Pop & Rock News

Afro funk and Political Soul from Togo.

Recorded in the beginning of the 80's and self-produced by Itadi in 1983 , this obscure album contained deep soul and controversial rare grooves backed by the 5 band members called the 'Afro Funk Band de Lomé'.

Itadi's music is unique, in his second album, he kept the same recipe: a mixture of soul, reggae, hi-life and Funk, with heavy lyrics which sounds like slogans and caused him big trouble after its release. He was obliged to escape the country to USA. A real definition of a revolutionary musician!

This deluxe LP contains also two unreleased tracks, interview, and photos and was fully licensed with his family.

Remastered by Frank Merritt at Carvery Studio.

Following the overwhelming success of the Fantastic Man EP, your pals at Kolour Recordings waste no time what-so-ever in returning Kolour LTD to the frey. For LTD006 we're proud to feature our friends from Delusions of Grandeur in Norm
De Plume featuring a remix by the mysterious Franc Spangler.
limited edition "PURPLE" vinyl so, you know the deal - ACT FAST! More soul than a sock with a hole!
DJ SUPPORT:
SLEAZYBEATS / THE TORTOISE / DEEP SPACE ORCHESTRA / TOOMY DISCO /
78 EDITS / CRAIG SMITH (6TH BOROUGH) / IRON CURTIS / TORNADO WALLACE DEADLY SINS / ANDY HART & MANY MORE...

Electric Purple Vinyl Repress

Chromatics turn the night into a woozy slow-mo disco ball twirl, and the titles say it all really: 'Tomorrow Is So Far Away', 'Let's Make This Moment A Moment To Remember'. The culmination is 'Tick Of The Clock', a quarter of an hour slowed almost to a stop. A flanged beat box ticks and a dense howl of organ chords crawls over vinyl crackle until eventually nothing is left but a slowly reverberating bassline. The night is over. After leaving the nightclub, the chill of the morning air is refreshing but still sends a shiver down the spine. - 4/5 Resident Advisor

B/E/A/T/B/O/X is a primer, to be sure, but it's a strong one beset with an LP's length and signifiers (an intro, strong sequencing, the penultimate instrumental). Glass Candy's previous false starts can now be dismissed as pulled punches, or a band in its genesis, either way, this record marks a flat-out improvement. B/E/A/T/B/O/X informally dashes Glass Candy as "OMG punks w/ synths" and officially announces Glass Candy: aggressive, formidable beat-mongerers. - 8.1/10 Pitchfork

Originally released in 1984. 12 track single black vinyl.

Originally released in 1985, this was the bands eighth & final album. 10 track single black vinyl.

We welcome back long-time First Word family, Souleance, with 'Bamboule', fresh from their respective cut-ups for our sister label, Excursions, and their recent 'Raw Funk' set, we have a 5-track EP containing something for all the family, crafted with love once again by France's Fulgeance & DJ Soulist. A truly eclectic collection, comprised of afro grooves, tropical vibes, b-boy rhymes, head-nodding shakers and intensely hype floor-fillers. A seriously fun selection.

It kicks off with 'Partay', a mid-tempo slice of bouncy tropical boogie that does exactly what it says on the tin. An effervescent synth-bassline rides on top of a delectable disco shuffle, complete with classic reggae chants.

Title track 'Bamboule' is a seriously energetic afro-funk beast. A truly infectious percussive rhythm track, laced with an immense bassline, vocal chops and synth rides, this one is 100% guaranteed to entice any dancefloor into a trance-like state of bugged-out body moves.

'That Guy' is some uptempo piano-rolling hip hop business, enlisting the help of Brooklyn MC, Von Pea, from the crew Tanya Morgan, who've been making noise on the independent hip hop scene for over a decade, as well as recently collaborating with GUTS.

We dip down to around the 85BPM mark for 'J'aime Marcher', a lounging boom bap bumper with sloppy drums, jazzy rhodes and vivacious horns.

Closing the EP is 'Brown Bags', an almost Dilla-esque cut-up, complete with rolling neck-breaking drums, sweet soul samples and stabs of prog rock. An abundance of variety, we think you'll agree.

For those that don't know, the Parisian duo hooked up just over a decade ago, and haven't stopped to rock & shock parties, clubs and festivals globally since, building a fan-base of solid party people and revered selectors along the way. As always, the wonderful Alice Dufay provides the artwork, making this an essential package for you and yours.

TIM ZAWADA takes listeners on another healthy aquatic adventure for 90 minutes of relaxing, contemporary electronic RnB music bringing the gap between modern Funk, Deep house & New school electronic soul & RnB. "CONTEMPORARY JACUZZI AEROBICS VOLUME 2" comes with a full color insert.

Reissue of the original Konduko Records release of early 80s Miami producer Noel Williams' sleazy disco funk classic 'Get Down' with its awesome post disco/proto-house sound. This in-demand track, which was the standout on the hugely successful Disco Not Disco series, literally has it all - a compulsive hypnotic combination of killer electronic bassline, catchy funk vocals and dirty in-ya-face synth stabs that positively wreck the dancefloor! Ultra-rare and near-impossible to get hold of in the original, so grab one of these limited edition reissues while you can.

Huge 12" from the vaults of TK Disco!
Exclusive never before released or heard Kon and Todd Terje edits of T-Connection and Jimmy McGriff.
Kon, got his hands on the original stems and re played certain parts to re create a huge modern disco masterpiece. Mastered by Caserta this is pure disco gold and will slay any dancefloor.
On the flip we have a Todd Terje edit from his personal edit stash. This edit has never been released in any shape or form and is a personal edit Terje made for his DJ sets.
Watch out for a TK box set next year!

180g 2x12" + mp3!

Everyone's favourite disco - boogie & house explorers Midnight Riot serve up another unique compilation 'Le Spank' featuring a host of legendary acts & producers from the scene alongside some of the hottest rising stars from the underground.

Here we have grooves to move ya feet from man of the moment Hifi Sean with his stunning remix of Unomas's 'Shari Vari' featuring Fritz Helder (Azari & III) plus big name favourites like NYC disco giants Odyssey,Yam Who & Al Kent.

DJ Support : Greg Wilson, Horse Meat Disco Soul Clap, Dimitri From Paris, Eli Escobar, Joey Negro, Luke Soloman, Jackmaster, Dr Packer

In 1981, Bermudian band Paradise recorded 'Sizzlin' Hot', a flawless album of original material in the disco, boogie and AOR style. Since Bermuda is a fairly remote island, it's no wonder that Paradise remains virtually unknown to this day. It is all the more reason why this album stands-out and has universal appeal.

Beat Electric are ready to press up another batch of Disco-funk classic Carmen - Time to Move. The record will be repressed in a limited batch and will be exclusively distributed by Rush Hour. Pre-orders as always recommended.

- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- INCLUDES INSERT
- INCLUDING THE HITS GOT TO LOVE SOMEBODY',
REACH YOUR PEAK' AND LET'S GO ON VACATION'

Love Somebody Today is the fourth studio album by the R&B vocal group Sister Sledge. The album includes three singles: Got to Love Somebody', Reach Your Peak', and Let's Go on Vacation', which all charted on the US Pop and R&B/Soul charts from late 1979 until 1980.

This album was both written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the band Chic. There are three singles released from this album. The first was Got to Love Somebody' released in 1979 peaked at number six on the R&B/Soul charts. In 1980, The second single Reach Your Peak' was released, peaking at #101 on the US Pop charts and #21 on the R&B/Soul charts.

Let's Go on Vacation' reached number sixty-three on the R&B/Soul chart. The latter was to be included on the Chic- produced soundtrack album Soup For One in 1982.

Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards again properly kept the emphasis on their harmonies, interaction and vocal flexibility, and provided them with more fine material.

Basil Kirchin was a unique talent. A man brought up as a drummer in the post war big band era, he soon shunned the sounds of London ballrooms for world travel, marijuana and spiritual enlightenment. On his return to London in the mid 1960s he started work on experimental sound picture music', a direction that led him into horror film music, library music and eventually to field recordings. He then developed the idea of slowing down the sounds of bird, insects, animals, autistic children - anything he recorded in fact - to reveal the hidden particles of sound that made them up. Mixing this with free jazz improvisation in 1969 he developed a new, peculiar sound that we now know as ambient'. Here, in this unique Trunk Record's sampler, we offer a fascinating musical glimpse into his world, bringing together work from three decades, PLUS parts of a long conversation between Jonny Trunk and Basil Kirchin recorded a few months before he died. There is unreleased film music, field recordings including autistic children from Schurmatt, music for advertising, the opening of Quantum', brilliant mixes of jazz and birds ( Charcoal Sketches'), the newly discovered digital post punk classic Silicon Chip' plus brilliant and moving homages to his life with Esther, his wife. Together it makes extraordinary listening.

10th studio album from DC duo, Thievery Corporation. The 15 tracks, recorded on location in Port Antonio JA, finds the duo deftly blending their signature style with the classic dub, dance hall, & roots vibes that have inspired them over an illustrious 20-year career. Featuring vocals from Mr Lif, Racquel Jones, Lou Lou Ghelichkhani, Shana Halligan, Puma & others"The innovation, spirit and power of Jamaican music is a constant source of creative manna for us," explains Eric Hilton of DC-based electronic band THIEVERY CORPORATION about their new album THE TEMPLE OF I & I. "On the musical map, Jamaica is an entire continent. Frankly, we could have spent a year there, soaking up the vibes in the air and the strength and resilience resonating from the people. And for us, the only way to connect with this rich source of inspiration was to work in that environment - to feel the pulse of the place."Infused with the culture and rhythm of Jamaica, The Temple of I & I is an extension of the dub ethos and aesthetic that they've harbored since their debut EP Sounds from Thievery Hi-Fi, except this time, they dove headfirst into the rich and warm musical environs of Port Antonio, Jamaica and surrounded themselves with the island's magic. Kicking off in February 2015, Hilton, Rob Garza and their DC-based live rhythm section settled into the deep part of Jamaica Port Antonio and began recording in Geejam Studios. "People couldn't believe Robbie Myers, our guitarist, wasn't Jamaican," laughs Hilton. "I think they're used to people coming down from London or LA to record rock and pop records, and they were thrilled that we had such a handle on their sound. It felt like the respect was mutual. It was beyond gratifying. High Grade ganja and bottles of Appleton rum started to show up on the reg."Rife with inspired sounds of the island, The Temple of I & I kicks off with "Thief Rockers", easing the listener into a reverb-heavy tropical sway that introduces Kingston-newcomer, vocalist Racquel Jones. "I met her on my first trip to Port Antonio and she played some demos at Geejam. She had actually used Thievery Corporation as her demo backing track, and it was a perfect match when I heard it. We've been waiting years to find a conscious, brilliant, female Jamaican singer and MC. As a model and former Miss Jamaica contestant, you'd never expect the pure lyrical fire and tough delivery could come out of her. It's impressive," explains Hilton.

After Mukatsuku Records summer Hammond Organ screamer from Billy Hawks (MUKAT 052) the label goes deep on an international funk tip. Few years ago label manager Nik played in France and the promoter pulled out a Biosis now 45 that he never knew existed up till then and was generally thought to be a long album track only. An extensive search revealed nothing online including popsike/discogs/ebay except a tropical seller who'd just bought a huge caribbean collection with the record included saying he'd never seen it before either and he was keeping it...Failing to secure a copy themselves the label licensed it instead and created their own 45 edit which retains all the funk & soul of the elongated album version into a 7 inch friendly format. On the flipside and 1973 Tumba Safari from Afro Train get's a funky afrobeat re touch for peak time club play that would save you several hundred pounds on an original if you could actually find a copy !

The funk runs deep and rich on "World Wide Funk," Bootsy Collins' first studio album since 2011's "Tha Funk Capital of the World". Populated with musical friends old and new, and recorded in his Cincinnati home's Bootzilla Re-hab studio, "World Wide Funk" marks both a reckoning and significant reboot, if you will, for the Rhinestone Rock Star Monster of a doll baby baba! Blue-chip rappers like Doug E. Fresh, Big Daddy Kane, DJ Quik, Dru Down, and Chuck D, along with guitar shedder Buckethead join a Bootsy-curated posse of fresh new artists on a record that embraces everything from the classic P-Funk sound Bootsy pioneered to the closest Collins has ever come to radio-active, boots on the ground friendly fire in a musical-P-rated-adventure. World Wide Funk will be released worldwide on Mascot Records on October 27, 2017 on CD, vinyl, digital download and streaming.

Following last years acclaimed Curse of Soft Rocks album, we're invited to revisit said masterpiece from an alternative entry — a robust compilation of remixes. Every track is re-contextualized so wildly that we're left with a beautifully oblique yet complimentary rendering. The personnel employed vary in style and technique drastically, but such is the ethos of Soft Rocks, and furthermore the ESP Institute. At the end of the day, we implore you to shut up and listen.

On this 12" (the first of 4 surrounding The Revenge of Soft Rocks remix album) we're treated with a serious disco belted version of Talking Jungle as reworked by JUSTIN VANDERVOLGEN (TBD, Gold Channel, DFA, etc, etc) and an insanely serene take on Obo by ESP favorite TIAGO (Sea Power & Change, Gala Drop, DFA, etc, etc)... good lord this is quite a piece of wax!

In 2005, a new zoo opened in Lausanne, Switzerland. Its wild animals have been going bananas in their quest to create a more dancefloor-friendly world. Now released, the zoo residents can be tracked by their heavy funk smells. Follow their scent past retro-psychedelia and turn left after organic garage.

"Released!" is the debut album by Kind & Kinky Zoo. It is a collection of brand new tracks, early singles as well as remixes and features a guest apperance by rapper Afu-Ra.

Kind & Kinky Zoo are:

Flute : Olivier Bill

Bass & Fuzz: Pierre-Henri Beyrière

Keys : Marc Siegenthaler

Drums & Percussions: Sylvain Rütti

Mystique were a Chicago group formed by Ralph Johnson, former leader with The Impressions after Curtis Mayfield and LeRoy Hutson. In 1977 they released a self-titled album at Curtom records and five singles, none of which were this show stopping version of If You're In Need', a Grey & Hanks composition performed and produced everywhere as near good as the better known version by Lenny Williams. In the year 2000, the album was issued on CD with previously unissued bonus tracks including Spoiled Like A Baby', a song recorded in 1977 by American pop duo Addrisi Brothers, but this version by Mystique is far superior and highly in demand modern soul room dancer on vinyl, facilitated here by Expansion

Stefan Schwander aka Harmonious Thelonious is definitely not a newcomer. He has been around for a long time and has already released lots of amazingly varied music on labels such as Emotional Response, Italic, Meakusma and Diskant. He's also an integral part of the infamous Duesseldorf / Salon Des Amateurs axis that is an obvious hotbed of talent. He describes his style as "American minimalism vs. African drumming vs. European sequencing", a heady mixture which is clearly evident on this EP though with a definite Middle Eastern twist. Here at Versatile HQ we were introduced to this clutch of tracks by one of the members of Acid Arab and we were totally blown away. Stefan has a very unique production style, fusing all of the above elements with a hint of Gamelan, a dash of tweaked FM synthesis type sounds with a dose of warm ambience and finally his own singular touch on the mix. We are very happy to present you these 4 tracks to you, an essential EP from one of European music's true originals.

- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- INCLUDING INSERT
- INCLUDING THE WORLD-WIDE HIT MOSKOW
DISKOW'

Three young Belgian musicians - Marc Moulin, Dans Lackman and Michel Moers- created a new form of music by using clever little, playful melodies true synthscapes and electronic sound waves in 1979. The legendary band TELEX was born.

Their debut album Looking For Saint-Tropez is a pop-historical album, gaining international attention in it's fun approach to the popular new wave of that time. The band mixed aesthetics of disco, punk and experimental electronic music, and released a stripped-down synthesized cover version of Twist à St. Tropez' by Les Chats Sauvages. Followed by an ultra-slow cover of Rock Around the Clock', a relaxed and dispassionate version of Plastic Bertrand's punk song Ça Plane Pour Moi', and a mechanical cover of Dance to the Music', originally by Sly Stone. The worldwide hit single Moskow Diskow' created the breakthrough for the band.

Released due to demand this is the 2 track 12" Vinyl format of the massive #1 single featuring Bruno Mars. Ltd to 4000 units. B side is a "BB Disco Dub Mix". Radio playlists, heavy MTV video rotation & TV ads for the album. Continued promo & marketing activity.

Dream Control is the collaboration of a legend of the Krautrock Kosmiche scene and a pioneer of the German electronic scene. Zeus B. Held, renowned producer (Gina X Performance and works under his own moniker) and Steve Schroyder (former member of Tangerine Dream during their formative period) team up to deliver their debut album "Zeitgeber" which celebrates their very own sound and rhythm in a cosmic journey through audio and time. The tracks are a blend of structured compositions and improvisations accented by the throat singing of Kolja Simon und Felix Monnich aka AlienVoices. The album plays like a Technicolor adventure through space with explorations of cosmic disco, dreamlike passages, vocoder lullabies, and space odysseys. Zeus B. Held began his musical career in 1972 in French progressive art-rock band Eruption before joining successful German prog rock group Birth Control, performing and writing with them 1973 - 1978. He was one of the first musicians to use the Sennheiser Vocoder VSM 201 in his live sets. Zeus' production work with cult project Gina X Performance transformed him into an electronic specialist producer settling down in London for over 20 years. In his London studio he worked with artists including John Foxx, Dead or Alive, Men Without Hats, Transvision Vamp and Gary Numan, did a series of international soundtracks and further productions with Nina Hagen and Udo Lindenberg. After numerous trips around the globe he composed and produced a collection of his own albums (which Medical released a hand-picked selection in 2015). Steve Schroyder started to develop his musical vision with an electronic organ and his own films. He founded the group Turning Free giving a string of improvised concerts in Berlin clubs before meeting Edgar Froese in 1970 to mutually further develop the vision of 'cosmic music' resulting in recording the Tangerine Dream albums Alpha Centauri and Zeit. In 1972 he left TD and joined Ash Ra Temple. Further creative collaborations and projects include Scarecrew, Augenstern, Star Sounds Orchestra, various trance productions, Anne Clark, Alien Voices and Star Sound Kontinuum. The tracks have been expertly mastered for vinyl by Zeus B. Held. Limited Edition.

Disco Stomper with Diva Vocals Another extremely rare underground record on P&P. This time however and quite shockingly not a Patrick Adams or a Greg Carmichael production. Nonetheless Ain't it time' is a massive Disco cut written, arranged and produced by Arthur Manning and P. J. Wyatt paired with great Vocals by Soul, Disco and Gospel vocalist Gwendolyn Dennison better known for her stage name as Queen Yahna. Queen Yahna's Career has seen her perform on Broadway as Maria in the Hit Musical, "Porgy & Bess" and the National Company of "The Wiz" as "Evillene". Based in Berlin, Germany, Queen Yahna has had a successful career outside theater as well, cutting a few dance records over the years.

- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- INCLUDING 8 PAGE BOOKLET WITH LYRICS
- 40 YEAR ANNIVERSARY EDITION
- INCLUDING THE HITS STRAWBERRY LETTER
23', RUNNIN' FOR YOUR LOVIN'' AND Q'
- LIMITED EDITION OF 1000 NUMBERED COPIES
ON 'STRAWBERRY RED' VINYL

Louis and George Johnson formed The Brothers Johnson under the auspices of Quincy Jones in 1975, releasing this second album in 1977. With Quincy at the helm as producer, the duo quickly broke wide open with its debut album.

The Brothers Johnson's second album Right on Time consists of some of the best proto-typical funk-soul grooves from the late 70s. The album is again produced by Quincy Jones and his contributions ensure the high quality of the instrumental arrangements and general glossiness of the audio production as in their debut album. Several of the tracks are as good as anything Michael Jackson or Earth Wind and Fire would've produced around this time, particularly Runnin' For Your Lovin'', Strawberry Letter 23' and Never Leave You Lonely'. There are also two fantastic instrumentals, Q' and Brother Man' that are both irrepressibly funky, with Louis Johnson's tight bass providing the solid rhythmic
foundation he is famous for. Fusion fans will be familiar with several of the backing musicians: Harvey Mason, Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour to name a few.


The single Strawberry Letter 23' gained a #5 spot in the US billboard charts and #1 on the US R&B billboard. The album received platinum.

Limited repress of the desperately cool super hip post punk mega rarity. With different label so it's different from the first pressing.

The first trunk repress of this classic lost post punk single was way back in 2010. They all sold very fast. The original 7' then shot to £500+ if you can ever find one. And the Trunk 12' repress is now about £50. Three record companies approached Trunk in the last month to repress it, but it was easier just to repress this classic 12' with the original version, a radio edit and three further edits from various underground superstars.

Jive baby On A Sturday Night' is incredibly hooky. It was originally played by John Peel back in the day, but as a privately pressed record with no distribution apart from being carried about ina sprts holdall, it sold just 30 copies.

Rediscovered by Thurston Moore in 2009, this super hip single is now back out with the full original version plus edits and mixes by Lemon Jelly's Fred Deakin, Tommy Stupid and Georges Vert, AKA the Advisory Circle.

The second release of secret SWAT manoeuvre's from the US of A ! After the instant sellout DJ Nature 12", SWAT come through with a devastating & loving homage to The Basement Boys' and Amiri Baraka's 2001 jam "An American Poem"
Malik Ameer is a veteran M.C. in the experimental Rap/Jazz scenes of California and NYC. Ameer is also an internationally published poet with five books of poems to his name, he hosts and curates 'Poets Live' in Paris, France and is the editor for several literary journals based out of New York City.
Houston born, Manhattan based Leron Thomas is a critically acclaimed writer, artist, and trumpeter who has worked with many household names from a variety of genres including Michael Stipe, Lauryn Hill, Bobby Watson, Roy Hargrove, Bilal and Mos Def, to name but a few. From 2004 onward he has developed his genre-crossing music incorporating singer/songwriter, Jazz, Funk, Electro-pop and Rock, releasing nine solo artist records championed by the likes of Gilles Peterson etc.
Malik is a longtime friend and production collaborator of Leron, as well as lending his emcee skills to both Thatmanmonkz' solo work, and their collaborative Hip Hop project 'Madison Washington'. 'Amerikkan Poem' was recorded in Sheffield, Paris, and New York. Super limited US imports - blink and you'll miss 'em.

Nach der Fertigstellung von "Computer Disco" (1982) machte sich Marcello Giombini daran, das Album "I Adore Commodore" zu komponieren, welches zum größten Teil nur mit einem Commodore 64 eingespielt wurde. Giombini war ein Veteran der Musikanwendungen auf Personal Computern - angefangen mit einem Apple II Europlus, wandte er sich kurz darauf dem C64 zu. "I Adore Commodore" wurde von den damaligen Videospielen inspiriert, was sich auch in den Tracktiteln widerspiegelt.

Last volume of this compilation series, again a great one.., Holding amazing tunes from across the globe that you probably already have been looking for.... TIP!!
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Over the last five years and as many volumes of their Beach Diggin' compilations, Guts and Mambo have explored the reefs of five continents, dredged the sea beds of countless seas and oceans, examined every single seashell with the aim of making sure that no vinyl pearl should escape their notice.

Tunisian reggae, Japanese disco, West Indian jazz-funk, the duo's aesthetic dribbling skills would stop the savviest Brazilian football player dead in his tracks, and it was with this in mind that they proceeded to select their discoveries. With a marked preference for meditative free-diving rather than tour package scuba diving, and isolated spots rather than massively overdeveloped beachfronts.
For this latest instalment of their adventures, Guts and Mambo have organised another expedition around the world, to salute the spots where for the last five years they have uncovered rare specimens, saving some of them from total extinction, while shining a light on others that amply deserved it.

Though each Beach Diggin' compilation can be listened to independently of the others, the five together now form a kind of navigational chart signalling with its green flags the places where, in Africa, Europe, Asia, America, and the South Pacific, they gambolled on sandy beaches, avoiding the well-trodden path, becoming more and more demanding with each passing year.
Beach diggin' is a state of mind...

ALFIE DAVISON first came to prominence in the early seventies as a DJ on the New York dance scene breaking cutting edge singles such as Soul Makossa' by Manu Dibango. Eventually he hit with his own song -- Who's Gonna Love Me' -- recorded by The Imperials and breaking the U.K. Top 20 in December 1977. Davison did record his own version which saw a release in the U.S.A. on the RCA imprint, but it failed to chart.
However, it was his sublime single - Love Is Serious Business' - that propelled him into the Northern Soul Hall of Fame. Released on Mercury Records in 1979, in both 7 and 12-inch formats, it was an instant hit in the North of England where it packed the floor at Wigan Casino courtesy of the forward-thinking DJ Richard Searling who, at the time, favoured the rare 12-inch import.
Sadly, the song failed to chart despite a favourable reception in the trade magazine Billboard, although, oddly, it was reviewed in the Pop', rather than the Soul' section. Davison was completely unaware of the serious' club action that the song received in the U.K. and he never performed it in public, until Ian Levine met up with him at the dawn of the new millennium, in Brooklyn, for the filming of The Strange World Of Northern Soul'.
Alfie Davison passed away in 2014 and leaves behind a small but precious legacy that will be forever cherished in the Hearts and Souls of Northern Soul fans worldwide.

COBBLESTONE Trick Me, Treat Me' polarized opinion when it was launched onto the Northern Soul scene in the latter half of the Seventies by DJ Richard Searling. Whatever side of the cobblestone's you were on, it captured the dance floor at Wigan Casino and became one of the biggest sounds of the decade. 40 years on and it's still in demand, particularly with record dealers as it's a sure-fire seller every time it's listed - which is increasingly infrequent. Trick Me, Treat Me' was co-written and produced by Reid Whitelaw who also gave us the brilliant Love Is Serious Business' by Alfie Davison (also available from Outta Sight). The group would eventually morph into Magic Night who filled the floor at Blackpool Mecca with If You And Had Never Met', also produced by Whitelaw. As befitting the strange world of Northern Soul, all is not quite as it appears. The group were originally called Yellow Brick Road and a few copies of Trick Me, Treat Me' were pressed under that name. Bob Reno at Mercury decided it was too confusing with Elton John's chart topping album and withdrew the disc!

THE MOODS Rainmaker' was released in the same year as Trick Me, Treat Me', 1970, and was produced by Philly legend John Madara. The two sides are further connected by the aforementioned Reid Whitelaw who, today, administers the Madara catalogue, however, that's where the similarities end. The Moods pedigree is firmly rooted in black music having been born out of The Volcanos whose legacy includes the wonderful Storm Warning', Help Wanted', You're Number 1' and Laws Of Love'. When The Volcanos disbanded part of the line-up went on to form the nucleus of super group The Trammps who hit the Northern scene with Scrub-board' a couple of years later. Other group members formed The Moods releasing Rainmaker' which became a Northern Soul classic most associated with the Talk Of The North' All-Nighters on the pier at Cleethorpes. Ironically The Trammps appeared live at Cleethorpes to celebrate the First Anniversary All-Nighter, 21st Feb, 1976.

There is a long-standing love affair between DJ Harvey and Pikes, Ibiza. As well as coming back for his third consecutive 'Mercury Rising' residency, the legendary 'DJs' DJ has been appointed 'Cultural Attaché' for Pikes, meaning his magic touch and feel-good presence will create even more special moments at Pikes this summer, including the launch of new label, Pikes Records.

In 2015 DJ Harvey made his hugely anticipated return to Ibiza and made Pikes his home for his Mercury Rising debut, a concept inspired by the beauty of the real Ibiza, the incredible history of Pikes and a genuine love for music. The love, the dancing, the music and the Balearic spirit perfectly and poetically encapsulated by DJ Harvey has seen Mercury Rising widely recognised as the most special night to embrace the island in over a decade.

The next step in the Harvey and Pikes story sees him launch Pikes Records - the first record label founded by Pikes owners and Ibiza Rocks Co-Founders Andy McKay and Dawn Hindle. On the label, Harvey explains: I see so many avenues to work together to release music, everything from live recordings from Ibiza Rocks and Pikes, mix tapes, original productions, showcasing new artists, there's all sorts of avenues to open up.'

With the finer details still under wraps, it's safe to say fans can look forward to the first release being Harvey's very own Mercury Rising compilation. But what can we expect from the third instalment of Mercury Rising Putting it quite simply, Just a serious good time really' says Harvey.

The Sound Of Mercury Rising will be released September 1st on Pikes Records and DJ Harvey and his infamous all night long sets return for Mercury Rising from Monday 7th August to 25th September at Pikes Hotel.

LOU LAWTON was born Lucius Lavarn Lawton in Savannah, Georgia in 1942. Shortening his name to Lou (Lew) he scored a record deal with Capitol Records at the dawn of 1966 and released the raucous Doing The Philly Dog' in March that year. The B-side featured the insistent dancer I Am Searching (For My Baby)', which was adopted by the Northern Soul scene and was also released in the UK by Jeff Kruger's Ember label. Lawton's follow-up single in the Summer of '66 was the excellent beat ballad I'm Just A Fool' coupled with the uptempo Wrapped In A Dream', also released in the UK on the Ember affiliate Speciality. Both 45s failed to garner any chart action and signalled the end of a promising major label career.
A move to New York's Wand label spawned our highlight Knick Knack Patty Wack' which, despite its odd nursery rhyme title, was an instant hit on the Northern Soul dance floors and remains a sought after original today. It was tipped by Billboard to reach the R&B Singles Chart in July 1967 but failed to capitalise on its potential.
A final hop to Cathy Lynn's short lived Heart & Soul imprint resulted in two more 45s under the moniker Lou Moondog' Lawton: the funky remake of St Louis Blues' and the 90mph Mod dancer Dollars And Cents'. Both singles were produced by the great Richard Tee but sadly did nothing to save the doomed career of the big-voiced R&B singer. Lawton passed away in 2004.
WALTER WILSON Love Keeps Me Crying' is the rarest record on the highly collectable Wand label out of New York. Until the Noughties it was considered to be an unreleased track by Walter Johnson, but thanks to Ace/Kent Records exec. and rare soul expert Ady Croasdell, an original 45 was finally unearthed. In a further twist it was revealed that the true identity of the singer was in fact the All Platinum singer/songwriter Tommy Keith.

(180 gr) Mark Barrott steps away from the Balearic sound he's become synonymous with to take a journey back to the territory he first explored with Bepu N'Gali. The Pathways Of Our Lives is a joyous, life affirming piece of 70's Afro Soul with amodern twist, continuing Barrott's love affair with African Polyrhythms and 70's Philly Strings.
It's also the first time since 2014's aforementioned Bepu N'Gali release that he has worked with a full band and sees The Grünewald Quartet return to string duties after collaborating on Barrott's Sketches from an Island 2 album last year.

The Bside, Music for Santoor, Bansuri, Tanpura y Sarod is another track recorded live during one of his spring meditation sessions in Northern Ibiza, with India's Vishnu Quartet performing a 2 hour piece with Barrott directing and later editing it down into the form you hear today.

After a busy and productive first half of 2017 in which Barrott released his Music for Presence EP and two Talamanca System releases, this summer sees Mark Barrott step into high gear with his work at La Torre in Ibiza, where he is sunset resident and has compiled the second edition of their compilation
series (last year's debut charting high in best mixes of the year by Resident Advisor).

Pathways invites the listener inside Barrott's mystical world, where stillness and meditation are the foundations, non-attachment and non-judgement are the windows, and through the music he mindfully sketches a vista into the next chapter in his career.

Pitchfork calls International Feel's "Pathways Of Our Lives" incredible. Hell of a track.

An otherworldly mix of Cosmic Disco, Funk, Boogie and traditional Flamenco styles by Spanish cantaor' El Turronero!! Featuring the legendary Josep Llobell (Oliver's Planet, Enterprise...) at the controls. Including Las Penas' and more! Remastered sound from the master tapes, insert with photos and liner notes by Txarly Brown (Achilifunk)