This 10th anniversary release of Spaven's 5ive on vinyl for the first time celebrates one of the UK's most phenomenally talented drummers. With roots in the UK club and hip-hop scenes, Richard Spaven brings a fresh approach to the instrument that's at once modern and traditional.
Combining machine-like accuracy with jazz-influenced improvisational sensibilities, Spaven's drumming landed him gigs with vastly varied artists such as Guru, Flying Lotus, The Cinematic Orchestra and jazz/hip-hop vocalist Jose James. His brilliance is evident beyond his world-class performance abilities as he's equally impressive in production and compositional territories.
Spaven's signature drum sound often sees him combine high-pitched, crisp snares, round jazzy toms and small punchy bass drums. His cymbal choices are a sonic contrast of dry, lower-pitched hi-hats, rides and crashes.
Altogether, the drummer's tone could be described as a nod to the past while keeping an ear to the future.
Spaven's 5ive is released as a limited clear vinyl edition for Record Store Day 2020.
Das ultimative Sammel-Vinyl-Album für alle Hans Zimmer Fans! Die vier 180 gram LPs dieser audiophilen Pressung enthalten erstmals alle 29 Tracks des legendären Soundtracks "Interstellar" - der ursprünglich nur als gekürzte Version mit 16 Tracks veröffentlicht wurde. Zusätzlich ist mit "Day One Dark" eine alternative, extrem düstere Version des Soundtrack-Themas enthalten, das nicht im Film verwendet wurde. Das Gatefold enthält einen Einleger mit Liner Notes von Hans Zimmer und Regisseur Christopher Nolan. Sein erhebender, atmosphärischer Soundtrack zu Christopher Nolans Sci-Fi Abenteuer "Interstellar" brachte Hans Zimmer im Jahr 2014 eine Oscar- und Golden Globe-Nominierung ein. Zur Einordnung der Bedeutung des zum modernen Klassiker gewordenen Klangerlebnisses von "Interstellar" reicht der Blick auf Hans Zimmers eigene musikalische Biographie nicht aus. Weit mehr als eine Weiterentwicklung des Hans Zimmer Signature-Sounds, stellt die Klangverbindung einer Orgel mit elektronischen und orchestralen Elementen eine Zäsur in der Geschichte der modernen Filmmusik dar und markiert eine viel kopierte und nie erreichte nachhaltige Sound-Innovation. Soundtracknet urteilt: "Hans Zimmer has created a close to perfect musical canvas for those extremely dedicated to the audio experience" und The Telegraph ergänzt "the vast sounds of a composer set loose on his grandest ever assignment."Herausragend ist auch die Entstehungsgeschichte der Musik: Hans Zimmer komponierte die ursprüngliche Musik ohne eine Szene von dem Film gesehen zu haben einzig auf Basis eines persönlichen Textes von Nolan.
In the mid 90's, Julee Cruise and Eric Kupper were signed to the same music publisher, Warner Chappell. Patrick Conseil, who signed both, thought it would be a good idea for them to get together and collaborate. He was correct in that assumption, and this has lead to an enduring relationship, both creatively and as friends. These two tracks were originally intended as demos, but somehow got leaked onto YouTube, with positive response. Eric thought it would be a great idea to remaster the demos, keeping the raw edge, and give them a proper release, some 20 plus years later. Julee enthusiastically agreed.
Having been influenced by the likes of Roni Size, 4 Hero, Jacob’s Optical Stairway, LTJ Bukem and DJ Die (the latter of whom Eric did a collaboration with), Kupper was experimenting with drum and bass. He could often be spotted in London clubs 'The End' and 'The Globe' checking out and enjoying the music and the vibes.
'My Blue Yonder' is one of the few tracks Kupper has ever written lyrics to. They were inspired by his then toddler daughter, Zoe. One day, Eric found his 3 year old on the floor, wrapped up in a blue blanket, looking blissful. When he asked her what she was doing, she replied 'I'm in my blue yonder'. She had heard the phrase in a song from a children's video. Eric then sat down and wrote a moody yet childlike song about a utopia, based on his daughter's likes and dislikes, her joys and her fears. A compelling blend of orchestral arrangements, frenetic beats, and Julee's unique vocal approach. Julee has often commented that it is one of her favourite tracks she has ever recorded.
This collaboration also led to 'Satisfied', with lyrics and melody written by Julee. An ethereal somewhat existential track, with jazzy chords and pulsating arpeggios, it still has Eric's vibe, within a different music style. Julee's beautifully phrased vocals and lyrics bring the track to life, giving it a clear vision.
This is the first release on Kupper's new 'Hysteria misc.' label. A label for all kinds of music, electronic to acoustic, rock to experimental, and 'misc.'...
In Julee’s words, 'Thanks Eric, for doing this. I really love what we did'.
180g clear marbled vinyl + stamped sleeve + inside out printed cover
Mood of departure presents the 50th release of ORNAMENTS. "Roadmap" LP is crossing borders,
forests, mountains and deep atmospheres on a trip of finest electronics from the past and today
combined with recordings of destructions.
Some Previous here
Resident Advisor
German label Ornaments Music is putting out its 50th release, Mood Of Departure's Roadmap.
The album comprises twelve tracks of melodic ambient and trip-hop, and is due out next month. The LP will be pressed up on marbled vinyl on November 6th, while the digital album is slated for November 23rd release.
This summer, Ornaments Music put out Assemblage, a dub techno collaborative project from Paul St. Hilaire and Rhauder.
Groove MAG
„Man soll die Feste feiern wie sie fallen.” Hachja – 2020 ist wirklich vieles anders. Sogar manche Lebensweisheiten treffen in diesem Jahr nicht mehr zu, wie sie das noch letztes taten. Zum Glück dürfen wir uns aber über eines umso mehr freuen, über tonnenweise neue Musik. So feiert unter anderem Ornaments Music Release-Jubiläum. Das Berliner Label bereichert seit 2008 mit Künstlern wie Marko Fürstenberg, The Analog Roland Orchestra und Rhauder die Dubtechno-Sparte mit maßgeblichen musikalischen Beiträgen. Mit dem 50. Release Roadmap beschreitet Ornaments nun neue Wege und veröffentlicht ein emotionales Album, dass sich irgendwo zwischen Ambient und Electronica wiederfindet.
Mood Of Departure heißt die Person, die dieses Werk vollbracht hat. Wer dahinter steckt bleibt vorerst geheim. Nur soviel sei gesagt. Es ist nicht ihr erstes. Oder seines? Weil es nur spärliche Informationen über den/die Künstler*in gibt, stehen die einzelnen Stücke ohne Personenkult oder seitenlange Lobeshymnen an erster Stelle. Und wenn man mal ehrlich ist, gibt es schon genug Ablenkung in der heutigen Zeit. Durch das Intro des Albums, durch „Scan”, wird sofort deutlich, dass es sich hier nicht wie gewohnt um ein klassisches Dancefloor-Album handelt. Die Stimme der Sängerin, die auch in einigen weiteren der insgesamt zwölf Stücke vorkommt, verleiht dem Track eher Band- statt Producer-Charakter. Ein sanfter Ambient-Teppich aus luftigen Flächen und wiederhalendem Gesang wird durch simple aber präzise Hip Hop-Beats fortgetragen, und man ist nach dieser Einführung gespannt, was noch folgt.
Faze MAG
Mit dem Debütalbum „Roadmap“ von Mood Of Departure veröffentlicht das Label Ornaments sein 50. Release!
2008 startete das Label, das bekannt ist für sein marmoriertes Vinyl, mit einer EP von Marko Fürstenberg, Acts wie youANDme, Sascha Dive, The Analog Roland Orchestra, Steve Bug oder zuletzt Rhauder & Paul St. Hilaire haben hier auch ihre Spuren hinterlassen.
Composed, produced, and arranged by Eartheater alone, Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin draws a path back to the primordial lava lake from which she first emerged, as it also testifies to the reincarnating resurrections the project has undergone over its first full decade of existence. While the album renews her focus on guitar performance and legible structure, Eartheater balances the unabashed prettiness of acoustic harmonic songs with the dissonant gestural embroidery of oblique instrumentals. Having fallen back in love with the idioms that first captivated her, she worked to crack open the techniques that had fossilized inside of her, while still seeking to apply the electro-alchemical knowledge she picked up along her journey. The result of a laborious revival in fire, Phoenix recontextualizes Eartheater’s combinatorial approach to production within her most confident abstractions, adjacent to some of her most direct songs to date.
Eartheater composed and workshopped most of Phoenix over a ten-week artist residency (FUGA) in Zaragoza, Spain, housed in a sprawling, cubic glass facility that looked out over wildflower-flecked mountains. Following an intensive period of recording and touring, the residency provided her with an unprecedented period of solitude in the small Spanish town. Her newfound sense of isolation ultimately became liberating, leading her to sidestep the crutches and steady grids inherent to electronic music, and to conceive pieces rooted in her guitar and her desire to perform with other players live.
Eartheater’s voice glows brighter than ever at the center of Phoenix’s arrangements — her familiar operatic highs are grounded by newly expanded velvety lows, leaping lucidly up and down octaves. Her intricate guitar work flits across baroque fingerpicked passages and latches into cyclical figures that meet her voice in lush harmonic progressions. From her own guitar parts, to the orchestral string arrangements she wrote for the Spanish conservatory group Ensemble de Camara, to the harp and violin lines performed by her close friends and collaborators Marilu Donovan and Adam Markiewicz of LEYA, Eartheater’s applications of acoustic instruments bring an extraordinary emotional emphasis to her compositions. Phoenix prepares for a future where electronic sound — or even electricity itself — isn’t guaranteed, but where her music could still come to life with a group of hands dexterously winding across instruments against the light of the fire. Eartheater drew inspiration for Phoenix from geological imagery, whose turbulence and potential for genesis mirror the trajectory of her own life and relationships. The album’s instrumental pieces directly reference these moments of upheaval, colliding audio of volcano and lightning storms with resplendent string and vocal arrangements. “Volcano” looks out over the album from its peak at the center, its tectonic plates colliding in towering melodies and layers of vocal harmonies, as piano accents crest and cascade down the mountainside. When Eartheater sings, “I’m still building mountains underground,” she is trying to reconcile the pinnacles of her ambition with the comforts of a simple existence buried beneath the surface. “Diamond in the Bedrock” finds her admiring the gemstone forming under intense pressure inside her, but rejecting the romantic promise that the diamond signifies, choosing instead to escape a relationship that has come to stifle her.
With the album’s subtitle, Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin, Eartheater imagines being tempered to a state of perfect equilibrium, suspended between melting and freezing, where fire could streak across her body and appear as a crystalline blush. This image captures the tension at the heart of the Eartheater project, as she decides how best to distill her passion and render it cool to the touch; to find beauty in simple pleasure, while keeping one eye fixed on the peaks that loom in the horizon. The album is mixed by Kiri Stensby and mastered by Heba Kadry, featuring photography by Daniel Sannwald.
Ocean Moon is a solo project from Jon Tye of Seahawks. A long time explorer of the sounds of spaciousness, having released the ambient classic LP iO in 1994 as MLO, Crystal Harmonics is a document of Jon’s latest discoveries. An ambient/new age/modern classical library suite for KPM, this is inter-dimensional music for mind, body and spirit.
Island Visions, the recent collection of music from Seahawks for KPM, touched on the deeper, more spatial side of music and led to Jon exploring this territory in greater depth, again for KPM, under his Ocean Moon alter ego. This time he brought along some of today’s most visionary musicians: Jon Brooks (The Advisory Circle / Ghostbox) for his intuitive melodic mastery, Seaming To (Graham Massey’s Toolshed) for her extraordinary vocal talents, Steve Moore (Zombi) for his sophisticated and inventive rhythmic sensibility and Richard Norris (The Grid) for his sensitive and deeply resonant ambience. The initial recordings were made at The Centre Of Sound in Cornwall, with the collaborators various contributions coming from London, Derbyshire and the US.
The supremely serene electronic flute and bells of “Crystal Drift” ease us into our journey and we take our next steps with “Rainbow Ripples” as it gently folds space with arpeggiated synth swells and delicate machine beats. Light vocal tones, bells and breath FX on “And Breathe” keep us going, accompanied by synth drones and billows of electric piano.
We travel through the synth-space-surf haze of “Lost Oceans”, with soft bass and warm ambience, to reach the “New Infinity” of revolving melody, spacious pads and light electronic beats. The celestial tone floats of “White Mirror” close out the first side.
Temple bells ring out to running water flowing together with deep resonant vocal tones as the second side opens with “Peace Bells”. “Revolving and Evolving” follows, a tranquil electronic meadow of lush pastoral synth tones where we rest for a while for “Mountain Dreaming”, a light rhythmic dance of zither and birdsong.
The undulating “Forest Motion” ripples with synth arpeggios, dreamy Solina strings and percussive modular electronics before allowing the crackling ambience and Cantonese whispers of “Sleep Golden” to wash over us. Finally we find ourselves on “The Long Path”, its warm temple ambience of drones and chants guiding us home.
Crystal Harmonics is inspired by four particular albums from KPM’s catalogue. There’s The Electronic Light Orchestra by Adrian Wagner from 1975 and then Temple Of The Stars, Breath Of Life and finally Keith Mansfield’s Circles, these last three coming from KPM’s mid-1980s run of modern classical/New Age gems. For Jon, “making library music can be very liberating. I really enjoyed the additional focus it brought to the music working on different facets of composition with each collaborator”.
But Crystal Harmonics is no mere exercise in vulger pastiche. As the past, present and future sound of paradise, this fresh exploration of mid-90s ambient and original New Age sounds exists outside of our linear experience of time.
The cover started as a collage Jon made a couple of years ago, a different expression of the same impulses that guided the music. As a nod to the records that provided seeds of inspiration, the collage was framed by KPM’s house style of the 1980s for the finished sleeve by Richard Robinson.
Mastered for vinyl by Be With’s sonic shaman Simon Francis, cut by the legendary Pete Norman and pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry, Ocean Moon’s Crystal Harmonics is the tranquil balm for these turbulent times.
Birds are singing, a soft female voice embraces the stars, then the funk hits the fan: the second album of mysterious Japanese singer Nadja haunts immediately and marks one of the most exquisite reissues in the ever-growing catalogue of Studio Mule. Originally released in 1989 as promo only CD on the Japanese label Polystar, the album features some of the finest eighties pop funk fusion arrangements of the era. A deeply enchanting lost gem, that gets listeners instantly into heavy repeat addiction.
All ten songs are arranged by a group of grandmasters of their art. Japanese saxophonist, composer and music producer Yasuaki Shimizu, man behind the electronic ambient fusion classic “Kakashi”, was in charge for tunes like “Wac-Wack”, a neon light funk pop song, full of soft big city eroticism, ultra-slick synth lines and real funkateer explosions. It’s followed by “夢のとりこ”, the most stirring pop tune on the album, that originally was written by French composer, multi-instrumentalist, actor and singer Areski Belkacem, known for his and long-time collaborations with French avantgarde singer Brigitte Fontaine. Shimizu transformed the song into a low hanging funk jewel, with a cool rolling bassline, dub depth and synths that cry for cosmic help. Above all Nadja signs with a sexy chill, that somehow could only emerge in the 1980ees, when the cold war even made pop music real cool. The follow up is named “真珠のように”, features again music by Belkacem, this time transformed by Shimizu into electronic erotic pop - dreamy, witchy and precisely musical composed.
The B-Side opens with “Velvet Rain”, a funky urban boogie composition by Japanese keyboard player, composer and producer Akira Inoue, enlarged with glimmer camp kitsch, that immediately puts a smile on the listeners faces. It gets followed by “Paradise Catcher”, a soft pop tune with longing string and horn sections, arranged by legendary Jamaican rhythm and production duo Sly & Robbie. It somehow marks one of the strangest songs in their longstanding career, as it is largely minimal orchestral but yet super tight when it comes down to the rhythmic magnitudes. The next tune, “Private Tripper”, also stays soulful, funky and horn driven. Always pleasing the super tight, yet feathery voice of Nadja, that is dancing about boogie grooves and illuminating melodies with a seducing tragical coolness. Finally the album ends with a stylistic break in the overall musical atmosphere. It comes from Japanese musician Hiroaki Goto, it’s called “地図をずっと南へ”and features Afro-Brasilian voodoo rhythms, pan flutes, cosmic piano notes and Nadja, singing like a rain forest sorceress from outer space.
Ten arrangements by a bunch of high-grade arrangers, that all left Nadja’s voice enough space to widespread her talent as a supremely seducing singer, who wrote all lyrics, vocals and chorus by herself in order to present her touching vocal class in a vivid, bewitching timeless style. Come in and get ensnared!
180g black vinyl Star Birth and downloadcode for "Star Birth" and "Star Death". Gatefold.
'Star Birth' is a flung fisherman's net, mighty in scope, irrevocable as looking up from the stone floor of a cathedral – there is space, yet there is profound intimacy from the immediacy of the lyrics, our thoughts rattling around like panicky goldfish. Race has taken aspects of areas
previously explored, and made a quantum leap into the unknowable. With opening track Can't Make This Up, the gauntlet is flung down – 'what is need, what is greed / it's a new crush, the brain trust/ hive mind rewrite rewind/ falsehood streaming'
'Star Birth' is international maverick and music icon Hugo Race's 15th album with his band of True Spirits. It's a double album and the twin album's name is 'Star Death'. Star Birth was recorded during Australia's bushfire summer apocalypse of 2019 and mixed as the 2020 covid-19 pandemic hit. When the stars align it all makes sense, Hugo explains, adding that one oceanic evening while writing the album a bright star exploded right before his eyes, the sign of a sudden end and a new beginning...
Hugo's writes of trials, tribulations, hopes, fears, heartaches, loves, losses, highs and lows – 'everyday I die a little bit more, in a thousand ways I fight my little wars – and he sings with exquisite pathos and depth, like he's singing just for you about the times in which we live –
political disasters, our planet, the absence and the presence of spiritual values, broken promises, cracked hearts and if any of it really matters anyway. With hell raising lyrics like,Expendable, you'd have to wonder if anyone of us will make it through alive – 'hey sister, are
we all expendable? nobody wins, but so many of you think they do / don't try to fool yourself people, deep down you know the truth - everybody gets their one hot shot but no one's bullet proof'. But then The Rapture reminds us that there will always be stars dying in the glory of
new life – 'give us this day comfort and bread / implant in us the living word / empower us with divine love and deliver us from evil / for you are the one true light / the power and the glory / forever /amen'
Hugo's True Spirit deliver a lush, sonic love letter of rock, electronica and dramatic orchestration, based in blues, hypnotic repetition and sonic exhilaration. Michelangelo Russo is a huge part of this atmosphere; his approach to music is that of an artist with a palette of
mysterious implements and machinery, but the entire band and production is incredible from start to finish. Star Birth is 48 minutes of mind expanding, mind blowing, heel tapping tunes, with its sister album 'Star Death', a dub version of remixes that will send you searching for
your own exploding star somewhere in the sky…
Birthed from a radio show and event series with iconic Los Angeles radio station DUBLAB, SOS MUSIC’s goal is to provide a platform for diverse and forward-thinking electronic music, with a keen emphasis on womxn talent from around the world. In conjunction with Berlin-based !K7, the label’s debut release, SOS MUSIC Vol. 1 is a 14-track eclectic compilation showcasing dance music from some of the best producers working at the moment including rRoxymore, Violet, Nightwave, Umfang, LCY & Minimal Violence - lovingly curated to uplift and celebrate the global electronic community in a time of deep uncertainty in the music industry. SOS MUSIC Vol. 1 is international to its core, drawing on in?uences from the artists’ respective backgrounds including the UK, US, Serbia, Spain, Japan, Slovenia, Portugal, Germany & Canada.
SOS MUSIC was founded in Los Angeles by Maddy Maia (UK) and Tottie (Spain via the UK). Maddy has a long history in independent music, and is currently VP A&R in the US for famed British indie label Ninja Tune. Tottie is director of events and special projects at DUBLAB, and curates music, art and cultural programming that re?ects the diverse landscape of the city and beyond.
A shared love of underground music and culture, Maia and Tottie’s bond started strong via throwing events and later with hosting a monthly radio show; The SOS Music imprint is a natural next step in the pair’s progression as curators and its goal will continue early principles the duo stuck to- to seek out diverse underground talent and amplify their voice or community, whilst championing diversity on all sides of the industry. Maddy and Tottie’s music in?uences and styles span wide across the spectrum of experimental dance music, ranging from left?eld house, orchestral ambient sounds, not forgetting a nod to their youth growing up in the UK rave scene.
Gorillaz started the year with Episode 1 - ‘Momentary Bliss ft. slowthai and Slaves’ - of Song Machine, a whole new concept from one of the most innovative bands around. Now, six episodes in, Noodle, 2D, Murdoc and Russel have visited Morocco and Paris, London and Lake Como, as well as travelling all the way to the moon, and Gorillaz is ready to bring you the full collection titled Song Machine: Season One - Strange Timez, out on 23rd October 2020.
Song Machine is the ongoing and ever-evolving process which has seen Gorillaz joined by an expanding roster of collaborators captured live in Kong Studios and beyond. The result is an expansive collection of tracks embracing a myriad of sounds, styles, genres and attitudes from a breath-taking line-up of guest artists including Beck, Elton John, Fatoumata Diawara, Georgia, Kano, Leee John, Octavian, Peter Hook, Robert Smith, Roxani Arias, ScHoolboy Q, Slaves, Slowthai, St Vincent and 6LACK.
To date the project has seen over 100million streams on all tracks already and the band’s biggest period of sustained growth across both listenership and fanbase growth. All this before the album has even been announced!
Virtual band Gorillaz is singer 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, guitarist Noodle and drummer Russel Hobbs. Created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, their acclaimed eponymous debut album was released in 2001. The BRIT and Grammy Award winning band’s subsequent albums are Demon Days (2005), Plastic Beach (2010), The Fall (2011), Humanz (2017) and The Now Now (2018). A truly global phenomenon, Gorillaz have achieved success in entirely ground-breaking ways, touring the world from San Diego to Syria, winning numerous awards including the coveted Jim Henson Creativity Honor.
The band are recognised by The Guinness Book Of World Records as the planet’s Most Successful Virtual Act.
2 x 180g Black 12” vinyl
20 page hardcover 12” art book
Song Machine Season One Deluxe CD
Download card for the full deluxe album
3 x 12” art prints
1 x 12” label copy sheet
j 10. Désolé (feat. Fatoumata Diawara) Extended Version
j 10. Désolé (feat. Fatoumata Diawara) Extended Version
A very welcome reissue of this amazing LP. Beautiful deep Brazilian music that soothes the soul.. Tip!!
The self-titled debut by the duo Jaime & Nair is a revelation of all sorts. Released in 1974 on CID under the influence of albums like "Clube Da Esquina" it is an expressive album full of charm through a gesture of swing. It shows an overall dreamy lullaby vibe with subtle touches of Brazilian folk and features well-known artists such as Wilson Das Neves, Orlandivo or José Roberto Bertrami as studio musicians. The outstanding and largely hailed song 'Sob O Mar' brings us back to a pure Brazilian soft-bossanova-beat adorned by luscious orchestral arrangements. It became a popular DJ tune for those in the know after being comped in the fantastic "High Jazz" series in the early 2000s, gaining this album grail status among collectors worldwide. An essential addition to any serious Brazilian music collection.
GES: Anthology of American Pop Music
Six great pop standards remembered: five pop songs are dissected by sampler, stretched, compressed, and re-collaged. In this way, their identity is lost. What remains is a vague concreteness: flashes of déjà vu and remote echoes that evoke the original.
GES (Gesellschaft zur Emanzipation des Samples)
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Active members: Helmut Schmidt, Jan Jelinek
Founded: 2009
Headquarters: Federal Court of Justice, Karlsruhe, Germany
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GES Glossary
Acoustic Surveillance Series
A 7-inch vinyl record series curated by GES focussing on historical methods of acoustic surveillance. Each record introduces a surveillance system from the past. Starting with Uguisubari in 2017, the series will continue with the release of Orecchio di Dionisio in 2021. GES is open to further suggestions on this subject.
Bundesgerichtshof (German Federal Court of Justice), Karlsruhe
“The use of audio samples as artistic practice may justify the infringement of copyright and intellectual property rights.” (ruling of the German Federal Court of Justice pertaining to Metall auf Metall II, 2016). The court is also the official headquarters of GES.
Circulations
What happens to copyright claims when music from a passing car is captured in a street recording? Is it legal to use this recording freely or is it necessary to obtain licensing rights? Circulations re-enacts this recording situation: audio players are placed in public spaces, where they reproduce the desired sample material. The acoustically choreographed space is then recorded, creating a field recording in which everyday noises circulate together with seemingly incidental music.
Emancipation of Sampling
Fuelled by its criminalization, the act of sampling existing recordings forfeited some of its artistic prestige (see Sampling). GES wishes to rehabilitate and re-emancipate the practice of sampling as a form of art in its own right. Strategy: 1. Name samples and sources explicitly. 2. Choose samples that are as popular and as recognizable as possible (Beatles, Carpenters, etc.). 3. The editing and manipulation of the sample must not compromise its recognizability (negotiable). 4. Use as many samples as possible. 5. Always name more sample sources than were actually used in the composition.
Field Recording
A compositional practice widely used in sound art and ethnomusicology that involves the recording of natural acoustical phenomena. Two additional requirements are usually imposed: The recording process should take place outside a studio environment, i.e. outdoors. And the person recording does not generate any of the acoustic material him/herself. GES expands this definition by introducing the concept of choreographed public space (see Circulations).
Gambling
An acoustic event favoured by GES, already used in numerous sound collages (must take place in public). The most popular option is thimblerig, a cup and ball gambling game commonly played in the street. Compositional instruction by GES: Place an audio playback device in the proximity of a thimblerigger. Play works for orchestra (by Debussy or Mahler). Move slowly towards the gamblers with a microphone.
Helmut Schmidt
Multiple identity and fictional character devised by GES. Figures variously within the semiotic system of GES as member, guest artist or public representative. Following the historical example of Subcommandante Marcos (EZLN).
Kraftwerk
The German band founded by electropop musicians Florian Schneider-Esleben and Ralf Hütter (a.k.a. Die Prozessoren) is the natural enemy of GES. Protected by computer-generated avatars, Kraftwerk operates a quote-hostile cultural hegemony. Their strategy: Install a special brand in the collective consciousness by means of a sophisticated system of quotations and references that may in turn not be quoted by anyone else. Other bands with such delusions of omnipotence: U2, Metallica.
Marcel Duchamp
As the inventor of the readymade, Duchamp may be viewed as a precursor to the art of sampling. However, the artist is appreciated above all for his sonorous qualities, as his vocal silence has often been sampled and processed. It was the inspiration for Jelinek's radio play Zwischen.
Orecchio di Dionisio
This 65-meter-deep limestone cave in the Sicilian town of Syracuse, carved out of a hillside in ancient times, has exceptional acoustics: A person standing at the cave entrance can hear every word whispered deep down inside it. The painter Michelangelo da Caravaggio gave it its name (The Ear of Dionysius) in 1608. The cave indeed resembles an ear and – according to Caravaggio – had a specific function: The tyrant Dionysius I imprisoned his political prisoners in the cave in order to spy on them. Orecchio di Dionisio will be featured in the Acoustic Surveillance Series in the near future.
Sampling
Compositional practice whereby recorded music is fragmented, turned into sound collages and transferred into different contexts of meaning. Since the advent of affordable sampling technology in the 1990s, the music industry has been trying to criminalize and/or promote the practice. Both strategies are driven by the same principle: Profit.
Uguisubari
Sound-making floorboards in Japanese temple and castle complexes, featured in the Acoustic Surveillance Series in 2017. In the Edo period, the “nightingale floor” (literal translation of uguisubari) was a popular acoustic warning system. The principle was straightforward: When someone stepped onto the boards, nails would rub against metal clamps beneath the floor, creating a tell-tale squeaky sound that was said to resemble the chirping of the Japanese nightingale.
Wind
A generator of acoustic events and an amplifier/transmitter of existing sounds. A meteorological form of energy appreciated by the GES on account of its unpredictability. A series about wind as an acoustic phenomenon is planned. Working title: Hotel Corridors.
Zwischen (Between)
Radio play by GES member Jan Jelinek based on recordings of various public interview situations. From the speech of the interviewees (all of them eloquent personalities) the pauses between coherent utterances were extracted and assembled. What we hear is an archaic body language: modes of breathing, word particles and onomatopoeic turmoil. A key question for GES: Which comes first, personal rights or artistic freedom? For Zwischen, Jelinek used only recordings by public figures that were already available to the public.
German techno and house composer Tim Engelhardt takes you on a deep dive into his peculiar-yet-relatable world of musical meanderings with ‘Idiosynkrasia’. True to the nature of idiosyncrasy, the album is more than the sum of its parts.
‘Idiosynkrasia’ is an ode to the inspiration Tim finds in all kinds of spaces and places: each cut woven from the same cloth of meticulously formed melodic structures and expertly crafted harmonies, gently amplified and unfettered by genre. From the opening track it’s clear that Tim has a profound awareness of rhythm and sound, his background as a pianist lending an easy fluidity to the album as it expands and contracts to tell a story which is gentle, humble and reflective.
Using granular processed recordings of piano, floating strings and other instruments to transmute emotions like love, nostalgia, vulnerability and longing, the album shifts through meditative, flow-state inducing tracks, morphing into cuts designed for dancing it all out.
Take it straight, mix it up or down: ‘Idiosynkrasia’ is cinematic in form and orchestral in structure, each track is marked with Tim’s unique sonic signature and careful attention to instrumentation.
Inhale the spirited and lively flow; exhale and surrender into epiphanic moments: this is an album which will catalyse deep breaths, reflection and a different way of thinking.
'Orchestral Studies Collectanea' consists of seven previously unreleased orchestral movements (Tracks 1-7) in addition to remastered variations of arrangements that originally appeared on, 'Orchestral Tape Studies' and 'Orchestral Tape Studies Tyresta Reworks'. Orchestral Studies Collectanea is a compilation arranged and produced by zake with additional production by close friend Tyresta. OSC is a group of richly layered movements of fragmented orchestral loops, paying homage to minimalist symphonic composers and orchestras. zake and Tyresta incorporate field recordings and faint drone billows to accompany these selected samples of orchestral loops. With an emphasis on tone and recurrent murmurs, these arrangements offer approximately 48 minutes of delicate repetition, reticent sound treatments, and subtle manipulations. OSC is intended for low-volume listening.
In January 1967, a 24-year old Aretha Franklin signed to Atlantic Records and began one of the most legendary runs in music history, releasing five U.S. hit singles in that year alone. Rhino celebrates the 50th anniversary of Franklin's historic signing with an opportunity to hear her classic Atlantic masters like never before.
A BRAND NEW ME: ARETHA FRANKLIN WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA pairs classic vocals from some of the most iconic songs that the Queen of Soul recorded for Atlantic Records with new arrangements performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded the music at Abbey Road Studios in London, with brand new backing vocals led by Grammy®-winning singer Patti Austin.
The result is another timeless record that retains the soul, groove, and gospel power of Franklin's revered talent. Among the standout tracks are newly re-imagined versions of classics like the Billboard #1 R&B hits Respect,' Think,' Don't Play That Song (You Lied),' and Angel.'
The album was produced by Nick Patrick and Don Reedman, the masterminds behind the massive worldwide success of If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which recently topped the charts in multiple countries and has sold more than 1.5 million copies.
Gondwana Records are delighted to announce the 6th release of our '7" Series', our first ever 7" vinyl collection series. Featuring bespoke artwork from Gondwana Records designer Daniel Halsall, cut at Calyx in Berlin, and manufactured at Optimal. This one is limited to strictly 300 copies and housed in a reverse board printed sleeve with classic 'dinked' centre holes.
The release also comes with a limited edition postcard
Dwight Trible and Matthew Halsall first met by chance at a festival in South Africa. Dwight sat in with Matt's band for an impromtu jam and a friendship was born. The result was Dwight's 2017 recording for Gondwana Records, Inspirations, produced by and featuring Matthew Halsall and members of the Gondwana Orchestra. With the LP long sold -out we've decided to shine a light on the first two tracks from the album. Together they make a glorious, deep, soulful 7" with a timeless message. On Side A we have, Dwight's impassioned take on Bacharach and David's classic What The World Needs Now is Love and on the flip we have a low-slung take on Donny Hathaway and Leroy Hutson's Tryin' Times. Both feel even more relevant now than they did when written. Just 300 copies and no re-press on this one - so don't miss out.
"Cy Timmons, born in 1941, is “The World’s Greatest Unknown” singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia.
His style may be called batida Americana: unusual bossa nova technique marked by the art of guitar percussion and turning his voice into a variety of instruments such as flute, trombone, synthesizer and more. But basically, it is difficult to specify the genre where his music belongs because it has been developed individually and heavily colored by his love of American music such as cool jazz, traditional pop, early R&B and many years of entertaining in various musical venues including Café Erewhon (“Nowhere” spelled backwards) which he ran in Atlanta. Rather than an imitation of bossa nova, Cy applied the bossa concept of expressing samba alone through classical guitar and vocals to expressing good old American popular music alone and so developed a new “traditional” American sound, a sound that was honed in part through an encounter with Judy Davis of Oakland, California, the stars’ vocal coach whose students included Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Mary Martin and Barbra Streisand.
He himself produced three albums of his music. On the first: “Cy Timmons” (1972) he was backed by a small orchestra, but the second, “The World’s Greatest Unknown” (1974), and the third “Heaven’s Gate” (1998), were Cy alone and show the true worth of his music that also has something in common with João Gilberto’s “White Album” and “Voz E Violão”."
Mastered and half-speed cut at Abbey Road, pressed at RTI, each release comes in a custom G-FLute cardboard mailer. 001 has a satin fabric heart sticker and 002 gold foil-stamped quotations from Cy. Both have extensive liner notes, including a full length interview.
Kate NV is the project of Russia-born recording artist, songwriter, and producer Kate Shilonosova. Best known in her hometown of Moscow as the lead singer and founder of the post-punk garage band Glintshake, Kate NV is also a performer in the experimental Moscow Scratch Orchestra and releases music under an alternate alias, NV. "Room for the Moon" is Kate NV's third album and second for RVNG Intl. "Room for the Moon" was inspired by memories of 70s/80s Russian and Japanese pop music and movies. The album finds Kate NV singing in Russian, French, and English. She collaborated with musicians Jenya Gorbunov (bass guitar), Vladimir Luchanskiy (saxophone), Quinn Oulton (bass guitar, saxophone), Nami Sato (Japanese Narration), and Marco Passarani (marimba). "Music knows what she wants," says Kate NV. On "Room for the Moon", the lyrical follow up to the buoyant minimalism of 2018's "FOR", NV follows this muse in fluid expression, harmonizing her lunar lullabies with a starry compositional choreography. NV says, "I always let music express herself without pressure, and with or without voice."
A dramatic, string-drenched epic, James Ralph Bailey’s Just Me ’N’ You has been a sought-after soul masterpiece for decades. A lush suite of beautiful songs, it was conceived as a concept album; a sophisticated paean to love.
Originally released by MAM Records in 1974, Just Me ’N’ You is a breathtaking jazzy soul album. It’s similar in style to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On - particularly the performances, orchestrations and chord progressions - but dealing with a different universal subject matter. If What’s Going On was about romance instead of politics, it would sound like this.
Fans of Marvin, Leon Ware, Donny Hathaway, Leroy Hutson and Willie Hutch will love this record. Not as well known - this is definitely an underrated gem - the work of James Ralph Bailey is no less mind-blowing. It’s got to be one of the best soul albums of all time.
The original productions were made on a basic home tape machine and enhanced with strings, rhythmic overdubs and a variety of other instrumentation. These are beautiful arrangements of strings and jazzy horns. Rhythm guitars and bouncy bass serve as the groove foundation, congas provide a Latin feel whilst the vibraphone and harmonica add colour. And then of course there’s JR’s voice.
His style recalls Hathaway, with a delivery akin to Marvin at the time. As he scats and sings, accompanying himself in sweet harmonies, there is still a rawness of pain and longing in his voice, the rawness familiar to all deep soul.
As an album, Just Me ’N’ You is no mere collection of songs. The tender, smooth tunes flow perfectly together into a fluid, single artistic statement. This is one where it’s hard to pick out any standouts. You may have heard the soaring title track before, maybe on Gilles Peterson’s Digs America compilation. The opening track “After Hours” sounds as fresh now as it ever was and segues beautifully into the majestic “Heaven On Earth”. Recorded by Hathaway the previous year, Bailey’s original of “Love Love Love” is incredible and arguably the definitive version. The powerful, dreamy, sax-and-harmony-laced “All Strung Out Over You” has echoes of the Chi-Lites, it’s that good. Goosebumps. And we could go on.
Mastered by Simon Francis, cut by Pete Norman and pressed at Record Industry, this Be With edition of Just Me ’N’ You sounds every bit as brilliant as it should. A joyous celebration of love, this album is perfect in every way. If you don’t already own a copy then now is the time.
Ltd. Purple Edition
Out 18th September, ‘What It Is’ is the second LP from Brooklyn- based multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and producer Sly5thAve; his first new music since the critically acclaimed project ‘The Invisible Man: An Orchestral Tribute to Dr. Dre’. The recording had been first devised as a benefit concert in LA which was attended by Dr. Dre who took to the stage to express thanks for Sly5thAve’s arrangements. Having spent the past three years performing the project with orchestras around the world, ‘What It Is’ sees Sly5thAve retain the high-quality that fans and critics alike have come to expect from him while stepping out with something considerably different, delving deeper into the worlds of hip hop, jazz and soul. Celebrating not only his own versatile musicianship but that of his collaborators and friends, ‘What It Is’ is a collection of tracks showcasing the best of the multi-faceted musician. A sought-after collaborator himself, Sly5thAve has attained much respect from his work with a host of highly fêted musicians including; Prince (as a member of the New Power Generation Band), Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Taylor Swift, Janelle Monáe, Freddie Gibbs and Quantic.
The second offering by Julie Carpenter’s textural orchestral entity Less Bells takes its title from a storied strain of decorative objects worn in remembrance of lost loved ones: Mourning Jewelry.
The album shares a similar mood of devotional pageantry, stirring ornamental laments born from a need to “create beauty out of grief.” Utilising an amalgam of strings, synthesisers, and choirs, the pieces ascend and descend in grand, glimmering arcs, ebbing from passages of “baroque complexity” to expanses of haunting emptiness. Certain songs also skew more overtly western than ever before, deeply reverbed plucks of banjo refracted against glowing horizons of sunrise drone: Americana gone ambient.
Furthering the music’s mystic intentionality, the track titles comprise “the major arcana of a tarot deck from an alternate universe,” lorded over by the “Queen Of Crickets,” ruler of “The Gates,” “The Fault,” and “The Fang.” Even so, the record requires no psychic divination to glean its fragile majesty, its muted tumult of mirage and melody. The beauty it possesses is too blatant, and bountiful.
It was a busy 2019 for Asian Dub Foundation with the long-awaited reissue of their Mercury Prize-nominated 1998 classic Rafi’s Revenge. The reissue garnered ecstatic reviews, all of which agreed that the sound and the message that ADF threw down in 1998 is as relevant now as it was then-perhaps even more so. So it’s timely that in 2020 the band are set to release their 9th album “Access Denied” which finds them as uncompromising as ever. The album showcases ADF in full spectrum mode from the tough Jungle Punk sound of “Stealing The Future” and “Mind-lock” through to the orchestral meditation of “Realignment” and the reggae lament of the title track.
With guestspots from Greta Thunberg, incendiary Palestinian shamstep warriors 47 Soul, Chilean revolt’s rap main figure Ana Tijoux and radical UK comedian Stewart Lee, Asian Dub Foundation continue their sonic opposition to the powers that be and “Access Denied” kicks harder and higher than ever.
Asian Dub Foundation are a genre unto themselves. Their unique combination of tough jungle rhythms, dub bass lines and wild guitar overlaid by references to their South Asian roots and militant high-speed rap has established them as one of the best live bands in the world. During their long and productive career Asian Dub Foundation have shared the stage with the likes of Rage Against The Machine, the Beastie Boys and Primal Scream also collaborating on record with the likes of Radiohead, Sinead O’ Connor, Iggy Pop and Chuck D.
The story began in the early 90’s when ADF formed from a music workshop in East London at the institution which is their spiritual home, Community Music. Their unique beginnings in a music workshop in east London marked out both their sound and their wider educational aspirations, as showed by their early involvements with Roma Youth in Budapest, hooking up with the leg-endary Afro Reggae in the favelas of Rio, and setting up their own education organisation ADF Education (ADFED), not to mention their campaigns on behalf of those suffering miscarriages of justice. Building a solid live reputation in the mid-90’s, particularly in France, they eventually es-tablished themselves as an important worldwide force and particularly as an explosive alterna-tive to the backward-looking obsession with Britpop in the UK.
In addition to their blistering live reputation ADF were one of the first bands to experiment with the now more commonplace live film re-score, beginning with their rapturously-received interpre-tation of the French classic La Haine back in in 2001. They’ve continued to perform said project or nearly two decades, taking in David Bowie’s Meltdown at London’s South Bank and a contro-versial show at the Broadwater Farm Estate, scene of the events that led to the London Riots of 2011.They’ve also rescored George Lucas’ debut THX 1138 (with encouragement from Mr. Lu-cas himself) and they’ve recently revived their explosive live interpretation to the continually rele-vant Battle of Algiers at the Museum of Immigration in Paris.
Along with its sister imprint Fluid Electronics - dedicated to all things more muscularly 4x4 oriented, from house to techno via ambient, Fluid Funk will offer a platform of choice for creators and lovers of soulful house, hip-hop, jazz, funk, disco et al. The goal of the label is to bring a community of like-minded people together, cleared from the complexities that sometimes hamper the good course of the label-artist relationship.
First to grace Fluid Funk's dance floor-ready grooves is Rotterdam-based emerging talent Beau Zwart. Fresh off a choice inaugural sortie on INI Movements that hit the streets a few weeks ago, Beau steps in with his debut 12", "Beyond Two Souls" - an infectiously smooth and solarpowered six-track platter featuring Dutch duo Fouk on remix duty.
Expect lavishly orchestrated cascades of ankle-twisting breaks, prismatic synthwork and summer-flavoured melodies to wrap your ears around as your feet and body give in to the power of that funky bass. Brewing elements of fuzzy pop, pixelated soul and tropicalised rhythms, Beau Zwarts sound takes us on a wildly enjoyable ride across luxuriantly flowered scapes and fluttering cosmic house horizons. Interlaced with sugary Rhodes stabs and 8-bit harmonics a la "Floating Points", Sykes' warm vox intonations shows us the way into a pulsating heart of wonky, bop-infused boogie.
Expanding to further out-there, club-optimised bravura, Fouk's take on the title-track is the kind of track that'll make an impact in the sweatbox as well as in a more cabaret-like setting. Pulling out the weirdo harmonics and left-of-centre jazz aerobatics, "Ixodus" lets its free spirited sense of playfulness take over completely. Flip sides and here's "Marble Book" unbolts the spacious pads and whirling alien riffs as a sturdy sub-bass and gut-churning kicks beat time onto further estranged
dimensions.
A slightly more muscular but thoroughly sensuous workout, "Bustin Out" fuses classical two-step-indebted breaks with lascivious "P-Funk" tropes into one compelling club heater, before the EP's sluggish closer "Illustrate My Way" sends us into orbit for good with its slowed down romanticism and otherworldly piano fantasy.
3LP + MP3
Soul Jazz Records' new album 'Kaleidoscope - New Spirits Known and Unknown' brings together many of the ground-breaking artists involved in the new jazz scene that has developed in the UK over the last few years. Featured artists include Matthew Halsall, Yazmin Lacey, Ill Considered, Tenderlonious, Theon Cross, Emma-Jean Thackray and many, many more in this ground-breaking release. As well as sharing a pioneering spirit in these new artists' approach to frontier-crossing musical boundaries, a further theme of this album is that many also share a determination to independent practices - and most of these artists' recordings featured here are either self-published or released on independent labels. While the attention of this new wave of jazz artists up until now has been Londonbased, this album shows how this movement is spread across the whole of Britain (and indeed beyond). 'Kaleidoscope - New Spirits Known and Unknown' shows that while there is commonality in these artists' approach to music, there is a wide variety of styles - from deep spiritual jazz, electronic experimentalisation, punk-edged funk, uplifting modal righteousness, deep soulful vocals and much more.
Pianist Roberto de la Barrera was arguably the first musician from Cartagena, Colombia to record music that would later be labeled "tropical" and "salsa" with his own group in the early to mid-1960s. He took the piano seat in the Discos Fuentes house orchestra and was also an arranger on several releases.
In 1970 he recorded his third album for the label, "Se formó la salsa", featuring an irresistible mix of Colombian and Cuban flavors, sometimes within the same tune, and often with that wonderful raw, loose, improvisational quality associated with the "descarga" jam sessions of Cachao and others a decade before.
Roberto de la Barrera was a pioneer in introducing modern Latin sounds from Havana, New York and San Juan. Sadly, his contributions in bringing salsa to the Caribbean region of Colombia and hence the rest of the country have gone largely unheralded, but hopefully this reissue will help set things straight.
Presented in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180g vinyl. Part of Vampisoul's reissue series of classic Fuentes LPs.
Ryan Lee West aka Rival Consoles announces details of his highly anticipated new album Articulation, released on Erased Tapes on 31 July 2020.
‘Articulation’, the lead track and album centrepiece, links the record back to the analogue fluidity and colour of 2016’s Night Melody. The division of varying time signatures, intertwined with a complex structure of notes, creates an expression of a moving structure and conjures a dreamy motorik energy. Ryan Lee West explains, "The title track is about articulation and playfulness with shape and time. Its structure is very machine-like, but I was really interested in how melody and sense of story could develop out of this, and it became an exploration of mathematical structures - patterns and shapes having a conversation. I love that something on paper can appear rigid and calculated, but then take on new meaning based on the context that surrounds it, or how it changes over time."
Articulation (which follows 2018’s Persona) was conceived with a very visual way of thinking, unusual for the London musician and producer. During the writing process Ryan drew structures, shapes and patterns by hand to try and find new ways of thinking about music, giving himself a way to problem-solve away from the computer. The album title references a piece by the avant-garde contemporary composer Györgi Ligeti, though not for its music, but for the non-traditional graphic score that accompanied it.
“I find electronic music is often battling to say something with integrity because technology and production can easily get in the way. I think the goal of a lot of electronic composers is to find a balance between the vision of the idea and the power of possibilities on the computer. With a pen and paper sketch you can compose and rethink ideas without technology getting in the way, so for me it acts as a very helpful tool to refresh the process.” - Ryan Lee West
The idea of using analogue drawings and tools to bolster digital creations can be heard in the structure of the pieces that make up Articulation from the broody techno opener ‘Vibrations on a String’ all the way to the album’s boundless closer ‘Sudden Awareness of Now’. While the anthemic rise and fall of ‘Still Here’ and the beatless ambient meditation ‘Melodica’ evoke a certain nostalgia, ‘Forwardism’ achieves the very opposite by burying its melody within the fast-paced rhythm of its pulsating synths.
Rising out of birdsong heard from his studio window, ‘Sudden Awareness of Now’ has a particular urgency about it and seems to perfectly capture a longing for escape. Built around a simple and repetitive melodic theme, expanding and retracting over the course of its seven-minute odyssey, Lee West explains; “I like the fact that if you say something over and over again in music, then over time it can become something else, something reflective.”
Since the release of Persona, Ryan Lee West has taken his captivating live A/V set to all corners of the world. Last seen live on stage with 17 players of the London Contemporary Orchestra for a sold-out orchestral performance at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in January 2020.
Meanwhile Lee West has kept busy. After contributing an exclusive track titled ‘Them Is Us’ to Adult Swim’s coveted Singles series, he recently shared the beautifully textured solo piano piece Winter’s Lament on this year’s Piano Day. He has also been in high demand as a composer, scoring Charlie Brooker’s much talked about Black Mirror episode Striking Vipers, composing original music for Secret Cinema presents Stranger Things as well as renowned choreographer Alexander’s Whitley’s groundbreaking new work Overflow which was set to premiere at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre this spring.
Articulation will be available worldwide on 31 July, with live activities to be announced as soon as the situation allows safe event planning
South London’s Lianne La Havas re-entered our musical consciousness at the end of February with her emotionally stirring soul-gem ‘Bittersweet’. This came in conjunction with an Annie Mac Hottest Record, a mind-blowing live show at the Barbican with the BBC Symphony Orchestra & Jules Buckley and an incredible Colors session – all of which helped put Lianne firmly back on the cultural map for 2020.
‘Lianne La Havas’, Lianne’s third album and her first in five years and is an album of startling beauty and insight—made entirely on her own terms which has been quite a journey. In one sense, geographically: La Havas spent a lot of time moving back and forth between the UK and the States working on writing and exploring her own identity. As a result, ‘Lianne La Havas’ feels spacious and luminous. Its sunbaked sounds recall, in places, the Brazilian singer, songwriter, and guitarist Milton Nascimento (on “Seven Times”). You might also hear the curveball chords of Joni Mitchell and Jaco Pastorious’s jazz explorations (“Green Papaya”), or the puttering drums and inviting warmth of golden-era Al Green (“Read My Mind”). And throughout the record, there’s a sense of empowerment that has its roots in the crisp ‘90s R&B of Destiny’s Child.
New album from the Parisian producer.
Label say:
Because, at La Creme Garcia Club, a private circle of discerning smokers in Barcelona, Blundetto was in heavy rotation in the playlists. So heavy that these people of good taste for legal activity on this side of the Pyrenees yet prohibited from profits, had the idea of becoming the privileged partners of a new album. Without scrutiny, without intervention in the artistic, but with a single watchword: let Blundetto return to his first love of world sound.
The result is a stereo trip illustrated by Mossy Giant's artwork. A trip around the world without leaving your couch.
An offer that cannot be refused.
Ten years had passed since Bad Bad Things; it was the occasion to celebrate this decade by reviving its state of mind. The one who mixes collaborations, atmospheres, and styles. Exiled to the green, in musical autarky from several albums, Blundetto has therefore returned to the rhythm of city life and studios. He has changed his way of operating, opened his repertoire, and invited friends to new titles that he had written for them.
The circle of intimates already present on Bad Bad Things (Hindi Zahra, General Electric, Chico Mann) has widened to include regular accomplices (Biga Ranx) and to extend to artists with whom Blundetto felt an obvious connection (Crime Apple, Leonardo Marques). Guided by this roadmap written by Blundetto, all succeeded in painting with their colors and spreading their musical soul in the project, either taking the rhythmic direction of Brazil, Africa, or Latin America, getting dizzy in Jamaican fumes or chopping at the salient angles of hip hop.
Dive into the new openings of Clément Petit’s arrangements, now more sophisticated than those on which Blundetto evolved, and now capable of bringing an orchestral dimension made of strings and brass, creating a direct opening on the emotions, an automatic generator of images to accompany the soundtrack by the producer Blackjoy.
Whatever the orientation, each guest becomes a unique and essential part while Blundetto remains the common thread, the cement and the final varnish of a musical mosaic called Good Good Things.
Emma-Jean Thackray, an outstanding figure in the UK jazz scene, releases Um Yang, her long-dreamed project dedicated to the Taoist philosophy of duality and harmony. Ahighly ambitious and personal record that sees Thackray leading a septet featuring
Soweto Kinch and Steam Down’s Wonky Logic, recorded straight to vinyl. An accomplished trumpeter, beat-maker, singer, composer and DJ, Thackray draws on far wider influences than jazz. Her sound is distinctive; in the words of The Guardian like “Bitches Brewera Miles entering the dub chamber with a New Orleans marching band – in a good way”. Since debuting in 2016, Thackray has directed the London Symphony Orchestra, performed at the NY Winter Jazz Fest, played Glastonbury five times in 2019 alone, and launched her own record
label, Movementt (in association with Warp). Championed by Gilles Peterson, Theo Parrish and Jamie Cullum, Thackray has firmly cemented her place among a new wave of exciting young
musicians, collaborating with Makaya McCraven, Junius Paul and Angel Bat Dawid, and still finds time to host her monthly radio show on Worldwide FM. Raised in Yorkshire, Thackray inherited a grounding in Taoism from her father, and approaches her music with the same pursuit of harmony between Um & Yang (the Korean Ying & Yang), balancing melody and rhythm, groove and free improvisation, cerebral and physical. For this one-off recording, Thackray has applied this ideology in every sense, even down to the ensemble itself featuring not one but two percussionists. Um commences with ethereal interplay between keys, percussion, and Thackray’s trumpet, recalling the spiritual jazz of Alice Coltrane’s classic records. As the piece builds, an earthy groove emerges. On both trumpet and vocals,
Thackray leads the ensemble further out until the piece peaks with an epic breakdown. On the flip, Yang starts on the same cacophonous note but progresses to a joyful groove before returning to a peaceful state again, balance restored.
Queried on his favourite word in the German language, Masayoshi Fujita will pick ‘getragen’ – without a sliver of hesitation. Further questioning will reveal that he loves the term’s semantic signifiers, its inherent sense of “expansive, deep, quiet and sombre.” And yet, ‘getragen’ leaves plenty of room for interpretation: depending on context, it might also indicate wearing apparel or the state of being carried – two more mundane interpretations that I would rather keep from him. Does Masayoshi’s own definition, however, apply to ‘Bird, Lake, Objects’? Only to a limited extent. Compared to previous Faitiche releases, ‘Bird, Lake, Objects’ is certainly the most ‘getragen’ of them all. Nevertheless, this is by far not the first association that comes to mind. From a distance, these tracks seem rather introspective, cautious even – and reflect the recording situation: deliberately pared down, reduced to a single microphone in space and a separate track for all other instruments, each movement and action is chronicled by the treacherous mike. This confronted me with some unexpected and unfamiliar problems. For example, we had to swap out the seating in the studio as my favoured chair had a characteristic creak. Other, external influences were proved our control: fire engine klaxons, street noise and footfall became part of the recordings and their improvisatory nature. Each movement required careful orchestration, fully aware of its irrevocable nature. Space itself was always present and an audible entity, except on ‘Stripped to RM’ (recorded without a microphone or vibraphone track). After extensive deliberations, we decided to forgo the vibes on this piece – a very similar version had already been released in 2008 (on the compilation ‘Enjoy The Silence’, Mule Electronic, 2008). Jan Jelinek, February 2010
Over a decade after its inception, ground-breaking composer Max Richter announces the release of VOICES – a major new recording project inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In a time of dramatic global change, VOICES offers a musical message of hope. Max Richter invited people around the world to be part of the piece, crowd-sourcing readings of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to be interwoven into the work, which features an ‘upside-down’ orchestra. He received hundreds of submissions in over 70 languages. These readings form the aural landscape that the music flows through: they are the VOICES of the title.Max Richter explains, “I like the idea of a piece of music as a place to think, and it is clear we all have some thinking to do at the moment. We live in a hugely challenging time and, looking around at the world we have made, it’s easy to feel hopeless or angry. But, just as the problems we face are of our own making, so their solutions are within our reach, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is something that offers us a way forward. Although it isn’t a perfect document, the declaration does represent an inspiring vision for the possibility of better and kinder world.”
Big Crown Records is proud to present Adult Themes, the latest full length offering from El Michels Affair. This album takes the band's "Cinematic Soul" aesthetic literally and sends the listener on a journey through a whirlwind of moods and energies. With their 2005 debut album Sounding Out The City, EMA spearheaded an instrumental funk / soul movement that inspired a slew of bands and even lead to the creation of a few independent record labels. El Michels has since lent his signature sound to artists from Adele to Dr John, Lana Del Rey to Aloe Blacc, and a who's who list of others. In 2016 he co-founded Big Crown Records and has since produced the lion's share of its output. A short stint as the touring band for Wu Tang Clan in 2007 led to the cult classics Enter The 37th Chamber (2009) and Return To The 37th Chamber (2017). Adult Themes marks the long awaited, highly anticipated return to an album of original compositions from El Michels Affair. In 2017 in between producing, playing, and recording on other artists' records Leon Michels began creating compilations of short interludes intended to be sampled by hip hop producers. Some of these wound up becoming songs by Jay Z & Beyonce, Travis Scott, and Don Toliver. These minute-long snippets were inspired by the dense moody work of `60s composers like David Axelrod, and Francois de Roubaix, as well as Moondog's brand of classical jazz. Michels was having so much fun creating these instrumental / orchestral nuggets that he decided to expand on some of the ideas and create what would become the soundtrack for a movie that has yet to be made, an imaginary film entitled "Adult Themes." The album plays like the colors on an artists pallet. Songs like "Rubix" and "Villa" are densely orchestrated with the hard-hitting drums that El Michels Affair is known for. On "Life of Pablo", Leon's son makes his first appearance on record and intros a song with an epic arrangement and a moving mood. "Hipps" is a drum heavy ballad that could've easily fit on EMA's debut record, Sounding Out the City. Other compositions like "The Difference" and "Kill The Lights" are bare, melodic mood pieces with sparse drums and sophisticated chord movement. All of these tunes come together to make perfect backgrounds for dialogue and action. One of the beautiful things about instrumental music is that the listener can decide what the narrative is. With Adult Themes El Michels Affair has created a "choose your own adventure" in musical form.
Brussels-based trio schroothoop (Dutch for ‘junk yard’) is formed by Rik Staelens (wind & string instruments), Timo Vantyghem (bass & clarinet) and Margo Maex (percussion). Their tribal oriented debut mini-album features homemade instruments built from lost and found objects like wood, scrap metal or anything that would end up in a landfill. The band’s music is infused with sounds from around the world orchestrated by PVC flute melodies, jerry can beats and washtub bass lines. The trio effortlessly incorporates jazz with North African chaabi, cumbia, reggaeton, Eastern oriental melodies and Afro-Cuban rhythms, resulting in a danceable and hypnotic trip in 7 compositions through the Brussels melting pot. The musical members are part of groups such as La Clinik du Dr Poembak, Raksinaksi, Sea (Peoples), Borokov and Sea Shark Minor.
Queried on his favourite word in the German language, Masayoshi Fujita will pick 'getragen' - without a sliver of hesitation. Further questioning will reveal that he loves the term's semantic signifiers, its inherent sense of "expansive, deep, quiet and sombre." And yet, 'getragen' leaves plenty of room for interpretation: depending on context, it might also indicate wearing apparel or the state of being carried - two more mundane interpretations that I would rather keep from him. Does Masayoshi's own definition, however, apply to 'Bird, Lake, Objects'? Only to a limited extent. Compared to previous Faitiche releases, 'Bird, Lake, Objects' is certainly the most 'getragen' of them all. Nevertheless, this is by far not the first association that comes to mind. From a distance, these tracks seem rather introspective, cautious even - and reflect the recording situation: deliberately pared down, reduced to a single microphone in space and a separate track for all other instruments, each movement and action is chronicled by the treacherous mike. This confronted me with some unexpected and unfamiliar problems. For example, we had to swap out the seating in the studio as my favoured chair had a characteristic creak. Other, external influences were proved our control: fire engine klaxons, street noise and footfall became part of the recordings and their improvisatory nature. Each movement required careful orchestration, fully aware of its irrevocable nature. Space itself was always present and an audible entity, except on 'Stripped to RM' (recorded without a microphone or vibraphone track). After extensive deliberations, we decided to forgo the vibes on this piece - a very similar version had already been released in 2008 (on the compilation 'Enjoy The Silence', Mule Electronic, 2008). Jan Jelinek, February 2010
After the success of the 2 Late 4 Love EP, Roy Of The Ravers returns to Emotional Response with a double LP with a deeper perspective, experimenting in ambient and drone textures, lucid techno travails and acid interludes.
Recorded between 1997 and 2017, the album was pieced together over the last six months after Roy's archives were first feared lost and then found. Approached by the label to release a follow up with something more introspective and personal, it was discovered that a recent move to a new studio had led to over 20 years of music being misplaced after it was believed they were mistakenly dropped at a local charity store. However, deep in a box of what were thought to be patch cables were in fact the decades worth of hard drives and here presented, is a sample of those lost recordings.
The nature of the music is introspection, eschewing the acid beats and white noise for a personal encounter between man and machine. The orchestral opening of the title track gives way to the submarine beats, pulsing TB303 and gliding hats of Robinson College 10 to set the outlook to come. Even with the scattering A Dim And Distant Past waking lulled senses, the melodies and feel all lead to a pause and reflect rather than jump and shout.
This is continued with the haunting drives of Bounce Erec and Oriental X0X-Press; the twisted, warped jams of The Weber Traum Boat Pt.3, Ichi and Roland Corp Labs 05; and the beautiful, heartfelt odes in Sade Lost Theme, The Clock House Pt.2 and closer, Nemesis '01. The album's melodic nature hums and shines as CS (6x8) appears as much a centre piece as a alternative consideration to the acid tinged, club bangs of Roy's releases to date.
A surprise package maybe, but in the rolling, word of mouth phenomena that was Emotinium II, all this and more was sensed and so White Sunrise Music II, spreading across 12 songs of contrasting moods, is a further affirmation that there is something good and worthy of exploration.
O YAMA O explores a certain domestic and democratic quality of everyday life, born through associations to folk music of Japan and a folding of myth, tradition, and routine; the non-spectacular and the sublime.
Formed of musician and artist Rie Nakajima and Cafe OTO co-founder Keiko Yamamoto, the group has performed since 2014 at venues and festivals such as noshowspace, Ikon Gallery, Wysing Arts Centre, Supernormal, Borealis Festival, Mayhem, and allEars Festival.
Nakajima’s performance often focuses on the use of found and kinetic objects, using modest items such as rice bowls, toys, clockwork, balloons and small motors as instruments to create a “micro orchestra”. Elements are layered into impressive and immersive atmospheres. Yamamoto alternatively floats and charges through this with body and voice; chanting, incanting, thundering, whispering, stamping on the floor.
Their debut album consolidates their musical conversations into keenly paced studio music, the duo working with additional instrumentation and a resolved focus on melody to provide vivid portraits of folkloric Japan in song.
They move between pop and the philosophical, defined by the overall space afforded to texture and movement. In small, delicate sound an intimate musical climate is established that reflects on life, telling stories of improvised clockwork, whispered dreams, small movements of the hand and the rhythm to be found in the shuffle of a deck of cards.
Grandly theatric and dramatic flourishes add solidity to these illustrations, operas driven by the swooping energy and power of Yamamoto’s voice can be playful or emotionally charged, particularly when the duo arrange themselves in ensemble with violinist Billy Steiger and percussionist Marie Roux. Production by David Cunningham creates the shadowy presence of a leftfield Flying Lizards dubwise depth that adds subtle strangeness to the atmosphere. The result is something raw, full-bodied; full of energy, grace and mystery.
Re-release of the record originally released on 2016-02-05!
Remastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M Berlin and presented in an exact replica sleeve of the original 1966 release by Stephen O'Malley.
sales information: Black Truffle is honoured to present the first vinyl reissue of the classic debut album from AMM, AMMMusic. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its recording in 1966, this reissue makes one of the cornerstones of the experimental music tradition available again in its original form, replete with Keith Rowe's beautiful pop art cover and the terse aphorisms by the group that served as its original liner notes. A testament to the interaction between the experimental avant-garde and the countercultural underground, the album was originally released on Elektra, recorded by Jac Holzman (the label's founder, responsible for signing The Doors, Love, and The Stooges) and produced by DNA, a group that included Pink Floyd's first manager Peter Jenner. (Pink Floyd paid tribute to AMM's influence on their improvisational sensibility with the track 'Flaming' on their debut album, named after the piece that occupies AMMMusic's first side, 'Later During a Flaming Riviera Sunset').
Formed in 1965 by three players from the emerging British jazz avant-garde - Keith Rowe and Lou Gare had played with the great progressive big band leader Mike Westbrook and Eddie Prévost played in a post-bop group with Gare - AMM quickly evolved from a free jazz group into something decidedly more difficult to categorise. By the time these recordings were made, two more members had joined the group: another Westbrook associate, Lawrence Sheaf, and the radical composer Cornelius Cardew. Then at work on his masterpiece of graphic notation Treatise, Cardew brought with him extensive experience of the post-serialist and Cageian currents in contemporary composition. Using a combination of conventional instruments and unconventional methods of sound production (most famously Keith Rowe's prepared tabletop guitar, but also prepared piano and transistor radio), the group performed improvised pieces often running for over two hours and ranging from extended periods of silence to terrifying cacophonies.
Evan Parker famously described the improvisational logic of AMM's music as 'laminal', in contrast to the 'atomistic' approach more common among the generation of British improvisers (Bailey, Rutherford, Stevens and co.) to which he himself belonged. AMM improvised in layers: layers of sound subtly rising and falling or abruptly starting and stopping without being propelled by the implied pulse of free jazz improvisation. Rather than a pulse, AMM's music began with the sound of the room in which it was played, the Cageian anarchy of silence. By embracing the non-synchronous simultaneity of layered sound, AMM was able to create a musical container into which nearly anything could be incorporated at any moment: on AMMMusic, long tones sit next to abrasive thuds, the howl of uncontrolled feedback accompanies Cardew's purposeful piano chords, radios beam in snatches of orchestral music (and, on the LP's second side, an extended fragment of 'Mockingbird').
AMM's clearest break with jazz-based improvisation concerned the idea of individuality. Where improvised music has tended to foster the development of idiosyncratic stylists who move freely from one group to another, AMM, initially through an engagement with eastern philosophy and mysticism and later though a politicized communitarianism, sought to develop a collective sonic identity in which individual contributions could barely be discerned. In the performances captured on AMMMusic
the use of numerous auxiliary instruments and devices, including radios played by three members of the group, contribute to the sensation that the music is composed as a single monolithic object with multiple facets, rather than as an interaction between five distinct voices.
- Francis Plagne
With the sole exception of Louis Armstrong, Nat "King" Cole was one of therare black artists to enjoy such celebrity in the Forties and Fifties. He began his career as a pianist, forming a trio in 1937 with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince, but he was so successful as a singer that he went on to make many recordings as a vocalist.
Capitol, his record label, was quick to capitalize on Nat Cole's velvet tones. The hits came one after another: Straighten Up and Fly Right (1943) sold a million copies, and Nature Boy (1948) and Mona Lisa (1950) sold over three 3 million each. Some of his other (numerous) popular hits can be found on Side B.
Nat Cole's popular songs, however — some were so sentimental they were even slushy — should never conceal his talents as a pianist and musician, which he displayed with the best jazz orchestras around (Side A), his own trio (Side C) or in outings with Latin rhythms (Side D).
His fame earned him his own NBC television show in 1956, while Presidents Truman andKennedy would consult Nat on complex racial issues. He also appeared in some fifty films, and continued to record profusely (at least a hundred of his titles entered the sales charts). Nat "King" Cole deserved his title: not only did he sell over fifty million albums, but he also belongs to those artists who wrote jazz history.
The funky, atmospheric, evocative and sometimes downright weird output of companies such as DeWolfe, Cavendish, Burton and the ubiquitous KPM have always been a guiding inspiration for ATA Records, as evidenced in the spooky soundtrack works of The Sorcerers, the big band brass of The Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra and even in the soul-jazz of The Lewis Express ('Theme From The Watcher).
Everything released on ATA is written and guided by the label heads Neil Innes and Pete Williams, who frequently dip their toes in the Library pond while working on other projects. These occasional one-off tracks have accumulated over the past few years and have now found a home on the first volume of an ongoing series : The Library Archive
Ranging from heavy big band brass (Whack, Slap & Blow, Kaye Okay) to evocative thriller soundtrack (Midnight Heist, Wiretap, The Needlenose) via introspective ethereal soundscapes (Nuclear Wind, Siren's Sea) these 11 tracks faithfully recreate the feel of the Library music catalogues of the 60s and 70s.
On Sunset features ten classic yet modern Paul Weller songs. On Sunset is a soul album. At the same time it’s also an electronic album, an orchestral album, an album packed with masterly pop songs and heart-tugging ballads, and an album filled with touches of experimentalism. It’s also an album that sees Weller taking a rare glance into the rear-view mirror as he speeds into the 2020s. Most of the album sees Weller multi-tasking on various instruments with accompaniment from his regular band - Ben Gordelier appears on all tracks and Andy Crofts on most whilst Steve Cradock pops up with his guitar on 4 songs. An eclectic and sometimes surprising gathering of guests appear on On Sunset including Slade’s Jim Lea contributing violin to the Bonzos-esque “Equanimity”, and Paul’s old Style Council chum Mick Talbot adds his signature Hammond Organ sound to 3 tracks. The beautifully lush “More” features a verse sung by French singer Julie Gros, from the band Le Superhomard (whose album Meadow Lane Park was one of Weller’s favourites of 2019) as well as the return of The Strype’s guitarist Josh McClorey. English folk trio The Staves contribute backing vocals for 3 tracks. Once again Hannah Peel sprinkles her magic over the album with string arrangements and The Paraorchestra were invited to add their expertise to 4 tracks. Formats include Black double Gatefold Heavyweight LP, a CD Mintpack and a Deluxe Hardback CD version with additional tracks.
Circoloco resident Luca Cazal teams up with Italian talent Andrea Fiorito as the pair deliver their ‘What Is Music’ EP on Infuse this June, backed by a remix from Mariano Mateljan.
An Ibiza mainstay, with regular appearances at DC-10 for Paradise and his long-standing global Circoloco residency, See Double boss Luca Cazal has established himself as a quality and consistent force within the minimal house scene and beyond. An avid digger with an innate ability within the studio, Cazal’s career has also welcomed sets at internationally renowned institutions including fabric and Club der Vissionare, with late June now welcoming a debut appearance on Infuse alongside fellow Italian Andrea Fiorito. An artist driven by idealism, with a sound palette that takes in influences and productions from experimental techno through to lighter more delicate and orchestral sonics, Bari-based Fiorito has himself served up material via the likes of Housewax, Broquade, Get Physical and Cynosure to date, and here we see the two talents combine for the very first time to offer up ‘What Is Music’, accompanied by Infuse talent Mariano Mateljan on remix duties.
A-side opener ‘Tornado Girl’ is a groove-fulled rolling production armed with slinking hats, evolving basslines and warping lead synths, whilst on the flip, title cut ‘What Is Music’ delves deeper into darker, more paired back afterhours aesthetics with slinking organic percussion and sci-fi electronics throughout. To close, Croatian favourite Mateljan’s lively interpretation welcomes sharp kicks, distorted vocal hooks and haunting melodies, punctuating the package in impressive fashion.
The Berlin based label Sonar Kollektiv has been waiting for it anxiously: Key Elements' debut album leads Jazz music into the new decade down-the-line. The music Key Elements create is fresh, merciless and ruthless and has always the finger on the pulse of the time. The album's eight tracks are all far away from Broken Beat nostalgia or Beatmaking nedism, they breathe inspiration from the young, thriving British jazz scene. Key Element's initiator, DJ and producer Marian Tone, built up a reputation in the Berlin hiphop, soul and jazz scene over the years (also as a co-founder of Beatkollektiv). With all of his compositions you always feel this heritage and his love and passion for hiphop. But the other two allys within ëKey Elementsû, drummer Waldi and the keyboard or bass player Jim Dunloop made their contribution with compositions and ideas as well. An album which was initially designed to be a mere solo project became an effort of a trio over the years being inherently consistent.
Louis Armstrong is one of the most important jazz musicians. He belongs to those who transformed the local music scene born in the Southern States of the United States - around New Orleans - into an international language.
It was in the 1920's, in Chicago, that he recorded his first records with His Hot Five and His Hot Seven. His personality and his natural enthusiasm, combined with his talent as a trumpet player and singer, helped him pave his way to success.
He traveled the United States with his orchestra throughout the 1930's and the 1940's, and appeared on television sets from all around the world throughout the 1950's and the 1960's. In five decades, Armstrong's music had evolved into jazz music, then known as a familiar universal language, popular on five continents.
The four sides of this double album revive the history of jazz, from "Muskrat Ramble" to "Hello Dolly".
Last summer Liam Gallagher joined the list of all-time greats (Paul McCartney, Page and Plant, Nirvana and many more) who have filmed a prestigious MTV Unplugged session. Having missed Oasis’s 1996 session through illness, the show at Hull’s City Hall found Liam fulfilling some unfinished business entirely on his own terms.
Now Liam is set to release the ‘MTV Unplugged’ live album of the show on April 24th.
The show’s electrifying atmosphere is palpable from the very beginning with a phenomenal reaction as Liam takes to the stage with ‘Wall of Glass’. Material from Liam’s solo career such as his personal favourite ‘Once’ and the joyous ‘Now That I’ve Found You’ resonates in this stripped-back format, with his vocal shining alongside a trio of backing singers and string arrangements performed by the 24-piece Urban Soul Orchestra.
Oasis guitarist Bonehead features on performances of ‘Some Might Say’, ‘Stand By Me’, ‘Cast No Shadow’ and Liam’s first ever live vocal performance of the ‘Definitely Maybe’ bonus track ‘Sad Song’. The show concludes on a crowd-pleasing high with an emotive take on the classic ‘Champagne Supernova’.
Liam launches the ‘MTV Unplugged’ album by sharing the new version of ‘Gone’, which was one of the strongest performances of the night. Stripped of the force of the studio recording, ‘Gone’ instead reveals new-found bombastic dynamics and an evocative cinematic atmosphere.
The long awaited third album from much loved vintage synth maestros Billy Bainbridge and Mike Johnston, finally finds its home on Ghost Box Records. This is unironically joyful and melodic electronica; informed by library music, music for children’s TV and a deep passion for the history of music technology.
Plone are very much part of Ghost Box’s DNA. They were a central part of the 90s retro-futuristic scene in Birmingham that included Broadcast and Pram and to which the label has always had strong ties through graphic designer and co-manager, Julian House. They are also cited by the label’s other boss, Jim Jupp, as a major influence on his work as Belbury Poly.
The band was formed as a three-piece in the mid-90s and their debut single, Press a Key, was championed by John Peel. The first album, For Beginner Piano, was released on Warp Records in 1999. Their warm, witty and unfunky music stood out from the crowd, almost in defiance of the moody and masculine post-rave electronica of their contemporaries.
A selection of bootlegged demos from the early 00s was rumoured to be the follow up album, but it never materialised. After that Billy went on to tour with Broadcast and later formed Seeland with another former band member Tim Felton (also of Ghost Box’s Hintermass). Meanwhile Mike formed the ZX Spectrum Orchestra, released solo singles as Mike in Mono and was a member of The Modified Toy Orchestra.
Twenty years on and Plone have reconvened as a duo with a third album, Puzzlewood. It’s compiled from material recorded at various points since the “lost album”, right up to the present day.
Big Crown Records is proud to present Adult Themes, the latest full length offering from El Michels Affair. This album takes the band's "Cinematic Soul" aesthetic literally and sends the listener on a journey through a whirlwind of moods and energies. With their 2005 debut album Sounding Out The City, EMA spearheaded an instrumental funk / soul movement that inspired a slew of bands and even lead to the creation of a few independent record labels. El Michels has since lent his signature sound to artists from Adele to Dr John, Lana Del Rey to Aloe Blacc, and a who's who list of others. In 2016 he co-founded Big Crown Records and has since produced the lion's share of its output. A short stint as the touring band for Wu Tang Clan in 2007 led to the cult classics Enter The 37th Chamber (2009) and Return To The 37th Chamber (2017). Adult Themes marks the long awaited, highly anticipated return to an album of original compositions from El Michels Affair. In 2017 in between producing, playing, and recording on other artists' records Leon Michels began creating compilations of short interludes intended to be sampled by hip hop producers. Some of these wound up becoming songs by Jay Z & Beyonce, Travis Scott, and Don Toliver. These minute-long snippets were inspired by the dense moody work of `60s composers like David Axelrod, and Francois de Roubaix, as well as Moondog's brand of classical jazz. Michels was having so much fun creating these instrumental / orchestral nuggets that he decided to expand on some of the ideas and create what would become the soundtrack for a movie that has yet to be made, an imaginary film entitled "Adult Themes." The album plays like the colors on an artists pallet. Songs like "Rubix" and "Villa" are densely orchestrated with the hard-hitting drums that El Michels Affair is known for. On "Life of Pablo", Leon's son makes his first appearance on record and intros a song with an epic arrangement and a moving mood. "Hipps" is a drum heavy ballad that could've easily fit on EMA's debut record, Sounding Out the City. Other compositions like "The Difference" and "Kill The Lights" are bare, melodic mood pieces with sparse drums and sophisticated chord movement. All of these tunes come together to make perfect backgrounds for dialogue and action. One of the beautiful things about instrumental music is that the listener can decide what the narrative is. With Adult Themes El Michels Affair has created a "choose your own adventure" in musical form.
The third release from Night Dreamer’s essential “Direct-to-Disc” sessions sees an incredible meeting between legendary US saxophonist Gary Bartz and leading UK spiritual jazz ensemble, Maisha, featuring two Bartz classics and three brand new joint songs written by both Bartz & Maisha in close collaboration. Having cut his teeth playing with the likes of Charles Mingus, Max Roach, Art Blakey and finally in 1970, Miles Davis at the peak of his electric period, Gary Bartz became a leading figure of the early-to-mid 70s spiritual jazz movement, releasing a string of ground-breaking albums on legendary NYC jazz label Prestige Records with his NTU Troop, featuring classics such as “Celestial Blues”, “Uhuru Dance” and “I’ve Known Rivers”, before collaborating on Blue Note Records with the Mizell Brothers on the anthemic jazz funk of “Music Is My Sanctuary”. An oeuvre much loved by soul jazzers and hip hop fans alike. Led by drummer Jake Long, Maisha have been central to the UK’s jazz explosion, and have fast become the UK’s most exciting and in-demand young spiritual jazz ensemble, from steller shows at Jazz re:freshed, Total Refreshment Centre & Church of Sound and supporting the Sun Ra Arkestra, to releasing their critically acclaimed debut LP, “There Is A Place” on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings in 2018. Theirs is an organic & explosive sound that blends influences from afrobeat and broken beat to Persian music, with a deep love and understanding of jazz, particularly the heritage of spiritual jazz led by titans such as Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane and of course, Gary Bartz. Which makes this collaboration even more special. Bartz was first invited to share a stage with Maisha by Gilles Peterson to headline the inaugural We Out Here festival. Their chemistry was rich and instantaneous, certainly a two-way street, with the young musicians reinvigorating the legend’s performance and wowing the intergenerational festival audience. A European tour followed, including a London Jazz Festival highlight at the Royal Festival Hall, celebrating the 50th anniversary of his album “Another Earth”, originally featuring fellow legends, Pharoah Sanders, Charles Tolliver, Stanley Cowell, and John Coltrane’s own bassist, Reggie Workman. Now the relationship has evolved into a special straight-to-disc recording for Night Dreamer Records, that captures the vitality of their collaboration. Whilst Bartz and Maisha reinvent classic Bartz compositions “Uhuru Sasa” and “Dr Follows Dance”, extending the pieces into long piece improvised grooves, their recording session gave birth to three brand new joint compositions, written the very same day. These include the propulsive “Leta’s Dance” that magically combines the Bartz’ soulful musical lyricism with Maisha’s African-jazz influences, and the organic jazz funk of “Harlem to Haarlem”, featuring a hot solo from guest trumpeter Axel Kaner-Lidstrom of Cykada & Levitation Orchestra fame. Like previous Night Dreamer efforts from afrobeat star Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, and the beautiful
collaboration between Brazilian stars Seu Jorge & Rogê, the album was recorded in Haarlem’s Artone Studio, a stones throw from Amsterdam, in just one-take, straight-to-disc, avoiding postproduction embellishments and retaining the purity of the performance lost in modern recording techniques. This record really is an event, in and of itself, a meeting of talents, minds, generations and zeitgeist moments, captured in a unique and pure manner. The music does not disappoint, as Maisha have been inspired to reach new heights whilst we find Bartz truly reinvigorated, and both artists in tune to the spirit of the other.
2xLP: Wide Spine, pressed on Gold Nugget vinyl with spot gloss printing on cover
About:
Free Nationals are best known as Anderson Paak's live band, until now. Band members Kelsey Gonzalez (Bass), Ron "Tnava" Avant (Keyboard/ Vocoder), Callum Connor (Drums) and José Rios (Guitar) have graced the stage at Coachella, opened for performers such as Beyoncé and completed World Tours alongside J.Cole, Bruno Mars - the list continues. Paying homage to the musical legends that paved the way before them; Free Nationals means The first people of America, Indigenous to the land before Columbus came. Staying Indigenous to the funk, Free Nationals pay tribute to inspirations such as Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Herbie Hancock and Al Green by incorporating musicianship while pioneering musical euphoria for a new generation.
Four peak time, dancefloor remixes of tracks housed on SIRS outstanding debut LP ‘Banana Hard & Disco Kisses’ from the likes of Austin Ato, Yam Who?, Danilo Braca and SIRS himself.
First up on remix duties, Scottish goldenboy Austin Ato takes the sunset funk stylings of ‘Nightwind’ and flips it into a club ready house bumper, fitting perfectly with Hava Izmailova’s dreamy vocals. Rework don and Midnight Riot head honcho Yam Who?, then gives the Stee Downes vocal number ‘Forever’ a first pumping disco makeover that’s got future anthem written all over it.
On the flip side SIRS offers up a new tribal interpretation of ‘Turkish Disco Folk’, doubling down on the Middle Eastern influences yet with a tougher rhythmic side that will spice up any set its slipped into. Finally, NYC-based Danilo Braca inserts an acid injection into ‘If I Can´t Have You’ alongside a dose of sultry strings, ready made to warp any dancefloors out there.
Embarking on a journey from Italy to Anatolia and from Africa to the Americas, Nelson of the East soars over imagined landscapes in his debut, motion picture- inspired album, Kybele. Plug in your headphones, drown out the world, and set
out on a mystic voyage of Earth through the lens of Kybele, the Anatolian goddess of wild nature.
With the world in flux and isolation taking its toll, musical escapism has become a much needed pastime for today’s armchair adventurers. Treating recorded sound as a vehicle of time travel, Milanese artist Nelson of the East (N.O.T.E) takes listeners on a journey through kaleidoscopic soundscapes with his debut album Kybele released on Tartelet Records.
Skillfully weaving the sounds of East and West, the nine-track LP fuses Turkish and cosmic influences with a strong electronic backbone into an otherworldly soundtrack of our time.
“The feeling that passes through the record isn’t straight. It changes, it turns, it is never predictable. Never being able to predict which landscape you arrive at next or where the music is taking you is key to enjoying the sound journey,” says Nelson. “
Named Kybele after the Anatolian goddess of nature, fertility, mountains, and wild animals, the record is a continuous saga that takes from the Berlin-based artist’s own adventurous spirit. Following his previous EP releases Night Frames and Phase Alternating Lines, Nelson explores new territories on Kybele.
The album opener, “Explorer,” is an exhilarating build up to what could be a 80s sci-fi movie, showcasing Nelson’s knack for cinematic moods. “Draw Me,” speaks to the artist’s intention of making a “snare album,” with an irregular, dominating beat untethering it from time or boundaries. “What I realize while I was writing the rhythm part is that the more you keep a beat simple the more difficult it becomes to make it interesting. So I just put down some rules to follow. For example, using swing as smoothly as possible, or using lot of syncopated sequence over the straight 2-4 groove,” says Nicolas.
Another thing Nelson achieves in this album is ambience, or the “motion picture touch” as he calls it. Tracks like the wild and obscure Culto, with its Anatolian nuances and middle eastern-sounding scales are made by layering synths to achieve an orchestral effect.
Other tracks capture the musician’s penchant for African and Brazilian grooves, like the Saudade mix of Burning Palm. On the B side, the Italo-flavored Phase Lines comes through with shimmering synth and electronic drums complete with hazy vocals delivered by DJ Rayne and Nelson himself. Yahuda dives into dark, melancholic electro with a Detroit feel not far from the sounds of the great Drexciya.
The album closes with ZETA, a track that could easily double as an obscure cinematic composition. The nine-track LP is strictly limited to 300 copies, pressed on 180g vinyl with artwork by The Emperor of Antarctica. No repress.
Despite this difficult time for everyone, one thing we all still have and need is music. Therefore after much thought we have decided to continue with the new Cod3 QR, providing a diverse style of electronic music that will hopefully help lift your spirits.
With previous releases including tracks from the likes of Agents of Time, JoeFarr, Nicolas Bougaieff, Madben and raising talent R.O.S.H; plus support from from Djs like Laurent Garnier, who licensed one of the previously released tracks to his Tsugi 'Electro' mix (Francois V ‘Electro’ taken from Cod3QR001) Cod3QR’s profile is steadily growing as a label releasing quality music.
With music being the main focus you'll have to wait another 2 months to find out who is behind this latest release. The curiosity continues.
Head to their Instagram page (ig: cod3qr) for clues to the artist identities of Cod3QR001, 002, 003, 004, 005, 006 & 007!
WRWTFWW Records is very happy to announce the official reissue of Motohiko Hamase’s astounding ambient house album Technodrome (1993). The album is sourced from original masters and available on vinyl for the first time ever as well as on CD. It comes with liner notes from the artist. This marks the fourth release from the ESPLANADE SERIES which focuses on the works of Yoshio Ojima, Motohiko Hamase and Satsuki Shibano. Inspired by John Cage, Jon Hassel, Brian Eno, and the emergence of house and techno music, Technodrome is jazz bassist turned electronic experimentalist Motohiko Hamase’s foray into what he calls ambient house or, as he explains, “using the gritty sensation inherent to the core of house music” to create an ambient record “aiming to express inverted images, optical illusions, and the sense of déjà vu that modern people can get in the city". Technodrome is constructed around innovative minimalism, a robotic funk orchestrated by bass lines and percussions, and monochrome moods. It’s the most intriguing project in Hamase’s discography, a ghostly ride set in 90s urban landscape, where repetition sets the groove and brings things to life, echoing Hamase’s deeper subtext for his compositions: “and attempt to recreate (as metaphor) the time in our mother’s womb". The album was initially released in 1993 by Newsic, the cult label started by Tokyo’s Wacoal Art Center (also known as Spiral), home, notably, of Yoshio Ojima who co-produced the album. It is now reissued in conjunction with Motohiko Hamase’s #Notes of Forestry and Anecdote albums.
new quartet by Samuel Rohrer, Max Loderbauer, Stian Westerhus & Tobias Freund In the present era of media saturation, the artist's dilemma has shifted away from the question whether to fuse disparate stylistic elements, towards the decision of which energies to draw upon: a situation most rewarding for those who listen to musicians navigating this limitless terrain. One such journey, the captivating full-length release from Samuel Rohrer's new Kave quartet coming out this May, is bringing together players who are equally well-versed in the quick-thinking mechanics of free group improvisation and the compositional strategies of contemplative / ‘ambient’ electronic music. With Rohrer acting as creative director and most of the quartet sharing synthesizer duties, there’s a strong sense of unified purpose to this set, and a narrative flow that never causes the listener to focus on one constituent part at the expense of the whole. At the same time, the players know all well that cohesion counts for little without those constituent parts being compelling in their own right. Rohrer and Loderbauer, for example, have previously crafted a unique techno-organic approach with the Ambiq trio, and the lessons learned from that partnership are put to inspired use within this new configuration. Stian Westerhus’ contributions on guitar and vocals, along with Tobias Freund’s electronic reinforcements - Freund also has worked since many years with Max Loderbauer as NSI - all conspire to make something that Rohrer aptly compares as “forest”-like. It’s a descriptor that will have vastly different meanings for each listener. For Rohrer, it refers to music that is confident in the “deep-rootedness” of its foundations and defined by a density and mystery easily confused with darkness, while nevertheless proving its bright vitRight away, on the introductory odyssey 'Cambium' the quartet sets out to make good on this metaphor, creating a hypnotic foundation for what is about to unfold during the next 42 minutes, with brooding, slow, 'searchlight in a fog,' synth washes and percussive stridulation. The twin 'Hibernation' tracks show all the unique elements beginning to coalesce: the emotional tenor is one of vulnerability that melts into the determination of 'staring into the void', a temperamental state challenging to represent authentically in music. The atmosphere of psychic challenge effort lessly gives way to the faintly nostalgic glimmers of 'Giant Peach' - a literary reference to the macabre whimsy of Roald Dahl. The ultimate dissolution of barriers between organicism and synthesis is accomplished on the majestic 'Divided We Fall', a title referring to Westerhus’ smoky vocalization that winds into a double helix formed from electronic surges. Again, the ease with which it all comes together is mesmerizing, and while there’s an aura of risk accompanying this walk through the woods, there’s a much more enduring impression of carefully orchestrated growth and change.
"ATA Records" is pleased to announce the release of Early Works: Funk, Soul & Afro Rarities From The Archive, a compilation of tracks that were recorded at the very outset of the label and haven't been available since the initial limited run (Released as Funk, Soul & Afro Rarities: An Introduction To ATA Records on Here and Now Recordings) sold out 5 years ago.
Since 2013 label founders and musicians Neil Innes & Pete Williams have been tirelessly fulfilling their shared dream of making the records they weren't hearing. Having spent years working in various bands both players felt the desire to break free of the constraints of working within another band and started on the slow path to creative autonomy by starting to work on the 12 tracks presented on this compilation.While deliberating their next steps they were approached by Here & Now records who licensed the 12 tracks and released them under the titleFunk, Soul & Afro Rarities: An Introduction To ATA Recordsin 2014 as a limited run of 300 copies that sold out within weeks of release.
Now in 2020, celebrating their 5th year of running successfully as a label in their own right, ATA are re-releasing these 12 tracks on a new vinyl pressing under the titleEarly Works: Funk, Soul & Afro Rarities From The Archivewith new artwork and liner notes that detail the labels birth.
The compilation features 12 tracks that include the very first 3 tracks from The Sorcerers that led to their self-titled debut LP & the first proper release on ATA, as well as the first recordings by The Mandatory Eight and The Yorkshire Film and Television Orchestra.
Spiral is the third album by the Greek composer Vangelis, released in 1977. Less celebrated than the two albums which preceded it, but the quality of this record is at least on the same level as the previous recordings. The keyboards are prominent on front of the music, while Vangelis is exploring new electronic grounds. It is a concept album, thematically inspired by ancient philosopher Lao Tse. For the track “To the Unknown Man” Vangelis received the Midem International Instrumental award in 1978.
The multiple-award winning composer of electronic, progressive, orchestral and jazz music started his career working in several successful bands, such as Aphrodite’s Child. He composed over 50 albums and is still creative in developing new concepts.
Available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on gold & black marbled vinyl
As Ociya, hardware freaks Tin Man (Johannes Auvinen) and Patricia (Max Ravitz), come together in unholy acid matrimony on a definitive double-album, Powers Of Ten.
We know both sides well. Over a prolific run of records for Acid Test and his own Global A, Auvinen has expounded upon the promise of "Nonneo" (recently named one of Resident Advisor's 2010-19: Tracks Of The Decade), unearthing new, emotional vistas from the Roland TB-303. Ravitz, meanwhile, matches Tin Man in studio ethic, establishing himself as one of North America's hardware masters on records for Ghostly and Opal Tapes.
What we couldn't have predicted is how well the parts merge. Cuts like "Ghost Moons" channel the hazy IDM legacies of the past, while "Hopeful Galaxy" mixes a plaintive Rhodes motif with a hopeful 303 line for the perfect "tears on the dance floor" cut. The track titles on Power Of Ten— a perfect melodic techno LP generously spread across two records—are celestially minded ("Gravity Knots," "Star Scraping") and indeed, the cosmic metaphor is apt or the newly-formed duo. On Powers Of Ten, Tin Man's acid lines rocket through space like brilliant, shooting stars. His signature orchestral acid moments are given the perfect backdrop, the nebula of Patricia's rich atmospherics and melodies.
The album was recorded live to 2 track in Patricia’s studio in New York, no edits.
Matthias Meyer and Ryan Davis re-link for another superb outing on Watergate. If you know, you know. Matthias Meyer and Ryan Davis make sweet music together, like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie once made babes. Tunes that melt you into the floor and roll dancefloors from Tulum to Tblisi. Their debut collaboration ‚Hope‘ was a dawning highlight of 2017 and Beatport Deep House no.1, while ‚Love Letters from Sicily‘, was a lustrous late summer anthem, reinforcing their knack for the sublime. Their latest opus ‚Crying Juno / Cafuné‘ begins where its predecessors left off, taking life after Matthias and Ryan exchanged ideas back and forth over a period of months before finally settling in the former’s Holzmarkt studio in Berlin to finish giving the tracks their form. Together they’ve crafted a masterful yin and yang between joy and melancholy. ‚Crying Juno‘ is the buoyant leader, propelled by an insistent groove and ‘80s synths, both bittersweet and undeniably uplifting. ‚Cafuné‘ continues with the orchestral themes that gave us ‚Hope‘, as sweeping strings and keys swell over a bed of delicate percussion, gradually building into a delicious groove.
Active since the late 1990s, Brussels-based Frenchman Sylvain Chauuveau is an unsung pioneer of a now burgeoning scene and was making elegant post-classical compositions years ahead of celebrated current peers like Max Richter, Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds, Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka.
Now reissued in a remastered, first-ever vinyl edition, ‘Simple’ was originally released in 2012 as a CD collection of Sylvain’s works for cinema - a set of out-of-print, rare, and unreleased tracks composed between 1998-2010 that span stark / minimal electronic drones, processed guitar explorations, chamber pieces, solo piano and two 40-piece string orchestra recordings.
Chauveau’s work here sounds as fresh and relevant today as it did back then and its author is long overdue some recognition / reappraisal of his role in helping prepare the ground for today’s scene. His music has been praised by numerous peers - Ryuichi Sakamoto listed ‘Nocturne Impalpable’ as one of his Top 5 records; Hauschka and Peter Broderick have admitted his influence and Jóhann Jóhannsson, Adam Wiltzie (A Winged Victory / Stars Of The Lid) and Fennesz have also praised his work.
“Occupies the twilit area where downbeat, muted experimental electronic music melts into downbeat, muted chamber music” - Pitchfork “One of the most brilliant minds of French Music” - Les
InRocks
For fans of Max Richter, Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, Johann Johannsson, Erik Satie, Arvo Pärt, Labradford, Mogwai, Peter Broderick and Hauschka.
It goes without saying that the global metal scene would not be the same without Sepultura. For 35 years now, the Brazilian icons are not only a band revered worldwide; they have been, are and forever will be at the very forefront of Thrash Metal, trailblazing ever since they released their long-since legendary debut album “Morbid Visions” in 1986.
While quickly establishing themselves as leaders of the second wave of Thrash already in the late eighties, to this day they never came even close to stagnation. “Quadra”, their mighty new undertaking, is proof of a will unbroken, a thirst unquenched and a quality so staggeringly high it’s a wonder this band doesn’t implode. Now three albums deep into what may very well be their strongest incarnation yet – uniting the talents of old-school members Andreas Kisser (guitars, vocals) and Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. (bass), vocal force of nature Derrick Leon Green (vocals) and drummer Eloy Casagrande – Sepultura are an unleashed power to be reckoned with, uniting bucketloads of experience and youthful vigour in a totally revived way.
“On ‘Quadra’, we felt the urge to revisit that old thrash feeling of ‘Beneath the Remains’ or ‘Arise“,’ only seen through the eyes of today,” Andreas Kisser utters the magic words. “Add to that the tribal percussion, the orchestral elements, the choirs, the melodies and the clean vocals and you get a thorough run-through of our entire career, backed by a very contemporary approach.” Fuelled by an energy almost uncanny for a band that has been active for so long, Sepultura storm through a contemporary thrash monument, backed by sublime melodies, a very eerie atmosphere and a fiendishly high level of technicality. Kisser is appreciating these compliments, still maintaining his very down to earth approach. “We don’t heed the past and we don’t try to be preoccupied by the future too much,” he shrugs. “We’re in the now, trying every day to make Sepultura a little bit better. That’s what keeping us strong.”
And that’s what they have been doing for the last 30+ years. Album after album, tour after tour, no gap in between records longer than three years. “Music is all we do,” Kisser states matter-of-factly. “If it wouldn’t be for Sepultura,” he laughs, “I would be a sad and lonely guy. Sepultura is what we are.” And “Quadra” is living testimony to that. The old Sepultura echo through the very fibre of the songs in all its raw and morbid splendour, but yet it’s the present, the experienced and refined beast that is Sepultura in 2020 that’s blasting out thrash metal anthems for a fucked-up age.
With now 15 albums under their belts, Sepultura are the work horses of the metal world, always ready to attack. In many ways, “Quadra” broadens the vision the Brazilian thrash troopers had on “Machine Messiah” (2017), again relying on the impeccable talent of Swedish producing giant Jens Bogren and his Fascination Street Studios. “He is so full of passion, it’s unbelievable, man,” Kisser raves. “He’s really there, he really cares about the projects he’s doing. For Sepultura, he’s like the fifth member of the band. The chemistry was so amazing, 99 percent of what we were trying do to actually worked. That was insane!” Even after more than 30 years at the forefront of international thrash, guitarist Kisser sounds positively baffled by working with Bogren. “We felt like we were in our rehearsal room.”
Bringing together a monumental grandeur and a wild, untamed ferocity, Sepultura stepped up their game musically – and conceptually as well. “We were possessed by the number four, by the numerology of it”, Kisser starts to explain. “I divided the album into four parts as if we were doing a double vinyl. Side one is the pure and raw thrash side. Side two brings in the rhythms and percussion from our ‘Roots’ era. Three is getting a bit experimental and four brings forth the melodies and the acoustic guitars.” With John North’s book “Quadrivium” as a further source of inspiration, Sepultura dive deep into a mystical world full of hidden meanings. “You have four seasons and twelve month in a year just to pick one example. A lot of stuff in our culture is divided like that.”
Plus, Quadra also is the Portuguese word for ‘sport court’ that by definition is a limited area of land, with regulatory demarcations, where according to a set of rules the game takes place,” he adds. “We all come from different Quadras. The countries, all nations with their borders and traditions; culture, religions, laws, education and a set of rules where life takes place.” In the Quadra of thrash, however, we all are the same. And we bow our heads in unison to the mighty leader that is Sepultura.
Set for release on 17th April, Catching Flies presents 'Silver Linings Remixed', a remix album featuring versions of tracks from his debut album reimagined by DJ Seinfeld, Andhim, Soundbwoy Killah, Laurence Guy, Ron Basejam, Grandbrothers and more.
Support for 'Silver Linings Remixed' so far from Mixmag, DJ Mag, Crack Magazine, Pete Tong, Gilles Peterson, Mary Anne Hobbs, KCRW, Bonobo, Solomun, George Fitzgerald, Mall Grab, Hernan Cattaneo, Kolsch, Nick Warren & more.
George King began Catching Flies in late 2012, drawing inspiration from a wide-ranging palette of music including jazz, soul, hip-hop, house and electronica. His debut album 'Silver Linings' was released in July 2019 and was hailed as "a soundtrack to summertime" by The 405 and awarded Album of the Month by Future Music who described it as "a brilliantly eclectic record…a moving journey that will last long in the memory".
Clash Magazine praised the LP's "killer beats" and "artfully orchestrated introspection" whilst London In Stereo praised its "exceptional production". Other coverage for the album included
The Guardian, Complex, Dazed & Confused and Nowness, with radio support across BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, Worldwide FM and more. Artist support for 'Silver Linings' has come from the likes of Bonobo, Jungle (BBC Radio One Residency), Loyle Carner, George Fitzgerald and Lane 8.
a 1 Opals (Analogue Dear Remix) feat. Analogue Dear
c 3 Kite Hill Theme (Freddie Joachim Remix) [feat. Freddie Joachim]
[d] 4 Opals (Andhim Remix) [feat. Andhim]
[e] 5 New Gods (Ron Basejam Remix) [feat. Ron Basejam]
[f] 6 Satisfied (Soundbwoy Killah Remix) [feat. Soundbwoy Killah]
[g] 7 Silver Linings (DJ Seinfeld's Drum Dream Remix) [feat. DJ Seinfeld]
[h] 8 When The Sun Bursts (Grandbrothers Remix) [feat. Grandbrothers]
[i] 9 Z (Laurence Guy Remix) [feat. Laurence Guy]
Gilles Peterson announces the launch of his new imprint Arc Records with a reissue of cult record “Musica Infinita” by Mexican drummer- and composer Tino Contreras.
A psychedelic, experimental jazz record, originally released in 1978, it marked a daring step forward by the Mexico City-based musician & is now re-released for a chance to get the widespread dues it deserves!
A ltd. private press, copies of the original are highly sought after, despite the drummer being much overlooked in both his home country as well as abroad, with a career that started in the 1950's & which has seen him share stages with many of the greats – including Dave Brubeck, Cannonball Adderley & the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
In 2016, talented artist Paul Cut released his first vinyl with Popcorn Records: the Basement Jam EP.
This album foresaw the rise of the young producer, who has since piled up project on top of project, and record on top of record. One of the driving forces behind the D.KO label, and a (literal) key player of the Secret Value Orchestra band, Paul has also thrived on collaborations. Whether with Chez Damier, Jef K, Flabaire… They all fall under the spell of the young pianist’s skill, who has become in just a few years one of the leading figures of French house.
In 2019, Paul joined house legend Larry Heard for his world tour, and multiplied appearances at famed festivals such as Glastonbury, Dimensions, DGTL or Printworks. In 2020 Popcorn Records is turning 10. And to mark the occasion, Paul is coming back to his beloved label to unveil his first album. More than a year of thought and work went into “Le Bal des Douaniers”. An album composed of 10 titles, which all reflect fragments of Paul Cut’s influences.
Stag-O-Lee präsentiert hier Teil 5 und 6 der usserst erfolgreichen Trashcan Records Serie, die sich obskuren und vergessenen Vinyl Schätzen aus den 50er und frühen 60er Jahren widmet. Die originalen 45er stammen aus der stattlichen Sammlung von Fedor, einem Sammler und Jäger aus Amsterdam, der sich in den letzten 25 Jahren durch tausende von Kisten mit Gebrauchtvinyl auf Flohmärkten der holländischen Metropole wühlte. Die Veröffentlichungen sind thematisch gegliedert - Vol. 5: Cha Cha compiliert 12 Tracks mit "an all-female beatnik extravaganza: the first vinyl compilation of its kind! From the bohemian misfit girl with her goateed boyfriend to the espresso sipping art school chick reading Kerouac..." . Vol. 6: The Natives Are Restless bietet 5 Tunes mit einem Dschungel-Thema auf der A-Seite und 5 luftige Exotica-Träume auf der B-Seite. Alle 24 Tracks sind "previously uncomped" und finden erstmals ihren Weg auf Großvinyl!!!
It's album release time for this Madrid-based soul/jazz organ trio who have been burning up stages and festivals throughout 2019 and who have already had a successful single out on Rocafort Records. Beat Bronco Organ Trio have not rewritten the Hammond musical handbook, but they do what it says on the tin rather splendidly – a Road Trip that grooves, swings and sashays around the familiar but much loved funky jazz theme.
Although it's impossible to listen to the album without summoning up the ghosts of Jimmies McGriff & Smith and the like, nearly all tracks here are originals and shout out personality, verve and respectful homage to the tradition. Featuring the usual leitmotifs: Shaftish film sountrack, lo-fi lounger, gospel-tinged toe-tapper, the hip shaker and much wah-wah frenesi, there's nothing not to like if the genre is your bag.
The steaming horn section on "Hard Play" thickens the sauce à la JBs and the Meters, aided along by a unique orchestra of handclaps. Vocalist and guitarist Alberto Palacios Anaut storms in with "Hey Hey", an old Dave Bartholomew classic from New Orleans, just to remind us where Fats Domino and Ray Charles got it all from. Chip Wickham makes two welcome appearances on flute, adding an extra jazzy touch to "Squirtly" and "Electro Pi" – the latter a fabulous trippy, spacious head-nodder that demands in our opinion some kind of a wigged out drum'n'bass remix. Every track is clearly dominated by variations on the vintage keyboard, be it Hammond, Clavinet or Minimoog; all roads lead to that sexy, sacred sound.
Spain is already prominent on the modern-day Funk map thanks to groups like The Sweet Vandals, Speak Low and Mighty Vamp – and it comes as no surprise that our hero trio featured at various times in all these bands. Gabri Casanova (keys), Lucas de Mulder (guitar, percussion) and Antonio "Pax" Alvarez (drums, percussion) have been busy reviving the funk gospel for some time now. Road Trip is an elegant culmination of their efforts in keeping alive a revered and timeless tradition that still today serves as a reference to where all the good stuff came from: The Church!
Scottish trumpeter Malcolm Strachan is a founder member of top UK funk/jazz-funk band The Haggis Horns as well as being one of the busiest session musicians in the UK today. In a professional career spanning 20 years, he's recorded with the likes of Mark Ronson, Amy WineHouse, Corinne Bailey Rae, Jamiroquai, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Jesse Glynne, The Craig Charles Fantasy Funk Band, Black Honey, The New Mastersounds and Blue Note saxophone legend Lou Donaldson. Now he's finally releasing his first solo album, aptly titled "About Time", on Haggis Records and he's going back to his original roots... Jazz.
The album is a collection of original compositions, all written and arranged by Malcolm, which are firmly rooted in the classic acoustic modern jazz style typified by the great 60's and 70's recordings on the legendary Blue Note Records label. A nice variation of themes and tempos feature throughout the album. From full-on latin vibes to beautiful ballads, soul jazz grooves to cinematic soundtrack flavours, all woven together by a great group of experienced musicians.
Malcolm's core quartet is himself on trumpet/flugelhorn, fellow Haggis Horns members George Cooper (piano) and Erroll Rollins (drums), plus Courtny Tomas on double bass. Featured guests are Atholl Ransome on tenor sax (The Haggis Horns), Rob Mitchell on baritone sax (Abstract Orchestra) and Danny Barley on Trombone. Strings are courtesy of Richard Curran and the percussionist is one of the finest session players in Europe, Karl Vanden Bossche (Incognito, Robert Palmer, Joss Stone, The Gorillaz, Sade, Blur - He and Malcolm met while touring with Mark Ronson)
Malcolm's love of jazz comes from his parents. Aged 7, his jazz musician father gave him a trumpet. From then on, jazz was his life. His musical education came via music teachers, youth jazz orchestras and jazz summer schools but mostly from his dad's record collection listening to Art Blakey and Dizzy Gillespie records and learning to improvise and solo by ear. At 18, he enrolled at Leeds College of Music and quickly immersed himself in the city's vibrant acid jazz, funk and soul scene and from making his recording debut in 1999 with The New Mastersounds, jazz was his musical passion but took a back seat to funk/soul/pop which were the day job. Until now.
Jazz is back. The wait is over. It really is "About Time" for Malcolm Strachan.
Los Afroins was the flagship salsa band of the obscure but beloved INS label from Colombia. Their 1975 LP "Goza La Salsa" is just as hard to find as their first record, and contains 10 bright and sassy salsa dura treasures that light up the dance floor with their incessant rhythms, syncopated trumpets and trombone and buoyant melodies. There are smoking covers of hits by Panama's Bush y sus Magníficos ('Salsa Al Pindin') and Bronx timbalero Orlando Marín and His Orchestra ('Está De Bala') as well as updated renditions of old Cuban chestnuts 'La Masacre' (written by Joseíto Fernández of 'Guantanamera' fame) and 'Matusa' (originally titled 'Macusa', composed by Francisco Repilado aka Compay Segundo).
The entire record makes for a very tasty and satisfying party platter filled with guaguancó, mozambique, pachanga, descarga and bolero that deserves to be more accessible and better known by today's fans of Colombian salsa who may have heard of The Latin Brothers or Sonora Carruseles, but have yet to discover the short-lived but highly sought after Los Afroins. "Goza La Salsa" is presented here in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180 gram vinyl.
“The aptly named Goza La Salsa (Enjoy Salsa) is the second album by Los Afroins, the flagship salsa band of the obscure but beloved INS label (Industria Nacional Del Sonido Ltda., Medellín, Colombia). The combo's repertoire focused mostly on cover versions hit tunes from New York, Cuba and Puerto Rico, both classic and contemporary, but for this record, their sophomore outing from 1975, their arrangements got tighter and there are more original compositions, which makes for a satisfying evolution in both style and content. Pianist Agustín "El Conde" Martínez, who would later work with Joe Arroyo and Juan Piña, led the group and did some arranging, with studio session production by INS artistic director Alfredo "Sabor" Linares. The vocals were handled by a pair of fresh-faced singers, Lucho Puerto Rico and Roy "Tayrona" Betancourt, who would later go on to fame in the 1980s, the former with his own Lucho Puerto Rico Y Su Conjunto Sonero and Conjunto Son Del Barrio (both in collaboration with Alfredo Linares), and the latter with Willie Salcedo, Reales Brass De Colombia, and Los Caribes. Additional arrangements were by Luis Felipe Basto of Los Black Stars and Luis E Mosquera, while the rest of the band was made up of INS related studio musicians. Goza La Salsa is just as hard to find as their first record and contains 10 bright and sassy salsa dura treasures that light up the dance floor with their incessant rhythms, syncopated trumpets and trombone and buoyant melodies. There are smoking covers of hits by Panama's Bush y sus Magníficos ('Salsa Al Pindin') and Bronx timbalero Orlando Marín and His Orchestra ('Está De Bala') as well as updated renditions of old Cuban chestnuts 'La Masacre' (written by Joseíto Fernández of 'Guantanamera' fame, and a hit for Cuarteto Caney) and 'Matusa' (originally titled 'Macusa', composed by Francisco Repilado aka Compay Segundo and made famous by Duo Los Compadres). This time around there are six excellent originals with the hottest pair being Lucho Puerto Rico's theme song 'Puerto Rico Power' and the percussion heavy final track, 'Alejada' sung and composed by Roy Betancourt. Just like the first album, the entire record makes for a very tasty and satisfying party platter filled with guaguancó, mozambique, pachanga, descarga and bolero that deserves to be more accessible and better known by today's fans of Colombian salsa who may have heard of The Latin Brothers or Sonora Carruseles, but have yet to discover the short-lived but highly sought after Los Afroins." Pablo E Yglesias DJ Bongohead of Peace & Rhythm
Multi-instrumentalist producer Emma-Jean Thackray presents the ‘Rain Dance’ EP, launching her new label Movementt - cuts to nourish the body, the mind and the soul. As a musician, composer, singer, bandleader and DJ, Emma is just as at home working with the
London Symphony Orchestra as she is hosting her show on Worldwide FM. A former RBMA alumna, co-signed by Gilles Peterson and previously worked with Makaya McCraven. Across the whole record, the music was created through a variety of ways that Emma likes to work; directing her band live, sampling herself to create
new worlds and producing solo as a self-contained one-woman band.
Recent solo release ‘Ley Lines’ on The Vinyl Factory follows Emma-Jean’s acclaimed ‘Walrus’ EP and maintains her trajectory as one of the most talented young musicians whose ambitions go far beyond narrow genre tags. 180g vinyl in printed inners and CMYK sleeve with
3mm spine.
Limpio Records is a vinyl and digital record label, founded in 2019 and based in Frankfurt am Main. The releases mainly focus on downtempo, organic and slow techno music. The first label release „Seltene Erden“ is a various artists EP, produced by artists that create new ideas of slow electronic and danceable music between 100 and 108 BPM. Our aim is to bring people, nature, cities and music together in a slow and powerful way. All our releases tell a story and are made for the dance floor.
The landmark 1980 album, representing a period of consolidation for Patrice Rushen. Her studio reputation as a go-to pianist and arranger among other artists and musicians was well established and was growing exponentially. Although never originally planning a career as a solo artist, she had built this side of her work through three Prestige albums and two sophisticated soul and disco albums for Elektra, 'Patrice' and 'Pizzazz'. "I was lucky to have a group of musicians that I knew well by the time of these recording sessions," remembers Patrice. "I had my pick of really incredible players because of all of the studio work I was doing. I also played with Lee Ritenour, Harvey Mason and others almost on a weekly basis at The Baked Potato club in L.A." Tracks include the singles 'Don't Blame Me', 'Look Up!' and 'Never Gonna Give You Up'. "'Never Gonna Give You Up' came out of playing ideas at home. Bassist Freddie Washington was living with my family while he tried to get a foothold in L.A.'s music scene and that groove came out of those jams. With 'The Dream', I had been listening to Minnie Riperton's 'Come To My Garden', one of my favourite albums. With Charles Stepney's arrangements, I saw that he didn't have to use large instrumentation to be orchestral in his approach. So, 'The Dream' was a homage to that kind of writing." "After 'Posh', we had a much better idea from the performance side what was important in our music and that informed my next album, 'Straight From The Heart'. We took a little break after 'Posh' was released, although I was still writing and working regularly on scores for film and TV. That had always been my main focus in my music."
Following a successful EP in 2019, featuring remixes from Osunla
& Pocz, Olindo Records are proud to present “Wono”, the debut collaborative album from Koichi Sak& Afla Sackey.
The album is a deep exploration of Koichi's love of both electronic and West African music, in close collaboration with Ghana-born master percussionist, singer, band leader, teacher and songwriter, Afla Sackey.
Featuring 7 tracks ranging from the meditative “Yamb”, which features master kora player Kadialy Kouyate, to the acid infused, slow house workout of “Niege”. Passing through a contemporary highlife take on advance single “Suolo” and an album version of the previously released “Jingo”.
Koichi Sakai is a London-based producer and DJ, a well-known head in London music circles thanks to his role in co-founding the legendary Afrobeat Vibration nights alongside Dele Sosimi. He has previously recorded and released music with Kay Suzuki as Afrobuddha, and they recorded a set together for Boiler Room.
Afla Sackey is leader of 10-piece afro funk and highlife orchestra, Afrik Bawantu, and the man who the likes of Kokoroko call when they need some extra power on the percussion or a singer to lead their Church of Sound tribute to Ebo Taylor.
Koichi Sakai & Afla Sackey’s first collaborative project on Olindo Records, the “Wono” EP released late last year, received widespread support, particular from Gilles Peterson on BBC Radio 6 Music, Defected Radio, Mafalda, Hector Plimmer & Zakia (NTS), Tony Minvielle (Jazz FM), Tim Garcia (Música Macondo/Jazz FM), Music is my Sanctuary, TwistedSoul, Mari* & Papaoul (Worldwide FM), Alan McKinnon and DJ Harv.
We still have copies of Koichi Sakai’s Wono ep OR004 and Betsayda Machado LP ORLP003 should you like more.
Beyond the Mikrosector, passed the Love Quadrant and over the Intersect lies another reality that exists in contrary to our own. This is where we now find Mr. 8040, the Space Dimension Controller, on a planète contraire, a world very much like our own, but one that runs in opposite to the norm. Here he toys with intergalactic Detroit funk and sequenced machines, creating celestial signals of minimalistic, atmospheric boogie. It’s a new course of interconnected, cinematic electro that exists outside of time and yet is apt for moments of timelessness.
Within the world of astrophysics there are select scientists out there that believe space-time gradually loops in on itself. Within this infinite realm of time and space, we can find ourselves once again living our past lives. It’s in this eternal domain that the Space Dimension Controller returns once more, applying his knowledge from the planète contraire to his absorbing palette of C-beams, moon-lit orchestrations, and graviton beats. Matured from his time cavorting through the core of the unknown, the Space Dimension Controller’s sound becomes more focussed, filled with the knowledge of the worlds his visited.
On the A side, Mr. 8040’s strain of progressive and unequivocal deep-space disco lends towards his studio competence, creating lush melodies that will have even the geysers of Enceladus erupting in time along with the symphony of syncopated drum machines. On the flipside, the prodigious Jack Hamill, aka. the Space Dimension Controller, flexes his machine savviness once more creating a timeless electro-funk rhythm for a timeless, time-travelling pioneer.
"Elossa Records" fourth release is a melodic fresh breeze of balearic House from Miro-Benji & Stuster. A very talented duo from Finland who have been active as DJs and producers, for several years in the club music scene in Helsinki. They’ve also gained reputation for their NICE LIFE and Soft Assault Orchestra – projects. 'Magia EP' delivers quality down- and uptempo tunes, with a tropical, electronic touch.
At the turn of the 80's, a new generation of musicians appeared who saw synthesisers not as dehumanizing machines but as musical instruments that could be coaxed into creating modern, beautiful and decidedly emotional music. It was almost as if the musicians were intentionally creating this music to prove the doubters wrong.
Compiled by Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, “The Tears Of Technology” celebrates this brief period when scruffy synth duos from the provinces broke through and took over British pop. Like mellotrons before them, synths could project a strange and deep emotion; listen to OMD’s ‘Sealand’, or the Human League’s ‘WXJL Tonight’, and it was clear that something in the wiring had an inherent melancholy.
In the 60's and 70's, the synthesiser had mostly been regarded as either a novelty or a threat. Tomorrow’s World warned us that the cold, heartless synth would soon make orchestras redundant. But by 1980, Korgs, Moogs and Rolands were becoming affordable for all, and post-punk had created a safe place for new groups to experiment with these new toys.
The influence of Kraftwerk – who had made a landmark appearance on Tomorrow’s World in 1975 – is all over this collection. Big names rub shoulders with obscurities by Turquoise Days, Electronic Circus and Illustration, all highly prized recordings among ‘cold wave’ and ‘minimal synth’ afficionados. There are pioneers like John Foxx and Thomas Leer, alongside unexpected synth sadness from Simple Minds and the Teardrop Explodes.
“The Tears Of Technology” celebrates an era of electronic melancholia, synthesized intimacies and insights – even Tomorrow’s World didn’t see that coming.
"No Secrets" - Carly Simon (voc, g, p); Jimmy Ryan (g,b); Bobby Keys (ts); Lowell George (g); Kirby Johnson (el-p); Peter Robinson (p); Bill Payne (org); Klaus Voorman (b); Andy Newmark, Jim Keltner (dr); a.o. & orchestra & backing vocals.
Carly Simon’s unquestionably best album, "No Secrets", was also her commercial breakthrough. It topped the Billboard charts for over five weeks, thus quickly gaining gold status, as did the single release of "You’re So Vain".
This song determined the album’s flippant tone, with its sexually unashamed autobiography (»You had me several years ago/When I was still quite naïve«) and its observations on the lifestyle of the jet set. But Simon’s sincerity also meant that her lyricism was double-edged. Now that she thinks she has found true love, she expresses her joy over her relationship to James Taylor with "The Right Thing To Do", another top ten hit.
On the other hand she was just as willing to recognize her own mistakes and regretted pointing her finger at other people. It was not just Simon’s frankness that made the album a success, but also Richard Perry’s simple, elegant pop-rock production, which lent Simon’s music a vitality it never known before.
Perry was mindful in particular of Simon’s vocals, making them more perceptive and stirring than in her other productions. And of course her fellow musicians, such as Paul and Linda McCartney, Mick Jagger, Klaus Voormann, Lowell George, Bobby Keys, Jim Keltner as well as her ex-husband James Taylor all contributed to the success of the album, which was awarded official platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America.
This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head.
All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid.
Recording: September-October, 1972 at Trident Studios, London by Robin Geoffrey Cable. Production: Richard Perry.
Hailing from Cluj-Napoca, Heion is a producer, DJ, songwriter, music production teacher and label head of Redolent Records. Throughout a career spanning nearly a decade, he’s shared bills with the likes of David Morales, Ray Mang, Session Victim and Kraak & Smaak, performed with the Hungarian Opera Orchestra and always stayed committed to being a true dancefloor eclectic.
Heion’s latest release is Make Believe, an energetic four tracker on his own freshly launched imprint. It blends a variety of meandering synth solos and quirky analog licks, all wrapped up in the programmed yet deeply organic rhythms that have come to define Heion’s sound.
The release also marks the birth of Redolent Records, a label dedicated to being a true home for sonic excitement while pushing boundaries and inspiring deliberate, well-rounded creations. It aims to pay homage to artists that paved the way musically and to the ones that still inspire across soul, funk and disco.
Four synth-heavy jams explore everything from gratitude and creative doubt to the bittersweet joy of balancing out different influences. Solid grooves and chunky basslines drive each emotionally colorful tune forward, whether it’s heard during a starlit night drive or a thumping warm-up in a large, darkened room.
Heion has spent the past three years composing and recording in several studios, all the while exploring new instruments and gradually leaving his comfort zone behind; you can hear the fruits of this labor in a swirl of modern funk, soul and disco that leaves you feeling refreshed and optimistic.
Any botanist will extol the virtues of cross-pollination, and musical hybrids are a Growing Bin speciality. For the latest release Parisian outfit Maât splice jazz with Balearic, dub, house and Afro to create a free thinking LP dedicated to world fusion fore-runners Codona.
If Singu found calm amongst the chaos of Tokyo for ’Siku’ (GBR017), then Maât map out a Sunday stroll through the sun dappled streets of the Parisian banlieue on ’Solar Mantra’. Humming reeds converge into a pre-dawn chorus before dewy sequences and drifting syncopation signal sunrise over La Vilette, a perfect place to start ‘The Walk’. Skirting the Périphérique, the Parisian ensemble pick out a street percussionist by Boulevard d’Algérie then detour to Pré-Satint-Gervais to draw a bassline out of the Metro Area, adding an Environ cool to the uptempo ‘Jaki & Bryn’. With icy bells, brooding guitars and melancholic vocals, ‘Feuglace’ transports Miko’s garten to the 20th arrondissement while the polyrhythmic patter and micro-tuned guitars of ‘Solar Mantra’ see out the A-side with a fourth world hymn.
Chakras cleansed and ready for a B-side rebirth, Maât take us dancing through Père Lachaise via organic house bomb ‘Quetzal Pacino’, an emotive exploration of rhythmic mallets, dreamy pads and propulsive bass, which moves like the Innerzone Orchestra re-arranged by Jon Hassell. Rest comes with the soothing pianos and swelling sine waves of the pastoral ‘Clarière’, a hazy homage to the noon sun on a clearing. Circular motifs, limber grooves and dubby bass mean we’re on the move again, slipping into Montreuil with the echo-drenched scat and firm back beats of ‘Mount Beuvray’, before ‘Llomé Dub’ takes us home in time for a cool beer and much needed smoke on the balcony. Acoustic guitar, lilting piano and a gorgeous female vocal ride the punchy bass and clattering drums to perfection, keeping us company until the day fades into a contented haze.
Patrick Ryder
Emerging this January with a duo of debut EPs, Black (Vegan Tinder Lord) and White (Hexxex) , Ϟᑢrəən ϟHAᗌ/W blends pummelling techno, industrial grit and experimental noise for a mood-spanning sound inspired by everything from Google Street View to visiting the dentist.
The Black EP gleans from the heavier end of the club music spectrum, plunging into a hardcore well of nosebleed kicks and synapse-frying synths that bang with raw dancefloor energy. The White EP pauses for reflection, transforming Screen Shadow's spiky reveries into tightly-woven technicolour dreamscapes.
Track highlights include the humour-spiced, pitch-shifted "Vegan Tinder Lord"—immortalised by its disembodied, Amnesia Scanner-esque voice—and the percussive, hardstyle-tinged assault course of "Scanna Hex".
On it's white counterpart ,"Hexxex" builds on a Drexciyan beat, while "Corridor" explores the sort of glitchy experimentalism that gets under your skin."Vaxuum" and "Time Orphans" mine deep ambient soundscapes, with the former constructed from a grainy loop and the latter built from rich orchestral tones.
Artwork and music go hand in hand, with logo designer Number III (Paul Nicholson, Aphex Twin logo designer ) cooking up the striking black and white imagery.
WE JAZZ RECORDS presents ' Pu: ', the boundary-breaking solo debut of bass player Ville Herrala, to be released on 21 February 2020. Utilising only the double bass but looking at the instrument from various different perspectives. The end result is an inspired set of 14 miniatures, each pushing the concept forward in a highly personal way.
The first single "Pu: 12" presents a rhythmic approach with echoes of from the world of minimal classical music and electronic music. Bowed tracks such as "Pu: 2" offer another perspective, as does the second single "Pu: 10", going back to the essence of the instrument and opening new doors while doing so. Each of the tracks is a compact musical adventure unto it's own.
Ville Herrala (b. 1979) is one of the most higly-regarded bass players working in the Finnish scene. He's known from the ranks of such top ensembles as PLOP, Jukka Perko Jazztet, U-Street All Stars, Jukka Eskola Orquesta Bossa and UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, to name but a few.
· This compilation features the rarest and unknown instrumental tracks of that Funky Groove early sound.
· Light music along with wind section and keyboard ready to hit the dance-floor, that we call Spanish-Grooves.
· Composers, musicians & arrangers like Gregorio García Segura, Rafael Martínez, Antonio Barco, Antonio Latorre, Jaime Botey, etc.
During the 70's, an important number of orchestras and dance bands popped up in our country but not many of them released their own songs or covers on vinyl, so we can’t say that our music library has bulky volumes, rather it’s just the opposite.
You have to dig deep in the catalogue of obscure record labels to find some quality pieces, which we will usually attribute to Tinglado 13, Conjunto Nueva Onda, The Matches, Conjunto Don Pelegrin, Rafael Martínez, Carlos de Ros, Salgado y su Grupo, Mesié Bató, Pedro González, Jorge Enrique.
Most orchestras played bossa nova, soul, some lounge and easy listening, and a usual mix of light music with wind section and keyboards, something like “spanish-soul” or “rhythm'n'blues-pasodoble”.
It was a time when the bands survived playing shows with a repertoire based, mostly, on Spanish popular songs and international hits.
Many artists recorded with nicknames, many others used licensed songs paying rights to the original authors and some orchestras changed their names when they pressed their records, in an attempt to appear modern or simply for pure commercial purposes, that's why it is difficult to trace accurately the musical path of many of these artists. This scene was especially intense in Aragon and Catalonia, where a bunch of labels emerged, often simply as platforms for bands to promote their own music.
This compilation aims to discover to a wider audience some of the most sought-after instrumental gems by discjokeys and disco music collectors, eager for soul, groove and hot sounds.
· This compilation features the rarest and unknown instrumental tracks of that Funky Groove early sound.
· Light music along with wind section and keyboard ready to hit the dance-floor, that we call Spanish-Grooves.
· Composers, musicians & arrangers like Gregorio García Segura, Rafael Martínez, Antonio Barco, Antonio Latorre, Jaime Botey, etc.
During the 70's, an important number of orchestras and dance bands popped up in our country but not many of them released their own songs or covers on vinyl, so we can’t say that our music library has bulky volumes, rather it’s just the opposite.
You have to dig deep in the catalogue of obscure record labels to find some quality pieces, which we will usually attribute to Tinglado 13, Conjunto Nueva Onda, The Matches, Conjunto Don Pelegrin, Rafael Martínez, Carlos de Ros, Salgado y su Grupo, Mesié Bató, Pedro González, Jorge Enrique. Most orchestras played bossa nova, soul, some lounge and easy listening, and a usual mix of light music with wind section and keyboards, something like “spanish-soul” or “rhythm'n'blues-pasodoble”.
It was a time when the bands survived playing shows with a repertoire based, mostly, on Spanish popular songs and international hits.
Many artists recorded with nicknames, many others used licensed songs paying rights to the original authors and some orchestras changed their names when they pressed their records, in an attempt to appear modern or simply for pure commercial purposes, that's why it is difficult to trace accurately the musical path of many of these artists. This scene was especially intense in Aragon and Catalonia, where a bunch of labels emerged, often simply as platforms for bands to promote their own music.
This compilation aims to discover to a wider audience some of the most sought-after instrumental gems by discjokeys and disco music collectors, eager for soul, groove and hot sounds.
Tommy McCook was not only a founding member of the legendary Jamaican Ska group The Skatalites, but also a brilliant musical arranger. His informed understanding of Jazz, R&B and in fact most music styles would always add another layer to any song put his way. This made him the go to guy for most of the Jamaican producers, who would use his arrangement skills to pepper up their latest tunes.
Tommy McCook, (b1927, Havana, Cuba) came to Jamaica with his mother from Cuba aged 11 and entered renowned Alpha Boys School for underprivileged children, a school that placed great emphasis on musical tuition. At the tender of 14, such was his talent he has left to join Eric Deans Orchestra and took on stints with other bands led by Don Hinchman and Roy Coburn. All the bands played in the Swing and Jazz style of the times. He relocated to the Bahamas in 1954 where he further developed his Jazz technique and upon his return to Jamaica in 1962 began working Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One and became involved in the development of Ska. His knowledge of Jazz, R& B and Jamaican musical forms helped set the tone for the group of musicians he was working with and would name the Skatalites. The group, consisting of Don Drummond (Trombone), Roland Alphonso (Tenor Saxophone), Jackie Mitoo (Piano), Lloyd Brevett (Bass), Lloyd Knibbs (Drums), alongside Tommy himself on Tenor Saxophone. The group would back all the major Ska vocalists pf the day and would also go on to cut a catalogue of instrumental music. The Skatalites split up in 1965 and Tommy McCook moved over to work with Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle Studios where he formed The Supersonics. A set of musicians under his guidance that consisted of Lynn Tait and Ernest Ranglin (Guitar), Neville Hinds and Winston Wright (Organ), Gladstone “Gladdy” Anderson (Piano), Hugh Malcolm and Arkland “Drumbago” Parks (Drums), Clifton “Jackie” Jackson (Bass), and Tommy and Hernon Marquis (Saxophone). The more laid back sounds from 1966-1968 would be given the name Rocksteady of which again McCook was at the forefront. The top producers like Bunny Lee would use the musicianship of Tommy McCook and his arrangement skills to enhance this new sound.
We have compiled a great selection of rhythms that featured McCook blowing over tracks stripped of their vocals and replaced with some fantastic lead lines played by Tommy and some of his fellow horns men.
We hope you agree like we do that they do this in fine style.
ISAN’s Robin Saville reveals an ambient album, which merges the Electronica aesthetics of his main project with field recordings, drones and acoustic instrumentation.
A lot of things have been written about what happens to the mind when the body starts moving. Instead of reciting poems of the inevitable self-help books, let’s get straight to the point: For many, taking walks on a regular basis is both liberating and empowering. It is not necessarily so much about the exercise, but rather finding one’s own rhythm in life. Robin Saville – of ISAN fame – is such an ambler His walks inspired him to base his third solo album – his first one for Morr Music – on the out of the way places he came to see and experience while being out and about.
Clocking in at just under 40 minutes in total, "Build A Diorama" is both a subtle culmination and a poignant antipode to what Saville has achieved together with Antony Ryan as ISAN. While the aesthetics might seem similar in places, Saville opts for a decisively different pace when it comes to writing and producing. Progress is steady, and change, however, is slow – like looking at a diorama for a long period of time in the ever so slightly changing light or as a flaneur focussing on one particular spot, a found object so-to-speak, waiting for the mind to orchestrate it appropriately, giving it sense and meaning.
Built around quiet field recordings, Saville’s six compositions transform this highly personal and, therefore, difficult-to-convey experience into a comprehensible exploration of beauty. Where ISAN almost exclusively uses electronics, Saville deliberately expands this well-established palette with acoustic instruments like bass guitar, chimes and glockenspiel, aiming for an even more suitable musical manifestation of what the walker sees and feels once he fully engages in his passion. Ranging from blissfully pulsing pads allowing for complete associative freedom ("The Deepdale Halophyte Economy") to the playful minimalism of an orchestra dominated by busy bells ("Bosky"), Saville’s "Build A Diorama" is not just a valuable addition to his musical output, but an essential audio guide for those striving to explore, learn and understand.
First Word Records is incredibly proud to present 'Starts Again', the debut album from Tawiah.
The latest signing to the Worldwide Award-winning indie label, Tawiah is somewhat of a trailblazer in the world of alt-soul. Despite this being her debut album, she's long-established in the UK music scene, having previously self-released two EPs and a mixtape, as well as high-profile collaborations with Cinematic Orchestra, Blood Orange, Mark Ronson, Kindness, Cee-Lo, Wiley, Zed Bias and Eric Lau. Additionally being championed by the likes of Zane Lowe, Gilles Peterson and The Guardian, and supporting Moses Sumney on his recent EU tour, it's finally time to unleash a full solo project into the world.
'Starts Again' is an exploration of her identity as a queer woman of colour, raised in a pentecostal family, and a determination to express her musicianship in all its raw glory, free of the constraints of major label wrangles from before.
Co-produced with Sam Beste (Hejira), the album also features vocals from Sharlene Hector, Vula Malinga, Ladonna Young, Ade Omotayo and Rahel Debebe-Dessalegne, as well as glorious string arrangements composed by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, with a series of field recordings from Ghana, amongst the varied components.
In Tawiah's words; "the process of creating this record independently has taken years!! From self-produced demos to live recording sessions with my good friends; Blue May, Sam Beste, Alex Reeve, Alex Bonfanti, Nathan Allen and Lewis Wright. Sam and I then had two years of long joyful studio sessions working on the post production. With no external deadlines or briefs we had the freedom to create whatever came. It was a privilege to collaborate in this way".
A triumphant 10-piece opus, the music seamlessly blends avant-garde sensibilities with low-slung beats and layered harmonies. The vestiges of Tawiah's early church vocal training contrast subtly against a distinctive South London accent, which has helped place her firmly at the vanguard of the British alternative soul movement, and establish a rep as one of the country's most exciting live performers. Time Out even saying "she slays so hard, you better hope there's a doctor in the house".
With a series of immersive live shows being planned in collaboration with spatial artist, Studio Myrrh, the latter half of 2019 headed into 2020 is looking to be a busy time for Tawiah. A decade on from her debut EP, 'Starts Again' is a creative reset of-sorts, though she is already highly revered within the music industry. A unique talent, this debut album should rightly cement her status as one of the UK's finest recording artists and songwriters.
Nikki Nairs latest release for the new label Muy Muy Limited, based between Mexico City and Ponderosa CA, is a rich and textured testament to his ever evolving production abilities.
Evoking feelings of fireside reflection, this 6-song EP flows from rich ambient orchestration to hypnotic hymns + rhythmic instrumentation, while maintaining an overall feeling that evades description.
This all seems fitting for the first release on a label the was born in a remote cabin high up the Sequoia National Monument.
Wewantsounds is delighted to continue its Akiko Yano reissue program with the reissue of her superb double album recorded with YMO at a time when she was part of the group’s touring line up between 1979 and 1980. The album is pure Akiko Yano featuring her superb singing and piano playing, enhanced by touches of YMO’s synth-pop sound (check her cult version of YMO’s classic, “Tong-Poo”). It is the first time the album is released outside of Japan and the deluxe 2-LP set features the original artwork with gatefold sleeve and 4-page insert.
When "Gohan Ga Dekitayo" came out in 1980, Akiko Yano had been touring with Yellow Magic Orchestra for more than a year. She'd play keyboards alongside the three founding members, Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi, plus guitarist Kenji Omura and Synth wizard programmer Hideki Matsutake (as part of the 1980 North American tour, she'd also feature in the group's cult TV appearance on Soul Train for a memorable rendition of "Tighten Up") and they are all present on "Gohan Ga Dekitayo."
The double LP, whose title could be translated by "Dinner is ready," was co-produced with Ryuichi Sakamoto and recorded at two legendary studios: Tokyo's Alfa Studio "A" and Los Angeles' Sound City. It was Akiko's first shift towards a fuller synth sound following four studio albums mixing Pop and Jazz Funk, including her landmark debut from 1976, "Japanese Girl". A shift that would continue with the release of "Tadaima" in 1981, also featuring the YMO musicians.
?The fourteen tracks featured on "Gohan Ga Dekitayo" find Akiko in top form mixing her singer-songwriter's sensitivity with the electro-pop sound of YMO. It's interesting to note though that it is very much an Akiko Yano album even if the group is present on the album (interestingly they do also play analog instruments on the album). Akiko is clearly the one in charge with a string of beautiful compositions and the rendition of one of the group's classics, "Tong Poo" which she reinvents as a slower, less metronomic-paced song adding her own lyrics.
?Other highlights on the album include "Dogs Awaiting..." an hypnotic composition featuring fascinating electro arrangements or "Coloured Water" sung in English by Akiko accompanying herself on Fender Rhodes with subtle percussion by Tatsuo Hayashi and electronics by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
There are many more great moments on this superb album which announces the further experiments of "Tadaima". "Gohan Ga Dekitayo" is an album that urgently needs to be (re)discovered by her growing international fanbase and Wewantsounds is happy to reissue it worldwide for its 40th anniversary.
The 36 track 2CD album comes with 50-page book featuring text, biographies and photography. It also comes in a limited run two volume double-vinyl super-loud super-heavy gatefold sleeve editions. Compiled by Stuart Baker (Soul Jazz Records) and sleevenotes biographies by Jonny Trunk (Trunk Records).
TV Sound and Image features British composers who worked in television, film and music libraries the second half of the 20th century.
Aside from John Barry, whose work on the James Bond films made him a household name, or Tony Hatch and Laurie Johnson, the majority of composers featured here - Simon Park, Keith Mansfield, Reg Tilsley, Syd Dale, Keith Papworth – remain relatively unknown. And yet ironically they have created some of the most recognisable songs in British popular culture, their music widely disseminated on television.
A quick role call of these would include Neil Richardson (who composed the theme tune to Mastermind) and Barry Stoller (who wrote Match of the Day). The Simon Park Orchestra’s Eye Level, theme song to the BBC series Van der Valk, reached number one in 1973. CCS’s cover of Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love was the theme tune to Top of the Pops. And so on.
This album is not however a stroll through the TV memories of the mind, but an exploration of the serious contribution that these creative musicians have on the landscape of popular music in Britain.
Here then is a guide to the amazing music of many of the composers (both well-known and obscure) responsible for some of the most widely known music ever to come out of Britain in the second-half of the 20th century.
Reviews:
Quietus
Der Spiegel: "spannende Klänge ... die oft funky und immer lässig klingen"
"thrilling sounds.... often funky and always chilled"
New Zealand Herald: ***** "Every track is a killer... This is more than just music to mooch too."
Irish Times: **** "downright funky"
Volkskrant: "Ze leverden spanning op maat, die onbekende makers van fenomenale Britse film en tv-muziek. Door de cd TV Sound and Image opnieuw in de aandacht"
Evening Standard: "deeply funky"
Uncut Magazine "excellent 36 track set ... welcome additions to your collection"
Q Magazine: ****
On October 4th Erased Tapes present Handfuls of Night — the highly anticipated follow-up to Penguin Cafe’s much applauded 2017 album The Imperfect Sea — inspired by the Antarctic, Arthur Jeffes’ journey following in Scott’s footsteps and our penguin friends that reside there. Using gut-stringed violins, viola, cello, bass, percussion, upright and grand pianos, synthesiser, harmonium and more, Arthur Jeffes and his cohorts have crafted a vivid series of panoramic sonic landscapes, that are as rich in cerebral poignancy as they are in emotional depth.
Bookended by the atmospheric ambient piano pieces ‘Winter Sun’ and ‘Midnight Sun’, the album traverses glacial minimalism with ease, combining their signature contemporary classical panoramas, such as the melancholic yet upbeat lead track ‘At the Top of the Hill, They Stood...’ and the colossal cinematic piece ‘Chapter’, with the crystalline folktronica on ‘Pythagorus on the Line Again’ — a re-visiting and continuation of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra’s 1993 Union Cafe song on the principles of harmonics.
"Art Is A Cat" is The Dining Rooms' eighth studio album - thirteenth if we also consider five remix and rework records - in over twenty years of career. It comes out five years after the fully instrumental "Do Hipsters Love Sun (Ra)?", and shows itself as a new milestone in the artistic path of the Milanese duo formed by Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti.
In fact, "Art Is A Cat" hosts every facet of The Dining Rooms' music, mostly nourishing the intuitions delivered in past albums such as "Experiments in Ambient Soul" (2005) and "Ink" (2007). It preserves all the characteristics of their typical signature: songs balanced between folk and soul, dub expansions, instrumental hip hop and cinematic atmospheres. Not to renounce to any of these aspects and given the high quality of the recorded material, Stefano and Cesare decided not to sacrifice anything, and wrote and produced a 19-song full-length for a total duration of about sixty minutes.
"Art Is A Cat" also hosts a large group of guest singers, both historical voices of the band and absolute novelties, who also co-wrote the lyrics; the vocal parts are interspersed with the group's instrumental classics, from funk-fueled visionary downtempos to more experimental micro-songs. Sean Martin and Georgeanne Kalweit therefore return with two songs each (one of the two sung by Georgeanne has its lyrics written by Jake Reid, a London-based singer who already collaborated with The Dining Rooms in "Lonesome Traveler" in 2011).
Among the new entries we have, first of all, the Italian-Tunisian Rahma Hafsi on the sensual ballad "Little Girl" sung both in English and Arabic, while the very young Italian-Salvadoran Beatrice Velasco Moreno sings, together with Sean on backing vocals, the spoken-word "Teach Me To Dance", the spiritual "Sweet Love" and the title-track, an orchestral folk moment among the most inspired ones in the entire band's history; Lola Kola, queen of Tropicantesimo, also brings an absolute novelty in the world of The Dining Rooms, presenting for the first time an Italian-sung piece: "Nella Sua Loca Realtà", a post-melodic song dedicated to the fragility of love.
The vocal parts series ends with two episodes in which Stefano resumes his past as a singer (in the '80s with Peter Sellers & The Hollywood Party) with the Indian-flavoured "Ohm And Raga" and the existentialist ballad "She Says I'm Bad".
"Art Is A Cat" is therefore a complete and very fascinating album, destined to excite and leave its mark.
A record to be enjoyed to its very last second AM Jazz is set to place this songwriter where he just might, finally, receive the recognition he deserves; from unsung hero to a truly worthy candidate for being called up to join the City of Manchester’s ranks of great musical icons. Whether you prefer to know him as Mr. Roberts or simply call him Al, it’s time to become acquainted with the real Jim Noir.
Tossing his bowler onto the hat stand and sliding on his slippers, AM Jazz sees ‘Jim’ putting his feet up whilst Alan Roberts takes the lead. A creative masterpiece for the record player and the mantlepiece, it’s a multi-layered album that features close friends including those dearly departed, and is his truest record to date, by a songwriter painting his own hypnotic Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
“I haven’t 'felt' like Jim Noir for a long time. I’m not sure I ever did; it was a construct of other people’s imaginations,” reveals Al. “AM Jazz is definitely the kind of music I make generally. It harks back to when I started making music years ago and didn’t worry about capturing a particular style. It will be nice to show people more of that.
It's the best album I've written; real hypnotic minimalism, the good stuff!” 15 years since he recorded the first ever 'Jim Noir' EP, AM
Jazz is the record all Noirheads won’t be surprised Al had inside him.
Letting the Beatlesesque stylings of his most recent album Finnish Line be (5 years ago no less), AM Jazz suits the Noir repertoire of his catalogue so far and is another homegrown offering which sees the Daveyhulme composer tinkering in his suburban Manchester studio once more, with the magic of his computer work sorcery, analog and tape recordings.
“For this I went back to the slightly more haphazard way I wrote my first album, Tower Of Love, wherein I’d use things in front of me, or a bit wrong like headphones for a microphone, to make the most Hi-Fi Lo-fi album ever.”
Whilst a brief disappearance of Jim’s online persona may have provoked bleak theories as to his whereabouts, Al had little time for digital distraction. Whilst writing and creating with friends, he has worked on electronic pet project, FAX with former Alfie guitarist, Ian Smith, and the vintage analogue house meets electro sound of his own solo EP Granada Personnel Recovery, as well as producing local band, Shaking Chainsor, and helping long-time musical colleague, Aidan Smith with his long-awaited 'The Planets' project; “I’ve been writing in dribs and drabs when I feel like it,” Al says. “I used to write all day everyday but it’s a lot harder now I’m (feeling) over 100 years old.” Never not sonically exploring or being inspired by the sounds around him, there was even a red-carpet moment when he appeared as a film premier guest after a couple of his songs were selected for the OST of director Jason Wingard’s film Eaten By Lions.
Performing all AM Jazz’s instrumental parts himself but also, at the right moment, bringing in present and past pals along the way, sexy lounge song, ‘Hexagons’ features 'Phil Anderson' and Mark Williamson singing and playing “legendary OTT guitar solo” respectively. Meanwhile the orchestration of ‘Peppergone’ waltzes like a beautifully romantic ode to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata – a tribute to dearly departed best friend 'Batfinks' who originally wrote the chords in his song 'Peppercorn.' “I hope he doesn’t think it’s shit,” Al jests. Listen closely and you may even find a few unsuspecting celebrity guest appearances as, perhaps, it could be the very first album to feature soundbites of podcasts sneaking onto the recordings. “I will have a podcast on if I’m recording; Adam Buxton, Athletico Mince, Frank Skinner or Richard Herring… I’m sure some mics will have picked them up, like in the old Tower of Love days,” he says referring to his breakout debut.
Culled from around 50 tunes AM Jazz moves like the time of the day, from dawn to night, stirring from the pop of ‘Good Mood’ and ‘Upside Down’s Beta Band groove. “As the album was playing, I imagined this smoky backstreet with all those neon signs outside clubs at about 4am,” Al says. Mellow ‘TOL Circle’ is like Percy Faith’s Theme From A Summer Place synthesized, capturing the style of TV library music or movie soundtrack obscurity that has always stirred Al’s curiosity, and the album plunges into a vast chasm of instrumental exploration with ‘Mystermoods,’ visiting Japan’s funky synth whiz duo Testpattern and Hakabashi Sakamoto. Darkening and deepening in intensity, ‘Eggshell’ is like an undiscovered gem from Angelo Badalamenti’s cutting room floor, the Panda Bear shimmer of ‘Lander’ is where blissful positivity and sadness meet, about another of his friends who left the world too young. “By the album’s close, its nearly time to let go and enter the ether,” he says of the album’s story. “Like one would do when they take their final sigh on this earth.”
We are proud to present the first release of Believe! International Records – the re-issue of Kirk Reed "California", "Shawn Lee Mix".
American songwriter and artist Kirk Reed first published the west coast gem "California" in 1979. It was the b-side of the Meca Records 7" release "Lazy Mind". The song is a folky groover that pays tribute to The Golden State through its imagery of sunshine and wide open roads. The original record is in high demand among collectors.
The flip side features an exclusive mix of the track by Shawn Lee (Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra/Young Gun Silver Fox).
Shawn has performed a full studio re-work of "California" with added instrumentation, vocals and production. The result is a luscious adaptation of the original song that truly captures its casual west coast vibe. creditKirk Reed: California.
Written by Kirk Reed. Producer: Carl Edmondson.
Originally released on Meca Records 1979. Shawn Lee Mix: Mix & additional production by Shawn Lee. Shawn Lee: background vocals, guitar solo, Jen SX1000 synth, Crumar MultiMan-S, bass drum, toms, congas, wood blocks, shaker, tambourine. Recorded by Pierre Duplan.
Mixed by: Pierre Duplan & Shawn Lee at The Shop London.
Ansatz der Maschine is back with a new record! For the album "Burial Songs", Frontman Mathijs Bertel went to the Greenhouse Studio's in Reykjavik, Iceland. He worked together with Producer Valgeir Sigurdsson (Bjork, Feist, Bonnie 'prince' Billie, Coco rosie,...) . The result is a poetic and fairylike record, a mindblowing trip where neo classical harp and cello meets organic click 'n cut electronics, but just as well there are some warm folktronica songs where singer Sophia Ammann (Be/Ca) takes the lead. Every record Ansatz der Maschine likes to collaborate with other musicians. For the song "Invisible" they worked together with AMEN RA frontman Colin H. Van Eeckhout. The video was shot in the wild nature of Iceland with both of them. The Britisch born ambient/folk musician Will Samson (who just released an album on Wichita) lents his voice to the song ‘Untold’.
For this record, Mathijs worked together with musicians Nicolas Rombouts (ex-Dez mona/ Stef Kamiel Carlens...), Seraphine Stragier ( Laïs, SunSunSun Orchestra,....) Gianni Marzo (Isbells, Marble Sounds,...)
Working Men's Club announce a small run of remix 12”s, comprising of the brand new Anthony Naples remix and instrumental which will be released on November 15th' and placed in a limited Heavenly house bag. This comes after a previous reworking of the track by Factory Floor’s Gabe Gurnsey.
Heavenly’s Jeff Barrett says:
“We fancied one more remix, one with both feet on the dance floor - and it had to be Anthony Naples, the New York house/techno DJ and producer, whose recent album 'Fog FM' is considered sth. of a classic round our house.”
Anthony’s debut album Body Pill was released on Four Tet’s label in 2015 and his remix CV includes. 4 Tet & more recently Cinematic Orchestra. He's a cool dude, with a killer remix ...
“Osondi owendi. What is cherished by some is despised by others. One man’s meat is another man’s poison. Different strokes for different folks. To each their own. Osondi owendi.
It’s a conventional aphorism in the Igbo language but if you utter the word “osondi owendi” in Nigeria today, the first thing that comes to anybody’s mind is the cucumber-cool highlife music maestro Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe and his legendary album that takes its name from the adage. Released in 1984, Osondi Owendi was instantly received as Osadebe’s magnum opus, the crowning event of an exalted career stretching back to the early years of highlife’s emergence as Nigeria’s predominant popular music.
Stephen Osadebe first appeared on the music scene in 1958 as a spry, twenty-two year-old vocalist in the Empire Rhythm Skies Orchestra, directed by bandleader Steven Amechi. With his dapper suits, urbane Nat King Cole-influenced vocal stylings and jaunty, uptempo, calypso-scented dance tunes, he personified the frisky spirit and anxious aspirations of a young, educated generation that had come of age in the wake of the Second World War, in a Nigeria that was rapidly shaking off British colonization and marching towards an independent future. 1959 would be the year that he truly made his mark in the business with his debut solo single “Lagos Life Na So So Enjoyment.” A giddy exhortation of the music, sex, fun and freedom availed by life in the big city, the song became a sensation and an anthem, and Stephen Osadebe became the leader of his own popular dance band, the Nigerian Sound Makers.
Osadebe would ride this wave of acclaim through most of the nineteen sixties, but a change in direction would be called for at the dawn of the seventies. As Nigeria emerged from a devastating civil war, so did a new generation of youth inspired by rock and funk, confrontational sounds reflective of a more violent, less idealistic era. All of the sudden, the idioms of the post-WWII dance orchestras that nurtured Osadebe’s cohort seemed quaint, the stuff of nostalgia. Osadebe needed to evolve to respond to the new tumultuous, turned-up times.
His response? He cooled it down.
Abetted by a new crop of fire-blooded young players, Osadebe slowed his music to a mellow, meditative tempo, brought forward the lumbering, Afro Cuban-accented bass and percussion, from the rockers he borrowed searing lead lines on the electric guitar. Over this musical bedrock, doesn’t so much as sing as he dreamily muses, coos, sighs aphorisms, words of wisdom and inspiration. “When one listens to my music, all I say appears meaningful,” Osadebe explained his lyrical approach, “at times they are in the form of proverbs which provoke much thought afterwards.” The result is a blend that is both rollicking and soothingly languid. Osadebe christened the style Oyolima—a tranquil, otherworldly state of total relaxation and pleasure. Osondi Owendi represents oyolima at its finest, and possibly Nigerian highlife in epitome.
Osondi owendi. What is cherished by some is despised by others. In some way, the album’s title constitutes a paradox. Because Osondi Owendi is a record that it’s almost impossible to imagine being despised by anybody."
'Matita Emostatica' is the re-issue of a sought after compilation connecting the most underrated outsider artists of the Milan scene, in the early eighties. The amazing artwork is the creation of influential designer and photographer Roberto Masotti, a very well known figure in the avantgarde and jazz realm (he made astonishing portraits for the likes of Anthony Braxton, Art Ensemble Of Chicago, Carla Bley, etc.)
The compilation was produced in 1981 by Al Aprile and released by Materiali Sonori. Among the 10 artists you can find future journalists, unstoppable record collectors, renowned photographers and influential underground persona ... just scroll down the album and read the names of Monofonic Orchestra, Angelo Vaggi, Baker Street Band, Al Aprile, Roberto Masotti and many others. The result was quite unbelievable, ranging from small cosmic opus to avantgarde symphonies and asymmetrical etno-world jams. In the end ‘Matita Emostatica’ was quite in line with the efforts coming from the rest of Europe and the other side of the ocean, so to speak the compilation wouldn’t be out of place in the Ralph or Crammed Discs catalogue. A postcard from a country that is no more.
Official first reissue of this Senegalese gem recorded in 1981 and produced by Ibrahima Sylla.
Remastered, available on a limited LP with 4 pages booklet.
At the dawn of the 1980s, Senegal was immersed in the "beautiful era" of Cuban influences, African-American soul and funk.
A group of passionate musician friends want to shine in this construction of a revolution in Senegalese music. Their credo will be to claim a spiritual search, that is the meaning of the word Gestü in Wolof. The group of friends gathers around the young guitarist leader As El Haji Malick Diouf who is joined on vocals by Tidiane Bathily, reinforced by Couri Ndiaye and Abdou Bâ, on drums Abdou Kane, on bass guitar Jean-Pierre Gomes, Madiama Diop (saxophone, clarinet) and finally on tumbas Djiby Ndiaye.
They released their first album Diabar in 1981, recorded at Golden Baobab studio under the direction of Senegalese producer Ibrahima Sylla. This unique record of the group will leave the youthful and dynamic imprint of a Senegalese musical revolution like the Orchestra Baobab or the Etoile de Dakar.
With its latest release Matasuna Records continues to explore contemporary Afrobeat from different countries. After the last trip to the Swiss Mittelland, this time the journey goes across the English Channel to discover more new & authentic Afrobeat and serve it on a tasty vinyl single.
Heroes of Limbo is a new studio project from long-time collaborators, producer and multi-instrumentalist Glenn Fallows (The Impellers, Disposable Breaks, Andres y Xavi) and trombonist/arranger Gram 'Canyon' Treldavs.
Reimagining classic and contemporary pop as authentic 70's Afrobeat and Highlife from Nigeria and Ghana, this first release asks you to fire up your time machine in your mind and wonder what would the Happy Mondays sound like if they'd played at Fela Kuti's Afrika Shrine, rather than Manchester's legendary Hacienda Club? What if Disclosure were not a Mercury Prize-nominated electronica duo, but a Highlife Orchestra based in Accra, Ghana?
Madchester Woman takes Ebo Taylor's African Woman and uses it as a chassis for a cut 'n shut reworking of Happy Mondays' 1990 classic 'Loose Fit' - a hot and explosive mixture as you can easily hear!
White Noise, featuring vocals from Clair Fallows (The Impellers, Soul Grenades), re-works Disclosure & Aluna George's electro-house anthem into an uplifting slice of afro-disco dancefloor shuffle.
NecareDiskoEP is the debut original release from, Thomaas Banks and also the first release on his own imprint, Sinahti.
The 4 track EP delves into his love for EBM & the slower side of Techno. NecareDisko rocks with low slung future vibes. Gnarly metallic synths and apocalyptic Vatican orchestration meld with a rolling beat to provide a sleek burner with plenty of grind and glimmer.
VitalClaret ups the tempo with a rousing trip to the chasm edge. Ring modulated arpeggiated leads clash with insistent embers of modular rebellion.
A background hum rises throughout to reach a punishing crescendo. TYVYT-IYTYIon the first remix of the EP’s title track and he pushes the swamp funk button for a syncopated noise workout, with a hot as hell detuned noir melody around the halfway mark. Magma!
The EP closes with a loose open electro remix of Necare Disko from Hymns. Open and lighter than the rest of the EP, nevertheless it still has a taut, Germanic vibe with distorted bass funk dueling
hard towards the end.
Thousand Knives Of Ryuichi Sakamoto's Landmark First Solo Album From 1978 Issued On The Better Days Label And Featuring The Synth Classics "plastic Bamboo," "end Of Asia" & "thousand Knives" Is Reissued Outside Of Japan For The First Time In Decades.
Wewantsounds is proud to announce the release of Ryuichi Sakamoto's first solo album originally released in 1978 on the soughtafter Better Days label. Sakamoto was a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra at the time but the group hadn't released their first album yet. Featuring Sakamoto on a wide range of synthesizers and keyboards programmed by Hideki Matsutake, and accompanied by a few musicians including Haruomi Hosono and Pecker, "Thousand Knives" was a blueprint for the YMO sound and includes cult classics that were to become live favourites. Save for a small-scale release in 1982, this is the first time the album is being released on vinyl outside of Japan. Remastered from the original tapes by renowned producer and engineer Seigen Ono, the LP edition comes with original artwork including OBI and 4p insert with new introduction by Paul Bowler. 1978 was a key year for Japanese music. Haruomi Hosono, one of the country's most innovative musicians had just formed Yellow Magic Orchestra pursuing the sonic experimentation he had started with his solo album "Paraiso." The album, credited to "Harry Hosono and The Yellow Magic Band," had been recorded between December 77 and January 78 and featured both Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi. Hosono quickly invited both musicians to form YMO but before the group could release their first album, Sakamoto entered the Nippon Columbia studios in April 1978 with a plan. Sakamoto had become an in-demand session musician after studying composition at the Tokyo University of Art and had played in many key albums of the time: Taeko Ohnuki's "Sunshower" and Tatsuro Yamashita "Spacy" to name just two famous albums. This led to an invitation by Hosono to feature on "Paraiso". A penchant for avant-garde and improvisation had gotten Sakamoto interested in Electronic Music early on and with “Thousand Knives”, he decided to get Hideki Matsutake on board as he had mastered the art of synth programming following a stint with Electronic Music pioneer Isao Tomita. “Thousand Knives” took several months to record as Sakamoto would be busy during the day with his session work and would only record at night. Named after Belgian-born poet Henri Michaux’s description of a mescaline experience, the album is a reflection on how synthesizer technology might come to change the face of music. The first side conceived as a long suite opens with the title track and a recitation of the Mao Zedong poem "Jinggang Mountain" filtered through a vocoder, before morphing into a mid-tempo synthpop instrumental. It is followed by "Island Of Woods", a ten minute track buzzing with insect-like synth sounds reminiscent of the tropical exotica of "Femme Fatale" on “Paraiso” (also featuring Sakamoto). Side one ends with "Grasshoppers," a beautiful acoustic piano melody underlined by a subtle synthesizer soundscape. Side two opens with "Das Neue Japanische Elektronische Volkslied," acknowledging the influence of the German sound spearheaded by Kraftwerk. The track features a mid-tempo metronomic beat skilfully intertwined with a Japanese folk sounding melody. The album ends with two catchy uptempo synthpop tunes in the form of "Plastic Bamboo" and "The End Of Asia," which both became staples of YMO’s and Sakamoto's live shows. Although "Thousand Knives" sold modestly upon release, it was hugely influential in setting the agenda for what was to follow. YMO's sound included various influences from its three members but there is no denying “Thousand Knives” paved the way for the group's Computer Music sound. Thousand Knives remains a fascinating insight into the making of a music revolution.
To co-incide with 4 new albums on the label, Morphine gives a surprise RE-DOSE with label friends and heroes on re-flip duty.
More info soon
Adapted Vinyl was a UK based techno label active in the late 90’s that picked up regular DJ support from taste makers of the time ranging from Jeff Mills to Mr C.
This, the label’s 7th record disappeared before a public release when the Integrale Muzique distribution company went out of business in 2008, but now gets its first official release date after years of very limited availability
Label founder Suade is the artist behind this release and these days he is best known as a highly-sought-after mastering engineer working for artists like Dense & Pika, Paranoid London, Jamie Jones and Vitalic.
Focusing his energies into family life and the fine tuning of other peoples music it’s rare to see Suade’s own music on a new release, but this hasn’t stopped him from collaborating on original tracks with the likes of Magda and Radioactive Man in recent years.
The EP has four contrasting tracks all with different moods and tempos all blended with Techno’s classic motoric drive.
With it’s absence from the usual music marketplaces creating something of a mystery this record ended up receiving a new, unofficial name on Discogs - The Citadel EP which is a title taken from the broken-beat second track on the B side of the record.
The Citadel is just one of the highlights on this eclectic EP, as it’s a Latronic Notron sequencer workout that patiently deploys layered synths in ever-shifting cross-rhythms for a languid 5 minutes before its deep, underpinning bass arrives evoking desert travel and arrival.
Baikal, named after the huge freshwater lake in Russia, is another stretched out meditation on tone and harmony acting as a foil to the delicate and vibrant Latin American percussion that filters in and out through a massive stereo Moog Modular system creating an energetic yet static, ritualistic atmosphere.
Trajan - the most driving track on the EP, gives a nod to the Probe era Richie Hawtin sound with a touch of Drexciyan melodics with shuffled percussion and bleeps over a snaking TB303 shaped bassline where the classic Acid box is given the role of control sequencer only commanding the thick, dirty oscillators of the big Moog.
A1 track Felix is a contrast yet again. A big room melodic Techno piece with another massive bassline and an almost orchestral level of layering, building to nine counter-melodies in total before letting rip with a classic TB303 acid line that builds from the heart of the track.
"A work of searching, and in many moments, finding"
Maggie Thornton as Sky Civilian is set to release her second EP this November on Atomnation: At the Seams. It's a stepping stone, from the lyrical, gentle, genre-agnostic electronica of Open Door, to Maggie’s own rounded and angelic take on acid-house.
Maggie’s cinematic, synth-heavy style emerged after a decade of orchestral French horn playing and classical studies. She combines this brass-inspired, synth-forward approach with her weightless, almost-whispered vocals, and dance-floor ready beats. The melding of influences present in her work make Maggie a fresh and promising new artist in the electronic music scene, an artist we hope to hear more from for many years to come.
I felt totally unrestrained making this album” says Lindstrøm about his 6th solo album On A Clear Day I Can See You Forever (a title inspired by the 1970’s musical On A Clear Day You Can See Forever starring Barbra Streisand). “I’ve listened to Robert Wyatt’s solo albums and his Matching Mole’s debutalbum a lot lately. It so effortless, fearless and free. And not insisting. I was very inspired by this” In the autumn of 2018, Lindstrøm composed a commissioned piece for Norway’s premiere art centre Henie Onstad Kunstsenter. Sketches from the three sold-out performances became the foundation for the new tracks. “I decided to keep some of the initial ideas and develop them further. All the songs are based on long one-take recordings”, says Lindstrøm “Also I’ve been very conscious about the music on the album not exceeding the length of the physical limitations of the vinyl-format, finding that 2 long tracks on each side were the perfect balance for this album” This is also the first time ever Lindstrøm has made an album entirely with hardware instead of computer-plugins. He utilised thirty plus synthesizers and drum-machines during his performance at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter. The experience inspired him to embrace a similar set-up when making the album. “The joy of making music on actual physical objects and devices makes a lot of sense to me now. After working on a computer for over 15 years, I don’t think I’ll ever look back” he says with an almost childlike excitement. It was the accessibility to his enviable collection of music gear – largely consisting of sought after synthesizers – that allowed Lindstrøm to experiment so freely with ideas and soundscapes. “The title track is a 10-minutes improvisation on the Moog Memorymoog. I liked the loose feel so I decided to keep everything unedited. The other tracks were written and arranged prior to the recordings. I then set up the instruments needed for my sessions, then recorded more or less everything in a single take. I’m really happy with the way this album came together.” Lindstrøm has cited classical music as an inspiration the last couple of years “I used to study classical music at school. Back then I was listening to a lot of Opera, orchestral music and solo music on the piano. Listening to classical music again has been a revisit to my childhood days, just like I did when I embraced the 80s in the early 2000s”
Once embracing the freedom and the joy of making music without inhibitions, immersing himself in to the physical realm of making music with hardware, Lindstrøm learned something new not only about music – but about himself.
“I guess I've been trying to re-educate myself”
2 track vinyl compilation featuring the roots of modern dance music, on 180g heavyweight double LP. P&P was producer and Harlem hustler Peter Brown’s production company. He created some of the greatest moments in underground African American dance music, across a handful of labels in the 70s and 80s.
Due to his independent ethos his releases on imprints such as Heavenly Star, Sound Of New York, La Shawn, P&P and others would often disappear after a single low numbered pressing making them incredible hard to find on original pressing.
Tracks such as Mary Clarke’s ‘Take Me I’m Yours’, and the Fosters Jackson Group’s ‘Feel The Spirit’ have been championed by DJs such as Floating Points and Dimitri from Paris. Whilst the sheer rarity of some singles such as Clyde Alexander and Sanction’s ‘Got To Get Your Love’ and Louise Murray’s ‘Let’s Just Stay Away’ would set you back multiple hundreds of pounds to buy on original copies.
360 degrees of freedom is overwhelming in music, and you need not truly begin to find freedom until you put yourself under extremely narrow constraints.” It was with this quote that Don Slepian laid the groundwork for over 40 years of musical output. Slepian’s work draws equally from the harmonic terrain he explored while performing with a Javanese gamelan ensemble, as well as his time spent building and modifying electronic audio equipment for studios and fellow musicians. Gravitating towards improvisation and experimentation, Slepian built a breathtaking sound-world that stretched the briefest of moments into an eternity of detail and depth. In 1980, Slepian self-released a series of cassette albums that built upon and perfected this practice, offering “New Music for Digital Orchestra”.
New Dawn is one of those albums - an enthralling example of New Age euphoria, and early-electronic
experimentation.
New Music For Digital Orchestra? An ironic subtitle for an album without any traces of digital technology found within. The instruments, tools, and recording techniques are entirely analog. A Korg PS3100, Mellotron voices, Mellotron flutes, analog tape echo and analog recorder were used to create both of the pieces found on New Dawn with both tracks being recorded live with no overdubs
Moon Diagrams is the solo recording project of Deerhunter co-founder and drummer Moses John Archuleta. Two years after his acclaimed debut album Lifetime Of Love, Archuleta returns with Trappy Bats, a mini-LP that interweaves three brilliant new Moon Diagrams tracks with radiant reworks from Shigeto, Angel Deradoorian and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. Trappy Bats was largely recorded in a single night as a means to process the intense intersection of Archuleta’s social, political and personal hysteria. Having been arrested for an unremembered missed court date, Archuleta spent 24 hours in a holding cell, offering ample time to reflect on his life, the current state of the nation (the jail televisions were showing a constant feed of the then-active Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville) and the other inmates. Upon being released the next day, Archuleta found himself suffering from a bout of insomnia and feeling the need to process everything through music. Here, Archuleta is in his freest and most grateful state, channelling the turmoil and confusion he was experiencing into an unencumbered fit of creativity. It’s pure, unadulterated escapism with an even more callous palette of sounds than before, clearly split between two moods. On what you might call the ‘up’ side, the title track could be the sonic spawn of Not Waving and Terrence Dixon: a snarling mix of percussive clatter and washes of orchestral tones coalesce into a pulsating groove across its almost 12-minute runtime, the underlying ’80s aesthetic making it feel like a turbo-charged Shep Pettibone remix of New Order, looped to infinity. Detroit electronica don Shigeto goes even further and implodes the track into a kaleidoscope of bone-jarring, viscerally giddy dance music. Over on the ‘down’ side, ‘Wipeout’ is a slow-motion waltz of dusty piano and clattering percussion loops that coolly stumble along with the woozy, nocturnal flare of The Caretaker or Philip Jeck. The haunted reverie ventures even deeper with a beatifically electrified ambient re-imagination by Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. Daisychain’ goes almost completely off the grid, offering up a sweetly submerged slab of constantly evolving murkiness in the vein of Demdike Stare or a dosed Andy Stott. The sweet shuffle levitates even higher with a celestial re-interpretation by sonic visionary Angel Deradoorian, formerly of the Dirty Projectors. The end result is an extended traipse through Saturday evening fever-dream techno, Sunday morning cigarette jazz-pop and every blank thought in between.
Deviation is proud to welcome long time friend and collaborator Waajeed to the label for their second release of 2019. The former Slum Village member & Dirt Tech Reck label founder presents four brand new tracks that once more showcase the Detroit-born producer's natural talent for creating house music with layers of soul, hip hop, R&B and jazz. As is always the case with Waajeed’s work, the EP is imbued with deeper meanings and concepts. When asked why he wanted to call the EP “Hocus Pocus”, Waajeed simply described what Magic means to him:"Magic: the use of means to have supernatural power over natural forces. By definition music is magic. It has the power to incite peace and chaos. My new EP is called 'Hocus Pocus'. It's an acknowledgment and claiming of the authority of my music. Along with a select group of Detroit-based alchemists, we conjure a spell of that embodies the cycle of birth, death, love and interdimensional travel." - Waajeed 'Abracadbra' and 'Let Your Love' see the producer orchestrate a small cast of fellow Detroit musicians like DeSean Jones and Khristian Foreman. The music further adorned with Mark Flash of Underground Resistance on conga & bongos for 'Abracadabra', while Ideeyah brings a light touch to her vocal contribution to 'Let Your Love'. 'Lotta Bounce' and '32oz' meanwhile bring a tougher, club-ready edge with their sharp instrumental workouts.
The highly anticipated album by Jay-Z's 4:44 soul hurricane Hannah Williams & the Affirmations produced by award-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee.
Hannah Williams, the British soul hurricane who sensationally became part of Jay-Z's chart-topping 4:44 album, is primed and ready for her own national and international breakthrough.
Williams turned heads worldwide when the hip-hop superstar sampled her heart-stopping vocals on 'Late Nights & Heartbreak' for the title track, '4.44' on his 2017 album. Now Hannah and her exemplary, Bristol-based band the Affirmations deliver a definitive career statement with the drop-dead soulful new album 50 Foot Woman which will be released October 18th on the Milan based imprint Record Kicks.
The album captures all of the visceral power of the band's increasingly legendary live performances. Shades of classic Soul and Psychedelic Funk blend uniquely with modern-day flavours on a record destined to set the soul agenda for 2019 and far beyond. "I've never been as proud of anything in my entire career" says Hannah.
Born in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, Williams'father was a musically gifted minister, and her mother let her join the church choir at the age of six. Hannah could read music before she could properly read words, and when she discovered soul by listening with her mum to Motown and Bill Withers, there was no turning back.
After a 2012 debut with her previous band the Tastemakers, it was 2016's Late Nights & Heartbreak that announced the arrival of Hannah Williams and the Affirmations. But little did she know that Jay-Z was listening. One day, at her then-day job running the music department at the University of Winchester, he sent her a text.
Once she'd established that it wasn't a wind-up, and summoned the courage to call him back, she learned that JayZ's producer, No I.D., had played him Hannah's track to inspire his response to Beyoncé's Lemonade, on which she sang of his infidelities.
Williams was as in the dark about how 'Late Nights & Heartbreak' would be used until 4:44 dropped. But the substantial sample of her voice opened doors she never dreamed of. "It was an incredible catalyst," she says, "as a change in our collective career, and getting a global audience. Suddenly, there were millions of predominantly American hip-hop fans listening to my voice, going 'Is this from the '60s? Is she dead?'"
What followed was a year of the band's widest-ever touring including an invitation to perform at Central Park Summer Stage NY, Toronto Jazz Festival and Brooklyn Bowl NY and expanded audiences in continental Europe where she and the Affirmations had already made a mark. Then came the burning determination to make the record of their lives. The captivating 50 Foot Woman is that album, produced by Shawn Lee, a respected presence on the funk/soul scene whose credits include Amy Winehouse, Lana Del Rey and Alicia Keys. Lee has released five solo albums as Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra on San Francisco label Ubiquity Records and is also one half of the cool melodic pop duo Young Gun Silver Fox.
Now the world will hear what the cognoscenti have known for a while: that Hannah Williams is the real deal, and sings from her very soul. "I feel like my performance comes from my solar plexus," she says. "The emotional side of it is so intrinsic; I can't take it away from what I do."
Oscar- and Grammy-nominated composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens will release his acclaimed score for Justin Peck’s ballet TheDecalogue October 18 via his own label, AKR. Performed by the pianist Timo Andres, the recording is the first time the score, premiered during the NewYork City Ballet’s 2017 season, is available to the public.
The Decalogue is the third collaboration between NYCB Resident Choreographer Peck and Stevens, following 2012’s Year of theRabbit and 2014’s Everywhere We Go. The piece was widely praised upon its premiere; The New York Times lauded the “beauty and charm” of Peck’s choreography as well as Stevens’ “romantically modernist études.”
Brooklyn-based composer-pianist Timo Andres is a Nonesuch Records artist, who has written major works for the Boston Symphony, Carnegie Hall, the Barbican, the Takács Quartet, the Concertgebouw, and elsewhere. He performs regularly with Gabriel Kahane, and has frequently appeared with Philip Glass, Becca Stevens, Nadia Sirota, the Kronos Quartet, John Adams, Ted Hearne, and others. As a pianist, Timo has performed at Lincoln Center, for the NewYork Philharmonic, the LA Phil, at Wigmore Hall, for San Francisco Performances, and at (le) Poisson Rouge. Upcoming highlights include a curated program for the Cincinnati Symphony (featuring Dance Heginbotham and a performance of Andres’s cello concerto, Upstate Obscura), and a solo piano recital for Carnegie Hall. Previous work with Sufjan Stevens includes the orchestration of “Principia” for Justin Peck and the New York City Ballet.
Ground is an Osaka native, but his soul is truly that of a nomad, traversing the planet, befriending kindred spirits found in humans, animals and plants. He is exceptionally receptive to the beauty in everything that surrounds him—the incidental music of a city street, the orchestral chaos of a scrambling radio, the syncopated grace of migrating birds, the simplicity of an isolated hand clap—and as his roadmap continuously unfolds, he accumulates a vast catalogue of visceral tools to musically recount his experiences. 'Sunizm' is a cross section of the artist’s process—an array of complex microcosms overlapping to comprise a thematic whole—gathering field recordings, found instruments, jagged electronics, synthesized chanting, and weaving all into a dense narrative that appears obsessively constructed yet divinely improvised. 'Follow Me', the second of two singles surrounding the album, is complimented with a pseudo drum’n’bass treatment by enigmatic Greek artist Jay Glass Dubs, as well as a massively triumphant b-side entitled 'Ozone House', which is exclusive to this single release. Attention all humans, animals and plants, Ground and the ESP Institute present, 'Sunizm'.
The Force Dimension was formed in the late 80’s by René Van Dijck and Tycho de Groot. After some demos and appearances on compilations, the band signed a contract with the Belgian label KK Records. Their self-titled debut was released in 1989 curiously on two different versions, one produced by Luc Van Acker (Revolting Cocks) and the other co-produced by Dirk Ivens (Klinik, Dive). The duo continued developing a very unique sound mixing EBM, industrial and different electronic influences. In 1990 they finished what is considered their definitive work, “Deus Ex Machina”, followed by the mega club-hit “Algorythm”. The band released another single next year, “New Funk”, and after a couple of compilations stopped to work together in 1997. During the next years there were some failed attempts to reunite but it wasn’t until 2013 when The Force Dimension was resurrected by René Van Dijck.
“Deus Ex Machina” is being now re-released on an expanded edition with all original tracks plus some bonus including remixes of “Algorythm”, some rare tracks from old compilations and new versions of the unreleased songs “Fatal Erection” and “Scanners”. Limited edition of 500 copies on double vinyl and gatefold sleeve.
Kompakt welcomes veteran contemporary experimental producer Marcus Schmickler with the release of his spectacular noise/techno fused medallion entitled “Particle/Matter-Wave/Energy”. Marcus Schmickler’s fifty plus release discography is one of the most fascinating in his field. From his studies under Cologne based Stockhausen collaborator Johannes Fritsch to his releases through legendary imprints a-Musik, editionsMego and Mille Plateaux, over the years Schmickler has been behind innumerable collaborations and sonic explorations. Be it through his ground-breaking indie/electronic band Pluramon or through his releases that have included collaborations with musicians such as John Tilbury, Thomas Lehn, Julee Cruise or MIMEO he has even had his works being performed by ensemble recherche, musikFabrik or Paragon Ensemble. Beyond continuing to perform on the world stages, he authors theatre and film and currently teaches at Institut für Musik und Medien in Dusseldorf. This brings us to the release of "Particle/Matter-Wave/Energy" - a 37 minute long piece (split into 2 parts on the LP version) that explores the borders of a scientific universality of sonification towards something that becomes a singular experience – sound. The pieces’ foundational aim was to create an acoustic rendering of what it sounds like when two galaxies collide by gravitational forces. To avoid this one sheet getting lost in theory, the audible result of “Particle/Matter-Wave/Energy” is an incredibly, immersive work that is required listening from start to end. Contemporary experimental music and modern techno collide as waves of synths caress the listener through intense waves of frequency variables. The orchestral enormity of the piece is both discomforting yet embracing as the listener feels engulfed with it’s robotic caress.
Sonido Gallo Negro has been a mainstay of the current revival of tropical and psychedelic music throughout Central and South America since the first of their three albums was released in 2011. Hailing from Mexico City, a hub of cumbia, chicha, surf and garage music for over five decades, it's no wonder that SGN has such a wonderful and integrated blend of traditional styles that have travelled from the Caribbean, up the Andes, through the Amazon, around the shores of coastal Peru and back through Central America. SGN is part of a long line of artists in Mexico to make these cosmic connections found in the music's terrestrial path, yet are completely unique in their own mystical approach, both visually and sonically. As a hefty 9-piece orchestra, the band is quite capable of summoning a rich tapestry of sounds from an array of instruments of the psychedelic persuasion: farfisa, electric guitar, flute, theremin and, in the case of B-side Niño Perdido, accordion from master Colombian artist and NYCT alumnus, Carmelo Torres. It's the making of a swirling kaleidoscope of sounds and squiggles, all of which ride effortlessly over the fluid percussion and pace of those beloved Afro-Latin rhythms. In anticipation of their next full length release,Unknown Future, Names You Can Trust presents the first 7-inch 45 single to ever be released from SGN, a double-sided dose ofsonido psicodélico, spectacularly swirled into a perfect concoction of old meets new.
"Portico Quartet stake claims to territory occupied by Radiohead, Cinematic Orchestra and Efterklang". The Guardian *****
Portico Quartet return with Memory Streams, their fifth studio album and one that continues the journey that first started with 2008's Mercury nominated debut Knee Deep in the North Sea. It's a creative path that has seen the band embrace new technology and explore ambient and electronic influences alongside minimalism, jazz and beyond. It is a process that has encouraged change. Each album has seen the band expand its palate or explore new trajectories. From the gentle charm of their breakthrough's inimitable mix of jazz, world and minimalist influences, to the tight-knit brilliance of Isla, the electronic infused eponymous Portico Quartet to 2016's return Art in the Age of Automation (the band's most electronic statement to date) they have never been a band to look backwards. Each record has been its own world, its own statement and offered its own meaning. It's the mark of a band that has always both stood apart from any scene and been prepared to challenge its self and find new things to say and to push the limits of what they could do.
It is an approach that has encouraged the band to plough their own furrow. Drummer Duncan Bellamy notes that "For better or worse I think we have always been quite an isolated band. Perhaps that comes from never feeling like we really belonged to or fit in to a scene when we first started making music" While for saxophonist Jack Wyllie " I feel more connected to other musicians these days and those relationships influence the sound we have in some way. But I wouldn't say we feel a part of scene, it still feels quite out on its own, which is cool, because it helps the music feel unique".
Die Martinez-Brüder Chris & Steven aus der New Yorker Bronx sind seit über 10 Jahren in der House-Szene aktiv. Seit 2011 haben sie eine feste DJ-Residenz auf Ibiza, legen auf renommierten Festivals wie Ultra, Time Warp oder Tomorrowland auf und kollaborieren für ihre eigenen Tracks mit Grössen wie Chic(!), Miss Kittin und Tiga. Sie betreiben mit Cuttin' Headz ein Label und gleichnamige Partynächte und legten 2014 dem Mixmag UK-Magazin einen exklusiven CD-Sampler bei. Grund genug für Fabric, sich das berüchtigte DJ-Duo zu packen und ihr erstes offizielles Mixalbum zu veröffentlichen. Dieses bestreiten die Brüder mit 23 erstklassigen Tracks, die von Chicago-Innovator Paul Johnson bis Detroit-Multiinstrumentalist Amp Fiddler reichen. Dazwischen steuern The Martinez Brothers mit "Jam Joint", "Mistakes" und ihrer Top-Kollabo mit NY-House-Legende Louis Vega ("Let It Go (TMB Alternate Version)") drei exklusive eigene Produktionen bei. Die DJ-freundliche Doppel-LP enthält 12 ausgesuchte Perlen, darunter von Mahony & Flogg, Roots Orchestra und zwei Exclusives der Martinez-Brüder.
Transversales Disques proudly presents the first LP reissue of Défense de savoir (L’uomo a destra basso nella fotografia) original soundtrack written by italian composer Bruno Nicolai.
During the Giallo boom of the early 70’s, a lot of French film directors started working with maestro Ennio Morricone. French director Nadine Trintignant decided to hire the maestro’s
musical orchestrator and collaborator Bruno Nicolai to compose the score of her fourth movie, a political thriller starring her husband Jean-Louis Trintigant. Recorded at Morricone’s Ortophonic studio in Rome, this OST is undoubtedly the most
underrated Bruno Nicolai’s soundtrack, probably because it was only released in France at the time. Presented here with previously unreleased tracks as an alternative to the rare original
french pressing. Limited Edition. Remastered from the original master tapes.
Swedish composer and multimedia artist Marcus Fjellström's debut Miasmah release follows two critically acclaimed full length albums on Lampse (2006's 'Gebrauchsmusik' and 2005's 'Exercises In Estrangement'). In addition Marcus has had several commissioned works requested, leading to him working with, among others, the Swedish Royal Ballet, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, numerous ensembles, soloists and filmmakers including 'Salad Fingers' creator David Firth. Currently based in Berlin, Fjellström's compositions often combine aspects of modern classical composition and arrangement and more avant forms of music, be that acoustic or electronic.
'Schattenspieler' (which translates as 'Shadowplayer') takes the form of eleven compositions which explore ambience and melody, texture and silence. Haunting synth and orchestral instrument-based audio constructions, flowing from one moment to the next - the fleeting ghosts of Fjellström's melodies rise, only to be buried under a claustrophobic clutter of percussion and creaking background noise. These pieces do indeed feel like you're listening to something more implied than obviously stated, as if Fjellström wants only to expose us to the shadow of the music - the implication being perhaps a more terrifying experience than to be confronted outright…listen to 'Schattenspieler' and you may find your mind starts to play tricks on you…
The undeniably Angelo Badalamenti-esque descending synth strings of opening track 'The Disjointed', lay the foundations for Fjellström's 'Schattenspieler' album; music resting somewhere between the unsettling horror soundtracks of Jerry Goldsmith, the elevating melodies of Cliff Martinez, and the subtle audio constructions of Miasmah label mates Kreng and Jacaszek. Marcus' wide ranging abilities in composition and his willingness to let go of accepted form and function makes 'Schattenspieler' a perfect choice of release for the Miasmah label. The suspense laden 'Antichrist Architechture Management', with its harrowing and tense undertones, weaving synth lines and a wash of static hiss and flicker, is a particular standout track. Despite it's a strangely oppressive sound, shafts of light grace 'Schattenspieler'; pieces such as 'Untitled 090616' find gorgeous melodies are boxed in by unsettling arrangements and sparse background ambience. There is a coldness to many of these compositions - not without emotion, but somehow remorseless. 'Schattenspieler' is, for the main part, a defiantly bleak journey.
Vinyl edition ltd. to 300 copies, purple vinyl, incl. 8-page 12" booklet with drawings by Marcus Fjellström.
Max Duke's first LP “My Sins” is a journey between house and Techno via electronica, with a unique french house touch that forms an unusual and cohesive debut album. It’s the sound of the musical universe and the influences that have taken hold of the french artist. The album unfolds over the course of 11 tracks, each piece serving as a building block and the result of many months of Max’s work. It is the product of experimenting in the studio, seizing the mood of the moment and reflecting on life experiences. Each song has its own story and helps to complete and close the circle of this captivating musical journey. Guitar, piano and synths are his words in the story; the channel that perfectly transmits all the emotions and feelings bottled up in the album. The range of moods, tempos, impressions, sounds and rhythms oscillates between
downtempo and techno with hints of breaks and house.
Straight up dancefloor cuts like “Almost Done”, “Echoes” and title track “My Sins” rub shoulders with the closed-eye mind wandering soundtrack of “Covered”. “A New Reality” emerges as a tribute to 90s trance. The two sections of “Characters” explore an instrumental middle ground between almost orchestral and minimalism. “My Sins” is the work of an artist in constant movement and evolution who opens the door to his unique world in full. The album will be released 30th September on Redlight Music.
Marcus Fjellström's second album Gebrauchsmusik, initially released a decade and a half ago, is a bizarre sound document that deserves a closer look. Listening back to it now only re-confirms the unique mind of the Swedish composer, who sadly died in September 2017, only 37 years old.
"Gebrauchsmusik" is German for 'Utility Music', and his second excursion into post-classical experimentation is exactly that; thirteen tracks with each one written to suit a certain theme. War, art, festivity, sadness, death and resurrection are all interpreted by Fjellström in his unique style, taking a classical framework and distorting, confusing and manipulating them into far fetching scenarios that is only limited by ones own imagination.
Marcus worked with the Swedish Royal Ballet, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Sinfonietta Cracovia as well as numerous other orchestras, ensembles and soloists, artists and filmmakers. He spent the last half year of his life scoring the AMC series The Terror. In his works, Marcus often aimed to combine opposites so that they don’t contradict each other, but rather fuse into a natural, third element - “High” and “low” culture, the naïve and the sophisticated, good and bad taste. These are all elements that comfortably blend together in his works. Musical influences range from electronic acts such as Aphex Twin and Autechre to 20th century composers such as György Ligeti and John Cage. Further influences include impressionist composers Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy as well as film music composers Bernard Herrmann, Angelo Badalamenti and Zdeněk Liška.
Vinyl edition ltd. to 300 copies, incl. 8-page 12" booklet with drawings by Marcus Fjellström.
"Celebrity clouds" is compiled of four songs, which have been produced and recorded in 2018. It's an online collaboration of Alexandre Kordzaia (kordz) and Natalie Beridze. These two came up with the concept of the record uneventfully, after recording their first track "Celebrity clouds". Beridze's lyrics came out completely irrelevant to Kordz's music, that adopted a flair of humor and sarcasm to it. After that, they decided to stick the line of weird lyrics on top of synth, piano and ambiance recordings, played live by kordz. Musical ideas belong to kordz. Beridze would complete the tracks, adding few instruments (or none, in some cases), wrote lyrics and recorded vocals.
The artwork of the vinyl, made by Georgian artist Thea Djordjadze, resembles the concept of the music nonetheless. As though having nothing to do with neither celebrities, nor their clouds, it shows the sadness and the beauty of half-molten candle.
Alexandre Kordzaia aka kordz is a Georgian composer. After moving to Switzerland at a young age, he professionally studied piano and drums, audio design and recording acoustic music. shortly after he started producing electronic music.
Kordzaia is currently studying in Hague, Netherlands, where he is accomplishing his master's degree in composition. He releases on labels such as: Prrrrrrrr Records, Medschool Records, Hospital Records, Majestic Casual Records. Kordzaia also writes for acoustic instruments and orchestras with live electronics: for the Junge Norddeutsche Philharmonie, the Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Residentie Orchestra (The Hague), the Dortmunder Philarmoniker, the Zagareli String Orchestra, the Nieuw Ensemble (Amsterdam) and Kluster5 (The Hague). To pack his music into popular categories is not easy: "His music is a mesh of carefully balanced oppositions: deliciously snappy transients punctuate shimmering soundscapes, gently morphing into funk; a melancholic post-soviet feel pays sentimental homage to a private vision of the 80s. Acoustic instruments sit side by side with analogue synthesizers and drum machines; field and foley recordings blend the recognizable into the fuzzy and surreal.
Natalie Beridze (tba) is a Georgian music composer and songwriter, considered a pioneer of Georgian electronic music. She has released over 10 records on labels such as Cologne based Max.E, Berlin based Laboratory instinct, CMYK, Chainmusic, CES Records and Berlin's Monika Enterprise, which has become her main label. Beridze's collaborations include: Thomas Brinkmann, AGF (Antye Greie), Gudrun Gut, Joerg Follert, Marcus Schmickler, Nika Machaidze aka Nikakoi, Sonae, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Gacha Bakradze, Alex Kordzaia.
Beridze works on music for acoustic instruments, orchestra and choir.
Her recent work - "Mapping Debris" was written for Swiss "Mondrian Ensemble" piano and string trio and electronics, performed in Zurich, in 2019.
Beridze collaborates with a Georgian string ensemble "Zagareli and strings", composing pieces for electronics, strings and viola.
Magic Carpet" is the first Compilation of the German Label "Harmonie Exotic". Jose Manuel selected 12 experimental ambient tracks from the 1982 to the 1994. They are combined by the same feature, namely the magic and mysterious character. Even though all the (remastered) tracks released in different countries, such as Japan, Italy, and France, they are all combined in being rare and obscure songs. In most of them it is possible to verify the oneiric melodies mixed with the different drum machines, typical of that year.
For this reason, they show how the magic has been developed over the chosen years, as they were all enveloped from the same carpet. Starting from this idea the Compilation's title plays an important role in anticipating the dreamlike listening experience.
Comic book artist, graphic designer and free jazz improviser are only some of the many talents from Beirut born Mazen Kerbaj. After appearing as part of various ensembles on the label, Ariha Brass Quartet (CREP46) and Johnny Kafta Anti-Vegetarian Orchestra (CREP22), Kerbaj finally lands a solo outfit of his own onto the Discrepant dancefloor of insubordination.
14 years after his first (and only) solo album "Brt Vrt Zrt Krt" (Al Maslakh, 2005) Mazen returns with a series of subtle compositions of his own with not one but two(!) solo albums of prepared trumpet that further cement his international position as a serial trumpet botherer.
Whilst Vol. 2.1 showcases his (almost) (un)familiar arsenal of squawks, cackles, howls and squeals, Vol. 2.2 goes deep into the nether regions of waltzing drones and bell tweaks so deep that would make most cetaceans loose their concentration. The notion of being transported to a luring mutant underwater alien community is still present on these long(er) trips with the added meditative pieces being occasionally pierced by noise creepers, nothing is what you want or expect and that’s the way it should be.
If Vol. 2.1 is the classic follow up LP, this one is the beast from the deep, it comes surging and screeching from a deep oceanic sink hole, only to hypnotize you with perverted dance moves before diving back into the sinking, wettest and darkest cave in the world. Vol. 2.2 is a summons album; it shatters any bar there was with its intentional use of everything Vol. 2.1 was denied. It grabs you by wherever available way and it only releases you when you’re ready to listen to it again. Listen to both albums back to back, in no particular order and you’ll know that there’s nothing you can do but come back to it like a doped up seal stranded in a phantom island – appearing and disappearing as the music dictates it to.
Comic book artist, graphic designer and free jazz improviser are only some of the many talents from Beirut born Mazen Kerbaj. After appearing as part of various ensembles on the label, Ariha Brass Quartet (CREP46) and Johnny Kafta Anti-Vegetarian Orchestra (CREP22), Kerbaj finally lands a solo outfit of his own onto the Discrepant dancefloor of misdemeanour.
14 years after his first (and only) solo album "Brt Vrt Zrt Krt" (Al Maslakh, 2005) Mazen returns with a series of loud oozes (entirely) of his own with not one but two(!) solo albums of prepared trumpet that further cement his international position as a serial trumpet botherer.
Showcasing his very own and singular arsenal of squawks, cackles, howls and squeals the notion of being transported to a luring mutant underwater alien community is only occasionally dispelled with the sporadic passages of fluctuating tones and pulsations, like a restful humpback whale puffing on a hookah pipe at the ocean’s deep end. Mazen pulls out all the proverbial stops here, displaying a unique mastering of the instrument and its improbable add-ons creating various vignette like episodes rich in texture and variations - unlike anything else out there – not that you’d knew anyway.
Where Vol. 2.1 shows an astounding use of the instrument without recurring to cuts, overdubs or electronics, Vol. 2.2 raises (or shatters) the bar with its intentional use of everything Vol. 2.1 was denied. And Mazen is right about advising us, the sounds emitted on each record are beyond the limits of believable. Either he is using tricks or just prepared techniques the results go far beyond the reach of a normal or casual listener. Listen to the albums back to back and you’ll know what we mean.
Reaching out to the real roots of the Jamaican sixties musical explosion…
Some of the originators of the genre, including Ernest Ranglin, Lennie Hibbert & Cecil Lloyd, playing in their element and demonstrating just where they're coming from
Acclaimed by many as one of the greatest and rarest library LPs of all time, the album 'FEELINGS' by Jay Richford & Gary Stevan aka Stefan Torossi. With its iconic 'naked lady in the wild' cover, has been coveted for many years by collectors of all musical genres. This album showcases some outstanding compositions & arrangements that explore the exciting connections between rhythmic funk and orchestral jazz - and are now for the first time issued on 7" 45 vinyl double pack!
We open with the uplifting “Running Fast” - a driving, pulsating groove laden with Fender Rhodes and swept along by lush strings. If you're not feeling it - book an appointment to see your doctor! Next follows a B-Boy dancer filled with battle floor emotion - “Fearing Much” - this one packs a heavy bass and syncopated drum groove with dramatic, stirring strings. A must have 45 DJs fave! The opening drum break to “Feeling Tense” gives way to mellow vibes with a deep bass, silky strings and charged horns that deliver the perfect slick, down-tempo groove. Last one is another down-tempo vibe heavy on the bass and strings, “Walking in the dark”.
All in all yet another MUST HAVE Dynamite Cuts 45!
The Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist Joyce Silveira Moreno was born and raised in the middle of Copacabana, a short beach stroll from the epicentre of the bossa nova universe.
Her father was a Dane that had settled in Brazil, but she was raised by her mother and step-father in a typical Portuguese-Brazilian household. Since her older brother was friendly with
leading lights of the bossa nova movement such as Roberto Menescal and Eumir Deodato, she was steeped in the form at an early age and witnessed its key evolution first-hand. At the
age of 16 in 1964, she was taken to the studio by Menescal to contribute to the coveted debut album by the mythical group Sambacana, assembled to record the work of composer Pacífico
Mascarenhas when the meagre budget would not allow the vocalists he preferred. Knowing that a full-time career in music was certainly not guaranteed, she began studying journalism
in 1967, shortly before her controversial song “Me Disseram” reached the finals of Rio’s second International Song Competition. The following year, her self-titled debut album was
released by Philips, produced by Armando Pittigliani, with orchestration by Dorival Caymmi and arrangements by Gaya; along with her own compositions, the album also featured songs
by her rising-star friends, including Caetano Veloso and Marcos Valle.
Philippe Cam is the Thomas Pynchon of the electronic music world. Little is known about him and only a couple of pictures have been put online since he emerged on this planet to write his first and only album18 years ago. We know he worked as a sailor and that’s it. If you dig deeper you might find out that he worked as a DJ in the beginning of the 90ies in Brussels and began to study electronic music there and also began to write music for theaters and ballets.
The American distributor Forced Exposure once wrote that about him: „Philipe Cam is a star in his own field. He is among the few people who have succeeded to write hypnotic dance music without a conventional beat still conveying a thrilling, dramatic feel. Cam has developed an accurate, intense and complex formula of modulation-techno. Starting with music similar to Pan Sonic in 1996, his music turned towards a more elegant form of minimal music. Abstract soundtracks lead to an organic form of music, which was equally influenced by modern techno as Wolfgang Voigt's Studio 1/Gas or Basic Channel/Maurizio. Cam's music corresponds heavily to the Cologne scene, where his music is appreciated and played throughout the clubs by the likes of Michael Mayer, Tobias Thomas and various other DJs as well as experimental djs from the A-musik corner.“
So what’s new with his music? Basically the art of filtering is still his passion. Maybe he can be less associated with techno and the themes of his new tracks emerge in a more distinctive pattern? Well that’s hard to say, we would comment the energy of his early techno days in Brussels have returned here in a fierce way with some oft he tracks. The rhythmic movements are classy and stick with you. Whereas other tracks look for a distinctive relaxation of some kind.
We are releasing the album as a double clear vinyl with cover art by Yvette Klein who also designed the cover for his Philippe Cam’s album 18 years ago. Graphics for "Rotterdam" come from Cologne designer Daniela Thiel. We also would like to thank the cultural department of Cologne for supporting us to finance the album and to see the artistic value in this piece of minimalism.
The album kicks off with the mellow and soothing "Cocoa Beach". A Gentle beat that moves like bodies swaying in the hot summer sun. The clock moves a step forward and then a step backward as evolution takes a rest.
"Manga" feels like an acceleration to the moon, the contemplative moments come in spurts and hide in the intervals of the chords which are on the loose. Philippe Cam is the most energetic person in the world when it comes to core activity, this is head banging stuff for the ambient lounge.
"Short Summer" is a heavy and violent recognition. As intensive as it is it knows when to stop and disappear. In the ear and brain of the listeners it leaves an indisputable echo which lingers on for minutes. We suggest not to make a pause but jump directly into "Vermillions Sands".
What can be said about into "Vermillions Sands"? Be prepared some Terry Riley might lure around the corner to offer you some oranges on a silver plate, but don’t eat them. This is luring and beautiful at the same time. Maybe the best ambient track ever written and yet who can ever venture to say that without making a fool of himself. "Vermillions Sands" comes in waves and they could be longer we think.
"Rotterdam" the home of Philippe Cam for a long time but not anymore. He moved away. So that changes the perspective. But when was the track written? "Rotterdam" seems mechanical and rusty and spooky and divided. This arrangement is very different to all the other tracks so far and is almost dub in style but way more fractured. A steady stop and go emerges. But the longer it runs the better it gets. At minute 6 the brain resets itself and tries to grasp what has happened so far, reconstruction as a result of its own phantasmic imagination and hardly true at all, wonderful. Applause included!
Here comes "Bis", a short episode of a track and before we can comment on it, it is already over.
"The Game" is a mule of a track. It has a quiet stubborn sequence that bites and kicks you in the back without any change in near sight. We can hear a voice whispering, which sounds like a miniature vocoder featuring the voice of a child calling out - never stopping. This is treadmill to some extend but starts to breathe towards the middle of the track and slowly changes perspective. In fact there are some changes taking place here which go beyond a sound design that works heavily on the stereo image. Stick with it and the experience will be a great one.
"Ultimate Fly For Halloway" somehow orchestrates how you might feel after you climbed a 8000 meter high mountain and reached the top. A rejoicing off a special kind. Lava for the ears. No cheerleader murder plot sorry.
"Last Track" is a perfect example of a true minimalistic pice of music that manages to make contact with other genres and does this with elegance, determination and a lot of soul.
key selling points: The key selling point is the fact that Philippe Cam once was referred to as one of the main protagonists of the minimal music scene along with Wolfgang Voigt's Studio 1/Gas and Basic Channel/Maurizio. A true artist with a vision which is very rare.
Philippe Cam has picked up the sound he was famous for but has developed it further without selling out to any genre and expectation that rules our daily business.
Exactly this is the strength of the album to create a vivid world of impressions by using instruments in a whole different way than all software developers would suggest.
"Rotterdam" is a piece of art that can set off a firework when you listen to it and it owes nothing to anyone.
Strut continues its essential compilation series of Indian Ocean sounds with 'Alefa Madagascar', the first compilation to document the unique culture of salegy, soukous and soul on the island during the '70s and '80s.
'Alefa Madagascar' showcases the rich variety of sounds during this heyday of Malagasy music: Roger Georges' 'Mama' and Jean Kely et Basth's 'Andosy Mora' bring the raw energy of salegy, influential band Los Matadores drop military drums and Hammond soul in the classic 'Andeha Hanarato'; Mahaleo's 'Izahay Mpamita' showcases the band's powerful folk sound, a crucial voice emerging from the Rotaka farmer and student protests of 1972, while Terak'Anosy Group work around a stomping Congolese guitar groove. The era paved the way for many of the household names of Malagasy music today including Jaojoby, D'Gary and Lego.
Albert’s Favourites co-founder Adam Scrimshire is set to release his fourth album 'Listeners'. Musically, 'Listeners' draws from Scrimshire's passion for jazz, soul and electronic music of all styles; from an energetic combination of Afrobeat and garage on 'Won't Get Better', to the lushly orchestrated neo-soul of 'Thru You', and the harmonious jazz experimentations of 'I Never'. The album features a host of esteemed guest vocalists and musicians telling their own personal stories, including Georgia Anne Muldrow, Emma-Jean Thackray, Joshua Idehen, Madison McFerrin, Chip Wickham, and James Alexander Bright.
"With this album I wanted to get a more focused sound after six years of relearning and development in the studio. But I also struggled to find my own words, to speak about where I/we are now. So I allowed my collaborators total freedom to tell their own story and as they came back to me, they were telling the same stories I wanted to. It's resulted in some deeply personal confessional pieces: mourning family, collapsing relationships, extremes of self doubt and analysis, trying to balance public and inner persona, and a reminder that life in all forms is important.
It’s called 'Listeners' as I am a listener here, I feel like I've been given these very personal experiences to care for. Listeners because, the travesty of the last few years is that we stopped listening to each other, everyone is shouting at each other and no one is learning. And Listeners because I hope I've made something that is for other people more than I have before. I've tried to craft something warmer and more enjoyable, made for those who give me their time in listening to my music."
- Adam Scrimshire
Since joining the Wah Wah 45s label in 2007, Scrimshire has released three albums of experimental cinematic jazz, and electronic sounds. Following his 2009 debut ‘Along Came The Devil One Night’, his second album ‘The Hollow’ (2011) was a BBC 6 Music Album of the Week, with Gilles Peterson calling it “A late contender for album of the year”.
In the time since the release of his last album ‘Bight’ (“An eclectic range of influences ranging from disco to fusion to more contemporary electronic styles” XLR8R) in 2013, Adam has worked with long-time musical accomplice Dave Koor on new project Modified Man, and launched Albert’s Favourites releasing projects by The Expansions, Hector Plimmer and Jonny Drop. He has continued to gain radio and DJ support for his successful “Scrimshire Edits” series and has produced and mixed records for artist including Stac, Daudi Matsiko, Bastien Keb, Ronin Arkestra, Jonny Drop. He has also continued to develop the Wah Wah 45s label, where he is now a co-owner and director.
Preceded by singles 'Thru You' featuring Georgia Anne Muldrow and 'Life Is Valuable' featuring James Alexander Bright; 'Listeners' is set for release on LP and digital formats via Albert’s Favourites on 19th July 2019.
DJ Support / Press:
Huey Morgan (BBC Radio 6 Music)
Jamie Cullum support on BBC Radio 2
Jamz Supernova on BBC Radio 1Xtra
Thru You Premiered By Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC 6 Music “So Beautiful
The Artist
When P.P. Arnold arrived in London on September 23, 1966 to support The Rolling Stones as one of Ike & Tina Turner's backing singers,
The Ikettes, little did she know that her world was about to be turned upside down. The shy but vivacious 19-year-old caught the eye
of Mick Jagger, who would persuade her to stay in London and record as a solo artist – ultimately leading to a five-decade career
working with everyone from Jagger, the Small Faces, Rod Stewart, Barry Gibb and Eric Clapton, to Nick Drake, Peter Gabriel, Roger
Waters, the KLF, Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene and Primal Scream, to name a few.
Five decades after she became a '60s icon with the timeless pop hits 'The First Cut Is The Deepest' and 'Angel Of The Morning' on
Rolling Stones manager Andrew Oldham's ultra-hip Immediate label, soul singer P.P. Arnold is set to release a double-album of stunning
new material featuring contributions from, among others, Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene's Steve Cradock, The Specials and P.P's
songwriter son, Kodzo.
“I've been a fan of P.P. ever since hearing 'The First Cut', and then 'Tin Soldier'. Her voice is still as great as it was when she was 18/19
years old! Steve Cradock has tried to keep something of the early Immediate Records sound on this new record, whilst still sounding
fresh, and it is for me one of the finest in her collection” – Paul Weller
The Product
“It's great that I'm coming back with this record,” says P.P. “Even now, I'm still finding my way, because the industry changes every
decade, and you're sometimes out of the loop. For me it's all about faith, meditating, love, praying… try to be ready and don't give up
the fight. That's the message.”
'The New Adventures Of P.P. Arnold' was recorded and produced by life-long P.P. enthusiast, Ocean Colour Scene star and Paul Weller
band guitarist Steve Cradock at his Kundalini Studio in Devon – after a 51-year gap in P.P. Arnold's recording career.
The beginnings of the album - spanning classic orchestral soul ('Baby Blue', 'Finally Found My Way Back Home'), sunshine pop ('The
Magic Hour'), house music ('Hold On To Your Dreams'), a spinechilling gospel elegy inspired by her daughter's death ('I'll Always
Remember You'), two Paul Weller originals ('When I Was Part Of Your Picture', 'Shoot The Dove') and an epic, edgy 10-minute reading
of Bob Dylan's poem 'The Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie' – can be traced back 25 years to 1994. Worldwide tours with Roger Waters
put the project on the backburner, but when Cradock rediscovered the tapes during a house move four years ago, both parties were
excited about the prospect of finally completing an album. And so they did.
Artwork by Hiroshi Yoshimura, 350gsm Sleeve with selected UV High Gloss Varnish, Liner Notes by Midori Takada, Satoshi Ashikawa, and Gareth Quinn Redmond, Sticker
Initially released in 1982 as part of the Wave Notation series*, Still Way is, without a doubt, a seminal Japanese environmental/ambient/minimalism album, often mentioned alongside Midori Takada's Through Looking Glass and Hiroshi Yoshimura's Green as one of the genre's most important pieces.
"Like the moment of stillness, after the wind passes through the garden, when the rain stops for a brief second…" Notably inspired by Erik Satie's Furniture Music and Brian Eno's ambient work, Satoshi Ashikawa aimed to compose music "intended to be listened to in a casual manner, as a musical landscape or a sound object…not something that would stimulate listeners but music that should drift like smoke and become part of the environment."
The result is simply phenomenal, subtle minimalism and emotional elegance exquisitely orchestrated by Satoshi Ishikawa and his team consisting of his wife Masami Ashikawa (on flute), Midori Takada (on vibraphone), Yuko Utsumi (on harp), Tomoko Sono (on piano), and Junko Arase (on vibraphone).
In conjunction with Still Way, WRWTFWW is releasing Laistigh den Ghleo, a companion album by Irish ambient/minimalist composer Gareth Quinn Redmond, inspired by Ashikawa's approach.
*The Wave Notation series also includes Hiroshi Yoshimura's Music For Nine Postcards album.
Light of the Fearless, Hybrid's fifth artist album, brings together UK-based, Mike and Charlotte's passion for combining emotionally powered cinematic pieces with astute, intricate and intelligent electronic production. This long-awaited work is firmly based on the foundation of the principles and standards set by previous albums but here there's a clear development and evolution. Never wanting to write the same album twice, Mike and Charlotte have taken another step forward and have created a cinematic, electronic album with songs that stylistically borrow from their childhood soundtracks of soul, funk & hip-hop.
With songs have been inspired by not only events in their own lives but also by movements such as the Heads Together campaign, March for Our Lives 2018 and the Women's March of 2017. The album provides a positive and confident stance on moving forward through adversity and regaining empowerment. This is "The Light Of The Fearless". This inspiration certainly hasn't led to an album encumbered by political statements, but instead gives all the summery buoyancy you'd want to hear at your next festival.
Since their last album in 2010 the band have not only expanded their ever growing body of film score work (Fast and Furious 8, Interlude In Prague, Hercules, Dead in Tombstone, Take Down, Luther, X-men, Deja Vu ) but also saw the departure of band member, Chris Healings in 2015. The cinematic ethos is deep throughout the album with The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra performing on eight tracks. Unsurprisingly, the album as a whole works almost as a kind of score, and it's intriguing to be guided through the plot from the outset in the album's first track "We Are Fearless" through to the final track on the album. The expansive and unique cover of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down". Hybrid certainly haven't lost their flair for combining cinematic soundscapes, electronics and breakbeats.
In the early eighties, Edmond Mondésir, professor of philosophy and Léon Bertide, trade unionist, founded the Bèlènou group. They were actors of the great agricultural strike of 1974, which resulted in the death of two workers (Ilmany and Marie-Louise) and left many wounded. Activists of the patriotic movement Asé Pléré An Nou Lité (Stop crying, Fight), they were part of the identity and the cultural affirmation la revendication identitaire et culturelle of the time. Like the Guadeloupean musician Gérard Lockel and his work on the Gwo Ka, they put the Bèlè, in its traditional form, back in the spotlight during Swaré Bèlè (Bèlè nights).Minimalist and spiritual, a true rural ancestral art from Martinique, the Bèlè combines dance and music from responsorial monodies, which is a choir that responds to the lead singer (Respondè / La vwa dèyè), on codified drum rhythms and ti-bwa (2 sticks that hit the back of the drum or a piece of bamboo). It comes in a series of collective choreographies, working up into the trance. The texts are simple, short and tell the story of everyday life and struggle. While preserving the emotion and the drum’s central place, the fundamental contribution of Bèlènou is to keep the traditional form of Bèlè while adding a modern instrumentation: bass, guitar, saxophone, drums...
Emosyon Tambou-a (Emotion of the Drum) was released in 1990. This third opus of the band expands the musical spectrum in harmonies, arrangements and influences to create a contemporary music anchored in the Bèlè matrix, while keeping the beat, the energy and ancestral roots of music. Bèlènou adapts some classic rhythms: Bélya, Gran Bèlè, Bèlè Pitjé or Ting-Bang rewritten here for an orchestra.With the appearance of long couplets and a complex harmonization of the choruses, Bèlènou's music brings a form of modernity, it opens notably to jazz territory as well as to other forms of music and grooves. Also, Bèlènou leaves the musicians with space for improvisation: not only on the saxophone or the guitar, but also with the drums (cleverly adaptating traditional rhythms to the drums).
The texts sung in Creole are of a social nature, appealing to the solidarity and self-denial of the people (Bélya pou péyi-a, Tout pèp-la sanblé), to the struggle for political emancipation towards a new democracy (Wi ny ké rivé, Ni dé jou, Démokrasi); land protection (Sové tè-a); finally, to the vitality of the Bèlè culture ... (Emosyon Tambou-a, Dansé Ting-Bang)...Culture participates, according to the expression of Aimé Césaire, as "Miraculous Weapons". Bèlènou sings a project of a new and united society. A precursor group, experimental in the its early years, Bèlènou reconciles with talent tradition, modernity and cultural identity.
Lovely crafted tip-on sleeve. Remastered. 700 copies
When the Tramp Records crew read the internet-sweeping spam/story of Nigerian Astronaut and Air Force pilot Abacha Tunde, they knew that they had to spring into action to help this unfortunate fella out. Dr. Bakare Tunde, the cousin of Abacha Tunde explained the situation as follows: "My cousin was the first African in space when he made a secret flight to the Skylab Space Station in 1979, shortly before it crashed to Earth. 19 years later he was on his second spaceflight, this time to a secret Moon Base located on the far side of the Moon. In 1999 his crew members returned to earth, but his place was taken up by return cargo. There have been occasional supply flights to keep him going since that time. Although he is in good humor, he wants to come home, now, after 20 years in space."
After this hilarious story the idea of a compilation album was born - and "Trip To The Moon" is the result. The goal to raise three million dollars to cover the cost of Abacha Tunde's return flight may never be achieved. Nevertheless, a 41 year experience in the music business is the basis for a fantabulous track listing of 11 amazing and highly underrated Rare Grooves about the Moon!
The Swinging Astronauts open the set, followed by La La Wilson's equally great rhythm & blues rocker "The Moon Man Is Back". With The Moon-Dawgs, this album makes a slight turn into the 1960s garage rock era while Hase Cäsar (backed by none other than the famous Ingfried Hoffmann and his orchestra!) contributes one of two songs of german origin. Now it's time for some funk: Rev. Jamel & Bob Johnson's "Walking On The Moon (Men Are Starving)" criticizes the US government for spending millions of dollars for their space program instead of supporting their own people. "Mars in 75" is deepfunk at its best although some may lament the lack of production. Sidney Ownen's breakbeat-laden "Sputnik" is sought after in collector's circles and needs no justification as to why it is included on this album. Ernest & D.L. Rocco's "Moon Child" is our personal favourite, closely followed by the hypnotic groove of "Mondgesicht" by legendary german saxophonist Ambros Seelos. Scott Cunningham's name should ring a bell as he was featured on several Tramp compilations over the past few years. Finally, the album closes with a psychedelic folk track titled "Voyage To The Moon".
Tramp Records is absolutely convinced that this album will surely be the best way to shorten the wait for Abacha until a rescue space mission finally brings our African soul brother back home.
Key selling points:
- deluxe gatefold LP with detailed liner notes and unseen photographs
- the vinyl LP comes with a full album download code
- most of the songs appear on a 12" album for the very first-time
Primarily based in Leeds, The Lewis Express is comprised of many of the musicians that have graced previous ATA releases: George Cooper, Piano (Abstract Orchestra) Neil Innes, Bass (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill), Sam Hobbs, Drums (Dread Supreme, Tony Burkill, Matthew Bourne) and Pete Williams, Percussion (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill).Recorded over an intense two-day session, 'Clap Your Hands' is heavily influenced by the classic soul jazz recordings of The Young Holt Trio / Young Holt Unlimited, and Ramsey Lewis, from who this group take their name. As with many of the classic Ramsey Lewis cuts this album was recorded live, capturing the rich inter-relationship between the players and leaving in some of that chunky room noise.
'Clap your hands' builds on the template set by their eponymous debut album and further explores the 60's soul-jazz of Ramsey lewis, Young-Holt and Ray Charles as well as the latin boogaloo of Eddie Cano and Pete Terrace. The band's intention was to produce an album of dancefloor friendly, uplifting, funky soul-jazz with a stripped back line up of Piano, Bass, Drums and Percussion. Ranging from the mod-jazz of 'Stomp Your Feet' (a Ramsey-esque groover that's just made-to-measure for dancers) and 'Out From The Rock' (Funky drums and plenty of blues-dipped soul from the Piano) to the driving boogaloo of title track 'Clap Your Hands' and the Ellignton-esque 'Moola Umemo' (Remeniscent of Ellington's 'Money Jungle'). Each track is, in it's own way, aimed squarley at the dancefloor and sure to go down well with both DJs and listeners alike.
"Clap Your Hands" is certainly a more contained album from The Lewis Express, whose debut moved around different camps. It's a tighter, more focussed record that wears it's inspiration proudly on it's sleeve.
Radio support expected from Gilles Peterson (BBC6 Music, Worldwide Fm), Craig Charles (BBC6 Music, Radio 2), Jamie Cullum (Radio 2) and Huey Morgan (BBC6 Music).
On 28th June 2019, drummer / producer / composer Myele Manzanza will release his eagerly anticipated third album 'A Love Requited' on First Word Records (winner of Worldwide Awards 'Label of the Year' 2019).
Produced with award winning Australian bassist & long time musical collaborator Ross McHenry and featuring a plethora of New Zealand and Australia's finest young instrumentalists, 'A Love Requited' is as much a musical journey as it is an attempt to process, work through and come to terms with the life around him.
"The music on this record was written often as a place of psychological refuge from the tensions of an ultimately failed relationship at home, as well as an attempt to come to grips with thought patterns and personal history that caused an often problematic relationship to music itself. Meditating on themes of love, fear, family, anger, death, ego and acceptance has helped create a narrative arc that grounds the album as well as a mode of therapy to begin working through these issues for myself.
'A Love Requited' is easily my most personal work to date and my hope is that beyond the music itself it may be of help to others, if only to say that your not alone in your struggle to make sense of the world".
This album also features the stellar talents of APRA award winning NYC based pianist Matthew Sheens (John Pattitucci, Cecil McBee, Ross McHenry Trio), alto saxophonist Jake Baxendale (Antipodes, The Jac), trumpeter Ben Harrison (Dave Douglas, Horns Of Leroy), trombonist James Macaulay (The Lagerphones, Epic Brass), multi-reedist Jason McMahon (The Shaolin Afronauts), flautist Adam Page (NZSO, John Psathas, Noel Gallagher), guitarist Django Rowe (Wizard Tone Records) as well as additional keyboard contributions by longtime collaborator Mark de Clive-Lowe (Ropeadope Records, Mashibeats), Brenton Foster and Jack Strempel.
Where Manzanza's debut album 'One' presented his ability as a producer / beatmaker, and his sophomore album 'OnePointOne' showcased his live performance and band leader prowess, 'A Love Requited' puts Manzanza's skills as a composer to the fore.
"Over the last few years I've really enjoyed the process of getting away from music software tools and just sitting at a piano with some manuscript paper and a cup of coffee and seeing what comes of it. I'm a very amateur pianist and my music theory knowledge is fairly limited, but in some ways that's an advantage as I'd be starting with a basic barometer of "does this sound good to me?", without too much consideration for formal rules and structure. From there, developing the arrangements to present to musicians forced me to get a better understanding of melody, harmony and orchestration and to really hone in on refining my ideas to a point where I now feel as much satisfaction and confidence putting myself out on the world stage as a composer as I do playing the drums."
'A Love Requited' will be available on vinyl & digital from the 28th June 2019.
Franc Spangler makes a welcome and long overdue return to Delusions with a mighty-fine three tracker packed with the good stuff. The throbbing bump of the title track with it’s bouncing square-wave bassline and drifting stabs leads the charge, crunchy hats driving along the groove whilst a cut up vocal ratchets up the energy.
Flipping over we have Somewhere Else, a much deeper and jazzier affair based around a repeating four bar horn part. Never straying too far from the dance floor, Franc keeps things percussive and dynamic whilst conjuring up a moment of musical bliss, chiming synths dripping down like golden rays of sunshine on the densely textured orchestral layers.
Closing off the release, Dreamworld takes us by the hand on a tropical excursion, low slung beats punctuated by echoing xylophone riffs and Apito whistle. Dubby atmospherics and warm Juno106 chords give the track a Balearic mood perfect for the summer months ahead.
Yeketelale is the third album from Franco-Ethiopian group uKanDanz, combining a heady brew of rock energy, saxophone zigzags and Ethiopian melodies, all fronted by veteran singer Asnake Gebreyes grooving harder than ever.
In Ethiopia, sons follow fathers and, together, their names tell a story. Some discographies are the same way. After Yechelal (''It's Possible''), Awo (''Yes!''),here's Yeketelale (''It Continues''), the third album from Ukandanz.
The adventure that links Damien Cluzel (guitars) and Lionel Martin (tenor sax), the two founders of the group, with the Ethiopian singer Asnake Guebreyes continues and, with this album, takes on new colors and a new dimension. It is a polished synthesis that keeps the rock energy of their first recordings and gives even more space to the subtle vocal ornamentations that mark great Ethiopian singers. Add to that a groove that is more danceable than ever, carried by Adrien Spirti's synth bass and Yann Lemeunier's drums, and you have the magic formula of Yeketelale.
This came about slowly over the course of a dialogue that began in the early 2000s when Damien Cluzel, arriving with a circus in Ethiopia, met up with the occupant of the next room in their hotel. A stroke of luck: this was Francis Falceto, high priest of the Ethiopiques collection (Buda, 30 volumes to date) which had introduced to the West the treasures of swinging Addis, the capital that vibrates to the sound of big brass orchestras. With him, he dives into the capital's nightlife and meets a galaxy of musicians. The singer Asnake Guebreyes is among them.
Recruited by the famous Police Orchestra at the tender age of 16, he already had all the power, energy and class of his role model, Tlahoun Guessessé ''the Ethiopian James Brown''. He began his solo career at the beginning of the 1990s with several major successes, most famously an explosive duo with the singer Fekker Addis.
This experience made a big impact on the French guitarist. Having learned how to blend in with a uniquely Ethiopian groove, he was now ready to take it to other places and in other directions. In his old friend Lionel Martin, he found an ideal partner to engage in such experiences. But they needed a singer. The idea of Asnake Guebreyes was mentioned. Then Francis Falceto called and suggested going to see him at the Addis Music Festival. Ukandanz, a rock version of Ethiopian groove, was born.
Some pieces, like the disturbing Yene Hassab, call to mind Herbie Hancock's experiments in the seventies, as well as the Juju guitars of the Gulf of Guinea. Others, like the dark Fetsum Deng Ledj Nesh, allow Asnake's voice to soar above the synthetic waves, like a siren song for a freighter in distress. Dance and trance are not left out, with inspiration from the inexhaustible Ethiopian traditional repertoire. In a nod towards Asnaké's first album (Ahadu, also reissued by Buda) Ukandanz returns to its track Ajiré, transfigured by the guitar, claps and synthetic bass and takes us back to the glory days of breakdancing. Listening to the two versions gives the key to understanding the unique touch of Ukandanz and of the rich musical colours of Yeketelale (''It Goes On''), a fusion musical journey that brings the electric spark of the Frendj (Westerners) to Ethiopian lyricism.
Primarily based in Leeds, The Lewis Express is comprised of many of the musicians that have graced previous ATA releases: George Cooper, Piano (Abstract Orchestra) Neil Innes, Bass (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill), Sam Hobbs, Drums (Dread Supreme, Tony Burkill, Matthew Bourne) and Pete Williams, Percussion (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill).Recorded over an intense two-day session, 'Clap Your Hands' is heavily influenced by the classic soul jazz recordings of The Young Holt Trio / Young Holt Unlimited, and Ramsey Lewis, from who this group take their name. As with many of the classic Ramsey Lewis cuts this album was recorded live, capturing the rich inter-relationship between the players and leaving in some of that chunky room noise.
Claps your hands/Stomp Your feet was recorded during the sessions for the upcoming Album 'Clap Your Hands'. building on the template set by their eponymous debut album these tracks further explore the 60's soul-jazz of Ramsey lewis and Young-Holt and the latin boogaloo of Eddie Cano and Pete terrace. A-side 'Clap your Hands' opens with cowbell, handclaps and bass before drums and electric piano enter to carry the track onto the dancefloor. This is one for the Djs and it'll do the business in the clubs for sure, but, also perfect for a late night, sweaty house party - shoes off and beer in the sink. B-side 'Stomp Your Feet' is much more in the classic mod-jazz frame with a faster pace and funkier drums, but still with handclaps and electric piano to the foreground. Drummer Hobbs opens up 'Stomp Your Feet' in fine style, and The Lewis Express start to swing with a Ramsey-esque groover that's just made-to-measure for dancers. Everything comes together here, with a mid-60s Cadet record feel throughout. Both tracks were recorded live to tape and were recorded and mastered for a tougher sound perfectly suited for djs to fill a dancefloor.
Latin orchestra meets Greek bouzouki!!! A true hybrid musical dream, emerging and blending the sound from the migrant communities of 60’s New York. Greek bouzouki wizard Yannis Tatassopoulos injects his electrifying playing into the Latin beats of Roger ‘King’ Mozian. Together these dukes of sound generate a tornado! Non-conventional and ultra refined crossover madness from the Space-Age. Mambo Gitano!
The award winning Danish producer and live performer, also known for
her extensive compositional & soundtrack work for video games,
international theatre and dance productions – as well as her own
installation projects, debuts on the Avian label with ‘Entangled’. Forged
in the unique crucible of SØS Gunver Ryberg’s multidisciplinary
practice ‘Entangled’, stalks a hard line at the edge of techno’s stormiest
sector. A thrilling meeting of divergent disciplines and sound system
metrics with a keen skill for the composition of uncompromising club
works, Ryberg’s technique lies in the vital declaration of her own
borders in every setting. Comprised of six club focused pieces, the mini
LP applies itself to rhythmic intensity with a deft touch. Galloping
granulated walls envelope you at every turn as brittle melancholic pads
ease you from one moment to the next. ‘The Presence_Eurydike’ is the
gentlest form that Ryberg is willing to present, whereas ‘Trispider’
builds a monumental terror out of a raw pulse. It’s at these moments
that you sense the careful composition and orchestral drones, and how
keenly Ryberg’s rough modulation is meant to alter states. Displaying
varying approaches to form and structure across the record, the music
riffs on the brooding atmosphere characteristic of the artist’s collected
work by breaking up the havoc on ‘Entangled’ with a series of four
microcompositions spliced between each of the tracks. Finely textured
and rendered in detail they give a glimpse of Ryberg’s capacity for
mesmerising sound design – or to put it another way, they give a sense
of what’s barely contained by the rhythmic works. This is an expansive
and hard hitting rumination on the more caustic, atonal end of the
Techno genre – a truly dynamic and immersive listening experience.
Last year, we got together with The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision’s RE:VIVE initiative for the second time, inviting four local artists to breathe new life into four archival films from the Sound and Vision and EYE Filmmuseum archives. Jordan GCZ, Suzanne Kraft, Parrish Smith and Upsammy were all assigned short animated films dating back to 1921. The films and their new scores debuted at EYE on August 2nd as part of Dekmantel Festival 2018. Unsurprisingly, each artist imparted their unique styles onto the films that they previously had no relation with. From Suzanne Kraft's sparse atmospherics that have become more apparent in his new SK U KNO project to Jordan GCZ’s free flowing hardware jams. Parrish Smith showed his contemplative side and sparse orchestrations that he demonstrated on his RE:VIVE release, Genesis Black, a sonic departure from his bombastic releases and DJ-sets while upsammy showed yet again her deft hand for melody and texture, a style that dominates all her releases to date.
These four scores can live apart from their films, fitting seamlessly into each artists' growing catalogs of work. But when combined, it’s as if the films and music were made simultaneously with the artist and filmmaker together in the same room. Dekmantel and RE:VIVE are proud to present these new works as the electronic music scene in The Netherlands continues to show its multifaceted talent that continues to expand far beyond the dance floor.
Celebrating the photography of Robert Doisneau, 25 years after his death. Discover the new Esprit Robert Doisneau Collection, associating songs with his famous images of Paris.
Famous all over the world, the photographer’s work accurately represents the soul of Paris. This collection of ten LPs are all pressed on 180g coloured vinyl.
Aggelos Baltas is a veteran of the global electronic music scene, responsible for a handful of celebrated EBM 12”s as Dream Weapons, and a particularly heady and open-ended brand of krautrock as Fantastikoi Hxoi. His newest project, Anatolian Weapons, was conceived as a way to bring together these two seemingly mismatched concepts, with the polyrhythmic percussion and wailing tones of Greek folk music serving as their unlikely bonding agent. His output garners praise particularly around the Golden Pudel scene, such as Vladimir Ivkovic, and Phuong Dan. Lena Willikens, from the same circle, included Baltas’ track “Disillusioned” on her Dekmantel Selectors compilation in 2018.
But where much of what Baltas has released as Anatolian Weapons is instantly recognizable as dance music, To The Mother Of Gods—Baltas’ debut album for Beats In Space—is something else entirely. Created in tandem with Greek folk musician Seirios Savvaidis, it is a work of simultaneous collaboration and subtraction whose meticulous construction becomes more apparent with every listen. An album-length exploration of what happens when the principles of dance music are applied to pre-digital musical modalities. It is a record of psychedelic folk music that has more in common with Kikagaku Moyo, Minami Deutsch, and the Habibi Funk label than it does with anything else Baltas has produced under any alias. It’s difficult to imagine this music in any kind of club setting.
And yet, it’s very much the work of a DJ. Baltas initially heard Savvaidis’ music through a friend, and was absolutely amazed. “It was his very esoteric, pagan [music and] beautiful lyrics that grabbed me,” he writes. Seirios is a composer and performer of traditional Greek folk music with a growing discography of regional psych-rock gems. Baltas reached out to collaborate and the seeds of To The Mother Of Gods were sown.
Savvidis contributed stems of ten songs, which Baltas deconstructs and rearranges with appreciation of the ancestry of their lineage and of the deceptively ancient eerie, droning qualities inherent in the style. Occasionally augmenting Savvaidis’ recordings with his own, Baltas treats these elements as if raw materials for an architectural process.
To The Mother Of Gods showcases Baltas’ arrangement skills. He treats Savvaidis’ songs as landscapes, filling them with slanted, droning light and setting the singer’s vocals in dead center. His years behind the decks have given him an intuitive understanding of dynamics—drums crest and recede like tides, snippets of bassline repeat and swirl. He knows how to entrance, and when to push the music from the head to the body. Opener “Taratchi Katarratchi” (“Stormy Cataract”) is sung as a spell to ward off the fear of death, but Baltas’ orchestration demonstrates that dancing is an equally effective way of dispelling the darkness. The beat he assembles from Savvaidis’ playing recalls the late-night ecstasies of Primal Scream circa Screamadelica.
To The Mother Of Gods is a reminder that folk music and dance music are both powered by their audience as much as the musicians themselves. Savvaidis’ lyrics echo pagan Greek themes, touching on what Baltas calls “the magic of nature.” At times, as on “Kalesma” (“Invitation”), this can feel incantatory. Savvaidis chisels his vocal melodies into hard, clipped syllables, their cadence recalling Gregorian chant, and yet Baltas cloaks these details in washes of distortion. “Ston Stavraito” (“In Stavraithos”) is delivered with a lamentive tenderness that Baltas swells into a prideful stomp, immersing Savvaidis in marching drums and distant vocals that form a resilient protest-song. To The Mother Of Gods is a testament to the ongoing and innate truth that music can take us beyond ourselves. That repetition and drone can shepherd us to a liminal space beyond thought and rationality, where the wall between perception and reality does not exist. Call it spirit, if you want, and watch as it courses its way through modern-day dance music, mid-century psych, and the ancient sounds of the anatol.
Anatolian Weapons’ To The Mother Of Gods will be available from Beats In Space on June 14, 2019 in limited vinyl and unlimited digital forms.
Artist Highlights
• Aggelos Baltas is an Athenian music producer creating and Djing under the monikers of Anatolian Weapons, Fantastikoi Hxoi, and Dream Weapons.
• The Anatolian Weapons moniker is an outlet for Baltas to explore global music—from African to Anatolian and Middle Eastern, while also incorporating sounds from his home country of Greece.
Soul Jazz Records are releasing this stunning new collection, The World of Keith Haring, featuring
music influential to the artist Keith Haring.
The art of Keith Haring is today one of the most recognisable of any visual artists of his generation,
defining 1980s New York during an intense period when downtown artists and musicians collaborated
like never before. Haring’s musical inspiration took in the punk/dance downtown sounds of clubs like
The Mudd Club, underground disco at Larry Levan’s Paradise Garage, as well the early days of hip-hop
and electro.
The album is released to coincide with the opening of the first major exhibition in the UK of Keith
Haring’s work at Tate Liverpool and which runs for the next six months.
Haring’s many friends included Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Madonna, Fab Five Freddy,
William Burroughs, Jenny Holzer, Yoko Ono, Grace Jones, Larry Levan, Futura 2000.
If you were looking for a person to guide you through the wide variety of nightclub scenes of
downtown New York in the 1980s, then Keith Haring would have been your man.
This album comes in deluxe artwork and three formats – Double CD + 48-page book, a deluxe 3xLP +
bonus 7” + download code vinyl version, and a standard 3xLP + download standard vinyl version. All
formats of the album feature stunning photography, extensive sleevenotes and interviews.
The music here includes the work of a number of Haring’s close friends, including Jean-Michel
Basquiat, Yoko Ono, Larry Levan, John Sex and George Condo (The Girls), as well as healthy dose of
rare disco, early electro and New York punk/dance tracks.
LP comes pressed on 180 gram vinyl.
On 29th March, Reclaimed Records are proud to present pianist and composer Taz Modi's elegant debut solo album 'Reclaimed Goods', which brings to light his love for contemporary composition – something which may come as a surprise to fans of soulful dance music heavyweights Submotion Orchestra, and jazz trumpeter Matthew Halsall's Gondwana Orchestra - for both of whom Modi plays keys/piano. Whilst also gaining further demand as a musician, including for A-list studio and live work for funk 'n' soul legends Dennis Coffey and Fred Wesley, plus beatmaker heroes DJ Shadow and Mr. Scruff, Modi has been discreetly pursuing an additional passion during down-time for years – and his prolonged, patient crafting shows in the record's tasteful and beautiful spirit.
Calling to mind the piano music of Cage, Frahm, Hauchska, Sakamoto and Aphex Twin, 'Reclaimed Goods' is a graceful affair, in which lush strings and gently pulsing rhythmic flutters sit alongside prepared and plaintive piano, with the tunes ranging from sparse beauty to weightier moments of electronic rhythms. This allows the music to appeal equally to fans of heavier electronic acts such as Cinematic Orchestra and Bonobo, to devotees of ambient and contemporary classical music, as well as those familiar with Modi's work with both Submotion Orchestra and Matthew Halsall.
Positive review by John Lewis for the Guardian's contemporary music album of the month section: 'An even more effective exploration of solo piano territory comes from British pianist Taz Modi; best known for his work in various jazz and funk ensembles, his solo debut Reclaimed Goods features a host of introspective instrumentals that are reminiscent, variously, of Ryuichi Sakamoto (Libra), Nils Frahm (Time to Practise, Crystalline) and Hauschka (Ethical Tourist).
Featured in Music Week's Tastemaker section, 15th April 2019 with Haydon Spenceley: 'Listen to it; it'll lift you high above our care-worn world to a place of safety and grace'.
First single 'Ethical Tourist' featured as a premiere on 18 Feb 2019
Second single 'Crystalline' premiered on Boiler Room's 4:3 video channel, 12 Mar 2019
'A kaleidoscopic album that seductively pulls you in and leaves you curious about the inspiration behind the songs' - AAA Music
Positive review on Magazine Sixty
Support on Soho Radio, Dom Servini
Played on Worldwide FM, April 3, Gondwana Records show
Featured on Bleep's Spotify playlist 'For Your Ears and For Your Head', April 2019
Played by Mischa Kreiskott, NDR Radio Germany, ndr.de
Worldwide FM's Gondwana Records show on May 1 featured an interview with Taz Modi, along with multiple tracks from the album.
Musicians:
Taz Modi – piano, keyboards/electronics, arrangement and production
Natalie Purton – violin + viola
Liz Hanks – cello
Margit van der Zwan – cello
Seb Hankins and Jon Scott – drums
XOA, led by London based producer and musician Nick Tyson, is setto
release debut album 'Way West' via Five Easy Pieces.
XOA means to look outwards; to draw inspiration from many
sources.'Way West' is alive withthis: steeped in the rich analogue sonics
of the past,the warmth of machines and influence fromthe sounds of
London's fervent musicscene.
Featuring a blend of contemporary electronic production and
liveinstrumentation, 70s Afrobeat inspired drums and cosmic melodies
are thrustintothe present day with strong cues from house and techno.
Three vocalists contribute across the album, with Tyson choosingto work
with singers he has apersonal admiration and friendship with. HollieCook,
known to many for her ethereal pop tingedreggae, delivers a
sumptuouscontribution on 'Heartland', adding a beautiful emotional
dimensionto the hornled track. Lulu Jones' vocals are treated more as a
sample for the garagetinged 'CallOn Me' and Ruby Wood, of Submotion
Orchestra, has worked with Tysonover a number ofprojects and their
shared love of 90s soul comes to the fore onthe laid back grooves and
sunkissed 'Only One Thing'.
As a visual artist and ambient composer, Tor Lundvall's work often recontextualizes the familiarity of everyday life through abstraction and space. Starting with the snapshot of a moment, Lundvall extracts its underlying complexity of the seemingly mundane and gives sleeping suggestion a presence and purpose. Mainly working sans vocals, Lundvall returned to voice exploration for 2018's A Dark Place, a somber, dark synth album that merged his mastery of textural ambience with traditional pop structures.
Rescued from old DAT tapes A Strangeness In Motion: Early Pop Recordings 1989-1999 are some of Lundvall's earliest completed synth pop works which have remained unreleased until now.
Though Lundvall's work throughout the collection has the recognizable ambient bones and sensibilities he has refined throughout his career, many of the tracks call back to the synth-driven pop of Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, The Human League and New Order, with the common thread being the sparse density and mood created by reservation and the lonely impulse to twist convention, not to rip it up and repurpose it. Rather than 10 disparate ideas, Lundvall's curation of A Strangeness In Motion: Early Pop Recordings 1989-1999 feels like excerpts from a broader work, allowing the listener to fill in the holes and ladder up to his larger themes and concepts, perhaps coloring his prior works in new hues and tones.
'For years I dismissed these songs as naive and youthful relics, but I've grown much fonder of them in recent years along with the memories they evoke,' he says of the decade spanning collection of tracks, many of which were sketched out in his duo with Drew Sullivan, After The Outing. 'Original One', 'Procession Day', 'The Clearing', and 'The Melting Hour' are present here as solo reworkings, originally culled from his sessions with Sullivan. The remaining songs were ideas originally considered for Passing Through Alone (1997) and its proposed follow up, provisionally and playfully titled Femalamania.
'The title was summing up my girl problems at the time and also a silly word spin on Robyn Hitchcock's Fegmania!' he says. 'Sadly, the project was abandoned—a rare decision for me and perhaps the only time I've scrapped an album entirely.'
Purveyors of contemporary electronic music Anagram return with their second remix EP that calls upon some of the scene's most compelling and uncompromising names. Coalescence, the next chapter from the label, will unfold as a series of remix EP's reinforcing the labels core values of community, togetherness and growth. The first instalment reflects on their previous three releases reimagining four titles under the controls of Drugstore resident Tiljana T, Ostgut Ton legend Ryan Elliot, Klockworks artist Newa and the Tel Aviv based Yotam Avni. Orchestrating the rework of Elad Magdasi's 'Liquid Dreams' is Serbian talent Tiljana T who runs with the cinematic ideas behind the original but uses snapping hits, ebullient bass notes and plenty delay to fuel the cut with a new lease of life. The accompanying A-side sees Ryan Elliott do what Ryan Elliot does best by keeping things straight up four to the floor transforming 'Sound of the Siren' by Barbara Ford into pulsating peak hour material. On the flip side are two remixes taken from label co-founder Sinfol's latest solo EP 'Pull Back'. First up, Newa gets the blood rushing injecting breaking beats and furious energy into 'Life Of Measure' resulting in a high tempo no-nonsense techno affair that embodies the sound of the bustling Tbilisi scene. Tying together Coalescence Vol. I is arguably the most dynamic choice of the four remixes in Yotam Avni's 'Final Push' Remix. With a meticulous assortment of intricately crafted synth lines and sequences, he manages to deconstruct Sinfol's title cut of its acid workouts and replenish it with an equally rivalled amount of energy. Four artists, four remixes, Coalescence Vol. I!
"A manner or style, a frame of mind, thought or existence" (Mode).
"Intelligence quotient, the use of perception or awareness." (IQ).
Mode I/Q, the self-proclaimed unknown band, was a richly textured, bold project starting life in 1979 out the embers of punk and new wave resulting in a hypnotic convergence of love, the future, life and art.
Lucian and Nicolas, two creative spirits who viewed the world through their own prism, augmented by a moving cast of friends and acolytes, were together compelled to make great music. This was a concept from the heart, with transformativelive performances, channelling spaces into art "Mode" events orchestrated to bring about a full integration of site and sound.
Psychedelic, punk overtones. A funky electronic hybrid, mixing Kraftwerk with black music. Guitars delayed and twisted through echo boxes and micro synths. Casio and Commodores delivering the machine funk. CBGBs, Max's Kansas City and Danceteria - Mode I/Q played and much, much more.
Just 3 releases deep, 1984's mini LP Mind/Soul captures the band at their best. 6 songs to immerse, dance and shake the mind.
180gr vinyl. Recorded in 1987 and now released for the first time ever with artwork by Sarah Yu Zeebroek.In 1987 Gerry Vergult (Aroma Di Amore ) and Gerrit Valckenaers (Adult Fantasies) created an abstract universe where minimal post-punk basslines blend together with dub, tropical vibes, jazz, and dreamy electronica.
Most of the october nights in 1987 you could find Gerry Vergult (Aroma Di Amore / Fred A. / Adult Fantasies) and Gerrit Valckenaers (Adult Fantasies /The Colorist Orchestra / multi-instrumentalist) in a desolated Top studio in Gent. At that time and place they sneakily crafted and shaped this Nasca record while they were supposed to finish a new Fred A. record. They created an abstract universe where minimal post-punk basslines blend together with radio sounds in 'Nothing Toulouse', tropical tribal vibes oscillates between futuristic nostalgia and hunted dreams in 'Ketama' and 'Ritz', a sampled heartbeat slowly mutates in mesmerising midnight jazz and a drugged out dub groove of 'Kamayacha' transforms into the inner city blues of 'Josaphat'.
All tracks composed, arranged and performed by Gerry Vergult & Gerrit Valckenaers
Gerrit Valckenaers: piano, saxophone, clarinet, synths, samples, electronics
Gerry Vergult: guitar, bass, synths, samples, electronics
Produced by Koen Van Regenmortel
For people who like Jah Wobble, Jon Hassell, Brian Eno & David Byrne, dub, world, jazz, and dreamy electronica
Recorded in 1987 and now released for the first time ever with artwork by Sarah Yu Zeebroek.
The HARP EP is to be released on PRAH Recordings and offers a balance of movement and feeling. ‘Banshee’ and ‘Feeler’ are both dance tracks intended for the dancefloor, whereas ‘Why Can’t I Remember Your Name’ and ‘Heart’ are two tracks meant for times of contemplation.
Inspired by the time when hardware was the only real option for making dance music, applying the same limitation and tactile approach lead to the creation of these tunes from a technical perspective. The equipment used was primarily analog and outboard, with the utilisation of tape for recording ‘Banshee’.
London via Margate composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Raven has collaborated with many well-respected artists including Kate Tempest, Paul Weller, Mica Levi, Kwes and Bullion. His music upholds a balance between the orchestral and electronic, abstract and conventional. Parallels can be drawn to the artist Arthur Russell,
in terms of their diversity, creating tracks you can dance to, but also songs and music for reflection.
All tracks are taken from the results of the second week of Raven’s PRAH residency in Margate which has seen the likes of Kelsey Lu, Adult Jazz, Ben Vince, Lone Taxidermist, James Greenwood, Deep Throat Choir, Flamingods Lung Dart & London Contemporary Orchestra. Each have spent time writing and recording in the studios
as part of a free artist residency program offered by PRAH Recordings’ arts wing the PRAH Foundation.
A Quest Called Tribe begins with a series of portraits drawn by Stéphane Carricondo in
2017 dedicated to Hip-Hop legends. As close partner in art Medline proposed to create a
soundtrack for them, and first interpreting ATCQ's classics with elements of the past,
present and future. The best way to materialize this multidimensional tribute was obviously
a vinyl. And it's the one we unveil today.
On the visual side, ATCQ's portraits are composing the front cover and, assembled into a
great scene, are printed on a colorful A2 poster. Stéphane Carricondo's natural lines are
highlighting each member's soul map. The alchemy of the dark ink on emptiness gives to
them an impressive sparkle of life.
On the musical side, the classic themes are transformed into a polymorphic fusion, were
jazz, funk and soul from the original sample sources converse with Tribe's characteristic
beats. Medline added a hint of his magic, unique rhythms, improvisations, arrangements,
original orchestration and inspired melodies.
The album is an ode to the band that marked both artist's life and mind. A cultural print and
school of sound that designed Hip-Hop foundations. With a blooming expression Medline
and Stéphane Carricondo are going to the roots of ATCQ in a quest for the tribe.
ELLLL continues her prolific 2019 run with a new EP for the expertly curated (and newly revived) Paralaxe Editions label out of Barcelona. Fresh off releases on Glacial Industries and First Second, the Irish-born, Berlin-based shapeshifter takes a creative turn here, setting aside her bassy excursions and techno flirtations for something much more cinematic in scope. Rich in melody, this record finds ELLLL taking an orchestral approach, weaving together piano swells and delicate strings to create a truly immersive listening experience. Mastered by Rupert Clervaux.
Superb, deep arabic orchestral tones and female vocals
Ry X Has Announced The Release Of His Much-anticipated New Album, Unfurl, Available 15th February 2019 Via Infectious And Is Available To Pre-order Here. Ry Has Shared A First Track Entitled 'untold', Which Is Streaming Here, And Announced News Of An Extensive International Tour To Follow The Release, Including 4 X Uk Shows In February. Ahead Of Those Dates Ry Will Be Visiting London This Friday (12th) For A Headline Barbican Performance Backed By The London Contemporary Orchestra Which Has Been Sold Out For Months. Upcoming Tour Info Below.
Endlessly sampled across the board, for those dreamy guitar licks, killer Rhodes keys and luscious strings, Goody Goody ‘It Looks Like Love / Super Jock’ is a 1978 masterpiece of disco gold. Original copies of the Atlantic Promo 12” sell for upwards of £65 so it’s about time a remastered, officially reissue landed.
Produced by Vince Montana of MFSB and The Salsoul Orchestra fame, ‘It Looks Like Love’ was a Larry Levan / Paradise Garage classic and still commands dancefloors the world over. Flowing flutes, sultry vocals and xylophone twinkles open up proceedings, as those iconic, funk-flavoured staccato guitars and rising strings step up to the plate. Combined they produce a glistening groove that captures the feel-good factor of NYC’s disco apogee.
Delectable disco, fuelled by an undeniable funk that continues to be harnessed, chopped and sampled by some of house music’s biggest players from Nick Holder and Armando, to Tom Trago and Glenn Underground.
On the B side, soul-searching cosmic fluctuations via ‘Super Jock’, with interplanetary vocal refrains stretching out above a full-bodied bass, tight drumming and spacey Rhodes. Montana’s world class arrangement sees bongo-led percussive interludes and dancing keys solos take listeners to a mesmerising galaxy, far far away.
A double dose of that good stuff!
CTHI Records is back again after a little pause given by the development of the Jaxx Madicine project started initially by the label founder Parker Madicine and Turbojazz. Through out this time the label has productively been joined by Veezo, italian pianist and producer, for the making of their Distant Classic album and various EP’s and remixes published on many different international labels as Local Talk, Visions Rec, Dirt Crew and Eureka. CTHI is now ready , after the recent Japanese tour as Jaxx Madicine Trio, to be again the front stream for the debut EP of Veezo ‘Monolith’. An 8 tracks EP playing the essential “manifesto" and inspiring heritage of the artist. Raw and dirty grooves made in 12bit res, tape delays and acid Ms20 arps on top of which you’ll appreciate afro elements, warm rhodes and pad chords allowing you to perceive the whole Veezo musical ambient creativity. Two singing tracks - unique featurings by David Shorty and the Technoir Duo - are providing deep house/boogie atmospheres and jazzy spiritual moods. There are various musicians participating into this project leading through bass, flutes and drums that will surely provide you the feeling of an orchestral setting guided and directed by a solo person inducting all those elements through an Akai taperecorder. The result: close to a mid 90’s forbidden cartoon enriched by the cover of the Japanese artist Tokio Aoyama.
