Guadeloupe 1986. The football World Cup has all the Islanders' eyes riveted to their TV sets. At every half time breaks, local TV channel RFO broadcasts a music video on repeat: ''Tou't Jou Pa Min'm". Max Rambhojan, the local singer responsible for this monster tune, has arrived.
In the video, he effortlessly sings and kickstarts a joyous street party with his band, Show Man, his dancers, kids, friends, family and what seems like the whole neighbourhood. The song will gain cult status from then on, cementing the power of the 'Zouk Chiré' sound, a high tempo version of Zouk, highly influenced by Guadeloupe's Carnival mass drum bands. Max self-releases his first solo album on vinyl in 1985, enrolling some of the best musicians the scene has to offer: his band leader King Klero, Guy Jacquet of les Vikings de la Guadeloupe fame on production duties, Ramon Pyrmée on synths, Claude Vamur, Meliza... In 1992 a new solo album follows. By then the artists have familiarized themselves with computers and the sound has gone full-on digital. In that album Max records an updated version of his 'Tou't Jou Pa Min'm' anthem to great effect.
Reducing Max Rambhojan to a zouk artist would be a mistake. He's first and foremost a master of Gwo-Ka, a musical practice born during the transatlantic slave trade and performed by all ethnic and religious groups of Guadeloupe. It has never ceased to exist and has become a major part of the Island folk music culture. Max Rambhojan was schooled as a kid by Gwo-Ka pioneer Guy Conquette, and quickly joined the backing band of another legend, Ti-Sélès. That sound is the root of his particular style, especially vibrant on two tracks in his repertoire: 'Cecilia' and 'On Jou Matin', both featured on this release's b-side. A touch of Spiritual Jazz is also palpable, allowing a magical vibe to spread, giving birth to some of the deepest music from this era.
In 2019, Max still performs Gwo-Ka every week-end in Guadeloupe and also hosts a show on local radio Media Tropical, 88.1FM. Secousse and Hot Mule are proud to present those 4 lost gems on wax and digital, carefully restored and remastered.
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Hip hop heads, 7" freaks - Check this one!
Earth shattering early 80's Bronx sounds transmitted back to us as fresh as the day they were terraformed!
NYC's Easy Street label is known for it's contributions to house music, electronic disco and boogie, but there was a handful of early rap singles on the label too including this megaton bomb from the freshly monikered Lil' Jazzy Jay & Cool Supreme from '85, all the way live. This record has it all, dubbed out FX, vox, cuts and brain frying vocoders..... not to mention the monolithic drum machines and dope braggadocios rhyming.
This is the FIRST TIME this mid 80's rap rarity has been made available on a 7". Both the 'club vocal' & 'dub instrumental' are featured here, cut at 33 rpm for maximum sonics. Made available courtesy of Above Board distribution for 2019. Shout out to Easy Street, %100 legit re-issue, re-master & re-press, essential wax!
Lebanon Hanover's bassist William Maybelline is back with his solo project. After the debut album Sable from 2015, Qual strikes back with a three-track 12' maxi-single. Each one of these new songs explore a different dimension of Maybelline's approach to Body/Wave electronics.
The title-track Cupio Dissolvi is what we may already call classic Qual: gloomy and throbbing, synth-driven and labyrinthine. A Bloody Blob explores new martial slants, with war-like timpani and a marching robot gait. Rape Me in the Parthenon is a 8 minute long dancefloor mayhem anthem scanned by some pounding techno drumbeat and EBM snare and pads. The most alert of you already checked this in some Ancient Methods DJset. By far the most extreme track Qual recorded so far.
'Buried in flowers with hands of gold / Buried together we'll never mold' shall be thy epitaph here, as well as your message engraved on virgin vinyl.
New edition of 300 on clear wax!
We are proud to present our first release of 2019, Kaleidoscope vol. II, featuring two new roster additions (Dalek One and Phossa) alongside label residents Clearlight and Bisweed.
01 - Dalek One - Frequency Shock
American talent Dalek One shows why he's quickly rising in the 140 scene with this debut release on Subaltern. And what a debut it is - 'Frequency Shock' with its ecstatic bass and synth lines gets everything right in all the right places, and we are honoured to press it to wax.
02 - Clearlight - Stuck Inside
Diving into deeper realms is Subaltern resident and psychedelic wizard Clearlight. 'Stuck Inside' lures the listener into a seductive maze of towering resonating frequencies. Once this pill has been swallowed there's no easy way out - this track is sure to be stuck inside your head for a while.
03 - Phossa - Vacant
Another young talent - UK based Phossa - makes his first mark on the Subaltern roster with an intricate piece of sub science. Carried by distinctive bells and spooky vocals, the young Bristolian shows off his extraordinary production style.
04 - Bisweed - Profound
Rounding off this showcase of fresh sounds from the Subaltern universe is everyone's favourite Estonian - Bisweed! Following on from the acclaimed Subalt014 EP, this track oozes his trademark confidence in composition and sound design. Percussive fireworks, heavy subs and menacing synths combine to create an enthralling piece of music.
Hungarian producer Giash has been on Metroline Limited radar for quite some time. It took a while to get him on board but the wait is finally over: the misteriously titled Sen_d_Ingo Ep is here and it is super-tasty!
An expert crafter of minimal beats and hypnothic grooves, Giash career has spanned over 10 years with his productions being released on wax through seminal labels such as Archipel, Plaisir, Why So Series and many more.
The opening track, Brunc_hc-_h, give us the first shot of underscores and a high dosage of machine funk minimalism. It's a full on/slow-mo industrial churning groover with sci-fi licks and lush pads work!
The second cut on the A side it's the beatiful Imagin__ary and it's deep minimalism at the highest level. It's a great mixture of new and old as far as reduced jacking grooves are concerned.
It could have easily fitted in the late 90's Perlon/Playhouse era but it surely sounds as current, fresh and forward thinking now.
Side B is solely occupied by the tripped out grooves of Sen_d_ingo. Close your eyes, imagine yuorself in an East London basement at the darkest of after-parties, this track is the perfect fit for that particular moment.
Over 13 minutes of dark and hypnotic beauty, the track is crunchy and punchy with a wigglesome broken rhythm, some subtle synth variations and plenty of dark and deep atmoshperics!
- A1: Psycha-Soula-Funkadelic
- A2: The World We Live In
- A3: Church
- A4: Free Your Mind
- A5: Everything Good Is Bad
- B1: Song For You
- B2: Speak On It
- B3: Funky Toes
- B4: Politicians Theme
- B5: Close Your Big Mouth
- Original released in 1972 on the Hot Wax label, the most
successful of the two sister labels (Invictus or Holland
Dozier-Holland)
- This funk Detroit classic album is reissued on 180gm
Heavyweight vinyl
- Played by the likes of Grandmaster Flash and sampled
by DJ Shadow and The Go! Team
- The Politicians were an alias for the HDH session crew,
although McKinley Jackson was real.
You might know Peter Matson as the founder, frontman, and guitarist of NYC-based breakout band Underground System, who recently released a debut album of otherworldly global-dance anthems (on Soul Clap's self titled imprint) and have been touring their live show at venues around the US. Matson's roots, while nestled in worldly live sounds, also firmly grip deeper dance music styles, though they manage to still pack a refreshingly eclectic energy.
His debut EP 'Short Trips' for Brooklyn's Bastard Jazz connects the dots between his time moving bodies in the club as a DJ, as well as in his group as a guitarist and producer, though this record is better suited for a woozy club floor. "Roma Norte" kicks off the wax with its soulful cocktail of latin-house styles and hypnotic basslines that would elevate the opening hours of any club night. Deep house legend and Freerange Records boss Jimpster provides an ethereal, creative remix that delves into afro-house territory. "3AM to Sete" is a warm and bubbly deep house tune that sounds like something you might hear late-night in a South London nightclub—it's all warm bass vibrations and subtle synth explorations. Matson's seasoned instrumental skills shine on "126," another breezy synth jam with just enough punch to make you move, eyes closed, of course. 'Short Trips' sounds like the work of someone not interested in where one scene ends and the other begins, but instead, where they connect.
The second release on 4GN3S (pronounced Agnes) is an angular and shadowy 5-track EP by The Golden FIlter. The 'Dislocation' EP is five pariahic pieces paying equal homage to minimal wave, post-punk, no wave, and electro, but retaining Stephen and Penelope's inventive presence. Before 'Talk Talk Talk' became a 2018 summer festival anthem by accident, it was always meant to be the lead track on this EP. Like Siouxsie vs early Human League, but heavier. Originally available only as an extremely limited edition duplate at Rye Wax, 'All The Way In' is a jittery electro beat workout sounding as if Anne Clark were fronting Drexciya. Beatless and odd, 'Dislocation' first premiered on Fort Romeau's Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1. It's Part art-piece, part word association, and part No Wave experimentalism. A mutating arpeggiated bass and an ominous tone drive 'Cut My Hair' into a incongruously sci-fi dark dance netherworld. 'Temple' is classic Golden Filter, with modular bass blurbs, soft vocals, and an 808 beat doused in analog reverb. Dance music to sit in the corner and think to.
Tropical Disco plucks out a spellbinding salvo of heaters for Tropical Disco Volume. 7, dished out on suitably heavy wax.
Moodeena's 'The Horns' boldly kicks off the record, effortlessly weaving together elements of funk, soul and afro, influenced by a myriad of far-reaching regions. The earworm of a bassline subtly leads the piece, morphing, dipping and then reassembling as the brass resurfaces, creating a tender, palpable sound palette. On the flip 'What Da Funk's playful track title doesn't reflect its cultivated build, and no doubt lethal functionality on a dancefloor.
Titillating strings are the driving force for Tropical Disco newcomer Sammy Deuce's input, bringing a burning, high-energy ode to golden-era disco with 'Smack My Strings Up'. Hot on the heels of a series of well received releases on labels such as Glasgow Underground, Club Session and Big Love, Sammy deuce offers up a rare guest track on the label that pairs perfectly with a recipe Sartorial and Moodena have refined so successfully.
Sartorial closes the EP with 'Little Love', a carefully plotted symphony and formidable sign off for the release. Hustling a creamy bass and slowly swooning vocal, this audio aphrodisiac will have dancers headed straight to the bedroom...
Tropical Disco's back-catalogue of quality nu-disco obscurities is building thick and fast, and the latest package is a diamond in a gleaming gold mine.
Support across Mi Soul & House FM.
Thandi Zulu known as T.Z. Junior was a young girl from Soweto. She started her musical career with Peter Moticoe who produced "Love Games" with The Young Five on Heads label in 1984. Then, Peter Moticoe brought her to Phil Hollis at Dephon Entertainment who then teamed them up with Attie Van Wyk who was the producer for Yvonne Chaka Chaka at that time.
Phil Hollis started Dephon Promotion (Dephon Entertainment) in the late 70's and developed into the largest independent record company in South Africa. He describes himself as the only person who has been involved in recording of major hit songs in nearly all genres of music in all the languages in South Africa. Phil Hollis was involved in all aspects of the Entertainment industry from production of recordings, recording company, distribution, marketing and promotion, events management, staging major events and filming.
"Sugar My Love" and "Are You Ready for Love" were produced and arranged by Attie Van Wyk. 'Back in the 80's I was a songwriter for a band called Ballyhoo when I got an offer from the Dephon Record Company to join them as a music producer. So I quit the band and joined them, producing records mainly for music targeted at the black market in those days,' he says. Between 1982 and 1992, Attie Van Wyk produced over 120 albums, including many for Yvonne Chaka Chaka.
Following on from Comfy Bella's Konkahs EP earlier this year, Released's second vinyl instalment comes courtesy of the Berlin-based production duo Horsemen, who mark their debut into the world of wax with the aptly titled 'Unknown EP'. Freshly faced and full of vigour, Horsemen deliver two unique cuts of engaging electronic music which are accompanied by a remix from Released's very own Jorgie.
The title track 'Unknown', features the delicate vocals of close friend Nomoko, atop a robust combination of thick kick drums, energetic percussion and a pulsating bass line. 'Motor Jungle' harks back to the early sounds of Detroit, assuming a 4/4 drum pattern which is laden with a rowdy bass arrangement accompanied by Hip Hop-esque vocal snippets. The EP is rounded off, and mellowed out, with Jorgie's hazy interpretation of the title track - a 110bpm ethereal excursion that takes the listener deeper into the unknown...
"This release is pure sundown pressure from the start. Just like the Waxing Gibbous moonrise the namesake EP transforms you ready for the descent into the dark night. A1 'Zero Gravity' launches into takeoff with a trajectory course aimed straight for the dancefloor. Sub bass and crisp percs put this track firmly in driving seat. A.2 'Tidal Wave' is flooded with 'Dub' influence. With a tape delay in full effect the low end modulates warm and easy from edge to edge. B1 'Lunar Blueprint' shifts gears and closed the EP in the Dub Techno arena. The hollow melody haunts the track and progresses through each section while spooky samples laced with reverb orbit a tepid bassline produced especially for
those dark hours.
Continually illustrating his diversity, Elliot Projects Frazer Campbell finally puts some of his funkier sample heavy tracks onto wax for Counterfeit SOUL. Volume 2 sports four unforgettable dance floor swingers with his signature swing & groove. Recently he released another timeless collab on Mosaic with Steve O Sullivan so no suprise that these are also stacked with driving percussion, huge chords & smooth elating strings. This is a must for all bags ! Daytime, night time ....anytime! Volume 1 is floating around on limited TP's so keep your eyes peeled for that one.
A generous slab of finest Canadian Soul, one of the funkiest pieces of wax to come out of this country with ex-Jamaican talent Earle Heeedram aka 'The Mighty Pope' providing the vocals, originally released on the small 'Heart' label, with no industry or much promotional support the disc sank without notice, now being one of the most in demand 'Northern Funk' tunes on the Rare Soul Scene, available here on a nice great-sounding reissue 45!
London's FYI Chris joined Toy Tonics!
After releases on Rhythm Section, Church and West Friends - the 2 DJs, producers and record shop dons from London/Peckham chose the German Toy Tonics label for their next release.
The guys know what's fresh in club culture. They been store managers at one of London's coolest record stores: Rye Wax/Peckham for the last 2 years. And they are becoming one of the most interesting names of the post-house scene of London.
Their first encounter with Toy Tonics was though label boss Kapote. They quickly realized that there are big similarities in their musical vision and way how dance music should develop... so what makes more sense to make an EP together
So here it comes: FYI Chris next level electronic funk music! MPC style.
Have fun!
'Sounds from the Great House! Outernational Sounds proudly presents a Nimbus West spirit jazz essential: the Creative Arts Ensemble's classic debut One Step Out. Mastered at 45rpm on double vinyl for enhanced sound, this release features all tracks at full length for the first time on wax.
One of the most sought after and highly regarded titles to have appeared on Tom Albach's celebrated Nimbus West imprint, the Creative Art Ensemble's One Step Out is a timeless work of spiritualised jazz. A true gem from the Los Angeles jazz underground, the album was pianist and composer Kaeef Ruzadun Ali's first recording as leader of the Creative Arts Ensemble, the only large ensemble group that emerged directly from Horace Tapscott's legendary Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra community jazz group.
A Los Angeles native, Kaeef was introduced to the Tapscott circle in the late 1970s. His first experience of the Arkestra's ethos was through PAPA tenorist Michael Session, who took him to the famous 'Great House' at 2412 South Western Ave., LA - a large mansion house which members of the Arkestra had taken over as a space for communal living. Life in the Great House was a continuous stream of music, dance and community events. 'When I walked in there,' recalled Kaeef, 'it was like this whole rush came over me, just from going in the front door...It was like a very, very warm feeling of love. I went and I came out with 'Flashback of Time', and that was my first arrangement.'
Kaeef quickly became a significant contributor of compositions to the Arkestra's songbook - his piece 'New Horizon' would be recorded by Horace Tapscott for the latter's Tapscott Sessions series. But 'Flashback of Time' would eventually appear on One Step Out, played by the new group he had put together from stalwart Arkestra members. Inspired by both Tapscott's example and by the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Kaeef had wanted to follow their lead by assembling a larger unit. 'I would like to form a group that would be an extension of the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra,' he told Tapscott. The group was to be known as the Creative Arts Ensemble, and One Step Out, released in 1981 by Nimbus West, was their debut.
Featuring seasoned Arkestra regulars including reedsman Dadisi Komolafe, drummer Woody 'Sonship' Theus and altoist Gary Bias, with veterans Henry 'The Skipper' Franklin on bass and George Bohannon on trombone, One Step Out is a key document of the Los Angeles radical jazz underground. Featuring the sanctified vocals of Kaeef's sister, B. J. Crowley, the album is a tour de force of spiritually energised independent jazz music. Community uplift and sacred vision straight from the Great House, back on vinyl for the first time since 1981!
Tracks from Aural Imbalance's Propagation Of Light album versioned and rendered for wax.
Just Breathe gets spotlighted on the A-side with two remixes. First up, Maps Of Hyperspace grafts his brand of dubby ambience to Simon's instrumentation for trippy chill house goodness. Off Land strips back the beats and ups the ambient bandwidth on his version to close out the side.
The B-side kicks off with Soul Solution, one of Mr. Huxtable's trademark lusicous atmospheric house tracks. Adriano Mirabile brings his techy production stylest o the desk on Fall Of Stars to wrap things.
- A1: Ohiyee
- A2: Yabaal
- A3: Heelo
- B1: Hiyeeley
- B2: Aw Baahilowlow
- B3: Doon Baa Maraysoo
- C1: Intro Vol 2
- C2: Jaceyl Mirahiis
- C3: Dab
- C4: Saafiyeey Makaa Saraayeey
- D1: Jaajumoow Jees
- D2: Diinleeya
- D3: Caashaqa Maxaa I Barayee
- E1: Keene Gardaran
- E2: Jubba Aaka
- E3: Aduun Hawli Kama Dhamaato
- F1: Salkuu Dhigey
- F2: Haddi Aanan Gacaloy
In the expansive sleeve notes accompanying this superb triple-album, Analog Africa founder Samy Ben Redjeb accounts, in great detail, the epic tale of Dur-Dur Band, a Mogadishu-based deep funk outfit that took Somalian radio by storm during the early 1980s. It's a remarkable story, all told, but nowhere near as remarkable as the music contained on this essential retrospective. Redjeb has managed to license both of their previously cassette-only albums, stretching them across three slabs of wax. Brilliantly played and performed, the songs mix killer American and African style funk grooves with hooky Somalian vocals, spacey synths and occasional nods towards other styles (most notably reggae on later period cut "Diinleeya" and Juju on "Salkuu Dhigey"). Simply essential.
Body Music (Bosq and The Rapture's Vito Roccoforte) return with another dose of 21st century mutant-disco and nocturnal New York swagger. Following up on their lauded Just One EP (Razor 'n Tape), the new two-track 12" delivers on the epic stomp and punch of that debut with two instant classics.
A-side 'Don't Think Twice' is a tightly modern and muscular re-imagining of some long-lost Paradise Garage-era gem, replete with head-snapping claps, an expansive sonic palette and full strut groove.
While, low-slung flip-side 'Give My Love a Try' rolls on a flirtatious arpeggiated bass-line and gasps of steamy synths that make it the perfect vibe to open or close a party. Lending soulful and sultry vocals across both cuts is Christian Holiday.
Holiday darts in an off the slick synth stabs and bouncy live-drums of Don't Think Twice and reaches a yearning falsetto that draws out the romantic swoon of Give My Love a Try, helping elevate the scope and craft of both tracks.
Hooky and virulent, it's a venerated sound that fits seamlessly into sets of Arthur Russell, ESG and Liquid Liquid classics with a crisp and deep production that remains infectiously of the moment.
At parties from Brooklyn to Ibiza, this 12" will no doubt be a go-to slice of wax coaxing dancers to move a little closer all summer long.




















