Pop & Rock News

November 2016, 10 years of OTPMD. Vincent Bertholet, still resolute, finally realises his old dream of a'real' orchestra. And thus was born the project to expand the known horizon. The orchestra became XXL by assembling accomplices from the first hour, who had never really disappeared from view, and an English string section met along the way.From now on, they will be 14 on stage. An anniversary tour, prestigious stages and makeshift squats, unrestrained agitation as in the first days, and a larger chorus, more percussive than ever. The multi-headed Hydra gives voice in concert and the frail stages that host it groan under its weight. Nevertheless, it is in the studio that the foundation of a new adventure is forged. Back to England, in the imposing and magnificent building that houses Real World Studios. After Rotorotor (2014), John Parish is again at the controls.It's called Sauvage Formes, a shrewd title, because everything here is as geometric as it is organic. The incisive rhythms, doubled in XXL, trademark of the pack, mingle with the unusually melancholy brass. The guitar riffs express themselves in minimalistic cascades, and since the number of strings has tripled, they allow themselves the luxury of entwining with each other, like a carnal embrace without epilogue. The voices, more numerous than usual, recite, chant, lead the dance and poeticise, sometimes in French, sometimes in English, and, in the same spirit, the chorus takes the opportunity to shape the pediment of hymns to elsewhere.These 8 songs as beautiful as they are adventurous, it seems to be a story of a voyage, a torn logbook. On the horizon however, neither boat, nor rickety plane, neither map nor compass. Is it because the continent that is mentioned in these texts and melodies is not a known place, but rather a dream world, a land of asylum for rebels and the insubordinate, for the daring and the benevolent

Blues boppin' masterclass

"Many collectors had thought Coxsone’s first LP was “All Star Top Hits” , but this “Stars On Parade” is the true owner of that honour. The original pressing was a small run and all copies have long gone.

You can enjoy the big shot of Clancy Eccles “Freedom” and other shuffle boogie tunes from the earliest Ska era."

The first Jamaican sound systems played American RnB, jive, and New Orleans hits, picked up by DJs fresh off the boat from States. As Jamaica gradually produced its own army of musicians, the earliest Jamaican records were mostly covers and reworkings of American songs. Eventually, the offbeat of RnB became the "ska" that changed everything.

An important work, as the origin of not only Studio One, but all time Jamaican music from ska, rocksteady, reggae to dancehall.
The liner notes by Brian Keyo include first-hand information from the artists which reveals the background of Jamaican music scene at that time.

We Are Vinyl label reissue as part of the 'Guitar Heroes' series. Considered one of the greatest and most influencial blues releases of all time. Originally released on Columbia Records in 1961. A 16 track album pressed on limited turquoise vinyl. Marketing activity

Two guitar legends - Eric Clapton and B.B. King - first performed together in NYC in 1967. Over 30 years later, in 1999, the two longtime friends joined forces to create a collection of all new studio recordings of blues classics and contemporary songs. The resulting album Riding with the King would be released in June 2000 and go onto sell over 4 million copies globally and win a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of this classic album, two additional previously unreleased tracks have been added: The blues standard “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” and a cover of Willie Dixon’s “Let Me Love You Baby.” Both tracks were recorded during the original sessions and were produced and mixed especially for this release by Simon Climie, who produced the original album with Clapton. The original tapes have been remastered by Bob Ludwig for release on 26th June via Rhino Records.

The 14-track collection will be available on 180-gram black double vinyl package and was mastered (vinyl) by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles.

The album features four B.B. King originals, plus a selection of covers from writers as diverse as Isaac Hayes & David Porter (“Hold On I’m Coming”), Johnny Mercer & Harold Arlen (“Come Rain Or Come Shine”) and William Broonzy & Charles Seger (“Key To The Highway”). John Hiatt wrote the album’s title track.

Over the years, artists have continuously inspired one another through the art of sampling. The SAMPLED vinyl collection is an invitation to (re) discover the most iconic sampled artists and original tracks in music history such as Charles Aznavour, Ray Charles, Dusty Springfield or Gwen McCrae. Launched in 2018 with 2 volumes dedicated to Funk and Soul, the collection is back this year introducing a new opus: “Sampled Groove” featuring Disco, Funk & Soul tracks sampled by Mobb Deep, Cypress Hill, Mary J. Blige, Will Smith and many more.

A reissue of an Indian soul/disco/funk gem from 1982. The material was engineered at the Living Room Studios in Calgary, Canada.

buffering juju, the title of dumama + kechou's debut album, relates to the process of "excavating spiritually charged content from within". The duo's textural sound, driven by cyclical song structures and chant making, not only captures the angst of the modern world but mines this state of affairs for regenerative potential.
dumama (vocalist and uhadi player) + kechou (multiinstrumentalist with a focus on indigenous African instruments and handmade instruments) met in Cape Town in 2017. There was an instinctive pulse to the initial clutch of shows they played together, blowing open vast sonic and conceptual possibilities. "I guess we were in similar places with our music processes in trying to push healing music to the edges and be more experimental with it," says dumama. The narrative of the album unravels as a piece of magical realism informed by South African folklore and reality, detailing a woman's liberation story where the characters shift shape and traverse multiple realms, deploying various iterations of their power or lack thereof. "It has an organic, natural, cyber and modern kind of energy - all rooted in African aesthetics of sound and storytelling," says kechou. All of this sits on a bed of the duo's unique musical language, one that, although applied electronically in the form of looping and soundscaping, is founded on approaches to string, vocal and percussion tones that reflect a merger between Northern and Southern African heritage.
Recorded primarily in Cape Town and Johannesburg over the first quarter of 2019, buffering juju is a conduit to a past we were not necessarily present for, and a future where threatened indigenous technologies thrive in an increasingly digitised world.

Repress!

"Band of Gypsys" was originally released in March 1970, at a time when Hendrix was at the peak of his powers. Featuring a new line up consisting of drummer Buddy Miles- and bassist Billy Cox, it was recorded across two performances at the Fillmore East on New Year’s Day 1970. The resulting Live-Album captured an incendiaryMix of Blues, Rock- and Funk.

The 50th anniversary edition of Band of Gypsys features an 8-Page book featuring rare archival photos & an essay by Hendrix Archivist John McDermott- it also has been remastered from the Original Analogue-Stereo Tapes by Eddie Kramer, long time engineer to Jimi Hendrix.

Pressed on Dark-Red Marble-Effect Vinyl!

Tracklist, Side A: Recorded January 1, 1970 Early Show- and Side B: Recorded January 1, 1970 Late Show

The legendary John Lee Hooker began his long and storied recording career in 1948, and over the next several years he released dozens of sides for the Los Angeles based blues and R&B super power label Modern. This classic LP collects some of his finest singles from 1948-1954, raw and powerful stuff that is as important as any from Hooker's entire career. Often featuring just Hooker and his guitar, or with a small backing combo, these tracks are sparse and deep, as real as the blues ever were.

The embodiment of the blues! A primal architect of the genre's structure, Hooker's hypnotic guitar work and commanding vocals influenced everyone who followed, and these tracks—originally released in the late '40s and early '50s as 'Texas Slim'—find him at the peak of his playing and singing powers. Pressed at RTI on 180 gram audiophile vinyl, you'll hear every moan, gasp and string blast on this definitive edition of John Lee Hooker Sings Blues, from Sundazed.

At last 3x of the Count Demon 45’s will be re-released on 45’s. Fantastic ‘live’ version. $1000 for an original 45!

Early James, an Alabama native and the latest signing to Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound roster, releases his debut album, Singing for My Supper, via Easy Eye and Nonesuch Records. The album spans hard-charging blues, wistful folk, and ages-old pop crooning, anchored by the singer’s voice that oscillates from gravel-gruff shout to a honey-smooth whisper. James’ inspirations run from Fiona Apple and Tom Waits to the Southern gothic poets, as heard in the album’s darker themes and in the wry humour with which he writes about them.

The album includes first single ‘Blue Pill Blues’. American Songwriter calls Early an ‘emerging alt-folk star’ and say of the song: ‘‘Blue Pill Blues’ is a stellar first track and one that showcases the unique — and quick — transitions that James’ vocals can make. He deftly switches from a melodic whisper to a gravely, if not guttural, growl to drive home his all-too-relatable lyrics.’ Auerbach, who decided he needed to produce the singer’s debut album after watching just two seconds of a video of James performing, says: “Some people are good singers, and some people are better than good singers; they just have this great form of expression.”

Early James’ debut features ten wide-ranging songs, co-produced by Auerbach and David “Fergie” Ferguson, is full of world-weary wisdom. ‘Blue Pill Blues’ details a period when James, who was being treated for depression, quit his antipsychotic medication cold turkey. ‘High Horse’ is a lament of the ways his adolescent excitement faded with the arrival of the vices of adulthood, while ‘Easter Eggs’ finds the songwriter coming to terms with some of the darker sides of his heredity. As soon as he was old enough, Early James moved from Troy to Birmingham, where he’s become an integral part of the city’s thriving music scene over the past half-decade. His diverse experience in the Birmingham scene has helped mould him into a singular talent whose sound remains uncategorizable. Mother Jones says, ‘Early James is the type of guy that might have walked into Sun Studios in the 1950s to record an unhinged rockabilly single with Sam Phillips. James sounds like an obscure, ribald 1920’s crooner time-warped into a 1990s heavy-alternative band.’ Coming out of a local music scene as first-rate as Birmingham has also helped sculpt James into a songwriter who obsesses over the craft and texture of every word he’s ever sung. “Every line has to mean something to him, personally,” says Auerbach. “It’s not good enough to just write a good song, it needs to have a deeper meaning. He’s unlike any person I’ve ever worked with. He’s not writing a song to be universal; he’s writing a song for him.”

Singing for My Supper is the thirteenth release on Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound label, which is distributed by Auerbach's label Nonesuch Records. Easy Eye Sound is built equally around Auerbach’s Easy Eye Studio in Nashville, where The Black Keys recorded their last three albums, as well as the collection of famous session musicians that have come to call the studio home. Subsequent releases have included records by Yola, Marcus King, Robert Finley, Kendell Marvel, Leo Bud Welch, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, Shannon & The Clams, Shannon Shaw, Sonny Smith, Dee White, and Link Wray. Auerbach says, “Sometimes I feel I created my own Field of Dreams. I built the studio because I knew something was going to happen. I built it to accommodate live musicians playing, and then all of a sudden the best musicians in Nashville show up, and it’s happening.”

We’ve worked with Ian Willson to reissue his insanely good, self-released West Coast classic “Straight From The Heart”. Privately pressed and originally released in 1985, this is the only album Ian ever put out. A magical blend of AOR/sophisticated funk/synth-boogie/spiritual jazz and modern soul, it’s a spellbinding record of many colours.

You might already know “Straight From The Heart” for the dubby-disco paranoid-balearic anthem “Four In The Morning”, and it’s easy to assume this is probably just another one of those one-track LPs. But trust us when we say it’s definitely not. This is an impressively slick record from start to finish, just ask those modern soul DJs and AOR collectors who’ve managed to find a rare copy in the last 35 years. It could’ve (should’ve?) been number 1 all over the world back in 1985.

Album opener “Think About It” is all sorts of right. It’s emotional. It’s tops-off. It’s funk in its purest form. And take the proto-modern-funk of the title track (half Dâm-Funk / half Dâd-Funk).

The shimmering, spiritual Bossa-Jazz of “If I Were You” serves as the album’s soaring centrepiece. A gorgeous suite of Cosmic vibes to get Gilles frothing, it sounds like nothing else on the record which makes sense given that it was recorded a couple of years earlier, and is the only track on the LP that wasn’t recorded in Ian’s own studio.

Side B opens with the propulsive ode to love that is “Two Is Better Than One”. Wonderfully sparse when it needs to be, it’s also richly percussive and that special kind of California-warm. Frenetic, speaker smashing synth and horn workout “Funk Invasion” dares you not to dance and “A Game Called Love” is heavily indebted to Prince with its lush, deep funk stylings. The sweeping sax-drenched instrumental “Song For Katelyn” is head-nod, beat-heavy AOR for that melancholic magic hour we spend our days longing for. It all adds up to the ultimate BBQ record.

Almost all of “Straight From The Heart” was recorded over a few months between 1983 and 1984 on Ian’s brand new Otari 8 track in the Oakland, California studio he built just the year before. Only “If I Were You” was recorded elsewhere, at Bay Sound in 1982.

A “full time poor musician” at the time (and he says he still is), Ian produced the album himself and played all of the instruments, except for guitar. That’s Peter Fujii you can hear, his good friend from growing up together.

Tower Of Power, Average White Band, Earth Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder was the list of influences Ian gave us when we asked. No wonder the record’s just so easy on the ears.

And why did he put the record out himself? Simple, he had no idea how to go about getting a record deal.

When we first got in touch with Ian he had no idea that “Straight From The Heart” had become something of a cult record, let alone that there were those of us out there that thought the album deserved to be pressed again. The original tapes have long since been lost so this re-issue was only made possible by remastering Ian’s one and only pristine copy of the finished LP.

The end results have been worth the work, including reproducing the original’s unmistakeable sleeve. Ian Willson’s “Straight From The Heart” is yet another Be With release that will find an easy home on the shelves of those of you who up to now have only dreamt of finding a copy and also those of you who who never knew it even existed.

"4782657" Vinyl, Originally Release 1996!

Louisiana blues rocker

King Solomon Hicks grew up in Harlem and was surrounded by a lot of great musicians. Those influences shine through on Hicks’ debut album, ‘Harlem’, which is an 11-song salute to those roots mixed with Hicks’ own distinctive style. Produced by multiple Grammy Award winner Kirk Yano (Miles Davis, Public Enemy, Mariah Carey), the album showcases Hicks as a writer, player and interpreter. The young, rising blues star debut album will be released by blues connaisseur label Provogue Records on March 13, 2020.

Two sided R’n’B masterclass

Hailing from the coastal Swedish city of Malmö, Sune steps forward to provide a fourth EP for Lorca and Liam Curran's Live Ones. With his Mimosa Kuriosa EP he serves up 5 masterful disco and soul inflected rhythms that'll hit all the right spots.

Having previously provided his signature sunshine grooves for Better Listen, Kyoku and his own Honey Butter imprint, Sune is fast building a reputation as a prolific purveyor of funk. The EP shows off Emil Sunesson's ear for playful samples and infectious grooves. Dusty, heady drum programming features heavily across all five tracks, employed subtly on the laid back 'Bring Some Tea' while unleashed to devastating effect on the upbeat 'The Way U Make Me Feel'.

There's something for everyone on this versatile, enigmatic EP from a talented young producer that we're sure you'll be seeing plenty more of in time to come.

After a long hiatus the noisy and most telepathic Montreal impro trio Jane & The Magik Bananas, led by Sam Shalabi (Land Of Kush, Karkhana, Dwarfs Of East Agouza) returned with a shifted focus exploring rhythm in a global sense. Live compositional practise with rhythm and polyrhythm as the structuring principle led them to different kinds of western / non-western tuning and micro tonality. In a certain way they play in the Western tradition of Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time Band, Harry Partch and Captain Beefheart. Various world music traditions boiled together in the groovy crucible of improvisation. An album that will certainly delight friends of the Dwarfs Of East Agouza. Very small limited edition on 140g black vinyl.

Michel F Cote: drums, amplified percussion, feedback
Alexandre St-Onge: electric bass, electronics, voice
Sam Shalabi: electric guitar

Gladys Knight And The Pips are the legendary soul family from Atlanta, Georgia that performed and recorded together for three decades. Together they created some of the best loved R&B and soul music of the 20th Century and won multiple Grammy Awards as well being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Side A opens with the iconic single ‘Midnight Train To Georgia’ which was a Grammy- winning international hit for the group and went on to become Knight’s signature song. This side is packed full of more hits including ‘The Way We Were / Try To Remember’ and ‘I’ve Got To Use My Imagination’. Side B features more soul classics including ‘Hero (Wind Beneath My Wings)’, ‘Where Peaceful Waters Flow’ and ‘So Sad The Song’. This new compilation features 11 of the group’s best loved tracks pressed on 180g heavyweight goldcoloured vinyl, housed in a printed inner sleeve.

New split 7” by Endless Boogie and Weak Signal. The masters of minimal blues repetition, Endless Boogie are in condensed charging form on ‘Jerome’. A treasure trove of interlocking riffs and searing lead lines from Matt Sweeney, Jesper Eklow and the one and only Stephen Malkmus, the A-side sounds like a lost proto-punk classic. Paul Major’s racing vocals tell a story of urban debauchery (nods to the Velvets included) while Mark O and Harry Druzd lock into that unmatched groove the fans of this band have been missing. This track
atches any underground chestnut from ‘Urban Guerilla’ to ‘Teenage Head’-era Flamin’ Groovies and has what Matt Sweeney calls a “thugassed jacked-up Saturday-night vibe.” On the flip side’s “Rolex,” Weak Signal show us the morning after the party, through the lens of a con artist so smooth he knows how to hit his mark “without knowing.” From the first person perspective Mike Bones walks us through every detail of the scam with the detachment of a practiced criminal who revels coolly in his skill. Weak Signal ply a different strain of minimalism from Endless Boogie, one in which every note, word and drum hit are there for a reason and nothing is wasted. Fans of their debut album and recent EP will find this track threading the needle between them - another great new track from one of New York’s best new bands.

Originally released in 1971!

Santana’s thirteenth studio album Shangó is named after one of the dominant religions in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is a must own Carlos record reaching number twenty two in Billboard 200 album charts, and the single “Hold On” reached number fifteen in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Santana is on fire and along with Alex Ligertwood’s soulful vocals they created some fine and versatile songs. The songs are close related to the contemporary pop music, but it also ranges from Latino songs and jazz influential pieces.

Santana gained public attention by appearing at the Woodstock festival in 1969. The Latin influence has always been an important part in their music, although the band also created some blues rock and pop classics. Even after all those years frontman Carlos Santana is still actively performing.

• 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
• INSERT
• FEATURING THE SINGLES “HOLD ON”, “NOWHERE TO RUN” AND “NIGHT HUNTING TIME”

To mark the tenth anniversary of the release of I’m New Here , the thirteenth - and last - studio album from the legendary US musician, poet and author Gil Scott-Heron, XL Recordings will release a unique reinterpretation of the album by acclaimed US jazz musician Makaya McCraven. Titled We’re New Again , the album will be released on 7th February 2020; exactly a decade after the release of Scott-Heron’s original Richard Russell-produced recording. It’s set to follow in the footsteps of Jamie xx’s highly acclaimed 2011 remix album We’re New Here and will be McCraven’s first release of 2020, following the huge global acclaim heaped upon his 2018 album Universal Beings . One of the most vital new voices in modern jazz, McCraven is described by the New York Times as a "Chicago-based drummer, producer and beat maker, who has quietly become one of the best arguments for jazz’s vitality".

Another killer collection of blues and gospel, this is the eighth volume in the super enjoyable 'La Noire' series. The LP comes in a cool gatefold sleeve.

Two hopelessly rare blue-eyed-soul tracks back to back on 7inch! Noel Owen cut a handful of 45s in the 1960s while working for Standard Coffee Company. In his spare time he kept up his songwriting and singing and pulling gigs wherever he could find a spot. He finally landed a recording contract and began spending even more time writing songs. He stopped playing music in the 70s but thankfully he has left us with these two incredibly raw and energetic garage-mod-soul groovers.

The fifth album by Dr. John, aka The Night Tripper, is also heralded as his richest album to date. Dr John’s Gumbo was released in 1972 and is in many ways a tribute to his hometown New Orleans.

It features excellent interpretations of New Orleans traditionals (“Iko Iko”, “Tipitina”, “Junko Partner” and “Stack-O- Lee”) and contemporary R&B written or played by the likes of Huey Piano Smith (“Blow Wind Blow” and “Huey Smith Medley”) Earl King and Earl Gaines (“Big Chief”, “Let The Good Times Roll” and “Lonely Lonely Nights”). Dr. John delivers a strong set of infectious songs drenched in good vibes and spiced with a pinch of voodoo. His eccentric (stage) appearance added unique colour to his stature as master of the ivories and entertainer pur sang.

Available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on turquoise marbled coloured vinyl. The package includes an insert.

Collected Is A Brand New 2lp Compilation Of Willy Deville's Tenure As Charismatic Front Man Of Mink Deville, And Of His Later Solo Work. Featuring "spanish Stroll", "demasiado Corazon" & "hey Joe", This 2-record Set Includes A 4-page Booklet With Extensive Liner Notes Written By Ex-band Members And Deville's Inner Circle. Containing One Lp Called "the Mink Deville Years" And The Second Disc "the Willy Deville Years", This 27-song Collection Is The Definitive Document Of His 35-year Career.

Mink Deville Is One Of The New York Punk Movement Founding Bands, While Having Distinct Honor Of Being Cbgb's House Band. Of Their Debut Cabretta "spanish Stroll"and "return To Magenta" (produced By Jack Nitzsche) Are Included In This Compilation. Of Subsequent Albums, "love & Emotion" En "demasiado Corazon" Are Included.

After Their Third Album Le Chat Bleu, Willy Is The Only Original Member Left. After The Sixth Mink Deville Album, Willy Goes Solo With Miracle, Working Together With Mark Knopfler. The Song "storybook Love" Becomes A Hit Because Of The Film The Princess' Bride. After A Musical Journey, Deville Scores A Hit With His "hey Joe" Cover In 1992. His Last Album Pistola Is Released In 2008. A Year Later, Willy Deville Dies Of Pancreatic Cancer Age 58.

Willy DeVille/Mink DeVille Collected is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on transparent green vinyl. The package includes a 4-page booklet with interviews from band-members and more.