Cerca:the heat

Brand new album from the most profilic italo disco artist. The the 19th album on his solo carreer includes 9 new track + 3 Extended Mixes. Produced by Luis Rodriguez.

Miles At The Fillmore - The Bootleg Series Vol. 3 features four historic perfor- mances from the Fillmore East and West in 1970, at a time when Miles Davis was single-handedly bringing jazz into the commercial rock era.

The visionary Bill Graham had booked Miles on a bill with The Grateful Dead at the Fillmore West and with fellow Columbia artist Laura Nyro in June 1970. The latter recordings are the earliest documented live performances of Miles’s band when he hired the keyboardists Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett, along with saxophonist Steve Grossman who had replaced Wayne Shorter. The rest of the rhythm section - bassist Dave Holland, drummer Jack De- Johnette and percussionist Airto Moreira - were the backbone of his band throughout this explosive period.

Curated by Carlos Santana, this set features fascinating firsthand accounts and profound insight into a seismic shift in American society, music, and culture. In a rare, in-depth interview, Miles was “so excited about the music that he wanted every set, every note made available to the public...” The searing heat of these concerts, originally issued in severely edited form, are now made whole. This set includes several bonus tracks like Wayne Shorter’s “Paraphernalia” and “Footprints”, an early version of “Miles Runs The Voodoo Down” plus a rare encore performance of “Spanish Key” from the Bitches Brew album.

The Bootleg Series Vol. 3: Miles At The Fillmore is available as a deluxe 6-LP boxset, housed in a lift-off box. This 6LP-set includes printed inner sleeves and a 12-page booklet with extensive liner notes and rare photos.

These are four historic performances from the Fillmore East and West in 1970, at a time when Miles Davis was single-handedly bringing Jazz into the commercial Rock era. In their unedited form, all selections are previously unissued. The searing white heat of these concerts, originally issued in severely edited form, are now made whole. This set includes several bonus tracks like Wayne Shorter's “Paraphernalia” and “Footprints”, an early version of “Miles Runs The Voodoo Down” plus a rare encore performance of Bitches Brew’s “Spanish Key”.

The visionary Bill Graham had booked Miles on a bill with The Grateful Dead at the Fillmore West and with fellow Columbia artist Laura Nyro in June 1970. The latter recordings are the earliest documented live performances of Miles’s band when he hired two keyboardists--Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett, along with saxophonist Steve Grossman who had replaced Wayne Shorter. The rest of the rhythm section--keyboardist Corea, bassist Dave Holland, drummer Jack DeJohnette and percussionist Airto Moreira--were in the backbone of this band throughout this explosive period.

Curated by Carlos Santana, this set features fascinating firsthand accounts and profound insight into a seismic shift in American society, music, and culture. In a rare, in-depth interview, Miles--while listening to the concert playback--was “so excited about the music that he wanted every set, every note made available to the public...”

High Roller Records, black vinyl, ltd 300, insert, download code, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, Cloven Hoof aus den Midlands gehören wohl zu den legendärsten Bands der gesamten New Wave Of British Heavy Metal Bewegung. Die Ursprünge der Gruppe gehen auf das Jahr 1979 zurück, als sie sich zunächst unter dem Namen Nightstalker formierte. Im Jahr 1981 wechselte die Band jedoch zu ihrem neuen Namen: Cloven Hoof. Der ursprüngliche Sänger David Potter, der Gitarrist Steve Rounds, der Schlagzeuger Kevin Poutney und der Hauptdarsteller Lee Payne am Bass nahmen die Bühnencharaktere 'Earth', 'Fire', 'Water' und 'Air' an. Nachdem sie Demo-Versionen von Songs wie "Return Of The Passover" und "Nightstalker" aufgenommen hatten, veröffentlichten Cloven Hoof 1982 ihre erste 12"-Vinyl-EP "The Opening Ritual" auf Elemental Music. 1984 wurde das selbstbetitelte Cloven Hoof-Album veröffentlicht, gefolgt von "Fighting Back" (1986), "Dominator" (1988) und "A Sultan's Ransom" (1989). Nach der Trennung in den 1990er Jahren kehrten Cloven Hoof 2006 in neuer Besetzung und mit einem neuen Album namens "Eye Of The Sun" zurück. Im Jahr 2014 wurde "Resist Or Serve" aufgenommen, gefolgt von "Who Mourns For The Morning Star?" (2017), beide auf High Roller Records. Das Album war eine Art Wendepunkt für die Band, da sie damit zum ersten Mal in ihrer Karriere in Nordamerika auf Tour gehen konnte. Seitdem haben Cloven Hoof zwei weitere Studioalben veröffentlicht, "Age Of Steel" auf Pure Steel Records im Jahr 2020 und "Time Assassins" auf FM Revolver zwei Jahre später.

Mit Songs wie "Do What Thou Wilt", "Sabbat Stones" und "The Summoning" markiert ihr brandneues Album "Heathen Cross" die Rückkehr zu High Roller Records. "Wir sind jetzt wieder da, wo wir hingehören", schmunzelt Lee Payne. "Heathen Cross" ist Cloven Hoofs bisher düsterstes und schwerstes Album! Es hat die satanischen Untertöne unseres Debütalbums, aber mit dem besten Sänger, den die Gruppe je hatte. Für mich persönlich ist es mit Abstand mein liebstes Cloven Hoof-Album. Wir wollten den Geist und die übernatürliche Majestät des Debütalbums wieder einfangen. Wir haben mit den Fans gesprochen und ihnen das gegeben, was sie am meisten wollten: eine Rückkehr zu den Wurzeln der NWOBHM. Sie werden es lieben!" Der Bassist ist in der Tat voll des Lobes für den neuen Sänger der Band, der ausgerechnet einen gewissen Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin verpflichtet hat: "Harry Conklin ist ein Weltklasse-Sänger. Er ist super engagiert und hochprofessionell und wir wussten, dass er nahtlos in die Band passen würde. Seine stimmliche Leistung auf dem neuen Album hebt die Band in neue Höhen, und ich kann es kaum erwarten, dass die Fans ihn hören. Harry ist ein erstaunlicher Sänger, er ist so vielseitig. Er kann hoch, tief und immer mit Kraft und Leidenschaft singen. Er weiß, wie man einen Song lebt und verkauft. Harry ist wie ein Schauspieler, der eine Geschichte erzählt, niemand interpretiert meine Texte so wie Mr. Conklin. Ich kann ihn nicht genug loben. Wir hätten schon vor Jahren zusammenarbeiten sollen."

Lee Payne - Bass Guitar, Harry (The Tyrant) Conklin - Lead Vocals, Luke Hatton - Lead Guitar, Chris Coss - Lead Guitar, Ash Baker Drums / Backing Vocals, Chris Dando - Keyboards / Backing Vocals

Young Marble Giants' "Colossal Youth" has mystified and beguiled audiences since its 1980 release. Seen by primary songwriter Stuart Moxham as "a last gasp" at making a record, Stuart insisted the one-off 7" deal offered by Rough Trade be altered to allow an entire album . . . that paid off when with a big seller which produces cover versions even from bands whose members were a decade or two away from being born on the album's release. When YMG disbanded, Stuart was at a loss; he'd never envisioned a follow-up. A series of experimental recordings made with pal Phil Legg (Essential Logic) and supported by other YMG members, musicians from This Heat and Swell Maps, old Cardiffian pals, and new friends like Vivien Goldman resulted in an album, "Embrace The Herd", as The Gist. Released just before Rough Trade made bold moves toward pop charts with Scritti Politti, The Smiths and others, the album was odd for its time, but has since taken on the lustre of genius. Years of silence followed, thereafter intermittently broken by the odd release from small labels. Stuart delved into family life, though he never stopped writing and recording. In more recent years, two retrospective compilation of lost recordings by The Gist have been released, as well as a superb collaboration with French arranger Louis Philippe, "The Devil Laughs". "Fabstract" is the final gathering of Stuart's lost recordings. Compiling long-lost YMG-era tracks with the recent brilliance of "Crow, Crow" and "Suburban Monochrome", through bits of whimsy and vastly alternate versions of fan faves, this diverse album shouldn't work . . . but it does, telling a satisfying story of an underrated talent whose mistake was following his muse, not the charts. This album precedes a new recording, years in the making, produced by Dave Trumfio, which promises to be Stuart's most complete - and original - work since "Colossal Youth". Tracks:

goat (JP) are renowned for two albums released in 2013 and 2015 that took Kraftwerk’s man-machine concept back to its roots with swingeing, inch-tight drums, bass and guitar patterns that needed to be heard to be believed. For their long-in-the-making new album ‘Joy In Fear’, band leader Koshiro Hino (YPY, KAKUHAN) describes the process as “90 percent pain” - and we can well believe it - few other records we can think of transmute DAW-composed rhythmic precision into such an expressive instrumental performance. It really is a feat of determination, skill and execution that seems to defy human dexterity.

Make no mistake - an academic exercise it ain’t - in the most visceral sense, goat (JP) make BODY music, for dancing, flailing, for losing yourself in completely. As usual, Hino plays guitar, backed by bassist Atsumi Tagami, while Akihiko Ando joins on saxophone, while Takafumi Okada and Rai Tateishi step in to handle percussion, with the latter moonlighting on flute. Every sound is sculpted into a fragment of cadence: guitar and bass prangs alternately echo and dance between the drums, and Ando's sax is mutated into a respiratory slobber of guttural smacks and phantom breaths.

In some respects, it's tempting to label it jazz, but the kind of jazz that Miles Davis spearheaded on the game-changing 'On The Corner', the blueprint for so much post-punk, electronic music and avant rock. goat (JP) take that raw alloy and sharpen it like a blade, mangling the template with the knotty metrics of Autechre or Ryoji Ikeda. The accuracy is galvanic; it's almost impossible to comprehend each player keeping a mental note of the mathematical time signatures, and yet they floss them out with trills and icy stutters that seem to evaporate around the thick, taiko-like thuds.

They practically get our teeth gnashing with the bruxist rictus chatter of ‘III I IIII III’ , before ‘Cold Heat’ introduces subtly harmonised, new aspects to their sound with slivers of Hassellian flute and ringing overtones of their percussion, while the winding sensuality of ‘Warped’ slips down very nicely. Their links to OG no-wavers like Glenn Branca & Wharton Tiers’ Theoretical Girls - is manifest in the 8 mins of chipping stop/start pulse and parry to ‘Modal Flower’, while a total left turn into Mark Fell-meets-Ligeti-esque messed up metronomics in ‘GMF’ ties it off with a properly beguiling flourish.

Emerald vinyl LP is for Indies only. Cassette is also for indies only. San Francisco Bay Area-based metal desconstructionists’ latest is both inspired by the loss of a bandmate and the legacy of Oakland A’s legend Vida Blue. Time is a slippery fish. Loss has inspired Mamaleek’s latest full-length album, titled Vida Blue. This marks the San Francisco Bay Area metal deconstructionists’ eighth album and their third as a full lineup. Tragedy struck in March of 2023 when the band lost a longtime friend and member, keyboardist Eric Livingston, leaving the group, which began as a duo of two brothers and later expanded to a five-piece, now with only four members. Despite this profound loss, Mamaleek persevered, performing as a quartet at various festivals, including the 2023 edition of Tilburg. The band returned to the studio to create new material that appropriately reflects their journey through loss and honors their fallen comrade. The resulting album draws inspiration from the legacy of Oakland A’s baseball legend Vida Blue, whose former team coincidentally announced its relocation to Las Vegas that same year. The band members themselves describe this poignant chapter in their own words: “Time is a slippery fish. Maybe only someone like Vida could grasp it. Although he’s left time behind, his image and that lefty heat remain in the memories of many. Eventually they’ll be forgotten, and hopefully replaced with even more exultant ones. This musical recording is a reflection on loss and its acceptance. We explore several examples for each song, including the loss of pride, of money, of glory, of country, of sanity, of a favorite sports team, of significant others, and, every day, one’s self. It also explores various associated moods fear, panic, reverence, stoicism, and steadfastness—to arrive at a resolution: Loss is only a test, the glue that holds and erodes each memory, the connection that binds and loosens us all, pitch by pitch, inning by inning. This is your celebration.” Vida Blue is a person, moment, and memory, together the crystallization of apocalypse: “unveiling,” “disclosure.”

Itʼs been five years since the last BELONG long player, as the duo works slowly to organize their sound works. Both the time invested, and the wait, have been well rewarded with this return.

Common Era shows extraordinary progression from that first album of dense, scorched earth instrumentals, hints of a new direction having been revealed on the Colorless Record EP from 2008 which contained covers of four should-have-been classics from the original psychedelic era.

The new material has such common pop elements as “songs”, vocals and drum machines, but the results could hardly be called conventional and are like little else happening on the current “scene”. The songs themselves are akin to radio transmissions received from another time and place, just as likely to be the future as the past, or even from a contemporary alternate universe.

They are both passionate and dispassionate, grey yet technicolor, ghostly and palpable, distant yet immediate, grainy and focused. Upon listening these conceptual contradictions are dismissed with ease, as the recordings reveal that they fit all of these descriptors simultaneously, an extraordinary balancing act.

Fourth volume of Library Music miniatures by Daniel O’Sullivan (Ulver, Æthenor, This is Not This Heat, etc) for VHF, this time commissioned by the legendary German Music Library, Sonoton. Another sampling of O’Sullivan’s versatility and brilliance as a composer, performer, and sound designer, the focus on The Pastoral Machine is more “electronic” compared to the three previous albums O’Sullivan recorded for KPM (also issued on LP by VHF), with simpler arrangements and a focus on gentle and emotive synthesised soundworlds. Even without as many full ensemble arrangements, there’s still a wealth of diversity—“Empathogen” opens the record with latticed arpeggiating sequences recalling Japanese “environmental music” or Persian Surgery-era Terry Riley, “Fruit Of Stream Entry” burbles with gentle ripples evoking the album’s title, while “The Silversmith Of Space” mines a simple chord sequence evoking Eno’s ’70s classic short instrumentals. “Superstrings” is a series of hypnotic overlapping guitar patterns, like a lost Ash Ra or Achim Reichel track. The brief “Star Lore” is a heavy highlight with deep bass washes and grainy, tape-laminated melodies, followed immediately by Rose Keeler Schaffeler’s vocal feature on “The Oscillating Love” recalling futurist new-age pop in the vein of Enya or Virginia Astley. Housed in a jacket and heavy euro-style inner featuring collages by O’Sullivan, soon to be the subject of an art book published by Timeless Editions in mid-2024.

B2 Recordings is back with a second release that is every bit as good as the first. This one comes from Reece Johnson and is a joyous mix of uplifting disco sounds with a timeless edge. 'Comin' In Hot' is a lose-limbed opener with percussive edgy and low-slung drums topped off with dazzling chords. 'Glass Heart' then brings the funk with more expert looseness and this time some hooky and soulful vocals. 'Sup America' keeps the party rolling with instrumental disco brilliance and a Spanish vocal to add real heat while 'Feelin' The Beat' and 'Got To Be Free' close out with higher tempos but no less class.

Shrouded in mystery, hailing from Hamburg, Germany, Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band (BRSB) releases their long awaited debut “55” on Brooklyn’s own Big Crown Records. Long time multi-instrumentalist and band leader Bjorn Wagner spent a few months in Trinidad & Tobago where he became fascinated with Steel Drums. His initial intrigue with local steel pan music culture led him to learning the instrument both through help of local players and on his own. After he became proficient on the pans Bjorn had his own instrument built from a used oil barrel by legendary pan man Louis C. Smith. Upon returning home to Germany, Bjorn set out to blend the Tropical Steel into his already sharply honed Funk, Soul, and Hip-Hop sensibilities. The outcome is an updated take on a classic format, a truly unique sound. Their first two recordings were covers of The Meters “Look A-Py-Py” & “Ease Back” which they self-released on a 45. Looking back on these two sides you can tell they were just getting their chops up for what was to come next. This is evidenced by how all hell broke loose when they went on to cover 50 Cent’s hit PIMP taking the DJ and vinyl collecting communities by storm. Many people thought the recording was the original sample and probably still do to this day when it is played. The original Mocambo pressing sold out quickly and is now a collector’s item fetching heavy prices when it changes hands. It was this tune that made the introduction between Bjorn and Danny Akalepse of Big Crown. They immediately hit it off and started making plans to do a full length project with the band. Keeping in the tradition of Steel Drum records, 55 is a journey through re-interpolations and covers with an updated approach, pushing Steel Pan music to uncharted territory. Flawlessly bringing previously untouched genres into the steel pan cannon ranging from Underground Hip Hop tunes to staple Funk tracks and some of all that falls in between. BRSB’s 55 is reinvigorating tunes both well-known and helping to shed some light on tunes still largely undiscovered. However, some of the strongest tunes on the album are original compositions, from spaced out Disco vibes on “Beetham Highway Ride” and “Port Of Spain Hustle” to the ugly face inspiring drums of “Laventille Road March”. Recorded to analog 8 track tape at The Mocambo Studios in Hamburg, 55 is a gritty, punchy journey in sound drawing on music from around the world, using production aesthetics from across both eras and genres, all coming together seamlessly. If the 45s that have already come out on Mocambo, Plane Jane, and Truth & Soul are an indication, this full length is going to be a staple to both casual listeners and Disc Jockeys alik

Houston, TX Legend & Rap Icon Sauce Walka, unleashes his first full length offering of 2024, Saucefather 2. The album is the follow up to his widely celebrated mixtape, The Saucefather, originally released in 2017. With features from Lil Yachty, BossMan Dlow, Wizz Havinn, Peezy, YTB Fatt & more, Sauce has earned his respect in the rap game, consistently proving "he's a force to be reckoned with lyrically" said HotNewHipHop. With cosigns from heavy hitting rap luminaries such as Jay-Z, Drake, J. Cole, Bun B, Conway the Machine and more, it’s clear Sauce Walka’s trajectory is only headed upward. Filled with odes to DJ Screw, Saucefather 2 pays homage to the unique and innovative Houston Chopped & Screwed Hip-Hop culture.

Indignation Meeting are punky rail fans from Leeds. 15-year-old Peter is the driver - he's the drummer and lead singer, writes most of the songs, and also plays bass and trumpet on the album. The rest of the crew is his dad Michael on guitar, Hugo on bass, and with Keith, Heather and Sally often along for the ride when they play out. Here at DGHQ we've been listening to their self-released debut album Trouble In The Shed since last year and finally spoke with the band and agreed to release it on vinyl for the first time. It was very good timing as they've just been in the studio to finish recording their second album, so we'll be releasing that later in 2024. Welcome on-board! We caught up with Peter to ask as few questions about the band_ Q: "In a week when the Labour Party promised to return the rail network to public ownership, we ask how did your fascination with trains begin?" A: "Honestly, I don't really know - I've just loved them ever since I can remember. It's not like with some people who had a family connection or watched Thomas the Tank Engine; I've just always loved them. I guess it's just a childhood obsession that never went away!" Q: "'Trouble In The Shed' is quickly becoming a firm office favourite here at DG. There's a touch of punk, indie and new wave about it. What would you say are the key influences that make up your musical DNA?" A: "My main influence when this album was released was Blyth Power. They'd been my favourite band for years when this was recorded, so everything on it was influenced by them in some way. They've had so many different musical styles over the years that they kind of conglomerated into this album, to create yet another eclectic mix of songs. The only real exception to that on this album is Electrification - no prizes for guessing the influence there! If you see us live, however, you may notice another influence pervading through our songs. That influence is the anarcho-hippy band 'The Astronauts,' whom I discovered midway through the recording process, and have quickly become one of my all-time favourite bands!" Q: "What's the story behind your song 'Hornby Horrors'?" A: "Hornby Horrors is an interesting one. People who haven't heard it may assume it's about some ill-fated model railway endeavour, but it's actually a tale of corruption in, of all places, the model train company Hornby! This song was the result of several minor scandals at Hornby HQ making their way to the modelling masses, the main ones of which were an ill-fated tier list, which placed retailers in three categories as to whether or not they received Hornby's products, with tier 3 retailers barely getting anything at all. Interestingly, the UK's former biggest retailer, Hatton's Model Railways, was a tier 3 retailer due to their 'competing products' (made by their own small brand Hatton's Originals') and has recently announced closure due to financial hardship. Now as we all know, correlation does not equal causation, but I wonder_" Q: "The album is being released on a specific shade of green vinyl. What's the significance?" A: "The shade of green on the vinyl is very similar to the shade worn by the locomotives from the Great Western Railway in the 1870s - 1940s. Due to this connection, we thought it was only proper we picked this colour, which we have dubbed 'Great Western Green!'" Q: "The album release coincides with an appearance at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool this August. Can you give the readers three reasons why they should come and see your performance?" A: "1 - We like to think we provide something different with our music - it is very obviously punk, but it's a bit more light-hearted than a lot of the political stuff, with nearly all the songs being about some sort of obscure steam loco engine. If you just want something light-hearted to enjoy, we might just be the band for you! 2 - We've got a rather interesting line up - instead of the usual line-ups you see, we've got a 15 year-old singing drummer with his dad on guitar, a newly-turned adult with a massive ginger afro playing the bass, the guitarist from the old anarcho band 'Dog On A Rope' playing some gnarly lead parts, and all topped off with some beautiful backing vocals from the drummer's sister and mother. As Attila the Stockbroker described us, Blyth Power meets the Partridge Family - not to be missed! 3 - Here's something you won't forget in a hurry - as well as his vocals, our 15-year-old frontman Peter plays drums and trumpet at the same time! If that's something you want to see, make sure you get down to see us!"

Comes with insert and download coupon.

Imagine a Latin remake of Back to the Future. The mad scientist is Arsenio Rodriguez (the godfather of salsa) and the young student who travels through time with him is Eblis Alvarez (Meridian Brothers). This album can only be described as the perfect soundtrack for that movie that never was.

After the massive buzz generated by his first solo album, Mentallogenic, Alex Figueira got back in the studio to work in a more collective fashion this time, carefully assembling the second album of his largest project to date, Conjunto Papa Upa; a team of 6 musicians, spanning 3 generations of some of the best talent in the Latin and avant-garde scenes.

In an era where tropical music is dominated by purely electronic and rhythmically uniform sounds, the ten songs encompassed in “Fruta Madura” (“Ripe Fruit”) wander through the most diverse tempos, rhythms, and motifs effortlessly. A real breath of fresh air that gracefully incorporates soul, funk, jazz, psychedelia, and electronics into a solid tropical, irresistibly polyrhythmic foundation, without ever succumbing to the many genre clichés.

The distinctive production and catchy songwriting of Figueira shine in a very distinctive light on this second full-length. Living up to his reputation (Miles Cleret, founder of Soundway Records, called him “one of the scene's truly authentic and eccentric producers”), he takes the opportunity to show he’s not afraid to keep walking his own path.

Taking the band for a wild ride through the traditions of Africa, America, and the Caribbean; contrasting them with a ridiculously wide plethora of vintage, contemporary, and futuristic sounds, and pivoting on the exuberant musicality displayed by his musicians; the result leaves no doubt: this album is destined to be considered a future classic of the exciting tropical psychedelic music of the 21st century.

Addressing the most diverse themes in this new collection of songs, things take on a much more mature tone, as the title clearly suggests.

The opening track “El segundo es más sabroso” (“The second one is tastier”) sets the tone in the most assertive way imaginable, with the band boldly declaring, through multiple metaphorical references (laid upon a crazy mix of Dominican merengue, Detroit techno, classic and free jazz, dub, and electro), that the bar will be set higher with this second album.

The remaining compositions touch upon the most diverse subjects, with a fair dose of humor, sarcasm, and postmodern “magic realism”. “El Algoritmo” (The Algorithm) is a parranda-cumbia hybrid (for lack of a specific term) about the omnipresence of technology in our lives. The sophisticated Latin soul of the titling track “Fruta Madura” makes a case for the beauty of the maturity process. Some key philosophical teachings of Marcus Aurelius (the role of causality, the impositions of “the logos” and the importance of self-control) get a twisted cumbia treatment on “Reos del Deseo” (Prisoners of Desire). “No le pongas Coca-Cola” (“Don’t put Coca Cola in it”) shows us the most satirical side of the band, accusing those who mix Coca Cola with Rum of committing "sacrilege", on a powerful base of Dem Bow (the grandfather of Reggaeton), intertwined with touches of soul, salsa, and Cuban comparsa.

"Háblame Claro" (“Talk to me clearly”) is a story of heartbreak that evokes in its first part the spirit of the erotic salsa of the 80s (a subgenre deeply despised by purists), and after an unexpected samba interlude, leads to the hardest salsa of the 70s (a subgenre adored by purists), to end up in the surprising form of pure Afro-Cuban ceremonial music.

“Tu mamá tenía razón” ("Your Mom Was Right") is an attempt to exalt the spirit of the Latin American soap opera in the key of “acid bachata”, to recount a real-life case, witnessed by the band on countless occasions: the partying woman who arrives at the show accompanied by her bitter husband, who obviously does not like to dance. A very cheeky song to talk about the very serious and pertinent topic of female empowerment.

“La misma vaina” (“The same thing”) with its indescribable blend of bantú, candomblé, and Mozambique rhythms with abstract synthesizers, is an ode to adventure in favor of the aversion to taking risks and seeking predictability.

“Amigas picadas” (“Salty friends”) is another humorous song recounting another real-life case witnessed by the band on countless occasions: a love encounter sabotaged by the girlfriend's friends, who all happen to fancy the same guy. A jazzy take on the ancient Dominican rhythm of pambiche (grandfather of merengue), with generous psychedelic touches, resembling the classy late 60s releases of Guadeloupe's legendary producer / label owner Henri Debs.

“Vinimos a hablar” (“We came to talk”) takes sarcasm to the highest level, to ridicule the absurdity (also experienced by the band firsthand) seen in live music venues where people pay a ticket to go and have conversations that could be carried out much better on any bar, where no band is playing. The music alternates between a delicate melody with loose, sparse percussion and a full-on, pumping Angolan semba, with a techno kick drum included; bringing things to an apotheotic grooving finale, where the peculiar swing of Venezuelan calypso from the Callao region is thrown on top of all the precedent elements; closing the album in the most uplifting, “end of the carnival parade” feel.

The artwork is a delicate and impactful oil painting by Colombian artist Kevin Simón Mancera, who has collaborated many times with the label before (“Maracas, tambourines and other hellish things” tape and the Lola’s Dice LP).

What the experts are saying:

“Alex (Figueira) dove into this work with a brutal cohesion between lyrics and synths. Timbre poetry, sound poetry (you name it). And that, superimposed on his always impeccable percussive base, confirms the title of “avant-garde visionary of our beautiful Latin music”".
EBLIS ALVAREZ (MERIDIAN BROTHERS)
“Papa Upa's infectious quirkiness is a balm against boredom. A mature album, but without an expiration date”.
GLADYS PALMERA

“Here there is a lot of strength, drum, cadence and psychedelia, lost dance rhythms, united in an intercontinental Latin/African/and Caribbean journey, a unique winning combination that we could consider the new “Ritmo Figueira”.
DISCODELIC

Conjunto Papa Upa are: 



Alex Figueira - Timbales, percussion, vocals. 

Gerardo Rosales - Congas, percussion, vocals. 

Ramón Mendeville - Bongos, percussion, vocals. 

Randy Winterdal - Bass.

Andrew Moreno - Guitar.

Nico Chientarolli - Organ, piano, synths.



All songs written by Alex Figueira. 

Arranged and performed by Conjunto Papa Upa. 

Recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by Alex Figueira at Heat Too Hot, Amsterdam.


Die Geschichte von Canned Heat ist auch gleichzeitig die Geschichte von Exzessen, Drogenmissbrauch, psychischen Erkrankungen und Tablettensucht, verbunden mit der Affinität für bandinternen Begräbnisse. So sagte erst vor kurzem Drummer Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra in einem Interview: "Ich bin nach über 55 Jahren noch immer bei Canned Heat. Überhaupt noch am Leben zu sein, ist hier schon ein Triumph". Schließlich war Fito seit dem zweiten offiziellen Album der Band "Boogie With Canned Heat" mit dabei, das 1968 auf dem US-Label Liberty veröffentlicht wurde. 1970 erschien "Future Blues", das erste Album mit dem neuen Gitarristen Harvey Mandel. Mit "So Sad (The World"s in a Tangle)" enthält das Album den ersten Umweltschutz-Song der Band. Es handelt vom ständigen Smog über Los Angeles. "Let"s Work Together", eine Coverversion von Wilbert Harrisons "Let"s Stick Together" aus dem Jahre 1962, wurde für Canned Heat weltweit zu einem Top Ten Hit. Im gleichen Jahr folgte der Konzertmitschnitt ""70 Concert: Recorded Live In Europe". Aufgenommen an verschiedenen Orten während der Tournee durch Europa (u. a. der Londoner Royal Albert Hall), ist dies das erste offizielle Live-Album der Band und gleichzeitig das letzte Tondokument von Canned Heat mit Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, der im September 1970 an einer Überdosis Tabletten starb. Mit "Final Vinyl" veröffentlichten Canned Heat vor kurzem ihr letztes Album; "Future Blues" und ""70 Concert: Recorded Live In Europe" gehören zu ihren essentiellen Alben, als die Band in ihrer Keybesetzung mit Al Wilson, Bob Hite, Fito de la Parra, Harvey Mandel und Larry Taylor Ende der 1960er / Anfang der 1970er Jahre den Zenit ihres Schaffens erreicht hatten. Wilsons Tod hinterließ eine Lücke, die nicht mehr zu schließen war, zumal auch Larry Taylor und Harvey Mandel kurz zuvor Canned Heat verlassen hatten, um sich John Mayalls "USA-Union"-Band anzuschließen.

Fractal Void is an avant-garde duo based in Düsseldorf, Germany. Their experimental music blends electronic and contemporary genres located somewhere in the field of musical tension between ambient, drone, halfstep and floor-affine IDM. During their live sets, Fractal Void create vertical reflections by processing sounds through software and interaction with real instruments in every unique musical performance like the Chinese contemporary calligraphic practice Dishu.

Their debut album Elemental Collection unveils a dense and lavishly layered transformation of artificial organic signals, sculpting an auditory world filled with emotive landscapes, overgrown polyrhythms and futuristic elements. Embedded within each track are field recordings serving as the heartbeat of the album. Through innovative and expansive deconstruction, Fractal Void create an energetic and sometimes contemplative experience.

The persons behind Fractal Void:
Back in 2008, their musical journey began with winning a Spectrasonics competition using field recordings of a locker door, that was implemented as a bass synth. Their collaboration was continued as producers of the eight-piece electronic jazz project „Mothers of Guru“.

Marcus Scheltinga is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Besides studying jazz trombone at the Conservatorium Hilversum and the Folkwanghochschule, he works as a musical director, lecturer and coach in 39 countries around the world. From ZDF sound design to live and studio performances with international greats, his own productions have included such as Grammy winner Larry Carlton and Peter Erskine. Mid-east and Indian inspired, Marcus is a true story teller as a musician and composer.

BORGBORG is a producer and DJ. She moves freely in different styles of electronic music with a focus on avant-garde driving techno, dark hypnotic vibes seamlessly blended with deconstructed beats, noise and timeless elements of IDM. She is a member of About Repetition, a group of artists dedicated to the research of repetition through artistic means, collaborating with a wide range of other collectives across Europe and co-founder of the techno event series „SCHLEIFEN“. 

Hole In One is a classic progressive techno-trance track from the early nineties, created by Marcel “Hole In One” Hol. It was a massive worldwide dance hit and was supported by famous artists such as Paul Oakenfold, Ferry Corsten, Speedy J, and Tiësto. The song even reached #1 on the UK Dance Chart in 1997. The Live At Paleis Soestdijk Mix (also featured on the 12”) was the global dance version that utilized a simple and unmistakable modulated five-tone sequence Nord lead line, and the sounds of cheering crowds. Canadian DJ and producer Jerome Robbins brings the dance-floor heat with his more recent energetic, upbeat rolling bassline melodic house version.