Suche:fun

Adeen Records and it's partnership with Red Light Bangkok are bringing you the funky sounds of Scott Hess. Hailing from Detroit, Michigan With time being spent living in Shanghai and Berlin now residing in Bangkok, 'Red Light Bangkok 01'. The 3 track EP was forged out of the thick haze of Thai funk that permeates the vivid colours of this city. From the low-slung freakiness of 'The Rhythm', to the subtly sinister, synth-heavy groove of 'Circle Of Funk', and all the way through to peak-time, jacking house of 'Red Light' - each track is fused with Michigan flavour and South-East Asian steam in almost equal measure.

M!R!M is the solo project of Jack Milwaukee, italian multi-instrumentalist based in London since 2011. Inspired by early 80's synth pop, cold and dark wave, M!R!M has been releasing on labels as Fabrika and Manic Depression. Since his debut album, he’s been touring and playing shows all around Europe building an important following and a significant name within the scene.

On January 31st, 2020, Avant! Records will release his third full-length, The Visionary. Still featuring Milwaukee at the helm along with selected collaborators as supplementation, The Visionary is a further evolution in M!R!M sound, which showcases how the musician’s vision has evolved throughout the years.

Holding firmly to the vibes that recall the most dreaming 80’s, Jack Milwaukee this time blends together that typical FM synth timbre, which has always characterized the artist, with deeper and sumptuous sounds found within the notes of Mellotron and sax; overcoming previous Lo-Fi approaches to undertake a solid, prominent and more mature path.

The Visionary is a collection of songs pieced together in a meaningful and harmonious way where the storytelling is very vivid and fundamental. Trapped between hope and melancholy each track evolves smoothly into another one until it gets to a mystical end, a point of no return. From syncopated punchy bass lines drove by solid drum beats to elegant violin quartets accompanied by almost religious choirs, The Visionary is an engaging work that doesn’t remain only inside the robes of shimmering synth-pop tunes but also explores more intimate and private territories as an ode to the most deep feelings.

Pulling from the ‘pop’ approach of mid 80’s synth-pop pioneers like New Order, The Wake, Tears For Fears to most iconic figures of the Italian 80’s era, M!R!M dialed in on a clear understanding of it's own specific sound, which has since evolved. The Visionary is the ultimate unified vision of M!R!M’s work, it’s the sweetest transition of the most nostalgic daydream.

· 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.

Despite working often alone, Savvas Metaxas is someone who rather thinks in terms of community and connectivity, who prefers alliances over ego, who is a sound artist as well as a musical activist.

Coming from Thessaloniki, Greece, he co-founded Granny Records, puts up local shows, worked with the Goethe Institute, did site-specific sound installations in London, collaborates with other experimentalists like Spyros Emmanouilidis and released brilliant albums on fellow tape travellers Coherent States and Falt, among others.

Why is it important for us to write down these trophies/landmarks/selling points? Because Savvas is not at all about trophies/landmarks/selling points, he is about connecting things, and this, in our humble opinion, is one of the most fundamental qualities of experimental music, and experimental art in general. It is about rearranging disparate materials, transcending different layers of reality, speaking without the use of words or clear significants.

On the four tracks of „Transmitter“, he is exploring sound in a classical set-up, experimenting with chance-operational radio frequencies and their impact on harmonic structures extracted from synthesizers.

The result are compositions with a haptic quality, a glimmering, grainy music that is directly effecting the room in which it is played in. So despite its broad frequential range: don’t play this tape too loud, as it really interacts with its surroundings. Hence, the names, or rather name tags of these tracks are mostly devoid of interpretation and are purely descriptive. „Words“ is, easy to suggest, a composition based on a voice talking in greek, while „Stormy And Colourful“ is a specification of what is heard on that piece. These two are framed by „Heterodyne“ and „Paradoxical“ - characterizations of the techniques used in the working process.

The artwork of the tape is a continuation of this work method. Clear structures, using the specially built typeface and the spinning of letters and words to manipulate perception and to obstruct a simplification, reducing the logic of words to a sign language that obliterates meaning and identity, a process which, as Simon Reynolds put it, induces ecstasy.

Zenit is a jazz ensemble from Krems in Lower Austria, founded in 1976 by Hannes Treiber and Willi Langer. Their music was celebrated locally, but to reduce them to their local fame would be a shame: After all, their first two LPs, Stimmungswechsel (Change of Moods) and Früchte (Fruits), quickly gained them a much wider audience of discerning listeners. Arguably, however, Zenit’s third and final LP Straight Ahead is the most special of their records. It initially came out in 1986 on the producer’s label Spray Records, and is today one of the hardest-to-find Austrian jazz records. Its centrepiece is the infectious slow-motion disco piece “Waiting,” with vocals by American jazz singer Linda Sharrock. Effortlessly bringing together pop, soul and new age vibes, this is a record that is as unique as it is difficult to date. Does it sound like from the 80s? We’re not sure. To our minds at least, it could also be from the future.

Dr Rubberfunk might not be medically trained, but he does know a thing or two about treating your ears, as he returns with his fourth album 'My Life at 45'. The eagle eyed will have spotted the connection to the good Doctor's second album – 'My Life at 33' - and fans can do their own maths as to when they should expect the final RPM-punning release in the trilogy.

Having established himself in funk, soul, blues and jazz circles with a ton of high calibre releases, the good doctor holds a reputation for quality productions, with a hands-on approach, both in front of, and behind the mixing desk, as an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and producer.

The new album brings together stunning vocals from John Turrell, Izo FitzRoy and Stephanie Whitelock, whilst the instrumental tracks, showcasing the talents of long-time collaborators Jim Oliver, Jonathon James and Ben Castle, make it clear just what a crack production outfit the Doctor has put together. Got a lovely quote from Fatboy Slim: "Very soulful. Doesn't sound too retro. Just fabulous...."

UK Radio support has come in from BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music from Craig Charles (Spot play Trunk of Funk feature), Huey Morgan, Rylan and Paddy O'Connell. US Radio on KCRW from Jose Galvan, Karene Daniel and Garth Trinidad.

WW Specialist plays have come in on WWFM, JazzFM, Radio Krimi, Solar Radio, Radio 1 Prague, WMPG, Milk n Chocolate, Rai 1 Italy, KaneFM, Cannibal Radio, Radio Z Nurenburg and Radio Nova Portugal

Press: Bandcamp: New & Notable, 45Live, Sphere Of Hip Hop, Word Is Bond, The Dutch Guy, Last Day Deaf, Monkeyboxing, Flea Market Funk, Staccatofy, The Find Mag.

DJ support from Fatboy Slim, Laurent Garnier, Dj Yoda, Renegades of Jazz, DJ Andy Smith, Auntie Flo, Doc Scott, Smoove, Chicken Brothers, Crazy P, Satin Jackets, Marc Hype, Mr Benn, Mat The Alien, Basement Freaks, Renegades Of Jazz, The Allergies, Hint,

The second EP of remixes from Man Jumping's reissue on Emotional Rescue features luminaries Bullion, Reckonwrong, Gengahr and William Doyle with their reversions of songs from the Jumpcut album.

Nathan Jenkins aka Bullion follows his recent rerub of Thomas Leer (ERC072) to provide two remixes. His remake of In The Jungle keeps the originals (leftfield) dance floor roots, but sprinkles the ubiquitous warm glow and off kilter fun(k) that he evokes; while his retake of Walk On, Bye drifts back, highlighting intricate percussion; congas, bass and vocal atmospherics along some breezy swing.

Reckonwrong is next; turning the bossa vibes of Sqeezi into his own new wave meets italo reversion; topped with his unique 'under the cupboard stairs' vocals. Funky, driving, this overlooked star adds to his cannon for Whities, Pinkman and DEEK.

After a string of impressive releases for Trangressive / Beggars, Gengahr make a surprise addition, lifting Down The Locale from deceptive beginnings to anthemic heights, adding echo-laden guitar and vocals to the original's underbelly, before a bass break and return lifts to the heavens.

Finally, William Doyle provides perfect closure. Moving away from his East India Youth moniker (XL Recordings), his output has drifted towards ambient introspection, however, here points to addtional layers; rebuilding Belle Dux On The Beach with added bass, guitar, drums and finally vocals that culminate in a prefect 'to the skies' outrospection.

Ferox welcomes the return of Alejandro Lopez's Hoax Believers for his second EP on the label. Following an EP for Spanish imprint Fanzine, Alejandro returns to Ferox with these four tracks of hi-tech funk, fusing Electro with the sound of Detroit via Madrid.
Available on 180g - Vinyl Only.

In addition to the inclusion on the "Movements Vol.10" double-gatefold LP we felt that a release of The Headliners' "Little Sister (Sho Nuf Fine)" on our beloved 45-rpm single format is more than justified.
Walt Maddox, owner of the Super M label on which "Little Sister" was released, started singing as a teenager on the street corners of his Manchester neighborhood on Pittsburgh's Northside.

In 1961 he joined The Marcels. ... In the following years they released three full length albums and numerous hit singles with sales in the millions. Maddox sang with the group through its many permutations for four decades before becoming its manager and producer in 1999.
Maddox produced The Headliners sole single which has become a sought after collectors item on the Northern Soul/Funk scene in recent years.

Yes, we know the soul and funk world of the glory days, big labels, radio shows and bands amid a social context of segregation. A context that starts becoming less important when this music genre enters the mainstream in the late 70’s to eventually fade away at a fast pace in the 80’s until its complete disappearance in the 90’s and beyond. This time though, we dive a bit deeper into the hoods, because the social context of today ain’t no greatly different and it has its very own music, deeply rooted in the sounds of the early days, although more immediate and dense of beats and urban feel.

We are in Chicago, a place where every 2 hours someone is shot, and every 14 hours someone is murdered. It ain’t no Iraq or Afghanistan but one of the biggest and most sophisticated cities in the world. In the city’s west and south sides, which are considered the heart of Black America, gang rivalry is tearing its people apart. It has become so brutal that both police and perpetrators agree that this urban warfare is out of control. I started this release process after Yann sent me an heads up on this song and it took me most part of last year to build some mutual trust with Lay Lemons aka Biggz from North Lawndale, main area in the west side of the city and one of the most dangerous places in the world. When I first contacted him, Lay was having a hard time (and still does) as his daughter Raven was caught innocent in a gang shooting crossfire.

After the following investigation, the FBI (yes, big gangs are federal business) arrested and charged some members of The Four Corners Hustlers, yet Raven’s murder has no responsible and Lay suddenly lost his daughter overnight in the summer of 2017. He simply couldn’t concentrate on music, and the silly requests from a mad Italian with his crooked english were probably sounding to him like aliens speaking from outer space. I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Lay’s cousin, sound engineer and recording studio owner living today in Detroit, so accept my gratitude Mr. Tony Amos.

Lay Lemons has never been involved with gangs nor was Raven, nowhere near that business. They are people of music, family and religion trying to survive in one of worlds toughest places. This song, its vibe, the beats, the voice... Are coming straight out of their hood, written around a fire bin on the side of the street and put together with 3 instruments. It has no chorus, it’s verses all the way through, it is a kind of prayer to the unknown in the hope of salvation through everyday strength.

Lay Lemons I salute you.

Eastwood Rides Again follows the theme of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry & The Upsetters previous classic, Return Of Django - and like that one, the groove isn’t just the rocksteady rhythms you’d expect – but also maybe this more spacious version of the style. They got their funk on with the inspiration of Spaghetti Westerns and soul music. The record is largely instrumental and it's a representation of Perry’s significant production skills. Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry was a pioneer in the 1970's development of dub music and worked together with artists such as Bob Marley and the Wailers, The Clash and The Beastie Boys. Nowadays he’s still performing and recording music.

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

Danish electro duo Krypton 81 delivers their debut EP on legendary Finnish X0X Records. AlphaZero EP introduces five tracks + a remix by Morphology. Musically you can describe these tracks as minimalistic, scientific & funky electro with great vocals/vocoders. There is also strong reference points to Dopplereffekt, Drexciya, Arpanet and others like, but still Krypton 81 manages to bring up something fresh instead of boring pastiches. Finnish duo Morphology is on a remix duty with track "A.I. Corporation". Their treatment of the original track turns it into bass heavy electro, or one might even describe it as breakbeat if you like.

UFO Inc. starts the new decade with fast, dark improv-techno tracks by the New York DJ, producer and singer Heidi Sabertooth. The four tracks on UFO4 are an impressive testimony to her passion for vintage gear and are the result of an interplay of mainly three machines with which she also plays live: Roland SH-101, Korg ESX2 Electribe and Yamaha DX200 - Sabertooth knows her tools inside and out by heart and tried on this EP to sound as "live" and spontaneous as possible. She plays her machines like instruments and want them to have some life and breath in them because she grew up playing all kinds of wind and string instruments and played in bands many years before she became a DJ. Her approach to making tracks is to capture as much live experimentation and weirdness as possible, while still making something that grooves and kicks on the dancefloor. She is not so concerned about making things perfect, in fact sometimes she intentionally try to disrupt things if it starts sounding too polished or square: ,,I like things to be human. I think you can feel it in the recording when the hands are touching the machine - it is human/machine/spirit connection.?This is why I named the EP as such - With The Void - this is how I like to create: jump into outerspace, into the unknown, with my machines and we all have an experience together - a cosmic electric dance - and that's when I hit the record button." On UFO4 you can definitely hear the fun she and her machines had in the recording process.

"1995" is a reissue of three tracks extracted from the Album "Rage Of Age", released in 1995 on the famous record label ACV Records. The CD version of the album contained more tracks than the album's LP version. These three tracks were never released on vinyl and it is impossible to find on the net.

Three different aspects of Freddy K really on fire at only 24 years old. Three tracks with an original style that made Freddy special at that time. Unusual from what today is called '90s style'. The title of "Mac-Beth" wants to remind the famous damned opera called "Macbeth", the track is hard, abstract and psychedelic at the same time. "Electro K" is a personal vision of something electro, funky and crazy. "Love trax" is a representation of what a love story can be.

Welcome to this rare Freddy K's world picture from 1995...
Expect the unexpected!

Side A: Band' Azul - Melo Do Fricote
Licensed From Top Tape Musica Ltda ©1982

Side B: Octavio Burnier - Que Nem Sol
Licensed From Top Tape Musica Ltda ©1980

Club Internacional unearth more long lost Brasilian grooves from the archives of Rio imprint Top Tape for lovers and collectors around the globe.

This edition kicks off with the funk-driven sounds of Melo Do Fricote by Band' Azul.
Fusing rapturous vocals, guitar and horns this track originally appeared in 1982 and was the band's only 45 single release.
Here it is in its original format at last.

The flip side features the much more established artist and celebrated guitarist Octavio Burnier. As one half of Burnier & Cartier he produced one of the most sought after LPs in Brasilian music in 1974, which became like gold dust to collectors of Brasilian music. It was recently reissued by the excellent Mr Bongo to the relief of all lovers of Brasilian sounds.

In this later solo track 'Que Nem Sol', Burnier demonstrates his exquisite guitar playing as well as his talents as a composer and singer.
A seriously delicious slice of soft boogie funk it was released only on 45 single on the Top Tape label back in 1980, and again has never been repressed.

Club Internacional hopes you enjoy bringing these long lost, blissful funk vibes back to life via this limited edition vinyl 45 pressing.

'P&F Recordings' returns with it’s fourth release. This time they are coming at you straight outta NAPOLI, ITALY with a four track EP by MILORD (known to many as one half of the duo “The Normalmen” and one-third of “The Mystic Jungle Tribe”).

M • E • T • A / M • U • S • I • C is one part vintage library-music studio wizardry another part lowkey house. Imagine a slinky G-funk synth at a new-age retreat, a spacey kraut jam at an eighties video arcade - all at once familiar, yet unglued from any particular moment in time.

DJ SUPPORT: “Bro, I’m finding it hard to control the sunset with this damn Japanese remote,” said Crockett. “Can you lend me a hand?” Tubbs side-eyed with extreme shade and replied, “You’re such a k-hole, dude, that’s not a remote. It’s the car phone and you’ve been staring at it for an hour. Put that shit down and let’s hit the sauna.”

-Lovefingers (ESP Institute)

Meditative sunset sounds I could also use whilst taking an Epsom bath or a Hawaiian hike at dawn. Artwork also 10/10 another epic release from my fave new label.

-Danny McLewin (Psychemagik)

Thanks for the music - its right up me alley. I’m also already a fan of Mystic Jungle Tribe and Normalmen, so that is a formula I can definitely chemicalize with.

- Dreems (Multi-Culti)

Worked this album in the studio with Milord and I never got sick of listening to the tracks! "The kemetist" brings me in that fabolous druggy-place I would like to be at every weekend …
- Manny Whodamanny (Periodica - Naples IT)

At home, in the islands of Cabo Verde, there was grog, or grogu, a strong sugarcane moonshine not dissimilar to Colombian aguardiente, copiously consumed at Funaná parties. In the diaspora, in Europe, there was leite quente (hot milk). "I can still remember the taste of the first leite quente I drank in Lisbon," says Antonino Furtado Gomes, Pilon's drummer and current band leader.

Synthesize the Soul, Ostinato Records' second compilation, revealed chapter one of the Cabo Verde cultural story in Europe, zooming in on visionaries like Paulino Vieira who made Lisbon the headquarters spearheading the musical revolution taking place within Cape Verdean emigre communities across Europe in the 1980's. Musicians from across the diaspora would eagerly travel to the Portuguese capital to record.

Grupo Pilon represents the second chapter of the Krioulu diaspora story. In smaller pockets, second generation musicians were independently contributing to one of the most lush periods of cultural innovation by immigrants in Europe. In Luxembourg, in 1986, a group of teenagers formed the largely unknown (outside of Cape Verdean circles) but consistently brilliant band named after the blunt instrument used in the islands to pound corn for Cabo Verde's national dish, cachupa.

With only five members, Pilon combined searing estilo Krioulu drumming and the hybrid ColaZouk style with blissful synth work and rugged guitar licks, creating a stripped-down, addictive sound that masterfully straddled two worlds, a seductive electro-Funaná carnival born from the first few sips of hot milk.
The band drew from the inspiring political changes of the day: the release of Nelson Mandela in South Africa and the fall of the Berlin Wall. The right to democracy became a constant theme in Pilon's songs.

With access to better opportunities than their parents' generation, Pilon's roster were part time musicians. Music was not part of their academic upbringing nor a full-time gig. Their rhythm and style were wonderfully imperfect, made out of rawer skills and inexperience. Pilon did not follow the templates established by revered Cabo Verde bands. Keyboard player Emilio Borges played off beat and the band preferred arranging their songs to start from the beat normally heard in the middle of a composition rather than the beginning.

These two elements made Pilon's music simple, unique, and inimitable. From 1997-2015, a lack of concerts and professional musicians proved near fatal. Today, Antonino and what remain of the original quintet are slowly piecing back together the puzzle of their once mighty outfit from an unlikely pocket of Europe. In it's heyday in the 90's, Pilon serenaded audiences in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lisbon, Rotterdam and Frankfurt, securing their reputation as a respected and unifying cultural force.

This LP, drawing from the six most powerful songs from Pilon's three-album catalog, is the serving of still fresh leite quente to spice the summer and maybe even fuel the next generation of musicians in the Krioulu corners of Europe.

Brand new Bastard Jazz signing Buscrates comes out of the gate swinging with his first release for the label full of the bubbling, electronic funk he's become known for. "Lost & Found" features the vocal talents of Sally Green over a slappin' bassline, guitar licks and airy synths while "Cruise Control" goes on an instrumental ride with it's heavy drums, catchy g-funk lead and growling bass. Another funky affair from the Pittsburgh producer.

“Want Me” – 80’s funk vibed groover with a chunky drum bed, live bass and looping, filtering lead vocals.

“If You” – slinky funk re-edit vibes with soulful vocal snippets and a groove to swing ya hips and do ya dips!

Rocksteady Disco's newest recruit is Eddie Logix. He's been at the heart of the Detroit underground for over 15 years, most recently with his Technically Yeah live hardware nights, a grip of ambient and hip-hop releases, engineering for Assemble Sound. He’s one half of left-field funk-hop duo Mega Powers with Pig Pen, and of 'BLKSHRK' alongside Blair French, who first appeared on Rocksteady Disco
back in 2016 on; For Todd.

Placebo Palace is Eddie's first solo dance EP, combining all of this experience into a diverse offering for discerning dance floors.

The EP leads with “Que Locos”, a tropical house banger driven by brass and Latin-Jazz piano. “Baby Girl” rounds out the A side, with a dusty R & B vocal sample coupled with a massive and unexpected bassline. The B side is darker and deeper, starting with the frantic Afro-Jazz-Deep House “Sunday Palaver”. Closing the EP is “Bottle Rocket”, a psychedelic surf rock-tinged disco-not-disco chugger, with live guitar by Daniel Monk and electric bass by stphn-b. More forward thinking music from Detroit via Rocksteady Disco!

Lyrical King is the debut 1987 album from one of rap’s pioneers and innovators who was said by some to be the first artist recorded by Def Jam Records. T La Rock recorded this album for Sleeping Bag Records as the labels first rap act and show cased him at the
height of his career. An old school legend, MC and dancer who was sampled by Public Enemy and Nas, heavily influential on artists such as LL Cool J and the Def Jam sound and would walk out on stage with Run –D.M.C . Highlights include ‘Back to Burn’ and ‘This Beat Kicks’ where T La Rock teamed up with visionary producer Kurtis Mantronik.

Back again it’s the return of the Originals kicking off the new decade with some pure fire and a fresh new label design. Side A features the Bob James classic break Farandole which has been spliced down to a 45 edit courtesy of them doctors of funk over at the DNA labs.
Flip to the B side and DJ Muggs samples the A side to great effect creating a B-Boy banger featuring rhymes from Planet Asia and a guest appearance from B Real – sure to light up the dancefloor. Limited as always – don’t sleep – snooze you lose!

Harrison Kennedy was raised in Ontario, Canada before moving to Detroit and enjoying success as the lead singer of Chairmen of the Board with the classic ‘I’m The Chairmen Of The Board’, . He left the group in the 1970s to start on a solo career. Hypnotic Music’ is Kennedy’s 1972 debut album released on Invictus Records. It’s an in- demand folk funk album. Kennedy is still celebrated as a singer, songwriter and performer. He was awarded in 2016 at the Canadian Juno Awards with the Blues Album of the Year. This classic is reissued on 180g heavyweight black vinyl with original artwork and printed inner sleeve. Album features rock orientated songs like the Beatles cover, social commentary with 'You Hurt Your Mother Again’ and psychedelic sounds like ‘Night Comes Day Goes’ – showcasing Harrison’s musical talents.

Kêtu Records proudly presents, after two years looking for the artists in Nigeria, the reissue of this album from The Faces!!Originally released in 1975, Wake Up Today, differs from the Afro-Funk productions of that time by its Afro-Rock/Afro-Funk Garage style.

We let you discover this UFO and thank you for your support to the label.

Revive the legend Faces,
Vibrate the dancefloor,
!! Wake up today !!

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.

Soul Jazz Records new ‘Apala: Apala Groups in Nigeria 1964-69’ is the first ever collection of Apala music ever to be released outside of Nigeria. The album focusses on a wide selection of recordings made in Nigeria in the 1960's, a time when Apala music was at the height of its popularity. Apala is a deeply rhythmical, hypnotic and powerful
musical style that combines the striking nasal-style vocals and traditions of Islamic music, the Agidigbo (thumb piano), and the equally powerful drumming and percussion rhythms and
techniques of the Yoruba of Nigeria.

The most significant figure in Apala music is undoubtedly Haruna Ishola who features throughout this album. Ishola holds an almost mythological status in his role as populariser of Apala music in
Nigeria. Ishola’s singing was believed to be so powerful that, without proper restraint, it could kill the recipient of his music.

Apala is a popular music that also functioned as a form of cultural resistance – Apala music involved no western instrumentation and is sung in the Yoruba language, its aesthetic an implicit cultural
rejection of the British Empire’s colonial rule over Nigeria which lasted from 1901 until independence in 1960. Apala music was popular and widely accepted in Nigeria due to its philosophical and profound
lyrical content alongside the complex rhythmic patterns of this heavily percussive style, which highlighted many of the percussion instruments of south-west Nigeria.

He's one of a number of popular urban styles of music that came out of Nigeria in the 20th century and sits alongside the more well-known (in the West) styles of Fuji, Highlife, Juju and Afrobeat. Of these modern forms Apala remains perhaps the most ‘roots’ style (sometimes described as ‘neo-traditional’) due to the authenticity of its sound. It has similar Islamic roots to other neo-traditional styles of Nigeria – including Waka and Sakara – examples of which are also
included on this collection contextualising the music of Apala.

These recordings were originally made and released locally by Decca and EMI Records as well as a variety of independent labels in Nigeria and have never been released outside of the country before. Soul Jazz Records are releasing this album as a deluxe double gatefold vinyl (download code), CD, slipcase and booklet, both containing full text and photography.

Classic creative bop melodies and golden era beat memories woven into a vibrant new thread of psychedelic soul jazz. The New Breed received “Best of 2016” honors from NPR Music, Observer, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Aquarium Drunkard, and Bandcamp.

Die Cut Sleeve with download. It’s a strange betweenworld, bookended by sleep and the jolt of being wide awake in a place where you wonder how you got there. You know the feeling… It seems familiar but the colours are, well, unreal. In a high-ceilinged room, a grand piano plays lush melodies as, meanwhile, somewhere, an Alice In Wonderland clock ticks, cellos are bowed, a swarm of something vibrates and the hallucinatory crowd around Rosemary’s Baby babble. An echoey electronic hum builds and falls like a 50s refrigerator passed through and effects board, things run backwards, staccato strings are plucked… and that’s not the half of it. “I’ve never been happy staying in one particular school of musical thought. The fun has been turning things on their heads, to try something you were not supposed to do.” We’re on an immersive and adventurous travelogue with the former member of the legendary Tangerine Dream, Paul Haslinger - this is a man who knows how to build tension, hold moods, illustrate contempt, lies, passion and pleasure; He can create fear, loathing and love - he’s been unlocking the nuances of such emotions in a hugely successful career as a TV and film soundtrack composer (Halt And Catch Fire, Underworld and the Golden Globe-nominated Sleeper Cell). ‘Exit Ghost’ is his long thought out opus, a moment caught in time, flicking through reference points, taking an ethereal excursion that permeates musical genres as it becomes awash with intricate sounds and cross-pollinating rhythms. Built originally from the warmth of his grand piano ‘Exit Ghost’ resonates with purity and power, from an eerie and evocative betweenworld, that’s at once expansive and rolling, then intoxicating and suffocating in equal measures; modern composition at its most uplifting; cerebral, celebratory, intense and beautiful. “The soul searching in connection with this record was extensive. Finding places of resonance, giving a colour to your memories. It was more challenging because it’s not somebody else’s narrative. Finding the core of your own story can be the most difficult task of all.” Created over the span of eight years and filled with literal and personal references, the album itself is a testament to the search - a quest filled with hints, particles and suggestions.

As winter strikes, the summery SFV Acid reappears fully-fledged with some sluggish San Fernando Valley funk and his signature acidic aesthetics. Mostly slow-burning tracks that meander the boulevards, twitchy due the right dose of acid and vocal jabs scattered across. It's always summer in the valley.

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: ****

Peter Brown is one of the ultimate in Harlem underground music business entrepreneurs. From the 70's, all through the 80's he had a stream of releases on a plethora of labels, but ultimately under the
P&P banner. From soul, to disco to the birth of hip hop, he covered all the street sounds of New York and in a series of comps Demon are exploring his legacy. P&P soul and funk covers the 1970's with a number of rare, sought after masterpieces and some
equally essential obscurities.

From the former category we have the magnificent ESP by Four
Below Zero, Dennis Mobley's Rare Groove instrumental version of Superstition and Florence Miller's soul floor filler 'The Groove I'm In' Super rare funk is present from Wild Honey, Smokey Brooks and Flame & The Sons. The roots of disco is well represented with Magnetic Touch's original version of Ain't No Big Thing and Ella Hamilton's I'm Gonna Fool You.

Album features Ernie K Doe’s ‘Here Come The Girls’, The Meters, Eddie Bo, Professor Longhair, Lee Dorsey, Wild Magnolias and more.

This is the definitive collection of New Orleans Funk featuring acknowledged masters next to some of the earlier artists who shaped the meaning of funk. The album is also filled with many rare, sought after and undiscovered funk tracks. It covers the period from the emergence of New Orleans Funk in the early 1960's through to the mid-seventies.

The record is an essential part of anyone in any way interested in Funk's record collection. It has some vital ingredients in it that you can't find elsewhere. With the sound of the New Orleans Funeral March Bands, Mardi Gras Indian Tribes and Saturday Night Fish Fries all as inspiration New Orleans Funk developed into a unique sound.

New Orleans is a port town. Originally owned by the French, this was where many slaves were brought from the West Indies. Many of these slaves came from Haiti and brought with them the religion of Voodoo and its drums and music. It became one of the first parts of America to develop a strong African-American culture leading to the invention of Jazz in the early 1900's.

A main feature of Jazz in New Orleans were the Jazz Funeral Marching bands. Solemn Brass bands accompanying a coffin would, on burial, be joined by a second line of drummers and dancers which would turn the event into a celebration of the spirit cutting free from earth. This African tradition is strong in New Orleans and still goes on to this day. The backline drums play a syncopated style that is neither on the beat nor the off-beat. It is these rhythms that are the basis of New Orleans Funk.

The album comes with a booklet presenting a historical explanation to how and why this music came about, and with lots of information about the people involved.


Reviews: "A Perfect Primer For Funk Fans" Q (Top 5 albums of the year). "Probably the finest compilation that Soul Jazz has released. Essential" Time Out.

Introducing ACID JAZZ’s first release of 2020 coming out on our newest subsidiary label Fingier Records, dedicated exclusively to the Soul, R&B, Boogaloo and Raw Funk productions from the Argentinean producer Kevin Fingier. After many years DJing and promoting Soul & Mod culture in Argentina, the co-founder of the Buenos Aires Soul Club decided to give a twist to his versatile production career and start to produce Soul and R&B recordings.

To achieve this, he gathered together a house band called The Kevin Fingier Collective and experimented with recording techniques used fifty years ago to get an analogue sound that’ll take you to straight to the 60s. For the first limited edition single Kevin brought back the legendary Northern Soul singer Gerri Granger, to sing on the A-side track Don't Wanna Cry No More - a Soul/Funk tune with a huge R&B influence. On the flip side there’s a killer Mod Jazz instrumental called Sunglasses After Dark Part 1.

Soul Jazz Records continues its journey into the world of Afro-Caribbean roots music with this album of newly recorded music of Gwo Ka music recorded and produced by Soul Jazz Records on the island of Guadeloupe, French West Indies.

Gwo Ka music is a fantastic fusion of African-­derived musical form ( call and response), with vocal styles that draw upon the equally powerful French chanson singers to create a truly unique combination.

Tradition Ka, made up of some of the island’s finest singers and master drummers, is part of a powerful network of politicised Gwo Ka groups on the island – upholding the traditions and cultural importance of Gwo Ka as part of a larger process of defining the identity of Guadeloupe and its culture.

This album is newly studio recorded in Pointe-­A-­Pitre, Guadeloupe by Soul Jazz Records. Like the cult music of Haiti’s Vodou and Cuba’s Santeria or the roots music of Belize’s Garifuna (all of which Soul Jazz have also released), Gwo Ka is the musical and cultural product of the region’s African ancestry, forcibly brought to the Caribbean through slavery.

Gwo Ka exists only in Guadeloupe, a very different island from much of the Caribbean, in that it remains a ‘department’ of its original colonial master, France. Here, the currency is the Euro and the baker sells croissant and café au lait.

This constant ‘European-­ising’ of the island means that Gwo Ka plays a fundamental and important role in the defining of Guadeloupean identity. As an African-­derived music, its position as a counter-­balance to French influence means that the definition of how and what Gwo Ka represents is also in a constant state of flux.

These new recordings show how Gwo Ka is both a modern Caribbean music form and one firmly rooted in ancestral history.

Over the last 20 years Soul Jazz Records have been documenting and presenting the often hidden histories and deep musical worlds of Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Belize, Trinidad, the Bahamas and more. This documentation encompasses reissuing lost recordings, such as the mighty Studio One catalogue of reggae, producing films/dvds (such as the 3-­hour documentary Mirror To The Soul in conjunction with British Pathé, and Dub Echoes), books (check the forthcoming photography book on the Caribbean 90 Degrees of Shade, with text by Paul Gilroy, and Kanaval) as well as travelling to the region to produce new recordings.

Mr. Confuse returns with a new funky 7" on the afrofunk tip.
'Spinning Around' kicks off with heavy funk drums, afro horn stabs and a driving mean Farfisa organ that really keeps you moving till the end. On the flipside 'Against All Odds' offers a driving bass line, raging brass and clever breaks – a breakdance sure shot! Make sure you check out the music video of 'Spinning Around' and don't miss this release on Confunktion Records as the 7inch vinyl version is limited to a 150 Units. ... Be quick on this one!

"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.

The second installment in the Gravitational Waves series, The Belligerents Vol. 2 puts the label's experimental and always forward-thinking sound on display. This time, label head Dj Nephil and his slew of machines take to Side A, alongside the mysterious System Disorder, and Swordsmith who delivers us a slice of raw, industrial action in the form of Autorobo. Hannibal III makes his return to the label, sharing Side B with some exciting names - Diana Berti - the alias of Violet Poison, and Anna Funk Damage. Gravitational Waves is back with a vengeance.