Review: Peddling heavy, sweet subs that ooze out of the scoops like syrup, Portuguese low end maestro 3WA makes his debut on Infernal Sounds with four utterly stinking brouhahas. 'Scavenger' starts the commotion on a deep but stern note and things get more and more twisted throughout the EP... 'Minotaur' grunts and growls with a over-sized toxic bassline while 'Mutt's flips from cosmic and percussive to straight-up deranged. Last but not least 'Wandering' finishes the EP on a last lingering groan. Refreshingly woozy.
Review: US house legend and deck technician A Trak is back with a third volume of 10 Seconds on his own Fools Gold label. This latest 10" comes on red wax and features for wonky and characterful tunes. 'Like I Said' is all low slung and funky bass guitar riffs and slick soulful house drums. 'Jyeah' brings a more cut up rhythm with warped sub and bleeping synths. 'Riiide' is another infectious house vibe with busy chords and daubs of synth, loopy vocals and hurried beats that call to mind French filter house classics and it's the same story with the brilliantly immediate thrills of 'JustCantLive'.
Review: A 10" featuring the finest that highlife has to offer, Crentsil was a figurehead of Ghanian music during the 70s and 80s who was introduced to highlife music at the turn of the 90s - a combination of pop, jazz, disco, and funk. 'Obi Baa Wiase' and 'Sika Be Ba' are two tracks with a close-knit message of gratitude, hope and faith between them, with the former being the staple track of Crentsil's long career after being played at weddings, festivals, and live concerts by local bands. A pair of incredible tracks produced by Charles Amoah utilising limited equipment to create an authentic party atmosphere, jovial flutes and plucky strings are the accompaniment to A.B. Entsils's proclamation of joy - put this on at the party and the room are sure to start moving.
Review: There is no messing when it comes to the techno served up by Umwelt's essential Rave Or Die. Over the course of 14 previous EPs the label has dropped rib-rattling, brain boggling bangers aimed squarely at the floor. This time out the boss himself steps up with Ancient Methods with each providing one solo track. This one comes on limited 10" picture disc so is an extra special one to add to the collection Ancient Methods's 'Accept Light' is a harshly textured industrial banger and Umwelt's 'Shades of Security' is just as caustic and hard edged.
I Am Your Mind (part 2 - Pepe Bradock main mix) (7:31)
Review: Roy Ayers staked a bold claim by flaunting the fact that he had 'Reach[ed] The Highest Pleasure' back in June '77. Unfortunately for us back then, this lifetime hedonistic milestone - documented in instrumental funk form - was shelved for reasons unknown beyond simple artistic oversight. As said, this slick solo instrumental for drums, bass and vibraphone is a perfect soul-jazz, chillout trifecta, one for the rarities collectors.
Review: Seven Psalms finds Australia's most imperious musical misfit Nick Cave leaving his Bad Seeds at home and teaming up with frequent collaborator Warren Ellis for a limited 10". The spoken word pieces on this record are the result of a daily song writing practice over a week during lockdown - Cave himself describes them as "small, sacred songs," set to appropriately subtle musical accompaniment. Recorded during the sessions for Cave and Ellis' 2021 album Carnage, it's a rich work in its own right that offers a different perspective on Cave's considerable gifts as a soothsayer.
Review: Following on from last year's critically acclaimed debut LP This Is Crime Wave, Codefendants return with a brand new 10" single complete with two utter bangers. The culmination of an effort by Get Dead vocalist Sam King, who by offering tattoos and selling flash art with his graffiti crew in order to raise funds to help rapper Ceschi Ramos with his incarceration; later when the pair would meet, they bonded over a bottle of whiskey and their shared passion for the Venn Diagram intersections of the realms of punk and hip-hop. With the addition of punk legend and NOFX main-man Fat Mike, an incomparable trio was born. Flagging their genre as "Crime Wave" (hence the album title), the tripod of MC's and punks deliver a dizzying concoction of new wave, hip-hop, flamenco, hardcore and sunshine pop, while the titular 'Living Las Vegas' from this new 10" features west coast rap legend 2Mex.
Bembe Segue - "Mother Of The Future" (live version)
Review: Serious jazz dance fusion from 1974, Norman Connors' cover of Carlos Garnett's "Mother Of The Future" drives with shamanistic fury before the firing keys, heaving horns and deep soul vocals fly into the mix. For a more contemporary jazz take, flip for Bembe Segue's emphatic live version. Lavished with her distinctively rich vocals and stern spoken word and complete with wild bass runs and a thick bed of percussion, it's an instant show-stopper. Two incredible covers, one special 10".
Bembe Segue - "Mother Of The Future" (live version)
Review: Expansion's focus right now is on reissuing classic tracks alongside a newer version of it. They are all coming on tidy 10" eco vinyl in mad limited numbers and next up is Norman Connors and Bembe Segue. Connors dropped his superb 'Mother of the Future' in 1975 and it is a mad jazz dancer with layer upon layer of Afro drumming, loose percussion and expressive vocal ad-libs. Flip it over and we're taken to 2008's live version of the same tune by Bembe Segue. It's a little less intense but no less busy, with silky jazz grooves and new vocals layering in some future soul.
Review: Finnish underground icon Sasu Ripatti returns under his most frequently used pseudonym, Vladislav Delay, for another bout of Dancefloor Classics. The series has already established a loyal following, and the fourth episode is enough to explain why, even if you've not encountered any of the preceding instalments. Music for imagined dancefloors is how the official release information puts it, it quickly becomes clear just how vivid that imagination is. Throwing down a string of footwork inspired cuts, the four tracks here are frantically upbeat and packed with filthy, jacking potential. But they're also deep, at times ghostly - or at least a little eerie - and ground in a desire not just to make people move, but also push sounds forward into new territories. Never an easy line to tread, the overall results hit as hard as the beats themselves.
Review: Marking Indica Dubs' 100th release in serious style, 'When Jah Come' by Danman takes the form of a powerful tribute to the late Jah Shaka, whose influence shaped generations of dub and roots sounds and musicians. This long-anticipated dubplate was famously championed by Shaka himself and comes laden with deep, earth-shattering basslines, spiritual vocals that touch your inner psyche and militant rhythms with unmistakable reverence. It is a celebration and a memorial that honours Shaka's legacy while showcasing Danman's ever-commanding voice and Indica Dubs' unrivalled production strength.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.