Suche:the funk

We’ve worked with Ian Willson to reissue his insanely good, self-released West Coast classic “Straight From The Heart”. Privately pressed and originally released in 1985, this is the only album Ian ever put out. A magical blend of AOR/sophisticated funk/synth-boogie/spiritual jazz and modern soul, it’s a spellbinding record of many colours.

You might already know “Straight From The Heart” for the dubby-disco paranoid-balearic anthem “Four In The Morning”, and it’s easy to assume this is probably just another one of those one-track LPs. But trust us when we say it’s definitely not. This is an impressively slick record from start to finish, just ask those modern soul DJs and AOR collectors who’ve managed to find a rare copy in the last 35 years. It could’ve (should’ve?) been number 1 all over the world back in 1985.

Album opener “Think About It” is all sorts of right. It’s emotional. It’s tops-off. It’s funk in its purest form. And take the proto-modern-funk of the title track (half Dâm-Funk / half Dâd-Funk).

The shimmering, spiritual Bossa-Jazz of “If I Were You” serves as the album’s soaring centrepiece. A gorgeous suite of Cosmic vibes to get Gilles frothing, it sounds like nothing else on the record which makes sense given that it was recorded a couple of years earlier, and is the only track on the LP that wasn’t recorded in Ian’s own studio.

Side B opens with the propulsive ode to love that is “Two Is Better Than One”. Wonderfully sparse when it needs to be, it’s also richly percussive and that special kind of California-warm. Frenetic, speaker smashing synth and horn workout “Funk Invasion” dares you not to dance and “A Game Called Love” is heavily indebted to Prince with its lush, deep funk stylings. The sweeping sax-drenched instrumental “Song For Katelyn” is head-nod, beat-heavy AOR for that melancholic magic hour we spend our days longing for. It all adds up to the ultimate BBQ record.

Almost all of “Straight From The Heart” was recorded over a few months between 1983 and 1984 on Ian’s brand new Otari 8 track in the Oakland, California studio he built just the year before. Only “If I Were You” was recorded elsewhere, at Bay Sound in 1982.

A “full time poor musician” at the time (and he says he still is), Ian produced the album himself and played all of the instruments, except for guitar. That’s Peter Fujii you can hear, his good friend from growing up together.

Tower Of Power, Average White Band, Earth Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder was the list of influences Ian gave us when we asked. No wonder the record’s just so easy on the ears.

And why did he put the record out himself? Simple, he had no idea how to go about getting a record deal.

When we first got in touch with Ian he had no idea that “Straight From The Heart” had become something of a cult record, let alone that there were those of us out there that thought the album deserved to be pressed again. The original tapes have long since been lost so this re-issue was only made possible by remastering Ian’s one and only pristine copy of the finished LP.

The end results have been worth the work, including reproducing the original’s unmistakeable sleeve. Ian Willson’s “Straight From The Heart” is yet another Be With release that will find an easy home on the shelves of those of you who up to now have only dreamt of finding a copy and also those of you who who never knew it even existed.

Jon Tye and Pete Fowler have been making music as Seahawks for a decade now. Given the sounds they’ve been exploring over those ten years it was a cosmic inevitability that they would be asked to contribute to the catalogue of the legendary library label KPM.

They replied with Island Visions, an exploration of sound for vision where they construct “audio micro-worlds to explore and inhabit”. A way to transport the listener away from the everyday without the bother of getting on an aeroplane. Mind travel is space travel after all, and much better for the environment.

Mostly recorded at The Centre Of Sound in Cornwall, with additional recording at Studio 34 in London, Jon and Pete’s travelling companions on this particular trip were boogie wunderkind Sven Atterton on fretless bass and keys, Nick Mackrory on percussion and the Seahawks live team of Dan Hillman and Alik Peters-Deacon.

From the grooves of Brian Bennett to the moog vibrations of Mike Vickers, the lush textures of Les Baxter to the experimental sounds of Delia Deryshire and David Vorhaus, this new music channels sounds and moods from across the KPM universe.

The spacious “Hot Sand Shuffle” opens the record with some of Seahawks’ familiar “deck-shoegaze”. The slinky digi-dub of “Sky Blue Sky” follows, gently encouraging us to lay back and relax. “Mystic Beach” is a refreshing ocean spray of a synthetic groove that clears the head, priming a pathway to receive “Crystal Forest”, a new age house groove of birds and flutes.

Dense, deep and dreamlike, “Distant Shore” is ambient rainforest house with a 90s vibe, its dense foliage clearing to let us bask in the shimmer and shine of “River Run”. Hang drum, electric gamelan, flute and loon close side A.

Side B bounces into being with “Catch A Wave”, an upbeat beach groover of synthetic guitar, effervescent synth and snappy drums. Equatorial bubbler “Paradise Bird Bath” soon glides in with marimba, crisp beats and fat synth bass. Fender rhodes, space echo and fretless bass make “Smooth Runnings” a laid-back poolside groove.

“Spirits Have Flown” conjures a hazy vibe with marimba, sax, synth funk bass and chilled beats before “Rolling Deep” serves up a light cocktail of sultry rhythms, refreshing textures, cooling sax and fretless bass. Almost-title track “Island Blues” brings the horizontal poolside feels with melodic chimes, oboe and more fretless bass for maximum vibrations. The marina drone of modular electronics, celestial trumpet and jungle ambience pay the album’s final respects to the cosmos on “Sun Salute”.

Like many KPM suites, this is a record of two distinct sides. The sunrise of side A brings a deep meditation, a journey within to renew the jaded self. Side B refreshes with cocktails by the pool and a chance to groove away the evening at some sunset beach party before dancing under the stars in the house of dreams.

Pete’s front cover for the LP is part map, part postcard: “the record has five different sections and I wanted to reference those in the worlds they created, musically and physically. From beach campfire, to poolside hanging and nighttime dancing. A kind of portal to those places and the pictures they inspired in my mind. All places we’d like to be in this turbulent year”. The track descriptions on the back help guide the way.

2020 marks 10 years since Ocean Trippin’, the first Seahawks release, and Island Visions is the perfect distillation of the sounds, sights, textures and moods that Jon and Pete have been exploring over the last decade. Sunrise to sunset condensed to two sides of an LP. The normal rules of space and time don’t apply here.

This is the first time Be With has worked with Seahawks, but individually Jon and Pete have been members of the extended Be With family since forever (Pete did those posters for our Ned Doheny tour and we worked with Jon on the vinyl version of Hatchback’s Colors Of The Sun). Of course we were going to put this out on vinyl.

Mastered by balearic engineer of choice (and Be With’s regular audio co-pilot) Simon Francis, cut by the legendary Pete Norman and pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry, the sonic frequencies of these Island Visions have been precision tuned and encoded for optimum travelling conditions. Take the trip.

The Inhale/Exhale posse returns. For our 3 years anniversary and our 10th release we have prepared a super hot double 12 inch pack with shitloads of serious house cutz for your club, bar, living room and ears. With a bunch of love we like to present some common but also fresh faces to the Inhale/Exhale family and this compilation. Be prepared for endless nights full of dance pleasure. Including a wide range of House music from soulful to funky to bigroomesque.

Rhyze were a funk disco band who recorded their debut album in New York and released on Sam Records in 1980. This reissue features highlights such as the fantastic title track ‘Just How Sweet Is Your Love’ (which charted in both the US R&B and Dance chart) plus the single ‘Free’ and two B Sides ‘Singing and Dancing’ and ‘I Found Love
In You’ This classic is presented on 180g heavyweight black vinyl with original artwork and printed inner sleeve.

Throughout the ‘REFRACTIONS’ EP, Close Counters further signify their skills in blending house, soul, funk and broken beat and to create their own blend of insatiable and infectious grooves through a polished comb-i nation of electronic and organic instrumentation. The duo harness the spirit and energy of the Melbourne soul scene and raise it to new levels in the four polished, dance-floor-ready tunes in REFRACTIONS.

‘The songs were written over the last couple of years following our move from Hobart to Melbourne and was made possible with the help of a number of collaborators, including our live band members Elle Shimada, Lucky Pereira, Paul Bender (Hiatus Kaiyote) on bass, and featuring vocalists Laneous and Wallace.’ – Close Counters

Alien Recordings was born in the late 80's by Andy Panayi and
Alec Stone, out of a love of music and DJing. They also ran a
night around London called Alienation, playing a mix of house,
electro, breakbeat and techno. They're back as (An) Alien with
new material for your listening pleasure; alongside music by
legend Terry Francis as well as Panayi and Stone themselves
(A²), the likes of Stopouts (Rob Collman + Navigator) were
staples of the imprint and they front up for "Tales From The
Archives Part 2.2". There's the brooding Drexciyan electro funk
of "Kill All Humans" originally from 1998, a remastered version
of "Sandstorm" from their release on Robin Ball's
Groovepressure imprint in 1999 and on the B side is the
underwater cybernetic epic "Freaks" by A².

Wan Chai Records is a Hong-Kong based label, specialized in rare Asian records and quality reissues.

For their first release, they wanted to highlight a promotional record released at 500 copies only in Hong-Kong for a famous Soda brand.
It was offered with a pack of bottles in 1977 and never been
released.

Produced and arranged by Noel Quinlan, this Album is a mix of
Funk and Soul covers. The result is an awesome LP including
groovy covers, from the classic Lowdown' by Bob Scaggs, to a
Funky I Shot The Sheriff' by Bob Marley with a deep Fender
Rhodes, and 12 other outstanding tracks.

M Parent brings us a soundtrack of American dystopia, one that gives a pointed sonic voice to the bubbling frustrations and anxieties of our time. While American politics play out like a circus on the world stage, M Parent responds to the question of what it means to be American through dirty acid riffs
and eerie electro synth stabs. The album opens up with the title track where a deep voice bellows, “The American Dream was a lie,” setting the stage for what comes next. A warped sense of reality bubbles over in Lose Your Mind, as a wailing electric guitar plays a distorted rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. On the track They Gave You What, a glitched out 808 breakbeat unwinds as
psychedelic paranoia sets in over a stiff melodic hook.

But it’s not all doom and gloom, as it wouldn’t be a complete encapsulation of the American dream without a sense of hope. Balancing the LP out are playful tracks and aural details that keep the American tradition of funk alive. Fucked Acid offers a bright acid track with a funky falsetto synth line.
At the album’s cheeky climax, Electric Snake, a reptilian beast is lured out with 808 toms and beat back by unrelenting snare rolls. Maniacal laughter and an acidic bubbly lead race towards the album’s conclusion in the track Get In. The LP finishes with Groovy, an uplifting track that adds a fragile sense
of optimism.

Criminally unavailable, home-recorded fully digital soul JAM from 1990.

Ed and Joe Wartts, the rowdy younger brothers of acclaimed gospel singer, Andrew Wartts, go hard here with a conscious approach to love and politics; a passionate plea for a more compassionate world. Agitated bass tones cascade only to vanish under a supernatural synth lead that floats somewhere between neo soul and phantom G-funk. Ed's idiosyncratic playing and Joe's raw, emotional vocals deliver an earnest commandment for any era. Electronic instrumentation and voice mingle in a noble and metallic way, giving the track a kind of tough, sophisticated, griminess. A spectral strangeness, rising up from somewhere …

Scottish trumpeter Malcolm Strachan is a founder member of top UK funk/jazz-funk band The Haggis Horns as well as being one of the busiest session musicians in the UK today. In a professional career spanning 20 years, he's recorded with the likes of Mark Ronson, Amy WineHouse, Corinne Bailey Rae, Jamiroquai, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Jesse Glynne, The Craig Charles Fantasy Funk Band, Black Honey, The New Mastersounds and Blue Note saxophone legend Lou Donaldson. Now he's finally releasing his first solo album, aptly titled "About Time", on Haggis Records and he's going back to his original roots... Jazz.

The album is a collection of original compositions, all written and arranged by Malcolm, which are firmly rooted in the classic acoustic modern jazz style typified by the great 60's and 70's recordings on the legendary Blue Note Records label. A nice variation of themes and tempos feature throughout the album. From full-on latin vibes to beautiful ballads, soul jazz grooves to cinematic soundtrack flavours, all woven together by a great group of experienced musicians.

Malcolm's core quartet is himself on trumpet/flugelhorn, fellow Haggis Horns members George Cooper (piano) and Erroll Rollins (drums), plus Courtny Tomas on double bass. Featured guests are Atholl Ransome on tenor sax (The Haggis Horns), Rob Mitchell on baritone sax (Abstract Orchestra) and Danny Barley on Trombone. Strings are courtesy of Richard Curran and the percussionist is one of the finest session players in Europe, Karl Vanden Bossche (Incognito, Robert Palmer, Joss Stone, The Gorillaz, Sade, Blur - He and Malcolm met while touring with Mark Ronson)

Malcolm's love of jazz comes from his parents. Aged 7, his jazz musician father gave him a trumpet. From then on, jazz was his life. His musical education came via music teachers, youth jazz orchestras and jazz summer schools but mostly from his dad's record collection listening to Art Blakey and Dizzy Gillespie records and learning to improvise and solo by ear. At 18, he enrolled at Leeds College of Music and quickly immersed himself in the city's vibrant acid jazz, funk and soul scene and from making his recording debut in 1999 with The New Mastersounds, jazz was his musical passion but took a back seat to funk/soul/pop which were the day job. Until now.

Jazz is back. The wait is over. It really is "About Time" for Malcolm Strachan.

Apollo are delighted to welcome Steve Legget & Mark Hand to the fold with their lush new single ‘If You Cannot Try’ featuring the dulcet vocals of Greg Blackman. Originally released as an uplifting bumping house track on Ramrock Records Blackman sent the stems of the release to longtime collaborator Steve Legget for a rework. Legget tore the original to pieces, deconstructing it into a much more ambiguous form. ”I’ve never been a fan of a chorus in a song,” Legget muses. "I like songs that are not direct that leave room for your imagination - Mark and I ended up building a new song around the texture of the original.”

Hand and Legget met in the early 90s at the Northern College of Art in Middlesbrough, and have collaborated at various times in the intervening years, through a shared love of Detroit techno, experimental electronic music, jazz and funk. Their creative process involves sending audio files back and forth - “The release was written in collaboration over the internet Greg in Colchester, Mark in Hartlepool, and me in St Albans."

Hand added spaced out textures and riffs from his collection of vintage Fender Rhodes and classic synths - taking the track into sunny space funk realms that comes on like a lost release from joe Claussell’s Spiritual Life label or Basic Channel jamming with Herbie Hancock.

Using their new version as the seed - Hand decided to try his own ’Teesside Techno’ version - "I wanted to give the track more of a 'machine funk' vibe with my rework” he explains. “I generally like to work by jamming with hardware - the bass line is generated by triggering the arp on my Juno 6..using triggers from a TR606 kick drum and hats replaced by a TR909.. the result being more of a jackin' electronic funk mutation!"

This continuing game of musical pass the parcel has indeed born some juicy fruit -

It's album release time for this Madrid-based soul/jazz organ trio who have been burning up stages and festivals throughout 2019 and who have already had a successful single out on Rocafort Records. Beat Bronco Organ Trio have not rewritten the Hammond musical handbook, but they do what it says on the tin rather splendidly – a Road Trip that grooves, swings and sashays around the familiar but much loved funky jazz theme.

Although it's impossible to listen to the album without summoning up the ghosts of Jimmies McGriff & Smith and the like, nearly all tracks here are originals and shout out personality, verve and respectful homage to the tradition. Featuring the usual leitmotifs: Shaftish film sountrack, lo-fi lounger, gospel-tinged toe-tapper, the hip shaker and much wah-wah frenesi, there's nothing not to like if the genre is your bag.

The steaming horn section on "Hard Play" thickens the sauce à la JBs and the Meters, aided along by a unique orchestra of handclaps. Vocalist and guitarist Alberto Palacios Anaut storms in with "Hey Hey", an old Dave Bartholomew classic from New Orleans, just to remind us where Fats Domino and Ray Charles got it all from. Chip Wickham makes two welcome appearances on flute, adding an extra jazzy touch to "Squirtly" and "Electro Pi" – the latter a fabulous trippy, spacious head-nodder that demands in our opinion some kind of a wigged out drum'n'bass remix. Every track is clearly dominated by variations on the vintage keyboard, be it Hammond, Clavinet or Minimoog; all roads lead to that sexy, sacred sound.

Spain is already prominent on the modern-day Funk map thanks to groups like The Sweet Vandals, Speak Low and Mighty Vamp – and it comes as no surprise that our hero trio featured at various times in all these bands. Gabri Casanova (keys), Lucas de Mulder (guitar, percussion) and Antonio "Pax" Alvarez (drums, percussion) have been busy reviving the funk gospel for some time now. Road Trip is an elegant culmination of their efforts in keeping alive a revered and timeless tradition that still today serves as a reference to where all the good stuff came from: The Church!

Getting stuck into the new year with a fresh, contemporary jazz attitude, Rocafort Records are proud to present the Kumadé EP from exciting Swiss-French quartet KUMA, led by keyboardist Matthieu Llodra and saxophonist Arthur Donnot.

Confidence, rhythmicality and solidity are the first impressions that hit you from this tight outfit of young but highly experienced musicians. After nine years of holding down a 10-night residency at the prestigious Cully Jazz Festival, Llodra and Donnot have honed down their skills in front of a live audience making tension, pacing and release their speciality in compositional strategy. Grooves and moods are created with just the right amount of rise and fall, push and pull, melodic catches and improvisational wanderings.

The EP is well balanced out with two spaciously laconic, ethereal tracks - Alfama and The Core - that could easily belong on some ECM-inspired soundscape, juxtaposed with Kumadé and I.G.A.T.F. that pack a fuller punch, fat and chunky in all the right places, hinting at a 1970s style George Duke at his funky-fusion best.

Despite a whiff of nostalgic reference, rest assured that the KUMA timbre is fresh and exploratory, as innovative and curious as any protagonist from the current UK jazz explosion. Keep an ear out for these young Jedi masters, all of them at the top of their game. More assured, impressive releases are due out this year.

Matthieu Llodra – Fender Rhodes

Arthur Donnot – Sax

Fabien Iannone - Bass

Maxence Sibille – Drums

Zacharie Ksyk – Trumpet (guest on Kumadé").

The longtime portuguese dj-producer Dedy Dread lands on DJ's CHOICE label for his first full-on original production. "Don't Wanna Wake Up" kicks off the collaboration with the soulful Hawaiian-born singer Olivia Ruff, a velvety warm r'n'b banger which will certainly tear through the airwaves. On the flip side, a "bikini-dub" version by The Rebel – helped by the sax of Danilo Desideri (Funkallisto) – which will make you wish summer comes sooner rather than later.

Taken from a Detroit Underground CD on FAMILIAR RECORDS (FMLR 001) first issued in 1999. Only available direct from DETROIT, USA as part of a very small run of self released CD's. All music is by local Artists. The original FORWARD Album was 10 tracks. We selected our favorites and remastered four tracks for release on the Preservation Sound label in 2020. The music spans Club Techno and Electronica. Cover Art are photographs of "Detroit In The Rain" by Chrissie Clees, who originally sent me a copy of the Album. Ltd Edition of 303 with Full Art Cover.

For no particular reason, there hasn't been that many sister funk 7"
re-issues out on Tramp so far. Therefore we are especially proud to present this amazing double-sider. This is soul music at it's best.

Since the get-go Pond Life Records has strived to combine jazz and funk infused instrumentation and electronic programming. Humble B Flat, who has helped define Pond Life's sound has played true to this concept since his first release on PL001. Two years later, we are blessed with an four track EP that’s builds upon this blueprint - ‘Harnessed The Wind’

Dimi is the new solo project and label of (Dimitrios Ploumpidis) one half of techno duo, AnD.

The Dimi label will be an exploration in sound, pushing techno, rave and dance floor sounds with a raw and powerful attitude.

DIMI001 kicks off with "Time Travel". Pulsating kick drums and vocal cuts interweave, creating groove with the snappy snare and lashing hi hats. When the huge synth stab and melody drop to take us straight to a hedonistic past put looking clearly into the future.

"Bang Your Face" enters the room with a tight, hard-hitting kick and serrated rave sirens building an infectious groove before being banged in the face with the old school euphoric synth line that drops in and out of the mix creating tension and dramatic shifts in the track.

"Groove Away" a throbbing bass and kick drum drop with a sinister stab for this funky techno monster. Hard in dynamics but with a maximum amount of groove this track thumps and slams while the spaced out synth line and rave stabs help keep this funky banger grooving all the way to outer space as the alien melodies propel us for take off.

"All In" syncopated delayed synth stabs build in this track with tight rhythmic percussion and distorted kick drum. The snare enters like a punch to the face but only solidifying the swing while the main synth line opens building tension ready to destroy everything in its path. This is Dimi showcasing his direct and unique take on techno music.

3 years after the release of his debut EP « Seize The Day », DJ, producer and founder of Roche Musique Cezaire is back with another evocatively named project : "Attraction".

Faithful to himself, he creates a sensual ambience made of warm and swaying tones, the sweet fruit of the melodic groove which always drives him. Once the eyes closed - the imagination becomes fertile and takes us back in a 90’s daydream accompanied by hypnotic synths. Regardless of the place, it’s all about lightness and smooth vibes.

Between G-Funk influences and francophone contemporary soul, the 5 titles EP unveils the producer’s taste for retro and voluptuous sounds, echoing to the universal theme of desire.

“This second EP is to me a logical follow-up which falls within my path. Of course, its central theme is attraction, but by that, I refer to one thing : making your dreams come true. ”

After Nu Guinea’s LP, Nuova Napoli, and Napoli Segreta first compilation, NG RECORDS follows up with an exploration into the unknown groovy side of Naples by releasing Napoli Segreta Vol. 2 Famiglia Discocristiana, DNApoli and Nu Guinea team up again selecting more tracks from their archives, for a new compilation containing 9 mysterious Neapolitan tracks, found in the most hidden corners of remote flea markets around the Vesuvius.

But forget classical Neapolitan songs, "'O Sole Mio" or "Luna Rossa"... Forget about what you expect to find once you land in town … Oh and also forget about Google Maps.
Take a dodgy local guide, keep your eyes open, and follow it to enter the secret downtown, the underground, the routes that no satellite can detect, but beware there is no easy way out.

Napoli Segreta Vol. 2 is a musical journey into the sonic landscapes of Naples that you have never heard of before. A variety of genres merging soul, disco, funk, blues, new wave, afro-beat and boogie, including lyrics in Neapolitan urban slang, instrumental tracks with progressive flavour, and also some unexpected covers!

Bastard Jazz is proud to present the sophmore solo album by one of the gems of the New Zealand underground soul scene, Isaac Aesili. Woven through electronic soul, with threads of jazz, funk, R&B and house music, Isaac's 'Hidden Truths' is the stylistic unification of all his previous projects (Karl Marx, Funkommunity, Sorceress) into a dazzling and diverse body of work. Three years in the making, its depth is clear from the first listen, and is peppered with some of New Zealand's finest soul and jazz musical talent, including two stunning female feature vocalists from New Zealand; Ladi6 and Rachel Fraser.

The album opens with an ominous instrumental 'Mirror' setting a dark a tone for the album the start, shimmering with shades of Dilla swing snapping over metallic chords and a graceful trumpet solo that enters midway through. Wild feat. Ladi6' is a heavy downbeat future soul joint with stratospheric synths layered over driving beats that build alongside the elegant vocal weavings of New Zealand's first lady of soul, Ladi6, while 'Player' sees Isaac's unique vocals tell a tale of dangerous seduction within a synth funk-driven dancehall cum house music that feels like the Gap Band on a tropical vacation. 'Jungles' is a deep, native and ocean-like soundscape that begins with syncopated synths and beats that collide dramatically into a frantic, sweeping synth outro, followed up by'Realms' , an intricately crafted song that has sonic elements from techno-house that are other-worldly accompanied by live drums that flip after the breakdown into a swinging conclusion of the album's first half.

'Run Every Way' is an epic percussion-driven electronic blues that begins with a vocal chorus from Isaac that could just as easily be interpreted lyrically as a warning about climate change as it could an expression of the inner-self, while "Refugee" is also a heavily percussion orientated joint that fuses romantic classical strings with otherworldly synth stabs and Isaac's haunting vocals moving climactically into a tender coda conclusion. "Rain Gods" feat. Rachel Fraser is a heavenly pathway into Rachel's luxurious vocals with clever lyrics merging the soaring synths and looped bassline into a short yet memorable chorus'and 'Steps' is classic Isaac Aesili production including deep Rhodes chord changes, a knocking beat with layers of percussion, synths and horns providing a warm emotive accompaniment to Isaac's vocals. 'Last Minute' is a simple yet sophisticated jewel of space and time that concludes the vocal tracks of the album in a proper soulful style, and 'Maureen' rounds out the album as an expressive instrumental outrolude that features Isaac's trumpet.

Isaac Aesili is an Internationally acclaimed solo artist and the producer and creative force behind Funkommunity, Sorceress and Karlmarx. Isaac's original productions have been supported internationally by DJs such as Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio 6 Music), Benji B (BBC 1), and Lefto (Belgium, Worldwide FM). His trumpet playing features on many collaborations including 'Layer' by Julien Dyne (Wonderful Noise/BBE) and 'Midnight in Peckham' by Chaos in the CBD (Rhythm Section). A world-renowned musician on both trumpet and percussion, Isaac is a member of the Lord Echo band. His music fuses Soul, Funk, Jazz, Afro and Latin styles with R&B, Hip Hop and Electronic music. Isaac's much anticipated sophomore solo album "Hidden Truths" is out on Bastard Jazz (NYC) in 2020.

The Allergies are back with a new single A-side, 'Felony' – A storming soul-sensation, dripping with bittersweet emotion and driving, late-night grooves. It marks a return to that classic Allergies sound, full of dusty sampled beats, toughened up with punchy drums and re-worked lyrical loops. A dancefloor sure shot.

On the flip is Rile 'Em Up', a Latin funk bomb that showcases something of a new chapter for The Allergies. As the new album will testify, the duo have swelled their ranks to take in a full touring band, bringing in rapper Andy Cooper, soul diva Marietta Smith, and sax don Mr. Woodnote.

'Rile 'Em Up' represents some of that new live intensity, with its infectious boogaloo samples, party-starting chorus, and club-friendly breakdowns. It's sunshine in a single. And if it's a clue at the new direction The Allergies are taking us in, we like it.

On the flip is Rile 'Em Up', a Latin funk bomb that showcases something of a new chapter for The Allergies. As the new album will testify, the duo have swelled their ranks to take in a full touring band, bringing in rapper Andy Cooper, soul diva Marietta Smith, and sax don Mr. Woodnote.

'Rile 'Em Up' represents some of that new live intensity, with its infectious boogaloo samples, party-starting chorus, and club-friendly breakdowns. It's sunshine in a single. And if it's a clue at the new direction The Allergies are taking us in, we like it!

What can be said about this monstrous Disco Funk extravaganza from 1982? Well, plenty actually... the only entry in the mighty Prelude back catalogue from Michael Wilson, 'Groove It To Your Body' is what this music is all about, a proper dance record, drenched in the funk, a groove that just doesn't stop.

The A-side is incredible, but it's really the b-side dub mix that steals the show. Francois Kevorkian, who was Prelude's A&R man at the time, mans the desk on both mixes, but for a truly stellar work-out the dub flips all of the essential ingredients into a stew of rumbling synth and tape feedback and deep space delay and echo.

This mix could be seen as the template of what was to come, and is an all-out dancefloor wrecker. Try it! It doesn't get any better than this.

A Disco essential. 2nd hand copies of this nugget go for serious wedge these days, now's your chance to snag an *official* licensed reissue from Prelude direct. All totally Above Board! Do it!

New stateside label that does what it says on the tin. Big drum breaks that work in their own right in instrumental form for these massive dancefloor classics with this debut release for both tracks in the dj friendly 7 inch format. Only 200 units pressed. Don't sleep on this!

Apparel Music is the platform, Chevals the protagonist, vinyl the material, end of March 2020 is the period of time decided for the landing of the Frenchman’s first solo body of work for the “lovers dogs” label. “Be Yourself” is the title of the four tracks EP by the artist which, by the headline itself, sounds like a declaration of intentions, an acknowledgement of his qualities as a producer, shaping up four different aspects of his creative attitude in a remarkable musical effort. The EP takes off with the title track which is a perfect display of Cheval’s capabilities when it comes to the art of developing intersecting harmonies and melodies, setting up the perfect ground for a smooth vocal line that keeps on repeating the concept in a hypnotic loop: “just be yourself”! With “Keep On” the Bpm increases to design a beat driven track that winks to northern European rhythmics in an apotheosis of upbeat acid lines, a vibey overlapping of loops we advise against light-sleepers! Side B starts with a more rhythmically classic composition called “Good Good” which is also the last of the three original tracks; here the strings section mashes up with the vocals, as usual expertly crafted by Chevals and again some hints of acid bass line to form a proper dance floor hit. B2 is dedicated to Madcat’s remix of “Good Good”, where the French producer explains his point of view with a more funky oriented version of the track but keeping the essential parts intact. Impossible not to be excited by this EP by the Parisian producer who finally slams his fist on the table in what is his best musical statement so far. Bare with us until the end of March to listen to this pearl.

Snips is the founder of Barbershop Records and co founder of Livin Proof, with over 15 years experience as one of Londons most prolific DJs and over 10 years worth of production credits across Hip Hops underground. 2018 has seen Snips emerge as a budding solo artist, fusing the production styles of Hip Hop, House, Soul and Funk in the same fashion as he is known to do behind the turntables.

With his debut album "The Barbershop" making waves on both sides of the Atlantic and his Single "The Product" On Classic Records garnering support from a cross genre selection of heavyweights such as Karizma, Benji B, Eli Escobar, House Shoes, J Rocc, DJ Spinna and Henry Wu, Snips returns on his own label Barbershop Records and delves into Edit territory for his second instalment of the "Snips Edits" series. This time cleverly turning a handful of Hip Hop classics into club ready anthems over Snips' original productions.

1970s Detroit American funk-soul group signed to Invictus, part of the legendary HDH label group (HollandDozier- Holland), who helped define the iconic Motown sound. Highlights include 1971 single ‘She’s Not Just Another Woman’ which was picked up by radio stations and
reached #11 in the US Billboard charts. This was followed up by ‘You’ve Got To Crawl (Before You Walk) #28 in US Billboard chart. In 1972 ‘Enny Meeny-Miny-Mo’ reached #29 in the R&B charts and ‘I’m Worried’ was released as a solo single with Northern Soul legend Melvin Davis. Plus the Mick Jagger covered ‘Too Many Cooks (Spoil the Soup)’ Reissued with original artwork, printed inner sleeve and pressed on 180g heavyweight vinyl

Roy Ayers, at the height of his career, embarked on his own Uno Melodic record label. He wrote and produced for an array of artists including himself on two albums “Silver Vibrations” and “Drivin’ On Up” (amalgamated as “Lots Of Love”) in 1983. From these sessions come the boogie dancer “Everybody” and jazz funk classic “And Then We Were One”, presented here on 7” on original Uno Melodic artwork.

These two songs by Leontine Dupree have amazed us for a very long time. We are extremely happy to present you a superfunky 2-sider. "Standing On His Word" is funky-soul at its best. On the flip you find "Waiting For My Baby", a brutal, uptempo sister funk cut.

The landmark 1980 album, representing a period of consolidation for Patrice Rushen. Her studio reputation as a go-to pianist and arranger among other artists and musicians was well established and was growing exponentially. Although never originally planning a career as a solo artist, she had built this side of her work through three Prestige albums and two sophisticated soul and disco albums for Elektra, 'Patrice' and 'Pizzazz'. "I was lucky to have a group of musicians that I knew well by the time of these recording sessions," remembers Patrice. "I had my pick of really incredible players because of all of the studio work I was doing. I also played with Lee Ritenour, Harvey Mason and others almost on a weekly basis at The Baked Potato club in L.A." Tracks include the singles 'Don't Blame Me', 'Look Up!' and 'Never Gonna Give You Up'. "'Never Gonna Give You Up' came out of playing ideas at home. Bassist Freddie Washington was living with my family while he tried to get a foothold in L.A.'s music scene and that groove came out of those jams. With 'The Dream', I had been listening to Minnie Riperton's 'Come To My Garden', one of my favourite albums. With Charles Stepney's arrangements, I saw that he didn't have to use large instrumentation to be orchestral in his approach. So, 'The Dream' was a homage to that kind of writing." "After 'Posh', we had a much better idea from the performance side what was important in our music and that informed my next album, 'Straight From The Heart'. We took a little break after 'Posh' was released, although I was still writing and working regularly on scores for film and TV. That had always been my main focus in my music."

Colorful Electro darkness. Dibu-Z delivers his debut album Junk DNA on Dominance Electricity.

The German producer, who has been releasing Electro and Techno on various labels since the early 2000s, unleashes a dynamic package of carefully selected and sequenced songs, ranging from dystopic ambient pieces, epic Acid-Electro to powerfull, mechanical-funk-loaded Electro club bangers and some relaxed deep-space-cruisers inbetween.

The enigmatic DJ Swagger is back on TYR, this time with five garage inspired rollers. From Bristol to Berlin, these tracks cover a lot of ground. Each copy will come with a signed sticker from the man himself.

Disco-funk recorded in London in the late-70s by Fungai Malianga who’d relocated from South Africa to North London. His funk-led ode to his manor with ‘Finsbury Park Party’ sportin’ Break-beats, tape echo, horn section and a narrative on Harringay’s finest known landscape. This is backed by a disco-funk version of Lennon–McCartney’s ‘Things We Said Today’, not only the most unknown version until now but also the grooviest. Drum & bass grooves to the max.

Tucked away in their cover, but never for long, Guts' musical eyebrow wands have once again panicked, this time aggressively marking Africa.

Letting his instrument guide him towards the one he felt was the next signature of his label Pura Vida Sounds, the beatmaker-producer found himself face to face with an old acquaintance: Pat Kalla aka the voice of the Voilaaa Sound System, aka the one with which he crossed the funk on his album Philantropiques and the title "Daddy Sweet".

Convinced to follow him in studio, Pat, accompanied by his Super Mojo celebrates this collaboration by decapsulating La "Canette". Long groove in the mouth, acidic notes of synths and attacks of precise guitars, despite the bitterness of his words, a drink that suits every hour of the day and that strengthens the legs most numb. Heckled by her journey to the bottom of Pat’s musical bag, shaken by the syncopes of the beat, she spreads her funk foam from the very beginning into the A-side furrow.

Bartering the beige trench coat of Commissioner Joss against a colorful toghu, Kalla and his Mojo revisit on the B side the "Requiem Pour Un Con" de Gainsbourg. The martial groove, dark and hypnotic leaves its place to a polyrhythmic afrodisco production, surrounded by a low velocity.
More than a recovery, they are making a real diversion.
A hijacking driven by Pat Kalla and his Super Mojo, with Serge Gainsbourg and Jean Gabin sitting in the back seat like two "Pachas".

With the collective generosity of all those involved along the way, from mastering, manufacturing, affiliated record stores and PR to the artists themselves and PDD, all profits from this special one-sided Artwork remix of Mildlife ‘Zwango Zop’ will be donated to two charities combatting the bushfire emergency in Australia via Prime Direct Distribution; Wildlife Victoria and the Australian Red Cross.

Their indispensable efforts continue to assist the emergency response, rebuilding homes and habitats, supporting rescued animals and the shelters that house them, alongside aiding the evacuation centres and recovery hubs created in many communities and implementing recovery plans for those who have been devastatingly affected by the bushfires.

Certified man of the people, king of the content and all-round good guy Artwork has been there, everywhere, and done it all - in more guises than many would even know about. From Magnetic Man to Grain, D’N’D to Artwork he’s a master producer, well versed at knowing what dancefloors want and more importantly need.

Now take Mildlife, the boundary pushing, critically acclaimed Melbourne-based space jazz four-piece, who’ve managed to seamlessly blend jazz, funk and disco into one multi-coloured, multi-layered melting pot of auditory excitement. A band whose hype is certainly lived up to, with the likes of DJ Harvey heavily championing them to the point of including ‘Magnificent Moon’ on his ‘The Sound Of Mercury Rising’ VA LP.

A wash with improvisation, soaring synths, stratospheric bass riffs, and a fluidity of grooves, ‘Zwango Zop’, taken from Midlife’s debut album ‘Phase’, is kaleidoscopic cosmic gold. For this special non-profit release, Artwork extracts that undeniable funk energy and turns into a 10-and-a-half-minute, highly hypnotic, instantly addictive creation that it is as psychedelic as it is slamming.

Just one of many examples of the dance music community coming together as a power of good to raise funds for those affected by the emergency in Australia. Support the cause, through the medium of music.

We were first introduced to Marumo’s ‘Modish’ album via DJ Okapi's amazing resource the ‘Afrosynth’ blog, which archives South African bubblegum/disco from the 80s & early 90s. Aside from this blog, this music would otherwise remained unknown outside of South Africa, apart from the most hardcore of digger and record collector.
‘Modish’ was originally released on Spades Record in 1982 and was recorded by producer West Nkosi, who was a member of supergroup ‘Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens’. He worked with the big hitters in South African music such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Teaspoon & The Waves, Patience Africa and many more. Marumo were made up of a group of musicians from the Athlone School for the blind in Bellville, close to Cape Town. The band members, John Mothopeng, Munich Sibiya, Simon Falatsi and Marks Mbuthuma, had previously played in the groups Batsumi, All Rounders and The Orations and came together to record this versatile album. It covers a wide number of genres from Sotho soul, Mbaqanga, disco-funk, gospel & spacey-synth slow jams.
Flash forward 30 or so years later and lost dead-stock copies of the album start to appear and Marumo’s music begins to be heard across the world in the DJ sets of Motor City Drum Ensemble, Invisible City Editions, Floating Points, DJ Okapi and others.
We included the afro-disco-funk beauty of 'Khomo Tsaka Deile Kae?’ on our Mr Bongo Record Club Volume Three compilation, but felt ‘Modish’ needed to be available and heard in it’s entirety. We hope you enjoy!

With the original UK 7” of this release now as rare as hen’s teeth, and with the group having recently ‘reformed’ for one last album together, the Mr Bongo replica re-release of this 1990 masterpiece by Gang Starr couldn’t be more timely.

The now-legendary duo of DJ Premier and Guru dropped this at the height of hip-hop’s sampling of jazz, which had led to a creative leap forward for the genre. Yet while others plundered in the dark, this instant classic wore its influences on its sleeve and paid verbal homage to the musicians they were sampling. The “melodious funk” of “Thelonious Monk” gets namechecked, while the track samples two of his records, including 1958’s Bop gem ‘Light Blue’.

While both versions presented here have common elements, the ‘Movie Mix’ – so-named for the song’s appearance on the soundtrack to Spike Lee’s mythic jazz biopic ‘Mo’ Better Blues’ – goes in a few different directions to the ‘Video Mix’. Rather than just drop in an instrumental for the B-side, DJ Premier instead shows his versatility by switching up the base track (Kool & The Gang’s 1971 ‘Dujii’) and layering in other samples. In more ways than one, his virtuosity here echoes the improvisation of a jazz musician, akin to Denzel Washington’s Bleak in the movie.

Of course, he’s not the only show in town. The late Guru’s voice is as mellifluous as an instrument itself here, his potted history of the genre and the artists of jazz delivered with his own unmistakable cadence. Without this record, would he have gone on to make his ‘Jazzmatazz’ projects.

Following a successful EP in 2019, featuring remixes from Osunla
& Pocz, Olindo Records are proud to present “Wono”, the debut collaborative album from Koichi Sak& Afla Sackey.

The album is a deep exploration of Koichi's love of both electronic and West African music, in close collaboration with Ghana-born master percussionist, singer, band leader, teacher and songwriter, Afla Sackey.

Featuring 7 tracks ranging from the meditative “Yamb”, which features master kora player Kadialy Kouyate, to the acid infused, slow house workout of “Niege”. Passing through a contemporary highlife take on advance single “Suolo” and an album version of the previously released “Jingo”.

Koichi Sakai is a London-based producer and DJ, a well-known head in London music circles thanks to his role in co-founding the legendary Afrobeat Vibration nights alongside Dele Sosimi. He has previously recorded and released music with Kay Suzuki as Afrobuddha, and they recorded a set together for Boiler Room.

Afla Sackey is leader of 10-piece afro funk and highlife orchestra, Afrik Bawantu, and the man who the likes of Kokoroko call when they need some extra power on the percussion or a singer to lead their Church of Sound tribute to Ebo Taylor.

Koichi Sakai & Afla Sackey’s first collaborative project on Olindo Records, the “Wono” EP released late last year, received widespread support, particular from Gilles Peterson on BBC Radio 6 Music, Defected Radio, Mafalda, Hector Plimmer & Zakia (NTS), Tony Minvielle (Jazz FM), Tim Garcia (Música Macondo/Jazz FM), Music is my Sanctuary, TwistedSoul, Mari* & Papaoul (Worldwide FM), Alan McKinnon and DJ Harv.

We still have copies of Koichi Sakai’s Wono ep OR004 and Betsayda Machado LP ORLP003 should you like more.

Following up on their explosive and critically acclaimed debut album Free To Believe (2015, Do Right Music), Canada's premiere deep funk outfit The Soul Motivators are back with their sophomore album Do The Damn Thing. The 9-track album delivers a heavy dose of the band's signature funk sound, incorporating the soulful sensibilities of lead vocalist Shahi Teruko, who has been performing and touring with the band for the past two years and makes her recorded debut here.

From the high-octane 'Mindblastin' and 'All the Way to the Bank' to the moody ''Black Rhino' and the car-chase MSFBs-inspired 'Savalas' which show off the Motivators' instrumental grooves, Do The Damn Thing is guaranteed to appeal to the most discerning funk fans.

The band continues to broaden their definition of soul music from a spiritual, political and social standpoint, as evidenced by the album's most poignant and introspective moment, 'Modern Superwoman' featuring lyrics penned by Teruko. The Soul Motivators have toured tirelessly in their hometown of Toronto and all across the country. Their diverse crowd always turns out for their propulsive live show, and their mandate has always been the same: inclusivity, community, togetherness, and getting down on the dancefloor.

The Pendletons return with a brand new track and a slew of in demand remixes all in one package. First up is "Don't Turn Your Back" featuring Kool Customer vocalist Rojai featuring a bubblin' bassline, analog synths galore and Roj's vocals taking the lead on the cut backed up by Trailer Limon & E Da Boss's unmistakeable vibe. Next up, Bastard Jazz mainstay artists Potatohead People hit the nail squarely on the head with their restrained and eternally funky remix of the last album's hit single "You Do You" featuring the legendary Howard Johnson (previously only available on an unreleased Bandcamp bonus 7") while NYC DJ producer and edit king Jacques Renault does what he does best with "Keep It Working" featuring UK soulstress Gizelle Smith - extending the groove out and letting the bassline ride while keeping the original feel of the song intact. Lastly, Pendleton's member E Da Boss extends out the "Keep It Working" OG for the hardworking DJs across the land giving the intro & outro some breathing room. Also included is the Jacques Renault Instrumental.

unperson’s forthcoming ‘The Ghosts That Gave’ EP will be released digitally and on 12” vinyl via Negative Space Ma, kick-starting a new chapter for the enigmatic producer as he glides between ambient, techno, breakbeat, footwork and UK funky with unquestionable prowess across 6 varied but inter-woven tracks.

The EP is framed around the concept of juxtaposing moments of euphoria and melancholy found within club music, delicately expressing intricate textures and emotion for the quiet corners whilst maintaining a dance-floor sensibility.

“Ultimately, I wanted to build a body of work that explores and extends upon various corners of the Harcore Continuum. Through the juxtaposition of fleeting moments of euphoria scattered amongst twisted, melancholic soundscapes, I aimed to express fluctuating emotions which denote the spirit and energy of the club/UK sound-system culture”. unperson

Max Graef and Julius Conrad are Ratgrave. ‘Rock’ is their
second album - ongoing transmissions of Electronic PFusion from Earth. It follows a stellar debut on Funkineven’s imprint Apron. The duo’s sound palette draws inspiration from 80's funk, soul, rock and electronic but through a contemporary lens from two versatile multiinstrumentalists.

 In their own words: “Rock is the essence of energy and
vibration we felt in different styles of music, almost like a
parallel component connecting all things we like. In the
process of recording the new album we kept coming back
to this essence no matter what style the original idea was.
There was the raw and brutal energy of Jazz-Rock, a lot of
video game influences that somehow adhered this essence
just as well as quieter Pop and Psychedelic passages that
we recorded. Among other things we absorbed a lot of
heavy music during the time of the recording like Blue
Cheer, Black Sabbath, Frank Zappa or Jimi Hendrix and
realized while writing our own music how much impact
they had even on quieter songs. This is why ‘Rock’ felt like
the perfect title although the music ranges from P-Funk
and Spiritual Jazz to various styles of Pop and beyond.”

 Max Graef has previously collaborated with Glenn Astro on
records for Ninja Tune and both artists have previously
released on Tartelet.

 This marks the fourth official album on Black Focus, a
London label founded by Kamaal Williams.

 4pp digipack. 180g vinyl LP in reverse board printed sleeve
with 3mm spine and digital download card.

"Available again for the first time since original release in 1974, Outernational Sounds proudly presents one of the deepest custom press jazz recordings of all – Jaman’s spiritualised and funky Sweet Heritage.

The history of jazz is often told as though it was principally a history of releases and recordings. On those terms, it’s easy to mistake a small recorded footprint for obscurity or silence. But that is to put the cart before the horse, for the true history of the jazz is the story of the music as it was played night after night in the clubs, bars, concert halls and backrooms of cities and towns across America and the world. Only a tiny fraction of this living tradition ever makes it onto a recording. The far greater part is embodied in the musicians and their music as they play it and live it. And even though 1974’s Sweet Heritage is James Edward Manuel’s only release, the pianist and educator better known as Jaman has undoubtedly lived it.

Brought up in Buffalo, New York, Jaman studied classical piano before beginning formal jazz studies under greats including Earl Bostic and Horace Parlan. Quickly becoming a respected regular on the club scene in Buffalo, Jaman held down innumerable residencies and worked with top local musicians – one of his early trios included the renowned bassist John Heard and drummer Clarence Becton, both of whom were poached one night by a visiting Jon Hendricks; sometime Sun Ra Arkestra bassist Juini Booth and regular Ahmad Jamal sideman Sabu Adeyola (also of Kamal & The Brothers) have graced his groups too. At famous night spots all over Buffalo’s East Side and on excursions to Manhattan’s storied jazz clubs, Jaman has shared the stage with some of the most illustrious names in jazz and blues: Big Joe Turner, Muddy Waters, Joe Henderson, Ruth Brown, Frank Morgan, Woody Shaw, Sonny Stitt, and too many others to mention. His eponymous group, Jaman, was formed in 1970; they toured the US and Canada steadily in the years that followed. He became, in short, one of Buffalo’s true jazz stalwarts, and so he remains.

But despite a life lived deep within the music, Jaman only recorded a single LP, 1974’s Sweet Heritage. Pressed in tiny quantities by the Mark Records custom service, and issued with a stock landscape cover, Sweet Heritage featured the regular Jaman group playing a mixture of covers and originals. The whole LP showcases an ensemble in compete control, and with the flying, spiritual sound of ‘Free Will’ and the upful, Latin-tinged ‘In The Fall of The Year’ – both Jaman originals – the album has since become a legendary collector’s classic. Unavailable since its original issue, Outernational Sounds is proud to present Jaman’s Sweet Heritage – the soulful and spiritualised sounds of a master at work."

white vinyl

Desroi cuts his unrivaled skill to combine power and pace into four new tracks again. "Vermillion Border" draws from a dazed palette of concise and forceful sounds and thus raises the bar on his lasting run of EPs.

Tightly oscillating and resoundingly austere, the EP has its moments of stormy brutality that punctuates the mesmeric synth cycles to inspiriting elation. "Bright Blood" and "Gauze Covers Flaw" appear tethered at the base by cavernous low end and heady drum machine programming which drives the work.

Closing track "Empty Eye" might present Desroi's most funky work to date, rounding the EP off with a single warping synth motif shifting through sonic spheres.

In Ghana "to chop" is to eat, so the phrase No Funk No Chop quite simply means; deliver afro funk and disco bombs, or no one will eat today. With this in mind we jump on the bus to begin our journey. We find our man Grégoire Lawani in fine form with one of the greatest party starters "Africa Land of Soul". Brethren Tany Welck tells the world that he is indeed a" Sexy Man". Peter Mukoko "Esimo Esimo" delivers the breakdown to end all breakdowns. Django Strong supplies us with his super slick "Hoo Dou Hoo Mine". Jide Obi "Give's It Everything he has got", just listen to that bass! Fosto transports us with a synth laden boogie portraying his vision of Africa, K3 Band give us the "Feeling" and we reach our destination ending with Tchamy Patterson's "Camerounaise Children". So, let's eat!!

We hope you enjoyed your trip!

'Slacking Off'... The sought-after 1973 Bahamas recorded percussion-led gem that landed on the scene thanks to Jared Boxx. Renowned DJ and proprietor of New York's Sound Library, Jared unleashed this elusive monster soul-funk jam onto wantslists worldwide via his 'Thanks For Waiting' mix in 2009 and it's remained unobtainable until now. Recorded at 'King' Eric Gibson's Elite Recording Studio in 1973, the track features Theo Coakley of T-Connection on keys, British engineer Allen Mottershaw aka MOTT on solo guitar and Nassauvians lead vocalist and guitarist Tommy Goodwin, who relocated to the Bahamas at least a decade earlier from the US. Featured b-side 'The Time Is Now' is a previously unreleased dreamy AOR island recording from the vaults of Elite Studios made the following year with his friend Don Lepage, sung together with Tommy on guitar and Don on harmonica. Both cuts now available on limited 7" from Backatcha Records for playback far and wide .

Hot’n’Spicy label is back with even more hedonism in the fourth edition.Quality Slow-Disco Soul, Indonesian groove delights and Hedonist Jazz-funk reworks is what you can expect from Hot'n'Spicy VOL4. In this new edition, you can enjoy a Slow Disco-Soul monster with ‘Old Fashion’. On A2, a romantic 70ies pop Indo cut with ‘Caresse Indonesienne’ . On B1, a genuine US Disco spicy banger with ‘Black Mamba’ and on B2, the perfect emotional Synth-Jazz closing track with « You & Me ».As always, a tasty piece for diggers and djs by HOLDTight

Beyond the Mikrosector, passed the Love Quadrant and over the Intersect lies another reality that exists in contrary to our own. This is where we now find Mr. 8040, the Space Dimension Controller, on a planète contraire, a world very much like our own, but one that runs in opposite to the norm. Here he toys with intergalactic Detroit funk and sequenced machines, creating celestial signals of minimalistic, atmospheric boogie. It’s a new course of interconnected, cinematic electro that exists outside of time and yet is apt for moments of timelessness.

Within the world of astrophysics there are select scientists out there that believe space-time gradually loops in on itself. Within this infinite realm of time and space, we can find ourselves once again living our past lives. It’s in this eternal domain that the Space Dimension Controller returns once more, applying his knowledge from the planète contraire to his absorbing palette of C-beams, moon-lit orchestrations, and graviton beats. Matured from his time cavorting through the core of the unknown, the Space Dimension Controller’s sound becomes more focussed, filled with the knowledge of the worlds his visited.

On the A side, Mr. 8040’s strain of progressive and unequivocal deep-space disco lends towards his studio competence, creating lush melodies that will have even the geysers of Enceladus erupting in time along with the symphony of syncopated drum machines. On the flipside, the prodigious Jack Hamill, aka. the Space Dimension Controller, flexes his machine savviness once more creating a timeless electro-funk rhythm for a timeless, time-travelling pioneer.

Known for its 808s, Bass, Alligators, & Cocaine Cowboys, Florida is the home of Vanguard Sound's Chris Mitchell, who follows his contribution to Squirrels On Acid with an EP of four absolute Rippers at the intersection of classic booty bass & new-school goth electro.

“Every Asshole” announces its presence with an up-tempo red-lined booty beat that will shake the walls of the Strip Mall Strip Club in any neighborhood. Funk is the key ingredient, and it is added generously, even when the synthesizer melodies bring in a darker texture. “Grippers” is more sinister, but no less funky. Dirty South Cold Wave at full frequency, propulsive & punk rock, but this is strictly party music at its core. The drum patterns stay in perpetual motion, programed with skill & precision. “Sh4” is another banger. The sound of a malfunctioning Fairlight over intricate drums & angular arpeggios. Mitchell's tracks never sit still, and again here, the drum programming shines. This is someone who has put in their 10, 000 hours on the MPC, and it shows. “Land Of Make Believe” slows things down & turns ups the Goth. Cybertron Sci Fi Soundtrack moods, but rump shaking nonetheless, wordless alien vocal textures & synth strings weave with the drums, which here are slightly more sparse than the previous tracks, but programmed with the same attention to detail.

If you're familiar with Chris Mitchell, this EP will not disappoint, & if this is your introduction to his music, you'll be wanting to hear more. This sixth release from the world of Squirrels is NOT for standing around at the party looking cool. This for shaking the tail, sweating with strangers at legendary all-ages club & birthplace of Miami Bass the Pac Jam in hedonistic abandon.

It is hard to think of many 7” singles where both sides are as heavy as this one! "Change The World" & "Try, Try" were released in 1977 by 'Solat', a Dutch-based funk group made up of Surinamese and Dutch-Antillian musicians.

Formed after ex-band members of Reality/Tony And Reality; Eddy Veldman, Franky Douglas, Ivor Mitchell and Glenn Gaddum teamed up with singer Billy Jones, Solat went on to release two singles for Poker records. With it's crossover nature, it pleases disco, funk and modern-soul collectors and DJs alike, plus due to only been released in the Netherlands, the record has now become an extremely sought-after item with a high price tag to match.

Both amazing cuts are aimed straight for the dance-floor, but retain conscious and positive messages that are as relevant now as they were back then. 'Change TheWorld’ is an anthemic feelgood disco funk gem, whilst 'Try, Try ‘ is reminiscent of a Mizell Brothers golden-era production.

Mr Bongo present a replica edition with dinked centre- and original cover- and also label artwork, for all to enjoy!

Three years after their critically acclaimed and sold out Abrada LP the great and joyful Japanese afro groovers Ajate are back with their much awaited brand new album Alo!

Ajate is a Japanese band who plays a unique blend of afro-groove dance music mixed with Japanese traditional festival music called "Ohayashi". Formed in 2011 by the band-leader John Imaeda, Ajate consists of 10 Japanese musicians.

Another unique feature of the band is the use of hand-made bamboo instruments as well as traditional Japanese percussion. The "Jahte" is a bamboo-made xylophone or balafon with a piezo pick-up mic attached to each key, connected to a pre-amplifier to obtain a loud sound and to add some touch of dirty distortion to its warm and natural acoustic sonority.

The "Piechiku" is also a bamboo-made string instrument inspired by the west-African "Ngoni" or Moroccan "Guembri" instruments. The Piechiku uses strings of the Japanese traditional "Shamisen". This instrument is also played through a pre-amplifier and John sometimes adds some wah-wah effect to it. All these bamboo instruments are designed, made and named by John Imaeda himself.

On Alo you will also be amazed by the exceptional sound of the Japanese Shinofue flute, which was not on the previous Abrada LP. Now, add to this unique sound some well-crafted Japanese female and male singing and you get a killer mix of Afro-Funk flavored grooves with traditional Japanese music!

Since the release in 2017 of their Abrada LP on the 180g label Ajate has toured Europe twice and has played a memorable concert at the world famous Trans Musicales festival in France in 2018, which has been followed by another great KEXP Live session.

Here is some music you will not be able to hear anywhere else, by one of the most joyful Japanese band to hear on record and to listen live!

Two giants of Brazilian music back-to-back!

Jorge Ben can do it all - vocalist,songwriter, musician, producer and to many their ‘all-round’ favourite Brazilian artist. Jorge has had an amazing career, involved in music from the early 60's through to the current day, writing countless classic songs for him and other artists.

This awesome samba-disco-funk joint 'Waimea 55.000’’ is a lesser-known production, taken off a 7” B-side released on Som Livre in 1978. This is a gem which needed to be dusted off and given the
wider audience it deserves.

Baby Consuelo with her distinctive voice is one of Mr Bongo’s favourite Brazilian singers. The only female founding member of the mythical group Os Novos Baianos, Baby is a real innovator andpioneer, changing her persona and musical styles over the years, but still staying unique.
Here we have Baby at the start in raw psychedelic hippy mode,
giving a powerful vocal delivery where she manages to sound simultaneously badass and lovable. This early song was released in 1970 on RGE records on a compacto 7” credited to Baby Consuelo and additionally featured on OsNovos Bahianos’s debut album 'É Ferro Na Boneca!’ in the same year (re-issued on Mr Bongo in 2019).

Like an ode to your Walkman and to those 90-minute tapes that you used to rewind with your pen, DA BREAK's first LP was all about Funk & Hip Hop 90's flavors. Like an ode to your Walkman and to those 90-minute tapes that you used to rewind with your pen, DA BREAK's first LP was all about Funk & Hip Hop 90's flavors. This was completely unexpected, a major learning experience, and above all a lot of fun and gave the Lyon-based gang a whole lot of ideas for the next stage in their musical journey, propelling them towards new musical horizons: infectious riddims with grooving keyboard & guitar licks as their bedrock and free association leading them into jazz, broken beat, soul or disco vibes … During the creation of Let It Shine, all doors were wide open and all musical genres potentially welcome. The production still has a « home made » feel to it, like the previous album, but with a modern, sonic twist when needed- a result of three years on the road together and new creative input from group members. Whether it be on a New York summertime roof-top, or settled in a Low-Rider with some G-Funk, or moving to some phat Jamaican style bass-lines or getting sensual on a tight breakbeat, lead singer Hawa knows how to shine her feminine and versatile brilliance on the project. She gives to the songs the final touch and the emotion needed to share with us her stories about human relationships - everyday tales sharing her real life-experience. This ever-expanding musical spectrum, Da Break play with it, explore it and also let it kick
completely free at times ! Song after song, they bring a magic glow to LET IT SHINE.

Ryan Crosson takes care of the fifth EP on tastemaking Detroit label My Baby Records with a fantastically forward-looking four-track vinyl offering. Ryan Crosson is a complex artistic creature who has roamed far and wide in his storied career. His always innovative music has come on groundbreaking labels including Wagon Repair, M_nus, Spectral Sound, and of course his own Visionquest. Each time he explores a new sound world and draws on things as diverse as musique concrète, Downtown New York funk, and East African jazz. Now he cooks up more beguiling brilliance on this fresh new EP. Opener ‘Speaker Dubs’ is a deep, bubbly rhythm track with dub chords rippling out to infinity. It’s a stylish track full of far-sighted reverence and supple groove that locks you in a trance. ‘Ogilvie’ is a piece of absorbing ambient with found sound recordings of muffled voices that sounds like you’re in an underground station. B-side opener ‘FutureTheory’ is another minimal masterpiece with glitchy sound design and eerie chords peeling off a tight, kinetic groove. Ghoulish voices add more late-night atmosphere and the whole track grows ever darker and more consuming as it unfolds. The excellent ‘OortCloud’ takes you back to the heart of a dance-floor with futuristic menace: the smooth drum loops are militant, the voices are dehumanised and the searching synths speak of a desolate landscape. It’s heady, brilliantly bleak stuff that is utterly infectious. This is another hugely inventive EP from one of the underground’s most consistent talents

in the labels 15th year history there only been a few reissues in the widely ramified discogra-phy. lydia lynch in 2006, hans-joachim roedelius in 2013, fumio itabashi ‎in 2018 and soon skymark ‎with his jazz album “primeiras impressões”.

the italian producer, composer, record collector and modern sun records label co-runner, that listens to the name marc friedli when he hands his tax report to the government, is no stranger to fans of modern brazil, disco, fusion, house, latin, jazz, funk, soul and all other organically swinging music that grooves classical and deep.

since 2007 he released a string of albums and ep’s on his own label as well as on imprints like neroli, mukatsuku records or rush hour, showing his impressive electric piano keyboard skills and unique communication on and with an array of vintage synthesizers like arp, proph-et, moog, roland or korg.

on his privately pressed, strictly limited to 150 copies album “primeiras impressões” he de-livered in 2013 nine gently jazzing tunes that process his experiences in the heat of the city of rio de janeiro.

they are intensely spiritual. they avoid ornamentation. and they bow before jazz history with a gentle respect, while adding an elegantly searching, thrillingly uplifting freshness to the genre with deep discreet minimal funk and light as a feather piano-melodies, as if the key-board were a saxophone.

What about to blend the best talents and skills of ebm totems (such as Front 242 or Armageddon Dildos) with some recent industrial funk influences (such as Valis or High- Functioning Flesh) and then add the energy & the rage of being 20 years old nowadays ... ?
THAT’S CHROME CORPSE (Seattle/USA).

Extracted from their first album “ANYTHING THAT MOVES”, “DETECTING MOVEMENT” represents their vinyl debut and for sure the beginning of a very succesful professional career.

All tracks have been specially remastered for LONG CUT vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios (Germany).

First time on vinyl. Recorded for DC's Black Fire Records in 1976, Theatre West's music never made record until now. Selected works taken from the master tapes of James "Plunky" Branch (Oneness of JuJu, Experience Unlimited etc). Hailing from Ohio and resident in DC, Theatre West was made up of musicians from Slave, Gil Scott Heron's Midnight Band, The Fabulous Originals, Malone & Barnes and others. Serious jazz-funk-soul selections via the vaults of Plunky and Black Fire Records.

Amsterdam based Kid Sublime returns in 2020 with his new record: “The Umami EP” on his own Ballroom Radio Records .

Independent release pressed on 180 gram vinyl

A1 The Tool
The opener track of the EP “The Tool” has The MPC running steady with chopped up disco breaks and lush Detroit keys + Soulful vocal samples added on top to hype up the dancefloor.

A2 The London Bug
Inspired by his trip to London last year and a visit to the Bugz In The Attic studio, Kid steps up his game with a Broken Beat banger. A chopped up Jazz Funk breakbeat with a heavy Moog bassline lick and some keyboard action. This Bruk tune will definitely get the dancefloor moving.

B1 Left-Right-Dub
Soulful House action! Originaly released on his LP The Padded Room as “Heroes“ with vocals from Atlanta’s The Dangerfeel Newbies, Kid remixes this tune in a
stripped down Dub version. Smooth and Deep dancefloor vibes.

B2 The Force
A stripped down minimal Future Funk groove with a Seinfield-esque slap bassline and a spaced out sample. The MPC runs steady here for the deejays and the dancers!

Tartelet Records kicks off 2020 with the re-issue of a rare Discogs gem from the early 80s by the legendary Danish composer and music educator Lotte Kærså and her band of young musicians, "Græsrodderne."

The re-issued LP entitled Jubiiilæum (Anniversary) consists of songs taken from Lotte Kærså two first albums "Jeg Har Set Det Selv" (I've Seen It Myself) from 1979 and "Hjemme I Vores Gade" (On Our Street) from 1981 - both of which have long been sought after items among
diggers and vinyl collectors.

In the nascent stages of her musical journey, Lotte Kærså's music was already imbued with a new kind of sound. Weaving genres from near and far, elements of exotic sounds such as samba, jazz funk, and dub-reggae come together with a distinctly Danish cheerfulness in the songs' lyrics.

Disco pioneer and mix/production legend John Morales leaves his signature mark on his version of these two modern disco cuts cooked up by Philadelphia's Michael The Lion and Brooklyn’ Amy Douglas & Steven Klavier.

After the success of 'Funk Train' and 'Get It On', we wanted to push further and deeper and make an EP. As we started working, we knew there was one song that could be a successor to 'Get It On' - a song about overcoming hard times in our own personal lives. We wanted a chorus and a message that would burrow into your subconscious and become a kind of mantra - 'Find A Way'. Our incredibly talented friend, the vocalist Steven Klavier, was the perfect collaborator for this, and we three wrote something to stand the test of time. When struggles find you, and times are hard... reach down deep, look to the light, and “Find A Way.”

Come Away With "ESG". 35-year anniversary release of the classic genre-busting debut album by the Bronx sisters ESG. The sample-friendly opus that's the inspiration for hip-hop, house and post punk. Music that falls outside of the no wave, new wave and post punk library, it's for the dance floor but it's not funk, there's no horns, no driving organ; it's the opposite of Sly And The Family Stone but no less cool and no less groovy. 'A lasting document of their unique brand of minimal funk that would influence subsequent post-punk, hip-hop, and dance music acts. Stripped down to the most basic of drumbeats and rudimentary bass lines, 'Come Away' confirms the notion that the real rhythm is what happens between the beats. - AllMusic // 'This is dub disco with a punk edge.' Paste // 'Uncut punk-funk straight off the streets of the South Bronx.' Record Collector // 'ESG are that rare thing' Guardian // 'Come Away with ESG sounds so shockingly current.' Paste // 'A musical snapshot of New York City at the beginning of the '80s.' - Allmusic.

It's a Turkish Jazz-Funk Delight...!

Some hard-hitting rhythm section blending into a prime example of the swingin' sound of the cool influences of Jazz, Funk and Folk music, with a Turkish flavor. It's fantastic funk jazz groove built on a titanium synth bassline!

An instrumental library of traditional Turkish Jazz session reaching a great climax in drums and percussion sets + electro-bass break with moog and synthesizers from the beginning to the end.

Traditional Turkish songs are based on drums and synth bass over moody 5/8 fuzz guitars...

Album recorded & released in Denmark, 1979, and it has never been released in Turkey.

Madcliff recorded one album in 1977 from which come these two tracks for the first time on 7” single. Singer, Songwriter, Drummer, Bassist and Keyboardist Chris Hills wrote the songs and was integral to the group before joining Players Association. The killer cut is the funk bomb “You Can Make The Change” which was made popular by Keb Darge at his legendary deep funk nights and has been sought after ever since.

Originally released in 2011 as CD and digital exclusives on Ikebe Shakedown's debut self-titled album, "Asa-Sa" and the B-side "Pepper" are both horn-driven, heavy, Afro-influenced slices of funk best-served on the 7" format. 'Ikebe Shakedown' has kept their signature funk, tight horns and impeccable rhythm through several releases including their most recent album "Kings Left Behind" on Colemine Records which made it to #2 on Billboards Jazz chart.

Mavericks of the musical landscape, Brooklyn’s finest genre-defying duo Dave + Sam release their anticipated debut album ‘No Shade’ on Classic Music Company this spring, a thirteen-track narration of the 21st century experience, told through the eyes of vocalist Dave Giles II and production maestro Sam O.B. With the aim to package love, empowerment and socio-political commentary into a collection of tracks that never compromise on groove or soul, this enchanting album never loses sight of its message as it journeys from deep Chicago house and otherworldly melodies to funk-laden jams and adventurous studio experimentation.

Hinged tightly by the soulful nuances of Moodymann, Mos Def and Gil Scott Heron, Dave’s captivating spoken word delivery is purposeful and considered, as Sam weaves rhythms and grooves so deep you can get lost in them – the two musical narratives working in perfect harmony. Impassioned cuts like ‘Facts’, ‘Worth It’ and ‘Sauce’ leverage hip-hop’s tradition of battle rap against white supremacist rhetoric, a message that remains ever more relevant in today’s political climate. Title track ‘No Shade’, ‘Day One (Oh Baby)’ and ‘Can’t Get Enough’ allow stories of love and loss to unfold to the listener, while the stripped-back grooves of ‘Round The Way’ and ‘You Da Shit Girl’ add another dimension to the album. Featuring a number of collaborators such as Chicago legend Mike Dunn, powerhouse vocalist Ramona Renea and fellow Brooklyn natives Cor.Ece and LATASHÁ, ‘No Shade’ is an evocative, powerful and joyful experience when played in its entirety.

Recorded in Brooklyn’s Bedford Stuyvesant, a neighbourhood bearing the scars of over-policing and encroaching gentrification, the vibrancy of the community and its unyielding history of creative expression shines through on the album’s entirety. As products of such environments, Dave + Sam’s music is resilient, revolutionary and organic in equal parts. An homage to their mutual reverence for early Chicago house and the golden era of underground parties in New York, ‘No Shade’ is a riveting body of work ready for you to lose yourself in.

The Star Beams album is a bit of an enigma. When we first came across their epic dance-floor monster 'Disco Stomp’ it was on a Disco Calypso compilation, so we assumed it originated from the Caribbean. Years later we worked out how wrong we were and that this nugget was actually from South Africa and taken off an ultra scarce album on JAS Pride records from 1976. The next problem was tracking down an original copy and we don’t think we’ve ever seen our Bongo team member Gary Johnson as happy as the day he turned up clutching a copy under his arm. 'Play Disco Specials' was produced by Ray Nkwe who also worked with Mankunku Quartet and The Soul Jazzmen, with all writing credits on the album going to Ray, the recording credited to engineer Robin Ritchie and the artwork to Carol Knowles. Other than this, the personnel of the record remains a mystery, but sometimes a bit of mystery is a good thing. Aside from the disco-jazz-funk of 'Disco Stomp’, which has found it’s way into the DJ sets of Theo Parrish, 'Play Disco Specials’ will appeal to fans of The Star Beams South African contemporaries The Drive, Batsumi and Pacific Express.

Funk 45 champions The Mighty Mocambos deliver another colourful record in their favorite format. Both break-heavy psychedelic soul score theme Supertrada and battle proven b-boy jam Concrete Stardust are from the much celebrated album "2066". By popular demand, here they come in exclusive DJ-friendly uncut/extended versions. A hard-hitting double-sider set to be a resident in your 45 case.

Third time is a charm they say. But if the first 2 times were already so memorable, what more can you ask for?
Nebraska comes in with a bang for his third release on Heist after ‘Soften the Wireless’ EP in 2016 and ‘Metaphor to the floor’ in 2017. It’s hard to believe it has been 3 years since his last appearance on Heist, but with ‘Y’miss me baby?’, Nebraska takes back center stage with another releasefull of disco flavored electronics. Italian disco man-of-the-moment Giovanni Damico comes along for the ride and delivers a stunning 80’s flavoredremix.
It’s not to say that Nebraska (Alistair Gibbs) has been sitting still since 2017. He’s launched his own label ‘Friends & Relations’ where he explores his cut-and-paste style even more with some seriously cool disco dubs and other sonic adventures. Furthermore, he made a guest appearance on Aaron Dae and JKriv’s Razor ‘n tape Reserve. Apart from his regular musical explorations, he has also published a book (Surprise party every week) where we get a glimpse of how Gibbs sees the world.
His view is one of humor and positivity and one of creating new meaning through rearranging context. This is certainly true for his music and this new EP on Heist. The title track ‘Y’miss me baby?’ oozes funk with a clever combination of samples from different contexts put together to create something altogether new, yet familiar. The track has a real 80’s disco vibe to it and the vocoder adds even more to the ‘Zapp & Roger’ flavor of things. It’s a laidback track that feels like it was recorded on a gloomy Sunday evening with no pressure on anything and just room for fun.
The vibe takes a complete left-hand turn with ‘Dip and Flip’, a high energy house track that rattles, loops and bleeps into a full-on disco frenzy.
The b-side kicks off with Italian disco wizard Giovanni Damico remixing the title track. He’s had a great run recently with releases on Lumberjacks in Hell and more recently on Star Creature, where he’s found a home to explore his own view on modern day boogie. His ‘jam’ remix flips the track into a freeform arrangement where guitars, disco claps, delays and retro synth licks all work together for a great taste of Italian boogie.
The EP finishes off in true Nebraska style, with yet another curveball. ‘Xia long bao’ sounds like a lost Nick Holder track from the 90’s with its loopy island style Rhodes and lazy chanting. The choice of samples along with the catchy groove makes this a signature Nebraska track and a quality closer for this single.
We are super happy to have Nebraska back on Heist and with this amazing EP, you are certainly going to create smiles on your dancefloor of choice.
Yours Sincerely,
Lars & Maarten

'Funky Music Part One' has been our most requested song from the Sons Of Slum 'Music Is the Message' album from 2019 so we've released it on 7". The song is an infectious horn led proto disco dancer that brings joy upon the horns first opening up. The 'Part Two' version sees the group getting down deep and funky as the song takes a change in tempo and direction.

First vinyl reissue of this 1977 LP by one of the great figures of Brazilian music. Brilliant tracks like E necessario, Verao carioca, Venha dormir em casa or Musica para Betinha make it one of the strongest albums to come out of Brazil in the 1970s. Presented in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180g vinyl. TIP!

Tim Maia was born in 1942 in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro and started his musical career at an early age, along with close friends such as Roberto Carlos or Jorge Ben. Carlos would eventually help him to get a deal for his first single at CBS.



During the 70s Maia started to incorporate soul and funk elements into his style. After a two-year period involvement in the Racional cult in Brazil, Maia's funky style was still at its best when he released this album in 1977. It was his first and only recording for Som Livre, the legendary label that became extremely popular due to the many soap operas soundtracks in its extensive catalogue.

Hailing from Cluj-Napoca, Heion is a producer, DJ, songwriter, music production teacher and label head of Redolent Records. Throughout a career spanning nearly a decade, he’s shared bills with the likes of David Morales, Ray Mang, Session Victim and Kraak & Smaak, performed with the Hungarian Opera Orchestra and always stayed committed to being a true dancefloor eclectic.

Heion’s latest release is Make Believe, an energetic four tracker on his own freshly launched imprint. It blends a variety of meandering synth solos and quirky analog licks, all wrapped up in the programmed yet deeply organic rhythms that have come to define Heion’s sound.

The release also marks the birth of Redolent Records, a label dedicated to being a true home for sonic excitement while pushing boundaries and inspiring deliberate, well-rounded creations. It aims to pay homage to artists that paved the way musically and to the ones that still inspire across soul, funk and disco.

Four synth-heavy jams explore everything from gratitude and creative doubt to the bittersweet joy of balancing out different influences. Solid grooves and chunky basslines drive each emotionally colorful tune forward, whether it’s heard during a starlit night drive or a thumping warm-up in a large, darkened room.
Heion has spent the past three years composing and recording in several studios, all the while exploring new instruments and gradually leaving his comfort zone behind; you can hear the fruits of this labor in a swirl of modern funk, soul and disco that leaves you feeling refreshed and optimistic.

Live jazzy orchestral interpretations of the Jay Dee aka J Dilla produced Slum Village classic Fantastic Vol 2! The end result is Fantastic 2020, a hybrid blend of smooth, funky brass rhythms with boom-bap sensibilities that is just the kind of tribute that an often unsung, but highly influential group like Slum Village deserves, and is a more than welcome addition to any Dilla completist's library.

The first Be With foray into the archives of revered German library institution Selected Sound is one of our favourites on the label - the super in-demand Japan from Victor Cavini, originally released in 1983.

Rare and sought-after for many years now, this is one of those cult library LPs that never turn up. With Daibutsu the giant Buddha of Kamakura’s presence gracing the hefty front cover, this is a record bursting with dope samples for adventurous producers: it’s koto-funk madness!

Victor Cavini was the library music pseudonym of prolific German composer and musician Gerhard Trede. He was known for exploring instruments and styles from around the world (he played over 50 different instruments himself) and Japan is
his collection of 14 musical sketches painted with traditional Japanese wind and string instruments. These are the sounds of traditional Japanese folk music re-interpreted through Western ears, with the occassional contemporary twist. Contemporary for 1983, of course.

These “Pictures of Japan” are hypnotic, sometimes frantic, but always beautiful. The first twelve tracks offer airy explorations of koto and flute, with other strings and percussion being added and then given their own space. Indeed “Pictures of Japan XII” is just drums.

And then “Pictures of Japan XIII” seems to come out of nowhere. But the subtle sleaze of its full band sound still doesn’t quite prepare you for the towering climax of “Pictures of Japan XIV”.

This is Japan’s undoubted standout piece, completely and wonderfully at odds with the rest of the album. It’s the reason this has become such a must-have record. It keeps the traditional Japanese instruments but combines them with shuffling funk breaks, electric bass high in the mix and a Godzilla-sized psychedelic fuzz guitar sound that might actually be a traditional reed flute pushed to its limits. Whatever it is, it sounds awesome.

Recalling both Rino de Filippi’s Oriente Oggi and Giancarlo Barigozzi’s Oriente, the track’s a real head-nod groove for b-boys and b-girls alike that sounds straight out of a late 70s Yakuza film. Indeed, if you were told The RZA or Onra had cooked this up in the lab this century, you’d be convinced. It’s crazy that this dates from 1983.

The audio for Japan has been sensitively remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis to keep all the character of the original recordings. Richard Robinson has handled the careful restoration of the original Selected Sound sleeve. Essential.

Widely and rightly regarded as one of the best ever soul and funk bands, the now legendary Average White Band tore-up the rule book and conquered the US, UK & International charts with a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. AWB’s repertoire has been a source of inspiration and influence for many R&B acts and they are one of the most sampled bands in history, remaining relevant today, continuing to reach new generations of younger audiences. Snoop Dogg, Fatboy Slim, Ice Cube, Puff Daddy, TLC, Rick Ross, will.i.am and Mark Ronson amongst countless others, have all borrowed sections of their grooves. ‘Person To Person’ is the 5th album by AWB, originally released at the end of 1976. The Double album was recorded live during their Sold-Out US Tour at Tower Theater and The Spectrum, Philadelphia and at The Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh; The Coliseum, Cleveland. It was produced by Atlantic’s legendary producer, Arif Mardin and reached #28 in the USA. ‘Person To Person’ includes an 18-minute funk/jam of ‘Pick Up The Pieces’ and a 9-minute extravaganza in ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’.

5 years, after his debut „The Being Of The Beautiful“ (ILYA) was recommended „for every shelf “ by Das Filter, Philipp Priebe inaugurates his STÓLAR imprint and opens with an EP, that is acting as a prequel of sorts to his debut album. Titlecut „The Clouds All Form A Geometric Shape“ leads on the release, fusing dusty drum sounds, a funk infused bass line and hazy, ethereal pads while the focal stages ease in an amalgamation of resonant
acidting ed flutters, metallic chimes, wind instruments and a baroque dynamism from the rhythmic elements. „St.Peters“ opens the BSide next, laying focus on crunchy, swinging drums, choppy bass stabs and intricately unfolding resonant synth licks before an enchanting organ line is introduced to carry the groove for the rest of the composition. Kim Brown then round out the release with their take on „St.Peters“, reworking the original with their own twist , bringing the rhythmic elements to the forefront in the mix and introducing their own playful acid tinged bass hook ebbing and flowing amongst the original’s cinematic elements.

Widely and rightly regarded as one of the best ever soul and funk bands, the now legendary Average White Band tore-up the rule book and conquered the US, UK & International charts with a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. AWB’s repertoire has been a source of inspiration and influence for many R&B acts and they are one of the most sampled bands in history, remaining relevant today, continuing to reach new generations of younger audiences. Snoop Dogg, Fatboy Slim, Ice Cube, Puff Daddy, TLC, Rick Ross, will.i.am and Mark Ronson amongst countless others, have all borrowed sections of their grooves. ‘Soul Searching’ is the 4th album by AWB, originally released in 1976. The album reached #9 in the USA. ‘Soul Searching’ also includes the much-sampled classics ‘A Love Of Your Own’ and ‘Queen Of My Soul’, with the latter reaching #40 in the USA.
It was produced by Atlantic’s legendary producer, Arif Mardin.

Widely and rightly regarded as one of the best ever soul and funk bands, the now legendary Average White Band tore-up the rule book and conquered the US, UK & International charts with a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. AWB’s repertoire has been a source of inspiration and influence for many R&B acts and they are one of the most sampled bands in history, remaining relevant today, continuing to reach new generations of younger audiences. Snoop Dogg, Fatboy Slim, Ice Cube, Puff Daddy, TLC, Rick Ross, will.i.am and Mark Ronson amongst countless others, have all borrowed sections of their grooves. ‘Put It Where You Want It’ is a re-packaged ‘spoiler’ version of their debut album ‘Show Your Hand’ released by MCA Records in 1974, on the back of the Band’s US #1 breakthrough album ‘AWB’. The album was re-designed and replaced the original opening track ‘The Jugglers’ with ‘How Can You Go Home?’. It was produced by AWB with Robin Turner.

Presenting for the first time on vinyl - three tracks taken from one of the most obscure and fascinating scores by Stelvio Cipriani, recorded in 1980 for Joe D'Amato's exotic-erotic classic, ORGASMO NERO.

"Seq. 1" is an incredible afro- cosmic cinematic track, driven by superb conga work and other percussive instruments. Side B features the funkier "Seq. 3" (mid-tempo) and "Seq. 5" (downtempo) - both sexy and mysterious at the same time. Deep, obsessive atmospheres, blending together tropical colors, tribal vibes, and evocative moods.

MATHEMATICS RECORDINGS continues to push boundaries moving into boogie & funk territories with KELTON PRIMA'S "IN2" album release. The project is a fusion of Nubian synthetic textures with that popular Parisian R&B dance aesthetic of AIR, DAFT PUNK & GEORGE DUKE.

The tag team are back with another club-ready release bringing together their combined experience and production prowess. Dan Ghenacia and Chris Carrier are long-time friends who’ve been working together in the studio over the last few years, resulting in a series of EPs on labels like Apollonia, Adult Only and, of course, Music For Freaks, for whom this is their second release. On the A-side ‘Vocalized’ comes at us full throttle with a powerful bassline and crisp, punchy beats. The vibe is unrelenting with a neat call and response vocal clip and a simple, catchy melody in the top line, keeping it hypnotic. Funky, groovy and full of potent energy from start to end. On the flip ‘Burning’ has a similar aesthetic, with taut drums and bass, plus a range of unusual sounds to add depth and character. Indecipherable vocal clips pop up occasionally, and the pace picks up as the track hits the midpoint. A repeated siren-esque effect locks you into the groove, keeping you hopelessly hooked until the end...

Several years ago, the born under pitches DJ Crew members got their hands on a couple of original 70s obscurities, while these standout records shone brightly in their own right, the team finally decided to put them out as those obscure old records fetch eye-wateringly high prices on the second-hand market. Due to popular request & lovingly mastered to the highest possible standards, they are now available to play and share in very special moments at parties around the world. This will surely be one of the most keenly anticipated disco release of the year. For our second release, we are extremely proud to bring you at last, two very hard to find disco anthems on side A1 & B and one P-funk all time classic on A2 very sought after

+ Bonus 7" 400 ltd!

Christina Aguilera, Donny Hathaway, and Gregory Porter. If you are curious to learn how these three names are connected with Movements Vol.10 then all you got to do is to keep on reading.

Those of you who have been enjoying Tramp Records' Movements series from the very beginning know that this series is not just about funk. It actually covers a wide spectrum of genres: early Rhythm & Blues, Soul-Jazz, Latin-Soul, heavy James Brown-style Funk, and mid-70's pre-Disco. The track listing is, as on all previous volumes, selected in chronological order.

For this, our 10th jubilee album, we go back in time more than 60 years. The Frankie Greer Quartet opens the set with their beautiful composition "Spooky". Just as sweet is "Early in the Morning" by the Bill Beau Trio which was recorded in 1958. What Eunice Haze, Phylis Hendricks and the Eddie Buster Band have in common is the fact that each of them has recorded only one 45rpm single in their musical career.

Johnny Spinosa's "Come On" is a fierce Rhythm 'n Blues monster of the highest order. The same goes for The New Philadelphians. No one would question if "The Mustang" was announced as an unreleased Blue Note recording by Lou Donaldson from 1968. Cleveland Eaton, who became one of the most versatile and best jazz bassists in 1970s, started out with his band The Kats in the late 1960s. "Under the Covers" was arranged by none other than Donny Hathaway (of "The Ghetto" fame) with who he has worked closely together in his early days.

Probably one of the finest and most sought after versions of "Coming Home Baby" out there has been recorded by a german dude and bis band, Ronny Pellers Satin Sound. Another excellent cover version is delivered by The Lido which should leave any latin-jazz fan speechless. "El Mexicano" is an inconspicuous little groover while the next two tunes by Herb Crawford's Jazz Ensemble and The Runningboards are more in the soul-jazz vein. Listen to the dummer on "Louisville Assembly Plant" who goes nuts!

Still deeper forays into the musical landscape of the Windrush generation. A dazzling range of calypso, mento, joropo, steelband, palm-wine and r’n'b. Expert revivals of stringband music, from way back, alongside proto-Afro-funk. An uproarious selection of songs about the H-Bomb and modern phones, prostitution and Haile Selassie, mid-life crisis and the London Underground, racism and solidarity, the Highway Code and a 100% West Indian Royal Wedding.
For example some frantic British-Guianan joropo music-hall about Eatwell Brown from Clapham, who starts out biting off a piece of his mother-in-law’s face at a party, then devours everything in his path… a chunk of Brixton Prison, a Union Jack, a policeman’s uniform. Or Marie Bryant — collaborator of Lester Young and Duke Ellington — taking time off from skewering the South African PM Daniel Malan at her West End revue, to contribute some arch, swinging filth about uber-genitalia. Superior sound, courtesy of Abbey Road, D&M and Pallas; lovely gatefold sleeve; full-size booklet, with full notes, and fabulous previously-unseen photographs, including a set from the family archive of Russ Henderson (who led the first, impromptu Notting Hill Carnival march, in 1966).