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Pacific Express emerged from Cape Town, South Africa in the 1970s. The band were from the so called "Coloured" community and were ground breakers in both musical and political arenas. The founder members Paul Abrahams (Bass), Jack Momple (Drums) and Issy Ariefdien (Guitar) were joined by Chris Schilder (Piano), Vic Higgins (Pecussion), Barney Rachabane (Alto Sax), Stompie Manana (Trumpet) and Zayn Adams & Kitty Tshikana on vocals for their second album "On Time" in 1978.

On several occasions the group fell foul of Apartheid laws and discrimination by the state broadcaster, SABC. On one occasion they were asked to leave the stage of an international tour by Australian act John Paul Young, because the law forbade racially mixed performers on the same stage. The promoter, management and band members all resisted and once he incident made the Australian newspapers the authorities had little choice and turned a blind eye.

And so to the music. The most important thing. The LP opens up with the slick jazz-boogie funk of "We Got A Good Thing Going On", a perfect vehicle for the vocals of Zayn and the statement-of-intent, on-point musicianship of the band.

"I Hear Music" is the first of three smooth sweet string-laden ballads to feature on the LP. The majority of the songs on the LP were written by keyboard player Chris Schilder. As well as high-craft songwriting Chris also contributes layers of effortless musicality with his Rhodes and piano. "Good Old Days" (the only cover on the LP) is next and its smooth-rock grooves swing effortlessly to the fore. The A-Side of the vinyl closes with the instrumental jazz funk of "Saturday Night".

The flip side of the album opens with the bands biggest commercial success. A sweet soul ballad penned "Give a Little Love". Stepping outside their usual sound. This hit however was not without controversy as the video was removed from the TV airways after the South Africa Broadcasting Corp realised that the group were of mixed race, which was against rules for so called local artists in public performance at the time.

"Dream" follows on with the driving jazz rock and travelling keyboard solos. "Reaching Out For Love" is a power-pop boogie groover powered by guest vocalists Erica Lundy and Kitty.

"Say The Last Goodbye" is the last of the trio of ballads. A smooth style moment sounding all the bit like a 70's US TV drama closing theme. The LP features with a funky workout where the band show off their chops and slick level of musicianship.

Besides the success in southern Africa this album became a regional hit as a pirated music cassette in Nigeria. It was also released in France and Japan.

The band would go on to record one further LP in 1979 and a single in 1981. They carried on performing however well pass that. Throughout their years together the band acted as central hub for Jazz musicians within the Cape Town area. Players as Tony Cedras, Jonathan Butler and Alvin Dyers gaining experience alongside established names such as trumpeter Stompie Manana and alto saxman Barney Rachabane.

Here at World Seven we are ever so pleased to be re-releasing what we consider the bands finest album moment.

Black Truffle is pleased to present Realejo, the first vinyl release from Brazilian sound artist and composer Manuel Pessoa de Lima. Having composed works for diverse contexts including cinema, contemporary dance, theatre and television, Lima’s live appearances often take the form of self-reflexive lecture performances that combine electro-acoustic sound, red light, video and spoken text, moving unpredictably from the hilarious to the distressing.

Realejo consists of two side-long pieces of highly idiosyncratic electro-acoustic collage, beginning with recordings Lima made of himself playing the organ in the Schloss Solitude Chapel in Stuttgart. Exploring the peculiarities of the instrument’s mechanics, Lima made hours of recordings with the organ stops half-way open, moving from haunting gliding tones to oddly tuned fair-ground melodies reminiscent of the record’s namesake realejo, a hand-cranked organ traditionally found in Brazil as the musical accompaniment to the work of fortune-telling parrots.

To these organ sounds, Lima added recordings of a security guard made in São Paulo: ‘Just before coming to Stuttgart, I started making field recordings of a security guard in São Paulo. It's something pretty common in residential areas: they sit in a chair with a whistle, and use that to signal when people arrive, leave or pass by in the street. This particular security guard, Miguel Viana, works on the same street my parents live, and where I had my childhood, and he has worked there since I was a small child. He has watched the street at night, from 8PM to 6AM, every single day, except Sundays, for over 30 years’.

The poignant sounds of the security guard’s whistles punctuate Lima’s electro-acoustic environment, which also includes raw digital synthesis, recordings of his friends’ infant child, audio lifted from Youtube, and, on the LP’s second side, elements taken from an earlier work, ‘36 English to Portuguese Lessons’. Finely chiselled from dozens of hours of source material into a detail-rich, mercurial structure, Realejo is alternately jarring and seductive, introducing listeners to a young composer with a powerfully individual voice.

Award-winning bassist Daniel Casimir and vocalist Tess Hirst release their debut album via pioneering London-based record labe Jazz re:freshed. Following the success of Daniel Casimir's critically acclaimed debut EP 'Escapee' which featured Hirst on vocals and fellow rising stars on the scene Moses Boyd, Joe Armon-Jones and Shirley Tetteh, this album - 'These Days' is inspired by the duo's London surroundings, delivering thought-provoking lyricism, neo-soul and modern jazz

Casimir, a former Birmingham Conservatoire student, has collaborated with Julian Joseph, Jason Rebello, Benet McLean, Lonnie Liston Smith, Nathan Facey, Shane Forbes, Chihiro Yamanaka, Ashley Henry, David Lyttle, Nubya Garcia, The Tracey Quintet (Meantime Jubilation), Tom Harrison (Unfolding In Tempo), Jasmine Power (Stories And Rhymes), Camilla George and Art Blakey Jazz Messenger saxophonist, Jean Toussaint.

Named Young Jazz Musician of the Year by the Musicians' Company in 2016, Casimir has received plaudits for his arrangements and recital, while Hirst has made a name for herself with her vocals on the jazz circuit having moved between London, Leeds and LA to hone her craft. What sets Hirst apart as a musician is not only the originality of her music but her perspective of herself as an artist. She is an Ethnomusicology Graduate of SOAS and her writing style walks us through her upbringing in West London and down the halls of academia

Casimir and Hirst fuse traditional jazz sounds into beautiful compositions, narrating their way through a political and cultural landscape across these twelve tracks. The frenzied groove heavy'Security' addresses the need to trust one another and how we protect ourselves personally, while the rich atmospherics of 'Freedom' combined with Hirst's vocals, explore liberation and the rejection of duty - from a female perspective.

At the heart of 'These Days', Casimir plays with a passion and power that resonates throughout each composition. His knack for complex chord changes are highlighted in 'What Did I Do', bringing an energy and enthusiasm to the track while Hirst decries our changing capital. Elsewhere, references to John Agard's poem 'Listen Mr. Oxford Don' in 'The Magic Money Tree', explore the past and its relevance to now while a re-imagining of Charles Mingus' 'Fables Of Faubus' further ensures this theme remains central to the essence of the album.

Daniel Casimir and Tess Hirst have already received radio support from BBC Radio 3, BBC Music Introducing and Jazz FM, along with coverage in the London Evening Standard and Jazzwise Magazine

'Don't Let Them' interpolates elements of 'Fables Of Faubus' written by Charles Mingus (c) 1959. Published by Jazz Workshop Inc. Administered by BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

After taking time out to search for the right blend of carefully curated tracks, Bristol-based dancefloor futurists Innate return with a third multi-artist EP - shot through with melody, warmth and soul.

A quartet of timeless-sounding tracks full of stargazing sounds, undulating acid lines, far-sighted electronics and crackling beats, the A side kicks off with Perseus Traxx's "Drifting In Space": a loose-limbed exercise in analogue house deepness that wraps slowly shifting pads, meandering melodies and pulsating TB-303 motifs around broken house drums.

Welcoming Australian scene stalwart Ewan Jansen to the fray with "Sinders", he effortlessly blurs the boundaries between far-sighted, Motor City style techno and the kind of head-in-the-clouds analogue sounds that have always been his forte.

On the flip, Reedale Rise adds his touch with "Coral". In keeping with the brilliance of his 2018 debut album "Luminous Air", he drops a colourful, picturesque voyage into deep electro territory rich in ear-catching melodies, engaging chord sequences and crunchy machine percussion. To round, label co-founder Owain K returns with "Teifi", another ultra-deep treat: an enveloping, dancefloor excursion rich in fluttering lead lines, slowly expanding chords, vintage bass and punchy drums. A fitting conclusion to Innate's latest immaculate, eyes-closed voyage."

This debut album, by prodigious keys player, composer and producer Joe Armon-Jones, is buoyant, celebratory and welcoming. With a background in jazz, he draws from influences in dub, hip-hop and soul. Different traditions are infused and commingled together. Soulful brass arrangements are coloured with carefully-tuned atmospherics, individual flashes of brilliance are bound into the album's bigger picture.

He's part of London's young, jazz-influenced music scene. Drawn from that same close-knit circle, the album features the likes of Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia and Oscar Jerome. It's playing with those - along with Ezra Collective, which he co-founded, and touring with the likes of Ata Kak and Pharoahe Monch - which has honed his playing and grown his ideas.

It's made for a record with an unmistakable depth. He draws on deep musical understanding, making music which is warm and has a feeling of joy. A document of his vision for bringing together his different influences, it's also a testament to hard-earned, head-turning musical virtuosity.

Dr Rubberfunk might not be medically trained, but he does know a thing or two about treating your ears, as he returns with the fourth instalment of his popular 'My Life at 45' series. Having established himself in funk, soul, blues and jazz circles with a ton of high calibre releases, the good doctor holds a reputation for quality productions, with a hands-on approach, both in front of, and behind the mixing desk, as an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and producer.

A-side 'Boom!' features the vocals of the UK's leading blues & soul singer – John Turrell. Mr Turrell recounts the sorry tale of a man who has burned the candle at both ends, leaving him with just his recriminations and a great slab of wax on his hands.

As always though, with JT, it's delivered with humour "I've got the Tuesday tears, got the Wednesday woes – my serotonin too low …"
On the flip 'Steppin' In' is a low slung beat fest that is guaranteed to make your head nod, as piano, guitar & Hammond ride a tight jazz funk groove.

Jay Clarke's masterful BLACKAXON imprint returns with a shapeshifting EP from Davide Piras.

What began as a sonic sketchbook for Clarke to express his expansive view of electronic music, is evolving. The label is opening up to artists who hold a shared passion for creating dynamic and interesting techno compositions, with a few surprises here and there. Following last October's superb contribution from rising talent Yant, experimental techno artist David Piras drops a quadruplet of cuts to join the BLACKAXON fold.

His BLACKAXON debut, "Beyond Our Reach", is a true all-rounder. It leads with the dusty slow bass monster "Radiation Belt", before the gritty electro noodlings of "Multipolar" enter the fore. The analogue-infused rave cut "System Cartesian" takes the EP into otherworldly realms, before atmosphere-heavy "Pangaea Heritage" closes out the work, evoking a hazy afterhours vibe.

"Davide's productions hold an air of Convextion about them, he's one of my favourite artists. I locked into that right away and knew I wanted to release his music. When I listen to Davide's tracks I feel as though I'm in the middle of a sci-fi movie, they're funky and futuristic tales from the deep. Amazing!" - Jay Clarke

Cap'tain Créole - formerly known as Trenchtown Meditation - was a band formed in 1984 by Clément, José, Jean-Pierre and Serge.Cap'tain Créole was a pioneering creole-speaking French reggae band with the aim of exploring new musical horizons. With the help of 3 new members - among them a sax player and a trumpet player, both coming from the jazz scene, Cap'tain Créole recorded their unique outing, Ni Bel Jounin.
A single composed of 2 titles Fré Moin / Ni Bel Jounin, both sung in creole, using with great impact some subtle electronic elements.Both tracks are at the crossroads of many universes: Afro, Rock, Funk, Reggae. The result is quite unique and foremost, the spiritual vibe that oozes from the record is an obvious marker of their reggae roots.Privately pressed and self-distributed in small quantities at the time, BeauMonde is proud to make the one and only record of Cap'tain Créole available again

'All We Are' & 'Alex Kapranos' Both Have History With Speedy Wunderground. Label Boss 'Dan Carey' Produced Awa's Shimmering Self-titled Debut Album & Also Franz Ferdinand's Third Long-player Tonight: Franz Ferdinand. For The Latter Carey Also Created A Dub Remix Version Of The Entire Album Called Blood, Tapping Into His Love Of Dub And Earlier Work With Artists Like Lee Scratch Perry And Mad Professor.

In True Speedy Style This New Collaboration Came About Completely Off The Cuff. Kapranos Came To The Speedy Wunderground Stage At London's Label Mates Festival At Moth Club In Late Jan To See An Artist He Had Been Working With Play. All We Are Were Also On The Bill, And After Chatting With The Band And Dan They Invited Alex To Come To The Speedy Session They Had Planned With The Band Two Days Later At Dan's Studio In Streatham.

Once In A Room Together The Music Came Fast. The Remainder Of The Day Was Spent Forming Lyrical Ideas. All Present Including Carey Contributed, Jotting Down Ideas, Excerpts Of The Days Phrases And Conversations And Putting Them Together In True William Burroughs Cut-ups Style. 'It Was A Way To Detach From Conventional Song Subject-matter' Says Kapranos. All We Are Agreed, 'The Writing Process Was A Lot Of Fun And For Us A Completely Fresh Way Of Looking At It.'

... The Resulting Track 'Heart Attack' Is A Skittering Disco-post-punk Jam. Equal Parts Of All Their Day Jobs Form Something Fresh, With Echoes Of Talking Heads And Alex's Unmistakable Vocal Delivery Over The Top. 'The Speedy Tracks Are Always Such A Good Vibe And The Studio Is Such A Special Place' Say All We Are. Kapranos Adds, 'as I Think Is Typical For The Label, Nothing Existed In The Morning When We Got Together, And Then Suddenly Everything Was Completed And Recorded By The Time We Went For A Pizza In The Evening.'

- Get Out Of The K-hole. Get On To The Beach.

iven Jones’ rather slack approach to track titles (both being consistent with and sometimes even just supplying them), it’s a bit of a relief to realize that two tracks with the same name are indeed related. In the case of “Arab Jerusalem”, which makes up nearly half of the newly-released Lalique Gadaffi Handgrenade, that kinship is immediately apparent even though both tracks are clearly their own experiences.

Released as the first track on the Minaret-Spearker picture disc 7” in 1996, “Arab Jeruzalem” (spelling also sometimes being fairly slack) is 5:42 of effectively shifting dark ambience, wordless female vocals drifting over the hand percussion, chimes, and static of the track, with eventual conversational loops discussing... something underneath. The end of that version is especially striking for the way the woman’s wordless singing starts being sampled in such a way that it overlays the whole track (and, slightly, itself). The almost 24-minute “Arab Jerusalem” here might be called the Deer Hunter version of the same story, building with great patience and many more abstract detours towards what now seems like simultaneously an excerpt and, now, a climax. As with many of Jones’ more ambient tracks, the great length just lets it cast its spell more thoroughly and entrancingly.

The other three tracks, meanwhile, suggest some of Jones’ other work but never evoke them as directly as “Arab Jerusalem”. “Jordan River” is nearly as long (a second shy of 20 minutes) but strips out the vocal elements in its predecessor, focusing instead on a more active percussive workout (analogue and digital both) and a river of hiss running down the center of the track. The title track of Lalique Gadaffi Handgrenade might bring to mind the title of “Lalique Gadaffi Jar” from Libya Tour Guide (last reissued by Staalplaat in 2015), but if they’re sonically related Jones must have practically melted the other track to get this one. And the closing “Desert Gulag” (like the title track, a much more manageable length than the first two epic tracks here) bears a slight resemblance to “Negev Gulag” from 1996’s Fatah Guerrilla, here what was a piercing, repetitive drone is softened and looped over more of Jones’ percussion. The result is a well-rounded release that shows off many aspects of Jones’ sound as Muslimgauze, while existing (like many of these DAT tapes do) in conversation with much of his previously released work.

Total Refreshment Centre is proud to present a brand new mini-LP from Neue Grafik Ensemble entitled 'Foulden Road'. French producer, instrumentalist and DJ, Neue Grafik, has been building a strong rep for himself over the past few years, releasing records previously on labels such as Rhythm Section, 22a, CoOp Presents and Wolf Music.

His sound is a hybrid of jazz, house and hip hop, all with his unique geographical flavours of African ethnicity, Parisian roots and a love for London sounds like broken beat & grime thrown into the mix. In his own words "this mini album has been conceived as a journey from Deptford to Dalston, right through Peckham. During a personal period of transition, I put this music forward at a crossroad of all my influences, taking the time to share and experiment with a band more than that, an ensemble. The idea is to incorporate musicians with their own sensibilities, collaborating together as a reflection of our society; unreal & rebellious, but with magic moments, and full of hope.

The best representation of that is Total Refreshment Centre. This building and its community were a perpetual source of inspiration for me over the past two years & gladly allowed the creation of this project". Having been first properly introduced to the community of the TRC during an after-hours jam, it came to TRC founder Lex Blondel's attention that New design had some exquisite compositions of his own. A few weeks later, it was decided that Neue Grafik would form a band and that they would do their first gig at TRC, a week after the first day of rehearsals. No pressure … Lex continued; "we paired him up with Emma-Jean Thackray, to arrange his compositions for a quartet, added Vels Trio's Dougal Taylor on drums, Matt Gedrych from MaddAddam on bass and Jordan Saintard on sax.

Then the band got to work…" Title track 'Foulden Road' commences the session in truly energetic fashion, named after the street in North London where TRC is based, and where these sessions were largely laid down. Keeping with the geographical vibe, next we have 'Dalston Junction', a two-part affair starting on a sci-fi boom-bap tip, before switching to the ethereal flute playing of Brussels musician Esinam, and the first outing on the collection for Brother Portrait.

'Voodoo Rain' is next, a sweet slice of afro-funk, featuring the incredible talents of London's own Nubya Garcia on sax, and the tempo picks up once again for 'Something Is Missing' - this live version comes from the afore-mentioned infamous first gig at TRC.

The goosebump-enducing vocals of Melbourne soulstress, Allysha Joy, set off the second half of the record with the beautiful downtempo track 'Hotel Laplace', recorded at a live session at Giant Steps, before kicking the energy levels back up with 'Hedgehog's Dilemma', once again featuring the vocals of Brother Portrait, as does the closing track, 'Dedicated to Marie Paule', a mid-tempo piece akin to 90's golden era jazz-hop, bringing the set to its conclusion.

This collection of tracks reflect the many moods and various genres indicative of Neue's creative approach illustrated above.

repress

2LP 140G VINYL + 12 PAGE BOOKLET.

"Space Echo - The mystery behind the "Cosmic Sound" of Cabo Verde finally revealed!" is the 20th release by the fabulous Analog Africa Label.

In the spring of 1968 a cargo ship was preparing to leave the port of Baltimore with an important shipment of musical instruments. Its final destination was Rio De Janeiro, where the EMSE Exhibition (Exposição Mundial Do Son Eletrônico) was going to be held.

It was the first expo of its kind to take place in the Southern Hemisphere and many of the leading companies in were all eager to present their newest synthesisers and other gadgets to a growing and promising South American market, spearheaded by Brazil and Colombia.

The ship with the goods set sail on the 20th of March on a calm morning and mysteriously disappeared from the radar on the very same day.

One can only imagine the surprise of the villagers of Cachaço, on the Sao Nicolau island of Cabo Verde, when a few months later they woke up and found a ship stranded in their fields, in the middle of nowhere, 8 km from any coastline.

After consulting with the village elders, the locals had decided to open the containers to see what was inside - however gossip as scintillating as this travels fast and colonial police had already arrived and secured the area.

Portuguese scientists and physicians were ordered to the scene and after weeks of thorough studies and research, it was concluded that the ship had fallen from the sky. One of the less plausible theories was that it might have fallen from a Russian military air carrier. The locals joked that again the government had wasted their tax money on a useless exercise, as a simple look at the crater generated by the impact could explain the phenomena. "No need for Portuguese rocket scientists to explain this!" they laughed.

What the villagers didn't know, was that traces of cosmic particles were discovered on the boat. The bow of the ship showed traces of extreme heat, very similar to traces found on meteors, suggesting that the ship had penetrated the hemisphere at high speed. That theory also didn't make sense as such an impact would have reduced the ship to dust. Mystery permeated the event.

Finally, a team of welders arrived to open the containers and the whole village waited impatiently.

The atmosphere, which had been filled with joy and excitement, quickly gave way to astonishment. Hundreds of boxes conjured, all containing keyboards and other instruments which they had never seen before: and all useless in an area devoid of electricity. Disappointment was palpable. The goods were temporarily stored in the local church and the women of the village had insisted a solution be found before Sunday mass.

It is said that charismatic anti-colonial leader Amílcar Cabral had ordered for the instruments to be distributed equally in places that had access to electricity, which placed them mainly in schools.

This distribution was best thing that could have happened - keyboards found fertile grounds in the hands of curious children, born with an innate sense of rhythm who picked up the ready-to-use instruments. This in turn facilitated the modernisation of local rhythms such as Mornas, Coladeras and the highly danceable music style called Funaná, which had been banned by the Portuguese colonial rulers until 1975 due to its sensuality!

The observation was made that the children who came into contact with the instruments found on the ship inherited prodigious capabilities to understand music and learn instruments. One of them was the musical genius Paulino Vieira, who by the end of the 70s would become the country´s most important music arranger. 8 out of the 15 songs presented in this compilation had been recorded with the backing of the band Voz de Cabo Verde, lead by Paulino Vieira, the mastermind behind the creation and promulgation of what is known today as "The Cosmic Sound of Cabo Verde".

The field of electronic music were involved. Rhodes, Moog, Farfisa, Hammond and Korg, just to name a few.

Since 2000 Mapstation has been the moniker for the solo work of TAL Label founder Stefan Schneider. Schneider has won international acclaim as a founding member of KREIDLER and to rococo rot as well as through unique collaborational works with artists such as Joachim Roedelius (Cluster/Harmonia), Bill Wells, Katharina Grosse, Dieter Moebius (Cluster/Harmonia) Sofia Jernberg or Jochen Irmler (Faust). There has not been a new Mapstation release since 2009's THE AFRICA CHAMBER which had former FELA KUTI member NICHOLAS ADDO-NETTEY on percussion.

The new album PRESENT UNMETRICS, is not entirely a stand-alone creation either. There are guest appearances by THOMAS KLEIN (KREIDLER) on percussion, MICHAEL ACHER (THE NOTWIST) on Sousaphone and an outstanding vocal contribution from japanese singer HACO, all deeply woven into the digital topographics of the music.

PRESENT UNMETRICS offers a collection of radically subtle music. The guiding principle of the album was to construct direct and nuanced tracks which embody a sense of open-ended incompleteness and heterogenous dynamics.

Out of sync bass arpeggios, infused with uneven rythms, fractured synth stabs and intimate melodies, frequently created here with a Schlumberg sine wave generator, are continuously engage with experimentation, both on sound and structure.

Expertly pieced-together and produced in timeless fashio, PRESENT UNMETRICS displays all the coherence and artistic authority of an album on a constant quest so vital to the music of Mapstation. An album that couldn't have been made by any other than Mapstation.

Sir James and King Johnny are the leading figures of the mysterious crew: L'ENTOURLOOP.

These elders, fed on the sound of sound systems, vinyl culture and lulled by the epic dialogues of the cinema of yesteryear, concoct a fine fusion of Reggae and Hip Hop.

These beatmakers like to use scratches and samples, all blended with a vintage french touch that makes us travel from France to Kingston, London and New York! The two unstoppable seniors come back this fall to hit ever stronger with a new EP called "Golden Nuggets" in collaboration with the Jamaican Skarra Mucci aka the "Dancehall President".

"Golden Nuggets" is a 6-piece-EP in which we find all the ingredients that make the magic of the sound of Entourloop and Skarra Mucci.

The hyper talneted Stellar Om Source (NOT NOT FUN, RVNG, NO 'LABEL) blowing up new styles on this one!

"If there is one thing that leaps out from Stellar OM Source’s music, it is the sense of a highly active mind at work. There is an indivisible feeling that a real person is behind this dynamic flurry of tones, waves, vibrations and modulations. On I See Through You, the first full Stellar OM Source release in over four years, the spark that first LP piqued the interest of so many listeners is glowing stronger than ever.

In the 2010's, Christelle Gualdi carved a name as one of the most essential live electronic musicians around, dazzling dancers and home listeners in kind with her bombastic, acidic hardware jams. Circumstances outside her control forced a stop for the Stellar OM Source project. It was touring, including two shows in the summer of 2019 at Dekmantel Festival and Listen! that Gualdi credits as year highlights, which proved to be the integral jump-start to the engine.

Inspiration came rushing back thanks to the human connection of performing. Seeing a younger generation connect with her put fresh charge into the circuitry of her gear. All this accrued into new material on the road, and thus I See Through You was born.

The spirit of 2013’s cult favourite Joy One Mile is alive and well on I See Through You. There is once again immediacy, urgency and lust. But Stellar OM Source stepping into a comparatively more poppy and playful mode on these four tracks could also throw some. Fundamentally she says, it comes from a similar place, and ends with an enmeshed and positive outcome. Gualdi credits both “1995 rave” and “the clarity, bass and breath” of hi-def hip-hop productions as being twin northern stars for her to follow.

The artwork comes from friend and highly respected photographer & director Pierre Debusschere, whose work similarly flits between arresting close-ups and, well, the widescreen luxe of Beyoncé videos. “I’m definitely not a purist anymore,” Gualdi laughs – and with club-ready impact meeting human warmth, this shows in abundance.

“Night Alone” wastes no time in getting the listener up to speed. Is that an LFO sample running through “Night Alone”? Is this a lost Metro Area classic? Is that Stellar OM Source taking a diversion into searching Ibiza-rousing vocal for a moment, or did we imagine that in a heat haze? Where are the kicks? Oh there they are. How many elements are buried and revived within just over five minutes?
It’s hard to tell. Before we know it, “Lost Codes” is up and away, keeping pulses racing. A pitter-patter of baby kicks feel like a pre-tremor before a welting electro-Italo lead crashes into play. With fizzing energy, rasping synths and a frisson of danger, fans of Unit Moebius and The Hacker will be doing somersaults of joy.

“White Echoes” wastes kicks off the flip side with low gurgles descending briefly like a UFO reverse parking into the spot SOS had vacated. Soon, 303s are twisting like Chinese burns while warm chords offer a salve. The mood maintains on “Wild Palms”, the only song on this record not to feature additional mixing work from Peaking Lights’ dub-wise sensei Aaron Coyes.

True to form, the B2 is all Stellar: elements switching up and out, with all the fun and frenzy of capital-L Live action. Kick drums and bassline darting back and forth like a synchronised swimming routine, all elements in concert. The momentum of a runaway mine cart that you can’t help but strap yourself to. I See Through You is one for the dancers who have given Stellar OM Source the motive to move forward once again."

Sauce Combo is a powerful and dynamic jazz trio lead by Marcjean, saxophonist from Bestown (Besançon), sided by the mercenary drummer Tom Moretti and the melodious
Victor Pierrel on bass. The trio's music takes place in the modern jazz renewing coming especially from England and the USA. France has now a champion. Inspirated by vintage african and west indies jazz, 70's jazz funk and fusion but also 90's drum & bass, broken beat and hip hop, the repertoire is a rich jazz bomb exploding to the
ears. Each second brings its his new colorful burst to admire. The band's brilliant game makes it a living listening experience. The music is rich and versatile but cohesive and united. Why?
Crash Test came to light in one day during a single 7 hours recording session at the Honey For Bear laboratories. Arnaud Bataillard, the sound's engineer, wanted to try several new
tubes and audio gears added in his studio set up. The trio went to test it in a crash test session. All the recordings could have been compromise somewhere but... What was before planned as a try ended into a fantastic album. The mental disposition, while playing
when you know that all can be lost in a minute, gave the musicians the proper dimension to express their feelings in a total freedom. They were playing for pleasure and without any pressure. It was for all, but it could have been also for nothing. And we can literally feel that. This unique record had to be release as soon as possible to transmit the freshness of this beautiful impact to the listeners. Above all, Clément Laurentin's "Equilibre Précaire VI" achieves this album, offering a painting with four figures at the edge of the fall, in a constant imbalance, playing with time and gravity. It's the perfect allegory for the three band's members plus the engineer while making this record.

Michael Edgehill aka Mikey Melody was born in the parish of Portland, Jamaica. As a youth he constantly raised his voice in song and performing with sound system in the neighborhood community. Known by his sweet voice, his friends gave him the nickname «Mikey Melody».

Mikey Melody was influenced by 60’s and 70’s US R&B icons and Jamaican singers like Bob Marley, Sugar Minott, Burning Spear, Dennis Brown, Bob Andy and Half Pint. In the 1980’s he went to Kingston and was identified early by Lord Sassafrass, who gave him his first recording single “Under Mi Fat Thing” that was covered by many reggae artists. He was then signed by Black Scorpio Corporation which he was a singer on the sound system and recording label. He did songs like “World Is A Disaster”, “Jumbo Mi Jumbo”, “Romance For The Moment”, “Ragga Muffin”, “Unemployment”.

He then moved on to Dennis Star Label which he did songs like “Mona Lisa”, “Maranda” and the hit song “Soldier In Town”. Released in 1988 on Dennis Star International records, ‘’Soldier In Town’’ by Mikey Melody is a pure late 80’s dancehall vocal over heavy digital rhythm by Firehouse Crew.

They Say: “Driving brass and sax ensemble over funky rhythm section, playing tracks of various feel and style”.

We say: From the Lincoln Continental that memorably adorns the cover to the tranquil funk contained within, this glowing ode to the grooving force of 70s American soul music is ice cool all over. With brilliant contributions from the Three Key Alans™ (Hawkshaw, Parker, Tew) as well as Mike Moran, Les Hurdle and Keith Roberts, this is driving music for only the vibiest cats.

Originally released in 1976, The All American Powerhouse is one of the very best of the Themes library releases. It’s killer. A feast of dramatic jazz, horizontal, melodic funk and bouncing sunshine-y West-Coast feels throughout, there also lurks an intense injection of the Blaxploitation sound. Understandable, given the subject matter and year it was released.

Highlights include Alan Parker’s confident, horn-heavy wah-wah-fuelled album-opener “Sweeny Todd”, Hawkshaw’s graceful “Getaway” glide and dramatic, breathless “Speed Run”, Mike Moran’s loose, organ-driven propulsive B-Boy classic “The Pick-Up” and Keith Roberts’ percussive tour de force “Overide” that closes out the LP.

Yet, perhaps the most significant track here is Les Hurdle’s long-adored “Soul Train”. A grooving, bass-heavy library classic, it’s all swirling strings, stabbing horns, heavy open drums and melodic funk-rock guitars. Add in the funky clavinet, and the combination works beautifully.

As with all of our other Themes re-issues, the audio for The All American Powerhouse comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. We’ve taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM’s brand identity.

DJ Mad A (Adam Embleton) & Dr. Stevie The Ambient Guru (Stevie Hewitt) originally met when Adam picked up the Saturday shift at 'Record Mart', a record store run by Stevie back in the late 80's. They quickly bonded over shared tastes and enthusiasm for the growing dance club culture in England.

'Balearic Beat' had arrived from Ibiza, house music was taking over, and clubs were pushing boundaries, encouraging DJs to experiment with the dancefloor. Stevie was a regular selector at classic venues like 'Club Havana' and 'Flixx', where he blended house, electro & techno for the loaded English youth. Adam had signed to Island records, at 17, the first signee for newly appointed A&R rep Darcus Beese. Their collaborations in the Island studio is where the early 'Mad A' production techniques were cultivated.

With Adam behind the programming and Stevie on guitar, the two assembled a few songs to add to their explorative DJ sets. They printed a white label tiny pressing of 'The Mad Vibe', four tracks, "sending out waves that shock", their sound was a frantic blend of electro and house. The E.P. sold out fast locally, with their tune, 'Levitating Pharaohs' catching the attention of Drum 'n' Bass duo 'Spring Heel Jack' and labels like Mo'wax. As the 90's rolled on, the two continued to DJ as residents at clubs like Corner House, Brody's, Arena & Dickens.

Smiling C 2019 repress of this cult 12". Remastered and housed in a die-cut 12" jacket with pharaoh's head sticker.

"Play The Trax. Feel The Vibes. Mad as....."

They Say: “Documentary and industrial underlays for current themes of modern life”.

We say: Mind-blowing, percussion-heavy, Afro-tinged, cosmic-disco library bomb.

This is the one. An absolutely outstanding record from 1983 and definitely one of the hardest to find on the collectable German library label, Coloursound. The Now Generation (Percussive Underscores) is comfortably one of the very best library records full stop.

The record comes galloping out the gate with a pair of rapid synthy-eurodisco bombs - the title-track and “Panama” - before slowing down to a woozy pace on “Inorganic Matter”. “African Nightclub” sounds like it reads, and is a particular favourite of Prins Thomas. Indeed, it was used to great effect on his seminal Cosmo Galactic Prism mix for Eskimo back in 2007. It’s followed by the dark, druggy, slow motion industrial groove of “Grease Plant” before “Southerly” lifts the tempo to close out side A with its Latin funk strut of bells and melancholic keys.

For us, though, it’s all about the opener to side B: “Mechanical Heart”. Seven minutes of building, mid-tempo disco-funk joy, deceptively explosive, club-ready gear for body and soul. The back cover dryly describes the track as “Guitar and percussion, light industrial underlay”. Hmmm. How about, “after finally emerging from a particularly heavy week jamming in a sunless, lawless German warehouse, Chic warily press record on a wayward, illicit instrumental for basement gatherings”. Just wait for those drums at the 3 minute mark…

The beatless ambience and menacing stabs of the proto-electro “Chemical Threat” follows, before the open drums and incredible fills of the metronomic “Steady Going” and fantastically monotonous funk breaks of “Nepal Trek” round out this sensational set.

This is a library masterpiece in no uncertain terms, full of synth funk, afro beats, exotica, leftfield madness, dance floor dynamite and all-around greatness.

As with our KPM and Themes re-issues, the audio for The Now Generation comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. Richard Robinson has brought the original Coloursound sleeve back to life in all its metalic silver glory.

IZIPHO SOUL RECORDS are thrilled to be releasing JASON ANTHONEY WRIGHT’S 2008 masterpiece, 'RESET TO ZERO' on a 7’’ single! Produced by Absolute’s Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins, 'RESET TO ZERO' is one of the finest pieces of U.K. retro soul.

The soaring lead vocals, layered over a soulful groove has made this a respected song on the musically knowledgeable rare soul scene, whilst still maintaining that wider reaching appeal a feat only achieved by very few compositions. On the B-Side is the Pete and Steve Lewinson produced Motown flavoured LOOKING THROUGH THE WINDOW.

“We seem to be caught! Trapped, somehow…”
Published for the first time on audio, Demon Records presents a narrated full-cast TV soundtrack, starring William Hartnell as the Doctor in one of his most weird and wonderful adventures!
In this vintage 6-part adventure, first shown on BBC TV in February and March 1965, a strange magnetic force pulls the TARDIS down to the craterous surface of Vortis. The Doctor and his friends learn that the planet has been invaded, and the parasitic Animus is slowly enveloping it in a web-like domain. The giant ant-like Zarbi are under its control, whilst the butterfly-like Menoptra are battling to reclaim their planet.
Presented across 3 x heavyweight 180g pieces of pink vinyl, this narrated TV soundtrack evokes a classic Doctor Who adventure in all its aural magnificence. The alien ambience of Vortis, the insistent chirruping of the Zarbi, and the supernatural voice of the Animus are all accompanied by the eerie sonics of Ron Grainer & Delia Derbyshire’s theme tune.
Written by Bill Strutton, this was the Doctor’s most exotic and lavish adventure yet. Linking narration is provided by Maureen O’Brien (Vicki) and the cast includes William Russell as Ian, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara, Martin Jarvis as Hilio and Roslyn de Winter as Vrestin. Accompanying the pink vinyl LPs are full episode billings, cast and credits, and eight illustrated
panels form a superb artwork montage. This is a first-time audio release for this very special
adventure. Dummedy-dum, Dummedy-dum, Dummedy-dum, Dum-dum…

Local Talk is back again with a fantastic album from Soulphiction who gets deep, down and dirty with this bumping selection of timeless house tracks across 3 pieces of beautifully packaged vinyl...

Dusty grooves and soulful emotion form the foundation of this release, which also takes influence from Jazz, Hip Hop and Afrobeat.

Soulphiction aka Michel Baumann is one of Germany's most respected artists who is also known under the equally successful and iconic alias Jackmate.
This is the third time Soulphiction has featured on Local Talk including his recent single "Beehive". Other labels to have featured Soulphiction tracks and remixes include Lumberjacks in Hell, Rebirth, Pampa and Philpot Records.

A master of both mood and texture, this release showcases the studio wizardry of a true sound-smith.
Chunky percussion with shuffling rhythms form the backbone of the grooves, which are fleshed out with intricate melodies and funky basslines that move mind, body and soul.

Like the tracklist of a J Dilla mixtape, this album flows with a purposeful care combined with a storytelling blend of emotions rarely heard in a house music long player.

Executed to perfect precision, this album is an instant classic and a must-have for home listening along with a club setting.

After being blown away by a few tunes - probably just as you will be after listening to this - Samy Ben Redjeb travelled to the infamous capital city of Somalia in November of 2016, making Analog Africa the first music label to set foot in Mogadishu.

On his arrival in Somalia Samy began rifling through piles of cassettes and listening to reel-to-reel tapes in the dusty archives of Radio Mogadishu, looking for music that ‘swam against the current’.

The stars were aligned: an uncovered and unmarked pile
of discarded recordings was discovered in a cluttered corner of the building. Colonel Abshir - the senior employee and protector of Radio Mogadishu’s archives - clarified that the pile consisted mostly of music nobody had manage to identify, or music he described as being ‘mainly instrumental and strange music’.

At the words ‘strange music’ Samy was hooked, the return flight to Tunisia was cancelled. The pile turned out to be a cornucopia of different sounds: radio jingles, background music and interludes for radio programmes, television shows and theatre plays. There were also a good number of disco tunes, some had been stripped of their lyrics, the interesting parts had been recorded multiple times then cut, taped together and spliced into a long groovy instrumental loop.

Like everywhere in Africa during the 1970s, both men and women sported huge afros, bell-bottom trousers and platform shoes.
James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and The Temptations’ funk were the talk of the town. In 1977, Iftin Band were invited to perform at the Festac festival in Lagos where they represented Somalia at the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture.

Not only did they come back with an award but they also returned with Afrobeat. While Fela Kuti’s ‘Shakara’ had taken over the continent and was spreading like wildfire throughout Latin America, it was the track ‘Lady’ that would become the hit in Mogadishu.

Bathurst is pleased to announce the return of The Motion Orchestra with their new single Sonorous taken from their forthcoming album All One set for release in 2020.

Formed in 2017, this studio project consists of Alexander Bednasch on Double-Bass, Mark Matthes on Violins, Andy Sells on Drums and David Hanke on electronics and production. Though influenced heavily by Neo-Classical and Jazz sensibilities they occupy a musical space that sits in neither sphere, with a compositional style that deftly fuses the orchestral and electronic worlds.

Their debut single – All One was a gorgeous piece inspired by the notion that everything comes from the same source, the same starting point. And it was well received, garnering support from BBC 6Music and Bandcamp Weekly.

Second single Sonorous is just as elegant as their first offering and looks set to continue the upward trajectory the band are currently on. Starting witha repeated electronic motif, it incorporates piano chord harmonics, tasteful bass notes, and swirling jazz drum patterns that interplay wonderfully with beautiful string arrangements, altogether creating a truly captivating character.

The release is comprised of both the original version as well as a the arrangement without the drums. The Motion Orchestra is currently in the process of producing their live show for performances of the debut album.

We're very happy and proud to represent with the first release the
first ep which came out on legendary Dance Mania Records!
"Hardcore Jazz" by Duane & Co. was done as a hommage to James Brown. Special thanks to Ray Barney!

Here are some words by Duane Buford. Some yers ago my friend and Mentor Ray Barney started a record label and we sat down and talked about his 1st release, I sat down in my basement and put something together little did I know years later it will be reissued, a little while later we did our second release which was really successful. I really give thanks to Dancemania records a label Ray Barney and I started, many others have tried to claim that they started this record label but all of them are totally full of s*** ...
A little while later ended up getting signed to a major record label which actually served no purpose for me what so ever, it was'nt the label it was the people i was involved with at the time, I was making more money with Ray Barney and Dancemania.

Moral to this, take care of your paper work when you release your music, don't sign away your publishing, you never know where your song will end up.

Hamburg based Label Mantra Mantra drops its first EP by 11Schnull.
"IMPERIA" is not only the first release by 11Schnull, Hamburg-based Dj and producer, but also marks the birth of a new record and design label named MANTRA MANTRA. It will release electronic music from up-and-coming artists as well as handcrafted merchandising items, created specifically for each new output.

On this first EP the title track spans over an epic length of 10 minutes and combines an ecclesiastical sample field-recorded in the basilica of Imperia, Italy, with trippy choral soundscapes and hard crashing drums. The B side contains "Jam des Terrorglobus", a rough uncut session he held with his friend Baxmann, and a dark and quaky electro piece called "Roofies on fire", a harsh club banger that could potentially be the last track played at an illegal rave before the "Polizei" shows up. But this part of the story will be told on vinyl only.

Vinyl Only. Produced by Ollie Marland of De-Lite and Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart fame Label logo by manga legend Shintaro Kago. Archival reissue of rare 1984 jazz-funk fusion diamond in the rough by German-Australian-British madcap ensemble Bells of Kyoto, produced by Ollie Marland of De-Lite and Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart fame. Fusions grooves with Orient-funk detours and looking out the window of a Swissair aircraft moments of cool mid 1980s contemplation.

Highly recommended to porthole dreamers, seasoned mind travelers, inventive dancefloor adventurers, and dogs who like to stick their head out the car window.

Drums - Alex Friedrich
Electric Bass - Peter Drefahl
Mastered By - Rico Sonderegger
Piano, Bells - Peter Waters
Producer - Bells Of Kyoto, Laurie Carls, Ollie Marland
Recorded By - Laurie Carls, Ollie Marland
Synthesizer, Guitar, Percussion - Ollie Marland

German-Syrian band Shkoon will release their long-awaited debut album “Rima”, sending out a message of cultural diversity to the world. Shkoon’s concerts have attracted a diverse audience for many years, bringing together people of all religions, colors and backgrounds. For their album-tour through Germany and Switzerland, stops in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and Zurich are planned.

Musically, the album is situated between influences of electronic downbeat, deep house, dub and hip-hop. The band members come from a variety of different musical backgrounds and have created their very own sound with a mix of influences between the Arabic and Western world. Piano, violin, synthesizers, percussion and vocals merge oriental melodies with western electronic beats, taking the listener on a journey that blurs the boundaries of cultures.

Shkoon is more than a German-Syrian live act with Arabic lyrics. In addition to their own lyrics, the band uses traditional musical folklore elements of the Arab community, which today appear more relevant than ever. The title song of the debut album is inspired by a story from Arabic folklore, in which a mother tells peaceful tales to her child as the world sinks into chaos. This song is accompanied by the singer and rapper Tareq Abu Kwaik, also known as "El Far3i", by the band
47Soul.

After the war in their home country drove the two Syrians to relocate to Germany, Ameen, Thorben and Maher met in the hanseatic city of Hamburg in 2015. During a spontaneous jam session, an unexpected energy and thus the project Shkoon emerged, which was soon followed by the release of the band’s very first EP a few months later.

During the first performances of Shkoon, a spark quickly jumped over to the audience, which soon allowed the group to play major festival stages all over Europe. Even as Shkoon’s musical expression knows no boundaries, it is not easy for the band to travel other countries, as Ameen (the vocalist) and Maher (the violinist) consistently face difficulties of getting visa documents due to their refugee status.

This is particularly lamented in Arab countries, where the band has long been celebrated as stars, for example when they played a sold-out show in Beirut for an audience of more than 3,000 people. But also in Europe, especially in Germany, there is immense enthusiasm in their fans-base is huge.

The vitality you hear on Antique Blacks is a testament to the unique energy of the community around The Foxhole Cafe in Philadelphia, as Ra honed his unique brand of Afro-Futurism through the late 60';s and 70's. Cosmic theatre, spiritual chants, and experimental electronics make this record an essential document that was ahead of its time. Ancient to future! BIG TIP !

The 1970s saw change in Sun Ra's recorded output, and as far as we can tell, the content of his live performances. By the middle of the decade, Sun Ra's music no longer seemed comprehensible as part of the jazz New Thing – quirkier, more idiosyncratic elements were more to the fore.

At this time, 1974, every Sun Ra record still surprised, and seemed radically different from everything else he had released up to then. The musical universe proposed by free jazz had never circumscribed Sun Ra. He had been part of the movement, but was able to use the possibilities it suggested without being limited by its conventions.

The Antique Blacks illustrates this well. Recorded as a radio broadcast in Philadelphia, according to Dale Williams, it has a well defined but oddball structure. Sun Ra was a master architect, very concerned to use the unfolding of an album, a broadcast or a live performance to create a satisfying structure.

Song No 1 starts on an upbeat note, it's a lively, tonal introduction, featuring John Gilmre on tenor saxophone, Sun Ra on roksichord, Dale Williams, then aged 15, on guitar, and Akh Tal Ebah on trumpet.

Sun Ra's poetry is featured on There Is Change In The Air, a track which has on occasion been used for the album title: in its original incarnation as a Saturn LP, there was no dedicated sleeve artwork, and this record appeared under many names. Ra's poetry is allusive, elusive and paradoxical, and this was its first major appearance on a record. During instrumental passages, Dale Williams' guitar is heard, along with the saxophones of Marshall Allen and Danny Davis.

The Antique Blacks is a similar setting for a Sun Ra poem, which encompasses "spiritual men", and Lucifer as a dark angel. The Arkestra is heard in conducted improvisational ensembles, in between the sections of the poem.

This Song Is Dedicated To Nature's God has Arkestral vocals, with John Gilmore's voice in th foreground. Williams' guitar is once again prominent in the instrumental passages.

Sun Ra's poetic declamations provide the structire for The Ridiculous I and The Cosmos Me, which also has a fine unaccompanied tenor solo by John Gilmore, keyboard improvisations by Sun Ra, and closes with bass clarient from Eloe Omoe.

Sun Ra's keyboards are heard with minimal Arkestra support on Would I For All That Were – a fine synthesiser improvisation, with electric piano left hand accompaniment.

Tension is resolved by Space Is The Place, which rounds the album out in an upbeat mood, with Akh Tal Ebah, James Jacson and Sun Ra prominent among the vocalists. The closing section includes the chant Sun Ra And His Band From Outer Space, often used at the close of live performances. This isn't strictly live, though: in one line the vocal is played backwards on tape!

Ism opens audaciously with the spiritual mic-check “You Are Free To Choose,” a track that features bassist Junius Paul alongside Vincent Davis (drums), Justin Dillard (piano), and Corey Wilkes (horns). This is by no accident. In many ways, “You Are Free To Choose” captures the spirit of Junius Paul’s artistic roots. Corey, Justin, and Vincent were among the multigenerational cadre of Chicago musicians present when Junius chose to follow his own path of creative discovery at the storied Velvet Lounge on the South Side of the city in 2002.

Though he began learning his craft playing in church, Junius’s creative voice really developed during jam sessions at clubs like The Velvet alongside members of the AACM. It was iron sharpening iron, the most natural form of knowledge transfer. He explained The Velvet’s vibe in 2018: “It’s like in Africa.... If you had this society of diviners or medicine people, or you know, sages… The Velvet stuff is not secret; but there are certain aspects of it… if you weren’t there, you weren’t there.” The Velvet Lounge closed in 2010. But, of course, the spirit of the Velvet Lounge is not dead. “Tune No. 6,” recorded live at the Co-Prosperity Sphere in Chicago, is a sweet interlude here to remind us that jazz is alive, bristling with what’s yet to come.

As Junius pushes forward as a creative musician, he is careful to carry with him the spirit and the knowledge he’s gathered from those who have come before him. He is very literally a bridge between generations of the Chicago vanguard, currently playing in a handful of combos with Makaya McCraven (who produced several of the tracks on Ism) as well as a few of Roscoe Mitchell’s working groups – most notably the Art Ensemble of Chicago – in addition to fronting his own band.

Beyond Space And Time is the new record label from Japanese music festival, Rainbow Disco Club (RDC). RDC has been welcoming music loving people to Japan for over a decade. Throughout the festival's history, RDC have been fortunate to constantly encounter performers and DJs who've collaborated with them in establishing a beautiful dance floor year in, year out. These relationships have lead RDC to start their own label, and now gives them the opportunity to reveal one of the best-kept secrets: What is in a DJ's record bag?

This time around, festival regular DJ Nobu kindly opens up his collection and shares the music he loves with us all. On visual duty we welcome Senekt - his representational yet contemporary drawing illustrates the emotion we feel from DJ Nobu.
We have much more music to come in future from artists that we trust and respect.

▼ DJ Nobu describes 10 tracks this way ▼

A1. Laurent Garnier - Water Planet
Highly respected French DJ/Producer Laurent Garnier has been releasing tracks for decades capturing the very essence of Detroit Techno and Breakbeat. He always manages to create something truly emotional. This is not his biggest hit, but it's my favorite.

A2. Mono Junk - Beyond The Darkness
This track represents the very early days of Techno with it's ravey atmosphere. It has a primitive feel, and the obscure mixdown sounds almost unbalanced. That said, this one really stands out when DJing. Very cool.

B1. Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia - The Valley
It was always my intention to include this track in a compilation if were I ever to do one. It has a fat underlying groove, with some indigenous spices thrown in. The whole thing is put together beautifully. No complaints!

B2. Melody Boy 2000 - Plenty Of Love
I wanted to include a track that had Jacking feel to it - that is my definition of dance music. This track mixes well in both Techno and House DJ sets.

C1. Drax Ltd. II - Amphetamine
This is my all time favorite track by Thomas P Heckman. It asks questions and strikes down all the boring 'wanna be cool' techno tracks. It is obviously a well known tune already, but I include it here because I'm often asked for it's track ID from new kids in the game. This is a classic that should be passed down.

C2. Dan Curtin - 3rd From The Sun
Curtin's refined synth grooves and bass lines make this a true timeless classic. It do not get tired of listening to his rhythms and melodies - he always gets it just right.

C3. Front 242 - U-Men.
The originator of Electric Body Music. Their husky vocals, hard rhythms and strong synth basslines made the group very popular at the time, and they are still to this present day. To me, this track represents what the Belgian New Beat scene is all about.

D1. The Prince Of Dance Music - E3 E6 Roll On
This is the track I played the most up until around 2006. It is a genuine house track that cuts through trends in music. A hidden floor killer.

D2. Pan Sonic - Lähetys / Transmission
Electronic music has existed for decades, and if you are to choose some of the best from all scattered & hidden places, Pan Sonic's 'Lähetys / Transmission' must be considered. The track emerges beautifully - breaking structures and transcending the past. Every layer of the piece is produced with such delicacy and care, that as a whole it magically drags you into the world of the unknown.

D3. Burial - Archangel
This track merges melancholic emotions with technological prowess at the highest level, and deeply impacted the dance music scene on it's release. I recently played this track at the end of my set at the forward thinking Terraforma Festival in Milan. It faded out to huge applause from the open minded crowd. A moment to be remembered.

For the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the legendary Machine Gun recordings at the Lila Eule in Bremen, Peter Brötzmann put together a trio with the Berlin pianist, composer Alexander von Schlippenbach and the percussionist Han Bennink, who already sat on the drums 50 years ago. They were so pleased with the music ,that they decided to release it and continue to play gigs as the trio.

Machine Gun was originally recorded in May 1968 by an octet consisting of influential musicians of new jazz and improvised music . The LP was repressed on Cien Fuegos in 2018.

Please find enclosed one 'Deluxe' stereophonic gramophone record from Concept City, containing thirteen recordings of musics entirely produced upon 4-track portastudio for your pleasure and discourse - the sole work of Mr Robert Grant of this parish.

So states the photocopy insert from the 1985 November LP on Cordelia Records. Home to R. Stevie Moore, Rimarimba recently reissued by Freedom To Spend - and label owner Alan Jenkin's The Deep Freeze Mice, Cordelia was home to a menagerie of sound collage plucked from the ether.

Included is the only vinyl release from Concept City, spreading across 13 instrumental tracks of samples and noise. The Welsh choir and robovox meets hypnotic bass of Open The Network glides to the acoustics of Jayne Andrews and Filament, before Steam amasses TV ad cassette archives. As Etruria and Lapse Wine's Durutti meets reel-to-reel to the cold wave of War, Children and wasp synth of Helsinki, Grant slowly unfolds a masterpiece.

Looped drum samples, multiple layered to tape, sped up and slowed down for phasing, the title track is a pinnacle of 80s DiY genius. 'Crossroads' multi-sampling Meg leads to the exotica 'muzak' closings of Penetration and Friends. With just 5 albums over 40 years the music of Mr Concept can be a discovery and cherished.

Denis Sulta - oder zu anderen Zeiten Hector Barbour - hat sich schnell zu einem der aufregendsten neuen Talente der stets fruchtbaren Glasgower Szene entwickelt. Seine Begeisterung und sein Musikwissen entwickelte er durch die Arbeit im international renommierten Plattenladen „Rubadub“, während er regelmäßig Sets im weltberühmten Sub Club spielte. Er hat Platten auf den einflussreichen Labels Dixon Avenue Basement Jams, Numbers und seinen eigenen Label, Sulta Selects, veröffentlicht. Die 44-minütige EP ist den Erinnerungen an die Menschen und Orte gewidmet, die die zutiefst persönliche und manchmal schwierige Reise an den Punkt geprägt haben, wo sich Sulta jetzt befindet.

Redshape – Whoever is behind the masked face, he always has something else to say. This guy simply understands sound. And here we get the standard Redshape treatment. A no-nonsense chugger, a cold kinda-subby-but-not baseline, a nod to the break and away we go. We take no prisoners.

Eduardo – Reminiscent of the golden days of Jam and Spoon, gas-masks and fluorescent nights, trance seems to be back in the house. And what can we say but welcome it back into our hearts, minds and onto our floors. And for that we have the mighty Spaniard, Eduardo De La Calle, to show is how it’s done. Trance 2.0.

Undo – Undo trying not to piss off old people even more after Hell and Italo Brutalo? Well, good luck with that one, cause we’re pissed off. Pissed off cause we want to be young again, dancing with the Elephants, having fun. Fuck it, age is only a number, no? Alors on danse!

XDB – The sweet purr, the glacial strings, the subaquatic, the wink to the greats. A chiller on a hazy morning. A gentle awakening.

COMA haben etwas sehr Seltenes geschafft: sie haben Songs geschrieben, die ein authentische Gefühl von Nähe, Wärme und, ja, auch Emotionalität ausstrahlen.

Die Kölner Elektronik Band verwebt auf ihrem Album Voyage Voyage verschollen geglaubte Ebenen der Erinnerungen in ein vielschichtiges zugleich aber auch irre zugängliches Album zeitgenössischen Elektro Pops. Musik, die sich freimacht von Zwängen, von Zeitgeist und genau deshalb eine einzigartige Stellung einnimmt. Das Album besticht durch verträumte Leichtigkeit und umarmt gleichzeitig eine melancholische Grundstimmung. Voyage Voyage klingt voller spannender Sound Ideen – es zischt und rauscht und hallt und klappert – und ruht doch entspannt in sich und vor allem aber jagt es nicht irgendeinem flüchtigen Moment hinterher, dieses Album steht ganz für sich, für COMAs leicht entrückten Pop voller Möglichkeiten. COMA sind typische Kinder der aufregenden Nullerjahre, Marius und Georg wurden musikalisch aufgezogen mit 80er-Jahre Zuckerwatte, haben dann in zerrissenen Jeans und Indie-Rock der 90er die Adoleszenz durchlebt, wurden erst von den Prinzen der Kölner Clubwelt wachgeküsst und erspielten sich mit diversen EPs und zwei Alben auf Kompakt viel internationales Lob und Anerkennung. Der britische Guardian attestierte ihnen begeistert “playfulness, prettiness and the kind of intense pleasure that results from perfectly interwoven melodies“.

Es ist genau diese vielgelobte unkonventionelle und spielerische Herangehensweise, die sie wohl auch dazu inspirierte, selbst noch während einer Clubnacht im Berghain ihre Gitarre auszupacken. Es liegt also alles in ihrer DNA, doch noch nie waren COMA-Tracks so persönlich und von Vocals und Texten geprägt.

LTD Edition!

COMA haben etwas sehr Seltenes geschafft: sie haben Songs geschrieben, die ein authentische Gefühl von Nähe, Wärme und, ja, auch Emotionalität ausstrahlen.

Die Kölner Elektronik Band verwebt auf ihrem Album Voyage Voyage verschollen geglaubte Ebenen der Erinnerungen in ein vielschichtiges zugleich aber auch irre zugängliches Album zeitgenössischen Elektro Pops. Musik, die sich freimacht von Zwängen, von Zeitgeist und genau deshalb eine einzigartige Stellung einnimmt. Das Album besticht durch verträumte Leichtigkeit und umarmt gleichzeitig eine melancholische Grundstimmung. Voyage Voyage klingt voller spannender Sound Ideen – es zischt und rauscht und hallt und klappert – und ruht doch entspannt in sich und vor allem aber jagt es nicht irgendeinem flüchtigen Moment hinterher, dieses Album steht ganz für sich, für COMAs leicht entrückten Pop voller Möglichkeiten. COMA sind typische Kinder der aufregenden Nullerjahre, Marius und Georg wurden musikalisch aufgezogen mit 80er-Jahre Zuckerwatte, haben dann in zerrissenen Jeans und Indie-Rock der 90er die Adoleszenz durchlebt, wurden erst von den Prinzen der Kölner Clubwelt wachgeküsst und erspielten sich mit diversen EPs und zwei Alben auf Kompakt viel internationales Lob und Anerkennung. Der britische Guardian attestierte ihnen begeistert “playfulness, prettiness and the kind of intense pleasure that results from perfectly interwoven melodies“.

Es ist genau diese vielgelobte unkonventionelle und spielerische Herangehensweise, die sie wohl auch dazu inspirierte, selbst noch während einer Clubnacht im Berghain ihre Gitarre auszupacken. Es liegt also alles in ihrer DNA, doch noch nie waren COMA-Tracks so persönlich und von Vocals und Texten geprägt.

Since forming in 2006 post-punk experimentalists Sebastian Melmoth have been on a thoughtful and adventurous musical journey. In a constant state of aural evolution, the London-based four-piece has a delivered a string of albums and EPs that variously touch on everything from garage-rock, grunge and lo-fi pop, to electro, new wave, dark ambient and music concrete, all the while drawing on a myriad of literary and artistic influences.

The band’s first release for Artificial Dance digs deep into their admirable and eye-opening catalogue and draws together some of the Amsterdam-based label’s favourites from the more electronic end of the band’s output. Entitled “The Dynamics of Vanity” – a comment on Western culture’s obsession with rehashing the past and the band’s own in-built distrust of artistic naval-gazing – the set is not a ‘best of’ retrospective but rather a ‘sort of’ selection of stylistically interconnected cuts that gives a very specific snapshot of the band’s work.

Check for example “Icarus”, a drowsy, hypnotic and sample-laden soundscape that effortlessly joins the dots between post-rock, pitched-down electronica and early morning ambient, or the slowly unfurling throb of thought-provoking opener “The Engineering of Consent”, a swelling, melancholic post-jazz meditation on propaganda and governmental mind control featuring spoken word samples from William S Burroughs in conversation with Brion Gysin, Timothy Leary, Les Levine and Robert Anton Wilson.

The showcased songs are typically hard-to-pin-down, too, with the re-imagined gothic horror break-up cut “Prosopagnosia’ and slow-burn audio addition of “Waiting For Godot” being joined by the wide-eyed morning dream-pop hallucinations of “Seeds (Descent Into Decadence)”. It all adds up to a collection that expertly showcases one engaging thread – of many – running through Sebastian Melmoth’s esoteric body of work.

Hiking in the Mist is new album of Taiwanese chamber ensemble Cicada who played with Olafur Arnalds, Rachel Grimes, Balmorhea. Cicada was formed in 2009 consists of violin, cello, acoustic guitar, and piano. It's named after Cicada because people are aware of cicada's existence by their sound instead of forms.
Cicada later collaborated with the Japanese label FLAU to release Ocean based on these two albums for worldwide.
In 2016, Cicada selected 14 songs from Over the Sea/Under the Water, Pieces and Let's Go! with the new recording and production to make the album Farewell.
The most recent release in 2017 White Forest was dedicated to animals including coral reefs, sea turtles, humpback whales, dolphins, as well as cats in the city and birds in the mountains.
Cicada walked into the mountain from the ocean on the 10th year and released Hiking in the Mist. It's their hiking journal with intention to depict their homeland with expansive views.