Bleu Nuit (BN) is glad to introduce to you to its second release Red Light City (BN02) by Nice-based French duo Gabardines.
Rising French DJs from the South of France, Gabardines is composed by Olivier aka Ghini-B and Régis aka Redj.
If Ghini-B and Redj already have a couple of vinyl-only releases to their respective solo alias, Gabardines is about to release his first EP under this name. Indeed, in 2017, Gabardines brought out Sweat Things EP on Simple Things Records via bandcamp as well as a remix of Lady B's Liaisons on their own imprint Swipe White Limited a couple of years before.
Red Light City EP follows the lead or rather, the musical line, introduced by both the label and Gabardines' predecessor Flavio Folco (BN01). As can be listened from all three tracks, Gabardines are sticking to these break and gangster beats, offering a balanced release with some warmup (A1), peak-time (A2) and closing/after spirit (B1).
Quality is the key word from Copenhagen based Music For Dreams and here is another home run. Willie Graff splits his year between DJ residencies in New York and Ibiza. In this new outing with studio partner Darren Eboli, the influence is, as the title suggests, clearly NY-based. Over only four tracks, the pair manage to craft a stunningly comprehensive exploration of the essential elements of dance music.
Opening track "Love Flight" staggers into a lush string-driven groove that recalls the glory of Metro Area meets Wally Badarou vibes. Minimal yet playful, it lounges somewhere in the depths of the house tradition, calling on familiar sounds while throwing in odd details along the way (harmonicas). It takes both skill, devotion and a sense of humor to pull this track off, making for a strong opening. "Moon Tan" lingers on a metallic hook that drags you into a plethora of percussion followed by a rubbery soft baseline. Dubby key work would suggest this was a new wave band jamming at Compass Point, while the icy chill of the xylophone transports you into 80s italo territory.
"Second Sun" pulls out the bag of boogie tricks, relying on a firm but humble baseline and smattering drum machine claps. Nile Rodgers-style guitar licks guide us onwards into a well-orchestrated jam that builds up and breaks down with perfect timing while dreamy chords reach for the sky. "First Light" keeps the groove tight while dipping over towards more Balearic temperatures. Steeped in a watery atmosphere and gentle organic percussion, it focuses in on a trance-inducing arpeggio that lulls you in to the swaying Badarou-style synth swirls that intercept it.
To find Lawkyz, follow the beat. It is here, in this vital part, this lighthouse which guides the route of the other instruments, which it prints in depth the low notes of his four strings. Riveted on the Drums. linking with it a rhythmic pact, ensuring the propulsion of the groove on stage with Erik Truffaz or Guts; on records with UHT °, Anna Kova, or Versus, his hip hop project with full live band. When he puts his fetish instrument, when he lets cool his amp, then wakes up his evil twin: The Waxidermist. One year after his last EP, The Waxidermist comes back to tell his story.
Some gigs are simply meant to be out there - even if they take decades to actually make it into our hands. This is without doubt one of those concerts, recorded at the Philips Halle, D sselsdorf on the 28th March 1979
during the Live Herald Tour. Includes the only known live recording of Talking to the Sun' Released following the AIM-nominated deluxe box set from Hillage, 'Searching for the Spark', this new 'Dusselsdorf' double CD showcases the Steve Hillage Band's prowess with excellent sound quality - a quality so high that you'll forget that it's a live recording until the applause. This is a band at the height of its powers, with Steve in great voice throughout, and most obviously utterly
enjoying themselves. The vibe is completely infectious and doesn't let up throughout the entire gig. Featuring Steve's own adventurous compositions and covers of Beatles and Donovan classics, all are approached with a joie-de-vivre and high sensibility. The trademark heady combination of vibrant psychedelic rock interwoven with an irresistible full blooded groove, interspersed with the smoothest of deepspace synth/guitar trips gathers all before it in a tsunami of up-lifting music.
With the benefit of hindsight, Steve's musical trajectory from the creative space riffs of Gong to the trance and techno of System 7 is made instantly clear. This version of 'Dusseldorf' will be released as a double CD presented in
mediabook packaging complete with a 24-page booklet and 3LP gatefold pressed on to 180g heavyweight vinyl.
Off the back of Rudeboyz follow up EP entitled Gqomwave, Goon Club Allstars are back with an EP from UK Funky producer KG. In 2007 Karen Nyame, otherwise known as KG, was at the Nottingham Trent University producing beats on Fruity Loops. Slightly isolated in Nottingham - away from the UK Funky scene's London epicentre - KG posted her tunes on popular UK Funky message boards and Facebook pages, but never had an opportunity to properly stake her claim as one of the scene's heavy hitters. 808 and Midnight (Flute Riddim) are two lost anthems from that era, although receiving support from the likes of Marcus Nasty and others, they were largely forgotten amongst the numerous stand out tracks of the era, appearing rarely in mixes of those lucky enough to have digital copies. 808 is the party anthem, it's joyous, quivering melodies ascend above the thumping kick drum, while relentless crashing snares and carnival whistles rain down - guaranteed to heat up the coldest of dancefloors. Midnight (Flute Riddim) on the flip side is the softer, slinkier bubbler. Built for smouldering club action and hot sunny days. BSNYEA is a new addition to Goon Club Allstars' burgeoning family of artists. Hailing from the Bronx he is a veteran of the Borough's Litefeet genre that soundtracks the performances of subway dancers cross New York City's transit system. On his remix of 808 he focusses on the whistles and gutter synth lines adding in booming bass drums and lock inducing chants. Hitmakerchinx comes fresh from his anthemic Night Slugs compilation. Bringing his signature FDM energy he drops the tempo and builds on the light, airiness, letting the flutes play out softly underneath the thumping drums.
This is the first album of Borusiade, in which she takes her music to a new level, finding her very own expression, that is making us first shiver then sweat, then chill and finally melt.
Cómeme starts 2018 by proving again to be a safe haven and a sanctuary for sensitive plants and unique characters devoted to music - just like Miruna Boruzescu aka Borusiade - from Bucharest - who conquered the radio stations of our parallel worlds and utopian desire. 'Dream catcher' was the name of the show, and 'Jeopardy', a nocturnal EP, her first release on vinyl.
Now, after adventurous travels through night clubs, theatres, windy cities, snowy fields and merciless deserts her desires and imagination have manifested themselves in her very first album, carrying the intriguing title: 'A Body'
The record sleeve features the back of her head, making us wonder what she sees, on the other side. Her visions unfold through 8 pieces of music that follow a dreamlike narrative of associations and transformations. Somber synthetic atmospheres, sparse and spatial rhythmical arrangements, strangely seductive melodies and lysergic ally pulsating bass lines lead us away from a dystopian present towards a sensorial experience we long to repeat as soon as it's over.
'A Body' is a deeply poetic work in which again and again you will hear Borusiade's voice, sometimes dissolving and recreating meanings in mantra-like repetitions, sometimes layering itself to pagan choirs of smooth ecstasy. Then again you will also hear that voice close to you, singing, sharing an experience or a thought. It is always soft, effortless and unpretentious, but always strong, clear and precise, like the voice that speaks to you in an altered state of consciousness. It seems to come from the same person that is holding your hand, when everything else seems to fade into uncertainty while wandering through strange times and places...
Starting with the song CLUSTER the effect is kicking in, we sink into the universe of the album through this throbbing ambience that seems populated by a reverberated ant colony that broke into a synthesizer. The introduction of this album is a complex emotional soundscape that is followed by a song: BREATHE, which sounds like a classic you never heard. With its catchy melancholia, it creates a déjà vu like strange familiarity of the unknown - a memory from the future. And though our minds were just twisting and turning in an overflow of information, we suddenly leave our bodies and observe ourselves breathe.
Other tracks, like DORMANT are more focused on the narration of the body and its state. Words, describing it in many ways, softly and incessantly repeated, are mixed deeply into the soundscapes of a track that features a bass drum so soft it could be a heartbeat. Foggy moments like these dissolve in a track like AN ACUARIAN FEELING, which is queer synthesizer love, shifting in shape and momentum, a ray of light that pushes itself through the nightly atmosphere that was preceding these moments, a similar landscape in different times - a choir enters, cheerful drums, climbing and descending melodies and rhythms of hope. Just like the utopian vision in the title track A BODY, that stands at the end of this journey, which in itself just opens another new horizon.
The third chapter in the vinyl installments on Gaze ill's Danish Cue Line Records is written by Belgian artist Zygos, Georgio Roumans. An unforgettable piece formed by 3 distinct original tracks plus an outstanding remix by Italy's most wanted, DPRTNDRP (D- Operation Drop).
The EP opens with the toxic symphony of 'Laicism'. By chest pressuring hits right from the beginning, we're pushed into another world where everything is moving though it feels like time stands still for a moment. Mellow melodies formed in layers of feedback alike sounds and endless reverberated stabs generate a persistent tension held tight by the static, marching drums. The title track 'Sudd' forms part 2 of the journey through Georgio Roumans' explorative universe. To think everything can move this fast yet keeping a minimal expression is beyond reality. From 8th to 16th to 24th notes - variations through the bass, percussion, and melody sections - a discreetly conducted progression is reached throughout the track. Accompanied by weird background soundscapes the sub bass takes the lead on the tight Halfstep- package of 'Tapered'. The drums are simple and hard, which is just what's needed to tame and control the strong movements from the sub. Super minimal for the sound system. Italian DPRTNDRP brings new life to 'Sudd', which awakens in a completely different light than the tempo- filled original. Strange sounds and rhythms, raw and dirty. DPRTNDRP makes the remix a must hear.
The vibe is intense from start to end, and the EP hits perfection due to Georgio's naturally alive style, and the clever remix from the ever boundary pushing DPRTNDRP. Signature sound, deluxe on 180 grams heavyweight vinyl!
These rolls, these hums, these sudden rushes, this song, these peaceful circlings, these sudden outbursts, these returns to quiescence - what do they remind us of
This piece's trajectory could also be a representation of the dramatic unfolding of a day - of a life - from sunrise (climate 1) to night-time (landscape 4) via restless encounters, transitions (1 to 3) that announce the drama climaxing in landscape 3, before reaching its denouement in climate 4... A whole concrete 'story'.
The subterranean properties inherent to listening gently shift our ideas...
François Bayle
First performance: 19 March 1979 - Grand Auditorium of Radio-France,
Ina-GRM's Cycle Acousmatique. .
Toupie dans le ciel (1979), 21'
A wave is swaying on two minors thirds. This constantly uniform yet constantly varied swaying revolves in a swarm of sharp designs that blink on and off in a layer of growing density and mobility.
Distance, speed, pressure, density, temperature, colour, intensity, are the "themes" of the 27 short interconnected cells flowing together though this seemingly unified movement.
Occasionally, a breach in the texture reveals skyes dotted with little comets. In the centre, a slow gliding picks up the distant harmonics of a basic chord. Toward the end, this gliding returns with a fiery burst.
Fine lines and whirs are generated from the song of a spinning antique top.
To end on a lighter note the title Toupie dans le ciel - Spinning Top in the Sky reminds us of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by The Beatles as well as Lucy, the oldest Australopithecine (3 million years), our African grandmother in the Erosphere...
The overall title Erosphere alludes to the desire inherent to the listening experience, and to the very primitive cues that sustain the auditory attention and are the basis of all musical pleasure.
François Bayle
First performance: 21 January 1980 - Grand Auditorium of Radio-France,
Placed under the media spotlights in 2011 thanks to their joyful and loony indie pop, Concrete Knives went on to sign with the legendary UK imprint Bella Union (Beach House, Fleet Foxes, Lift To Experience, etc.). Their first album Be Your Own King was successfully released the following year, selling more than 7000 copies in France alone and sending the group of friends on the road to play more than 150 live dates all over Europe. Quiet for the past six years and after recording with Danish producer Andreas Pallisgaard (Trentemøller, Goat, Pinkunoizu), the band is set to return with a much awaited second effort on the French label Vietnam (H-Burns, Chevalrex Pharaon De Winter).
Hybris is an American born, Czech based electronic musician who's been lighting up the scene with his energetic productions since 2010, appearing on Metalheadz for the first and only time just a year later.
We're delighted to present a new high-octane single from him in 2018 that will appeal to dancefloors globally as well as the more experimental purveyor, something that Hybris has continued to do so well with his unique brand of sonic artillery.
"Psychedelic Sounds in Japan" is the debut album by the undisputed" kings of the sixties Japanese Garage/Psych scene. Original LP copies of the album trade for hilarious amounts! This reissue restores the offensive lyrics track "Blind Bird,". Sought after worldwide and if you're a fan of tightly written songs, great playing, totally incomprehensible lyrics and a smattering of surprising covers, this ones for you.
The second release on Sbire furthers the on-going collaboration between label co-founder Gaspard de La Montagne and Nathan Baumann. 'Spectres' is a bold, seductive and wonderfully-unhurried record which shows the breadth of the Sbire sound world.
The title track is orchestral and profoundly alluring, with an earworm bassline creeping out from behind the kick drum's refined thud. You're pulled further in by the lengthy intro of 'Aube', where floating pads, draw from the instrumental flair of classical music. Mid-way through they give way to a stripped-back bassline, exemplifying the nature of this collaboration.
B-side opener 'Masque' has harmonic beams of light swirling over its foundations. The melodies transfix and the drums keep time. 'Perspectives (1 & 2)' occupies a thin veil of haze, tempering the beat and bringing out the groove in the baggy percussion. In fitting style, it ends a record whose grace comes in the striking interactions between elements far-removed.
orrespondant welcome Berlin duo Hinode Having established themselves with a string of well received cuts on their own Science Fiction imprint, they were spotted by chance by label boss Jennifer Cardini on a recent record-shopping jaunt. With a raw, no-rules sense of machine funk running through everything they create, they're the perfect match for Correspondant and make their label debut with four numerical delights... 'I' lights the analog fire with raw sleaze and off-beat mischief. Unkempt and wily, it sets the tone for the entire EP: 'II' writhes snake-like with its slinky kicks and purring textures, 'III' slurs with bass groans and shakes with paranoid, alien melodies while 'IV' closes with much more of a tunnelling, sense-blurring experience. Total machine harmony, unbounded synthetic creativity, made to mix and wholly outer-planetary... Hinode and Correspondant are a match made in the stars.
Described by Clash Music as one of America's best songwriters', Brendan Benson has consistently unfurled unparalleled melodies and lyrics in his acclaimed career. Over twenty years in, he's still wowing folks and Half a Boy, Half a Man' is a powerful dollop of power chords wrapped into a tale of split personalities. Backed with an astute cover of Jules Shear's Big Kid Face' from his 1989 album The Third Party' in which Benson helps shine a light on this oft-overlooked but seminal songwriter.
Best known as half of the songwriting team at the heart of the Raconteurs (along with Jack White) Brendan Benson's career has never slowed across six solo albums, two Raconteurs full-lengths, countless collaborations and placements and a seat as one of the most respected and reliable writer, performers, producer, engineer and musical jack-of-all-trades.
Khalab has arrived OntheCorner with 'Zaire'.
'Zaire' is the beginning of a new narrative for the artist. In this first chapter Khalab creates urgent compositions with layers of sound from the past, present and future. 'Zaire' is underpinned by an intensely pounding heart of other-worldly percussion. The collaged loops frenetically jab in syncopation breaking off when the inherent swing casts its discrete groove to summon the dance. Unrelenting waves of synthlines, basslines and rhythm find harmony amongst the melodic chants and distortion.
Already making Gilles Peterson's 'All Winners' list on BBC 6 Music'Zaire' is a breathtaking nucleus for airwaves, dancefloors and, any digital devices masquerading as abeatbox. The tracks 'Aeh' and 'Night in the Jungle' are the vessel from which the heat of 'Zaire' steams. DJ Khalab has departed and with 'Zaire' Khalab has arrived On the Corner.
The two remixes on this EP offer magnified oppositions to the friction that Khalab seamlessly stiches into his tapestries of sound. The bass frequencies that Medlarbounces across his electro dirge, taking day into night, contrasts with the harmony and light of Will LV's journeying remix that drives through the troposphere.
'Zaire' is a prelude of the forthcoming 'Black Noise 2084' and the freeing of a narrative shackled in chains for centuries. Phrases of historic recordings collaged with future electronics and the analogue depth and artistic voices of the present makes this a ground breaking work of future music. The archive recordings bare a stark reminder of the need to face the barbaric recesses of modern human history. The many voices of Khalab's 'Black Noise 2084' are coming to be heard.
Unmissable, cornerstone Wackies, back in. Horace Andy's greatest artistic achievement, surpassing even his Skylarking set for Studio One. With definitive reworks of songs he first recorded for Bunny Lee and Derrick Harriott (Money Money and Lonely Woman), a deadly version of Lloyd Robinson's Cuss Cuss, and a first outing for Spying Glass, later versioned by Massive Attack. Musicians include Wackies regulars like Owen Stewart and Oral Cooke from Itopia, and Ras Menilik and Jah T, also Sleepy's multi-instrumentalist spar Myrie Dread from the In The Light sessions for Hungry Town. At the desk, Lloyd Barnes, Junior Delahaye and Douglas Levy coax unequalled vocal performances from the singer, bejewelling ineffable extended mixes. Essential reggae.
Acid vibes and cathartic rhythms are the weapons on this second release of Musica Altra. Produced by those crazy Indianizers, the psychedelic italian cumbia band who is rocking dancefloors and stages all around the Europe. Here is a preview of their upcoming album including a remix by Don't Dj and a dub version by Passenger (Light Touches Records). Close your eyes and let your journey begin.
Ant Orange's third 12 for Karaoke Kalk forms something resembling a trilogy for the label. Right There' is built on a familiar Rhodes-n-bass aesthetic, combining the lo-fi jazz of 2017's Arkupe' with the soulful vocal motifs of 2015's s/t', while introducing more electronic ingredients and taking an increasingly exploratory approach to rhythm and composition.
The opening title track clocks in at over 8 minutes, growing slowly from soft tickled keys to a full-bodied groove circled by airy synths and fragmented RnB vocals. Drunk In The Trunk' then shifts down a gear, looping another vocal cut over a lazy, stripped-back wahwah vibe. Side A closes with experimental jazz skit Let That Sink In', its jerky tempo and flashes of light reminiscent of a late-night subway ride.
The B-side takes a more contemplative tone, with the meditative arpeggios and sparse drums of Comfort Zone' leading into the dusky West Coast stroll of Muscle Beach', before Rudis Goes Offline' picks up the tempo for a last shimmering dance. The closing track A Frozen Lake' sounds just like it sounds - chilled by name and by nature.
The completion of this trilogy marks a turning point in Ant Orange's sound, but that's all we can say for now - stay tuned for more. In the mean time just sit back and enjoy the sublime vibes of Right There.
The new release by POLY SONE on FRIENDSHIP & DECADENCE is an introspective trip with a bouncy, dubby flair that sets the scene with gritty synths and spacey arpeggios reminiscent of sci-fi soundtracks from the 80's and continues by avoiding the ordinary with some light Trance and a tinge of Acid. Get ready for this out-of-body experience and exit flesh!
Experimental Spanish composer and multi-instrumentalist Pepo Gala´n makes his vinyl debut with an exquisite record of carefully orchestrated ambient pieces.
Conceived as a fierce response to the gradual decay of our society, "Human Values Disappear" takes us on a trip to the darkest corners of a dysfunctional world, painting a broken landscape with deeply arresting and meditative drones.
Composed initially on a vintage Casiotone, the album was further enriched with lush and spacious arrangements, giving the songs a newfound intensity. In this effort, Pepo Gala´n surrounded himself with talented artists Lee Yi and David Cordero, each of whom bring their unique approach to composition into play. The result is an eclectic, yet deeply cohesive palette of sounds that flow seamlessly into each other, creating a moody ambiance that permeates everything.
Despite the bleak tones and subject matter, Pepo Gala´n is able to strike a balance between darkness and hope, allowing glimpses of light ("Half Moon", "Old Testament") to filter through the sheer sonic intensity of the fiercest tracks ("We Are All Welcome Here", "Almost Alone in this Life"). This transition is better exemplified on the album's centerpiece "Sacred Autumn", a collaboration with David Cordero that starts off with an elegant string section, gradually building into a guitar feedback climax that slowly fades off, paving the way for an epic closing number.
By the time we hear the last sounds of "Few Dollar More", the emotional impact of the record is undeniable. "Human Values Disappear" is indeed one of the most sincere, enigmatic and life- affirming records that Pepo Gala´n has ever produced.
Vozduh (air) marks the first in a series of EPs by Nocow for Figure, showcasing his emerging signature-style of Electronica-tinged techno. Drawing inspiration from the sheer endless winters of St. Petersburg, his series builds on classic IDM tropes, imbuing them with a noticably Russian and deeply personal sensitivity. As each part of the trilogy is represented by an element, the tracks on Vozduh are vaporous by nature: from the crackling ambiance of opener Bouis to the weightless vocals on stoic Forgiven, as well as a surprisingly introspec-tive take on ghetto-house or the wafting melodies closing out the record's B-side - all forms seem to be in con-stant shift, casting a dense yet permeable body of sound. With two more releases on the way, which will be exploring the themes of voda (water) and zemlya (earth) within this artist's singular spectrum, the outlook (which also includes a full- volume edition) on this approaching season is anything but gloomy.
B. Fleischmann, the longest-tenured solo artist on Morr Music, returns with indie-spirited, electronica-enhanced moments of bliss on his new album Stop Making Fans': Recorded with a little help from friends including vocalist Gloria Amesbauer, Markus Schneider (guitars), and Valentin Duit (drums), it's a two-part reflection on artistic self-reliance vs. fame-seeking conformism, another deeply personal, utterly idiosyncratic album by the Indietronic trailblazer.Stop it and just DO,' Sol LeWitt once wrote to sculptor Eva Hesse - and listening to B. Fleischmann's new album, he indeed does both: He slams on the brakes and stops looking at what anyone else is doing, stops pleasing, stops being restrained, and at the same time he floors the accelerator and delivers the kind of high-paced work that bursts at the seams with polyphonic energy and an urgency unique to his music.Arriving with interlocked bleeps, the hustle and bustle of an invisible grand station's atrium ( Here Comes The A Train'), Fleischmann's trademark vocals serve as a gentle reminder to resist the siren calls, to not trust the latest hype. Energy levels remain high throughout the first part of the LP - whether it's the mumbling, personal stocktaking of what feels like an underwater hymn ( There Is A Head'), the robotic, immodest pop tune It's Not Enough' (feat. Gloria Amesbauer) or the return to light-speed mode on Wakey Wakey' - the first half of this album is indeed all about letting off some steam.After the collected canter of 7-minute instrumental Hand In,' the multi-instrumentalist & his studio mates kick off the slower-paced part II with the title song: a note to self, a reminder to never buckle or water down an original vision... and indeed, it's a sonic tapestry that's impossible to compare or pigeonhole when he changes the rhythm in mid-track and turns yet another corner when you thought you had discovered a fixed pattern. That said, B. Fleischmann certainly knows how to orchestrate an entire funfair full of sonic attractions. Guest singer Gloria Amesbauer returns for soothing tunes The Pros of Your Children and "Hello Hello . B. Fleischmann guides us to his almost jazz-tinged Little Toy , and leaves behind an Endless Stunner — another typically dense and shape-shifting stream of harmonies that keeps winding its way until the very end of this album It's rare that an album is great because it does not live up to its title - but here's one. Stop Making Fans,' his first full-length release in five years, is another totally unique, and thus potentially fan-base enhancing release. But then again, it's always been like that: We're usually at our best when we care the least - look at the delightful ways of toddlers or really old people. That natural ease, those invisible shrugs of shoulders: it's what does the trick. And you can hear a lot of that on Stop Making Fans'.
Here you have, the snippets of our third release. This time VCO join us with one track. We want to say; as many paths in life, music it's a way to express ourselves. Therefore, this time we want dedicate this vinyl with all our love, to Charliemoon.
"These are Love Notes" from Chicago this time as the Brooklyn based label offers a platform for a glimpse into the state of the Chicago undergound. Three original tracks from Chicago man-about-town, Shmoo, and a remix from one of the brightest lights in Chicago's modern scene and one of the more exciting young American producers out there, Garrett David. Standout tracks are Sidehacker, which opens the EP and is a wild ride through swirling pads, with a bedrock bassline that holds everything together, and David's remix of Intuitive Intellect's Waste, wherein he crafts the track into a very modern sounding slice of uplifting house. Another choice EP from this label.
Southend quartet Ghost Music release their evocative debut album I Was Hoping You'd Pass By Here via Arlen on 19 January. They create careful, considered songs, weaving lo-fi lullabies with gliding guitars and understated arrangements. Influenced by Silver Jews, Flying Nun and K Records, they explore themes of nature, love, loss and a melancholic English romanticism embellished with beautifully spectral melodies and executed with startling subtlety.
Despite this record being their debut, the band has produced a veritable wealth of music over the past 20 years in various guises. Ghost Music revolves around the songwriting partnership of Matt Randall and Lee Hall, who had played together in the 90s with John Peel favourites Beatglider. More recently Randall has received critical acclaim as Plantman, with his three albums Closer to the Snow, Whispering Trees and To The Lighthouse receiving praise from The Guardian, Uncut and Mojo. When Randall and Hall reunited to collaborate on another album together, they brought in the talents of Roy Thirlwall on bass (Melodie Group) and Leighton Jennings on drums (Dark Globes) to complete the band.
The original idea would be that the songs would be 'ghosts' and create 'ghost music' to resurrect and dust off old songs that they had already started. Lee had found the beginnings of 'Home Dog' on a dusty old 4-track and he had recorded 'Strange Love' on his iPhone in 2014, whilst Matt had written 'My Cloud' as far back as 1997 (the night he moved out of his parents' house). As the album began to take shape, the ghostly premise took a back seat, as they began to breathe new life into the songs they found the impetus to write new ones.
Randall explains the songwriting process; 'When we were in Beatglider together and in the past we'd made a 'thing' out of writing long songs with a lot of changes. This time we pared it back a bit and stuck to the melodies more. We really wanted to make a proper guitar record. Lee's my favourite guitarist and it was lovely to see him stretch out on these songs with his diamond fingers.'
Not afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves, Ghost Music's sound is instantly familiar, echoing beloved bands from the 90s such as Pavement ('Home Dog' has a definite 'Range Life' feel), Galaxie 500 ('Blindspot'), Yo La Tengo ('Heart Shaped Holiday' is influenced by the languid YLT songs that peak after a short intro) and even old-school rock'n'roll ('Strange Love' was born out of an appreciation for the instantly engaging opening riff in 50s songs). Yet Ghost Music's work never feels derivative, being instead effortlessly emotive, melancholic and affecting, creating a world of sound that is hugely reassuring and a tonic for the modern age.
The second release from De Grey introduces the debut 12" from Yorkshire native Jack Angle
WEEK-END, opening proceedings, with skeletal kicks and jacked percussion combining to maximize damage on the dancefloor. 6PNHHPE follows up with brooding acid and sub bass pressure. On the flip, STABILIZER lightens the mood with lush synths whilst SEITA rounds things off with playful melodies juxtaposed with an industrial framework.
1978 talk box funk recorded at DB Studios and issued for the first time from DC band Light Years, featuring Carl Kidd, Ernest Smith, Skip Pitts of Isaac Hayes Shaft fame, and others. Kidd often referenced the Cosmic funk genre in his group names and songs, and this production is no exception. A Cosmic Astro Disc release, the first release in a new series from Al & The Kidd.
Living legend Phew follows up her brilliant Light Sleep album with another masterwork - Voice Hardcore - comprised entirely of her iconic, instantly recognizable voice, twisted, folded and layered over six mesmerizing tracks.
The current resurgence of jazz in all its' forms has certainly been impossible to ignore in recent times - from the chart-bound, mainstream crooning of Gregory Porter, to the left field 'jazz not jazz' soundscapes of Kamasi Washington, Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia and Snarky Puppy proves this is a worldwide phenomenon. One artist who has been been ploughing this furrow in the southern hemisphere for longer than most is Lance Ferguson. As the driving force behind The Bamboos, Cookin' On 3 Burners, Lanu, and the Black Feeling series, these are the varied and versatile projects on which he has built an enviable reputation.
Menagerie 'They Shall Inherit' saw the light of day in 2012 (Tru Thoughts Records) and established the fact that jazz of the contemporary type could reach back to it's essential roots and present itself, refreshed and vital for a contemporary audience.
Lance himself explains: "The Arrow Of Time' draws its inspiration conceptually from the themes of space exploration, human evolution and the future of humankind. It's pretty big stuff to be underpinning an album of modal Jazz tunes - but the main message is one of hope, and I hope that comes across in the music"
Late 2017 saw the 2 track album sampler 'Evolution/Arrow Of Time' create a genuine buzz of anticipation, being playlisted on Jazz FM, and also supported by Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2) and both Don Letts & Gilles Peterson on their BBC 6 Music shows - having as it does the spirit of deep jazz, but combining an accessible sound that reached way beyond the usual jazz hungry audience - due in one part to Evolution's immensely catchy hooks, with the voice of Fallon Williams focusing the listeners attention on the philosophical themes Lance highlighted above. Now the album, laid out in its' entirety can be experienced, attempting to encapsulate the music with the written word feels like a somewhat futile exercise, so it is best to consider Lance Fergusons' final thoughts about its inspiration, influences and ongoing appeal.
"The sound of record labels like Strata East, Tribe and Black Jazz has been a massive influence on Menagerie. To me that sound is timeless, exciting and just as vibrant as a musical format in 2018 - and the proof is that we're hearing more and more young musicians embracing it"
To celebrate this new year Série Limitée is proud to announce a new release on Hors Série sub label. Whitek project was born in 2011 from the collaboration between two Italian producers: Mud.On & Mauro Rizla. This is not about hype or chasing music trends, Whitek has always been about pushing the boundaries of electronic music through an endless search and deep dive exploration of any kind of sounds. A groovy blend, offering various styles and traveling between past and future.
With one artist per side, we are moving away from our standard VA format, always used on Série Limitée releases. Inside this 'Papier-mâché' sleeve, you will find a 12' Vinyl containing 4 rough and eclectic tracks in a universe where Deep embraces Dub sonorities.
A year after his last 12 inch release Here We Are / That's Desire EP and few months after a CD release Hamburg Süd/Nee IYaow eow eow featuring experimental field recordings and vocal improvisations, Wolfgang Tillmans returns with a new extended play on his own label Fragile. Heute Will Ich Frei Sein sets an energetic tone for the 5 track EP that leads straight on the dancefloor, a space that Tillmans has observed and discussed from various angles throughout his artistic career. While Los Angeles based experimental noise project Wreck and Reference's beats and 808 staccato claps instantly create a hedonistic dance moment, it is Tillmans' lyrics that contrast the simplicity of this message. Tillmans knows that clubs have always been spaces mirroring constant crisis of 'western' societies towards minorities, race and gender. In the light of current political events, it is the singers' nod that informs us about the precarity and necessity of such spaces as no contradiction. Completely Changed and On My Own, Tillmans and his long-term collaborators Jay Pluck, Kyle Combs and Tim Knapp return to more song based recordings but with a stronger approach on synthesiser soundscapes. On My Own finds Tillmans again singing simple lines over a staggering pop production that can be read as a comment on nightlife as well as the artist emerging into a more mature stage in life. It is this ambiguity that marks Tillmans' writing and constant striving for variation. Almost last, the extended play features a remix of Fast Lane, originally released on 2016 / 1986 EP - tracing back to Tillmans' first musical steps with collaborator Bernd Lessmann in 1986.
Just as magnified record grooves reveal dust constellations and lunar landscapes, so too does Godblesscomputers' third album. 'Solchi' is a deep search into previous moments in Lorenzo Nada's lifetime, influenced by the presence and power of music. His process began with the recovery of some old cassettes, mixtapes nearly forgotten, audio recording of voices from his childhood, and lots of dusty jazz, soul, and hip-hop records. As the starting point of this travel merge with its end, past and present combine to form GBC's current sound. Warm electronic production rooted by grooving bass lines form the core of a kaleidoscope of sixteen tracks, colored by synthesizers, guitar echoes, scratches, samples, fading voices and kalimba. The album is a collection of sixteen stories, sixteen soundscapes; each of them GBC's tribute to the path taken thus far, an homage to his love for music. The recording and studio work took place over a year, with the adding and subtracting of many elements.
Hidden Orchestra's 'Dawn Chorus Remixes' follows the illuminating 'Dawn Chorus' album, reworking producer and composer Joe Acheson's latest album of immersive field recordings and expansive soundscapes into an journey through electronica, deep house and ambient psychedelia. Fronted by Wingbeats (Max Cooper Remix)', 'Dawn Chorus Remixes' features reworkings from Max Cooper, Matthew Herbert, Throwing Snow, The Physics House Band, Nuage, Floex, Nostalgia 77, Wrongtom and Skalpel.
Built around a collection of birdsong and other field recordings captured over many years across diverse locations around the UK and abroad, the snapshots within 'Dawn Chorus' intertwine for a transporting listen. The 'Dawn Chorus Remixes' album revisits this vast source material, reinterpreting the structure of the tracks and uncovering new layers of hidden sounds and instruments for the listeners, sometimes unearthing entire musical progressions that bring the tracks into clearer focus.
Max Cooper provides his take on Wingbeats, focussing on the synchronised recordings of birds beating their wings, to reveal a beautiful chord structure hidden amongst the rhythms. Matthew Herbert applies intricate electronic components with a purist house beat on Stone' which follows into The Lizard', remixed by Polish duo Skalpel who were an early influence of Acheson's. Electronic producer Floex transforms 'Still' with layers of oscillating synths, while Wrongtom provides a dub remix and The Physics House Band deliver ambient and progressive sounds for their rework of Long Orchard'.
Key Marketing Points:
- Remixes from high profile acts such as Max Cooper, Matthew Herbert, Floex, Throwing Snow, The Physics House Band, Skalpel and more.
- Available on 2x LP, housed in reverse board sleeve with silver embossed foil title and printed inner-sleeves. Cover art comes from acclaimed artist and printmaker, Norman Ackroyd.
- European AV 'Dawn Chorus' Tour starts November 20th 2017.
- Radio support for 'Dawn Chorus' from Lauren Laverne (BBC 6Music), Nemone (6Music), Huey Morgan (BBC 6Music), Gideon Coe (BBC 6Music), Jamie Cullum (BBC R2) + more
- Previous press support from The Arts Desk, Clash, The Independent, The Guardian, Line Of Best Fit, Blues & Soul, Record Collector, DJ Mag
Praise for the original Dawn Chorus album
You could just listen to that forevermore, couldn't you' MARY ANNE HOBBS (BBC 6MUSIC)
Such a beautiful project' - LAUREN LAVERNE
Out of this world' - THE LINE OF BEST FIT
Gorgeous' - NEMONE (BBC 6MUSIC)
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
**INITIAL 400 LPs CONTAIN A BONUS 7" BY MEL-O-MADNEZZ**
IT'S TIME TO PAAAARTY! Why The Universe knows that Tramp is celebrating their 40th trip around the sun in 2018. And what about planet Earth Well... it is as blind as it is in so many other situations. Therefore, it is time to shine the light on Tramp for all of its unremitting efforts. As musical diversity is vanishing, especially in the field of African American music from the 1960s/70s, it is our duty to stop the extinction of threatened species of music in the same way an animal welfare activist would do anything to save a gorilla's life. Tramp Records keeps this beautiful heritage alive, every single day, again and again and again. So we are here wondering why Earth people and especially to those from our beloved home country, why why are you just sitting there, going about your life unaware of this historic event What a pity!
The announcement is especially striking when it comes to the prestigious "Movements" series. Like all its predecessors, this ninth volume contains Rare Groove nuggets recorded between the early 1960s and the late 1970s. The fact that only one of the songs appear anywhere else is a jaw-dropping phenomenon! The chronological track listing starts with two amazing cover versions: "Fever" by Gee Gee Shinn & the Boogie Kings and "I'm A Woman" by Connie Kaye Trio. Bus Brown, Earl Demus and Chuck Finney remain in the same direction although their contributions are slightly jazzier. Chick Willis' gut-wrenching "Sometime Soon" easily rivals James Brown's "It's A Man's World" and the recordings by Australia, J.R. and Joe Akens are beautiful examples of privately produced soul from the 1970s. The latin-soul of "Cho Cho San" by Hummingbird 4 heads the sound in another direction for the next three tunes, highlighted by one more stunning cover version, Oscar Brown Jr.'s "Brother, Where Are You". The album closes with some pre-disco tracks from the mid-to-late 1970s. Funk 7" collectors will freak out to finally get a chance to listen to Mel-O-Madnezz' superheavy "What You Getting High On" but will certainly also enjoy The Counts, Reunion and Hot Cakes' dance floor bomb cover of "Harlem Shuffle".
Over a hundred great unknown songs have been re-released on the first eight volumes in the "Movements" series, the majority of which can not be found elsewhere, and Vol. 9 is no exception. The work of Germany's tiniest but grooviest record label is still incomprehensibly underestimated. We know you diggers, collectors, mavens, aficionados, fanatics, completists, enthusiasts, and just plain record geeks know what's up and we heartily salute you! Without your support there would be no Tramp Records. But now it's time for a broader cultural shift for good music and a sweeping move to uphold the legacy of the unsung heroes of funk and soul. Therefore, we humbly petition you: in 2018, Don't keep all this glory to yourself! Turn your friends and neighbors on! Thank you!
- initial 400 LPs contain a bonus 7" by Mel-O-Madnezz ("What You Getting High On")
- the double vinyl LP comes with a full album download code
Matthias Mayer: Superschön!
Tensnake: great atmosphere on the album
Lehar: I really like it very nice work !!
Andre Lodemann: das album gefällt mir sehr gut
Andre Hommen: Finde das Album ziemlich bemerkenswert!
&me: great one
Alex Niggemann: Great piece of work!
Vince Watson: Sound lush!
Luca Bacchetti: Deepness!! Excellent work from Patrick!
Philip Sherburne: Sounds nice and moody.
The Drifter: Congrats on the album Patrick! Thx for this
Matthias Kaden: Super Genius Album from Patlac!!will listen it a lot ...TOP!
Kiki: The intro and "Marcy" suck me straight into the vibe. Let´s see how "Marcy" and "Blinded" sound at the IPSE warehouse on NYE sunrise time...
Chris Fortier: great album, have been playing.
Pablo Bolivar: This is absolutely fantastic!
Sandrino: knowing Patrick and his music for so many years now and this musical package sounds to me that Paddy finally found himself and even better expressed what he found. Happy and proud of my Hamburg friend. Congrats and thanks for the music!
Yokoo: Super nice, well done buddy!
Andre Hommen: Finde das Album ziemlich bemerkenswert
Matthias Mayer: Superschön!
BOg: Sublime album from Patlac. Such great music, rich textures and deep sounds. So many options. My full support !!
Adana Twins: Congrats Paddy Boy! Is geil Diggi :)
Tim Green: great sounding stuff here!! :)
Rancido: nice album!
