This iconic and much sought after self titled LP by Piry Reis now re-issued as a deluxe 180 grams edition containing an extra bonus track (a spaced out Jazz interpretation of "No Risco Do Relâmpago"). After playing for several years with Egberto Gismonti group and other prominent Brazilian acts, Piry decided to record this solo album which was originally released in 1980 featuring a special guest appearance by Egberto Gismonti. Softly psychedelic, beautifully textured and totally seductive Tropicalia.

Producer and bassist Huw Marc Bennett presents ‘Tresilian Bay’, a new project that draws from artists such as Tim Maia, Augustus Pablo and Idris Muhammed as much as the jazz scene and community he has found in south-east London. The languid, sultry sound fuses both modern and vintage, travelling from South London electronica, to Brazillian groove, Nigerian Afrobeat and Ghanaian Highlife along with a streak of Welsh psychedelia.

‘Tresilian Bay’ is a nod to hedonistic summer nights, whether spent on the Glamorgan coast or the hot Lewisham streets. The album is titled in honour of the bay near where Huw grew up, an area steeped in stories of ancient Welsh royalty, smugglers and pirates.

The album started out as a lost live session recorded at the Total Refreshment Centre studios, featuring Chelsea Carmichael (sax), Rosie Turton (trombone), Shirley Tetteh (guitar) and Jake Long (drums) with Huw at the helm on bass and compositions. With glorious vocal contributions from Miryam Solomon; Huw utilised his human style of production and multi instrumentality heard in his Susso project (Soundway Records, 2016) to mold these recordings into this mature and emotional debut.

The album was mixed and mastered by Albert's Favourites co-founder Adam Scrimshire with artwork by Jonny Drop.

Gone Clear, is the quintessence of reggae and groove, as only Manu Dibango can conceive them. After a stay in Nigeria and a great tour with the Ivorian Radio-Television Orchestra, the Cameroonian saxophonist landed for the first time in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1976. Just a few steps away from Bob Marley's home (taking the time to greet him every day on his way to the studio to say “hello”!).

It was with the cream of the crop of musicians at that time (Robbie Shakespeare and Sly Dunbar, Randy and Michael Brecker, Lou Marini...) and in the legendary Dynamic Sounds Studios that he shaped this 100% roots album. With a slightly relaxed and positive atmosphere, far from the usual militant style lyrics, Manu's reggae invites you to "chill out", and is supported by a highly effective backing choir. Like most of his albums, Manu's reggae is also very mixed, blending African, Jamaican and American inspiration with danceable funk on tracks such as Goro City and Happy Feeling. The cherry on the cake is his hit "Soul Makossa" - sampled without permission by Michael Jackson and Rihanna a few years later – and arranged in a Caribbean sauce in a slower version, renamed "Reggae Makossa."

If there's one thing we can truly salute here, it is that Manu Dibango can compose reggae with respect for tradition while adding his own personal touch. We can see this touch later in the album Cubafrica, where Manu was able to surround himself with the best Cuban musicians (the Quarteto Patria), to deliver a very high-quality Afro-Cuban album, adding a new gem to his fabulous discography.

Harmonious Thelonious is the solo project of the Düsseldorf musician Stefan Schwander. His works combine American-influenced minimal music with African rhythms and European melodies.

"I was busy experimenting with noisy rhythms when Bureau B asked me if I would like to release an album on their label. I was aiming for a more industrial sound; backwards cymbals, loops generated from non-musical sources such as slamming doors, and had the feeling that this would align nicely with Bureau B’s own story." Stefan Schwander’s new album Plong is something of a hybrid in the discography of Harmonious Thelonious, drawing on his existing strengths plus a sense of adventure in a mix of all his musical predilections. Dipping into the music, Middle Eastern elements can be heard on "Original Member Of A Wedding Band" and "Mumba", whilst tracks like "Höhlenmenschenmuziek" are characterized by more pronounced bass structures. Tuned down xylophones, evocative of ritual drums, sub bass and electrifying basslines catalyse the idiosyncratic sound of Plong: hypnotic, danceable, irresistible. A powerful head of steam builds across the nine tracks, with subtle changes in harmony ("Geistertrio Booking") or unexpected cameos such as a new wave bassline on "Abu Synth" shaking things up before the album hurtles onward with renewed force. Take "Interpretation de reve" as a case in point – floating sequences and themes sweep ashore in wave after wave of melody; analogous to dreams which enter the subconscious in episodes, their apparent randomness gradually shifting into a correlative pattern. "Totentanz" closes the album in a homage to the Basle club of the same name, a place which played a decisive role in Schwander’s musical socialisation: "I was lucky enough to see bands like Liquid Liquid, Gun Club, Jonathan Richman and a very young Aztec Camera there".

Harmonious Thelonious comes off with an exceptional work in the genre of electronic music, successfully embracing the physical power of a club night soundtrack whilst exploring the dramatic depths of sonic worlds to create an intensive listening experience in total solitude.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Durian Bro and Dusseldorf sorcerer Stefan Schwander gets industrial and middle eastern on this Bureau B LP, translating his usual sonic manipulations into a hypnotic set of trance dancers for the alternative club kids. I'm gonna buy like 5 copies of this!

Notorische Reflexe was an experimental band, art form and a film performance group from West Berlin. Existing from 1982 to 1986, they were part of the early 80s Berlin art scene along with groups like P.D., Die Tödliche Doris, Einstürzende Neubauten or Malaria. Their only LP – originally released in 1985 – is an impressive outburst ranging from minimal electronics to more experimental takes with some jazzy/ethnic touches. Now reissued on LP featuring a bonus track, extended artwork and liner notes by Mark Reeder. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Total grail of the German underground this! Falling somewhere between NDW, tribal electronics and avant jazz, this killer LP balances ethno-industrial freakouts and noise experiments with absolute floor fillers for the weirdo dancefloor.

The third release from Jazz Is Dead records is features Marcos Valle, one of the greatest and most important composers, arrangers, writers and performers in Brazilian history. A jack of all trades, Valle has produced works in many musical styles, including bossa nova, samba, and fusions of rock, soul, jazz, and more. Composed and produced by Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad and recorded in the Linear Labs analog studio. 

On the Corner goes beyond being a record label. It is a story of innovative artists from hotbeds of ancient-future* music across the globe. This ‘Door to the Cosmos’ compilation is the 10th full release (and an eclectic array of 20 EPs). OtCs rawkus sonic explorations are brought to the fore via 24 tracks making a heady blend of label mainstays and fresh family recruits. The label is an inimitable mixture of Miles Davis’ ‘call it what you want’ attitude, the afro centric futurism of Sun Ra and the evolving electronic frontier where black music kicks it to the dance floor.

‘Door to the Cosmos’ expresses On the Corner’s adventure; future sounds referencing the source, be it Detroit, UK bass culture, New Orleans or the Niger delta. The title riffs off of the otherworldly, afro futurist jazzer Sun Ra’s infamous chant ‘dare to knock at the door to the cosmos’. Sun Ra’s sound and narrative bending inspires us to kick at the rules and push at the infinite, the ecstatic and the unknown through music by knock, knock, knocking at the door to the cosmos. The compilation is the first outing for a new raft of artists who are celebrated by the label and welcomed to a creative space brimming with the tales of unsung pioneers of the past and champion sonic explorers of the future.

How The River Ganges Flows is a transcendent collection of Carnatic violin performances captured on 78 rpm disc between 1933 and 1952. Most of these sublime recordings have not been heard since they were first etched in shellac decades ago. These melodies are ethereal and transporting: meditative. The rhythms undulate from despair to ecstasy, often within the same phrase. Remastered from the collection of Christopher King along with a set of deep notes, this music is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.

Holy smokes! It's almost ten years since Zambon began to flip our lids with TVPC and what better way to celebrate than with a 7th instalment. Get ready for another quartet of forgotten Polish jams, polished up for the modern dancefloor. 
Cast your ears within and you'll find freaky and frisky Moroder-esque acid via Dyyune's deep and cosmic edit of Izabela Trojnowska's 'Jestem Twoim Grzechem' ('I Am Your Sin'), the hip-hoppin Balearica of Dyyune and Bisti's take on 'W Moim Niebie Nie Ma Gwiazd' ('There Are No Stars In My Heaven') which was recorded by lesser known 80's Polish girl band Fiesta. If you try to imagine the Venn diagram overlap between a Red Motorbike and Eric Duncan's "Dolly Parton" edit, then you're bang on the money, honey. 
Take a sidestep to the B1, neck a gary and  prepare to hold a toal stranger to your rushing bussom as FOPA & Tamten re-interpretate Polish pop classic 'Jezioro Szczescia' ('The Lake of Happiness'). Hefty breakbeats, sustained bass and nostalgic AF keys abound here, all leading to a chorus which hits the same melody as Rozalla's "Everybody's Free".  The whole package is rounded up by Stachy DJ (a Polish veteran who recorded with DJ Koze) who offers up the hypnotic stomp of 'Obiecany Raj' ('Promised Paradise') from one of the top Polish synth bands of all time. Reinforced percussion, neat loops and a consciousness shifting arrangement score 10/10 for this reviewer.
As always all killers no fillers and a very limited pressing !!

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: TVPC are back (for at least the next 13 mins before this belter sells out)! This time round we get an acid infused Italo peach, a little Balearic beat down, pilled up pop euphoria and some slick synth pop - all on one unmissable disc.