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«The Truth» gilt weithin als einer der am meisten unterschätzten verborgenen Juwelen von Prince. Das Album wurde ursprünglich als Begleitung zum Triple-Album «Crystal Ball» aus dem Jahr 1998 veröffentlicht, mit dem Prince zum ersten Mal ein Album völlig unabhängig herausbrachte. «The Truth» war auch das erste Prince-Album, das als "akustisch" bezeichnet wurde, obwohl es elektronische Instrumente und Elemente enthält, und es gab den Hörern eine noch nie dagewesene Möglichkeit, sein Songwriting und seine Stimme in einer reduzierten Form zu hören. Erhältlich auf schwarzem Vinyl als Einzel-LP

New Robohands LP showcases the brilliant producer and multi-instrumentalist through his most thought out and compelling songwriting, yet.

Andy Baxter AKA Robohands displays a new level of sureness with an album that makes you never want to leave its world. The collection of tunes touches on the full range of emotions, at times it’s bold and upbeat and other times it feels somber and heartbroken. It’s tied together with a throughline that keeps you wondering where the trip is heading next.

It builds anticipation through patience and layers that show themselves over time, but its choices are direct and seem to know where they are going, while maintaining and presenting an adventurous spirit.

The multi-instrumentalist not only brought in new tones and textures for this record but there are also stand-out vocal performances on 2 of the tracks by singer, Aleh. Showing his ability to arrange with new elements at play.

With the album Loving Life, Sofiane Pamart and Dabeull offer us a cinematic project that can be listened to endlessly. It features Holybrune, Ichon and Kunta.

This beloved record of the 2010s soul revival era (which Pitchfork gave a 7.8!) is back in stock and on colour vinyl - for the very first time! in All The Hits All The Time Gold.

Light in the Attic’s Pacific Breeze series has supplied the world’s growing legions of Japanese music fans with an expertly curated selection of the most sought-after City Pop recordings—the mesmerizing and nebulous genre of Japanese bubble-era music of the ‘70s-’80s that encompasses AOR, R&B, jazz fusion, funk, boogie and disco. These familiar sounds are spun through the unique lens of optimistic, cosmopolitan fantasy colored by Japan’s affluence at the time. Much of the music has previously been nearly impossible to acquire outside of Japan and continues to captivate listeners with its unique blend of groove-laden escapism, even birthing wholly new genres such as Vaporwave.

Pacific Breeze 3: Japanese City Pop, AOR & Boogie 1975-1987 marks the latest chapter in the famed series and features holy grails plus under-the-radar rarities. The collection bursts at the seams to reveal some of the greatest Japanese tracks ever laid to tape, pushing towards the edge of City Pop to reveal glimmers of the next waves of styles to spring forth from the country’s creative minds. The appearance of Pizzicato Five hint at the emergence of Shibuya-kei while the influence of hip hop and electro as an emerging global trend are also evident here through the prevalence of heavier programmed drum beats on tracks such as “Heartbeat” by Miho Fujiwara.

This volume of Pacific Breeze, like its predecessors, is a female-forward offering with many tracks being voiced by women who would become household names in Japan as actresses and pop idols. Their songs here subvert the norm and brim with an innovative spirit that shatters gender roles in favor of sonic transcendence. Techno-pop classics from Susan, Miharu Koshi and Chiemi Manabe sit alongside sublime funk from Atsuko Nina and Naomi Akimoto while Teresa Noda slides into the mix with a sultry reggae jam. The genre span is stretched wider with hypnotic jazz fusion by Parachute and Hiroyuki Namba, a synthesizer fantasy from Osamu Shoji, and magnetic pop by Makoto Matsushita and Chu Kosaka.

Although not front and center, the visionary members of Yellow Magic Orchestra are still very present on Pacific Breeze 3, with Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Yukihiro Takahashi taking up producer and musician roles on many of these tracks. Pacific Breeze 3 serves up a captivating musical journey that adds an essential chapter to the iconic compilation series.

Tracklist:

Naomi Akimoto - Bewitched (Are You Leaving Soon), Atsuko Nina - Tonkachi, Miho Fujiwara - Heartbeat, Miharu Koshi - Scandal Night, Chu Kosaka - Shirakechimauze, Teresa Noda - Tropical Love, Makoto Matsushita - Business Man Pt. 1, Susan - Ah! Soka, Yukako Hayase - Suiyoubi Madeni Shinitaino, Parachute - Kowloon Daily, Hiroyuki Namba - Tropical Exposition (Who Done It? Version), Pizzicato Five - Boy Meets Girl, Mari Iijima - Love Sick, 1986 Omega Tribe - Cosmic Love, Osamu Shoji - Pub Casablanca, Chiemi Manabe - Untotooku

Angela was the studio project of husband/wife duo Angela and Ingo Werner formed in 1981 in Rüsselsheim, Germany. Ingo had classical training in bassoon and piano at the Akademie für Tonkunst in Darmstadt from 1966-70. He joined Krautrock band My Solid Ground in 1971 before going on to form his own project Baba Yaga in 1974. In the late 70s he formed the ensemble AIR with Armin Stöwe and Reinhard Karwatky. The project debuted with a a concert at ARS Electronica Competition in Linz, Austria 1980, which they won. Klaus Schulze was on the jury with Wendy Carlos and Robert Moog - but more importantly, Angela was in the audience. Two days later, Ingo told the band he needed a singer, so they asked Angela, and recorded two albums for RCA between 1981-82 before being dropped. Ingo wanted to work on a new project that involved dancers and live video. They recruited American performance artist Jyl Porch, who was living in Munich, to assist with choreography with her friend Kirsten McKenley. Jyl ended up recording her own album first, which gained interest from Klaus Schulze, who helped them secure a deal with EMI in 1983. Later that year, the trio recorded 4 songs that would be released on Angela ‘Fantasy’ single on 7” and 12” formats in 1984.

The music on ‘Fantasy’ was completely created with computer software of Ingo’s own design. The concept of a polyrhythmic, polyphonic, and polydynamic sequencer was realized by Ingo after a visit to Wolfgang Palm in Hamburg. He paired his sequencer with Palm’s legendary PPG Wave Computer System, allowing for more dynamic and nuanced programming. Angela programmed the music, sang, and wrote the lyrics to “Painted Love”, while Ingo arranged and played all electronics and keyboards. Jyl wrote the lyrics for “Fantasy” and the slow and sleazy, electronic disco B-side “I Gotta Little Love”, where she also sings background vocals and the “hot little flame” rap. The original B-side to the 7” version was a cover of the 1967 Hal Hackady and Lee Pockriss song “Kites”, made famous by Simon Dupree and the Big Sound.

All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The EP features the original 1984 cover artwork with a striking photo of Angela styled by Jyl in severe Neue Deutsche Welle fashion, and includes an insert with lyrics and and photos designed by Maycec..

Like the winged half-man/half-bull that dominates its outrageous cover, Cleveland Eaton's Half And Half is a mutant bass-heavy monster that absolutely slays. Incredible jazz-funk from 1973, it's been largely overlooked for decades, and unfairly so. This is just sensational music - a crate digger's delight. It's super funky throughout, with lots of layers, jazz breaks for days, dripping with style and gritty class. This is the first reissue of what has been a hard to find record for many years; it's long overdue. Joyous music for mind, soul and body.

Cleveland Eaton was a revered bassist who played an active role in the backing of Count Basie, the Donald Byrd Quintet, The Ramsey Lewis Trio, Terry Callier and Minnie Riperton; amongst many, many others. Half And Half was the first album released under his own name, initially released as a private press record on his - awkwardly named - Cle An Thair Records. It was then picked up by Gamble & Huff for Gamble Records. Varied, string-adorned and with stupid funky grooves, it's just exceptionally good.

Whilst Half And Half is treasured for its famously brilliant interpretations of gold funk-soul standards, Eaton proves an imaginative composer in his own right. Indeed, the album opens with a striking original; the earthy, laconic jazz-guitar-funk fusion of "Keep It Funky". Cleveland and co. do exactly that. Up next is a properly moving cover of Aretha Franklin's eternal "Day Dreaming". The flute and guitar combo truly achieve celestial greatness here. "Here Comes Funky Lou" rides a bassline from the Gods and a driving soul-jazz groove allows the track to go off in all sorts of directions. Serene guitar soul of the breezy variety one moment, crazy hectic violin-driven wig outs the next, courtesy of Ed Green who played with Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane.

His blistering two track salvo of Stylistics covers to close out this A-Side of A-Sides will leave your jaw dropped, and they're likely the reason you're here for this. And why not? "Betcha By Golly Wow", which uses a bed of acidy synths and harmonica to create a unique atmosphere, is on some next level business. Melancholic, wistful, beautiful. "People Make the World Go Round" is so good, dripping in wonderful horns and ace percussive breaks, it could even be regarded as the definitive version. Seriously!

Opening Side B, War's gigantic "Slipping Into Darkness" is tightly tailored to Eaton's funky flute fusion arrangement whilst the insistent "Missing You" is a swaggering horn-heavy version of Luther Ingram's track from the Dilla/Ghostface-linked LP, I've Been Here All The Time. The creeping, screeching guitar-drenched original "John's Groove" features more fantastic horn lines and neck-snapping percussion whilst "The Love Gangster", written by Bill Wyman and Stephen Stills for his seminal Manassas LP, contains a heavy break with slick drums high in the mix and fuzzy guitars.

The album closes with two more Eaton originals. Written with Johnny Guitar Watson, "Lie" is one hell of a funky string and guitar-driven gem whilst the wild, celebratory "Ah Movin' On" cleverly quotes "Wade In The Water" (which he'd recorded with Ramsey Lewis in 1966) folding it into his new free-jazz composition. A message to his old boss, perhaps, as a sign-off?

We've worked on this reissue for 3.5 years, spending the whole time making it sound super sharp and looking as perfect as it possibly can. An absolute must-have for fans of soulful jazz-funk, Half And Half was mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Pete Norman at Final Tweak. The bizarre artwork, mutant beast and all, was restored at Be With HQ over many painstaking months! Hopefully, this new edition, a real labour of love, should bring Cleveland Eaton into the homes and record boxes of many more people.

After a huge year of travelling in 2022, playing DJ sets in more than 30 cities across 10 countries, Captain Planet dove back into the studio to create his 5th and most ambitious album to date- Sounds Like Home. Taking a turn toward the more organic, retro sounds of artists who originally inspired him as a young musician, Charlie Wilder (aka Captain Planet) flexed his composer and bandleader muscles- incorporating horn sections, strings and acoustic drums more than the big club focussed electronic sounds he has often come to be known for. "The basic concept was to make a record like the ones I constantly pull off my shelves at home and play on the weekends. The records that turn into living room dance parties with my family, the soundtracks while I'm cooking, the music that fills the backyard for lazy hang outs." An avid vinyl record collector and musicologist since his teens, the Captain has a near encyclopedic knowledge of music from around the world, particularly artists from the 60's and 70's, which is the era that inspired much of the sonic texture on this new album.

In classic Captain Planet style, a kaleidoscopic array of genres from around the world find their way into the mix- Brazilian disco, Latin funk, Jamaican dub, Middle Eastern psychedelia, and American soul music. While this diversity may sound more like a mixtape, the Captain's trademark uplifting vibe and impeccable knack for building a great groove, provide the special ingredients that pull it all together and makes the sauce work. The Fader wrote "the Captain is a walking 'recommended vinyl' section from the best record store you've ever been to", because all his deep love and appreciation for classic music comes right through him in his original songs. Throughout this album you'll hear echoes of timeless artists like Cymande, Gilberto Gil, Ray Barretto, Curtis Mayfield, Mulatu Astatke, and Gabor Szabo, all funneled through the Captain's modern musical sensibility, shaped by nearly 2 decades of being a professional world-traveling DJ.

The past year also brought some major challenges for Charlie Wilder, most central of which was losing a close friend and collaborator, the fellow LA-based DJ/producer Sumohair (1⁄2 of the band Reyna Tropical). The album starts off with a brief tropical tribute to his friend, followed by the strong message "Music Is Medicine" sung by another regular collaborator, the Zimbabwean-American (Grammy winning) singer Shungudzo. With the true value of friendship front and center on his mind, Captain Planet made a strong conscious effort to include many of his oldest friends and musical partners throughout the album, including Grammy winning pianist Sam Barsh, Chico Mann, Zuzuka Poderosa (who bartended at one of the Captain's earliest DJ residencies in Brooklyn), David Walters (whose new album "Soul Tropical" was co-written & co-produced by the Captain), Todd Simon, Leo Mintek (who has played guitar with Wilder since their teens), and Wilder's youngest brother Taj Bethel who co-wrote 2 of the songs on the album. The warm light of friendship and family shines throughout the album, and while the influences reach far across the globe, the music clearly shows that Captain Planet has found his musical home.

Leon Thomas war einer der maßgeblichen Jazzsänger der 1970er Jahre und seine Alben für Flying Dutchman sind allesamt Klassiker. Er war in der zweiten Hälfte des Jahrzehnts zusammen mit Lonnie Liston Smith ein wesentlicher Bestandteil der Gruppe des Saxophonisten Pharaoh Sanders und Co-Autor von 'The Creator Has A Master Plan' für das Album 'Karma'. Der Erfolg dieses Albums führte dazu, dass ihm ein Vertrag mit Bob Thieles Label Flying Dutchman angeboten wurde, wo er fünf Studioalben aufnahm. 'Full Circle' war sein letztes Album für das Label. Zu den Musikern, die ihn auf diesem Album unterstützen, gehören Bernard Purdie, Joe Farrell, Joe Beck, Jimmy Owens und Pee Wee Ellis. Diese Neuauflage als wertige 180Gr. LP (Black Vinyl) wurde von den hochwertigsten Transfers der Original-Masterbänder gemastert.

Verwirrung - das Gefühl, perplex und verwirrt zu sein - ist die Inspiration für das neue Album von Pale Jay. Es ist eine gefühlvolle Erkundung des allmählichen Zerfalls einer Familie aufgrund von jahrelanger Vermeidung und Missverständnissen. Während dieser schwierigen Zeit begann Pale Jay, die Geschichten, mit denen er immer gelebt hatte, zu hinterfragen und seine Identität neu zu untersuchen. Das daraus resultierende Werk, Bewilderment, ist sein erstes komplettes Album, das Antworten auf diese und andere Fragen geben will. Pale Jay ist ein ausgebildeter Jazzsänger und Pianist und hat alle Songs des Albums geschrieben, aufgenommen und produziert, mit Ausnahme von "By The Lake", das in Zusammenarbeit mit seinen Labelkollegen Okonski - Steve Okonski, Aaron Frazer und Michael Montgomery - entstanden ist. Die Musik von Pale Jay ist von einer Vielzahl von Songwritern beeinflusst, darunter Labi Siffre, Carole King und William Onyeabor. Bewilderment ist eine nahtlose Mischung aus Pale Jays Markenzeichen, staubigem Soul, langsamer Disco- und Afrobeat, wobei die Streicherarrangements von Raven Bush den beatlastigen Produktionen eine zusätzliche Ebene der Magie verleihen. Pale Jays Debüt-LP ist eine fesselnde Reise der Selbstentdeckung. Jeder Song auf Bewilderment erzählt eine eigene Geschichte, aber alle haben ein gemeinsames Thema: persönliches Wachstum und Selbsterkenntnis.

Music follows strange paths, goes where it wants, always. This is how music created for use only as a background for adult films in the 70s today sounds so current, sophisticated, groovy and cool.

In this new chapter of Sexopolis "Beyond The Valley Of The Beats" ( Pornobeats ), we will in fact find songs "for adult listeners" who have made non-trivial musical research their final destination. 23 soul, funk, jazz, lounge and more songs that are not so easy to label with a musical genre, believe me.

18 of the songs in this selection have never been made on phonographic support before, a real "first time" that you can discover with all the taste, curiosity and kindness due, please.

The fourth chapter of the Sexopolis series is certainly the most alternative and ambitious, the result of an accurate and difficult musical research that will satisfy listeners at all times. The turquoise double vinyl is as always a limited edition. Then, all that remains is to add it to your collection and ... make your own mental private film.

Enjoy!

JOHN BARERA (2MR/ALLERGY SEASON/DOLLY/SORRY RECORDS) is a DJ, Producer & Label owner based in NYC. His sound is rooted in techno and house’s most classic iterations: sturdy, barreling grooves, shimmering pads, deep liquid dubs and the occasional acid burn. BRIAN ABELSON is the producer of JENNIFER VANILLA’s “CASTLE IN THE SKY” album. Here they team up for 6 mesmerizing tracks of funky disco-tech on the latest 12" from the YOU TOO CAN WOO crew. Intricate rhythms, hypnotic synth arpeggios, lush ambience & seriously funky basslines make "THE ARC" a fantastic showcase of this duo's talent and versatility.

Repress

Barely disco and hardly jazz, Rupa Biswas’ 1982 LP is the halfway point between Bollywood and Balearic. Tracked in Calgary’s Living Room Studios with a crack team of Indian and Canadian studio rats alike, Disco Jazz is a perfect fusion of East and West. Sarod and synthesizer intricately weave around one another for 37 transcendent minutes, culminating in the viral hit “Aaj Shanibar.” Remastered from original analogue source material and issued with permission and blessing of the producers and performers.

Vaneese & Carolyn are Vaneese Thomas (daughter of Rufus Thomas) and Carolyn Mitchell who recorded two singles together at Polydor in 1977 and 1978. From these, the 1978 collaboration has been reissued here, the sides reversed. Original copies have exchanged hands for over £300. Both singers had recorded with Disco producer John Davis and his Monster Orchestra the same year on his album “Ain’t That Enough For You”, but both these songs are more sophisticated classic soul stylings with incredible vocal performances.

The double vinyl containing the OST of music inspired by the docu-film "I RAGAZZI DEL COLUMBUS", these tracks just want to
tell the true story of an unrepeatable Era, of clubs, DJs and the generation that gave birth to the socio-cultural revolution which, starting in Italy between 1974 and 1985, it then spread throughout Europe, all with a passion for afro / disco /
funky music, which from the "Columbus" square in Riccione then spread everywhere. Thanks to djs and clubs

With his new album, Gecko Turner confirms that he is a standout artist in the global groove scene, a must for the outernational sounds aficionados.

Somebody From Badajoz is the fifth studio album in his much lauded discography and his first in seven years, eagerly anticipated by both his fans and himself: "this business of dedicating yourself to music and making songs... it's a long game."

With the release of his first two, remarkable, albums, Guapapasea! (2003) and Chandalismo Ilustrado (2006), Gecko started cultivating what one astute journalist defined as Afro-maduran soul—the "maduran" bit referencing Extremadura, a region in central-western Spain.

Badajoz, Gecko's birthplace, is the biggest city in the area, on the border with Portugal, by the Guadiana River. It is a place that oozes history, where there is constant movement at the border, and people's character is friendly and open-minded with foreign habits.

Gecko's Afro-maduran soul isbuilt on Afro-American music and drenched in Brazilian, African, Latin American and Jamaican sounds. There are also echoes of a youth marked in equal parts by our man's admiration for the Beatles and the flamenco that could be heard everywhere in Badajoz in the seventies. It makes for a singular sound and a musical language of its own—spicy, succulent, full of nuances, but with a very personal flavour.

The album opens with the Nigerian talking drums of Twenty-twenty Vision, (neo) soul in a magical falsetto, carried by a sumptuous orchestral arrangement with a cinematic flavour: "I'd been thinking about doing something called 'Twenty-twenty Vision' for some time, making a play on words with the vision we have of the world after the year 2020 and the medical expression, which, in ophthalmological terms, means 'normal or complete vision.' Beyond that particular song, I think that's the mood of the album: a look at society in the twenties of the 21st century and the feelings and demons it produces."

It's followed by De Balde, a very special song born from a posthumously discovered lyric by the great writer Carlos Lencero, a regular collaborator of Camarón, Pata Negra, and Remedios Amaya, and also from Badajoz. While conceived as a fandango, Gecko has moulded it into his sound in such a seamless way it now seems as if the words could only have been written to be embraced by the percussion, brass, and backing vocals heard on the album. It's the only lyric on Somebody From Badajoz not written by Turner, still it sits rather comfortably with the rest, sharing the same emotivity and sensitivity, as well as the trademark humour and irony.

Other tracks see more protagonism for the rhythm.The beat-driven Ain't No Fun Preachin' to the Choir features Gecko's vocals walking the thin line between singing and talking over a phenomenal afro-disco-funk-infused trailblazer. In Am I Sad? it's impossible to not bob your head to the queen of Papatosina's mongrel rhythm, as close to the banks of the Guadiana river as it is to the shores of the Mississippi. Qué Siesta Tan Buena, He Babeao Y To! is an ode to the snooze in true Afro-Maduran fashion. And in Come And Try, the Caribbean influence is evident—lovers' rock that invites you to dance in good company.

In these songs, and throughout the album, for that matter, the musicians accompanying Gecko, who himself plays many of the instruments as well, shine brightly. All hailing from Extremadura, Javi Mojave (percussion), Álvaro Fdez 'Dr. Robelto' (bass), and Rafa Prieto (guitar) have been carrying him with delicate forcefulness since he started out as a solo artist. At the same time, the wonderful and essential voices of Deborah Ayo, Astrid Jones, Fani Ela Nsue, and Miriam Solís give the album a sunny variety of colours. And there are many more—a sensational group of musicians contributes dazzling harmonic bursts to many of the songs. The palette of sounds is very diverse and rich in textures and nuances, including, for example, the ngoni, bells, and various repurposed kitchen utensils.

The groove is always around, moving between the magical border sound of Everybody Knows Somebody From Badajoz and Little Dose, the silky soul of The Sibariteo Appreciation Society, and the exultant celebration of End Of The World (which surprisingly sees Gecko turning to the occasional use of autotune), a piece that could be used for the final credits of a Monty Python film and, in fact, closes the album.

Gecko Turner has done it again with Somebody From Badajoz, looking to the future without losing sight of the roots. In times of upheaval all over the globe, when people are looking for purity, he delivers a formidable piece of work: risky, optimistic in spite of everything, and with a decidedly bastard sound. Let's rejoice.

Gooey Editz #3

Waiting for repress

A cult icon on the international film scene, Japanese actress Meiko Kaji, born in Tokyo, has been put into the spotlight internationally by Quentin Tarantino when he heavily based his Kill Bill film on the 1973 revenge genre film 'Lady Snowblood,' one of Kaji's most famous films. By the time she appeared in it, she had already made almost fifty feature films (she began her career in 1965) among which the cult 'Stray Cat Rock' and 'Female Prisoner Scorpion' film series and she was one of the most famous exploitation actresses in Japan doubling as a sex symbol. This gave the studios the idea of getting her to start a singing career and release music closely associated with the films she starred in often singing the theme songs. Thus she began releasing records at the dawn of the 70s, recording several 7" singles and five albums for Teichiku which have become sought-after and almost as cult as her films.
Drawing on her film roles, the music on these albums were an uber-cool mix of kayokyoku (Japanese Pop), traditional Enka Music, Acid Folk and Funky beats arranged by the best producers of the time in a cinematic way that could sound like Ennio Morricone or Jean-Claude Vannier. that explosive cocktail is featured in full blow on the first album from the Meiko Kaji reissue program, 'Hajiki Uta' released by Teichiku in 1973.
The album featured two film songs, namely 'Urami Bushi' used for the film series "Female Prisoner Scorpion" and 'Onna No Jumon' featured in the film 'Female Prisoner Scorpion - Jailhouse 41,' which have been composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi who also composed the score for these films. At first Kaji was unsure of her singing talents as told to Hashim Bharoocha in an interview but she quickly rose to the challenge: "I told Shunsuke Kikuchi that I couldn’t imagine myself singing the songs. He said I could ignore the melody that he wrote, and just sing it the way I wanted to. That really lifted the pressure off my shoulders, and I decided to sing the song as the character in the film. The director was also happy with that idea.”
The rest of the album follows the same pattern with atmospheric songs such as "Onna Hagure Uta" or "Onna Somuki Uta" displaying Meiko's sombre singing over a superb slow-burning groove, which precedes the funkier "Hitori Kaze" featuring a wah wah guitar, a breakbeat-like rhythm section and slick string arrangement, shaping the unique Meiko Kaji signature sound.
Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue "Hajiki Uta" and the rest of Meiko Kaji superb early 70s albums for the first time in fifty years in their glorious original Japanese artwork, with remastered audio, cementing further the actress' reputation as a true international pop culture icon.

This 45 features two new artists from the ever-expanding Colemine universe: Pale Jay, a budding artist, and Steve Okonski (as Okonski) of Durand Jones and the Indications. The A-side is a collaboration between the two artists. By The Lake is a Neo Soul flip of the Okonski piano tune that's poignant and upbeat at the same time. The lyrics come from a conversation that Pale Jay had recently with a close friend who was pondering moving to a new city to pursue a budding love affair, but ultimately chose to stay put because they had not overcome an old heart break. When he heard Okinski's song, Runner Up, from his upcoming album, he immediately latched onto the lingering feeling of speaking to his friend and wrote By The Lake in the next thirty minutes after chopping up Okonski's piano samples. The B-side, Runner Up, features the original track by Okonski. Recorded at the Colemine HQ in Loveland, OH, Runner Up exhibits a triumphant yet melancholic melody in the piano that leads to a more reserved Bsection driven by the drums and bass of Aaron Frazer and Michael Isvara "Ish" Montgomery.

Back In Stock!

When you talk about UK Street Soul, and the sounds that define it, it’s impossible to look past Special Touch’s first and only album, Garden of Life. A shining example of this often retrospectively termed genre, which loosely categorised black, soul-inspired music with a DIY, bass-driven aesthetic from the late ‘80s to early-mid ‘90s, this impossibly rare record from cult label Top Secret Recordings weaves a unique brand of positivity and musicality across nine uplifting tracks. With original copies never having traded hands for below £100 on Discogs, this fully licensed, remastered reissue for Heels & Souls Recordings debut release will be a welcome sight for many.

A family affair through and through, producer and TSR founder Robert Charles Roper and his vocalist brother Duval created an LP that effortlessly married the rawness of underground hip-hop, R&B, reggae and early house with the sentiment and warmth of soul music.

The continuous thread over the nine tracks is a sense of optimism, whether on the house-flecked ‘It’s Your Life’, the slung-back ‘Tonight’ or the breakbeat-punctuated ‘Music’. And few, if any, street soul tracks hit the same sublime heights as the title track ‘Garden of Life’, a consummate encapsulation of the Special Touch sound, decorated with breathtaking synth melodies layered over crunchy drum machine hits and Duval’s soaring vocals.

A high-point of an underground street soul scene that caused vibrations throughout UK dancefloors, blues parties, soundsystems and pirate stations from Manchester, London, Leeds, Bradford, Birmingham and beyond, Heels & Souls Recordings are delighted to be working alongside Robert to present a relicensed version of Garden of Life for their debut release, remastering the record from the original DAT tape at The Bakehouse Studio.

Complete with a printed inner sleeve detailing the history of Special Touch and the record’s significance, label co-founders Ben Croft and Patrick Forrester, alongside Prime Direct Distribution, will also be donating their respective share of profits to The Black Curriculum, a social enterprise delivering Black British history programmes and teacher training to facilitate both national curriculum and wider societal changes.

After a meteoric rise in 2018 following the release of his debut album, 'Free Me', J.P. Bimeni's remarkable and soul stewed journey continues with the release of the classic Jackie Edwards track 'Keep on Running'. Recognised as a stone-cold soul music canon afer the UK's Spencer Davis Group's 1965 stewarded the song to top of the pops in 1965, Bimeni adds his sweet Burundian touch aided and abetted by the Black Belts and a terrific hammond organ. 'I Miss You ' is on the flip and features on the long player - a devilishly emotional lament that harks back to the motor city cerca late '60s. BBC 6Music and Craig Charles awarded Bimeni and his band 'Album of the Year' at the end of 2018 and critics and fans have been blown away since his album and remarkable story came to light. Bimeni is a royal refugee turned soul survivor with a remarkable story of resistance having fled Burundi's civil war after three attempts on his life, landing in Wales as a teenager. On his debut album Free Me, Burundian-born JP Bimeni astonishes with a voice that recalls Otis Redding in his prime whilst resonating with the soul of Africa. Living in London since the early 2000s, Bimeni songs of love and loss, hope and fear deliver with a conviction that comes from the extraordinary experiences life has thrown at him. With classic 60s-sounding Motown and Stax-inspired grooves the album was written by musical director Eduardo Martiìnez and songwriter Marc Ibarz and Bimeni imbues these tales of love and loss with his tragic experiences making 'Free Me' a deep soul soundtrack to his pained life: 'When I sing I feel like I'm cleansing myself: music is a way for me to forget'. For Bimeni, music is a way to survive: 'You can't entertain the pain of your problems all the time - you have to put them away and let something else fill the space where it's just been pain, worry and terror.' He's a spiritual soul singer yet also a soul-singer with spirit, and his infallible positivity can be an inspiration to us all: 'It's my dream to return to Burundi one day - but I always remember that getting shot enabled me to meet the world."

First Reissue for this almost impossible to find record, this beautiful soul blending disco was recorded in one shot by Keith Paul in 1977. Fully remastered, it gives justice to one of the most hidden treasure of Guyana's music. Keith Paul recorded every instrument on this record. The liner notes interview by Saultone founder will give you the whole story and get deep in the secret of this incredible voice and talent.

The 19th new chapter of the cult series Mood Mosaic has
finally arrived.

"Free Form" is shaping up to be the best seller of the whole
series.

Double Vinyl + Poster.

Brian Auger, with Lydia Sharpe on vocals. The B side is a cover of 60s psyche band The Action's "Wasn’t it You", again with the Aug on keys and Lydia on the mic

CROSSOVER MODERN SOUL WITH BOSSA NOVA VIBES WITH WILL BEE
DELIVERING VOCALS FULL OF SUNSHINE.

BLACKPOOL MECCA TO MODERN DAY MODERN SOUL WITH THE JAZZ UP AND COMING ARTIST ABI FLYNN BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO THIS HIGHLAND ROOM CLASSIC

This Armour Gomez is something. From Vietnam to work 5 years in a coal mine to going underground in Las Vegas to found his own band The Accent, then up to New York to play his wildcard in the main business (to no success, as many other great artists like him), then back to Vegas and hit the road for many years as a musician. Now well in his seventies, threee marriages later (and two divorces, remembers me of someone I know very well), the man's still playing everywhere day in day out.

The word 'classic' gets thrown around a lot these days, often abused and attached to things that don't deserve the tag.
I think we can all agree that an outfit like Earth, Wind & Fire are truly deserving of such an accolade, since their first tentative steps in the early 1970's as an outfit the Chicago, IL pioneers have made themselves a force to be reckoned with and have sold over 90,000,000 units worldwide! Fusing together Jazz, Funk, Soul, African and Brazilian sounds EWF have been at the top of their game for decades, seeing them inducted into the legendary 'rock n roll hall of fame' at the turn of the millennium. Respect due. On this special, legit 12" reissue we are treated to 2 stellar reworkings by one of Disco and modern dance music's most respected names - Danny Krivit. Danny's tenure in dance music has almost been as long as EWF's themselves so it makes sense that he's on deck to breathe some dancefloor magic into their cult classics 'Brazilian Rhyme' and 'Runnin'. Both tracks are massive club anthems with them being generously sampled over the years and featuring in the playlists of too numerous to mention DJ's and selectors. Both of these amazing edits are extremely sought after and have been legally reissued by Above Board Distribution in conjunction with Danny Krivit and the legal rights holders - Sony Music Entertainment. This high quality repress features original Columbia white label Disco promo artwork and has been remastered from Sony's original sources by Optimum Mastering, Bristol UK.

A welcome addition to Four Flies 45s series, this is the first 7-inch release ever of one of the very few soundtracks written by Paolo Ormi, who is better known as a music producer of Italian funk, disco and library music, not only for big stars such as Raffaella Carrà but also underground projects geared to the disco industry. “Provaci anche tu Lionel” is out on 7” on June 2nd.

The 7” contains three uber-funky instrumentals, two of which previously included in Four Flies’ now almost impossible-to-find compilations Esterno Notte and Esterno Giorno (both of which feature unreleased film music from the archives of the former RCA Italy).

Composed for a negligible 1973 comedy – a weak parody of Woody Allen’s Play It Again, Sam starring dubbing actor Oreste Lionello, who for decades lent his voice to Allen – Ormi’s score is one of the funkiest blaxploitation-inspired soundtracks ever made in Italy.

The opening track on side A, with its stylish wah-wah guitars, pulsating bass, drum breaks and pronounced horn section, is a crime flick theme that clearly bears the influence of Isaac Hayes’s “Shaft”. Also on side A is a real gem – previously unreleased in any format – where funk meets b-boy breaks, while side B has more of a Latin groove à la Nico Gomez, with a tropical funk vibe that is reminiscent of some of the best music produced at the time by Ormi, such as “Cocco Secco” or the disco tracks released under the moniker Red Redford.

Three super-danceable tunes that will set any dancefloor on fire.

Acapella grails that go between classic and never been available before all on 45! Ranging between 92 and 114 bpm these are acapellas you’ve never got on 45! Essential.

-Limited to 500 copies worldwide. Background vocals from none other than Saundra Williams of the Dap-Kings. US combo The Sextones make their debut on Record Kicks with "deep soul" 45 that is highly candidate to become a must for Northern and Modern Soul Fans. Record kicks new signing Reno, Nevada-based band The Sextones makes their debut on Record Kicks with a deep soul 7" that is going to become a must have for northern soul and modern soul fans across the globe. The 45 vinyl limited to 500 copies worldwide and will be released via Record Kicks on March 10th. Side A features a cover of Northern Soul anthem "You're So Fine" by Papa Bear and His Cubs, a family band formed in 1963 and fronted by Eddie Disnute Sr. AKA "Papa Bear" and his children "The Cubs". The cover stays true to the original's essence—straightforward, intimate and sincere but now also includes silky background vocals from none other than Saundra Williams of the Dap-Kings. It's enchanting and irresistibly sweet soul music, just the way we like it. On the flip side, we find a cover of the Philly Soul classic "Cowboys To Girls". The song was a breakout hit from Philadelphia's dream songwriting team, Gamble and Huff. "Cowboys To Girls" has shown its staying power over the decades and has stylistically influenced many contemporary artists. The Sextones take the best elements from the best versions and with the recent passing of Philadelphia International's Thom Bell, the release of this cover is a perfect tribute.