Search:tea

Color Vinyl Repress

The world moves faster than ever these days, and even in the digital age, things can always be counted on to go in cycles. Despite all of the advances in computer recording technology, home studios, and electronic instruments, there is a flourishing interest in analog recording techniques and in recreating the mood and sound of vintage soul records. With one foot in the past but their eyes firmly set on the future, El Michels Affair are among the leaders of a resurgent funk & soul movement from New York City that’s sweeping both the music community and the charts.

Led by saxophonist/organist Leon Michels and producer/engineer Jeff Silverman, El Michels Affair began as a loose collaboration of session musicians (including members of top-selling acts Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, the Budos Band, and Antibalas) that looked to blend some of the vibrant quality of soundtrack records with the recording aesthetic of early reggae, and the rawness of 60's rock--they called it 'Cinematic Soul.' This delicate balance was evident on their 2005 debut album Sounding Out the City, which earned critical acclaim and acted as the inaugural full-length release for Michels and Silverman’s burgeoning label Truth & Soul (also the moniker for the duo as a production team).

The buzz generated from the album and a series of moderately successful 7” vinyl singles from Truth & Soul led to an invitation by Toyota’s Scion division for El Michels Affair to accompany the rapper Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan for a promotional concert. As avid Wu-Tang fans, not only were the band leaders thrilled with the opportunity, but Michels found that the ‘Cinematic Soul’ sound was consistent with the moods of RZA’s gritty soundscapes on the classic Wu-Tang releases. The concert was such as success, El Michels Affair went oan to play several more concerts nationwide backing Raekwon and other members of the Clan, and the shows led to the recording of two smash 7” singles featuring instrumental reinterpretations of the Wu-Tang classiac songs “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Bring Da Ruckus.” The singles combined to sell an extraordinary amount of over 7,000 units worldwide, and their success led to a contract in 2007 with indie hip hop powerhouse Fat Beats Records to record an entire album of Wu-Tang Clan interpolations entitled Enter the 37th Chamber.

Since the contract was inked, a worldwide explosion of retro soul led by Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings has transformed the pop music landscape, and the Truth & Soul production duo have been in strong demand, recording with everyone from breakthrough Grammy-nominated artist Adele to punk rock innovator Iggy Pop. They’ve been commissioned for official remixes of Amy Winehouse and Dinah Washington (for the popular Verve Remixed series), and produced for Australian multi-platinum acts Jet and Gabriella Cilmi.

Despite the eclectic group of clients for the Truth & Soul production company, El Michels Affair continued to build an audience within the hip hop community. A track from Sounding out the City was sampled for Ghostface Killah’s 2007 track “Shakey Dog Lolita,” and a horn part written and performed by Michels (for Menahan Street Band) was famously lifted for Jay-Z’s smash single “Roc Boys.” Truth & Soul also worked in the studio on original productions with multi-platinum producer Just Blaze (T.I.’s “Live Your Life,” Jay-Z, Usher).

With their increasing presence behind the scenes in the industry, El Michels Affair looks to have their status as recording artists rise significantly in 2009. With the release of their finally-completed album Enter the 37th Chamber, they can finally step out of the shadows of the retro-soul trend and establish their status as one of the most exciting and versatile bands in modern recorded music.

Amsterdam-based flutist Han Litz returns with another genre-bending release where he teamed up with long-time collaborator Kid Sublime. Together they know how to add sincere soulfulness to the dance floor, ranging from house to broken beat-inspired rhythms with Han's captivating flute playing telling the stories. Including stellar remixes by original Bugz In The Attic broken beat icon Daz-I-Kue and rising Dutch talent, Kofi The Unknown.

The latest EP for Tee Mango’s SUPERUNKNOWN imprint shines a light on up and coming Mancunian DJ & producer Joey T.

With the SUPERUNKNOWN label continuing to shine a light on artists Tee has met via his ‘FINISH YOUR F***ING EP’ coaching and mentoring program.

This aptly titled STRONG TEAM EP combines original tracks from Permanent Vacation favourite Tee Mango & Joey T. It feels very much like a family affair, and comes fresh off the back of Joey’s sold out shows with Luke Una’s excellent E Soul Cultura.

The lead track is by Joey T titled "When You Are Not On My Mind" (WYNOMM) comes in original (Maurice Fulton inspired) loose house flavour, courtesy of Joey himself.

We are also treated to a Tee Mango remix, which channels Joe Claussell’s seminal Instant House via warehouse era Chicken Lips.

The remaining x2 Tee Mango's trax are a left leaning electronica made in his inimitable style. Plenty of feel and colouring outside of the lines.

This is house music for cultured dancefloors, sparse, minimally melodic and just the right amount of weird.

Support from: Mixmag, Tim Sweeney, Crazy P, PBR Streetgang, Hot Toddy, Bill Brewster, Will Saul & Mano Le Tough with others sure to follow.

NEW LABEL ALERT!!!

Tropical Pop arrive on the scene to serve peak-time refreshment to the stale dancefloors of the world.

Bursting with flavour, artificial sweeteners and a whole load of E numbers, these cuts deliver totally tropical disco pump and tangy technoid madness - teased, tweaked and transformed for maximum sugar rush.

LIMITED EDITION - ILLICIT INGREDIENTS

Feel the fizz, folks.

'Quintela', the debut album by Carme López, a performer, teacher and researcher of traditional oral music from Galicia, is a new experimental work for Galician bagpipe. Influenced by the approach of composers like Éliane Radigue or Pauline Oliveros, the Spanish composer creates slowly modulating sound environments, and stretches the sonic the possibilities of the bagpipe to its absolute limit. 'Quintela' is structured in four movements, plus a prologue and an epilogue, which serve as a link to the contemporary language of the instrument.

The bagpipe is strongly tied to traditional musics; its use in different genres and musical contexts is extremely limited and unimaginative. 'Quintela' brings it to a wholly unknown field, decontextualising the bagpipe in order to elevate a personal approach, and leaving behind its male-dominated past (in which it relates to ideas of prestige, dominance or carries even sexual connotations). López expertly demonstrates its grandeur and breadth; the music on 'Quintela' ranges from barely audible sounds of air passing through the hide bag through rhythmical use of its reeds to all-encompassing drones with complex harmonic structures and vibrant overtones.

The narrative arc focuses on the composer's past, its people and places, and could be conceived as a journey in and of itself. A homage to those in our memories, but also a step into the unknown, 'Quintela' is an ambitious, graceful and captivating debut.

Reality Hacked Part 1 sees the long-awaited vinyl release of the Matthew Dear, Perel and Jonny Rock remixes of Mirage. Taken from Lost Souls Of Saturn’s album ‘Reality’, released on their Holoverse Research Labs imprint, the original tracks saw Seth Troxler and Phil Moffa teaming with vocalist Adam Ohr (aka Addy Weitzman of Footprintz and The Beat Escape) for a cosmic synth-pop anthem.

The first 12” collects together the irresistible house remix from Perel (DFA / Kompakt), Jonny Rock’s chugging rework by Jonny Rock, and the gloriously twisted sprawling take from Matthew Dear.

Rockpile was a short-lived yet highly influential quartet, composed of Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Billy Bremner and Terry Williams. Though Rockpile played together throughout the 1970s, the original 1980 release of Seconds of Pleasure was the only time the band was able to capture their magic on tape. Meshing the sounds of pub rock, power pop and rockabilly all through a blossoming new wave lens, Rockpile were renowned for their blistering live performances, which were brought to national attention on tours supporting Blondie, Bad Company, Van Morrison and Elvis Costello. Seconds of Pleasure has stood the test of time and cemented Rockpile as a one-album-wonder, but what a wonder it is! Featuring classics like Lowe’s pop-perfect “When I Write the Book” and “Play That Fast Thing (One More Time)” and Rockpile’s sole Billboard hit “Teacher Teacher,” Seconds of Pleasure remains a classic that should be found on the turntable of every music collector. Yep Roc is proud to announce a long overdue vinyl reissue of Seconds of Pleasure, pressed on yellow color vinyl and limited to 1,000 copies worldwide. The reissue was pressed at the state-of-the-art facilities of Citizen Vinyl in Asheville, North Carolina and the lacquer was cut by renowned mastering engineer Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. Over four decades later, Seconds of Pleasure has brought years of enjoyment and now has never sounded better!

A1 - Blue Sky
Opening with a clean, DJ-friendly Hot Pants break, Blue Sky offers the listener a subtle, warming production with inquisitive synth work creeping around a fine selection of serene effects, panning excitedly across a pristine, polished field. Utilising light orchestral strings, a soft undertone bassline and wistful twilight sounds, Aural Imbalance blends danceable breakbeats with the soothing sounds of yesteryear as fluidly as ever.
A2 - Starburst
Starburst jumps straight into a tight, energetic beat pattern constructed with old school breaks and an off-key bassline, soon joined by eerie, spectral pads to gradually build an ethereal, other-worldly vibe. The composition is elevated by arising symphony of swirling blippy melodies, expressing a nervy and curious tone with detail and harmony before the beat recedes, allowing the melodies to shine alone in the dreamy outro.
AA1 - Frozen Tears
Aural Imbalance conjures a quietly grandiose track with Frozen Tears, driven by muffled keys and thick hi-hats in the intro before a luscious, meditative melody enters the mix. Intricate breakbeats with a suitably understated bassline accompany the fading and echoing synthetic strings, rich pads and subtle bells, producing a beautifully varied spectrum of sound, perfect for the Spatial record box.
AA2 - Moonlit Clouds
A distinctive, impeccably produced Helicopter break takes center stage with Moonlit Clouds, a deftly relaxing ambient aura floating overhead as synths and knowing melodies slowly weave their way into your psyche like shimmering fireflies seizing the moment in the dark. A low sub bassline permeates the depths to complete a collage of euphony to round off another special EP from Aural Imbalance.

Words by Chris Hayes Spatial/Red Mist

Known for her powerful vocals, dynamic stage presence, and diverse musical influences, LA-based soul and funk singer Nikka Costa returns from a musical career break with future-forward disco-inspired sounds on ‘Dirty Disco’.

The lyric “Everyone is welcome, everyone’s an Avatar” denotes a place where anyone can go to be themselves and let their freak flag fly! and sets the tone for her disco and soul fused, progressive album, which is recorded with and produced by Justin Stanley (Prince, Jamie Lidell, Beck etc). Along with the talents of versatile musicians such as Brandon Coleman (Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Donald Glover, Flying Lotus), Greg Phillinganes (Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder) and Kaveh Rastegar (John Legend, Beck), Nikka Costa invites you to immerse yourself in her “Dirty Disco” world.

“Dirty Disco is about a place anyone can go to be themselves and let their freak flag fly! It’s about a place where no one is looking, no one cares what you're doing or what you're into. It could be a disco, but it could also be another planet or headspace or vibe. It's dark and sparkly, blue and purple. Gritty, raw and sexy. Whatever you want it to be.” - Nikka Costa

"Ghosts" ist eine Schatztruhe voller fesselnder Melodien. Diese sind so eingängig, dass man sich nach mehrmaligem Hören vielleicht in einen Piraten verwandelt. Die Songs sind mit der meisterhaften Mischung von Edel-Power-Metal mit Piraten-, Fantasy-, Symphonie- und Fantasy-Elementen entstanden. Die wunderschönen Gitarrenmelodien und der bezaubernde Gesang Ihrer Majestät Maria Aurea bieten Explosionen von Noten und Harmonien mit einer gewaltigen Produktion, die dieses Album zu einem Piraten-Metal-Meisterwerk machen. Von eiskalten arktischen Gitarrenparts über geheimnisvolle Gesangsharmonien und eine gespenstische Meeresatmosphäre bis hin zu warmer Tropical-Adventure-Metal-Orchestrierung schweben Sie in einer wunderschönen, magischen Welt. Pirate Queen ist mehr als eine gewöhnliche Heavy-Metal-Band. Es sind fünf neue talentierte Musikerinnen, deren wahre Identität ein Rätsel zu sein scheint.

"Known for her powerful vocals, dynamic stage presence, and diverse musical influences, LA-based soul and funk singer Nikka Costa returns from a musical career break with future-forward disco-inspired sounds on ‘Dirty Disco’.

The lyric “Everyone is welcome, everyone’s an Avatar” denotes a place where anyone can go to be themselves and let their freak flag fly! and sets the tone for her disco and soul fused, progressive album, which is recorded with and produced by Justin Stanley (Prince, Jamie Lidell, Beck etc). Along with the talents of versatile musicians such as Brandon Coleman (Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Donald Glover, Flying Lotus), Greg Phillinganes (Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder) and Kaveh Rastegar (John Legend, Beck), Nikka Costa invites you to immerse yourself in her “Dirty Disco” world.

“Dirty Disco is about a place anyone can go to be themselves and let their freak flag fly! It’s about a place where no one is looking, no one cares what you're doing or what you're into. It could be a disco, but it could also be another planet or headspace or vibe. It's dark and sparkly, blue and purple. Gritty, raw and sexy. Whatever you want it to be.” - Nikka Costa"

Roy Orbison was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's music is mostly in the rock genre and his most successful periods were in the early 1960s and the late 1980s. He performed with minimal motion and in black clothes, matching his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses. His nicknames were "The Caruso of Rock" and "The Big O". On this LP a selection of his 60’s hit singles including "Only the Lonely", "Running Scared", the ballad "Crying", the swinging rockabilly "Ooby Dooby", and "The Great Pretender”.

The Kaiju Project is a Japanese inspired jazz group formed by the half Japanese-Austrian pianist Aseo Friesacher. Their initial idea was to bring old folk songs into a new modern context, but in addition to their compositions, this group has found their very own musical direction: a perfect blend of traditional Japanese music and meditative-creative jazz.

Aseo’s composition style is clearly rooted in Jazz, but with the use of traditional Japanese melodic elements and sounds, the music becomes very storytelling and gets a beautiful and mystic character. Also some famous soundtracks from the Ghibli movies and songs by the Japanese singer Hibari Misora, that Aseo has arranged for the band, are included in their repertoire.

The bandleader has had the vision for a long time to create this unique fusion of traditional Japanese music and Jazz in order to bring together the eastern and the western world. In fact, the meaning lies his name A-se-o, “亜為欧“: living for Asia and Europe.

The band went through a couple of changes in their formation but finally resulted in a dream team, featuring two Japanese musicians who bring the authentic sound to the band: Waka Otsu as the vocalist and Fuefuki Kana on Japanese flutes and silver flute. Furthermore there is the highly accomplished and respected ECM artist, drummer and percussionist Joost Lijbaart and the virtuosic and talented bassist Johannes Fend, who make the group complete. So far the Kaiju Project has toured in the Netherlands where most of the band members are based, they have performed in Germany and recorded their first album.

You remember this 1994 album... it’s the one with the hit song “Need You Around,” which was “around” pretty much everywhere back then, including in the movie Clueless (for that matter, “Lucky Day” from this album was in Tommy Boy, “Mrs. You & Me” was in Angus, and “Gotta Know Right Now” in Boys). That led to the Popes opening for acts like Morrissey, whose voice lead singer and songwriter Josh Caterer— one of three Caterer brothers in the band—rather echoes (Moz himself proclaimed this album “extraordinary, the most lovable thing I’d heard in years”). If you like power pop hooks with heart, look no further...our release comes in pink & white “sunburn” vinyl to honor the front cover photo (put a shirt on, man!) inside a gatefold jacket.

On Pedro The Lion’s new album Santa Cruz, critically acclaimed musician David Bazan returns with a new chapter in his ambitious and ongoing recording project - 5 albums devoted to places he lived in throughout his life. Santa Cruz is Bazan’s third album in the series and follows up where 2022’s Havasu and 2019’s Phoenix left off. Tracks like "Modesto" and "Little Help" foreshadow Bazan's exposure and ultimate love of classic rock n' roll records, while songs like "It'll All Work Out" showcase his unique approach to synthesizers, something he introduced with the 2005 self-titled Headphones album. The stories on Santa Cruz highlight Bazan’s teenage years and solidifies what he sees as an exposition in a traditional three-act structure. After 25 years refining and building what he calls his “garden of songs,” David Bazan has sold hundreds of thousands of albums, performed in sold-out venues and living rooms around the globe, and played high-profile live sessions with the likes of NPR’s Tiny Desk, KEXP, WNYC’s Soundcheck, WXPN’s World Cafe and many others. His music has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, SPIN, Vox, Paste, Aquarium Drunkard and others.

Arizona newcomers GATECREEPER deliver 9 monstrous songs of low-end, old-school death metal on their savage debut album 'Sonoran Depravation'. Having devastated the underground since their formation less than three years ago, GATECREEPER now unleash their first full-length, produced by Ryan Bram at Homewrecker Studios and mixed by Kurt Ballou (Converge, Nails, Black Breath) at God City Studios. 'Sonoran Depravation' tears and chugs through 30+ minutes of crusty, doom-soaked death metal at its most infectious and uncompromising with a massive sound that calls to mind the classic Swedish buzz-saw attack of Dismember and Grave mixed with the impeccable groove of Obituary and Bolt Thrower. GATECREEPER are here to carry the death metal torch for a new generation and will shake your foundation to its core.

"Det Foranderlige Instrument" music for 24 Yamaha DX-7 synthesizers by Danish composer, musician and teacher Anders P Jensen. Departing from its iconic 80s pop sound, Anders P Jensen breathes new life into the DX-7, leveraging complex instrument preparations inspired by musical luminaries like Harry Partch and Björk, resulting in mesmerizing electronic symphony across 12 movements, where the instrument evolves autonomously, challenging conventional notions of composition. Besides Anders P Jensen on synthesizers, the album also features Zhang Yu on guzheng. "Study No. 11" is composed by Conlon Nancarrow, here arranged for the DX-7s. "Det Foranderlige Instrument" which translates as "The Ever Changing Instrument" is Anders P Jensen second release on Escho.

About 10 years ago I tried to contact Dutch artist and scientist Felix Hess, when he was still alive, but never got a reply. Years later, in 2022, I was talking to Frans de Waard, who told me he was administering the sound archive of the late Hess together with Mark Poysden. Together we started working on an album to celebrate his life and many accomplishments. It includes selections from all the highly collectible Frogs releases from the 80's and 90's, while the artwork is sourced from his Zenga collection, unifying his two greatest passions.

While in Australia conducting research for his PhD thesis on the aerodynamics and motion of returning boomerangs in 1975, Felix Hess heard frog choruses for the first time. The hills, close to Adelaide, generating amazing natural rhythms and waves of spatial sounds. He started traveling to the outback to record similar frog choruses, camping in quit places to enjoy these wonderful nightly concerts.

Mystified by how the waves and rhythms of frog choruses could emerge without a conductor or a score and by the physics of this method of communication, he started to research the phenomenon in 1982 by designing and building small electronic sound creatures that could respond to each other in a similar way. These creatures and his various other installations earned him international acclaim.

During the 1990s, Hess was invited to Japan many times to present his work and he became interested in Zen Buddhism. One summer evening in 2001 he visited a museum in Berlin and saw actual Zen art for the first time. Overwhelmed by the extraordinary power radiating from this and similar artworks he became addicted to Zenga and gradually built up one of the world's most representative collections of hanging Zen scrolls. A collection he named Kaeru-An (Frog Hut) to honor his original teachers, the frogs

Fifth solo album from saxophonist Julius Gabriel. Born out of new sounds and rhythms that the musician discovered during the pandemic, “Tales From The Subterranean” embodies a blend of primal energy and inventive exploration across twelve tracks. The opener “Time Riding” sets the mood, a tearing rhythm that sounds like a frenetic tap dance. It invites you to move and when you get to “Footworks” you are all set up, merging saxophone finger percussion with a continuous siren whisper emanating from the instrument, provoking euphoria, fear and satisfaction all at once. Moving on, you start to understand the sense of discovery behind the record and the needs Julius had, like to construct a saxophone with drone capabilities and closer to an idea of natural sound. “Hailing From The Mountains” has a meditative tone; “Westward At Sundown” feels like a ballad. Born from darkness yet radiating with newfound light, “Tales from the Subterranean“ stands as a testament to the resilience of artistic expression. It is primal music.

All music composed and performed by Julius Gabriel on electroacoustic tenor saxophone and twin soprano saxophone.

As we embark on this musical journey, we begin with a series of singles by female-led groups that celebrate ancestral traditions through a feminist lens.

Orito Cantora and Jenn del Tambó (Orijenn), an extraordinary musical duo with more than two decades of artistic experience, have left a deep mark on the Colombian music scene as well as in various international festivals.

Orito Cantora is a talented luthier, singer-songwriter, producer, composer and feminist from Barranquilla. Jenn del Tambó, born in Barrancabermeja, is a producer, feminist, and master percussionist specializing in the rhythms and drums of the Colombian Caribbean.
She is the founder, leader and teacher of the First Network of Drummers of Colombia and Switzerland. Their music not only makes people vibrate, but also makes them think and strengthens the cause of gender equality. Their passion for music is powerfully intertwined with their social commitment, creating energetic and passionate sonorities.

After reigniting Fruit Merchant and firing out a string of club-ready releases, Hidden Spheres is back again. This time teaming up with Private Joy for new floor-filler ‘Hold on Me’.

It's a track about being totally under someone's spell despite the relationship starting to turn and show its true colours.

Yearning reflections and hard realisations all served over two different mixes. One blending refined deep house rhythms and textures. The other is fierce, acid laced and driving, aimed at those peak moments in the club.

CULTED return in trademark force with five wild psych-bangers from luminaries Simple Symmetry, Thomass Jackson, Orchid, Ayala, and Multi Culti boss Thomas Von Party teamed up with Oltrefuturo. All killer, no filler.

Lindstrøm remixes Radio Slave ft Cagedbaby ‘Amnesia’ The first remix package from Radio Slave’s ‘Venti’ LP features a remix and instrumental from the Norwegian artist.

A key single in the run-up to Radio Slave’s ‘Venti’ LP, the distinctly Balearic ‘Amnesia’ cut, which was the sound of Pikes in 2023, is remixed by Norwegian nu-disco pioneer Lindstrøm following the LP’s release in May. The original saw Matt Edwards team up with long-time collaborator Cagedbaby, aka Tom Gandey, for a blissful sunset track that won support from the likes of David Holmes, Sean Johnston, Jennifer Cardini, Peter Kruder and Perel.

On the ‘Amnesia’ remix package, Lindstrøm turns the downtempo breakbeat in Radio Slave and Cagedbaby’s original into a more upbeat groove with hints of 80s and 90s Euro-Dance in its piano breakdown and squelched-up acid-drenched guitar bass. The Norwegian artist, known for his frequent collabs with Prins Thomas and all-around superb nu-disco works, maintains the original’s sultry vocal, neatly scrubbed off in the instrumental mix for those looking for a party-staring club tool in this evoking ode to Ibiza.

Happiness Therapy welcomes back Berlin's own Marc Brauner for his second EP on the label. A project that epitomizes summer, evoking dreams of holiday and romances that come with it. With the title track "Mon Numéro" leading the charge, the rising German producer teams up with French-German actress and vocalist Maéva and showcases once again his acclaimed signature sound: groovy, entertaining, and with a touch of charm.

The other tracks featured on the EP just keep adding beauty to the project, featuring remixes from Gavinco, HATT.D, and collabs with vocalist Tender Games and musician Steffen Heidemann!

French house music crew Kumquat is thrilled to team up with the unstoppable Atree for their first release. The EP kicks off with sun-soaked "Happy Bout That" hitting the perfect blend of vintage synths and flowing tension. Huerta is up next on remix duties, dubbing down the title track for maximum groove. On the flip "Handshake" is sure to elicit maximum stank face with its growling bassline and "Righteous Funk" hits that future-retro aesthetic in a way only Atree can pull off.

‘Diré’, Idrissa Soumaoro new album, comes as a surprise to Malian and international audiences. Composer, singer, guitarist and master of the kamalen n’goni Idrissa Soumaoro presents here a beautiful collection of songs on his third album, Diré, named in honor of the town where he met his wife and where his first daughter, who is no longer with us, was born.
In 1971, after his studies at the INA in Bamako, Idrissa was transferred to Diré to teach music at the lPEG (Pedagogical Institute of General Education). He was 22 years old when he arrived in Diré. Idrissa has always been nostalgic for this beautiful place in the 333 Saints of Timbuktu region. As Idrissa sings in ‘Diré taga’ (Going to Diré), the track that opens the album, the city evokes deep emotions for the artist, as if it were a long-lost friend or lover. Celebrating the memory of the city of Diré leads the artist to retrace stories and lived situations that marked and animated him in years gone by: ‘I really miss the people, the colleagues, the friends and that period. Despite the time that has flown by, I would ardently wish to see Diré again’. Today, at the difficult time Mali is experiencing, remembering the city of Diré in the 1970s also means for the artist not giving up hope for peace: ‘The memory of Diré, a beautiful town in northern Mali, strengthens my hope for peace, union and real independence for the happiness of my people’; as he sings in ‘Sababou’, ‘Without hope, there is no life. Together we will succeed’.
The ten highly original compositions of the album are strongly based upon traditional music of Mali, but Idrissa’s life experiences, travels, education, collaborations and personal musical career have led him to compose and perform music with other influences. As Idrissa quotes: ‘My inspiration generally comes from the donso n'goni, a Bambara instrument played by and for hunters throughout Mali. This is a pentatonic instrument, similar to the blues exported to the USA by black African slaves. I've also spent so much time playing a variety of music that my music also reflects rumba, salsa (as well as Bamanan blues and a few derivatives: jazz, country, soul, rhythm and blues) etc. I have looked for and hope to have found my own form of expression from these influences’.
Throughout the album, his strong, clear voice sings in French, Bambara and English. It rides seamlessly upon a complex rhythmic sea of distinctly West African stringed instrumentation and percussion with accents of flute and balafon. There are keyboards in a few songs, but these, happily, do not dominate the music as we hear so often in today’s music. This album presents the music of a mature artist who has ‘been there, done that’ and returned to celebrate his country, his roots and his dreams in a flawlessly produced collection of songs of love, reassurance, fatherly advice and hope.
The album already has a long history: it was initiated in 2012 by Marc-Antoine ‘Marko’ Moreau, former producer and manager of Amadou and Mariam. Moreau had plans to produce the album and invited Idrissa Soumaoro to start recording in Manjul's studio in Bamako. When Moreau suddenly passed away, work on the album was still missing. The pandemic still added time for the production to continue. With the help of Climax Orchestra, arrangements and orchestrations were finalized in France. At the artist's behest, 'Diré' will finally be presented to the public by Mieruba, the independent label based in Ségou, the home of the blues in Mali. 'Let's stand together so that Mali can flourish': from conception to production and distribution, this is the message that 'Diré' carries.

2024 Reissue

‘Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’ takes place toward the
end of the Ninth Century, a time when Norse tribes
were leaving their homes in Scandinavia and
sailing to the collection of fractured kingdoms
known as Anglo-Saxon England. It’s here, during
this age of transition, that you’ll take on the role of
Eivor and lead your people to a new land in the
search for a new home. As you embark on
Valhalla’s epic Viking journey you’ll lead deadly
raiding parties, fight in massive battles and build
up a prosperous settlement, all within the historical
backdrop of Ninth Century England.
‘Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’ went Gold weeks
before the launch.
Score by Danish composer Jesper Kid (‘Assassin’s
Creed 2’, ‘Borderlands 3’, ‘State of Decay 2’,
‘Warhammer: Vermintide 2’) and American
composer Sarah Schachner (‘Assassin’s Creed:
Origins’, ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’, ‘Anthem’).
“‘Valhalla’ marks the first time the two of them
Sarah & Jesper have worked together, and the
sheer size and scale of the Viking-themed
soundtrack is all the better for it.” - spin
Double LP with Red with Yellow Splatter (LP1) and
Teal with Black Smoke (LP2) coloured vinyl in a
gatefold sleeve with printed inners.

Turman first came onto the industrial scene in the late 70’s as the ominous ‘other half’ of legendary noise outfit NON. Shortly after recording the classic 1977 single Mode of Infection, Turman went on to pursue his own unique vision as a solo artist. Fusing every possible influence at his disposal while laying his ideas down on self-released cassettes like Flux (1981), Spirals of Everlasting Change (1987), Way Down (1987) and the massive Chapter Eleven cassette box set (1988). After a hiatus Turman resurfaced in 2005 to team up with seminal noise musician Aaron Dilloway. Since then, he has been gradually adding new titled to his already impressive discography.

For this archival release Turman selected 7 tracks that were recorded between 1980 and 1984. A welcome supplement to his library of avantgarde music that was released in the 80s. This album fits in nicely between the early industrial noise, the long-form minimalism of Flux and the rhythmic industrial of Way Down. Focusing on slowly shifting hypnotic loop-based layers of sound, it covers a specific side of Turman. It feels like there’s a direct link to his earliest works but it’s also a precursor to some pieces that were recorded much later. A missing link that finally gives us the opportunity of a complete overview of his early audio work.

All 7 tracks on this album have a connection to the written word in the form of a poem. Scans of the original typewriter poems are included together with collages and drawings from this specific time frame to create an essential and singular piece of art.

very dope.

With this EP an attempt is made at documenting the vibrant action happening during the late 1970s and early 1980s in the Pioneer Valley area of Western Massachusetts, US. The story is richer than the snapshot we present here, and a more detailed account is to be found in the accompanying book that can be purchased separately.

The Five Colleges in Hampshire County congregated a vast student population that inevitably interacted with the towns in the area. Bars, music and record stores, live music and a lot of experimentation and free thinking. Hampshire College, especially, promoted new approaches to teaching, subjects that might be considered radical by some even today, although a more favourable context would now surely exist for openly debating such topics as American Indians, Kayak Design, Black Oral Tradition, Food Management, etc. And the music? The immediate "punk effect" motivated the creation of numerous bands, many short lived, others evolving into New Wave / Power Pop territory, eventually crossing into Post-Punk experimentation. What is captured in "Noho EP" is a more electronic disposition, favoured by the existence of EMS gear and other equipment at Hampshire College and University of Massachusetts. We chose to focus on a group of musicians who, for a time, played together in different combinations under the loose umbrella of the Tekno Tunes label and the structure around it.

These musicians come from very different backgrounds and the nucleus portrayed here consisted of Christopher Vine, Elliott Sharp, James Whittemore and Nicholas Brown.

Of the several line-up changes The Scientific Americans went through, it was actually only the duo of Chris Vine and Jim Whittemore who recorded "Among Bodge Watt". Never before released, it is a companion piece to their track "El Salvador" available on the 1981 ROIR tape-album "Load & Go!". The Sci Ams were founders of the Tekno Tunes label and also created the Tekno Tours "concert promotion agency", under which name they exposed local audiences to bands such as The Stranglers, The Slits, Pylon, Pere Ubu, The Psychedelic Furs, The Bush Tetras, Steel Pulse, etc. Their own sound kept progressing but at its best there's a solid dub undercurrent, pretty obvious in "Among Bodge Watt".

Human Error was born out of a collective jam by Chris Vine, Elliott Sharp, Jim Whittemore and Nick Brown. Elliott Sharp had moved to Northampton in August of 1978 and naturally became involved in the local music scene, hooking up first with Whittemore at a hi-fi audio store where he worked at the time. Basement jams followed stimulating conversations, and other musicians joined the sessions. "Clandestinator" sounds gorgeously loose, an effortless groove coming from a quasi-dub set-up. Nothing here seems calculated, the music just flows, contagious and irregular as the handclaps in the mix.

The Higher Primates later evolved into a "proper" band but started as Nick Brown's solo project. The Primates only ever released a (now sought-after) 7" single in 1980 (on the Tekno Tunes label, precisely). Both tracks on "Noho EP" were recorded the following year and never released until now. "Auto Music in the Disco Dub Style" is self-explanatory, with a steady, mid-tempo TR808 beat running through, supporting synth squelches, echoes and reverbs, a fat bassline, dissonant melodic lines and odd vocal snippets. Kind of a DJ tool when the concept was barely in place. The more uptempo "Teresa Variations" adds a Fender Jazz bass and Selmer sax to the electronics. It actually sounds more "Disco", even with the robotic, unintelligible vocals. On top of this, the vibe is sealed by the overall Radiophonic Workshop analogue strangeness applied to a dance beat.

Karma and Kniteforce team up for an incredible EP, which not only brings out the best of artists such as Dj Ande, Dj Kos, Paul Bradley and Luna-C (as Industries Of The Blend) but also jumps into the epic Move-E series with its gorgeous cover...covering various styles within old skool and jungle, this EP has already proven very popular, and is expected to sell out fairly swiftly!

New music from Philadelphia’s recently rediscovered soul powerhouse Ron Aikens and his backing band the Hip Tones is a soon-to-be classic double sider. Following in the traditional “soul 45 rpm” single format, a ballad side with a funk side on the flip, here is the first physical release from the forthcoming LP “Ron And The Hip Tones”. The lowrider soul feel on “Tear On My Chin” comes from a brainstorming session with Ron, producer P. Maxwell Ochester, and the two main songwriters Dave Cope & Fred Berman.

It tackles heartache, pain, and loss coupled with the slow grinding groove only true heartache can produce. On the flip, you will find a nod to Ron’s former band, Power Of Attorney, and their breakout single “Changing Man” which inspired the uptempo groove and sweet flute part. Hinting at the classic Philly Soul style, there are lush strings and as a bonus, the impactful and powerful message delivered by Philadelphia poet Ursula Rucker.

Big Vern, also known as DJ Vern was a resident DJ on Weekend Rush, a pirate radio that broadcast out of the Nightingale Estate in Hackney. To be precise, it broadcast out of the Embley Point high rise, the same tower that Kool FM as also broadcasting out of at the same time. It was here that Vern met DJ Ash, a resident of Kool FM and the two of them joined forces for their release on Tearin Vinyl in 1994.

Around the same time as the two of them teamed up, Vern was also running his own label, World Bass Records. It was on this label that Vern formulated his own distinctive East London sound of Jungle. His debut release on the label in 1994 – The V Experience EP, was a 3 tracker that received a lot of rotation back in the day. This release was followed a 12” in 1995 which had one of Vern’s tracks on there – ‘Vision’.

Fast forward 27 years to 2022 and Vinyl Fanatiks have repressed all 4 of those tracks on one EP titled ‘Vision Of Experience’, an EP that showcases the raucous sound of Vern and his integrate and rambunctious skill and ability to manipulate a sampler to create some of the heaviest jungle of the era.

Both of the original releases are highly collectable and withstand the elements of time and capable of going toe to toe with any recent jungle output from the 21st century.

Support the architects…

Canadian Rapper/Singer/Producer, Saukrates is back with a new single on Love Touch Records. The Juno-nominated Canadian icon teamed up with producer Gil Masuda, who provided an 80s funk bomb for Sauks to showcase his singing chops (not oft-heard since his 2006 Big Black Lincoln project). Side B’s “W/Rap” version will no doubt satisfy Sauk’s hip-hop fans as well.
Toronto based, Love Touch Records is on a hot streak bringing some of Canada’s most cherished artists such as Ivana Santilli and Wādo Brown back into the studio.

Yes, *that* Al Hirt record. Featuring the godlike "Harlem Hendoo", looped unforgettably by De La Soul for the legendary Buhloone Mind State cut, "Ego Trippin' (Part Two)"!

Al Hirt's infamous Soul In The Horn is inextricably tangled up in crate-digger lore. Originally released in 1967, the album has been in heavy, heavy demand for over 30 years, entirely down to the majestic soul-jazz fire of "Harlem Hendoo". And it's a song so good, so vital, so timeless, that it will always tower above everything else in its proximity. This one track alone is worth the price of admission - even if the cost of entry were $100 or even $1000.

However, it would be an error to dismiss this record as merely a one tracker, loaded as it is with dope samples for adventurous beat makers. Certainly the funkiest Al Hirt record, it definitely lives up to the "soul" in the title. Thanks to composer Paul Griffin and arranger Teacho Wiltshire, Hirt got uncharacteristically free and groovy throughout. It comes on more like an obscure KPM library funk record than the easy listening Al was notorious for.

A Louisiana trumpeter and band leader who made Allen Toussaint’s “Java” famous, Al Hirt was also known for TV themes, Dixieland, Swing and being a minority owner of the New Orleans Saints. Unlike every other Al Hirt record - and despite most "diggers" claiming otherwise - this here gem is genuinely hard to come across "in the wild". Normally, you can't give Al Hirt records away, except this particular one, which raises pulses in the crate digging community to life-threatening levels. For every owner claiming to have found their copy for a dollar, there's scores more claiming to have *never* unearthed one in the field. So, paradoxically, you can consider this the most tricky-to-pull "thrift store record", ever. This is why we're finally making it available for everyone, not just those with endless hours to spend scouring the global goodwills!

Soul In The Horn represented an expressive detour into authentic soul-jazz for Al Hirt. Throughout, we're struck by a fierce, fiery energy that's otherwise absent from his typically easy listening work. Without question, the slinky, magical "Harlem Hendoo" is the standout, here. It's also the reason why the record is so scarce and commands awe among crate diggers, sounding like something from an obscure and deeply revered spiritual jazz record. As is often the case, the true genius of the song is tricky to do justice to; it's like a minor miracle of songwriting and performance that simply swooned down from the heavens on the back of horns, bells and harpsichord. It's one of the sweetest musical compositions ever recorded inside a studio - it's only failing is that it's just too short. Sampled brilliantly by De La Soul, it has also been used by The Roots for "Stay Cool" and Nightmares On Wax for "Damn".

The rest of the record makes for a mighty fine listen. From the opening cover of Booker T. & The MG's "Honey Pot", to the propulsive, ultra-funky "Mess Around", it's nothing but a good time. Given its title, the elegant stepper "Calypsoul" sounds exactly as you'd hope whilst the melancholic, wistful "Long Gone" hurts so good. Truly, this is just dying to be looped up, Al's muted playing capturing a soulful longing only horns can often achieve. The bluesy, slo-mo swing of "Sweetlips" oscillates between cool disaffection and swelling pride whilst the graceful, low-key funky "Girl" closes out the A-Side in the fine style. Ushering in the B-Side, the brief but brilliant strut of "Love Ya' Baby" shines brightly before the skipping funky-jazz of true highlight "Sunday-Goin' To Meetin' Time" demands both your attention and your dancing shoes. The mellifluous piano-funk of bass and horn-drenched "Snap Back" serves as the sumptuous prelude to "Harlem Hendoo"'s main character energy before the irrepressible, upbeat R&B of "Ludwig" closes out this quite remarkable album. An album deserving of a place in every serious record collection.

The audio for Soul In The Horn has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring it sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue. This is after-hours music. Let it speak for itself. Listen. Listen to the soul in Al Hirt's horn.

Following the release of Eric Chenaux's last album Say Laura (2022), The Guardian wrote "the Canadian songwriter has one of the all-time great singing voices in popular music, an intensely romantic Chet Baker-ish instrument that seems to float with piercing direction, like a paper aeroplane thrown hard through mist." With Uncut describing his songcraft "as delicate and lovely as a rare orchid" and Record Collector praising the album's "sublime alien balladry" such are the accolades that have accrued throughout Chenaux's unique and consummately uncompromising solo music for well over a decade now. Delights Of My Life opens a new chapter for the singer/guitarist and formally introduces the Eric Chenaux Trio, with Toronto-based musicians Ryan Driver on Wurlitzer organ and Phillipe Melanson on electronic percussion. Driver is a longtime collaborator, appearing on several of Chenaux's solo albums (even embedded into the very title of the 2010 masterpiece Warm Weather With Ryan Driver). Melanson has a long list of involvements that include Bernice, Joseph Shabason, and U.S Girls, and a recent release with his Impossible Burger project on Chenaux's own experimental label Rat-drifting, but this marks the first fulsome involvement between the two as players on a recording. In many ways Delights Of My Life also picks up right where Chenaux's previous album left off, in its subversions of a classic, timeless jazz-inflected balladry, while the interplay of the trio formation indeed unfurls many new delights. Recording together at Chenaux's spartan home studio in rural France, Driver's harmonically warped organ and Melanson's electroacoustic sampling and percussion hold time in newfound ways. Where previously Chenaux relied on a freeze/sustain pedal and minimalist rhythmic triggers to generate both pulse and chordal foundations, Melanson now paints timekeeping with expressive and intricate colourations, through live deployments of fluid sampled percussion (including orchestral timbres like timpani, kettle drums, and woodblock) that blur the boundaries between acoustic and electronic. Driver also ramps up his role in the song arrangements (prefigured in his support playing on Say Laura), teasing out chords and melodic filigree on Wurlitzer that percolate more prominently with Chenaux's signature fried guitar solos and succulent singing. Both trio members add dulcet backing vocals, most notably on the 10-minute tour-de-force of fuzzed and ring-modulated swing "This Ain't Life" that opens the record. All seven songs on the album groove and sway, simmer and sparkle, like nothing in the inestimable Chenaux discography to date. Chenaux's tunes have the uncanny ability to sound like jazz standards; songs you feel you've heard before, though certainly never quite like this. Yet these are of course all originals, compositionally and interpretively, bent through an inimitable avant/out-music lens. Delights Of My Life conveys warm familiarity, shot through with the exuberantly experimental subversion and playful, even mischievous, iconoclasm that continues to mark Chenaux as defiantly, virtuosically, and genially one-of-kind.

An outstanding Pablo pressing (A++ sound) featuring jazz piano legend Duke Ellington at the helm of a small group session with Joe Pass on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Louie Bellson on drums, recorded in January 1973 and released in 1974. Considered a timeless classic, Duke's Big 4 is described by AllMusic as "One of Duke Ellington's finest small group sessions from his final decade ... Ellington's percussive style always sounded modern and here he comes up with consistently strong solos. ... Highly recommended."

Duke Ellington teams up here with bassist Ray Brown in a set reminiscent of Duke's work with Jimmy Blanton three decades before. In addition to the four-part "Fragmented Suite for Piano and Bass," the duo plays five standards (including "Pitter Panther Patter" from the Blanton days and three other Ellington-associated tunes).

Unadorned with any post-production tricks or overdubs, Garcia/Grisman breathes with naturalism and presence. You will effortlessly detect the full body of the instruments, witness the woody grain textures, and get lost in the surprisingly velvety qualities of Garcia's lullaby-like singing. Our pressing also marks the first time this delightfully joyous affair has been issued in analogue form. You will never hear a better-sounding Americana-styled recording.

Pals since the mid-1960s, Garcia and Grisman bonded over their love for traditional folk and bluegrass. The two teamed up amidst what became a gold rush of top-notch productivity and creativity for Garcia. Partnering with bassist Jim Kerwin and percussionist/fiddler Joe Craven, the pair approaches every passage with innate ease, as if either musician could finish the others sentence. The affable chemistry and soothing interplay wash over a selection of songs as notable for their diversity as the way Garcia and "Dawg" turn them into the equivalent of old friends you haven't seen in years.

Exquisite melodies and jewel-shaped notes decorate the simple, convivial structures of tunes that hop, jump, skip, skitter, and bop. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the legendary gypsy-jazz exchanges between Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, and equally sharp. Swirling with Middle Eastern modality, the closing 16-minute-plus rendition of Grisman's rippling "Arabia" – complete with a section based on a Cuban fold theme - is alone enough worth the price of admission to this sensational session. But there's so much more.

The quartet delves into Celtic themes ("Two Soldiers"), jazz-grass ("Grateful Dawg"), old-world ballads ("Russian Lullaby"), and Appalachian flavours ("Walkin' Boss") with nonpareil skill and soulfulness. Garcia and Grisman's tandem picking throughout epitomize sublime. And for many listeners, the duo's revised version of the Grateful Dead staple "Friend of the Devil" ranks as the finest-ever recorded, the pace patient, the narrative vocals heartfelt, and the synchronous solos tailor-made for the enveloping progression. Better yet, it's all captured in astonishing fidelity.

Released only eight months after his exhilarating debut, Bruce Springsteen's The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle contains rousing dispatches from the boardwalk, the street, the beach, and the bedroom. It explodes with energy, dares to dream, teases with humour, crackles with tragedy, clings to hope, and overflows with discovery, youthfulness, and personality. It features an unforgettable cast of characters — corner boys, teenage hustlers, doomed lovers, jazz men, junk men, factory girls, fortune tellers, alley cats, pimps, escorts, and more — illuminated by vivid colour, breathtaking detail, and poetic action.

Musically, the heartfelt 1973 record is inhabited by sympathetic vignettes and cinematic arrangements steeped in rock 'n' roll, soul, jazz, and R&B. It finds the New Jersey native looking beyond the parameters of his preceding record and seeking to move on from environments he knows well (and chronicles here) by rushing headlong toward unknown territories, adventures, and people. Underpinned by the singer-guitarist's ambitious poetic enterprise and will to succeed, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle is the album on which Springsteen becomes the Boss.

Mastered on Mobile Fidelity's renowned mastering system, pressed at RTI on MoFi SuperVinyl, and strictly limited to 7,500 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33RPM LP set is the definitive-sounding version of Springsteen's sophomore record. Benefitting from SuperVinyl’s nearly non-existent noise floor, superb groove definition, and dead-quiet surfaces, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle plays with a clarity, energy, presence, and openness that complement the expressiveness, dynamics, and scope of the seven restless songs that comprise a work Rolling Stone ranked the 345th Greatest Album of All Time.

Beyond the audiophile sonics that practically place you behind the console at 914 Sound Studios — listen to the separation between the instruments, natural decay of the notes, interplay within the widescreen soundstaging, and nothing-to-lose youthfulness of Springsteen’s voice — this reissue takes seriously this record’s influential merit by presenting it in packaging that underlines its status. Tucked in a beautiful slipcase, the LP is housed in a special foil-stamped jacket with faithful-to-the-original graphics. This reissue is made for listeners who prize sound quality and who want to engage themselves in everything involved with the invigorating set that busted Springsteen loose from the club circuit and landed him on the radio

Determined to liberate anyone within earshot and unafraid to come on strong, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle serves as the debut of the E Street Band — not only heard but seen for the first time by most of the public courtesy of the back-cover photograph. This is where saxophonist Clarence Clemons, organist-accordionist Danny Federici, and pianist David Sancious step out of the shadows — and drummer Vini Lopez and bassist Garry Tallent again stoke a fiery rhythmic engine that helps drive the untamed, reimagined big-band swing of “Kitty’s Back,” breathless R&B thrust of “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” and carefree dance steps of the funky “The E Street Shuffle.”

Of course, the main attraction remains a then-24-year-old visionary on the precipice of becoming a sensation and turning a then-bloated rock scene on its head. Recorded over three months while Springsteen and company were busy touring his debut LP, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle reflects the high-octane approach the vocalist embraced onstage and drifts away from the label-dictated acoustic-based frameworks of his debut. The set also witnesses Springsteen deepening his observational skills, with narratives such as the romantically tinged “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” and redemptive epic “Incident on 57th Street” mirroring changes taking place in the singer’s own life, small towns, and America at large.

A thrilling collision of memories, reflections, and composites — Sandy, Rosalita, and the latter’s parents are all based on actual people Springsteen knew, as is the community depicted in the opening track — the aptly titled The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle resonates decades on due to its truths, authenticity, and spirit. Those characteristics — as well as the fact that many of its lengthy songs come on as the equivalent of sweaty, feverish soul revue that won’t stop until you’ve been exhausted — also explain how this now-iconic album triumphed over the reservations of industry “experts” that both demanded Springsteen re-record it and instructed deejays not to play it.



Yet there’d be no stopping a record that saw the past, present, and future, a band whose will would not be denied, and a phenomenon who was born to run. A never-ending invitation to act real cool and stay up all night, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle always feels alright.