Cerca:take three

Onwards and downwards - T.A.R's debut vinyl release takes Rarefied deeper into a world of distortion, compression and the macabre. Bon Ding Ding - time for round three!

For nearly a decade, Raíz and Subversive have distributed their vision of dance music on various labels including Historia y Violencia, Electric Deluxe, Construct Reform, Droid Recordings and their own imprint, VRV. Three years into the VRV project, the label heads have decided it is time to expand the roster and showcase artists on a similar plane, producers they know can speak to the sound. The chosen interpreters on this release include DJ Hyperactive, Santiago Salazar and Voiski.
Before Voiski's well-deserved attention from work on Dement3d, L.I.E.S., and Delsin, he and Subversive had a chance meeting in the bars of Paris in search of the same musical ideals. As they formed a lasting bond, it was a natural choice for Voiski to be tapped on the shoulder for remix duties on Subversive's 'Chainbreaker.' This epic take on the original showcases the similar musical visions that can be shared across oceans, where the music's place of origin is less important than the destination it delivers.Santiago Salazar brings his Latin/Midwest sound that's been found on labels such as UR, Rush Hour, H&V, and Ican. The Underground Resistance veteran invokes Detroit-inspired pads and dubby chords that speak techno's language of the future.DJ Hyperactive is a Chicago acid legend who found himself reinvigorated in the 2000s to take up the DJ/producer torch in conjunction with the Droid crew. His early support of the original 'Telomere' made him the perfect candidate for this remix, which tracks a straight forward, bass-grounded groove, met with the producer's own subtle swing sensibilities.

A FISTFUL OF WAX is an extension for some very special projects of our beloved deep house SKYLAX RECORDS' sub - label WAX CLASSIC. A Fistful of Wax is back with its fourth volume! This offshoot originally began as an avenue for showing off some of the overflowing great talent we have floating about the Wax Classic sub-label, but with the growing reception of our previous three releases, it has developed itself into its own uniquely successful imprint. In a time when a lot of the hot records of the moment are made by highly distinguished producers with years of success under their belts, it is easy to forget how much good house music can come out of the underground by relatively fresh names. With AFX4, we are only scratching the surface once again, yet we have 5 special tracks from a group of producers who, if not already, will stay on your radar for the foreseeable future.The A side features tracks from Erman & Abtomat (of Série Limitée Records fame) and Kid Mark (Head honcho of Killax Recordings). We start off deep with the aptly named 'How Deep Can You Go', easily the most soothing of the bunch. 'Fantasy '95' takes it up a notch for those who wish to, with classic 90s chords and accompanying bass and horns. Over on the flip side, we hear 'Won't Get To Heaven' by Californian newcomer, An Expresso. Being a self confessed New Jersey style house addict, this hits in all the right places for those familiar with the sounds of NJ legend George Lockett Jr, aka Jerzzey Boy. Shin continues things with 'Phara', a percussive stormer with one of the hardest hitting leads you will hear for a good while. This one is a sure fire hit! Last, but by no means least is Rosenhaft's 'Voyager'. Fans of early UK Garage, perk up your ears because this could have easily been a tune you would have heard on your favourite pirate radio station back in '97.If you are still on the fence about the record at this point, you are in the wrong place. This record has it all for lovers of the 90s house sound! Whether you are of the deeper persuasion or the more garagey persuasion, the US or the UK side of things, there is something here for almost everyone on A Fistful of Wax 4.

UK producer Allen Saei aka Aubrey is no stranger to Burek family, having already remixed Information Ghetto's "Inspiration" track for Burek in 2013 and DJ Stingray's "Communication System" track released on Barba in 2015. As is to be expected from a guy who's been spending time in the studio for better part of the last three decades, on 13th Barba release Aubrey delivers a mature and consistent space-themed club 12" titled "Space Funk". Although pretty self-referential as a whole, each track on the 12" offers a different take on the topic. "Clock Funk" and "Space Jazz" are quite direct and peak time, "Spaceship Blues" is a chunky funk workout and "Path To Nowhere" is somewhat deeper introspective piece. Common thread moving through all four cuts is an infectious groove intertwined with synth lines that would not be misplaced amongst the best examples of space-influenced techno music firmly grounded on the floor but with eyes on the future. All that, pressed onto a heavy duty 180 gram vinyl and beautifully packaged in an original artwork by local artist EmaEmaEma.

Running a record label offers adiversified and challenging field of activity. This is particularly true when speaking of tiny independent re-issue labels where one, two or three guys have to take care of everything. Tracking down musicians, collecting their stories, writing the liner notes, creating the cover artwork, mastering the songs, promoting the release, communicating with pressing plants and distributors, and so on. Most of the tasks mean fun with the exception of one thing which nobody here at Tramp is keen on doing: writing the sales notes.

Far be it from us to praise our release to the skies. Naturally, we are pretty much convinced of the sheer quality of each song, otherwise we would not have invested so much time and efforts into completing those compilation albums. One thing which surprises us is that despite thousands of Rare Groove compilations on the market neither of the songs to be found here has been compiled elsewhere yet. A fact that not only fills us with pride but also determines our claim for the future. As for now we have done our homework and it is time to let the music speak so that the Gunn High School Jazz Reunion, Keither Florence, Robert Cote, Plas Johnson, Charlie Chisholm Boss-tet, and all the others get the recognition they so richly deserve for their talent and work.

When Tramp opened its doors in the early 2000s it was just for the fun of it. A business plan did not exist and nobody involved with the label had studied anything music related. It was just a bunch of crazy record collectors and music lovers with a simple idea: to share their favourite music with the world. Nobody could have known that this would last for 15 years - and there is no end in sight.

Over the years, Phil Mison has become the go-to selector for those looking for Ibiza-themed compilations. None of his previous collections, though, have been quite as personal as Out Of The Blue, a compilation inspired by his first spell behind the decks at the Café Del Mar in 1993 - and the remarkable chain of events leading up to it.

Mison made his first trip to Ibiza in the summer of 1991 and quickly fell in love with the magical music being played by Café Del Mar resident DJ, Jose Padilla. On his return to the UK, Mison began to cultivate his own take on the laidback, open-minded style, recording mix-tapes of Ibiza style chill out' tunes to give to friends.

In November 1992, Mison was hanging out in Tag Records, Soho, when Padilla walked in. He plucked up the courage to speak to the Spaniard because earlier that summer Mison had given one of his friends some tapes to take out to Jose in Ibiza so he wanted to see if he had got them. During the conversation Mison invited him down to his next DJ set at Nicky Holloway's club, the Milk Bar and less than three months later, and clearly impressed by what he'd heard on the tapes, Padilla invited Mison to fill in for him at the Café Del Mar, beginning in April '93.

It's that first trip to DJ in Ibiza - a crazy six-weeks spent dividing his time between spinning records at Café Del Mar, hanging out in Jose Padilla's house in the hills, and meeting some particularly eccentric White Isle residents - that proved the inspiration for Out Of The Blue.

The compilation contains a mixture of records that Mison played in his earliest Ibiza sets, those that remind him of that period, and recent discoveries that boast a similarly warm, loved-up vibe. Mison is at pains to point out that it's not a track-for-track representation of his first sets, but rather a collection inspired by this most momentous of experiences.

As you'd expect from a selector of Phil Mison's standing, Out Of The Blue is an outstanding collection. Some will no doubt hear the influence of his mentor - the man he credits with effectively turning his DJing career around - in the undulating rhythms and new age melodies of Kamasutra's Sugar Step', the meandering synthesizer solos and Spanish language vocals of Congarilla's sublime Sacred Tree', and the lilting flamenco guitars of Gambarra', an unreleased mix from Mison's popular Cantoma project.

Elsewhere, listeners can marvel at the starry ambient bliss of Belgian legend Frank De Wulf's The End', recline to the saucer-eyed fusion jazz of the Christoph Spendel Group, shuffle along to tactile, hard-to-find period deep house from Language, Moodswings and Don Carlos, and marvel at The Cactus Rose Project's ridiculously rare Jelly', a sparkling, disco-era jazz-rock outing partly inspired by the Doobie Brothers' Long Train Running'.

Out Of The Blue may well be a very personal selection of tracks celebrating a moment in time, but it's happily one that we can all enjoy.

After recently inaugurating the label with Shedbug's well-received Afterglow EP, Flux Records are back with their second release. Following suit, FLUX002 includes three original tracks from burgeoning French talent Laroze, supplied with a sweet remix from Detroit's one and only Andres.With its fair share of dance floor heaters the Loin Des Yeux EP exudes an effortless 90s revival feel to it, drawing upon classic US house and acid as the basis for its form and style. Limited press on 180g, 12 vinyl (no digital), with artwork from Laura Zhang. France's dance scene is currently replete with a plethora of fresh and charismatic artists, labels, and promoters, and has all the signs of a movement that's really beginning to take off. Hailing from Bordeaux, Laroze's making his own mark not just as one of the figures behind the country's authority electronic music publication SeekSickSound, but also as a DJ and producer in his own right.

(180 gr) Talamanca System are the unlikely trio of Gerd Janson, Phillip Lauer of Tuff City Kids and Mark Barrott. Their sole release in late 2014 became one of the best selling on the International Feel imprint. My Past Is Your Future brings them back together for a trio of magical productions that cumulate the power of their production skills and winks at a forthcoming album coming on the imprint this summer.

Talamanca System are the unlikely trio of Gerd Janson, Phillip Lauer of Tuff City Kids and Mark Barrott. Their sole release in late 2014 became one of the best selling on the International Feel imprint. My Past Is Your Future brings them back together for a trio of magical productions that cumulate the power of their production skills and winks at a forthcoming album coming on the imprint this summer.

Talamanca System's debut set them alight across the dance music press and the follow up catapults their distinctive take on modern dance music back into the current consciousness. The EP delivers a nirvanic state, with My Past Is Your Future's use of delicate chords, cascading keys and effortless groove. This is a divine record, paired with a Beatless Stars Is Space mix that strips it back to its core and the Chukka Chukka Dance mix squares up to the dancefloor with an end of night classic.

Best known for his burgeoning Running Back imprint, Gerd Janson is a DJ's DJ, a connoisseur of dance music with an inimitable style that cross genres. His production partner Phillip Lauer forms part of Tuff City Kids and Black Spuma, who have also released on International Feel, with a style that fuses the rhythms of house music with bold melodies to form structured songs. The result is music that can sit comfortably in many worlds.

Mark Barrott started out in the mid 90's as Future Loop Foundation and since has composed music for numerous films & TV shows and founded one of the world's leading music consultancies. His highly-respected International Feel label has featured albums from the likes of DJ Harvey and Jose Padilla, with a huge portion of the releases dedicated to Barrott's own anonymous pseudonyms. Barrott's Sketches from an Island project has gained support from Pitchfork, the Fader, the Guardian and even the Financial Times for its bold and quirky take on Balearic music.

The three of them form an exhilarating partnership in Talamanca System and this EP gives a snapshot into their forthcoming album due to be released on International Feel in May 2017.

Skudge White returns with Finnish legend Mono Junk who delivers three tracks that together spans 23 years.

Onto 2017, Skudge White returns with Finnish legend Mono Junk, who has been around since the early 90's. Continuing in his own established tradition, he delivers three tracks that together spans 23 years.

First off on A1, a 14 minute journey takes us to the far depths of electronic music. Made in 2016, this beast of a track has all the true, vital ingredients of atmosphere: rolling and thundering beats and perfected synth work - one for the specialists!

Turning the 12" around, we find two pumpers from the archives. Dusted off in perfect harmony with the current musical state of affairs: Mono Junk, in collaboration with Pete Salone, showcases a true spirit and heartfelt blizzard of a tune, where 'Disillusions' resembles the forgotten experimental touches of Techno's early days.

'Melody Boy's Melody' goes into a sing-a-long (in the right way) appeal, with enchanting rhythms and a perfected melody, this is a heady piece with IDM resemblances

Superfreq kicks off the New Year with Stand Up, the first single of three from Mr.C's forthcoming album Incidents. How Mr.C has found time to present an acid masterclass while touring the world, throwing events & running a label is testament to his passion. Stand Up is a politically motivated rebellious song that takes issue with the way nightclubs the world over have been closed down due to the financial greed of property developers at the expense of our beloved dance music community. This track is a call for the dance music community to stand up & unite against the continued aggressive affront on electronic dance music culture.
From Mr.C's electro, ska & acid inspired radio mix, to his Club Dub, to Jay Haze's slow acid house, to Tripwire's modern take on acid, to Omid 16B's retro acid house, the single really does show why acid house is back with a vengeance with Superfreq leading the field.

'This is a journey into sound...,' These familiar words, accompanied by the rumble of a distant train, signal the opening of 'Let's Take A Trip', the sophomore album from Terrel Wallace aka Tall Black Guy. Since 2013's '8 Miles To Moenart' TBG has cemented his position as a standard bearer for the current hip-hop / beats scene. Born in Detroit and now residing in the UK, Wallace's signature style of incredibly clever sample flips and deft production chops has won fans across the globe including Gilles Peterson, Lefto, Jazzy Jeff and House Shoes.

Since his debut release in 2011 (a daring and addictive flip of Fela Kuti), TBG has become revered for his unique take on soulful hip-hop production. The swing of the drums, the textures of the instrumentation as well as a fearlessness in taking on the classics (his Soundcloud page includes flips and chops of tracks from James Brown, De La Soul and Michael Jackson) have marked him out from the crowd. One of the best-kept secrets in the scene, his singular talent is now beginning to get the recognition it deserves. In the last 12 months he has remixed Little Dragon and been invited to take part in Jazzy Jeff's Playlist Retreat alongside the likes of Eric Lau, James Poyser, Ali Shaheed Muhammed, Questlove and countless others.

For this album Wallace had a simple inspiration: 'This album is all about taking a journey. As simple as that. Be it physical, emotional or spiritual. It's asking and answering personal questions from myself within some of the tracks and also touching on social issues i.e. racism, inequality and privilege...that have been at the forefront of my mind over last three years.' Sonically there is also a shift: 'Jazz has definitely been more of an influence in this project, as I have been really inspired by so many up and coming musicians who I've been blessed to connect with'. Some of these musicians, including Kenny Keys, Miles Bonny, Diggs Duke and Dee Jackson feature on the project as well as regular collaborators Ozay Moore and Mario Sweet and fellow Playlist alumni Daniel Crawford and Masego. But this is one man's vision, and for Tall Black Guy this trip is just the beginning...,.

Under the moniker Shed, Pawlowitz published three highly ambitious albums in which he defined his work more and more as his own way of musical narration. 'The Final Experiment' is definitely the temporary highlight of this evolution. As musical work it does establish Shed conclusively as one of the most interesting and substantial electronic music artists of our time. It carries a vibe, that links Shed to other boundary breaking artists such as Ryuichi Nakamoto, Brian Eno and Carsten Nicolai. However, Shed found a way to develop a highly individual way of communicating electronic music, that is self-sufficient. 'The Last Experiment' is a mostly homogeneous piece of work, a meditation, where the stylistic confusion seems less important than then musical statement that it represents.

We continue THE ORB's SIN IN SPACE remix EP series with a third volume focussing on the duo's latest full-length, the highly acclaimed COW / CHILL OUT, WORLD! (KOMPAKT 354 CD 134). The spontaneous, organic vibe and sample artistry of the album is reflected in three distinct reworks from highly respected Kompakt mainstays THE FIELD, DAVE DK and JÖRG BURGER - all of them informed with surprising twists and displaying a clear lineage to the source material.
THE FIELD's remix of 9 ELMS OVER RIVER ENO takes the original's percussive part and unfolds it to a swirling, tropical epic that alludes as much to The Orb's multifaceted sound collages as it does to the hypnotic, looping flow of The Field's own output. Meanwhile, DAVE DK turns in a club-friendly revamp of 4AM EXHALE with the fittingly titled ACCELLERATOR MIX, indulging in exquisitely lyrical glitches and the magic of the straight bassdrum. JÖRG BURGER takes a shot at the beatless 5TH DIMENSIONS with the excellent DSCHUNGELOPER MIX - its loose pop jam feeling and flirty shuffle rhythm recall Burger's lush lounge core efforts under his Triola monicker.

It's a pleasure to introduce Tony Rainwater - undoubtedly the most productive and creative savage we've come across recently. See usually we don't do this, Lehult is a crew affair, but this guy left us no choice. Being a music enthusiast, DJ and dancer for a long time, Tony has only most recently picked up producing his own music, yet at a stunning rate: When we first asked him for a demo - three months after he started producing - he swiftly dropped us a set of twenty-five tracks, another set of fifty more soon followed. His productions are straight rough edged, no-prisoners-taken Jams, combining samples from the most far-flung corners of his eclectic music collection. His magical patchwork wild style is on full display on his debut "Rockberry Jam" EP for Lehult. The A-Side takes us through the lighter side of his repertoire with the title tracks slow building house groove, some dizzy medieval monk grooves on "To All The World" and seductive R&B on "Lay It On The Line". On the flip "Operalight" irresistible groove and "Black Dream Flowers" provide some darker moments, before "Alone" closes on a soft note. The Vinyl version includes an extra goodie after the runout's. Tony is now a fixed member of the crew already and we're proud to have him and his crazy energy on the team. This won't be the last you'll hear of him.

Jump in your spaceship and join us on our intergalactic exploration, as we are happy to announce that our next vinyl release is from Blossom Kollektiv's very own Leo Woelfel . Making his debut last year with a digital only release we are very excited to present his first vinyl release for the label titled Heuweid EP. The four track EP features three originals and a remix from Matthias Vogt that will take you on a deep exploration of space so buckle up and get ready to blast off.

We start our journey with the Frizzante mix of 'Heuweider Mineral' the track features a deep brooding bassline but with deep and dubby pads that takes us to a universe that plays with the darkness but keeps the light in plain sight. Backed with a solid kick and percussion to give the track a fully rounded feel this is one track that will put a big smile on any lover of the deeper side of house music.

Next up we get Matthias Vogt's interpretation of 'Heuweider Mineral.' Bringing a more broken beat reconstruction of the original, Matthias brings a raw flavor with a roaring bassline, moving snares and a redevelopment of the dubby pads that transforms the track and creates a feeling of weightlessness while floating through space.

On the flip side we are presented with a more classic deep house vibe with Leo's original 'Elke Ueber Der Bruecke ' this track is careful crafted with the dance floor in mind. A strong kick paired with tightly woven percussion and a classic deep house pad keeps everything moving in this distant but familiar world.

Our final stop on our planetary adventure is 'Stahlgruber Andacht' speaking to us in echoes the pads gently intertwine with a detailed drum patterns until the moving acid like bassline comes in to create a whole new dimension of sound. This concept is something that isn't all together new but done in a new and forward thinking way to finish off the full package of a finely tuned deep house record.

Infernal Sounds is discharging its fifth hefty, system-affine release, adding another highly regarded talent to their roster. Having featured revered producers like Von D, Sepia, Causa, Shu & Perverse, the label has clearly positioned itself in the front row seat of the modern dubstep movement. Representing a combination of upholding the values of system music with a 21st-century take on sound - the next release, catalogued as 'IFS005' is stylistically congruent and adds to the discography in total.

It is now time for highly talented Sub Basics (Tom Woods) to augment the imprint's discography with his ridiculously massive incarnation of bass music. His debut vinyl release on the Canadian imprint 'Visceral Vibrations' in 2015 has garnered ample amounts of positive reception by esteemed figures in the scene like Versa, Syte and J:Kenzo. After an equally praised 10' dubplate release ( Give Dem') in 2016, we now find ourselves in the silence before the thunderstorm, that is this very record. His upcoming release includes three tracks, two of which will feature on vinyl (A. Horus/ B. Cartel), while the third 'Northern Lights' will be a Bandcamp-exclusive.

Diving into the sound at hand, his arrangements are closely aligned and firmly true to the origins of Dubstep - conjugated with extreme clarity, as well as preposterous amounts of weight and gravitas. The impeccable execution of his minimalistic sound design will leave this release rumbling on soundsystems around the globe - and will most stay a fan's favourite draw from the record bag for a good while.


Perfectly displaying a refined sense of dynamics with 'Horus', Sub Basics effortlessly squeezes every available ounce of air out of the system, while preserving an immense sense of space. The highly infatuating groove of 'Cartel' is mingled with a sweltering foundation - tied together through his meticulous attention to detail. As etheral pads complement the gnarly drum reverberations and bird's cries recoil - the listener is left in a surreal world of the 'Northern Lights' - apprehended by the sonorous magnitude of the bassline. Completed by creamy atmospheres with tape-echo-esque characteristics, this whole release is sure to tick all your boxes from top to bottom - IFS005 has already received support from J:Kenzo & Foamplate among others, therefore the pre-order is strongly advised.

'Zibaldone I of CVX' is the first in a series of releases from Rupert Clervaux (Sian Alice Group, recent collaborations with Beatrice Dillon, Spring Heel Jack, Treader Records...) which take their name from the title of Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi's extensive notebooks. They are collections of sketches, vignettes and musical footnotes to Rupert's ongoing and varied endeavours as a musician, listener, reader and writer.

This first piece is in five sections (titles listed below), consisting of three thematic poetry recitals, read by Clervaux and others over sweltering ambient arrangements, along with two clattering percussive tracks created using a variety of sounds across the fidelity spectrum and finely sourced, layered samples. The result is a meandering and diverse musical journey which threads together succinct meditations on originality by Leopardi and Silvina Ocampo, and salutary warnings from Hölderlin and Derek Walcott!

'Zibaldone I' is presented as a 12' with a fold-out poster by Belgian artist Coline Cornélis.

There's a myth about music critics that says we are frustrated, wannabe performers. Evidence to the contrary: Vivien Goldman. Ever since she migrated from pitching editors on the little-known music of Robert Nesta Marley to becoming one of the foremost chroniclers of the perfect storm of reggae, punk, hiphop and Afro-Beat, the London-born, New York-based Goldman has made documenting music her primary life work. But between 1979-82, Goldman was also a working musician, creating songs that, years later, would be sampled by The Roots and Madlib. These rare girl grooves are now collected for the first time on Resolutionary, courtesy of Staubgold Records.

Resolutionary takes us through Vivien's first three musical formations: first as a member of experimental British New Wavers The Flying Lizards; next as a solo artist, with her single 'Launderette,' featuring postpunk luminaries; and then as half of the Parisian duo Chantage, with Afro-Parisian chanteuse Eve Blouin. Goldman's synthesis of post-colonial rhythms and experimental sounds are threaded together by her canary vocal tones and womanist themes. Her eclectic musical crew included PiL's John Lydon, Keith Levene and Bruce Smith; avant- gardists Steve Beresford and David Toop; The Raincoats' Vicky Aspinall; the mighty Robert Wyatt; Zaire's Jerry Malekani; Manu Dibango's guitarist; and Viv Albertine, then of her good friends, the Slits. The majority of the tracks were produced by dubmaster Adrian Sherwood, and Resolutionary channels the history of a time when the bon-vivant voice of music was in the air, and Vivien Goldman was its eyes, ears, and mouth.

Translated from Spanish as 'The Shade', Chip Wickham's debut album La Sombra drops after a 25-year career touring, recording and experimenting across three decades of jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, Latin and electronica. La Sombra is a monumental record for Chip as it symbolises the moment he stepped out into the light as a director of his creations with freedom to explore his roots, express and tell his version of jazz and pay testament to his heroes Roland Kirk, Yuseef Lateef & Harold McNair.

Now living in Dubai after an intense and productive six years in Madrid, it was Manchester where Chip studied in the late '80s and became enmeshed in the chaotic and thrilling music scenes emanating from one of the world's most culturally prominent cities of the time. Recording and generally 'keeping things real' with Manchester's hip-hop collective Grand Central Records, Rae & Christian, The Pharcyde, Fingathing, Nightmares on Wax, Graham Massey (808 State), Chip was in a city that was undergoing a music revolution with the Haçienda as its temple. Yet it was the headlights of the M62 motorway and not the strobe lights that were lighting Chip's path during his student years ('88-'92). The lure of the jazz and funk clubs of Leeds, where The New Mastersounds were breaking out and building the blocks that would lead them to UK funk royalty status, proved too strong.

In the 1990s Chip continued to refine his craft in the rainy city and the gigs booked were growing in stature. It wasn't long before he was on the road with Roy Ayers and Badly Drawn Boy. Around that time Chip met up with trumpeter Matthew Halsall that was the beginning of a friendship that lasts to this day. Chip was a recording artist on Matthew Halsall's breakout album Sending My Love and continues to work with him, with live dates confirmed in spring 2017. This close connection with Halsall gave rise to other collaborations, such as with Nat Birchall and Go Go Penguin's Rob Turner.

Three decades after his late night excursions to Leeds, Chip found himself recording with Eddie Roberts from The New Mastersounds in Madrid, as part of their new band, The Fire Eaters, which he'd formed soon after he moved to sunny Spain in 2007 - the same year he released the Fried Samba album under his moniker Malena, his electronic Latin band that became a hit at the turn of the century for Freestyle Records. During his time in Spain he connected with the local scene and brought together many of his musicians colleagues from the UK to Spain and it was for a local and well established label, Lovemonk, that he released two 45s blending raw funk and Latin. These new roads and musical leanings led to an invitation to play for the prestigious Craig Charles Fantasy Funk Band. Based on a poll from Craig Charles' top rated BBC6 radio show, Chip was chosen to play alongside the cream of the UK funk & soul scene: James Taylor (JTQ), Snowboy, The Haggis Horns (Mark Ronson), John Turrell (Smooth & Turrell), and Mick Talbot (The Style Council).

La Sombra takes an altogether more rooted direction than Chip's recent collaborative work, with the jazz of the late '60s and early '70s a dominating influence to the recordings. Comprising of seven tracks recorded in Madrid with musicians assembled by Chip from Madrid's jazz scene, it combines contemplative explorations akin to Yusef Lateef's early work on tracks like 'La Sombra' and 'Pushed Too Far'. There's a fiery cover of Camarón de la Isla's classic 'La Leyenda Del Tiempo' and tracks like 'Sling Shot' and 'Red Planet' are locked in a groove harking back to Freddie Hubbard's Blue Note era and Luv N Haight's Nathan Davis.

Produced by Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, Jon-John Organized Noize, and Sean 'Puffy' Combs, CrazySexyCool (1994) is the second studio album by American girl group TLC. The album peaked at three on the Billboard 200 and spent over two years on the Billboard album charts, and spawned two Billboard Hot 100 number one singles, including the worldwide smash hit, 'Waterfalls', and earned them two Grammy Awards.CrazySexyCool has sold over 23 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by an American girl group, and the second best-selling album worldwide by a girl group behind Spice Girls' Spice. The album was certified Diamond, making TLC the first girl group in history to be awarded Diamond status.
All four singles from the album reached the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100, two of them ('Creep' & 'Waterfalls') reaching number one.