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First Word Records is extremely proud to welcome aboard Takuya Kuroda.

A highly-respected trumpeter born in Kobe, Japan, Takuya is a forward-thinking musician that has developed a unique hybrid sound, blending soulful jazz, funk, post-bop, fusion and hip hop music.

After following the footsteps of his trombonist brother playing in big bands, he relocated to New York to study jazz & contemporary music at The New School in Union Square; a course he graduated from in the mid-noughties. It was here that Takuya met vocalist José James, with whom he worked on the 'Blackmagic' and 'No Beginning No End' projects.

Following graduation, Takuya established himself further in the NYC jazz scene, performing with the likes of Akoya Afrobeat and in recent years with DJ Premier's BADDER band (also including acclaimed bass player, Brady Watt). Premier said "The BADDER Band project was put together by my manager, and an agent I've known since the beginning of my Gang Starr career. He said, 'What if you put a band together that revolved around a trumpet player from Japan named Takuya Kuroda? He's got a hip-hop perspective and respect in the jazz field…"

Takuya Kuroda is already incredibly prolific, releasing five albums in the past decade and fortifying a solid reputation in the global jazz scene. 2011 saw the release of Takuya's independently-produced debut album, 'Edge', followed by 'Bitter and High' the following year and 'Six Aces' on P-Vine in 2013. Takuya was signed to the legendary Blue Note Records in 2014 for his album 'Rising Son', as well as appearing on their 2019 cover versions project, 'Blue Note Voyage'. He released his 5th album 'Zigzagger' on Concord in 2016, which also featured Antibalas on a reimagining of the Donald Byrd classic 'Think Twice'.

Late Summer 2020, Takuya Kuroda returns with his sixth album 'Fly Moon Die Soon'.

In his words, "this album is about the irony between the greatness of nature and the beautiful obsceneness of humanity. Melodies and grooves fly back and forth from being spiritual to being vulgar."

It took two years to make this album. In 2018, I decided I just couldn't make albums the same way I had been in the past anymore. As a birthday treat to myself, I booked a studio in Brooklyn for two days, with only myself and an engineer, Todd Carder. I brought along some tracks I'd been building at home to see if we could complete them within that time. We began replacing sounds and adding texture, sampling noises from all over the studio; me sipping coffee, hitting a 26" kick drum, speeding up snares. At the end of the two days we were like "wow, I didn't know we could make tracks this good in this way". This is how the process of the full album started. Everything was based on my beats I made at home, inviting musicians in one by one, adding or replacing parts. I was very careful when developing these tracks; just note by note, part by part. I wanted to make the music effectively from a blend of two different recording methods; one very slickly produced part and one very organic part played by live musicians. I remember mixtapes from when I was kid, and wanted to make an album that wasn't just a bunch of flashy singles, trying to catch people's attention in the first 30 seconds, or full of guest features. Instead, I'm essentially just trying to let the grooves breath."

The album consists of nine tracks of excellence. The uptempo jazz-funk of 'ABC' and 'Moody' sit alongside soulful jazz cuts like 'Fade' and 'CHANGE', also featuring Corey King on vocals. The title track is a downtempo groove lead by a heavy Moog bassline, whilst 'Do No Why' contains an infectious piano riff throughout. Aside from Takuya's original compositions, he revisits two classics from Ohio Players ('Sweet Sticky Thing' featuring Alina Engibaryan on vocals) and Herbie Hancock ('Tell Me A Bedtime Story') whilst the album closes with the epic 'TKBK'.

Takuya adds "this special cover was inspired by the Golden Moon I saw during a photoshoot in Death Valley with my homie Hiroyuki Seo".

Takuya Kuroda is a truly unique talent, and this album is a realisation of the evolution of his sound.

'Fly Moon Die Soon' is released on Worldwide Award-winning UK label First Word Records on vinyl & digital in September 2020.

1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A Analogue Copy to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe

Carlos Santana and Company Return to a Dynamic Blend of R&B, Latin, Funk, and Rock: Amigos Aims for the Hips, Spreads Joy, and Includes “Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile)” Amigos has been beloved for decades by both long-time and recent Santana admirers, with multiple generations of fans drawn in by the record’s contagious blend of R&B, Latin, rock, and funk elements. As well as its immense accessibility. Coming off a series of albums that heavily leaned into jazz fusion, the band returns to the more dynamic and concise approaches of its earlier works without losing the sense of adventurousness, craftsmanship, and virtuosity that turned it into a juggernaut embraced by both the mainstream and experimentally minded communities.

Mastered at Mobile Fidelity’s in-house studio in California, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 33RPM LP of Amigos presents the 1976 album in audiophile sound for the first time on a domestic release. Part of the reissue label’s Santana series, this collectible version features quiet surfaces and black backgrounds that help reveal the intricate details, distinguished tones, and cohesive interplay that cause Santana’s music to take flight.

The enhanced aural perspectives extend not only to Carlos Santana’s intoxicating fills and solos, but to the rich tapestry of the rhythmic, melodic, and vocal elements that help Amigos feel as fresh today as it did several decades ago. This LP shines a beaming light on the surrounding musicians that simultaneously feed off and inspire their bandleader. The solidity and depth of the bass lines; the wash of the organ; the scope and carry of the vocals; the grip and weight of the low-end frequencies; and, possibly the most enticing traits, the textures of the acoustic guitars, numerous percussive devices, and then-modern synthesizers: all come across with tremendous presence and energy.

Entirely appropriate for a set that kicks from the start, with the opening “Dance Sister Dance (Baila Mi Hermana)” true to the song title’s combination directive-invitation meaning. Tropical, soulful, upbeat, and liberating, it beckons hips to shake and delicious libations to pour. Clinking cowbells, spirited background vocals, hand-tapped congas, and Carlos Santana’s six-string magma pour forth with abundance. The song sets the mood and expectations for a record that contains not an ounce of filler, and which inspires and spreads joy at practically every turn.

On the gold-certified Amigos, the ensemble never seems to run short of zest or happiness. Key in on the Latin bite and searing guitar architecture of “Take Me With You,” an instrumental that shifts tempo at its midpoint and sparkles with a samba-like outro that aims to put everyone in earshot on the dance floor. Surrender to the slow-burn of “Tell Me You Are Tired,” sent up with Greg Walker’s sympathetic vocals and spun around with whirling funk accents. Marvel at the Spanish guitar introduction, Mexican folk foundation, group vocals, and extroverted grooves of the forward-propulsive “Gitano,” with lead singing by conga/bongo expert Armando Peraza.

Having reached the Top 10 in the United States and spawned the hit “Let It Shine,” Amigos marked the final stint for bassist David Brown, the last of the group’s famed Woodstock lineup to depart. His contributions feel especially spirited throughout the album, compass readings that the group uses to chart their course. Just listen to how his passages pop on “Let Me” and frame the can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head “what you need is what you want” refrain. And while Carlos Santana remains the centerpiece of the brilliant and meditative “Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile),” Brown serves as a trustworthy anchor and friendly advocate.

When a Freckle pops up, that’s when you know that the sun has gotten through. Don’t let ‘em tell you it’s skin damage – more like the sign of time well spent, as always, in the light. Freckle the band’s like that. Freckle is, then, a Californian, the hive mind of Corey Madden and Ty Segall. This LP reminds all of us that when the clouds are out you can still get sunburned.

Eagles Their Greatest Hits Volumes 1 and 2 is brand new bundle of two of the best-selling albums of all times. The collection combines the Eagles Their Greatest Hits (1971 -1975) and Eagles Greatest Hits Volume 2. They are packaged in a slip case, showing the covers on the outside, with a sticker on the front explaining the contents and a backer card with the track listings. Greatest hits Volume 1 is one of the biggest selling records of all time with over 40million sales.

Six songs that are worth it. Manic electropunk that somehow - consciously or as collateral damage - manages to pack that seventies goblin horror movie vibe (on one track it's also a video game soundtrack) into catchy and contemporary songs that just move forward. Big guitars, big synthesizer, big drum beats and those nasty melodies that can still accelerate demons in 2023. A bit of VOLT could be mentioned as a reference, but the band from mighty, mighty Offenbach (for a world career I would suggest Frankfurt) clearly has its own flair and, despite the home recording, seems so powerful that it hurts. Compared to the Bandcamp stream on vinyl and a decent system, “Havana Syndrome” sounds much more powerful. The almost cheap beatbox is the real icing on the cake, because the guitar, the bass and, above all, that divinely played synthesizer are so amazing that I'm inclined to want a child from a band for the first time. I'll tell you straight away, it won't be pretty, but at least it'll be talented. Exquisite 12”, which especially calls for a second helping! Shortly before the ten points, but there is still something going on.

Slam poetry, rap battles, singing, song writing and drumming. The hit album “Say Yes” by Iyeoka is now being released as a high quality vinyl version (180 g) in gatefold. The YouTube hit “Simply Falling” received over 216 Million clicks.

Iyeoka (read: ee-yo-kah) is well versed in many expressive arts, but in essence she is a storyteller and poet. "My goal is very simple", says the US Nigerian American, "I want to move the world, one poem at a time". She does this enchantingly well with her album "Say Yes (R)evolved". In poems set to music Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo (her full name) reveals herself to be a strong, self-confident woman of the modern world. She tells tales of love and relationships in the 21st century and philosophizes about the daily struggle of life and being a woman in a post-feminist world digging deeply and personally into her African roots.

Musically Iyeoka handles expertly a wide variety of styles from electronic soul "Break Down Mode" to technofied R'n'B "Broken Hearts Anthem (Walk Away)", from energetic dance inducing grooves "The Yellow Brick Road Song", to a more jazzy "Happily Ever After", from melodic soft rock "Say Yes", to pop "Soundtrack to Life" and reggae "Testify". She certainly has presence and shines out with a silky smooth elegance reminiscent of Sade "This Time around", "Simply Falling". This woman has real all-round talent, and she knows how to use it!

Nesa Azadikhah returns on Kulture Galerie with a 4 track EP on Filippo MSM’s cassette tape sub-label Digital Artefacts.

With “My Life” Nesa tells a personal story of influences and inspirations split in 4 parts / tracks. Each of the tracks is in fact named after who matters the most to the artist: her 2 dogs, her life partner and herself. Sonically the EP is a unique blend of music that Nesa loves and its hard to not fall in love with. The A side is very UK tinged Techno whilst the B side includes a slow chuggy Dark Disco track and a super trippy dub cut. Fall in love with Nesa's life.

HARMONY018—is a VA compilation consisting of 4 tracks brimming with shapes, textures, and funky patterns.

Side A kicks off with Anatole Serre’s “Hyperdulia,” a high-tempo blend of drums, breakbeats, and subtle seduction. It’s followed by Xiaolin’s percussive “Breath of Water,” a heavenly yet pulsating journey.

The B-side is dedicated to a dream-like, colorful sensation. Feenicks’ “All Fairies Tell Tall Tales,” closing banger layers uplifting trance with a touch of new wave. Wrapping up the compilation, Alfred Czital’s “Sunday Morning Routine” is a fast, progressive, and supersonic contribution, showcasing his latest signature style.

Credits:

Artwork by: 100G STUDIO BERLIN
Mastered by: Analogcut
Distributed by: One Eye Witness

Chris Eckman is one of those songwriters with the alchemist"s touch. He"s proved it over the years as the songwriter of the Seattle rock folk band The Walkabouts, as well as across a lauded six album solo career. His songs have been recorded by Townes Van Zandt, Steve Wynn, Willard Grant Conspiracy (and others), and his last album, the spare, haunted Where the Spirit Rests, won the prestigious German Record Critics Award (Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik) in 2021. Three and a half years later he"s back with The Land We Knew the Best, and new stories to tell.

Asphodels, the seventh studio album from The Veils, was recorded live to tape over five days at Roundhead Studios in Aotearoa New Zealand, in the spring of 2023. The album takes its name from the Ancient Greek flower of the Underworld, and lyrically, Andrews draws more from the great poets than he does from the well of more traditional rock and roll songwriters. Asphodels will be released on 24-01-2025 by V2 (World) and Banished From The Universe (New Zealand)

Jam packed with west coast twang and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, the Doohickeys' debut album All Hat No Cattle tackles classic country topics like gettin' groped, tiny trucks, and LA traffic. Produced by two-time Grammy nominee, Eric Corne, the record will have you two-steppin' along and laughing out loud. The opening track, Rein It In Cowboy, includes rippin' licks from Dwight Yoakam's touring guitarist Eugene Edwards, as well as back-up vocals from Hayley Orrantia (The Golbergs, The Masked Singer). World-famous comedian Jim Jefferies makes an appearance at the end of Please Tell Me You're Sleepin' (he infamously suggested the song idea to the duo). "This Town Sucks" earned an award for Outstanding Songwriting in the 2023 Great American Song Contest and the music video for "Rein It In Cowboy" won The American Songwriter music video contest.

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Vol. 1 is a studio album by American singer and pianist Ray Charles. It was recorded in February 1962 at Capitol Studios in New York City. It featured country, folk, and Western music standards reworked by Charles in popular song forms of the time, including R&B, pop, and jazz. Charles produced the album with Sid Feller and performed alongside saxophonist Hank Crawford, a string section conducted by Marty Paich, and a big band arranged by Gil Fuller and Gerald Wilson. Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Vol. 2 features one side performed by the Ray Charles Big Band with the Raelettes, while the other side features a string section and the Jack Halloran Singers. Including "I Can't Stop Loving You", Bye Bye Love", "Half As Much", "You Win Again", "Careless Love", “You Are My Sunshine” and many more.

For this fifth album, the musical frequencies emitted by Vaudou Game have spread beyond the confines of the city and country, crossed the Atlantic, and reached Colombia. Drawn like magnets, tropical waves traveled along the equator from Latin America to Togo, arriving at the doors of the OTODI studio. They, too, wanted to join in and take advantage of its legendary analog equipment. Welcomed by Peter Solo, they weren’t the only contributors to the band’s renowned hypnotic groove.

The sedans parked outside tell their own story. From Lomé’s bustling market, the Nana Benz of Togo arrived to weave the delicacy of their beguiling vocal harmonies into call-and-response exchanges with Peter Solo. Meanwhile, Lomé Vio, a youth group whose instruments were provided by Peter during turbulent times, lent the strength of their trio of voice, guitar, and accordion.

Still operating under the supreme authority of funk guided by the esoteric and mystical essence of the Vaudou scale, Vaudou Game brings together the hands of highlife and cumbia in perfect unison. With guitars, percussion, horns, and future-vintage keyboards setting hips in motion or creating the most intriguing atmosphere, Peter delivers his messages hidden behind his iconic, inextricable mask. Whether political, human, or environmental, these messages are always wrapped in thick layers of sarcasm and humor, cleverly disguised to serve the exclusive purpose of joyful, dance-driven trance.

With the subliminal mantra to repay Africa—its people, its land—Vaudou Game calls out: FINTOU!

Lucero lead singer Ben Nichols and keyboardist Rick Steff spent a day at Grammy Award winning engineer Matt Ross-Spang's Southern Grooves Studio in Memphis, TN recording acoustic versions of Lucero songs. Spanning the band's career, the songs range from some of Lucero's most popular crowd favorites to more obscure rarities and were all recorded live in the studio featuring grand piano and acoustic guitar. The double album, Lucero Unplugged, presents 20 stripped down tracks that offer fresh takes on the band's exceptional catalogue.

Deep Waters is much more than just an album. It embodies a "here and now" where the raw intensity of the earth and the yearning for a new vibration intersect. Siân Pottok has found this unique balance in the Kamele Ngoni, a traditional West African harp the practice of which she has been perfecting for several years. Surrounded by layers of brass and electronic sounds, she invites us to dive into a universe where every note is a nugget of emotion, a vibrant echo of our times. With this record, Siân asserts herself with the strength and simplicity of a landmark debut album, in the tradition of visionary artists such as Björk and Joni Mitchell. With Valentin Couineau as producer and Cyril Atef (Matthieu Chedid, Brigitte Fontaine, Bumcello...) on drums and percussion, Siân surrounds herself with talented musicians who enrich her compositions with singular textures. Exceptional collaborations with NNEKA, Mamani Keïta and Abou Diarra also enhance this album. Deep Waters is a powerful and authentic work, a sonic voyage that promises to leave a lasting impression.

Die zweite LP des Duos aus Megan Louise und Johnny Jewel (Chromatics) wurde in LA und Palm Springs, Kalifornien, geschrieben und aufgenommen. Inspiriert von der ultralebendigen Welt der 1970er Giallo-Filme schrieben Desire den Soundtrack ihrer Träume mit ihren Lieblingsinstrumenten: Minikorg, Jupiter 8, 909, Mellotron, Simmons Rhythm Modules, String Machine, D-50, Fender Rhodes. Während House-Rhythmen die Grundlage ihrer Erzählungen bilden, ergänzen pulsierende Synthwave- und Daytime-Drama-Seifenopern die Farbpalette des Albums. Gesungen wird auf Englisch, Französisch und Koreanisch, was der Mischung noch mehr Dramatik verleiht. Durch all das hindurch gibt es den Optimismus des Kompasses der wahren Liebe, der uns durch all das Chaos navigiert, das das Leben zu bieten hat.

Sir James and King Johnny are the leading figures of the mysterious crew: L'ENTOURLOOP. These elders, fed on the sound of sound systems, vinyl culture and lulled by the epic dialogues of classic cinema, concoct a fine fusion of Reggae and Hip Hop. These beatmakers like to use scratches and samples, all blended with a vintage French touch that takes us from France to Kingston, London and New York! Originally released in 2019, "Golden Nuggets" is an EP in collaboration with the Jamaican Skarra Mucci aka the "Dancehall President". Here we find all the ingredients that make the magic of the sound of L’Entourloop and Skarra Mucci.

2025 Repress

Debut album of Bristol's own Tubby Isiah - a brand new project launched by Jevon Ives (De-Tu) & his dad Jason Ives. Out June the 19th on vinyl and digital.

Back in 1986, the Italo Disco community welcomed the first release by Virgin on Time Records, 'Tell Me Why', including the vocals of Italian songbird Tiziana Negrello. As time passed, the sound of Virgin evolved into Eurobeat with several different vocalists. Today, the team at Iventi d'Azzurro are delighted to team up with the original Virgin vocalist Tiziana and the talented Mirko Hirsch to deliver the latest Virgin hit 'Let's Dance', a must have in any Italo Disco collection.