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SMR 081LP
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How can a sense of beauty be found amidst fear and cruelty? How can all the unspeakable be made audible, but also anger, hope, and an unyielding will to live? With his third album Temple Of Hope, Iranian composer Saba Alizadeh has created a moving homage to the people of his homeland. He transforms the events during the "Woman Life Freedom" movement, as well as the struggles of the population in previous years, into poignant electro-acoustic music. Intensified by the vocals and lyrics of Andreas Spechtl, Sanam Maroufkhani, and Leila Rahimi. In his compositions, Saba Alizadeh combines the traditional string instrument Kamancheh with strings, modular synthesizers, and a no-input mixer. This results in a tense sound that explores the speechlessness and torn emotions between suffering, rebellion, and hope. Historical radio sequences ground his pieces in the culture and history of the country. The strong alienation and deconstruction of these acoustic elements, in turn, point to the incomprehensible -- to existential upheavals and dissolution processes.
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AA 8802LP
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2025 repress. All tracks are exclusive to this release (not a compilation of material from the albums on the cover). Tracks: "Ghetto Version," "Ya Man Version," "Tubby's Version," "Pain Dub," "Cowboy Dubbing," "D'Rude Dubber," "Moving Version Dub," "Hardest Dub," "This Ah The Best," "King Edwards Dub," "Maria's Head Dub," "Homing Version," "Bless 'I' Dub" and "Crabbit Version."
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2LP
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BEWITH 095LP
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2025 repress; Be With Records present a reissue of DJ Quik's Safe And Sound, originally released in 1995. Complete with "Tanqueray", the hidden track from the original CD release. DJ Quik is a giant of West Coast hip-hop. With 1995's Safe + Sound, he scaled new levels of musical magnificence with his signature new age P-Funk/laconic G-Funk. A quintessential, sun-scorched LA album, this is pretty much essential. A preternaturally gifted producer/rapper, DJ Quik has produced scores of LA gangsta rap classics. He's released platinum and gold records of his own, as well as helped craft them for the likes of Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and Dr Dre. Quik has always been quirkier and more interesting than his gangsta rap peers, both musically and lyrically. An old-school funk producer at heart, he's also incredibly nice on the mic. His raps often deal in boasts, jokes and good times but also cover his beefs, his trials and his trauma. Partying and pain, all mixed up. DJing and producing hype beat tapes from age 14, Quik's tracks blended the languid funk and rubbery synths of Zapp and George Clinton with a gangsta aesthetic, creating a more danceable foil to Compton's more typical nihilistic hedonism. Ultimately, his records sound custom engineered to drift out over sun-soaked barbecues. By the time of his third album DJ Quik was a household name on the West Coast -- California's premier rapper/producer not named Andre Young. Released on Profile in 1995, Safe + Sound was certified gold. Less reliant on samples and more focused on live instruments, it elevated him from producer to fully-fledged composer. This sound -- the quick, winding basslines, tinny high hats, smooth instrumental solos, soulful pipes, and Roger Troutman's talkbox -- defined him. This is an album of full-blown masterpieces. Rich soundscapes and masterfully arranged orchestrations with dense layers of sounds, intricate rhythms, and well-balanced songwriting. Mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Pete Norman and pressed at Record Industry.
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BEWITH 103LP
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2025 restock; reissue, originally released on Vertigo in 1973. Labyrinth is dark, brooding, beat-heavy, melancholic mood music courtesy of Ian Carr and the Nucleus crew. A favorite of Madlib, it goes without saying that this is one magnificent record. Originally released on Vertigo in 1973, Labyrinth was never re-pressed and of course those original copies are now very tricky to score. Like all the Nucleus records, it's aged ridiculously well and this Be With re-issue, re-mastered from the original analogue tapes, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press. Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era. In late 1969, following the demise of the Rendell-Carr quintet, and tiring of British jazz, Carr assembled the legendary Nucleus. Under bandleader Carr, Nucleus existed as a fluid line-up of inventive, skilled musicians. At this point Carr had parted ways with guitarist Alan Holdsworth and as a result the Nucleus sound found itself returning to the core elements of groove and melody. Carr had become bolder and more self-confident in his compositions and it shows in the sheer ambition of Labyrinth, composed by Carr and with lyrics written by his wife Sandy. Originally a live performance by an augmented Nucleus, some of the expanded cast were brought back for the recording sessions, including vocalist Norma Winstone. Labyrinth is presented as a suite, based on the ancient Greek legend of the Minotaur with musical instruments representing the various elements of the mythology. According to the LP's original sleeve notes, the bass clarinet represents the tragic element, the trumpet represents the heroic element and the voice represents the human element. The rest of the musicians represent the two societies of Athens and Crete and their comments on the story as it unfolds. The album opens with the experimental, sumptuously dissonant "Origins", teasing strands of atmospheric bass clarinet introduce the first theme before swiftly fading out with a startling blast of staccato fanfares and big drums. The album soon finds its rhythm as it alights on the spell-binding and groove-friendly "Bull-Dance", with subtle trumpet melodies, compelling rhythms, a psych-rock vibe, and tight soloing. And of course, there's Norma Winstone's stunning wordless vocals, that also take the lead in the next track "Ariadne", a spacey-jazz song with beautiful piano, flute, and clarinet. You might recognize a snatch of it being looped by Madlib on Quasimoto's "Astro Travellin". The first part of the improvised "Arena" closes out the first side of the album, a short experimental piece with piano and horns. The powerful second part of "Arena" swiftly builds, with vocal melodies, piano, and horns. It comes on like an alternate take on "Bull-Dance", noisier, with a looser rhythm. The triumphant, shuffling Latin-jam "Exultation" leans on more scintillating vocals from Winstone, and a chunky counter melody from the rhythm section. The haunting, twelve minute "Naxos", is an incredible way to close out this remarkable record. Remastered from the original Vertigo master tapes. Mastered by Simon Francis. Cut by Pete Norman. Gatefold sleeve.
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BEWITH 104LP
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2025 restock; reissue, originally released on Vertigo in 1974. Under The Sun is the follow-up to the astonishing Roots and contains yet more absolutely essential Nucleus material. Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era. In late 1969, following the demise of the Rendell-Carr quintet, and tiring of British jazz, Carr assembled the legendary Nucleus. Under bandleader Carr, Nucleus existed as a fluid line-up of inventive, skilled musicians. Under The Sun opens with the crisp, medium tempo "In Procession". It's a typically inventive Carr track with layers of dramatic, riff-led themes and repeating brass blasts. Bryan Spring's "The Addison Trip" is a moody funk piece, with Kieran White guesting on wordless vocals. Roger Sutton contributes some fine bass guitar on this track, particularly the great solo at around the two-minute mark. The excellently-named cool, jazzy ballad "Pastoral Graffiti" paints bucolic pictures with its mellow sonics, plaintive horns and Bob Bertles's flute. Sutton's superb, bass-driven "New Life" brings a different dynamic. Horns, guitar, and electric piano swirl over the head-nod bass motif and a killer Ken Shaw guitar solo. A false fade out halfway through brings in a new bass riff that's picked up by the whole ensemble as Carr wah-wah noodles over the top. The gorgeous, laidback "A Taste of Sarsaparilla" is exactly that -- closing out the first side with a cute blast of what is to come over on the killer flip. The whole of Under The Sun's second side is a suite of three "Themes" written by Ian Carr. The up-tempo first theme "Sarsaparilla" is comfortably one of Nucleus's best. What would've been a cluttered mess in the hands of most is instead an effortless lesson in clarity and zing. Between Geoff Castle's electric piano solo, the relentless funky drumming and more wild wah-wah trumpet from Carr, Nucleus show you how it's done. The languid groove of second theme "Feast Alfresco" is much more typical of "classic" Nucleus and sounds like something that might've been on Roots. The darker "Rites of Man", the third and final theme, is a slow build to a solid bass and electric piano riff, shored up by some tricky brass. Remastered from the original Vertigo master tapes. Mastered by Simon Francis. Cut by Pete Norman.
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BELLA 9623026CD
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Immerse yourself in the incomparable world of funk and soul with the compilation Rare Grooves: A Funk And Soul Era. This unique collection of 16 hand-picked tracks from the '60s, '70s, and '80s brings back the vibrant influence of funk and soul to the European musical landscape of the time. This CD is a musical time capsule that brings long-forgotten treasures back to life. Many of the songs included were originally only released as vinyl singles and are now available on CD for the first time. Look forward to a fascinating mix of disco, krautrock, pop, Afrobeat and jazz songs, which gets its very own charm with a healthy dose of funk and soul. Let yourself be carried away by the creative diversity and unbridled groove of this era. Rare Grooves: A Funk And Soul Era is more than just a CD -- it is an essential piece of music history for collectors and lovers who appreciate the authentic sound of the funk and soul era. Featuring Atlas, Abadie, Ganymed, Charly And The Diamonds, Bill Gabo, The Jaguars, Stonewall, Epsilon, Lee Reed, MC London, Wolfgang Ambros, and Christian Kolonovits.
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BYG 303LP
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2025 restock. Third volume in the BYG Actuel series; gatefold sleeve, 180 gram vinyl. "After three years as a member of Albert Ayler's band (1964-1967), avant-garde jazz drummer Sunny Murray traveled to France where he recorded for Affinity and BYG. The amazing Homage to Africa was recorded on August 15, 1969 for BYG and features Archie Shepp, Alan Silva, Grachan Moncur III, Lester Bowie, Clifford Thornton, Roscoe Mitchell, Kenneth Terroade and Jeanne Lee."
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CARCD 233CD
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Final part of the Nichts deluxe reissue series: The almost forgotten third Nichts album Aus Dem Jenseits from 1983 has finally been reissued! Due to circumstances, it was lost and unsuccessful at the time, but that's why it's also rare and has become a cult favorite. Nichts reorganized themselves in 1983 and released an unbroken series of six German-language new wave power pop super hits on side A of the LP, garnished with the always good post-punk lyrics of singer Andrea Mothes. Their echoes can still be found today in current guitar pop, new wave and new German wave. At least the single "Venus Schenkt Dir Schöne Stunden (Horrorskop)" should have been an NDW classic of the better kind. And side 2 is hardly weaker. After the band ended their tour in autumn 1982 following two successful albums and the NDW hits "Radio" and "Tango 2000," founding member and guitarist Meikel Clauss and bassist Scarbeck left the band. But singer/lyricist Andrea Mothes and drummer Tobias Brink were not finished with Nichts and recorded the third album Aus Dem Jenseits with a new line-up. A live performance at Mal Sondock's Pop Explosion, a planned single release and a booked tour seemed to continue the success, but things turned out differently: due to an injury to Brink, the tour had to be cancelled, the single was not promoted any further, the band soon broke up and the album became a die-hard fan favorite. The remastering of the album, which was enthusiastically approved by the former band members with a grade of 1+, was produced in the Düsseldorf Skyline sound factory by Kai Blankenberg, whose services are otherwise utilized by International Music, Boy, Madsen and regularly by Udo Lindenberg, among others. In addition to a bonus track (Horrorskop 2024 Single Edit), there is also a 16-page booklet with photos of the time and the lyrics!
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CARCD 234CD
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When the sense of time and space disappears, psychedelic sounds merge into an endless tapestry of sound, nothing can really be categorized here. You don't have to, better switch off your head. Only rarely do records like ADA appear that offer seemingly endless opportunities to dream away -- because there is so much history in them: "The new album is something like the essence of over 30 years of Electric Orange," explains Dirk Jan Müller, who started the long-running project back in 1992 in Aachen, Germany and later developed it into a great band. Electric Orange are clearly rooted in the Krautrock of the seventies (and also use some of the equipment from this era), so many tracks are reminiscent of the well-known legends of the genre: Can, Tangerine Dream, Amon Düül -- a mixture of everything the band members love. In this world, every groove is even better when you play it for minutes on end. Electric Orange's music is constantly evolving, spherical sounds come in and go out again -- or are replaced by experimental wah-wah guitars. Space sound effects? Movie samples? Yes! Electric Orange reveal an expansive world and then lead the listener through it; their music is both driving and dreamy at the same time.
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CARLP 233LP
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LP version. Final part of the Nichts deluxe reissue series: The almost forgotten third Nichts album Aus Dem Jenseits from 1983 has finally been reissued! Due to circumstances, it was lost and unsuccessful at the time, but that's why it's also rare and has become a cult favorite. Nichts reorganized themselves in 1983 and released an unbroken series of six German-language new wave power pop super hits on side A of the LP, garnished with the always good post-punk lyrics of singer Andrea Mothes. Their echoes can still be found today in current guitar pop, new wave and new German wave. At least the single "Venus Schenkt Dir Schöne Stunden (Horrorskop)" should have been an NDW classic of the better kind. And side 2 is hardly weaker. After the band ended their tour in autumn 1982 following two successful albums and the NDW hits "Radio" and "Tango 2000," founding member and guitarist Meikel Clauss and bassist Scarbeck left the band. But singer/lyricist Andrea Mothes and drummer Tobias Brink were not finished with Nichts and recorded the third album Aus Dem Jenseits with a new line-up. A live performance at Mal Sondock's Pop Explosion, a planned single release and a booked tour seemed to continue the success, but things turned out differently: due to an injury to Brink, the tour had to be cancelled, the single was not promoted any further, the band soon broke up and the album became a die-hard fan favorite. The remastering of the album, which was enthusiastically approved by the former band members with a grade of 1+, was produced in the Düsseldorf Skyline sound factory by Kai Blankenberg, whose services are otherwise utilized by International Music, Boy, Madsen and regularly by Udo Lindenberg, among others. In addition to a bonus track (Horrorskop 2024 Single Edit), there is also a 16-page booklet with photos of the time and the lyrics!
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CARLP 234LP
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LP version. When the sense of time and space disappears, psychedelic sounds merge into an endless tapestry of sound, nothing can really be categorized here. You don't have to, better switch off your head. Only rarely do records like ADA appear that offer seemingly endless opportunities to dream away -- because there is so much history in them: "The new album is something like the essence of over 30 years of Electric Orange," explains Dirk Jan Müller, who started the long-running project back in 1992 in Aachen, Germany and later developed it into a great band. Electric Orange are clearly rooted in the Krautrock of the seventies (and also use some of the equipment from this era), so many tracks are reminiscent of the well-known legends of the genre: Can, Tangerine Dream, Amon Düül -- a mixture of everything the band members love. In this world, every groove is even better when you play it for minutes on end. Electric Orange's music is constantly evolving, spherical sounds come in and go out again -- or are replaced by experimental wah-wah guitars. Space sound effects? Movie samples? Yes! Electric Orange reveal an expansive world and then lead the listener through it; their music is both driving and dreamy at the same time.
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CT 084LP
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2025 restock. One of King Tubby's finest works, originally released in 1974. Recorded at Tubby's famous 18 Drummly Ave. studio in Kingston during dub's early development period.
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CT 085LP
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2025 repress; reissue of the 1976 historic collaboration between producer instrumentalist Augustus Pablo and dub engineer King Tubby.
"If you had to pick one album that best represents the pinnacle of the art of dub, you'd cull the candidates down pretty quickly to ten or 12, and it would get very difficult after that. Few would fault you for ending up with this one, though, which stands as perhaps the finest collaboration between two of instrumental reggae's leading lights: producer and melodica player Augustus Pablo and legendary dub pioneer King Tubby. Among other gems, this album offers its title track -- a dub version of Jacob Miller's 'Baby I Love You So'-- which is widely regarded as the finest example of dub ever recorded. But the rest of the album is hardly less impressive. 'Each One Dub', another cut on a Jacob Miller rhythm, possesses the same dark and mystical ambience, if not quite the same emotional energy, as 'King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown,' and the version of the epochal 'Satta Massaganna' that closes the album is another solid winner. Pablo's trademark 'Far East' sound (characterized by minor keys and prominent melodica lines) is predominant throughout, and is treated with care and grace by King Tubby, who has rarely sounded more inspired in his studio manipulations than he does here. Absolutely essential." --Rick Anderson, All Music
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CT 112LP
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2025 restock. Reissue of this 1979 album, mixed at King Tubby's Studio. Tracks: "Pure Ranking," "I've Been Around," "What Eyes Don't See," "African Liberation," "Jah Gift To Man," "Modern Babylon," "Totally Free," "Change Your Ways," "No Love In The City," "Jah Is The One," "Natural Mystic" and "Strictly Ranking (Ghetto Style)."
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CT 119LP
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2025 restock; 1995 release. "A virtual wizard of the mixing desk, Overton H Brown has been one of the key figures in dub since the late 1970s. Getting his start as a teenager at King Tubby's legendary studio in Waterhouse, Brown was known as 'The Scientist' because his imaginative approach to the mixing desk and electronic gadgetry seemed to derive from magical powers that linked him to some intangible, futuristic realm."
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DGRBPS 002LP
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What is Country Soul? This brief period in country music (1968/1973) history when Cowpokes gave a try to LSD and pot, and so transformed their own music into something less formatted, opened to many others influences such as funk and soul or Psychadelism. Featuring Jesters III, Gary Atkinson, Shirl Milete, Willis Allan Ramsey, Tony Joe White, Michael Murphey, Lee Conway, O.V. Wright, Bobby Darin, Joe South, Mac Davis, and Sherman Hayes.
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DGRCS 003LP
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The third volume dedicated to the Cajun music, the logical suite of the Cajun Stomps series, exploring this time the '60s and '70s material, made of very rare 45"s singles. Featuring Joel Sonnier, Marvin Kerry, Dennis Bice, Randy And The Rockets, Rufus Jagneaux, Rambling Aces, Mel "Luv Bug" Pellerin, Belton Richard, Jimmy Walker, Willis Prudhomme, Hebert Fontenot, Alex Broussard, Shawn Saucier, Earl Rebert, Rufus Jagneaux, and Marion.
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DGREX 012LP
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14 songs to beat jet lag. For Intercontinental Sugar Daddies! You belong to the jet-set? This LP is for you! You don't belong to the Jet-set but you dream to? This LP will make you familiar with the pool parties! Featuring Mamie Van Doren, Duke Mitchell And Family, The Guitar Of Sa, The Tony Martinez Quintet, Barbara Feldon, Cosy Cole, "Kookie" Edd Byrnes, The Jokers, Johnny Jones And The King Casuals, Googie René Combo, Chuck Rowan & His Cliques, Jack Paar Whistling By Terry Teifer, Amru Sani Con Enoch Light Y Su Orchestra, Jack Gale And The Medecine Men, and Kenny And The Modads.
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DGREX 013LP
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OSS! Spy vs. Spy! MI6! All operating in the shadows of darkness and danger; underneath that double-trouble of uncertainty lays the groove. The exotic and the erotic sounds. 007! The music with a license to kill and thrill. When the clock strikes five and it is cocktail time, no man is a match for the soundtrack of the Femme fatale of the underworld. Shake that thing baby-don't stir it, and the Martini too. The spy universe has been quite an inspiration for composers and orchestras. Lounge music, Exotica and symphonic, this record will have you spinning the globe hitting every longitude and latitude from Bangkok to Rio. Featuring Ray Barretto, Patti Seymour, Ken Woodman And His Piccadilly Brass, Dick Hyman, Bobby, Ronnie Aldrich And His Two Pianos, John Barry, Sherley Bassey, Henry Mancini, Barbara Feldon, Roland Shaw And His Orchestra, Jimmy Smith, and Santo & Johnny.
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DGREX 014LP
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OSS! Spy vs. Spy! MI6! All operating in the shadows of darkness and danger; underneath that double-trouble of uncertainty lays the groove. The exotic and the erotic sounds. 007! The music with a license to kill and thrill. When the clock strikes five and it is cocktail time, no man is a match for the soundtrack of the Femme fatale of the underworld. Shake that thing baby-don't stir it, and the Martini too. The spy universe has been quite an inspiration for composers and orchestras. Lounge music, Exotica and symphonic, this record will have you spinning the globe hitting every longitude and latitude from Bangkok to Rio. So drop that needle and get on board this third volume as this jet is leaving the gate right on time. Featuring Rolland Shaw And His Orchestra, Ray Barretto, Herbie Mann, The San Remo Golden Strings, Pegi Boucher, Ken Woodman And His Piccadilly Brass, Hugo Montenegro, Lalo Schifrin, Michel Magne, Billy Strange, and David Lyodd And His London Orchestra.
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EB 203CD
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When dub and dope beats entered into an open relationship in the mid-nineties and created a casual hybrid with trip hop, Jean-Yves Prieur aka Kid Loco was one of the first French people to be there. With singles like "She's My Lover" and "Love Me Sweet" and the album A Grand Love Story, the producer proved himself to be a loverman indeed, with a knack for bedroom moods, charming little melodies and a comforting balance between minimalism and lush arrangements. As a keyboard all-rounder, Guillaume Méténier aka Soul Sugar has been featured on numerous Kid Loco productions for more than twenty years. From the synthesizer to the clavinet, from the Fender Rhodes to the Leslie organ, the "Funky Frenchman" is no stranger to any keyboard instrument. The Hamburg label Echo Beach, which has already issued dub commissions for a number of pop and new wave classics, thought it was time to change that.
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EB 203LP
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LP version. When dub and dope beats entered into an open relationship in the mid-nineties and created a casual hybrid with trip hop, Jean-Yves Prieur aka Kid Loco was one of the first French people to be there. With singles like "She's My Lover" and "Love Me Sweet" and the album A Grand Love Story, the producer proved himself to be a loverman indeed, with a knack for bedroom moods, charming little melodies and a comforting balance between minimalism and lush arrangements. As a keyboard all-rounder, Guillaume Méténier aka Soul Sugar has been featured on numerous Kid Loco productions for more than twenty years. From the synthesizer to the clavinet, from the Fender Rhodes to the Leslie organ, the "Funky Frenchman" is no stranger to any keyboard instrument. The Hamburg label Echo Beach, which has already issued dub commissions for a number of pop and new wave classics, thought it was time to change that.
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ESPDISK 5102CD
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Memphis, Tennessee quintet Deepstaria Enigmatica doesn't sound like your father's free jazz. It's spacier; it's moodier; sometimes it sounds like ambient drank a lot of expressos and got down; sometimes it sounds like one of Miles Davis' mid-'70s electric bands ate shrooms and got freaky while Miles wasn't around; sometimes it sounds like a funky lounge band from the Antares system. Deepstaria Enigmatica is a quintet of improvisers from Memphis, Tennessee dedicated to creating otherworldly soundscapes. Named for a rarely seen, bell-shaped jellyfish discovered by Jacques Cousteau, the group's every note is inspired by that famous ocean explorer's sense of discovery. But don't assume the five veteran musicians create only chaos: they are as attuned to melodies and harmonies as they are to fine gradations of noise. What emerges with each extemporaneous performance can range from dark swirls of frenetic fury to interplanetary hard bop, to sunlit ambient dreamscapes punctuated with snatches of folk song. The diverse experience of the players sets the tone for their deep dives: David Collins is the composer and guitarist behind Frog Squad, a Memphis group who have blended jazz improvisation with visionary music as disparate as that of Horace Silver and Erik Satie; he's equally at home playing simple, unfettered guitar lines or rocking, effects-drenched rave ups. Chad Fowler played alto saxophone with both Frank Lowe and George Cartwright in the 1990s, and now teams up with the likes of William Parker, Kidd Jordan, Ivo Perelman, Zoh Amba, Matthew Shipp, or Brian Blade for music released on the Mahakala Music label. Keyboardist Alex Greene first studied musique concrète and computer synthesis with composer Judy Klein in the 1980s, before playing in a variety of Memphis groups ranging from Alex Chilton to Big Ass Truck to Reigning Sound, not to mention over twenty years of work with New York composer Dave Soldier. Now he improvises with multiple keyboards simultaneously, including a vintage Roland Juno-106. Since completing his jazz studies at the University of Memphis in 2016, drummer Jon Harrison has cast a wide stylistic net with the groups he's joined, which include the Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra, Frog Squad, Hope Calyburn's Soul Scrimmage, Joe Austin, Roderick Duran, PXLS, and the Church Brothers. Bassist Khari Wynn, best known as the guitarist for hip-hop sensations Public Enemy, regularly tests more unorthodox waters with groups such as Energy Disciples, often under the name Mysterioso Africano. Together, these five musos cohere with a surprising unity of purpose, as their listening and playing gel into what often sound like prepared compositions. Sharing an uncanny telepathy, they transport listeners to new worlds of musical possibility.
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GB 151CD
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Hailing from Cyprus's divided capital Nicosia, and led by Antonis Antoniou, the founder of Monsieur Doumani and Trio Tekke, Buzz' Ayaz creates a transfixing Eastern Mediterranean psychedelia. Their self-titled debut album is a fuzzed-out urban soundscape of dubby electronics, '70s-psych organ, growling bass clarinet, amplified folk instruments, ritual beats and Greek and Anatolian melodicism. The band members come from both sides of the capital's divide, and the music found on Buzz' Ayaz is a deliberate attempt to give a voice to the city as a whole. A mercurial sound that echoes above the concrete walls and checkpoints. Cyprus is a holiday destination for people from all over Europe, a sunny, blue-sea island in the Eastern Mediterranean with a proud, ancient history. But it's also a divided island, with longstanding political tensions between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot populations. Yet, inevitably in a small place, the two cultures intertwine. Walk the streets of Nicosia, the divided capital, and you'll hear Greek rembetiko alongside Turkish pop, Anatolian psychedelia next to Western rock. That urban mix of sounds he heard each day put a spark in Antonis Antoniou's head. With his new band, Buzz' Ayaz, that spark has caught fire, making Cypriot music that strides between decades and continents, electric and organic. The results on their eponymous debut album holds a barely contained wildness -- and a bass clarinet. Buzz' Ayaz carries a big sound, a punchy heaviness that draws from ʼ60s and ʼ70s rock, but stirring it up with all the differing sounds of Cyprus that Antoniou has known all his life. The recording captures the energy of Buzz' Ayaz, with all the rawness and sweat of performance, coated with urban grit. But there's far more to this than power; Buzz' Ayaz prickles with intelligence, invention and imagination. Buzz' Ayaz is the electric sound of modern Cyprus, the musical bridge that spans worlds. It's music that keeps Antoniou's blood racing, the sound in his head coming to life. The roots of Buzz' Ayaz are in Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and throughout the Levant, but they meld together on the streets of Nicosia. "I hope," Antoniou says, "that the reach is infinite."
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LP
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GB 151LP
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LP version. Hailing from Cyprus's divided capital Nicosia, and led by Antonis Antoniou, the founder of Monsieur Doumani and Trio Tekke, Buzz' Ayaz creates a transfixing Eastern Mediterranean psychedelia. Their self-titled debut album is a fuzzed-out urban soundscape of dubby electronics, '70s-psych organ, growling bass clarinet, amplified folk instruments, ritual beats and Greek and Anatolian melodicism. The band members come from both sides of the capital's divide, and the music found on Buzz' Ayaz is a deliberate attempt to give a voice to the city as a whole. A mercurial sound that echoes above the concrete walls and checkpoints. Cyprus is a holiday destination for people from all over Europe, a sunny, blue-sea island in the Eastern Mediterranean with a proud, ancient history. But it's also a divided island, with longstanding political tensions between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot populations. Yet, inevitably in a small place, the two cultures intertwine. Walk the streets of Nicosia, the divided capital, and you'll hear Greek rembetiko alongside Turkish pop, Anatolian psychedelia next to Western rock. That urban mix of sounds he heard each day put a spark in Antonis Antoniou's head. With his new band, Buzz' Ayaz, that spark has caught fire, making Cypriot music that strides between decades and continents, electric and organic. The results on their eponymous debut album holds a barely contained wildness -- and a bass clarinet. Buzz' Ayaz carries a big sound, a punchy heaviness that draws from ʼ60s and ʼ70s rock, but stirring it up with all the differing sounds of Cyprus that Antoniou has known all his life. The recording captures the energy of Buzz' Ayaz, with all the rawness and sweat of performance, coated with urban grit. But there's far more to this than power; Buzz' Ayaz prickles with intelligence, invention and imagination. Buzz' Ayaz is the electric sound of modern Cyprus, the musical bridge that spans worlds. It's music that keeps Antoniou's blood racing, the sound in his head coming to life. The roots of Buzz' Ayaz are in Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and throughout the Levant, but they meld together on the streets of Nicosia. "I hope," Antoniou says, "that the reach is infinite."
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