One of Jimmy Rileys best tunes with Lee Perry. An impassioned vocal that lays Jimmys observations on the state of 'Rasta' at the time.
Jimmy acknowledged Perrys production skills when I asked him how was it at the Black Ark with Scratch, he smiled and said
'Fun, Scratch was great to work with' Perry joins in on the vocals on the flipside. Top notch.
Joining the Unknown Precept forces are C.G.I. Records' label head Matthew Wei- ner teaming up with Christopher Daresta as Pyramid Club. Being known for their T.W.I.N.S. and Anticipation solo activities, Cyclic Obsession comes as the debut re- lease of the four-handed formation taking its name from the eponymous venue which helped define the counterculture and queer sound of lower Manhattan in the late 70's. Recorded in their stronghold of Atlanta following a handful of tracks released via the jointly-operated D.K.A. Records, it shows the duo taking over primitive body music in its most physical and psychedelic dimension. Thick as a brick bass lines for the basement turmoil — reflecting the hazy vortex smoldering out of an ill-lighted nightclub. Think of spasmodic synth-driven tunes interspersed by convulsive vocals and throbbing snares, in which one could see the whites of the dancers' eyes right before the lights turn back on.
We are proud to unveil our next vinyl release of 2017 on Dust Audio.
* Mikal takes his first bow for Dust Audio in the form of 'The Spirited EP'. The break and bass craftsman reigns down an assault of almighty weight for the imprint which holds no barred.
* Off the back of his critically acclaimed 'Wilderness' album on Metalheadz, Mikal continues to seek out the dance floor through his precision target and locks on for a serious assault of the senses.* The EP's title track 'Spirited' see's the sinister intro build up and transform into a bass laden drop. The stepping drums and jungle infused shuffles entwine with the ghost vocal, whilst the modulated bass will move even the harshest drum n bass skeptics. Unrelenting throughout.* The flip sees Mikal spread his considerable studio talent over two further tunes of constant surprise.
'Low Note' wastes no time in getting to the drop before you've had chance to take a breath. A thunderous one note bass underpins the mid ranged reece and stabs whilst the chunky drums compliment the tidy percussion nicely. A haunting vocal then sets off another 16 bars of unclouded rawness.* 'Linear' finishes the EP with aplomb. Synth chords open up into what you might expect to be a lovely liquid-esque style roller... think again! Mikal takes that premise and turns it upside down and inside out before bringing the dirty funk. Keeping in line with the 2 tunes before, this isn't for the faint hearted. Definitely one for the drum & bass purest, who may well be dancing, but will also be taking down mental notes!
* Mikal and Dust Audio continue 2017's release schedule in style...
After sending out these tracks last summer and getting great reactions from DJs and dancers alike, Hell Yeah is pleased to finally officially release virtuoso musician Verdo's Little Blue EP, complete with a remix from Lauer. Fully remastered for vinyl, the likes of Lexx, Chris Coco, Soft Rocks, Leo Mas and many more have all be playing these tunes with great results.
The talented Verdo runs the famous Gratis Club in Senigallia on the Italian east coast. It is a place he calls home, and that has really allowed him to hone and sharpen his DJ skills so that now he is a slick, unpredictable and singular DJ with many tricks up his sleeve. Bjorn Torske, DJ Fettburger, Prins Thomas, Kenji Takimi, Glenn Underground and more have all played there in the last decade and Verdo himself is a skilled pianist who has played for Zero7 singer Mozez in the past. He has worked with Hell Yeah before now, as well as releasing on Danny Was A Drag King, and here serves up his biggest bit of dance floor dynamite to date, including his previously digital only cut 'Big Fish' (mixed by DJ Rocca).
Opener 'Little Blue' is a perfectly sunny track with hip swinging claps, bobbling bass and boat party vibes that soothe your soul. Rich with instrumentals and golden synth lines, it's a perfect beat that gets followed up by the retro disco pump of 'Sazerac', another tropical cut with loose drums and rubbery bass to get you up on your toes.
The massive 'Big Fish' then hits hard with its tin pot percussion and wild synths all making you flail your arms like you just don't care. Jumbled jungle vibes and big chords all swell your heart as your feet skip about down low.
Closing out the package is Phillip Lauer (Tuff City Kids), one of the most in demand stars of the day, and his version is a direct house jam with percolating and rugged synths and slapping hits, all demanding you ditch your cocktail and get up and groove.
"all good stuff here! OG for early / mornings and Lauer for peak. really nice release! " Piers - Soft Rocks
"Big fan of Verdo! great tunes here as expected. Sezarac fav at first listen." - Dream Chimney
"Little blue is super nice!!" - Phil South (Golf Channel)
"Yes, some great stuff here. Sezerac and the Lauer mix are really great, perfect sunshine session material." - Chris Coco
"I love Big Fish's keyboards! strong!!! Arigato!!!" - Chida
"Little Blue and Big Fish are fun for sure, def will play em on a rooftop sooooon" - Jacques Renault
"Yeah, feeling Little Blue, heavy rotation this Summer! " - Jason Boardman (Aficionado)
"Little Blue, i like." - Lexx
"This is tremendous. Driving peak time track that you can imagine Joe Claussell really working the dancefloor with." - Andrew Pirie
"killer ep guys!!!" - Discodromo
Parasole's music fits the bill for cutting-edge electronic music. Infrared Vision is a display of his love for polyrhythmic drum patterns, post-club sketches, twisted dance floor gems and classy, big room-ready tunes.
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Few words of the artist:
''When I started to conceptualize my album I had a few end goals'', explains Parasole. ''I wanted to string my own style through Infrared Vision, so it would be familiar to the people who like my music. In tandem, I strived to produce a fresh voice sonically and experimented with a few new production techniques. I also grabbed ideas outside of techno and house, because I didn't want to be influenced by anything new. I was listening to a lot of jazz, hip-hop, Nine Inch Nails and Prince for example.''
Parasole took his time to write, produce and record Infrared Vision, dividing the process into three steps. ''First I wrote the album in words, pinning down ideas and track concepts on a notepad. Subsequently I transferred my ideas to my gear. Due to a heavy tour schedule I sometimes brought gear with me on the road, to continue my sketch process on the hardware. I then recorded it at home and at Phil Moffa's studio in New York. When the music was fully finished the album morphed to its final version. Phil Moffa laid down the final mixdown at Butcha Sound Studios, while Marco Spaventi handled the mastering.''
Breakbeat Paradise Recordings has teamed up with The Chosen Few Records to proudly presents the latest escapade of TURNTILL & MERLIN: "BREAK A DAY". This tune is dedicated to all the b-boys and other funkateers worldwide that love the drumsound and the funk. The MCs on the song are DOPPIA ERRE from Apulia, Italy and SKY 189 from Capetown, South Africa.
Both are true Hip Hop heads that love the art of breaking! In the hook you hear the sweet, catchy voices of Stella Baraldo and Dominique Bouvier. A real powerful b-boy anthem and club joint alike, which is interpreted in five additional versions on a six track 12" vinyl release.
Guests on the A-Side are DJ KID STRETCH (Greece), FUNKY BOOGIE BROTHERS (Belarus) who is giving the tune a new flow in the oldskool b-boy direction. On the flip side we have invited some of the very best from the Ghetto-Funk scene to give the tunes an injection of electro vibes and big basslines. For this job we called upon the dream team DUBRA X ARTEO (Latvia) and ghetto funk superstar B-SIDE (United Kingdom) who are always armed to the teeth with big beats and electro basslines. Last but not least we sent for a true veteran and pioneer in the Nu Funk scene QUINCY JOINTZ (Germany) to do his thing on the electro side of this vinyl release.
The funky beats and breaks has once again brought people together from all over the world to collaborate on this big release that not only tips the hat to the b-boy community but also pushes the limit to the new eras of funk music. Something we share the vision for and feel strongly about on both Breakbeat Paradise Recordings and at The Chosen Few Records.
A handful of cables, laptops and a few dusty machines are all it takes to make music. On Stiff Little Spinners Vol. 8 this is proven once again with seven exclusive tracks by Thomas Atzmann, Rampue, Kalipo, Krink, Paradise Hippies, Gimmix and Monopohl. The eighth edition of the Stiff Little Spinners compilation is ready for the next demolition party with a mix of modern deep house, slow jams & dreamy techno future classics. 01 Thomas Atzmann - Skagerrak After a longer release break, Thomas Atzmann delivers the first sure shot of this record. Skaggerrak convinces from the beginning with spheric ambience and tom-tom grooves, dissolving in a wash of big synth emotions. 02 Rampue - Der König und der Vogel King Rampue dishes out an A+ Slow Jam. Minimalistic in the beginning, this track leadsyou directly via screwed vocals to a cosmic breakdown of intoxicating emotions. All of it with a beautifully relaxed bpm. 03 Kalipo - Gernkraftwerk The manifold producer is on the ticket as per ususal - this time with a detroit-y neo trance attack. With the appropriate volume this tune can lead to loss of gravity. 04 Krink - Dazed This track is tuning feedback into filters and synth stabs in your face as if there was no tomorrow. Some tunes will always instill hope that's it's possible to dance forever and never go home. 05 Paradise Hippies - Prosecco Mate The last hippies of Hamburg bring proof that two rad dudes together make an extremely rad pair.
This is one of the biggest finds of the millenium for us here at Underground Music. Unreleased music by Grand Master Lenny Dee. Originally produced back in the early 90s, the master DAT has sat in a bottom drawer until it was unearthed by us. It's hard to put in to words the influence Lenny Dee and Caspar Pound had on the dance music scene. Witnessing Lenny Djing back in 1992 influenced the path Underground Music would take for the next 25 years. It's true to say this is very much a vanity project for UM. The fact it has incredible unreleased music on it too is a bonus. We've gone all out on a mind warping 12" printed sleeve with superb vinyl mastering by Shane The Cutter. Shanes work tops off these ground breaking seminal techno tunes from one of the planets finest artists to grace the scene. Limited to 300 copies.
Breakbeat Paradise Recordings is turning back time to the early 70s when funk music was made by talented musicians joining forces in bands with the objective to create the next big funk anthem. So many big tunes and classic funk productions came out of this era and it also harnessed a new breed of funk bands across the globe who is dedicated to continuing the legacy of the funk music in the new millennium.
Breakbeat Paradise Recordings has proudly collected 4 bands to represent the new era of funk from various parts of Europe. German based Grand Slam, Swiss funk band Grand Mothers' Funck, Nasa Funk from Greece and A Man About a Dog from the UK has all provided original funk jams to this groovy 12" vinyl.
Leading the way on the a-side is Grand Slam who has created a big summer tune which sits in well with some of the current radio funk jams and will be sure to bring the ladies on the floor. Grand Slam has been around since 1985 by incorporating various flavors from Rock, Jazz, Soul and Hip Hop. The Get On Down jam from their upcoming release due May 2017 shows just how its done to do classic oldskool P-Funk which sounds as fresh as anything else on the radio here in 2017! Produced by (and featuring) veteran P-Funk legend Gary "Mudbone" Cooper!
Grand Mother's Funck means business on the straight up funky The Dog tune taken from their brand new album Take The Money. A special edit was done for this release as they are celebrating their 12th album release from a legendary veteran funk band who has been tearing up the Swiss funk scene for over 23 years now.
On the flipside the funk is riding equally high as Nasa Funk rolls in their Stand Up jam. Straight outta Thessaloniki, Greece comes this 5-man band with vocalist George Perin leading the way. This tune is produced with old friend of label Basement Freaks.
Last but certainly not least we turn our attention to the UK where the band A Man About a Dog has cooked up a latin-inspired and jazzy funk tune called Pollos.
That sums up the first all original funk release to be dropped on Breakbeat Paradise Recordings. After digging in a sampling so many great funk tunes over the years, this seemed like only right way to pay our respect to the genre of music we love and cherish so much.
[B] A2 | Grand Mother's Funck - The Dog (Throw Me A Bone Mix)
Repress
After last years slick selection for the series from MCDE, Young Marco steps up with a great set of obscurities. Top Tip!
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Born Marco Sterk, he certainly doesn't come from a standard DJ background. A former skate rat who grew up loving American post-hardcore and '90s hip-hop as much as early Warp Records, he's been affiliated over the years with Amsterdam institutions such as Rush Hour, Red Light Records (where you'll find him most weekdays!) and, of course, Dekmantel itself. Still, there's no question that he's always followed his own path, even during the years that playing his favorite records meant that he was occasionally clearing dancefloors.
Things are different these days, of course, as Sterk now regularly plays around the globe and has been widely hailed not just for his DJ talents, but also for his digging prowess and uncanny ability to pluck jams out of genres, eras and geographies that even veteran DJs will often ignore.
Still, Marco's entry in the Selectors series isn't some soulless collection of 'Holy Grail' rarities. 'Where's the fun in that' he explains. 'Anybody with an internet connection can check what flavor-of-the-month records are in demand.'
Just like the first Selectors compilation, this is not a mix CD, but a collection of hand-picked, unmixed tracks that Sterk has personally chosen from his own vinyl archives. Moreover, Marco has put together a collection of tracks that represent not only how he plays music, but also how he makes music himself. The songs here are melodic, electronic and bound together by a refreshing sense of naiveté. Nothing sounds overly calculated; the tunes here span several decades and include dollar-bin records, avant-garde records, club records and yes, a few things that collector types have likely been looking to get their hands on. It's not meant to be a grand statement, as Marco would rather provide an honest snapshot of his musical tastes and share a few of his favorite tracks and artists in the proc
Jerome Meyer AKA Von D is a master craftsman, well-known for releasing dubstep and bass music since 2009. On an increasingly prolific trajectory since last year, recent 12's on Infernal Sounds, Trojan Audio and Scotch Bonnet have signaled his renewed focus on dubwise productions. We are proud to say that Von D's Khaliphonic debut sees him fully committing to reggae and dub - in his words, going back to my musical roots.'
Politricks' is a masterwork, cut from the same living rock as the classic Cuss Cuss riddim, a simply huge bass and drum workout that is truly one for the ages. Politricks is an anthem for now, a call to avoid the dead-end of politics-as-usual and a warning to beware of the lies politicians tell to keep themselves in power - full of promises but changing nothing. Von D says that working with Don Cotti was very natural,' and their easy relationship is audible - the tune fits the vocal like a glove, and Cotti's instantly-recognizable singjay style gives even more gravitas to an already heavy track. The dub version spools out Von D's signature saturated echoes even further, and opens up spectral chambers of reverb that shimmer and glow.
The B side Ygrec' is an equally massive tune, just as compelling if more meditative and mysterious, coming in both one drop and power-steppers mixes for maximum versatility and vibes. Both tunes and their versions feature an incredibly robust, warm, human sound - one that simply can't come from machines alone - live drums, bass, and kete drum among other instruments maintain the tradition of live musicians in dub - to say nothing of expert desk-based mixing and deployment of live analog effects the way the elders intended. Both tunes dial in at 140 making them perfect for roots and dubstep selectors alike.
Von D got his start as a drummer and engineer outside Paris, in the heady days of original jungle. Early releases on Disfigured Dubz, Hench, Boka, Black Acre and the seminal V Recordings, as well as his reggae-oriented Liquid Wicked project, cemented his reputation. Don Cotti is a prolific producer, DJ and MC with releases stretching back to 2006 on labels as varied as Bass Face, Studio Rockers, and Soul Jazz.
Mastered by Lewis at Stardelta. Art & design by Polygon Press.
Yoruba Records is proud to welcome back Toto Chiavetta for the release of his debut album, 'Impermanence', split on vinyl format over two 12's. Hailing from Catania, Sicily, Toto is known for his deep, techy, and often moody dancefloor-ready jams. On 'Impermanence' (Part 2), 'Don't Give Hope Away' revisits Toto's focus on the peak hour dancefloor, a warm and thick bass ushers in a smooth and spacey vocal that is definitely one to get people moving. The title track of this release, 'Impermanence', keeps things chugging along with a classic deep house sound. The bassline commands you to move you your body as Tshaka Campbell's spoken word vocal will have you lost in the moment. We couldn't be more proud to offer this debut album, one that highlights Toto's growth as an artist while maintaining a strict focus on the dancefloor. DJs and listeners alike will find these tunes well suited for the late night hours, listen and enjoy!
Voilaaa is one of the many projects led and produced by Bruno Patchworks' Hovart, who's proven over the past 15 years, his place amongst the finest producers of groove music in all genres.
This time exploring the wide spectrum of the African and Tropical Disco scene, he received a massive international support for Voilaaa's first album, On te l'avait dit, released late 2015 on Favorite Recordings.With a second effort already planned for spring 2017, Voilaaa has not finished to feed international dancefloors with heavy Afro-Disco vibes.Here comes the first single from Voilaaa's upcoming second efforts, made of 3 new killer tunes featuring Lass, Sir Jean, and Pat Kalla.
The mysterious Cecil Moses & The S.G.'s (Oliver Klomp - drums, Colin Higgins - guitar, Bob Heinemann - bass, and Marc Hager - keys) unite with deep funk pioneer Lucky Brown to interpret Lucky's original "Mesquite Suite," a collection of spiritual folk/jazz modal melodies fused with earthy and arcane rhythms composed in the summer of 2015 in an ashram in the Texas Hill Country.
The S.G.'s, who specialize in their own brand of great quartet instrumental soul ala Booker T. & The M.G.'s and The Meters, adapted quickly to Lucky's experimental, rudimentary, vernacular, and minimalist approach. One thing you will notice in these tunes is that the vast space created by the musicians and the composition is what allows the FEEL to filter through, and for Lucky Brown, FEEL is what it is all about.
This first single presents the themesong of their collection, a deep tribal shuffle, "Mesquite Beat," upon which Jason Cressey - trombone, and Thomas Deakin - sax, offer their own explorations. The flip is an upbeat and minimal pentatonic anthem entitled "Justice," featuring Lucky Brown himself on funk flute.
With this release, we are proud to introduce the first installment of the "Mesquite Suite" collection on Tramp's own special limited imprint: "Tramp Tapes," a suite of original, raw deep funk inspired as much by Mulatu Astatke as it is James Brown.
This is the first release of Steady Work By Dear Friends. Based in Heidelberg (Germany) they catered the city and its music lovers with good music for the last ten years. Dog Patrol is a young Mannheim (Germany) based producer and a long term and very good friend to the Steady Work By Dear Friends crew. Dog Patrol delivered for this release warm and shaking house. He twisted but not dubbed over his raw and lo-fi sounding style to three crawling but thriving tunes, which easily fit and hit every dancefloor.
'I take my guitar and strum and sing some tings and blow people's mind. But I ain't trying to do anybody's music. I'm doing what I feel' - Shadow
When it came out in 1984 the far-out album Sweet Sweet Dreams by Trinidad & Tobago's Shadow (aka Winston Bailey) was described as 'way ahead of its time'. Undeservedly it was panned by critics and, unable to reach markets, disappeared into the dusty record collections of a few music aficionados. Now, more than three decades later that cosmic dance-floor UFO is about to take off again, change all that and set the record straight. Remastered and cut by Frank Meritt at The Carvery the album is truly a masterpiece.
But who is this Shadow behind Sweet Sweet Dreams Shadow is a man of understated magnitude. A truly enigmatic artist, he first emerged in Trinidad and Tobago during the 1970s, becoming a part of the tapestry of Caribbean music and reinvigorating calypso at the time. Calypso, the indigenous folk music of Trinidad and Tobago, has roots in West African kaiso rhythms, French Creole influences, and the hardships endured by the African slaves brought to Trinbago, whose descendants still use it as a tool for satire, self-expression, and social commentary. Calypso has also given birth to several other music genres, including soca, with its uptempo beats and festival context. Shadow effortlessly moves between both.
Shadow came from a humble but musical family and started writing songs as a youth while tending cattle in the fields. To his family's initial chagrin he chose calypso over church music but his talent and drive were undeniable. In the early days of his career Shadow's style was cramped when working with some of the more conservative music arrangers who felt that calypso and soca should fit a mould. But after a while Shadow teamed up with more innovative arrangers, including Arthur 'Art'de Coteau, who followed their and Shadow's intuitions resulting in a long line of hits.
'The first time we met for me to arrange his music we had a heated argument on the arrangement for one of his songs, I was theoretically correct but Shadow was musically right. Shadow broke all the traditional musical rules and made his own and that made him a musical giant. He changed the face of Calypso music in 1974 with the release of "Bassman" a tune in which Bass and magnificent horn line took central stage changing Soca music for ever. What Shadow did with his music was to put calypso on the International Dance circuit, giving it a totally different groove. You could take his music and swing it in any direction, Disco, Pop, Calypso, you name it. His music was different from anything that existed before'. - Carl "Beaver" Henderson, one of Trinidad's veteran producers.
This inert creativeness culminated in Sweet Sweet Dreams which was arranged by Shadow and deals with burning and ever-relevant themes like love and the ups and downs of relationships. a surprising fact for someone mainly known for his satirical and political lyrics. It prompted his manager to wonder if Shadow had written the lyrics while in a state of 'tabanca' (a word used in Trinidad and Tobago to describe lovesickness).
Sweet Sweet Dreams was recorded at the legendary SHARC studios, located on a hill in Chaguaramas (near Port of Spain) and despite a fantastic sound and monster Soca-boogie tunes like 'Lets get it together', 'Lets Make it Up' and 'Way, Way Out' the album was a commercial flop, probably due to the fact that it didn't sound like anything else coming out of Trinidad & Tobago at the time: It fused a range of different rhythms and new sounds, primarily heavy synth riffs.
Shadow took the album's lack of success in his stride with usual aplomb:
'When I did Sweet Dreams I expect something could happen. But nothing big happen because I have no big market and no distribution and all this thing now. So I just cool myself and move on to another song. I wasn't doing just one song. I used to always have plenty songs at the one time. And be writing music'.
What Shadow didn't realise back then was that the proto-electronic cocktail he had mixed in 1984 would only find the recognition it deserved three decades later. Life has swung full circle: Sweet Sweet Dreams has come true and been elevated to holy grail status becoming one of the most sought-after Caribbean disco records in existence.
For this re-release we carried out extensive interviews with Shadow and the musicians and have included as bonuses exclusive photos from Shadow's personal collection and the dancefloor filler tune 'D'Hardest' was added as a bonus track.
