Contemporary Funk Vinyl 168 Items

produced by Rick Rubin & Paul Epworth

Here comes the instrumental album to "The electronique Void".

When first I got to know that I was going to create the score for this short, I was pretty excited about the idea behind the film, and especially the story of the character Jens, who suffers from schizophrenia.I started inventing sounds to depict the character’s visions and hallucinations and I knew right away that I was going for a style more experimental than the two previous scores, Eastern Army and Mosaic, both written during the same year. The working process of the soundtrack for Hell is Other People (Helvede er de Andre) has perhaps been the most creative I have ever done. I just started recording sounds, effects and handmade percussion with no idea as to where I was heading, only the sense that I was going somewhere else, somewhere I had never been before. Somewhere where I felt very comfortable. All of the sounds are performed and recorded at night in my home studio Easy Beat Evil Bite and I used everything I could at home, everything I could get my hands on: wine glasses, chimes, shakers, African percussion instruments, angel harp, tambourine, sitar, hand drumming on a paper box or on naked skin, cymbals, synthesizer, effect pedals, the Rhodes, the piano and a lot of reverse recording from my old Revox tape recorder as well as electric and acoustic guitars. The title song “Every Missing Beat of Your Heart” and ”Falling Papers from a Staircase” are both very calm and reflecting tunes, characterized by a dreaming acoustic guitar arpeggio and a persuasive hypnotized tempo from an old metronome. On the track ”Metal Me” is a lot of psycho-blues; the strumming of an acoustic Yamaha is evident on three monotone chords and the 'sloppy' beat makes everything sound so heavy. I love the production of the song ”At the Clinic” where I chose to do a swing beat playing on the glasses to generate a more defined sound, like something you just can’t get rid of; like an annoying sound , and together with electric guitar playing in surf mood I really did something cool and easy there… I pictured the boy Jens walking up and down the corridors at the hospital and having trouble thinking clearly, or maybe seeing what other people couldn’t see. I think that all in all, I was most inspired by the sound of the 50’s in the making of this album; the warmth of the tremolo of in ”My Room” and the dark and psychotic mood of “Perspective” and ”Second Moon”. From time to time there is a touch of emptiness, death, agony and the feeling of loneliness behind those moments in tunes such as ”One of Us”, “No More Dead Flies” and ”She Suicide”. The second part of ”Every Missing Beat of Your Heart” I wrote on an acoustic guitar in Berlin during a short vacation. I remember having written the chords and the lyrics for the melody in half an hour and was very happy with the result. Signe Isager, who recently sang live with the band Alex Puddu and The Butterfly Collectors, sings in this song with me and I thought it would be a good choice to go with the end credits. For the making of the songs on this album I have been searching for the clinical, cold aesthetics of the rooms and corridors of a hospital and the warm sound of the sea from a house on the beach and I do believe this is what inspired me. It has been a great experience working on this album and the production, from the very start to the very end of the process, and being able to give what I felt was right for this picture at this moment.

Alex Puddu pulls an ace from up his sleeve with the new album The Gambler On his 10th solo album Alex Puddu is back and surprises with a strong set of songs, inspired by a mixture of the early 60’s sound of doo-wop vocal harmonies, together with R’n’B and a hint of jazz og surf references. It’s clear that one can unmistakably hear Puddu has a true love for the music of this period; unapologetically his sound references Dion and The Belmonts ,Vince Taylor and his Playboys, The Marcels and classics Movie scores such as West Side Story, The Wanderers, The Incident and Music To Read The Pretenders by Joe Rene Complex. Morricone’s string musicians and the legendary voice of Edda Dell’Orso On The Gambler there are numerous special guest appearances: First and foremost Ennio Morricone’s legendary vocalist Edda Dell’Orso, well known for her singing on the 60’s og 70’s Western soundtracks The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West og Giù la Testa. Dell’Orso sings on three songs on the album, while her husband, Giacomo Dell’Orso, has orchestrated the album and conducted a small group of Ennio Morricone’s string musicians under the name of Piccola Orchestra Cinefonica di Roma. With Alex Puddu on guitar, organ and piano, he is joined by Heidi Luke on drums, Henrik Mathiassen on contrabass, Mikael Fleron on saxophone, with Lukas Sherfey (The Movement) Stefan Moulvad (The Sandmen) and Anders Bruus (The Breakers) on electric guitar. Participating on lead vocals are: Steffen Westmark (The Blue Van - on two tracks), Peter Sandorff (Hola Ghost), Jess Møller Rasmussen (Taggy Tones), Duane Hobson (The Moonfires) and the Italian crooner Max Locci.

In their second release, the Ancient Cosmonauts are adding new flavors to their already genre-bending style combining funk, soul and jazz.
"Higher", the title track of the band's debut EP, adds hard-hitting drums and a pumping bass line to the bands' signature "wall of sound" horns, fluid congas and urging female vocals. This makes you think of latin / funk rock and 90's crossover, even there is no guitar on that track at all. The flip side "Sweet Season" pays tribute to Black Jazz Records legend Doug Carn, adding all the soul jazz and psychedelia the band restrained itself from on the A-side. The jubilant vocal duet blooms on earthed, sonorous horn lines and is complimented by a bluesy trombone solo.

Discover Le Deltaplane, fifth album by Andre Solomko, and third produced on Favorite Recordings, pursuing a collaboration that started more than 5 years ago.
Born in Ukraine in 1965 and now based in Finland, Andre Solomko is primarily a rich and engaging personality, but above all, a brilliant saxophonist, composer and engineer, whose contagious passion cannot leave anyone indifferent. After beginning a meteoric career in USSR, fate led him to Finland, where he started the adventure Vinyl Jam, a label / studio / group. It resulted in two self-produced albums that will capture the attention of some international collectors, including Pascal Rioux (founder of Favorite Recordings). Between 2012 and 2014, they released 2 albums together, Où es-tu maintenant ? and Le Polaroid, hailed by many tastemakers and meeting notable success in Japan.
Following Le Premier Disco Sans Toi, an acclaimed single released earlier this year and unveiling two new compositions with Disco flavors, Andre Solomko and Favorite Recordings also proudly present Le Deltaplane. Fully composed and arranged by Andre Solomko, the 6 tracks of the album are deeply infused with his longtime passion for Jazz-Funk and Movie-Soundtracks, this time also injecting more influences from WestCoast and Modern-Soul music.
Andre’s backed again by a team of great musicians, recording and producing the album in analog like he always did. As for vocals and lyrics, he teams up with Charlotta Kerbs, a young emerging and talented singer from Helsinki.
Andre Solomko, an artist who spreads love like in the good old days!

South London soul artist Andrew Ashong returns with his first full release since 2014 – an expansive six-track collaboration with Kaidi Tatham, the unrivalled underground virtuoso described as the UK's Herbie Hancock. Endorsed and supported by: Benji B, Gilles Peterson, Tom Ravenscoft, J Rocc, Alexander Nut, Jamz Supernova, Ross Allan, DJ Moxie, Funkineven, Taro (Jazzy Sport), Charlie Bones, Bradley Zero and many more...

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, the mysterious steel pan out­t hailing from Hamburg, Germany have amassed a cult following around the globe. With a slew of classic 7"s and two critically acclaimed full length albums, they set a high bar for themselves, one they clearly intend on pushing even higher with this new offering. On their third album, aptly titled Expansions, Brsb are back with more of the same, but more of the same with them is inherently different. Covering songs that span genres and range from mega hits to album cuts, they make them their own with their unique approach to the traditional steel pans of Trinidad and Tobago. Part of the allure of a new record from Bacao is ­nding out what covers they chose. However, die hard fans are also waiting to hear the original numbers like the stellar album opener "Tough Victory". Its airtight rhythm section, brass arrangements, and layers of steel pan melodies make the term "cover band" a shoe that could never ­t Bacao. Within the next three songs they go from Jazz (Galt MacDermot), to Hip Hop (Slum Village / J Dilla), to a dance ‑oor classic (Grace Jones) taking them all on with their signature style, expanding on the originals. An easy crowd favorite is their gritty, gully, and neck snapping cover of the Timbaland produced Jay-Z club hit "Dirt Off Your Shoulder". The infamous crushing Bacao drums start the show and the moment they start playing the top line on the pans, all bets are off. Sure to become a dance ‑oor ­ller is their bottom heavy ,four on the ‑oor version version of Sylvester's classic "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight". They venture into some gutbucket funk with Ike Turner's "Getting Nasty" and bring the steel pans to Minnie Riperton's Jazz classic "Les Fleurs". Digging deeper in the modern canon and paying tribute to a tribute, they cover Erykah Badu's homage to the late great J Dilla, "The Healer". This is the type of thing to make Spice Adams jump on his kitchen counter and scream. From the second the beat drops they give the original Madlib production a run for its money, shaking subwoofers with the eerie tremolo bass while the pans play E. Badu's vocal melodies. By the time the album is through Bacao has taken the listener on a journey that spans a myriad of energies, tempos, and moods while somehow managing to keep it all under one umbrella. For all that, these songs are alive, and they will be taken out of the context of this album and sewn into the fabric of DJ sets around the globe for many years to come. Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band is breathing renewed life into the originals and continuing to push the boundaries of steel pan music, or, as the title suggests, expanding on it.

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, the mysterious steel pan out­t hailing from Hamburg, Germany have amassed a cult following around the globe. With a slew of classic 7"s and two critically acclaimed full length albums, they set a high bar for themselves, one they clearly intend on pushing even higher with this new offering. On their third album, aptly titled Expansions, Brsb are back with more of the same, but more of the same with them is inherently different. Covering songs that span genres and range from mega hits to album cuts, they make them their own with their unique approach to the traditional steel pans of Trinidad and Tobago. Part of the allure of a new record from Bacao is ­nding out what covers they chose. However, die hard fans are also waiting to hear the original numbers like the stellar album opener "Tough Victory". Its airtight rhythm section, brass arrangements, and layers of steel pan melodies make the term "cover band" a shoe that could never ­t Bacao. Within the next three songs they go from Jazz (Galt MacDermot), to Hip Hop (Slum Village / J Dilla), to a dance ‑oor classic (Grace Jones) taking them all on with their signature style, expanding on the originals. An easy crowd favorite is their gritty, gully, and neck snapping cover of the Timbaland produced Jay-Z club hit "Dirt Off Your Shoulder". The infamous crushing Bacao drums start the show and the moment they start playing the top line on the pans, all bets are off. Sure to become a dance ‑oor ­ller is their bottom heavy ,four on the ‑oor version version of Sylvester's classic "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight". They venture into some gutbucket funk with Ike Turner's "Getting Nasty" and bring the steel pans to Minnie Riperton's Jazz classic "Les Fleurs". Digging deeper in the modern canon and paying tribute to a tribute, they cover Erykah Badu's homage to the late great J Dilla, "The Healer". This is the type of thing to make Spice Adams jump on his kitchen counter and scream. From the second the beat drops they give the original Madlib production a run for its money, shaking subwoofers with the eerie tremolo bass while the pans play E. Badu's vocal melodies. By the time the album is through Bacao has taken the listener on a journey that spans a myriad of energies, tempos, and moods while somehow managing to keep it all under one umbrella. For all that, these songs are alive, and they will be taken out of the context of this album and sewn into the fabric of DJ sets around the globe for many years to come. Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band is breathing renewed life into the originals and continuing to push the boundaries of steel pan music, or, as the title suggests, expanding on it.

"IF These Walls Could Talk" is the second single of deep soul from the Dallas crew. Produced by Josh Block (leon Bridges' fame) and taken from their debut album "spinnin'". The previously unreleased funk instrumental "bbq IN Paris" is on the flipside. Big dinked hole 45rpm

The debut full length from the East Dallas classic R&B disciples. Recorded at Niles City Sound in Fort Worth in the spring of 2019 with JOSH BLOCK (of LEON BRIDGES' fame) engineering and producing. The album resonates with the pulse of the southern R&B of the past and creates a joyous vibe with original soul joints rooted in a vintage sound. Fans of their 7" single will not be disappointed with the 10 original soul joints included here.

Limited red vinyl copies (only a few available). "THE WAY IT SHOULD BE" has a vibrant southern pulse that recalls WILSON PICKETT's finest STAX/ATLANTIC years. "THE WAITING TIME" has a tight pocket, smooth brass, and rides off into the night with a soulful sax lead that seals it with warmth. Soul and funk fans rejoice!

Ben Pirani & The Means Of Production are back with their first single from their newly built studio! Heavy dancefloor vibes with a punk attitude are the order of the day! Dig on Ben's new composition "More Than A Memory" with lush, soulful string arrangements from Ben and mix engineer Rafferty Swink!

Strictly limited edition of 300 copies.

A creative union of 90s hiphop production techniques, live instrumentation, turntablism and spoken word poetry. Performed by Dan Broak, Herbal Bert and Lion El Hämpton at Odd Funk Records studio under the dope quality control surveillance of the notorious production-duo The Blassics.

Twenty-eight years ago, pissed-off twelve-year-olds around the universe discovered a new planet, a Black Planet. Public Enemy’s aggressive, Benihana beats and incendiary lyrics instilled fear among parents and teachers everywhere, even in the border town of Laredo, Texas, home of the future founders of the Latin-Funk-Soul-Breaks super group, Brownout. The band’s sixth full-length album (out May 25th) Fear of a Brown Planet is a musical manifesto inspired by Public Enemy’s music and revolutionary spirit.

Chuck D., the Bomb Squad, Flava Flav and the rest of the P.E. posse couldn’t possibly have expected that their golden-era hip hop albums would sow the seeds for countless Public Enemy sleeper cells, one that would emerge nearly three decades later in Austin, Texas. Greg Gonzalez (bass) remembers a kid back in junior high hipped him to the fact that Public Enemy’s “Bring the Noise” is built on James Brown samples, while a teenaged Beto Martinez (guitar) alternated between metal and hip-hop in his walk-man, and Adrian Quesada (guitar/keys) remembers falling in love with Public Enemy’s sound at an early age. “When I got into Hip hop, I was looking for this aggressive outlet . . . and I didn’t even understand what they were pissed off about, because I was twelve and lived in Laredo . . . but I loved it and I felt angry along with them.”

Joseph Abajian (Fat Beats’ owner) must have sensed the deep hip-hop well lying beneath the versatile band’s Latin-Funk veneer. “I thought their sound would work covering Public Enemy songs,” Abajian says, and, “it was good to know they were P.E. fans . . . We came up with a track listing and they went to work.” Despite the band’s eagerness to work on new original material (an album of original songs is slated for next year), they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pay homage to this iconic and influential posse.

Translating sample-based music to a live band turned out to be more of a challenge than they anticipated. Adrian tried to get inside the Bomb Squad’s [Public Enemy’s producers/beat-making team] head in order to find the inspiration to reinterpret P.E.’s songs: “imagine the Bomb Squad going back in time and getting the J.B.s [James Brown’s funky backing band] in the studio and setting up a couple analog synths and then playing those songs.” While some songs closely follow the original musical blueprint, others use the source breakbeats as jumping-off points later sweetened by Trombonist Mark “Speedy” Gonzales’ horn arrangements, synth wizardry courtesy of friend-of-the-band Peter Stopschinski, and DJ Trackstar’s turntable scratches. But don’t listen expecting to hear paint-by-numbers recreations of classic Public Enemy jams. “Our approach is never in the tribute sense,” Adrian explains. “We’ve always taken it and made it our own, whether it’s the Brown Sabbath thing or this Public Enemy thing.”

Coming off numerous tours as Brown Sabbath and even a stint backing the late legend Prince, Brownout is arguably the tightest and funkiest band on the road today and they’re psyched to bring this revolutionary music to the people. For a band without an overt political agenda, they collectively couldn’t resist the opportunity to play this music live, especially now. “If there’s any way that we can use the already political and protest nature [of P.E.’s music], we would like to try,” Beto says. “The album’s title, Fear of Brown Planet is definitely a relevant idea today and we’re not afraid to put it out there, because we want to speak out.” By reinterpreting these hip hop classics in their unique style and channeling the spirit of Public Enemy that first echoed around the world and captured their imaginations all those years ago, Brownout is doing exactly that.

Celebrating 15 years from the release of their debut album, Daptone's Royal Court from Staten Island delivers a truly epic collection of new material that finds the group further bridging the gap between the farfisa-fueled Ethio-Funk stylings of their early recordings, with the psychedelic, Sabbath-inspired hellfire of late.

“In some ways, it's reminiscent of our first two albums The Budos Band and Budos II,” says Tom Brenneck. “We branched off on Burnt Offering and Budos V. Now, we're still moving forward. You can play these songs on the dance-floor. We knew the horns had to stand out too. Thinking about hip-hop allowed us to put the bounce back into The Budos.”

This is evident from needle drop to final rotation. Heavy drum breaks, reminiscent of the BBoy approved grooves of their early output reign supreme, setting the stage for the pulsating, hallucinatory wall of organ, menacing horns, and rugged guitar riffs to permeate your soul - leaving the listener in a rhythmic wash of Budonian rapture.

Long in the Tooth represents the culmination of a 15-year journey by a band that has consistently carved its own distinct path through the grooves of history.

Record Kicks is proud to present POST MOMENTUM, the new EP by Italian cult combo Calibro 35 to be released on limited edition 12" vinyl. The extended-play comes 17 months after the acclaimed previous Calibro 35 album MOMENTUM, which – as the band stated: "represented a look at nowadays and a reflection about making music right in the time that we're living". The tour began right after the album release in January 2020, but it was soon interrupted when the whole world suddenly stopped because of the Pandemic. Now "POST MOMENTUM" represents a re-start and the first step towards the future, picking up where they left off.

Among the six tracks of the EP, while "Digi-Tails" and "Stars and Stripes, Chirps and Bleeps" express the unique musicianship of Calibro 35 as we have come to know over the years, "Being a Robot is Awesome" and "Artificial Black Moon" see the participation of a guest from the world to come: Sophia, the humanoid developed by Hanson Robotics capable of interacting autonomously with everything around it, reminding us how being a Robot could prove to be the best strategy to survive sometimes. The opening of the EP is an alternative version of the single "Stan Lee" enriched by two heavyweights of Italian rap: Ensi and Ghemon that don't make us miss Illa J. The EP ends with another alternate version of "Stan Lee", this time in all its instrumental glory.
Active since 2008, Calibro 35 enjoy a worldwide reputation as one of the coolest independent bands around. During their thirteen-year career, they were sampled by Dr. Dre on his Compton album, Jay-Z, The Child of lov & Damon Albarn; they shared stages worldwide with the likes of Roy Ayers, Muse, Sun Ra Arkestra, Sharon Jones, Thundercat and Headhunters and as unique musicians they collaborated with, amongst others, PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish and Stewart Copeland and Nic Cester (The Jet). Described by Rolling Stone magazine as "the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing that happened to Italy in the last years", Calibro 35 now count on a number of aficionados worldwide including VIP fans such as Dj Food (Ninja Tune), Mr Scruff and Huey Morgan (Fun Lovin' Criminals) among others.

The band started back in 2007 when Grammy award winner producer Tommaso Colliva (Muse), invited some of the best musicians from the Italian indie scene - Enrico Gabrielli (PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish), Massimo Martellotta (Stewart Copeland, Adrian Younge), Luca Cavina (Retox, Zeus!), Fabio Rondanini (John Parish, Daniel Johnston) - to record some Italian golden age soundtracks. What started as a studio b-side project evolved in a full time band able to release 7 heavily acclaimed albums. Their last album MOMENTUM came out on Record Kicks on January 24th 2020. "MOMENTUM" stood out as a new starting point for the project.

With a little bit of research you'll realize that Ricky 1 actually didn’t come out on Bridge Boots but on thatmanmonkz imprint Shadeleaf back in 2015 and received loved from Matthew Dear and Sam Divine to name a few. A little over 5 years later and Caserta is back with the sequel! Contrary to popular belief Caserta doesn’t usually 'edit' (with the exception of Bb45003 release Diana). But he decided to bust out the ole’ Razor-N-Tape for the 40 year anniversary of this dancefloor classic! While anyone with party rock capabilities can improve on an already classic composition. 'Supa Engineer Caserta' made sure to take his time to take make sure the sonics went for 1981 to 2081. The flip side delivers more of the tried and true Bridge Boots formula people have come to love with a hard hitting deep house joint sure to light up the dance floor once we start to put Roni-19 behind us! Lastly...who the hell is Sheldon??

Special Valentine's release - this one's for the lovers baby!
Fresh off the sequel to Bobby, Caserta and co welcome Teddy to the BB family. With another iconic voice spread out on 2 distinct mixes, Caserta is a firm believer in the “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach.
The A Side takes you under the stars of a rooftop disco on a warm summer night. With live bass and triumphant horns this mix is sure to have you feeling right into the wee hours. Speaking of the wee hours, when that time approaches you can flip her on over to the B Side for the ‘Bassment Dub’. The repetitive bassline and hard drums are sure to take you right until sun up!

Come Inside b/w Sorrow Tears & Blood is the first single from the Chico Mann album "Double Life". The guitarist/producer is back at the helm with a fresh set of tunes under his "Chico Mann" moniker since his 2013 '80s electro-funk and boogie album "Magical Thinking". Founding the hard rock meets West African funk outfit Here Lies Man during his hiatus, his new effort seamlessly melds his dual musical personas which is inherent in the title of the album.

Starting out as a collaboration with bassist JP Maramba, "Come Inside" soon became one of the high points and an integral part of their live show with its frenetic energy. Conceptually, the music is an expression of the chaos and fast pace of modern life while extending an invitation to leave the door open to a new way to interface with the world that is more balanced and values authentic experiences over materialism.

On the flip, Fela Kuti's "Sorrow Tears & Blood" gets the psychedelic treatment. Being the first song from Fela's catalog that he'd heard, he was immediately hooked on the groove and power of the underlying message "The takeaway from that song for me is that it's of the utmost importance to ground myself in music and creative expression as a form cultural resistance. Therein lies beauty and determination in the face adversity."

Simply calling Curtis Harding a soul man feels reductive. Harding’s voice conveys pain, pleasure, longing, tenderness, sadness and strength—a full gamut of emotions. Today his voice takes on an optimistic lilt with his his new album, If Words Were Flowers. If Words Were Flowers is Harding’s first new music since 2018, a follow up to his critically acclaimed ‘Face Your Fears” album. It features songs like “ Hopeful” , where Harding croons with devotion over a classic soul groove, textured with infectious horn playing, background singers and modern psychedelic flourishes. Harding fuels his psychedelic sound with the essence of Soul but isn’t bound by it. Instead, his songs convey an eclectic blend of genres leaping from the many musical lives he has lived from following his evangelical Gospel-singing mother on tour around the country as a child to rapping in Atlanta, forming a garage band with The Black Lips’ Cole Alexander to singing back-up for Cee Lo Green. Through these experiences he fully embraces life’s darkest intricacies and conjures dynamic, addictive melodies.

Limited to 1000 copies, only available at HHV!

Simply calling Curtis Harding a soul man feels reductive. Harding’s voice conveys pain, pleasure, longing, tenderness, sadness and strength—a full gamut of emotions. Today his voice takes on an optimistic lilt with his his new album, If Words Were Flowers. If Words Were Flowers is Harding’s first new music since 2018, a follow up to his critically acclaimed ‘Face Your Fears” album. It features songs like “ Hopeful” , where Harding croons with devotion over a classic soul groove, textured with infectious horn playing, background singers and modern psychedelic flourishes. Harding fuels his psychedelic sound with the essence of Soul but isn’t bound by it. Instead, his songs convey an eclectic blend of genres leaping from the many musical lives he has lived from following his evangelical Gospel-singing mother on tour around the country as a child to rapping in Atlanta, forming a garage band with The Black Lips’ Cole Alexander to singing back-up for Cee Lo Green. Through these experiences he fully embraces life’s darkest intricacies and conjures dynamic, addictive melodies.

“New” album recorded 1988-1992 ... At the request of Peanut Butter Wolf, Dam went through many of these recordings, all made on cassette, going back to his teenage years. As Wolf tells it, “Dam told me, ‘this is your project Wolf. Do whatever you want with it. I leave it in your hands. I don't even wanna see it til it's done. Have fun.’” ... so have fun, people! LP is limited to 1000 copies!

Limited to 500 copies. 2015 EP for the first time on vinyl for the collectors.

Longform Modern-Funk at it’s boldest - these two epic songs - diehard fan favorites officially mixed, mastered and commercially available for the first time only on DamFunk’s Glydezone Recordings. In just two tracks D-F creates over 30 minutes of his signature, sprawling, elegant Modern-Funk instrumental narratives. Mastered by the talented Matthewdavid (Leaving Records), this is the definition of ‘extended play’.

Limited to 500 copies. For the first time ever on vinyl Four new instrumental tracks, produced, recorded, composed & played by Dam-Funk. . Originally released on June 2nd 2015 as a free streaming promotional EP before the release of Dam-Funk’s sophomore album Invite The Light. Pitchfork described “Free” the EP closer “… distills his daily inspirational thoughts into a breezy, sun-kissed glow, delivered with his usual cool sincerity. Of course, the style is purely West Coast, but the message is universal: funk is freedom. And in Dâm's world, funk is the future.

We are starting 2021 with this incredibly beautiful and critically acclaimed track by Deborah Jordan, from her latest album ‘See In The Dark’ and this outstanding rework and extended edit by the songs original producer Marc Rapson. The extended edit is an exquisite journey through the original into an instrumental with stunning piano flourishes, magical strings and soaring vocals, continuing the journey of this unique and timeless track, which has been described as Deborah’s Magnum Opus. Rapson’s new Rework evokes memories of our most endeared hip-hop beat makers (Dilla, Q-Tip, Pete Rock) and takes us deep with masterful piano textures, resampled voices and the warmest bass you would have heard in years.The bonus track ‘Senses’, a standout from Deborah’s album, has also received the Rapson touch with a perfect hip-hop swing and ridiculous bass line which is exclusive to this vinyl release.

Deborah Jordan is back! The long awaited followup to 2010's "what YOU See". This album of soulful phuture soul and R&B is being hailed as an "Instant future classic". Hauntingly beautiful, her most heartfelt and emotionally charged album to date. Help from K15, Marc Rapson and Simon S. Vinyl is exclusive to us worldwide.

Up next in the Omena remix series we got Dee Tree from Minsk and four sparkling and effortlessly soulful re-makes from FloFilz, Harry Wolfman, Saine and Lipski. All bringing a beautiful and soulful touch to the bands soul-flecked originals.

The debut album from Seattle's Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. The group channels old-school organ combos like The Meters and Booker T & The MGs, but are making it fresh and feel new again! This LP is just killer from beginning to end and this is just the beginning for this group. We couldn't be more happy to be involved with such talented musicians.

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio-or as it is sometimes referred to, DLO3-specialize in the lost art of "feel good music." The ingredients of this intoxicating cocktail include a big helping of the 1960s organ jazz stylings of Jimmy Smith and Baby Face Willette; a pinch of the snappy soul strut of Booker T. & The M.G.'s and The Meters; and sprinkles Motown, Stax Records, blues, and cosmic Jimi Hendrix-style guitar. It's a soul-jazz concoction that goes straight to your heart and head makes your body break out in a sweat. The band features organist Delvon Lamarr, a self-taught virtuosic musician, with perfect pitch who taught himself jazz and has effortlessly been able to play a multitude of instruments. On guitar is the dynamo Jimmy James who eases through Steve Cropper-style chanking guitar, volcanic acid-rock freak-out lead playing, and slinky Grant Green style jazz. From Reno, Nevada is drummer Dan Weiss (also of the powerhouse soul and funk collective The Sextones). Dan's smoldering pocket-groove drumming locks in the trio's explosive chemistry. Founded by Larmarr's wife and manager Amy Novo, the trio started from humble beginnings in 2015, but since then has released two Billboard charting albums and toured the world to sold out venues. The trio returns now with their second studio album, I Told You So, with even heavier grooves and more confidence. It may have been several years since their most recent studio effort, but they haven't missed a beat.

This double-sider 45 confirms that this band from Down Under is headed straight for the top. On side A’s “Grand Carnival” Dojo get raw n dirty with a killer deep funk groove complete with scratchy guitar, flying horns and some bass action. On the flip, the band provides a more soulful number with a super crossover cut. 

dvsn have turned the page to a new chapter in their career with the release of their fervently anticipated third studio album, A Muse In Her Feelings, via OVO Sound. The album is a beautifully crafted body of work boasting an all-star cast of collaborators, including the likes of Future, PartyNextDoor, Popcaan, Buju Banton, Summer Walker, Jessie Reyez, Snoh Aalegra, Ty Dolla $ign and Shantel May. A Muse In Her Feelings brings R&B back to tropes that built the genre. Incorporating vulnerability, yearning and lust, the album draws inspiration from the early aughts with Daniel Daley's pen sharper than ever, coupled with Nineteen85' s cutting edge production. All while rooted in the tenets of golden-era R&B.

Big Crown Records is proud to present Adult Themes, the latest full length offering from El Michels Affair. This album takes the band's "Cinematic Soul" aesthetic literally and sends the listener on a journey through a whirlwind of moods and energies. With their 2005 debut album Sounding Out The City, EMA spearheaded an instrumental funk / soul movement that inspired a slew of bands and even lead to the creation of a few independent record labels. El Michels has since lent his signature sound to artists from Adele to Dr John, Lana Del Rey to Aloe Blacc, and a who's who list of others. In 2016 he co-founded Big Crown Records and has since produced the lion's share of its output. A short stint as the touring band for Wu Tang Clan in 2007 led to the cult classics Enter The 37th Chamber (2009) and Return To The 37th Chamber (2017). Adult Themes marks the long awaited, highly anticipated return to an album of original compositions from El Michels Affair. In 2017 in between producing, playing, and recording on other artists' records Leon Michels began creating compilations of short interludes intended to be sampled by hip hop producers. Some of these wound up becoming songs by Jay Z & Beyonce, Travis Scott, and Don Toliver. These minute-long snippets were inspired by the dense moody work of `60s composers like David Axelrod, and Francois de Roubaix, as well as Moondog's brand of classical jazz. Michels was having so much fun creating these instrumental / orchestral nuggets that he decided to expand on some of the ideas and create what would become the soundtrack for a movie that has yet to be made, an imaginary film entitled "Adult Themes." The album plays like the colors on an artists pallet. Songs like "Rubix" and "Villa" are densely orchestrated with the hard-hitting drums that El Michels Affair is known for. On "Life of Pablo", Leon's son makes his first appearance on record and intros a song with an epic arrangement and a moving mood. "Hipps" is a drum heavy ballad that could've easily fit on EMA's debut record, Sounding Out the City. Other compositions like "The Difference" and "Kill The Lights" are bare, melodic mood pieces with sparse drums and sophisticated chord movement. All of these tunes come together to make perfect backgrounds for dialogue and action. One of the beautiful things about instrumental music is that the listener can decide what the narrative is. With Adult Themes El Michels Affair has created a "choose your own adventure" in musical form.

Big Crown Records is proud to present Adult Themes, the latest full length offering from El Michels Affair. This album takes the band's "Cinematic Soul" aesthetic literally and sends the listener on a journey through a whirlwind of moods and energies. With their 2005 debut album Sounding Out The City, EMA spearheaded an instrumental funk / soul movement that inspired a slew of bands and even lead to the creation of a few independent record labels. El Michels has since lent his signature sound to artists from Adele to Dr John, Lana Del Rey to Aloe Blacc, and a who's who list of others. In 2016 he co-founded Big Crown Records and has since produced the lion's share of its output. A short stint as the touring band for Wu Tang Clan in 2007 led to the cult classics Enter The 37th Chamber (2009) and Return To The 37th Chamber (2017). Adult Themes marks the long awaited, highly anticipated return to an album of original compositions from El Michels Affair. In 2017 in between producing, playing, and recording on other artists' records Leon Michels began creating compilations of short interludes intended to be sampled by hip hop producers. Some of these wound up becoming songs by Jay Z & Beyonce, Travis Scott, and Don Toliver. These minute-long snippets were inspired by the dense moody work of `60s composers like David Axelrod, and Francois de Roubaix, as well as Moondog's brand of classical jazz. Michels was having so much fun creating these instrumental / orchestral nuggets that he decided to expand on some of the ideas and create what would become the soundtrack for a movie that has yet to be made, an imaginary film entitled "Adult Themes." The album plays like the colors on an artists pallet. Songs like "Rubix" and "Villa" are densely orchestrated with the hard-hitting drums that El Michels Affair is known for. On "Life of Pablo", Leon's son makes his first appearance on record and intros a song with an epic arrangement and a moving mood. "Hipps" is a drum heavy ballad that could've easily fit on EMA's debut record, Sounding Out the City. Other compositions like "The Difference" and "Kill The Lights" are bare, melodic mood pieces with sparse drums and sophisticated chord movement. All of these tunes come together to make perfect backgrounds for dialogue and action. One of the beautiful things about instrumental music is that the listener can decide what the narrative is. With Adult Themes El Michels Affair has created a "choose your own adventure" in musical form.

El Michels Affair follows up the massive success of their full length Yeti Season with The Abominable EP. A collection of unreleased tracks, alternate takes, and instrumentals from the Yeti Season recording sessions. EMA's blending their signature cinematic soul sound with influences from Turkis Funk and the grittiest of Bollywood soundtracks yielded an instant classic The Fader calls "a carnival of dusty funk and soul". The EP starts off with the unreleased gem "Messy Grass" whose synth intro, peppered with distant yeti cries, gives way to a tremendous backing track that Tamer Pinarbasi's Qanun dances over. On "Cham Cham" EMA invites Piya Malik to the microphone again to share her styled storytelling vocals over the instrumental track from Yeti Season's "Perfect Harmony". Where some of the tunes on the EP have vocals added, some of them have them removed letting the band take center stage; "Poison Song", "Uncut Gem", "Smoked", and "Progress" are all instrumental here giving them a wholly different energy than the vocal versions. The EP is being released with two different covers, each one has two paintings from different Ghanaian mobile cinema artists commissioned through Chicago's Deadly Prey Gallery and are interpretations of the original album artwork. One version is paintings by Stoger and Heavy J, who also contributed cover paintings to the Return To The 37th Chamber album. The other version of the cover is two paintings by Teshie and Farkira.

Fresh off of their 2020 offering Adult Themes, El Michels Affair is back with a new full-length release. Titled Yeti Season, this newest album has everything we've come to expect from EMA's patented cinematic style of instrumental soul music. Where Adult Themes inspired a soundtrack to an imaginary film, Yeti Season brings us to a different place in time_with new inspirations. Taken with Turkish-styled funk and an almost Mumbai-esque take on soul, El Michels Affair offers us a different kind of drama and imagination with Yeti Season. If you've been following along, this shouldn't be viewed as too far a departure for El Michels Affair. The first single off of Yeti Season showed their hand back in 2018. A double-sided banger, that release brought the musical textures to the fore that dominate this record. The first song, titled "Unathi," is fully realized with the beautifully haunting-yet-hopeful vocals of Piya Malik, formally of 79.5_another Big Crown artist. Singing in Hindi, Piya's ethereal voice is telling us to work and strive together toward progress. Even if you don't understand her language, you can still hear the urgency of purpose, creating a lasting vibe that sits on top of it all. Leon Michels explains that Piya had a vital influence on this record: "When Piya started singing in Hindi, she had a different voice, a different tone. I knew we had to do something together." And so Piya appears on three other songs on Yeti Season: "Zaharila," "Murkit Gem," and "Dhuaan." Each providing particular signatures to the album. "Zaharila" is a building and changing love song punctuated by blaring trumpets, driving drums, and Piya's pleading lyrics. While the more upbeat "Murkit Gem" opens with a fuzzed out, Wu-Tang-esque baseline that buoys Piya's stylings. The psychedelic guitar and Piya's changing tones and textures singing about an all-consuming love are what pushed "Dhuaan" on to the second single from Yeti Season. There is also a vocal appearance from Shannon Wise of The Shacks, yet another Big Crown artist. Her song called "Sha Na Na," lies more in the familiar EMA vein: melodic, hypnotic, soulfully visual. But between Shannon's airy singing, the jumpy baseline, moody vibes, the active drum lines, it sounds like a pensive walk home after a strangely dramatic night. So what is Yeti Season? It could be more of a feeling than an actual place or time of year. It's a heavy album_as evidenced by the signature musicianship and dramatic vocal expressions. But it's also a hopeful record, with phrasings, textures, and chord changes that hint at something better_or fuller_coming our way. You hear it in songs like "Ala Vida," with its stabby, pulsing chords laying a bedrock for EMA's bright, atmospheric horn lines. Or even in "Fazed Out," which leaves you with a feeling of determination, a striving for resolution even though the driving, march-like song structure should accompany some conquering army. This persistence has to come from the fact that Leon Michels and company finished this record during the lockdown. It was a tough and troublesome time. But look at what has come of it: Yeti Season_a record of high and heavy drama, but also one of hope and promise. It may take a year like 2020 behind us to find hope in a winter big footed creature like a Yeti, but that's where we are.

produced by Erykah Badu, 9th Wonder, James Poyser, Shafiq Husayn, Kariem Riggins, J Dilla, Madlib, Georgia Anne Muldrow. The Ankhh is backck!

Following on from his previous debut album Tape 1/Tape 2 on Soundway, Felbm delivers Tape 3/Tape 4 : an intimate, emotional, lilting and melodic solo project. These 14 lo-fi, instrumental, jazz-infused sketches were written on guitar, with cascading keyboards, vibraphone and drum machine. Possessing a restorative and soothing quality, it goes some way to balancing out a chaotic year for the world at large. With echoes of the dreamier end of 1980s English indie-pop, minimal ambient music and Brazilian bossa-nova, Topper’s musical storybook includes touches of The Durutti Column, hints of Antônio Carlos Jobim and Baden Powell, whilst all set firmly in the summer fields of Germany and the Netherlands. The recording method used for the creation and recording of Tape 3 and Tape 4 follows the same as his previous release: all sketches were initially recorded onto cassette on a 4-track tape machine. Most notably a vibraphone finds its way onto almost every track fitting Topper’s sound-palette perfectly: warm yet distinctive, a percussive as well as sustaining sound that evokes some melancholy and a certain timeless nostalgia. Features that most certainly also apply to the other ‘new’ instrument on the tapes: mellotron flutes. Tape 3/Tape 4 navigates the space between quiet, open, meditative tunes and more solid instrumental works, reflecting his constant search for an optimal balance between stillness and movement.

UEG Music proudly presents this ultra rare Killer Album finally available on this very limited edition Colored Vinyl album. A Muther's Pearl was previously released on limited CD in 2005, the album quickly became a sought after item with a current asking price of £120

This 18 track collection contains the sought after killer track 'I Don't Mind Tellin You'

A Muther's Pearl is a true Soul and R&B masterpiece, produced by Barry Bee & Joe Powell, the famed duo behind Leona Lewis, Salt & Pepa, and many others.

A very limited amount of copies will be available along with an A3 poster.

No returns. Comes with seamsplit.

UEG Music proudly presents this ultra rare Killer Album finally available on this very limited edition Colored Vinyl album. A Muther's Pearl was previously released on limited CD in 2005, the album quickly became a sought after item with a current asking price of £120

This 18 track collection contains the sought after killer track 'I Don't Mind Tellin You'

A Muther's Pearl is a true Soul and R&B masterpiece, produced by Barry Bee & Joe Powell, the famed duo behind Leona Lewis, Salt & Pepa, and many others.

A very limited amount of copies will be available along with an A3 poster.

Garrett III is more of a swan project. A final installment, if you will. Garrett is now retreating more deeply, as evident by the album cover by @GangCulture into obscurity. The time has come for a landing via this 3rd installment of his ‘private life’. After surviving a lockdown x worldwide pandemic in 1 piece, without going insane, he has finally decided 2 conclude this phase of his tightrope walk between lush Ambient touched Modern-Funk & the choice of no vocals / strictly instrumental aural experiences, for listeners of all hues, backgrounds & taste. The hope is that it’s enjoyed in whatever way feasible for all human (& alien) kind.

On Seeds, Georgia Muldrow takes a step back and leaves the beatmaking to Otis Jackson Jr., aka Madlib. As producers, Muldrow and Jackson are not worlds apart, so the switch requires no adjustment on the part of the listener. That said, this is one dense and tight set, barely over half-an-hour in length, and it's definitely in contention for Muldrow's most focused, funkiest, and (somewhat ironically) personal release to date. Throughout the record, the emphasis remains heavily fixated on her family as a unit of salvation and purpose. The most direct track of the lot is "Husfriend," where she honors her relationship with Dudley Perkins (a/k/a Declaime, who appears on “The Few”). Muldrow can't quite divorce the planetary and personal issues, heard vividly on "Best Love," which sounds just like a simple, sweet, straight-ahead love song until she starts asking her other half for money to build water wells on three continents ("We can make a difference if we try now"). Overall, Seeds is another left-field deviation in Muldrow's career: it's one of her most captivating and immediate front-to-back statements of purpose as a singer, but it's also the first album where she's handed over all the production duties to somebody else. In celebration of this album’s decenary run, Someothaship Connect is pleased to reintroduce an anniversary edition repress of this captivating release in partnership with Fat Beats.

Where will you hide when the world around you is closing in? On their latest LP, GFO invites you to close your eyes and take a dive into your subconscious. Strings and horns float around from ear to ear while their three sirens explore themes of isolation, fear of the unknown, and the fabrication of self-image. It's a soulful psychedelic journey that picks up sonically where "A Song For Paul" left off. The drums are heavier, the arrangements are more intricate, and the vocal harmonies soar over a bed of odd time signature grooves. This is an album that's meant to be listened to in the dark. So won't you join them? You're not scared.....are you?

Without change, there is no progression, and being stagnant has never been an option for Gizelle Smith. On her third album, Revealing, the singer flexes her newfound artistic freedom, moving past the creative limits that have kept her pigeonholed as a soul and funk artist for too long.

Born and raised in Manchester, with a multicultural upbringing steeped in soulful music, Gizelle was destined to follow in the footsteps of her father, Joe Smith, the former guitarist, musical director and songwriter for Motown stalwarts The Four Tops. She took up singing at a young age, and in 2009, cut her first album of gritty deep funk tunes with the Mighty Mocambos in Hamburg, Germany, followed by extensive touring throughout Europe. Her follow-up, Ruthless Day, was released nearly a decade later, also rooted in the sounds of soul ingrained in her musical DNA.

For her latest effort, Gizelle could have played it safe and recorded just another soul album. But in a tragic twist, the course of her future was altered forever by her father's death in 2019, which prompted a total creative reset. "I was pretty much emotionless towards music in general and I had lost all sense of direction with my own artistry," Gizelle says of her darkest hour. "My whole identity as a song-writer and musician vanished into the ether with my dad, like a cord had been severed." Unable to focus on the material she had already been working on, she decided to start from scratch, "because regardless of what was happening in my life, an album needed to be written." Hunkering down in New York City with her producer Steffen Wagner and her fiance, bassist Joseph Sam, she embarked on a 10-day writing spree.

The nine tunes emerging from this session represent a unique combination of R&B and funk, but the singer doesn't shy away from experimenting with pop and rock stylings. With her impressive yet restrainedly candid voice, laced with a combination of coolness and sensitivity that's near impossible to mimic, Gizelle communicates authenticity, a completely fraught concept and one absolutely central to her art. In many ways, Revealing is a testament to Gizelle's musical growth, personal freedom and maturity.

It also draws attention to her writing talents. When songwriters talk about life-altering experiences, they often do so in exaggerated tones. But Gizelle's songs don't come off overstated, they are grounded and relatable. Take the opener "Agony Road," an almost therapeutic exercise in dealing with the seven stages of grief. Or take "Better Remember (They're Controlling You)," which addresses social conditioning. "Three Tiny Seeds" is a testament to self love and spiritual growth, and "The Girl Who Cried Slow" serves as an inspirational hymn for personal fulfillment. "Over the years, I feel like my lyrics especially have become more meaningful and they are particularly important on this album," Gizelle says of her writing.

Viewed in the context of her evolving sound, Revealing is more of a logical continuation of Gizelle's music, not a radical departure from her background in soul and funk. For connoisseurs of Aretha Franklin or Lyn Collins, there's still plenty to love here, as long as you're allowing Gizelle to take you with her on her new path. "I have such a plethora of beautiful influences, I just want to channel and express myself in any musical way I want, across musical landscapes that I choose," she explains.
With Revealing, Gizelle Smith reveals herself. This is what freedom sounds like.

In their 6 years on air, Flip The Script Radio has become the industry standard, the go-to radio show where fans and industry heads alike flock to hear the next hip hop superstars before they blow up. Steeped in the rich history of the scene, FTSR's focus on real MCs, genuine turntablism and their 'do it for the culture' approach has garnished them praise from every corner of the hip hop universe. To celebrate their 6 Year Anniversary, Flip The Script Radio has joined forces with Good For You Records and one of the greatest MCs of all time for a very special, limited edition 7" release. We are beyond excited to present this work of art by a cultural icon, one of the best lyricists of all time, Grand Puba. This special edition vinyl release revisits one of Puba's most beloved classics "I Like It", reinvented with an 8 piece band, an acoustic version, featuring freshly re-spit verses by the rap legend himself, breathing new life into this crowd favourite.

Famed painter Jean Michel-Basquiat was one of the co-founders of the band Gray. This anthology features reissue of their previously limited self-release plus unreleased material, and remixes from: Todd Rundgren, Hank Shocklee, King Britt, Sal P (Liquid Liquid), Deantoni Parks, Tewz, Free The Robots, and The Gaslamp Killer, along with features from Amir Yaghmai and Kool Keith. 1979, Downtown New York, Gray was making industrial music with sound. Jean-Michel Basquiat played the guitar with a metal file, Michael Holman played masking tape and steel ball bearings, Justin Thyme abstracted the keys, as Nick Taylor played his guitar with historical restraint.

Gregory Porter's early works are finally made available on proper vinyl!

Blue Note Records and Universal Music Classics & Jazz have announced the signing of the phenomenal jazz and soul singer/songwriter Gregory Porter. Porter has been in the studio with his working band and producer Brian Bacchus recording his third album and major label debut, which will be released worldwide on Blue Note Records this September. In 2010 Porter released his debut album Water (Motéma Music), which earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. His sophomore album Be Good (Motéma Music) followed in 2012 and earned him his second GRAMMY nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance. The Huffington Post has declared Porter "the brilliant new voice of jazz," adding that he is also "heavily steeped in the passion, delivery and emotion of the best classic soul men."

Produced by Patchworks!

In 2020 Brooklyn's Holy Hive introduced us all to something we didn't know we needed. Homer Steinweiss' thickly pocketed drumming paired with Paul Spring's floaty falsetto vocal produces a sound that's like a salve. It's been dubbed Folk Soul and Holy Hive not only expertly overlay the more apparent musical aspects of folk and soul-but they also draw from the more profound: being able to pull traditions from the past and make them their own. When Homer wasn't playing drums for Lady Gaga or Adele or Bruno Mars, he'd produce Paul's solo folk records. Along with original bassist and frequent collaborator Joe Harrison, these sessions proved to be Holy Hive's foundation. And their fi rst record, Float Back to You, expertly combined what each musician does best: Paul's heady, reflective approach to folk with Homer's universal classic soul sound. With their new record released on Big Crown, Holy Hive's beautifully simple-and-sparse Folk Soul sound is back-but updated. With new influences and the challenge of creating and capturing music during a global pandemic, this new self-titled album, is more personal, more reflective. They describe three distinct phases when piecing together Holy Hive: this first stage was pre-pandemic in California while traveling as a group, then-like the rest of us-they were separated, creating together but apart, and lastly an explosion of output once they reunited in New York. There is a natural but subtle evolution for Holy Hive on this record. Homer and Paul drew from new and maybe more obscure-yet-honest influences. It's still very much Folk Soul-how could it not be. But, like all artists, they've taken in what they've made and how they've made it, only to push it into new places. We know of Holy Hive's ability to lyrically convey the abstract and complex in poetic and palatable ways. But where the first record was soulfully silver-tongued with chill songs about love and affection, Holy Hive widens the lens with these novel influences, reflecting the points both Homer and Paul are in their own lives. Featuring musical contributions from Mary Lattimore, Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), Anant Pradhan, Nick Movshon, Leon Michels (El Michels Affair), Shannon Wise (The Shacks), Dave Guy (The Roots), and Elliot Skinner.

Limited edition of 350 copies.

In 2020 Brooklyn's Holy Hive introduced us all to something we didn't know we needed. Homer Steinweiss' thickly pocketed drumming paired with Paul Spring's floaty falsetto vocal produces a sound that's like a salve. It's been dubbed Folk Soul and Holy Hive not only expertly overlay the more apparent musical aspects of folk and soul-but they also draw from the more profound: being able to pull traditions from the past and make them their own. When Homer wasn't playing drums for Lady Gaga or Adele or Bruno Mars, he'd produce Paul's solo folk records. Along with original bassist and frequent collaborator Joe Harrison, these sessions proved to be Holy Hive's foundation. And their fi rst record, Float Back to You, expertly combined what each musician does best: Paul's heady, reflective approach to folk with Homer's universal classic soul sound. With their new record released on Big Crown, Holy Hive's beautifully simple-and-sparse Folk Soul sound is back-but updated. With new influences and the challenge of creating and capturing music during a global pandemic, this new self-titled album, is more personal, more reflective. They describe three distinct phases when piecing together Holy Hive: this first stage was pre-pandemic in California while traveling as a group, then-like the rest of us-they were separated, creating together but apart, and lastly an explosion of output once they reunited in New York. There is a natural but subtle evolution for Holy Hive on this record. Homer and Paul drew from new and maybe more obscure-yet-honest influences. It's still very much Folk Soul-how could it not be. But, like all artists, they've taken in what they've made and how they've made it, only to push it into new places. We know of Holy Hive's ability to lyrically convey the abstract and complex in poetic and palatable ways. But where the first record was soulfully silver-tongued with chill songs about love and affection, Holy Hive widens the lens with these novel influences, reflecting the points both Homer and Paul are in their own lives. Featuring musical contributions from Mary Lattimore, Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), Anant Pradhan, Nick Movshon, Leon Michels (El Michels Affair), Shannon Wise (The Shacks), Dave Guy (The Roots), and Elliot Skinner.

In 2020 Brooklyn's Holy Hive introduced us all to something we didn't know we needed. Homer Steinweiss' thickly pocketed drumming paired with Paul Spring's floaty falsetto vocal produces a sound that's like a salve. It's been dubbed Folk Soul and Holy Hive not only expertly overlay the more apparent musical aspects of folk and soul-but they also draw from the more profound: being able to pull traditions from the past and make them their own. When Homer wasn't playing drums for Lady Gaga or Adele or Bruno Mars, he'd produce Paul's solo folk records. Along with original bassist and frequent collaborator Joe Harrison, these sessions proved to be Holy Hive's foundation. And their fi rst record, Float Back to You, expertly combined what each musician does best: Paul's heady, reflective approach to folk with Homer's universal classic soul sound. With their new record released on Big Crown, Holy Hive's beautifully simple-and-sparse Folk Soul sound is back-but updated. With new influences and the challenge of creating and capturing music during a global pandemic, this new self-titled album, is more personal, more reflective. They describe three distinct phases when piecing together Holy Hive: this first stage was pre-pandemic in California while traveling as a group, then-like the rest of us-they were separated, creating together but apart, and lastly an explosion of output once they reunited in New York. There is a natural but subtle evolution for Holy Hive on this record. Homer and Paul drew from new and maybe more obscure-yet-honest influences. It's still very much Folk Soul-how could it not be. But, like all artists, they've taken in what they've made and how they've made it, only to push it into new places. We know of Holy Hive's ability to lyrically convey the abstract and complex in poetic and palatable ways. But where the first record was soulfully silver-tongued with chill songs about love and affection, Holy Hive widens the lens with these novel influences, reflecting the points both Homer and Paul are in their own lives. Featuring musical contributions from Mary Lattimore, Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), Anant Pradhan, Nick Movshon, Leon Michels (El Michels Affair), Shannon Wise (The Shacks), Dave Guy (The Roots), and Elliot Skinner.

The release comes on 180g. After a twenty-year search for the man behind the cult 70s jazz-funk group Opa, Far Out are honoured to present Barrio Opa: a new work from Fattoruso and his team of world-class musicians, including the sensational Candombe drumming ofthe renowned Silva Brothers. Recorded at Sondor Studios, Montevideo, the album is the natural development of the original Opa sound, fusing Afro-Uruguayan rhythms, jazz harmony and heavy funk attitude, under Hugo's unique musical vision.

Somewhere along the way, I got the idea that Richard Youngs's `Sapphie' was all about a dead dog. I don't know if someone insinuated this idea in front of me or if I psychologically tethered the title to the tenderly printed dog paw on its cover. Either way, I've gone over a decade thinking this remarkable, windswept album of torch songs was about a dearly departed pet. And yet, as we approached a reissue of this Jagjaguwar classic and a new, reimagined version by artists Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Moses Sumney, Sharon Van Etten, and Perfume Genius, Richard Youngs was straightforward and unsentimental about its meanings. "The lyrics are not about anything in particular," Youngs wrote. The paw prints on the cover are, in fact, that of a friend's dog ("The first dog I ever loved," Richard said.), but there is no devastating loss at its center. And so, I want to tell Richard how this album has become a centering album for a great many of us, a transcendent and meditative piece of art. "What does `the mindfulness drill' have to do with it?" Richard asks dryly me in a note. It's about being relentlessly present, Richard. It's how when we listen to your album, we feel like a lonely traveler in a foreign country. How everything has a newness to it and there's no one to share it with but the you inside of you. And that fine, fine line is where `Sapphie' lives, Richard. Thank you for this, Richard.

NBN Archives’ second reissue is the debut - and sole - LP of Bay Area group – i.f.A aka International Family Affair. A lethal fusion of G-Funk and R&B, this self-titled album was first released on Rollin Record Enterprises in 1997. After having dropped their first single on Capitol in 1996 and being shelved right after, band-leader Derrick Shaw had the plan to start over his i.f.A project independantly. With roots in and around Oakland, East Palo Alto and Stockton, it was only a matter of time before these musical minds would meet to form their own “Family Affair.” Derrick Shaw aka D-shoot was a vocalist and musician with a well-known band called Kashmir before he met the self-dubbed Godfather. After an introduction on the basket-ball court, the two became friends and immediately went to work flushing out many of D.’s musical concepts. In stepped Bias, a rapper born into the game. His versatile rap styles blended perfectly with i.f.A.’s old school Funk and R&B vibe. SOS, a rapper from the streets of Oakland with a unique cadence, added his “gangsta rap” and “rough edge” background which compliments the style of i.f.A. Produced by D-Shoot and Ivan Johnson this LP is loaded with rapping and singing backed with smoothed-out instrumentals that gives off that "laid-back/bumping" vibe with that "something for the ladies". “It’s so different you can’t help but like it. We will appeal to a wider fan base because we’re not trying to sound like every other act coming out.” - D-Shoot.

Limited to 500 Copies!

20 years HHV: our team has selected an album from each of these years that is particularly relevant and precious to us. On a monthly basis we release exclusive and limited pressings of these records in collaboration with some of our favorite labels.

Originally released in 2011 with a limited pressing and repressed once a few years later in 2016. “Right now in cities across the globe, there are plenty of great Afrobeat revivalist bands aping the sound and groove of Fela Kuti’s legendary sound. Yet, surprisingly few of the new groups have strayed from an orthodox interpretation of the genre or done much real innovation. ..Ikebe Shakedown is here to change that. The band takes signature Afrobeat elements—big unison horns, slinky bass lines, tight little guitar licks—and blends them with tasty grooves culled from '70s-style horn-driven funk”. -Marlon Bishop, Wnyc

Ikebe Shakedown, the self-titled album and Ubiquity Records debut from the Brooklyn-based band, plays with elements of Cinematic Soul, Afro-funk, Deep Disco, and Boogaloo in all the right ways. Pushing their globally-informed sound and eclectic approach to tune-writing into new territory, “Self-titling the album is a way to introduce the audience to the many facets of the band -- to provide a more complete understanding of what we do,” bassist Vince Chiarito says. “Our sound has grown to incorporate our influences without overtly representing any one in particular. It just sounds like us," he adds.

/ The Jive Turkeys Remix

Debut 45 from the San Diego’s In Motion Collective. Heavy, danceable Afro-beat in the same vein with groups like Ikebe Shakedown, Budos Band, and Antibalas. Tip!

We are confident that she is the soul queen of a new generation! Berlin-based singer "J.Lamotta Suzume" went through blues, jazz, hip-hop, soul, self-produced beat making to her latest RnB feel. These 2 songs had been exclusively included as bonus tracks in Japanese edition of her 2nd album [Suzume] and now P-vine presents these as a 7 inch EP for the first time!

Best DJ in the world J Rocc gives you six bootleg bangers of electro ecstasy as Flaunt Edwards channeling legendary party people like Ron Hardy, Larry Levan, DJ Harvey, and Kraftwerk.

Jimi Tenor going back to riff-based territory on this 7" collaboration with DJ Sotofett. A-side's Kontula Mix leans heavily on a robotic guitar riff, strong punching drums, layered psychedelic vocals, energetic drama and feeding drop outs. Wania Mix on the B-side inverts electronic with organic drums, red-threading the bassline and accompanying keyboards with electrifying breaks and solid state dubs! Heavy duty upfront cosmic funk!

Kicking off the new year with international appeal, Amsterdam-based Wicked Wax enlist Jonny Tobin for their tenth release. The Canadian keyboardist and songwriter has a knack for crafting his skill to cater to a wide variety of different styles, which are more than apparent on ‘Weekends’. Tobin tells a soulful story, weaving together modern-funk and neo-soul with jazzy synth leads, layered chord progressions and groove-oriented beats.

Synth heavy solos, basslines and larger-than-life chords characterize the entire project. With four- on-the-floor cuts like ‘Praise’ and ‘Cosmic Ocean’ and the gospel-inspired b-side (referencing the Holy day of the weekend), the record encapsulates the mind of the Canadian producer and shows his wide inspirations. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the EP can easily be described as “a lush soundtrack to a sun-drenched weekend”. Jonny Tobin is part of an up and coming wave of new artists within the modern funk and soul spectrum. The ‘Weekends’ EP sees him collaborating with artists from the same pool he’s in, such as Makadi, Guerschon Auguste, Janelle Reid and more. Together then collaborators are pushing their sound forward. something Wicked Wax is also keen on. Additionally, Tobin got some help from Astrological, one half of Potatohead People. He guided Tobin and helped co-produce the EP, with great success as you’ll surely hear.