quête:jo di

African Scream Contest 2

A great compilation can open the gate to another world. Who knew that some of the most exciting Afro-funk records of all time were actually made in the small West African country of Benin Once Analog Africa released the first African Scream Contest in 2008, the proof was there for all to hear, gut-busting yelps, lethally well- drilled horn sections and irresistibly insistent rhythms added up to a record that took you into its own space with the same electrifying sureness as any favourite blues or soul or funk or punk sampler you might care to mention.

Ten years on, intrepid crate-digger Samy Ben Redjeb unveils a new treasure- trove of Vodoun-inspired Afrobeat heavy funk crossover greatness. Right from the laceratingly raw guitar fanfare which kicks o Les Sympathics' pile-driving opener, it's clear that African Scream Contest II is going to be every bit as joyous a voyage of discovery as its predecessor. And just as you're trying to get o the canvas after this one-punch knock out, an irresistible Afro-ska romp with a more than subliminal echo of the Batman theme puts you right back there. Ignace De Souza and the Melody Aces' Asaw Fofor" would've been a killer instrumental but once you've factored in the improbably-rich-to-the-point-of-being-Nat-King-Cole-influenced lead vocal, it's a total revelation.

The screaming does not stop there, in fact it's only just beginning. But the

strange thing about African Scream Contest II's celebration of unfettered Beninese creativity is that it would not have been possible without the assistance of a musician who had been trained by the Russian secret services to "search and destroy" enemies of the country's (then) Marxist-Leninist president Mathieu Kerekou.

Already familiar to fans of the first African Scream Contest as a mainstay of ruthlessly disciplined military band Les Volcans de la Capitale, Lokonon André vanished in a cloud of dust at Ben Redjeb's behest with a list of names and some petrol money, only to return a few days later having miraculously tracked down every single name he'd been given. The source of this Afrobeat bounty-hunter's impressive people-finding skills - his training with the KGB - highlights the tension between encroaching authoritarian politics and fearless expressions of personal creative freedom which is the back-story of so much great African music of the 60s and 70s. Happily, in this instance, Lokonon was tracking the artists down to oer them licensing deals, rather than to arrest them.

Where some purveyors of vintage African sounds seem to be strip-mining the

continent's musical heritage with no less rapacious intent than the mining companies and colonial authorities who previously extracted its mineral wealth, Samy Ben Redjeb's determination to track this amazing music to its human sources pays huge karmic dividends.

Like every other Analog Africa release, African Scream Contest II is illuminated by meticulously researched text and eortlessly fashion-forward photography supplied by the artists themselves. Looming large - alongside Lokonon André - in the cast of biopic-worthy characters to emerge from this seductive tropical miasma is visionary space-nerd Bernard Dohounso, who laid the foundations for Benin's vinyl predominance by importing and assembling the turntables that would play the products of his Bond villain-acronymed pressing plant SATEL, a factory that would revolutionise the music industry in the whole region.

The scene documented here couldn't have been born anywhere else but in the Benin Republic , and the prime reason for that is Vodoun. It's one of the world's most complex religions, involving the worship of some 250 divinities, where each divinity has its own specific set of rhythms, and the bands introduced on the African Scream Contest series and other compilations from that country were no less diverse than that army of dierent Gods. At once restless pioneers and masters of the art of modernising their own folklore, the mystic sound of Vodoun was their prime source of inspiration.

One especially irascible Vodoun-adept was Antoine Dougbe, who styled himself The devil's prime minister' while turning ancestral rhythms into satanically alluring modern beats. As Orchestre Poly-Rythmo songwriter Pynasco has observed sagely, Evil is not elsewhere, evil extends into the house'. And African Scream Contest II is a gloriously cinematic road-trip through an undiscovered realm of music lore whose familiarity is every bit as thrilling as its otherness.

Written by Ben Thomson, March 2018

Raga Yaman
1) Alap
2) Jod
3) Jhala
4) Gat (Composition in Chautal)

Zia Mohiuddin Dagar : rudra veena
Manik Munde : pakhawaj
Gayathri Rajapur & Annie Penta : tanpuras

Recorded by unknown at the University of Washington, HUB Auditorium, Seattle, Washington 15 March 1986 , concert co-sponsored by the UW Ethnomusicology Division and Ragamala.
Original digitally processed audio recording made with Panasonic PV-9000 VCR, Sony PCM-F1, PZM mics. Mastered & Cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering 1117 & 0318.

Liner notes by Renaud Brizard, Stephen O'Malley & Ian Christe.
Front and back cover photos by Niranjan B. Benegal, Seattle Center Folklife Festival 1979. Elizabeth Reeke & Annie Penta on tanpuras.
Inner gatefold photography by Niranjan B. Benegal & Ira Landgarten.

Around ten years ago, deep into a cozy and hazy night following a concert with my sound brothers Daniel O'Sullivan and Kristoffer Rygg in London (as Æthenor), they graciously introduced me to a recording of rudra veena (a kind of noble deeper bass relative to the sitar, in a way) as performed by dhrupad master Zia Mohiuddin Dagar.

Dhrupad, for those who do not know, is a branch of Hindustani classical music said to "show the raga in its clearest and purest form". It's pacing concentrates heavily on the slow, contemplative alap section and works with specific microtonal gestures and deep characteristics of resonance ... in short I was hooked on this new (to me) and ancient form of music from the first listen, and feel that a more or less continual listening & reviewing of Zia Mohiuddin Dagar's recordings in the years that followed have influenced my own approach to music quite heavily (if, albeit, indirectly).

In early 2015 I was able to make contact with Zia Mohiuddin Dagar's son Bahauddin and some of his American students/disciples, primarily Jeff Lewis. Over time we developed a friendly and educational exchange, access a massive archive of recordings and developed these two paired titles for my label. It's been a long path to arrive at actually releasing them but also probably in many ways one of the most significant releases I've worked on. And I'm proud to be able to reveal these to date unreleased archival recordings of one of the masters of dhrupad, Z. M. Dagar, to the public for the first time.

Zia Mohiuddin Dagar was the nineteenth generation in a family tradition known as Dagar gharana, a rich lineage which continued and performed the musical form of dhrupad (Bahauddin Dagar continues the lineage as a master rudra veena dhrupad player of note today). Initially, dhrupad was a rigorous, austere, devotional genre that was sung in Hindu temples. But between the 16th and the 18th centuries, it became the preeminent genre in royal courts in North and Central India, and the Dagar gharana developed and continued publicly following the eventual loss of court patronage for dhrupad in the 19th century. The French ethnomusicologist Renaud Brizard covers the story of Zia Mohiuddin Dagar's life and teaching (a long story also in Seattle, my hometown!), the Dagar family and gharana, the rudra veena and more topics in an extensive set of liner notes in this release.

Raga Yaman was recorded at a public concert in Seattle at the HUB Ballroom at the University of Washington in March 1986 (the week after the accompanying release SOMA028 Ragas Abhogi & Vardhani was recorded) at the end of his last tour of the United States. Yaman was a special raga for Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, one of his signature raags. For centuries, Yaman has been considered as one of the most fundamental ragas in Hindustani music and is one of the first ragas which is taught to students. A deep knowledge of Yaman gives a key for understanding many other ragas. It's filled with tranquility, contemplation, pathos and spiritual yearning. .

-Stephen O'Malley, March 2018, Paris, France

FINA Records welcome Jad & The for a new EP that shows off the Australian-born, Berlin-based producer's majestically melodic house sound. A special dub from 6th Borough Project makes this another essential release.

Before now Jad & The has served up tracks of the year ('Strings That Never Win' - Mixmag 2017), fronted four piece live act Mitzi—who played alongside the likes of Nile Rodgers—and also produced as Jad & The Ladyboy, all the while picking up fans like Moxie and Bradley Zero. Sonar Kollektiv and Toy Tonics have put out his charming sounds before and this new one is another joyous offering.

The feel good '2 Getha (4 Eva Mix)' kicks things of with old school drum breaks and loved-up vocals. Big smeared pads, a new age melody and classic bassline line finish it off and carry you away to summery house heaven. 'Twist Club' then drops into lush deep house with a long legged bassline tumbling beneath organic drums. It's a dreamy and romantic cut before 'Disco Hold Down' has live sounding jazz drums, choppy vocals and rough edges that take you to the heart of a vibe-fulled basement party. Delusions Of Grandeur's 6th Borough Project serve up a Dub that's more stripped back and built on a big rubber bassline. Jacking drums and a more rapturous vocal make it a truly steamy jam.

Buy the EP digitally and you get a bonus track, '2 Getha (Neva Mix)' which is another blissed out and rave tinged house cut which oozes pure euphoria. It closes out a brilliantly heartfelt EP of varied and vital house sounds.

The Scar Journey Continues With The 'born Again Ep', A 3-tracker Synonymous With The Duo's Much-loved Sound Accompanied By A Digital Bonus Featuring The Incredible Martyna Baker.

Following Up Their Recent Remix For Artificial Intelligence In Impeccable Fashion, This Is Scar's Fifth Ep For Metalheadz, Not To Mention Their 2016 Long-player, All Of Which Have Solidified Their Position In The Label Family.

Described by Crack Magazine as a 'hypnotic slow-burner' and noted by Ransom Note as one of the most interesting albums to emerge in 2017, not only did Dollkraut's second album 'Holy Ghost People' herald the launch of Jennifer Cardini and Noura Labbani's adventurous new label with fitting mystic gusto... It also gave us a beguiling LP that keeps on giving, exciting and inspiring over a year later. Proof can be found in these three superlative remixes. Subversive Berlin duo OTTO take the lead with a warm, Arabic twist on the album opener 'Bonnie Says' by lifting the groove with a little organ-squeezing spring while maintain its faraway haze and mystique. Accurately hyped Romanian-also-in-Berlin Borusiade follows with an overwhelming floor-ready update on 'Have I Told You'. Already a familiar face with the label, she weaves a chasm-like new-wave narrative that sucks you deep into the mix and galvanises the pundit attention she's getting right now. Finally Mannequin Records founder Alessandro Adriani joins the party with a tunnelling twist on the somnambulant aesthetic of 'Valium'. Flipping the dreams for a much darker 3am reality, it will leave your dancefloor pining for more. Don't worry, there's plenty more to come. Dischi Autunno are only just warming up...

As we enter the Summer months, Excursions welcomes back The Showfa, with A Gospel Excursion Volume Two. Four more dishes of hot spiritual gumbo for your mind, body & soul.

Once again The Showfa has expertly cut together a concoction of gospel, soul, disco, latin, jazz, funk, and spiritual rhythm & blues. The glorious disco rework of a track called 'Amazing' sets the tone with an infectious piano riff and powerfully uplifting vocal. 'Surely Surely' follows, with a more vigorous strut, a short, sweet slice of disco funk, no messing about. 'Praising' keeps the groove and tempo solidly in a delicious eighties boogie formation, slap bass and sax in tow. The set closes out with beautiful latin-jazz tinged vibrations sauntering through 'I'll Show You The Way', before switching to the sweetest sweet soul you ever did hear. Soul food of the highest calibre.

The previous volume was shown love last year by an assortment of selectors and tastemakers, including Tony Humphries, Horse Meat Disco, Gilles Peterson, Craig Charles, BBC 6Music, Mi-Soul, Rinse FM and Mixmag, and also saw The Showfa spinning on the airwaves on NTS with Charlie Bones, and for Wax Poetics.

Another joyously ethereal platter, and another one that will never leave the box.

Hot Off The Back Of The Second Full Length Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra Lp Black Sun, The Orchestra's Prolific Remix Series, Which Has So Far Included Reworks From The Likes Of Theo Parrish, Dj Spinna, Andres And Dego, Rolls On. John Morales' Massive M&m Main Mix Of 'step Into My Life' Ft. Arthur Verocai, Gets A Reissue On This New 12', Alongside A Brand New Remix Of 'the Two Of Us' From Million Dollar Disco Boss Al Kent, Who Highlights The Hypnotic Backing Vocals Of Brazilian Psych-folk Master Mauricio Maestro, For An Emotionally Charged Balearic Anthem, Complete With Heavy Dub Mix.

Plug in and dream .... Lullabies for Robots continues the run of fine EPs on Verdant Recordings exploring the melodic, deeper side of techno. This release a split shared by Vancouver's ESB known for his meandering soulful analogue jams. Verdant Recordings has been lucky to sign two exquisite tracks. 'Subliminal Wave' is R2D2 getting off to an acid groove whilst 'Phayse Distance' holds a more relaxed droid after party vibe. On the other side Mihail P is back for Verdant after his debut appearance on Emerald City. Memory Upgrades features warm bumping percussion underneath a joyful hook. Memory Upgrades is a masterful piece of delicate electronica with references back to Warp's seminal Artificial Intelligence series. Another beautifully presented EP on heavy vinyl and printed sleeve with artwork by Sophie O'Leary: perhaps the best cover of the series to date

For his third album for Far Out Recordings, London based multi-instrumentalist and one of Europe's finest saxophonists Sean Khan ventures to Rio de Janeiro to collaborate with iconic Brazilian polymath Hermeto Pascoal. Taking its title from the escaped slave settlement 'Palmares' in the Northeast of Brazil during the 1600s, Palmares Fantasy is Khan's utopian jazz message for the world, and features Azymuth drummer Ivan 'Mamao' Conti, bassist Paulo Russo, guitarist Jim Mullen, and guest vocals from Brazilian chanteuse Sabrina Malheiros, and Cinematic Orchestra frontwoman Heidi Vogel.

Like Hermeto Pascoal, Sean Khan is a self-taught musician. Never able to afford his original dream of studying at Berklee, and having been turned away from Guildhall School of Music for being 'too raw', he became disillusioned with what he saw as the exclusivity, elitism and dangerous institutionalisation of the jazz world. Yet Sean's love for music and the drive to create never faltered.

Hermeto Pascoal, the man Miles Davis once dubbed the most impressive musician in the world', is a similarly independent artist. A true maverick whose ingenuity and freedom from conventional restraints is so great that he has essentially conceived his own musical language, made him the dream collaboration for Sean.

Aspiring to inclusivity and equality also informs the message in Khan's music. Inspired by the 17th Century settlement of Palmares in Brazil's Alagoas region, which was free from the Portuguese crown's murderous exploitation of South America for a century, Khan notes his fascination with the fact that while majoritively made up of escaped African slaves, many deserter conquistadors also joined the settlement.

Hearing the deep-grooving title track with this history in mind, the listener is transported to a futuristic musical eden, with Mamao's insatiable 10/8 rhythm back-boning Hermeto's wild improvised vocals, rhodes and whistles, while Sean's harmonically brilliant sax and flute add more layers of moody, characterful expression. 'Moment of Collapse' is Sean's poetic study on the uncertainties of modern day western civilisation, delicately presented by the gorgeous vocals of Heidi Vogel and drenched in lugubrious strings and Alice Coltrane-esque harp. The two covers on the album are of Hermeto's own 'Montreux' (on which Hermeto plays solos on a teapot and a pint of water), and an uplifting soulful jazz-funk take on Milton Nascimento & Lo Borges MPB classic 'Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser' featuring the vocals of pioneering nu-bossa voice Sabrina Malheiros.

The recording sessions for the album were part of an intensive and hugely productive eight-week excursion to South America for Far Out boss Joe Davis in the summer of 2016, which also saw the sessions for Azymuth's Fênix and a forthcoming album from Uruguayan fusion legend Hugo Fattoruso.

Fantastic' Gilles Peterson

Loving this!' Opolopo

Thank you!' Sassy J

Proper! Great track.' Colin Dale

this is great!' Yannick Elverfeld (RBMA / Needs Records)

I've enjoyed Sean Khan's earlier releases, but this really seems like he's grown into his fairly considerable talent.' Mark Sampson (Songlines)

His last album was his best so far, but I think this one may be even better.' Laurence Pragnell (Soul Brother Records)

dope!!!' Kyri (R2 Records)

this is great - really cool vibe!' Sam Redmore

wonderful track - can't wait to hear the lp.' Simon Harrison (Basic Soul Radio)

This is very tasty indeed.' Gavin Boyd (Soul Has No Tempo)

Stunning!!!' Mark Milz (Further In Fusion)

Oi Oi' Samuel Lloyd (Balamii Radio)

PRESS / ONLINE

VINYL FACTORY (UK) News (Anton Spice) 09/03/18 online

SOUNDS & COLOURS (UK) News (Gabriel Gahan) 09/03/18 online

THE WIRE (UK) Review confirmed (Joseph Stanard) print

EVENING STANDARD (UK) Review confirmed (Jane Cornwell) print + online

ECHOES MAGAZINE (UK) Review confirmed (Laurence Pragnell) print

LIBERATION (FR) Feature confirmed (Jacques Denis) print + online

MUSIC IS MY SANCTUARY (CA) Premiere confirmed (Mike Jones) online

JAZZ MAGAZINE (FR) Review confirmed (Frederic Goaty) print

SHINDIG! (UK) Review confirmed (Grahame Bent) print

MUSICA MACONDO (UK) Premiere confirmed (Tim Garcia) online

RAWCKUS MAGAZINE (USA) News (Randy Radic) online

KIND OF JAZZ (UK) Review confirmed (Fernando Rose) online

TONART MAGAZINE (DE) Review confirmed (Michael Moehring) print

WORLD MUSIC NETWORK (USA) Review confirmed (Raul Da Gama) online

BADD PRESS BLOG (USA) Review confirmed (Kevin Press) online

ORKESTER JOURNALEN (DK) Review confirmed (Patrik Sandberg) print

LIVE

WORLDWIDE FM (UK) Sean Khan live session confirmed (Gilles Peterson)

RADIO

BBC RADIO 6 (UK) Gilles Peterson - Palmares Fantasy (24/02/18) link

OTHER

BRITISH AIRWAYS On board BA flights (June 2018)

A true funk-soul masterpiece. Sampled by Madlib, Homeboy Sandman, Ghostface Killah, Black Milk, Roc Marciano, 9th Wonder, and more.

Beautiful, golden-era soul written by Leon Sylvers III, produced by Jerry Butler and Keg Johnson.

The Sylvers were a family from Los Angeles who were very successful during the 70's and into the early 80's, with chart hits - deep into pop-disco territory - including 'Boogie Fever', 'Hot Line' and 'High School Dance'. This is the group's second album, from 1973, and is one of their strongest.

Opening with the awesome mid-tempo 'We Can Make It If We Try' the record moves through funk, boogie and deep soul moods, finishing on a hazy, acapella version of The Beatles 'Yesterday'.

Official reissue in replica of original artwork.

The legendary 1972 album from Celia, arranged by Arthur Verocai.

Célia Regina Cruz recorded four self-titled albums for Continental between 1971 and 1977, 'Amor' in 1982 plus several more before she sadly passed away late in 2017. Célia was a Brazilian vocalist who worked frequently with master arranger-composer Arthur Verocai in her early years and many other heavyweights
over the course of her extensive career.

This, her second self-titled LP from 1972, features an all-star line up, including Arthur Verocai, Erasmo Carlos, Roberto Carlos, Marcos Valle, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Nonato Buzar and Vinicius de Moraes, among others.

Célia's version of 'Na Boca do Sol' - taken from this album - is arguably her most well-known and well-loved song. An incredible take on Verocai's original, featuring waling fuzz guitars, strings, piano, horns and drums.

Needless to say clean, original versions of this record now change hands for
silly money.

Official reissue in replica of original gatefold artwork.

180gr Black vinyl, full colour sleeve. Our journey continues with an ep of pure ageless music for the dancing brain, four tracks dusted from the archives of this mysterious artist. Real name Alastair Johnson released only few eps and one album in the mid/late 90s and then almost disappeared, we are more than happy to have the opportunity to highlight this material. The other big great satisfaction is also to be able to involve the historical warp-affiliated duo B12 for a really deep and spacey interpretation. Have a good trip!
More from Art-Aud

Written Largely In New York Between Summer 2016 And Winter 2017, 'god's Favorite Customer' Reflects On The Experience Of Being Caught Between The Vertigo Of Heartbreak And The Manic Throes Of Freedom.

It Reveals A Bitter Sweetness And Directness In Tillman's Songwriting, Without Sacrificing Any Of His Wit Or Taste For The Absurd.

These Are Songs That Demand To Know Either Real Love Or What Comes After And As The Album Progresses, That Entreaty Leads To Discovering The Latter's True Stakes.

LP Format Includes Digital Download Code.

Music Mania and Indica Dubs is proud to present their first joint-release in their Mania Dub series. Produced in 1988 by The Disciples, Almighty Dub is one of the most distinctive instrumental Dubs produced in that era. The Disciples were formed in 1986 by brothers Russ and Lol. They were given the name by Jah Shaka, after producing exclusively for him.

After his debut single "Tell Me That You Love Me" on Timmion's Stylart imprint, Jonny Benavidez is back with a tighten uppish slab of Texas tinged soul. In "Let's Get Together" Jonny pulls out his best dance craze chops and delivers a positive message over the rolling northern soul rhythm track by Cold Diamond & Mink.

It doesn't matter if you get down to soul music in leather soled slicks or sneakers, this 45 should be your ticket to dance floor heaven. With these two tracks under his belt Jonny is set to continue melting hearts and moving feet anywhere you hear him on record or a live performance.

Bar by bar it starts to come clear that Jonny's gentle voice has some of the same emotive depth as legendary cats like Richard Caiton, so it's nice to know that he has fresh material in the pipeline. If you enjoy the crossover soul sounds of classic indie labels such as Ovide or San Antonio's Dynamic, you will undoubtedly get along nicely with this blast of sunshine.

When Acid Jazz founder Eddie Piller asked Martin Freeman ('The Hobbit', 'Sherlock', 'The Office') to do a jazz radio show they could hardly imagine the response. From around the world emails and tweets inundated the show and they swore to themselves that they couldn't leave it there.

Now, two years on, this compilation of their favourite jazz has
arrived. From the rolling hard bop of Lee Morgan and Art Blakey, via screaming soul organ, jazz funk original acid jazz onwards to the post modern spiritual jazz of Kasami Washington, this is an incredible journey.

Released on double CD, digital download and double vinyl with
deluxe gatefold packaging, this is the album that will launch Acid
Jazz's 30th Anniversary celebrations.

Re-mastering by: Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London

This jazz recording is considered as the 'magnum opus' of master "drummer extraordinaire'', composer, arranger, producer, and leader Norman Connor's in a career that has spanned 4 decades. This recording is what many will consider the debut of the legendary vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater who has since gone on to a brilliant career. Connor's put together an all-star group with Herbie Hancock and Onaje Allan Gumbs on piano and Fender Rhodes, Dr. Eddie Henderson on trumpet/flugelhorn, Carlos Garnett on tenor/soprano saxes, Gary Bartz on alto/soprano saxes, Buster Williams on bass, drummer/vocalist Bill Summers and Kenneth Nash on percussion, and effective, crucial cameos by master flautist Hubert Laws. On the song, "Love From the Sun'", Connors added Nathan Rubin on violin and Terry Adams on cello.

The 'best of the best' begins with the exotic theme of Hancock's "Revelation", doubled wordlessly and beautifully by Ms. Bridgewater over Williams bouncing ostinato bass pattern with flights of fancy from Hubert Laws on flute, and superb, luminous solos from Henderson's exotic trumpet, Garnett on soprano, and Hancock on Fender Rhodes. Garnett's "Carlos II" is another great composition with remarkable solos. Connors' own "Drums Around The Worlds'" is influenced by African and latin rhythms with emotional vocals from Summers and a drum-only section that builds in intensity. One of the high points of the album is Dee Dee Bridgewater's awesome, glorious vocalizing on Richard Clay's lovely "Love From The Sun", in one of the greatest performances in her career, arranged by Gumbs. Elmer Gibson's "Kumakucha" (The Sun Has Risen) is a blazing display of uptempo musicianship by Connor's driving drums, the propulsive congas of Summers and Nash, and exciting solos from Bartz, Henderson on trumpet, and Hancock's furious piano solo. The set ends with a marvelous "Holy Waters" composed and arranged by Garnett in a scorching performance by Bridgewater on vocals, Garnett unleashing one of the greatest solos in his storied career, followed by Gumbs' astute solo.

My Highest Recommendation.

By John Braswell

London based artist Ben Vince is best known for his minimal & transcendent saxophone soundscapes. With 'Assimilation' we find Ben treading new ground with his recorded output, moving away from the limitations of solo Saxophone, instead embracing collaboration and communication to forge new paths. Whilst Vince's Sax work still undeniably holds 'Assimilation' together, the new territories explored by working with an artistically diverse range of collaborators allows new life and influence to flow through Ben's work. The album features collaborations with Micachu (Mica Levi), Rupert Clervaux, Merlin Nova, Valentina Magaletti, and Cam Deas. Ben Vince has also recently collaborated on a 12' with Joy O (forthcoming on Hessle Audio).

Recorded in Philadelphia in 1969, The Deirdre Wilson Tabac's sole album is a beautiful blend of funk, jazz and soulful pop. Possessing the complex grooves, thrilling breaks and ethereal weirdness that The Rotary Connection pedalled so brilliantly, the LP failed to connect with audiences upon its original release.

In the decades since, it has deservedly attracted a considerable cult following. However, almost inevitably, it has become increasingly tricky to pick up a copy in good condition for anything less than eye-watering sums. As such, we're delighted to present the first officially licensed vinyl reissue of this undoubted masterpiece of freaky funk-rock, limited to just 500 copies.

The Tabac were, in fact, a trio. Discovered, managed and produced by Svengali Sonny Casella (who'd earlier managed garage band The Magic Mushrooms), they comprised Deirdre Wilson, Stu Freeman (formerly of said Mushrooms) and Barbara Payne (formerly with the James Brown Revue). They were backed by session players including jazz guitarist Chuck Anderson, bassist Hugh McDonald and keyboardist Roy Bittan (who went on to be a long-term Bruce Springsteen sideman).

Their first single coupled two fine Casella compositions, each featuring powerhouse vocal workouts, the supremely funk-fuelled blues beat of "The Other Side Of Life" and the psychedelic-flavoured "Look In My Face" - both of which are featured here. This 7" picked enough up airplay to merit an album, which duly appeared early the following year, but, as is often the way with these lost classics, it received barely any press. Correspondingly, sales where low and the trio didn't last long.

And herein lies the real tragedy. The rest of the LP deserves to be heard from start-to-finish - it's that good. A beguiling mix of funky folk and rocky jazz tracks, with some deep, string-drenched harmony soul ballads and a handful of remarkable covers elegantly presented througout. Indeed, they put some sauntered head-nod funk into The Beatles' "Get Back" whilst tearing through a version of "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay" which gives Otis' original a real run for its money.

But the real standout cut for most - with its soulful, haunting vocals, swinging hammond organ and stabbing horns, is the incredible 6/8 time jazz dancer "I Can't Keep From Cryin' Sometimes." Staggering.

From his Saint Denis apartment, and with the help of his machines, Labelle has laid the foundations of an electronic maloya, modern and deeply rooted in its home territory: La Réunion. On 'univers-île' his latest album released in September 2017, the sound of the Creole Reunionese language played a key role. On 'Post-Maloya", Labelle release a fascinating EP of introspective trance music. Post-Maloya EP is characterized by vivid dream-like journey through which traces a path of exploration. Here you will find the maloya stamp, which is Reunionese traditional music, both in the rhythms and the instruments used, like the valiha. This traditional tubular harp from Madagascar is played by Vola on the track 'Jaojoby'. Vola was taught by Rajery himself, who is widely considered as master of this instrument. This track is an homage to Jaojoby, king of Salegy, a popular musician in Madagascar. The hypnotic sounds evoke distant dimensions and resonate like shamanic incantations whose aim is to gently lead us towards the trance. As the title suggests - 'Post-maloya' is the exploration of new musical processes mixed with the use of traditional maloya instrumentation. This is an appropriate name for this new opus, which is more electronic and percussive; carving an experimental path between electronic and traditional music. In parallel with the creation this EP, the Regional Conservatory of Réunion Island has given free reign to Labelle to create a series of live performances which he played all around the island last month, including an original creation linked to his expression of 'Post-maloya' supported by an ensemble of eleven musicians from Réunion Island's regional orchestra.

The Saqqara Ep Is A Multilayered, Sonic Canvas From The Mind Of Chris Barratt, As He Launches His New Alias, Baratt, For Life And Death. Fine Brushstrokes Move From All Areas Of His Musical Hideout, Spreading Over Five, Varied, Aural Sculptures, Each One Warping And Weaving On Its Own Cosmic Trajectory. Pooling From Key Aspects Of His Eagles & Butterflies Project, Barratt Induces New Musical Shades, Hinting At Moments Of Disco And Funk, Through A Lens Of Psychedelia. The Title Track Is A Late-night Floor-filler - A Bold Yet Uniquely Personal Necropolis Built From Riveting Delays And Arpeggiators. Time Bending Sees Dj Tennis Join In, Stepping Up With His Trademark, Rough Around The Edges Production Aesthetic, En Route To Unknown Destinations. Barratt Hones-in On A Confident, Stripped-down Style On Khaos - Rhythm Versus Melody - Just In Time For Festival Season. 1983 Soundtracks A Ride To Utopia On A Rocket-fueled Vespa, Leading To Collider, The Land Of Un-quantised Madness, Where The Most Treasured Of Synthesisers Live Amongst Their Drum Machine Counterparts. Flowing Yet Incredibly Interconnected, Saqqara Is Best Interpreted As A Mini Artist Album - The First Of Many Barratt Offerings.

Bombay Springrolls contains three tracks which all have their own strengths. The A side is a wide 45 rpm print of Thee J Johanz's uplifting and pretty cosmic 'Intergalactic Rabbits remix' of the original 'Still Fukkin' With It' on side B, a catchy slomo disco track by Jim Lok. Here you also find Thee J Johanz's Bombay Springrolls, which just happened on an afterparty in a studio in Bombay (energized by the best spring rolls around). With pre-production on the spot by Bombay's underground house and techno producers Abhi Meer (modular synth), Spacejams (Tr707) and Chhabb (bassmachine). A digestive and spicy disc with a variety of flavors. Masala!

Italian club staple and producer Kaiser turns to MOC for his Debris EP, showcasing three agile Techno slices and a remix from Exploration Records chief Johannes Volk.

'Parachute' opens up the release in a spellbinding, energy-heavy manner, with its whirlwind groove and lead taking no prisoners. Next up is 'Debris', showing off an equally energetic prowess channeling zig zagging synths and a more melodic, yet still heavy strung bassline. 'Esplosione Di Colori', translated as 'color explosion' aptly translates into sound what is usually only possible for a paint canvas. A lighthearted, arpegio-ridden track in original, Johannes Volk works his magic, turning it into a versatile piece of raw, dubby Techno.

Cause we love Vinyl..... Here is the first Vinyl from the Label JACKFRUIT RECORDINGS, a new label founded in 2017. Label Owner is the Berlin based Artist, DOMPE, known for good arranged House Sounds. He releases a lot, a real creative mind. Four handmade tracks can be found on the Vinyl. THE JOKER: Do you need a Joker Deep and warm Techhouse-Bassline So who is you favourite Buffoon now Risky grinning attitudes sounds you have to hear loud. After that bomb it's time for an new experience: It's time to Boogie. 1,2,3,4 what are you waiting for Move your Body to the Groove. CRY: snappy sounds, a necessary amount of percussions and a beat that makes you teeter along. FREE BIRD: Here are some very new House Beats for you! It is really time for some spring feelings, so the sounds go fresher! And it feels like hearing the bird singing, sitting in the sun meanwhile. Real Groove comes through your Speakers - turn is loud! Percussions make you hooo. So shake your body once again and dance until the spring is coming. JACK BROWN: Hey Sweetheart you are such a hot fruity! Another brilliant cooperation between AGENT! and DOMPE and as it is common: never change a winning team! These both guys living in Berlin are not only Friends; they got a perfect match with their sounds and ideas. Soundaholics with playful whims in their heads. There is a rumour that JACK BROWN gives his Name to JACK FRUIT. Not really just kidding. JACK BROWN makes you dance, drags u to the middle of the floor. Charming Bassline, Vocal and a direct urge for snipping your fingers.

Transit Valley is the debut release by Joe Coghill, a multi-disciplinary artist, musician and experimental publisher based in Edinburgh. His practice incorporates sound, video, performance, social sculpture, facilitation and media distribution. Borrowing from multiple spheres of influence, his scattered output operates from a liminal position. Coghill works in an improvised and often haphazard way, incorporating disparate field recordings, modular synthesis and other sonic ambiences to create unpredictable and ephemeral multi-layer audio-visual performances. Alongside this Coghill has been producing music recreationally in his various bedroom studios over the past 14 years.

Repress

We are extremely happy to welcome yet another talented crew from Italy in the Moonshine family. D-Operation Drop is a project born in 2010 thanks to the encounter of 5 university students wich found themselves sharing the same house and more importantly, love for music (In 2013 Zeemo joins the Crew, modifying the formation from 5 to 6 elements). After a couple of early collaborations, almost casual, Uniradio Cesena gives to D-Operation Drop the chance to lay the foundations of an underground music program on air twice a week. Thanks to this experience the group officially finds its frame and looks forward to its new goals such as producing, dj'ing and vj'ing. To date D-Operation Drop, after almost seven years of experience, has received support from Artists like J:Kenzo, Distance, N-Type, Icicle, Radikal Guru & many others. Releasing music with notable labels such as Lion Charge, Artikal Music UK, Subaltern and now Moonshine Recordings.

180g

Hybris Is A State Of Dissoluteness, Of Loss Of Control, Of Greed And Of Lustfulness. Following That Motto, Wice Takes His Listeners On A Journey Through A Hybristic Process On His Second Steinlach Ep, Which Chooses An Enchanting And Euphemistic Entrance Into Hybris With Absent (no Aggression). Gentle Pads Create A Peaceful And Dreamy World That Is Turned Into A Fascinating Landscape Of Sound By Trippy Drums And Dopey Synths And So Pushes Wide Open The Gate To Hybris. The Threateningly Booming Hb11 Then Finally Enters The State Of Hybris: Synths And Drums Pump Adrenaline In Heads And Bodies, Dancing Turns Into Greed, The Complete Lack Of Control Sets In. That Lack Of Control Riots Towards Its Peak With The Eponymous Hybris, Which Tears The Listener In Technoid And Gritty Manner Into The Abyss Of Hybris And Holds Him Captive Down There. Hybris Is Followed By Nemesis, The Divine Punishment Ending In Death: Wice Interprets This Transition Towards Nemesis With Hertz, A Playful And Breaky Good-night Kiss, Which Feels Pretty Damn Good And Resonates Bittersweetly.

With the Split EP, the fourth release of their own label Rapid Eye Movement, Memorial Home and VII Circle head the way with two original cuts both and sign another stunning dark and hypnotic techno odyssey with a strong emotional pattern.

The opening track 'Metaphysical Functions', starting with a slow building atmospheric overture, encompasses much of what the VII Circle's sophisticated sound is about. A combination of compelling and dark pulsing kick drums with deep and melodic synth lines and dramatic ethereal breakdowns.

'Dogma' is stamped by a strait cavernous and rugged beat, powerful and catchy basses as well as propelled by uplifting and immersive melodic motifs that have a fierce cosmic appeal.

Following the path, Memorial Home delivers with 'Second Floor' an intense ambient-driven piece, harnessing haunting and misty cinematic textures with a tension-building repetitive bassline which provides a rising magnetic and powerful effect.

Closing the journey or rather keeping the flame high and firm till the deep end, 'Ampere' evinces a more pin-sharp and frantic percussive techno approach overlaid with highly suggestive atmospheric swirling synth effects.

Four captivating weapons which display an aesthetic quest focused and driven both by dancefloor-orientated climax and underground-rooted emotive escapism.

* The second in Joker's trio of special releases to commemorate 10 years of his Kapsize label is to release this coming May.
* Over the past decade, Kapsize has put out some of Joker's most defining work, including the iconic 'Purple City' (produced with Ginz) — a track widely recognised as ground zero for Joker's purple dubstep aesthetic — and 2015 album, 'The Mainframe', as well as early records from Asa & Sorrow and L-Wiz.
* To be released both on special edition vinyl, A-side 'Marching Orders' features legendary grime MC and producer, Footsie, who goes hard over Joker's monstrous instrumental — think relentless, hyper-distorted club hydraulics — even acknowledging him on the hook; 'Oi Joker this beat's sick, crazy'.

* On the flip, B-side 'Polka Dot' is equally as tough, despite the dizzying melodies and gentle tones of the track's opening throws, landing as a crunching melee of textbook Joker sounds.

Re-mastering by: Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London

For a label that wasn't around long, Strata East achieved the same sort of label recognition that Impulse! or Blue Note managed to build. In other words, you knew what you were getting when you bought a record on the label, even if you didn't know the names on the outside of the cover.

"Don't Look Back" is an album led by American saxophonist Harold Vick recorded in 1974 and released in the wake of Harold Vick's recovery from a heart attack, which may partially explain the passion with which he approaches his playing throughout.

One of the best-ever Strata East sessions! The album's a masterfully conceived session by reed player Harold Vick - best known to the world as the funky tenorist from albums by John Patton and Jack McDuff in the 60s, but emerging here as an incredibly sensitive soul jazz player, capable of turning out some incredibly sophisticated and emotional compositions. Vick produced and wrote all the material on the album. A treasure all the way through. (Dusty Groove, Inc.)

"It was the most beautiful summer of my life."

Memories — places, vacancies, allusions — are fundamental characters in Mary Lattimore's evocative craft. Inside her music, wordless narratives, indenite travelogues, and braided events skew into something enchantingly new. The Los Angeles-based harpist recorded her breakout 2016 album, At The Dam, during stops along a road trip across America, letting the serene landscapes of Joshua Tree and Marfa, Texas color her compositions. In 2017, she presented Collected Pieces, a tape compiling sounds from her past life in Philadelphia: odes to the east coast, burning motels, and beach town convenience stores. In 2018, from a restorative station — a redwood barn, nestled in the hills above San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge — emanates Hundreds of Days, her second full-length LP with Ghostly International. The record sojourns between silences and speech, between microcosmic daily scenes and macrocosmic universal understandings, between being alien in promising new places and feeling torn from old native havens. It's an expansive new chapter in Lattimore's story, and an expression of mystied gratitude. A study in how ordinary components helix together to create an extraordinary world.

Awarded a residency at the Headlands Center for the Arts, Lattimore spent two summer months living with 15 fellow artists — writers, playwrights, musicians, poets, painters, activists, curators — in a cluster of old Victorian military buildings on the Northern Pacic Coast. Days offered solitude, Lattimore set up in a spacious barn, able to arrange her instruments at will. Nights welcomed new perspectives. "Hanging out with a lot of accomplished artists with poetic ways of looking at the world was really inspiring. My heart was in a bit of a tangle after leaving Philadelphia. I was holding onto things instead of moving forward. My time there was a nostalgia detox, a way to press reset in a healthy way. Also breathing in the freshest air in America, straight off of the ocean, felt good."

Throughout the shifting locales there is one consistent companion Lattimore engages: a 47-string Lyon and Healy harp. The instrument wires directly into her psyche. Pitchfork's Marc Masters posits, "she can practically talk through it at this point, she's created a language." The space and stillness of the Headlands afforded Lattimore freedom to her expand her vocabulary, to stretch out and experiment with layers of keyboard, guitar, theremin, and grand piano. Lattimore's voice sweeps beneath the plucks and washes of opener It Feels Like Floating,' enraptured by the winding current, and reappearing in the second minute of the immense "Never Saw Him Again." The track elevates towards a shimmering apex of static and percussion before organ drone yields to signature halcyon utters. As with much of Lattimore's work, the track titles are telling, "Baltic Birch" is a somber windswept march that sways gracefully out of step, a remembrance of a recent trip to Latvia where she was struck by the abandoned resort towns along the Baltic Sea. Hello From The Edge of The Earth' is an earnest reection of Lattimore's love of the natural world, recognizing the thresholds of varying terrains.

The album's fth track borrows its name from Lattimore's favorite line in Denis Johnson's short story Emergency' from Jesus' Son. A character, lost in a blizzard, reassesses a disjointed universe, a clash between curtains of snow and angels descending out of a brilliant blue summer: it isn't an apocalypse, it is a drive-in movie, with stars hovering above the lot, off the screen, in the throes of the Midwestern storm. This mix-up is disorienting and existentially tragic, Lattimore's darkly strummed piece is a melancholic parallel, mimicking Johnson's elegant suture attaching two remarkably discontinuous spaces.

Micro-revelations, not quite as bright as torn skies but nonetheless enlightening, were everyday occurrences during Lattimore's residency. Living small days with small tasks — feeling little dramas within the arcadian universe of a national park — rendered her the sense that disjointed spaces can be interconnected no matter the enormity that divides them. It's in this elastic scale of perception that something as simultaneously simple and intricate as Hundreds of Days can ourish.

- Second solo album for Ghostly, past releases on Thrill Jockey
- Recently toured w/ Sharon Van Etten, Jarvis Cocker, Kurt Vile, Steve Gunn, Julia Holter, Iceage
- Mary Lattimore has been featured on Pitchfork, NPR, The Wire Magazine, and more

On The 50th Anniversary Of The Band's Inception At An Event In Harlem, Ny To Commemorate Malcolm X's Birthday On 19 May 1968, Influential Spoken Word Artists, Poets And Commentators The Last Poets Are Set To Make A Glorious And Relevant Return With Their First Album In Over 20 Years, 'understand What Black Is'.

Produced By Ben Lamdin (nostaglia 77) And Brighton Legend Prince Fatty, Whose Speciality Is Traditional Reggae And Dub Production's, 'understand What Black Is' Is A Ten-track Album Which Speaks Of A Revolutionary Struggle Defined By Both Race And Identity, That Has Never Sounded More Relevant. Released On Studio Rockers, There Will Also Be An Accompanying Single Featuring Remixes Of The Title Track "understand What Black Is" By Mala (south London Collective Digital Mystikz) And Uk Dance Music Innovators Dego And Kaidi.

Since The Initial Line-up Of Dahveed Nelson, Gylan Kain And Felipe Luciano Formed In East Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park, The Last Poets Have Produced Under Various Guises Over The Subsequent Years. However, It Was Their Seminal Output, Namely 1970's 'the Last Poets' Under Both Umar Bin Hassan And Abiodun Oyewole That Secured Their Legacy, Becoming One Of The Most Important Influences In Early Hip Hop.

Throughout The Last 20 Years, The Band Have Remained Largely On Hiatus. But Their Influence Could Still Be Felt With Their Tracks Being Sampled By The Notorious B.i.g, Nwa, A Tribe Called Quest, Dr.dre And Snoop Dogg. Umar Has Recorded Various Solo Albums And Featured On Common And Kanye West's Grammy Nominated 'the Corner'. Abiodun Appeared On The Red Hot Organization's Album, Stolen Moments Which Was Named "album Of The Year" By Time. He Also Conducts Weekly Open House Poetry Readings, Where He Constructively Critiques Upcoming Poets, Helping To Nurture Them. He Has Also Conducted Classes At Columbia University, Where He Teaches Creative Writing.

The Inauguration Of Donald Trump As Us President In 2016 Inspired Hassan And Oyewole To Resurrect The Group To Create A Brand New Record, Modern And Edgy, And Deeply Relevant And Reflective Of Our Times.

Tracks On 'understand What Black Is' Include 'how Many Bullets', Which Bridles With Defiance As Oyewole Works Through A Litany Of Injustices Suffered By Black People In The Us: " You've Tried

To Blow My Brains Out With Bigotry, Chopped Off My Wings, So I Couldn't Fly Free, And Dared Me To Be Me, Took My Drum, Broke My Hands, Yanked My Roots Right Up Out Of The Land, And Riddled My Soul With Jesus" 'what I Want To See' Describes A Utopia - A Refuge From Hurt And Those Who'd Make "our Vision Blurred, And Our Faith Obscure", Whilst The Title Track 'understand What Black Is' Aims To Transcend Ethnicity: "understand What Black Is....it's The Source From Which All Things Come...black Is A Hero, Not A Villain."

The Album Even Takes Reference From Prince's 2003 Album Of Instrumentals, 'news', Which Hassan Drew Comparisons From With His Own Childhood Experiences: "that Poem Took Me About A Year To Write....i Just Kept Writing And Writing But Not Getting Too Far And Then I Heard That Album And The Musicianship Was Amazing. I Was Left Wondering If It Was Jazz, Classical, Rock Or Maybe Something New But All Those Images That I Write About Came To Me From Listening To That Album. I Loved Prince In That Movie Purple Rain Because My Father Was A Talented Musician But He Was Into Brutalising Mama At Times And In The Movie There's A Jerome And My Name Is Jerome, So It Was Like He Was Telling My Life Story As Well."

The Album Acts As A Body Of Work Between Individual Members Each Speaking Of Their Own Personal Journeys, But Feeding Into The Much Larger Narrative Of Struggle And Oppression, Alongside A Fervent Hunger For Social Change. These Are Struggles And Tests Of Personal Resolve That Have Directly Shaped And Moulded The Bands' Unique Sound Over The Course Of An Impressive 50 Years, And Their Powerful And Influential Commentary Remains As Relevant As Ever.

Grammy-nominated Ostinato Records presents "Abu Obaida Hassan & His Tambour: The Shaigiya Sound of Sudan" in a gatefold LP packaging with vintage photos and authentic Sudanese designs.
A complex blend of Arab melodies, Nubian rhythms, and signature Sudanese call and response by a legend of Shaigiya music from nothern Sudan.

Abu Obaida Hassan and the wonders of his five-string tambour remained largely a mystery. In the early 2000's, a prominent Sudanese newspaper declared him dead. Internet forums confirmed his passing. Many in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, said he had indeed died.
But rumors that he was still alive persisted.

What was always certain is Abu Obaida Hassan's mercurial talent.
His command of a modified tambour, backed by a chorus and two drummers, unleashed swirling melodies alongside complex Nubian rhythms and hypnotic Sudanese call and response. His bands roster constantly changed, but he remained at the helm, playing for sold out shows in cities across the country and capturing the dancefloors and youth of 1970's and 80's Sudan. This is a rich, raw example of the human experience with sound from northern Sudan, an ancient part of the world, and the birthplace of civilization. Music like this isn't mastered overnight.

The Ostinato team first came across Abu Obaida's recordings in 2011, finding scratchy bits and pieces along the years. We traveled to Sudan in 2016 to find the clues to piece together the Abu Obaida Hassan puzzle. Through some extensive detective work with our man in Khartoum, Ahmed Asysouti, and a generous dose of good fortune, we tracked Abu Obaida to the rural outskirts of Omdurman, the old capital just across the White Nile from Khartoum. Age has taken its toll, but he remains full of life and music, ready to jointly curate a selection of his eight best cuts. He has written over 100 songs, only 30 were recorded.

Abu Obaida comes from the Shaigiya people, whose culture is spread around the ancient city of Merowe, home of traditional Nubian culture, where pyramids older than those in Egypt still stand. They trace their entire lineage to one man, Shaig, who migrated from the Arabian peninsula in the 15th century. An endlessly rhythmic syncretism between Arab and Nubian styles, Abu Obaida's Shaigiya music was an in demand party affair in an era when a vibrant nightlife and roving sound systems were a staple of life in Sudan.

It was music for a modern era, and Abu Obaida, at just 19, rebelliously abandoned traditional Shaigiya music traditions, pioneering a new sound by adding an extra string to his tambour and electrifying an instrument adored across East Africa. The result was complexity in simplicity and a hyper-talented artist who mirrors the story of Sudan's highs and lows, from the leading tambour maestro of the hour to such obscurity on the fringes that he was believed dead. "They killed me!", he likes to joke.

Abu Obaida Hassan, his music and the musical traditions of the Shaigiya remain alive and kicking. A culmination of a 7-year journey — from first hearing Abu Obaida's distinct sound, found only in Sudan, to finding the man — has produced the first global release of Shaigiya music and is just the beginning of Ostinato's immersion into Sudan, with a full compilation of the lavish musical history of one the most diverse countries in Africa due later this year. All brought to you by the Grammy-nominated team behind last year's "Sweet As Broken Dates."

Everyone loves "Why Can't We Live Together" by Timmy Thomas: how could one resist such a strong music vibe coming with a message more relevant today than ever! It has been covered by the most creative artists more than a few times...

Recorded in Paris and Kingston, the Soul Sugar crew & Leonardo Carmichael make it their own with a sultry reggae groove. Jahno on drums and syndrums, Thomas Naim on guitar, and Guillaume "Gee" Metenier on keyboards and production duties, are delivering the classic hit in all its majesty, in the superior categories of both extended Discomix, and Dub version under the spell of Dubmaster extraordinaire Dennis Bovell!

What to say about the breathtaking interpretation of Leonardo Carmichael Growing up in Jamaica, Leonardo learnt many a song from his father Glendon Joseph McFarlane, who would sing to his mother Geraldine, who sang in a choir. Leonardo grew up as a drummer and a singer in churches. Through a mutual friend, he met Nastassja Hammond, daughter of Beres Hammond, with whom he started writing and releasing music for various artists including Courtney John and Kreesha Turner. Leonardo has a wide appreciation for diverse genres but keep an International Reggae and Dancehall feel at the core of his music. It can be said Leonardo has faith & soul to the bone...

Since the early aughts, Alan Abrahams aka Portable has been producing records for labels like Perlon, Live At Robert Johnson, K7, and Süd Electronic. With his new band project 'RANGEr', the releases as Bodycode and Portable and his very own label Khoikhoi to be launched this summer, the South Africa born Alan Abrahams is an artist in-between genres. 'A Life Without Notifications' is now here, marking his first release for Dial records.

Division of Laura Lee are a musical tornado from Gothenburg, Sweden. In 2003, Lovitt and Division of Laura Lee teamed up to release the compilation album 97-99, which compiled early singles and hard to find tunes. Now, twenty years later, it's time to do it again. This will be the band's first release since 2013's full-length, Tree.
'Year 2018. To be fair, we haven't made an awful lot of noise lately. Our last album went by quite unnoticed, and some folks even thought we'd closed shop. To straighten things out we decided to record some new sounds.
The first tune revealed is called Hollow Pricks. A song about staying true to your beliefs. Written in the same fashion as usual, just like we have been doing it for twenty fast years. We are also thrilled that it is released in the US by Lovitt, based in Washington, D.C., our home away from home. The world needs a new haircut. This just might be the first song from our new album.'
-- Jonas Gustafsson
Per Sta°lberg - Guitar,Vocals Jonas Gustafsson - Bass,Vocals Viktor Lager - Guitar ha°kan Johansson - Drums

Since its launch in 2013, Bright Sounds has established itself as a label bridging the gap between the dancefloor and more experimental sounds, releasing EPs by the likes of Shlomo, Tilliander, Burnt Friedman or more recently Conforce.
On its eleventh release, the label welcomes Ben Thomas aka BNJMN with 'Final Network EP', the UK producer based in Berlin and releasing on Tresor, Delsin, Counterchange or more recently on his newly founded imprint: Tiercel.

The EP opens up with 'Reticuli', an ambient techno journey into a forest of otherworldly sounds. 'Neurocity' comes next with its rattling sounds met by disorienting and spooky melodies. On the B-Side 'Cloaked' starts off with bare kick and congos before waves of drones add textures producing an eerie atmosphere. The title track closes this EP, slowly building to create an ecstatic floating mood, leaving you longing for more as it gently fades away.

Pattern Repeat ready the next release on their self-titled label with two solid cuts of techno this May.

The project which was started back in 2009 by the two Danish producers, Dennis Bøg better known as Resoe, owner of Baum Records and its off shoot Baum Limited Picture Edition, and Kenneth Christiansen owner of Echocord Records. Each of their releases move into different realms of Techno,and have gained support from the upper echelons of dance music, from the likes of Rodhad, Levon Vincent, and Dario Zenker.

A crawling filtered synth opens '009A', murky kick drums and syncopated high-hats join it, to create a long winding warehouse melody, these are then exchanged for the hazy sounds of white noise of '009B' packed with cold eerie drones, that are met by charged hums that fizz away and bring the release to a close.

As with his previous release "Planted Seeds" on Inner Shift Music, Gene Hunt yet again delivers with the "Distant Lands" EP. Kayla Dream is aptly named as you are taken into a long atmospheric dream with a hard energetic Gene Hunt Chicago edge. Distant Voyage takes this journey into a more dynamic direction with even more energy and subtle unexpected twists. Last but certainly not least we have Open Up Your Eyes with contrasting abstract elements that you would never dream would work except, with Gene Hunt it does. As always he's ahead of curve with this three track EP being a prime example of his own unique underground style of dance music.