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DMC 2014 WORLD DJ CHAMPIONSHIP DVD with 16 stunning performances from
the 2014 National DMC Champions.

Also featuring a special guest performance by Japan’s KENTARO (2002 DMC
World Champion) together with an exclusive DVD only interview with the
new Champion - Mr.Switch, the previous three time winner of the DMC
Battle for World Supremacy who became the first Brit since Plus One in
2001 to bring the World title back to the UK.
The interview is conducted by Cutmaster Swift (1989 DMC World Champion)
who took the DMC rig to Mr. Switch’s home town Birmingham to watch him
repeat his winning set in multi-angle format with Switch discussing his
influences and provides tips for wannabe World Champions.
The 2014 runner-up was America’s I-Dee with Canada’s Vekked taking third
place.
The DMC Championships staged at London’s Forum were once again supported
by RANE who provided a gold plated Rane Mixer to the winner seen here in
Mr.Switch’s exclusive interview. Pioneer DJ provided additional prizes
including their newly developed turntables which have been well received
within the DJ industry and seen as a long overdue product since the
legendary Technics SL1200’s.
DMC posted the winning performance by Mr.Switch on dmcworld.tv (via
youtube) where it has attracted over 150,000 views already. The sound
quality of this clip included a live audience microphone whilst the
newly released dvd version feeds audio directly from the console.

Competing DJs:-

DJ Codax (South Africa)

DJ Evilcut (Indonesia)

DJ Mode (Greece)

DJ Rune (Spain)

Spelly Spell (New Zealand)

B.Two (Australia)

DJ Five (Czech Republic)

Erick Jay (Brazil)

DJ Bicchio (Italy)

DJ Credit (Denmark)

Groove Sparkz (France)

DJ Vekked (Canada)

Mr. Switch (UK)

Hi-C (Japan)

I-DEE (Online Champion 2014 USA)

Ritchie Ruftone (Runner Up)

Japanese pressing without OBI!

1987, Kanagawa, not so far from Tokyo, Japan. Minoru Fushimi teaches his high-school classes during the day. Back from work, he transforms into "Hoodoo" Fushimi, turns on the drum machines, the synthesizers and the sequencers, blends them with his own shamisen playing and builds a cult album: Kenka Oyaji is born and becomes a milestone in Japan's early hip hop and electro-funk history, now reissued for the first time since its original release, in collaboration with Hoodoo Fushimi himself. Essential! Produced by Minoru “Hoodoo” Fushimi. All songs written and arranged by Hoodoo Fushimi. Hoodoo Fushimi: all lead vocals (except B5) and raps, lead and rhythm shamisen, lead and rhythm guitar, bass guitar, Casio, Roland and Yamaha synthesizers, drums, percussion, Drumtraks, Ddd-1 and Tr-606 programming, turntable scratching, and loud, obnoxious noises. Akiko Ehara: vocal on B5. Recorded at Fushimi’s Home Studio on Teac 22-4 recorder. Original release: 21st of March, 1987, Syntax, Mfx-2802. LP reissue production by Greg Gouty, 180g. Sound restoration, mastering and lacquer cut by Timmion Cutting Lab, Helsinki, Finland. Original artwork and Japanese lyrics insert by Hoodoo Fushimi. Original artwork restoration and additional design by Nicolas Kerembellec (nker.fr) All pictures by Minoru “Hoodoo” Fushimi.

If you collect vintage 70's soul-jazz vinyl, there is a good chance that you already own a record that features the amazing vocal talents of Dee Dee Bridgewater. Whether it be Roy Ayers, Norman Connors, Billy Parker or Carlos Garnett - Dee Dee is the glue that fuses these artists together. Although best known for her jazz work, Dee Dee has had a wonderfully rich and varied career encompassing soul, musicals, gospel, and underground disco from the 70's to the present day. She is still active as a vocalist, composer, and producer and remains one of our favourite vocalists at Mr Bongo HQ. We take things back to the early years of Dee Dee's career with her debut album 'Afro Blue'. Recorded in Tokyo in 1974, the album was released exclusively in Japan via two different Japanese labels (Trio Records in 1974 and All Art in 1985 respectively). Each release had unique cover art and we have opted to present the album in its original 1974 form. 'Afro Blue' features an exquisite collaboration of American and Japanese musicians, such as Cecil & Ron Bridgewater, Motohiko Hino and producer Takao Ishizuka. The result is a sublime deep soul-jazz masterpiece with timeless versions of 'People Make The World Go Round', 'Love From The Sun', and 'Afro Blue'. It is arguably one of the finest albums in its genre. This record has long been a sought-after item for DJs and collectors alike, so we are delighted to finally make this wonderful music from an understated great available to all.

Indie Exclusive Black Vinyl Edition.

It might blow up, but it won't go pop!

De La Soul’s third studio release, Buhloone Mindstate, released on September 21, 1993, saw the group evolve into a new sound as they continued to grow stylistically and musically. There were several moments on the album which proved the band had matured. "I Be Blowin'" was a departure as the track was an instrumental featuring saxophone playing by Maceo Parker. The introspective "I Am I Be" showed De La Soul at their most self-referential to date. "Long Island Wildin'" was a collaboration with Japanese hip hop artists Kan Takagi (Major Force) and trio Scha Dara Parr (sdp). The album's first single, "Breakadawn", used a sample of Michael Jackson's "I Can't Help It" and Smokey Robinson's "Quiet Storm". De La Soul collaborated for the first time with Gang Starr's Guru on "Patti Dooke", and female MC Shortie No Mas who was prominent on many tracks on the album and showcased particularly on "In The Woods". The album ended with an old school Biz Markie collaboration called "Stone Age".

Attention: Intro, Skits and Interludes are not part of this reissue, unfortunately.

It might blow up, but it won't go pop!

De La Soul’s third studio release, Buhloone Mindstate, released on September 21, 1993, saw the group evolve into a new sound as they continued to grow stylistically and musically. There were several moments on the album which proved the band had matured. "I Be Blowin'" was a departure as the track was an instrumental featuring saxophone playing by Maceo Parker. The introspective "I Am I Be" showed De La Soul at their most self-referential to date. "Long Island Wildin'" was a collaboration with Japanese hip hop artists Kan Takagi (Major Force) and trio Scha Dara Parr (sdp). The album's first single, "Breakadawn", used a sample of Michael Jackson's "I Can't Help It" and Smokey Robinson's "Quiet Storm". De La Soul collaborated for the first time with Gang Starr's Guru on "Patti Dooke", and female MC Shortie No Mas who was prominent on many tracks on the album and showcased particularly on "In The Woods". The album ended with an old school Biz Markie collaboration called "Stone Age".

Reissue pulblished 2016 in Japan.

Bahamadia’s 1996 debut album Kollage is rightly regarded as one of the greatest rap albums of the 1990s. For the first time ever, Be With present the definitive double LP version of this eternal hip-hop classic, including the legendary "Path To Rhythm" which never appeared on the original LP or on vinyl, anywhere. An indelible VIBE from start-to-finish, Kollage presents Bahamadia's swirling rhymes delivered with an irresistibly butter flow and razor-sharp assuredness over a steady slew of smoothed-out, jazzed-up, blunted beats. Achingly cool and effortlessly funky throughout, it's an absolute must for true 90s hip-hop fanatics.

The entire Kollage project was recorded at D&D Studios and the ties to Gang Starr are keenly felt, with DJ Premier producing five tracks in addition to the killer songs Guru had already produced with her. Working with the cream of the mid-90s East Coast sound, Kollage is, accordingly, a record that demonstrates a varied musical taste with disparate influences, as Bahamadia has previously stated: “The title Kollage was a reflection of my state of mind. I first got interested in music from playing my parents’ and grandparents’ records, as well what I heard on the radio. I wanted Kollage to reflect that diversity both lyrically and sonically."

With intelligent, poetic lyricism and a laconic verbal style bursting with both warm texture and deceptive energy, Bahamadia’s flow was as inspired by Aretha and Nancy Wilson as it was Q-Tip, Schoolly D and Lady B. Swaggering out the gate, "WordPlay" finds Bahamadia confidently showcasing her considerable old-school battle-rhyme skills over a Guru beat that utilises an infectiously bouncy bassline with splashes of sultry jazz horns and a Jeru vocal snatch for the hook. Up next, the quietly shimmering and ruggedly beautiful "Spontaneity" is one of the most alluring on the record, Da Beatminerz crafting a brilliantly soulful and jazzy soundscape for Bahamadia's effortless vocals to float across. It's followed by "Rugged Ruff", where the rapper carefully constructs a swift off-beat flow over Premier's raw jazzy fire.

With smooth spacey synth vibes overseen by former Geto Boys producer N.O. Joe, "I Confess" is, without question, a fly love song and soothing (p)-funk groove. "UKNOWHOWWEDU" is an airy, chilled tribute to her hometown. Produced by Ski Beatz & DJ Redhanded, it rides a gloriously mellow break. It's a true Philly anthem, shouting out a who’s who of the entire city’s scene. Early banger "Total Wreck" follows, presenting a murky Guru instrumental elevated by jazzy horns. Bahamadia invokes the title's suggestion, firing her brilliant bars more aggressively than we’re accustomed to. More Beatminerz-brilliance comes in the way of "Innovation", an opportunity for the MC to invoke Freestyle Fellowship in her forward-thinking and literary verses. "Da Jawn" features hometown buddies The Roots, with Black Thought gliding into a back-and-forth with Bahamadia over ?uestlove’s warm, snapping percussion. With the strut club banger "True Honey Buns (Dat Freak Sh*t)", DJ Premier provides some laidback vibrant boom bap for Bahamadia to share a wild, cautionary tale about a night out with her girl, Kia.

Fan favourite "3 Tha Hard Way" is a hypnotically sinister cut, with Bahamadia, K-Swift and Mecca Star taking star turns to coast over DJ Premier’s raw beat whilst the tender "Biggest Part Of Me" is a heartfelt stunner dedicated to her son. Incredibly, only the European and Japanese CD versions of Kollage was released with the brilliantly breezy “Path To Rhythm”, featuring Ursula Rucker. Whilst ostensibly a "bonus track", it's anything but, to our ears. Very much in sonic conversation with KRS-One's stretched-out sleeper classic "Higher Level", it's absolutely essential so we had to include it, appearing on wax for the first time here, exclusively. Quite a coup.

Somewhat predictably, whilst Kollage was released to significant critical acclaim, it suffered from disappointing sales. In the intervening years - and for far too long - it was a criminally underrated record, an increasingly hidden gem. We hope this double LP reissue - which looks and sounds amazing - will go some way to correct this. This 2024 Be With double LP re-issue has been mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Cicely Balston and pressed at Record Industry. It's too bold and beautiful to remain overlooked and underserved.

Collaborative studio album by Japanese jazz trumpeter Toshinori Kondo and Japanese hip hop producer DJ Krush. It was released on 1996.
First time Reissue.

Limited edition of 500 copies, only available hat HHV!

Bahamadia’s 1996 debut album Kollage is rightly regarded as one of the greatest rap albums of the 1990s. For the first time ever, Be With present the definitive double LP version of this eternal hip-hop classic, including the legendary "Path To Rhythm" which never appeared on the original LP or on vinyl, anywhere. An indelible VIBE from start-to-finish, Kollage presents Bahamadia's swirling rhymes delivered with an irresistibly butter flow and razor-sharp assuredness over a steady slew of smoothed-out, jazzed-up, blunted beats. Achingly cool and effortlessly funky throughout, it's an absolute must for true 90s hip-hop fanatics.

The entire Kollage project was recorded at D&D Studios and the ties to Gang Starr are keenly felt, with DJ Premier producing five tracks in addition to the killer songs Guru had already produced with her. Working with the cream of the mid-90s East Coast sound, Kollage is, accordingly, a record that demonstrates a varied musical taste with disparate influences, as Bahamadia has previously stated: “The title Kollage was a reflection of my state of mind. I first got interested in music from playing my parents’ and grandparents’ records, as well what I heard on the radio. I wanted Kollage to reflect that diversity both lyrically and sonically."

With intelligent, poetic lyricism and a laconic verbal style bursting with both warm texture and deceptive energy, Bahamadia’s flow was as inspired by Aretha and Nancy Wilson as it was Q-Tip, Schoolly D and Lady B. Swaggering out the gate, "WordPlay" finds Bahamadia confidently showcasing her considerable old-school battle-rhyme skills over a Guru beat that utilises an infectiously bouncy bassline with splashes of sultry jazz horns and a Jeru vocal snatch for the hook. Up next, the quietly shimmering and ruggedly beautiful "Spontaneity" is one of the most alluring on the record, Da Beatminerz crafting a brilliantly soulful and jazzy soundscape for Bahamadia's effortless vocals to float across. It's followed by "Rugged Ruff", where the rapper carefully constructs a swift off-beat flow over Premier's raw jazzy fire.

With smooth spacey synth vibes overseen by former Geto Boys producer N.O. Joe, "I Confess" is, without question, a fly love song and soothing (p)-funk groove. "UKNOWHOWWEDU" is an airy, chilled tribute to her hometown. Produced by Ski Beatz & DJ Redhanded, it rides a gloriously mellow break. It's a true Philly anthem, shouting out a who’s who of the entire city’s scene. Early banger "Total Wreck" follows, presenting a murky Guru instrumental elevated by jazzy horns. Bahamadia invokes the title's suggestion, firing her brilliant bars more aggressively than we’re accustomed to. More Beatminerz-brilliance comes in the way of "Innovation", an opportunity for the MC to invoke Freestyle Fellowship in her forward-thinking and literary verses. "Da Jawn" features hometown buddies The Roots, with Black Thought gliding into a back-and-forth with Bahamadia over ?uestlove’s warm, snapping percussion. With the strut club banger "True Honey Buns (Dat Freak Sh*t)", DJ Premier provides some laidback vibrant boom bap for Bahamadia to share a wild, cautionary tale about a night out with her girl, Kia.

Fan favourite "3 Tha Hard Way" is a hypnotically sinister cut, with Bahamadia, K-Swift and Mecca Star taking star turns to coast over DJ Premier’s raw beat whilst the tender "Biggest Part Of Me" is a heartfelt stunner dedicated to her son. Incredibly, only the European and Japanese CD versions of Kollage was released with the brilliantly breezy “Path To Rhythm”, featuring Ursula Rucker. Whilst ostensibly a "bonus track", it's anything but, to our ears. Very much in sonic conversation with KRS-One's stretched-out sleeper classic "Higher Level", it's absolutely essential so we had to include it, appearing on wax for the first time here, exclusively. Quite a coup.

Somewhat predictably, whilst Kollage was released to significant critical acclaim, it suffered from disappointing sales. In the intervening years - and for far too long - it was a criminally underrated record, an increasingly hidden gem. We hope this double LP reissue - which looks and sounds amazing - will go some way to correct this. This 2024 Be With double LP re-issue has been mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Cicely Balston and pressed at Record Industry. It's too bold and beautiful to remain overlooked and underserved.

Released only on CD in 1996, this cult album from the gogo-acid jazzfunk-hip hop scene, which left its mark on an entire generation, is finally available on vinyl, with the added bonus of vintage remixes of DJ Dee Nasty's “Paris A Le Blues”. The album was also a huge success in Japan. With Lionel D., Dee Nasty, Omar D., D. Abuz System, Big Brother Hakim, La Malka Family... Mad In Paris was formed by the merger of two groups from the Paris suburbs, Créteil and Girgny, and took over the radio airwaves in 1996. A short-lived phenomenon, with just one album to their credit, they formed an ensemble of nine musicians and singers. The group scored a hit with “Paris a le Blues” on the eponymous album, which went beyond the hip-hop microcosm, as more mainstream radio stations, at a time when rap was on the rise, picked up on the Mad In Paris craze. They spent fifteen weeks in the top 50 at the time. It describes the malaise, the blues that stick to the City of Light, “from Barbès to Abbesses, from the Champs-Elysées to Les Halles”, pouring out its spleen. Thirty years on, it remains one of French music's most famous jaunts through Paname. A number of us in the editorial team have confessed that we bled this track back then, and while today the sound has certainly aged a little, because this rap no longer corresponds to our current standards or we certainly wouldn't listen to “Paris A le Blues” any more, Mad In Paris has shaped us all a little. In a more stealthy way, but in the same way as with Alliance Ethnik, we moved to these sounds that many called “groove” rather than hip-hop, a mix of urban music often blended from rap to funk. If “groove” is a catch-all term used by the media to cover all these influences, Mad In Paris belongs in the “rap” category. Because it was 1996 and we loved it.

Released in 1996, Innersoul's "The Theory" has become a legendary album in the underground hip-hop scene and is now being reissued on limited pressing LP with Japanese obi-strip! Leading the way is "It's The Right Time," which was also released as a 12-inch EP single, along with tracks that evoke the jazz and soul sampling of the East Coast underground vibe from the 1990s, featuring the lighthearted rap and exchanges typical of the era. Bonus tracks are also included.

Illmariachi is legendary Japanese HipHop unit who acitved in late 90's, formed by Hazu & Tokona-x. this is a single cut from their debut album "tha Masta Blusta" including two authentic classical tracks that are a high-concentration blend of the eccentric and crazy technique by Hazu and the hard-boiled hood rap by Tokona-x!

‘Lightweight Heavy’, Fat Jon’s third solo offering, is a concoction of “loping beats, dub bass lines, classical piano, breathy vocals and sparkling harmonies…” (bbc). From the gentle piano-led intro of ‘Talk to Me’ and threading through the album’s 14 dazzling tracks, Fat Jon’s subtle use of vocals and his bass-heavy beats take listeners on a heartfelt journey. “I lived in Japan while I made this record and produced the whole album there. Being able to make a project like this from beginning to end the way I had envisioned it was a dream come true,” Jon reflects. “I recorded and produced the whole album in my friend Nujabes’ studio. I told him about my concept for the album, and he said I could use his studio while I was there. We had similar studio setups so it was a very easy transition and fun experience.” We are very pleased to announce that ‘Lightweight Heavy’ is getting its first vinyl reissue via YHS Records, a vinyl-focused imprint of Detroit label Young Heavy Souls.

Legendary album, finally repressed. Japanese import. Better be quick.

Hardcore rap in Japan / originally released in 2003

The self-released 2003 album Shitten in the Park (Blunder in the Park) by ECD is as revolutionary as it is gutsy. In a country well known for its tendency to keep hushed on social issues, the late-great ECD defied all means of holding back as he delivered his empassioned anti-war, anti-discrimination, people-positive rush to the airwaves.

This album came at a time of transition for the rapper as he’d just ended his long-running major label contract with Avex-owned Cutting Edge, and there’s a rawness on display across these tracks; an experimental flavour to the sampling as he explores the freedoms of a self-released album. The penultimate track “Hinja no Koushin” (Poor People’s campaign) is a great example of ECD's grappling with different eras and sounds as soul and jazz records are subjected to different sampling techniques, and provide the vehicle for his socially-conscious rap.

Even as his state worsened in the grip of cancer, nothing could separate him from the microphone at protests with his rapping and creative impulses in full flow. Committed to his artistry until the very end, P-vine is excited to be reissuing the album on double gatefold LP for the first time in this deluxe package, and honor a true legend of Japanese hip-hop.

Would there have been a nujabes without the Specifics? Definitely, but that doesn’t take anything away from one of the finest examples of lo-fi hip-hop during its original golden age! The Montreal group released their debut album, Lonely City, in 2004, over a decade before YouTube streams with millions of viewers brought lo-fi hip-hop to the public consciousness. Despite its age, the album still sounds fresh; jazzy samples, mellow beats, and downtempo rhymes combine to create a sound both relaxing and intriguing, perfect whether you want to put it on as you study, or sit down and really listen to it. In the two decades since its initial release, the Specifics have gained high praise in the lo-fi hiphop scene, with appearances on albums such as the Nujabes compiled “modal soul classics by Nujabes” and the posthumous tribute “modal soul classics II-dedicated to…Nujabes”. But at the end of the day, it all comes back to Lonely City. With unmistakable analog warmth, and the iconic original artwork once again adorning the cover, this album has never looked or sounded this good! Don’t miss Lonely City, available with a Japanese obi-strip for the first time ever, only from P-vine Records.

Limited edition of 300 copies.

Would there have been a Nujabes without the Specifics? Definitely, but that doesn’t take anything away from one of the finest examples of lo-fi hip-hop during its original golden age. The Montreal group released their debut album, Lonely City, in 2004, over a decade before YouTube streams with millions of viewers brought lo-fi hip-hop to the public consciousness. Despite its age, the album still sounds fresh; jazzy samples, mellow beats, and downtempo rhymes combine to create a sound both relaxing and intriguing, perfect whether you want to put it on as you study, or sit down and really listen to it. In the two decades since its initial release, the Specifics have gained high praise in the lo-fi hiphop scene, with appearances on albums such as the Nujabes compiled “modal soul classics by Nujabes” and the posthumous tribute “modal soul classics II-dedicated to…Nujabes”. But at the end of the day, it all comes back to Lonely City. With unmistakable analog warmth, and the iconic original artwork once again adorning the cover, this album has never looked or sounded this good. Don’t miss Lonely City, available with a Japanese obi-strip for the first time ever, only from P-vine Records!

The golden standard of Jazz-Hop! Windmills of the Soul, California-based producer/rapper Kero One’s 2005 debut, is finally getting a long-deserved analog reissue as a 2xLP set! Lead single “In All The Wrong Places” sampled jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal’s “Dolphin Dance”, combining it with hip-hop beats and smooth rhymes to define Kero One’s iconic west-coast Jazz-Hop sound.16 years after its initial release, the album sounds surprisingly fresh, truly illuminating Kero One’s undeniable influence. With DJ Mitsu The Beats’ Japan CD-exclusive Bonus-track “My Story (DJ Mitsu Remix)” on vinyl for the first time ever, this is a reissue you absolutely must not miss!

/ Swing Set ... limited edition re-release for japan market!

Specifics is a lo-fi hip-hop unit from Montreal, Canada, widely known worldwide among Nujabes, Hyde Out and jazzy hip-hop fans for their participation in the compilation "modal soul classics by Nujabes" and the tribute album released after Nujabes passed away. After making a name for themselves with the release of their debut album "Lonely City" in 2004, which included the classic song "Under The Hood," the band has further refined and evolved with this second full-length album. The original edition was difficult to find for some time due to low production runs, but is now available on vinyl with the iconic Japanese obi, again featuring the same cover used on the Japanese CD!

12 Tracks with remixes by Lackluster, Impulze and Hudson Mohawke plus the Japan exclusive 'Gijon'. Collaborators include Takeshi Nishimote, Tres, Hyperpotamus, Breaff and Debilorithmicos. Artwork By Gordon from Beta Bodega Coalition.

both flipping Foster Sylver's infamous 'Misdemeanor' tune ... limited edition of 500 copies, Japan only!

Great album with an all-star line-up of producers like Marco Polo, Ohmega Watts, The Are, Shuko, 88 Keys, DJ Spinna, Symbolyc One, Oh No, Kno, J-Zone, M-Phazes, K-Murdock and more!



Track 17 is a bonus track and tracks 18 & 19 are Japan only bonus tracks. Released with OBI.

This album is the first collaboration between DISC SYSTEM and INNER SCIENCE. An incredible amalgamation of Djing and composition, moving through many different styles and moods. Elements of Hip Hop, Ambient, Techno and more generally ‘electronic music’ are all apparent. Originally release on CD by ROMZ RECORD in November 2007 for Japan, Project: MoonCircle are issuing the album worldwide on vinyl to give this recording more thorough worldwide exposure and so that it can be presented on our favourite format. 45 min.!!

Limited 500 copies only!!!

"Smoothness Extract (Deep Night At Ishigaki)" is Lambent's third full-length album, and his first on the Project Mooncircle label. Whilst his earlier work was rooted in Ambient and Electronic music, this record presents his sound in the context of Instrumental Hip Hop, with strong elements of Electronic music still present. You could group this record with the recent wave of Dilla inspired Hip Hop, but equally you could group it with Autechre when they're at 90 BPM.
The record came about after Project Mooncircle heard some of Lambent's tracks and feel in love with the calmer and smoother pieces of his often intense sound. Hence, Lambent compiled these seventeen extracts from the smoother side of his repertoire.
This album is made as his dedication towards a small Japanese island, "The Isle of Ishigaki". Lambent is originally from Japan (although he has lived in Berlin for many years), but he has never visited this place... The album is the sound track to a summer time night trip around the Island, visiting the many different aspects of the scenery, nature, feelings, emotions, sights and sounds as Lambent imagines them.

"Smoothness Extract (Deep Night At Ishigaki)" is Lambent's third full-length album, and his first on the Project Mooncircle label. Whilst his earlier work was rooted in Ambient and Electronic music, this record presents his sound in the context of Instrumental Hip Hop, with strong elements of Electronic music still present. You could group this record with the recent wave of Dilla inspired Hip Hop, but equally you could group it with Autechre when they're at 90 BPM.
The record came about after Project Mooncircle heard some of Lambent's tracks and feel in love with the calmer and smoother pieces of his often intense sound. Hence, Lambent compiled these seventeen extracts from the smoother side of his repertoire.
This album is made as his dedication towards a small Japanese island, "The Isle of Ishigaki". Lambent is originally from Japan (although he has lived in Berlin for many years), but he has never visited this place... The album is the sound track to a summer time night trip around the Island, visiting the many different aspects of the scenery, nature, feelings, emotions, sights and sounds as Lambent imagines them.

With features from world-class soul singers such as Ben Westbeech and Toumo, the good vibes on Early Believers are unparalleled! Catchy hooks elevate the smooth, nostalgia-inducing flows of Kero One, making this an album more than worthy to follow up Kero One’s legendary debut. Featuring both the artwork from the Japan-exclusive CD, and the Japan-exclusive bonus track “When The Sunshine Comes (Cradle Remix feat. Anan Ryoko)”, this album has never looked, or sounded this good! Get Kero One’s Early Believers on limited edition vinyl with an obi-strip, available only from P-vine Records!

Even in the land of the rising sun, during the last months the enthusiasm for eccentric rhythms has increased. More and more young beat maker in Japan emulate their models J Dilla, Flying Lotus or Hudson Mohawke. This new generation of beat smiths understood Hip-Hop not as a mere pose, but as an aesthetic principle, in which it is explored, where the boundaries of this music style lie. The artistic crucial questions are therefore: How can you make known subjects in other contexts? How abstract can it be? Some of these emerging artists, we can now gather on this download Compilation. It’s a good way to become familiar with these extraordinary artists. So the Compilation shows the wide range of this emerging beat music scene, the originality of each artists. The title of the records tries to reduce very different types of artists to a common denominator: Finest ego.
The compilation includes BudaMunk, a.z, Daisuke Tanabe, The Astronotes, Dj Olive Oil, FERRARI, RLP, SATO, Ogiyy, ichiro_, Eccy & Himuro Yoshiteru.
Design by LGB5. A&R by Akira Inagawa & Gordon Gieseking. Mixed & Mastered by Sven Friederichs.

DOWNLOAD

Why you'll love it...
This is Open Mike Eagle’s debut studio LP, Unapologetic Art Rap, which is being released for the first time ever on vinyl. Pressed on transparent blue vinyl, the album has a brand new cover as well.

From a laments perspective you can call this Jahcoozi’s Robot Koch meets Scienz of Life’s John Robinson. However we here at Project: Mooncircle like to see this as two dynamic forces of nature coming together in parallel universes, delivering cosmic opted sonics with science-fiction narrative conventions in a metaphysical tone. Robot Robinson is the FUTURE from Earth to Mars to Venus to Jupiter and Beyond, this project spells out the attempts to bring a different pitch of vocals to the world of Electronic Music. Robinson being no stranger to the scientifical lyrical approach along with Robot’s evolutionary voyage prone soundscapes this one is a sure shot! The Future of Music is in Good Hands.
All tracks produced by Robot Koch. All lyrics by John Robinson.
Artwork and original paintings by Ima One (Japan). Design by Gordon Gieseking.

From a laments perspective you can call this Jahcoozi’s Robot Koch meets Scienz of Life’s John Robinson. However we here at Project: Mooncircle like to see this as two dynamic forces of nature coming together in parallel universes, delivering cosmic opted sonics with science-fiction narrative conventions in a metaphysical tone. Robot Robinson is the FUTURE from Earth to Mars to Venus to Jupiter and Beyond, this project spells out the attempts to bring a different pitch of vocals to the world of Electronic Music. Robinson being no stranger to the scientifical lyrical approach along with Robot’s evolutionary voyage prone soundscapes this one is a sure shot! The Future of Music is in Good Hands.
All tracks produced by Robot Koch. All lyrics by John Robinson.
Artwork and original paintings by Ima One (Japan). Design by Gordon Gieseking.

Join 40 Winks on a road trip to anywhere. Bring your music player and tell your honey you won’t be home for dinner. It’s the trip, not the destination.“
About 40 Winks:
No hay banda! (“there is no band”, Mulholland Dr. 2001) pretty much sums up where 40 Winks aims to go with its instrumental hip hop: meticulously chop and paste samples together, to create an atmosphere of beats and vibes which steps beyond unimaginative loops. 40 Winks hit the scene in 2002, with a whole slew of laidback beats. Eager to share their sound with the world, they released a couple of albums independently. The attention they got from this, allowed them to build with people from around the world. One of these independently released albums, More Than Loops, got reissued in Japan on Swamp Records, after that the ball kept rolling. On their first worldwide release, Extended Pleasure on Escapism Records (2005), they reached listeners well beyond the (instrumental) hip hop community with the song “Melancholia”. After appearances on compilations, like Weapons Of Hope on Little-D (2006), they got a chance to do their thing on the renowned label, Merck Records with Sound Puzzle (2007). All this led them back to Europe, where the German based Project: Mooncircle welcomed them with a spot on the compilation Heart On The Right Spot (2007) and a full album The Lucid Effect (2008). In 2009 they took some time off, doing solo stuff and remixes. In 2011 40 Winks is back with a double LP called It’s The Trip (2011) on Project: Mooncircle.
Artwork By Afreux.

Join 40 Winks on a road trip to anywhere. Bring your music player and tell your honey you won’t be home for dinner. It’s the trip, not the destination.“
About 40 Winks:
No hay banda! (“there is no band”, Mulholland Dr. 2001) pretty much sums up where 40 Winks aims to go with its instrumental hip hop: meticulously chop and paste samples together, to create an atmosphere of beats and vibes which steps beyond unimaginative loops. 40 Winks hit the scene in 2002, with a whole slew of laidback beats. Eager to share their sound with the world, they released a couple of albums independently. The attention they got from this, allowed them to build with people from around the world. One of these independently released albums, More Than Loops, got reissued in Japan on Swamp Records, after that the ball kept rolling. On their first worldwide release, Extended Pleasure on Escapism Records (2005), they reached listeners well beyond the (instrumental) hip hop community with the song “Melancholia”. After appearances on compilations, like Weapons Of Hope on Little-D (2006), they got a chance to do their thing on the renowned label, Merck Records with Sound Puzzle (2007). All this led them back to Europe, where the German based Project: Mooncircle welcomed them with a spot on the compilation Heart On The Right Spot (2007) and a full album The Lucid Effect (2008). In 2009 they took some time off, doing solo stuff and remixes. In 2011 40 Winks is back with a double LP called It’s The Trip (2011) on Project: Mooncircle.
Artwork By Afreux.

A child agrees then screams the name. Kid-o-suke. Did you hear that right? The music trickles in. It sounds like it was made in a toy factory. Hold on. Let me reach for the button over there. Childhood memories. The magical sounds of a roundabout sending you to sleep. The wonders of the world seen through eyes that don’t yet fully comprehend and ears that find musical potential in everything. Two kindred souls find each other, distance never the issue, they share and laugh the only way they know how.

The wonderful pixelated world of a video game. Where does reality end and where does the imagination start? Somewhere in the distance an explosion can be heard, or was it a booming bass drum? There are birds singing a crystalline melody. One I heard before, in a dream perhaps. All of a sudden a child exclaims ‘come, let’s go’. Where did he come from? Is he real or another pixelated fragment of imagination?

Yokatta desu. There’s a castle in the sky. Two boys team up to reach it, carried by the power of their dreams. The same dreams that marked their childhood and brought them to be men. If ever there was music worthy of becoming the soundtrack to a Ghibli movie this could be it. There’s a girl asleep on a plastic deer, going around and around. She reminds me of the hand drawn versions of the pixelated heroes of my childhood. I imagine her dreams filled with exciting adventures.

I swear I heard the sounds of Tokyo’s public transport. It told me we’d arrived at Shibuya yet I can’t see the neon bright lights when I look around. Oh well, I’ll just have to imagine them.

It’s an album, so of course it’s real. The music is the result of a desire to create regardless of outcome, for the simple fact that there is a story to tell. People will consume it whichever way they want. Is it this sound or that sound? Does it really matter? Stop for a minute and enjoy the music for what it is. A synthesis of two aesthetics joined not just by a love of music but also a love of the abstract and the childish, the things that remind us we were all young one day and things were simpler. Things like dancing as if no one was looking or making music as if the outcome never mattered.

Kidsuke is a collaborative project between the UK’s Kidkanevil and Japan’s Daisuke Tanabe. Their self-titled debut is released by Project Mooncircle in November 2012 on double colored vinyl LP and digital.

A bright and colourful scenery: Shrill blinding sights, piercing foreign sounds, a fusion of disparate scents blended into a cocktail of curiosity. Fleeting attempts embrace a thousand senses in one single second. Bustling around in the shadows of buildings as high as mountains, an almost eerily overwhelming sense of contentment is omnipresent - but something doesn't appear to be right...
Stranded on a lonely island in the midst of a chaotic metropolis, disconnected - a feeling of drowning in an ocean of overstimulus and importunities of disproportionately inflated personalities, without ever even being registered or taken notice of.
What's left is nothing more than the ghost of a young soul, wandering about and curiously studying the surrounding, forever looking for answers that would otherwise seem trivial.

After “Kidsuke” the critically acclaimed collaboration project with Daisuke Tanabe, “Tokyorkshire” based producer kidkanevil continues his fascination with Japan and readies his latest solo album My Little Ghost. Inspired by a summer spent in Tokyo collaborating, exploring and generally refusing to grow up, the double vinyl is due May 2nd on Project: Mooncircle and features a wide range of guests including PMC's own submerse and Tokyo vocalist Cuushe.

'My Little Ghost' comes out worldwide on limited gatefold, double, pink vinyl (including download code) as well as a limited edition CD including a bonus track via flau records - http://www.flau.jp/ in Japan.

A bright and colourful scenery: Shrill blinding sights, piercing foreign sounds, a fusion of disparate scents blended into a cocktail of curiosity. Fleeting attempts embrace a thousand senses in one single second. Bustling around in the shadows of buildings as high as mountains, an almost eerily overwhelming sense of contentment is omnipresent - but something doesn't appear to be right...
Stranded on a lonely island in the midst of a chaotic metropolis, disconnected - a feeling of drowning in an ocean of overstimulus and importunities of disproportionately inflated personalities, without ever even being registered or taken notice of.
What's left is nothing more than the ghost of a young soul, wandering about and curiously studying the surrounding, forever looking for answers that would otherwise seem trivial.

After “Kidsuke” the critically acclaimed collaboration project with Daisuke Tanabe, “Tokyorkshire” based producer kidkanevil continues his fascination with Japan and readies his latest solo album My Little Ghost. Inspired by a summer spent in Tokyo collaborating, exploring and generally refusing to grow up, the double vinyl is due May 2nd on Project: Mooncircle and features a wide range of guests including PMC's own submerse and Tokyo vocalist Cuushe.

Limited handmade and handpainted pink cassette edition (including download code).