurück im Kingdom of Fife!
In dem nicht soweit entfernten Kingdom of Fife, lebt eine ganz besondere Band – GLORYHAMMER.
Sie betten ihre abenteuerlichen Erzählungen von intergalaktischer Kriegsführung und kosmischer Zauberei in epischen Power Metal und seit ihrer Gründung 2010 führen GLORYHAMMER einen nicht enden wollenden Kampf gegen die Mächte von Zargothrax. Vier Jahre sind seit der letzten Veröffentlichung ihres letzten Albums vergangen, aber das Warten hat nun endlich ein Ende, denn ihr neustes Werk Return to the Kingdom of Fife wird am 2. Juni 2023 über Napalm Records veröffentlicht und und liefert die ultimative und spannungsgeladene Reise der furchtlosen Krieger!
Unheilvolle Fanfaren kündigen GLORYHAMMERs erste Schlacht an, bevor sie den mächtigen und majestätischen Holy Flaming Hammer an sich nehmen, um auf „Holy Flaming Hammer of the Unholy Cosmic
Frost” die Geschichte der Rückeroberung des verlorenen Königreichs zu erzählen. Jedoch hat der böse Magier Zargothrax nach dem verheerenden Krieg von Dundee das gesamte Königreich in Schutt und Asche gelegt und das atomare „Imperium Dundaxia” geformt.
GLORYHAMMER entfesseln mit ihrem packenden Power Metal-Sound ihre eigentliche Superkraft und treiben ihn mit dem ereignisreichen Return to the Kingdom of Fife in ganz neue Höhen!
Vinyl is available in two versions - classic black or various color limited "Indie Shop Edition".
Both versions have 180g record and printed inner sleeve.
The idea for "PORTRETY" was simple - to invite esteemed drummers to record a song that will be signed with their name. There was no musical framework - they could invite guests or record everything themselves - no need to necessarily use drums. This is how the first PORTRAITS in 2019 were created, and now we present their next installment.
" 'Part two' seems to suggest a series, so just as with the bad joke from four years ago, I'll lead with the short, age old adage: "10 musicians and a drummer". Admittedly, it is rudimentary and unfunny, however, it is significant: It's easy to forget an instrumentalist's other specialities, but here, the drummers don't let themselves to be forgotten.
This series - the brainchild of Marcin "Groh" Grośkiewicz - is composed of up-close portraits. A task which not only shifts accents, but also changes the lives of those normally considered the unsung heroes of the background. One of the tracks from "Portraits" was picked for an advertising campaign for a well known smartphone producer, others topped industry charts and inspired new bands where drums were in the spotlight.
Part two brings us eight drummers who are among the most multifaceted musicians on the Polish music scene. What are they doing here? Teo Olter tells a complex story, asking in the very title, where he is going? Wiktoria Jakubowska, known for backing big stars, shines through with her own composition. Miłosz Pękala - an interpreter of avant-garde composers and an academic lecturer - thoroughly entertains. Famous from Immortal Onion, Wojtek Warmijak energetically explores high tempos, while Wojtek Sobura - those slower, patiently sculpting a club beat with sonoristic* abstraction. Macio Moretti surprises, as expected, stylistically moving towards his hero: Zappa. Tymoteusz Papior impresses, effortlessly juggling accents and chopping time signatures. And Inferno, despite being associated with the group Behemoth, shows he can do it… drum-less. Some invite other musicians, but they always remain - as their studies or professional experience taught them to be - the musician with the widest set (be it drums or skills) on the team.
So, how does the second part of the series compliment the first? It further completes the gallery of collector's cards with Polish Percussion's superheroes and heroines. Each a different personality and an individual set of features. But does it satisfy? Strikingly.
Vinyl is available in two versions - classic black or various color limited "Indie Shop Edition".
Both versions have 180g record and printed inner sleeve.
The idea for "PORTRETY" was simple - to invite esteemed drummers to record a song that will be signed with their name. There was no musical framework - they could invite guests or record everything themselves - no need to necessarily use drums. This is how the first PORTRAITS in 2019 were created, and now we present their next installment.
" 'Part two' seems to suggest a series, so just as with the bad joke from four years ago, I'll lead with the short, age old adage: "10 musicians and a drummer". Admittedly, it is rudimentary and unfunny, however, it is significant: It's easy to forget an instrumentalist's other specialities, but here, the drummers don't let themselves to be forgotten.
This series - the brainchild of Marcin "Groh" Grośkiewicz - is composed of up-close portraits. A task which not only shifts accents, but also changes the lives of those normally considered the unsung heroes of the background. One of the tracks from "Portraits" was picked for an advertising campaign for a well known smartphone producer, others topped industry charts and inspired new bands where drums were in the spotlight.
Part two brings us eight drummers who are among the most multifaceted musicians on the Polish music scene. What are they doing here? Teo Olter tells a complex story, asking in the very title, where he is going? Wiktoria Jakubowska, known for backing big stars, shines through with her own composition. Miłosz Pękala - an interpreter of avant-garde composers and an academic lecturer - thoroughly entertains. Famous from Immortal Onion, Wojtek Warmijak energetically explores high tempos, while Wojtek Sobura - those slower, patiently sculpting a club beat with sonoristic* abstraction. Macio Moretti surprises, as expected, stylistically moving towards his hero: Zappa. Tymoteusz Papior impresses, effortlessly juggling accents and chopping time signatures. And Inferno, despite being associated with the group Behemoth, shows he can do it… drum-less. Some invite other musicians, but they always remain - as their studies or professional experience taught them to be - the musician with the widest set (be it drums or skills) on the team.
So, how does the second part of the series compliment the first? It further completes the gallery of collector's cards with Polish Percussion's superheroes and heroines. Each a different personality and an individual set of features. But does it satisfy? Strikingly.
Like the winged half-man/half-bull that dominates its outrageous cover, Cleveland Eaton's Half And Half is a mutant bass-heavy monster that absolutely slays. Incredible jazz-funk from 1973, it's been largely overlooked for decades, and unfairly so. This is just sensational music - a crate digger's delight. It's super funky throughout, with lots of layers, jazz breaks for days, dripping with style and gritty class. This is the first reissue of what has been a hard to find record for many years; it's long overdue. Joyous music for mind, soul and body.
Cleveland Eaton was a revered bassist who played an active role in the backing of Count Basie, the Donald Byrd Quintet, The Ramsey Lewis Trio, Terry Callier and Minnie Riperton; amongst many, many others. Half And Half was the first album released under his own name, initially released as a private press record on his - awkwardly named - Cle An Thair Records. It was then picked up by Gamble & Huff for Gamble Records. Varied, string-adorned and with stupid funky grooves, it's just exceptionally good.
Whilst Half And Half is treasured for its famously brilliant interpretations of gold funk-soul standards, Eaton proves an imaginative composer in his own right. Indeed, the album opens with a striking original; the earthy, laconic jazz-guitar-funk fusion of "Keep It Funky". Cleveland and co. do exactly that. Up next is a properly moving cover of Aretha Franklin's eternal "Day Dreaming". The flute and guitar combo truly achieve celestial greatness here. "Here Comes Funky Lou" rides a bassline from the Gods and a driving soul-jazz groove allows the track to go off in all sorts of directions. Serene guitar soul of the breezy variety one moment, crazy hectic violin-driven wig outs the next, courtesy of Ed Green who played with Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane.
His blistering two track salvo of Stylistics covers to close out this A-Side of A-Sides will leave your jaw dropped, and they're likely the reason you're here for this. And why not? "Betcha By Golly Wow", which uses a bed of acidy synths and harmonica to create a unique atmosphere, is on some next level business. Melancholic, wistful, beautiful. "People Make the World Go Round" is so good, dripping in wonderful horns and ace percussive breaks, it could even be regarded as the definitive version. Seriously!
Opening Side B, War's gigantic "Slipping Into Darkness" is tightly tailored to Eaton's funky flute fusion arrangement whilst the insistent "Missing You" is a swaggering horn-heavy version of Luther Ingram's track from the Dilla/Ghostface-linked LP, I've Been Here All The Time. The creeping, screeching guitar-drenched original "John's Groove" features more fantastic horn lines and neck-snapping percussion whilst "The Love Gangster", written by Bill Wyman and Stephen Stills for his seminal Manassas LP, contains a heavy break with slick drums high in the mix and fuzzy guitars.
The album closes with two more Eaton originals. Written with Johnny Guitar Watson, "Lie" is one hell of a funky string and guitar-driven gem whilst the wild, celebratory "Ah Movin' On" cleverly quotes "Wade In The Water" (which he'd recorded with Ramsey Lewis in 1966) folding it into his new free-jazz composition. A message to his old boss, perhaps, as a sign-off?
We've worked on this reissue for 3.5 years, spending the whole time making it sound super sharp and looking as perfect as it possibly can. An absolute must-have for fans of soulful jazz-funk, Half And Half was mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Pete Norman at Final Tweak. The bizarre artwork, mutant beast and all, was restored at Be With HQ over many painstaking months! Hopefully, this new edition, a real labour of love, should bring Cleveland Eaton into the homes and record boxes of many more people.
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Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Nach seinem hochgelobten BPitch-Debüt aus dem Jahr 2022 kehrt Matasism mit vier neuen Deep Cuts voller Underground Rave-Hitze zurück. Auf The Music Is Control Of Your Acid Mind verwandelt der in Rom geborene und in den USA lebende Künstler Aspekte von Trance, Industrial und EBM in unerbittliche Techno-Banger, die von einem authentischen Rave-Geist getragen werden.
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Die Benjamins ist ein intergenerationelles Projekt mit Wahnsinnsmelodien. Max Gruber aka Drangsal, Charlotte Brandi, Julian Knoth (Die Nerven) und Thomas Götz (Beatsteaks) haben gemeinsam mit der legendären Hans-A-Plast-Sängerin Annette Benjamin eine erste EP aufgenommen, sie erscheint am 2. Juni 2023. "Ich habe hier so eine Supergroup für dich zusammengestellt", sagte Drangsal eines Tages am Telefon zu Annette Benjamin, nachdem sie jahrzehntelang - nach Hans-A-Plast - ein bürgerliches Leben geführt hatte. Als erstes fragte Drangsal Julian Knoth von der Gruppe Die Nerven. "Ich wusste, dass Julian Hans-A-Plast-Fan ist", sagt Gruber. Knoth wiederum trifft kurz darauf auf einem Konzert den Beatsteaks-Schlagzeuger Thomas Götz. Schließlich kam die Songwriterin, Pianistin und Sängerin Charlotte Brandi dazu, die Gruber bei einem Tristan-Brusch-Konzert getroffen hatte. 2022 nahmen DIE BENJAMINS die fünf Songs der Benjamins-EP in drei Tagen in Thomas Götz' Studio auf. Produziert hat Max Rieger von Die Nerven, das "Mastermind des deutschen Indie-Rock" ("Der Spiegel") hat unter anderem mit Casper und Stella Sommer gearbeitet. Wie gesagt: Supergroup.(Torsten Gross) Die Benjamins is an intergenerational project with insane melodies. Max Gruber aka Drangsal, Charlotte Brandi, Julian Knoth (Die Nerven) and Thomas Götz (Beatsteaks) have recorded a first EP together with the legendary Hans-A-Plast singer Annette Benjamin, it will be released on June 2, 2023. "I've put together such a supergroup for you here," Drangsal said one day on the phone to Annette Benjamin, after she had led a bourgeois life - after Hans-A-Plast - for decades. The first person Drangsal asked was Julian Knoth of the group Die Nerven. "I knew Julian was a Hans-A-Plast fan," Gruber says. Knoth, in turn, meets Beatsteaks drummer Thomas Götz at a concert shortly thereafter. Eventually, they were joined by songwriter, pianist and singer Charlotte Brandi, whom Gruber had met at a Tristan Brusch concert. In 2022 DIE BENJAMINS recorded the five songs of the Benjamins EP in three days in Thomas Götz's studio. Max Rieger from Die Nerven produced, the "mastermind of German indie rock" ("Der Spiegel") has worked with Casper and Stella Sommer, among others. As I said: Supergroup.(Torsten Gross)
Georg Friedrich Händels Suiten für Tasteninstrument sind den meisten Konzertpianisten fremd. SeongJin Cho möchte mit seinem Album neues Licht auf diese gefühlvollen Werke der Barockmusik werfen.
Aufgenommen für Deutsche Grammophon hat er seine drei Favoriten von Händels Suiten, HWV 427, 430
und 433. Nachdem sich der Pianist jahrelang mit Musik aus späteren Epochen beschäftigt hatte, gelangten
Händels Tastenwerke in seinen Fokus, nicht zuletzt durch ihren Reichtum an musikalischen Einfällen und
melodischer Erfindung. „Für mich kommt Händels Musik von Herzen, die Menschen können ihr leicht
folgen“, sagt Cho. Er verzichtet möglichst auf das rechte Pedal in seiner Interpretation, modifiziert jedoch
einige der dynamischen Markierungen, um das Potenzial des modernen Flügels auszuschöpfen. Aber auch
der Einfluss Händels auf spätere Komponisten interessierte Cho, somit entschied er sich, auch Brahms’
schöpferische Antwort auf Händels Musik einzuspielen: Brahms hat seine virtuosen Händel-Variationen
innerhalb weniger Wochen zu Papier gebracht. Für Cho sind diese „die besten Variationen, die je geschrieben
wurden“. Das Album schließt mit zwei einzelnen Sätzen von Händel: Die Sarabande in B-Dur und das
Menuett in g-Moll – das Letztere in einer magischen Bearbeitung von Wilhelm Kempff. Cho wird mit dem
Repertoire seines Albums auf Tournee gehen - sie beginnt am 5. Februar 2023 in Hannover und führt weiter
nach Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Dortmund, London, Mailand, Berlin und Wien.
The atmospheric aquatic adventures of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASPs) provided the perfect grounds for the evolution of Barry Gray’s own musical odyssey. After navigating otherworldly vistas with experimental minimalism in Fireball XL5, Gray anchored Stingray’s underwater exploits with a cannon of earth-bound incidentals. Employing flutes and gentle woodwind sounds to set the scene, Gray’s music drew attention to the wonder of the series premise, employing lush heavenly strings for the series’ closing theme, ‘Aqua Marina’ (a croon brought to life by in-demand vocalist Gary Miller). The off-duty exploits of the WASP characters also allowed Gray to return to his jazzy routes, with the production team adding a loving reference to the composer in the episode Tune of Danger with a ‘Graystein’ Piano. Episodic melodrama was once again brought to life with bold brass, and driving military marches would establish the WASPs’ base, Marineville, and an unforgettable Match of the Oysters (in The Secret of the Giant Oyster). The DNA of the which would foreshadow the iconic theme for the Andersons’ next series…
Closing Time foreshadows the distinctly lyrical storytelling and original blending of jazz, blues, and folk styles that
would come to be associated with Waits. It is on this debut album that Waits performs enduring classics of his career
“Ol’ 55” (famously covered by the Eagles), the heartbreaking “Martha” and the gentle acoustic folk of “I Hope That I
Don’t Fall In Love With You”. Reissued for the first time as a double LP to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the
landmark debut with newly half speed mastering at Abbey Road Studios
Closing Time foreshadows the distinctly lyrical storytelling and original blending of jazz, blues, and folk styles that
would come to be associated with Waits. It is on this debut album that Waits performs enduring classics of his career
“Ol’ 55” (famously covered by the Eagles), the heartbreaking “Martha” and the gentle acoustic folk of “I Hope That I
Don’t Fall In Love With You”. Reissued for the first time as a double LP to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the
landmark debut with newly half speed mastering at Abbey Road Studios
The name NxxxxxS (pronounced "N-Five X-S”) sounds like it could be an equation, or a mystery. But to begin to unravel the identity of the French producer who just signed to Because Music and Mad Decent (the label founded by Diplo), you first have to look for clues on YouTube and Soundcloud, where so many underground artists have found a place to hone their craft. In the ten years preceding the release of his second album Short Term Agreement in 2023, NxxxxxS built up a solid reputation for himself in the international vaporwave, vaportrap & phonk scenes. This is no small feat considering he didn’t have any real knowledge of production or composition before deciding to take on these classic genres of “Internet music”.
The Paris native first gained exposure when he started making beats on YouTube, taking his inspiration from American rappers of the blog era - when artists, especially in hip hop, used digital technology to break away from traditional distribution models - like Mac Miller or Odd Future. Building on this initial success, NxxxxxS turned to Soundcloud, an essential platform for music enthusiasts, tastemakers or anyone on the lookout for the sounds of tomorrow.
Following in the footsteps of The Alchemist and other producers of the same ilk, NxxxxxS soon became one of the pioneers of vaporwave and vaportrap music. Featured prominently in modern productions, these styles originated on social media platforms such as Reddit or Tumbler in the 2010’s and are recognisable by their frequent use of commercial samples ranging from the 70’s to the 2000’s (taken from jingles, lounge, jazz or elevator music). Altered, chopped up and slowed down to around 60 to 70 BPM to match hip-hop standards, the music offered a critique or satire of capitalism, consumer society and any culture that grew out of it, most notably yuppies from the 80’s.
NxxxxxS put his own spin on the recipe by creating a new world filled with soaring melodies and countless references to movies and horror scenes, and eventually released his debut album Fujita Scale (a scale used to measure the damage inflicted by tornadoes) in 2014. The album reached a worldwide audience because of its composer’s story and of the secrecy around his French nationality, and even won over unexpected fanbases such as the highly closed off Chinese market. Fujita Scale landed on one of China's streaming platforms, making NxxxxxS an identifiable artist in Asia who went on to tour his album three times across the continent.
NxxxxxS kept the ball rolling, collaborating on a new series of more accessible projects, which aimed to be less niche in terms of the references or sub-genres they tapped into, so he could find a new audience. This led to his first hits, “Synthetic Corporation” - which would also become the name of his label - “Remember Last Summer” and “Formatted Excess”, as well as his most popular track to date, “Playa Shit”, with over 11M streams on Spotify. The upcoming album’s title, Short Term Agreement, is a playful reference to his unyielding desire for independence and productivity, and his eagerness to preserve the personal freedom he turned into strength.
Yet NxxxxxS is never one to refuse support, and he has now joined forces with Because Music & Mad Decent to further establish himself as a producer at the international level - alongside Diplo especially, who is a case in point - so that this understated and ever prolific artist can meet his ambitions of widening his audience and have his name known by all.
And so the tracks on Short Term Agreement serve as the foundation for NxxxxxS' new identity, featuring a rich and diverse array of sounds thanks to the numerous guests involved: London rapper Jeshi - a new British rap phenomenon also freshly signed to Because Music, French rappers 8ruki & Bitsu, Canadian Freddie Dredd and American underground talents Pollari . Avoiding the pitfalls of a compilation-like producer album, NxxxxxS has once again carved out his own style from the modern hip hop rule book.
In other words, NxxxxxS’ constant evolution has brought us this much closer to solving the mystery that is his name.
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A stone’s throw from the church where Desmond Tutu organised the escape of the most wanted antiApartheid activists of Soweto, BCUC rehearses in a shipping container-turned-community restaurant,
where their indomitable outspokenness echoes in a whole new way.
Like its elders, Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness sees its music as a hedonistic trance, but also as a weapon of political and spiritual liberation.
Bantu means people, Uhuru means freedom - the 7- pieces band led by vocalist Jovi Nkosi rekindle the freedom of awareness, giving contemporary voice to the ancestral traditions of indigenous peoples.
Jazz sounds of 1970s and ‘80s productions replaced by hip-hop in!uences and punk-rock energy, taking the listener on an intriguing epic journey.
With only a few releases under their belt, BCUC took the world by storm with their mesmerising performances, winning crowds at festivals such as Glastonbury (West Holts), Roskilde, Dour, Worldwide, Womad, Fusion and Sziget to name a few, while collaborating with legends like Femi Kuti and Saul Williams.
‘Millions Of Us’ is their first full-length album and most ambitious work to date - distilling their magic on record, summoning mainstage festival-energy and stewing down, casting spells for the intimate
audience. Recorded in Soweto, post dubbed and mixed in London the album is the coming together of this unique band and London’s On The Corner Records, a label that has been traversing underground
sounds worldwide.
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Wide Open Light Is a family of songs I've written. I've selected them with the care one might put into a personal photo album. To that effect, I'd call it a sonic family photo album, each track a close relative to the next.
The story behind this record is simple. I have been writing songs now forover 30 years. It's what I long to do, love to do, and at times feel I need to do, and hope to continue doing until the ink runs dry and the notes fade.
But for now, Wide Open Light. Deliberately minimalist, the songs themselves do as much of the heavy lifting as the production. (produced by myself, and my longtime collaborators Danny Kalb and Jason Mozersky) Featured guests on the album include: Jack Johnson guitar, vocals on 'Gone For Good'. Shelby Lynne vocals on '8 Minutes'. Piers Faccini vocals on 'Wide Open Light'.
"Sunrise On Slaughter Beach" ist Clutch’s 13. Studioalbum, das im September 2022 veröffentlicht wurde. Es ist eine knallharte Zusammenfassung all dessen, was die Band großartig macht, und ein weiterer großer Sprung nach vorne in Richtung Langlebigkeit der Karriere.
Die hier vorliegende, limitierte Veröffentlichung besteht aus sechs hand gepressten 7" Vinyl jeweils in eigens hergestellten Jacken und hat drei zusätzliche Bonustracks: “Boogeyman Blues”, “Arts & Crafts”, und “Railroad Daisies”. Alle drei Songs wurden während der Aufnahmen von "Sunrise on Slaughter Beach" eingespielt. Ein 8-seitiges Booklet und eine 7" Plattenspieler Matte runden das Paket aus. Das Album wurde im The Magpie Cage Recording Studio, Baltimore, MD, von dem Grammy-nominierten Tom Dalgety (Ghost, Royal Blood, Pixies) produziert und gemischt, mit zusätzlicher Technik von J Robbins (Jawbreaker, Against Me!, The Sword).
A pivotal record for contemporary times; bright, free, adamant, optimistic. Brain Worms is RVG's fullest, most pristine album yet. All throughout Brain Worms, it's apparent that this is a band in very fine form. Album opener 'Common Ground' sets the tone for what's to come; a shiny, thrilling, punch of an album, with all the beloved RVG hallmarks. Vager's voice is unfiltered and commanding as ever when delivering her clever, not-quite-ironic lyrics. Here, though, those lyrics feel so much less resigned to yearning, and so much more defiant and joyous. 'Tambourine' is the only Covid song Vager wrote when "trying not to write Covid songs", and it's a painfully honest portrait of grieving mid-isolation. 'Brain Worms' tells the all-too-familiar story of a person falling down the internet rabbit hole and finding comfort in conspiracies. 'Nothing Really Changes' is a keys-heavy new wave-ish thing, while closer 'Tropic of Cancer' sparkles with Vager's self-assured new manifesto: I know what I'm like, and I know how I get. If you think I'm strange, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Bloxham, Nolte, and Wallace are flawlessly adept in bringing Vager's songwriting to life. Recorded in London at Snap Studios with James Trevascus (Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, PJ Harvey), all ten tracks surge with lush sounds and clear intentions and the magic of an acoustic guitar once owned by Kate Bush, given to her by Tears for Fears (who, legend has it, wrote 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' on it). Between the four bandmates lead singer and guitarist Vager, guitarist Reuben Bloxham, drummer Marc Nolte and bassist Isabele Wallace this is the most confident they've ever felt in RVG. They've moved past their influences, pushed themselves, and tried new things. And they have made a record they can, by all accounts, call their best. "Brain Worms feels like the antithesis to what a post-pandemic record could easily be. For a band who were already writing music about being reclusive "we were depressed and not going outside on our first two albums" the enforced isolation and time to think gave Vager space to write about anything she wanted. And, it turned out, she was ready to write about acceptance. "If we could only make one more album, it would be this one," says Vager. "Easily one of the most vital bands on the Aussie scene today" Rolling Stone "A calling card for outsiders... dynamic and vital post-punk" The Guardian
Humanoid continues the journey on De:tuned and returns with a new 4 track EP of classic acid jams. Brian Dougans harks back to the fundamentals of late 80s and early 90s productions, resulting in a masterclass of 303 action from a pioneer. 'Sweet Acid Sound' delivers guaranteed peak-time party material, while elsewhere tracks like 'Roached' and 'Si-rak' see Brian fusing acid and techno to hypnotic and addictive effect. Eternal love and respect tot he originators Graham Massey, Gerald Simpson and Martin Price.
Kevin Foakes (Openmind, DJ Food, Ninja Tune) created all the graphic work. Mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis and pressed on 180 gr vinyl. A separate digital release will also be available at the usual digital shops. Stay tuned!
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Humanoid continues the journey on De:tuned and returns with a new 4 track EP of classic acid jams. Brian Dougans harks back to the fundamentals of late 80s and early 90s productions, resulting in a masterclass of 303 action from a pioneer. 'Sweet Acid Sound' delivers guaranteed peak-time party material, while elsewhere tracks like 'Roached' and 'Si-rak' see Brian fusing acid and techno to hypnotic and addictive effect. Eternal love and respect tot he originators Graham Massey, Gerald Simpson and Martin Price.
Kevin Foakes (Openmind, DJ Food, Ninja Tune) created all the graphic work. Mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis and pressed on 180 gr vinyl. A separate digital release will also be available at the usual digital shops. Stay tuned!
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Last delivered 2 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
The Inter-Atlantic duo of George Btp Dan Piu & Roger K. Versey return to your shores to traverse more mystery, adventure, and musical journey with an all new double 12" album.
Passport - Wonderful Elixir. Named for its nutritious flavor and mixture, Wonderful Elixir is crafted for the deep frequency connoisseurs, explorers not constrained to genres, not afraid to vibe with the tides of life, but rather seek the deeper feeling that is true and Indigo Blue. The main ingredients are 10 visions that await inside the fine grooves of two 180 gram disks crafted to capture the moments in the best way; a seamless connection of Air, Land and Seaways that harbor elements of Jazz, Acid, Deep House and Street Beat. From the organic forests to the concrete jungles, From Zurich to St.Louis, your Wonderful Elixir is here. Featuring very special appearances from DJ Nata, Jesus Gonsev, and Grant.
Presented on 2×12" vinyl by the legendary No Acting Vibes label, and on CD and Digital by Deep Inspiration Show. Includes original acrylic paintings by Zara Versey.
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Last delivered 19 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Factory Benelux presents a limited edition 180gm vinyl singles collection by Marcel King, best known for his sparkling 1984 dance single ‘Reach For Love’ on Factory Records, as well as the youthful vocalist on ‘SadSweet Dreamer’ by Sweet Sensation, a UK number one back in 1974 Limited to just 1000 copies, Reach For Love: Singles 1983-88 features both sides of the infectious electro single co-produced by Bernard Sumner (New Order) and Donald Johnson (A Certain Ratio) and released as Fac 92 in April 1984, as well as a previously unreleased demo for ‘Love To Shine’, the planned follow-up single on Factory produced by Tony Henry of 52nd Street. (NON-RETURNABLE).
The album also features ‘Hollywood Nights’, a later single cut by Marcel with Gee Bello of Light of the World, along with a rare US remix of ‘Reach For Love’ by noted New York DJ Mark Kamins, and extended dub and instrumental versions.
King was invited to record for Factory in 1983 by Joy Division/New Order manager Rob Gretton, a devotee of soul and black music, and prime mover behind the famous Hacienda nightclub. ‘Rob was a massive fan of Marcel and thought he was as good a singer as Michael Jackson,’ explains Tony Henry. Not just a gifted and
plaintive soul singer, King also wrote both sides of his Factory single, ‘Reach For Love’ and ‘Keep On Dancin’, both paeans to perseverance and enduring Hacienda classics.
A classic video clip for the single, filmed at The Hacienda with local breakdancing crews, is available in.
Alas ‘Reach For Love’ was destined to remain an underground hit rather than a chart topper. Rob Gretton blamed Factory’s disdain for conventional promotion. ‘At Factory we still basically believe that you don’t have to hype a group in any way, and that a record should success on its own. But it’s getting increasingly difficult.
We put a record out by Marcel King and it’s hardly sold at all. The charts are wide open to hyping and marketing.’
Adds Bernard Sumner: ‘Marcel was an incredibly talented guy, but a tragic figure. He used to sleep in a car in Moss Side and was a bad heroin addict.’ A troubled but pioneering artist, Marcel sadly passed away in 1995 after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
1000 copies only of FBN 47 will be available on Record Store Day on 22 April 2023, pressed on 180gm black vinyl. The sleeve is based on original artwork for the Factory single and also includes a press interview with Marcel from 1984.
Originally released in 1996, Come's third album 'Near Life Experience' was the sound of a band heading into new territory, refining their dense mix of hypnotic noise-rock, blues and rock'n'roll song-writing. Lovingly remastered, this new version features three incredible bonus tracks 'Prize', 'Strike', 'Hurricane II' stemming from the same era, additional liner notes and photographs. After Come's seminal 1994 release 'Don't Ask Don't Tell', bassist Sean O'Brien and drummer Arthur Johnson left the band to pursue other careers. Remaining members Chris Brokaw and Thalia Zedek recorded Near Life Experience with two different rhythm sections: one half of the album was recorded with drummer Mac McNeilly of the Jesus Lizard and Bundy K. Brown of Tortoise and Gastr Del Sol, the other half recorded with Kevin Coultas and Tara Jane O'Neil of Rodan and The Sonora Pine. Other contributors to the album included Edward Yazijian from Kustomized and Jeff Goddard from Karate, both rock bands hailing from Boston, MA. The title of the album resulted from "a slip of the tongue, as Zedek states, she "was telling someone she had had a 'near life experience,' but meant to say near death experience. Chris [Brokaw] was cracking up at the imagery of that. Thus, the phrase was chosen as the album's title. "Near-Life Experience is heavier, and at the same time prettier, than Come has ever sounded." CMJ New Music Monthly. "Come is a re-energized, even more powerful band than they used to be, and Near Life Experience is their most concise and affecting release yet." All Music. Zedek and Brokaw might have compensated the loss of band members by recruiting new blood but the reward was huge, 'Near Life Experience' is Come's most cinematic, diverse and accessible album.
A legend. Electric. Transformative. The greatest of all time. There’s no superlative that
Richard Pryor hasn’t already earned, and with good reason. From the very start, his voice was
both singular, truly unmatched, and plural, containing multitudes. In a breath, he embodies a
full swath of humanity, dropping his audience into the raucousness of Hank’s Place,
becoming everyone from the streetwise handyman to the lecherous farmers, beautiful black
Irma who loved to tell people to kiss her ass to Weasel who spent all the time he wasn’t
signifying on negging potential marks. He dances between pimps Coldblood and Smooth,
dips into the persona of Tarcy the cop, and transforms into tight-lipped Jesse, the basketball
beast. In another, he paints an entire scene-within-a-scene with “Prison Play.” He’s everyone
(a not uncomfortable feature of his existence: having grown up Black in a Jewish tenement
in an Italian neighborhood, he jokes that the general attitude among the local toughs was
“Get him! He’s all of ‘em!”), everything, everywhere. Along the way, Pryor punctuates every
laugh with a jab, sharply rebuking all the social ills that seek to divide and conquer, all the
filthy, inhumane -isms that offend the senses (or rightly should). And he does it all while
assuring his audience they have nothing to fear from the Black man—except his thoughts.
Originally released in 1962. Recorded July 24, 1962 at the 3rd International Jazz Festival D'Antibes/Juan-Les-Pins, this is classic 1960s Dizzy. It's smooth and swinging without losing any of his patented power. Produced by Quincy Jones, and featuring piano and arrangements from Argentinian master Lalo Schifrin, Gillespie shines here alongside underrated reed man Leo Wright. A great early '60s Dizzy group absolutely slaying live to a receptive audience.
”The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte” ist Sparks’ erste Veröffentlichung seit fast fünf Jahrzehnten, nach Klassikern wie dem 1974 erschienenen Erfolgsalbum ”Kimono My House”, mit der Hit-Single ”This Town Ain’t
Big Enough For Both Of Us”. Das neue Album wird von Ron und Russell Mael als eine Platte beschrieben, die ”so kühn und kompromisslos ist wie alles, was wir damals gemacht haben, oder auch zu jeder anderen Zeit unserer Karriere”.
Das Album enthält fesselnde neue musikalische Elemente wie „Mona Lisa’s Packing, Leaving Late Tonight“ und „Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is“, Songs, die Sparks’ unermüdliche Fähigkeit unter Beweis stellen, in perfekten dreieinhalbminütigen Pop-Meisterwerken vollständige und detaillierte Geschichten zu erzählen.
„The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte“ ist sowohl charakterlich zeitlos als auch modern und bekräftigt einmal mehr, dass Sparks nach mehr als einem halben Jahrhundert, in dem sie solche Meisterwerke geschaffen haben, originell, genial und wie immer absolut einzigartig blieben.
Back in February, the prolific Past Inside The Present label boss Zake hooked up with Marc Ertel, James Bernard, and From Overseas at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis for a very intimate live show in a historic Gothic Chapel.
A vast array of instruments were used including a Fender Telecaster, Meris Mercury 7, Eurorack modular synthesizer, Stingray bass guitar and literally tens more tools and toys and the resulting eight tunes of absorbing ambient are all presented here. It is another mystic and mystifying release from this label that reaches sublime new emotional highs.
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Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
