Jazz | Fusion Vinyl 12 Inch 164 Items

Record Store Day 2021 Release. The ethos behind the Major Keys label is take that originally accomplished Album masterpice and give said slice of jazz brilliance its own side of a vinyl…so following the well recived maiden release of Herbie Hancock's Chameleon/Watermelon Man, what better way than to follow up with THE king 'Trane' himself, and his seminal cut "Naima" backed with My Favourite things. Exclusively on 180g for RSD.

The long-awaited new release from Toshio Matsuura's Toshio Matsuura Group is 'Pina', a previously unreleased song recorded in London during the production of the album 'Loveplaydance', which was released worldwide in 2018.

Originally released on Metro Area as a single in 1999, the album was released in 2002 and was a smash hit for them.

The album was completed in Tokyo after a post-production/mixing process, with the up-and-coming members of the band coming together at the call of their leader, Toshio Matsuura, to perform, and with the reliable direction of the originator, Matsuura, to create a new form of jazz that combines the old and new scenes.

The B-side is a remix by Nikitch & Kuna Maze, a jazz house duo from France who is currently working in Belgium.

The city of Rome once again confirms the excessive abundance of records produced for the music industry, television and, even, shopping malls. The mistery that surrounds the musicians involved in these sessions makes the journey even more interesting and tense. “Was really that drummer involved in that record?” - “I don’t know” or, of course, “I don’t remember…”. Certainly, a new distinctive brick has now been added to the Italian Jazz-Fusion heritage.

Legendary spiritual jazz from Nimbus West Records "The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra" will release a new track as 12"ep!! More than 15 musicians are participating in the ep such as Carlos Nino from Build An Ark and Jamel Dean, a genius pianist who also played in Kamasi Washington's album. Japanese OBI strip is attached.

Part two of a two part set. Two years after Africa Oscura, considered by many to be the “dark side” of Sorgini’s masterpiece ‘Zoo Folle’ and partly recorded during the same session in 1974, Four Flies has decided to celebrate the album's modernity with a double 12” featuring 7 reworks by six of Italy’s most visionary DJs/producers. The original tracks have been reworked with different approaches, sometimes into full reinterpretations, and with demanding dance floors in mind. The result is a stunning collection of electronic reworks that preserve the spirit of the original versions while projecting them into the future.

Part one of a two part set. Two years after Africa Oscura, considered by many to be the “dark side” of Sorgini’s masterpiece ‘Zoo Folle’ and partly recorded during the same session in 1974, Four Flies has decided to celebrate the album's modernity with a double 12” featuring 7 reworks by six of Italy’s most visionary DJs/producers. The original tracks have been reworked with different approaches, sometimes into full reinterpretations, and with demanding dance floors in mind. The result is a stunning collection of electronic reworks that preserve the spirit of the original versions while projecting them into the future.

The 12" EP A Momentary Convergence of Differently Paced Trajectories is a heterogenous dj-oriented release, prelude and companion of Maurizio Ravalico's first solo percussion album Nobody's Husband, Nobody's Dad, released in November 2018 with the Funkiwala label. It comes in 180gms vinyl on a hand-numbered run of 300 individually screen-printed 320gsm brown card sleeves.
THE Music
Side A opens with a full-size batucada version of Fear of Mapping, one of the tracks from No Fiction Now!, the 2013 debut album of Maurizio's trio Fiium Shaarrk.
It is followed by a personal take on one of Collocutor's second album tracks, Here to There to Everywhere, arranged here as a spacey 5/4 drum'n'bass epic.

Side B contains an old-school jungle remix of Just Bring Your Toys, one of the tracks from Maurizio's forthcoming album, by the Italian d'n'b veteran Enjoy (Omni Music, Bustle Beats). The EP closes with an edited version of the same track: a taste of the album.

Despite being both loosely presented as remixes, neither of the two arrangements on side A makes use of samples from the respective releases, and any material not progammed or played anew by Maurizio comes from either unreleased off-cuts or preliminary demos.

"One of the finest avant-garde percussionists in the world. Maurizio Ravalico is incredible to watch and hear. Catch him live somewhere soon!"- Jean-Claude Thompson, IfMusic.co.uk
"Creative, deep and intriguing. Percussion avantgarde at its best." - Vince Vella, Dj, producer, Havana Cultura
Italian-born visionary cross-genres percussionist Maurizio Ravalico has been one notably eclectic presence in the London music scene since his arrival in the UK, in 1991.
Regularily seen on stage and on releases with the like of Jamiroquai and the James Taylor Quartet throughout the nineties, as well as with virtually every salsa and Cuban-oriented projects to originate from London in the same period, he has subsequently collaborated on many of the projects of the experimental music label Not applicable (Icarus, Isambard Khroustaliov, Alex Bonney, Tom Arthurs) since 2005, and is now an established name in both the London and Berlin improv and experimental scene, having played with John Edwards, Oren Marshall, Steve Beresford, Pat Thomas, Frank Paul Schubert and many others.
Maurizio Ravalico's peculiar approach to percussion is one of the distinctive traits of Tamar Osborn's modal jazz 5-piece band Collocutor (On the Corner records) and of the pan-European trio Fiium Shaarrk (on Bbc3 Late Junction's 12 Best Albums of 2017). Maurizio Ravalico also collaborates with the string quartet Phaedra Ensemble, the composer Fred Thomas and the French contemporary dance company Silenda.

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...

Hailing from Brussels, Bandler Ching is a creation of musical ideas from composer and saxophonist Ambroos De Schepper. Flawlessly blending contemporary jazz, electronics, hip-hop, noise and global beats, the sound is based around the freedom of expression and improvisation and performed with dazzling conviction.

"This intense Parisian drum-and-keys duo fuses the sound of melancholy ‘70s library music with hip-hop rhythms and a heavy dose of psychedelia. Émile Sornin (Forever Pavot) and Cédric Laban (Forever Pavot, Isaac Delusion) made a name for themselves on the French indie pop scene, earning tens of thousands of fans. For them, La Récré is a place where they can explore raw grooves and play with roaring delays and heavily reverbed keys." - Bandcamp Daily

Time Lapse is the debut EP from Monzanto Sound, scheduled for release on September 4th 2020 on None More Records. Across the 5 tracks, the four piece journey through krautrock inflected funk, psychedelic trip hop and cosmic neo-soul. This release follows on from their Moses Boyd produced track 'Open Flower' being included on Rhythm Section's 'Shouts' compilation celebrating 5 years of Rhythm Section, which dropped in April.

Record Store Day 2020 Release.

Record Store Day exclusive Otherland expands on the themes of South Asian identity explored on Sarathy Korwar’s politically-charged and critically-lauded album More Arriving. "Otherland can be seen as a close blood relative to More Arriving,” Korwar explains. “The songs Juggernaut and Birthright were born during the writing for the album, and in my mind are a continuation of that record. Both songs play on themes of identity, ‘othering’ and borders.

Tushar Menon’s artwork draws attention to the bureaucracy and tedium that is every immigrant’s reality. Filling out a hundred forms to prove you belong. "Once again, the words of the South Asian diaspora are key, with Kushal Gaya (Melt Yourself Down), Mirande and Mumbai hip-hop collective Swadesi all lending their voices to Otherland. Birthright features another brilliant, cutting turn from London-based poet Zia Ahmed, whose dark, provocative sense of humour shone through on album tracks Bol and Mango, and has been a focal point for Korwar’s recent live shows.

One-off pressing 12” single released in conjunction with Soul Jazz Records new Kaleidoscope album on the new UK renaissance of jazz. Featured on this single is Theon Cross’s superb Candace of Meroe plus Pokus’s heavy leftfield cut Pokus One. Neither of these tracks are on the vinyl version of the Kaleidoscope album and this 12” single is a one-off special pressing.

Young Berlin/Potsdam-based nine-piece WANUBALÉ follow up their debut album "Phosphenes" with two brandnew songs on this 12".

Music From Memory are happy to finally announce MFM045 - VA ‘Music For Theatre And Dance’ (EP).
This will be the first in a small series of EPs which will focus on music which was initially created for or inspired by dance and performance. Created as a dialogue with the avant-garde and highly experimental work in dance, theatre and art evolving at the time, the music was in turn at times greatly innovative.

That it was created for a dance or performance though means that such music was also often highly rhythmic and a number of pieces from this time stand out and seem greatly deserving of a new context.

Whether it’s more ambient or atmospheric works or whether it’s in the more rhythmic or percussive pieces, Music From Memory brings together a selection of tracks which aim to highlight this highly innovative direction in music.

Parisian label Chuwanaga curated by Clémentine & Saint-James is back in the production game with fresh music from Ishkero, maybe the hottest Jazz-Fusion band of the capital city. Going from Jazz-Funk to Afrobeat through Prog and Psychedelic influences, Brume infuses together killer grooves, irresistible melodies and excellent musicianship. The 12inch, coming with its beautiful illustration, reveals a uniformly good yet diverse musical journey.
Behind Ishkero, you’ll find five young and gifted musicians with strong jazz knowledge: Tao Ehrlich (drums), Adrien « Dridri » Duterte (flute & percussion), Antoine Vidal (bass), Victor Gasq (guitar) and Arnaud Forestier (keys). With its strong evocation power fuelled by their youthful energy and creativity, Ishkero’s music is a one-of-a-kind variation on the Jazz genre. Fusion at its best potential! Expect intense rhythmic sections, virtuoso solos, lush FX sections and robust arrangements. Used to play a lot live, the musicians developed a vigorous connection that really shines on stage and during studio sessions.
Collectively with Saint-James as their co-producer, they recorded Brume in summer 2019 at Studio Delta (Paris) with sound engineer David Cukier aka Greita (Disques Flegon). The first track, "Triple B", is an ode to 70’s jazz-funk carried by Jeff Mercadié’s Sax performance. "Tonik Gin"’s mighty jazz-rock groove which comes afterwards brings the genre to its emotional climax. B side starts with the main track "Brume", bringing together long-tailed reverberated guitars and Mizell-like piano chords for a very warm and hazy effect. As the last track, "Gare De l’Ouest" is a nice jazz variation on the Afrobeat genre, again with Jeff Mercadié on Saxophone.

21-year-old New Zealand musician Arjuna Oakes's debut EP, The Watcher, is a showcase of his ability as a singer-songwriter, instrumentalist and producer, and a testament to his depth of engagement with music.
The first two tracks on the EP fit neatly within the jazz-infused soul music landscape he is quickly becoming part of, but the latter half of the EP is far harder to categorise. Featuring instrumentation from some of New Zealand’s most exciting young jazz musicians, The Watcher explores a wide variety of themes and musical ideas, with Arjuna’s charismatic soul vocals and robust sonic palette serving as a connective thread. From big social issues to personal relationships and internal self-discoveries, across The Watcher, Arjuna takes his cue from the title track and exploration of mass surveillance, and it’s relevance within our everyday lives.
This watcher theme continues throughout the rest of the EP, with the stories told rendered as if being observed by an outside force. Decorated by cinematic soundscapes, hypnotic grooves, creative improvisation and catchy melodies, Arjuna's debut is a test palette for his future projects, one that makes his enthusiasm to develop and explore themes and style in song abundantly clear.

Coloured Vinyl repress!

Put on your ravin’ shoes, Maruwa navigates a wild ride through dreamy trance, broken-beats, breezy edits, traversing through big room bangers for heady nights in the club.

Over the years, Claremont 56 has played host to some memorable collaborative
projects, most notably Bison, an unlikely super-group whose members included
Holgar Czukay, Ursula Kloss, Liquid Liquid’s Sal Principato, Ben Smith and label
boss Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy. Now Murphy is at the helm of another collaborative
outfit, Hillside, whose seductive debut single contains two deliciously pie eyed
instrumental workouts.
Hillside is very much a family affair, with Murphy joining forces with two old
friends: bassist/guitarist Alex Searle and percussionist Patrick Dawes. The trio
has a collaborative history that stretches right back to Murphy’s time in Akwaaba
in the mid nineties. For their debut outing, Hillside has also welcomed a very
special guest musician: award-winning jazz violinist and long-time Bert Jasch
collaborator Mike Piggott.
As opening gambits go, “Hidden Port” is an emphatic statement of intent. The
audio equivalent of sailing slowly around a cluster of sun-baked islands in
search of shelter from an approaching storm, the track sees Searle wrap bluesy,
Peter Green style guitar passages around a shuffling, Latin-tinged groove rich
in Dawes’ distinctive percussion patterns and Murphy’s languid electric piano
and synthesizer lines. As the track progresses, Piggott steps up to make his
mark, with his undulating electric violin lines complimenting Hillside’s impeccable
instrumentation while adding extra emotional weight to proceedings. It’s a
stunning beginning to the Hillside story.
Piggott also makes a big impression on accompanying cut “The King’s Tun”,
delivering fluid and energy-packed solos that weave in and out of a bright
and breezy instrumental track rich in jangling acoustic guitars, subtly spacey
electronics, fireside-warm bass and more sparse-but-intricate percussion
courtesy of the effervescent Dawes. Searle’s eyes-closed, rock style guitar solos
cap another memorable excursion from Claremont 56’s latest in-house band.

Created in Brussels in 2015, Azmari is a twisting musical journey that fuses psychfunk, afrobeat, ethiojazz and dub. Azmari draw on influences including Temiz, Herbie Hancock, Cymande, The Heliocentrics, Fela Kuti, John Berberian, The Soul Jazz Orchestra and much more.

291out ensemble return on Fly By Night with another well orchestrated project by Riccio.
The latest release on FBNM, 291out - Habbanera is thematically inspired by the 1982 Italian film score, "No Grazie il Caffè Mi Rende Nervoso" "No Thanks, Coffee Makes Me Nervous".
It was originally composed by James Senese and directed by Lodovico Gasparini, "Habbanera" has only previously been released on Senese's self titled LP in 1983.
This four tracker includes two new versions of the main title theme "Habbanera" and two remixes by the two Italian pioneers of house music and the balearic sound; Leo Mas and Fabrice.
291out "Original Version" is a cover of the main score theme, which also features on Senese's 1983 LP; the "Alternate Version" is also taken from the movie, but from a different scene, which has the same melody of the opening theme but with a different rhythm, never having been released before and completely reassembled by 291out.
Leo Mas & Fabrice provide two different cuts, one pitched-down boogie slow jam and one 4/4 dance-floor banger.

"All I had to give the trio in the rehearsals for this was the sketch of rhythm and harmony from the original and a small piece of guidance for the form" - Myele Recorded live at Blue Beat in Sydney, Australia in 2013

Limited edition for Schwarzer Freitag Record Store Day 2018! Only 1 per customer!

Another friday dedicated to the black gold!

Major Keys is a brand-new audiophile label focusing on fully licensed reissues of jazz classics, pressed on 12” for a fuller, louder version compared to the original album cut. What better way to kick of the series than housing Herbie Hancock’s imitable ‘Chameleon’ and ‘Watermelon Man’, loud and proud on either side of a 12” - remastered and cut by the engineer of the original Head Hunters LP from 1973.

Limited to 300 copies.

The obscure early 70s combo formed by Alessandro Alessandroni, Giuliano Sorgini and Giulia De Mutiis is finally back to the light with this amazing 12'' EP with all their works, including an unreleased gem buried in the archives until today and recorded in the same session of the legendary "Telegraph is Calling" and "My Shade".

Limited to 300 copies.

The obscure early 70s combo formed by Alessandro Alessandroni, Giuliano Sorgini and Giulia De Mutiis is finally back to the light with this amazing 12'' EP with all their works, including an unreleased gem buried in the archives until today and recorded in the same session of the legendary "Telegraph is Calling" and "My Shade".

Betino's Records proudly presents its third release: an EP by the very sharp collective The Big Hustle. The band founded in 2014 by bass player and composer Sébastien Levanneur, brings together 70's old school funk with the hippest actual sound with influences spanning from Steely Dan to Snarky Puppy, from Mandrill to Lettuce and from Herbie Hancock (Manchild era) to Soulive. With mighty horn players, a rock and funky rhythm section, and percussions added to it, The Big Hustle’s music has a very large variety of sound landscapes. Still, the music never loses the groove and always stays close to the funk.
The A side opens with "Afrorever", a tribute to African culture and music. The guest of honor on this song is legendary Malian musician Cheick Tidiane Seck, longtime partner of Salif Keita, and collaborator of Joe Zawinul, Carlos Santana and Damon Albarn to name a few. After Cheick’s introduction, the songs jumps into a typical afrobeat vibe featuring a tight and powerful horn section, suddenly breaks into an electro funk groove and ends in a furious percussive party.
Second track on the A side is "Faure is the Magic Number". It is dedicated to Thomas Faure (co-composer of the track) and François Faure (both featured on this song on tenor sax and keyboards respectively). This piece displays the band’s ability to blend jazz-funk groove with a heavy hip-hop beat. Kind of DJ Premier meets Steely Dan.
The B side starts with "Afrorever (Sun's Up Mix)". Through this mix, one can acknowledge instantly Olivier Portal's touch. From the very first chords, he conveys us into his realm blending warm and melancholy keyboards with an old school deep-house rhythm pattern.
The fourth track is called “1, 2, 1, 2”. It is a purely improvised moment in the studio while the band was sound checking before recording with special guest rapper Raashan Ahmad. Nicolas Gueguen had the good idea to press the R button and what you hear is basically what happened afterwards.
Enjoy!

/ space age

Limited edition for Record Store Day 2017!

Trumpeter/ Composer Sefi Zisling incorporates Afro-Jazz with Psychedelic Funk in this new solo project. Sefi is known as the top trumpeter of Tel Aviv's Jazz & Funk scene. While still attending high school, Sefi performed with various funk and groove acts, laying the foundations for many more musical encounters and fruitful collaborations with other members of the ever-growing Tel Aviv music scene. Sefi performed with bands such as The Ramirez Brothers, Kutiman Orchestra, Funknstein, Gili Yalo, and many more. Today, after fifteen years of recording and performing all over the world alongside almost everyone within the Israeli music scene, Sefi is taking a step forward to release his debut solo album.
'Beyond The Things I Know' has been supported and broadcasted by Giles Peterson on his BBC Radio 6 Music Show, by Toshio Matsuraa on Tokyo Moon Radio and many other radio shows around the world. This is another release from 'Time Grove Selections', the unique series under the Raw Tapes Records umbrella, in which top local musicians are hand-picked to produce solo albums. The album itself is a result of a brief encounter that led to a close friendship between Sefi Zisling and multi-instrumentalist/producer, Rejoicer. The music was created in a three-day studio encounter and ranges from Afro-Jazz to spaced-out beats with influences of Spiritual Jazz, African music and Psychedelic Funk, all led by the trumpet. Inspirational album from the realm of incredibly good music.

Limited edition for Black Friday RSD 2016!

The Q4 is a Dutch production trio consisting of sampling specialists Sense, Arts the Beatdoctor and STW. Although their collage of sounds covers bits of many genres, it is generally perceived as hip-hop or trip-hop. Numerous of obscure records are worked into every song with the greatest of care, often accompanied by live instrumentation or scratches giving their music an organic feel.

The Q4’s name refers to the quadraphonic sound systems that where used in the seventies, as one of the earlier forms of surround sound installations. Hence the title: Sound Surroundings for their critically acclaimed debut that was released on the 22nd of January 2010 through Project: Mooncircle. Aside from instrumental songs the album also features a number of guest vocalists, ranging from rappers to flamenco and blues singers.

Their upcoming release Darker Days however will be fully instrumental and features four original new tracks and two remixes. The 12 Inch comes with a promotional cassette (yes, a cassette!) on which another new TheQ4 song can be found, as well as an introduction to Shahmen, one of Sense’s solo projects which will be released in April/September through Project: Mooncircle.

The Q4 is a Dutch production trio consisting of sampling specialists Sense, Arts the Beatdoctor and STW. Although their collage of sounds covers bits of many genres, it is generally perceived as hip-hop or trip-hop. Numerous of obscure records are worked into every song with the greatest of care, often accompanied by live instrumentation or scratches giving their music an organic feel.

The Q4’s name refers to the quadraphonic sound systems that where used in the seventies, as one of the earlier forms of surround sound installations. Hence the title: Sound Surroundings for their critically acclaimed debut that was released on the 22nd of January 2010 through Project: Mooncircle. Aside from instrumental songs the album also features a number of guest vocalists, ranging from rappers to flamenco and blues singers.

Their upcoming release Darker Days however will be fully instrumental and features four original new tracks and two remixes. The 12 Inch comes with a promotional cassette (yes, a cassette!) on which another new TheQ4 song can be found, as well as an introduction to Shahmen, one of Sense’s solo projects which will be released in April/September through Project: Mooncircle.

/ breezin

Paddan's Sigtryggur Baldursson and Birgir Mogensen are lifelong friends from Kópavogur, Iceland, who started as mates on the local football team, then graduated to making music together as teenagers, and even later as young men doing time in the experimental punk collective Kukl, from 1983 - 1986.

Kukl was populated by survivors of the post-punk scene in Iceland in the early 80s, which is well documented in the film Rock in Reykjavik from 1982. The band was released by the Crass collective in London and featured members, apart from Birgir and Sigtryggur, like Guðlaugur Óttarsson, Einar Melax, Björk and Einar Örn, some of whom would become better known later in outfits like the Sugarcubes and their respective solo work and other collaborations.

Sigtryggur has a long career in music, having worked with among others, Emiliana Torrini, Howie B, Les Negresses Vertes, Tomas R. Einarsson, Petur Ben, KK, Kaktus Einarsson, and many many others. He also produces an award-winning documentary music show for RUV called Hljómskálinn.

Birgir Mogensen is a classically trained classical guitarist and bass player who has worked through the years with artists ranging from Kukl to Killing Joke to Spilafifl and Inferno5.

Birgir and Sigtryggur formed Paddan during the 2010s, and are now preparing to release their EP Fluid Time, which has been inspired by their perception of time and space. Birgir Mogensen says, "As a duo, we trusted our musical intuition and were guided by allowing the first idea to remain unchanged during the recording process"Recorded, produced, and arranged by the pair, Sigtryggur and Birgir play basses and drums along with various other instruments.

All recordings are played on live instruments except a modular synth which is

programmed in the background of two tracks The duo is joined by the great harmonica and lap steel player Gaukur Davidsson on "Vaguely" and "Bug," and trumpet player Eirikur Orri Ólafsson on "Splash," not to mention the mixing expertise of Vaccines bassist Arni Hjörvar Árnason on "Bug," "Splash," and "Kokka," and sound-mixer Albert Finnbogason on "Vaguely."

Very dope.

With this EP an attempt is made at documenting the vibrant action happening during the late 1970s and early 1980s in the Pioneer Valley area of Western Massachusetts, US. The story is richer than the snapshot we present here, and a more detailed account is to be found in the accompanying book that can be purchased separately.

The Five Colleges in Hampshire County congregated a vast student population that inevitably interacted with the towns in the area. Bars, music and record stores, live music and a lot of experimentation and free thinking. Hampshire College, especially, promoted new approaches to teaching, subjects that might be considered radical by some even today, although a more favourable context would now surely exist for openly debating such topics as American Indians, Kayak Design, Black Oral Tradition, Food Management, etc. And the music? The immediate "punk effect" motivated the creation of numerous bands, many short lived, others evolving into New Wave / Power Pop territory, eventually crossing into Post-Punk experimentation. What is captured in "Noho EP" is a more electronic disposition, favoured by the existence of EMS gear and other equipment at Hampshire College and University of Massachusetts. We chose to focus on a group of musicians who, for a time, played together in different combinations under the loose umbrella of the Tekno Tunes label and the structure around it.

These musicians come from very different backgrounds and the nucleus portrayed here consisted of Christopher Vine, Elliott Sharp, James Whittemore and Nicholas Brown.

Of the several line-up changes The Scientific Americans went through, it was actually only the duo of Chris Vine and Jim Whittemore who recorded "Among Bodge Watt". Never before released, it is a companion piece to their track "El Salvador" available on the 1981 Roir tape-album "Load & Go!". The Sci Ams were founders of the Tekno Tunes label and also created the Tekno Tours "concert promotion agency", under which name they exposed local audiences to bands such as The Stranglers, The Slits, Pylon, Pere Ubu, The Psychedelic Furs, The Bush Tetras, Steel Pulse, etc. Their own sound kept progressing but at its best there's a solid dub undercurrent, pretty obvious in "Among Bodge Watt".

Human Error was born out of a collective jam by Chris Vine, Elliott Sharp, Jim Whittemore and Nick Brown. Elliott Sharp had moved to Northampton in August of 1978 and naturally became involved in the local music scene, hooking up first with Whittemore at a hi-fi audio store where he worked at the time. Basement jams followed stimulating conversations, and other musicians joined the sessions. "Clandestinator" sounds gorgeously loose, an effortless groove coming from a quasi-dub set-up. Nothing here seems calculated, the music just flows, contagious and irregular as the handclaps in the mix.

The Higher Primates later evolved into a "proper" band but started as Nick Brown's solo project. The Primates only ever released a (now sought-after) 7" single in 1980 (on the Tekno Tunes label, precisely). Both tracks on "Noho EP" were recorded the following year and never released until now. "Auto Music in the Disco Dub Style" is self-explanatory, with a steady, mid-tempo Tr808 beat running through, supporting synth squelches, echoes and reverbs, a fat bassline, dissonant melodic lines and odd vocal snippets. Kind of a DJ tool when the concept was barely in place. The more uptempo "Teresa Variations" adds a Fender Jazz bass and Selmer sax to the electronics. It actually sounds more "Disco", even with the robotic, unintelligible vocals. On top of this, the vibe is sealed by the overall Radiophonic Workshop analogue strangeness applied to a dance beat.

Dash is the band's First EP, recorded at Studio Pigalle in Paris. Funk, house, rap, disco, their tunes mix many genres to have you dance.

Fragments, one of the stand-out tracks mixing drum&bass, jazz and French rap was inspired by the death of Naël and the riots in France in July 2023.

The songs from this first EP were composed during a club residency at Les Disquaires in Paris on Thursday nights in Spring 2023.

Mixing organic house music, jazz and funk, these soulful tunes are enlightened by the powerful voice of Galawesh Héril.

Early Life Forms is a new quartet fronted by Belgian guitarist and sound wizard Vitja Pauwels, and on the 26th January, they are set to release their self-titled debut album via W.E.R.F. Records; a stunning, one-off live show recorded with American guitarist Marc Ribot (Robert Plant, Tom Waits, Wilson Pickett, Marianne Faithfull, The Black Keys, John Zorn).

Having already earned his spurs as a sideman with artists including Naïma Joris, Bombataz and Lara Rosseel, rising Belgian star Pauwels released his debut album 'Day at Half Speed' in 2019, which explored the possibilities of acoustic guitar and live electronics. This experiment became a new artistic path for Pauwels and showcased his musical versatility, with second album 'Drift By, Sink In', released to critical acclaim in 2022.

The same year, Pauwels was invited as special guest by the Brand! Festival, Mechelen, to showcase new material and he came up with the idea of putting together his 'dream' live band which included his hero Marc Ribot, one of world's most accomplished and acclaimed guitar players. Reaching out to him via videos and early demos for this new recording project, Ribot liked what he heard and agreed to perform with Pauwels and his new project Early Life Forms in what would be the band's first ever live show.

Joined by Frederik Leroux (baritone guitar), Laurens Dierickx (Hammond organ) and Casper Van De Velde (drums), during the lead up to the festival, Pauwels wrote a number of songs he felt would work for the live show, with the only agreement being that there would be no rehearsals ahead of the performance, only a brief soundcheck beforehand with Ribot. The music was stripped down to its essentials - compelling melodies, themes, and clear forms but with the possibility to change direction at any given moment. "The music was played and heard for the first time, and it felt like a birth of something that needed to be alive. We felt connected in the right state of mind - relaxed and focused - and it all happened in a rush of shared energy. No ego's or fear, only connection and the music", states Pauwels.

Drawing on latin, jazz, cuban, and rock with a touch of exoticism and cinematic explorations, 'Early Life Forms' cites Ry Cooder, Henry Mancini, Los Lobos, Ennio Morricone and of course Ribot, as heavy influences. There is something existential, primary, something epic and at the same time youthfully uncomplicated, which is strongly associated with the music. From the mischievous and imaginative 'My Little Renaissance' to the adventurous and hypnotic 'Latin Dancer', 'Early Life Forms' is overflowing with sharp twists and turns, with Ribot's heavily rhythmic, distorted guitar amplifying the cinematic feel to the sound. The on-stage relationship between each member of the band and Ribot is childishly uncomplicated, something primary but always epic. The music is left to the moment and the magic of their first encounter with their hero Ribot. "Marc's commitment in the music was better than I could have hoped for. What he played was with 200% intention, putting the rest of us in a state of hyperfocus. Given the fact that it was a one-time thing and a recording, we took risks without 'overplaying' or overthinking it. Right before the gig, we felt an urge to play, Marc said, "Let's rock!!" and we hit the stage", says Pauwels.

Official reissue of Dortmund's self-released single from 1981. For those in the know a sought-after gem, for everybody else the single you didn't know you need in your life! Comes in picture sleeve with the original artwork. Limited edition. 'Titanic' - quite self-explanatory - is about the queen of the ocean and her sinking as a ship believed as unsinkable. Starting off with its morse code-like sounds it evolves into a heavy grooving mélange of alternative rock, funk, new wave and synth pop. The B-Side 'The Deep' explores depths you didn't know about. This instrumental jazz boogie funk fusion piece takes you on a five minute journey that will be your life-saver on any day. In the early 1980s the scene of the Ruhr area was alive and kicking but still under the radar. Musicians played in different bands and projects of various styles. Three guys gathered simply under their city name "Dortmund" and did their own thing which led to this conceptual single - their only release.

Before that Elmar Krohn (keyboards) and Thomas Meyer (vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards) were part of the "Mardi Gras Band", a funk and soul band with a great reputation for their live shows. They were also involved in writing 'Blame It On The Boogie' which got performed by "The Jacksons" in 1978 but that is another story. On the drums they were joined by Siegfried Hermes who also played in the band "Die Salinos".

After an extended disco nap your friends at rong music have awoken from our slumber and just in time to celebrate our 20th year of doing this rong thing. How will we celebrate? The only ways we know how. Put out a bunch of new music, unearth some weirdo classics, and DANCE & PARTY.
For our first new single to be released in celebration of our 20th anniversary, we bring you some bangers for the club, rave, your ride, warehouse, the playa, or home disco. The title track, Love’s the Meditation is a classy piece of melodic acid funk (?@$!wtf) whatever that means, with an epic extended mix by our fearless leader DJ Spun... We could hear some of our favorite new techno DJ’s playing Spun’s mix of SSM and Do You Feel the Love and 303 & me have a classic acid HOUSE vibe that is our type of thin. Enjoy!

Darwin Chamber – Love’s the Meditation EP A1. Love’s the Meditation (DJ Spun Remix) A2. Love's the Meditation (Original)
B1. Sugar, Sex, Magic (DJ Spun Instrumental) B2. Do You Feel the LoveB3. 303 and Me
Darwin Chamber is the alter ego of Mark Greenfield. This legend of the early Rave scene has been making tracks for more than 30 years. Pioneering the West Coast Rave breakbeat and trip-hop sound, he got his start just like many, learning his craft on a cheap keyboard at a friend’s house and then taking his music to the streets. He’s done 100’s of shows from underground raves to The House of Blues, released music on Moonshine and Sony and was one of the first dance acts to embrace the digital revolution with an early exclusive deal with iTunes.

Having gathered up praise from Mary Anne Hobbs, Cerys Matthews, Jamie Cullum, Gilles Peterson, Huey Morgan, The Guardian, Jazzwise and more, for his lauded ‘Crisis & Opportunity’, drummer and composer Myele Manzanza returns with the fourth instalment of his series, titled ‘Meditations’.

On ‘Meditations’, we see Myele revert to a purely acoustic line-up, channeling a focused and razor-sharp return to his Jazz roots. Showcasing an incredible level of musicianship between three musicians at the top of their game - including Matthew Sheens (Ross McHenry, John Patitucci) on piano and Matt Penman (Joshua Redman, Sfjazz Collective) on double bass - the trio exchange motifs over the length of 7 tracks.

Opening proceedings with frenetic rhythmic improvisation, complimented by melancholic and cinematic layers of sound, ‘Crayford’s Room’ is a tribute to Myele’s musical mentor back in New Zealand. Remembering his time as a student in Wellington, Myele shows his deep connection to his origins, manifesting itself as lament on ‘Winter’ and ‘Homesick’. Introducing hypnotic, contemplative melodies take centre stage on ‘Something Old Something New’ (the first single to be released from the project)’ It maintains a sense of tension and intrigue throughout, and intensity rises to a crescendo sending sonic particles sprawling into space.

Intuitive, darker and deeply contemplative, Myele shares his innermost thoughts on ‘Crisis and Opportunities Vol.4 - Meditations’. He divulges:

‘The personal angst and existential frustration I was going through across 2020 - 2022 I believe is well reflected here. The album is deeply informed by the musicianship and sound of my trio, Matthew Sheens on piano and Matt Penman on double bass. Knowing that musicians of their calibre were going to be involved gave me licence to go further in my writing, deploying odd time signatures, sharing the melody roles across the piano and the bass, and delving deeper into the nuances of what the acoustic piano / bass / drums trio can do. The compositions present a challenge even to the best musicians, and I knew that it was essential to have a team on this level to really move the music beyond an academic exercise and draw out the emotion and colour from the material.’

Cratere Centrale, a Sicilian band formed between the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna and the urban area of Catania, debuts on Roots Underground with an EP consisting of five tracks with a strongly Mediterranean flavour in which jazz, funk and club culture come together for a surprising result.

Belgian jazz veterans W.E.R.F. records and JazzLab are celebrating their 30th anniversary together with three unique creation projects for which they are joining forces. One of them is with percussionist Chris Joris, a veteran of Belgian jazz who is releasing a haunting new project. Until the Darkness Fades' immediately says something about Chris Joris' career path, in which the musical and the personal invariably overlap. This percussionist has written one of the most colorful chapters of Belgian jazz. For many years he was active within various genres, but is now mostly praised as the percussionist who constantly demolished boundaries. Not only between all those oppressive genre boxes - pop, experiment, theater, world music, jazz - but also between complete worlds.

Chris Joris was playing "world jazz" long before there was that term, and he signed on for some hot-blooded jazz classics, with "Out Of The Night" perhaps the best-known example. That album was originally released in 2003, was then unavailable for years, but is back on shelves in 2023 and on vinyl for the first time. And rightfully so. Joris also eagerly seized the prospect of a new tour and a brand new album for a musical self-portrait. With "Until the Darkness Fades," he highlights different aspects of his musical identity, both expected and unexpected.

Joris composed new material, but also keeps a prominent place for free improvisation. It will be a tantalizing dichotomy full of hybrid sounds, with familiar and less familiar sounds, between romanticism and uninhibited adventure. He explores these in the presence of notable associates on violin and cello. In this way, he combines earthy percussion with the freedom of jazz and the elegance of chamber music. Discover this story of a Belgian master who is far from finished.

Beagle Kick, a high-res music unit, challenges the ultimate high-res record! A total of 6 tracks carefully selected mainly from fusion music! A gem of a piece was completed, incorporating plenty of live performances by leading studio musicians. The cutting studio is Altphonic Studio, which is capable of PVC (vinyl chloride) master cutting, an extremely rare technique in the world, and after careful sound creation by engineer Atsushi Yamane and repeated listening tests including the unit members, the master was finally re-cut to a lacquer disc master with an advantageous S/N ratio. The label is plain, and the A/B side is indicated as an imprint on the outside of the label.

Recorded live during Nuits Sonores, Brussels, 2022. Tomorrow Comes The Harvest is a theory initiated and put into action by late Afro Beat creator and Nigerian Drummer Tony Allen and Deroit Techno’s Jeff Mills. Each belonging to a long tradition of using music to reach higher levels of consciousness, along with veteran keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, the three toured internationally until the untimely death of Tony Allen in 2020.

Percussionist Takashi Nakazato is well known for his work with Jazztronik and Kyoto Jazz Massive and is now back on Ten Lovers Music with a stunning new Japanese Latin Jazz EP. The Takashi Nakazato Set are the following musicians featuring over the four tracks; Willy Calderon (Timbales), Yu Hagiwara (Alto Sax/Soprano Sax), Kei Ishi (Baby Bass), Miwa Kashima (Rhodes/Piano), Ryo Kawasaki (Electric Bass/Double Bass), Takahiro Miyazaki (Tenor Sax), Oli Savill (Congas), Ayumi Suzuki (Vibraphone/Marimba), Mitsuru Tanaka (Trumpet), Hayato Yamazaki (Drums) and of course Takashi Nakazato himself (Batá Drums, Cheqere, Cowbell, Claves, Wind Chime, Chaworó, Congas, Bongo, Catá, Iyá, Vibra Slap, Cymbal). The EP was mixed by Eiji Hirano at Studio Happiness in Japan and mastered by Jose Rico in Madrid, Spain. All four tracks are quality pieces of music in their own right and we were more than happy to commit this to vinyl.

What on earth is that? A guitar that sounds as if Metallica's Sandman is creeping round the corner; over it a first cautious but ever increasing big-band wind set, with grooving drums and rock guitar intervening.Jazz sensitivity and hard cutting rock interchange in the last six minutes of the track "Tantalos". And continually reassemble.In the album "TANTALOS", Kuhn Fu, based around the guitarist Christian Kühn, still sits, where the ensemble has no doubt felt most comfortable since 2012, between all stools. This applies not only to the entire jazz-rock complex - for rock music too much jazz, for jazz too much rock - but also to the consistent rebuttal of a pallid musical seriousness. Big-band, hard rock, metal, punk and symphonic music are central (and equal) inputs.In case of doubt, Kühn's compositions turn to humour.

A certified maestro of his time, king of Cool Jazz with a penchant for unusual time signatures, Dave Brubeck is as prolific as they come. For their third release, Major Keys lovingly remaster and reissue three of his key pieces as The Dave Brubeck Quartet including the instantly recognisable ‘Take Five’ on 180g vinyl in a Major Keys sleeve. On the A side one of the most famous jazz pieces of all time. Released in 1959 as part of the Quartet’s Time Out LP, which become the first jazz album to sell more than a million copies with the ‘Take Five’ single also taking that that coveted spot whilst going on to become the best-selling jazz single of all time. Accolades aside, it’s an intricate, absorbing and elating piece of jazz history, with one of the most recognisable melodies ever to be written. Timeless genius written by the quartet’s saxophonist Paul Desmond and performed by Dave Brubeck, Paul, Joe Morello and Eugene Wright, reissued for a new generation of listeners. The B side sees ever more experimentation from the quartet, with the time signatures Dave heard on the streets of Istanbul providing the inspiration that gave birth to the lead track from Time Out - ‘Blue Rondo a la Turk’. As cool and complex as they get, stirring up those meters like a slick Manhattan. Rounding off the package, American jazz singer Carmen McRae’s 1962 vocal version of ‘Take Five’ gives an extra dose of sophistication to proceedings. All in all, a must have for any discerning music lover.

Glasgow-born pianist Mike McNaught’s aim was to infuse pop and rock into jazz, forming Atlantic Bridge after leading the London Jazz Four, recruiting bassist Darryl Runswick and drummer Mike Travis, who he played with in the Henry Lowther Band, alongside flutist/saxophonist Jim Philip of the Michael Garrick Sextet to craft a sole LP for Pye’s Dawn subsidiary. The lead track on this rare 12-inch EP, ‘I Can’t Lie To You,’ was a non-standard original that summed up all of their capabilities, with uncredited female vocals and unusual enhancing overdubs; instrumentals ‘Hilary Dickson’ and ‘Childhood Room’ are pleasantly atmospheric, the latter showcasing the awesome power of Runswick’s melodic bass prowess.

Get ready for schntzl 2.0

On their 3rd album Casper Van De Velde and Hendrik Lasure, the two SpongeBobs of Belgian jazz, enter Cortizona and take you on board of their newly discovered musical spectrum: Rollercoastin' between extreme emotions Casper and Hendrik slide through 90's Euro-optimism on synths, frantic drum rolls, lost piano sounds and sample wizardry: blending Spanish guitars, voices of singing ladies, slow mo clarinets and the patterns of a percussion robot.

'Holiday' is the result of a residency in Ravenna, Italy in October in 2021 where musique concrète, replica sounds and frenetic hyperpop textures sneaked into the musical world of schntzl. Sculpting a world of friction, hypodermic joyful changes, sad euphoria and good old plain fun.

Riyl: Matmos in a jazz mood, free vibin PC Music, Enya on XTC, improvising Valentina Magaletti, moody Sophie, BadBadNotGood going GoodGoodNotBad and other excellent music.

"Pulso de la Madera" comes as the definitive official reissue of the first album by the legendary band, along with previously unreleased remastered material, on a double LP with extensive liner notes and previously unseen pictures of the band. Essential to revisit the work of a band that inspired fourth world and organic ambient as we know it today; these tunes sound immersive and still contemporary.

On their short but influential career, Finis Africae proposed an informal and decentralized model of creativity that was decades ahead of current practices linked to technological advances; they explored unknown worlds and imagined landscapes of the “fourth world” apart from their present; they neither affirmed nor denied any of the labels they were to assign to them (“New Age”, “ethnic music”, “world music”, etc.); they recreated, used, and nourished foreign cultures without fear.

And most importantly - they shaped a sound “finis”. Your own space. Where there were no rules. A dimension in which the collective was submerged in long sessions of improvisation; where they could be goblins and magical entities; a place where they could imagine scales and structures unreal; where they could play any instrument in the known world; where they could tour the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Middle East in a blink of an eye; where they could be themselves without caring about anything that happened outside.

The unreleased tracks come as a careful selection of a deep-dive over hundred tracks and demos, compiled by Urba and Glossy Mario. The license comes from Juan Alberto Arteche's family.

Since the release of the highly acclaimed album Mamari (2021), the Muito Kaballa project has continued to develop.

The new album Little Child (2022) starts with a cracker called Inside Outside. The song addresses the hypocrisy and double standards of the European Union when it comes to refugee policy. The group works together with the renowned German/Nigerian musician Ade Bantu and the Angolan guitarist Juresse Amie Tieti Ndombasi and picks up their listeners where they were parked with Mamari. Fat grooves with clearly recognizable Afrobeat influences.

However, the musical journey leads step by step away from the usual sounds of the band. Already the second track Dansez! Dansez! shows that. The sound leads to Angola, Congo and a bit of Mali. The band stacks so many rhythms on top of each other that the word poly appears in a whole new light. It becomes clear that the nine deal intensively with the music that is the source of their inspiration. The gifted guitarist Juresse Amie Tieti Ndombasi puts the icing on the cake with his sound.

Let's continue with No = No. Here at last it becomes clear: Muito Kaballa has escaped from his drawer and is now in free flight, somewhere between jazz, fusion, afrobeat and whatever. But who cares? The sound is convincing, the feet shake to the beat and cannot be calmed down even with great effort and the message "Don't protect your daughter, educate your son" can't be said often enough.

The next song, Memories, reveals completely different sides of the band. While the sound is suddenly much more relaxed and, let's call it jazzy, the lyrics also become much more intimate and poetic. "Keep in mind, it makes you blind, starring in the sun". We don't find out what memories Niklas Mündemann, composer of the song, has in mind here but that shouldn't bother us. We just put on our sunglasses and let ourselves be carried away by the almost epic track, which with its ten minutes of playing time leaves nothing to be desired in terms of diversity. Sophisticated listeners will wonder if Niklas Mündemann listened to a bit of Kamasi Washington while composing. Maybe even a lot? Be that as it may - a special treat in the piece: the trombonist Saskia-Marleen Dahms, who makes a guest appearance on this song, rounds off the sound of the brass section again.

Last but not least, we come to the namesake of the album: the song Little Child builds on the mood of the previous track and rounds off the musical odyssey with a good portion of goosebumps. But the song doesn't just leave its mark on the surface, no, it also gets under your skin. While the melody has considerable catchy tune potential, it is above all the lyrics and the message that grab you here. Niklas Mündemann wrote the song during a phase of mental depression. Above all, psychotherapy helped him to think more positively again and to comfort his own inner child. We've all heard about that child in us. But when was the last time we hugged it? The song Little Child is the perfect accompaniment for this, because when you hear it, you immediately feel hugged, pressed and safe. Another highlight are the incredibly beautiful solos, played by Benjamin Schneider on guitar and Saskia-Marleen Dahms on trombone.

That's the end of the album and, to be perfectly honest, you don't feel left out in the rain, but you do feel left out in a (warm) shower. Time flies when you hear Muito Kaballa's new album and in the end you want more. 4 remixes for the dancefloor are delivered by French producer Kuna Maze, Polish/Angolan duo Lua Preta, French producer La Dame and Brazilian producer Badsista, tipping the remix balance into more female input.