Review: The Avidya label arrives with a bold new concept that sees it push itself to "step out of comfort zones to release a series of EPs of broad, challenging and deep music." The first affair is a fine one from four artists, the first of which is Lyon based procure A Strange Wedding from the Worst label. His slow trance locks you in and then Gothenburg trio Datasal come through with a prog rock and post funk and dance fusion. 84PC's contribution is peak time gold and Barcelona's Iro Aka arrive with another debut to round out this fine offering.
Review: It's good to have this one available again. Dorothy Moore's 1976 soul classic, featuring vocals from Taka Boom, Chaka Khan & Mark Stevens, 'Misty Blue' became an Ibiza chill-out anthem in 2002. As 'Misti Blu' it got high-profile plays by Mary Anne Hobbs, Pete Tong and Mixmaster Morris and even David Mancuso charted in his end-of-year highlights. Now the sundown gem gets reissued here on a tidy 7" as a superb rework from Claude Money. The crooning vocals remain the highlight with sultry trumpets and lavish downtempo rhythms. What's more, we're told that a new live disco and house version are also to come this year.
Review: French finesse with German fusion... Willis Anne makes his Shall Not Fade debut with this killer 'Movement' EP. As with previous missives on his LAN imprint, the beats roam and romp freely between footwork, jungle and ghetto-tek with strong twangs of Detroit bringing it all together. Highlights include the wonderful layers of organs and vibrant chords of 'Direct Effect' and the fully-swung breakbeats and bellowing sub of 'Unison'. Get moving.
Review: A repress for four prime slices of classic Baby Ford minimal tech gear, from the rhythm-centric drum machine fest 'Very', the resonant bleepy tones of 'Test', the sparse and spacious 'Down' and the subtle acid undertones of 'Percy'. Baby Ford is finally getting his props as one the UK acid and techno scene's true innovators and pioneers, and these four very mixable tracks are four more reasons why this is only right.
Review: Foremost contemporary funk label Peoples Potential Unlimited have another golden 12" on their hands here thanks to the work of Barnikle Freee. He is the current designer for the label, someone who hoards software and makes expert glitch funk as well as being a multi-string bassist. As ever with this label, it is lo-fi, subtle sounds and frayed edges that define the EPs lovely aesthetic, with roughshod grooves, tumbling kicks and scatter perc all making you want to cut loose and boogie. Part dream-scape, part hazy late night session, part live set, it's all good.
Review: In the sales notes accompanying this latest slice of 7" gold from Athens of the North, boss man Euan Fryer admits that he spent a good "four or five years" trying to locate an original copy of "Time For Change" before finally tracking down original singer Benita. She was more than happy for him to reissue the record, which is one of the most inspired and well-made disco-soul records you're ever likely to hear (how it remained a lost classic, we'll never know). Benita's lyrics and vocals are superb, the horns are punchy, and the B-side "Hot Mix" contains one of the best slap-bass solos you'll ever hear. In a word: essential.
Review: Bezier returns to Dark Entries with Valencia, a six track rumination on memory, geography, and transmutation. Multi-instrumentalist Robert Yang's Bezier project has appeared on Dark Entries many times over the last decade, most recently with the 2018 LP Parler Musique. Says Yang, "What started as a project to investigate the love of the sound and scenery while living in San Francisco quickly developed into a passionate search for interlocking melodies and driving rhythms." On Valencia, Bezier invokes twinned places. The Valencia Street of San Francisco is channeled, which was the center of the city's vibrant new wave scene in the 1980s. But also echoed is Valencia, Spain, and La Ruta del Bakalao aka La Ruta Destroy, the Spanish clubbing scene throughout the 80s and 90s famed for its aggressive and synthetic sounds. Valencia is a darker record for Yang, exploring themes of submission and catharsis with nods to SF's gay leather bars of the 70s and 80s. The high BPM salvos of "Valencia" and "Scrupulous" capture the frantic energy of Bakalao and Valencian wave acts like Oltima Emocion. Elsewhere Yang mines the dreamy space disco and Hi-NRG sounds they're known for, like on the brooding "Past the Marshes" or the anthemic "Reservoir", which features their partner Len.Leo on vocals. Bezier deftly navigates past and present, light and dark, pain and pleasure, the stasis of memory and the flux of time. Valencia was mastered by Alex Michalski, with EQ for vinyl done by George Horn. Gwenael Rattke designed the sleeve, which features an 80's punk zine-esque geometric grid pattern mirroring San Francisco street maps. Also included is a 5x7 postcard with notes.
Review: This is a crucial 45 from Freestyle Records which separates out two tracks from their recent Bunny Scott reissue project. It is a brilliant showcase of Scott's early-Black Ark debut LP with Blaxploitation-influenced funk track 'Kinky Fly' kicking off. It has backing band members from The Chi-Lites' on board as well as a nice horn section and Chinna Smith's wah-wah guitar. The whole thing is overdubbed with synths to add to the mood. 'Sweet Loving Love' is more upbeat, with sunny towlines and rolling rhythms.
Review: First spotted online and in the boxes of some very lucky selectors last summer, then released digitally at the start of the year, Chunky's "Oun C" finally gets the vinyl justice it deserves. Rolling with deep space dynamics, there's a classic electro feel to the drums and a weirded out Crosstown flavour to the bubbling, mildly acidic bass. The result of this fusion is a foggy trap that allures the listeners and holds them captive in their own imagination. Flip for "Call Me, Let's Do Lunch". Here the beats are straight-up 4/4 and the nagging, heavily processed hook scream techno. Imagine a Drumcode release being played at -10 and you're on the right track. We're unsure what lunch Chunky has in mind; his name suggests an all-you-can-eat buffet but the sounds suggest something much leaner and chewy.
Review: Spanish label Rocafort started 2019 by releasing their first dub reggae "45", so it's fitting that they are ending the year with a sequel from the same act, The Circle of Confusion. Like its' predecessor, "Yesterday Was History" features lead vocals from Studio 1 singer Cornell Campbell. His soulful intonation works wonderfully above the band's hazy, heavy and ear-pleasing digi-dub backing track. Arguably even better is the band's own flipside "Dub" mix, which is as weighty, spaced out and intoxicating as the largely digital dubs pioneered by British scene stalwart Mad Professor. It's worth buying the seven-inch just to get your hands on it.
Review: Coyote drop a special 7 inch single. Inspired by recent events over the last 2 years and their continuing love affair with all things dub and reggae sound system.related. They have been playing lots of this type of stuff at their monthly night at The Bodega in Notts. Apparently causing some heat at recent ALFOS parties too. Bubble Up!
Review: 'Africa' is the first release by Jamaican born singer Robert Dallas on Dub & Sound International, known for his releases on Roots Garden and Jamtone. Here he delivers one of his strongest vocal works, with lovely harmonies and the the theme of returning home to Africa, while B-side dub amplifies the rhythm and has electrifying energy that's perfect for the sound system. Dub & Sound International, a Finnish label, is quickly making a name for itself in reggae circles with its signature roots reggae sound and here again label boss Jaakko Penttinen handled the mixing in the best old school style. Stay tuned for more equally infectious releases later this year.
Review: Over the last couple of years, Matasuna Records has developed a tried-and-tested formula. It revolves around finding and licensing killer cuts - think funk, Afrobeat, tropical flavours and Latin beats - and then pairing them with a fresh, floor-friendly re-edit. Their latest find is something of an overlooked gem: a gorgeously sunny 1983 number from Ghanaian musician Mawuli Decker that's piled high with infectious, EWE-language vocals, Highlife guitars, spacey Moog sounds and cute electric piano solos. The accompanying Renegades of Jazz re-edit is pleasingly faithful to its source material, deftly showcasing Decker's brilliant music while beefing up the bass, subtly tightening up the drums and layering on some complimentary hand percussion.
Review: Design Default first emerged back in 2018 with a release on Fragil Musique - the vivid, finely sculpted ambient LP Dawn Chorus. Now they're back with a new album, this time on New York label Club Night Club (who put out the excellent Herron Lowflow EP. The vibe is decidedly different, dealing in punchy electronica workouts with ample sonic manipulation and high production values. 'Lyrids' has enough brute force and deft dynamics to snap your head clean off, in the club or elsewhere, while 'Quarantids' teases between lush ambience and gravelly future-tech beats. 'Geminids' ramps up the industrial strength drum hits and nudges the tempo in kind, but still the artful programming and visceral mixing prowess is on full display - something Significant Other steps up to on their remix too.
Review: Al Kent takes on Japan’s answer to Vince Montana for another extended disco mix, with the emphasis - as always - on disco! Judging by the popularity of the pair’s last outing this release should once again please those DJs and music lovers with a penchant for the percussion, strings and traditional instrumentation that underpins the best disco music, bringing it up to date with one eye firmly on the past.
Review: Woi and indeed oi, V return to their vinyl-only Legends series where they dig deep into the vaults and pull out key dubplates that never saw the official release light of day. Key dubplates like these two big Bristol bruisers from DJ Die. Both written in 96, Die's Full Cycle rawness and innate sense of groovemanship is present and correct on both sides - the jazzier, busier work-out 'Capers' and the heavier, stripped-back 'Inside' which you can imagine was made in response to some of the game-changing sounds Krust was making at the time. Legendary business.
Review: Double Geography drops heavyweight 7" on IIB. Beautiful synth patterns and melodies drifting over a shuffling drum pattern. Like a long lost Maxi 12 dub mix from the 80s. Just lovely.Flip it over for the boss that is Ruf Dug's rework. Buzzing flies and slight de tuned stabs create a slightly moody eastern super dub chug bomb.Do not miss this
Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Margaret Dygas may be based in Berlin but her unique sound can't be tied down to any one city or scene, as she proves on her latest 12" across three tracks for the consistently exciting Half Baked label. Not that there's anything half done here, of course, with A-side tune 'Butterfly Effect' a prime slice of groovy. resonant techno that's understated and restrained enough to gain comparisons to Jaydee's 'Plastic Dreams' classic. 'CC Is 33' is warmer, with nicely slidy, jazzy organ chords and itchy technofunk rhythms, with the most minimal of the three tracks, the static-infused, atmospheric 'Subliminal 20A7', coming last but by no means least. A great showcase for a great, original talent.
The Exaltics & Paris The Black Fu - "Wea Poni Zedin Form" (4:02)
Alex Jann - "Android Memory" (5:31)
Lost Souls Of Saturn - "Rave Is Back" (6:31)
Kim Cosmik - "Moonrise" (6:58)
Review: Ralph Lawson's Leeds based 20/20 Vision label has made a distinctive shift into electro territory over the last couple years. It is a sound the boss has said has long been in his heart despite him being best known as a house head and longtime resident at Back to Basics, and the quality of the tunes he unearths to put out more than backs that up. The Exaltics & Paris The Black Fu kick off with a shiny, bright, visceral metallic electro workout then three further cuts take in dark wave drum machine rhythms and acid-laced bangers.
Review: Making a welcome return to Swamp 81 after the Mean Streets pair of releases, Falty DL is on superlative form as ever with a pair of direct cuts that play on different sides of his production personality. "Huff & Puff Bruk" takes the fundamentals of 2-step and infuses it with lazy jazz and ethereal tones for a crisply funking, whimsical cut that should get all soulful spinners in a lather. On the flip things get edgier as "Mo" takes sharply looped vocal samples and works them around clattering slices of breaks to whip up the kind of frenzy that Tessela and co. inspire with their own rum choppery.
The Family Daptone - "Hey Brother (Do Unto Others)" (3:52)
Soul Fugue - "The 100 Knights Orchestra" (4:58)
Review: Soul and funk heads won't want to miss this very special seven-inch from the Daptone Records crew, and not just because it's the label's 100th "45". The A-side features an all-star '60s soul cover of the Frightnrs rock-steady cut featuring vocal contributions from Saun and Starr, James Hunter, Lee Fields, Naomi Shelton, Duke Amayo, the Frightnrs and two legends who are no longer with us: Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones. It's a one-off that won't be repeated for obvious reasons, but more importantly it's very, very good. Over on the flip main man Bosco Mann takes charge, conducting and producing "two opposing armies" of woodwind and horn players from the label's expansive musical roster. As you'd expect, it's something of an epic.
Music Makes The World Go 'Round (instrumental) (3:30)
Review: Numero's Hottest Sounds Around collection captures obscure late-70s grooves from the Greater Antilles. Trinidad's Stan Chaman's Semp label delivered Wilfred Luckie's quirky 'My Thing' and the Hamilton Brothers' calypso-disco hit 'Music Makes The World Go 'Round' in 1978. Meanwhile, across the sea, Frank Penn's G.B.I studio recorded Stephen Colebrook's Doobie Brothers-inspired 'Stay Away From Music,' appealing to cruise ship audiences. All three tracks are packaged in a custom Numero sleeve, echoing the design of Edward Seaga's influential Caribbean music label, WIRL (West Indies Records Ltd.). This compilation revives the vibrant, eclectic sounds of the late 70s, providing a fresh look at the music that once enlivened the Caribbean scene.
Review: Daptone recently released a killer collection of archival cover versions by in-house band the Dap-Kings and their sadly departed lead singer Sharon Jones. One of the headline attractions on that set, the band's righteous, call-to-arms soul version of Woody Guthrie's folk anthem 'This Land Is Our Land', is also featured on this must-have reissue of a "45" that first dropped in 2004. It's superb, but even better is A-side 'What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes?', a floor-friendly conscious soul/funk crossover written and recorded at the height of the second Gulf War with Iraq. As usual, Jones' impeccable lead vocal is supported brilliantly by the band's fiery instrumentation and Bosco Mann's fuzzy, sixties-style production.
Review: K15 has never let us down ever since he emerged with a brilliant double pack on Kyle Hall's Wild Oats several years ago. The thoughtful London-based beat smith turns up here on 200 Lack, the acclaimed also London-based outlet for broken beats. 'Resonance' is a gorgeously shimmering and summery opener with pensive chords and lush drumming, while 'Within Reach" then brings some playful funkiness with the majestic squelchy bass work and free-spirited melodies that dart about up top. 'Resistance' closes down this superb EP with more thrilling drum patterns and lithe synths.
Review: To date, Kim Cosmk has generally done her own thing - self-releasing a string of digital-only singles and albums which variously mix and mangle elements of electro, IDM, techno and dubstep. Here she pops up on an established label - Ralph Lawson's 2020 Vision to be exact - for the very first time. First, she whips up a frenzy courtesy of the fuzzy and aggressive riffs of techno roller 'Night Flight', complete with creepy chords and foreboding motifs. She then delivers raw, heavy, industrial-fired electro on 'Ore', whilst warped dubstep and electro are brilliantly mixed on 'Nocturnal'. To round things up nicely, 'Drifting' is a partial vocal number built around a wobbling dubstep bass with punchy electro drums and twinkling pianos.
Review: It was back in 1986 when obscure UK electrofunk band Leval released their sole 7" - a sparkling slab of pop-boogie brilliance that has long been a secret weapon for dusty-fingered diggers and Brit-funk collectors. As this Athens of the North reissue proves, the record remains a brilliant Brit-boogie gem. Check first 'Our Love', a confirmed earworm that sees the band wrap duetting male/female vocals around a deliciously bustling blend of rubbery slap-bass, eyes-closed soft rock guitars, warm synthesizer chords and a dewy-eyed, jazz-funk style breakdown. Flipside 'It's Up To You' is a little more eccentric thanks to an unusual time signature and drum track, but boasts the same addictive blend of male and female lead vocals, slap bass and synths.
Review: Serbia's Disco Fruit crew has been putting out lush sounds that take in funk, breaks and soul influences on top of their bread and butter disco grooves for years now. This time they welcome back a label regular, Loshmi, who has put out plenty of edits here before now. His new one 'Dark Night' is a 60s-tinged high speed spy theme with funky brass and bristling drums all overlaid with rock-styled vocal yelps. The instrumental on the flip is a more paired back but just as hustling groove.
Review: Hyperdub kick off the vinyl side to their ten-year celebrations with this weighty four-tracker from some of the leading lights from the label's story. Mala is in a strident mood with "Expected, Level 10" carrying through that extra touch of melody from the Mala In Cuba LP. DVA cuts loose with the leftfield scattershot groove of "Technical Difficulties", reveling in tonal experimentation and jagged rhythmic flair to a stunning end. Still locked into the sci-fi trap tangent that characterised Severant, Kuedo turns out the haunting "Mtzpn" and Helix pops up for a remix of Kode9's "Xingfu Lu" that strips down to bare essentials with a little starlit soul rubbed into the framework.
Review: Polytechnic Youth has been in hibernation for years and now is back with a run of killer releases. This limited 7" comes with fine artwork inspired by 70s era BBC design and is the latest offering from Masonic Kitchen, the solo project of Chris Walker. The music is sci-fi inspired experimental electronica with minimal synth boxes, sequences and drum machines all featuring to lend it a nice frayed hardware aesthetic. Human League and Cabaret Voltaire fans will surely find lots to love.
Review: Weirdo minimal tech soul, anyone? Any takers should be directed towards this oddball release from Melchior Productions and Paul Walter. Two tracks of serious strangeness: timestretched vocals and repetitious yeahs blossom between the beat-thickets of Melchior's 'Yeah X 3', while many more percussive hits and cuts and clicks and pops and booms come courtesy of Walter's B-side, 'Xvive'. It's an impressive first foray for Maria Newyen's new imprint Scious; let's hope future 12"s stay just as weird.
Review: XTEP marks the first u-Ziq material from Mike Paradinas in some six years and precedes the release of a full album later from the Planet Mu boss due out this year. Having been coaxed away from his fine curation of Planet Mu over recent years with the Heterotic project done in cahoots with wife Lara Rix-Martin, Paradinas returns to his universally recognised u-Ziq project with this five track EP which seem to present a diverse and accessible snapshot of Paradinas' production palette, veering through smudged out analogue funk, gauzy piano house, pulsing electronic disco and more rhythmically diverse material. This would seem to justify Planet Mu's claim that Paradinas has abandoned "the furrow-browed quest for cutting-edge exploration, exchanging it for an altogether more carefree fun approach".
Review: Coral City return early in 2022 with an excellent release. N&W are on duty again here with three stand-out tracks. 'Rave' the A-Side is exactly what it says on the tin. It's 808 State meets Larry Heard with a touch of Inner City. Stripped down and four to floor. Classic Roland 909 drums are met with aAhook that shakesAany dancefloor, expect early support with this. 'Speed' is a killer Nu-Disco / Boogie affair with a nod to the seedy underworld of the '80s, Picture Michelle Pfeiffer throwing shapes on the dancefloor in Scarface, and you are right on the nose. Finally, 'Cherry' is an all-out Italo / Hi-NRG workout, the linndrums, the driving arpeggio bassline and overall melancholy feel, is reminiscent of Bobby Orlando.
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