Pop & Rock News

"Year Of The Funky" is the second album from Bei Bei () & Shawn Lee. After their debut collaborative album "Into The Wind" (Ubiquity Records, 2010), the Chinese guzheng virtuoso / composer and the prolific multi-instrumentalist / producer join forces again on 12 new tracks. "Year Of The Funky" marries a unique blend of ancient tradition with studio trickery. Eschewing all notions of superficial "Asian/Fusion", this uplifting, genre-bending, and sophisticated sound brings together both East & West with musical aplomb. The new album continues as a logical progression from "Into The Wind". It ventures into both new tempos & moods while deftly connecting the past, the future and what lies beyond.


About Bei Bei

The Guzheng is over 2000 years old and belongs to the Asian long zither family. It was used in both folk and court music in the ancient China. Falling in love with the 5 foot tall x 1 foot wide 21-stringed Chinese instrument at first sight, Bei Bei began playing at the age of seven and received her professional musical training at the Central University of Nationalities in Beijing, China and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in Hong Kong. She also studied Jazz music and improvisation at Fullerton College in California. Bei Bei roots her art in classical music and expands into other styles, combining new with old into creative new expressions, especially in her collaborations with musicians from different genres such as funk, jazz, alternative, electronica, hip-hop, and dance. She is a multi-award winner of many national and international awards. In 2011, she and her music were included in the American college textbook "World Music" by Michael Bakan. In 2015, she was featured as one of The Most Fascinating People of Los Angeles by LA Weekly Magazine. As a studio musician, she recorded for Sci-fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica" and award-winning video game original score "Revelation" (). As a composer, she composed music and performed for the China Central TV documentary series "Dun Huang", Chinese movie "Copycat", and for Canon web promo video "Tiger's Heart" . She released her debut album "Quiet Your Mind And Listen" in 2006 and her collaborative album "Heart of China" (Universal Music), with Richard Horowtiz, in 2008. Her last collaborative album "Into The Wind" with Shawn Lee was released through Ubiquity Records in 2010. As an educator and author, she has published two books "Gu Zheng Sessions Vol.1" and "Bei Bei's Easiest Guzheng Course Book 1" with accompaniment CD and videos. She is the director of Lotus Bud Guzheng Academy in Orange County California and business owner of The Guzheng Shop.


About Shawn Lee

Shawn Lee is one of the most prolific musicians of his generation. A multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer songwriter, composer and Radio DJ who has released 35 albums as an artist to date. He has played, produced and written on hundreds of records. He has worked with a diverse range of artists including Jeff Buckley, Kelis, Saint Etienne, Money Mark, Amy Winehouse, Jonathan Jeremiah, Darondo, Adrian Younge, Tony Joe White, Robbie Williams, Incognito and Princess Superstar to name just a few. Lee's music has been used extensively in both film & TV - "Monuments Men", "20 feet from stardom", "House of cards", "Orange is the new black", "Blacklist", "Vice Principals", "Oceans 13", "Eastbound & Down", "Ugly Betty", "Nip Tuck", "CSI," "Confessions of a shopaholic", Cinemaxx, Jaguar, BMW, Barclays, Clarks shoes, Head & shoulders and many many more. He has also created bespoke music for Hermann Miller, Ace Hotels and Wallpaper magazine. As a composer, he has scored two documentary films "Elevate" and "Under the sun". Lee also created the original soundtrack for the feature films "Save Angel Hope", "Live Evil," "12 Dare's" and composed the original scores for video games "Zombie Playground" and "Rockstar's Bully" which was nominated for best score twice - winning once. Shawn Lee is an American and has lived in London England for over 20 years with his wife and his two daughters.

Eclectic, Futuristic, Soulful, Danceable..... Carl Hudson's follow-up album to the critically acclaimed 'Zoology For Martians' doesn't disappoint. 'Pixel Planet' oozes class from start to
finish. His wizardry on the keyboard and his willingness to experiment with sound and melody, combine to create an aural extravagance that propels the listener to another world
and compels their feet to dance. Pixel Planet - coming to a Galaxy near you soon!
Featuring nine tracks in all their sonic glory. Hear this album as it was intended to be heard.

A magical mixture of traditional min'yo songs and Latin jazz elements, this is an original compilation of the work of Japanese singer Chiemi Eri, drawing upon 10-inches released by the Japanese King label between 1958 and 1962. Included are exclusive liner notes and a rich calligraphed booklet with romanized lyrics.

This LP brings together for the first time, HIP HARP and IN A MINOR GROOVE, the two albums recorded in 1958 by the legendary jazz harpist and polistrumentist Dorothy Ashby. Dorothy Ashby had a unique soul jazz harp sound, and although the instrument she used is probably more thought of in terms of bedtime lullabies, she actually makes it swing nicely, and with a soulful sound that draws back to traditions of African stringed instruments. Ashby was part of the same scene as Yusef Lateef, and like Lateef, she managed to use odd instrumentation in new contexts, to get a very unique jazz sound.

In HIP HARP in addition to the interpretations of standards like Moonlight In Vermont, Dancing In The Dark, Charmaine and There's A Small Hotel, Dorothy and Frank work out on three Ashby tunes: Pawky, a minor-key blues, Back Talk, major-key blues and Jollity, a medium-up original. Dorothy Ashby has added to the basic territory that the harp previously occupied. In fusing her sometimes guitar-like, swinging line to the expected harp effects, she has added another step to the instrument-scope of jazz(...) (from the original liner notes)


IN A MINOR GROOVE is so named because all of the tunes are set in that particular mode. They represent a mixture of standards, jazz originals and one fairly recent pop song. Like the first set featuring Dorothy Ashby and Frank Wess (Hip Harp), this is not rock 'em, sock 'em jazz, it is far from the cloying effects of the kind of performances often associated with jazz of a low decibel nature' (from the original liner notes)

Numbered first press of 500 copies.

After making us wait almost two decades for new solo material before last year's "Saudade", Steve Cobby is back in the blink of an eye with his second LP in as many years, once again on his own Declasse imprint. I suspect self-releasing suits Mr Cobby, and "Everliving" sees him embrace the creative freedom it allows. The fourteen immersive and expansive cuts are spread lovingly across three LPs rather than cramped onto a double, allowing each track the time and space to grow and evolve at its own pace. The result is an LP which entirely envelops you within its own sonic world, beguiling your senses with hypnotic keys, lilting rhythms, gentle guitars and pan global sounds. More electronic than its predecessor, "Everliving" delves deeper, gradually easing you into a trance like state through repetition and an expert understanding of space. So far the release has been met with universal praise from the likes of Dave Harvey, Phil Mison, Richard Norris and Peter Kruder, and really, who are we to disagree Superb

REISSUE OF SUPER-RARE ALBUM WHICH SELLS FOR SILLY MONEY ON DISCOGS.
REISSUED FOR RSD AUSTRALIA 2017..NOW WE HAVE A FEW COPIES FOR EUROPE..LIMITED
For decades the mysterious Hiroshi & Claudia LP has been an elusive jewel amongst the curious world of Australian private press LPs. With nothing more than cryptic broken-English album sleeve notes to reference, the mythical Six To Six LP is a bewildering and intriguing jazz oddity. With prices of the rare original record hitting three figures, collectors began demanding to know who was 'Hiroshi', who was 'Claudia' and why did a group of unknown Japanese musicians record an album in Australia in the late 1970s only to issue it in micro-quantities, then seemingly disappear back into obscurity. For years no trace of whom they were nor any clue as to the origins of their peculiar yet entrancing music had surfaced. Until now....

Welcome to the brainchild of Gilles Germain and Carmen Fabro, a French/Italian husband and wife team of restaurateurs and film producers operating in Sydney during the 1970s. Establishing the custom record label 'Atom', the duo released a handful of highly obscure vanity jazz LPs and promotional horse racing 45s. (Yes it's all very strange...) The highlight undoubtedly being the album Six To Six, a session recorded in Sydney in 1979 by a group of touring Japanese jazz musicians led by guitarist Hiroshi Yasukawa, and a forgotten and still undocumented Mauritian cabaret singer performing under the alias 'Claudia'. Sitting somewhere between spacey Balearic disco, haunting soul and hectic funk reminiscent of electric Miles Davis, the Six To Six LP is a curious beast to say the least.

Released specially for Record Store Day 2017 Northside Records and The Roundtable present a limited edition exact reissue of this legendary Australian rare groove LP.  

This album represents a high point in 1960s British jazz, a time of experimentation, integration and joy. This is effortless, unique and very beautiful jazz, exotically tinged with elements from Indian musical tradition.

Now I could go on and on about how amazing and beautiful this LP is but please, just trust me, I've been a collector of British jazz since the early 1990s, this was one of the first LPs I found, originally from 'The Diskery' in Birmingham. It was £30, which was my lunch money for a week back then. I loved it, I marveled at the grace and skillful, flowing simplicity of the music. I loved the fact this was an Indian man inspiring the great British jazz masters with the rhythms, ideas and influences of his home country. I still love this album today and have watched as prices for originals have soared from £200 to £1200 in the last few years, making it impossible for more record collectors to appreciate it. Criminally overlooked when it first came out (hence its rarity today), hopefully this FIRST EVER repress will allow more collectors to appreciate just how harmonious and beautiful music made by supreme, international but impoverished jazz artists can be.

VINYL: Full colour sleeve - exact copy of the original. Standard vinyl, cellowrapped. Barcode stuck to cellowrap, not on sleeve.

Second release from the label offers up broken rhythms, jacking grooves and deep spirituals. Hold Me explores lyricism within tight repetitious rhythm, on which saxophonist Tyrone Isaac-Stuart explores hook lines and story telling whilst bassist Jordan Christo maintains control over the low-end spectrum.That He Man Of Hers melds jacking, upbeat tempo with romanticism and melancholy on top, with Louis Ktisti providing guitar accompaniment. One's Own Permanent Faith, on the other hand, provides for a moodier and more subdued spiritual dance rhythm, which warms one up before the spiritual explorations in Would You Tell Me About You. In this final track, the guitar rhythms provided by Jabriel AlSuhaimi and spiritual exorcism of the saxophone by Tyrone Isaac-Stuart present a different angle in the approach towards discovering the endless groove.

Hip Hop instrumentals in a Western Movie State Of Mind !

Never before reissued, this legendary 1968 EMI recording is a revered Indian jazz rarity, a collectors' holy grail. Raga Jazz Style is an original Indian excursion into Indo-jazz fusion. A one-away recording from the almost unknown Bombay jazz scene, it is among the few jazz LPs to hail from the subcontinent.Closely contemporary with the UK-based explorations of Amancio D'Silva, John Mayer and Joe Harriott, Raga Jazz Style takes the melodic, scale-based raga system of Indian classical music and marries it with a swinging jazz rhythm section assembled by Bollywood's most highly acclaimed musical directors, the soundtrack composing duo Shankar Singh and Jaikishan Panchal.Singh and Panchal were a dominant force in Hindi film music from the late 1940s onwards. Shankar had been trained in classical tabla, while Jaikishan was an expert harmonium player. They worked together on well over a hundred films, and their innovative compositions and orchestral scoring revolutionised the music of the nascent Bollywood industry. Central to their sound was regular collaborator Sebastian D'Souza. From 1952 onwards, D'Souza would work on every Shankar Jaikishan soundtrack, eventually becoming Bollywood's most coveted musical arranger.
Originally from Goa, D'Souza had cut his teeth in the dance-band era, arranging and playing with his uncle's jazz bands in Lahore and Quetta. After Partition, he had moved to Bombay to follow the reliable work provided by the film industry, where Goan musicians had become the mainstay of Bollywood's film studio orchestras. Goans were also the core of Bombay's thriving dance-hall and hotel-based jazz scene, with artists including saxophonist Braz Gonsalves, guitarist Amancio D'Silva and trumpeter Chic Chocolate all working in the city during the post-war years.
The team assembled for Raga Jazz Style were drawn from this inventive and forward-thinking milieu. Pianist Lucilla Pacheco, saxophonist Manohari Singh and guitarist Anibal Castro were all fixtures on the Bombay jazz circuit, while drummer Leslie Godinho is reputed to have taught Joe Morello the 5/4 'Take Five' beat when they jammed together during Dave Brubeck's State Department tour of India. To this jazz backbone was added the sitar of Ustad Rais Khan, scion of long line of classical instrumentalists, and nephew of the renowned sitarist Ustad Vilayat Khan. Bombay's jazz modernists had been experimenting with the fusion of ragas and jazz since the 1950s, long before American or British jazz musicians had tuned in to Indian classical music. But very little of this exciting scene was ever captured on record. Raga Jazz Style offers a rare chance to hear the innovative sounds of the Indian jazz scene, as peerless composers Shankar Jaikishan and arranging supremo D'Souza join with veteran Bombay jazzers to explore classical themes in a jazz setting — eleven ragas to a swinging beat!This is a highly impressive inaugural salvo by Outernational Sounds, using original masters and beautifully rendered facsimile artwork, with 180g vinyl pressed at Pallas, in Germany.

***** PICTURE DISK  ***** LIMITED TO 500 COPIES *****  ***** 
RARE!  1957 lp MOST SLEAZY CLASSIC SLEEVE NOW RELEASE ON P . DISK , COOL SEXY SONGS FROM THE PAST ­ Picture Disc ­ FULL COLOR  LP SLEEVE  +  INSERT OF WEIRD LPS PICTURES A forgotten treasure, could be a COOL GIFT FOR XMAS

Minimalist Fourth World Abstractions for Daydreams and other Explorations' Banana was a new experience for us. The sound of musicians I feel very connected to playing freely around composed pieces under my direction - exploring themes and theories of naturalism and modalism through repetition. For those in search of a bath, a rinse, a departure, or an expansion. Hopefully exotic, hopefully pleasant.'

WHITE VINYL

Razor-sharp production of the highest order from two of the masters of the early 80's Rio de Janeiro boogie sound, Robson Jorge and Lincoln Olivetti. Both were highly acclaimed music producers of the time, starting around the mid-70's. Over the course of his career Olivetti worked with artists including Rita Lee, Erasmo Carlos, Don Beto, Marcos Valle, Tim Maia, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Sandra Sa, Painel de Controle and many more. The album takes in mid-tempo, AOR, boogie and even latin all way through the tempo's to ultra-quick Prince style disco-funk workouts. Includes several standout tracks - 'Aleluia' and 'Ginga' being our two favourites. Synths, horns, claps, drum machines, guitars, keys and vocal harmonies combine effortlessly.
Originally released in 1982 on Som Livre, Brazil. Replica original
reproduction.

A very special release of a Sun Ra solo piano improvisation recorded in June 1990 during an interview with presenter and DJ Jez Nelson at the studios of Jazz FM in London.

As Jez Nelson says in the sleeve notes: At the end of our conversation I asked Sun Ra if he would play something for us on the beautiful Schimmel piano in the studio next door. He smiled the smile of an ancient spirit with a childlike joy and said he'd be delighted. Then he walked next door, sat down at the piano, said 'Hello Mr Schimmel' and played.'

This release is the third in a series of totally valve mastered recordings featuring Gearbox's vintage Decca valve mixer in association with their Haeco Scully lathe with Westrex RA1700 series amps, Westrex 3DIIA cutting head and Telefunken U73B tube limiter.

Recently championed by Gilles Peterson on his BBC6 Music radio show, "Dilla" by Abstract Orchestra has been generating a buzz since it's inception in 2016 and subsequent u.k. tour, during which the album was presented to the public in its live form.

Led by Saxophonist Rob Mitchell, Abstract Orchestra seeks to reflect the diversity of music sampled by Hip-Hop producers by presenting music that has the complexity of jazz, framed within the simpler structures of Hip-Hop. Complex harmonies are framed within simple loops and complex bar structures and time signatures can pass by unnoticed. "I selected the tracks on the album with very much the live performance in mind" says band-leader and arranger Rob Mitchell "So the album is a reflection of the tour and the music we performed".

Inspired by the legendary live performances of The Roots with Jay-Z and the 40 piece orchestral arrangements by Miguel-Atwood Ferguson of the work of J Dilla, classic arranging techniques underpin modern loop-based structures.The band itself is based on the classic jazz big band instrumentation of saxes, trumpets and trombones and features the cream of the north of England's jazz scene who collectively have played with Jamiroquai, Corinne Bailey Rae, Mark Ronson, Martha Reeves, John Legend & the Roots, Roots Manuva and Amy Winehouse.

"Dilla" by Abstract Orchestra is a tribute to the work of the highly acclaimed and influential producer. Opener"Welcome to Detroit/The Diary"takes the the vocal sample from Isaac Hayes's "Man's Temptation" and places it against lush brass and driving beats while"Workinonit"Transplants the original 10cc guitar samples from the Dilla original onto biting trumpets and aggressive saxes, underpinned as always by Joost Hendrickx's on point drumming. On"Stop"vocalist Anna Uhuru handles the Dionne Warwick vocal with assurance while the band lay down an arrangement that is reminiscent of the work of David Axelrod and Don Sebeskey, both big sources of inspiration for Abstract Orchestra.

The middle of the album revolves around 2 Dilla medleys featuring versions and sections of"Airworks", "ULove", "Last Donut"and"Welcome To The Show"."Raw Shit"sees Farfisa organ underpinning the insistent brass figures with the bass taking on an almost bassoon-like quality while "Official/Fall In Love"sees Anna & Akin provide a stunning vocal performance, trading lines over the delicate horn arrangement. "Fantastic"features theRhodes intro of the original which is then taken up by the flutes and baritone sax. Inspired by the work of 20th century classical composers like Barber and Copeland the 2nd half of the arrangement takes on an almost orchestral feel with shades of Gil Evans.

"Love","So Far To Go","A.N.G.E.L.", and"Sun In My Face"provide interesting takes on these well known Dilla originals while album closer"Two Can Win"(recently championed by Gilles Peterson on his BBC6 Music show) acts as a showcase for the variety of Anna Uhuru's vocals, blending the style of the original Sylvers track with Minnie Ripperton style harmonies, 70's funk and Lalo Schiffrin/JJ Johnson film score vibes.

Closing track "Two can win" was played twice in two consecutive weeks by Gilles Peterson on his BBC6 Music show, where he declared it to be "A Winner".

Recently championed by Gilles Peterson on his BBC6 Music radio show, "Dilla" by Abstract Orchestra has been generating a buzz since it's inception in 2016 and subsequent u.k. tour, during which the album was presented to the public in its live form.

Led by Saxophonist Rob Mitchell, Abstract Orchestra seeks to reflect the diversity of music sampled by Hip-Hop producers by presenting music that has the complexity of jazz, framed within the simpler structures of Hip-Hop. Complex harmonies are framed within simple loops and complex bar structures and time signatures can pass by unnoticed. "I selected the tracks on the album with very much the live performance in mind" says band-leader and arranger Rob Mitchell "So the album is a reflection of the tour and the music we performed".

Inspired by the legendary live performances of The Roots with Jay-Z and the 40 piece orchestral arrangements by Miguel-Atwood Ferguson of the work of J Dilla, classic arranging techniques underpin modern loop-based structures.The band itself is based on the classic jazz big band instrumentation of saxes, trumpets and trombones and features the cream of the north of England's jazz scene who collectively have played with Jamiroquai, Corinne Bailey Rae, Mark Ronson, Martha Reeves, John Legend & the Roots, Roots Manuva and Amy Winehouse.

"Dilla" by Abstract Orchestra is a tribute to the work of the highly acclaimed and influential producer. Opener"Welcome to Detroit/The Diary"takes the the vocal sample from Isaac Hayes's "Man's Temptation" and places it against lush brass and driving beats while"Workinonit"Transplants the original 10cc guitar samples from the Dilla original onto biting trumpets and aggressive saxes, underpinned as always by Joost Hendrickx's on point drumming. On"Stop"vocalist Anna Uhuru handles the Dionne Warwick vocal with assurance while the band lay down an arrangement that is reminiscent of the work of David Axelrod and Don Sebeskey, both big sources of inspiration for Abstract Orchestra.

The middle of the album revolves around 2 Dilla medleys featuring versions and sections of"Airworks", "ULove", "Last Donut"and"Welcome To The Show"."Raw Shit"sees Farfisa organ underpinning the insistent brass figures with the bass taking on an almost bassoon-like quality while "Official/Fall In Love"sees Anna & Akin provide a stunning vocal performance, trading lines over the delicate horn arrangement. "Fantastic"features theRhodes intro of the original which is then taken up by the flutes and baritone sax. Inspired by the work of 20th century classical composers like Barber and Copeland the 2nd half of the arrangement takes on an almost orchestral feel with shades of Gil Evans.

"Love","So Far To Go","A.N.G.E.L.", and"Sun In My Face"provide interesting takes on these well known Dilla originals while album closer"Two Can Win"(recently championed by Gilles Peterson on his BBC6 Music show) acts as a showcase for the variety of Anna Uhuru's vocals, blending the style of the original Sylvers track with Minnie Ripperton style harmonies, 70's funk and Lalo Schiffrin/JJ Johnson film score vibes.

Closing track "Two can win" was played twice in two consecutive weeks by Gilles Peterson on his BBC6 Music show, where he declared it to be "A Winner".

Containing some of the best songs he's ever written, "Southern Nights" is Allen Toussaint's 1975 "swing for the fences" attempt at an all out masterpiece. Somewhat of a concept album, with reoccurring instrumental themes usually based on the title track popping up between songs, this album spawned at least two hits for other artists. The title track (minus the Lennonesque rotary speaker vocal effect) was a giant hit for Glen Campbell, and "What Do You Want The Girl To Do" was one of several singles on Boz Skaggs' 1976 gazillion seller "Silk Degrees" and also recorded with some success by Bonnie Raitt. On rust colored vinyl.

David Arch is a pianist, conductor, arranger and composer with a prolific career covering albums, films and commercials, through to television and live work. However, David is undoubtedly best known for his role as Musical Director and arranger for Bafta winning BBC Television's Strictly Come Dancing which is currently in its 14th Home is David's debut solo album, comprising 15 of his compositions that present a stimulating and diverse collection of songs, rooted in Jazz, which takes it's listener along an exciting journey through uplifting big band/ orchestral compositions, retro style rock big band, modern Jazz Rock, a classy melodic jazz style ballad and a tour de force that builds from a dreamy start to a frenetic mix of rhythms - all played live. David wrote these tunes for differing ensembles and recorded then with co-producer Haydn Bendall at Abbey Road, Air, RAK and Strongroom studios, rallying around 80 of the finest studio musicians in the UK. These include David's Strictly... cohort Tommy Blaize, Jeremy Stacey (drums) Laurence Cottle (bass) John Parricelli (guitar) and Nigel Hitchcock (saxophone). Coming Home will be available on double vinyl for the first time from June 9th 2017.

One of those songs that seems tailor made for the popcorn genre, '16 Tons' gets a bold, big-band treatment from the legendary blues-man BB King - one of the best renditions out there. Flip it over for a contrasting but just as cool twist on '16 Tons', this one an uptempo, jazzy workout that will surely turn heads.

Archetypal swinging, jazzy popcorn from croon cat Dav Kipp with a finger snapping ditty named 'Yea! My Baby Loves Me'. On the flip, Jeanie Allen shows that the girls can swing just as much as the boys, with an added injection of feminine sass and desperate romance in the form of 'I Really Love You'

REPRESSED !!
The jazz voice of a generation, José James released his debut LP 'The Dreamer' in 2007 on Brownswood Recordings. It was crammed with smoky, low-slung jazz grooves blessed with Jose's rich baritone vocals - magnificent self-penned works nestling alongside uniquely crafted cover versions of John Coltrane, Rashaan Roland Kirk and even West Coast hip hop institution Freestyle Fellowship. Pursuing the same deeply soulful vocal jazz tradition exemplified by Babs Gonzales, Billie Holliday, Joe Williams and Leon Thomas, 'The Dreamer' quickly cemented Jose's stature and raw talent within the worldwide jazz community, and beyond.

Since 'The Dreamer' José has performed in maybe 30 countries, worked with some of the best, wisest and finest artists in the world such as Chico Hamilton and Junior Mance and he has built a community of friends and fellow music-lovers all over the globe. This global community helped shape his sophomore record: 'BLACKMAGIC'. Working alongside the likes of Flying Lotus (Warp/Brainfeeder), Moodymann, DJ Mitsu, Taylor McFerrin, he proved that he was perfectly at ease riding FlyLo's bumpy sketches, or indeed morphing Benga's dubstep anthem 'Emotions' into a killer live jazz workout. Now signed to Blue Note Records, Jose is about to release his 6th studio album entitled 'Yesterday I Had The Blue: The Music Of Billie Holiday'.

NAUTILUS is a trio centered around drummer Toshiyuki Sasaki, formed in 2014 along with its Bassist Shigeki Umezawa and Keyboardist Daisuke Takeuchi.Their distinctive style, which can be summarized as the modern rare groove, embodies a mixture of jazz, funk, disco, soul and even hip hop. The conception of NAUTILUS is drawn not only from the composition 'Nautilus' written by Bob James, but also from an American submarine that actually existed, thus resembling their contemporary style that carries on the rare groove music of the 70s in an abyssal imagery. Sasaki's versatile, yet solid drumming combined with Umezawa's full- bodied, powerful bass and Takeuchi's classically-trained prowess produces an exceptional sound unique all on its own.

LTD COLOURED VINYL
Available on vinyl for the first time ever is the soundtrack to the legendary Sun Ra film, Space Is The Place. Featuring some of Sun Ra's most adventurous and uncompromising compositions ever, the soundtrack incorporates vocal chants, harsh synthesizer and organ blasts along with film dialogue, heavy percussion and just all around weirdness. Featuring cover art by members of the legendary Ant Farm art collective. An amazing, and important piece from the extensive Sun Ra catalog and a must have for Sun Ra and avant-garde cinema collectors alike. Limited edition Isotopic red and yellow & Transmolecularized blue and green vinyl.

I released Zebra over 10 years ago on 12" year ago when at Jazzman Records but deicded to do it on the original format with a brand new master as its always been a favorite 70s dancefloor killer (Huge on the deepfunk scene in the early 2000s) and i needs to fit in peoples 45 box. 500 Only.

Strut present the first official reissue of a landmark album in the field of African music, Mulatu Astatke's 'Mulatu Of Ethiopia' from 1972. Across three formats including a special 3LP version including unreleased bonus cuts and a special unreleased mono pressing of the album.

DJ Cam is back with his 7th album ' Seven ' after the release of the summer hit 'Swim feat Chris James' from Stateless.
With Seven, DJ Cam serves up his most personal album since the acclaimed Substances. Inspired as ever by the original jazz and hip-hop influences that helped him become one of the founders of the trip-hop scene back in 1995, this new album is also full of exciting new musical and visual influences.

Funky Trip Hop... groove 70's ambiances there !

Jazzy and funky grooves at its top !

Now for the first time on vinyl, Four Flies Records is proud to present an unmissable Eurocrime soundtrack by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis, composed in 1976 and considered to be one of the genre's finest offerings directed by Enzo G. Castellari.
Perhaps the most forceful OST from the Italian duo, IL GRANDE RACKET consists of fuzz distortion and electronic effects from the beginning to the end. This sonic gem is also enriched with psychedelic flutes, obsessive rhythms, and percussion which results with a totally prog-rock and psych-funk score that perfectly describes the main elements of the film: action, tension and violence.
Remastered from the original master tapes preserved for decades in the C.A.M. archives, and augmented with exclusive liner notes by Davide Pulici (Nocturno Cinema) and stunning original artwork created by Luke Insect, this edition will be a true pleasure of the senses for any and all soundtrack lovers.

Previously unreleased full edition for this explosive jazz-funk score by Italian Maestro Riz Ortolani, created in 1973 for the crime-movie Si può essere più bastardi dell'ispettore Cliff' (also known as Mafia Junction').
Only two tracks from this OST were published at the time in a now extremely rare C.A.M. 7-inch, but that was enough to create the legend...
Four Flies is honored to had access to the original C.A.M. master tapes, so to present here, just your pleasure, the complete session for the first time!
Just expect one of the funkiest piece of the whole Ortolani's career: car chases, sex scenes, vicious kills are served here by amazing drum breaks, fat bass lines, captivating horn section and wonderful guitar effects.

Totally outstanding session, and a real new classic for all crime-funk lovers!

Bloody abstract Electro Hip Hop, strongly blues, with a pinch of jazz.

Fanfare Ciocarlia non-stop road movie ! An absolute must have !

Spanish Guitar Jazz !

Experimental Jazz big discover ! Nedded !

The volume one of the big Open minded compilation from Ninja Tune with big tunes as that Henri Texier... and some cool disco sweet tunes and jazzz and electronica and ..,and....

Alto sax man Jukka Perko, one of Finland's leading jazz artists, presents a new project Tritone, where he joins forces with the dynamic rhythm section of Antti Lötjönen and Teppo "Teddy Rok" Mäkynen (who have appeared together in projects such as Teddy's West Coasters, The Five Corners Quintet, Timo Lassy Band, Verneri Pohjola Quartet, etc.). Perko, once a member of the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, has put together a set of tunes made famous by Dizzy for the re-evaluation by the highly talented trio. The time is right now, Dizzy's 100th anniversary, 30 years since the alto sax player, back then a teenage sensation, shared the stages with the likes of Sam Rivers, Jerry Dodgion, Jon Faddis, and of course Dizzy himself.

As Perko himself put it: "It's not about what Dizzy's music means to us, but rather what we can bring to it. We're adding our own piece onto the mosaic which makes up modern jazz."

The release comes as both vinyl LP and CD versions, complete with a booklet including liner notes documenting Perko's time in the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, and rare archival material from press clips to touring schedules. The vinyl includes free digital download with 4 bonus tracks.