Hip-Hop Новости

Noah grew up in Hokkaido. Japan's northernmost island, it's an idyllic, snowy place—and a wild, harsh one, too. But it wouldn't be long until, after a stint of living in Aichi Prefecture, found herself living in the tangle of urban centres that is Tokyo. Her production has always been experimental, everchanging, drawing influences from a wide range of styles resulting in a sound that is uniquely her own. Whether it's an R&B feel or the lo-fi magic of vaporwave, her tracks resound with energy and beauty. And, always, her voice weaves like a phantom, emotive, through these exciting soundscapes. Noire is Noah's latest full-length release since 2019's Thirty. Since her debut on FLAU, she has garnered praise from dozens of blogs and media outlets including Dazed & Confused, The Guardian and NYLON, to name just a few, and has worked with producers such as SELA. and kidkanevil.

Directly helping Noah to hone the sound which eventually became 2019's Étoile, her most recent album Noire is a collection of past tracks created between 2015-2020. Through jazz-inflected piano loops and a lo-fi vaporwave sound, alongside carefully considered beats, Noah's latest album showcases the joy of finding freedom in staying up late into the night, and the introspection that comes with it.

This never-before-heard work from Noah is the sound of an artist finding themselves, a maturation. The minimalist tracks—a cocktail of late-night jazz meets Portishead—feature gorgeous space for Noah's crooning vocals to breathe among sprinklings of sampled piano, flute and saxophone. From the emotive line, "The things I've left behind…" on 'Shadow', to the sleepy, far-off sounds of opener 'Twirling', the album showcases a lightness and a sensitivity to self: the joy of night twinned with the inevitable introspection that comes with staying up while the world sleeps.

Die Violinistin, Sängerin, Songwriterin und Produzentin Sudan Archives ist zurück mit ihrem zweiten Album Natural Brown Prom Queen, dem Nachfolger ihres erfolgreichen Debüts Athena.
Mit seinen 18 epischen und ambitionierten Tracks zeigt Natural Brown Prom Queen eine neue Seite von Sudan Archives: Brittney Parks oder Britt, das Mädchen von nebenan. Und erkundet Themen wie Rasse, Weiblichkeit und Familie.

Enthalten auf dem Album sind auch die Singles "Home Maker" und "Selfish Soul".
Erst kürzlich konnte Sudan Archives mit zwei Coverversionen von sich reden machen. Dem Song Heart, erschienen auf Neneh Cherrys Cover-Album The Versions, und Dogtown, zu hören auf Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono (beide 2022).

2LP - schwarzes Standard-Vinyl

DJ-Kicks starts off its 25th year with a selector who’s been doing just that for even longer than we’ve been going. A true giant of the underground dance world, we proudly present the original ‘Jazz Potato’ himself: Mr. Scruff!

The second single from the Nicole Willis album Happiness in Every Style opens up the promised spectrum of joy into new ecstatic states. One In A Million is an unapologetic love song, which while connecting to this most traditional mode in soul music, also makes it correct for the dancefloor. Connoisseur terms such as 'crossover' or 'modern soul' might prove to be accurate here, but a membership in the soul scene is not mandatory to get down.

The main thing is that this up-tempo horn-driven groover, propelled by The Soul Investigators (as the usual suspects), should make things move inside, tickling nerves in scenesters as well as the layman, as their breakthrough hit If This Ain't Love did back in the day.

The world and the music business is different for Nicole Willis and the boys from up north. Nevertheless, One In A Million might be the underground hit that nobody saw coming. Or it just as well might not, but this is no excuse for not making quality music. This and more can be anticipated from the new album, dropping on Timmion Records in autumn 2015.

Repress

‘Bad Neighbor’ is a collaborative studio album by rappers MED and Blu and producer Madlib. Originally released on October 30, 2015, the 13 track LP features guest appearances from the likes of the late MF DOOM, Aloe Blacc, Mayer Hawthorne, Jimetta Rose, Dâm-Funk, and Oh No. The album is undoubtedly an extension of all three artists’ signature sounds, but it simultaneously defies all precedents to reaffirm each individual’s position at the forefront of LA’s legendary hip-hop landscape.

For the first since it’s original release date, the album is set to be rereleased on vinyl in a special edition red and black color-in-color configuration equipped with two new mixes of the focus tracks, “The Strip (feat. Anderson .Paak)” and “Knock Knock (feat. MF DOOM).”

"Bad Neighbor is as if the Ruff Ryders albums were reimagined by this trio and all the avant heads get to party, but it is also worth mentioning that the often slept-on MED and Blu seem to steer this beast as much as the beloved Madlib." -AllMusic

The ground- breaking, unique jazz/R&B/pop group Brian Auger & The Trinity were formed from the ashes of Long John Baldry’s and Brian Auger’s previous group bandThe Steampacket, an R&B Revue collective, which also featured a then barely known Rod Stewart and Julie Driscoll.

Adding the UKs then greatest soul/pop singer Julie Driscoll to this new collective meant that not only did the band have a unique, beautiful voice and face to front the group – Driscoll also embodied everything about the 1960s fashionable It Girl; her sound, her clothes, hair styles and make up assured that nearly as many column inches were dedicated to her stylish demeanour as much as the band’s genre bending music.

The group were the one of the first too to intentionally set out to break down musical barriers – Brian himself specifically stated in the sleeve notes for 1968s ‘Definitely What!’ album that his concept “lies along a straight line drawn between pop and jazz and aims at the ‘fusion’ of both elements”. ‘Fusion’ at that time was not even a recognised musical term, reinforcing Auger’s credentials as an originator and innovator.

“Back then the jazz audiences were purists. They really looked down on rock and pop,” he explains. “I had people cross the road when they saw me coming, I was persona non grata at Ronnie Scotts because of themusic we were doing and the clothes we were wearing”.

Happily – audiences of the time didn’t take the same dismissive approach, Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity toured the US and had exploded onto American TV screens as guests of The Monkees, and also scored hits across Europe's pop charts via the singles ‘This Wheels On Fire’ & ‘Save Me’ – but simultaneously appeared on the UK’s ‘Top Of The Pops’ in the same month as headlining major European Jazz Festivals – a feat no other act has equalled since.

Between 1967 and ’70, Brian Auger experienced a four year run of unprecedented creativity – 1967’s Open with Julie Driscoll, 1968’s Definitely What!, 1969’s Streetnoise again with Driscoll and 1970’s Befour – taking the Hammond Organ in new directions with their thrilling fusion of club R&B, jazz and psychedelic cool, engaging both the underground and the mainstream, and bringing the group chart success in the UK and Europe. “I look back on my years with The Trinity as aperiod of discovery,” Auger concludes. “I didn’t know what would happen or where it would take me but we were breaking down barriers and going someplace new.”


King Britt “The Multi-Genre Maestro, Brian Auger is every producer and DJ’s secret weapon. A hero who deserves his flower now”

DJ Format “I have more Brian Auger records in my collection than any other British artist, which says more about my love of his music than words ever could"


FOR FANS OF:
Jimmy Smith, Aretha Franklin, The Spencer Davis
Group, Nina Simone, Georgie Fame, Traffic. Sly &
The Family Stone, Jimmy McGriff.

Ed Black, better known by his stage name, edbl, is one of the most talented musicians to come out of South London's independent music scene. Despite his lofi soul / hip-hop sound being frequently compared to the likes of Tom Misch and Jordan Rakei, Black's distinct production style brings out the best of each featured artist. The result is a sound quite unlike any other, showcasing the best of South London's incredibly talented and diverse scene, all tied together by Black's incredible production.

The debut self-titled album by singer JoJo. Originally released in 2004 by Da Family Entertainment and Blackground Records, the album features pop and R&B influenced tracks and vocal maturity well beyond typical thirteen year olds. Featuring the explosive single, "Leave (Get Out," the platinum selling album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, and established JoJo as a pop force for years to come.

ATA proudly presents it's first foray into the world of disco with "United Disco Organisation's"Send The Rain/Funky Thing

Conceived by producer/bassist Neil Innes and guitarist/singer Chris Dawkins, United Disco Organisation present two sprawling dancefloor fillers reminiscent of the early underground disco explorations of philly soul and Joe Bataans Salsoul label.

A-side "Send The Rain" features the sinuous flute of label-mate Tony Burkill before Chris Dawkins vocals takes centre stage, while the instrumental features an extended flute solo from Tony.

Dawkin's guitar drives B-Side "Funky Thing" with Vibraphone bringing to mind Roy Ayers ubiquity's mid to late 70s disco tracks on the instrumental.

Scheduled to be played on 27th November by Craig Charles on his flagship BBC6 Music show, these 2 tracks have already garnered a great deal of interest including from DJ/Producer Smoove of Smoove & Turrell.

Beats on Boat vol. 1 is a double LP with 6 nationalities, 8 artists & 16 Tracks pressed on 180g vinyl and limited to 400 copies w/ FloFilz, Made in M, Melodiesinfonie, Juan RIOS, Hazy Year, Lunchbag (aka Theo Spazzatura), illiterate (aka Les Geddit) & iamalex.

The compilation accompanies the YouTube series which can be watched on our website: ear-sight com

All the artists involved have one track on each vinyl, celebrating their musical diversity. The first vinyl will be the sound you know and love of theirs. The second- will be the world premiere for the majority of the Musicians featured- taking a step out of their comfort zone into house, disco or their individual interpretations of those genres.

We set sail last summer to unite some of the best producers we know and came back with hours of dope sets and a 16 track double vinyl containing a lot of firsts - not only for us but also for most artists aboard- the C & D side are full of world premieres!

This vinyl is the blueprint of what’s to come here at ear-sight in the next couple of years, staying true to our lo-fi roots but also reaching out to new horizons and we feel so blessed to have taken this first step with these talented cats.

It's out 1st of July and comes with a 14-page full colour comic illustrated by the legendary Hip Hop artist, Dan Lish (ego Strip). Also including Beats by Japanese beat maker Bugseed as well as Demoh Beatmaker and Keina.

Spin the dope new beats by Bugseed, Demoh Beat maker & MRHD and Keina while you read the story and look at Dan's glorious artwork.

Soopasoul is an enigmatic producer, whose purist approach to jazz, funk and soul music has resonated with DJs, break-dancers, music connoisseurs, critics and casual listeners alike. Since furthering his legacy by creating a hugely successful edits series, Soopasoul returns to one of the biggest cuts from his now legendary Jalapeno debut album Twin Stix - Brand Nu. The 142 mixes are the first versions of this now classic cut that were recorded and have a raw funk grit that became a little more polished for the album release version. Available in full vocal and instrumental versions, these alternative mixes showcase all the reasons why Soopasoul is a mainstay of funk & soul charts worldwide.

Emotional Rescue and Jamwax come together to present the first of three essential 12's from NY/Jamaican label Capo Disco, all officially licensed and remastered for the first time. The brainchild of reggae vocalist, musician, producer and label owner Glen Adams, the label married disco with his Caribbean roots to perfection. TIP! Born and raised in Jamaica, Adams story is a similar one to the performers of the golden period post-Independence. Initially discovered as a vocalist by Coxsone Dodd, he went on to work with such luminaries as Ken Boothe and Stranger Cole before co-founding The Heptones and working Duke Reid, Bunny Lee and Lloyd Charmers.
As a session organist he worked for The Hippy Boys, The Reggae Boys and later with Lee Perry's The Upsetters. Here he came in to the orbit of The Wailors, touring England with them in the early 70s and with Perry co-wrote Mr Brown. When most of The Upsetters became Marley's rhythm section, Adams stayed with Perry before making the move to Brooklyn in 1975.
There he started Capo Records, running it and it's sub-labels, successfully until the mid-80s. During these later years he ventured in to mixing Reggae with Boogie and Disco rhythms and released just four 12's under Capo Disco as well as recording boogie and hip-hop influenced releases with T Ski Valley and as Glen Adams Affair for SAM and Moonglow Records.
Here then the spotlight is on Adam's nascent disco releases and the series starts with the wonderful, uplifting A Beat For You. Actually appearing on a one off sister-label, Top Secret, this is a beautiful 'Lovers' anthem from Adams over a laidback dub-bass riddim. Backed with a simple instrumental Version, the space and interplay of the keys and guitar over drum and bass is superlative. 'There is a beat in my heart, just for you...just for you.'

Extra Soul Perception is a collaboration and community music platform which started life between the UK, Kenya and Uganda, and continues to grow and connect independent musicians worldwide. In November 2019, eight artists from Kenya, Uganda and the UK spent a week in Nairobi together exploring new tangents in soul music, the result was their 2020 debut EP 'New Tangents In Kampala, London & Nairobi Vol. 1'.

The growing collective is made up of Faizal Mostrixx (UG), Hibotep (UG), K15 (UK), Karun (KE), Labdi (KE), Lex Amor (UK), Lynda Dawn (UK) and Maxwell Owen (UK). Now with the with the addition of Itsmdnyt (UG), XL Middleton (US), Xenia Menasseh (KE), Sola (UK) and Azu Tiwaline (TUN), the collective are preparing to release their album 'New Tangents in Kampala, London and Nairobi', released 25th March.

Three years in the making, work started on the album at a writing camp in Nairobi, and was completed remotely over the course of the worldwide lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. The album celebrates the potential of collaboration, both in a physical and digital sense.

Innovators in their own fields, each artist brings unique knowledge and musical culture to the project, collectively they represent a broad spectrum of sound. The album reflects this via an inspiring mixture of beautiful soul, glitchy beats, spoken word and bumping instrumentals. Embracing the same values of the writing camp but through virtual collaborations, seeing 'soul' as much in the spiritual sense as the musical one, expanding the sound into new territories.

Both sides are equally great and definitely deserve to be heard by a new audience in the 21st century.

Brandy, who has won over 100 awards as a recording artist and sold over 40 million records worldwide, ius set to release her first new album in
8 years!

Carlton Jumel Smith is back on Timmion Records, doing what he does best: grooving, testifying and romancing his way into your heart. His last album for the label 1634 Lexington Ave. left many contemporary soul fans in awe – some in tears of joy – and they will be pleased to know that he has something new cooking in 2022.

The first release from an upcoming trilogy of singles, "Devoted To You" packs everything you could want from a mid-tempo jam. A steady tambourine beat rides the mellow Cold Diamond & Mink groove, leaving Carlton all the pockets he needs to fill with his ever-funky but delicate delivery.

Keep tuned this year for a bunch of new soulful tracks from Carlton and Cold Diamond & Mink. They will keep you warm and cozy through any kind of weather!

Adelaide producer & DJ Inkswel introduces his new project ‘The Snaglepuss’ with ‘Chasing Infinity,’ a concept LP with a star-studded guest list that takes us on a stylistic journey from hiphop and g-funk to up tempo broken beat, boogie and house. With guests including Talib Kweli, Amp Fiddler, Steve Spacek and Kylie Auldist the album describes a cosmic quest for a new galactic home, searching for a better place and stopping on every dancefloor on the way.

Inkswel (aka Jules Habib) has spent much of the last two decades in the Northern Hemisphere DJing every party and club from Rhythm Section in London to Output in New York and released music on BBE, Atjazz, Sonar Kollektiv, Tokyo Dawn and Motor City Wine. He’s produced tracks for artists like Pugz

Atoms & Georgia Anne Muldrow and remixed artists including Amp Fiddler and Dez Andrez. On the Snaglepuss material, he’s taken a more collaborative approach and much of this record was co-created with bassist Stephen Lane, Sloth on horns, UK broken beat royalty Kaidi Tatham and Inkswel’s wife and musical partner Erin Buku. Inkswel and the team’s genre bending productions draw influence from P Funk, 80s Pop, Boogie Funk, Classic 90s Hip hop and Contemporary Soul stitching it all together into a seamless multicoloured package.

The album kicks off with a nod to Inkswel’s musical roots, golden era hiphop. ‘Let It Grow’ features the legendary Talib Kweli, supported by Erin Buku and Baba Israel. Next up, staying in the hiphop lane, is ‘Everything’ feat. Dudley Perkins, followed by the spacey stylings of ‘Mystical Magic’ featuring Lee “Scratch” Perry and Elf Tranzporter and ‘Butterflies’ featuring Steve Spacek. From there the album turns up the tempo and the heat with the bouncy rollerdisco jam ‘New Day’ featuring Melbourne legends Kylie Auldist and N’fa Jones and the title track which features UK Soul luminary Oliver Night on vocals. Amp Fiddler jumps on organ and vocal duties on ‘How I Feel’ and Kaidi Tatham steps up on keys for ‘Cosmic Love Affair’ featuring the princely vibe of Erik Rico and contributes again to the instrumental cut ‘Intergalactic Bboy Anthem’. The album is rounded out by remixes from UK legend Mr Scruff, Detroit don DJ Dez Andrez and Adelaide’s Funkwig.

First Word Records is extremely proud to welcome back Children of Zeus with their sophomore album, 'Balance'.

Following the release of their debut album 'Travel Light' in 2018 (which featured in numerous 'Album of the Year' lists), Tyler Daley and Konny Kon spent the next two years extensively touring the UK, Europe, Australia and South Africa.

With shows on ice over the last 12 months, Children of Zeus took the time to mature their sound; 'Balance' is 50 minutes of future-classic British soul music encompassing hip hop, neo-soul, gospel and r&b. Konny's laidback flow once again merges with Tyler's unmistakable buttery vocals across a set of bass-heavy backdrops and smoothed-out keys, taking the blueprint from their debut and evolving it into a deeper, more-refined sound.

As with previous material, the album is largely produced by the duo themselves, though we also see the return of Grammy-winner Beat Butcha, whose previous production credits include Jay Z, Beyonce, Nipsey Hussle, & Griselda (one of Butcha's productions graces first single 'No Love Song'). Title track 'Balance' comes from upcoming producer & Soulection regular, cay caleb and also features the only vocal feature on the album, from rising UK soul talents Akemi Fox and Georgie Sweet.

The Children of Zeus journey began with a mutual love of 90s Manchester pirate radio; consuming hip hop and beats, r&b and street soul, lovers rock and dancehall, garage and bass music. Then followed decades of performing, creating and collaborating in different guises. Over the past few years, the hip hop soul duo have garnered props far and wide; from Jazzie B to Jazzy Jeff. They've done performances for the likes of Soulection and BBC, in addition to hosting their monthly NTS Radio show and collaborating with artists like Black Milk and Goldie.

From travelling light, to travelling nowhere, it's been a time where we've all had to reflect on the lives we lead. This album is about equilibrium; walking the thin line of life and striving to keep your footing firm at all times, ever pushing forward. Balancing the rough with the smooth and the work with the play.

The Children of Zeus sound is now fully grown. It's time to bring 'Balance' into the universe. This is unashamedly big people music to be played out of big speakers. The definitive sound of UK street soul in 2021. The story continues..

This is '70s masterpiece out of Austin, Texas is a Holy Grail of the highest order -- the perfect fusion of classic soul and disco. An original copy never sells for less than 4 figures due to rarity, quality and demand. Coveted by Northern Soul, rare disco, and modern soul DJs equally means demand has always been stratospheric.

Yaya Bey ist eine der spannendsten Storytellerinnen des R&B. Mit einer Kombination aus den Kräften ihrer Vorfahren und denen ihrer eigenen Selbstverwirklichung navigiert die Singer-Songwriterin nahtlos an den Stolpersteinen des Lebens vorbei und direkt hinein in die freudigen Momente der Musik. Beys neues Album, „Remember Your North Star" fängt diese emotionale Achterbahn mit einer Mischung aus Soul, Jazz, Reggae, Afrobeat und Hiphop ein, die die Seele nährt.

Beys Fähigkeit, die emotional kaleidoskopische Natur von Frauen, insbesondere von schwarzen Frauen, anzuzapfen, ist die Essenz des gesamten Albums. Die von der Kritik gefeierte multidisziplinäre Künstlerin und Kunstkuratorin, die mehrere Kunstresidenzen im Brooklyner MoCADA (Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art) absolviert hat, beschäftigt sich mit Themen wie Misogynie, Generationstraumata, sorglose Romantik, elterliche Beziehungen, weibliche Ermächtigung und Selbstliebe. „Remember Your North Star“ setzt Beys persönliche und künstlerische Entwicklung fort, indem sie sich bemüht, ein Resonanzboden für schwarze Frauen überall zu sein. „Ich fühle mich durch die Musik gestärkt, weil ich alles, was mir widerfährt, in etwas Wertvolles verwandeln kann. Musik hilft mir, den Wert dessen zu erkennen, was in meinem Leben passiert.“, erklärt sie. „In der Musik steckt ein Geist. Sie ist eine Kultur, und ich bin Teil dieser Gemeinschaft und trage mit meiner Geschichte dazu bei, dass wir miteinander verbunden bleiben.“

Contained herein on this hallowed slab is a collection of recordings that were exceedingly obscure when first released but gained traction many years later thanks to hip and frugal DJs, producers, curators, and music supervisors.

Many of the gems on this album have been sampled hundreds of times by artists that have sold millions of records because they knew a good hook when they heard one - while a few are yet to be discovered by a wider audience.

We think the lesson learned is that there is an abundance of undiscovered music out there that is just below the radar, but by burrowing deep enough, one will find a wealth of buried treasure. Here's to the many hard working crate diggers that are willing to take the plunge.

Thaba is a collaboration between South African singer/
songwriter Khusi Seremane and American producer/musician
Gabriel Cyr. Tragically in July 2020, while the two were
working with Soundway to prepare the release of their first
record, Seremane died a few days past his 41st birthday, after
battling health issues for several years.
The particular Thaba sound reflects a sonic duality drawing
on a double pop heritage of Mbaqanga and Bubblegum artists
like The Soul Brothers, Paul Ndlovu and Pat Shange alongside
traces of Roxy Music, Grace Jones, Sade, and Talk Talk that’s
wrapped up in a modern, electronic, layered, introspective
and at times jazz-tinged production style.
Brought together by a shared love of kwaito, 90’s R&B and
classic downtempo, Seremane and Cyr collaborated for a
decade after meeting online in the halcyon days of Myspace
Music. While the pair initially planned for Seremane to guest
on a Teleseen track, their ideas eventually evolved into an
entire record. Their debut, Eyes Rest Their Feet, was created
remotely over the course of several years, with the core
recorded during a 2016 studio session in Cape Town.
After returning to New York, Cyr honed these recordings with
several Brooklyn-based musicians, calling upon members
of Antibalas, Underground System, Midnight Magic, Loboko
and others. Eyes Rest Their Feet spans genres as well as
geography, touching on elements of soul, reggae, synth-pop
and beyond, with lyrical themes that explore loneliness and
the challenges of human relationships.
Eyes Rest Their Feet not only represents the apex of
Seremane’s work as an artist but also a meditation on the
transformative power of love and the impermanence of all
things.

Melodies International are glad to be back, starting off 2022 with their new reissue 12” comprising two big big club soul/disco classic versions of “I’ve Got My Second Wind”. Out late March/early April, vinyl only!

Lead singer Al Johnson and Tom Fauntleroy, two US soul & R&B greats who founded their first band at University in Washington D.C. originally wrote and released the song on Johnson’s first solo independent album “Peaceful” in 1978. They’d later go on to rerecord the track for Johnson’s follow up album on major label CBS “Back For More” which introduced the song to a wider audience and is the version featured here on this 12”

Tata Vega, American singer from New York would go on to cover the track that same year. Starting her career in the 60s featuring in musicals and performing with various groups, she got signed to Motown by Berry Gordy on the spot who was in the audience at a concert one of Vega’s groups was performing at. Tata Vega’s version of “I’ve Got My Second Wind”, in duet with soul singer George Curtis Cameron was originally released on her fourth solo album on Motown, “Givin’ All My Love”. Reissued and now available on loud 12” for the first time!

Remastered from the tapes by the great Matt Colton, pressed in Italy at Mother Tongue, comes in printed inner and outer sleeves, out late March / early April, play loud!

Shirley Davis is centered, feet firmly planted and gazing right on into the future. The powerful soul singer takes no prisoners and holds no regrets on her third album, Keep On Keepin' On. As Shirley Davis & The Silverbacks, Davis harnesses the power of soul mothers past as well as her own history to deliver a record that rollicks from soul serenade to rocking ballad, then brings it on home with hard stepping soul.

Keep On Keepin' On embodies the best of the modern soul tradition, while showcasing a unique voice in its growing canon. Conjuring classic soul and funk sounds of the 1960s and '70s, as well as the mighty Sharon Jones – whose last words to Davis provide the album title -- Shirley Davis & The Silverbacks' latest is a highly personal tale of empowerment and self-realization, served up without losing an ounce of grooviness.

An ecletic musical representation of infamous Rotterdam Jazzclub BIRD with well-known and lesser-known Dutch artists from the black music spectrum, varying from Jazz, soul, hip-hop to electronic music. Compiled by BIRD musical curators Philip Powel and Guido van Dieren.

Repress!!

Darius is among those young arti sts who make you realize how much the electronic music scene has entered a new era. Having started off with Roche Musique, and now signed on Animal63, Darius uses his machines like others once played their instrument to express their time and their emotions. His first album 'Utopia' is enti rely electronic, but reminds us of great soul or psychedelic records as much as it does electro music.

This perhaps is due to the fact that the man behind it does not think in terms of genre and technological innovati on, but simply wants to invigorate his generati on despite the darkness of our time. Utopia, with its minimal sound palett e and striking coherence, is an album you listen to in one breath. Vocalists E^ST, Max Jury and Wayne Snow joined Darius for the project, giving the whole project a powerful vocal breath. Without ever following these rules to the lett er, Darius' album is both sober and ample, generous. It fl utt ers along patt erns and moods, and only obeys one rule: that of a musical private diary.

A unique talent with a remarkable voice, the German singer, composer
and lyricist Alma Naidu is an artist such as one rarely fnds, Jazzthing
magazine praised her "delicate, wonderfully clear voice with absolutely perfect intonation".

Renowned drummer and producer Wolfgang Haffner recognised her talent immediately; he discovered Alma for himself in 2019 and featured the Munich native on his album 'Kind of Tango'. "When I heard Alma for the first time at a jam session in early 2019, I was immediately inspired by her musicality and her way of performing on stage," says Haffner. " Alma is a very special talent with a strong
musical voice of her own."

With Alma now comes the promising debut on the Leopard Records label.
Recorded in Bonn during the pandemic (November 2020, March and April 2021) and produced by Haffner with guests Dominic Miller, Nils Landgren, Simon Oslender and others, this debut work of the 25-year old Naidu could just as well bear the title: A Star Is Born.

Vienna 2009; Whizz Vienna, an Austrian musician is nominated for the Amadeus Austrian Music Award in the category 'Album of the year'. Why and how that happened, he is still not sure of to this day. By now, the album in question 'Versager ohne Zukunft', which is produced in collaboration with Kamp, has turned into a classic.

Even though he has released several projects since then, such as the renowned 'Wiener Staub' Beat-LP, it has become quiet around the producer. His studio existence and his musical creation more or less turned into dust.

Darmstadt 2020; during a thorough tidying up of old hard drives a folder labeled 'Whizz Vienna Beatz' experiences a musical renaissance. The dopeness of the material is undeniable to this day and that kind of freshness cannot be just left in the digital wasteland ready to rot.

The search for the missing Whizz Vienna was more challenging than expected due to the fact that he enjoyed his own presence to be buried in the underground. In the end, the hidden asset has been unvcovered, plans have been cultivated and now after a two year waiting time the final product is ready to be launched.

13 long-lost instrumentals, Kamp and Prinz Pi spitting on 2 of them, cuts by DJ Vektor, 1 love for Eva.

All-conquering Dutch superstars Kraak & Smaak have taken the electronic music world by storm, sealing their international pedigree with a slew of sought-after tracks, remixes, and killer collaborations (Parcels, Mayer Hawthorne and many more). Their live show has seen them play every festival and club worth a mention from Glastonbury to Coachella and beyond. Before that, the three guys from Leiden released their debut album 'Boogie Angst', which established them in the spotlight and led to the longstanding support they receive from tastemakers worldwide today. This latest 7" release showcases a couple of gems from the era that started it all.

Third studio album by American singer/songwriter/producer. Originally released on September 30th 2016. In a statement Solange described the album as "a project on identity, empowerment, independence, grief and healing." Features the iconic record 'Cranes In The Sky' which won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance. Exploring prejudice and blackness, the record is thankfully the journal we don't get the time to write, the conversations we don’t get to have and the exclamations we’re too tired to repeat.

The Urban Dance Squad was a Dutch noise-rap group led by rap phenomenon Rudeboy. They got together in 1986 with the original intention of creating a one-time jam-session for a festival in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Eventually, after receiving lyrical reviews, the group decided to continue and became one of the most successful Dutch bands of the Nineties, releasing five studio albums in total.

This essential Urban Dance Squad compilation showcases all of the Urban Dance Squad’s hits and noteworthy tracks from their debut Mental Floss For The Globe right up until 1999’s Artantica. This career spanning 2LP includes “Deeper Shade Of Soul”, “Fast Lane”, “Good Grief”, “Demagogue”, “Temporarily Expendable” and “Happy Go Fucked Up” amongst others.

Singles Collection by the Urban Dance Squad is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on translucent red coloured vinyl and contains printed innersleeves.

Featuring some of his earliest recordings out of Detroit with The Falcons, and very early solo material, this collection shows the legend of soul music when he was just getting started. Though these are early recordings, Pickett's voice is fully formed and some of these tracks are the equals of later hits like 'In The Midnight Hour', and 'Ninety-Nine and a Half'. If you're a fan of American soul music, this collection is absolutely necessary!

Possibly less obscure but definitely deeper. Made up of tracks that were started in Wyoming for Kanye/Sunday Service and then finished in LA and transposed to this project…

Includes 7 tracks exclusive to the vinyl release.

Possibly less obscure but definitely deeper. Made up of tracks that were started in Wyoming for Kanye/Sunday Service and then finished in LA and transposed to this project…

Includes 7 tracks exclusive to the vinyl release.

Trust is a testament to resilience. The past two years have been tough for just about everyone, and while it would have been easy for Catnapp to let feelings of despair soak into her creative process, she refused to succumb to darkness. The Berlin-based Argentinian was determined to make something bright, energetic and uplifting, and nothing—not even a global catastrophe—was going to stop her from rallying people to the dancefloor.

Her new LP is loaded with futuristic pop hooks, yet Trust offers so much more than a simple sugar rush. This a record that defiantly smashes through genre boundaries, hoovering up high-octane bits of hip-hop, R&B, rave and even numetal along the way. Catnapp—an accomplished shapeshifter who’s never been afraid to get weird—is just as comfortable throwing down brash rhymes as she is singing dreamy ballads or unleashing a primal scream, and on Trust, all of those things (and more) frequently happen within the confines of a single song. Call it hyperpop if you must, but pop concentrate might be a more accurate term.

New album by pioneering German beatmaker FloFilz. On Close Distance, the lofiturned-hifi producer blends hip-hop inspired beats with contemporary jazz, alt r&b and a little rap. Featuring Alfa Mist, Blue Lab Beats, Jerome Thomas,

KeepVibesNear, Summers Sons & C.Tappin, Dal & Hunter Rose. Close Distance is his fourth album for Melting Pot Music. Since 2013, the self-taught bedroom producer and classically trained violinist has sold more than 10k LPs and gained 200 million streams.

Close Distance literally means “near in space or time” (or “nah dran”, as we say in German). The 16 songs on Close Distance came to life over the past two years. Many sketches were birthed at FloFilz's old home studio in Aachen. Some songs were made from scratch in London, where Flo did sessions with UK jazz supremos Alfa Mist and Blue Lab Beats at their studios. One was recorded in a kitchen in Streatham, where rap duo Summers Sons and pianist C.Tappin reside.
More sessions were already in planning when lockdown kicked in and travelling was no longer an option. Around the same time, Flo was about to move from Aachen to Berlin which he eventually did in November 2020. Once installed, he started sharing beats and files out of his makeshift studio in Moabit. Beat folders were sent to
London where two of our favourite new alt R&B vocalists – Jerome Thomas and KeepVibesNear – live. Another one went to Dartmoor where the jazz/hip-hop trio Dal added their magic touch while Hunter Rose processed her sultry vocals in Cape Town - 12 flying hours away from Berlin.

The album artwork has been created by Indonesian illustrator Fatchurofi, who caught FloFilz's attention through his work for everybody’s favourite band Khruangbin. Taking influences from Japanese Ukiyo-e art, Fatchurofi is adding a zen-like clarity (and tranquility) that resonates very well with the album.

It is no exaggeration to say that FloFilz has not only created another inspiring album with Close Distance but one that demonstrates how music can close the distance which we all have experienced (and still do) in a beautiful way.