Search "Bacao Rhythm Steel Band" 589 Items

7" | 2021 | EU | Original (Jalapeno)

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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On "Winds Of War And Peace", conductor Lowell Graham takes the National Symphonic Winds ensemble through a program of stirring orchestrations and marches. "Liberty Fanfare" was composed for the centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty in 1986. The fanfare set the stage for one of the most spectacular celebrations in America's history. Samuel Barber's "Commando March" composed in 1943, represents Barber's first band work. Written in a quadruple meter, this work utilizes the constant contrast of dotted and triplet rhythms. Roger Nixon's "Festival Fanfare March" was recognized for superb composition by the American Bandmasters Association in 1973. It is a work that's technical, bright in color and effervescent in spirit. The album also includes "Victory at Sea", "El Camino Real", "A Santa Cecilla" and "Symphonic Dance No. 3". Although the 33 1/3 reissue of this recording by Analogue Productions was outstanding, our 45 RPM version raises the quality bar even higher. With wider grooves, you'll hear sound that reveals more depth and space to the orchestra as a whole, as well as individual instruments. This disc sports more detail, more human presence, more of what we as audiophiles, listen for. Graham, a native of Greeley, Colorado, has earned recognition as one of America's most talented young conductors. He graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees. He was also the first person to be awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Catholic University of America. Graham has led orchestras and bands on record and in performance throughout the world. He is the current conductor and commander of the United States Air Force Tactical Air Command Band.

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The Allergies

Move On Baby

Trujillo, Peru 1971 - 1974

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Time to bust out those shades as we have two brand new blasts of sonic sunshine from Bristol beatmakers, The Allergies. 'Move On Baby' finds the duo on career-best form. With their sampling savvy hitting new heights, as vintage rhythm 'n' blues vocals ride highly re-energised Latin loops, and some seriously funky drums. Totally their signature sound â€“ Tough beats, catchy hooks and horns, and feel-good dancefloor vibes â€“ But turned up to 11. It's got "Sound of the Summer" written all over it, weather permitting. Also shining bright is B-side banger, 'Are You Ready'. This stomping soul sensation features LA rap legend, Andy Cooper [Ugly Duckling] and the powerful pipes of Miss Marietta Smith. The peak-time powder keg is set to detonate on this one. And the call-to-arms manifesto gives you the full Allergies' band stage show experience in one beefed up jukebox single.

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Manzanita Y Su Conjunto

LP | 2021 | Original (Analog Africa)

29,99 €*

Release: 2021 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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I was in Lima, hanging out with collector-extraordinaire Victor Zela, who had spent the previous few years pouring his passion for Peruvian Cumbia into the blog „la cumbia de mis viejos“, a trove of incredible music. But after the birth of his first child, his priorities shifted and he decided to part with some of his rarest LPs. I was one of the lucky few given an early chance to examine his treasures, and when I picked up the album Manzaneando com Manzanita, Victor said: “Take it! its one of the best LPs ever recorded in Perú … easily in the top five”. That was all the encouragement I needed … two years later many of the songs from that masterpiece have made it onto Manzanita y su Conjunto, a compilation of electrifying Cumbia sides from Manzanita’s golden era.

Berardo Hernández – better known as Manzanita – first surfaced during the psychedelic Cumbia craze. At the head of the scene were the magnificent Los Destellos, whose leader, Enrique Delgado, was such a six-string wizard that other guitarists found it impossible to escape his shadow. But when Manzanita arrived, his electric criollo style sent shockwaves through Lima’s music scene and posed a serious threat to Delgado’s dominance as king of the Peruvian guitar.

Manzanita had come to Lima from the coastal city of Trujillo, five hundred miles up the coast – a place where Spanish, African and indigenous populations had been living and making music together for centuries – and came of age at a time when the first wave of psychedelic rock from the US and UK was starting to sweep the airwaves. But the sounds of Cream and Hendrix disappeared from the radio just as quickly in 1968 when Juan Velasco seized control of the country in a military coup. The new regime, which favoured local traditions over cultural ‘imports’ from the north, was a blessing in disguise for the Peruvian music scene.

Record labels flourished as new bands, raised on a hybrid diet of electric guitars and Cuban rhythms, rushed in to fill the vacuum created by the lack of imported rock. A new genre, known as Peruvian cumbia, was born and Manzanita quickly became one of its most original voices.

Starting in 1969, Manzanita y su Conjunto released a steady stream of singles that used Cuban guaracha rhythms as the foundation for dazzling electric guitar lines. After countless 45s and several years on the touring circuit, the band signed to Virrey, an important Peruvian label, and recorded two LPs acknowledged as masterpieces among aficionados of tropical music. Most of the songs on Analog Africa’s new compilation Manzanita y su Conjunto are drawn from those legendary sessions of 1973 and 74.

Although he scored a few more hits in the later 70s, his dissatisfaction with the music industry caused him to withdraw from the scene for several years; and when he finally retired for good, the golden age of Peruvian cumbia was a distant memory. But when Manzanita was at the top of his game he had few equals. Victor Zela was right: this is some of the best music ever recorded in Perú.

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Expansions Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Expansions Colored Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Expansions HHV Exclusive Edition Smoke Purpage Vinyl Edition

7" | 2021 | EU | Original (Philophon)

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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HHV exclusive edition limited to 200 copies.

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

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Guy One

So La Ma La

12,99 €*

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Apollo Sound)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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After his international debut #1 in 2018, the north Ghanaian Kologo (a two stringed proto-banjo) master Guy One is back with his brand new band, consisting of Kumasi's finest young talents, plus Florence Adooni and Tenni Akagam as his choir voices.
So La Ma La has a straight forward Highlife rhythm which melts together with some funky articulated afrobeat-a-like bass line. To Kale Na'nabala is instead in the traditional Kete rhythm, a bouncy poly-rhythm in 12/8. But both songs are mostly defined through Guy One's Kologo lines and his soulful interpretation of the typical north-ghanaian vocal style.

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Son Yambu

Tremendo Ambiente

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Sounds Of Subterrania)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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London based band Son Yambu are back with their second album full of original son Cubano, continuing the Buena Vista legacy that put Cuban music back on the world map in 1997. Featuring a new line up of the very best of Cuba's musical diaspora, 'Tremendo Ambiente'reflectsthe evolving nature of the music whilst at the same time paying homage to its roots. Recorded in London, 'Tremendo Ambiente' features Son Yambu's traditional 'sonora' sound of two trumpets.Made up entirely of original songs, the album features a varied collection of Cuban and Caribbean rhythms.

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Ipek Yolu

Tropical Anatolia

20,99 €*

CD | 2021 | EU | Original (Sounds Of Subterrania)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Ipek Yolu is the Turkish name for the Silk Road which connected the East and the West. This band does not deal in silk but they connect flavors, smells and sounds from different corners of the globe, connecting the world.
The band merges bass-heavy electro-tinged cumbia grooves, saz riffs and surf guitar into a multicultural melting pot of South American rhythms, Anatolian folk music and 60s psychedelic rock. A unique universe of sound that bridges the tropical jungles and the dusty deserts in a kaleidoscopic blend of music. Ipek Yolu has used 2020 to write their debut album Tropical Anatolia and are ready to hit the venues and festivals.
The members of Ipek Yolu first got together for an improvised jam session during the Aarhus Roots & Hybrid Festival in 2018. The show was set up as a special one-time-only show merging members from the bands Hudna & Junglelyd. The show ended up lasting for almost three hours. It didn’t take them long to discover they were onto something special. If you know any of these bands mentioned you know you’re in for a body-shaking party, characterised by musical curiosity and improvisation.
The three members of Ipek Yolu have all been part of the Danish music scene for several years. The band leader, Orhan Özgür Turan, is a well-known and respected saz player all over Denmark, and has made a name for himself through his efforts in the Anatolian Folk band Hudna. In 2018 he won an award as Global Roots Artist of the year at The Danish World Music Awards. Olaf Brinch and Lasse Aagaard have worked together for many years making high energy cumbia with their band Junglelyd and Afrobeat with their band African Connection. Olaf is also an integral part of the Danish band AddisAbabaBand. In addition, Olaf and Lasse have toured and recorded with great musicians such as CC Yoyo, former drummer of Fela Kuti, in both Ghana and Denmark. All of the past experiences collided to create Ipek Yolu.

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Ipek Yolu

Tropical Anatolia

11,99 €* 15,99 € -25%

Forgive You / Come Closer

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Mali Hayes

7" | 2021 | EU | Original (Band On The Wall)

11,99 €*

Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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Mali Hayes has been simmering to the surface for a while now. Emerging from a Manchester jazz community that's enjoying its own renaissance away from the much-reported on London scene, the vocalist and songwriter's bittersweet neo-soul sound is trans-Atlantic â€“ think initial progenitors such as Erkyah Badu, D'Angelo and Jill Scott â€“ but is rooted in Manchester's mixed communities and the different walks of life she encounters.
Forgive You / Come Closer â€“ owes itself to Gilles Peterson and Brownswood Music's Future Bubblers programme, when Hayes met producers Cult Architect and Medikul while part of the mentorship scheme. Airplay from Gemma Bradley, Victoria Jane & Mo Ayoub on Radio 1, Jamz Supernova & Gilles Peterson on BBC Radio 6, Victoria Jane on BBC Introducing, Jamz Supernova on Selector Radio. Features in Clash Magazines 'Next Wave' playlist and Spotify's 'Rhythm & Groove by DJ Taro' playlist.
The two tracks come out as part of a new series of 7" releases from Manchester institution Band on the Wall and their new label Band on the Wall Recordings. Based out of the iconic music venue, charity and cultural hub, the label builds on a successful compilation released to raise funds during the Covid-19 pandemic

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69 Cents / That Is Why

7" | 2021 | EU | Original (Super Disco Edits)

12,99 €*

Bob Mintzer / Wdr Big Band

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign hailed from Indianapolis and consisted of quite a few members. With its early inception they were called Ebony Rhythm Band with some singles on Lamp records in 1969. Over the years with many band member changes and falling outs The Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign was formed around 72/73. The new band acquired a recording contract with Universal City, a subsidiary of major label MCA. The group released one self entitled Lp in 1973. The group had some success but didn't acquire any further recording time with MCA. Band members Lester Johnson, Michael Woods and Pamela Tanner plus a few others went on to record a Billboard hit with "How's your wife and my child" on Carl Davis Innovation ll record label in 1975. An LP deal was negotiated which led to their 1976 Lp "Watchin' you, watchin' me" for Chi Sound records in 1976. Super Disco Edits in conversation with Trombone player Michael Woods discovered an earlier Lp that was recorded and funded by the band during 1973/74 Michael had kept the studio reels and some 47 years later we finally helped him get them baked and transferred. The A side later got released on the "Watchin you watchin me" LP but in 1976 they changed the song into a more disco funk polished version, the discovery of these 1973 reels captures a much more raw funk workout, which we feel is superior than the latter. Flip over the single to what is a beautiful sweet soul ballad written and sung by Pam Tanner. The sparse nature of the production tenderness of Pams vocals has already caught the attention of some of the Firme lowrider kats on the West Coast.

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Soundscapes

2LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Jazzline)

15,99 €*

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Madremonte Red Vinyl Edition

Jaguar

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Elpalmas Music)

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Zoe's Shanghai)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Jaguar mine the sounds of the Colombian Caribbean and global dance sub cultureson a debut album that veers between psychedelic salsa, taut cumbia-disco and zouk party jams.

Rave culture never hit Colombia in the 90s – an internal civil war and a music industry fixated on blandness and payola made sure of that – but if it had then Jaguar would have been one of its leading lights. On their debut album this Colombian duo excavate the sound of their country’s dance floors, uniting the classy, brassy sounds of cumbia, porro and salsa with the earthier DIY vibrations coming from Afro-Colombian street parties on the coast, melodies and guitar lines learnt from imported African vinyl filtered through drum machines and hand-painted picó sound systems with the bass so high it threatens to knock you over.

The twosome mark out their stall on album opener “Bailalo Tu También” (“You Dance It, Too”), urging all to come and dance on a tune that references champeta (the #1 sound of Afro-Colombian block parties), zouk and calypso, as well as doffing a cap to disco and Brit funk, uniting the underground dance cultures of Colombia, the Caribbean, New York and London in one fell swoop. The cumbia card comes out on “Contra La Corriente” (“Against The Tide”), which with its subtle influences of global bass and minimal post-disco gives this classic rhythm even more thrust. “Ten Presente” (“Keep In Mind”) represents another side step, a salsa orchestra stripped down to just vocals, percussion, killer horn section and raspy charango, with the groove never in doubt.

Yet, if 90s rave culture represented a response to the darkness of the 80s, then something similar is at play here, the image of the Caribbean as a warm, happy and danceable place coming in contrast with the poverty that is the reality for many living there, and this dark underbelly is not ignored by Jaguar. “Is it possible that the people united could become invincible?” they ask on “Guadalupe”, offering a message of hope that one day the inequality, poverty and neglect that is everyday life for many people in Colombia will be diminished by getting behind the same cause. Driven by an 80s-inspired zouk beat, they dream of there one day being a united people with the strength to fight back against the authorities. “¿Será posible, será posible?” they sing, “Could it be possible, could it be possible?” This dichotomy of emotions crops up again on “Siguele El Paso” (“Keep Up”), a pure Caribbean groove that is impossibly infectious with lyrics that speak of keeping those hips moving but can’t help but mention reality, the protagonist of the song dodging bullets and nefarious forces while still keeping their rhythm on the dance floor. It’s a perfect encapsulation of Jaguar’s modus operandi, this is music to make you dance, but it remains grounded, in Colombian and Caribbean musical idioms as well as the hard times that many Colombians are living through. It’s a rhythmic elixir, but with bite; rum straight from the bottle.

Jaguar are two Colombians based in Europe, Paulo and Raúl. Since the 90s their paths crossed, their names mentioned by mutual friends, but it would not be until 2017 that they finally got to know each other. Quickly they established a musical rapport, forming a band with some friends that fell apart just as quickly, but they knew that wasn’t the end, and they continued working on songs, finding their musical language; a path that led them to Madremonte and a sound that imbibes cumbia, salsa, bolero, rock, zouk and champeta, music from across Colombia, from the Caribbean, its Pacific Coast and high into the Andes, all the while transposing these sounds to the dance floor.

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Zoe's Shanghai

Lava Love

20,99 €*

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Hubro)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Lava Love is the new album by Zoe’s Shanghai. Led by singer Zoé Renié Harris, the band has made a splash into the crowded neo-soul scene with their debut EP A Mirage (Meant To Last Forever) released in 2019 - a deeply evocative sound and Zoe’s extraordinary voice gained them immediately the spotlight as ones to watch (“a worthy torchbearer for heady and hearty soul music”- Earmilk). Following a successful string of EPs and singles, the Barcelona & Paris-based four-piece band is now ready to share with the world their first full-length album. Lava Love was recorded in an old stable in the French region of Auvergne - known for its mountain ranges and dormant volcanoes, this region could not have been a more apt setting. Lava and love portray in fact a dynamic flow of memory and meaning pouring out of Zoe’s Shanghai’s heart. In and out of the metaphor, Lava and love can be powerful, frightening, beautiful, dangerous and at the same time are essential elements that create fertile change and growth. Through the 11 songs, the band evoke memories and pose questions - inner dialogues, life stories, encounters and relationships – the album depicts a kaleidoscope of moods and feelings, prompting the listener to open to the conversation: while each song presents a microcosm on its own, the album manifests itself in the shared musical experience - immersive music to listen to and enjoy with your loved ones. Produced with Oli Barton-Wood (Nubiyan Twist, Joe Armon-Jones, Nilufer Yanya), the sound of Lava Love brings together hypnotic melodies, groovy rhythms and thoughtful lyrics - fusing the essence of multiple music styles and forging Zoe’s Shanghai unique contemporary soul. The album follows the critically acclaimed EP ‘A Mirage’, which garnered the support of Gilles Peterson & Huey Morgan (bbc 6 Music), Jamz Supernova (bbc Radio 1Xtra), Worldwide FM and Earmilk to name a few.

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Finland

Rainy Omen

24,29 €* 26,99 € -10%

Karl Hector Presents: Johnny!

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Although The Band Finland Has Existed Since 2010, "Rainy Omen" Is Their First Release. Finland Consists Of Five Musicians Who Have Made Their Indisputable Mark On The Norwegian Music Scene In The Last Decade, And Who Have Individually Been Involved In Countless Other Bands And Recordings. The Band Project Has Come About More As A Result Of Excess Enthusiasm Than Of Necessity - And Musical Enthusiasm Is, In Fact, What Characterises This Debut Release. The Members Of Finland Are Guitarist Ivar Grydeland (Huntsville), Drummer Pål Hausken (In The Country, Ida Jenshus), Keyboard Wizard Morten Qvenild (In The Country, Spacemonkey, Susanna & The Magical Orchestra), And The Superb Bass Player Jo Berger Myhre (Splashgirl, Nils Petter Molvær, Mariam The Believer). In Finland They Are Investigating A More Rock-Oriented, Spontaneous And Extrovert Type Of Music Than In Many Of The Other Bands They Play In. Their Music Encompasses An Encyclopaedic Number Of Genres And Sources Of Inspiration, And Their Debut Album Serves As Documentation Of The Point Where Different Musical Paths And Dialogues Intersect In The Band At This Particular Time. Elements Of Instrumental Film Music, Post-, Prog-, Noise And Freedom Rock, And Airy Americana Are All Included In The Appealing And Well-Composed Musical Melting Pot That Constitutes "Rainy Omen". Finland As A Rock Band Cannot Be Described With Superficial Metaphors Or By Listing Their Sources Of Inspiration, But Even On Their Debut Album They Already Have Their Own Distinctive Sound. Finland: Pål Hausken: Drums, Percussion, Vocals Morten Qvenild: Piano, Electronics, Programming, Vocals Jo Berger Myhre: Bass Guitar, Baryton Guitar, Electric Guitar, Vocalsivar Grydeland: Electric Guitar, Banjo, Pedal Steel Guitar, Lapsteel, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

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Johnny!

LP | 2021 | Original (Now-Again)

26,09 €* 28,99 € -10%

LP | 2021 | UK | Original (Athens Of The North)

Release: 2021 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Ghanaian Afro-Rock From Producer/Composer JJ Whitefield, Inspired By His Karl Hector & The Malcouns And Whitefield Brothers Projects JJ Whitefield, who in the early ‘90s revived the gritty, analogue Funk sounds of the ‘60s and ‘70s with his Poets Of Rhythm, has been working with Now-Again Records for over decade, releasing a flock of acclaimed projects with Karl Hector & The Malcouns, Whitefield Brothers, Rodinia and the Original Raw Soul anthology. He first started exploring African rhythms with the Whitefield Brothers in the late ‘90s, continuing in the ‘00s with Karl Hector & The Malcouns. He’s been instrumental in launching Ghanaian Afro Beat/Funk legend Ebo Taylor´s international career, decades after the maestro recorded the landmark albums that have inspired thousands. Whitefield recorded two new studio albums with Taylor and toured in his band between 2009 and 2013, where he met Taylor’s son Henry and percussionist/Singer Eric Owusu. The trio now front the Johnny! band and find inspiration not only in Ghana’s hypnotic grooves, but also the full frontal fuzz guitar assault heard on the legion of 70s Zambian Zamrock albums reissued by Now-Again. Indeed, Whitefield credits his tours with Zamrock godfathers Rikki Ililonga and WITCH’s Jagari Chanda as instrumental in creating the Johnny’s sonic backdrop. The band is rounded out by Turkish drummer Bernd Oezsevim (Woima Collective, Rodinia) and Indonesian bassist/multi instrumentalist Tomi Simatupang (Whitefield Brothers). This is what was oft-called “Afro Rock” at the core, with the possibilities to stretch out into swinging highlife, sweet soul or psychedelia . The results, point at a new direction for the music inspired by the Great Continent. One that takes a direction once mocked as derivative and asserts its importance on the globe’s current musical stage.

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The Coast To Coast Band

Coast To Coast

16 Rayos Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Our second LP this month is an unreleased magical modern soul LP from the band Coast To Coast, the full story below by band leader Mark Beiner...

I met Ben iverson in 1976 when I was 17 years old. I was a junior at Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens. At that time, I took a part time job as a Produce Clerk at Walbaum's Supermarket on Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights, Queens, where I met Ben Iverson who was the "Frozen Food Manager." In between the music, this job was steady income, and he and his Wife, Diane, started a family and raised two Daughters, Tonia and Cytherea, whom I am still in contact with today.

Back then, I remember going to work early just to talk to him about his musical background and his time spent in the 50's and 60's with the Ohio Doo Wop Group, "The Hornets", or better known as, "Ben Iverson and The Hornets." However, Ben was somewhat quiet and at a loss for words when I questioned him with regard to "Ben Iverson and the Nue Dey Express", as well as his short career as Manager and Songwriter for Brooklyn's own, "Crown Heights Affair" in the early 70's.

Between the 50's and 60's, "Ben Iverson and The Hornets" shared billing at music events with recording artists such as, The Drifter's, Bill Haley and The Comets, Pat Boone, Etta James, Mary Wells, Nancy Wilson, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Lloyd Price and Al Green. Many of these names got their start in the 50's, which Ben met at music concert events hosted by Radio Disc Jockey, Alan Freed. Alan was truly the first Concert Promoter for Doo Wop, Rhythm & Blues, and early Rock & Roll.

In 1978 after Ben and I discussed getting together and composing music, I started writing poetry and expressing in writing my break up with my college girl friend, Paula Vasta. Paula's middle name was Marie, so in kidding around, I would call her "Paula Marie." Ben thought my lyrics were "powerful" and wanted to put them in music. Thus our first recorded 45 rpm record called "Paula Marie", backed with "I Want You Dear." This launched our musical partnership and within a year, the Coast to Coast Band was formed. Ben and I went on to writing two albums worth of material, which in turn gave us a lot of time and presence on stage at our live gigs.

The regular Coast to Coast Band members consisted of Ben Iverson on Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitarist and Co-Executive Producer, Joe Crowley, who is known today as "New York Congressman Joe Crowley." Carl (Woody Wood) Morton on Bass Guitar, Jimmy Johnson on Keyboards. Woody and Jimmy used to hang and play rap in its early days with "Run Dmc" in St. Albans, Queens. Lead Guitarist, Lou Jimenez, currently owns his own recording studio, Music Labs in Elmont, Long Island. On Drums, Eddie Byam, on Alto Sax, Jay Cohen, who in the 70's used to record for "Gary U.S. Bonds." Gary Pevols on Trumpet. On Bone, Scott Burrows, Trumpet player, Steve Becker, whom we lost to Testicular Cancer at the age of 25, along side Neil Levine, Stan Stockley, Tom Russo and additional members that came and went that we used for live gigs and studio recordings.

In addition, special recognition goes out to our Producer, Recording Engineer and Multi-sound Recording Studio, Owner, Dave Weiner and staff. Dave and I launched Multi-Sound Records under the Multi-Sound label in 1980.

Last, of course myself, Mark Beiner, where I served as Executive Producer, Songwriter, Business/Marketing Manager, and background vocals.

Unfortunately, Ben Iverson passed away on March 21, 2008, and cannot be here to share this with us, but his music and voice still lives on!

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Orquesta Akokan

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Daptone)

16 Rayos Colored Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Orquesta Akokán is ready to unleash 16 Rayos on the world's dance floors, via Daptone Records. Recorded in Havana’s famed Egrem Studios, the group displays a cohesion forged by an intense performing and touring cycle. The musical conversation that began in the Areito studios three years earlier blossomed into an easy, intimate dialogue between good friends - allowing full, fearless musical expression and risk-taking outside of their comfort zones.

Building upon Perez Prado’s dissonant, near avant-garde vision of the mambo, and highlighting the Lucumí subtext of Cuban rhythms and styles, the band continues to explore, develop and expand the island’s rich rhythmic palette and repertoire - pushing the conventions of what is considered “mambo” - and drawing deeply from folkloric and religious traditions seldom heard in popular music. 16 Rayos is here to shine its musical rays on us, warm our hearts, and irresistibly move our bodies.

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Orquesta Akokan

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Daptone)

Lo Bueno, Lo Malo, Lo Feo Y Los Alaracosos Chapillacs

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Los Chapillacs

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Vampisoul)

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Satelite K)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Highlights:Long-Awaited Second Album By The Rising Stars Of Neo Cumbia And Psychedelic Chicha In Peru, Arequipa's Very Own Los Chapillacs, Featuring The Late Lucho Carrillo, Lead Singer Of The Legendary Band Los Diablos Rojos, Daniel F (Leusemia) And Laurita Pacheco.A Mix Of Many Different Music Genres And Styles From Peru And Beyond. From The Expected Cumbia And Chicha (With And Without The Psych Element) To Chacalon Influences, Popular Afroperuvian Rhythms And A Touch Of Rock With A Certain Sense Of Humor That Even Welcomes '80s Hair Metal Guitars And A Touch Of Deep Ballad Vocals...Jungle-Tinged Electric Guitars Firing Up The Party!Description:Long-Awaited Second Album By The Rising Stars Of Neo Cumbia And Psychedelic Chicha In Peru, Arequipa's Very Own Los Chapillacs."Lo Bueno, Lo Malo, Lo Feo Y Los Alaracosos Chapillacs" Comprises Many Different Music Genres And Styles From Peru And Beyond. From The Expected Cumbia And Chicha (With And Without The Psych Element) To Chacalon Influences, Popular Afroperuvian Rhythms And A Touch Of Rock With A Certain Sense Of Humor That Even Welcomes '80s Hair Metalguitars And A Touch Of Deep Ballad Vocals...A Number Of Guest Top Artists Are Featured In This New Album: Daniel F From Punk Band Leusemia; Harp Virtuoso Laurita Pacheco On 'Cada Noche Me Pierdo'; The Late Lucho Carrillo (Cumbia All Star, Los Diablos Rojos) On "Fiesta De Mostros"; And Also0 Rony Carbajal (Xdinero) And Arequipa's Folk Artist Filiberto Barrios.Jungle-Tinged Electric Guitars Firing Up The Party!

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The Excitements

Keepin' On

Andrea Motis / Wdr Big Band

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Catalan Rhythm'n'Blues and Soul band The Excitements arrives with his fourth studio album;

Keeping 'on' (Satelite K 2021). An album with 14 songs full of classic melodies that join the

sounds of old school soul and rhythm ‘n’ blues and lyrics that speak to us both about social

issues and interpersonal relationships. The incorporation of the French singer of Somali origin

Kissia San stands out. This new voice has allowed them to broaden her spectrum without losing

the strength that has characterized them during all these years. Collaboration in the songwriting

process by James Graham; member of Hannah Williams and the Affirmations (British band with

which they shared their last tour) has opened them to new musical structures and the

production of Neil Sugarman; head of Daptone Records; with Marc Tena; has managed to give an

extra solidity to the sound of the band.

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Colors & Shadows

2LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Jazzline)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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El Trio (Lapouble, Lew, Cevasco)

Todo En Su Medida Y Armoniosamente

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Vampisoul)

17,09 €* 17,99 € -5%

Tape | 2021 | US | Original (Drag City)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Mega Rare 1974 Jazz Funk Rock Album Recorded By Argentina's Top Jazzmen Pocho Lapouble, Ricardo Lew And Adalberto Cevasco (Also Members Of Quinteplus, Jorge Lopez Ruiz's Band And Gato Barbieri's Group Among Many Others).Includes The Irresistible Fast-Paced Funk Rock Track 'Se Acabó El Recreo' And The Ethereal 'Todo En Su Medida Y Armoniosamente' And 'Haceme Shaft', Featuring Patricia Clark On Vocals And Unexpected Moog Arrangements.First Time Reissue, With Remastered Sound And Original Artwork. -Info: Those Into World Jazz Will Be Aware Of The Amazing Modal, Big Band And Post-Bop Jazz Recordings Released In Argentina In The '60s. The Body Of Work Produced By The Likes Of Chivo Borraro, Jorge López Ruiz Or Enrique Villegas Would Be Able To Rival The Recordings Of Their American Counterparts.The Following Decade Would See A Great Openness To The Exploration, With A Jazz Language, Of Other Musical Genres, With A Certain Preponderance Of Rhythm. The Members Of El Trio Are Part Of A Jazz Generation With A Greater Propensity To Experiment With Electricity And With What Could Be Considered An Avant La Page Exercise Of What Soon Afterwards Would Be Called Jazz Rock -It Is Music Composed And Played, In The Faraway Buenos Aires, At The Same Time Miles Davis Adventured Into New Fields, With Such Records As "In A Silent Way" Or "Bitches' Brew"."Todo En Su Medida Y Armoniosamente" Reflects That Same Spirit Of Experimentation And Fusion Of Diverse Influences With An Eye On Both Rock And Local Folklore. It's Not Surprising That The Protagonists Of This Recording -Pocho Lapouble (Drums), Ricardo Lew (Guitar) And Adalberto Cevasco (Bass) - Had Accompanied Gato Barbieri Himself In His Project "Latinoamérica" Shortly Before The Release Of This Album Where The Presence Of Rhythms From The Southern Hemisphere Infused The Avant-Garde Jazz Of The Argentine Saxophonist. Drummer Pocho Lapouble Had Also Created Quinteplus, Which In 1972 Released A Single Studio Lp Inspired By Those Same Premises Of Fusi...

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Bitchin Bajas

Switched On Ra

2LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Les Disques Bongo Joe)

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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It's almost four years since their last opus - two years since the most-recent run of live shows! Now, Bitchin Bajas return from whatever kind of rare ether they occupy when they're at home, bearing the riches of the whole cosmos in their hands. And strictly OG as well - on cassette only! Switched On Ra is the outcome of a typical Bajas exercise: pouring some out for the pioneers that came before (as they've done with Bitchitronics and their participation in the annual Chicago performance of "In C" over the years). It's a nice way to get a flow - they play a little of themselves, then some for the pioneers, then a little more for the band. Before long, they're playing with the inspirations twined, as they can only come from within. For Switched On Ra, this meant a deep delve into the song-book of one of their soul-predecessors, Sun Ra, whose music is literally written in the Bajas DNA. Digging into this music sounded wild on paper: the drone synth group taking on the Arkestra harmonies and Ra's loose grooves? The trick was to get that sense of rhythm to translate across the spectrum from Ra to Bajas, in a way that worked for them both. Their rearrangements of the tunes went good - up and down the EQ band, they were finding the round sounds and jagged edges that brought Ra's music into their own thing. Then at the last minute, there was another twist - why not pay tribute to the Queen herself, and think of the arrangements with a Wendy Carlos vibe? A little side homage? After all, Switched on Bach was visionary, bringing analog synths from the outside all the way into the mainstream in the late 60s - and this take on Ra is meant to take him to new ears everywhere. Sun Ra of course was his own kind of original keyboard visionary, using electric keyboards in the late 40s and 50s to fill a role in jazz that had traditionally been played on acoustic piano only. Once he'd done so, he took his writing in directions inspired by the electricity, places no one had thought to go before then. Doing what he did on the keys was a stand for individuality that became the background radiation of his journey through the cosmos; the search for a place beyond earthly dominance, for all the people who desperately wanted the fuck OUT. Bitchin Bajas have been content to dominate in a microtonal world, usually without a single chord to be found anywhere. But here, they step up righteously, their vibe triangulated as they bring Ra's music forward with some Wendy C style, making an unexpected space for all to thrive. There's a real feeling of joy as these collected signals bounce off the tape and through the speakers into your space. To get this unique colloid exactly right, Bitchin Bajas used nineteen different keyboards. They abstained from deploying their arsenal of reed and woodwind instruments: everything had to be on the keys. This meant Yamahas, Rolands, Korgs, Casios, a MicroMoog and of course their trusty Ace Tone organ. They even broke out the Crumar Ds-2, to have some of Ra's chosen tone in the mix. Then Jayve Montgomery added an EWI as a solo voice on a few tunes, just to get some air-blown signal (and a natural shout out to EWI master Marshall Allen) in there, after all. It felt like somewhere in the universe, Ra was decreeing it. Switched On Ra is an effervescent celebration of music throughout time and space.

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L'Eclair

Confusions

Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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A band as kinetic as L’Eclair cannot stay idle. So when the pandemic hit, they stayed true to form and began recording a new album. With their former records usually recorded in a few days, live to tape, they took a decidedly different approach with this LP. Recorded in four sessions spread out over nine months, the group and their trusted engineer (and manager) Benoit Erard were able to spend more time, energy, and consideration on the production. This new approach gave them the ability to reflect and revise, allowing them to focus more on composition, arrangements and structures. The result is their fourth album Confusions: a sprawling hour-long, 12 track record- their most diverse, concise, and focused effort to date.

Confusions finds L’Eclair finding themselves, having distilled their mastery of groove and rhythm down to a science. Club vibes, psych grooves, rhythmic trances, and ambient comedowns are all present in equal measure, while maintaining a cohesive and consistent flavor throughout. Confusions is both expertly crafted and joyfully spontaneous, danceable yet ethereal, emotive yet cerebral. The shifting moods and melodies imbue the album with a depth that demands repeat listens.

Their influences are on full display here, with nods to CAN, Piero Umiliani, and Tangerine Dream- seamlessly blended with the unique sound L’Eclair has established over the years. New influences are also apparent, such as the house grooves of 80’s Madchester and Aphex twin, as well as the textures and ambience of Boards of Canada. As with past L’Eclair releases, Confusions is sure to attract some fans of hip-hop, recalling the likes of producers Madlib, MF doom, and Dilla. The ever-present dub and house influences bubble up here and there but despite the many inspirations behind Confusions, the sound is pure L’Eclair.

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Unreleased Tracks

LP | 2021 | JP | Original (P-Vine)

31,99 €*

Double Dinners Yellow Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / JP – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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"Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign" is a sweet funk group from Minneapolis that was evolved from four musicians who were friends and all left high school together to play in a band back in early 1970's. In 1973, they released their first and most successful album for MCA under the production of Wayne Henderson who is well known as trombone player of Crusaders. After the release, the band returned to their hometown and started recording in Chitown records studios in 1974~75 but the master tape had not been published by some reasons and forgotten for decades. These unheard treasures recorded in the middle of their career will be finally unveiled for the first time. You'll find how these lost tracks are superb and not any less gripping than their 2nd album released after these recording. You can listen to the single from UK disco label Super Disco Edits which will be released as an advance single of this album. For fans of sweet soul / psych funk.

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Cousin Kula

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Rhythm Section International)

Double Dinners Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Bristol based band Cousin Kula announce their debut album Double Dinners. With co-signs from the likes of Badbadnotgood and newly signed to Rhythm Section, Cousin Kula have created their own musical universe of otherworldly pop serenity with vastly distinct, but complementary elements: “the possibilities of jazz, the emphatic energy of club culture, and the sonic tapestries of psychedelia” Clash Magazine remark.

Living and recording together, nestled in the sun-drenched hills on the outskirts of Bristol, Cousin Kula are masters of their craft, and also of restraint; widely regarded by their fans for their superior live show. Having performed live in various bands for the past 10 years since their early teens, not being able to hit the stage during lockdown took its toll on these musicians. Ever resourceful, however, Cousin Kula began a series of their own home-made live sessions, which lead in turn to a Boiler Room Session and further a request from XL signees Badbadnotgood to record a live adaptation of their new single.

Now, Cousin Kula flutter into the collective consciousness with a timeless slice of psychedelic soul on debut album Double Dinners. The latest band to emerge out of the buoyant Bristol music scene, they have stripped back all excess baggage for their most accomplished recordings to date. Existing on a similar plane to contemporaries such as Connan Mockasin, Mildlife, Toro Y Moi, Mac DeMarco and Homeshake, the band caught the attention of renowned tastemaker Bradley Zero with their 'Casa Kula Cassette' EP at the end of 2020, with the Rhythm Section founder swiftly taking the 5 piece under his wing, with him commenting:

“The band balance an outsider approach with more hooks than you can shake a stick at... the result being a gently beguiling sound that effortlessly draws you in, revealing more character with each listen.”

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Cousin Kula

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Rhythm Section International)

12" | 2021 | EU | Original (Next Door)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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James Larter

Polarity

22,99 €*

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Signature Sounds)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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Polarity, the first album from percussionist and multi-instrumentalist James Larter is a cross-genre Psychedelic journey with driving rhythms at its core.
Larter has always been obsessed with rhythm; whether it be the roaring sound of Brazilian Samba or the intricate and hypnotic drums from the African diaspora, music that makes people move is a passion. He is an in demand musician that has played with a staggering variety of groups and artists
from Sampha to the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Hailing from the UK and studying in London and New York, his soundscape crosses genres and styles all with a psychedelic twist. Marimba and vibraphone feature heavily with echoes of electronic music played out by an all-star accompanying 10 piece band.

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Twisted Pine

Right Now

21,84 €* 22,99 € -5%

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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First time on LP: Praised by NPR for their 'upbeat, poppy vibe; energetic, driving rhythms; and virtuosic solos,' Twisted Pine released their sophomore full- length Right Now on August 14, 2020 (Signature Sounds). Exploring a sound they call Americana funk, Twisted Pine takes traditional music in exhilarating directions. Bassist Chris Sartori writes, 'This album is easier to feel than describe. We're rooted in bluegrass, continually inspired by explorers like Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, and Sierra Hull. Right Now takes this heritage into a new dimension. Our bluegrass is jazzy, our indie folk is poppy, our grooves are funky.' Twisted Pine [Kathleen Parks, fiddle; Dan Bui, mandolin; Chris Sartori, bass; Anh Phung, flute] grooves with fearless improvisation and intricate arrangements. 'They were once bluegrass,' wrote The Boston Globe, 'but ... this Boston band has become something else, a wider version of stringband, boundary jumpers akin to outfits like Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek.

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Expansions

36,99 €*

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Used Vinyl

Medium: VG+, Cover: Near Mint

Smoke Purpage Vinyl Edition Limited edition of 200 copies. Vinyl is close to NM. Still in shrink but opened with hype sticker. tiny wear

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Expansions

31,99 €*

Hamburg Spinners (Carsten Erobique Meyer, David Nesselhauf, Dennis Rux, Lucas Kochbeck)

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Used Vinyl

Medium: VG+, Cover: VG+

Smoke Purpage Vinyl Edition Limited edition of 200 copies.

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Der Magische Kraken Black Vinyl Edition

LP | 2021 | EU | Reissue (a sexy)

Release: 2021 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2021 | EU | Original (De W.E.R.F.)

Laughing Bastards

Fetish

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Sounds Of Subterrania)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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On their latest album, Laughing Bastards prove they are a quintessential Belgian band - soaking up sounds and influences from all over the place while maintaining a tight unity - with an international appeal.Combining jazz and chamber music with ideas from pop music and multi-colored strains does not only give their music an iridescent edge, but also keeps the interplay fresh and inspired, something to return to while waiting to see them live on stage.

Ever since their auspicious beginnings, more than a decade ago, Laughing Bastards have giddily delighted in impurity. Initially a reeds-guitar-bass trio modeled after the classic Jimmy Giuffre 3, the band has remained truthful to its original spirit. Saxophone player Michel Mast and guitarist Jan-Sebastiaan Degeyter have remained its core, but the band went through several permutations, first welcoming Eline Duerinck (cello) and Marcos Della Rocha (for Unanimal in 2019) and solidifying its present-day line-up with bassist Cyrille Obermüller.

Bastards. It's kind of a rude word to throw around carelessly, but there has always been that element of being irregular, being too stubborn to comply with what is expected, that has set them apart. This is nowhere more evident than in the material contributed by Degeyter, who wrote more than half of the album's compositions. A talented illustrator and designer (he created a few of their striking album covers) as well as a versatile guitarist, Degeyter always manages to add a strong visual component to his material. In combination with his knack for pulling exotic influences into the band's overall sound, it leads to a playful, cinematic eccentricity.

"Tigraman" and "Black Spoon" are examples of this. Both are infused with an Ethiopian-tinged sound, but while the first one develops the catchy throbbing of a trance-like soul/rock tune, the second exudes the lush cadence of Golden Age Ethio jazz, the kind that gets under your skin with those sensual, irrepressible rhythms. They are a nice match with the increasing drama of the Slavic-tinged "Red Lemon", the slow, dreamy flow of the Jamaican dance hall-inspired "Sand", a strong feature for Duerinck, and "Dosi", that shows Obermüller's knack for propulsive melody.

The synesthete in Degeyter gets free reign in "Calliope", chamber jazz in which sweeping sax and cello are kept grounded by guitar, bass and drums. Mast's odd meter-song "Fetish" is another showcase for the band's effortless dancing and some gorgeous tenor schmooze. Della Rocha's "Turquoise" starts off in brooding, contemplative way and keeps simmering on a low, glowing fire. To top it off, there are a few covers that remind you of the band's origins. A new take on Giuffre's rootsy "The Train and the River" stresses their loose flexibility with an Americana style somewhat reminiscent of Charlie Haden, while Carla Bley's evergreen "Vashkar" gets a carefully constructed makeover to close out the album with grace.

On their latest album, Laughing Bastards prove they are a quintessential Belgian band - soaking up sounds and influences from all over the place while maintaining a tight unity - with an international appeal. Combining jazz and chamber music with ideas from pop music and multi-colored strains does not only give their music an iridescent edge, but also keeps the interplay fresh and inspired, something to return to while waiting to see them live on stage.

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Ipek Yolu

Tropical Anatolia

17,99 €*

Mangle Rojo Afro Colombian Sounds From The Pacific And Caribbean Coasts

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Used Vinyl

Medium: VG+, Cover: VG+

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Los Alegres Del Telembi

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Bánfora)

Plex Crystal Clear Vinyl Edition

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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We invite you to take a journey through the music of the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Colombia, where traditional rhythms blend with contemporary sounds. Mangle Rojo is a compilation album of 8 songs, released on vinyl of 12 inches, with some of the most popular rhythms of Colombian folklore, like Cumbia, Currulao, Bullerengue and, Puya, played by renowned artists like Nelda Piña, Inés Granja, Sixto Silgado Paíto, Emilsen Pacheco and Francisco Torres. Side A consists of four songs from the Pacific Coast, and side B has four songs from the Caribbean region. In this record take part bands and also collaborations between independent musicians. Six of the songs were composed for the album. Independent record label Bánfora Records produced Mangle Rojo, with support from the Ministry of Culture of Colombia

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Fazer

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (City Slang)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (City Slang)

Fazer

Plex

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Wamono Groove: Shakuhachi & Koto Jazz Funk '76 Black Vinyl Edition

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (180g)

Magma Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Following the already classic Wamono A to Z trilogy, 180g presents an exceptional collection of jazz funk / rare groove tunes recorded in the mid-seventies at the Nippon Columbia studios by three giants of Japanese music: arranger Kiyoshi Yamaya, koto legend Toshiko Yonekawa and shakuhachi master Kifu Mitsuhashi.

Born in 1932 in Tokyo, Kiyoshi Yamaya started his musical career in 1953 when he played in various jazz bands in town. In 1957, Yamaya joined Nobuo Hara’s famous jazz big band Sharps & Flats as a baritone saxophone player and started composing, arranging, and recording for them and other big bands. He became a key jazz figure in Japan in the sixties together with Norio Maeda and Keitaro Miho, both jazz pianists, composers and arrangers, by forming the Modern Jazz Three Association – which aimed at improving the level of Japanese jazz composition and arrangement. In the mid-seventies, his Contemporary Sound Orchestra explored jazz funk fusions with traditional Japanese melodies and instruments such as the shakuhachi, koto, biwa, and shamisen. These works were recorded for a series of panoramic Japanese albums released domestically on Denon and Nippon Columbia, from which the tracks on this compilation are taken from.

Toshiko Yonekawa, born 1913 in the city of Himeji, not so far from Osaka, is the eldest daughter of koto and shamisen master Kin’o Yonekawa. She started studying both instruments with her talented father from the age of 3, played in her first concert at 8, and was only 12 years old when she first appeared on national radio. Her unique style of koto playing is widely recognized due to the extreme accuracy of the intonation and rhythm, as well as the unequaled beauty of the instrument’s sonority. After a life decorated with awards and prizes, Toshiko Yonekawa was named a Living National Treasure in 1996.

Born in Tokyo in 1950, Kifu Mitsuhashi is a great master of Koto style shakuhachi. After completing the NHK Hōgaku Training Program in 1972, Mitsuhashi became a member of Pro Musica Nipponia, a group of leading composers and top-ranking musicians devoted to performing a wide-ranging repertoire of classical and contemporary compositions from both Japan and the West – in which all music is performed by traditional Japanese musical instruments. Mitsuhashi has toured the world for hundreds of recitals, also as a soloist, and has performed his art with the greatest ensembles such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2020, Kifu Mitsuhashi was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun.

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Black Flower

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Sdban Ultra)

Vibro Success Intercontinental Orchestra

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Five-piece hybrid jazz outfit Black Flower are set to release new album 'Magma' on the 28th January via the groove-obsessed Belgian label, Sdban Ultra.

Piloted by Brussels-based saxophonist/flutist/composer Nathan Daems (Echoes of Zoo, Dijf Sanders), the quintet is a vibrant, hypnotic mix of Ethio jazz, afrobeat, psychedelia and oriental influences, inspired by Mulatu Astatke, Fela Kuti and varied western musical traditions.

Black Flower is a band at the peak of their creative powers. Having received glowing praise for the 2019 album 'Future Flora' from Mojo, Songlines, BBC Radio 6 Music's Gilles Peterson, BBC Radio 3's Music Planet, Worldwide FM and Jazz FM among others, forthcoming album 'Magma' sees Black Flower embrace new synth and organ sounds from the band's most recent recruit, Karel Cuelenaere. His influence can be heard from the outset - his keys adding a swirling, mischievousness to album opener and title track 'Magma'. Elsewhere, the shuffling drum patterns and flighty, flute-propelled 'O Fogo' are rich in texture and flow.

Driving rhythms and Eastern influenced melodies serve as a rich source of pleasure that, like magma, become real and solid when finding its way to the surface. It's the perfect metaphor for this album's creational process. The pulsating, trance-inducing 'Deep Dive Down' continues the joyous process while singer-songwriter Meskerem Mees (winner of The Montreux Jazz Talent Award 2021) adds, her clear-as-spring-water vocals to the celestial 'Morning in the Jungle'.

With the much-trusted Frederik Segers on production and London-based visual virtuoso Raimund Wong (Total Refreshment Centre) on artwork duties, it all adds up to the psychedelic and exploratory identity of the band and are key elements that helped 'Magma' in its ascension from deep down up to the surface. A creative process solidified into vinyl, just as magma into rock.

Fellow musicians and spiritual henchmen are Jon Birdsong (dEUS, Beck, Calexico) on cornet, Simon Segers (Absynthe Minded, De Beren Gieren, Mdciii) at the drums, Filip Vandebril (Lady Linn, The Valerie Solanas) at the bass and Karel Cuelenaere (John Ghost) on keys.

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Drunkard

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Dig This Way)

Riviera Drive / Genius Of Love

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Vibro Success Intercontinental Orchestra was an extraordinary group from the Central African Republic, founded by the sax player Rodolphe 'Beckers' Bekpa, also known as Master Békers, in the late 60's. The band achieved surprising domestic success after Beckers introduced the first drums to the Congolese Rumba rhythm. His innovation proved to be wildly popular so they were hired as the resident band of “ciel d’Afrique au Km5”, a night club in Bangui. The club was renowned as the temple of the Olympic Réal football team's fans and that visibility propelled them into becoming the official national orchestra. 1970 marked beginning of the band's international fame . Their fame spread beyond national borders until they became so popular that invitations began to arrive from nearby countries like Cameroon and Chad, the former of which the band would then tour that same year. The success of their performances prompted a further tour in 1972. According to Rodolphe Bépka, the audience enthusiasm Vibro encountered was bewildering. "We filled the old military stadium in Yaoundé in 1970, in 1972 the new Amadou Haïdjo stadium ... We are running with great success in the cities.” Their popularity was also growing in Chad, where they would tour several times through the early and mid 70's.

Towards the end of 1976, Vibro Success decided to take their music global and introduce Central African music to listeners worldwide. It worked. The turning point came in Nigeria. There the group achieved extraordinary success, with live performances followed by contracts with local labels like Scottie and Ben/Clover resulting in hit releases. Most of their LP's were originally released on this later label, Ben Limited, owned by Ben Okonkwo.

Ben, also known as Clover Sounds, brought a great number of the biggest bands from the country to market, bands like The Apostles, Akwassa,The Doves, Aktion, The Visitors, Mansion, Folk 77 and many others. Nearly all those groups started their recording careers in the label's studios based in the commercial heart of Aba, Abia State, one of Southeastern Nigeria’s largest cities. Aba at that time was a flourishing city, an important crossroads of people and culture with an intensive and active and cutting edge live music and nightlife.

But after that golden era the group began to lose its popularity. In the 1980's they returned to Bangui and resumed their old-time gigs in dance halls there - only to realize that their music didn't have the appeal it used to. Making matters worse, the domestic economic downturn accelerated, forcing the orchestra to slowly end its activities . Vibro Succès Intercontinental Orchestra disappeared at the end of the 80s and most of its members died in the 90s. We discovered this LP during our first trip to Nigeria in 2016. While traveling in the east to meet up with a musician, we stopped for a night in a village. As often happens in Nigeria, information has a way of traveling fast. The news that a couple of white guys looking for records had arrived in the village the day before spread like light. When we awoke, we found a couple of elderly music lovers in the hall of our hotel with a little pile of records for sale. The nice cover of the “Drunkard” album was right on top! At first we thought it was just another really good soukous album made by Vibro Success but after we heard “Drunkard” - we knew we had stumbled onto something very special. That was the “easy” part. Soon after, we had the idea of reissuing this LP and that was a bit harder. There were no credits on the cover and not much information about Vibro Succès. We started to ask to our friends to ask around, see if somebody knew them or the producer. That's when sadly we discovered that Ben Okonkwo had passed. So with no leads to follow and seemingly without any possibility of making progress on the matter, we "gave up" and returned to Italy. A couple years later, in the summer of 2019, we found ourselves again in Aba. This time we had the chance to meet Nnamdi Okonkwo, the eldest son of the late Ben Okonkwo. After Nnamdi's mother and family agreed, he was glad to cooperate with us for the re-release of this special album. One of the foundational beliefs of Dig This Way Records is to work hard and try to do everything possible to bring back this rare, unknown music to market, allow people to enjoy these beautiful, vibrant vibes!

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Magic Source

12" | 2022 | EU | Original (Favorite)

13,99 €*

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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French label Favorite Recordings presents the new 12" from Magic Source (from The Mighty Mocambos and Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band). Expect tropical disco and funk flavours, hypnotic percussion and a really well-produced cover of Tom Tom Club's "Genius Of Love". Tip!

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Comet)

Afro Rhythms Volume 2

20,99 €*

12" | 2022 | EU | Original (Soundway)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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Comet Records presents Afro Rhythms Vol. 2, the first repress of Comet’s singles and Remixes from 2009 – 2017 with floor filler tracks from Tony Allen Afrobeat pioneer 'African Man" remix by Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer along with the afro deep house reedit of "Cotton’s Field" by French producer Jeff Sharel, the "Awakening" remix from Krazy Baldhead, former artist of Ed Banger and producer of electro malian band Donso and finally Africaine 808 to end this Afro Rhythms comp with their stunning remix of Afrobeat classic tune "Afrodiscobeat". A proper trawl through the vaults of Comet Records.

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Pigeon

Yagana

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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Born out of an impromptu post-pub jam session in Margate, the 5-piece group Pigeon swoops onto the scene with their blistering debut EP Yagana.

As the tracks cross effortlessly between Afro-disco, grunge, no wave and jazz, the cohesive symbiotic relationship of the band members is obvious from the start. The powerful vocals of Guinean singer Falle Nioke are complemented by a wealth of talent from Graham Godfrey on drums, Steve Pringle on keys, Tom Dream on guitar and Josh Ludlow on bass.

Having moved to the UK from West Africa in 2018, Falle Nioke has recently been in the spotlight with EPs heavily supported by indie radio and BBC 6 Music playlisters. On Yagana, he continues to sing in a multitude of languages, but this time shifts towards a more organic musical direction, showcasing his incredible versatility as a vocalist.

This new path can be attributed to the pedigree of the rest of the group – veteran musicians Steve Pringle and Graham Godfrey are key members of Michael Kiwanuka’s band, the latter also performing with Little Simz, Cleo Sol and Sault, among others.

Furthermore, Tom Dream and Josh Ludlow are electronic artists in their own right – with a number of artistic projects in the works, as well as having performed together as ambient duo Soma World. Both used to play in metal and grunge bands in earlier years, an influence which has made its way into Pigeon’s distinctive sound.

The Yagana EP is an emotionally-charged offering, exploring themes of lust, saudade, homesickness, and hope for peace. The title track ‘Yagana’ translates to “it’s been a while”, and though its up-tempo disco rhythm and wild synth solos lend a cheerful disposition, the lyrics describe a melancholic yearning for Africa. Nioke sings in Susu, Wolof and Malinke – as he describes the struggle of being separated from one’s family, as well as hustling to support them financially from afar.

As a teenager, Nioke would train his voice by the great river Rio Nunez in Boké, among the remnants of the slave trade, pathways and crumbling buildings being swallowed up by the forest. While most Western teenagers grew up with traditional pets, Nioke disclosed to his band members that his closest animal friend in West Africa was the pigeon – and so the name of the group was chosen.

Moving through the record, ‘Nothing Grows’ follows on from the Afro-disco opener, bringing down the tempo and intensity. The heavily swung jazz rhythm is driven by the drums, while soft guitar tremolo picking and synth pads produce a delicate atmosphere over which the singer mournfully longs for a lost love.

But having lured the listener into a meditative and pensive state in ‘Nothing Grows’, feathers are suddenly ruffled by the entrance of “It’s You” - a sultry story of burning desire. Channelling grunge and elements of no wave, the song is defined by a rumbling bass that pulses alongside the kick, while an atonal synth riff and fuzzy guitar licks provide the minimal melody. Piercing through it all is the hypnotic spoken word of Nioke, switching between French and English, as he beckons – and at times even demands - a lover to enter his room.

Finally, ‘War (Jam)’ returns the record to its 4x4 disco pace, featuring rapid-fire hats and high-pitched guitar riffs seemingly nodding to Mugithi, a genre often associated with political commentary. This concept is built upon with lyrics sung in Susu, as Nioke condemns wars around the world and their ongoing futility, pleading for people to unite and create a better place. Running just over 7 minutes, ‘War (Jam)’ is an improvised long take which continuously evolves, allowing each musician an opportunity to shine.

Recorded in a single weekend, Pigeon’s Yagana EP is a clear testament to each member’s skilfulness and varied experiences, creating a fully-fledged being that is greater than the sum of its parts. With an opening hand like this, we await with bated breath to see what more the humble Pigeon can bring to the world.

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WaJazz: Japanese Jazz Spectacle Vol. I - Deep, Heavy And Beautiful Jazz From Japan 1968-1984 Black Vinyl Edition

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (180g)

38,99 €*

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Underdog)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Universounds, HMV Record Shop and 180g team up for an exceptional release: from blazing hard bop to free jazz, to introspective saxophone solos and massive big band sounds, renowned Japanese jazz expert Yusuke Ogawa presents an essential 14 track collection of “WaJazz” music taken from the Nippon Columbia vaults. Featuring Jiro Inagaki, Minoru Muraoka, Hiroshi Suzuki, Hozan Yamamoto, Count Buffalo, Takeshi Inomata, and much more!

“Japanese jazz has been recognized and celebrated by music lovers worldwide for decades. The origins of this trend may be traced back to the rare groove movement that flourished in the 1990s, but its current deep and wide popularity seems to be connected to the fact that Japanese people have been reevaluating their own jazz since the mid-2000s, locally referred to as WaJazz ("Wa" meaning Japan but also the Shōwa emperor period, from 1926 to 1989). Since the beginning of the 2000s, there has been a growing trend to move away from the DJ-focused perspective and to appreciate jazz with a deeper understanding. Nowadays, there is more and more interest in the background and roots in which jazz has developed in Japan, with Japanese jazz as a whole now considered as its own distinctive genre.

Of course, even if we speak about "WaJazz" as one genre, there is a truly wide variety of styles within it. However, when Japanese musicians play, there is something uniquely Japanese flowing through that creates a kind of synergy. It may be the melody, the rhythm, or even something deeper, like an inexpressible flicker. I would be happy if some of its charms and secrets emerge from the fourteen tracks included in this collection.” (Yusuke Ogawa)

Yusuke Ogawa has been running the Universounds store in Tokyo since 2001, specializing in jazz and second-hand, rare, and collector records. He is also a reissue supervisor, label manager, DJ, and music writer. Known for his vast musical knowledge, eye for detail, and archival skills, Ogawa has worked on more than 250 reissues and compilations – including the highly praised Deep Jazz Reality and Project Re:Vinyl series. He is the co-author of the Wa-Jazz Disc Guide and the Independent Black Jazz of America books.

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Dowdelin

Lanmou Lanmou

12" | 2022 | EU | Original (Haggis)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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UK only
UK promo by Ballantyne Communications; tour by Earth Agency.
No spot in music is immovable. No music can sit still but it's hardly ever as true as it is for Dowdelin, a band that can't be tied down to a single geography and genealogy. The creole language, Caribbean rhythms, urban energies, dazzling virtuosity, sensual electro: The group evolves in a unique place where genres and colors, heritage and audacity can merge.

Lanmou lanmou, Dowdelin's second album, muddies the waters, blurs the lines, bewilders. It does everything to assuage naysayers such as the conservatives and the lazies, the defenders of an official form of reggae, the right kind of zouk, the trademarked version of jazz or the historically validated biguine. As with the languages, culture and nations of the Caribbean which are never quite European nor completely African, it would be daunting to try and define where exactly Dowdelin is located on the official landscape of music in a Creole afro-futurism, at the crossroads of the black Atlantic...
The Dowdelin experiment finds its roots in a blend of encounters and loyalties: David Kiledjian AKA Dawatile, producer and multi-instrumentalist composer met Lyon-born singer from Martinique, Olivya. Together, they would jam and write songs in English. But, nothing felt right, until she started singing in Creole. Then everything made sense : the language of the French Antilles in the West Indies deployed its revolutionary universality.

David then got back in touch with Raphaël Philibert, a percussionist, saxophonist and singer who has always been involved in developing the field of gwo ka, the heavily percussion-based traditional music of Guadeloupe, of which his relative, Georges Troupé, is a pioneering defender. All this gave birth to Dowdelin and the obvious is striking.
We're reminded that when the poet and theoretician Édouard Glissant speaks of Creoleness as a whirlwind of unpredictability, he speaks of an adventure that couldn't be foretold in the world's istory : From Europeans and Africans forced into a third continent with an insane dream to build a New World, languages, cultures, music in other words mixed heritages, catharsis, diziness, resiliance were born through the mass crimes of slavery and the dispoilment of Native American populations.

Dowdelin released their debut album, Carnival Odyssey, in 2018.Connoisseurs took an appetite for that music with constantly shifting boundaries and countless relatives. This is confirmation that purity activists will always have problems with mixed identities saying things such as "This isn't jazzy enough for my festival", "It's too much for mine" ... But many concerts were performed mostly in Great Britain and France and quite a buzz among those who love unbound music.
The band then expands with the arrival of Greg Boudras, a drummer who has worked with David on other projects such as Vaudou Game, Fowatile, The Bongo Hop to name a few, in order to bring reinforcement to Dowdelin and he70 craft this second album.
What's the blueprint for it ? "We're not trying to pile up experiences or willfully make a collection of experiences," David sums up. It's more about feelings, about combinations that occur subconsciously. So sometimes we come up with things that surprise even us, like a fragment of an English synth pop hit, that only we recognize. The same recipe's never used twice: it can be a song I made at home with my instruments and my daughter's toys or sound designs to which Raphaël and Greg add rhythmic elements that change everything, or even more collective compositions… "

Then the verses emerge, written in Creole, English or French by David and Raphaël, who also happens to be a trained linguist and knowledgeable in the miscellaneous varieties of Creole. Messages of love and struggle, of brotherhood and memory ... And, from one track to the other, the generous burst of creolization is still at work, biguine blending with hip hop, contemporary jazz mixing with reggae, Creole expressing itself through the vast array of musics to which it is related...

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The Jazz Defenders

King Phoenix

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Les Disques Bongo Joe)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Bristol's jazz daddies The Jazz Defenders drop their second album for Haggis Records (home of UK funk kings The Haggis Horns), in March 2022 and it's a real departure from their debut release "Scheming" (released in 2020). Whereas that album was a homage to the late 1950s/early 1960s classic jazz style known as hard bop, this release moves into new territory with hip-hop/jazz, cinema soundtrack flavours, Latin rhythms and soul-jazz all upfront in the mix. Three taster singles from the album released in mid/late 2021 and march 2022, "The Big Man/Love's Vestige, "Live Slow" (featuring US rapper Herbal T), and "Perfectly Imperfect" (feat Doc Brown) received great radio support from the likes of Craig Charles (bbc 6 Music), Helen Mayhew (Jazz FM), Jamie Cullum (bbc Radio 2), Ashley Beedle (Worldwide FM), Colin Curtis (Worldwide FM) amongst many others, all loving the Jazz Defenders' musical fusion of retro meets modern.
The classic sound that has inspired the band this time is very much from the mid-late 1960s era and the merging of soul and funk beats with jazz solos/improvisation. Tracks like "Wagger Jaunt" and "Munch" nod to the piano and organ-led soul-jazz of artists like Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Hancock, Reuben Wilson, and Jimmy Smith. Meanwhile "Saudade" and "Love's Vestige" feature Brazilian bossa rhythms but with some added film soundtrack overtones. Speaking of movie soundtracks, "The Oracle'' is a pure homage to the classic cinematic compositions of maestros like John Barry(James Bond, The Ipcress File) or Lalo Schifrin (Mission Impossible, Bullitt) right down to the very impressive string arrangement, beautifully scored and orchestrated by band leader George Cooper.
A big departure from the previous album comes via the two hip-hop/jazz tracks, both of which feature guest MCs. "Live Slow" has US rapper Herbal T blessing the mic over an uptempo soul-jazz number whilst "Perfectly Imperfect" features London MC/actor Doc Brown rapping on a nice and slow 90's style head-nodding hip-hop groove. Both compositions show George Cooper's love for old-school boom-bap hip-hop (by the way, he also plays keys with renowned UK hip-hop big band Abstract Orchestra). For classic jazz lovers who dug the first album, there are two pure jazz tracks that join the dots between that debut release and this sophomore one - "Twilight" and "From The Ashes" - with plenty of vibrant solos for the discerning listener.
"King Phoenix" is a statement in itself from The Jazz Defenders. After 2 years of music being destroyed by the pandemic and many musicians inactive, the band has risen from the ashes with new vigour, energy and vision to try something new and not just repeat past musical glories. A band that sticks to the same script every release might just end up having a short shelf life but the Jazz Defenders are planning on being around for a long time.

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Africa Negra

Antologia Volume 1

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Continuing our work on Sao Tomé and Principe with curator DJ Tom B., we are pleased to announce the release of an anthology of the group África Negra.

This first volume includes 12 of their key tracks, remastered for the occasion and selected only from those officially released on different media. The album is accompanied by a booklet with the original covers and interviews with the band members still with us. A second volume containing only unreleased material, digitized from the studio tapes by their tour manager, and filled with period photos, is expected soon.

Formed in the early 1970s by Horacio, a butcher by trade, and his guitarist friend Emidio Pontes, África Negra is the best known of the great São Tomé and Principe bands. The catchy melodies in the local Forro language, provided by lead singer João Seria, and subtly harmonized by the enchanting backing vocals of the rest of the band, quickly ensured their influence outside the archipelago. Their incomparable blend of Puxa and Rumba rhythms and subtle melodies made them the most regular touring band from Sao Tome.

Their first album (Aninha) was released in 1981, followed by three more in 1983. They contain an incredible collection of timeless hits and have achieved high ratings on the second-hand market. Then came the excellent San Lena in 1986, which was unfortunately only released on cassette, but for which we were able to digitize the original tape. In 1990 their last album in vinyl format (Paga me uma cerveja) was released, the rarest. Three CDs and five cassettes followed in the 1990s. Like most São Tomean bands, they recorded their compositions at Radio Nacional STP, the only studio on the island at the time, whose cramped premises forced the big bands to do sessions outside in the courtyard, at night, facing the ocean and in front of their fans.

Reformed around João Seria, the band has recorded three albums since 2012, and has been touring again for a few years, offering, always with the same energy, their frenzied rhythms, their graceful harmonies, their poetry full of social metaphors, and their typical dance steps.

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7" | 2022 | US | Original (Big Crown)

Represent / Juicy Fruit

12,99 €*

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Rune Grammofon)

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band follow up their 2021 "Expansions" album with another solid 7" offering.The A side, "Represent," is one of the stand out tracks from Expansions. BRSB cover the DJ Premier produced Nas classic taking the original and expanding the arrangement with guitar and brass riffs. Tuba chugs along the drum break while the steel pans hammer out the infamously infectious melody of the original sample making this an easy winner in Hip Hop circles and beyond.The B side is a non-album cut available on this 45 for the first time ever. Bacao covers the Mtume classic "Juicy Fruit" made popular again when The Notorious B.I.G. sampled it for his smash hit "Juicy." This is a sure head turner when people realize they are dancing along to a new version of the classic melody.

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Action & Tension & Space

Tellus

33,99 €*

Simadan Kologa / Mi Ke Libertat

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The band describe themselves as a spaced out, instrumental loungerock outfit, with added vibes of folk music, jazzy surf, psychedelia, free improvised chill-out, jangly post-rock and travelling bass. Not much for us to add here, apart from possibly a pinch of krautrock. "Tellus" is the quartet's fourth album, and their debut on Rune Grammofon. Being something of an allstar team from the fertile psychedelic spacedrone scene in Haugesund on the westcoast of Norway, the members also pay their dues in bands like Electric Eye, Lumen Drones (ECM), Undergrünnen and The Low Frequency in Stereo, whose album "Futuro" we released back in 2009. On "Tellus" they are joined by Sigbjorn Apeland, a much esteemed musician largely operating in a landscape of folk music, church music and improvisation. He is a member of Nils Okland band (ECM and Hubro) and has collaborated with him for 30 years, also appearing on his two albums for Rune Grammofon; Straum (2000) and Bris (2004). Also appearing on "Tellus" is Ståle Liavik Solberg, a central force on Oslo's thriving improvised music scene. He has performed worldwide with numerous Norwegian and international musicians and curates the excellent Blow Out! festival. With "Tellus" ATS heads into the Hardangervidda (the big plains connecting the eastern and western parts of southern Norway) terrain of wide open spaces, spare vegetation and unruly weather conditions, especially during the winter. The album was recorded in a small studio in Haugesund during two days of heavy rain showers and stormy winds rumbling outside the windows. Per Steinar Lie - Lap-steel and electric guitar Oystein Braut - Guitar, organ and Mellotron Julius Lind - Double bass Orjan Haaland

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Konkie

7" | 2022 | EU | Original (Kelly Ocean)

15,99 €*

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Lost)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Russell 'Konkie' Halmeyer was born and raised on the small island of Curaçao, located 60 kilometers off the coast of Venezuela. Konkie is a percussionist who specializes in the steelpan, a percussion instrument originating from Trinidad and Tobago that is made out of an industrial drum. He started playing at the age of 12. Throughout his career, he has explored the boundaries of the steelpan and associated genres. He has become one of the most innovative pannists in the Caribbean, taking the steel pan out of its context of steel bands, carnival and calypsos. In the 1990s Konkie toured through the States, where he performed frequently, merging steel band sounds with jazz.

In Curaçao, where he is considered the most important pannist of the island, Konkie mainly performs in hotels and at tourist sites. He enjoys performing for these crowds but his true passion and joy lie in arranging deep and melancholic compositions. These two tracks are the result of that joy. "Simadan Kologá" means "the hanging harvest". "Simadan" or “Seú” is the local harvest period on the island. "Kologá" means "hanging" because Konkie used a hanging steel pan for the arrangement. "Mi Ke Libertat" means "I want freedom". Instruments used: steelpan, drum, conch (seashell horn), and chapi, the iron part of a hoe that slaves used to work the fields with.

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Dave Brubeck

Live At The Kurhaus 1967

74,99 €*

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Melting Pot Music)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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At the time of one of their last concerts in 1967, the Dave Brubeck Quartet had already been in existence for 16 years, in more or less the same formation. That's how well the four of them know each other! It was at the Black Hawk night club in San Francisco that Dave and Paul made their debut. Their trademark: to break down racial barriers against which they will fight without restraint, even in the most extreme period of McCarthyism, and to make jazz accessible to the greatest number of people, by revisiting ballads, popular songs or great themes of classical music. But above all, they developed an almost infinite variety of complex rhythms. In Scheveningen, on the evening of 24 October 1967, the Dave Brubeck Quartet was more than just a jazz band. He was the ambassador of American music in Europe.

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Pachakuti & Young.Vishnu

Dédalo

27,99 €*

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Os Sambeatles

LP | 2022 | CA | Original (Telephone Explosion)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Eucalyptus

Moves

12" | 2022 | EU | Original (Awesome Soundwave)

Release: 2022 / CA – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Moves is their sixth release, and somewhat of a milestone. In addition to it being the octet's most psychedelic and arrestingly soulful release thus far, it's also their longest—their first, in fact, to cross into bonafide full-length territory. They're marking the occasion by joining the roster of Toronto favourite Telephone Explosion Records.

Touted as “innately personal” by DownBeat Magazine, Brodie West's unique vision has been nourished by a bafflingly diverse array of sources. Meeting the legendary Dutch drummer Han Bennink in 2000 at age 24 not only sparked an ongoing creative partnership (including two records), but also led him in a number of other fruitful directions. Bennink was the connection to exploratory punks The Ex, who brought West aboard for their collaboration with Ethiopian saxophonist Getatchew Mekurya, which produced recordings and tours worldwide.

Where the Brodie West Quintet (Astral Spirits, Ansible Editions) trades in clever jazz asymmetry and his duo Ways is a stark and focussed exploration of rhythm, Eucalyptus is where this eclecticism is most audible. The band simmers with polyrhythmic percussion, laid-back jazz sweetness, various strains of psychedelic wonk, and subtle tropical aromas from dub on “Rose Manor,” named after the retirement home of his musical grandmother Lorna (ever a source of inspiration for West) to Bossa Nova, as heard on “It's In A Move.” Its streaks of free-form bedlam and pure sonic texture keep listeners poised for perplexity and cheerful volatility.

Moves manages to approximate the playful, intoxicating warmth the band conjures in their beloved local live appearances. Eucalyptus has made a tradition out of mounting month-long residencies at Hirut, a cozy east-end eatery that serves delicious Ethiopian cuisine. Hirut even gets a nod in the credits. Perhaps it's because this record's subtle whimsy and inviting disarray draws so much from the spirit of those evenings.

A large part of this odd concoction's success comes down to West's co-conspirators, a veritable who's who of Toronto's underground music community. Trumpet player Nicole Rampersaud, who has since relocated to Fredericton, New Brunswick, has sculpted her unique tone as composer-in-residence at Halifax's Everyseeker Festival and in collaborations with the likes of Rakalam Bob Moses, Anthony Braxton, Joe Morris and Telephone Explosion's own Joseph Shabason. Ryan Driver (clavinet) has cut a series of gorgeous song records for Tin Angel Records, and collaborated with Eric Chenaux (Constellation) in various projects, while leading a number of his own imaginative outfits. Michael Smith (bass) plays with Toronto psychonauts the Cosmic Range and has toured and recorded with Mv+ee, Sandro Perri plus countless others. Fellow Perri collaborator, percussionist Blake Howard brings the palpable joy of his playing to collaborations with Marker Starling, Little Annie, and the surrealist mischief of GUH. 2021 saw Nick Fraser (drums) leading a disc on Hat-Hut's Ezzthetics imprint. It follows a string of other celebrated recordings with international out-jazz heavyweights like Tony Malaby and Kris Davis for Clean Feed, Astral Spirits and more. In addition to pursuing his delicate solo song work, drummer Evan Cartwright plays in both of West's other projects, and has performed and recorded with Tasseomancy, The Weather Station, US Girls, Badge Époque and Andy Shauf.

Another exciting development unveiled on Moves is the presence of guitarist Kurt Newman, who replaces longtime member Alex Lukashevsky. Newman's whirling treatments and colorful array of tones figure prominently into the ensemble's new and disorienting sound. Newman was the co-founder of premiere Austin improv festival No Idea alongside Chris Cogburn. A ceaseless collaborator who's worked with the likes of Sarah Hennies, Tetuzi Akiyama, Mats Gustafsson, he also leads his own projects such as Country Phasers and the Nashville Minimalism Unit.

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Digital Afrika

Heart Of Drums

Singles 1970-1973 Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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With obvious intent Nui and Simon set out to create an album that encompasses all of their influences and experiences as musicians and journeymen in the world of African inspired rhythm and sound and have arrived at a work that is at once global, innovative and deeply funky. It’s been an incredible journey that has taken them from the wilds of the northern hinterlands of New South Wales in Australia to the dreamy secret gardens of Marrakesh, from the onsite recordings of Afro-Cuban choirs of Havana, to the Gnawa street sounds of Moroccan medinas. Nui and Simon have traversed the globe to create these recordings and have collected diverse and international group of artists to collaborate with in the making of Heart of Drums. Artists such as Cazeaux Oslo, who is an African-American Mc and vocalist hailing from California. Olugbade Okunade , Nigerian trumpeter and vocalist , was formerly a member of the Femi Kuti Positive Force band. Members of Clave y Guaguanco, One of Cuba’s foremost folkloric groups, who have been around since the 60’s. Lalita Yagnik, Portuguese Speaking Indian, vocalist and martial artist. Radouan Naim, Traditional Moroccan vocalist and instrumentalist. And Close Counters, Australian Up and coming Electronic duo. Digital Afrika is made up of two main protagonists: Zhonu ‘Nui” Moon (Future Roots) An African-Australian producer, percussionist and Dj that has performed and recorded all over the world. With a strong focus on African music,He has worked with the likes of Femi Kuti , Mulatu Astake and Tony Allen. And Simon Durrington (Si Fixion ) who is an Australian based producer, keys player and DJ. With extensive experience of working with Melanesian , Indian and world musicians. Drawing on these influences, Si weaves these styles together seamlessly with his unique high quality electronic production. This album ‘Heart of Drums’ is a synergy of lush analog electronica and fiery African percussion, vocals and instrumentation. With occasional reinvented throwbacks to the Disco and Funk era as well as forward thinking Afro-futuristic Record bag essentials, Heart of Drums really brings the party! These are constructed dance floor motivators for any environment. The artwork for this record deserves special mention as the mask was handcrafted by the interesting and talented artist Ju Mu Monster. Based in Berlin, the studied fashion designer creates colourful, wildly dancing image-worlds, in which beings from diverse cultures are combined with shamanism and spiritual worlds. Her enchanting works of art include murals and canvases as well as magical masks. All tracks produced and arranged by Zhonu (Nui) Moon & Simon Durrington

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Grupo Geyser

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Pharaway Sounds)

Seal My Heart / I Love You

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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One of the hidden treasures from Venezuela, Grupo Geyser were pioneers in fusing psychedelic rock with Latin & Afro Cuban rhythms.

Here's their first ever vinyl retrospective, including their four singles originally released between 1970-73.

Los Geyser aka Grupo Geyser formed in Caracas, Venezuela, in the mid-60s by brothers Publio and Ebenezer García. Initially influenced by the British and American bands of the time, the band experienced different line-ups and they gradually incorporated Latin / Afro-Cuban influences to their music, along with instruments like bongos, tumbadoras or sax, thanks to musicians like Roberto Monasterios.

Led by Publio García, who was the main songwriter, Grupo Geyser always played their own songs, refusing to do covers. They got to release a few self-produced 45s during 1970-1973 and they were pioneers in not only fusing psychedelic rock with Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms but also in home-recording and multi-tracking with their song “La Súper Lombriz Atómica”, recorded by brothers Publio and Ebenezer at their home studio playing all the instruments themselves. The band even caught the attention of famous singer Alfredo Sadel, who took them under his wing and received interest from the US market.

This comp includes all their 45 sides: from heavy Latin-psych-fuzz-groove (“Óyeme Guajira”, “Piénsalo Bien”) to freakbeatish psych with Farfisa (“Tú Me Caes Mal”), bluesy acid psych (“Sodoma y Gomorra”) and more.

*Color insert with detailed liner notes by band member Publio Garcia and photos

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Sir Wick

7" | 2022 | EU | Original (Jai Alai)

17,09 €* 17,99 € -5%

Michelle David & The True-Tones

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Truth & Soul

CD | 2022 | EU | Original (Mdtt)

Shifting Sands Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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For the past 4 years the band has criss-crossed the Netherlands. Playing sold out shows at clubs, theaters and festivals from north to south, east to west. Capturing the heart and soul of every person there.

All the travelling also has rendered further personal development and awareness of who Michelle David & The True-tones are. We know them as a band that makes every show a soul spectacle with their unique gospel combined with soul, blues, jazz and afrobeat. Now with a new album coming up; 'Truth & Soul’ (29-04-2022) they expanded their musical horizon even more. Dreamy Indie soul with a heavy 70’s vibe mixed with Brazilian flavors and African Rhythms.

Truth & Soul also contains particularly personal duets with Lilian Vieira and Dobet Gnahoré, both well known for their extraordinary musical talent. Knowing who we are enables us to connect even more with those around us.- Michelle. 'You Can Make it' (the first single of the album) features Grammy - Winner Dobet Gnahoré. Hailing from Côte d’Ivoire Dobet Gnahoré is one of Africa’s hottest and most beloved artists.

Michelle: The lyrics are affirmations that should be on Repeat. In times such as these we need to know we CAN AND Will Make IT!

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Avishai Cohen Trio

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Naive)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | UK | Original (Total Refreshment Centre)

Neue Grafik Ensemble

Foulden Road Part Two

7" | 2022 | EU | Original (Dopeness Galore)

Release: 2022 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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South London based producer and multi-instrumentalist Neue Grafik announces his new EP 'Foulden Road Part II' from his Neue Grafik Ensemble band, released 25th March on Total Refreshment Centre. The sequel to their impressive 2019 release 'Foulden Road', Neue Grafik continues to incorporate 100% live takes with the ensemble, as well as solo productions that reflect Neue Grafik's past work with both the Rhythm Section and 22a labels.

Neue Grafik explains, "This EP is a reflection of the social context which surrounds me" – created in a year of much social isolation as well as political unrest, 'Foulden Road II' explores the complex feelings that he found himself battling. He adds "In 2019, we released 'Foulden Road Part I', which was a transitional album, exploring a new culture and navigating between two worlds: Paris and London. 'Part II' is a bit darker, closer to realness with a sprinkle of hope. I couldn't have predicted that I'd finish it encased in my flat, between four walls, in December 2020 after a year of lockdown, Brexit, George Floyd protests, and without London's brilliant culture mesmerising my mind. Everything was sad and closed. Hills were difficult to climb. But it also gave me the time to work hard and deliver this second part of Foulden Road, pushing it forward".

Combining an array of influences — from London, to Paris via New York, Nigeria and Cameroon — with well-measured confidence, ' Foulden Road II' allows you to reflect on the complexities of the last year, whilst braced with energy and hope to move forward positively. Heavy horns and hypnotic poetry form the backbone record, which will ignite any room. 'Foulden Road II' begins with the grounding poetry of MA.MOYO on 'Black Bodies'. The EP is dedicated to Adama Traoré, a black man who died in police custody in Paris. Neue Grafik explains "His name is not well known outside of France. I was shocked, devastated even, to learn that his story didn't cross the Channel". 'Queen Assa' is a heavily percussive dancefloor-hitter which honours French activist Assa Traoré, (Adama's sister) her family, and her struggle to support all families hurt by police brutality. Broken beat elements flow through the horn accompanied 'Officer, Let Me Go To School', while West London rapper Lord Apex offers an unapologetic and poignantly personal perspective on 'Step To It'.

Released on the Total Refreshment Centre label, based out of Stoke Newington's Foulden Road, the EP is a testament to his versatility as an ever-shifting figurehead. Engineered by Capitol K, recorded at Total Refreshment Centre, mixed by Marcus Linon at Greasy Records and mastered by Guy Davie at Electric Mastering – a significant pillar in Neue Grafik's musical career. Having played a DJ set there in 2017, he was convinced by TRC founder Lex Blondin to start a band after he was heard playing some compositions on the communal piano. After spending a couple of sleepless nights on the living room couch, his first gig was booked in the venue space downstairs a week later. The ensemble was established and he has remained in London ever since.

Neue Grafik Ensemble's musicians include; Matt Gedrych, Benjamin 'The Chief' Appiah, Jack Banjo Courtney, Chelsea Carmichael, Dougal Taylor, Yahael Camara-Onono, Xvngo, Rebekah Reid, Dan-Iulian Drutac, Jamie-lee Glinsman and Zara Hudson-Kozdój.

Neue Grafik hosts The Orii Jam Sessions, an energising weekly jam night at Hackney Wick's Colour Factory, which has become a pivotal weekly gathering, inspired by the likes of Unit 31 and Steam Down.

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Gene Gene

Loud N' Stuff

11,99 €*

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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The Dutch six piece put their heads together to create two laidback tunes full of atmosphere and organic magic that blend just the right amount of spontaneity and song craft. The band have honed their sound at home and on stage with sold-out shows in and around Amsterdam, including as support act for bands such as Jungle By Night.

The A side track Loud N’ Stuff is one of those special moments when all the elements just fall into place, coming together in a hungover haze of new wave disco jams and dancing at their studio space in Haarlem. On the flip, Pada Pada combines tropical rhythms and percussion with lush chord progressions to perfectly soundtrack those cocktails by the pool on a wavy summer eve. Both tracks were recorded with Nic Mauskovic, with additional passes on the mixer for dubs and delays, to give the tracks an extra spacey sheen.

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Orchestre Massako

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The last time I found myself on the phone with Jean-Christian Mboumba Mackaya known as Mack-Joss - founder of the Mighty Orchestra Massako - I could hear gun-shots in the background. Libreville was upside down following the re-election of president Ali Bongo in August 2016. By the time I was ready to go ahead with this project, Mack-Joss’s phone number had been disconnected, and shortly afterwards I found out that the baobab of Gabonese music had fallen.

An adept of folk rhythms, Mack-Joss’s career as a musician began when he was just 17 of age and he quickly established himself as a staple of Libreville’s nightlife scene, singing in various local bands. By 1966 he had released “Le Boucher”, his first hit which swept the African airwaves and earned him the respect of Franco, the legendary master of Congolese Rumba. Franc ´s encouragement helped transform him from a Gabonese singer into an ascendent figure of pan-African culture. Between 1968 and 1970 Mack-Joss and his Negro-Tropical immortalised a good number of singles recorded in a makeshift open-air recording studios and in 1971 Gabon armed forces decided to form their own band. Mack-Joss was recruited to become the band leader and this was the birth of Orchestre Massako which became Gabon’s national orchestra.

At the end of the 1970´s funds were made available to bring recording equipment over from France. Studio Mobile Massako was born and Mack-Joss’s songwriting ability provided hit after hit. The master tapes with the recordings were sent to Paris for mixing and Mack-Joss would personally make the journey to France, carrying the reels in his hand luggage. The vinyl records were then pressed in France and shipped back to Gabon, and to other distributors throughout the continent. About a dozen long play records were recorded between 1978 and 1986 and most were released on Mass Pro, Mack-Joss´s own label. A few of these recordings featured a singer from Guinée Conakry by the name of Amara Touré who had joined Orchestre Massako as a singer in 1980 and had become an important ingredient in the band’s success. His specific voice, impossible not to recognise, left no one unmoved (ask those who listened to the compilation AALP078).

Mack-Joss’s retirement in 1996 marked the end of Orchestre Massako. With a four decades spanned career, his contribution to Gabonese culture cannot be overstated and continues to inspire the respect and devotion of people who knew him.

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Color De Tropico Volume 3

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Elpalmas Music)

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Alien Transistor)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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El Palmas Music are back with a third instalment of rare Venezuelan sounds from the 60s and 70s, a wild trip through salsa, boogaloo, garage rock, jazz and delinquent pop. Venezuelan music was moving at such a pace through the 60s and 70s that almost as soon as a new craze was born, another was preparing to eclipse it. In barely 10 years, musicians latched on to the sound of the Latin big bands of Cuba, New York and Colombia, turned to the 60s pop and rock ‘n’ roll of England and the US, before heading back to salsa as it took root across Latin American, before forays into jazz, psych rock and Afro-Venezuelan rhythms took hold in the 70s. This fertile musical period, coming at a time when Venezuela was economically abundant and culturally as relevant as any other developed country, has always been the focus of the Color de Trópico series, and continues to be the case on this third instalment, though it should also be noted that the tracks are getting rarer and rarer, indicative of the curatorship of DJ El Palmas and El Drágon Criollo and their constant search for new sounds that reflect Venezuela’s musical treasures at this time. Color de Trópico Vol. 3 starts with Un, Dos, Tres Y ... Fuera’s “Aquella Noche”, a song that’s fully indicative of Venezuela’s coastline with the much-loved Un, Dos, Tres Y ... Fuera giving a llanero rhythm (normally played on a harp and other stringed instruments in its rural incarnation) a fully Afro-Caribbean makeover with pulsating bass and an electric keyboard that teases and energises the groove. It possesses some of that same mid-70s vitality and need to experiment as Grupo Vaquedanus, the band of sax maestro Santiago Baquedano, and their cover of Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five”, here fashioned as “Toma Cinco”. This version strips away all the niceties of the original, turning it in to a psych-fuzz jazz romp with Baquedano’s raspy sax leading the way. Step back 10 years and the energy remains even if the musical terrain was different. Girl group Los Pájaros hit hard with a boogaloo whose instruction is simple enough: “shake it baby, kiss for you, take the rhythm, and do the boogaloo”. Los Pájaros were one of a number of groups who were taking inspiration from the 60s sounds of the US and Britain but repackaging it for Venezuelan youth. Pop stars Geminis 5 were at it too with a fuzzy ballad “Tus 16 Años”, and Junior Squad even injected a bit of San Francisco hippy charm into affairs with their loose adaptation of The Turtles “She’d Rather Be With Me”, retitled as “Siempre Para Ti” and sounding as rough, ready and full of youthful vim as anything made north of Mexico. On the farthest end of the pop spectrum is The Pets with their cult hit “El Entierro de un hombre rico que murió de hambre” (“The Burial of a Rich Man Who Died of Starvation”), a true countercultural anthem that even dips into “The Funeral March” for a minute, and which is much desired by record collectors. Finally, we must mention the salsa ensembles and their big band predecessors, always an important element of any Color de Trópico compilation. On Volume 3, we find one of the earliest salsa groups in Venezuela, Los Megatones De Lucho, who recorded a pachanga, “Yo Se Que Tu”, long before salsa was even a thing. Influenced by Venezuela’s very own Los Dementes and Joe Cuba’s sextet, Principe Y Su Sexteto were one of Venezuela’s most prominent salsa ensembles. On their 1969 track “San De Manique” we get a different vibe altogether, it’s a creeping son with just vocals, bass and congas for its opening minute, before really kicking into action with a twisted guitar line and wild percussion, while always retaining a raw, Afro-Latin feel. Last, but not least by any means, is one of Venezuela’s most beloved salseros, Johnny Sede, who pipes up with a classic salsa, “Guararé”, showing how the style had developed in just a few short years. You could accuse El Palmas and El Dragón Criollo, the curators of this collection, as getting some sort of a sick thrill at throwing such a weird and unwieldy bunch of tracks together, and that may be true, but there is logic too. These are songs full of life and creativity that signalled an era of boundless optimism. Listen to them now, and you’ll find yourself feeling those emotions once again.

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Fuchs

19,99 €*

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Fuchs is a band that never was. It vanished as quickly as it appeared in the picture, much like the animal that can be seen on this album and after whom it was named. In 2005, Kante singer and guitarist Peter Thiessen travelled to Weilheim to visit Markus and Micha Acher in their studio, where they were joined, among others, by Notwist-affiliated musicians like Cico Beck, Robert Klinger, Carl Oesterhelt and Stefan Schreiber. Spirits were high, but schedules were full: after a week of improvised sessions, everyone went their own way. The recordings gathered dust until Markus Acher found them again in 2021 while cleaning out his studio. After carefully re-evaluating the rough mixes, the musicians decided to finally release them. The resulting album comprises six tracks that musically draw on jazz, aesthetically lean on dub techniques and ideologically pick up on krautrock: there’s no solos to be heard on this record, just a few equally skilled and open-minded musicians listening to each other carefully, providing each other with space in which to unfold. »Fuchs« is a document of egos dissolving in a collective spirit. Thiessen and the Acher brothers met in the 1990s and bonded not only over their shared background in hardcore music and the DIY ethos in which it was rooted, but also over their love for jazz. »If you look at those two things combined, you will eventually become convinced that you don’t have to be formally trained to make music that at least resembles jazz«, says Thiessen today. He invited Micha Acher to join his band Kante on flügelhorn in 2004 for a tour that saw the expanded group play unusual encores after the official concert was over. »Micha had taught us some dixie pieces, so night after night we would play a freestyle dixieland ska set in front of the remaining audience!« Naturally, the Acher brothers didn’t have to ask twice when they invited him for a visit in Weilheim to further explore their mutual interests in a studio setting. »I got on my way immediately and took two or three loose ideas, a tape echo and a guitar on whose headplate you could create fantastic sounds with me«, says Thiessen. Between immersing themselves in books by the photographer Leonore Mau, cooking together and drinking the occasional fruit schnapps, the trio went into the studio. Says Thiessen, »Micha brought his flügelhorn and some wonderful ideas with him, Markus an Indian harmonium and a plan, Carl Oesterhelt came with a glockenspiel and a Chinese zither and a bunch of amazing jazz musicians joined in, too.« He considers the resulting recording sessions to be a kind of attempt at musically translating their conversations during those days. They discussed different approaches to jazz, whether sampling and musical miscitations can unlock ecstatic potentials and the possible parallels between syncretistic religions and pop music. »There’s traces of glossolalia, it's like a blurry séance«, adds Thiessen in regard to the sessions. It is especially this spirit that managed to live on even though the recordings themselves were abandoned. »What we all liked most when listening back to the recordings is probably their marginal and fragmentary character, the empty spaces—the moments in which the virtuoso solo never comes, in which the centre remains empty.« The six pieces on »Fuchs« are chock-full of exactly these moments. When at one instant, the players seem to disperse and improvise freely, they always meet again on common ground a short time later, continuing on their way together. There are no conventions or even previous agreements that guide them, just a shared will to explore a vast range of curious sounds and unusual rhythms together as a truly unified constellation of very different musicians. Fuchs is a band that never was. Its ideas still reverberate vividly even 17 years later.

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Fusion Global Sounds 1970-1983

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Favorite)

Piknik Kasteel Groeneveld Baarn 1970

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Favorite Recordings and Charles Maurice proudly present a brand new compilation series: Fusion Global Sounds.

9 rare and hidden tracks produced between 1970 and 1983 in various parts of the world. As a fine collector of Jazz-Funk and Fusion for many years, Charles Maurice selected some of his favorite forgotten productions, as he previously did for the AOR Global Sounds, French and Brazilian Disco Boogie Sounds compilations series. This time, recordings come from Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, New Zealand, Uruguay, Spain and France, from artists and bands mostly known in their local scenes. You'll hear here the best elements of the Fusion and Jazz-Funk genre: breezy vocal arrangements reminding Flora Purim in Return To Forever or George Duke's albums, sweet and virtuosic Fender Rhodes (kind of common thread of the comp), melodic spiral-shaped fuzzy synthesizers leads, or irresistible basslines, altogether bringing a unique groove to life. "Buster" is taken from the first and only album of the Swedish band, Sundance. The band from Gothenburg was formed around US trumpet player Stephen Frankevich (notably playing with Mahavishnu Orchestra) after he moved to Sweden. Cosmic, with razor-sharp rhythms, it naturally brings you to the second title, "Hello Mr. Ancuvis" by Renato Anselmi. One of the key players of the Swiss Jazz scene during the sixties and the seventies, Renato also had the chance to play with Harvey Mason or Alphonso Johnson. Funky, jazzy but still a bit breezy, here again sweet vocals nicely blend with uptempo Rhodes part. Also included is another title from Renato Anselmi, "Quiet Fire", a mellow Rhodes-driven ballad with funky accents, wide strings and guitar arrangements. "Tropical Island" by Zane Cronje, a South-African composer and arranger, was initially a track from a music library catalogue: dreamy, soaked in thorough synthesizers, we're only attached to the earth by the Guiro groove. You'll also hear this cosmic vibe in "Astral Dance" by French-American drummer and Jazz musician/composer Daniel Bechet, taken from Songs To My Father LP, dedicated to his father the famous Sax/Clarinet player Sydney Bechet. In this 4 minutes dope jam, keys, guitar and percussion will elevate your mind to another level of consciousness: deep! The 1860 Band was hailing from Wellington, New Zealand, playing mostly in bars, cafes and pubs - their name is taken from a tavern where they had an extended afternoon residency keeping the clients entertained. Their sole LP, now rare and sought-after, was a nice mix of Jazz-Funk and Disco grooves. Their amazing and groovy cover of "Keep That Same Old Feeling" by The Crusaders, brings the best of their playing. Otroshakers was formed around Hugo and Osvaldo Fattoruso, as a tribute project to their former band Los Shakers, some sort of copycat band of The Beatles with great success in Latin America. Listening to "Siempre Tu", you can almost hear The Beatles' psychedelic vocal of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Later joining Ringo Thielmann in the US, they formed the band OPA together, after having recorded for Airto's seminal album Fingers. Blending Jazz, South-American musical elements and Funk, their fusion quickly gained the respect of the NY musical scene. "Despertar" by Spanish drummer, singer and actor Pedro Ruy-Blas, is taken from Luna Llena, his great first Jazz-Funk album. The track is a funky piece with wah-wah expressive Rhodes, ending with a beautiful flute solo. "Prologue" by Dutch-French pianist Majoie Hajary (sometimes called the "Hindu pianist"), can be found on La Passion Selon Judas, a very unique religious album blending her own style with Psych, Funk and Jazz elements. Surely we could continue detailing stories of all these gems, but we guess that the best way to learn more about them, is to listen to Fusion Global Sounds, fully remastered from originals and whether your preference is for vinyl or CD formats.

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Sly & The Family Stone

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Whp)

One Theme & Subsequent Improvisation

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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This is Sly and the Family Stone caught live in the Netherlands in 1970. A dream set list including big hits such as "Stand!", "Dance to the Music" and "I want to take you Higher", and a marvelous band at the peak of their game featuring Sly Stone - vocals, keyboards, guitar, Freddie Stone - vocals, guitar Rose Stone - vocals, keyboards, Cynthia Robinson - trumpet, vocals, Jerry Martini - sax and the great rhythm tandem of Larry Graham - bass and Gregg Errico - drums.

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Sam Wilkes

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Leaving)

29,99 €*

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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For his sophomore full-length album, LA-based Bassist/Producer/Composer Sam Wilkes is prompted with ten questions from Leaving Records community mentor & facilitator Carlos Niño.

1. Carlos: Prior to gathering and setting up in the Studio for the Recording Sessions that this record is sculpted from, how much did you talk with any of your collaborators? What did you talk about? What kind of direction, inspiration, example, or association did you give, if any?

Wilkes: i told Christian Euman “I want to make a double drum record with you” The thought had occurred to me after seeing a few shows in New Orleans in 2019. I asked “If you could record it with any other drummer who would it be?”

he responded quite instantly: “Greg Webster” (aka Greg Paul)

together in one 4 hour session we recorded 3 different improvisational pieces … and a chart of mine

this album is entirely the 2nd of those 3 improvisations

I spent a lot of time living with that 40 minute musical block of granite, getting to know it, wondering prodding how to connect the frame-able moments

after 5 to 6 months Jacob Mann and Chris Fishman record over the piece separately. I offered very little instruction to them,

then I read an interview of Gerhard Richter & Hans Ulbrich Obrist “Lives of the Artists, Lives of the Architects” excellent use of Helvetica on the cover. They discuss Richter’s process destroying his own work to find something new in it.

I had an epiphany.

the possibility of improvised sonics(?) with the intent of creating contingency through destroying the audio of specific sections of this 40 minute piece to discover new music(s) in the process.

I contacted Ethan Braun: “What other musicians and artists Besides Stockhausen and Cage, got into a similar kind of process?” He sent me: Pierre Schaefer, Kazuo Shiraga, and Butch Morris. I combined with my past research on Phillip Guston, and Richter. I organized and prepared for my process in collaboration with Chris Sorem to see it through -

2. Carlos: What went into your choice to have 2 Trap Drummers on this record? Had Christian and Greg ever met? Had they ever played together before?

Wilkes: New Orleans April 2019 with Jacob Mann. Small bar Fried chicken wings being sold outside. delicious. Brass band performing “for the love of you” by the Isley brothers what an arrangement I am ecstatic Band had 2 drummers playing marching snare drums One drummer on kick and cymbal. I knew. 2 drummers.

Christian and Greg had not played together formally but had always wanted to… It was special to witness . all of our first time playing with others Since, you know. The situation and concept of the session, To do one tune and spend the rest of the time just playing Was a release.. listening back in the control room Delirious -

3. Carlos: How did you come to choose the Studios that you worked in for this record? The Musicians and Instruments?

Wilkes: i’ve always respected loyalty. It feels like a hug. I frequent Nest Recorders and I frequent Lucy’s Meat Market.

I knew Jacob Mann would know what to do After hearing his take I realized this additional opportunity: Chris Fishman on an Arp-2600 -

4. Carlos: Please tell us how you feel about, Richter: "Surprises always emerge,"

Wilkes: how lucky i am to discover for myself that this is true. -

5. Carlos: In what ways did the Improvisations that you and your group played, (that You Produced & Arranged this record from,) begin? A look, a word, a gesture? Something else?

Wilkes: i hit play on a maestro rhythm king. I got lucky with the tempo. I played a chord progression a cell that I had written a few years ago to say to christian and greg: go

Jacob said yes pressed record reacted

Chris Fishman and I together with Pete Min at Lucy’s meat market Chris playing his heart out.

after, we’d drive around my neighborhood 2-3 o’clock in the morning listening to this music discussing the arrangements where to cut the fat, where to chew. Chris Fishman was so important in this album’s completion.

Chris Sorem and me At nest recorders Playing with tape Recklessly Laughing Fighting exhaustion. So much gear set up Only half of it used. Destroying and discovering No time to waste to hear something new -

6.Carlos: What does "One Theme" mean to You?

Wilkes: 8 bar harmonic and melodic passage that repeats. -

7. Carlos: How does this new record make You feel? Wilkes: i see orange! -

8. Carlos: Was everyone set up in the same room, or in multiple rooms within each Studio?

Wilkes: yes & no

Nest Recorders: SW, CE, GP Jacob Mann’s Apartment in Alhambra: JM Lucy’s Meat Market: CF, SW -

9. Carlos: How has your sound, concept, approach been changing, evolving, metamorphosing, from your perspective?

Wilkes: for me to know And you to find out.

I practice everyday still sometimes, I write just as much Sometimes I don’t Sometimes im sculpting chipping away at music Hoping to find something Sometimes I forget Sometimes im tired. Sometimes im watching or reading the lord of the rings Hopefully I’m improving Hopefully I can be present and Grow. I want to be compassionate and not so hard on myself. -

10. Carlos: Please tell us something special, to You, about the making of this record.

Wilkes: The album title is exactly what the album is.

&

i am unbelievably thankful for the people who made this record with me. lucky to collaborate with them. lucky to know them: Christian Euman Greg Paul Jacob Mann Chris Fishman Chris Sorem Pete Min Mark Chalecki

I love you all, thank you

: )

SW 09/26/21 -

Thank You! Love!!! Carlos Niño 092021 Full Harvest Moon

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Fusion Global Sounds 1970-1983

CD | 2022 | EU | Original (Favorite)

15,99 €*

Uncovered - The Lost Astroscope Recordings 1973

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Favorite Recordings and Charles Maurice proudly present a brand new compilation series: Fusion Global Sounds. 9 rare and hidden tracks produced between 1970 and 1983 in various parts of the world. As a fine collector of Jazz-Funk and Fusion for many years, Charles Maurice selected some of his favorite forgotten productions, as he previously did for the AOR Global Sounds, French and Brazilian Disco Boogie Sounds compilations series. This time, recordings come from Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, New Zealand, Uruguay, Spain and France, from artists and bands mostly known in their local scenes. You'll hear here the best elements of the Fusion and Jazz-Funk genre: breezy vocal arrangements reminding Flora Purim in Return To Forever or George Duke's albums, sweet and virtuosic Fender Rhodes (kind of common thread of the comp), melodic spiral-shaped fuzzy synthesizers leads, or irresistible basslines, altogether bringing a unique groove to life. "Buster" is taken from the first and only album of the Swedish band, Sundance. The band from Gothenburg was formed around US trumpet player Stephen Frankevich (notably playing with Mahavishnu Orchestra) after he moved to Sweden. Cosmic, with razor-sharp rhythms, it naturally brings you to the second title, "Hello Mr. Ancuvis" by Renato Anselmi. One of the key players of the Swiss Jazz scene during the sixties and the seventies, Renato also had the chance to play with Harvey Mason or Alphonso Johnson. Funky, jazzy but still a bit breezy, here again sweet vocals nicely blend with uptempo Rhodes part. Also included is another title from Renato Anselmi, "Quiet Fire", a mellow Rhodes-driven ballad with funky accents, wide strings and guitar arrangements. "Tropical Island" by Zane Cronje, a South-African composer and arranger, was initially a track from a music library catalogue: dreamy, soaked in thorough synthesizers, we're only attached to the earth by the Guiro groove. You'll also hear this cosmic vibe in "Astral Dance" by French-American drummer and Jazz musician/composer Daniel Bechet, taken from Songs To My Father LP, dedicated to his father the famous Sax/Clarinet player Sydney Bechet. In this 4 minutes dope jam, keys, guitar and percussion will elevate your mind to another level of consciousness: deep! The 1860 Band was hailing from Wellington, New Zealand, playing mostly in bars, cafes and pubs - their name is taken from a tavern where they had an extended afternoon residency keeping the clients entertained. Their sole LP, now rare and sought-after, was a nice mix of Jazz-Funk and Disco grooves. Their amazing and groovy cover of "Keep That Same Old Feeling" by The Crusaders, brings the best of their playing. Otroshakers was formed around Hugo and Osvaldo Fattoruso, as a tribute project to their former band Los Shakers, some sort of copycat band of The Beatles with great success in Latin America. Listening to "Siempre Tu", you can almost hear The Beatles' psychedelic vocal of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Later joining Ringo Thielmann in the US, they formed the band OPA together, after having recorded for Airto's seminal album Fingers. Blending Jazz, South-American musical elements and Funk, their fusion quickly gained the respect of the NY musical scene. "Despertar" by Spanish drummer, singer and actor Pedro Ruy-Blas, is taken from Luna Llena, his great first Jazz-Funk album. The track is a funky piece with wah-wah expressive Rhodes, ending with a beautiful flute solo. "Prologue" by Dutch-French pianist Majoie Hajary (sometimes called the "Hindu pianist"), can be found on La Passion Selon Judas, a very unique religious album blending her own style with Psych, Funk and Jazz elements. Surely we could continue detailing stories of all these gems, but we guess that the best way to learn more about them, is to listen to Fusion Global Sounds, fully remastered from originals and whether your preference is for vinyl or CD formats.

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Wood, Brass & Steel

LP | 2022 | UK | Original (Soul Brother)

Release: 2022 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | US | Reissue (Get On Down)

Shuggie Otis

Freedom Flight

12" | 2022 | EU | Original (Bloomer)

Release: 2022 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Well before Shuggie Otis cut his debut album, musicianship and performance had long been a part of his life. The son of rhythm and blues legend Johnny Otis, Shuggie learned to play guitar as early as the age of two, and performed professionally with his father's band at eleven. Throughout his long and illustrious career he'd performed on records for the likes of Frank Zappa, Al Kooper, Etta James, and George Duke, to name a few. In spite of all this,widespread mainstream success eluded Shuggie for much of his career. His most famous release to date is his 1974 album Inspiration/Information, which would experience new resurgent life in the 2000s. Those willing to dig a little deeper however, would discover hidden gold in his earlier releases, especially in the album directly before Inspiration/Information, his sophomore 1971 release Freedom Flight. As with his debut, Freedom Flight was produced by Shuggie's father Johnny Otis, and built upon the distinct sounds of his debut album: lush, baroque, string section arrangements, paired with hard funk rhythms, and funky blues melodies, with the majority of the instruments once again performed by Shuggie himself. The album also features backing from premium session greats like George Duke and Aynsley Dunbar, and the track "Strawberry Letter 23" which became a monster hit for The Brothers Johnson 3 years later. Freedom Flight is a treasure of deft, technical skill, and virtuosic composition.

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Fast De

Sight Inside

The Movers - Volume 1 1970-1976

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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Fast DE is the new band of Dutch composer and bassist Daniël Eskens. With a musical background in various indie and jazz-facing acts such as Jo Goes Hunting, Opera Alaska, and Karsu, years spent composing and experimenting in his studio gradually led to the creation of Fast DE. A diverse array of influences—Billy Strayhorn to Soulwax, Bela Bartok to Brian Wilson—culminates in a sound that is refreshingly unique, bridging electronic, jazz, psychedelic, and alternative pop. In its live setup, the band configuration consists of Dario Trapani on guitar, Jimmi Hueting on drums, and Daniël Eskens on bass and synthesizer. With its debut album Sight Inside on the horizons, Fast DE invites you into its kaleidoscopic world of complex rhythms, spirited improv, and playful melodies—a colorful choreograph in sound.

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The Movers

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

No Condition Is Permanent

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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It’s a special, but also a strange sensation to be releasing an album of one of your early musical heroes. I first discovered The Movers on my very first “record safari” in 1996. My destination was Bulawayo, in southern Zimbabwe, and to get there I had to travel via Jo’burg. While in town I stopped at a store called Kohinoor, in search of Mbaqanga – also known as Township Jive – and found a few tapes which I listened to non-stop on the bus that carried me to the land of Chimurenga Music. One of these cassettes included the songs “Hot Coffee” and “Phukeng Special” which instantly became part of my daily life. Twenty-five years later I’m still grooving to them.

What I didn‘t know at that time was that The Movers were hugely successful during the 1970s; so when it came time to release some of their music, I though it was going to be “a walk in the park” to track down information about them and write their biography. I was in for a rude awakening. Despite their legendary status, there was almost no information available on band or any of its members.

Fortunately Nicky Blumenfeld from Kaya Radio came to the rescue. A few days after I reached out to her, she had managed to get the phone number of Kenneth Siphayi, who is considered to be the founder of the band, as well as vocalist Blondie Makhene and saxophonist Lulu Masilela. Although we left no stone unturned, we were unable to find any of the four original members who seem to have passed away in total anonymity.

The story of The Movers began in 1967 when two unknown musicians – the brothers Norman and Oupa Hlongwane – approached Kenneth Siphayi a stylish and wealthy businessman from the Alexandra township to ask if he could buy them musical instruments. In return he would receive a cut from future life shows and record deals. Kenneth, ended up doing much more, becoming their manager, setting them up in a rehearsal space, and introducing them to an organist who would prove to be the missing link in the band’s skeletal sound. He also gave them their name: The Movers … because, as he said, their music was going to move you, whether you liked it or not.

The band exploded onto the country’s racially-segregated music scene at the dawn of the 1970s with a sound that applied the rolling organ grooves and elastic rhythms of American soul to songs that came straight from the heart of the townships. Rumours of the band started to spread throughout the country and soon the record labels were sending their talent scouts to the Alexandra township to hear it for themselves.

The Movers finally signed to Teal Records in 1969, and their first album, Crying Guitar, went on to sell 500,000 copies within the first three months, launching them into the front rank of South African bands. In their first year they went from local sensations to being the first band of black South Africans to have their music cross over to the country’s white radio stations,

Although the first record was entirely instrumental, The Movers started working with different singers soon after – scoring an early hit with 14 year old vocal prodigy Blondie Makhene – and enriched their sonic palette with horns, extra percussion and various keyboards. Their stylistic range also expanded, incorporating elements of Marabi, Mbaqanga, jazz, funk, and reggae into their soul-steeped sound. But the essence of their music came from the almost telepathic connection of its founding members: the simmering organ of Sankie Chounyane, the laid-back guitar lines of Oupa Hlongwane, the energetic bass grooves of Norman Hlongwane and the simmering rhythms of drummer of Sam Thabo.

The band reached their apex in the mid-1970s, and their hit ‘Soweto Inn’, sung by Sophie Thapedi, became inseparable from the student revolts that signalled a new resistance to the apartheid government. In 1976, however, their manager was forced out, and their producer started to play a more active role in the band’s direction. By the end of the decade there were no original members left. But at their height The Movers were titans of South African soul who left a legacy of over a dozen albums and countless singles of pure groove. On The Movers 1970–76, Analog Africa presents 14 of the finest tracks from the band’s undisputed peak.

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Celestine Ukwu

LP | 2022 | US | Original (Mississippi)

LP | 2022 | UK | Original (Countdown)

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Of the many great talents of the classic Nigerian highlife scene, none contained the existential depth, transcendence and grace of Celestine Ukwu. During his brief time in this world, he pursued education, music, and philosophy; first as a school teacher, then ultimately a singer, lyricist and musician, first as a member of Gentleman Mike Ejeagha's Premier Dance Band, and eventually fronting his own groups, The Music Royals and The Philosophers National. Beginning in the early 1970s, The Philosophers National established a radical shift in the possibilities of Nigerian highlife by moving away from the typical mid-century style and cutting a new path with a distinctly hypnotic and cerebral atmosphere. This sense of depth was apparent in the lilting, multi-layered and pulsing music of The Philosophers National, as well as the concise and clear-eyed lyrics sung so beautifully by Celestine Ukwu. The arrangements establish a living, breathing environment for each song; muted trumpet solos, hypnotic guitar runs, driving percussion; every instrument gracefully following a tide of patience, tranquility, wonder, climax, knowing and unknowing. "Celestine ditched the jaunty dance rhythms and relatively facile lyrics typical of the reigning highlife tunes, and ignoring the soul music tropes most of the highlife bandleaders were appropriating in an effort to inject new life to their ailing format. Instead Celestine concocted a new highlife style that was more contemplative and lumbering; with the layering of Afro-Cuban ostinato basslines and repetitive rhythm patterns that interlocked to create an effect that was hypnotic, virtually transcendental. Meanwhile, Celestine himself sang as he stood coolly onstage in a black turtleneck and a sportscoat, looking like a university professor. The message was clear: this was not necessarily music for dancing_even though the rhythms were compelling enough. This was music for the thinkers." - Uchenna IkonneThis LP compiles some of Celestine Ukwu's deepest and most affecting songs fr...

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Fast Eddie

Shake A Tail Feather!

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (One World)

Release: 2022 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Acid Jazz Group Label Countdown Records is proud to present 'Shake A Tail Feather' - a Vinyl/CD collection from Fast Eddie, one of the early '80s most exhilarating live groups, and a favourite of the Rhythm and Soul powered Mod scene of 1980s. Initially called 'The Investigators', Fast Eddie emerged from Billericay in the wake of Thames Delta Blues pioneers, Dr. Feelgood. Having gained a following playing the raw R&B of the Pub Rock circuit, the band diversified their sound to incorporate classic soul repertoire, alongside their own material, which is documented throughout this collection.

Significantly, the group was also managed and produced by a certain young Eddie Piller - our founder - in his first foray as a music Mogul. Consequently, this collection marks an important document in the formation of Well Suspect Records, Countdown Records and the wider Acid Jazz Story. The LP contains a sharp selection of 16 tracks from their recordings, while the CD and digital version extends this with 4 extra tracks. Their storming versions of 'Shake A Tail Feather' and 'Out Of Sight', show their love of classic club soul, while 'Help Me' and 'My Babe' prove that they could play the blues with plenty of rhythm and feeling.

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Raphael Gimenes

Tongue Full Of Suns

27,99 €*

Los Corraleros de Majagual

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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In the musical universe of the Brazilian singer-songwriter Raphael Gimenes, wild landscapes are metaphors for unspoken feelings. The Copenhagen-based artist writes hauntingly visual, and poetically surrealistic stories, in which he can be hunted by sun-kissing jaguars, chased by thirstyhorizons, become a kaleidoscope of butterflies, or turn into dream-singing birds. His 2016 debut album, "Raphael Gimenes & As Montanhas de Som", was elected the best Brazilian album of 2016 by the Dutch website Written in Music, received 5 stars on Jazzism, and was hailed as a "conceptual masterpiece" by the Japanese magazine Latina.His sophomore release, "A tongue full of suns", is co-produced by the Faroese singer-songwriter Teitur, who also features on synths. On this new album, Gimenes explores his non-Brazilian influences and his life outside of Brazil. The songs are sung in English, a language that he learned when he lived in the United States as a boy. The lyrics are inspired by the mountainous landscapes of Jotunheimen, Norway, where he goes trekking on a yearly basis. The production and the arrangements draw heavily on sounds he heard on vintage European prog rock bands, particularly Yes and PFM. The music itself does not stray far from the universe of his debut album, but the songs do take more symphonic, progressive forms, while the Brazilian rhythms are substituted by the more meditative, minimalistic tabla played by the German musician Jan Kadereit. "A tongue full of suns" also features two guitar virtuosos from Argentina and the Netherlands: Matias Arriazu and Tim Panman.The fictitious story behind the concept album is presented as a poetic short text written by Gimenes himself: "These are the last songs written by The Painter, a broken-hearted sorcerer who disappeared on a journey of self-discovery in the vast canvas of the great wild. They were found floating above the silence of an ageless rock, in a valley of slumbering glaciers. It is said that on his odyssey, he learned the hypnotic dialects of t...

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Ésta Es Salsa!

17,99 €*

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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"Ésta sí es salsa!" is one of the most sought-after records in the impressive catalog of the Discos Fuentes tropical all-star group Los Corraleros de Majagual.The record is high on collectors' want lists for many reasons: excellent sound quality, diverse and highly danceable repertoire infusing its grooves, and the inclusion of the Cuban genres of descarga and charanga. The album includes outstanding cover versions of '60s New York salsa but featuring the unusual sound of the accordion and the heavy bass playing of Julio Estrada.First time reissue."Ésta sí es salsa!" is one of the most sought-after records in the impressive catalog of the Discos Fuentes tropical all-star group Los Corraleros de Majagual. It was released in 1970, nine years after the band was first conceived by Alfredo Gutiérrez, Calixto Ochoa and label boss Don Antonio Fuentes as an orchestra to play mostly typical folkloric Colombian genres like porro, cumbia and paseo and the occasional guaracha or pachanga, but with a fully orchestrated big band sound that combined the accordion with a complete rhythm and brass section.The record is high on collectors' want lists for many reasons, not least of which is its excellent sound quality and the diverse repertoire infusing its grooves, ranging from expected coastal tropical Colombian rhythms like paseaíto, paseo and pasebol (all related to cumbia and vallenato), to more exotic modes like sonsonete, casatschok, and the Cuban genres of descarga and charanga.There was never any doubt with the label's intentions of introducing this "new" genre of salsa on this LP, albeit as seen through the lens of Colombian musicians only recently converted to the movement, and indeed, the title unequivocally proclaims: "¡Ésta sí es salsa!" ("This is definitely salsa!"). The proof is in the fascinating (and long) cover versions of Nuyorican artists from the burgeoning Big Apple salsa scene that are the centerpiece of the album. Two massive dance tracks on the record are 'Ocho días' and 'Am...

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Los Kintos

17,99 €*

Thee Sacred Souls Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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1970 album that marked a milestone in the history of Peruvian tropical music comprising an outstanding repertoire of Cuban rhythms as a response to the trends of the moment: boogaloo and Colombian cumbia.Guitarist Pancho Acosta lead the band and Kiko Fuentes delivered the vocals across some juicy descargas and guarachas.In the late sixties, a generation of young Peruvian musicians, who were fans of tropical sounds, chose Cuban rhythms over the onslaught of boogaloo and Colombian cumbia. This musical movement attracted a legion of young followers, mostly from popular districts of Lima.In 1969, percussionist Domingo Guzmán Villanueva was commissioned by the MAG record label to get together a group to revive Cuban musical tradition. To lead the project he recruited, Francisco "Pancho" Acosta, founder and guitarist of the Company Quinto. The new group was baptized Los Kintos, in a nod to their desire to carry on playing in the Compay Quinto style. The link between the two groups appears on this first album, as the group's name is written in two different ways: Los Kintos, on the front cover; and Los Quintos, on the back.Recordings began in 1969 and included the stunning 'Descarga Kinto', Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz's original 'Pancho Cristal' -renamed here 'Pancho Guzmán- and Cuban classics from the repertoire of the historic Trio Matamoros like 'Lágrimas Negras' or 'Mentiras', all with lead vocals by Kiko Fuentes.The success of their concerts would take them on tours across the country, always recognized as outstanding figures of Cuban music in Peru.This reissue brings back an album that marked a milestone in the history of Peruvian tropical music and revives the fame of the group's legendary live performances. First time vinyl reissue.

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Thee Sacred Souls

LP | 2022 | US | Original (Daptone)

Acabo Con Lima Huyo Pa Nueva York

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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For Thee Sacred Souls, the first time is often the charm. The band’s first club dates led to a record deal with the revered Daptone label; their first singles racked up more than ten million streams in a year and garnered attention from Billboard, Rolling Stone, and Kcrw; and their first fans included the likes of Gary Clark Jr., The Black Pumas, Princess Nokia, and Timbaland. Now, the breakout San Diego trio is ready to deliver yet another landmark first with the release of their self-titled debut on Daptone Records.

“Every step of the way has just been so organic,” says drummer Alex Garcia. “Things just seem to happen naturally when the three of us get together.”

Indeed, there’s something inevitable about the sound of Thee Sacred Souls, as if Garcia and his bandmates—bassist Sal Samano and singer Josh Lane—have been playing together for a lifetime already. Produced by Bosco Mann (aka Daptone co-founder Gabriel Roth), Thee Sacred Souls is a warm and textured record, mixing the easygoing grace of sweet ’60s soul with the grit and groove of early ’70s R&B, and the performances are utterly intoxicating, with Lane’s weightless vocals anchored by the rhythm section’s deep pocket and infectious chemistry.

Hints of Chicano, Philly, Chicago, Memphis, and even Panama soul turn up here, and while it’s tempting to toss around labels like “retro” with a deliberately analog collection like this, there’s also something distinctly modern about the band that defies easy categorization, a rawness and a sincerity that transcends time and place.

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Karamanduka Y Melcochita

LP | 2022 | US | Original (Albina Music Trust)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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This mega-rare 1969 album pays tribute to the Bronx and Brooklyn neighborhoods where young Latinos had invented the boogaloo a few years earlier. This record highlights the quality of Peruvian boogaloo and the talent of musicians such as pianist Otto de Rojas and percussionist Coco Lagos.First time reissue.In the mid-sixties, when young Latino musicians in New York fused Afro-Cuban rhythms with rock, soul and jazz, they had no idea that their boogaloo bang bang would reverberate just as strong and loud in a distant South American country.From 1955, La Sonora Macedo, took Cuban music to every corner of Peru, backed the leading musicians of the Peruvian tropical universe, such as Ñiko Estrada, Joe di Roma, the double bass player Pepe Hernández, and the trumpet players Tito Chicoma and Charlie Palomares. All diehard fans of Cuban music, always alert to any new artist arriving from the island.In the early sixties, light rock, doo-wop, ballads, Italian songs and bossa nova paraded across Lima's stages, making performances by Cuban bands, previously so frequent, a thing of the past. Moreover, the unanimous success of the Beatles from 1964 onwards, gave the impression that music from the English-speaking world would dominate the rest of the decade.But this was not the case. In large part because of Manuel Guerrero's good relations with U.S Latino labels, such as Alegre Records, which released the initial recordings by Johnny Pacheco and Charlie Palmieri, allowing listeners in Lima to follow the development of the salsa movement almost from the beginning.MAG was undoubtedly the best representative of these new sounds. In 1969, the LP "Acabo con Lima, huyo pa' Nueva York" was released on this label, a project which brought together three figures from Lima's show business world: Manuel Antonio Guerrero, owner and founder of MAG, who wasn't shy of joining in on the chorus and percussion during recordings, Pablo Villanueva "Melcochita", a multifaceted artist from a talented musical family...

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Transport

25,19 €* 27,99 € -10%

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (De W.E.R.F.)

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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In the summer of 1979, a Chicago DJ started a riot that killed disco overnight. Inciting fans to blow up disco records during a nationally televised major league baseball game, the cultural impact of Disco Demolition Night was felt globally. It even made waves in Portland, Oregon.

In the months to follow, clubs in the City of Roses were out to hire anything but disco. For Transport, hot nights as a stage-ready show band would fade to memory. First went the horns, then the vocalists, until all that remained was the rhythm section. The band's days were numbered or so it seemed.

But keyboardists Jimmy and Johnny Sanders were fiercely experimental. Freed from the disco formula, the brothers' exchange over synthesizers and other keyed instruments was electric. With drummer Towner Galaher, the group bore songs in homage to the fusion music ever present in Portland. Inspired by the national success of local groups like the Jeff Lorber Fusion, Tom Grant, and Dan Siegel, the band was reborn.

Months before signing a multi record deal with Geffen, Quarterflash's Marv and Rindy Ross offered Transport a shot at recording in their home studio. The group recorded over two sessions and soon shelved the tapes. Band members were summarily recruited by other acts shortly thereafter. The tapes have continued to sit.

Now over four decades later we hear this music. With tape restoration and mastering by Gus Elg, a calculated spitshine envelops the recording and positions listeners in the shag carpet-lined haze of a 1970s fusion session. With design by Eric W Mast, viewers can check out the aforementioned period upholstery through archival photography in the album's insert, depicting wall-to-wall shag gracing the booths at Mel Brown's Drum Shop.

Out of the gate, "Latin Summer" burns through with an urgency akin to The Gangsters - an album recorded by members of this band a decade prior. On the Funkadelic-fused "Chrome Dome," Jimmy Sanders continues to make use of the synthesizer, through squiggling tones and fried bursts, as well as on “Gospel Bridge,” a track that evokes Heavy Weather in its Pollock-like splashes of melody. Jeff Bruce's fretless bass brings a psych-propelled elasticity to the groove, adding a sinful undercurrent to “Time of My Life” - a languorous tune that could be a Head Hunters outtake - while giving “Song For Valerie” a playful Peaches & Herb-like wiggle.

Transport's output is staggering for a group entirely unreleased and but a drop in the bucket for Portland's cottage industry recording business of yesteryear. This installment in the group's catalog probes a layer deeper.

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Gratitude Trio

Birth

20,39 €* 23,99 € -15%

LP | 2022 | UK | Original (Acid Jazz)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Gratitude Trio is a Belgian/French band based in Brussels. The music of this power trio is tinged with spacy sounds, African rhythms, sexy grooves, endless trances, sensitive ballads, crazy free jazz, and a large dose of unpredictability.After 11 years of existence, Gratitude Trio releases on September 2nd, 2022 its 4th album " Birth" on the remarkable Belgian label W.E.R.F. Records in partnership with Mercury and Collectif Koa from Montpellier, France.

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Fast Eddie

Release: 2022 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Acid Jazz Group label Countdown Records is proud to present 'Shake A Tail Feather' - a Vinyl/CD collection from Fast Eddie, one of the early '80s most exhilarating live groups, and a favourite of the Rhythm and Soul powered Mod scene of 1980s. Initially called 'The Investigators', Fast Eddie emerged from Billericay in the wake of Thames Delta Blues pioneers, Dr. Feelgood. Having gained a following playing the raw R&B of the Pub Rock circuit, the band diversified their sound to incorporate classic soul repertoire, alongside their own material, which is documented throughout this collection.

Significantly, the group was also managed and produced by a certain young Eddie Piller - our founder - in his first foray as a music Mogul. In the Spring of 1982, he took the band to Pye studios near Mable Arch, to cut what would be their first record. Copies were sold via fanzines or direct through London record stores, on his own imprint he called 'West Suspect Records', marking the start of Ed's career as a record man. Consequently, this collection marks an important document in the formation of Well Suspect Records, Countdown Records and the wider Acid Jazz Story.

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Get It Right: Afro Dub Funk & Punk Of Recreational Records '81-'82

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Emotional Rescue)

7" | 2022 | UK | Original (We Jazz)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie, Reggae & Dancehall

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Emotional Rescue returns to what it does best by unearthing musical gems of the British post punk scene with a double pack compilation of Bristol's short lived Recreational Records. Teaming up with Bristol Archive Records, 10 songs are remastered, reissued and cut loud for DJs and collectors. What is most striking is, although created in the space of just two years, with a disparate collection of artists, musicians and producers coming together, the music holds a considerable cohesive sound. Set up in 1981 by Bristol based shop, Revolver Records, Recreational was formed as an independent label with its own distribution, as part of the co-operative, Cartel. The label was a natural progression from the shop's punk's DIY aesthetic, acting as a hang out and inspiration for local artists from Mark Stewart to later staff member, Daddy G. 'Get It Right' starts with a one-off project in Scream + Dance, who similarly, alongside local bands Glaxo Babies, Maximum Joy and Rip Rig & Panic, explored post-punk with funk and jazz all underpinned with heavy tribal and dub influenced rhythms. 'In Rhythm', with its infectious groove, acts as a call to arms for the compilation, coming in two parts, the latter dropping away to explore the links with dub. Next is possibly the label's biggest band in Talisman, going on to be active up to today, their release 'Run Come Girl / Wicked Dem' are both featured in long 12" mixes that explore the classic 'discomix' of vocal and dub in longform. Animal Magic lead with the pack's title, 'Get It Right' a short-driven punk funk burst that captures the label's sound to perfection. However, much of the compilation is given over to the more experimental side of the bands, with a high percentage the B sides where they headed to the mixing desk for echo chambered dub inspired versions. X-Certs' 'Untogether; Electric Guitars' 'Don't Wake The Baby' and Animal Magic's 'Trash The Blad' are culled from the flips of various 7" singles and all are a fusion of percussive rhythms, studio trickery and dub inspired techniques, played out against the "Do it Yourself" aesthetic of the time. To complete is London based, soukous, kwela and afrobeat inspired collective, Ivory Coasters' 'Mungaka Makossa' and two rhythmic curveballs by Scream + Dance in 'Giocometti Wicked Mix)' and their riotous (and short) closer, 'In Pink & Black'. "Get it right this time, get it right!".

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Esa Pethman

In Belgium 1967

Steve Gadd / Eddie Gomez / Ronnie Cuber / Wdr Big Band

Release: 2022 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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We Jazz Records kicks off their new series of archival 7" releases with Esa Pethman "In Belgium 1967" released 23 September 2022. The two-tracker is licensed from the Belgian VRT radio archives and both of the pieces are previously unreleased. Finnish jazz legend Pethman, heard here on alto flute and tenor sax, joins forces with European jazz greats such as Heinz Bigler, Uffe Karskov and Jean Fanis. This is a small but valuable piece of unheard European jazz history from the early heyday of modern jazz. The physical release is a quality "inside-out"-styled EP with 3mm spine and small center hole on the 45rpm vinyl.
An excerpt from the liner notes by Mikko Mattlar:
"Esa Pethman (b. 1938) was one of the key figures of modern Finnish jazz in the 1960s. His album The Modern Sound Of Finland was the first Finnish modern jazz album and his composition "The Flame" a true modern Fenno-jazz evergreen.
Pethman was born in Kuusankoski, 135 kilometres from Helsinki in the Kymenlaakso area. The jazz scene was active even though it was an area of rural landscapes and paper mills. Pethman discovered jazz when he heard a Charlie Parker record being played at a local music shop in the late 1940s. Following Parker, bebop became his favourite style of jazz.
Young Pethman played flute and saxophone in local bands who accompanied schlager singers. They played tangos and waltzes for dancers, but usually started a typical dance event with an hour of jazz. In 1959 Pethman moved to Helsinki to study music at the Sibelius Academy. Back then it was a strictly classical music academy, but Pethman later described the studies as crucial for his development and career. He quickly made his way to studio sessions and into the best orchestras in Helsinki.
As a student of composition, Pethman also began writing his own music. "The Flame" was a melody he just got on his mind one night, and he decided to write it down. The catchy composition was released as a 7" single in 1964, a year before Pethman's debut album. Both records stand as benchmarks for modern Finnish jazz. The album consisted entirely of Pethman's compositions, not versions of jazz standards like a lot of the Finnish jazz released until then.
In the mid 1960s, Finnish jazz was also taking its first international steps. Pethman's quintet took part in the first Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in June 1967. At the Montreux jazz band competition, the quintet came in fourth of the twelve contestants. Despite not winning the competition, the band got an honourable mention, and Pethman was now recognized outside Finland.
In December 1967 Pethman travelled to Brussels. His visit was organised by the national Finnish broadcasting company Yleisradio and their jazz program producer Matti Konttinen. Konttinen was supposed to go to Brussels with Pethman, but the musician ended up traveling alone.
In the Decca recording studios Pethman played two songs. He recorded a version of his most famous composition "The Flame", where he played the alto flute and was accompanied by Belgian musicians. On Swiss saxophonist Heinz Bigler's composition "Like Steel", Pethman played the tenor saxophone. The band was now more international, consisting of Bigler, the Italian Francesco Santucci, the Dane Uffe Karskov, a Belgian rhythm section and Pethman. After 55 years, Pethman still remembers Bigler's remarkable skills as a saxophonist.
The two-day visit included the recording session, a dinner and a concert. Pethman and the other non-Belgian musicians came to Brussels mainly to play at a jazz concert organised by the European Broadcasting Union EBU. They played at the studio first, and the concert was held the following day. Pethman and all the other soloists played as members of an international big band. The studio and live session were produced by the Belgian Radio and Television jazz section leader Elias Gistelinck."

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Center Stage

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Leopard)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Bogie Band Feat. Joe Russo

The Witnesses / Take Them On

7" | 2022 | EU | Original (Mighty Eye)

8,99 €* 14,99 € -40%

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Willie Walker & The Butanes

I Feel It / Cry Cry Cry

7" | 2022 | EU | Original (Jai Alai)

16,49 €* 21,99 € -25%

Cumbiamuffin Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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A double treat for those who love timeless Southern Soul flavoured with some of those good ol’ down home blues. Memphis born, and Minneapolis based, Willie Walker can comfortably be included in the pantheon of grittiest soul singers along with Wilson Pickett, Syl Johnson,

Lou Rawls, James Carr, Eddie Floyd, Tyrone Davis and L.V. Johnson, to name but a few, but there has always been speculation about other Willie Walkers. The recordings on Eutor and Hi in the 70’s are not by the same Willie as those on Goldwax and Checker in the 60’s. He did, however, also record as Wee Willie Walker. He was a member of The Rhythm Harmonizers, The Val-Dons, The Exciters, The Bound Band, Willie & The Bumblebees (although that Willie is actually Willie Murphy of The Val-Dons), and Canoise, spanning a long and varied career before hooking up with the Minneapolis based band The Butanes in 2004, with whom he made the next three albums. The first of these was mainly cover versions, but "Right Where I Belong" (2004) and "Memphisapolis" (2006) are notable for each providing the tracks that make up this latest Jai Alai release, a label that differs from sister label Soul4Real by featuring 21st century tracks previously CD only but now released on 7” vinyl for the first time. It also has to be noted that all the tracks on both these albums were written and produced by Curtis Obeda, who managed to track down Willie after so many years. “I Feel It” will have been missed by most as it was on the CD "Right Where I Belong" which was released in 2004 on the most unlikely of UK imprints, the Wirral based One On One Records run by Colin Dilnot. The album is a lavish display of real instruments from a band that once backed John Lee Hooker and Little Johnny Taylor and the perfect setting for Willie’s powerful vocals. Just tipping five glorious minutes, "Cry, Cry, Cry" is a perfect example of why soul music is inextricably linked to the blues, and when the gospel styled chorus joins in towards the end, you realise that this could, maybe should, have carried on for just a little bit longer. Perhaps a fuller length version exists? Sadly, Willie died peacefully in his sleep in November 2019, but to complete his story check out the two albums on Blue Dot as Wee Willie Walker & The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra. To quote the great Quinton Claunch…”Willie was one of the best to come out of Memphis in the 60’s”. Steve Hobbs (Solar Radio, Totally Wired Radio)

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Cumbiamuffin

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Sounds And Colors)

27,99 €*

Cumbiamuffin Splatter Vinyl Edition

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Infectious, hypnotic tropical grooves with a ragga kick from Australia’s premier

cumbia orchestra. If you like Ondatrópica, Frente Cumbiero, Ska Cubano and

Lucho Bermúdez, you’ll love Cumbiamuffin.

It was only a matter of time before cumbia hit Australia. After humbly coming to life on

Colombia’s Caribbean coast, this rhythm—and everything it represents: its multiethnicity,

its danceable pulse, its resilience—snaked its way up the mountains to reach

Colombia’s urban capitals, Bogotá and Medellín, who transmitted the signal to Mexico,

Peru, Argentina... Cumbia travelled, and wherever it landed it took hold; Charles Mingus

got his fill in the 70s, Mexicans brought it across the US border in the 80s, Joe

Strummer couldn’t get enough of it in the 90s; and wherever it landed, it has shown its

flexibility, its ability to adapt to new environments.

Cumbiamuffin are the perfect example of what happens when cumbia arrives in a

completely different continent. Since forming in 2010, they have become Australia’s

premier large format cumbia orchestra, offering a twist on the genre that no one saw

coming. They take their inspiration from cumbia’s brass band traditions, when the genre

was adopted by orchestras in the 1940s, the start of its golden age, but they do not stop

there. They also look further afield, to the big bands of Mexico and Peru, and even to

the Caribbean, which is how their name came about. Cumbiamuffin represents the

contraction of two musical styles that the group seamlessly bring together in one big,

vibrant, joyous experience: cumbia and raggamuffin reggae. This is a group that can

inject even more life into a bona fide Colombian classic like Lucho Bermudez’s

“Salsipuedes,” take a Greek club version of a Mexican banda track written by an

Argentine accordionist and come up with the cohesively international “Ritmo de

Sinaloa,” and then there’s that unmistakable ragga skank all over “La Promesa,” with

“La Cabezona” being an instrumental descarga that has no right to rumble so low,

designed with dance halls and sound systems in mind.

Armed with the collective energy of two authentic Colombian vocalists, a seriously

massive brass section, heavy bass, funky guitar, salsa piano and equally authentic

percussion, the 15-piece band combines elements of reggae, dancehall and roots from

the Colombian Caribbean in a deft mix that is both retro and futuristic, authentically

traditional and yet also experimental. Put together by a collective of Colombian and

Australian musicians, the project has the common vision of introducing the purest

sounds of the golden era of orchestrated cumbia to Australian audiences, but with a little

something more added to the formula to keep things fresh.

Having triumphantly conquered their home country’s competitive music scene with sold

out shows at numerous festivals and well-known venues all over Down Under,

Cumbiamuffin are poised to break out to a global audience with their debut self-titled LP.

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Cumbiamuffin

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Sounds And Colors)

29,99 €*

Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffaloes

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Uganda (Dawn Of Rock)

CD | 2022 | UK | Original (Mr Bongo)

LP | 2022 | CA | Original (Telephone Explosion)

Release: 2022 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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The respected Japanese jazz drummer Akira Ishikawa was not messing around when he recorded the 'Uganda (Dawn of Rock)' album with his band the Count Buffaloes. For this offering, originally released in 1972 on Toshiba Records, Akira Ishikawa takes us on a deep tripped-out journey. 'Uganda (Dawn of Rock)' is a fusion of progressive and psych rock with African percussion workouts, dergy-wah wah blues-funk, and jazzy sensibilities; with different genres morphing and uniting as they progress. A long way from his funk and afrobeat album 'Back To Rhythm’, re-issued on Mr Bongo in 2019, this record has a darker, deeper, abstract and experimental stoned tone with the listener being pulled into its vortex for the ride. This record doesn’t pull any punches. For this album, Akira is joined by Hideaki Chihara on bass, guitarist Kimio Mizutani, sounding at times like an early 70s Peter Green, percussionist Larry Sunaga and composer Takeru Muraoka. The album has become highly sought-after amongst psych, prog and acid rock collectors and due to the rare nature of original copies they come at a hefty price tag. We are delighted to present an officially licensed re-issue of this underground Japanese rock rarity.

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Quilting

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

Release: 2022 / CA – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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The mesmerizing debut LP by Nova Scotia’s Quilting on October 7, 2022. The album is a quietly stunning collection of pastoral ambience dotted with moments of tension that reflects the maritime environment in which it was created, inadvertently paying homage to the light and darkness of rural life.

Co-founded by Holy Fuck’s Brian Borcherdt, the quartet is comprised of a diverse and accomplished collection of musicians who came together when he moved back to his home province in 2019 after a lengthy stay in Toronto.

The shock of settling into a town of 600 people was softened almost immediately by a care package left on Borcherdt’s front porch. It included the curious juxtaposition of homemade preserves and a circuit-bent keyboard. His interest was piqued. As luck would have it, his new neighbour happened to be renowned folk guitarist Kim Barlow.

“Kim was in the process of organizing an improvisation series featuring over a dozen Nova Scotia-based musicians. The series struggled under lockdown restrictions, and on the second attempt only the four of us showed up.” Borcherdt recalls. “We didn't really know each other that well, were a bit shy and played very quietly. However, we really enjoyed how spacious our jam was.”

One week after their initial jam, Borcherdt was invited to perform a solo set at a Halifax-based experimental festival called Open Waters. He instead volunteered the same lineup: himself, Barlow, distinguished Isle Of Skye harpist (and Berklee professor) Mairi Chaimbeul, and Sahara Nasr, a noted songwriter and player of the rare Indian Sarangi. It wasn’t long before they began recording and soon realized a name was necessary to make the project official.

“When we get together to play music, it's our 'poker night'. That led us to think of other community or 'grown-up' gatherings, similar or antiquated... like barnraising bees, quilting bees.” Explains Borcherdt. “We were sort of quilting: four corners of fabric, texture, sewing threads, telling a story, all making one complete piece while drinking a few beers. We could've also called it ‘Therapy’.”

While providing a necessary distraction from early-COVID life, Quilting also offered a chance to improvise within a uniquely ambient soundspace. This was a welcome change for some of the members, including Borcherdt, who was used to creating music with decidedly more volume.

“Space is welcome. Writing in Quilting is a spontaneous and thoughtful process, very synesthetic and, of course, collaborative. I've only really gotten to explore space and silence with solo music.” He reflects. “With my other bands, even when spontaneous and improvised, the result is dense and cathartic, expressive through pulse and rhythm and volume. With Quilting we get to drift, no beats, no safety net. Every note counts. Yet rather than being stressed or scrutinized under a microscope we all have fun and daydream a bit.”

Sonics aside, Quilting has also given all four members the chance to experiment with the boundaries created by headquartering in a remote area not commonly associated with the avant-garde music community.

“Nova Scotia, unlike other provinces, has basically one city, one place where musicians congregate, play shows and hang out. Anything happening outside of Halifax can be considered an experiment, a test to see anything can get off the ground.” Borcherdt explains. “ In Toronto there's already an infrastructure, whether you play the same venues or build your own new thing- there's an audience, there are friends and like-minded individuals. It's healthier. Here we have to take what we get. But the good news is that it's kind of a blank slate.”

The LP, which features hand-calligraphed cover art from Upstate New York-based artist and musician Sarah Le Puerta, features five songs all recorded live off-the-floor in a single live performance. Moods range from reflective to unsettled, and even at its loudest parts a sense of intimacy persists.

“This album feels like a complete picture, a snapshot of one fun night.” He states. “That seems to me to be a perfect introduction. The listener gets to “attend” the concert, which is an amazing way to discover new music.”

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Ernesto DJedje

Roi Du Ziglibithy

Education & Recreation Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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If someone would have told me years ago, when I started the label, that one day I would be releasing music by Ernesto Djédjé, the king of Ziglibithy himself, I would have personally driven them to the closest psychiatric institute such is the magnitude of the artist and his iconic tune “Zighlibitiens”.

The star of Ernesto Djédjé started rising in the late 60s, when he became the guitar player and leader of Ivoiro Star, founded by Amédée Pierre, star of Dopé, the leading musical style at the time. Annoyed by the “congolisation” of the Ivorian music that was taking place within the band, Ernesto left the group and emigrated to Paris in 1968 to record his first few singles arranged by Manu Dibango and influenced by Soul, Rhythm & Blues and Jerk. Those recordings reflect the musical mood at that time which was dictated by two musical trends within the Ivoirian scene: Traditional music, embodied amongst others by Amédée Pierre on one hand and imported music from the States, Cameroon and Zaïre on the other. And while the first trend was generally neglected, the youth fully embraced the second and as a result bands such as „Les Black Devils“, „Djinn-Music“, „Bozambo”, “Jimmy Hyacinthe”, shot to stardom overnight by recording mainly funk and disco music. It is within this context that Ernesto would draw the inspiration for a future formula.

Returning to Côte d‘Ivoire in 1974 Ernesto began looking for like minded musicians to form the mighty “Ziglibithiens”. Diabo Steck (drums), Bamba Yang (keyboards & Guitar), Léon Sina (Guitar) and Assalé Best (chef d´orchestre and Saxophon) would become the core of the group and together with Ernesto they began thinking of ways of combining the rhythms and chants of the Bété people and fuse them with Makossa, Funk and Disco and create a musical style that was both Ivorian and International. He called his experiment Ziglibithy and his first two albums, immortalised at the EMI studios in 1977 in Lagos and released on the Badmos label, took West Africa by storm turning Ernesto Djédjé into an icon overnight and one of the legends of African music. Ernesto Djédjé died in mysterious circumstances on June 9th, 1983 - at the age of 35 - shocking the whole Ivorian nation. And although the end came abruptly, it didn’t come soon enough, and Ernesto had time - within 5 albums - to cement his legacy as one of the most innovative artists the Ivory Coast ever produced.

The song Zighlibitiens, brought to Colombia by an aeronautical mechanic in the early 1980, would become a huge hit on the Caribbean Coast. Renamed “El Tigre” by locals soundsystem operators - certainly due to the Badmos logo - that particular song would reach legendary status in Barranquilla and Cartagena. Setting fire to uncountable local parties, it has become one of the most sought-after Album in that part of the world. And so, while Ziglibithy has mostly disappeared from the airwaves of its country of birth, on the other side of the Atlantic, its fire continues to shine bright.

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Surprise Chef

LP | 2022 | US | Original (Big Crown)

Raul Monsalve Y Los Forajidos

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Surprise Chef's music is based on evoking mood; their vivid arrangements utilize time and space to build soundscapes that invite the listener into their world. The quintet's distinct sound pulls from 70s film scores, the funkier side of jazz, and the samples that form the foundation of hip hop. They push the boundaries of instrumental soul and funk with their own approach honed by countless hours in the studio, studying the masters, and perhaps most importantly, the "tyranny of distance" that dictates a unique perspective to their music. Hailing from just outside of Melbourne, Australia their first two albums, All News Is Good News and Daylight Savings amassed a die-hard fanbase and brought their sound from their home studio to every corner of the globe. The band is now signed to Big Crown Records, joining a lineage of contemporary and classic sounds that have influenced Surprise Chef's music since their formation in 2017. Surprise Chef is Lachlan Stuckey on guitar, Jethro Curtin on keys, Carl Lindeberg on bass, Andrew Congues on drums, and Hudson Whitlock-the latest member who does it all from percussion to composing to producing. Their self proclaimed "moody shades of instrumental jazz-funk" have a bit of everything: punchy drums, infectious keys, rhythm guitar you might hear on a Studio One record, and flute lines that could be from a Blue Note session. But when you step back and take in the entirety of their sound and approach, you'll hear and see a group greater than the sum of its parts. In many ways Surprise Chef embodies the idiom "the benefits of limits." They were limited in that there weren't many people making or talking about instrumental jazz/soul/funk in Southeast Australia, let alone putting out records. This left them to develop their sound and approach in a kind of creative isolation where a small circle of friends and like-minded musicians fed off each other. "Being in Australia, being so far away, we only get glimpses and glances of this music's origins," Stuckey says. "But hearing a label like Big Crown was one of the first times we realized you could make fresh, new soul music that wasn't super retro or just nostalgic." This approach is on full display throughout their new album Education & Recreation. Tracks like "Velodrome" pair chunky drums with an earworm synth line that has all the making of something you would find on an Ultimate Breaks & Beats compilation while numbers like "Iconoclasts" show their knack for tasteful use of space. From the crushing intro of "Suburban Breeze" to the floaty mellow bop of "Spring's Theme" Surprise Chef has weaved together an album that takes you through peaks and valleys of emotion and provides a vivid soundtrack that will pull you deeper into your imagination. There is a beauty in the vast space for interpretation of instrumental music and they are adding a modern classic to the canon with this new album. Turn on the record and enjoy the ride, wherever it may take you.

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Calipso Time / Deo E' Mono

10" | 2022 | EU | Original (Super-Sonic Jazz)