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BEWITH 087LP
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$29.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 6/19/2020
Frank Maston's Tulips is a sample-ready film score to the best '70s movie never made. Originally a super-limited self-release on his Phonoscope label in late 2017. Be With Records were introduced to Maston by mutual friends Aquarium Drunkard and it didn't take long before the label decided this modern classic deserved a reissue. Inspired by the deep-grooving soundtracks of Italian cinema -- think Morricone, Umiliani, and Alessandroni -- Maston conceived the entire Tulips project as a continuation of these revered works. Frank designed the artwork and made two 16mm films to accompany the music. There's a distinct library music feel too, with wiry organ, spacey keyboards and loping '60s guitar hinting at KPM and DeWolfe. Like the best library music, Tulips creates a cinematic universe through sound alone, evoking moving images in the listener's technicolor imagination. Tulips was recorded between 2015 and 2017 in a small studio in a village called Zwaag in Holland, during downtime from Frank's touring duties with Jacco Gardner's band. With some very European influences in mind, Frank wanted to eschew any American influences. But you can still feel the studio wizardry of the likes of Brian Wilson and Harry Nilsson in there somewhere. A psychedelic bedroom-pop song-cycle, full of hypnotic hooks and dusty drums, Tulips manages to sound charmingly homemade yet wholly widescreen. Dreamy opener "Swans" is an exquisite soul instrumental and recalls the soft-psych of Koushik. Tropicalia influences abound in the cool and breezy "New Danger" and the KPM-references are loud and proud on the lush organ pop of "Old Habits". Fast-paced "Chase Theme No. 1" manages to be both tense and laid back, decorated by acid-drenched spaghetti Western guitars. The glorious Gainsbourg-esque melancholia of "Infinite Bliss" is all gauzy flutes and happy-sad vocalizing and the title is almost perfect. Side A closes with "Evening", a subtle bossa nova beat thing. Side B opens with the heat-shimmer guitars of "Rain Dance", evoking an unreleased Byrds or Buffalo Springfield backing track. "Sure Thing" is music to accompany an elevator ride you never want to end, but in a good way! The ornate "Garçon Manqué" is as beautiful as the instrumentals on Pet Sounds and the wistful "Turning In" starts like a stroll in the park before Maston introduces a scorched-Earth guitar solo. "Chase Theme No. 2" is a briefer, more keening counterpart to what is on side A. The head-nod bass-drums-keys funk of "Hues" rounds out this staggeringly assured set. Mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis. Alternative burnt orange artwork from Maston. 140 gram vinyl; can be played at 33rpm or 45rpm.
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12"
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BEWITH 012EP
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In answer to the question, "who put the dance into Factory Records?" Be With would like to refer to FAC 59. Working with founding member Tony Henry, the label is honored to present a reissue of 52nd Street's crucial debut single Look Into My Eyes/Express. Originally released on Factory Records in summer 1982, this 12" is a double-sider in the truest sense -- unrivalled Manchester jazz-funk-boogie-soul. Both "Look Into My Eyes" and "Express" came out of a five-day recording session in the spring of 1982 at Revolution Studios in Cheadle Hulme, just outside Manchester. Rob Gretton had just signed the band to Factory, snatching them from under the noses of RCA and WEA Records, who had been sniffing around and seemingly ignoring Tony Wilson's concerns that Factory might not be the right home for a black soul act. The band, were put in the studio with A Certain Ratio's drummer Donald Johnson producing the sessions. The band also found themselves with an interesting new member; the finished record credits synth and F/X to a mysterious "Be Music". Turns out that's Bernard Sumner. Henry explains that bringing Bernard in was another part of Gretton's plan, "Barney was a real soul boy at heart and had always wanted to produce and work with black artists -- with 52nd Street, he was an honorary member". "Look Into My Eyes" is a strutting, rich, soul-gliding piece of funk with bass and guitar high in the mix above twisted, bubbling synths, like Nile and Barney drenched outside the Haçienda that first summer. The hypnotic, naïve-cum-insouciant vocals from Beverley McDonald only add to the track's charm. On the flip, "Express" is sheer drama on wax -- all bold keys, synth brass blasts, insistent bells, and a galloping groove giving *that rush* atop a bassline to die for -- blistering heat. The 12" was Paul Morley's single of the week in the NME but his approval did little to get daytime radio play or to sell the record when it was released. "Look Into My Eyes" and "Express" come from a chapter of the history of Factory Records that no-one seems to have gotten around to writing. Working with Tony to reissue the original 12" is the start of putting that right; the story of 52nd Street is more than just a footnote.
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2LP
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BEWITH 080LP
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Coastlines is the self-titled long player from the new Japanese production unit of DJ and producer Masanori Ikeda and solo artist, session musician, and Cro-Magnon keyboard player, Takumi Kaneko. Masanori and Takumi have been part of the Japanese dance music scene for years and Coastlines was born out of their working together on soundtracks for video projects. The pair wanted to make laid-back listening music for now, laying Takumi's playful keys over Masanori's widescreen Balearic jazz-fusion to conjure beautiful and breathtaking "coastlines". A couple of two-track 7"s put out in late 2018 and early 2019 on Japanese house music label Flower Records soon sold out. Those four tracks were expanded to a full album of music, "a joyous, relaxing, summery soundtrack for everyone's after hours wind down" that was released just in time for summer. The album opens in the horizontal with the sophisticated, cocktails-by-the-pool groove of "Sunset Reflection". Their re-imagining of Ralph MacDonald's "East Dry River" removes all the original's bells and whistles (quite literally) and re-gears it with a subtle Balearic chug -- a percussive gem. "Coastline" is a beach-jazz noodle. "Drifting Ice" is as chilled and glacial as its title would suggest, yet Masanori's head-nod slo-mo house beats throb not far below the surface. "My Fire" is another soft killer, all swelling, swirling organ over muted kicks and snares. A pair of insistent tunes of the deeply Balearic variety raise the tempo, but not by too much of course. On "Woods And My Guitar" a half-heard vocal refrain breathes life into the synthetic xylophone and guitar. Deft piano-work turns "Half Moon Shadow" into lounge-house for the sophisticated beach bum. The self-assured re-work of Azymuth's "Last Summer In Rio" is arguably the album's centerpiece. Ten minutes of casually propulsive slapped bass, steel pans, and slick '80s soul beats. Cue the steel drum interlude of "Maracas Bay" before album closer "Down Town" transitions one with a shuffling, string-hinted hit of ethereal, euphoric piano bliss. Gentle disco for the new decade. Among the nods to revered Japanese artists like Hiroshi Sato, Sakamoto, and Casiopea, there are also hints of Marcos Valle and Mtume, of the aforementioned Azymuth. "The production though is very much now, not then. Not retro, just proper". Coastlines was originally a CD release only available in Japan, with HMV putting out a super-limited, Japanese Record Store Day vinyl version. Mastered by Simon Francis and cut by Pete Norman, Edition of 500, pressed at Record Industry.
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12"
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BEWITH 014EP
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Be With hereby presents aural perfection in the form of Much Too Much by Sass. This 12" has just the right amount of everything, whether talking about the vocal or the instrumental. And that's as true now as it was when it was originally released, back in 1982. In 1981 The Jack Sass Band, as they were known, were still working the NYC club circuit. Produced by the band's vocalist Mic Murphy, who also wrote the track along with fellow band member LaForrest Cope, the band needed just one session to capture "Much Too Much". The recording studio just so happened to be run by Silvio Tancredi; when the tracks were finished, he offered to put them out on his 25 West label. The vocal version and an instrumental mix were released as a 12" the following year. Mic tells us this meant Sass "were one of the few bands to have a record release while still playing on the club circuit; the reaction exceeded our expectations at the time". According to Mic Much Too Much was something a little different from the band's live sound at the time, "it was more R&B/smoothed out than the funk/rock we usually leaned into". Indeed, the track glides with grace, poise, and patience. The elegant, easy tempo, combined with the magnificent melody and Mic's signature sublime vocal, conjures magic. The blend of deep boogie-funk power and heavenly sweetness is both infectious and goosebump-inducing. On the flip-side, the instrumental slaps harder; without Mic's vocal it's just pure groove, with nothing to stop vibing all night: the bassline, the drums, and the melody still connect. Hard. Pick a side, there's no losing. Working directly with Mic Murphy means that the audio for the re-issue of the classic 12" comes from the original tapes. Cut at 45 RPM and released in a plain sleeve, this record is well up to the job of having a permanent place in every DJ's bag; this is essential stuff. Mic on how much it means to him to have "Much To Much" re-issued: "It's an amazing feeling to have something you created almost 40 years ago still have relevance and even more amazing to be considered among the Northern Soul boogie anthems. And it's especially important to me that we're available again on vinyl."
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LP
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BEWITH 085LP
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Be With Records work with Ian Willson to reissue his self-released, West Coast classic Straight From The Heart, privately pressed and originally released in 1985. This is the only album Ian ever put out. A magical blend of AOR/sophisticated funk/synth-boogie/spiritual jazz and modern soul, it's a spellbinding record of many colors. You might already know Straight From The Heart for the dubby-disco paranoid-Balearic anthem "Four In The Morning", and it's easy to assume this is probably just another one of those one-track LPs. But this is an impressively slick record from start to finish. Album opener "Think About It" is all sorts of right. It's emotional. It's tops-off. It's funk in its purest form. And take the proto-modern-funk of the title track (half Dâm-Funk/half Dâd-Funk). The shimmering, spiritual bossa-jazz of "If I Were You" serves as the album's soaring centerpiece. A gorgeous suite of cosmic vibes to get Gilles frothing, it sounds like nothing else on the record which makes sense given that it was recorded a couple of years earlier, and is the only track on the LP that wasn't recorded in Ian's own studio. Side B opens with the propulsive ode to love that is "Two Is Better Than One". Wonderfully sparse when it needs to be, it's also richly percussive and that special kind of California-warm. Frenetic, speaker smashing synth and horn workout "Funk Invasion" dares you not to dance and "A Game Called Love" is heavily indebted to Prince with its lush, deep funk stylings. The sweeping sax-drenched instrumental "Song For Katelyn" is head-nod, beat-heavy AOR for that melancholic magic hour. It all adds up to the ultimate BBQ record. Almost all of Straight From The Heart was recorded over a few months between 1983 and 1984 on Ian's brand new Otari 8 track in the Oakland, California studio he built just the year before. Only "If I Were You" was recorded elsewhere, at Bay Sound in 1982. Ian produced the album himself and played all of the instruments, except for the guitar of his longtime friend, Peter Fujii. Tower Of Power, Average White Band, Earth Wind & Fire, and Stevie Wonder was the list of influences Ian gave when asked. Why did he put the record out himself? Simple, he had no idea how to go about getting a record deal. The original tapes have long since been lost. This reissue was remastered from Ian's one-and-only pristine copy.
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LP
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BEWITH 077LP
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Jon Tye and Pete Fowler have been making music as Seahawks for a decade now. Given the sounds they've been exploring over those ten years it was a cosmic inevitability that they would be asked to contribute to the catalog of the legendary library label KPM. They replied with Island Visions, an exploration of sound for vision where they construct "audio micro-worlds to explore and inhabit," a way to transport the listener away from the everyday without the bother of getting on an airplane. Mostly recorded at The Centre Of Sound in Cornwall, with additional recording at Studio 34 in London, Jon and Pete's travelling companions on this particular trip were boogie wunderkind Sven Atterton on fretless bass and keys, Nick Mackrory on percussion, and the Seahawks live team of Dan Hillman and Alik Peters-Deacon. From the grooves of Brian Bennett to the moog vibrations of Mike Vickers, the lush textures of Les Baxter to the experimental sounds of Delia Derbyshire and David Vorhaus, this new music channels sounds and moods from across the KPM universe. Like many KPM suites, this is a record of two distinct sides. The sunrise of side A brings a deep meditation, a journey within to renew the jaded self. Side B refreshes with cocktails by the pool and a chance to groove away the evening at some sunset beach party before dancing under the stars in the house of dreams. Pete's cover for the LP is part map, part postcard; the track descriptions on the back help guide the way. 2020 marks ten years since Ocean Trippin', the first Seahawks release, and Island Visions is the perfect distillation of the sounds, sights, textures, and moods that Jon and Pete have been exploring over the last decade -- sunrise to sunset condensed to two sides of an LP. The normal rules of space and time don't apply here. This is the first time Be With has worked with Seahawks, but individually Jon and Pete have been members of the extended Be With family since forever (Pete did those posters for our Ned Doheny tour and worked with Jon on the vinyl version of Hatchback's Colors Of The Sun). Mastered by Balearic engineer of choice Simon Francis, cut by Pete Norman and pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry, the sonic frequencies of these Island Visions have been precision tuned and encoded for optimum traveling conditions.
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LP
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BEWITH 076LP
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Be With Records present a reissue of Victor Cavini's Japan, originally released in 1983. The first Be With foray into the archives of revered German library institution Selected Sound is one of Be With's favorites on the label. Rare and sought-after for many years now, this is one of those cult library LPs that never turn up. With Daibutsu the giant Buddha of Kamakura's presence gracing the hefty front cover, this is a record bursting with dope samples for adventurous producers: it's koto-funk madness! Victor Cavini was the library music pseudonym of prolific German composer and musician Gerhard Trede. He was known for exploring instruments and styles from around the world (he played over 50 different instruments himself) and Japan is his collection of 14 musical sketches painted with traditional Japanese wind and string instruments. These are the sounds of traditional Japanese folk music re-interpreted through Western ears, with the occasional contemporary twist. Contemporary for 1983, of course. These "Pictures Of Japan" are hypnotic, sometimes frantic, but always beautiful. The first twelve tracks offer airy explorations of koto and flute, with other strings and percussion being added and then given their own space. Indeed "Pictures Of Japan XII" is just drums. And then "Pictures Of Japan XIII" seems to come out of nowhere. But the subtle sleaze of its full band sound still doesn't quite prepare you for the towering climax of "Pictures Of Japan XIV". This is Japan's undoubted standout piece, completely and wonderfully at odds with the rest of the album. It's the reason this has become such a must-have record. It keeps the traditional Japanese instruments but combines them with shuffling funk breaks, electric bass high in the mix and a Godzilla-sized psychedelic fuzz guitar sound that might actually be a traditional reed flute pushed to its limits. Recalling both Rino de Filippi's 1973 album Oriente Oggi (CNLP 042LP) and Giancarlo Barigozzi's Oriente also from 1973, the track's a real head-nod groove for b-boys and b-girls alike that sounds straight out of a late-70s Yakuza film. Indeed, if you were told The RZA or Onra had cooked this up in the lab this century, you'd be convinced. It's crazy that this dates from 1983. Audio remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. Richard Robinson has handled the careful restoration of the original Selected Sound sleeve.
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LP
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BEWITH 074LP
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Reissue of Breath Of Danger (Themes), originally released in 1974. They say: "A selection of suspense underscores and drama blackcloths which vary in intensity and cover a wide range of suspense and drama situations". Be With Records say: A breaky, funky library great masquerading as a horror score. Oh, and the cover art is amazing. Breath Of Danger was originally released in 1974, and rounded up a killer ensemble cast of library legends including Alan Hawkshaw, Brian Bennett, Alan Parker, David Lindup, Kenny Salmon, Barry Morgan, and Ray Cooper. Lindup's opener "Cold Sweat" sounds like hip-hop-friendly mode Axelrod and, indeed, was brilliantly sampled by Kool Keith for his Dr. Dooom project. Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett's "The Manipulator" sounds like it arrived straight out of the same sessions as their legendary Synthesizer & Percussion LP from the same year. Over on the B-side Alan Parker's "Psychosis" is a moving and beautifully restrained funk-guitar/cello/harp workout. Stunning. Kenny Salmon's "Flying Squad" is a sleazy, flute-enhanced gem and the album closes with "Voodoo", a seventy-second riot of sound and color from the dynamic drumming-percussion duo of Barry Morgan and Ray Cooper. Sonically, there's a widescreen vitality in all these tracks thanks to the driving rhythms, vibrant horn sections and blazing guitar work. It renders Breath Of Danger -- 45 years old -- truly ageless. The Themes series is known for having particularly striking sleeves, which was unusual for library records at the time, and Breath Of Danger's scraps of comic-book crazy make for one of the most eye-catching. As with all of Be With Records' other Themes reissues, the audio for Breath Of Danger comes from the original analog tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Simon Francis. Sleeve reproduction duties by Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's brand identity. 180 gram vinyl.
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LP
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BEWITH 073LP
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Reissue of The All American Powerhouse (Themes), originally released in 1976. They say: "Driving brass and sax ensemble over funky rhythm section, playing tracks of various feel and style". Be With Records say: From the Lincoln Continental that memorably adorns the cover to the tranquil funk contained within, this glowing ode to the grooving force of 70s American soul music is ice cool all over. With brilliant contributions from the Three Key Alans (Hawkshaw, Parker, Tew) as well as Mike Moran, Les Hurdle, and Keith Roberts, this is driving music for only the vibeiest cats. Originally released in 1976, The All American Powerhouse is one of the very best of the Themes library releases. It's killer. A feast of dramatic jazz, horizontal, melodic funk, and bouncing sunshine-y West-Coast feels throughout, there also lurks an intense injection of the Blaxploitation sound. Understandable, given the subject matter and year it was released. Highlights include Alan Parker's confident, horn-heavy wah-wah-fueled album-opener "Sweeny Todd", Hawkshaw's graceful "Getaway" glide and dramatic, breathless "Speed Run", Mike Moran's loose, organ-driven propulsive B-Boy classic "The Pick-Up" and Keith Roberts's percussive tour de force "Overide" that closes out the LP. Yet, perhaps the most significant track here is Les Hurdle's long-adored "Soul Train". A grooving, bass-heavy library classic, it's all swirling strings, stabbing horns, heavy open drums and melodic funk-rock guitars. Add in the funky clavinet, and the combination works beautifully. As with all of Be With Records' other Themes reissues, the audio for The All American Powerhouse comes from the original analog tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Simon Francis. Sleeve reproduction duties over by Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's brand identity. 180 gram vinyl.
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LP
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BEWITH 072LP
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Reissue of The Hunter (Drama Suite) / Adventure Story, originally released in 1975. They say: "Composite themes and incidental cues for dramatic application". Be With Records say: Well, it's definitely dramatic. No wonder this LP was mined by a multitude of '70s and '80s crime shows. Much like Beat Incidental, this true gem includes a raft of enjoyable sub-ten second incidental cues alongside satisfyingly stretched out, hard-knocking sleuth-funk. The Hunter (Drama Suite) / Adventure Story is a real library-head's library album. You'll be treated to some of the best works of no less than five different heavyweights of the genre: drummer Brian Bennett, guitarist Clive Hicks (of The Gentle Rain), saxophonist Duncan Lamont, rock bassist Dave Richmond, and keyboard session giant Steve Gray. Something of a dream line-up, they each contributed stellar efforts to create one of the most sought-after of the legendary KPM albums. Both sides of this LP are dripping with insidious grooves and dramatic spy-score themes, bursting with heavy guitars, swirling flutes, creeping piano-funk, and drum breaks galore. Originally released in 1975, it's clear that these library heroes were heavily influenced by the tough funk and street soul sonics emerging from the cutting-edge Blaxploitation soundtracks. Dave Richmond's taut swagger and wah-wah guitar licks of "Nightwatch", Steve Gray's sleazy horn and clav-funk on the A-side opener "Theme For A Hunter" and Brian Bennett's rolling strut of "The Investigator" are just three of the highlights here. That last one being sampled by Jeff Jank under his Captain Funkaho guise on "My 2600" for Stones Throw back in 1999. As with all of Be With Records' KPM re-issues, the audio for The Hunter (Drama Suite) / Adventure Story comes from the original analog tapes and has been remastered by Simon Francis. Sleeve reproduction duties by Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's brand identity. 180 gram vinyl.
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LP
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BEWITH 071LP
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Reissue of Visual Impact, originally released at 1976. They say: "Descriptive scores for scenes of visual impact". Be With Records say: Arguably the single greatest album in KPM history. An ensemble piece of staggeringly heavy works from none other than Brian Bennett, John Scott, Steve Gray, Jim Lawless, and Johnny Pearson. Visual Impact includes the insanely ace "Nuplex" by Brian Bennett, a nagging, sweeping, punchy funk piece that exists in a world of its own. If you don't know, get to know -- the record's worth getting for this track alone. The same goes for the beautifully paced, string-drenched, horn-fed LP opener "Canaveral Scape", courtesy of John Scott. Truly sublime. Other highlights on the A-side include Bennett's easy, bass-heavy jazz groover "Sequence Of Events" and the spare, building, undercover funk of Steve Gray's aptly-named "Low Profile". The B-side is straight-up fantastic. The percussive, vibey exotica of Jim Lawless's "Keeping Pace" is followed by five tracks of slick, weighty funk breaks from Johnny Pearson. Check the pure groove of "Jaguar" with its head-nod drum break intro, the creeping piano-strings combo and... er... giant neck-snapping breaks of "Giant's Causeway", the speaker-smashing progressive bass groove of "Fugitive", the tense "Rock Climb" and the sheer heft of "Heavy Load". Library largeness. If that isn't enough, John Scott's incessant "Flight Of The Phoenix" ends the session, brilliantly pilfered by M.O.P. for their much-loved "We Run New York". Originally released in 1976 but wonderfully timeless, Visual Impact is a rare example of a library record that's genuinely great listen from start to finish. As with all of Be With Records' KPM reissues, the audio for Visual Impact comes from the original analog tape and has been remastered for vinyl by Simon Francis. Sleeve reproduction duties by Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's brand identity. 180 gram vinyl.
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LP
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BEWITH 075LP
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Reissue of Peter Lüdemann and Pit Troja's The Now Generation (Percussive Underscores), originally released in 1983. They say: "Documentary and industrial underlays for current themes of modern life". Be With Records say: Mind-blowing, percussion-heavy, Afro-tinged, cosmic-disco library bomb. An absolutely outstanding record from 1983 and definitely one of the hardest to find on the collectable German library label, Coloursound. The Now Generation (Percussive Underscores) is comfortably one of the very best library records full stop. The record comes galloping out the gate with a pair of rapid synthy-Euro disco bombs -- the title-track and "Panama" -- before slowing down to a woozy pace on "Inorganic Matter". "African Nightclub" sounds like it reads, and is a particular favorite of Prins Thomas. Indeed, it was used to great effect on his seminal "Cosmo Galactic Prism" mix for Eskimo back in 2007. It's followed by the dark, druggy, slow motion industrial groove of "Grease Plant" before "Southerly" lifts the tempo to close out side A with its Latin funk strut of bells and melancholic keys. For some listeners, though, it'll be all about the opener to side B: "Mechanical Heart". Seven minutes of building, mid-tempo disco-funk joy, deceptively explosive, club-ready gear for body and soul. The back cover dryly describes the track as "Guitar and percussion, light industrial underlay". Hmmm. How about, "after finally emerging from a particularly heavy week jamming in a sunless, lawless German warehouse, Chic warily press record on a wayward, illicit instrumental for basement gatherings". Just wait for those drums at the three-minute mark... The beatless ambience and menacing stabs of the proto-electro "Chemical Threat" follows, before the open drums and incredible fills of the metronomic "Steady Going" and fantastically monotonous funk breaks of "Nepal Trek" round out this sensational set. This is a library masterpiece in no uncertain terms, full of synth funk, Afro beats, exotica, leftfield madness, dancefloor dynamite, and all-around greatness. As with Be With Records' KPM and Themes reissues, the audio for The Now Generation comes from the original analog tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Simon Francis. Richard Robinson has brought the original Coloursound sleeve back to life in all its metallic silver glory. 140 gram vinyl.
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LP
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BEWITH 066LP
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Be With Records present a reissue of Samuel Jonathan Johnson's My Music, originally released in 1978. My Music is a stellar spiritual soul/jazz-funk gem, recorded by keyboardist-singer Samuel Jonathan Johnson in 1978. The epitome of a cult classic, it didn't do much upon its release but steadily found an audience over the decades that followed. This is music that shares the jazzy R&B DNA of contemporaries like Roy Ayers and is an intoxicating blend of mellow moments and more groove-heavy tracks. Spacey keys and lush production give it a luxurious, enveloping warmth. My Music opens with the gorgeous title track: an indulgent slow jam opus. Introducing you to Johnson's compelling musical vision, it features a rich mélange of production techniques. Dripping in strings, horns, backing singers, popping funk bass lines and swooshing synth waves, it's an unusually structured cosmic two-stepper that has an irrepressible groove. Accordingly, it's been a favorite with the diggers and it was sampled by The Alchemist for Jadakiss's "We Gonna Make It". The up-tempo "Sweet Love" bubbles over with joy, its uplifting lyrics backed by infectious bass and jazzy Fender Rhodes lines. It follows a cover of "What The World Need's Now Is Love", taken at a funereal pace that transforms it into a heartfelt plea for love and understanding. After a full-minute-long opening of lush cinematic strings and horns, "Because I Love You" makes space for Samuel's voice, accompanied by some keys and just a sprinkle of guitar. It builds back up and then mellows its way out to a jazz lounge finish (in all the right ways). The feel-good ebullience of the Stevie Wonder-esque "It Ain't Easy" closes out the LP's first side. The second side bursts open with the heavy bounce and disco-funk basslines of "You", a slightly off-beat string-laden dancer with insistent horns and a piano-assisted groove. Next up is "Just Us", a legendary steppers track that could be heard oozing out of deep soul radios and funk sound systems back in the late '80s. "Yesterdays and Tomorrow" is a moving original ballad that is followed by an exquisite high-stepping paean to mom in the form of "Thank You Mother Dear". The thumping easy-glide of "Reason For The Reason" brings the album to a close. Mastered by Simon Francis and cut by Pete Norman. Sleeve artwork restored by Be With Records. 140 gram vinyl.
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BEWITH 067LP
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Be With Records present a reissue of Optimistics' self-titled album, originally released in 1970. This is some serious top-shelf material out of Baltimore and a certified masterclass in sweet symphonic soul. Optimistics was originally released in 1970 on Turbo and it's every bit as essential as The Chi-Lites, The Delfonics, and The Moments yet nowhere near as known. Those original copies are ridiculously rare and, of course, the prices are equally ridiculous. Optimistics is a killer LP throughout, beloved of discerning hip-hop producers worldwide and routinely championed by the legendary Pete Rock. The genius George Kerr has handled the production on what is an album of beautiful, naïve soul for mind and body. It radiates a heart-breaking ambience that cuts right to the core. The band of Billy, Harold, James, Charles, and Jerome are described on the back cover as "five young, black knights who have embarked on a musical crusade and they're gonna slay a lot of dragons along the way". It's not entirely known how many mythical serpents were dispatched during the making of this album but we can certainly attest to the sense of evangelical drive. Evergreen opener "You Put Something New In My Life" is a heart-stopping ode to a transformative love. A ballad with spine-tingling chord changes and melodic switch-ups to spare, its sweeping strings and precise drums complement the falsetto delivery perfectly. It's followed by the equally beguiling "Let's Love". Another string-drenched harmony ballad, it revolves around delicate piano and distinctive guitar lines, crying out to be recontextualized by the best sampling technicians. Closing out the A side, the wonderfully restrained "Love Is God Almighty" is harp and horn-driven, barely-there soul from a higher plain. Ushering in the flipside, "Should I Let Myself Go", sampled recently by Knxwledge, is sensational guitar-soul with a yearning that could bring the most hardened soul to tears. It's followed by the up-tempo, Temptations-funk of "Man" and quietly-great "If I Could Influence Man", where the competing vocals ride a chugging, funky breakbeat and delicious guitar licks. The refreshing, groovy "Say It Baby" is an appropriately positive, upward looking closer. Its sentiment and feel speaks directly to both the band name and the title of this, their only album. The whole LP is a winning blend of slow, spine-tingling ballads, and joyously upbeat tracks. Artwork reproduced by Be With Records. Mastered by Simon Francis; cut by Pete Norman.
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LP
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BEWITH 064LP
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Be With Records present a reissue of Ceasar Frazier's 75, originally released in 1975. Funky soul-jazz organist Caesar Frazier crafted superior Hammond funk. 75, his second LP, is a rare gem. It's comfortably his greatest artistic statement. The follow-up to Hail Ceasar! (1972), it's a taut, grooving set that expands his sound and, put simply, it's got better songs. The key elements of his debut album are all there -- production from maestro Bob Porter, accompaniment from hip players (Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Cornell Dupree, John Tropea) and arrangement from Horace Ott -- but the overall sound is elevated. The tightly jamming, expressive jazz-funk makes for a richer, fuller, more satisfying experience. 75 is a mixture of hard-driving originals, deeply beautiful slower numbers to vary the tempo and a couple of classy covers. The crazy bombastic "Mighty Mouse" -- a riot of horns, organ and in the pocket drums -- became an acid jazz classic at Dingwalls and it's easy to see (hear?) how. A blissed-out, lushly instrumental take on Seals and Crofts' "Summer Breeze" follows, perfect for those sunshine sets. Side A closes with the heavenly "Sweet Children". A loping, funky jazz masterpiece famously sampled by Kanye West for Common's "Real People" from Be (2005). It opens beautifully, with soaring sax and a funky horn section combining with weightless keyboard tones atop snapping drums. Unsurprisingly, the excellence endures right through to the end. The B side opens with perhaps the album's most famous track. "Funk It Down" contains the familiar "I can feel the funk" vocal refrain throughout. But it's the gorgeous, insouciant bridge that you should all know and love, having been used as the hook for Gang Starr's "Ex-Girl To Next Girl". A great cover of Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City" comes next, with an unforgettable bass-line which anchors the entire heavy rhythm section workout. Dizzying organ, triumphant horns and sun-dappled guitar grooves combine to create "Walking On The Side", rounding out a pretty smoking set. This is one of those rare '70s funk-soul-jazz LPs on which a bad track cannot be found. It's all essential. So of course finding original copies on vinyl at affordable prices has been tough for years. Reproduced artwork by the Be With Records. Mastered by Simon Francis; cut by Pete Norman.
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BEWITH 003LP
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2019 repress. Ned Doheny's Hard Candy, originally released in 1976, is widely considered the finest blue-eyed soul album of all time. It has long been a source of great frustration then, that this perfectly-formed Southern California masterpiece has been unavailable on vinyl for almost 40 years. Be With Records continues apace by marking its third release with the first officially licensed reissue of Doheny's nautical classic. Perhaps most famously, this impeccably smooth set features the timeless "Get It Up For Love", a wonderful example of mid-70s mid-tempo white-(hot)-funk. Produced by the legendary Steve Cropper, it featured a veritable who's-who of the Laurel Canyon soft-yacht sound (JD Souther, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, the entire horn section for Tower of Power) yet bombed mysteriously. It's been a cult record since. Features the original artwork for both jacket and full color inner sleeve; 180 gram vinyl.
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2LP
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BEWITH 024LP
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2019 repress; remastered on 180 gram vinyl, expanded to double-LP, gatefold sleeve. One cannot hear a Tommy Guerrero song without immediately recognizing it as his -- and his only. The cult skater from San Francisco is globally renowned as one of the original members of the legendary "Bones Brigade" team. And as an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, his laid-back soul is beloved by all who've basked in its blissful glow. A Little Bit Of Somethin' is a quietly majestic gem. Brimming with Guerrero's horizontal "loose grooves", these brief but innovative instrumentals demonstrate a rich variety and, as such, comprise an LP that is aptly titled. An enchanting start-to-finish listen, it was instantly regarded as essential upon release via Mo Wax in 2000. It has aged remarkably well. Throughout this inspired collection, simplicity is key. In deploying it, Guerrero presents a beautifully crafted melodic soundscape. The distinctive, mellifluous approach of his guitar style, blending Brazilian, Cuban, Mexican, soul, and jazz motifs, is at once startlingly new and tantalizingly familiar. Set against unrushed percussion, the music releases a crystal-clear stream of healing frequencies to create a fragile, hypnotic atmosphere. Each track clocks in at around three minutes and, with a lack of studio polish or commitment to traditional song structure, it's a wonder how this enigmatic record demands your attention. However, through its gentle dynamism and impressive playing, it does just that. Whilst resolutely low-key, this lo-fi aesthetic feels genuinely organic and remarkably personal; its powerful intimacy truly connects. It's what makes this album so beloved of those lucky enough to be already familiar with it. From Margaret Kilgallen's truly iconic cover artwork to the music contained within, it's all brilliantly effortless. Guerrero's musical ideas are consistently compelling throughout, making it impossible to select highlights. The album's laconic drift touches upon jazz-fusion workouts and slow-mo hip-hop drums, Tortoise-style experimental post-rock, and cinematic sound textures. It's at once hazy, light and bouncy yet somber and bluesy. The Latin soul of El Chicano blends with the breezy jazz of Grant Green. By employing guitars and drum machines to create a stripped-down rhythmic tapestry of spellbinding, addictive songs, there are even traces of The Durutti Column. A little bit of country, a little bit of rock n' roll. A Little Bit Of Somethin', indeed.
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LP
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BEWITH 070LP
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It seems KPM have long been fans of Smith & Mudd and, after being introduced to each other by mutual friend Andy Allday, the peerless Balearic maestros were invited to contribute to the library label's digital-only "Album Shorts" project. It makes perfect sense for Be With Records to take on the vinyl release of this instant library classic. But why is it called Tea With Holger? "Holger" is of course Holger Czukay and the whole LP is dedicated to Smith & Mudd's time spent with him and Ursa Major at Can's famous Inner Space Studio in Weilerswist, near Cologne. When not recording it seems they spent a great deal of time sat around being entertained by Holger's stories and drinking many cups of different sorts of tea. The album was recorded over several years in London, Margate, and Gorthleck, a small hamlet in the Scottish Highlands. Mike Piggott, who played with Bert Jansch, handled the strings and played violin whilst Sam Creer lent his virtuoso cello work to the proceedings. They wanted to capture magical improvisational moments live and not do the work later on in editing. They describe the tracks collectively as "Balearic themes including breezy soul, sun-dappled melodies, warm pianos and sweeping strings". A gentle piano ushers in opening track "The Gardener" soon joined by low, bubbling drums. When the time is just right, lush guitars glisten above a Welsh language vocal that floats like silk. "Innerspace" is a nod to Can's aforementioned studio. Dark, heavy piano meets rolling drums before warm chords and luscious strings take over, gliding over moody grooves. "Weilerswist" delivers more beautifully rolling piano and guitars over thumping cellos and building drums. The full, string-enhanced version of "Away From Me" is Smith & Mudd's preferred version, only made available here on this vinyl issue. Tribal tones, piano, and cello set a melodic staccato for violin to soar over while rolling piano lines and gospel organ chords descend into a drum drop. Distant synths introduce sun-drenched guitars and uplifting strings in "Kölner Street", before a spacey Moog solo leads to a spellbinding, sci-fi drop. The album closes with "Tea With Holger". Airy vocal swells are punctuated by plucked cellos and picked guitars, all wonderfully warmed by a soulful piano. Cut by Pete Norman and pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. Comes in a classic KPM green sleeve complete. 140 gram vinyl.
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2LP
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BEWITH 034LP
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The melodically adventurous soul of Leon Ware continues its expression in his final opus Rainbow Deux. The album features new songs recorded and performed by Leon before his health turned, leading to his transition on February 23rd, 2017. Co-produced by Taylor Graves, it has stellar musical contributions from the likes of Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Ronald Bruner Jr, Rob Bacon, and Wayne Linsey. Because Leon was always writing, it's impossible to pinpoint any single moment of Rainbow Deux's genesis. Six of the songs go back to 2012/2013 and were released in 2014 as part of Sigh, a Japan-only CD collection heavy with Rob Bacon's tasteful licks and Wayne Linsey's piano vibes. The rest of the material comes from Leon's sessions with Taylor. The album was finished-up around August of 2016 in a back-and-forth between Leon and his go-to mastering engineer Toni Economides in the UK. Leon worked on Rainbow Deux with life's greatest challenge looming over him, yet it is one of his most focused and cohesive solo offerings since the 1980s. The entire record is a vibe: mellow, deep, and smooth as silk. The lyrical themes are eternal, and the music is elegant, soulful, and sensual. The hypnotic throb of "For The Rainbow" opens, coming on like a percussive, slow-mo house shuffle. The exotic "Let Love In" follows with its gradual-build island funk, intricate guitar picks, and sassy female vocals. "Sigh" is a stylish slow jam with serene guitars and polished drums. The easy-burning broken-beauty "The Darkest Night" is the centerpiece of the album with Kamasi Washington's lurking sax, Thundercat's signature creeping bass, and Leon's perfect, seductive sax-soul vocals. "Surrender Now" conjures waves of vocals to swell and wash over the glossy piano, subtly bumping hip-hop drums, and bubbling synth-bass stabs. "Summer Is Her Name" has Kamasi's effortless, melancholic sunshine sax give way to rising tempos and propulsive rhythms. "Are You Ready" sees a nimble groove of piano and synth rolling around Theo Croker's sensual trumpet playing. With lush G-Funk sensibilities "Streets (Keep Me Runnin')" sounds like a lost Dam-Funk produced gem. "Samba Dreams" is the first of two tracks that bring a little Rio magic to Rainbow Deux. "Let's Go Deep" is a dreamy, between-the-sheets quiet storm anthem and a real showcase for Leon's vocals. The dripping, honeyed harp-funk of "We Should Be Laughin'" marks the star turn of the brilliant Kimbra. Warm synths radiate shuffling samba soul on "Wishful Thinking" as those Brazilian rhythms return to bring Rainbow Deux to a close. 140 gram vinyl; gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeves.
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7"
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BEWITH 003-7
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Breakwater's earth-shattering "Release The Beast" is unquestionably the standout song from their 1980 funk masterpiece LP Splashdown. "Release The Beast" is a showcase for Breakwater's phenomenal power-funk capabilities. The energy is astounding. It also came out as a now-hen's-teeth-rare 7" in the same year; It's one of the best album cover shoots of all time. For the B side, Be With Records backed Breakwater's biggest track with their favorite: the quietly majestic gem "Let Love In", another winner from the same LP. Remastered for this vinyl reissue. Picture sleeve.
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7"
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BEWITH 004-7
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Two of Alex Chilton's staggeringly beautiful demos, on vinyl for the first time. "It Isn't Always That Easy" and "If You Would Marry Me" both sound like templates for some of Alex's best-known Big Star numbers. These demos come from the transitional recording sessions he made with Terry Manning at the Ardent Studio in 1969, but were missing from the vinyl version of the wonderful Free Again compilation that was released in 2012.
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2LP
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BEWITH 056LP
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Be With Records present a reissue of Sweet And Nice, the vital debut album from Jamaica's undisputed first lady of song Marica Griffiths, originally released in 1974. It's reggae at its most soulful. Slinking through a tight ten tracks of R&B and pop-sourced material, it became an instant best seller. Sweet And Nice has appeared over the years with a revised running order and under different titles. But the original's opening sequence of loping soul is legendary, even beyond reggae circles. These songs are now returned to how they were presented on that first Jamaican release, and under their intended album title. Be With doesn't mess with magic. Marcia's version of "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" has long been lusted after, played by genre-hopping selectors to snapping necks for decades now. It's followed by the sophisticated, rollicking wah-wah funk of "Everything I Own" and the slice of smooth lovers soul par excellence that is "Green Grasshopper" and her ace, lilting Neil Diamond cover "Play Me". The thundering, humid funk of "Children At Play" "sounds uncannily like a precursor of Massive Attack", as FACT Mag astutely noted when they put Sweet And Nice at number 16 in their list of the 100 best albums of the 1970s. Otherworldly, moody, and essential. Side two keeps the fire burning. "Sweet, Bitter Love" should leave you swooning, and is also one of the album's alternate titles. Curtis Mayfield's already-eternal "Gypsy Man" follows, recast as proto-lovers rock. "There's No Me Without You" is elevated to canonical status by the majestic, forlorn horns of the Federal Soul Givers and Marcia's heartbreaking delivery. And if this doesn't get you then surely the next track will: arguably the definitive version of Ewan MacColl's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face". "I Just Don't Want To Be Lonely" re-takes its rightful place at the end of the LP's second side... but Be With Records added an entire second record of rare material recorded around the same time as Sweet And Nice, much of it unavailable since it was originally released. Amongst these 14 extra tracks you'll find the exquisite late-60s singles "Melody Life" and "Mark My Word" which, along with the sumptuous reading of "Band Of Gold". All material is remastered. 140 gram vinyl.
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LP
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BEWITH 065LP
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Be With Records present the first vinyl issue of Tommy Guerrero's From The Soil To The Soul, originally released in 2006. Yes! Tommy Guerrero's much-loved fourth album -- the smooth West Coast classic From The Soil To The Soul -- gets its first ever vinyl release. As the follow up to his revered Soul Food Taqueria (BEWITH 026LP), this album was originally released by Quannum Records 2006 but only on CD. Working with Tommy directly, the LP has been fully remastered, cut on to heavyweight wax, and comes with artwork freshly reworked by the man himself. From The Soil To The Soul represents a continuation of Tommy's blissful guitar-soul whilst demonstrating increasingly complex chops and a slightly darker side to his distinctive sound. His spare, effortless funk is blended here with elements of Americana, heavy psych, lo-fi fuzz, and intoxicating Latin rhythms. Combined with his typically breezy, laid-back San Franciscan style, it's a vibe from start to finish. Recorded primarily in his home studio, Tommy wrote, arranged and played nearly all the instruments, including bass, guitar, keyboards, percussion, and kalimba. Renowned street artist Barry McGee, aka Twist, designed the cover art which Tommy has now recast in a deep, deep red for the vinyl version. As ever with Tommy, the highlights are many and memorable. From twinkling, sun-drenched opener "Hello Again" to the penultimate, punk-rocking track "Let Me In Let Me Out" (featuring the melodic yet fearsome rapping of Lyrics Born), the variety across the LP is relentless, but satisfying, and without once losing focus. You're treated to the gorgeous hip-hop blues of "The Under Dog", Meters-style Hammond B-3 jams like "War No More" and "No Guns More Glory" and Balearic bangers like Bing Ji Ling's star-turn on the sleazy "Don't Fake It". Curumin's soulful guest vocal elevates the already-great Brazilian lounge feels of "Salve" to hitherto unscaled heights and the heavy, driving basslines -- funky and warm on "Badder Than Bullets", somber and intense in "Tomorrow's Goodbye" and "Molotov Telegram" -- never fail to move both body and soul. But Be With's favourite track is the beautiful breezy pop of "Just Ain't Me". A bittersweet, skipping ballad which boasts an incredibly rare instance of Tommy singing. "What you want from me, I can never give" he repeats throughout, lending the already-melancholic atmosphere greater poignancy. It would've been number 1 across the planet in a parallel universe. Remastered. 180 gram vinyl.
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LP
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BEWITH 006LP
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2015 release. Be With Records present a reissue Letta Mbulu's In The Music... The Village Never Ends, originally released in South Africa in 1983. A holy-grail African record. Featuring the enormous "Nomalizo", it's a record that aficionados around the world have been waiting many years for. Be With Records' reissue has been lovingly mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis (Claremont 56 mastering engineer), pressed on audiophile 180 gram vinyl for the first time, and features the original artwork. In The Music... The Village Never Ends is one of those holy grail African records that barely needs any introduction. Now, Be With Records proudly presents the hugely anticipated vinyl reissue of this bona fide classic. South African singer Letta Mbulu possesses one of the most beautiful voices the world has ever known. Her immaculate voice emits a sweetness that radiates from deep within, brimming with a joy of life and inspiring a spirit of hope and happiness. On this album, her voice soars over a strident musical force that veers between disco, soul, and pop music of the most incredible kind. The gleaming guitars recall disco's finest hours while the thump of the beats anticipate '80s British soul.
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12"
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BEWITH 004EP
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2017 release. Two seminal 12" mixes of a pair of Michael Wycoff heavy hitters from 1982. One a two-step favorite and one a loft classic, these sought-after versions have never been paired on the same record. Side A features the smooth-gliding anthem "Looking Up To You" whilst Side B houses the legendary Tee Scott dub mix of uplifting boogie gem "Diamond Real".
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