Before the Odysee, there was the Iliad; a tale of the golden age of heroes and warriors.'
The idea behind the new Iliads series is to return to the sound of the golden age of Jungle/Drum & Bass, and more specifically the original ‘heroes’ of the Odysee label.
This second in the series pays homage to the unique sound of the Mirage releases. The influence of these releases on the SD sound that followed has often been overlooked, principally because it was assumed that the ‘Mirage’ moniker was simply another pseudonym for Source Direct, when in actual fact it was a lethal combination of the powerful engineering and arrangement skills of Jim Baker (Source Direct) and the sound selection and co-production of Odysee’s founder, Tilla Kemal (T-Mirage).
Face In The Shadows immediately opens with that slightly darker feel, with tracks like Feel My Dreams and Stonekiller in mind. The trademark SD style of break switches (aptly named ‘call & response) are immediately evident, although the Funky Mule gives the track its primary momentum. The sound selection is eerie, focusing on the 70’s Film-Noire, and deep Electro in line with Tilla’s particular preferences. The spoken word quotes are also unmistakably ‘Mirage-esque.’
Regenesis is a classic Odysee B-side track; lighter, more experimental and Jazzy in it’s feel. It showcases intricate and crisp rolling break work, and a beautifully refined selection of real stand- out musical quotes; from the sweet R&B-esque vocal ad-libs to the lush 70’s style sleaze of the Rhodes rolls. The interaction of these elements is the glue that holds this tune together.
The Darkness Within is the final track of the E.P. and it is the arrangement of samples that really emulates the ‘Mirage’ sound. Tilla & Jim were very particular about grouping sounds to work with & answer each other in each section of a tune. Samples were often sourced from obscure Film OST’s or rare electro albums which had sample diggers scratching their heads for many years! This track is dubbed out deeper, with a punching & rolling Soulpride features as the hero break and a repetitive deep chord stab forming the foundation of the tune.
Look out for the final instalment Volume III, where we will be focusing on the dystopian Jazz sound of the Hokusai releases!
Suche:sec
A month after the release of his debut album as Tambores En Benirras, 2021’s fabulous Orbe Dotodo, Graham Newby’s life changed forever. After years living with a visual impairment, his sight had deteriorated so much that he was declared “registered blind”. For a man who had spent decades dividing his time between travelling, DJing, running clubs and lengthy sessions in his own studio, it was a genuinely life-changing moment.
It was against this backdrop, and the need to alter his working methods, that Ondas Horizontales, the second Tambores En Benirras album took shape. Inspired by a mixture of daydreaming, visualisation, immersion in other people’s music (escapism that provided mood enhancement, rather than a specific set of ideas) and long periods spent soaking up the sun in Ibiza, the album is the most vividly detailed, sonically colourful, and sun-soaked collection that Newby has released to date.
Newby’s declining sight forced him to stop spending long spells staring at a screen and undoubtedly slowed down the production process. Yet it also allowed him to reconnect with his emotions, appreciate the storytelling and mood-shifting potential of music, and mine mind’s eye memories of places and spaces that have meant much to him over the years.
The results are undeniably stunning. Designed with horizontal listening in mind, the set distils a range of musical and real-life inspirations –or, as he puts it, “ambient soundtracks, cosmic journeys, Balearic rhythms and poolside sessions” – into ten mesmerising and magical tracks; an undulating, slow-motion journey that’s as breath-taking as it is beguiling.
Newby sets the tone with ‘Mi Sueno Vibe En Reverb’, a swelling, slow-burn ambient masterpiece that tiptoes between hope and melancholia, before flitting between imaginary sunset soundtracks (‘Estrellas En Mastella’, where lilting pedal steel sounds, bubbling electronics and shuffling breakbeats catch the ear), kaleidoscopic sun-up beats (the gorgeous warmth of ‘Generadora De Reyos’), enveloping beatless soundscapes (‘Templos Del Sol’, a drowsy drift in becalmed waters under the heat of the mid-afternoon sun), and dubby, loved-up lusciousness (‘Mokono’).
As the album progresses, bobbing and weaving on an ocean of vibrant chords, pulsing melodies and heart-stopping melodies, there’s no sign of Newby’s inspiration waving. ‘Alma Hablando’ channels the spirit of mid-80s ‘worldbeat’ and douses it in layers of Balearic bliss, while ‘Extrensor Entragado’ recalls the head-nodding haziness of his best Gripper productions of old while combining them with the musical equivalent of a humid summer breeze. Then there’s the mood-enhancing joy of the album’s superb title track –a mission statement of sorts – and the life-affirming post trip-hop/Balearic fusion of ‘Un Placer Celestial (Reprise)’, where the influence of his old friend Aim is clearly evident.
A serious sonic step-up from its predecessor and a future Balearic classic in its’ own right, Ondas Horizontales marks the start of a new musical and personal journey for its creator. It is, in his words, not the end of an era, but the start of a new one.
Juliet Mendoza's official debut EP after first being introduced to the world as a feature on Julio Bashmore's 2015 LP. Since then she has shared the stage with artists the likes of Peggy Gou, DJ Heather, Hot Since 82, Osunlade, Dennis Ferrer and more. She was also one of Defected Records Unsung Heroes Contest winners in 2022. This is her first worldwide solo project.
Ted Milton and Graham Lewis return as Elegiac with their second release – a four track EP inch titled “Meet My Stalker”. The pair of idiosyncratic sonic stylists, bullish outsiders with a Dadaist's ear for unexpected rhythms and ear-catching turns of phrase return showcasing a new track – the title of the EP - along with three bass heavy dubbed out no wave versions of tracks from their self titled debut LP.
Ted Milton is a prolific poet, with several volumes under his belt, as well as an avant-garde puppeteer. Yet he's probably best known as vocalist/saxophonist with psycho-funk afro punk fake no-wave pogo jazz trio Blurt. Milton's group has produced an impressive string of albums, not to mention his numerous solo recordings.
Meanwhile, Edvard Graham Lewis has a history of strong solo releases, both under his own name and as He Said. And of course, as bassist, lyricist and sometime vocalist with post punk innovators Wire, he's been responsible for numerous landmark releases, from 1977's Pink Flag, to 2003's Send, to 2020's Mind Hive.
Arranged, like the album, by electronic composer and sound artist Sam Britton whose sure touch pieces all the elements together. Kicking off with a stripped down driving shortened version of “He Folds” with its eerie honking sax and kraut like pulsating bass the perfect complement to Milton’s chorus echoing throughout. “Boat” is another album track beefed up with Milton’s chants backed by layered percussive blasts and squawking sax. “Meet My Stalker” makes its first appearance here with its infectious snarling looped bassline and Milton’s refrain “It’s a wind up”. Closing out with another album highlight an elongated version of “Vancouver Slim” all synth bleeps and ricocheting grumbling sax and hypnotic vocals. Punchy, idiosyncratic, packed with melody and groove, this second release is the fascinating sound of an evolving Elegiac.
- A1: High Energy (Extended Version)-Evelyn Thomas-1984-7.51
- A2: In The Evening (Original 12" Version)-Sheryl Lee Ralph-1984-6.16
- A3: Another Night (Dance Mix)-Aretha Franklin-1985-6.40
- B1: Body Rock (Dance Mix)-Maria Vidal-1984-6.30
- B2: Tell It To My Heart (Club Mix)-Taylor Dayne-1987-6.46
- B3: Love Will Save The Day (Extended Remix)-Whitney Houston-1988-7.59
- C1: Passion (Full Length Album Version)-The Flirts-1982-5.04
- C2: So Many Men So Little Time (Extended Version)-Miquel Brown-1983-8.14
- C3: Can't Take My Eyes Off You (12” Version)-Boys Town Gang-1981-9.31
- D1: The Male Stripper (Original Extended U.s. Remix)-Man 2 Man Meet Man Parrish-1987-7.51
- D2: Love Reaction (12" Version)-Divine-1983-5.34
- D3: Rocket To Your Heart (Remix)-Lisa-1983-9.35
- E1: Why? (12” Version)-Bronski Beat-1984-7.48
- E2: You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) (Murder Mix)-Dead Or Alive-1984-8.01
- E3: Theme From S ‘Express (12" Version)-S ‘Express-1988-5.58
- F1: No G.d.m. (Dedicated To Quentin Crisp) (12" Version)-Gina X Performance-1981-5.55
- F2: Relax (New York Mix)-Frankie Goes To Hollywood-1983-7.26
- F3: Don't Drop Bombs (Extended Remix)- Liza Minnelli-1989-5.57
- G1: Oh L'amour (The Extra Beat Boys 12” Mix) -Dollar-1987-6.53
- G2: Fascinated (Club Mix)-Company B-1986-7.33
- G3: Love In The First Degree (Jailers Mix)-Bananarama-1987-6.02
- H1: You Came (The Shep Pettibone Mix)-Kim Wilde-1988-7.36
- H2: Call Me (Viva Mix)- Spagna-1987-5.40
- H3: In Private (12” Version)-Dusty Springfield-1989-7.16
Box 2[78,19 €]
The influence that 80s gay nightlife had on electronic music, pop music in general and the evolution of clubbing for
subsequent generations is pretty much incalculable. In spite of the shadow of AIDs and reactionary political and media
forces both at home and in the USA, the period 1980 – 1990 bore witness to a dazzling explosion of dance music that
artfully drew a line from the peak of late-70s disco to the emergence of house and its 90s glory days. The art of the
12” single, the thrill of the remix, the rise of the superclub, the electronic spark of chart pop, the challenging of gender
barriers… all had their origin in the gay clubs. It’s not unreasonable to make the claim that by the end of the 80s,
virtually ALL chart pop music sounded like it had its origins on the dancefloors of Heaven nightclub!
Over 4LPs and 24 tracks, ‘Box Of Sin’ strives to tell the story of that decade, and to tease apart the strands of 80s gay
clubbing to show a period of unrivalled creativity and disco diversity. Via the box’s themed discs it shows how highenergy became house, how gender-bending synth bands took over the pop charts, how pop stars the whole world
over found a route to fame via the gay clubs, and how the era’s biggest producers aimed their masterworks purely at
the dancefloor. High energy, deep house, Eurobeat, synthpop, divas, acid house… all combine to paint a picture of a
rich and vibrant lifestyle. Along the way, ‘Box Of Sin’ unearths some overlooked gems rarely compiled today:
meanwhile some of the decade’s biggest names in club music gather to get into the picture – from Whitney Houston
to Dead Or Alive, Bananarama to Bronski Beat, Aretha Franklin to Inner City.
Based on the actual club charts at the time and with a stunning design package inspired by the small ads section of
80s gay press, ‘ Box Of Sin’ comes fully annotated and with an introduction by renowned gay author Paul Burston.
Throughout, it’s illustrated with photography documenting 80s gay clubbers in action, provided for Demon by The
Bishopsgate Institute, the UK’s LGBTQ+ archive. The project also resurrects the much-loved brand ‘Disco Discharge’, a
recognisable hallmark of quality among collectors and aficionados of club music heritage.
Several Years Ago, the Disco Records Dj Crew Members Got Their Hands on a Couple of Original 70s Obscurities, While These Standout Records Shone Brightly in Their Own Right, the Team Finally Decided to Put Them Out as Those Obscure Old Records Fetch Eye-Wateringly High Prices on the Second-Hand Market. Due to Popular Request & Lovingly Mastered to the Highest Possible Standards, They Are Now Available to Play and Share in Very Special Moments at Parties Around the World. This Will Surely Be One of the Most Keenly Anticipated Disco Release of the Year. for Our First Release, We Are Extremely Proud to Bring You at Last, Three Very Hard to Find Disco Anthems on Sides a & B in Their Glorious Full Extended Versions...
Omnivium is the third studio album released by German death metal band Obscura, and the second album of Obscura's four album concept. The album was recorded at Woodshed Studio in southern Germany with engineer Victor Bullok (also known as V.Santura). It was released by Relapse Records on 29 March 2011. The album is based on Friedrich Schelling's Clara: or On Nature's Connection to the Spirit World (1810). Obscura released the track "Septuagint" to the public on 19 January 2011. The second song from Omnivium, "Vortex Omnivium", was released to the public on 24 February 2011. Omnivium debuted at #11 on the USA's Top Heatseekers chart, and at #14 on Germany's Media Control Newcomer chart. furthermore, within the first week the album sold 2,000 copies the US
- A1: Douaa - Haditouni
- A2: Magdy El Hussainy - Music De Carneva
- A3: Fadoul - Ahl Jedba
- A4: Sal Davis - Sultan Qaboos Song
- A5: Munir Khauli - Heik Ha Nishtghil
- A6: Ouiness - Zina
- A7: Najib Al Housh - Ya Aen Daly
- A8: Zohra - Badala Zamana
- A9: Ahmed Malek - Casbah
- A10: Ait Meslayene - El Fen
- A11: Hamid El Shaeri - Reet
- A12: Hamid El Shaeri - Tendme
- A13: Tony Benn Feghaly - Free Blow
Yellow Vinyl[24,58 €]
Es beherrscht ein grauer, stimmungsvoller und dichter Spätherbst-Tag das Geschehen. Viel zu früh hat der Himmel sich verdunkelt. Jetzt plätschert gleichförmig und regelmäßig Regen auf die Straßen, auf die Erde, auf die griesgrämig wirkenden Menschen herab. So stellt man sich die Atmosphäre vor, in welcher das sechste Subsignal-Studioalbum "A Poetry of Rain" entstanden ist.
Fünf endlos wirkende Jahre ließen Subsignal ihre Anhänger auf neue akustische Klang-Abenteuer warten. "Und auch das hatte wieder mit der Pandemie zu tun", offenbart Markus Steffen den Grund für die quälend lange Pause. "Existenzängste schlichen sich ein", reflektiert er. "Im Zuge dessen verließ der langjährige Bassist Ralf Schwager die Band. Mit Martijn Horsten aus Rotterdam war allerdings rasch würdiger Ersatz gefunden. Dennoch schwelgen die zehn Kompositionen vor Sehnsucht und einer gehörigen Portion Wehmut."
Der progressive Mix aus Rock, Metal und Artrock gelingt scheinbar spielerisch. Ausnahme-Drummer Dirk Brand setzt dabei eine fulminante Basis, auf die mal rockige, mal elegante Gitarren-Sounds zusammen mit den Keyboards einmalige Klangwelten zaubern. Darüber schwebt das wunderbare Timbre von Sänger Arno Menses - immer präsent, immer einnehmend, voller Leidenschaft und Kraft. Dazu trägt auch die kristallklare und druckvolle Produktion von Yogi Lang von ihrem Label Gentle Art Of Music bei.
Presse:
Rocks 9/10: "Songs wie ›Impasse‹ oder "Marigold‹ berühren, transportieren Gefühle und packen den Hörer, wie es sonst Marillion, Yes oder Kansas am besten können. Auf welch hohem Niveau die Herren musizieren, wird bei Nummern wie The Art Of Giving Ins oder ›Sliver (The Sheltered Garden)‹ klar, aber Komplexi-lät ist hier nie Mittel zum Zweck."
Deaf Forever 8.5/10: "…meistens die wie immer großartigen Refrains, die einen aufrichten. ….wie gewohnt exzellent gesungene Artrock-Stücke, die von den nach fünf Jahren Wartezeit dürstenden Anhängern nun endlich auch zu Hause genossen werden können."
Rock It - Soundcheck #6/32: "…so steht der Name Subsignal auch auf Album Nummer sechs doch für handgemachte Qualitätsarbeit mit Herz und Seele. Reinhören, eintauchen und mitfühlen!"
Break Out: "Mit "Poetry Of Rain" unterstreichen Subsignal ihre Ausnahmestellung im Rock: Scheibe unbedingt zulegen! Ich bin mir sicher, dass niemand bei diesem Longplayer enttäuscht sein wird, der sich in melodischen Bereichen mit progressiven Parts wohlfühlt."
Gäste:
David Bertok - Keyboards "Embers Part II - Water Wings)
Marek Arnold - Saxophon "The Last of its Kind"
Yogi Lang - Keyboards
Dietmar Waechtler - Pedal Steel "The Art of Giving In"
Iraklis Choraitis - Backing Vocals "Sliver (The Sheltered Garden)"
Mix & Master von Yogi Lang, Farm-Studios Freising
Green Vinyl[22,90 €]
Es beherrscht ein grauer, stimmungsvoller und dichter Spätherbst-Tag das Geschehen. Viel zu früh hat der Himmel sich verdunkelt. Jetzt plätschert gleichförmig und regelmäßig Regen auf die Straßen, auf die Erde, auf die griesgrämig wirkenden Menschen herab. So stellt man sich die Atmosphäre vor, in welcher das sechste Subsignal-Studioalbum "A Poetry of Rain" entstanden ist.
Fünf endlos wirkende Jahre ließen Subsignal ihre Anhänger auf neue akustische Klang-Abenteuer warten. "Und auch das hatte wieder mit der Pandemie zu tun", offenbart Markus Steffen den Grund für die quälend lange Pause. "Existenzängste schlichen sich ein", reflektiert er. "Im Zuge dessen verließ der langjährige Bassist Ralf Schwager die Band. Mit Martijn Horsten aus Rotterdam war allerdings rasch würdiger Ersatz gefunden. Dennoch schwelgen die zehn Kompositionen vor Sehnsucht und einer gehörigen Portion Wehmut."
Der progressive Mix aus Rock, Metal und Artrock gelingt scheinbar spielerisch. Ausnahme-Drummer Dirk Brand setzt dabei eine fulminante Basis, auf die mal rockige, mal elegante Gitarren-Sounds zusammen mit den Keyboards einmalige Klangwelten zaubern. Darüber schwebt das wunderbare Timbre von Sänger Arno Menses - immer präsent, immer einnehmend, voller Leidenschaft und Kraft. Dazu trägt auch die kristallklare und druckvolle Produktion von Yogi Lang von ihrem Label Gentle Art Of Music bei.
Presse:
Rocks 9/10: "Songs wie ›Impasse‹ oder "Marigold‹ berühren, transportieren Gefühle und packen den Hörer, wie es sonst Marillion, Yes oder Kansas am besten können. Auf welch hohem Niveau die Herren musizieren, wird bei Nummern wie The Art Of Giving Ins oder ›Sliver (The Sheltered Garden)‹ klar, aber Komplexi-lät ist hier nie Mittel zum Zweck."
Deaf Forever 8.5/10: "…meistens die wie immer großartigen Refrains, die einen aufrichten. ….wie gewohnt exzellent gesungene Artrock-Stücke, die von den nach fünf Jahren Wartezeit dürstenden Anhängern nun endlich auch zu Hause genossen werden können."
Rock It - Soundcheck #6/32: "…so steht der Name Subsignal auch auf Album Nummer sechs doch für handgemachte Qualitätsarbeit mit Herz und Seele. Reinhören, eintauchen und mitfühlen!"
Break Out: "Mit "Poetry Of Rain" unterstreichen Subsignal ihre Ausnahmestellung im Rock: Scheibe unbedingt zulegen! Ich bin mir sicher, dass niemand bei diesem Longplayer enttäuscht sein wird, der sich in melodischen Bereichen mit progressiven Parts wohlfühlt."
Gäste:
David Bertok - Keyboards "Embers Part II - Water Wings)
Marek Arnold - Saxophon "The Last of its Kind"
Yogi Lang - Keyboards
Dietmar Waechtler - Pedal Steel "The Art of Giving In"
Iraklis Choraitis - Backing Vocals "Sliver (The Sheltered Garden)"
Die berüchtigte Black-Metal-Horde PROFANATICA kriechen mit ihrem neuen Album "Crux Simplex" aus den tiesten Tiefen der Hölle hervor. Diese neueste Salve der Sünde und des Sakrilegs, diese Zehn-Track-Offensive ist eine Huldigung des Bösen, der die ersten 10 Stationen des Kreuzes bastardisiert.
Die Band, angeführt vom berüchtigten Meister der schwarzen Perversion Paul Ledney, steht für bestialischen Black Metal der ersten Stunde, und "Crux Simplex" offenbart ein gottloses Ausmaß an Galle und Blasphemie.
- A1: Ryuichi Sakamoto - The Revenant Main Theme 2 41
- A2: Alva Noto & Bryce Dessner - Hawk Punished 2 14
- A3: Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto - Carrying Glass 3 07
- A4: Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto - First Dream 3 05
- A5: Ryuichi Sakamoto - Killing Hawk 3 49
- A6: Ryuichi Sakamoto - Discovering River 1 11
- A7: Ryuichi Sakamoto - Goodbye To Hawk 3 41
- B1: Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto - Discovering Buffalo 2 43
- B2: Ryuichi Sakamoto - Hell Ensemble 2 38
- B3: Ryuichi Sakamoto - Glass And Buffalo Warrior Travel 1 51
- B4: Ryuichi Sakamoto - Arriving At Fort Kiowa 1 21
- B5: Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto - Church Dream 2 38
- B6: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto & Bryce Dessner - Powaqa Rescue 5 35
- C1: Bryce Dessner - Imagining Buffalo 2 39
- C2: Ryuichi Sakamoto - The Revenant Theme 2 1 54
- C3: Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto - Second Dream 1 13
- C4: Ryuichi Sakamoto - Out Of Horse 3 57
- C5: Bryce Dessner - Looking For Glass 2 51
- C6: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto & Bryce Dessner - Cat & Mouse 5 42
- D1: Ryuichi Sakamoto - The Revenant Main Theme Atmospheric 2 50
- D2: Ryuichi Sakamoto & Bryce Dessner - Final Fight 6 35
- D3: Ryuichi Sakamoto - The End 2 16
- D4: Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto - The Revenant Theme (Alva Noto Remodel) 4 00
- D5: Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto - The Revenant - Main Theme (Alva Not Remodel R)
Après le succès de Birdman (quatre Oscars dont ceux du meilleur film et du meilleur réalisateur), le réalisateur Alejandro G. Inarritu repousse les limites de l'art cinématographique avec ce western épique : The Revenant. Avec Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, Le Loup de Wall Street) et Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Dark Knight Rises), tourné dans un Canada sauvage et glacé, à la lumière naturelle, The Revenant est une histoire de vengeance, de survie et de ténacité face à la fureur de l'homme et de la nature. Le film est en passe de devenir un grand favori de la critique, à l'aube de la saison des récompenses... Inarritu a choisi de sacrifier presque tout dialogue à un paysage sonore splendide et à une musique majestueuse. Un film de cette ampleur méritait un compositeur compréhensif de la création artistique pure et des passions déchaînées. Le Maître japonais Ryuichi Sakamoto (Furyo, Le Dernier Empereur - Oscar de la meilleure musique de film) a rempli le contrat haut la main. Avec son collaborateur Alva Noto (notamment au sein du Yellow Magic Orchestra), Sakamoto a créé une bande originale captivante qui sera assurément la bonne surprise de l'hiver. L'album contient également la musique additionnelle de Bryce Dessner (compositeur pour le Kronos Quartet et le LA Phil).
'Million Lights' von 1987 ist in der Diskografie von Trisomie 21 mit Sicherheit der absolute Höhepunkt. Die beiden Lomprez-Brüder lieferten ein Album voller emotionaler Kraft, subtil und zerbrechlich, in dem die ganze Magie des Duos zum Vorschein kam. 'Million Lights' weist keinerlei Unklarheiten auf und ist das mutigste und vielleicht auch beste Album von Trisomie 21 - ein Klassiker! Im Rahmen des 40-jährigen Jubiläums von PIAS, erscheint das Album nun wieder auf Vinyl!
Bobby Caldwell's second album, Cat In The Hat, from 1980, is one of his greatest moments and another masterwork of soulful sophistication. Featuring the eternal "Open Your Eyes", brilliantly sampled by J Dilla for Common's "The Light", it's about as essential as records get. Like its eponymous predecessor, it's been out of print for far too long. To finally release the hugely-anticipated reissue is one of our sincerely proudest moments.
Whilst Ned Doheny is known in Japan as "Mr California", native New Yorker Bobby Caldwell has always been "Mr AOR" to his Far-Eastern friends. His distinct charm is an irresistible blend of soul, jazz, and pop influences. He possessed phenomenal songwriting prowess, smooth vocal performances, was both a great soul guitarist and dextrous keyboard player and known for genius chord progressions. It all added up to a multi-layered brilliance entering the studio, and the singular sound he landed on was laced with soulful, sweeping strings and funky horns, touching lightly on disco, while allowing his supple voice to carry the stunning tracks he'd crafted.
Right from the off, it's easy to tell that Cat In The Hat is a deeply special record. It's fantastically produced and incredibly well-rounded, carving its own lane with deep soul, warm jazz and a stunning vocal delivery that really helped Bobby reach out to some big new audiences at the time. Goosebumps at the ready for the rolling power-piano funk of "Coming Down From Love", opening up the album with a track as good as anything Steely Dan or The Doobies ever crafted, with a vocal performance from the heavens. Pumping AOR wonder "Wrong Or Right" is up there with the slick, classy rhythms of prime Ned Doheny whilst the cool, skipping soul of guitar-drenched "To Know What You've Got" is a funky ballad par excellence, with elemental traces of "What A Fool Believes". No bad thing. Closing out Side A, the folk-funk of "You Promised Me" is a bright, soulful strut with a wonderful vocal coda that just builds. Sensational.
The delicate bounce and falsetto self-harmonising of "It's Over" offers a truly delightful introduction to Side B, and serves as a great precursor to what follows. Bobby's dynamite "Open Your Eyes" is likely the reason you're all here. As if he needed it, the eternal J Dilla further immortalised Caldwell in the hip-hop canon with his production of Common’s epochal “The Light,” which heavily samples the magical “Open Your Eyes.” On a post paying tribute to Bobby in March 2023, Questlove claimed that he "got word Brother Bobby loved it". Bobby's original has seen new life even more recently from the likes of Dwele and Kendrick Lamar and deservingly so, as its insistent drums and staccato piano created a modern-soul classic. You'd think that would be hard to follow, wouldn't you? Not so, when you're Bobby Caldwell. Indeed, the horn-drenched stepper "Mother Of Creation" is absolutely ace, and, whisper it, possibly the album's finest track, all funky piano and guitars with horn lines to die for. Exquisite ballad "I Don't Want To Lose Your Love" rounds out the album beautifully.
Bobby sadly passed away on 23rd March 2023, after a long struggle with mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress, due to an adverse effect from a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. The reissue of Cat In The Hat will be available on vinyl across the globe, ensuring that fans of his incomparable talent - and soul music enthusiasts worldwide - can radiate in the deep beauty of this seminal album. Meticulously remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed to the highest possibly quality at Record Industry in Holland.
Die Neuauflage von des "Rock Action" Albums von Mogwai, streng limitiert auf Transparent Red Vinyl.
It’s long believed that dreams are a way for our subconscious and conscious selves to interact. A chance meeting between cognitive thought and the expanse of imagination. Our dreams are often half remembered upon waking, leaving bits and shards of the story left to be pieced together. That process of pulling together fragments feels infused within Austin’s Neckbolt, a band with a radiant understanding of pairing disparate elements together to create something magnificent. Introduced back in 2021 with Midwestern Drawl, their self-released debut album, the duo of James Roo and Benjamin Krause formed the project with a specific energy and an alien sound. At its core, that record laid the blueprint for the band, a forward thinking mix of caustic noise rock and vivid psychedelic pop, combining to create something wild yet ingenious, reshaping common genre ideals.
At some point between the recording and release of their debut, Neckbolt expanded, reverse engineering their sound to form a live band that could pull off the music of their recordings. The line-up grew from a duo to the quintet, with Roo (vocals) and Krause (guitar) joined by longtime friends and collaborators, Bill Indelicato (bass), Brent Hodge (drums), and Kilyn Massey (guitar), forming an instant chemistry apparent in their earliest of live shows. With members split between Austin and Oklahoma City, the band adapted their approach to songwriting, opting to record in bits and pieces as they wrote, bouncing ideas back and forth, watching songs take shape in ways that none of the members had intended, but all were quick to embrace. Neckbolt are a freaky band and their second album, Dream Dump, seizes the opportunity to dial up the strange in their own vibrant way.
To be far ahead of your time sometimes means that you have to wait a while for the right moment to be understood. The visionary approach of multi-instrumentalist Johnny Lamas led him to experiment with a world of hybrid jazz-funk, ambient and electronic sounds while keeping the rhythms of Venezuelan traditional music alive. From 1993 to today, small recognition has grown into true admiration for this so specific sound and his "Danza Cósmica" masterpiece.
TrueClass Records are pleased to present as their second release a complete restoration of this gem, beautifully remastered and redesigned, making it available now for the first time in fine audio quality on vinyl and digital formats.
Mathis Ruffing & Tamila bring serious heat to International Chrome's second 12" of 2023. Three original tracks of breakbeat & electro featuring the bi-lingual vocal stylings of Miss Tamila on one side, and two fire remixes by Sinistarr, and DJ Fucks Himself taking things up and up on the flip.
As you'd expect from a label run by Jensen Interceptor and Assembler Code, this is 100% dancefloor stuff with serious sonic heft.
- 1: Tnt
- 1: 2Swung From The Gutters
- 1: 3Ten-Day Interval
- 1: 4I Set My Fave To The Hillside
- 1: 5The Equator
- 1: 6A Simple Way To Go Faster Than Light That Does Now Work
- 1: 7The Suspension Bridge At Igazu Falls
- 1: 8Four-Day Interval
- 1: 9In Sarah, Mencken, Christ And Beethoven There Were Wome
- 1: 0Almost Always Is Nearly Enough
- 1: Jetty
- 1: 2Everglade
1998: Tortoise"s third studio album TNT is released. In and out of print over the past decade we are happy to finally give everyone what they have been asking for - TNT on vinyl again! Pressed on high quality virgin vinyl, the two LPs are packaged in a deluxe old-style tip-on gatefold jacket fully replicating the original artwork and includes a download coupon for the first time! Tortoise"s third full-length release, TNT, was written and recorded during a 10-month interval in 1997. This longer-than-usual writing/production schedule was purposefully undertaken by the group in the hopes of crafting an expansive, diverse, yet thematically coherent offering. TNT builds upon the spare, instrumental framework of the group"s first, self-titled album, and the extended edits, melodic adventures, and klangfarben of the subsequent full-length release, Millions Now Living Will Never Die. Further to this, Tortoise"s interest in the possibilities offered by the remixing of tracks was realized within the actual production of TNT; individual elements, sections, or sometimes whole compositions mutate within the album"s shifting framework. These techniques were suitably realized thanks in part to the use of non-linear digital recording and editing methods, the first example of such work for the group.




















