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Best known for his work with CL Smooth, and his remixes for Public Enemy, House of Pain, Mary J Blige and Mick Jagger to mention a few. Hailing from the little town of Mt. Vernon, NY, right next to the Bronx, Pete Rock & CL Smooth pretty much got together in their local high school when Pete noticed CLs dope and unique voice. After high school, Pete hooked up a weekend hip-hop show on WBLS-FM and was considered one of NYs premier DJs during his four year stint on the show. All Souled Out was Pete & CLs debut EP, it was the phenomenal production by Pete Rock which really drew people to this EP. If the legendary DJ Mark The 45 King was the first producer to incorporate horns, Pete Rock was the first to really perfect this new style of production with his trademark echoing horns laced throughout his music. This was done very nicely on two of the cuts off the EP, Creator and Mecca & The Soul Brother, and people were taking notice in a big way.
After the solid Mecca/Creator 12 inch, the duo unleashed one of those all-time classic LPs every MC dreams of having, Mecca & The Soul Brother featuring the monumental: They Reminisce Over You, Straighten It Out, Ghettos Of The Mind, and Lots Of Lovin. Songs to make you cry - damn, they were playing TROY at funerals everywhere. One of the greatest hip hop records ever made ...it never leads my box man...- (Tim Westwood)

Pete Rock on hip hop: Hip hop to me today is still important but we are going through a phase right now. Hip Hop as been injected by a virus, and right now weve got to find a cure to this. Which brings along myself. (Frank 151)

The Press ...from downtempo, funkdified sounds to hypnotic hip-hop beats, this is a wonderfully crafted album - (BPM July 2001)
This hypnotic ... album represents hip hops incredible ability to morph and manipulate a hodgepodge of sounds to create something unique...although the sound is now industrial, electronic and everything but natural Pete's version of hip hop will remain a classy affair that merges the elements of an orchestra, the roots of black music and the cacophony of the streets. - (Mass Appeal July 2001)

The new 7" features the single, 'Romantic' which is a song about struggling to fit in, feeling down and finding comfort in romance. Connecting with someone because you both feel like you don't belong. "I gravitate towards things that bring me down, I always have, at least I know that now. Never forward, I thought all I had was the past. I used to think each birthday would be my last." "I sat inside on the brightest, warmest days. Everything I loved would always run away. Misery taught me everything I knew and then there was you." The B-Side is a cover of the Wedding Present song 'Octopussy" from their 1991 album Seamonsters. David Gedge himself said about the cover "Thanks... nice. Always interesting to hear different interpretations!" "God knows I've always had to fear the worst, but not that time. You brought me home and then you kissed me first. You were all mine." "A celebration of personal freedom" - DIY Magazine "Hekt's solo debut is part self-interrogation and part community offering, serving up tiny bursts of joy and doubt as refuge for anyone navigating a similar path." - Pitchfork "A first-person directness and grunge-schooled contrasting of melody" - Mojo

Continuing with the theme of finding and releasing quality 21st century CD-only tracks on to 7” vinyl, Jai Alai now are proud to present their fourth release which showcases the stand-out tracks from the only two albums released under the name Sir Wick.
Chad ’Sir Wick’ Hughes is probably best described as a musician (trombone, piano, percussion), composer, teacher, adjudicator and clinician, but somehow that doesn’t seem quite enough to describe such a unique musical talent. Born in Detroit, and graduating from the same High School as Diana Ross, Paul Thompson, & Ron Carter, he went on to study composition and arranging, and holds regular clinics around the north and mid-west US states sharing his expertise.
The topside on this limited edition release is the lead track from his debut album “An Interpretation Of A Universal Language” (2007 Sir Wick Entertainment LLC) which features the sublime vocals of Sedalia Marie, a beautiful mid-pacer, whilst the other side “I Love You” features the mellow vocals of Anthony Saunders on a track from Chad’s opus work “A Tale Of Two Fools”, which he began in 1996 but only finally orchestrated and released as his second album in 2017 - a soundtrack featuring a full orchestra comprising eight woodwind parts, full strings, big band brass, and seven-piece rhythm section.
Originally intended as an operetta, it was evolving into something bigger; an opera, musical or stage play maybe, but he finally referred to it as a ‘novical’ (a musical novel), which best describes this story of a young musician falling in love for the first time. A biopic, maybe?
One could easily take these two fabulous tracks at face value as simply just another great double-sider, but isn’t it nicer to know the full story?

Steve Hobbs (Solar Radio, Totally Wired Radio)

This sprawling collection by Belgian loner blues savant Bram Devens aka Ignatz encapsulates the mystery, murk, and melancholy of his uncanny craft at its most windswept and wayward. Originally issued via Goaty Tapes in September of 2015, this long-anticipated vinyl edition expands the saga with an additional 17 minutes of archival material. Deven’s palette remains constant throughout: feathery fingerpicking, modal loops, and intuitive six-string navigations interspersed with candlelit passages of mournful voice, alternately whispered, mumbled, moaned. His is an aesthetic of embers and resin, cracked masks and distant lights, of what’s left behind and what lingers on.

I Live In A Utopia was recorded following a relocation from his longtime base of Brussels to Landen, with a second child due soon: “I remember the weather being nice and having just bought a hammock.” The change of scenery seeded a promise of slower days and lighter times – no utopia perhaps, but a sense of faint hope glowing on the horizon. The songs slide between loose acoustic spirituals and smoky basement ragas, late afternoon haze and midnight moons, a seesawing restlessness reflected in the titles (“I Have Found True Love,” “Time Does Not Bring Relief,” “We Used To Smoke Inside”). The fidelity is grainy but vivid, refracted by tape warp and Flemish dust.

As always, Deven’s playing is deceptively elegant, raw but precise, attuned to resonance, radiance, and negative space. Echoes of Fahey and Jandek reverberate in certain moments but ultimately the world Ignatz maps is one incomparably his own. A landscape both doomed and dawning, weary but undefeated, tracing outlines of lengthening shadows. “I walk in the sunshine,” he sings, uneasily. This is music of a rare inner wilderness, poised at cryptic crossroads, devoted to its ghosts. I Live In A Utopia stands as an apex work by one of the underground’s most veiled and visionary talents.

Double album in gatefold sleeve with artwork by Zully Adler. In co-production with House Rules & released in an edition of 500.

Architect by day and musician by night, Jaime Tellado picks up as Skygaze, and returns to the fold of Flumo Recordings with his brand new 12”, the ‘Astral Trip’ EP; combining his knowledge of architecture with a love for sound to construct and merge acid house, broken beat and atmospheric melodicism.

The 'Astral Trip' EP follows releases on Guayaba records, Riverette and Thirty Three Circular. And remixes for Ed is Dead and Contours & Yadava, earning support/plaudits from the likes of Mr. Scruff, Simbad, k15, Andrew Jervis, Gilles Peterson, amongst others.

The common denominator throughout the release is the balance and combination of various elements, exploring a multifaceted contemporary dance sound whilst paying homage to the foundations of the sounds that we listen to today.

‘Minor Mood’ pays tribute to Chicago and Detroit with its high paced house rhythm, acid synths, and piano lines, whilst ‘City Cathedratics’ slows the tempo down to lay the groundwork for a dreamy synth-laden soundscape.

Whilst the majority of the project is a solo exploration in dance music and its multi-layered context and history, the contributions of vocalist Ruben Ondina lift the high-paced, synth house grooves of ‘Gimme Five’ to another level. Meanwhile, the broken beat influence of London is keenly felt on ‘Nigh Heat’ and ‘Wagwan’, their rhythms emphasised further by harmonic and melodic exploration via atmospheric synths, melodic improvisation and irresistible synth bass lines.

Skygaze reconstructs the rhythms and synths into his own fresh and unique package to paint a picture of spiritual wonder, richness and excitement.


DJ Support:

Severino / Horse Meat Disco
Ashley Beedle
Fouk
Just Her
John Digweed
Oliver Dollar


DJ Feedback:

Ashley Beedle - Fantastic EP and difficult to pick one track! 'Wagwan' will be ft. on my April 'Heavy Disco Spectacular' radio show on Worldwide FM.

Michel De Hey - Very nice release

Diynamic / Connaisseur - Very nice cosmic vibes!

Xinobi - serious knowledge of groove on this release.

Lex Ludlow - Super nice!!!

Joshua James - Groove on this...

Just Her - Gimme five is really nice

Fouk - Loving this!

Tom Simpson - some good stuff ....summer is coming.

Junior Simba - peng !

Willie Rosado - nice soulful sound

Finnish acid label ProForm Series is back! New release by Finnish duo HYV contains four new absolute killer tracks to set every dancefloor on fire and leave it burning.

As a starter, title track "Kävele Ohi" serves serious acid workout with nice (Finnish) lyrics on top. Haunting, melodic, melancholic, pulsating and more, all at once!

"Halfway Acid" on A2 combines acid action to shakuhachi samples, a combination you haven't heard for a while, or never. Instant classic!

B-side opens up with track "Ketä Siellä?", making a good relationship between acid and house, but keeping that TB-303 alive and kicking.

Finally, "H-Town Pressure" shows you how to make danceble acid with interesting rhythm arrangements and other than 16 step length acid patterns.

Highly limited and numbered edition of 200pcs, no digital downloads now or never, so buy it in real world 12" vinyl format!

First release in 1999 by Don One Records

12 Beautiful songs by Dennis Brown of which most was recorded in the late nineteen ninety on the Studio One Rhythm

All of the songs on the single LP are Produced by Don Moodie/Noel Alphanso/Dennis Brown/Bill Sample
There are only 120 copies in stock

Etui welcomes Tim Kossmann. With Lockdown Loops the Westfalia dub techno mastermind presents a very personal EP with 3 deep, loop based tunes recorded in extreme isolation during lockdown. The situation created a feeling of lonesome remoteness and uncertainty, transcended by putting in more man hours in the studio.

The EP starts with Loop A, a dreamy dub techno riddim that has nice distant echoes and mint chords. The 2nd track Loop B has a more noisy, warped chord progression topped with atmospheric piano riffs.

Loop C on the b-side consists probably of the most heavenly sounding melancholic chord loop he has recorded so far. Expect a tune composed of atmospheric bluster combined with a banging deep mono bass and different layers of noise. It is simply an epic lofi sound anthem.

Tim Kossmann is a Germany based producer who focuses mainly on dub techno and ambient. Since 2016 he has been releasing on a constant basis on labels like Telrae, Greyscale and Superordinate Dub Waves among many others.

He loves to explore the deep side of techno, with the aim of creating deep, lush chords and soundscapes filled with echo and spaced out delays, where deeply banging bass and moving whitenoise are combined with sophisticated harmonics in order to push the boundaries of the genre.

Rare 1966 Brazilian album with a jazz/bossa nova take on songs by the Beatles, all served up with plenty of great keyboard work from the legendary Manfredo Fest who would later become member of the Sergio Mendes band. The songs are all played with imaginative scents that really take them from their roots as pop songs and open them up as groovers filled with keyboard improvisations. First time vinyl reissue. DESCRIPTION Rare 1966 Brazilian LP with a jazz/bossa nova take on songs by the Beatles performed by the very talented Manfredo Fest and his trio. It was originally released right after their classic 1965 RGE album and has a very similar jazz-based sound. Manfredo Fest was part of the gathering of Brazilian musicians of the late-'50s who were developing the bossa nova movement, and he made a number of trio recordings in that vein from 1961 to 1966. After emigrating to Minneapolis in 1967, Fest moved to Los Angeles where he served as keyboardist and arranger for Bossa Rio and toured with Sergio Mendes. This recording is all instrumental, strongly jazz-based, with piano as the main solo instrument, soaring over the top of some tight, crackling rhythms! The songs are all played with imaginative scents that really take them from their roots as pop songs and open them up as groovers filled with keyboard improvisations. A nice slice of how the bossa nova sound was evolving in its homeland as well as the international impact the Beatles were having on countries outside of the U.S., England, Japan, and Germany. First time vinyl reissue.

"Parallel Universe Blues" has a sound that is intimate and close, nicely balancing the sonic concerns of the last few Papercuts records: perfect 60s- flavored pop songs echoed down through The Velvet Underground, LA's Paisley Underground, Spiritualized and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

‘Oh, Inverted World’, the earth-shattering, indie rock-redefining 2001 debut album by The Shins, is presented here in its finest form, dressed up all nice for its 20th birthday. The classic tunes get new life by way of a full remastering job under band leader James Mercer’s watchful eye, the art is given a little extra zest via a die-cut jacket and a classy inner sleeve and the package is rounded off with a big old booklet with vintage photos, handwritten lyrics and more.

The music, of course, is obviously essential. Aside from a friendly reminder that this is the album with the smash hit ‘New Slang’, as heard in the hit movie ‘Garden State’, the remastering job truly makes this the album James Mercer always wanted it to be. Never quite satisfied with the sonics of the original, Mercer took the 20th Anniversary of the album as his opportunity to finally set the (literal) record straight. And the results sound stellar: great for new fans and well worth the attention of those already on board.

For old times’ sake, here’s what the label had to say about this record back when it came out: “Hailing from Albuquerque, NM, The Shins sprung from the ashes of Flake/Flake Music in 1997 (though those previous incarnations date back nearly a decade) - same members, different instruments, different approach. Counterpoint guitars have given way to a single guitar pitted against calculated keyboard passages; swarming indie rock machinations led to pop-based melodic endeavours (who knew?).”

Includes the hit single ‘New Slang’ which, along with ‘Caring is Creepy’, was featured on the Grammy-winning, platinum-selling ‘Garden State’ soundtrack.

Remastered by Bob Ludwig with personal supervision from band-leader James Mercer.

“A definitive indie rock album of the 2000s” - AllMusic

For the hardcore Bob Marley collectors out there this is another essential 7" to add to your shelves. The limited edition yellow wax features an a-side that was produced by the late great Lee "Scratch" Perry. The track's lyrical refrain of "soul adventurer" became something of a lifelong motto for the former welder as he underwent his spiritual revolution. It's also one of the tunes that made him a firm favourite amongst musical mystics everywhere. The flipside 'Lively Up Yourself' is another personal ode to empowerment and enlightenment that rides a nice lazy rhythm.

One of the most rewarding things about this business is when we get the chance to re-release some true works of art which were previously hindered by their lack of availability. Plus, you KNOW that we LOVE every Willie Tee record we come across anyway. This time we're delighted to make available another double-sided slice of New Orleans niceness.

"Concentrate" is Willie at his mellow best with the Gaturs on this incredible 1980 recording, which really highlights just how great he was. On the flip, is a brilliant piece of New Orleans Mellow Funk which matches the sound of Roy Ayers for pure quality. Original copies of this record are not currently available anywhere for any amount of money. That's how ridiculously rare the original Gatur copies are. We have a great track record with Willie Tee and long may it continue! One of the best double-siders you'll ever be likely to hear and an absolute gas to get to reissue. Spread the joy. Another biggy!

12 Beautiful Love songs by Ambilique of which most was recorded in the late nineteen ninety
All tracks on various Studio One Rhythms

All of the songs on the single LPS are Produced by Noel Alphanso/Bill Sample/Donald Moodie/Paul Henton
There are only 40 copies in stock

LP, 150 copies with screen printed artwork Behind Teahouse Radio is Pär Boström… a Swedish ambient musician, visual artist, label/publishing house owner. Together with his sister (also musical partner in crime) he runs the label/publishing house Hypnagoga Press. Most of his music projects are released on this label. But his work has also already found its way to well known labels such as Cyclic Law and Cryo Chamber. Teahouse Radio is one of the many projects by Pär Boström and most lo-fi and to my ears the most melancholy… and thus fitting Vrystaete very well… In 2018 the debut album (and only album so far) “Her Quiet Garden” was released on CD in an edition of 100 copies on Hypnagoga Press. Here (and below) you have a really nice video on the process of the music and artwork being created… The songs themselves were composed from 2004 onwards with intervals and recorded in a few days during late summer 2016. This 2LP vinyl edition of “Her Quiet Garden” captures the delicate, fragile and minimalist soundscapes very well… and features three additional pieces from the same sessions which were never released before… Expect acoustic instruments that are blended with electronic equipment, forming a sombre ambient music of tinkling tape loops and humming pedal drones… like Gurdjieff meets Eno in some sort of way… And… it is also a very personal album and any listener who sits back and pays true attention will witness and experience this. This is what the musician himself says about the album: An album about summer houses and winter towers, about the changing of weather. How one feeling changes to another. The loss of a loved cat. A real garden becoming an imaginary garden. Depression as a pond. Years of therapy and music as the main counterpoint. About escapism. Psychoses. A giant who walked in and out of the world, decorating it nicely. An aural tale. Half in water, another half in the northern woods. Childhood through nostalgic binoculars. A wardrobe to another place, a gentle knock on the door in the oak tree.

Getting ready, putting on your best gear, pre-playing with your crew to get a nice buzz before you hit the club. Dancing and watching people get down on the dancefloor, the nerds in the back leaning against the wall nodding their heads. Going to the afterhours, wastedly making new friends, making out with a cute stranger and passing out on someone's couch. This record is about all that.

Munich’s most flexible shapeshifter comes equipped with three new weapons. Needless to mention he’s got full support of the RFR squad for his subversive revolutionary plans.
„Don’t try this at home“- a warning that has always been more of an encouragement to do forbidden things than inspire cautiousness. But basically correct, and for want of a booming club life, you better enjoy this Detroit burner with a proper car system or in an abandoned warehouse that is gettin cut into pieces by stroboscope lightning. Of course, under the correct appliance of all hygiene measures.
No, this ain’t a Trumpesque call to arms in order to charge for the Reichstag. On the contrary, it shows how any stable foundation can be undermined with a healthy dose of 90s acid. If you don’t believe it, just listen to Rakim’s „Stay in bed remix“ of „How to bring down your government“.
For the end of our adventure we are given a nice „Sidequest“. As for the reward, there’s a shiny loot box with legendary items, beautifully wrapped in trancey techno. Lovers of Aril Brikha might find some valuable treasure here.

Seabear return with a new album. After a hiatus of 12 years - the bands most 'recent' LP dates back to 2010 - the much loved Icelandic collective presents »In Another Life«, a mesmerizing collection of songs, oscillating between indie pop and classic singer-songwriter material.

Sometimes, a long break is all it takes. Seabear, the band featuring the talents of Guðbjörg Hlín Guðmundsdóttir, Halldór Ragnarsson, Kjartan Bragi Bjarnason, Örn Ingi Ágústsson, Sindri Már Sigfússon (aka Sin Fang) and Sóley Stefánsdóttir (aka Sóley), did exactly that. Producing an album takes up a lot of energy. You do promotion, you tour quite a bit and afterwards you... well, you just do different things. "We had all focussed on other projects", Kjartan Bragi explains. "Solo careers, playing with other projects, other forms of art, working 'normal' jobs to make a living etc. It's nice to finally come together again with old friends and make music." During the break, music has been an integral part of the members’ daily lives. Sóley started a remarkable solo career (she just released her fourth solo-album), as did Sindri, under the name of Sin Fang, while Guðbjörg worked with Sigur Rós. However, all this was made possible by the disarming folk music of their 2007 debut LP »The Ghost That Carried Us Away«.

"We stayed in touch all along", adds Sindri. "During dinners etc. one question came up again and again: What would Seabear sound like today? After accomplishing so much together, we were indeed thinking a lot about the past, how it all began. This is what sparked the reunion and is also reflected in the lyrics, resurrecting our youth, hopes and dreams."

Now, in 2022, the band is ready to set a mark in the musical landscape once again – with 11 new songs coming straight from the heart, aimed at all who value emotions, the warmth and intimacy of songwriting, big yet subtle soundscapes, capturing the smallest tones and feelings.

"We have all matured on our different paths apart. It's exciting to make something new", says Kjartan. "We are 6 friends coming together again 10 years later to make songs and have fun doing it. We are now in a more relaxed environment to compose the music."

The songs on »In Another Life« sound and come across like a musical diary of sorts. A diary found by accident, split across 11 records, without any further info and all details scratched out. There is just the music to speak for itself. Even if you are familiar with Seabear's previous music: the opener »Parade« will make you wonder who came up with this wonderful tune, full of assuring harmonies, delicate melodies and compositional surprises. Seabear once more are delivering the perfect soundtrack for all kinds of emotional states. With driving yet subtle drums, intimate, yet fleeting vocals and lyrics, an orchestral sense of production, emphasizing small details rather than counting on the big "studio bang". An approach which came naturally: "The album reflects our relaxed attitude when it comes to recording and exchanging ideas."

»In Another Life« indeed feels like the start of a new chapter. Full of hope. And hopefully, all Seabear fans won't have to wait as long anymore in the future.

Back in May 2019, Vancouver trio Corner Boys released their sole album… and promptly split a few months later. In retrospect, they couldn’t have known that the album’s title (‘Waiting For 2020’) would soon seem grimly ironic - and we all know why, right? No reason to go over all that shit again. But while the past two years have at least seen drummer/songwriter Patrick McEachnie staying active across two essential records with hardcore heroes Chain Whip, lockdown saw him switching roles. Basically, he bought a guitar and made an excellent record all on his lonesome, and as followers of his other projects will have come to expect, it’s fucking excellent. ‘Glad To Be Forgotten’ is the debut album by Pack Rat - in some ways you can see some level of crossover with Corner Boys in its manic energy and dedication to hooks (cuts like ‘Next Time Hit Me’ and ‘My Own Reality’ are so damn catchy, you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve already been listening to ‘em on repeat for the past 20 years). Familiar reference points show up (the melodies of the Pointed Sticks; the garage-slanted rifferama of Rudi or The Undertones) while a tinny budget synth keeps things ticking along nicely, just to remind you that this is a homespun DIY project. But honestly, this has the feel of a fully fleshed-out project and leaves you desperate for another fix of its sweet’n’sour tang. For anyone who loves the collision point between ‘New Rose’, powerpop sunshine and sheer rock’n’roll exuberance, this is essential. For everyone else, this is surely the gateway to all of that good stuff. You want to hear the tunes that’ll star on future generations’ equivalents to the Killed By Death comps? That’ll set your pulse soaring and your pogo muscles into overdrive? That’ll remind you of why this punk rock business still feels worth dedicating your life to, even after all this time? Hey, Pack Rat’s got ‘em. Now do your part

Three fun, disco sample lead tracks from ex Southsea resident Sopp and a slammin’ remix by Inverness producer Mark Mackenzie

Sopp has been building his way into the scene since 2015. His sets blend a mix of highly energetic, bass heavy rhythms with disco inflections and odes to classic 90’s and 00’s rave scene. So far having released on Chequered Wax, QRUK, Moodygurl and TheBasement Discos. Each of his productions showing a different aspect of his behind the decks personality.

Radio play from the likes of Jamie Jones, Sarah Story, Shadow Child & Jaguar.

Selected DJ Feedback:

Jamie Jones - Digging it.

PEZNT - Whole EP is dope but I think Take Me will work for every true underground head. Great job!

Piem - Dope!!!!

Hifi Sean - This E.P is hotness !

Nathalie Capello - groooooveeeeeyy. Nice!

The Magician - I like "Living" a lot as well
Robert Owens - Cool tracks

Inland Knights - great versions....

Chrissy - nice one!

Raphael Hofman - just awesome!

Ramon Tapia - Dope pack right hurrrr!!

Ammo Avenue - wicked cuts! Take me is my fav

Mirko Paoloni - super bomb!

Round Table knights – Coolio

Oliver Dollar - nice one!

A globetrotter in the most pure and respectful sense, away from the trappings of neo-colonialist ventures and predatory tourism, Discrepant head honcho Gonçalo F. Cardoso returns to his Island impression series to offers us another glimpse of his deep, abstract impressions of (an)other island.

After passionately collecting the sounds and lives inhabiting the main Island of Zanzibar, Unguja, released through Edições CN back in 2018, Cardoso now dwells into the Malaysian heartbeat of the Borneo forest through Island recordings made during a trip in 2016. Assembled in situ with meticulous craft from portable recorders, samplers and battery powered synths, these nice recollections conjure the spirits that lurk behind the inhabitable and the communal that are as much part of a personal memoir as an impressionistic portrait open to new meanings. Focused compositions that flow organically, bending the environment in & out of shape into a new dreamlike exotica with plenty of breathing room for every detail, silence and movement to surface.

A particular moment suspended in time, haunted perpetually by its bygone existence. Something no postcard or photograph could ever, ever come even close to.

Reissue of The White Stripes second album (originally released in June 2000), which found the band recording in the comfortable confines of Jack White's Third Man Studios, then housed on the ground floor of his house in Southwest Detroit. The on point covers of Son House and Blind Willie McTell pair wonderfully with both the minimal downtempo somber numbers and the maximum energy explosions of unadulterated power. A 13 track album pressed on 180gm black vinyl and housed in a tip on sleeve. Both releases will have promo/marketing activity.

Bristol's jazz daddies The Jazz Defenders drop their second album for Haggis Records (home of UK funk kings The Haggis Horns), in March 2022 and it's a real departure from their debut release "Scheming" (released in 2020). Whereas that album was a homage to the late 1950s/early 1960s classic jazz style known as hard bop, this release moves into new territory with hip-hop/jazz, cinema soundtrack flavours, Latin rhythms and soul-jazz all upfront in the mix. Three taster singles from the album released in mid/late 2021 and march 2022, "The Big Man/Love's Vestige, "Live Slow" (featuring US rapper Herbal T), and "Perfectly Imperfect" (feat Doc Brown) received great radio support from the likes of Craig Charles (BBC 6 Music), Helen Mayhew (Jazz FM), Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2), Ashley Beedle (Worldwide FM), Colin Curtis (Worldwide FM) amongst many others, all loving the Jazz Defenders' musical fusion of retro meets modern.

The classic sound that has inspired the band this time is very much from the mid-late 1960s era and the merging of soul and funk beats with jazz solos/improvisation. Tracks like "Wagger Jaunt" and "Munch" nod to the piano and organ-led soul-jazz of artists like Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Hancock, Reuben Wilson, and Jimmy Smith. Meanwhile "Saudade" and "Love's Vestige" feature Brazilian bossa rhythms but with some added film soundtrack overtones. Speaking of movie soundtracks, "The Oracle'' is a pure homage to the classic cinematic compositions of maestros like John Barry(James Bond, The Ipcress File) or Lalo Schifrin (Mission Impossible, Bullitt) right down to the very impressive string arrangement, beautifully scored and orchestrated by band leader George Cooper.

A big departure from the previous album comes via the two hip-hop/jazz tracks, both of which feature guest MCs. "Live Slow" has US rapper Herbal T blessing the mic over an uptempo soul-jazz number whilst "Perfectly Imperfect" features London MC/actor Doc Brown rapping on a nice and slow 90's style head-nodding hip-hop groove. Both compositions show George Cooper's love for old-school boom-bap hip-hop (by the way, he also plays keys with renowned UK hip-hop big band Abstract Orchestra). For classic jazz lovers who dug the first album, there are two pure jazz tracks that join the dots between that debut release and this sophomore one - "Twilight" and "From The Ashes" - with plenty of vibrant solos for the discerning listener.

"King Phoenix" is a statement in itself from The Jazz Defenders. After 2 years of music being destroyed by the pandemic and many musicians inactive, the band has risen from the ashes with new vigour, energy and vision to try something new and not just repeat past musical glories. A band that sticks to the same script every release might just end up having a short shelf life but the Jazz Defenders are planning on being around for a long time.










j Live Slow (Album Version) feat. Herbal T

Giuseppe Scarano's musical journey began at a young age, DJing in some of Puglia's best clubs like Clorophilla, Guendalina, Discorama and Heartz Festival supporting top tier DJs before launching NICEPEOPLE in 2018. His latest is on Constant Sound sublabel Cardiology and features four deep and dusty cuts. From the low slung disco loops of 'In Your Own' and the particuarly thumpin' Same For You' on the A side. Over on the flip, there's the swing fuelled deep house of 'Freaky' and some late '90s filtered house in the form of 'Best Places', cleverly sampling a pop classic from the same period.

A key proponent of the Korean music scene, Marcus L runs the infamous club Faust in Seoul, pushing forward the local sound and embodying the culture that comes along with it. Evidence of this can be found on the tongue-in-cheek title track Kimchi Slap where Marcus works with Korean rapper Kill.gone for a verse about the local food staple. The EP encapsulates Marcus’ love for techno, industrial & hardcore with a playful attitude sure to make you dance, rounded off nicely with an epically beautiful remix from Hadone.

Fresh in from the powerhouse that is Bokeh Versions, we have a first time vinyl issue of two (future)classic Dancehall EPs from Kingston - RDL Shellah's 'Showcase' on one side, and G Sudden's 'Bunout Boss' on the other, with the elusive / productive SEEKERSINTERNATIONAL on production on both sides.

Max Dean and Prunk come together in superb fashion for a new EP on South. It features three new cuts from Max, with a Prunk remix making it another explosive package.

Up first is Loving Saturday, a driving house track with a nagging, soulful vocal that really tugs at the heart strings. The bass is warm and the drums kick hard, but this one really has some standout emotion to it. This Party is a more loose, fluid, ducking and diving groove, with rich percussion making it a perfect late night groove. More deft vocals add some human emotion as this one drives on.

This Party (Prunk Remix) is then a nice spaced out deep house cut that has real bite. The kicks and hi hats fuse together perfectly, while balmy pads encircle the groove to bring the vibes. Last of all, Sunshine Upon the 33 is another big hearted out track with an irresistible groove. The dynamic drums never let up, while the spaced out pads work and great vocal samples all elevate the track.

This is a fantastic four track package from this new one to watch label.

40 minutes of superb Jazz-Beats by one of Hamburgs nicest and kindest beat producers out there. This is some art-stuff with a beautiful Gatefold Cover designed by Robert Winter and Jeremias Diekmann.

For their next reissue, Parisian crew Discomatin picked one of the rarest and sought-after releases of the French Boogie scene, Lot'Vie / Y'a Du Blues by Marché Noir. The original 12" from 1984 gets a proper remastering and delivers its powerful mixture of Boogie, Jazz-Funk and West Indies influences. Two amazing titles finally reissued with a loud sound!

"Lot'Vie" is a perfect blend of powerful funky rhythms with tons of percussion, second to none slap bass and dope synths leads. With its infectious chorus ("son a bip bip!"), the track seems to irresistibly make you move your feet. Sung in creole, the track speaks about everyone going their own way, knowing that past, present and future are only one.

"Y'a Du Blues (Tant Pis, C'est La Vie)" is based on a monstrous boogie bassline. the song talks about melancholy and hope, but with joy. In these troubled times, lyrics surely get a special meaning: whatever happens, keep smiling because after all "c'est la vie" ("that's life").

Marché Noir brought together friends and family around keyboardist Max Marolany living in the south of France, with the band starting in the second part of the seventies. Excited by the new funky sound coming from the USA, they wanted to create Marché Noir to compose and sing their own French songs. With a full range of references, from Zouk to Soul, from Disco to Funk, Reggae and Pop, their first goal was to have fun! The band was playing in clubs and festivals around Marseille, Nice, Aix-en-Provence and Fréjus. With this local fame, they ended up doing the first parts of Touré Kunda and french rockstar Johny Halliday. Without a doubt, their live shows were a truly funky experience.

Thanks to Discomatin, the EP is now available to the real connoisseurs with an exclusive insert that contains lyrics, again with fantastic illustrations from French artist Camille de Cussac.

Coco Bryce makes his solo debut on AKO after featuring on the Defender album. Two beautiful tracks – Sweetheart has that trademark sound by Coco Bryce, melodic sound, and a rolling break and just has a vibe.

Sonar is an Amen track that has caught the eyes of many and brings a nice balance to the release. Both have been getting a lot of AirPlay from the likes of DJ flight, Mantra, Decibella, and others.

After a quarter century of nearly nonstop activity, dystopian Detroit synth-punk institution ADULT. have perfected a strain of stylistic cohesion in the album format, "but for this we wanted something that's falling apart." Becoming Undone, the 9th official full-length by cofounders Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller, explicitly succeeds in this aim, simultaneously rejecting and reflecting the planetary discord that inspired it. Begun in the latter half of 2020 against a backdrop of unprecedented flux and seismic isolation, the duo kickstarted their muse by sourcing fresh additions to the rig: a vocal loop pedal for Kuperus and Roland percussion pads for Miller. Reconnecting with legacy influences like the politicized industrial percussion of Test Department and the queasy miscreant synthetics of TG's 20 Jazz Funk Greats sparked a series of fruitfully frenetic sessions, centered on themes of impermanence and dissonance. Miller's rationale is blunt: "We weren't interested in melody or harmony since we didn't see the world having that." From the tense technoid blitz of "Undoing / Undone" to the twitchy EBM of "Fools (We Are_)" and "I Am Nothing," the sides bristle with strident acidic revolt and black leather sequential circuits, unhinged and unforgiving. Elsewhere, slower tempos of purgatorial unraveling ("Normative Sludge," "She's Nice Looking") showcase a breadth of vocal FX, Kuperus sounding alternately indignant and possessed, decrying the crimes, fears, and failings of a deluded world. Throughout, the band's chemistry crackles with revulsion and strobe-lit dissent, equal parts exorcism and denunciation. "Humans have always been pretty terrible," Kuperus explains. "But every year the compromises of culture just accelerate." Becoming Undone is also freighted with a more personal pain, as Kuperus' father passed away during the height of the pandemic, just before the album took root. As his hospice caretakers, she and Miller faced the banality of finality, surrounded by objects drained of meaning, "the joy of having a body, but also the drudgery of having one." The record's bewitching closing track, "Teeth Out Pt. II" - which happens to be the first ADULT. song in the group's history without drums - speaks to this sense of doomed corporeal mass and the looming, lightless unknown that binds us all. A seasick haze swells and subsides in slow, low waves, flickering with ring modulation, above which Kuperus sings in a dazed, brooding, transcendent state, as if having finally glimpsed beyond the pale: "Some day / some day I will be silent and free / of this relentless gravity."

Band of Horses’ sixth studio album and first record in more than five years. Sonically, the album is a return to their earlier work and the kind of raw ethos that lies at the heart of Band of Horses. Emotionally intense, both on a personal and elemental level, on Things Are Great we find band founder Ben Bridwell more autobiographical than he’s ever been on record detailing the nebulous frustrations and quiet indignities of relationship changes and what a person will do to make things right.

Band of Horses’ sixth studio album and first record in more than five years. Sonically, the album is a return to their earlier work and the kind of raw ethos that lies at the heart of Band of Horses. Emotionally intense, both on a personal and elemental level, on Things Are Great we find band founder Ben Bridwell more autobiographical than he’s ever been on record detailing the nebulous frustrations and quiet indignities of relationship changes and what a person will do to make things right.

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An underwater adventure by young Parisian Shelter. Where previous releases have seen the synth-obsessed Frenchman take his inspiration from Caribbean rhythms or Balearic attitudes, this marine missive sees Shelter turn to the lavish world of the library,creating his an alternate score to Jean Faurez' 1960 documentary short.

More submersible than snorkel, our journey begins in the very dark of the deep, mystical harp trills echoing through the inky blackness, picking up the bioluminescent shimmer of an Abraliopsis Squid. Gradually we make our way into the light, cruising past shoals of silver scales and underwater forests. Immersion' offers a placid, percolating rhythm and billowing pads, providing sonic symmetry for the dancing leaves, while the spheric soundscape of 'La Vie A L'Ombre' bubbles away like an underwater volcano. The optimistic ambience of 'Plenitude Azotee', brimming with delicate melody and glistening sequences, perfectly captures the wide-eyed wonder of a reef dive, before drifting into the serenity of 'Parade', an aquatic acquaintance of A.R.T. Wilson's 'Overworld'. A brief foray into shark fin funk sees out the A-side, before we're back amid the beauty of the ocean floor, 'Variation Abyssale II' echoing the album opener but with even more poetry. The exotic and otherworldly sine waves of 'Dans La Jungle De Varech' simultaneously sound like a rainforest canopy, alien landscape and coral microcosm, expanding our horizons nicely ahead of the adrenaline rush of 'Hors D'Haleine'. Shelter then sets us at ease with the
tidal tonality and subtle shuffle of 'Fumeurs Noirs', a sublime synthetic suite,
then leaves us to marvel at the soft focus splendour of 'Synthii Outro'.

Favorite Recordings proudly presents the new 12" of Magic Source. The all-star group around producer Björn Wagner (known also for his cosmic and tropical-flavoured disco music as Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band and The Mighty Mocambos) creates here a hypnotic four-on-thefloor sound that is both earthy and spaced out and all their own.
Recorded on 16 track analogue tape with inexpensive vintage gear, the crew explores the more unusual facets of disco music off the beaten track in favour of more otherwordly and international stylings. In their music, one could hear echoes from lost tropical disco records, cinematic flavors from library soundtracks and a healthy dose of DIY garage funk rawness.
On A side, "Riviera Drive" is an extended Mediterranean disco groove based on hypnotic percussions and soulful horn themes that alternate with trippy keyboard excursions. The tune is equally at ease on the dancefloor as in a chill-out zone, but of course, prefers to be in its natural habitat in a classic car somewhere between Nice and Monaco.
On the flip, Tom Tom Club's "Genius Of Love" is reimagined as a jazzy yacht soul instrumental with an echoed flute taking the lead. You'll also find a shorter Radio Edit of "Rivieria
Drive".

A genre blur of decorative art punk psych overflow, mixed and mastered by KRAMER on “Blessence Blue” Vinyl LP ltd edition of 500. RIYL: WEEN, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Dat Politics, Prince Buster, Captain Beefheart, Deerhoof, Thinking Fellars Union Local 282, Young Marble Giants, Jad Fair. As an energetic force in the downtown New York perfor1mance art noise scene for over ffteen years, Lumberob is releasing his debut solo LP - Language Learner - on Shimmy-Disc. Having collaborated now for over 23 years, Kramer and Lumberob understand how to make rather majestic messes. This music is urgent madness, overfowingly decorative, lusciously spastic, with an unpredictably eclectic sonic vaudeville energy. Lumberob emerged from a year in Costa Rica with a bag full of pandemic recordings. As a rejuvenated yet still scrappy loop artist expanding his sound with synth bass and drum machines, yet still rooted in improvised vocal phrase looping and skanky guitar, Lumberob insists this album Language Learner to be a bold exercise in genre discovery or genre blur, proudly assuming its position in high contrast to other recent gorgeously crafted Shimmy-Disc releases. It is this contrast that’s reminiscent of the wildly divergent and inventive catalog curated by Kramer from decades past. This debut is an odd blend of ingredients, but the concept is relentlessly pure Lumberob. Participants in Costa Rica include David Mendez playing nylon string, Alicia Cigna singing, Ariel Soto playing partial kit and conga, and Juan Jose Lopez playing bongos. Additional sessions in Brooklyn include Tobin Scroggins playing guitar and Becca Stabile singing. Kramer added bits and pieces throughout during his mixing and mastering of the album. Call it Dada Ska - a skanky electro-bounce. This is dance music for working things out. This is workout music for dancing things, and the live show is truly the dafy psychedelic roughneck business.

The first and truly stunning release on the new Deeptrax sub-label Chasing Sunsets is one that is hard to describe...

As an (electronic) multi-instrumentalist, ES has been making music on a daily base for more than 25 years but has not released anything meaningful to this day. When we asked for some demos, we were literally bombarded with hundreds of well-produced songs in a wide variety of styles.

ES is a very creative artist who, in addition to making (video) art, creates his own world with his music. He is a musician with a completely unique sound that sometimes evokes a strong association with other music or artists. It sounds familiar and is pleasant to listen to because all the sounds seem to fall into place perfectly. But at the same time, it's totally fresh and sounds like nothing else.

“I just want to make music and not worry about the hassle; you just have to do it for me...” was the answer to the question if we could talk about releasing some music on one of our labels. "Just pick the songs you like, releasing my music on vinyl would be great ..."

So that's what we did...

This first EP gives a nice overview of some of the many musical sides of ES. It's jazzy, funky, dubby and trippy electronica with bits of ambient, house, breakbeat, acid and many other weird ES sound mix-ups. The tracks are as they are, all recorded in one take/version. Unique songs with sharply programmed rhythm and bass complemented by brilliantly played guitar, piano and synth parts. It's a surprising debut from an artist who only shows a small part of his personality with this release.

Welcome to the world of ES....