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Ambient and environmental Japanese scene has flourished stronger than ever in the last years. The pioneers of this sound and the creators of an innovative way of making and understanding ambient music, such as Hiroshi Yoshimura, Yoshio Ojima, Toshifumi Hinata or Takashi Kokubo have been championed and their works have been successfully unearthed by reissue labels.

Continuing in this endless path, Glossy Mistakes adds Takashi Kokubo’s brilliant “Volk Von Bauhaus” to its catalogue, with the Japanese masterpiece as the third official release of the Spanish label.

As most of 80’s Japanese ambient and environmental music, “Volk Von Bauhaus” is an audio impression designed to give a multi-sensory experience to the listener. An effort to make things audible, an exercise of understanding and soundtracking objects or situations. The main objective of this sound is to create an iconic musical landscape to accompany a specific place.

Though his name might be unfamiliar to many, Kokubo has crafted music that has impacted virtually all of Japan, from national mobile phone earthquake alerts to contactless card payment jingles. He was one of the first artists to create ambient music strictly through loops. As he mentioned when release this album, "this recording used no keyboard players, no multitrack tape recording techniques, no analog sounds”. A shift on the process of imagining sound.

“Volk Von Haus” is and ode to this ambient, new age and environmental music created in Japan throughout the 80’s. Throughout 9 cuts, Kokubo handcrafts his own sound and immerses the listener in a peaceful yet challenging adventure. The record is the first piece of his Digital Soundology series, and arguably his most interesting work due to the groundbreaking techniques he used.

"A revolutionary musical expression that shatters the old values”, explains Kokubo about this piece. And its just what we can hear when we play “Volk Von Haus”.

The album includes an unheard exclusive track by Takashi Kokubo an insert with an interview made by Takashi Kokubo. A true gem that must land in every ambient head’s musical library.

Remastered from master tapes by Frederic Stader.

Mr Gazmask pure style... with a nice melt of minimal trance and acidcore, acid techno and a bloody Secodn Rebirh kind of remix:) again after the Acid Night 03:)

Hardcore 160, or hardfloor... depending on the feeling... A massive kick anyway ^^
Banging structures, certainly dancefloor caller and killerz more than anything else, offering sometime sweet melodies ! MASSIVE!
Printed sleeve :)

The Cranberries – Dreams

The Cranberries – Dolores O’Riordan, Noel Hogan, Michael Hogan and Fergal Lawler – quietly became one of the world’s most successful bands in the 1990's. With O’Riordan’s remarkable voice and their unforgettable melodies, the group scored a string of UK and US Top 10 albums and singles. This stunning collection brings together 11 of their best-known tracks, including their unforgettable calling cards, Linger and Zombie.

This compilation brings to vinyl the incredibly successful CD title which has so far sold over 100k units in the UK alone.

Melvin Bliss’ iconic ‘Synthetic Substitution’ (1973) has been sampled hundreds of times. Gracing records from Naughty by Nature’s ‘O.P.P’ to Public Enemy’s ‘Don’t Believe the Hype’, it’s one of the foundations of hip-hop. However, there’s a school of thought that says the sample could have been retired forever after Ced Gee used it for ‘Ego Tripping’. It was the first song to use those wonderful Bernard Purdie drums, and arguably the best.

Their first release on Next Plateau Records, this instant 1986 classic slams from the first bar, that hard-as-hell beat underpinned by stabs and the breathy ‘ultra-magnetic-magnetic’ chant beneath. Meanwhile, Ced and future legend Kool Keith go to town with pseudo-science and a thinly veiled diss of Run DMC – ‘Say what, Peter Piper, to hell with childish rhymes’. It’s a song shot through with promise they’d more than fulfil on their debut album, 1988’s landmark ‘Critical Beatdown’.

The flip, ‘Funky Potion’, doesn’t coalesce with quite the same genius but is still more than a curio, with the MC’s doubling down on their futuristic nonsense approach to lyricism. Rufus Thomas’ ‘Do the Funky Penguin’ is the base for yet more stabs, discordant scratches and a kitchen-sink approach that shows just innovative the group were prepared to be.

Never before released before on 7”, this undeniable hip-hop classic comes complete with bespoke hype stickers incorporating one of the great rap logos of all time.

The Bees are a textbook case of the chew and spit cycle that was the late 80’s South African music industry. Although their unknown story is likely unique, it is just as likely that it is no different to that of many other young artists who dreamed of getting their music heard at the time.

By 1988, the independent record label was no longer as uncommon as it had been at the beginning of the decade. As the 80s went on, more seasoned A&R reps and Producers that had gained experience and connections from their work under major labels would be trying to cash in on a market they helped create. Without the need of big rooms or expensive recording equipment, the digital advancements allowed many Producers to open or work in smaller studios and promote unknown artists under their own imprints. They would then have their catalogs marketed and distributed by the same major labels they had been working for just years prior. This would open up the possibility of a new era of stars as potential talent no longer had to be pitched to major labels in hopes of them taking a chance on a new signee over their already established artists. With the market growing and a struggle to keep up with the demand for new sounds this agreement would allow the major labels to put new emerging artists or groups on their catalog with little investment and high reward if it happened to be a hit.

ON Records was just one of the independent players at the time. Ronnie Robot had just signed the unlikely trio The Bees in hopes of adding a hit group to his label roster that consisted of solo acts. Despite the debut’s fresh house inspired sound, it failed to catch on was outsold by the bubblegum disco the label was known for. Over the years unsold back stock and promos would build up with the distributor. Luckily this allowed sealed copies from the label’s catalog to survive into the 90s when the distributor’s stock was unloaded and picked up by legendary Johannesburg jazz shop Kohinoor. Here sealed copies of the Bees first attempt sat under appreciated for over 20 years before becoming a hot title after they started circulating online and became club staples. This is how the first album of an unknown group with no success was able to become a collectors item and earn a reissue over 25 years later.

With their first record behind them The Bees were ready move forward and get back into the studio. A suggestion from producers had the trio change camps and go work with the newly formed Creative Sound Recordings, the label that promised “Music for the Future” and ended up being an essential studio in the early years of Kwaito. They would work with producer Chris Ghelakis and guitarist George Vardas, while a young Marvin Moses sat behind the desk. Musically the sophomore album was as good as a follow up as you could get. Building on the first album, Mashonisa delivers catchy melodies backed by heavy drum programming that would score points with any Pantsula. The Black Box inspired “ Never Give Up” was one of two tracks chosen to be pressed as the promo for the album, hoping to trick listeners with their catchy version of the hit( A year later the label would release their first volume of Black Box covers sang by neo soul diva BB, it would be a great seller). The label printed up an unknown amount of these in a last attempt to push the release in Shabeens and on Radio. The cheaper route of flooding the market with promo copies would only pay off 25 years later when unplayed copies started being rediscovered and had survived the years in a quantity that original run of the full album could not. Once again it was clear that with no mainstream appeal, the quality of the music on its own was not enough to garner any success at the time. The album flopped worse than their first and failed to make it past it’s initial run, making it one of the harder titles to get from the CSR catalog.

Mashonisa would be the last attempt from the Bees. They would disappear from the scene as quickly as they appeared. Of the three members it is only known that lead Singer Solomon Phiri continued in music fronting a wave dance group before he mysteriously vanished in 1993, never to be heard from again. Through a combination of luck and circumstance the group, which is unknown in South Africa to even the most plugged in musicians, producers and radio hosts of the time, managed to finally get some of the recognition they deserved 30 years later. Unfortunately this small blip of fame would happen with none of the band members present to give their side of the story, or even aware of how their two albums became popular enough to be printed on different continents in a new millennia. The Bees suffered the same fate as countless other artists of the time, who thanks to emerging independent labels and willing producers were given an opportunity to have a short career, only to be replaced by the meat grinder of the music industry when they failed to produce a hit.

A focal point for the unique punk-funk that was coming together in Bristol as the bridge from the 70s to the 80s arrived, Maximum Joy was formed by Glaxo Babies multi-instrumentalist Tony Wrafter and 18 year old vocalist Janine Rainforth. Soon they drafted in additional Glaxo Babies in the form of drummer Charlie Llewellin and bassist Dan Catsis, along with guitarist John Waddington, fresh from The Pop Group. The group set about making a one-of-a-kind mix of funk, punk, pop, jazz, dub, soul, afrobeat and reggae; creating a brilliant burst of danceable tunes wrapped around elastic basslines and complex percussion, punctuated by melodic horns and stabs of guitar, all of it highlighting Rainforth’s naturally enthusiastic vocal style. They immediately took their place on the rosters of influential labels like Y and 99 with iconic debut single Stretch, as the band had clearly captured something special.

Entering 1982, Kevin Evans had replaced Catsis as Maximum Joy set out to make what would be their only full length LP. Recording at Berry Street and The Lodge with producers Adrian Sherwood (On-U-Sound legend), Dave Hunt (Flying Lizards, Pigbag, This Heat) and Pete Wooliscroft (Kate Bush, Talk Talk, Peter Gabriel, OMD, This Heat) the band would mix practiced grooves with imaginative improvisation. The results were absolutely jaw-dropping.

Station M.X.J.Y. kicks things off with Dancing On My Boomerangand promptly sets forth the blueprint for bands like !!! and The Rapture to capitalize on nearly twenty years later. In fact, those bands can only dream of the mix of driving percussion and spectral shards of guitar that Maximum Joy has clearly already mastered. Do It Todayannounces itself immediately with Rainforth delivering a looping and infectious vocal melody that the others dance around playfully, as handclaps keep the stomping groove intact, leaving a dancehall hit for outer space circling your turntable.

If you ever wondered what it would sound like if ESG and The Slits combined forces, Let It Take You There has the answer for you. Llewellin periodically delivers a cascade of marching band percussion while Waddington’s classic R&B riffs are transformed into a slithering snake trying to keep pace with Evans locked in groove as Rainforth’s singsong vocals are reduced to whispered echoes. They close out side one with the delicious slab of pop that is Searching For A Feeling. Clearly pronouncing the band’s intention to find the positives in a dire time for England, they look to rally those around them to focus on making real change in the face of opposing voices via one of Rainforth’s most delightful deliveries.

Side two sees Wrafter stretching out on Where’s Deke?, showcasing what had already been obvious, as he is the band’s secret weapon, often coloring each tune with his horns, sometimes in several styles just seconds apart. He underlines that feeling with the raucous and bouncy Temple Bomb Twist, before they hit a straight groove in Mouse An’ Me, like a dub infected Train In Vain. Well, if The Clash had ever allowed themselves to properly lose their minds on the dancefloor.

A funky afrobeat flute and guitar battle breaks out (way cooler than it sounds) before Rainforth rallies the troops to not only fill up the disco, but also the surrounding streets in political resistance to Thatcherism via All Wrapped Up. It is entirely genuine and their activism has none of the menace of the others in their scene, but rather a feeling of sharp optimism amongst this danceable masterpiece. It is that optimism that always set Maximum Joy apart, and makes their grooves all the more irresistible today.

Sadly, the upward trajectory of the band was cut short as Rainforth left the group, and soon afterwards seemed to stop making music altogether. The reasoning seemed destined to remain a mystery, until earlier this year when she gave a brave interview to The Guardian where she revealed that an assault by someone in the industry caused her to retreat entirely from music for nearly three decades. Luckily, Janine has embraced music once again, and she refuses to let the magic that was Station M.X.J.Y. be lost as well.

House Of EFUNK Records returns with a vinyl only offering of floor focused club jams from Tom Flynn, the UK based producer who’s seen outings on Planet E, Vega Records & Dirtybird to name a few.

Highlighted by “Fifty Ways”, a polyrhythmic feast for the ears featuring Grammy nominated NYC legend Luisito Quintero on percussion... The original rides a pulsating afro-feel, while the deep mix envelops us in tense foggy atmospheres fit for those late night / early mornings. Detroit heavyweight, Shigeto supplies a remix that pumps the tempo and injects that Motor City jazz he’s so known for.

Rounding it out... "Catching Stars" brings us down gently, capturing the coastal breeze & warmth of a late summer day... Touché concludes the story, riding a bubbling bassline & playful melodies, it’s a track perfectly fit for the sunrise.

Introducing new sounds into the continuing MANHIGH project with Azteka Tekno, emerging Moscow producer Ober Dada finds rare power with his refined combinations of EBM and techno. Fusing concepts from Dadaist, Futurist, and Suprematist art with vocal guests from the Krasnodar Opera on ‘Tomorrow No’ and ‘Erdefalt’, the sophistication of his vision is immediately apparent in the arrangements and structures. With lyrics sourced from World War I-era apocalyptic poetry and a forthcoming opera from the artist, these two efforts show uncommon complexity in their running times, with layers of vocals and melodies trading off in sections with punishing rhythms that move between lashing breakbeats and straighter 4/4 sections. The comparably straightforward title track prominently features the producer’s own snarling vocal refrain, repeated through heavy distortion over pounding kicks and wayward electronics, while a contrasting melodic sequence enters from the breakdown for needed relief. Again featuring Ober Dada’s voice, ‘Hey’ foregrounds its wandering keyboard line for a comparatively restrained but still intense study on the styles found across the record.

The sublime Time Capsule remains Weldon Irvine's most fully realized and influential recording. A supremely talented multi-instrumentalist and composer, Irvine had a musical vision that was unerringly soulful, spiritual, and funky. Assembled as a kind of musical scrapbook documenting the thought patterns and belief systems of the early '70s, it nevertheless boasts a surprising vitality and timelessness thanks to luminous funk grooves that anticipate the latter-day emergence of acid jazz. Irvine also rhymes over several tracks, further cementing his influence on successive generations of hip-hop. A profoundly righteous spirituality winds through all eight of Time Capsule's performances, assaying both the affection ("Soul Sisters") and anger ("Watergate") vying for control of post-Woodstock America. Irvine's searing keyboard and piano playing further capture the moment in question, deftly balancing between beatitude and bitterness. For fans of funk, soul and jazz, it doesn’t get much better than this 1973 classic.

a A1. Time Capsule - Electric Piano, Narrator Recitation – Weldon Irvine

Khruangbin has always been multilingual, weaving far-flung musical languages like East Asian surf-rock, Persian funk, and Jamaican dub into mellifluous harmony. But on its third album, it's finally speaking out loud. Mordechai features vocals prominently on nearly every song, a first for the mostly instrumental band. It's a shift that rewards the risk, reorienting Khruangbin's transportive sound toward a new sense of emotional directness, without losing the spirit of nomadic wandering that's always defined it. And it all started with them coming home. By the summer of 2019, the Houston group_bassist Laura Lee Ochoa, guitarist Mark Speer, drummer DJ Johnson_had been on tour for nearly three-and-ahalf years, playing to audiences across North and South America, Europe, and southeast Asia behind its acclaimed albums The Universe Smiles Upon You and Con Todo El Mundo. They returned to their farmhouse studio in Burton, Texas, ready to begin work on their third album. But they were also determined to slow down, to take their time and luxuriate in building something together. Musically, the band's ever-restless ear saw it pulling reference points from Pakistan, Korea, and West Africa, incorporating strains of Indian chanting boxes and Congolese syncopated guitar. But more than anything, the album became a celebration of Houston, the eclectic city that had nurtured them, and a cultural nexus where you can check out country and zydeco, trap rap, or avant-garde opera on any given night. In those years away from home, Khruangbin's members often felt like they were swimming underwater, unsure of where they were going, or why they were going there. But Mordechai leads them gently back to the surface, allowing them to take a breath, look around, and find itself again. It is a snapshot taken along a larger journey_a moment all the more beautiful for its impermanence. And it's a memory to revisit again and again, speaking to us now more clearly than ever.

Since making his debut as 96 Back in 2018, Evan Majumdar-Swift has become one of underground electronic music's genuine rising stars. To date, the Sheffield-born producer has released two acclaimed albums for labels such as Hypercolour and CPU as well as a string of singles and collaborations. His EP for Happy Skull showcases his growing versatility as a producer and marks the labels return following a brief hiatus.

"143 Connections", is a rapidly unfurling club cut that sees him pepper a weighty 140 rhythm track with crispy arpeggios and rolling acid motifs . The track increases in intensity as it progresses, with Rob Gordon's immaculate mastering work bringing out the cut's inherent weight, sharpness and subtle Bleep influences.

Elsewhere across the EP, 96 Back takes the opportunity to expand his trademark sound a little further. "Set Science" is a colourful slab of electro machine funk, full of fizzing sci-fi melodies and brain dance era synth work while "In The Trunk, Belting Down The Highway" drops the tempo but turns the intensity up to red with a slow motion chunk of mutant electronica complete with misty eyed breakdown.

Kajunga is proud to release unheard material from the wise and honorable Heckadecimal. “Critters” is a collection of 5 unique hardware built tracks that scurry from moody and contemplative to charged and frantic.

“Bat Silk Stunt” starts the record off with resonant acid bass lines creeping through a rich forest of analog drums. “D’etre” shifts the tone into a pool of moody progressions, dissonant sequences, and syncopated grooves. Living up to it’s namesake, “Acid Tenders” provides an exciting exploration of unbridled 303 energy. “Digital Foam” picks up the pace with frantic and squiggly textures that skitter about as a deranged synth-line takes command. “The Luminous Flesh of Giants” rounds out the journey with a 4/4 crawl through wistful melodies and iridescent chords.



Heckadecimal has been a fixture of the Minneapolis DIY electronic music scene since Time Untold, or around the turn of the century. He’s been an unwavering force and advocate for sonic experimentation, known for his energetic live sets of pure machine fun, from bouncy electro to breaky techno and acidic wiggles galore.

Heckadecimal has released on Great Circles, Electric Music Foundation, and his own label, Always Human Tapes, co-run with Ryan Wurst and TML. Past projects and collaborations include: The Worm, Two Human, noface, Clavin Klein, Joshua Michaels & Allen Smithee. Recently he’s dropped hours of live material via Bandcamp spanning 8 releases. He’s thinking of learning how to DJ

Ella is the most celebrated of divas, and she dominated the jazz scene for over fifty years, from her first hit A-Tisket, A-Tasket in 1938 to her gradual retirement from the stage in 1989 due to illness. She left her signature on every jazz universe to which she contributed.

The Essential Works 1956-1959 throw light on her talents as a performer of the greatest standards, with songs written by Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and Rodgers & Hart. Ella succeeded in making popular melodies her own, most often songs taken from musicals that she transformed into as many pearls of vocal jazz.

The four sides of this album bring together the indispensable inner soul of Ella Fitzgerald's recorded work.

First Floor is a japanese music lover and producer who got noticed by his release on swedish elite label Local Talk in 2018. For his second vinyl release, he digging deep again and shows some well crafted House tunes with some dope beats and great melodies. Topping things off there are 2 remixes: fellow japanese wizard Kez YM (Faces Recods, City Fly, 4Lux) adds some club flavour while new hot shot Simon Hinter (Freerange) stays deep and funky. Some hot tunes for a hot summer!

From Fresno, California, USA and formed by extremely young members "ALONE IN MY ROOM" album will be for sure in all
“best of post-punk 2020” lists. Their debut album contains up to 10 precious tracks. Opressing but releasing, melancholic and perfect in composition and produced with great talent and sensitivity.
A basic record for any darkwave lover in 2020! All tracks have been specially remastered for LONG CUT Vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young & Cold Studios.

You cannot say Nu Groove without saying Burrell. The seminal New York House label that existed from 1988 until 1992 was at the helm of a sound that was as much traditional as it was transitional. Since the closure of the Paradise Garage in 1987 and before the „NYC House sound“ was well-defined and fenced, Nu Groove was a kaleidoscope and an amalgamation of everything that informed it until then: uptempo r&b, reggae, dub, disco, freestyle, techno, jazz, and the sound that was embossed by Larry Heard in Chicago that was so well picked up in the Big Apple, you name it. Ronald and Rheji Burrell provided its basis, first floor and roof. But that story has already been told by our dear friends from Rush Hour, including its most important chapters. But we are going to tell a new one.

Rheji Burrell presents N.Y. House’N Authority & The Utopia Project. Twelve tracks split over two EPs on Running Back. Named „Out of Body Experience“ and „The ’V’EP“, it features all new music that feels like modern garments cut out of a classic cloth. Almost as if the Nu Groove would have never stopped. And that it is - at the risk of self-praise - all that old or new fans and also we could hope for. Two EPs full of deep-that-doesn’t rhyme-with-sleep house music, has simple, yet clever arrangements, features jazzy sounds, but snappy drums, merry melodies and glossy grooves. An overall joy to listen or dance to. The difference in both EPs is for the Burrell-die-hards and Nu-Groove-scientists to decide.

Stix Records, a sub-label of Favorite Recordings, is back with some heavy dub cuts from label regular Mato.

Starting his reggae production career in 2006, Thomas Blanchot aka Mato has released music through various projects on EDR Records, Big Singles or Makasound... In the meantime he developed a real trademark: taking over classics French, Hip-Hop, or Pop song, into roots reggae-dub new versions. Besides since 2010, Mato has built a solid reputation thanks to his hot remixes of Hip-Hop classics on Stix Records.

Today, Mato is back with another target for his special skills as a tailor of reggae music, this time focusing on classic musical themes from R. Strauss’ "Also Sprach Zarathustra" and Herbie Hancock’s "Maiden Voyage ". It’s a great sensation to hear these melodies turned into superbly crafted Dub monsters. As Mato once said, "Play it loud and burn a chalice!"

Mooring the 'Train Of Thought' at Hamburger Hafen, Latvia's R_R_ delivers aquatic ambience, buoyant electronics and tidal rhythms on the Growing Bin. Hold this shell(ac) to your ears and you’ll hear the sea…

As we hasten towards the inevitable Waterworld of the next century, Latvian composer, sound artist and lecturer Reinis Semēvics charts our safe passage to dry land with his debut album 'Train Of Thought'. Inspired by the rhythmic movement of water and how its rippled reflections bend our perception, Reinis sculpts an immersive sound collage - a precise mixture of field recordings and self-made sounds which swell and swirl as we bathe in their beauty.

Bookended by the Baltic's roar at the Bay of Rīga, 'Train Of Thought' drifts from the harbour to the open sea, conveying the restful calm and frenetic power of a body of water throughout. Misty pads and delicate piano conjure lapping waves and blue skies, bubbling sequences ripple up from the deep and cascading melodies fall around hypnotic rhythms, each distinct droplet offering a different feeling and mood. One moment flows into the next, nine rivers pouring into a single ocean of sonic bliss.
The alias R_R_ is a tribute to his grandfather, the composer Ģederts Ramans, whose influence helped set Reinis' sonic journey in motion. We're very happy he's decided to stop off in the Growing Bin, and we're sure you will be too.
Patrick Ryder

After years of searching for the elusive sensation of heart-rending beauty, Avondlicht releases his debut album on 3 April, 2020 on all digital platforms. The LP will be out on 8/4.

Hyperromance is the culmination of an emotional and geographical journey, as Belgian producer Matthias Dziwak sought to find and examine idealised moments of true romance within the less-than-romantic reality of existence.

Having already achieved a great deal with his initial run of EPs for labels like PIAS, Fog Mountain and Unit Delta Plus, Antwerp-based Dziwak became obsessed with the concept of Hyperromance – “a moment or idea so heavily romanticised that it seems impossible to be really experienced.” The melancholic feeling it sparked in his heart set him off on a journey through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, via a month-long stay in Amsterdam and finally to settling for six months in Portugal. Throughout this time he made field recordings and began writing pieces that would feed into the finished album. Along the way he found a full spectrum of moments that allowed him to view the world in a truly romantic way, from the majesty of the Andean mountains and the snow falling on the Amsterdamse Grachten to encountering love in Lisbon. At other times he found himself lost, adrift and heartbroken, pulled back to Earth, as is the cyclical nature of the human experience.

Musically, Hyperromance’s grapple with day-to-day reality and rose-tinted fantasy is embodied through the contrast between organic instrumentation and high-definition electronics. Dziwak began writing his songs as simple piano pieces, which then transferred to a staple of synths and sound processing as they became more wholly defined. Sonically, the sound sweeps from modern classical and bombastic electronica to evocative ambient, even touching on jungle and techno along the way. Rather than being defined by genre associations though, Hyperromance is shaped by the swooning beauty of its composition, as the music pulls you in and out of richly rendered moments of joy and pain following Dziwak on his personal journey of truth and beauty. With visceral life experiences woven into the fabric of the record, Hyperromance is expressive on the most intimate level. It’s a record that dazzles with searing bright wonderment and casts creeping shadows as the time passes – a journey as nuanced as life itself, elevated by romance and grounded by reality, beautifully told by Avondlicht.

"WOLF Music" offer up something a little different to their usual tip, enlisting the warm dusty reverberations of four-piece, jazz-not-jazz collective Velour for a 7" of hazy, genre traversing rhythms. Alongside being producer for the Velour project, long-standing member of the WOLF pack Mr. Fries gives his own distinctive house touch to the flip side remix.

Perfectly capturing the new school of jazz, Essen-based Velour crisscross genres drawing on elements from each yet anchoring their roots in the richness of jazz’s deft melodies and percussive touches. Head-nodding down the open road, ‘Pose’ is that undeniably soulful, first swig of summer many tracks strive to be. Morphing into a woozy affair as the sun sets midway through, Velour’s songwriting talent well outstrips their years. Throw WOLF pack member Mr. Fries into the mix, kneading in his signature production style and the freshly baked result straddles the intersection between jazz, broken beat, house and soul.

Fries then takes on remix duties for the flip, maintaining that dusty demeanour yet going for a full frontal Moodymann-esque house interpretation. The smokey jazz bar sax, background hustle and weighty beat make for a summertime heater served straight from
the grill, garnished just right with Mr. Fries own vocals over the top.

The third vinyl-only release on Form&Terra Records is all about "Get together". Four artists gather on the 12 inch record to undertake a journey into electronic music together. First, Peter F. Spiess saddles his shimmering "Celluloid Pony" with minimal and techno vibes and rides high into the air via rough sound structures and flashing melodies. There Cie built his "Wolkenburg" and floats with it groovy and with great attention to detail into new layers of the atmosphere. On the B side, "Numbers Talk" by Prakash from Gran Canaria enchants with a wonderful groove that is as deep and blue as his home in the Atlantic Ocean. Markus Funke ushers in the final trip back to Cologne with his dubby techno monster "Levissima". Four wonderful tracks for all discoverer who have a thirst for adventure on the dance floor.

Premium funk, jazz and breakbeats - rare original 1995 LPs !! act now!

Jazz funk and gritty rare grooves ensemble from down under - Kerbside Collection - return with their third record "Smoke Signals"! Continuing in a down home, instrumental approach, but this time crafting newer ideas and flavours into their spectrum of warm, analogue, dusty grooves from much more Fender Rhodes electric jazz elements, to New Orleans sprinklings alongside their 60's inspired West Coast style.

"Smoke Signals" continues the wilder tones, textures and 'library' sounds of extra instrumentation found on their last output "Trash or Treasure", whilst introducing hints of fusion and cinematic analogue electric colours into the mix bringing things into early 70s territory. Opening with the lush, analogue synth and keys palate of "Waiting Game", reminiscent of some classic Air "Moon Safari" grooves, before the album properly begins with a fresh rendition of the Rhodes heavy Cedar Walton 70's jazz funk classic "Jacob's Ladder".

Then straight into the street-styled jazz bongo breaks and funky flute of "Traffic", a skankin' New Orleans reggae homage to one of its finest Creole dishes, featuring funky Hammond organ courtesy of guest Jake Mason (Cookin' on 3 Burners) and tasty piano work from multi instrumentalist Andrew Fincher who handles both guitar and keys on the whole record.

The middle of the record comes with a steaming afro funk workout, and a low slung N'awlins styled blues 'n' soul groove, both featuring the fruity, low-end brass action of Papa Jo on the big baritone sax, before taking a gentle emotional breather with a delightful, soft, soulful, Rhodes ballad, and a 'waltz-jazz-wig-out' attributed to their label's A&R Mr Mellow (reminiscent of some humorous UK acid jazz à la Corduroy and James Taylor Quartet) featuring some beautiful jazzy Flugelhorn, and acoustic double bass.

The album wraps up with another cover - a grittier reinterpretation and arrangement of a Bob James 80s jazz funk classic "Westchester Lady" complete with funky flute and soaring guitar solo, before finishing with the explosive rock funk workout and title track "Smoke Signals", rounding out a record with a full spectrum of handmade jazz funk, reggae, soul, library and gritty rare grooves all recorded to tape machine.

"Lost Ark Music" proudly present to you another labour of passion "Praying for the Angels" by Pura Vida. 'The heart of the Last Ark' is beating on the riddim of the drums" ... Play it loud!

"Crawling" is about Puraman's personal struggle in life (...) trying to blend a stepping, jazzy reggae groove with some psychedelic stuff, Pieter De Naegel & Mathieu Vilain provide some "Last Ark Fyah Horns". "Song to Bob" is Puraman's tribute to Bob Marley, with a haunting Bassline provide by Aston "Familyman" Barrett, Orginal Wailer (...) His son Aston Barrett Junior hits the drums like Lightening!

"When the right time come" was recorded in an oldschool fashion, Recording the riddim in one take (...) Puraman on Vocals and Guitar, Boris Perck on the bass, Xan Albrecht on the drums, Wouter Rosseel on Lead Guitar. Bos Debusscher provides a wicked synthline!
Are you ready?

"Pretty Stranger I wrote this song for you... You shurely look like danger but that's what I like about you". Pura Vida goes Psychedelic Rock (...) "Les Eaux Sauvages" is a Love-Song with the Wonderfull voice of Nina "Vitalia" Schelfthout!

"O sopro de Inae" features the warm voice of Alessandra De Queiroz...Straight from Brazil she came to the Mare Altar forest under the guidance of Maarten Rosa in search for the "Arka Perdida".
This song has Portugese Lyrics, praying for the Spirits of Iemanja and Inae (...) The Spirits of the Ocean! "Find a way Home" is a Soultune features Alessandra De Queiroz!

The Title Track "Praying for the Angels" is another combination of Puraman & Alessandra's voice. In a Sixties Psychedelic Spirit (...) Singing about the Lost Souls dwelling the streets of the Ancient City! It was recorded on Puraman's Birthday (...)

"And the lights of the city, drive them crazy. And there's nowhere to run (...) And they're praying, hear them praying for the Angels...".

"Blessings from the Last Ark" features the amazing voices of Roydel "Ashanti Roy" Johnson, Derrick "Watty" Burnett & Kenroy "Tallash" Fyffe from 'The Congos'. Ashanti Roy provides the Bassline and Percussion. Watty & Tallash provide extra magic percussion. Puraman on Vocals, Melodica & Guitar. Pieter De Naegel & Mathieu Vilain play humble and bright on this Deep Roots Tune. Blessings from the Ark. Beyond Time & Space (...)

"Ancestor Spirit Dance" is an Afrobeat inspired tune features the voice of Puraman's Great-Grand-Mother Mathilde Spruytte, who
was a local folk singer.

Pleamar(Spanish for high tide) is the first collaborative release between Chancha Vía Circuito and El Búho for Wonderwheel Recordings, and stands as one of the most refreshing EP's within the Latin American downtempo electronic genre.

On this release the vision of both artists is united as one. This unity is reflected through "Real Fun, Wow!"'s artwork, presenting an image of a centered eye, reminiscent of historic drawings from tide studies. The representation of Earth, with a central circle surrounded by two ellipsoids that rotate and align in perfect harmony, mirrors the meeting of the two producers, the moment when the seawater reaches its apex andPleamaroccurs.

Like a metamorphosis that - without knowing it - we had been waiting a long time for, the EP reconstructs Pedro and Robin's encounters over the years. It transports us into the history of migrant sounds, the salvaged sound of floral jungles, high mountain forests and the ocean deep. We hear a sonic beauty filled out by deep personal stories - four humble and honest tracks that demonstrate the fusion of these artists and both them and the genre into new territory.

Starting with "Oruga"'s deep ambience, dub atmospheres and space echo reverberations, the album follows this line of reverberated rhythms and relaxed percussion lines throughout, carrying us along with a pulsating, deep, natural tempo. "El Mago Georges", perhaps the Pleamar'sjewel, is bursting with life - impactful depth and perfectly tuned melodies yet tribal and delicate at the same time. "Murga del Viento'' recalls another meeting of these two minds: El Búho's much-loved remix of "Sueño en Paraguay" a beautiful track from Chancha Vía Circuito ("Amansará" 2014). Here the whistle meets the owl from the previous track and the two birds take us a step forward in this collaboration with chords superimposed on a haunting bass. The release ends with "Una Pulgada de Silencio", a track of cosmic synthesizers, trickling water samples and the voice of argentine folk singer Gus Goncalves. Through Pleamar we come to find a much needed peace and clarity hidden beneath the rolling waves, a deep-sound escape to get lost in.

Fantastic first album of Tunisian producer Azu Tiwaline, melting psychedelic dub, industrial and hypnotic techno deeply rooted in her berber culture, supported by Lena Willikens, Nicola Cruz, Toma Kami and Violet, to name a few!

Azu Tiwaline is a new name for a new spirit: one of a producer inspired by the need to explore her origins, rooted in the Tunisian Sahara. The Call to a different sound, organic and raw, vibrating in the great spaces of the African desert where trance music resonates... Ecstatic ritual.

Her first album, Draw Me A Silence, conceived as a diptych, reveals the multiple facets of her identity. Uniting the bonds that connect Berber music, dub culture and techno hypnosis, Azu Tiwaline invites us to refocus on our senses and our Nature. She knows how to use contrasts between light and the invisible, exploring the complexity of our emotions and the mystery that emanates from them, in a polyrhythmic chiaroscuro that runs through each one of her tracks, and of which we discover, as we go along, all the outlines.

Draw Me A Silence Part. I (to be released in February 2020), delivers the most hypnotic variant of her music, centered on dark percussive rhythms and a skillful use of repetition; each of the 5 tracks ineluctably carrying the listener into a trance. Two major tunes particularly illustrate the artist's imagination: "Itrik" and "Berbeka", perfectly synthesizing the heritage of Berber trance music and her techniques derived from minimalist and repetitive electronic music.

The continuation, Draw Me A Silence Part. II (to be released in April 2020), gives prominence to a deep heritage drawn from the dub culture and its numerous bass music filiations. This second part thus gives a new breath in the use of sound space, exploited in a much broader way, leaving all their space to complex syncopated percussive lines, supported by massive basslines dedicated to the best sound-systems. Omok, the first of the five tracks of this Part II is the perfect demonstration of this, playing here the essential role of a bridge to the darker waters of this album's end.

Each of these two parts exist as an Entity, and it is only when they are united that they will reveal their full meaning. Thus, in May, Draw Me A Silence will find its final form in a double-vinyl unifying them. Listening to this album in its entirety offers us a wide panorama of the sound landscapes visited by Azu Tiwaline, who seems to breathe primitive sounds of a faraway desert into a music with modern tones - and vice versa. A resolutely hybrid sound and a singular experience, playing with contrasts and nuances to catch the listener in vast and so far unexplored territories.

Long-time collaborators, longer-time best friends, lifelong analog appreciators; the German duo Iron Curtis & Johannes Albert join cosmic forces once again for another LP mission 'Moon II', a heartfelt voyage through the sounds, movements, styles and machines that created this music in the first place.
Think late 80s New York, early 90s Sheffield and the perennial sounds of Italo and Detroit, 'Moon II' is a lunar safari that celebrates the deepest foundations of house, techno and electronic soul while resolutely refusing to get nostalgic. Written and recorded during an intense two-and-a-half month session in Berlin last autumn, there's a consistency and tangible narrative running throughout as the pair play inspiration ping-pong over the course of 10 tracks.
A little Drexcyian glacial nod here, a hazy Boards Of Canada wink there. The Other People Place, Kerrier District, Environ Records, the Hacienda, Sub Club, Heaven 17, classic electro… All these ingredients are constantly bubbling in the mix for both Curtis and Albert (as individuals and even more so as a duo) and the end result is an album that works as a proper album should. Peaks, troughs, dreamy departures and all beautiful things in between.
Taking off where their debut collaborative album 'Industrie & Zärtlichkeit' (soon to be retitled 'Moon I') left us three years ago, the opening modem sounds on the intro track 'Canggu Laundry Club' dial us into a special sense of time and space.
It's a space where anything feels possible; Visual-inspired acid lines on 'Tiger Trek', lino-spinning body pops and windmills to the street sounds electro style of 'The Ultimate Seduction', the club-focused, Traxx-style Cutie Schamuthie collaboration 'Hurting', the melancholy plucks and struts of 'Feingold', the provocative, slinky, smoky finale piece 'Nektar'… The list of intergenerational and cross-genre landmarks on this adventurous body of work go and on, each track complementing the last as they fuse to create a bigger collective picture. A picture that's charmed together through the consistent use of key classic studio machines.
They call it Introverted Electronic Body Music, we call it warm, free-spirited and ultimately timeless. Perfect for your sets, your afterhours or your headphones alike; it's time to let Iron Curtis and Johannes Albert take you to the Moon and back… Once again.

Steel drum cover of Grace Jones. Steel drum cover of Erykah Badu. Third full length album coming in 2021. Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band is back with another crushing two-sider that is guaranteed to set dancefloors on fire and get heads nodding around the globe. The mysterious steel pan outfit hailing from Hamburg, Germany has become a staple in DJ sets from Europe to Japan, from the US to Brasil, and anywhere else these tunes have found their way to speakers. They have released a slew of classic 7”s and two critically acclaimed full length albums. With that they have set a high bar for themselves, one clearly they intend on pushing higher with this new offering. Side A is BRSB’s take on Grace Jones’ nightclub classic “My Jamaican Guy”. They take the tune to a new height from the first beat, laying down an infectious groove that will get people out of their seats immediately. Heavy duty drums and bass shake the speakers through the intro then the pans reveal what they are covering as they play the instantly recognizable top line of the original. Rhythm guitar, heavily echoed percussion hits, and the different pan sets all combine to make this yet another instant classic from Bacao. BRSB has received a lot of praise for their choices of covers. Occasionally reworking hits, but, most notably pulling the album cut gems from artists typically more championed by the underground. Well...here they go again, covering Erykah Badu’s homage to the late great J Dilla “The Healer”. This is the type of thing to make Spice Adams jump on his kitchen counter and scream. From the instant this comes on, necks will be snapping and faces will scrunch up as they take the original beat produced by Madlib and give it a run for its money. Shaking subwoofers with the eerie tremolo bass they replay E. Badu’s vocal melodies on the pans adding their own flourishes. Glockenspiel plays the downbeat and a clap like thunder keeps the two-step swaying, all coming together to make this another must have two-sider from Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band

7"
Limited to 300 handmade copies!
We only knew Pop's (Steven) singing voice as a whistle. He whistled while he worked, and he worked all the time. But not even a whistle accompanied him on the guitar. A woodworker by day, he brought his craftsmanship home, softly picking his patient melodies. Those few tunes were played over and over again, becoming smooth and refined as a carefully finished armoire.
It wasn't until Christmas 2008 that we really heard him sing. Our mother pulled out an old cassette tape labeled Steve at Marco's, a brief recording session from 1979. The first thing we heard was the song. The only song. Blue. A thick delay over the entire mix told us he was shy even back then. But then came that voice, which, underneath the wash, wasn't shy at all.
Blue, and the stream of short instrumentals following, seemed a rare capture at the heart of our origin with music. And as we shared these recordings with friends, we soon realized it wasn't just us who found them so warm and beautiful.
A proper closet musician, Pop would never share this music on his own accord, so we've taken the liberty of doing it for him. - Heather & Peter Broderick, August 2011

With a hybrid jazz based on African grooves, Ethio-oriental melodies and psychedelic dub this Belgian five-piece creates an atmosphere where ancient and modern sounds fuse into a powerful, hypnotic and groovy sensation.

Receiving critical acclaim for their second album 'Artifacts' (2017), the Belgian quintet are pleased to announce the release of their much-anticipated third album entitled 'Future Flora', released 12th April via Sdban Ultra on vinyl / cd / digital.

Piloted by saxophonist/flutist/composer Nathan Daems (Ragini Trio, Dijf Sanders, Echoes of Zoo), the input of notorious musicians, drummer Simon Segers (MDC III, De Beren Gieren, Stadt), cornet player Jon Birdsong (dEUS, Beck, Calexico), keyboardist Wouter Haest (Voodoo Boogie) and bassist Filip Vandebril (Lady Linn, The Valerie Solanas) leads to the specific universe that only Black Flower is able to create.

Where debut album 'Abyssinia Afterlife' (2014) and 'Artifacts' (2017) bathed in an atmosphere of psychedelics, mythical figures, ancient sounds and modern cultures, new album 'Future Flora' refers to the power of plants and their importance for the future.

"'Future Flora' is a metaphor for the importance of feeding and watering powerful and revolutionary ideas and initiatives that can save our world. You can compare it with plants that fight between the paving stones of the city for their future. These "urban warriors" need water to survive and grow. Their future and ours depends entirely on how we look at the plant world", says Daems.

Black Flower's musical cross-pollination of sounds and rhythms remain on 'Future Flora', but there is still room for a more Western touch with Romanian and Maloya (Réunion) influences. Daems developed his own arrangements where Western, Oriental and Ethiopian scales and chords are fused together to create a real mix of traditional instrumentation and modern electrical vibrations.

The strong underlying groove is omnipresent, but the room for psychedelics, folklore and experimentation grows. Songs like new single 'Hora de Aksum' combine modern western rhythms with doses of Balkan eccentricities while 'Future Flora' takes you on a psyche-delicious 21th century Ethio-dub-jazz trip with echoes of Mulatu Astatke and Fela Kuti.

"The general feeling that dominates is that of strength and perseverance. The feeling that we have to fight for our future and that we have to do it now! The whole album is interspersed with this atmosphere and sounds swirling, haunting and ecstatic. For those who once saw Black Flower live at work, this energy will be extremely recognizable", he adds.

Kumar, ex-Raging Fyah lead singer, met Fruits Records crew back in 2016, when he invited them to play with I Kong at his Wickie Wackie festival in Bull Bay, Jamaica. From then, the musical friendship never stopped, doing different types of collaboration over the years. His unique voice tone, breathe-taking vocal abilities and songwriting skills make Kumar one of the greatest singers of his generation, as his nomination at the Grammy awards 2016 with Raging Fyah can testify. "Message In Your Radio” brings a different taste to Fruits Record's catalog, noticeably more modern than the previous releases. Kumar's melancholic melodies enhance this powerful riddim played by The 18th Parallel with conscious lyrics: Message in the music is a must, today more than ever. Anthem for radio stations!

The long awaited third album from much loved vintage synth maestros Billy Bainbridge and Mike Johnston, finally finds its home on Ghost Box Records. This is unironically joyful and melodic electronica; informed by library music, music for children’s TV and a deep passion for the history of music technology.

Plone are very much part of Ghost Box’s DNA. They were a central part of the 90s retro-futuristic scene in Birmingham that included Broadcast and Pram and to which the label has always had strong ties through graphic designer and co-manager, Julian House. They are also cited by the label’s other boss, Jim Jupp, as a major influence on his work as Belbury Poly.

The band was formed as a three-piece in the mid-90s and their debut single, Press a Key, was championed by John Peel. The first album, For Beginner Piano, was released on Warp Records in 1999. Their warm, witty and unfunky music stood out from the crowd, almost in defiance of the moody and masculine post-rave electronica of their contemporaries.

A selection of bootlegged demos from the early 00s was rumoured to be the follow up album, but it never materialised. After that Billy went on to tour with Broadcast and later formed Seeland with another former band member Tim Felton (also of Ghost Box’s Hintermass). Meanwhile Mike formed the ZX Spectrum Orchestra, released solo singles as Mike in Mono and was a member of The Modified Toy Orchestra.

Twenty years on and Plone have reconvened as a duo with a third album, Puzzlewood. It’s compiled from material recorded at various points since the “lost album”, right up to the present day.

Recorded mostly as a live-jam, august 2019, Il Sogno di Carmen is the result of a solitary producer meeting a nomad musician, Viscardi & Alano Santo. A brand new friendship. From there, the duo leads us to a spontaneous and fragile vacation story that yet manages to frame, with a sometimes mischievous accuracy, the current Genevan musical spirit : experimental, sincere, hybrid and hot. “I have no idea where this will lead us. But I have a definite feeling it will be a place both
wonderful and strange. Deep into summer, most definitely. The season of torrid bodies, of slowed down movements ; where melancholy creeps in the form of light and inconstant paragraphs, italian-style. Dragged around in hedonistic reunions, spiritual vagrancies and the soothing coolness of the Rhone river, Carmen is smooth and frivolous. She loosens up. Nothing is important. It can wait. Him too, you mainly. Geneva in the tropics, Bongo Joe on
the terrace, stolen emerald glances & air-conditioned airports. That's it. A wonderful and insignifiant story”.

Interstellar digital dancehall with stunning synth, superb vocal by Robert Ffrench in extended mix & mad style by obscure DJ Shortie Ranks. Recorded at Creative Sound Studio (Kingston, JA) in 1985.
"On “I Am Wondering” – a lovers of sorts – Ffrench is Dennis Brown in the high notes, and Gregory Isaacs in the song`s playboy sentiments. A guitar gently wah-wahs, while the synths do a giddy glissando. Midway through this discomix the bass becomes boss – throwing everything else – chopped piano chords and all – into echo. Then it`s rewind for the DJ cut – a brag and boast toast from Shortie Ranks – recounting his triumphs at legendary Kingston reggae venue, Skateland”. (Ban Ban Ton Ton - April, 21 of 2020) Robert French grew up in central Kingston and attended Kingston College. He recorded his first singles in 1979, at the age of 17. He achieved success in 1984 with his performances at the Festival Song Contest and the Reggae Sunsplash festival. He had a combination hit with deejay Clement Irie with "Bun & Cheese", and his first two albums were released in 1985. He had another hit in 1989 with "Modern Girl", a collaboration with
Courtney Melody. In the mid-1990s he relocated to New York City, where he teamed up with rapper Heavy D, with whom he had a hit with "More Love", with an album following on Ras Records, featuring collaboration with several artists including Lady G and General Degree. He has since returned to Jamaica, where he runs the
Ffrench record label and distribution company. He released the album Yesterday and Today in 2001, collecting many of his earlier singles. After a period of inactivity as a recording artist, he returned in 2009 with the single "I Do". As a producer he has worked with artists such as Dennis Brown, Buju Banton (he produced Buju's first single
"Ruler" on Stamina riddim), Beres Hammond, George Nooks, Luciano, Jah Cure, Yami Bolo and Sizzla to name a few. Robert French was the cosin of the late great Pat Kelly. As a french label, big fan from Ffrench productions, i'm very proud and happy to start a collaboration with Robert Ffrench, the most french jamaican. Stay tuned for many many more.

New fresh release on Rye Records by The Robinson. The 3
tracks' on this record are each a perfect representation of the
different facets of the duo: Soulful, self-reflective and pulsating.
Together the decisive sounds accompany melodies that take
you on a journey far away...

Control is the incredible debut album from Sydney based vocalist Natalie Slade, produced by Hiatus Kaiyote's Simon Mavin and featuring contributions from other members of the Grammy Nominated group.

Combining Soul, Jazz, Folk and RnB, Natalie's timeless vocals dazzle across 10 stunning tracks, perfectly complimented by rich, live instrumentation and Mavin's vibrant production. The album is classic to its core, whilst taking a fresh and energetic approach to a long tradition of Soul/RnB long players. Familiar broken rhythms and jazz heavy motifs, notorious with Hiatus Kaiyote's writing and arrangement style are present, reminding us throughout that we are in the hands of true masters. The result is a kaleidoscopic reimagining of sounds and styles from an exciting new vocal talent.

Recording began after a chance encounter between Natalie and the Hiatus keys player Simon Mavin, resulting in a writing session that quickly escalated into a full blown album project. The chemistry was clear and the creativity flowed. Spontaneous recording sessions ensued, with visitors to the studio jumping in to play on tracks, the levels of musicianship on the album never fall short of stunning and Natalie's poetic and enchanting song writing shines throughout.

The album kicks off with an energetic flash on 'Cloud Cover', an arpeggiating bass line bubbles over skipping drums and aquatic synths. The title track 'Control' puts it's foot on the gas with a driving synth bass, broken beats and soaring vocals. 'Colour' see's Natalie pouring out her heart to the universe over a fluttering mellotron whilst the beautiful 'There Is Light In Everything' gives her a chance to show off her vocal prowess. Control is a truly unique and dynamic debut album from two masters of their craft, we hope you enjoy it just as much as we do

Recommend for fans of Hiatus Kaiyote, Rosin Murphy, Fatima, Yasmin Lacey, Khadja Bonet.