- A1: Gamelan Guru, Transglobal Underground - Go South (The Karahi King Remix By Tgu)
- A2: Sam Dodson - Bj In Space
- A3: Mad Jym - Groove Of The Muddyman
- B1: Zion Train - Zula
- B2: Prior State - No World (Orcan Cerulean Mix)
- B3: Voyetra - Bird Of Paradise
- C1: 601 - Let Yourself Go (Orcan Cerulean Mix)
- C2: Banco De Gaia - Qurna (Haj Ali's Birthday Mix)
- C3: The Mighty Zulu Nation (Mzn), Lv - Abantu (Lv Raw Remix)
- D1: Ret Frem Ensemble - Unusual(Ly) Light (2023 Revision)
- D2: Echoflex, Transglobal Underground - Flight Pattern 3 (Transglobal Underground Remix)
- D3: Zyklen - Hidden Amulet
Search:the migh
- A1: The Soul Leaders & Carib Beats - Pour On The Sauce 2 45
- A2: Lynn Taitt & The Jets - I Spy 2 50
- A3: The Kilowatts - Real Cool Operator 2 20
- A4: Sir Collins & The Black Diamonds - Black Diamonds 2 43
- A5: Clive’s All Stars & George Murphy - San Sebastian 2 05
- A6: Eric Monty Morris - Cinderella 2 2
- A7: Dell Williams - Searching For Your Love 2 52
- B1: Derrick Morgan - I Who Have Nothing 3 45
- B2: Chenley Duffus - To Be A Lover 3 10
- B3: Lloyd Charmers - President Version 2 49
- B4: Tony Bins - Musical Shower 3 49
- B5: Annette Clarke - Just One Look 2 20
- B6: The Jay Boys - Del Gago 2 45
- B7: Desmond Riley - Tear Them 2 58
Here is our Hot Sauce Volume 5 showcasing some seriously groovy and rare Rocksteady,
Boss and Reggay tracks mixed expertly for yet another thrilling early Reggae experience on vinyl.
Here is the much anticipated volume 5 of the HOT SAUCE compilation LPs dedicated to the Trojan related labels between 1965 and 1975.
HOT SAUCE volume 5 features outstanding original Rocksteady, Boss Reggae and early Reggae (“Reggay”) tracks including rare songs, overlooked gems, hidden treasures and a couple of hits. The record labels showcased on this fourth volume are Amalgamated, Bread, Downtown, Duke, Explosion, Grape, Harry J Records , JJ Records, Rio, Splash, Upsetter and Techniques.
The tracks here have been selected according to their musical interest firstly, their rarity, and their complementarity.
These tracks are all outstanding tracks, “killer tracks”, there is no “filler” whatsoever.
Particular attention has been paid to the way the songs are sequenced (or “mixed”) so that the album builds up nicely and gradually, generally starting
with the Rocksteady songs on the A side and the 70s songs on the B side.
The HOT SAUCE series is a musical journey across Trojan and its labels showcasing early Jamaican Reggae’s diverse musical genres and outstanding artists.
Since the early 70s’ “Tighten Up” and “Club Reggae” series, no compilations have really explored these labels in depth on vinyl.
It might be the last volume of the series as we know it so we wanted to make a splash for volume 5.
It is a nod to self-censored lewd Reggae covers from Trojan and Pama in early 70s. So don't fret,
a collectible yellow sticker has been strategically applied on the shrink-wrap to cover Miss Rocksteady's bottom!!
With its striking cover and its thrilling Reggay selection, volume 5 is bound to become another successful album in the Hot Sauce series...
Since launching her own club night, “Motivation,” back in 2018, B.AI has played a key role in bringing the underground’s club sounds to her home country, China. While introducing some of the scene's most exciting artists to her local audiences, she emerged as one to look out for as well: first as a DJ and quickly thereafter as a producer. Her original takes – a sensitive, highly personal approach to melody and a knack for playing with expectations – crystallized in a slew of A+ releases and a couple of international tours. This trajectory, shaped by taking matters into her own hands and self-empowerment, now sees a logical next step, with the inception of a label that will also operate under the “Motivation” banner and features her own “Hope” EP as its first release.
Sparkling mallets, with synth-pop quality catchiness, open the title track. Rather than further evolving, their two-bar arrangement gets looped over and again, serving as the foundation for a slick FM bass rhythm and a variety of hooks. Although these incline to the bright, the overall vibe is melancholic. In vintage B.AI style, the aptly titled “Hope” is more ambiguous than its patches suggest. Similarly, the vocal this type of palette would call for ultimately comes in the form of aloof, covert musings. A bit buried in the mix, they are most efficient – just like the tension that keeps brooding underneath the surface.
“Murderbot Diaries 1991” turbocharges four-to-the-floor synthetic drums with an arpeggiated rolling bass. The blue note melody on top feels sequenced via a pocket calculator, and the dissonant, electroclash-reminiscent stabs that follow might sound even more angular. The tune is frantic, sinister – and perhaps above all tongue in cheek. It reaches fever pitch with the arrival of a tubular bell theme between the two breaks.
“Once”’s slomo cutoff modulation on the 16th note mid-bass instantly creates a sultry atmosphere that meshes greatly with the pastel cool of the gently delayed DX7 leads. The energy drifts between effortless control and uncertain outcome. These contrasts are amplified as the drums alternate amidst moderation and beat-repeat rendered havoc.
On “Only We Know,” a progressive sine lead lays out the central motif. Yet as briskly as it appears, it makes way for detuned, gliding square waves taking on the same theme. This outlines the track’s structure: as slightly morphed repetitions keep getting introduced almost haphazardly, a dreamlike, mesmerizing ambience unfolds. Techy drum rhythms and a 101-type bass make sure everything stays fuelled. Within the ingenious tapestry of melodies and new twists, it never loses touch with the dance floor. It illustrates B.AI’s club savvy neatly and is therefore a perfect closer for this EP.
Impressing the next set of colossal armaments onto wax, 'Order / The Mould' introduces a multitude of esteemed producers from London's musical melting pot to the high-grade Sentry artist roster. Fusing the sounds of bass music heavyweight Boylan and the enigmatic Logos, Slimzee the Grime visionary and co-founder of Rinse FM as well as the trio of veteran producers USF top off this epic collaboration. Following up on the latest anthem with Killa P and Long Range on the microphone and the label boss Youngsta himself on the controls, the 14th vinyl release of the esteemed UK imprint once again demonstrates its eminent value.
An exemplary no-holds-barred sound system eclipse, 'Order' kicks off with granular foley and restrained percussive ambience, invoking the impending militant pressure excursions with haunting precision. As the mammoth bassline unloads onto your listeners with unbridled might and the full force of the law, the ensuing staccato pressure artillery leaves no headroom behind - dance floor levitation at its finest. Witnessing the B-Side, 'The Mould' incorporates meticulous breaks alongside the scattered percussion and thunderous bassline foundation, not for the faint of heart. Two murderous sound system cuts, primed and ready for the dance.
The year is 1974 and we are in Kingston, Jamaica: Lee Scratch Perry has just presented Susan Cadogan's album 'Sexy Suzy' on his Upsetters label. The Jamaican singer, who is just under 25, sees her cover of 'Hurt So Good' flirt with the top of the UK and JA charts but has no idea that 50 years later, she would still be a household name among Jamaican music fanatics.
On the B-side of this LP, produced by Mr Perry himself, the penultimate track is a cover of Little Willie John’s "Fever". Over the years this song has taken an unshakable place in the hearts of reggae lovers worldwide. With nearly 700 different versions referenced to date, Fever already enjoyed classic status at the time, mainly thanks to the success of Peggy Lee’s version released in 1958. Since then, in all styles, across all continents, the song has been reinterpreted, so much so that it's rare to find a year since 1956 without a new version hitting the market! Universal, timeless, this love song is known to all music enthusiasts, but in the reggae scene, it’s Susan Cadogan and Lee Scratch Perry’s version that still reigns supreme.
50 years after its release, Stand High Patrol offer us their own version. Recorded at the end of 2023, the Susan Cadogan / Stand High Patrol collaboration wasn’t initially meant to move beyond its dubplate status. However, due to the track’s success in the dance and a growing demand, it became the first pressed collaboration on record between a Jamaican artist and the Dubadub Musketeerz. Accompanied by its dub version, Stand High’s take on Fever is a creative reimagining and brings to mind that classic 90s UK dub style. Its sits firmly on its foundations, a stepper roots-flavored drum beat. Some might find the interpretation ‘more jazzy’ than Lee Perry’s, but everyone will have their own take. One thing’s for sure—its impact on the dancefloors is undeniable!
When a new RAXON release drops it’s always strongly recommended to firmly hold your socks and pants as they might get blown off. And oh dear… We caught him in an extraordinarily randy mood for his 4th outing on our prestigious Speicher series. “Acid Call” is a positively rude high energy funk beast, ready to take dancehalls of any size or color to pieces. With “Don’t Cry Pluto” Raxon turns into a punk version of the legendary Pied Piper, graciously luring us away from this boring village into a world of fun-fueled madness. What a guy, this Raxon!
1. Watermelon Man
This track version actually came from an improvisation that Allesandro IIona (Keys) made on a live show at RonnieScott's at the start of the year. I think we were were having some issues with one of the monitors on stage and it juststarted making this beeping sound. Then I remember Alleh just came in with that piano riffat the start and the rest was history. This one of thefirst tracks we recorded for the EP and I'm super pleased with how this one turned out. Afterseeing Herbie Hancock live for thefirst time the year before, this felt like the perfect tribute to him!
2. Mandible
The majority of the writing on this album was done at my studio space in Hither Green, where I am every tuesday! I usethis space to record but mainly a space to develop my art. So this EP all came from a few sessions there. We all haveour own creative things going on so it was really great to collaborate as a band and trash out some ideas we had.Mandible is one of my favourite tracks on the EP. It's very simple but leaves us a lot of space to explore some more freeimprovisation. I think in some of my previous recorded music I was more focused on creating well crafted music withgreat melodies and harmony. Whereas here there's a bit more focus on playing as a group and being more explorative inimprovisation. We also didn't have a melody for this track until a week before the recording! Sometimes it just takes awhile tofind that melody or it might just pop into your head one day.
3. Slum
This is a tune that was actually written by myself in 2017/18. Round about that time, I had been playing at a jam night ata warehouse unit in Limehouse called Unit 31. The night was ran by Pianist Raffy Bushman and Drummer Sam Michnikand was focused on hiphop and Jazz fusion. We would usually play a set of instrumental music before it opened up forvocalists and other instrumentalists to come and jam. It was a great place to try out new ideas, so I wrote this tune for itbut we never recorded it. It was really nice to revisit this tune and get it recorded properly at 'That SoundStudios' (Seven Sisters). This track is all about dynamics and a slow build throughout. Descending to more chaos at theend!
4. Red Pistachio
For thefirst two sessions we wrote with a different bass player to Edmondo Cicchetti who is on the recordings. A greatbass player and friend of mine Tom Driessler. This track started kinda exactly how it starts on the record, with that basshook. I'm very influenced by Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah and his melodic writing. Particularly on his album 'StretchMusic'. So this felt really inspired by that album. The chords don't really move around too much until the solo sectionwhere it becomes more like a blues. Then Allesandro get's a bit more loose at the end with the descending sequence.
5. Jerome arrived Late
Quite simply we started writing this tune before Jerome (Drums) arrived late. In the recording session we were a bitundecided about what to do in the solo section. We tried out a few different options before we eventually landed onfeaturing Gabriele Pribetti on Sax. I'm really into his solo on this as it's rhythmically and dynamically really exciting. As Imixed the record it was also a great solo to mess with and run through lots of different plug-ins. There's some weirddelays and phasing going on that and I added some octaves too in places.
lunch Money Flips Vol. 1: Espresso Con Panna b/w Pain Au Chocolat by | Galaxy Sound Company — GSC45-045, @galaxy_sound_company is reknowned for its always on-point, cop-on-site 45 edit series but over the last few years has also turned plenty of heads with their instrumental hip-hop interludes with label regular Michigan’s @strictlybutters who hails from the same small place that gave us Lyman Woodard & now gifts us with a super sweet pair of beatstrumentals. I’m fortunate to get a limited test pressing to share with you all to preview what the skateboarder, runner, sneaker-head & bedroom b-boy beat maker has in store.
For those that follow him, Strictlybutters frequently shares his lunchbreak/dollar bin finds that he has flipped & spun into juicy, head-nodding gold. With this release, no. 45 in the GSC45 series, we get that on wax live & direct.
Side A’s “Espresso Con Panna” flips the gospel, soul-funk gem “Love Light II” by Salt Of The Earth, from the 1984 LP “He Will Deliver”. SB delivers that thumping bass, hip-hop flip that keeps you going until he tops you off with a jazzy-sax outro to smooth things out just right. On the flipside, “Pain Au Chocolat” hits you in the gut with what feels almost like an alternate Detroit-style beat that ATCQ might have dug into & felt right at home with. & like the A-side, he gives us an “extra butter bonus beat” outro with a funky bass line you will hit the back button to replay more than a few times. & the subtle extra buttered sauce of unique samples with more Axelrod groovy flares & flourishes to tickle your fancy.L
The Dancefloor Records reissues on Emotional Rescue comes in the form a true House classic. Produced and released by the Chicago legend Andrew Komis, It’s You is an original Deep House bomb and an education to those increasingly misusing the term today.
Essentially a cover / updated version of the all-time early House classic in ESP’s Its You, this 1989 update shows how much the scene was progressing in just 3 years with a tougher, heavier and deeper 12” that was all about rocking club sound systems.
Coming out on Komis’ own (Dancefloor subsidiary) Big Shot Records, this might not of been as big as Dionne’s Come Get My Lovin’, but has long been an ‘in the bag’ record for the likes of Derrick Carter and Solar. Just one listen spread across the time-defining “Mixes” and it’s clear why.
The stepping bass of the New York – London Mix was so indicative of the time. As the latter’s ascent as a clubbing capital took hold, ears were pinned to what was emanating from across the seas, especially the clubs of NYC and ‘Windy City’. Trademark Komis bass and hats ride are all here to allow the breathy vocals space to do their magic.
However it is the Free House Mix that really shows where things were at. Skipping hats, electro-meets-Belgian bass and a dark synth line pull the track down before acid touches take the song to a much deeper place and has long been the favourite version for the discerning DJ.
Ending with what was indicative of the time, the title says it all with the NU Style Mix. A drum heavy work out, taking in elements of successful records of the time, we get Break 4 Love percussion arranged around a NYC influenced Konder’s style quick cut-up editing for a more 'freestyle' mix to round out what is simply, an underground bomb and therefore, worthy of what this label has always been about, bringing great records to new ears.
2025 Repress
Wide Yonder’ is a truly remarkable album, offering as much depth and soul as it’s predecessor, yet sounding ultimately fresh and different. Above all, the ten tracks show an artist that’s willing to take risks, find in- spiration in new places and move beyond the sound of his previous album. Trentemøller: ‘Of course I didn’t want to make the same record twice. So the album is for me a logic development from ’The Last Resort’’. Instead he just started to collect new ideas, without thinking too much about the direction the music would take him: ‘The only thing I knew was that I’d want the music to sound more organic and analog.’ Compared to the intimate electronic mood pieces of ‘The Last Resort’, the ten tracks on the new album indeed have a more strange, mystic and dramatic vibe, with a lot of dynamics, distorted, driving twang- guitars, real and electronic drums mixed with haunting synths. With ‚Into The Great Wide Yonder‘ Trentemøller is not only exploring new moody and atmospheric universes, but combines his sense for glorious soundscapes with a firm melodic and tonal touch. The original chord progressions and feel for melodies is fundamental to him, and that‘s also the reason why most of the instruments are played by Trentemøller himself on this album. ‚I like the possibility to be surprised that chords and melodies change into something new. The music that I like most lets the themes and sounds come back in different disguises‘. The Danish multi instrumentalist and producer shows an unexpected talent for finding vocalists that fit the mood of his songs. The first single of the album, the beautifully tender ‘Sycamore Feeling’, featuring Marie Fisker, is a typical highlight. In fact, all the vocal tracks are stunning. Trentemøller chose to collaborate with the English artist Fyfe Dangerfield from UK based Guillemots and Danish singers Solveig Sandnes and Josephine Philip from the debuting Danish indie girlduo Darkness Falls. They all manage to add their own sound and flavour to the album, while their voices blend perfectly with Trentemøller’s atmospheric songs. This is an album that keeps growing for a long time, as every track works its way stealthily under your skin. The sound of ‘Into The Great Wide Yonder’ might be one step ahead of his previous work, but we still easily recognize the hand of Trentemøller, in this inspired collection of songs and atmospheres. The sonic richness, sharp contrasts and daring musical colours are vintage Trentemøller. Into The Great Wide Yonder’ might demand more from the listener than ‘The Last Resort’, as it ended up being quite a dramatic album. This album is more noisy, there’s more happening.‘ But getting to know the tracks definitely is a rewarding experience, as the album will keep growing and growing for a long time to come and its safe to say that Anders Trentemøller has managed to create
The fatigue kicked in a while ago and De Nooit Moede's journey came to an end..
but maybe we all have room for a little more 'life after death' in our lives?
De Nooit Moede - RIP is the final episode of this beautiful soap-opera of a band in the form of a
4 track EP. It features songs written between 2021 and 2022 that some of the most
loyal fans might recognise.
- A1: Vajolet (Feat Lukas Lauermann, Wolfgang Pfistermüller & Flip Philipp)
- A2: Autostrada Del Brennero (Feat Diggory Kenrick)
- A3: Latzfonser Kreuz (Feat Mamadou Diabate & Hamidou Koita)
- A4: Lago Di Garda (Feat Roger Robinson)
- A5: Alfa Romeo 145 (Feat Kwame Yeboah)
- A6: Feltuner Hütte (Feat Osman Murat Ertel)
- A7: Avrupa Köprüsü (Feat Osman Murat Ertel)
- A8: Europabrücke (Feat Susanna Gartmayer)
- B1: Ancient Atoll (Feat Reinhilde Gamper, Martin Mallaun & Flip Philipp)
- B2: Latemar (Feat Reinhilde Gamper & Martin Mallaun)
- B3: Brennerautobahn (Feat Taka Noda)
- B4: Echoes Part I (Feat Flip Philipp)
- B5: Echoes Part Ii (Feat Flip Philipp)
- B6: Transit Tribe (Feat Didi Kern)
- B7: Latemar (Reprise)
12"[23,49 €]
Ulrich Troyer has been producing music now solidly for over twenty years within a largely genre free framework, but whilst navigating forms such as avant-garde, techno, leftfield, field recording, electronica, glitch and ambient it is the aesthetics of dub that guide his creative direction. Not really recognisable in an orthodox form as remixed versions of roots reggae songs but in the way sonics are manipulated with space, the application and layering of delay, reverb and echo that fixes his output well within the scope of what might be called futurist dub.
The nearest comparisons to his new album TRANSIT TRIBE can only be established by a synthesis of some of the more adventurous explorations in modern music such as African Head Charge, Jon Hassell, Pole (Stefan Betke), Bill Laswell or even Miles Davis; featuring a diverse selection of artists and friends not only from Vienna and environs but also from around the world, sounds are not so much fused but allowed to float along the continuous flowing tide of warm waves of bass.
Rather than to allow the names of Ulrich Troyer's collaborators be merely listed in the album credits, what they bring to this joyful affair needs to be outlined, albeit briefly: Co-producer credits go to Osman Murat Ertel from Istanbul, who employed a variation on the old foolproof Nick Lowe method for checking out the impact quality of his own sound productions by playing tracks through his car sound system speakers!
Murat is a member of the electro-psych-folk group Baba Zula where he plays electric saz, oscillators and theremin and played a key part in the creative development of the album. Mamadou Diabate, the balafon master originally from Burkina Faso and now resident in Vienna, has developed his own unique technique of playing solos that replicate the sound of three instruments playing in unison; however the multi-talented Mamadou is engaged here on singing and playing the talking drum. From South Tyrol Reinhilde Gamper is a member of the experimental trio Greifer who are bringing the sound of the zither into the twenty-first century using new playing techniques and electronic gadgets. Susanna Gartmayer is an Austrian composer and bass clarinetist specialising in improv and multimedia sound research. Diggory Kenrick has been engaged with creating new dub fusions and also re-energising classic rocksteady and roots reggae classics, renowned for his interventions on flute. Didi Kern is an electronic dance musician and drummer from Vienna with a focus on free improvised music. Hamidou Koita, a singer and multi-instrumentalist, is from a traditional Griot family in Burkina Faso but now resident in Vienna and a regular musical partner of Mamadou Diabate playing drums and calabash. Austrian Lukas Lauermann is both a studio and live musician playing cello, also working on electronic sound design and writing string arrangements. He has recorded extensively and appeared on stage with both Mark Lanegan and Hans-Joachim Roedelius. Martin Mallaun is a Tyrol-born specialist in both the development of the zither in modern music and also as a researcher in the effects of climate change on the vegetation of Alpine ecosystems. Mystica Tribe is the musical alias of Tokyo-based dub/techno producer Taka (Takafumi) Noda. He collaborated with Vienna's own Vegetable Orchestra on 2020's "Transplants (Mystica Tribe Version)". After studying classical percussion Flip Philipp is now a jazz vibraphone player and member of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Wolfgang Pfistermüller is a member of the Vienna Trombone Quartet and the developer of the incredible bass-trombone Aurora with its uniquely warm and resonant sound. Roger Robinson is a renowned British poet, winner of many contemporary poetry prizes and member of the experimental music group King Midas Sound. Kwame Yeboah is a Ghanaian born UK based keyboard wizard who tours regularly with Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Ms. Dynamite and Pat Thomas.
So contained on the album is an astonishing mix of musicians and instruments: sounds of cowbells recorded in the South Tyrolean alps processed by modular synthesizers and heavy analogue bass synths combined with instruments such as zither, bass-zither, electro saz, flute, talking drum, trombone, cello, vibraphone, marimba, djembe, contra-alto clarinet, melodica, Farfisa - all bound together by organic live-drums and dub effects.
Liner notes by Steve Barker
Moton Records celebrates its 50th release!
We are proud to announce our 50th release sees a return for The Mighty Zaf, who did Moton 38 back in 2018 - our biggest selling Moton release to date. After four years of inactivity, largely due to the passing of best friend and genius engineer Phil Asher, Zaf has teamed up with Linkwood and created a spellbinding EP every bit as good as his previous Moton release.
‘Things Could Be’ is gospel soul funk killer and was made before its original creator Quincy Jones passed away recently; ‘Connect Here’ is one for the disco funk boys; ‘Gee Oh Dee’ is an obscure left-field disco gospel banger.
Moton’s fiftieth release promises to be special!
DJ Feedback
Colin Dale - I love this 3 tracker. In a sea of so many faceless and monotonous tracks this EP stands head and shoulders above the rest. Music drenched in soul, blues from a more innocent age from back in the halcyon days of black music. Music to ease your soul.
Rocky x press 2: Another mighty 3 track ep of killer cuts from Moton. Perfect companion to the Ghosted Edits 49th release. Loving all 3 edits but Things Could Be is a worthy a side and definitely my favourite. A tribute to the late Quincy Jones and a little nod to Phlash on the label. Class all the way. Massive props to Zaf and the Moton crew.
Jeremy Underground: Uplifting outro that takes you to a higher dimension!
Norman Jay: Does some justice to Q’s work..
70s Nigerian psychedelic soul rock to be filed next to Shuggie Otis’ Inspiration Information. Some albums are more than the sum of their parts. This is one of them. Nothing quite explains the luscious layers of sounds. The wholesome feeling that exudes from the first note to the last. Shuggie Otis meets Grotto/Ofege is what comes to mind.
The band was a ragtag band of teenage musicians who hung around Federal Palace Hotel in classy Victoria Island, listening to the resident band, led by the incomparable Yom Yem with Papa Doe and Gboyega Adelaja on keys. Frank who had some experience stringing around studios in Lagos, approached the George Veira (Vocals, Guitar), Nadi brothers (Clifford and Gerrard) with the idea of making a record. Odion Iruoje had enjoyed massive success with Ofege and Frank knew he might be open to the idea of producing the band. “It happened very fast, as Georges had songs already written or half completed. We started jamming with a few gigs at Surulere Night Club, which was run by Tee Mac at the time. Odion heard the material and did not need any convincing. We Then we went into the studio to lay the vocals, drums and guitars. The keys and further production was done in London.
“My routine at the time was to finish records in London, at Abbey Road Studios. It was the best way to get the sound I wanted and allowed my use London based musicians which brought a special flavour. I liked to lay the rhythm tracks and vocals at our Wharf road studio in Lagos. That was the core of the work”. Mr Odion Iruoje
(Resident A&R exec/Producer, EMI Nigeria)
Nearly two decades after it was first released, Norken’s sleek cult classic album ‘Our Memories Of Winter’ is being reissued on vinyl via Hydrogen Dukebox on 6th December 2024.
With its unique sonic blueprint of early 2000s electronica, ‘Our Memories Of Winter’ is a record that is at once both deeply reminiscent of a particular era and place, yet remains a timeless invocation of Norken’s idiosyncratic palette of minimal, techno, house and British IDM.
This vinyl reissue presents all 12 tracks from the original release, with the inclusion of 'Df23' and 'Flirt' making this the first time that ‘Our Memories Of Winter’ is available on vinyl with the complete album tracklisting.
Norken is one of the many pseudonyms of Lee Norris, a producer who is considered by those in the know as one of the unsung heroes of UK electronica. With a slew of releases throughout the years as Man-Q-Neon, Nacht Plank, Norken, Tone Language and Metamatics, this reissue shines a light on his soulful, immersive output under the Norken name.
As Norris explains, “The release of ‘Our Memories Of Winter’ has a nostalgic, warm feeling for me. I made his album in a garden shed with a wood burner, an Atari computer and a few synths in the depths of an English winter. I still had the thought process of making emotional style techno that would warm any soul on a cold day.”
First released in 2005, ‘Our Memories Of Winter’ carries the echoes of electronic luminaries such as the Detroit ambient techno of John Beltran, through to the immersive atmospherics of Biosphere and the innovative IDM of fellow British outfits Autechre and The Black Dog. Yet as Norken, Norris retains a distinctive musical voice that has continued to deepen in stature over the years since the album’s initial release.
Opening with the brief intro cut ‘Fern 2’, the album slides into the dreamlike groove of ‘Memories’, where rich, resonant chords wrap around cool, galactic-sounding synths and a compelling bass undertow.
On ‘It Might Have Been Rain’, that signature bass texture again propels a luxuriant mid-tempo rhythm, while Norken layers in hypnotic washes of string-like synths, gentle electronic pulses and the brief murmur of a vocal, across seven-plus immersive minutes.
Vocal textures, often subtly looped and distorted, also add a distinctive depth and personality to tracks like ‘Eastern Soul’ and ‘Here’. Throughout the album, there’s a feeling of intricate microcosms unfurling, as Norken coaxes a myriad of contemplative moods and emotions from his machines.
Whether shaping the smooth, lulling ambient gauze of ‘Ty Canol’, or letting the kaleidoscopic, dancefloor-leaning drive of ‘Audic Strable’ loose like a coiled spring, ‘Our Memories Of Winter’ presents the singular voice of an artist whose innovative contribution to UK electronic music has only become heightened with the passing of time.
American soulstress Phyllis Hyman gets two of her much loved anthems officially reissued on 180g vinyl.
"You Know How To Love Me" is a 7 and a half minute lesson in love. It's got that full bodied production of this golden era - layering strings seamlessly with a busty brass section and a flute line that even the most hardened can't help but smile at. Couple this with Phyllis' sultry yet powerful vocals bolstered by a backing group containing, amongst others, the mighty Gwen Guthrie.
On the flip, "Living Inside Your Love" hits you with a soul jam, heavy on the funk - complete with hands in the air chorus. Just as perfect to close out a set, as it is to warm up the floor.
Two essential tracks for any soul & disco aficionado!
- A1: Amazin` (Kakalak Remix)
- A2: Nuff Love
- A3: Raw Factor
- A4: This Year (Feat Big Kap)
- A5: If You Got Beef
- B1: My Main Man
- B2: Represent (Feat Lil Kalef)
- B3: When I Make Parole (Feat Rock Of Brick Flava)
- B4: I`m On Mine
- B5: Was It Just You
- C1: We Lust For The Papes
- C2: I Gotta Maintain
- C3: Touch Y`all
- C4: Wrecognize
- C5: Freestyle After A Philly
- D1: Touch Y`all (Remix)
- D2: Stage Presence (Feat Toz Torcha)
- D3: Rap Vs Crack
- D4: Turn The Party Out
- D5: We Live That Shit
Originally scheduled for release way back in March 1996, "The Raw Factor" by North Carolina native Omniscence is one of the last of the unreleased mid-90's albums to see the light of day. Despite being awarded The Source's coveted "Hip Hop Quotable" and dropping two well-received singles ("Amazin" and "Touch Y'all"), record label politics meant the full-length "The Raw Factor" album was never released and fans were left wondering what might have been.
28 years later, "The Raw Factor" is finally being released on vinyl, CD and digital stores. Featuring punchline-driven lyrics from Omniscence delivered in his unmistakable cadence, and backed by head-nodding production from Fanatic, the album is a must-own for fans of 90's Hip Hop.
Omniscence haunted the same early 90's cyphers and stages that many lyrical greats from the era had to cross. With a gruff delivery and equal adeptness with punchlines and metaphors, his high finish at the 1994 edition Battle For World Supremacy at the New Music Seminar assured heads across the culture were watching. After this, Omniscence locked in with producer Fanatic (who also laced tracks for Notorious B.I.G., Ma$e and Michael Jackson). The result was "The Raw Factor" album, fifteen plus tracks of jazzed out boom-bap, replete with crackin' drums.
Now Below System Records has not only given the album its first deluxe physical release (including 2xLP, CD and digital) as well as a slew of bonus/unreleased tracks.
p Touch Y'all (Remix) feat. Sadat X
p Touch Y'all (Remix) feat. Sadat X
p Touch Y'all (Remix) [feat. Sadat X]
FINALLY! What an honour it is to share this one to the masses in the style of a fresh brand series that I teamed up with Bushman to bring a new label called 'Spiritual Vibes' where we will be bringing dubs that bring the vibes, the whole vibes and nothing but the vibes! Yet to launch it all off we are starting with a special project-build we had started over 2 years ago with a tune from Bushman's 90s archives; re-vamped and re-stamped with inspiration from the original track 'Return to Jah' aka Souljah Step as played by none-other than the mighty Aba Shanti-I as a themed closing anthem at many dances. Once we had played this version to Aba he had resurrected the original dubplates cuts in order so he could start running these new cuts alongside as a remix cut!




















