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  • 01. Blue Motel
    02. Halloween By The Sea
    03. What's Your Secet (Cleo)
    04. Life Under Water
    05. The Amateurs
    06. Your Sorrow
    07. The House That Built Itself
    08. Time Machine For Two
    09. Single Life
    10. Grownups
    11. Vampire
    cover

    BART & THE BEDAZZLED

    Blue Motel

    [engl] Do you like Love songs? After spending a lifetime spent avoiding this subject in song, Joel Sarakula finally admits that he does. On his new album „Love Club“ Sarakula relives the golden age of Soulful and Romantic Pop music and connects it with a modern aesthetic. While a deeper message of love and peace flows through the record, Joel Sarakula is no old fashioned hippie: “‚Love Club’ is about connecting to reality and re-framing the idea of romantic love and loss in the present, loveless age ”. Featuring eleven songs touching all genres from disco to blues, from soul to soft-rock, Joel Sarakula’s “Love Club” is a profound pop statement. Joel Sarakula has travelled the world in search of his muse, experiencing everything from being a victim of Caribbean carjackings to performing in the remote fishing villages of Norway, via the dive bars of Europe and the US. It was the hodge-podge musical tapestry of England’s capital that finally drew him to a settling point, in the wake of seemingly never ending run of shows. With personal tastes that span from the more avant-garde to soul and pop greats like Sly Stone, Todd Rundgren and Hall & Oates, there are clear nods to contemporaries like Unkown Mortal Orchestra, Erlend Oye and Toro Y Moi in terms of ambition and style. With his last two albums “The Golden Age” and “The Imposter” collecting strong radio plays at BBC Radio 2, BBC 6, BBC London, XFM Joel Sarakula has been play-listed nationally in Europe including Flux FM, WDR 5, Radioeins, Bayern 2, Deutschlandfunk and Deutschland Kultur Radio in Germany as well as in Benelux and Italy and Spain. He is a regular fixture on the live festival and club circuit in the UK, Europe and internationally including appearances at SXSW, Primavera Sound, Glastonbury, The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, Scala London, Tallinn Music Week, V-ROX (Vladivostok) and Reeperbahnfestival Hamburg. “Love Club” is Sarakula's bold and unashamedly emotional next step. In essence the album is a homage to the soulful singer & songwriter artistry of the Seventies filtered through a darker contemporary lens - fitting for these uncertain times. “I always shied away from generic love songs,” the Sydney, Australia born songwriter admits, “but on this record I embraced the subject wholeheartedly... and intellectually, looking at themes of love, lust, loneliness and everything in-between.” Take the first single “In Trouble”, co-written with Michele Stodart of The Magic Numbers, as the best example for Joel Sarakula’s unique, and honest approach to making music. „We Used To Connect” questions the changing nature of relationships in our social-media addicted world: ‘We used to connect in the real world too, now the touch of your hand is a digital cue'. “Coldharbour Man”, on the other hand, examines the identity of the song's narrator and the artist vs. fan dynamic all wrapped up in a disco love song: “There's a lot going on in this particular track. I feel my writing has grown emotionally...”, explains Joel Sarakula. “Just best to listen yourself and make up your own interpretation!: 'We met in a song come to life like some fantasy cliché, though I'm known for my moves in the dark you flooded sunshine on my day'. Then there’s “Baltic Jam”, capturing romantic love and loss in authentic 70s confessional singer & songwriter style and of course “Dead Heat”, a song about how there is struggle in the most perfect relationship pairings as the match is so even: “I recall an ex-girlfriend of mine... when we first met, we thought we hated each other but we eventually flipped that emotion and realised we had a deep passion and love for each other, there just was a lot of underlying sexual tension!” : 'It's a battle we could only win, if we lose. We'd be stronger if these lonely ones became two'. More than a year in the making, Joel Sarakula recorded „Love Club“ in various studios around London and Berlin capturing soulful performances from his many musical comrades on vintage analogue equipment. “This record has truly been a labour of love. Recording and privately sharing these performances amongst my collaborators started to feel like a bit like a club – I guess that lead to the album title! I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed the ‘love-making process’ and I look so much forward to playing these new songs on stage with my band.” We can’t wait, Joel Sarakula.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    20.04.2018
    EAN
    EAN 8437015436753
     

  • 01. Love In Hong Kong
    02. King Ding Love
    03. Purple River
    04. Bossa Rossa
    05. Water Lotus
    06. Year Of The Funky
    07. Black Nylon
    08. Danxia Disco
    09. Soft Dream
    10. Attenzione
    11. See You Again
    12. For Your Smile
    cover

    BEI BEI & SHAWN LEE

    Year Of The Funky

    [engl] „Year Of The Funky“ is the second album from Bei Bei & Shawn Lee. After their debut collaborative album "Into The Wind" (Ubiquity Records, 2010), the Chinese guzheng virtuoso / composer and the prolific multi-instrumentalist / producer join forces again on 12 new tracks. „Year Of The Funky” marries a unique blend of ancient tradition with studio trickery. Eschewing all notions of superficial "Asian/Fusion", this uplifting, genre-bending, and sophisticated sound brings together both East & West with musical aplomb. The new album continues as a logical progression from "Into The Wind". It ventures into both new tempos & moods while deftly connecting the past, the future and what lies beyond.
    Format
    LP purple
    Release-Datum
    12.02.2021
     
  • 01. Botafogo Blue
    02. Olá!
    03. Y Bywyd Llonydd
    04. Açai
    05. Cariad, Cariad
    06. Tristwch 20
    07. Ynys Aur
    08. Y Ferch Ar Y Cei
    09. Arpoador
    10. Ble Aeth Yr Amser
    cover

    CARWYN ELLIS & RIO 18

    Yn Rio

    [engl] Carwyn Ellis from Cardiff/Wales is a singer, songwriter, composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He fronts Colorama, formed the Welsh folk group Bendith and hosts a regular themed radio show on Soho Radio. In 2019, Ellis embarked on the first project under his own name, Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18. Sung in Welsh and recorded mainly in Rio de Janeiro, the album, “Joia!” was nominated for the Welsh Music Prize and followed by “Mas” in early 2020. The new album “Yn Rio” is a collection of new songs recorded in Cardiff together with The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales. In 2017 Carwyn Ellis joined the touring line-up of The Pretenders. For Ellis, a record collector and fan of Brazilian music, the opportunity to tour South America would present opportunities he couldn’t have possibly imagined when he accepted Chrissie Hynde’s invitation. “The first place we went to was Rio and by the time I met Chrissie for breakfast the day after our gig, I already had a bag of albums I’d just bought. I’m sitting with her and she says, ‘You should meet my mates, and do something in Welsh with them! Nobody’s done a Welsh language album with Brazilian musicians?” In 2018, when Alexandre Kassin, a leading light in that Brazilian scene announced a show in London, Hynde suggested that they see it. “I met him afterwards,” Ellis recalls, “and we hit it off straight away.” Within weeks, Ellis was on a plane to Rio with songs that would form the basis of the first album. This creative purple patch extended into another album released early in 2021 with Carwyn working once again with Kassin plus long-time friend Shawn Lee. The songs on “Mas” drew on the environmental threats that face both Wales and South America, spidering out around the central theme of water (“rains, no rain, droughts, rising seas and flooded valleys for corporate gain. We’re screwed without it and screwed if there’s too much”). With “Mas” recorded but weeks away from release, Ellis received a call from Gareth Iwan Jones, head producer of BBC Radio Cymru, offering a third album to be performed in March 2021. Ellis started to reflect upon the life-changing events triggered by his South American adventures. The Welsh word ‘hiraeth’ which describes the longing that Welsh people feel when they’re far from home, was something that he was now beginning to feel for Rio de Janeiro: “’Yn Rio’ is based around a day in Rio,” he explains. “The events of 2020 influenced the record inasmuch as I wanted it to be a complete antidote to what was going on. If you couldn’t go on holiday in real life, you could at least put this record on.” The first single “Olá!”, incorporating Jorge Ben’s spirit in the chorus and rhythmic breakdown, manages to sound languorous and euphoric. “Cariad, Cariad” was a Portuguese folk poem brought to Ellis’ attention by Sonya from Quarteto em Cy and arranged by Christiaan Oyens. “Tristwch 20” is a nod to “Foot and Mouth 68” by Gorkys Zygotic Mynci from “The Blue Trees”, ‘one of the most beautiful albums of all time’, while “Ynys Aur” is named after a 1929 book by Welsh missionary J. Luther Thomas written on returning from his travels to Papua New Guinea. With Kassin unable to participate, Ellis thanks him by translating his “A Paisagem Morta” to create “Y Bywyd Llonyd”. For Carwyn Ellis “Yn Rio” is an extraordinary memorial to extraordinary times. “There are some days so idyllic you just want to be able to jump back into them at the touch of a button. That’s what I was searching for when I was writing these songs.”
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    22.10.2021
     
  • 01. Boat Mama
    02. Outer Banks
    03. Dirt Track
    04. Come
    05. Come Along Bintang Bolong
    06. MS Utopia
    07. Open Up!
    08. A Route Obscure
    09. Wait For Me
    10. The Routine
    11. Ghost Of Your Love
    12. Bosso Fataka
    13. Passport Check
    cover

    DAVID NESSELHAUF

    Afrokraut

    [engl] In 2016 the world seems to be more connected in communication, yet more segregated in culture than ever. It is a time for fresh ideas about re-connecting things. David Nesselhauf, producer, composer and multi instrumentalist from Hamburg/Germany gives it a try. His new album re-visits a time in the Seventies, when innovative bands like Can were working on a rhythmic and experimental fusion of African music and German rock, which was labelled “Afrokraut”. Nesselhauf’s modern take on “Afrokraut” goes beyond the standards of contemporary electronic, jazz, pop or club music. As much as the thirteen tracks on the album nod towards the dance floor as their common factor, they also address topics as migration and exclusion and take a strong stand for global togetherness. Just listen to the opening tracks “Boat Mama” and “Outer Banks” and you see what Nesselhauf is on about. Recorded and mixed on vintage equipment at Dennis Rux’s ultra-cool Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Studios in Hamburg, “Afrokraut” sounds deep, authentic and visionary at the same time. Renowned Dutch artist Chantal Rens delivered a strong statement for the cover artwork: “I am especially excited about Chantal’s work for my album”, says David Nesselhauf. With a diverse catalogue of albums ranging from electro to doom to look back on, his works with funk celebrities Diazpora as their bass player and collaborations or production with Pee Wee Ellis, Lew Soloff (Blood, Sweat & Tears), Flo Mega or Faust, running his own little record label as well as his education at the Drummer’s Collective in NYC David Nesselhauf is a well established player in the German independent music scene. “Afrokraut” features a range of musical guests. Amadou Bah is the vocalist on the first single “Come Along Bintang Bolong”, an irresistible Afrobeat burner, Diazpora drummer Lucas Kochbeck is an integral part on various album highlights, most notably the mysterious “A Route Obscure” and the intense “Dirt Track”. Then, of course, we have the sweet and groovy vocals of Kinga Lizz and Nabil Atassi on the funky “Open Up!”. “This album is something I wanted to release for a long time”, explains David Nesselhauf. “I was always fascinated by this little forgotten era in the history of German popular music that was labelled ‘Afrokraut’. It was full of unique vibes, never fully explored and suddenly it was gone. And to be honest, the message carried through this music is more valid than it ever was.”
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    30.09.2016
    EAN
    EAN 4026424009289
     
  • 01. Intrologue
    02. Never Take It feat. Soulamadou
    03. Space Station
    04. Solaris
    05. Meteorites
    06. Everlost
    07. Believe It feat. Axel Feige
    08. Transneptunians (I)
    09. Transneptunians (II) feat. Soulamadou
    10. Orion Safari
    11. The Void
    12. Celeste
    13. I Wanna Go Back feat. Axel Feige
    14. Repitaph
    cover

    DAVID NESSELHAUF

    Afrokraut II: The Lowbrow Manifesto

    [engl] “Afrokraut II: The Lowbrow Manifesto” returns to the place where David Nesselhauf imagined a world of peace, unity and impossible dreams with the release of “Afrokraut” in 2016. Now, with “Afrokraut II” David Nesselhauf expands into space. David Nesselhauf is unlike any other musician, producer and arranger you know. Through the tiny window of his laboratory he observes the stars. Using self-made antennas and ancient tape machines, he records electromagnetic waves sent from outer space. Played in reverse at triple speed he manages to decode the information herein without much use of psychoactive substances. On “The Lowbrow Manifesto” Nesselhauf collects these fragments and tells stories from a future mankind which seems to live scattered across the universe. They communicate their secret thoughts and wishes through music, painting a picture about what is to come for us all. Using a colourful palette of sounds, selected stories got further enhanced by David Nesselhauf to a digestible, funky and contagious new album. „Afrokraut II: The Lowbrow Manifesto“ documents Nesselhauf’s journey backwards through future, dedicating his work to the heritage of “Afrokraut” history, a brief episode when Krautrock got funky (and David Nesselhauf wasn‘t even born at that time). As with the first episode of “Afrokraut”, good friends appear as guest musicians: Lucas Kochbeck and Axel Feige (both, like Nesselhauf himself, members of Diazpora) and Soulamadou, patron of Nesselhauf‘s favourite club, the Souledge in Hamburg/Germany.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    30.11.2018
    EAN
    EAN 4026424010025
     
  • 01. Play The Ball
    02. Olympians
    03. Ready To Go
    04. Ping Pong Powerplay
    05. You Shot Me Down
    06. Royals
    07. Bone (The Broke Marauder)
    08. Hit Me
    9. Hangin' On
    10. The Bachelor
    cover

    Diazpora

    Ping Pong Powerplay

    [engl] Stop everything you're about to do and take a hit of Diazpora‘s new Album „Ping Pong Powerplay“ now. Vast amounts of dopamine will be released as the needle hits the groove. Problems will disappear, heartache will crumble and legs going to move. With its ten modern songs built upon solid funk tradition, this album helps you get on the good foot! All songs were recorded in Diazpora‘s „Monopalast“ rehearsal studio in Hamburg, straight after the writing process, keeping it fresh, edgy and simple. The songs range from dancefloor tracks Diazpora is so known for, to heartfelt ballads, using Ping Pong as an olympic metaphor for life. Still in the game after countless years, Diazpora once more show nothing but love to their audience and THE FUNK with this latest release. Ping Pong Powerplay!
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    08.05.2020
     
  • 01. Gutterball
    02. Lonely For You Baby
    03. Workout
    04. Eazy Rider
    05. The Skunk
    06. Lope Song
    07. Booga Lou
    08. Cigar Eddie
    09. I Believe In Miracles

    EDDIE ROBERTS & THE FIRE EATERS

    Burn!

    [engl] Eddie Roberts started his music career in 1989 aged 18, having left his Welsh homeland to study Jazz at Leeds College of Music. More interested in live performing and getting his own thing going than in college work, he quickly rooted out the best players in town and set up his first band, The Jazz Mailmen, dedicated to playing the golden era of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. After transcribing all the parts and enforcing a dress code of Bop suits, he set about taking the UK Jazz Dance scene by storm. During this time British Hard Bop legend Tommy Chase asked him to relocate and join his band, but Eddie had other ideas. Following his early bands The Eddie Roberts Organisation and The Three Deuces Eddie's focus shifted towards Deep Funk, the New Mastersounds were born and released their first album on Keb Darge’s Deep Funk Records. The rest is history, with six full albums recorded and an impressive history of live shows around the world. Eddie's love for 60s Blue Note & Hard Bop didn't waver despite the media hype of the Deep Funk scene. Soon Eddie was commissioned to produce a Hard Bop track for the Jazz dancers to go on Adrian Gibson’s renowned 'Messin Around' compilation. This project turned into the „Roughneck“ album, released summer 2004 on the NMS’ One Note Records label. "Trenta", released early 2007 on Salvo’s Records, features instrumental arrangements of traditional Neopolitan songs. Eddie stayed busy that year playing with Papa Mali, Johnny Vidocavitch, Idris Muhammed and The Greyboy Allstars. „Is that all?“ Eddie Roberts asked in 2009 and the answer was simple: No! Légère Recordings had a good look on Eddie’s extensive back catalogue and released „An Introduction To Eddie Roberts“, showcasing his work from the early days up to the present. Following the releasse The New Mastersounds played their first German shows since many years. When in Spain during the same year Eddie joined forces with The Sweet Vandals’ rhythm section, adding Chip Wickham’s (Nightmares On Wax, Rae & Christian, The Pharcyde) world-class flute and Taz Modi’s funktastic organ from Leeds/UK, and he sensed that this could be the beginning of something special. „Burn!“ is the proof that his feelings were true. The Fire Eaters, as the combo was now called, recorded the album produced by Eddie Roberts himself in 2010, completed 12 tracks including a good number of Eddie Roberts originals as well as their versions of classic acid jazz & soul tunes like „I Believe In Miracles“, the „Lope Song“
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    19.05.2017
    EAN
    EAN 4026424002716
     
  • 01. I Keep On Thinking
    02. Too Many Rules & Games
    03. I've Got No Feelin'
    04. I Can Fly
    05. Where I Lived Before
    06. Please Don't Forget My Name
    07. I Believe In You
    08. Take My Heart & Breathe
    09. Save Me
    10. I Miss You Babe
    cover

    GEMMA & THE TRAVELLERS

    Too Many Rules & Games

    [engl] Gemma & the Travellers give a nod to the early deep Soul, R&B, Northern Soul and Funk of the Sixties but add a refreshing twist with their unique songwriting. With her powerful and distinctive voice, Gemma M. is a true Soul woman who left the south of Italy as a teenager with a small bag in her hand and a bit of cash in her back pocket. Travelling through Europe, she met Robert P., an Anglo-Swedish guitarist living in Germany at the time and formed a travelling duo, which ended up returning to Robert’s hometown London. After many years getting sick and tired of the city’s distractions, they looked for a more creative environment beside the sea and fell in love with Northern Brittany, where they formed the band Gemma & the Travellers with friends and musicians from down the road. Contrary to the “Motown” or “manufactured” model where the singer is rarely the songwriter, Gemma M. writes all of her songs with the help of Robert P. on the guitar. Her influences are Aretha Franklin and Julie Driscoll - genuine vibrations where life is your own creation! Recorded live at Lemoncake Studios in northern Brittany, producer Robert P. strived for an authentic and original Soul sound with a certain crunchiness and analogue distortion, like that of an old vinyl from the Sixties without falling under the overused retro banner. The title track of Gemma & The Travellers’ debut album “Too Many Rules & Games” is a song about a woman who has had enough of a world run by the men looking only for their own personal glory and fame. Love is the answer to the problems of this world! “Where I lived before” is another highlight: “I am looking back at the years of my upbringing living in the south of Italy, a juxtapose of poverty, injustice and hardship with all the beauty of the land and warmth of the people; it was hard to be a teenager there as my mum would not let me go out, which amplified the rebel in me,” Gemma explains. In 2015, the band played their live debut at London Jazz Café, opening for the Craig Charles’ “Funk & Soul Show”, who then described the band’s sound as a “tasty little nugget of Soul”.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    28.04.2017
    EAN
    EAN 4026424009494
     
  • 01. Der Magische Kraken
    02. Windjammer Ahoi!
    03. Captain Flamingo
    04. Spiegelkugelfisch
    05. Die Grosse Flaute
    06. Klar Zur Wende
    07. Jeanskutter
    08. Durchs Meer Der Quallen
    09. Die Ledermuränen Kommen!
    10. Grottenrallye
    11. Tentakel Am Horizont
    cover

    HAMBURG SPINNERS

    Der Magische Kraken

    [engl] This time Hamburg Spinners left their home port for an underwater expedition to the open ocean diving for unheard tunes, finger snappers and floaters. Always in danger of encountering the Magic Octopus, a voracious entity who feeds on harmonies, rhythms and breaks -in a word the whole arsenal any musician is lost without and damned to drown in a sea of deadly silence and endless darkness... Listen yourself, enter a different world and witness how the Hamburg Spinners are getting carried away and drawn into the depths. A 20.000-mile plunge into the sea. Honestly! Had you ever thought that one can sink this low? "Der Magische Kraken" is the sophomore album of the Hamburg Spinners, a contemporary soul, mod-jazz and R&B outfit based in Hamburg. Their sound blends floating Hammond organ lines, kinetic, driving grooves, funky breaks, and slicing, economic improvisation. The quartet features Carsten Meyer on Hammond B-3, Dennis Rux on guitar, David Nesselhauf on bass, and Lucas Kochbeck on drums. It was cut live on two weekends in April 2021 in Hamburg's Yeah!-Yeah!-Yeah!-Studios. The chemistry was right and in a truly democratic process ideas were fleshed out, arrangements were done on the spot. A will to collective playing whilst always sticking to the rudimentary basics was in the air. Thus the music could spread out like the arms of an octopus. And though there are limits on the sound of the Hammond organ quartet creativity can burst out & find its way to overcome the limits. Reminiscences of down-to-the-bone songs by Timmy Thomas or Phoenix might come to one's mind when listening to the new Hamburg Spinners album.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    03.12.2021
     
  • 01. Palmaillerennen
    02. Pharisäer
    03. Der Optimist
    04. Haschrebellen
    05. Bambule In der Thadenstrasse
    06. Skorpion Im Stiefel
    07. Preludin Und Benzin
    08. Der Kiezpanther
    09. Maries Mexikaner
    cover

    HAMBURG SPINNERS

    Skorpion Im Stiefel

    [engl] "Skorpion im Stiefel" is the long-awaited debut album by Hamburg Spinners, a contemporary soul, mod-jazz and R&B outfit based in Hamburg/Germany. Their sound blends floating Hammond organ lines, kinetic, driving grooves, funky breaks and slicing, economic improvisation. The quartet features Carsten Meyer on Hammond B-3, Dennis Rux on guitar, David Nesselhauf on bass, and Lucas Kochbeck on drums. "Skorpion im Stiefel" was cut live on a weekend in May 2020 in Hamburg's Yeah!Yeah!Yeah!-Studios with all bandmembers playing together in the same room as a way of capturing their live sound on tape. The only overdubs were a few shouts and some ambient noise. With Meyer's soulful organ sound owing equally to Booker T. Jones, Ingfried Hoffmann as well as Georgie Fame, his gritty soulful sound is buoyed by Rux warm and gripping guitar sound, Nesselhauf’s dynamic bass lines and Kochbeck's tight in-the-pocket drumming. Who needs winners when there’s Hamburg Spinners!?
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    15.01.2021
     
  • 01. Givin' It All For Free
    02. What Will Be Will Be
    cover

    JAMES SAYER

    Givin' It All For Free

    [engl] "Givin' It All For Free", the new single by James Sayer, features two brand new tracks from his upcoming album, is available as a black vinyl 7inch single limited to 100 copies. "Givin' It All For Free" originally came out in 2018 and has been remixed for this 2020 version. In addition to a brand new vocal from James, the recording was remixed using a vintage Neve desk bringing out the best of the recording & complimenting its new format on vinyl: “This style of 'shuffle/rhythm' always makes me feel so happy and joyful, it's a sound I've always loved since I was a kid. I wanted to capture all those elements with an uplifting feel and groove in a three-minute song." "What Will Be Will Be" on the B-side was co-written in Nashville with the hugely talented songwriter Betsy Walter and features backing vocals by Kim Fleming, Vicki Hampton and Kim Mont (who worked for Millie Jackson, Michael McDonald, Billy Joel, B.B. King and many others) recorded in an old school process to capture their magic singing their vocals all round one microphone as a group.
    Format
    7''
    Release-Datum
    26.06.2020
     
  • 01. Good Feeling
    02. Make Time For Love
    03. Do It Right Now
    04. Danger
    05. Let's Fall In Love
    06. Beauty Of Loving You
    07. Look Here In My Heart
    08. Get Up On This Groove
    09. Whole Lotta Talk
    10. Which One Are You?

    JAY W. McGEE

    Good Feeling

    [engl] „Good Feeling“ marks the return of Jay W. McGee, one of the most interesting voices from the disco and boogie era of the mid and late Eighties. This abum is Jay W. McGee’s first new recording since his last release more than 25 years ago, covering a selection from boogie to soul and from disco to gospel. The vocals for „Good Feeling“ were recorded in Jay W. McGee’s hometown of Flint/Michigan, while the music was recorded and mixed in Hamburg by up and coming production team The Unbelievable Two. Releasing on various independent labels, Jay W. McGee came up with two albums („Over & Over“ in 1981 and „Survivor“ in 1988), accompanied by a couple of cult 12inch singles which still feature on genre radio and DJ playlists around the world. „Turn Me On“ has been officially re-issued by Légère Recordings in 2013, while „When We Party“ is still a firm favourite among connaisseur DJs. Jay W. McGee started singing gospel music when he was four years old. He toured with a number of funk & soul bands through the USA and Canada during the Seventies and made some great recordings that still have a fresh impact. With „Good Feeling“ he goes for an up-to-date production with true respect of his roots, aiming on the dancefloor and the mind. All ten tracks are new and original compositions by Mr. McGee himself and the production team of Julian „Mzuzu“ Romeike and Matthias „Mucka“ Morgenroth, also known as „The Unbelievable Two“. The styles range from the colourful disco-soul of „Whole Lotta Talk“, the lo-down sexy groove of „Make Time For Love“, the crazy jazz-funk of „Look Here In My Heart“ to the sweet gospel soul of „Do It Right Now“.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    08.05.2015
    EAN
    EAN 4026424008817
     
  • 01. Uptown, Downtown
    02. She Knows It
    03. Old School Love
    04. A Chance I Have To Take
    05. Coming Home
    06. DEH181917206 - Bounce Back To Me
    07. Can't Hide
    08. Smooth Cruising
    09. This Moment
    cover

    JAY W. McGEE

    Smooth Cruising

    [engl] In 2015 US soul, boogie and disco legend Jay W. McGee teamed up with Hamburg producer, multi-talented musician and DJ Julian "Mzuzu" Romeike to record McGee's comeback album "Good Feeling". Even though both artists are from two totally different generations, they got on so well with each other after the official re-release of Jay W. McGee's classic 12inch "Turn Me On" on Légère Recordings two years before that they started to write and record together. After all, it was Julian "Mzuzu" Romeike himself who made Jay W. McGee return to the music business after nearly 15 years of silence. The creative process did not stop with "Good Feeling": "We now have a brilliant combination of fresh songs. Many different accurate beats and of course Jay’s incredible writing and singing skills," says Romeike. "I feel that it’s a great combination of dedication, skills and talent which made this album possible. I work on some grooves and hooks for Jay, he picks the ones he likes and returns a proper song with vocals and arrangement. My production team, The Unbelievable Two, then work on the final mix." "Smooth Crusing" hints towards McGee's classic late seventies sought after sounds like "When We Party" with the first "Uptown, Downtown". The album also includes some reggae touches and smooth soul excursions. "It is such a big pleasure to work with these guys as everything works perfectly together," comments a happy Jay W. McGee. "It has all the ingredients for a classic album. It’s funky and soulful, recorded in a unique modern style. We have a tribute to the good old funky music with 'Old School Love'. A lover's rock orientated tune with 'Chance I Have To Take' and some kind of up to date Afro-Disco-Soul with 'Bounce Back To Me'. And of course, 'Smooth Cruising' is full of funk!"
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    17.04.2019
    EAN
    EAN 4026424010353
     

  • 01. Midnight Driver
    02. Indigo Night
    03. King Of Clowns
    04. I'm Still Winning
    05. Sunshine Makes Me
    06. Harmony
    07. London Road
    08. Reunion Island
    09. Don't Give Up On Me
    10. Game Of Spies
    cover

    JOEL SARAKULA

    Companionship

    [engl] On his new record "Companionship", London-based Soft-Rock, Soul and Disco artist Joel Sarakula keeps the mood easy and the grooves deep. Ten new songs see Sarakula develop a deeper, more introspective lyrical style from his previous works as he celebrates and laments friendships, love and loneliness. Interspersed with a few standout up-tempo tracks to keep the ship sailing, “Companionship” is a chill-out album and listening experience of the highest order. "Companionship" opens with "Midnight Driver", a driving soft-rock fantasy where the narrator laments his partner's nocturnal habits: 'When she's coming up, it gets me down'. The Californian sun-kissed guitars, vocal stylings and percussion all help to set a cinematic mood which unsurprisingly also makes it a great driving song. On the introspective "King Of Clowns", Sarakula creates a pop song that calls to mind the craftmanship of Hall & Oates and Elvis Costello. Both an admission of guilt and an unapologetic statement of intent, his low vocal careens in the dangerous divide between self-pity and self-parody: "My bad decisions worked out for a while, I'd do my dance tried to make you smile, I'll never wise up it's just the way I am". These confessions all occur over a down-tempo funk groove complete with some vintage synthesizer musings that makes the track ready to be sampled for a hip-hop record. "Sunshine Makes Me" steps straight out of its mid-1970s swimming pool, heavily dripping in jazz fusion to dry off in the cold light of today's sunshine. The chorus is a mantra of desire, needs and reality that sees Sarakula sing 'Sunshine makes me lose my mind, thirty degrees and my eyes get so wide. Dreaming big and living slow, don't you know that time is on our side". On "Companionship", Joel Sarakula, prolific writer, producer, performer and multi-instrumentalist finally unleashes his chill-out pretensions. In this follow up to the critically acclaimed "Love Club" (2018) he develops a deeper and more mature compositions and production style. His love of all things vintage extends to a devotion to analog synthesizers and on "Companionship" you can hear a genuine love of synthesis that at moments is reminiscent of 70s synth production pioneers Todd Rundgren and George Duke. Joel Sarakula will tour "Companionship" through Europe and the UK this Spring and Summer 2020 with his musical companions. Born in Sydney, based in London and a true internationalist, Sarakula tours with pickup bands sourced from each territory he plays in: a Barcelona band for Spain, a Berlin band for Germany and so forth. This cross-cultural exchange is a sly nod to the golden era of the 1960s and 1970s when travelling US pop, soul and blues artists would do the same.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    01.05.2020
     
  • 01. Understanding
    02. In Trouble
    03. Baltic Jam
    04. We Used To Connect
    05. Dead Heat
    06. Theme From The Love Club
    07. Coldharbour Man
    08. Parisian Woman
    09. Coney Island Getaway
    10. Cinnamon Surprise
    11. Winter Elegy
    cover

    JOEL SARAKULA

    Love Club

    [engl] Do you like Love songs? After spending a lifetime spent avoiding this subject in song, Joel Sarakula finally admits that he does. On his new album „Love Club“ Sarakula relives the golden age of Soulful and Romantic Pop music and connects it with a modern aesthetic. While a deeper message of love and peace flows through the record, Joel Sarakula is no old fashioned hippie: “‚Love Club’ is about connecting to reality and re-framing the idea of romantic love and loss in the present, loveless age ”. Featuring eleven songs touching all genres from disco to blues, from soul to soft-rock, Joel Sarakula’s “Love Club” is a profound pop statement. Joel Sarakula has travelled the world in search of his muse, experiencing everything from being a victim of Caribbean carjackings to performing in the remote fishing villages of Norway, via the dive bars of Europe and the US. It was the hodge-podge musical tapestry of England’s capital that finally drew him to a settling point, in the wake of seemingly never ending run of shows. With personal tastes that span from the more avant-garde to soul and pop greats like Sly Stone, Todd Rundgren and Hall & Oates, there are clear nods to contemporaries like Unkown Mortal Orchestra, Erlend Oye and Toro Y Moi in terms of ambition and style. With his last two albums “The Golden Age” and “The Imposter” collecting strong radio plays at BBC Radio 2, BBC 6, BBC London, XFM Joel Sarakula has been play-listed nationally in Europe including Flux FM, WDR 5, Radioeins, Bayern 2, Deutschlandfunk and Deutschland Kultur Radio in Germany as well as in Benelux and Italy and Spain. He is a regular fixture on the live festival and club circuit in the UK, Europe and internationally including appearances at SXSW, Primavera Sound, Glastonbury, The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, Scala London, Tallinn Music Week, V-ROX (Vladivostok) and Reeperbahnfestival Hamburg. “Love Club” is Sarakula's bold and unashamedly emotional next step. In essence the album is a homage to the soulful singer & songwriter artistry of the Seventies filtered through a darker contemporary lens - fitting for these uncertain times. “I always shied away from generic love songs,” the Sydney, Australia born songwriter admits, “but on this record I embraced the subject wholeheartedly... and intellectually, looking at themes of love, lust, loneliness and everything in-between.” Take the first single “In Trouble”, co-written with Michele Stodart of The Magic Numbers, as the best example for Joel Sarakula’s unique, and honest approach to making music. „We Used To Connect” questions the changing nature of relationships in our social-media addicted world: ‘We used to connect in the real world too, now the touch of your hand is a digital cue'. “Coldharbour Man”, on the other hand, examines the identity of the song's narrator and the artist vs. fan dynamic all wrapped up in a disco love song: “There's a lot going on in this particular track. I feel my writing has grown emotionally...”, explains Joel Sarakula. “Just best to listen yourself and make up your own interpretation!: 'We met in a song come to life like some fantasy cliché, though I'm known for my moves in the dark you flooded sunshine on my day'. Then there’s “Baltic Jam”, capturing romantic love and loss in authentic 70s confessional singer & songwriter style and of course “Dead Heat”, a song about how there is struggle in the most perfect relationship pairings as the match is so even: “I recall an ex-girlfriend of mine... when we first met, we thought we hated each other but we eventually flipped that emotion and realised we had a deep passion and love for each other, there just was a lot of underlying sexual tension!” : 'It's a battle we could only win, if we lose. We'd be stronger if these lonely ones became two'. More than a year in the making, Joel Sarakula recorded „Love Club“ in various studios around London and Berlin capturing soulful performances from his many musical comrades on vintage analogue equipment. “This record has truly been a labour of love. Recording and privately sharing these performances amongst my collaborators started to feel like a bit like a club – I guess that lead to the album title! I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed the ‘love-making process’ and I look so much forward to playing these new songs on stage with my band.” We can’t wait, Joel Sarakula.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    20.04.2018
    EAN
    EAN 4026424009876
     
  • 01. Ortigas
    02. Metalúrgica
    03. Cookin’ With 3 Burners
    04. Round The Corner
    05. Curaidh
    06. Glaze
    07. New Day, New Year
    08. Cairo Green
    09. Horizonte (Colours)
    cover

    KERBSIDE COLLECTION

    Round The Corner

    [engl] Australian ‘down-under’ dusty jazzfunk and gritty rare grooves ensemble return on their 4th studio album (written and constructed during the last 12-18 months of the cv-19 climate) Kerbside Collection’s 4th studio album of dusty, gritty jazzfunk grooves ‘Round the Corner’ is wrapped up in a story from start to finish and their most ambitious output to date. Opening with the slightly pointy, gritty-brass-lead, swung ballad ‘Ortigas’(Spanish botanical name of a highly irritating plant species) referring to when the global pandemic initially struck back in February-March 2020, followed by a classic dusty Kerbside funky instrumental groove prelude. Before the album kicks in proper, with a sizzling rendition of a Banda Black Rio rarity (from their now legendary 1977 debut album) giving hints at what’s to come from the rest of the album with its jazz-rock-funk-fusion inflections, strutting grooves and super tight brass section. Things stay funky with a tribute to one of Australia’s finest funk combos - Cookin’ on 3 Burners (the leader of which - Jake Mason - recorded their first album - Mind The Curb, and guested on their previous record Smoke Signals and the warmly received funky reggae single ‘Cajun Jollof’). A fun lovin’, home-cooked-style, garage-funk number with scratchin’ guitars and organ bubbling away underneath the funky flute and brass section, complete with bongo, b-boy, drum break workout. Title track ‘Round The Corner’ refers to some of the ‘unknowns’ and ‘uncertainties’ around the corner post cv-19, but also an uplifting acid-jazz funk groove affirmation looking forward to the positive things, and seasons to come round these kinds of unknown bends, featuring the rubbery, pulsating bass playing of Lachlan ‘Swampdog’ Symons and acoustic piano solo from Andrew Fincher, sharp drum grooves wrapped up into a dancefloor-friendly, contemporary live jazzfunk tune with the core rhythm section in raw, upfront trio mode.The track embodies some of the current resurgence of live jazz-house-crossover sounds coming out of Australia (Horatio Luna/First Biege) whilst also reminding us of acid-jazz music from people like Incognito, The Rebirth, and Herbie Hancock's 70's jazz-fusion years. ‘Curaidh’ conjures up some slightly Vulfpeck stripped back style grooves, lead by the funky 1970’s electric Yamaha piano and a delta-blues guitar solo workout to finish. The track title takes its name from a Gaelic/Celtic dialect word reference to ‘warrior’, penned by the collection’s long time Scottish keys collaborator Euan Gardiner, responsible for one of the groups classic soul-jazz ballads ‘41 Bernhard’ (from 1st album 2011). Things then begin to simmer down with the golden, rustic, slightly Stevie Wonder-ish grooves of ‘Glaze’ featuring new additions and instruments never heard on a Kerbside Collection record yet – including Clavinet, Bass Clarinet and a string section, accompanied by lush fender Rhodes, jazzy guitar flourishes and some silky flute work throughout for fans of vintage 4hero, early Jamiroquai, and Mizell Brothers cinematic funk moments. Before things cool down proper, with a mesmerising version of a Joe Sample coastal, soul-jazz classic, featuring Brazilian flautist Ney Oliveira and the breathtaking, breezy, strings section arranged by Brisbane composer Cam Bower, (and featuring the drummer’s mum on violin). ‘New Day, New Year’ is an organic, stripped back, calming, contemplative piano lead, soul-jazz, head-nod piece; featuring again the lush string ensemble and the band’s tight rhythm section trio foundation, holding things down in the groove. The album finishes with 2 stylistically different, but also complimentary works. First up a sizzling piano-trio style lead, latin-jazz number (for fans of some classic Blue Note, Horace Silver vibes) with 2 tasty solos from the virtuosos on the album - Papa Joe on baritone sax and Andrew Fincher on acoustic baby grand piano – one for the jazz dancers! Closing with a sublime, summery, soul-reggae outro, referring to some of the song’s origins (on the coasts of Portugal), but also emanating some coastal South Pacific sounding flavours from the band’s home town surrounds - a pleasant way to end the record and the story of things ‘Round the Corner’.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    18.02.2022
     
  • 01. Waiting Game
    02. Jacob's Ladder
    03. Traffic
    04. Cajun Jollof
    05. Afro Struttin
    06. NOLA
    07. Little Mountain
    08. Yellow Fellow
    09. Westchester Lady
    10. Smoke Signals
    cover

    KERBSIDE COLLECTION

    Smoke Signals

    [engl] Jazz funk and gritty rare grooves ensemble from down under - Kerbside Collection - return with their third record Smoke Signals! Continuing in a down home, instrumental approach, but this time combining updated ideas and flavours into their spectrum of warm, analogue, dusty grooves from more frequent fender-rhodes electric jazz elements, to New Orleans sprinklings alongside their 60’s inspired West Coast style. Smoke Signals continues the wilder tones, textures and ‘library’ sounds of extra instrumentation where previous ‘Trash or Treasure’ left off, whilst introducing hints of fusion and cinematic analogue electric colours into the mix - bringing things into slightly early 70s territory. Opening with the lush, chilled, palate of Waiting Game, remeniscent of some classic Air ‘Moon Safari’ grooves, before the album properly begins with a fresh rendition of the rhodes heavy Cedar Walton 70’s jazz funk classic ‘Jacob’s Ladder’. Then straight into the street-styled jazzbongo breaks and funky-flute of ‘Traffic’, a skankin’ New Orleans reggae homage to one of its finest Creole dishes, featuring funky hammond organ curtosy of guest Jake Mason (Cookin’ on 3 Burners/Jake Mason Trio) and tasty piano work from multi instrumentalist Andrew Fincher who handles both guitar and keys on the whole record. The middle of the record comes with a steaming afro funk workout, and a low slung N’awlins styled blues ‘n’ soul groover, both featuring the fruity, low-end brass action of Papa Joe on baritone sax, before taking a gentle, restfull breather with the delightful, soulful, rhodes ballad ‘Little Mountain’; and a ‘waltz-jazz-wig-out’ attributed to their label’s A&R Mr Mellow (remeniscent of some humerous UK acid jazz ala Corduroy and James Taylor Quartet) featuring some beautiful jazzy flugelhorn, and acoustic double bass. The album wraps up with another cover - a grittier reinterpretation and arrangement of a Bob James 80s jazzfunk classic ‘Westchester Lady’ complete with funky flute and soaring guitar solo, before closing with the explosive rock-funk workout and title track ‘Smoke Signals’ (another car reference)........ rounding out a record with a full spectrum of handmade raw jazzfunk, soul, funky reggae, library and gritty rare grooves....enjoy! “Power funk & timeless grooves...” (Phil - Wicked Jazz Sounds / NL)
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    30.11.2018
    EAN
    EAN 4026424010018
     
  • 01. La Jupe Volante
    02. Wonder Zebra
    03. Big Bite
    04. Bestial Zoo
    05. Hurricane Train (SoulBrigada Remix)
    06. Kinky Regards
    07. Party Chez Le Marquis
    08. Beat Sample
    09. V.L.A.M. (Lack Of Afro Remix)
    10. Jump The Gun (feat. Afu-Ra)
    cover

    KIND & KINKY ZOO

    Released!

    [engl] “Funky flute galore — and tunes that step out with an energy that’s hard to deny! " Dusty Groove USA "Blow me if it isn’t some sort of crazy-ass, fuzz-heavy, flute-funk antics!" Monkeyboxing.com "Kind & Kinky Zoo get fuzzy whenever they can, and their diverse influences draw from the aforementioned genres (afrobeat and psychedelia), as well as garage, rock and roll, and more. A freakout on all levels." Flea Market Funk "Brilliant! Lovin' it!" Craig Charles, BBC 6 In 2005, a new zoo opened in Lausanne, Switzerland. Its wild animals have been going bananas in their quest to create a more dancefloor-friendly world. Now released, the zoo residents can be tracked by their heavy funk smells. Follow their scent past retro-psychedelia and turn left after organic garage. „Released!“ is the debut album by Kind & Kinky Zoo. It is a collection of brand new tracks, early singles as well as remixes and features a guest apperance by rapper Afu-Ra.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    27.10.2017
    EAN
    EAN 4026424009661
     
  • 01. Making Up
    02. Sleepless Nights
    03. Pushin' Away
    04. The Way
    05. Told You Straight
    06. Start All Over Again
    07. Giving Up On Love
    08. Love's Luck Game
    09. Rosie
    10. Take A Minute
    cover

    MARTIN & GARP

    Sentimental Fools

    [engl] Dutch musician and producer Phil Martin has always been interested in the West Coast music scene and distinctive sound from the late 70s era. Artist like Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, The Doobie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles all featured heavily in his diet of music when he was growing up. As a producer and songwriter, Phil has historically been more active in soul and jazz music. He has produced albums for successful projects such as The Jazzinvaders, Laura Vane and the Vipertones and The Soul Snatchers, all busy touring bands with international radio support. After working on a project with singer Lo van Gorp (Garp) from the Netherlands, Phil found the perfect vocal fit to his recordings for his own West Coast flavoured pop album. Together with other songwriters like Joel Sarakula and Laura Vane he began writing and producing songs. Lo van Gorp is a well known backing singer and saxophonist in Holland, recognized for his work backing many bigger artists like Marco Borsato, Paul Carrack, Roger Hodgson, Chaka Khan, Trijntje Oosterhuis and Al Jarreau, to name a few. The sound of Martin & Garp can best be described as feel-good, radio friendly melodies romantically looking back to California in the 70s. In amongst the catchy guitar and synth licks and luxurious harmonies, the theme is the unifying effect of music in the quest for sunny optimism. This album spills groovy rhythms like in the first single “Making Up”, together with jazz harmonies and smooth vocals as in the second single “Told You Straight”. Imagine that ‘feel-good record’ that has to be played loudly in your convertible, recorded by super-pro musicians on original analog equipment. Cruising down the coast with the wind in your hair, darting in and out of the shade created by beach-side palm trees: That’s “Sentimental Fools”.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    15.01.2021
     
  • 01. What The Heart Wants
    02. Sweetness And Light
    03. Give It To Me
    04. If You Ain't
    05. Baby Can We Start Again
    06. Don't Break Her Heart
    07. Put Your Arms Around Me
    08. Gotta Leave The Lady Alone
    09. Good Day
    10. Nothing But The Good Times
    cover

    NICK PRIDE & THE PIMPTONES

    Go Deep

    [engl] Soul funk powerhouse Nick Pride & The Pimptones return with their second album on Légère Recordings. “Go Deep” mixes their trademark jazzy sophistication with a gritty retro sound. Following on from the instrumental heavy "Midnight Feast of Jazz" (Record Kicks, 2011) and the diverse "Rejuiced Phat Shake" (Légère Recordings, 2014), "Go Deep" is a more focussed and consistent affair. As always with The Pimptones there's a heavy dose of funk, but this album's personality comes from ten strongly written slices of deep soul music, beautifully delivered by singer Beth Macari. "I wanted to get back to basics", says writer and arranger Nick Pride. "My aim was to be as direct as possible from the original inspiration of each song right through to the recording process. I wanted to keep that energy and that magic. We've had some great collaborations in the past but this time I kept everything in-house to capture the excitement of the band playing together. You really get that vibe when you hear these recordings." The result is an album of depth and substance from a band continuing to evolve. The Pimptones’ sound has always been a profound combination of funky grooves, beefy breaks and blue eyed soul. Slick arrangements and harmonic sophistication delivered with a heavyweight punch crosses over from jazz to keep the dance floor moving. A Pimptones live show kicks off with tight, punchy instrumentals, making way to sweetly crafted soul songs as they are joined on stage by one of many fantastic guest vocalists. However in 2016 the band has flipped the script by taking on sultry soul siren Beth Macari as their full time vocalist. Having first made a guest appearance with the group on “Rejuiced Phat Shake”, Beth’s supercharged R&B vocal style is the perfect match for the Pimptones’ deep funk sound. Formed back in 2007, the group first caught the eye of funk fans around the world with their single "Deeper Pimp" on Wack Records. The track was the first of the group’s “Live-Band Bootlegs”, an acapella fused with original live backing, a unique approach to the mash-up genre, and a show stopping live feature. In 2010 The Pimptones broke through with the single “Waitin’ So Long”, a song which was used extensively on Italian mainstream rom-com “Lezioni di Cioccolato 2”, and accompanying album “Midnight Feast of Jazz”. This global success was quickly followed up by the digital release of “Remixed Feast of Jazz”, including collaborations with TM Juke, Diesler, Smoove and Renegades of Jazz. The focus of The Pimptones’ sound shifted from instrumental jazz to the soul sound of 2014’s “Rejuiced Phat Shake” album which featured many guest vocalists and musicians, finely crafted melodies, dance-floor beats and killer hooks.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    10.06.2016
    EAN
    EAN 4026424009159
     
  • 01. Every Day (Every Night)
    02. I Don't Need No Doctor
    cover

    PM WARSON

    Every Day (Every Night)

    [engl] “Every Day (Every Night)“, the new single by PM Warson, was recorded just in time direct to tape in February. It was finished in a very different world, in a small London studio several months later. Anchored by a heavy Hammond motif, and taken to the heights with a girl group-backed chorus, it's a song for soul searching in 2020. “Every Day (Every Night)” is available as a limited edition 7inch vinyl single with PM Warson’s version of Ashford-Simpson-Armstead's classic “I Don't Need No Doctor” exclusive to the vinyl on its flipside.
    Format
    7''
    Release-Datum
    07.08.2020
     
  • cover

    PM WARSON

    True Story

    [engl] PM Warson grew up in an English town, in a post 9/11 world, drifting into financial crisis, against the staple suburban musical landscape of heavy rock, the ghost of the New Wave, and the fading star of the Indie Boom of the Noughties. He found his own fit in the form of Rhythm & Blues from half-a-century before, drawn in by records in the family collection, engaging at a visceral level, abstract from any subcultural connotations. While an outlier stylistically, he found camaraderie and direction among musically inclined peers, saving up two summers straight for a Rickenbacker guitar, getting the taste for playing live with an archetypal teenage power trio. After a move to London to study, he was without a band for a while. The Rickenbacker was sold for an archtop, and he delved deeper into his musical vocabulary - delta blues, Americana, early jazz and Rock'n'Roll. Meanwhile, via the capital's blues clubs and soul nights, he discovered a new setting for the music that had enticed him the first place, existing, not in a vacuum, but alive and in the moment. A chance audition thrust him into full-time work as a touring musician. He found himself, blissfully under-qualified, serving an apprenticeship alongside conservatoire-trained jazz musicians and session pros. Meanwhile, the inevitable downtime in new cities on the road allowed for significant crate-digging between coffee spots and sound checks, while feeding off the knowledge of the players around him. Becoming more and more interested in production, ever-drawn to the Golden Era of record-making, he befriended the proprietors of Soup Studio, then an all-analogue facility based on Cable Street. He started moonlighting on production projects and learning the inner workings of a studio environment. A network was building, and when it was time to break out on his own, everything was in place. Shedding the construct of a 'band' or a 'singer-songwriter', and perhaps the monoculture of contemporary music-making, he started cutting sides with a band of friends and acquaintances found along the way. Without any wider ambition, it was as much about the process as the outcome, evoking the R'n'B records of the '50s and '60s in practice rather than emulation. His first effort, the ramshackle "You Gotta Tell Me" became a de facto single, and after being urged to press a few copies to vinyl by a friend, it began to cause a few ripples on the local DJ scene. Meanwhile, a wild, off-the-cuff cover of 'Hit The Road Jack' caught the attention of a London music agency, giving his lineup an outlet for playing out. This included house-band sets at London establishments such as the Blues Kitchen, Old Street Records and notably at the opening of the Mary Quant Fashion Exhibition at the V&A Museum.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    15.01.2021
     
  • 01. Pitching Up
    02. Out Of Sync
    03. Revolutions
    04. Runout Groove
    05. Sample Hunter
    06. Dig Deep (feat. Marcus Tenney)
    07. Matrix
    08. Tracking Force
    09. Warped Memories
    cover

    Resolution 88

    Revolutions

    [engl] With the release of their first two albums and live shows supporting Snarky Puppy, Roy Ayers, Marcus Miller, Larry Mizell & the Blackbyrds, Butcher Brown, Yellowjackets and more, Resolution 88 have already established themselves as one of the UK’s leading exponents of funk jazz. Their music is synonymous with the silky, buttery sound of the Fender Rhodes. They’re also a bona fide band, a refreshing change in a musical world increasingly occupied by online collaborations and viral videos. They’re best mates who love to hang out, play together and make their own music - that sincerity is evident in their songs and their chemistry on stage. ‘Revolutions’ represents a lot of firsts - the first time Resolution 88 have recorded to multi-track tape, the first time that they’ve included a real string and brass section, the first time they’ve included special guests on record and the first time they’ve pressed an album on vinyl. Imagine a combination of an undiscovered Herbie Hancock album from the mid’ 70’s, rare-groove samples from the golden era of hip hop (ATCQ, Pharcyde etc) and the new London sound of bands like Yussef Kamaal. Every track on ‘Revolutions’ represents an aspect of music on vinyl. On ‘Pitching Up’ you hear the DJ pitch the record up from 33rpm to 45rpm. ‘Out Of Sync’ simulates a clumsy attempt at beat matching. The hypnotic, circling sax line that opens the title track ‘Revolutions’ (echoed by the strings at the end) evokes the mesmerizing sensation of watching the record label artwork whirling as it spins on the platter. ‘Runout Groove’ fades in and out; the drumbeat mimics the distinctive, perpetual rhythm tapped out by the stylus as it reaches the runout groove. On the second side, ‘Sample Hunter’ unexpectedly deviates from the main section into Rhodes-drenched interludes; the type of moment that producers searched high and low for back when hip hop was great. Marcus Tenney’s (Butcher Brown) lyrics on ‘Dig Deep’ are all about the thrill of digging for records and ‘Matrix’ is inspired by the hidden messages sometimes left in the matrix markings on record pressings. On ‘Tracking Force’, you can hear the beat twist and morph as the stylus skates over the record. Finally, ‘Warped Memories’ closes out the album with a wistful, melancholy melody. Sit back with a glass of Japanese whisky and a Cuban cigar (or whatever your chosen poison is), stick the album on and enjoy it from start to finish - although if you’re listening to it on vinyl, you’ll need to get up to turn it over to the B-side.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    20.09.2019
     
  • 01. Forever Dreaming
    02. Light In My Hand
    03. Shooting Star
    04. My Inspiration
    05. So Much Indeed
    06. Lonely Dreamers
    07. To My Surprise
    08. Save My Soul
    09. Take A Look At Me Now
    10. Where We Need To Be
    11. To My Surprise (Instrumental)

    SANKO, MYLES

    Forever Dreaming

    [engl] The soul singer and songwriter based in England known as Myles Sanko released his debut “Born in Black & White” to broad critical and fan acclaim in 2013. Featuring seven original funk and soul tracks written and performed by Myles himself, this EP was perceived and played in the style of soul greats such as Bill Withers, Otis Redding, Al Green and James Brown, all of whom Myles openly names and proudly as his main musical influences. A stop-to-finish work of deep grooves and jazzy musical knowledge, Now “Born in Black & White” is followed up by Myles Sanko’s first full-length album “Forever Dreaming”. Dubbed as the lovechild of soul music, Myles Sanko began his music career by singing and rapping alongside disc jockeys in nightclubs. He has fronted popular bands such as Bijoumiyo, plus working with funk kings Speedometer who were touring with James Brown's 35 years soul sister Ms Martha High. “My intention,” writes Myles, “is to produce music with a feel good vibe and lyrical content that makes my listeners think.” In order to select an appropriate collection of compositions for professional recording in the studio, Myles uploaded live videos of himself giving acoustic performances to the internet. He then invited his bevy of fans throughout Europe to give their opinions regarding which tracks would best fit his debut EP release. This interactive spirit, which has guided Myles's solo career to date, reveals much about his humanist spirit, genial character, and artistic integrity. “I want my music to be a place to feel alive,” says Myles Sanko. “True motivation is the reaction I get from my audience when I perform, and I intend on making music that I love listening to. It’s the only way to stay authentic and to not lose yourself in all the other musical influences out there.” With his eight piece band Rick Hudson (drums), Neil Cowlan (guitar), Tiago Coimbra (bass), Tom O'Grady (piano/Rhodes), Neil Penny (trumpet), Matt Mckay (saxophone/flute), Tom White (trombone) and Ric Elsworth (percussion) Myles Sanko 10 versatile compositions Myles wrote with his longtime songwriting partner Thierry Los from France. Styles are ranging from the melodic soul-jazz oft he title track „Forever Dreaming“ through the spiritual acid jazz of „Take A Look At Me Now“ to the energetic soul dancer „Shooting Star“.
    Format
    LP
    Release-Datum
    12.09.2014
    EAN
    EAN 4026424008633