Organic Grooves Vinyl 335 Items

First Word Records is incredibly proud to bring you an exclusive vinyl-only re-issue of Takuya Kuroda's highly-sought after album 'Rising Son'.

'Rising Son' was first released on the seminal Blue Note Records imprint 10 years ago in 2014, with Takuya being the first Japanese artist to sign to the label. The record received widespread critical acclaim, hitting No.1 on Japan's jazz charts at the time, with original copies now fetching hundreds of pounds on Discogs and the like. There has long been high demand for a re-press of this album, and we're very pleased to say it's finally here, a decade on.

The re-issue is to be released via London-based Worldwide Award-winning label First Word Records, who coincidentally celebrate their 20th year running in 2024. First Word released Takuya's highly-revered previous two albums, 'Fly Moon Die Soon' (2020) and 'Midnight Crisp' (2022).

For those that don't know, Takuya Kuroda is a Kobe-born, Brooklyn-based trumpeter and musician, who was also a longtime player for Akoya Afrobeat as well as DJ Premier's Badder band. Initially playing on the Japanese circuit with his trombonist brother, Takuya went on to relocate to New York City, where he has largely remained to this day, becoming a prominent player in the jazz scene there.

The original album featured several Roy Ayers covers, including the all-time classic 'Everybody Loves The Sunshine', and this 2024 pressing also includes a brand new remix of the track from keys player & producer, Joe Armon-Jones. Joe is hugely-acclaimed in his own right as a solo artist, as well as his recent collaborations with Mala (who has a track named after him on this very project, as Takuya was influenced heavily by his 2012 Brownswood album 'Mala in Cuba'), and as an integral member of the legendary Ezra Collective, winners of the 2023 Mercury Music Prize in the UK.

Flitting between the genres of jazz fusion, soul, r&b, hip hop and afrobeat, the album was predominantly produced by a previous Takuya collaborator, vocalist José James, while also featuring phenomenal accompaniment from Nate Smith (drums), Solomon Dorsey (bass), Corey King (trombone) and Kris Bowers (keys).

In the words of José James, "no one sounds like Takuya. His tone, warmth and most of all his storytelling have inspired me for years. His writing is soulful, modern, and effortlessly bridges the gap between jazz and soul, and between history and tomorrow."

Previous reviews and accolades for Takuya's third album 'Rising Son' include AllMusic's Best of 2014, NPR Music, Jazz Weekly, Leo Weekly, All About Jazz, Icon, Relix, Pop Matters, Jay Z's Life + Times, Wbgo, Upscale, The Revivalist, East Bay Express and The Jazz Line, to name just a few.

Established in 2013 by Valentina Magaletti and Tom Relleen, the duo operated until 2020 as a creative laboratory for the London-based musicians to explore beyond their traditional musical endeavours. They sought to deconstruct their usual sonic frameworks, venturing into a novel and unfamiliar auditory landscape. Their work seamlessly integrated various forms of multi-instrumentalism, traversing the realms of industrial, jazz, psychedelia and minimalism.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Tomaga's debut album, 'Futura Grotesk', Hands in the Dark are re-releasing the long sold out record in a limited edition of 500 copies. The reissue will be accompanied by the first-ever vinyl pressing of the band's inaugural EP, 'Sleepy Jazz for Tired Cats', featuring new artwork and 300 units available.

The latest mash up from AMERIGO GAZAWAY is a scorcher! You loved FELA SOUL and BIZARRE TRIBE, now YASIIN GAYE: 13 tracks that perfectly blend MOS DEF and MARVIN GAYE. Features TEDDY PENDERGRASS, KANYE WEST, TAMII TERRELL,TALIB KWELI and BLACK ASTRONAUTS. Full picture sleeve, double vinyl!

Jorge Ben is a name that any lover of Brazilian music will be very familiar with. He is widely regarded as the James Brown of Brazilian music and is famed for writing the Brazilian anthem ‘Mas Que Nada'. For the duet ‘Carolina, Carol Bela' he teamed up with the singer and guitarist Toquinho. Toquinho is best known for his collaborations, as composer and performer, with bossa nova poet Vinicius de Moraes.

'Carolina, Carol Bela' featured on the album Toquinho by Toquinho. It was originally released in 1970 on the small independent Brazilian label, RGE. The song was sampled by DJ Marky and XRS for their Drum & Bass track ‘lk’ (V Recordings, 2002). This went on to be a huge chart hit across the world, and a number one hit in the UK.

João Donato is a Brazilian jazz and bossa nova pianist. He has collaborated with many of the greats of Brazilian Music, including Tom Jobim, Astrud Gilberto and Gilberto Gil. He was one of the few Brazilian artists who went over to perform in the States during the bossa nova boom of the late 60’s. The song ‘A Rã’ was originally released on his seminal album Quem é quem, (emi, 1973), an album that is full of great tracks and was considered as one of the 100 best albums of all time by the Rolling Stone magazine.

In Mr Bongo’s opinion, 'Imprevisto' is one of the most unmistakable Brazilian jazz records ever made. Dramatic intro and hypnotic piano line, decorated with panned percussion before the hats come in. Then the upright bass. A true classic.

Bossa Três formed in 1961 in Rio. They spent most of their early years touring jazz clubs in the USA, before the original line up and their pianist (and perhaps most well-known band member) Luis Carlos Vinhas, returned to Brazil. This is the final track on their Em Forma! LP from 1965, released on Forma. The original pressing of this Brazil 45 was the first time ‘Imprevisto’ had been released on a 7”.

We know very little about Ana Rosely. She released four 7” 2-track records between 1975 and 1984, the latter featuring the brilliant ‘Skim Dum Dum Dum’. The original version was released by RGE Discos in 1984, which came as a surprise to us given the sound. It is very difficult to find an original copy in good condition and they are, as ever, increasing in price.

Remastered with refreshed artwork.

Record Store Day 2021 Release.

This is essential for all rare groovers, so get your hands on these two indian disco classics and fill the dancefloor!

"Jimmi Jimmi Jimmi Aaya", the indian version of Ottowan's "T'es OK!", made "Disco Dancer" to a legendary Bollywood movie and was later sampled for M.I.A.'s "Jimmy". "Come Closer" is a sentimental merry-go-round groove used in the movie "Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki" and got sampled by the likes of Onra, Guts, Masta Ace, Dabrye & AG and many more. Tip!

3 more brazilian choice cuts, issued on 7" wax for the 1st time.

This two mindblowing songs were entirely recorded, mixed and mastered with old analog tapes, and played with vintage instruments which recalls the sound of bands like Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou or El Rego!

Mastered and cut at 45rpm for high quality and loud sound, these 7"s are packaged in lovingly produced Brazil45 sleeves. Dancefloor essentials for all DJs and collectors!

HHV and Too Good are happy to present this exclusive color run of 1000 red copies of Tommy Guerreros 2014 album "No Mans Land". Back in print for the first time. Only at HHV. As a special treat you can pick up the poster with the artwork of this album in our bonus section.

"Automatic Soul, like my previously compiled Late Night Tales Music For Pleasure, is based very much on a sound. It's a sound that I feel has been overlooked: 80s R&B-infused music, with drum machines, synths and invariably brilliant vocals. It’s formed the bedrock of my rare groove sets for all the years I’ve played. It’s not the most fashionable, but to me it’s the perfect marriage of technology and soul, hence the title for this album, Automatic Soul. There are plenty of songs I could have included, and no doubt some that I shouldn’t, but I’ve tried to represent what’s best to me from this era. It’s not a classic Late Night Tales. It’s a pretty personal journey, which I hope some of you might be willing to share." Tom Findlay Groove Armada September 2014.

With Darondo’s passing in 2013 the world truly lost a singular and unique talent. “Didn’t I” was undoubtedly his most beloved and well-known song making the rounds in Soul collectors’ circles for some time and reaching a much wider audience with numerous placements on TV and movies including the iconic show “Breaking Bad.” Three producers from across the globe have paid him homage by adding their touches and flavor to the classic tune. French producer GUTS remix was previously included on a limited double 7in EP called “Brand New Revolution”. His take on the tune became a summer time favorite with it‘s laid back groove and Darondo’s emotion-tinged vocals layered on top. Florent F also from France, adds some heavier live drums to create a harder-hitting version on his mix. Hailing from Montreal, Canada, noted edit and remix producer Dave Allison’s version picks up the tempo, highlighting the groovier elements of the track transforming the soul tune to a dancefloor mover.

Curtis Harding says that soul music, and his music, speak for themselves. It's self-evident on the Atlanta artist's debut, Soul Power. The driving sound of his electrified Stratocaster, the foot-stomping backbeat and the lyrics swimming in reverb -- with something this flourishing, it's almost reductive to just dig around the roots. Harding's style was born in Michigan and bred on the road, a restless childhood spent singing gospel alongside an evangelizing mother, then cultivated in Atlanta, where he sang backup for CeeLo Green and befriended the Black Lips (he plays with Cole Alexander in Night Sun).

Tropical rhythms from Latin America and the Caribbean. Meridian Brothers are back with a new studio album, the bizarre and wonderful ‘Salvadora Robot’. Heading deeper into the tropical rhythms of Latin America and the Caribbean each song on the album focuses on a different style and playfully twists it into Meridian Brothers’s surreal landscape.

Stix is back in 2014 with a scorching Disco Reggae Volume 2!

Collected is a definitive journey through the vast work of Morricone, stopping by landmark spaghetti westerns like A Fistful Of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good The Bad & The Ugly, Once Upon A Time In America and most recently, Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained.

180g audiophile vinyl in gatefold sleeve.

Yeah, this is the 1st real album by Matthew Tavares (Keys), Chester Hansen (Bass) & Alex Sowinski (Drums).

Amazing instrumentals in best El Michel's tradition with a touch of Roots Music, straight from Canada - we love it.

Athens of the North are proud to presentRenée Geyer's modern soul masterpiece ‘Be There In The Morning'. Recorded in the USA early 1977 but only released as a single in Australia how this was not a worldwide hit is beyond us. On the flip we have the impossibly rare 1976 version recorded in Australia before Renee headed to the USA. Timmion Cutting Laboratory did the lathe worksoit’s cut loud and deep, sounds amazing, an essential 45 for disco or modern soul heads.

Originally released in 2014 as Vol.7 in the Luv N'Haight Edit Series which was the first on a 7-inch and featured heavyweight digger, edit-master, and producer Kon with his take on Twilight’s Modern Soul and Boogie classic “You’re In Love”. He stays true to the original but packs a bit more punch into the groove while keeping the focus on the catchy vocals and chorus on the A-side, and doing it Dub-style with minimal vocals and plenty of echo on the flip. The year prior to its release, 2013 was definitely the year of Kon with a remix released in March via On The Prowl's Party Mix Vol.7, his “All About You” EP dropping in May on Soul Clap’s newly formed record label, and his first solo all-original album “On My Way” released on BBE. In between studio work, touring in promotion of his new releases, and djing parties as one of the world’s most highly sought-after DJs, Kon couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add his name to our growing list of venerated producers that have blessed the Luv N’Haight Edit Series with their work. Supplied with the original stems culled from master tapes provided by Twilight’s own Lawrence Ross, Kon takes full advantage and crafts a classic remix and dub version of the song guaranteed to get any dancefloor jumping. Fast forward nearly 9 years later and Kon remains at the top of his game, both in demand as a DJ, Producer, and Remixer with subsequent releases on BBE (Kon and The Gang) and his celebrated work with his group The Vision (along with Ben Westbeech & Andreya Triana).

When The World Was One is something of a companion piece to Matthew Halsall"s 2012 album Fletcher Moss Park (much of the music was written at the same time) but draws more explicitly on Halsall"s love of spiritual jazz and Eastern music as well as his own studies in meditation and travels in Japan. Beautifully recorded at Hasall"s favourite studio, 80 Hertz in Manchester, and engineered by Brendan Williams and George Atkins it features the recording debut of Halsall"s large ensemble, The Gondwana Orchestra, which utilises the exotic flavours of harp, koto and bansuri flute and Eastern scales to create a global palate for Halsall"s life-affirming sounds.

Strut presents a limited transparent vinyl pressing of the seminal album by one of the all-time legends of Nigerian music, the late, great Orlando Julius, in a mouth-watering collaboration with London super-group The Heliocentrics, originally released in 2014.