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Another new colour pressing we have 200 only white vinyl coming in Mrch. Single LPs w/ printed inner sleeve + lyric insert and Download card. The Armed return with their first new album in over three years and Sargent House debut, ULTRAPOP. The album reaches the same extremities of sonic expression as the furthest depths of metal, noise, and otherwise "heavy" counterculture music subgenres but finds its foundation firmly in pop music and pop culture. As is always The Armed's mission, it seeks only to create the most intense experience possible, a magnification of all culture, beauty, and things. The band goes on to explain, "crafting vital art means presenting the audience with new and intriguing tensions sonically, visually, conceptually. Over time and through use, those tensions become less novel and effective and they become expectations. The concept of "subgenre" becomes almost the antithesis of vitality in art itself a fetishization of expectation. ULTRAPOP seeks, in earnest, to create a truly new listener experience. It is an open rebellion against the culture of expectation in "heavy" music. It is a joyous, genderless, post-nihilist, anti-punk, razor-focused take on creating the most intense listener experience possible. It's the harshest, most beautiful, most hideous thing we could make." ULTRAPOP follows their recent contribution to the Cyberpunk 2077 soundtrack “Night City Aliens” and 2018’s critically acclaimed album Only Love, which landed on ‘Album of the Year’ lists from The Atlantic, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Vice, Stereogum, and many more. The album was co-produced by the band's own Dan Greene in collaboration with Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe) and features contributions from Mark Lanegan, Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens of the Stone Age, A Perfect Circle), Ben Koller (Converge, Killer Be Killed, Mutoid Man) and many more. Kurt Ballou (Converge, High on Fire, Russian Circles) remains at the helm as executive producer. An interactive ARG campaign with numerous stages of engagement is underway and will continue through release. A website, media mailings and various social media interactions are leading fans to find easter eggs including songs, album info, videos and much more. A livestream performance confirmed for same day. Videos for all three focus tracks (“All Futures”, “Average Death” + “An Iteration” are completed and will be released along with each song.

We all know that people in Switzerland are different, but these guys take it over the top! The brainchild of mastermind Andy Dormann, an established musician of the Swiss Rock Scene (KISSIN’ BLACK, CHARING CROSS) proves that fun and filthy loud music is alive and kicking on the streets of Switzerland. Get ready for a wild ride Sunset Strip-Style with a Happy Ending. D’OR Rock ’n’ Rolls like a relentless big screen cargo train. Amphetamine-primed guitar artistes with a growl like a peppery G’n’T. A galvanizing groove machine. Filterless cigarettes and a chronic scratchy throat is served up with a double espresso and a thundering sidecar. Melodic? Of course! Pretentious? Absolutely! Clichéd? Hey, D’OR glitters AND is gold! Tongue in cheek? Could be! VENI VIDI IGNIS is fresh and packed with energy. Think Terminator going back in time in a DeLorean to fetch the sexy 80s attitude to life and throw it in your 2020 face. D’OR possesses your neck muscles with an alchemy of hard rock and heavy rusty metal. If you like SKID ROW, W.A.S.P or ALICE COOPER with a bit more dirt, you better be prepared. The Goldfingers are ready. Now fasten your seatbelts!

Second and last pressing, pink, blue, black splattered vinyl ‘Europe ’19’ is a collection of tracks taken from King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s European bootlegs from 2019.

Breaking News! DJs Pareja and Matias Aguayo have joined to form the dance project MDM Factory!

Modern transcendental Techno music for those who know, and those who want to learn!

In a turmoil of events nightlife would change forever, and confined to their respective places - A flat in Buenos Aires and a house in the jungle Diego Irasusta, Mariano Caloso and Matias Aguayo joined forces to create new communication on distance via music.

Taking all their dance floor knowledge and dreaming of sound systems and togetherness in a better future, DJs Pareja & Aguayo put their minds, bodies and souls to work on this stunning EP that will please the forward thinking underground freaks as well as the big room techno pros.

Let’s dive into this divine mess of glorious dance floor jams from the future...

A1. Curvas Peligrosas

With the first track it becomes clear what this is all about: Wobbly metamorphous sounds from outer space jamming with stomping and bass driven techno beats of tomorrow, a new kind of rave, hypnotic and seductive, utterly strange but wonderfully catchy and contagious in a good sense, harsh shuffled hiatus and alternating kick drums, a relentless bassline and sophisticated electronic sounds in a a permanent evolution resembling and invoking altered states of consciousness.


A2. Love Boat

This new rave anthem seems like a classic you haven’t heard about. Muscle memories from dancefloor days trigger your body as you listen on your headphones, awaiting the chance to play it out soon, hopefully, as the dance floors slowly reopen. Alternating between parts of kickdrum, clap and snare awesomeness, and the mangled rave signals that slowly morph into a more concrete melody reminiscent of ancient dreams of the future, this track has it all for the club kids of today.

B1. La Vida Loca
The title track is a tech banger that will please those who dig Kenny Larkin, Claude Young, The Surgeon, Dave Clark or any other star in the nocturnal sky of Techno Techno, as well as the lovers of DJs Pareja’s classic Cómeme Clubbangers, or the more Techno side of Mr. Aguayo. Definitely has the potential to become a huge hit if enough djs that don’t rely on algorithms get their hands on it


B2. Las Llaves

The closer is hyper modern tech funk at its best. Percussive greatness as you can find it on many Cómeme releases is triggered in a different way, “sabroso” rhythms that are played in the light and purposeful way of an elegant jazz drummer, pave the way for an always evolving psychedelic lead synth sound, that will be a useful tool for the dj who knows when to keep the groove, prolonging those magic times between the risings...

Red hot Modern Soul 45 recorded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1985. Big thanks to Robert Garcia @mrbighappy & Daniel Mathis @quartzwatches for the research and words on this one!!

Brotherhood Band was started by Ernest Coleman(EC) and Clint Hyson, who met thorough a US Navy band called "Mid-South", which was the US Navy's premier musical organization operating out of Millington, Tennessee (20 min outside of Memphis). The group initially played as an instrumental jazz band. In keeping up with the times, they shifted gears towards a more contemporary sound. Shortly after, they decided to cut a single. Enter "Nicci's Theme", which is the B-side here and it's a beautiful jazz tune EC wrote for a girl he fell in love with. This song was supposed to be his door way in, but he actually never opened the door with her.

A few weeks later Clint called EC and played this syncopated bass line for him over the phone. And then EC being the ladies man that he was wrote the lyrics to "Leather Pants" to it. Part of the lyrics read "The pants they stretch, but they don't bust. Enough to make a blind man cuss", but it originally read as, "The pants they stretch, but they don't bust. Enough to make a PREACHER cuss". The song was ready, but they needed to find a singer. That's when member Richard Owens mentioned that he had a young cat back in Atlanta named Taji. In a gamble Taji drove up to Memphis for the Sunrise recording studio session to record the track. According to EC when Taji laid the vocals down he took the song to the next level. In fact it was so impactful that EC, who is now a Grammy producer, still references Taji's sessions when working with new artist.

After the single dropped the group played at Memphis hot spots, Bills Twilight Lounge and Club No Name. EC even had an idea to host a local leather pants contest as a way to promote the song. This lead to a frenzy of women seeking to be "Miss Leather Pants".

Omowale is the powerful new album from Wildchild, one third of the legendary Lootpack crew and a formidable solo artist who released many projects on the iconic Stones Throw Records. Across the 15 tracks, the Cali rapper deftly explores what it means to be a Black man in the U.S. today with timely, poignant lyrics. It’s a hard-hitting look at this country and its decades of wrongdoing, all with an air of optimism for the future. This album is Wildchild’s first solo release since 2016’s T.G.I.F., though he’s clearly kept busy in the interim by working on Omowale and making a number of standout guest appearances. Many of his past collaborators are returning the favor, as we’re treated to dope features from Posdnuos (of De La Soul), Big Daddy Kane, Guilty Simpson, Ras Kass, Murs, and more. Plus, there’s head-nodding production from Madlib, Nottz, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and Mr. Brady, among others. They’re all bringing their A-game on Omowale, an impeccably produced album beyond its instrumentation and rhymes. Wildchild builds on the project’s narrative by incorporating audio from newscasts, protests, and other live events. He also brings that real-world feel to his lyrics, from joyful raps with his son (Black-ish actor/emcee Miles Brown) on the funky “G.O.A.T.” to raw rhymes about police brutality on “Breathe.”
When the album culminates with “Say Their Name”—a moving tribute to the rap legends we’ve lost over the years—Wildchild proves on Omowale that you can balance hope with the harsh, unjust realities of the world.

North Carolina producer, Khrysis who is a member of 9th Wonder's Jamla Records music label and Soul Council production team, steps from the shadows of his crew and into the spotlight with his own production compilation album with a star studded cast of features that range to some of the biggest names in Hip Hop (Busta Rhymes, De La Soul) to some of the best new up and comers on the scene (Reuben Vincent, Ian Kelly). If you have been following Khrysis over the years then you would know that he specializes in the classic boom bap style of hip hop production that somehow remains fresh and up-to-date even with the modern soundscape. Simply put, if you love dope beats and dope rhymes, this album is for you!

The Decades Collected compilations are part of the new Collected compilation series, which is a collaboration between Universal Music and Music On Vinyl. The compilations bring together the biggest names of each decade, combined with forgotten hits and less discovered gems, giving the listener an experience of listening to their favorite tunes while uncovering new musical grounds at the same time.

Various Artists - Nineties Collected features R.E.M “Man On The Moon”, Freddie Mercury “Living On My Own”, Texas “Say What You Want”, Lenny Kravitz “Always On The Run”, Erykah Badu “Tyrone (Live)” and Blind Melon “No Rain” amongst others.

Red hot Modern Soul 45 recorded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1985. Big thanks to Robert Garcia @mrbighappy & Daniel Mathis @quartzwatches for the research and words on this one!!

Brotherhood Band was started by Ernest Coleman(EC) and Clint Hyson, who met thorough a US Navy band called "Mid-South", which was the US Navy's premier musical organization operating out of Millington, Tennessee (20 min outside of Memphis). The group initially played as an instrumental jazz band. In keeping up with the times, they shifted gears towards a more contemporary sound. Shortly after, they decided to cut a single. Enter "Nicci's Theme", which is the B-side here and it's a beautiful jazz tune EC wrote for a girl he fell in love with. This song was supposed to be his door way in, but he actually never opened the door with her.

A few weeks later Clint called EC and played this syncopated bass line for him over the phone. And then EC being the ladies man that he was wrote the lyrics to "Leather Pants" to it. Part of the lyrics read "The pants they stretch, but they don't bust. Enough to make a blind man cuss", but it originally read as, "The pants they stretch, but they don't bust. Enough to make a PREACHER cuss". The song was ready, but they needed to find a singer. That's when member Richard Owens mentioned that he had a young cat back in Atlanta named Taji. In a gamble Taji drove up to Memphis for the Sunrise recording studio session to record the track. According to EC when Taji laid the vocals down he took the song to the next level. In fact it was so impactful that EC, who is now a Grammy producer, still references Taji's sessions when working with new artist.

After the single dropped the group played at Memphis hot spots, Bills Twilight Lounge and Club No Name. EC even had an idea to host a local leather pants contest as a way to promote the song. This lead to a frenzy of women seeking to be "Miss Leather Pants".

• Two-time Grammy Award winner and Songwriters Hall of Fame honoree Jason Mraz today announced Lalalalovesongs, a collection of Mraz's iconic love songs, including RIAA Diamond certified "Im Yours," 6x RIAA Platinum "I Won't Give Up," RIAA Platinum "Have It All," and Grammy-winning duet, "Lucky" in addition to several more hits and an as-yet-unannounced, never-before-released fan favorite as a digital bonus track. Lalalalovesongs will be available on CD, vinyl, and digitally on February 11
• "I feel so LaLaLaLucky to share these songs again on this new album,” said Mraz in a press statement. "Love has been an almost constant theme in my writing, and this record really shines on that, further amplifying the message. Big love to my listeners, and to Atlantic and Rhino for the lovely release!"
• Lalalalovesongs kicks off with Mraz’s worldwide smash "I'm Yours," which ranks as the most-streamed track of the 2000s decade (2000-2009) by a solo artist on Spotify, with nearly 1.3 billion streams, and the second most-streamed track of the decade by any artist on Spotify. Additionally, the song recently surpassed 2.5 billion global streams across all audio and video platforms. "I'm Yours" was also the first song ever to top the Triple-A, Adult Top 40, Mainstream Top 40, and Adult Contemporary Charts, charting for 76 weeks and setting a record at the time for the longest chart run in Billboard history. To celebrate these milestones, the original video of the track has been upgraded to 4K along with the debut of a new video remembrance from Mraz where he discusses the story of the song, from its inception to its gradual development from fan-favorite into a Billboard Top 10 single, and its effects on his musical career.

Following up on his highly acclaimed "The Forced Force Is Not The True Force", Mr. G is back on his own Phoenix G label delivering 3 big house cuts and a suspenseful tool.

Boogie Times Records returns with this incredibly rare release as a fantastic looking collectible ‘picture disc’ must-have release.

The Legendary Boogie Times Record Store founded in 1989 which gave birth to rave and jungle pioneering label Suburban Base also released under the Boogie Times imprint itself as a sister label to the illustrious SubBase.

DJ Krome & Mr Time were making so many big tunes during this period that we found that to schedule all those great releases they had to be separated onto a second label under another guise, this gave us the very rare Krome & Time alias Timebase feat Kromozone. Which has become one of the most revered tracks in the catalogue. Much requested and in demand but has never been repressed since its initial 1991 release!

Not only is this a fitting release to start of a new era of Boogie Times Records, it also allows us to set history straight, when you realize that it is the song ‘Unity’ that formed the entire basis for the Garage Anthem ‘A Little Bit Of Luck’, and it is well over due that Krome & Time get the credit they deserve!

With a continuation of the original catalogue numbers this is the first Boogie Times release since 1993. This incredible collectible picture disc proudly wears a faithful replica of the original label artwork looking like a huge, oversized label. Amazing!

Disco deliverance done right, the king Mr K. drops the 6th instalment of his buy-on-sight, limited edit series. Retouched and retweaked gold, destined to fire those synapses into the stratosphere whichever side you draw for.

Having produced the Emskee – Wall To Wall 12” released early 2021, AE boss Mr Fantastic is back with another slab of essential Hip Hop made without pretence or adhering to modern trends – in others words, how it used to be. Featuring Teekay of Dragon Fli Empire, hailing from Calgary, Canada, ‘Breakdown’ is a stand-alone single with no plans as being part of any album release right now and comes with the Instrumental version on the flip. Pressed on black vinyl and supplied in full colour card sleeve, as is the standard high-quality packaging from AE Productions.

Although only being acquainted via the internet, Mr Fantastic and Teekay have mutual admiration for each other’s work which lead to this collaboration. This funky 45 features crisp drums and disco funk samples that have been chopped into that good old Hip Hop. The beat has a reasonably sparse stabbing feel with subtle wah-wah guitar between the stabs which bounces along not just at a perfect tempo for DJ’s but also sonically perfect for a big sound system, hence this track being picked for a single release and packs that punch that sounds best played loud. No moody introspective thing here, this is crowd rocking Hip Hop.

Teekay’s rhymes flow over the beat like it is 2nd nature to him because, well, it is 2nd nature to him, and is further evidence of why his group Dragon Fli Empire alongside DJ Cosm, have been able to maintain a steady string of superb releases going all the way back to 2002 and have toured Canada, USA and Europe. The chorus features Mr Fantastic’s turntable skills backing up Teekay’s vocal giving a nicely conceived and executed song structure with a little help from 2 of Soul and Funk’s legends.

The artwork for this one was hand painted by Bristol graffiti heavyweight Turroe who favoured a nod to comic book covers for the theme which was then scanned and arranged into the sleeve format with courtesy of AE artwork regular Nick Pointon of Fine Print.

Endlessly sampled, covered, quoted and requoted, this may well be one of the most influential hip-hop singles ever released. But, in many ways, its importance goes beyond its sheer classic status as a single in its own right.

In retrospect, it shows the duo of Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith as pioneers in production, creating a funk-based sound that helped to provide a blueprint for artists on the other side of the country. In 1987/88, most West Coast rap still adhered to an East Coast audio blueprint. By 1989, they were leaning as heavily on Zapp and Roger Troutman samples as EPMD were on this single.

The foundations of the track are interesting, with a snatch of Juice’s much-plundered ‘Catch a Groove’ (which has popped up everywhere from The Beastie Boys to Kings of Pressure) overlaid with big chunks of Kool & The Gang’s ‘Jungle Boogie’ and Zapp’s irrepressible ‘More Bounce to the Ounce’. Vocodered funk was a rarity in New York hip-hop until this song, but it’s the West Coast G-Funk artists who really ran with it.

Its popularity spanned the country (and the globe, to be fair), with EPMD performing numerous shows in California on the basis of the sound, moving away from their James Brown-obsessed peers to display their own musical tastes. That said, the flipside – here presented on 7” and, indeed, on any single, for the first time – takes it back to that JB-era. ‘(It’s Not the Express), It’s the JB’s Monaurail by The JB’s is woven with Otis Redding and Beastie Boys to create a mid-tempo headnodder par excellence. It was always too good not to be a single.

Back in the 80s I became a big funk, jazz, and soul vinyl collector; which opened the incredible world of the late, great Mr. Weldon Johnathan Irvine. Back in the 90s I was lucky enough to meet him; Mr. Irvine was such a calm and gentle person; he just oozed music. This laidback, kind quality resonates in his music. On this 45, we trip through the jazzy journey of Weldon’s innovative keyboard work through to the double bass, and horns on the A. On the B we’re in a smoky bar, with yer homies,, chillin n grooving, as the melodica and guitar head-nod us along. Sublime.

It is a great honour to be able to release some of his music from his Nodlow music label on to 7” for the first time.

Mammoth WVH is the debut, self-titled album of Mammoth WVH – the band created by Wolfgang Van Halen. This collection includes the chart topping and now Grammy nominated "Distance” as well as “Don’t Back Down,” “Epiphany,” “Mammoth” and more.

This stunning debut is one of hands down one of our highlights of the year and is still available on a lovely Black Ice Transluscent vinyl.

Wolf began to embrace his voice, inspired by everyone from his father, to bands like AC/DC, Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails, TOOL, and Jimmy Eat World. In addition to writing and singing every song on the self-title debut album, remarkably Wolfgang plays every instrument.

Mammoth WVH will be touring Europe extensively in 2022 supporting Scorpions in Germany and headlining shows in Paris, London or Zurich.

LP + 3xCD + booklet !

The Doors found their mojo (and Mr. Mojo Risin’) in November 1970 as they recorded L.A. Woman over six days at the Workshop, the band’s rehearsal space on Santa Monica Boulevard. A success both critically and commercially, the album was certified double-platinum and contains some of the band’s most enduring music, including the Top 20 hit “Love Her Madly,” “Riders On The Storm,” and the title track.
To commemorate the album’s 50-year anniversary, Rhino keeps on risin’ with a 3-CD/1-LP set that will be available on December 3rd. L.A. WOMAN: 50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION includes the original album newly remastered by The Doors’ longtime engineer and mixer Bruce Botnick, two bonus discs of unreleased studio outtakes, and the stereo mix of the original album on 180-gram virgin vinyl.
For this new collection, the original album has been expanded with more than two hours of unreleased recordings taken from the sessions for L.A. Woman, allowing the listener to experience the progression of each song as it developed in the studio. An early demo for “Hyacinth House” recorded at Robby Krieger’s home studio in 1969 is also included.
The outtakes feature Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, and Ray Manzarek working in the studio with two additional musicians. The first was rhythm guitarist Marc Benno, who worked with Leon Russell in The Asylum Choir. The other was bassist Jerry Scheff, who was a member of Elvis Presley’s TCB band.

Baxter Dury releases a 20 year Best Of through
Heavenly Recordings.
 ‘Mr Maserati’ showcases two decades of Baxter
Dury’s idiosyncratically louche music, a universe of
late-night London meet-ups, shuffling basslines
and comedown disco tunes, all run through with a
wry bleakness and sweet love of humanity.
 ‘Mr Maserati’ collects tracks from across Dury’s six
albums, plus a new song, ‘D.O.A.’.
 Baxter Dury on the new track: “It’s a kind of
provincial nod to the music I got into during
lockdown because my son Kosmo was playing it -
Frank Ocean, Tyler the Creator and Kendrick
Lamar. I became obsessed. They’re embracing
everything – sexuality, politics, all of it – and I find
that inspiring.”
 In November Baxter embarks on his biggest UK
tour so far, with a headline London show at
Kentish Town Forum.
 LP in printed inner sleeve plus digital download
code

We are elated to invite the multi-talented and multi-national musical mastermind Portable in to the Circus family finally. After many years of traveling in similar scenes and orbits, and thoroughly enjoying his vast output on some of our favorite and best friends’ labels, the time has come to join forces with our now-fellow Parisian dweller.

The My Event Horizon EP is a truly creative treat, chock full of the charm and studio ingenuity that permeates all of his work, and a first look at what’s to come on his full length LP we have in store for you in the coming months as well. Two versions of the lead track “I Feel Stronger Now” are accompanied by an exclusive club cut, just in time for the world’s hopeful dance floor reopenings.

“I Feel Stronger Now” is one of those perfectly balanced tracks that is equal parts soft and edgy, mellow and exciting, and features a rich mix of sharp percussion, warm jazz-inflected piano motifs and Portable’s own inimitable dulcet-toned vocals, making it a sure-shot fit with the label’s modus operandi. The A2 track “My Art Sets Me Free” as the title may suggest, is a more abstract and artistic take on full-scale DSP dance floor equipment - we can already imagine hearing this on some of our most cherished club systems, head-down, fully immersed. Next up “I Feel Stronger Now” gets a fresh facelift treatment from Portable’s own and equally-notorious alter ego Bodycode, which follows suit to the pseudonym’s production quality, giving the avant-garde bounce of the original version a more syncopated and stripped-back feel, imparting a stronger physical sound bed with tasteful synth layering for the vocal Iines to ride over. And as a digital bonus addition to the package we have the Radio Edit of “I Feel Stronger Now” which is nicely tightened in all the right places to drive the point home for broadcast listeners, and further proof that this man’s music can be fully enjoyed in many settings - a big loving welcome to Mr. Portable!

Stix Records, a sub-label of Favorite Recordings, proudly presents Push Push, the new album by acclaimed producer
Taggy Matcher aka Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart (Voilaaa, Mr President, The Dynamics, Uptown Funk Empire,
Metropolitan Jazz Affair, Da Break, …). After the success of his previous LP Singasong, Taggy Matcher returns with 8
tracks exploring his wide range of Reggae & Dub influences, each time magnified by a fine crew of vocal guests as LMK,
Birdy Nixon, Alexandra Charry, Hawa, John Milk & Elodie Rama. With a great sense of authenticity, they all bring their own
touch to Taggy Matcher's compositions and covers. Always faithful to its inspirations, brilliantly produced, Push Push is
your new invitation to follow the Lion to Zion.
The album starts with "Push Push", a title already released last year as a vinyl single 7", in collaboration with rising
singer LMK, who you may know from her successful previous reworks on Taggy's last album ("No Love Allowed", "My
Man"). Sharing the same love for the early 80's Digital Rub A Rub productions, lyrics are about street harassment of
women… with a pinch of humor!
On "Little Things", Taggy invites old mate Birdy Nixon for a cover of an early rocksteady classic by Hemsley Morris.
With the vintage bounce we love combined with modern sounds and productions, the song is all about tenderness and
simplicity.
"Volvere Mañana", the song has this very cumbia hip move with the participation of gifted singer Alexandra Charry
from Cali in Colombia, where they both composed the song. Then, Taggy invited Boris Pokora to play the "gaita" local flute
to give the song its proper Colombian Caribbean coast flavor.
The album continues with "Two Dimes" featuring longtime collaborator Hawa (from Mr President to Mr Day and other
numerous projects). This shaky disco reggae rockers is all about getting ready for the party… but with two dimes only!
"Q Fashion" is a song full of wittiness and self-mockery wrote during the first Covid-19 lockdown. Parisian Soul singer
John Milk was stuck in Paris while Bruno was in Lyon. On this minimalistic digital reggae tune, they give the ingredients to
perfect your next quarantine outfit.
Discoish reggae tune "Get Enough" featuring Birdy Nixon has a simple and successful recipe: just mix a big dose of
Lovers with the same amount of Rockers and you've got this 100% soulful song.
On "Suit and Tie", Taggy and John Milk go Pop with this version of Justin Timberlake, that fits perfectly with John's
tender and mellow style.
Finally, Elodie Rama with Taggy Matcher pay tribute to Erykah Badu and her legacy to the Soul music scene at the end
of the nineties. The mood is jazzy, mellow and warm, with a tiny Lee Scratch Perry early 70's vaporous vibes.

The Fabulous Counts were originally a teenage instrumental group of five musicians, Mose Davis (Organ and Piano), Demetrius ‘Demo’ Gates (Alto Saxophone and vocals), Jim White (Tenor Sax), Andrew T. Gibson (Drums) and Raoul Keith Mangrum (Percussion and Flute) who were later joined by the older, more experience Leroy Emanuel (Guitar and vocals). Emmanuel was invited into the group as it’s band leader by the groups manager Fred McClure, a former Detroit boxing champion who also happened to be the manager of another popular Detroit group the singing Metro’s of the hit recording “Sweetest One” fame and their subsequent respected RCA album of the same name. The Fabulous Counts would often perform at shows as the Metro’s backing band.

The Fabulous Counts first big break came after knocking several Detroit Record labels doors. They were eventually invited in by Ollie McLaughlin’s Moira studio to record, under the tutelage of Popcorn Wylie the one take hit “Jan, Jan (Moira-103). A further two Moira 45’s followed of which “Get Down People/Lunar Funk “(Moira-108) also scored high on the R&B charts. Through a deal arranged by McLaughlin The Counts released their respected “Jan, Jan” album on the Atlantic distributed Cotillion label in 1969. Moving on to Armen Boladian’s Westbound label, during 1970 the group simply changed their name to The Counts and charted with their 1971 “What’s Up Front” Westbound album, also releasing a solitary 45 “Thinking Single/Why Not Start All Over Again”. In 1972 while still part of the Westbound set up The Counts recorded two major label 45’s under the pseudonyms of Bad Smoke “Crawl Ya’ll Part 1&2” (Chess-2124) and Lunar Funk “Mr Penguin Part 1&2” (Bell 45-172), the latter being thier biggest hit. A subsequent move to Atlanta, GA saw The Counts sign with Michael Thevis’s Aware records where they recorded a further two successful albums “Love Sign” (1973) and “Funk Pump” (1975), plus a string of 45’s. In 1976 although officially never breaking up The Counts members went their separate ways to explore different life opportunity’s.



During 1978 and while still in Atlanta Leroy Emanuel borrowed money from his family and reuniting with his fellow Counts, Mose, Demo, and Jimmy Jackson Jr, they, accompanied by a local strings section recorded a session of material that spawned two songs “What’s It All About” and “Motorcity”. Which Leroy later made a deal with Terry Mendelson to release on a 45 on his TM label. The Counts had previously known Mendelson through his brother Bernie at Westbound. The TM 45 made very little noise with many of the copies having mispressed labels. Although later reissued and mistakenly credited as two previously unissued Westbound recordings on several latter Cd compilations it came to light that quite a few avid European soul collectors actually owned copies of this high quality, very elusive and desirable 45! With demand still seemingly high it seems a good time for Soul Junction to reissue it. The A-side, “What’s It All About” features its composer Leroy Emanuel on lead vocals with the other Counts adding to the backing chorus. The flipside of this 45 from the same session is the previously unreleased Mose Davis penned “Watch The Clock” which is more in keeping with the Counts traditional funk groove, enjoy.

Lou Reed’s fiftieth solo album features many of his biggest hits - "Dirty Blvd" which went #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks upon release in 1989. It features Reed musing on everything from AIDS, urban blight, racism, AIDS, child abuse, Jesse Jackson, Donald Trump, the environment and other societal ills, delivered with humour and empathy.

Toolroom founder and Grammy-nominated producer Mark Knight announces his new album Untold Business: 13-track collection of vocal house music which aims to inject a much-needed dose of meaning and longevity into the world of dance music.

Mark Knight has gone back to his roots on his new album Untold Business, reprising the sounds and records that made him the artist he is today. Diving through his extensive collection of classic Funk, House, Soul and Disco records from the 1970s and 80s has provided the bedrock for the album, which is an homage to the soulful, vocal-led house music that Mark first fell in love with in the 90s.

Step forward Mark Knight with a collection of meticulously crafted, positive, life-affirming records with a focus on real instrumentation and properly crafted songs that will stand the test of time. Untold Business is the antithesis of the functional, cookie-cutter dance music that has become increasingly ubiquitous over the years, and it sounds absolutely glorious.

Lead single ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Alright’ features vocals from Beverley Knight as well as the London Community Gospel Choir, who together bring a powerful message of positivity, solidarity and hope: themes that echo throughout the rest of the album.

“I wanted to write a song of hope as we come out of this incredibly tough time. I feel that musicians and producers have a responsibility to provide the soundtrack to people’s lives, and with this glimmer of hope on the horizon, I wanted this song to be a moment of positivity for the future ahead.” Mark Knight

From the string section, to the 14-piece London Community Gospel Choir, to the incomparably brilliant Beverley Knight on lead vocals – Mark worked with some incredible musicians on the single: an approach that informs his approach for the entire album. Untold Business features further collaborations with the likes of Shingai (Noisettes), Michael Gray, Robert Owens and many more.

In addition to the 10 new tracks recorded especially for the album, Untold Business also includes three of Mark’s singles from 2020, including one of the biggest releases of his career to date. All 4 Love was a collaboration with Rene Amesz and Tasty Lopez which became firmly lodged on the Radio 1 A list for six weeks with worldwide success following soon after. Picking up more than 10 million streams on Spotify it was without doubt one of the biggest house records of the year. Also included here are ‘If It’s Love’ - a joyous celebration of a soulful house sound that came to prominence in the 90s – and ‘Tonight’, which took inspiration from the brisk, looping, filtered house music of the early 00s.

From the first show the Grateful Dead played in St. Louis in 1968 – when “St. Stephen” made its debut – local fans knew the Gateway City’s rich musical heritage had a unique way of coaxing the best out of the band. One of the shortest-lived iterations of the Grateful Dead was the band that existed December 1971 through March 1972. Jerry, Bob, Phil, Bill, Pigpen, and Keith formed a formidable version of the Dead that only played a few shows together before Donna Jean joined as vocalist, and before Pigpen would depart the stage for good in June 1972. What this sextet lacked in quantity of shows it made up for with creativeness, power, and inspiration.

When Pigpen re-joined the Dead on December 1, 1971, after a few months off during which Keith had joined as piano player, the band was now an unstoppably powerful live juggernaut it hadn't been since the height of the Primal Dead era in late 1968-1969. Widely considered one of the best shows from the Pigpen-Keith era of the Grateful Dead, December 10, 1971 in St. Louis has it all: Pigpen singing lead on four songs including an 18 minute version of Good Lovin' and a very rare performance of Run Rudolph Run; a deep dive into the Dead's psychedelic recent past with a monster version of The Other One; plus plenty of the new material from earlier in 1971 like Bertha, Loser, Sugaree, and Playing In The Band. They also hit upon much of the music that would appear the following year on Europe '72, such as Jack Straw, Tennessee Jed, Mr. Charlie, and One More Saturday Night. And no Dead show of this vintage would be complete without the "hits": Truckin', Sugar Magnolia, and Casey Jones all make appearances. This is truly one of the deepest, most dynamic, exciting, and accessible live shows in the entire Grateful Dead canon.

Mixed Colored Vinyl

The London label continues to innovate with their biggest release to date.

10 tracks – 10 incredible artists adding to their string of solid releases by new and established art-ists.

Setting fire to the rage of acceptance.
–
Sublime Creatures, defiant of society’s cages, its definitions of power, beauty and status. A higher stance above bitter re-sentment. A pro-active community of thin- kers. A patch-work of empowered souls, ideas and experiences.

Directly related to one of the sentences in our manifesto, Sublime Creatures is a call to our most powerful selves.
–
The name of the label itself is about us working on bettering ourselves and being united in all our differences. “Reptile” is about our relationship with the reptilian brain and our efforts to understand what truly means to be human (tools to perfect your instinct), becoming aware of our-selves and the others around us. “House of” is a direct allusion to the “house and ball culture” movements in NYC in the early 80s.

The sense of a real family of strangers coming together around a shared sense of purpose.

Cult jazz soundtrack to supernatural Soho
strangler epic ‘Der Wurger Vom Tower’ by Swiss
electronic pioneer Bruno Spoerri that has been
locked away since 1966.
 Translated as ‘The Strangler In The Tower’, this
lesser-known thriller possibly stretched the
imaginations of cinematic crime buffs beyond the
genre’s parameters before disappearing into
obscurity.
 Liberated from Bruno Spoerri’s meticulous master
tape vault this, his first-ever feature-length
soundtrack commission, can finally take its place
alongside other recently resuscitated oblique jazz
scores by the likes of Basil Kirchin, Krzysztof
Komeda (Cul-De-Sac), Roger Webb and Jonny
Scott.
 The real sacred jewel in Bruno Spoerri’s crown as
the leader and pioneer of Switzerland’s electronic
underground (not to mention sample source
amongst rap royalty) and a mysterious monarchial
figure in European jazz and music technology

Motown Collected brings together the biggest names in the rich history of this legendary label. From very early singles to the artists that made Motown a household name for decades to come and the cross-over pop success of the late 70’s and 80’s. Featuring legendary artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Jackson Five, Smokey Robinson and The Commodores, as well as gems from the likes of Marv Johnson, Barrett Strong, The Marvelettes and Tom Clay and pop superstars Rick James, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie and Debarge: just a selection of the 33 incredible tracks featured on Motown Collected.

The documentary Hitsville: The Making Of Motown’, featuring Motown founder Berry Gordy and many of this artists, will premiere in cinemas across Europe this summer as well.






RELEASE: 23-7-2021

MOV proudly presents new Collected compilation albums in collaboration with Universal Music. Motown Collected is the first one, available as a limited edition of 3000 numbered copies on white vinyl. It includes an insert with photos and credits.

Fifth -and last- volume of our "R&B Hipshakers" series, featuring rockin' R&B and early soul from the King and Federal catalogues. A compilation of tracks from 1953 to 1964 by essential artists such as Hank Ballard, The 5 Royales, Little Esther, Little Willie John, Lula Reed, Albert King… that, after 5 juicy volumes (do you have them all?), reach the magic number of 100 delights from King and Federal's incredible output.
20 terrific dance cuts selected by genre expert Mr Fine Wine, from WFMU's Downtown Soulville. Most of the tracks have never been reissued before. *This volume includes a previously unreleased version of Lulu Reed's 'Your Love Keeps A-Working on Me' on a bonus single that will be solely available as part of this 2LP + bonus 7" pack.

For number 90 in the Brazil45 series, we share a couple of lesser-known discoveries that have become recent favourites here at Bongo HQ. First up we head to the north of Brazil with funky Forr / boogie hybrid monster, ‘Vendedor De Mangaios’ by Josan. Originally released in 1981 on the album ‘Rio De Renova es’ on Copacabana Records. This addictive dancefloor gem is still relatively under the radar, but it has become a firm favourite at Bristol’s Worm Disco Club parties and amongst the DJ’s and collectors of Brazil’s underground dance music scene. Taken from the illustrious singer Bart Galeno’s self-titled 1977 album on Tapecar Records, ‘Vou Tirar Voc Daqui’ is an unusual one. Not easily pigeon-holed, he song sits somewhere between MPB / funk and rock, yet isn’t really any of them. Backed with a big orchestrated sound and tripped-out synths, the track has a truly unique feel. We hope you dig these finds. Another testament to the diversity and depth of Brazil’s rich musical heritage.

- Next installment in BRAZIL45 Series.
- Two lesser-known discoveries

Fake Laugh & Tarquin first became acquainted a very long time ago, before they were either Fake Laugh or Tarquin. Two humans in their late teens with a keen interest in sound, they would indulge each other in whatever conversation they could muster while loitering in the corridors of their sixth-form college. Their place of learning existed in a sleepy Sussex town where once a year, the skies are filled with explosions, while burning effigies are carried through the cobbled streets by inebriated locals. The two did not suspect that much would become of their light friendship - but in good time that would all change…

In the years that followed, the two young artists moved to London and embarked upon their own totally distinct musical journeys - Fake Laugh was playing in venues with ‘rock bands’, while Tarquin was carving out a niche for himself in the bubbling, lava-like instrumental grime scene, which brought a new kind of heat to the clubs of the city. His vibrant, unapologetically obtuse (and at times absurd) brand of club-music delighted the ears of listeners, the feet of dance-floor dwellers and the brains of music theorists - all in one fell swoop. Having released with Mr. Mitch’s crucial Gobstopper imprint as well as big-guns Rinse, Tarquin has become a household name in the homes of those that know. All the while, Fake Laugh was in his bedroom writing scores of songs and occasionally releasing collections of the strongest cuts on a variety of indie labels who believed in his talent for timeless melody, focussed through his own rose-misted, yet modern lens.

It wasn’t until the fabled summer of 2019 that Fake Laugh & Tarquin would make music together in the same room. The first session resulted in album opener Slow, a song which for the previous two years, lay dormant in an acoustic form on a dusty Fake Laugh hard-drive. Fake Laugh had the idea that perhaps the song could be transformed into something far bigger and better in the hands of Tarquin - a theory which was proven correct.

Throughout Fake Laugh & Tarquin the pair continuously confound the listener, fusing sharp and glacial synthetic elements with warm organic tones and heartfelt vocal performances. Money was written at the start of the global pandemic, a time in which people had more financial concerns than usual. Rejecting total doom and gloom, Fake Laugh & Tarquin turn this dystopian angst on its head and create a one-of-a-kind club mover that pulls inspiration from the super-slick grooves of early noughties stalwarts Moloko and Groove Armada. The album twists, turns, morphs and mutates until it’s peaceful conclusion in the form of existential piano-ballad Meaningless Thin

For the Perth group, creativity and production hasn’t stopped in 2020. Despite
much of this year’s tour plans being put on pause, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets have used their time off road to continue preparing themselves for the release of their fourth studio release, and an eventual blistering return to stages
around the world with a heavy-hitter of an album primed for the live space.
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets have already given fans an early taste of the forthcoming SHYGA! era, with ‘Mr. Prism’ in August. The creation of SHYGA! The
Sunlight Mound, especially off the back of 2019’s huge LP And Now For The
Whatchamacallit, came together in a different environment for McEwan and
the results speak to the band’s evolution and McEwan’s evolution as a songwriter.
“For the first time in a long time I was home without any tours booked, no
work, no deadlines and I felt free to create. My writing process became ritualistic; every morning starting with a small walk to the local bottle shop at 11am
and writing whatever flowed, allowing myself to design in all styles without
boundaries, and not trying to theme the album early on. I haven’t had the luxury of writing this way since the first record, which I spent almost a year working
on. It felt like I was myself again, creating without opinion or constraints. I was
gliding through weeks with a day seeming to pass.

Aufgenommen im Herbst 2020 in den Middle Farm Studios in Großbritannien, markiert "Thirstier" eine Wende zu einem größeren, bombastischeren Sound für TORRES. Die ängstliche Stille, die sich über einen Großteil von Scotts früherer Musik legte, wird in Songs, die für die Feier nach der Seuche zugeschnitten sind, auf den Kopf gestellt. Scott hat das Album zusammen mit Rob Ellis und Peter Miles produziert und dabei auf ihre Erfahrungen mit der Eigenproduktion von "Silver Tongue" zurückgegriffen, um ihre Musik auf eine noch breitere Basis zu stellen. Gitarrengetriebene Soundwände, die an die Arbeit von Produzent Butch Vig mit Garbage und Nirvana erinnern, wogt und zerstreut sich wie die Brandung bei starkem Wind und trägt Scotts souveräne Stimme in den Vordergrund. "Thirstier", der Nachfolger von "Silver Tongue" aus dem Jahr 2020, ist Scotts bisher überschwänglichste und gewagteste Platte, die sie im aufregenden freien Fall zeigt. Das Album revoltiert gegen den grauen Luftzug der Zeit, eine sengende und lebensbejahende Eruption eines Albums, das sich fragt, was passieren könnte, wenn wir einen Weg fänden, unsere Fantasien unerschöpflich zu machen. "Thirstier" sprengt die Grenzen der imaginativen Möglichkeiten.

Exclusively on vinyl, The 60s Album brings together some of the biggest and most iconic names of the decade.



A value packed 37 tracks kick off with one of the greatest of all time ‘Good Vibrations’ from The Beach Boys, and continues with solid gold smash hits including ‘House Of The Rising Sun’, ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore’, ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’, the timeless ‘In Dreams’ from Roy Orbison, ‘Blue Velvet’ from Bobby Vinton, and the epic ‘River Deep Mountain High’ by Ike & Tina Turner.

Side B begins with a 6-track salute to the soul female stars and groups of the era - The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, The Ronettes, The Crystals, The Shangri-Las and Lesley Gore are all here, alongside some easy listening from Andy Williams and Julie London, and the cool pop jazz of Astrid Gilberto and The Dave Brubeck Quartet.



The second LP begins with 6 of the most iconic U.S. tracks ever: Simon & Gafunkel’s ‘Mrs Robinson’, and Harry Nilsson’s ‘Everybody’s Talkin’ lead into the peerless ‘Witchita Lineman’ from Glen Campbell, the immaculate ‘California Dreamin’ from The Mamas & The Papas, Scott McKenzie’s ’San Francisco’, and Linda Ronstadt’s defining vocal as part of The Stone Poney’s on ‘Different Drum’. The side is rounded off with 3 of the most atmospheric pieces of music from the 60s… ’A Whiter Shade Of Pale’, ’Nights In White Satin’, and Fleetwood Mac’s stunning ‘Albatross’.

The final side offers up Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Ben E. King and Dusty Springfield as some of the best voices and most soulful performances ever, before some of the greatest pop from Petula Clark, Love Affair and ‘I Got You Babe’ from Sonny & Cher and then it’s left to two of the biggest names in music history to close the album - Bob Dylan, and the incredible ‘In The Ghetto’ from Elvis Presley.



37 of the greatest tracks and artists from an era-defining decade… The 60s Album.

Aufgenommen im Herbst 2020 in den Middle Farm Studios in Großbritannien, markiert "Thirstier" eine Wende zu einem größeren, bombastischeren Sound für TORRES. Die ängstliche Stille, die sich über einen Großteil von Scotts früherer Musik legte, wird in Songs, die für die Feier nach der Seuche zugeschnitten sind, auf den Kopf gestellt. Scott hat das Album zusammen mit Rob Ellis und Peter Miles produziert und dabei auf ihre Erfahrungen mit der Eigenproduktion von "Silver Tongue" zurückgegriffen, um ihre Musik auf eine noch breitere Basis zu stellen. Gitarrengetriebene Soundwände, die an die Arbeit von Produzent Butch Vig mit Garbage und Nirvana erinnern, wogt und zerstreut sich wie die Brandung bei starkem Wind und trägt Scotts souveräne Stimme in den Vordergrund. "Thirstier", der Nachfolger von "Silver Tongue" aus dem Jahr 2020, ist Scotts bisher überschwänglichste und gewagteste Platte, die sie im aufregenden freien Fall zeigt. Das Album revoltiert gegen den grauen Luftzug der Zeit, eine sengende und lebensbejahende Eruption eines Albums, das sich fragt, was passieren könnte, wenn wir einen Weg fänden, unsere Fantasien unerschöpflich zu machen. "Thirstier" sprengt die Grenzen der imaginativen Möglichkeiten.

A first-time replica re-issue of a highly sought-after, rare Brazilian MPB / Funk nugget from 1974.

Brazilian 7" singles or compacts sometimes get a bit overlooked outside of the world of avid Brazilian collectors and DJs, but here are where some of the most exquisite jewels of Brazil's rich musical tapestry lie.

This release has been a long time in the works, but now finally we are thrilled to present a replica version of one of our favourite Brazilian 7”s - the outstanding 'Morro Do Barraco Sem Água' by Lemos E Debétio (aka Toninho Lemos & Paulo Debétio). Discovering tracks like 'Morro Do Barraco Sem Água' makes you want to go the extra mile. You spend that little bit more time than is rational examining and dusting off a stack of 7”s hunting for an elusive gem, or end up disappearing down an Internet wormhole eating into time you don’t have before you need to be up for work again in the morning. This is a calculated effort, as the reward of the revitalising musical vitamins that you've stumbled upon are the big pay off.

'Morro Do Barraco Sem Água’ was originally released on Odeon Records in 1974, and even though this was a major record label it remains extremely hard to find. From the first moment the needle hits the groove with its guitar and drum break intro you know the song is special. A feel-good addictive melody with fantastic swooping arrangements and a pulsating funk backbeat, which is over all too soon. We hope you enjoy this audio treasure as much as we do!!!

Limited edition gold vinyl edition.
Hamburg's funk adventurers at the top of their game with special guests Ice-T, Charlie Funk, Peter Thomas, Gizelle Smith, Lee Fields, JSwiss & the Mocambo Kidz.

Original press release note (2019):
Carrying blistering funk lines in their fingers and worldly influences in their hearts, the unique and distinctive Mocambo sound is not one to be confused with retro bands trying to recapture an era. Eschewing traditional recording methods, this DIY crew are committed to driving forwards, and 2066 sees them at the height of their powers, broadcasting a call for unity.
After reaching new audiences worldwide and earning critical praise for their two long players on Brooklyn's Big Crown Records in their tropical guise as Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, the band have reassembled and refocused in their original form, the workhorses behind dozens of 45s on the Mocambo label and beyond. Crossing generations, this album introduces some of the world's youngest funk talent to step up and rub shoulders with soul and rap legends, soul sisters, an elder statesman composer/arranger and a brand new emerging artist out of New York.
As with all Mocambo releases, the two sides of the record have been meticulously sequenced by the
band. Side A welcomes us aboard with joyous instrumental stomper Preaching To The Choir, and a call to build bridges from Mocambo chanteuse and percussionist Nichola Richards, duetting with emerging rap talent, New York MC JSwiss. B-girls and b-boys are called to the dancefloor as Superstrada and Concrete Stardust commence, all buzzing synth lines and relentless drums. New Jersey legend and Big Crown associate Mr Lee Fields is guest of honour for Where Do We Go From Here before a horn workout brings us to a close with Macumba. It's time for a breather.
The B side kicks off with the grand return of the Golden Girl of Funk, Gizelle Smith, a sister who's been busy taking on the world. Composer and presenter Peter Thomas narrates a Return To Space to mark the centenary of the debut of his score to sci-fi show Space Patrol, which first broadcast in 1966. We're back down to Earth and the mean streets for the furious drums and car chase workout of Golden Shadow. Today slows down the pace for a reflective ballad with Nichola front and centre - and here's the next generation: the Mocambo Kidz sing along to their parents' instrumentation for Here We Go, a new kids' block party anthem... with no sleep 'til bedtime. The album closer makes it clear that the Mocambos are nowhere near powering down as Ice T and Charlie F unk bring their A-game for an old school attack which, since you're up bouncing anyway, gives you no excuse not to flip the LP and drop the needle right back on to Side A. Onwards!
A summation of their journey so far and a celebration in anticipation of what's to come, the album is set
to take its place in a legacy of open minded, organically recorded music, showering listeners with the crew's maze of tantalising sounds pulled from funk, afro, hip hop with cinematic composition and storytelling.

Madness’ fourth studio record “The Rise & Fall” has often been cited as the band’s best record and is home to one of their biggest tracks in “Our House” UK #5. Originally released in 1982 and reaching #10 in the UK album charts, it is now subject to a brand new re-release on 180g black vinyl in a gatefold sleeve as part of an ongoing reissue campaign.

Featuring exclusive liner notes by journalist Stevie Chick (MOJO, The Guardian & NME) and interviews with band members Lee ‘Kix’ Thompson, Mike Barson, Suggs McPherson, Woody Woodgate and Chrissyboy Foreman. Also featuring the hit single “Tomorrow’s (Just Another Day)” [UK #8].

Vinyl LP comes with a limited edition magazine, featuring drawings by Williamz himself, as well as lyrics.

‘SoundKilla Mindset’ is a Reggae & Dancehall opus which takes Mr. Williamz back to his roots as a sound system native and draws on inspiration from the OG Nicodemus. A respected statesman of the Portobello dancehall-soaked streets, Mr. Williamz uses modernity combined with elements of styles from the Reggae greats to create a record only someone as proficient and knowledgeable in the scene as he could.

Born in London, UK - when Mr Williamz was 6 years old, his father moved home to Jamaica bringing both him and his younger with him. By the age of 10 he was already a local favourite winning local clashes and competition and at 15 he returned to London. Fast-forward to today and he is a soundsystem icon who is recognised for his authenticity, Mr Williamz 20 year career has seen notable collaborations with: Major Lazer, Shy FX, Mungo's Hi-fi, Green Lion Crew and Big Zeeks. He has recorded and performed with the likes of: Chronixx, Damian Marley, Gappy Ranks, Hollow Point, Jah Mason, Junior Demus, Mikey General, Pinchers, Spragga Benz, Stephen Marley, Supercat and Topcat.

He also recently made his acting debut in the feature length film “Yardie”, directed by Idris Elba. With recent radio support from David Rodigan, Ras Kwame, Rodigan, Toddla T, Robbo Ranx, Daddy Ernie & Allan, press support from Clash Magazine and Reggaeville, Mr Williamz is undoubtedly continuing building his lasting impact on the genre and wider UK music scene.

When most musicians reach a career milestone they take it on tour. Texas, whose debut album turned 30 last year, had bigger ambitions. Rather than simply perform their old songs, the Scots set out to meet their old selves – the wide-eyed kids who made Southside, their two million-selling, Top 3 debut, and the band who bounced back eight years later with the six times platinum White On Blonde.
The vaults at Universal were raided for recording sessions for both albums, stored on tape and DAT and never digitised. Top of Texas’ list was their first, failed attempt at I Don’t Want A Lover, scuppered by Chic bassist Bernard Edwards.
“Just after we signed, we were in the studio with Bernard and Chic’s drummer Tony Thompson,” recalls guitarist Johnny McElhone. “Bernard got coked up and ended up running away to Mexico before Sharleen even started her vocals. But that’s a whole other story.”
Late in 2018, the aborted version was found, alongside several songs recorded during different sessions which didn’t make their debut. The biggest revelation, however, was a 15-strong batch of tracks from the White On Blonde sessions which both Johnny and Sharleen Spiteri had forgotten existed.
“When we made that album, no one in Britain gave a shit about Texas,” says Sharleen. “We were still doing really well in Europe, but here we couldn’t get arrested.
“No one at our label was asking to hear any music or pushing us, so we just kept writing and recording and trying out new stuff until we felt the record was ready. Hence we ended up with a lot more material than usual.”
So good were the songs that Texas initially planned to release them as a ‘lost’ album, possibly to be called Blonde On White. But working with their old recordings inspired them to start writing new songs.
“Tweaking the old stuff was so much fun,” says Sharleen. “It felt like us, now, collaborating with ourselves of 25 years ago. It was amazing to go back there – my voice was so young! – and to hear how much energy and passion we had. We were fighting for our careers at the time, trying to prove that Texas were still relevant.
“Our excitement at finding this treasure trove of songs collided with our excitement from back then and, unplanned, new songs started coming. You could say we were inspired by ourselves, if that didn’t make us sound insanely big-headed.”
Hi, Texas’ tenth album, is the result of that bonkers journey back but has its eyes firmly fixed on the future. The title track and sensational first single aptly fuses the two. A brand new collaboration with Wu Tang Clan, it finds a soulful Sharleen nestled next to boisterous raps from RZA and Ghostface Killah over a cinematic backdrop of lush beats and acoustic guitar.