Hallo my British chums and welcome to another edition of the Piccadilly Records Compilation Of The Year. 2021’s top of the pops takes us on a cheeky trip through the Chunnel to the land of du pain, du vin, du Boursin for a sprawling set of yé-yé, 60s psych pop and contemporary grooves from a who’s who of France’s chic elite. Compiled with affection and expertise by Mark McQuillan for Brighton’s Two Piers, Pop Psychédélique fully embodies the sultry, sexy and surreal sound of French music.

Born out of a love affair with jazz and an infatuation with the British Invasion, French pop music quickly cut its own niche in the musical landscape of the sixties. Typified by hip-shaking rhythms, fuzzbox guitars and spoke-sung vocals, yé-yé was referential but never reverential, a point proven when Jacqueline Taieb shreds pop culture on “7 AM”. Elsewhere lost love and lost toothbrushes are given equal weight as the profound and profane are dispatched with the shrugging indifference of a Pastis-soaked Gainsbourg (who’s predictably all over this collection, both as artist or songwriter).

This signature style has come to define French music, and echoes through the ages thanks to L’Epee, the Limiñanas, Air and Stereolab, four globe-conquering acts who are a testament to the enduring appeal of the Gallic sound. Indeed a handful of older cuts here have also found streaming fame with a new generation via soundtrack appearances on the likes of Killing Eve and Queen’s Gambit, with producers eager to exploit these shorthands for cool.

The set sails into the sunset via Fatboy Slim’s remix of Pierre Henry and Michel Colombier’s “Psyche Rock” and the final jigsaw piece falls into place. Not only does this collection pay homage to France, but also McQuillan’s native Brighton, where the Big Beat pioneers championed records like Jean-Jacques Perrey’s “E.V.A.” while reshaping Britain’s club culture. C’est magnifique!

TRACK LISTING

A1 Contact - Brigitte Bardot
A2 Tut Tut Tut Tut - Gillian Hills
A3 Laisse Tomber Les Filles - France Gall
A4 7AM - Jacqueline Taieb
A5 I’m Gonna Haunt You - Fabienne DelSol
A6 Si Tu Reviens Chez Moi - Les 5 Gentlemen
B1 Roller Girl - Comedie Musicale ‘Anna’ - Anna Karina
B2 Migas 2000 - The Liminanas
B3 Dreams - L’Epee
B4 Les Cornichons - Nino Ferrer
B5 Harley Davidson - Brigitte Bardot
B6 Poupee De Cire Poupée De Son - France Gall
C1 Une Filles C’est Fait Pour Faire L’amour - Charlotte Leslie
C2 La Fille A La Moto - Dani
C3 Tu Fais Partie Du Passe - Zouzou
C4 Requiem Pour Un C… - BOF “Le Pacha” - Serge Gainsbourg
C5 E.V.A - Jean-Jacques Perrey
D1 Cybele’s Reverie - Stereolab
D2 Don’t Be Light - Air
D3 Psyche Rock (Malpaso Mix By Fatboy Slim) - Pierre Henry 

Soul Jazz Records’ new ‘Cold Wave’ is a collection of current electronic artists who have all been shaped by the early European cold wave artists of the late 70s and early 80s.

This is the first release of Soul Jazz Records’ new Cold Wave overview and a second volume will follow.

These first artists created new electronic musical landscapes as well as pursuing a stubborn DIY aesthetic, often releasing material on cassette and pioneering use of lo-fi technology, primitive drum machines and home recording techniques. As part of this continued evolution today many of the artists featured here also self-release their own material, run labels, publish fanzines, or are part of wider musical collectives.

Aside from the first electronic, no wave and post-punk artists cited as influences – Suicide, Patrick Cowley, The Normal, Martin Hannett, Laurie Anderson, Public Image – this new generation of artists also show an exquisitely open source of electronic and disparate influences, everything from Underground Resistance to Purcell, from Scientist to new beat and more besides.

Most of the featured artists are based in Europe and include Krikor, Dissemblance and VQOA from France, De Ambassade from the Netherlands, Moisture from Sweden, Kreidler from Germany, Céline Gillian and Carcass Identity from Belgium. One exception is FIT Siegel out of Detroit, connecting the electronic pathways of Europe to the Motor City.

All of the bands featured here make distinctive contemporary music out of the 80s roots of the first cold wave movement.

This first edition of ‘Cold Wave’ comes in two vinyl editions – a one-off pressing orange coloured vinyl edition and a black vinyl edition. Both come as heavyweight double vinyl housed in bespoke individual inner sleeves and the first pressing of this album comes with its own free pullout fanzine on the groups featured. The CD edition comes with artist booklet / fanzine and slipcase. All editions are printed in special dayglo colour finish.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Not content with rocking our Piccadilly socks with the angular energy of their contemporary post punk round up, Soul Jazz now take a tour through the modern age of Cold Wave, picking out former Piccadilly records of the week from Krikor, Wang Inc., De Ambassade, Celine Gillain and Krikor. As a result, this whole comp comes most highly recommended from your favourite vinyl hustlers.

TRACK LISTING

1. Dissemblance – Capture
2. Carcass Identity – Reflexion Ocean
3. FIT Siegel – Wayne County Stomp
4. De Ambassade – Standhouden
5. Wang Inc. – Approdo
6. Krikor Kouchian – Niños Matadores
7. Céline Gillain – Fight Or Flight
8. Kreidler – Kannibal
9. Moisture – Gammut
10. Violent Quand On Aime – Of Course I’m A Liar

Cultural polymath - pop star, filmmaker, radio broadcaster, commentator, Grammy winner. Oh and DJ, too. Take your pick from the many coats worn by our selector, Don Letts aka The Rebel Dread.

Born in Brixton, a child of the Windrush Generation, Letts’ slippery and unorthodox career is somewhat hard to define, without taking a few detours around London, New York and Jamaica. He began his working life managing the dauntingly hip Acme Attractions on Chelsea’s Kings Road, where he made a mark with his attitude, dress and, especially, the pounding dub reggae that vibrated the shop’s walls. His first gig as a DJ at the short-lived Roxy in Neal Street, became mythical for turning a generation of punks on to reggae. They in turn hipped him to their DIY ethos resulting in his reinvention as a filmmaker. This led to a shed-load of music videos (Linton Kwesi Johnson, The Clash, Bob Marley) not to mention documentaries on the likes of Gil Scott-Heron, George Clinton and Sun Ra.

In the ’80s, he was part of Mick Jones’ new venture, Big Audio Dynamite and his innovative use of samples were a core part of their sound. Listeners of his weekly 6 Music radio show are taken on a musical safari that moves seamlessly between time, space and genre. It’s not called Culture Clash Radio for nothing. So this latest bulletin from Letts HQ is merely one angle of a multifaceted personality, his take on the JA tradition of the cover version.

The history of Caribbean music owes a debt to R&B as many of the early island releases were cover versions of US 45s. Ska’s breakthrough commercially, Millie Small’s ‘My Boy Lollipop’, was originally recorded by Barbie Gaye in ’50s New York. Cover versions became quite a thing in Jamaica and Don, following in that tradition, has dug deep with a selection of interesting dubbed out covers including thirteen exclusives.

“A disciple of sound system, raised on reggae n’ bass culture my go to sound was dub. Besides being spacious and sonically adventurous at the same time, its most appealing aspect was the space it left to put yourself ‘in the mix’ underpinned by Jamaica’s gift to the world - bass. But that’s only half the story as the duality of my existence meant I was also checking what the Caucasian crew were up to not to mention the explosion of black music coming in from the States. That’s why this version excursion crosses time space and genre, from The Beach Boys to The Beatles, Nina Simone to Marvin Gaye, The Bee Gees to Kool & The Gang, The Clash to Joy Division and beyond. You’d think it impossible to draw a line between ‘em but not in my world. Fortunately, the ‘cover version’ has played an integral part in the evolution of Jamaican music and dub covers were just a natural extension.”

There’s a diverse mix of classic and new, with legendary figures like John Holt, The Tamlins and Cornell Campbell, mixed in with British veterans Mad Professor and the irrepressible Dennis Bovell, while (relatively) young striplings Kiko Bun, Emily Capell and Prince Fatty deliver the goods, with laidback Texan groovers Khruangbin also offering an exclusive bass heavy-delight.

The song choices are diverse, from French dubsters’ OBF’s renditions of ‘Sixteen Tons’, the miners’ paean popularised by Tennessee Ernie Ford in the 1950s, to Ash Walker’s refix of Omar’s ‘There’s Nothing Like This’ and ‘All I Do Is Think About You’, immortalised by the ill-fated Tammi Terrell and preserved here by Quantic (the latter two both exclusives). Being a Rebel Dread compilation, there’s a cover (by Wrongtom Meets The Rockers) of The Clash’s ‘Lost In The Supermarket’ while Don’s exclusive, naturally, is a rendition of Big Audio Dynamite’s debut hit, ‘E = MC2’.

“Truth be told I’ve wanted to work with the Late Night Tales crew from the get go. We’re talking nearly two decades such was the allure of their musical aesthetic typified by curators like Nightmares on Wax, The Flaming Lips, MGMT, Trentemoller, Khruangbin and countless others. Now being as old as rock n’ roll (born in ‘56) and having nearly 20 years of Culture Clash Radio under my belt I figured I was tooled up to musically juggle with the best of ‘em. But I wanted to carve out a space that was distinctly my own - something that reflected my musical journey and the culture clash that’s made me the man I am today.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Don Letts, widely credited for turning the punk world on to reggae collects some of his favourite pieces, from dubby cuts to electronic and groovers, some unheard gems and a few exclusive tracks for the legendary Late Night Tales. In a pretty crowded field of 'great LNT comps', this is truly one of the greatest.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Ghetto Priest - Hercules (North Street West 'Late Night Tales' Dub) *Exclusive Remix
A2. Prince Fatty & Shniece McMenamin - Black Rabbit
A3. Wrongtom Meets The Rockers - Dub In The Supermarket *Exclusive Remix
A4. Gaudi Meets The Rebel Dread Ft. Emily Capell - E = MC2 *Exclusive Track
A5. Rude Boy - Superstylin' *Exclusive Remix
B6. Capitol 1212 Ft. Earl 16 - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Full Vocal Dub) *Exclusive Remix
B7. Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno - All I Do Is Think About You (Far East Dub) *Exclusive Remix
B8. Zoe Devlin Love Ft. Tim Hutton - Caroline No
B9. John Holt - You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine (Mad Professor 2021 Dub) *Exclusive Remix
B10. Cornell Campbell - Ital City Dub *Exclusive Remix
B11. Matumbi - (I Can't Get Enough Of) That Reggae Stuff (Dennis Bovell Remix) *Exclusive Remix
C12. Gentleman's Dub Club Ft. Kiko Bun - Use Me (Ben McKone Dub)
C13. Black Box Recorder - Uptown Top Ranking
C14. OBF - Sixteen Tons Of Dub
C15. Yasushi Ide - Ain't No Sunshine (Space Dub Mix) *Exclusive Remix
D16. The Tamlins - Baltimore
D17. 15 16 17 - Emotion (Dennis Bovell Remix) *Exclusive Remix
D18. Ash Walker - There's Nothing Like This *Exclusive Track
D19. The Senior Allstars - Slipping Into Darkness
D20. Easy Star All-Stars - Within You Without You
D21. Khruangbin - Dern Kala (Khruangbin Dub Mix) *Exclusive Remix

The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four is a double album of tracks written by Andy Gill and Gang of Four, all newly reinterpreted and recorded by artists whose own unique contributions to music were enriched by listening to Gang of Four.

The album features songs from across Gang of Four’s 40-plus year career, each individually chosen by the artists who covered them.

Andy Gill originally conceived of the album to mark the 40th anniversary of the release of Entertainment! in 2019.

His widow, Catherine Mayer, explains that this plan had already changed by the time of Andy’s death in 2020, after some artists chose tracks from different albums and periods.

“Andy was massively excited about this project,” Mayer says. “It wasn’t of course conceived as a tribute album, but it’s comforting to me that he lived to see artists he hugely admired enthusiastically agreeing to participate, signalling that the admiration was mutual.”

The album artwork has been created by English artist Damien Hirst, a long-time friend of Andy’s.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A wonderful collection of some of the world's most respected artists covering the beloved tunes of Gang Of Four. From genres spanning electronic, indie and avant and from a huge variety of eras, it's clear how many people Andy Gill influenced, and how important these compositions are to today's musical landscape.

TRACK LISTING

Idles - Damaged Goods
Tom Morello & Serj Tankian - Natural’s Not In It
Helmet - In The Ditch
3D X Gang Of Four Feat. Nova Twins - Where The Nightingale Sings
Hotei - To Hell With Poverty
Gary Numan - Love Like Anthrax
Gail Ann Dorsey - We Live As We Dream Alone
Herbert Grönemeyer Feat. Alex Silva - I Love A Man In A Uniform
LoneLady - Not Great Men
JJ Sterry - 5.45
La Roux - Damaged Goods
Everything Everything - Natural’s Not In It
Dado Villa-Lobos - Return The Gift
The Dandy Warhols - What We All Want
Warpaint - Paralysed
Flea & John Frusciante - Not Great Men
The Sounds - I Love A Man In Uniform
Hardcore Raver In Tears - Last Mile
Killing Joke X Gang Of Four - Forever Starts Now (Killing Joke Dub)
Sekar Melati - Not Great Men (live Version)

*HUGE FANFARE!!!* Full Beam! is back for the third (and possibly the best yet) installment of the "For Gees Only" series - choice boogie selected from deep within Pharaoh Brunson's mythical pyramid for the dancefloor fellaheen to indulge themself with.

No tracklisted as per the norm (good luck trainspotters!) but we here at Picc HQ have already unveiled a Stinger J & Special Occasion track so you don't have to! You know the score though by now surely? All hitters no shitters! 8 premium grade numbers pressed two per side for max fidelty and headroom. 

Riso-printed, snazzy AF insert to boot. You know what to do! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Manchester's no. 1 boogie cru return with volume 3 of their eagerly collected cult series. Featuring all the hits from the infamous NTS Sunday show, 'longside nuff sizzlers aired by Brunson and co. at nights like Wet Play, Social Service and Red Laser Disco etc. BOOOGIIIEEE!!!

TSTD returns with another trip into the musical past of the sundrenched Westcoast: This time DJ Supermarkt unearthed 16 Soul & Funk versions of original Westcoast/AOR/Yachtpop gems. You can find tracks originally performed by Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers, Hall & Oates, Steely Dan, Wings covered by big Soul & Funk legends like Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, Brothers Johnson and more. Most of the tracks have been recorded in the late 70s/early 80s, but failed to become big hits and fell under the radar. Like Chaka Khan doing a seriously funky version of Fleetwood Mac’s „Everywhere“ (from an unreleased album recording), next to obscure reworks like Leslie Smith’s version of „Nothin’ You Can Do About It“ by the overlooked Airplay (Jay Graydon and David Foster). There are especially surprising versions here, like Millie Jackson’s gospel-like rendering of „This Is It“ by Kenny Loggins/Michael McDonald, or Billy Paul’s „Black Power“-influenced version of Paul McCartney/Wings’ „Let Em In“ and the rare cover of The Beach Boys’ „God Only Knows“ by Betty Everett. Overall another TSTD collection of smooth, sunny, extremely soulful and funky tracks, that needed to be dug-out to be heard again. This is Bottled Sunshine!

TRACK LISTING

A1. The Main Ingredient – Summer Breeze (Seals & Croft)
A2. Dee Dee Bridgewater – He’S Gone (Hall & Oates)
A3. Tavares – I Hope You’Ll Be Very Unhappy Without Me (Bill Labounty)
A4. Betty Everett – God Only Knows (Beach Boys)
B1. The Ebonys – A Love Of Your Own (Ned Doheny)
B2. Pointer Sisters – Dirty Work (Steely Dan)
B3. Leslie Smith – Nothin’ You Can Do About It (Airplay)
B4. The Brothers Johnson – In The Way (Jeff Porcaro/Toto)
C1. Greg Phillinganes – Lazy Nina (Donald Fagen)
C2. Peabo Bryson – Minute By Minute (Doobie Brothers)
C3. Chaka Khan – Everywhere (Fleetwood Mac)
C4. Aretha Franklin – What A Fool Believes (Doobie Brothers)
D1. Billy Paul – Let ‘Em In (Wings)
D2. Side Effect – Georgy Porgy (Toto)
D3. Quincy Jones – Takin’ It To The Streets (Doobie Brothers)
D4. Millie Jackson – This Is It (Kenny Loggins & Michael Mcdonald)

‘Next Wave Acid Punx’ is a 38 track journey across nearly 40 years of dark club music compiled and curated by Berlin-based Musician and DJ, Luca Venezia aka Curses. Inviting friends with a like-minded affection for an 80s rooted sound, and diving deep into his record collection, Curses has put together a three CD/double vinyl set that takes us from music by Colourbox and Suicide to EBM pioneers, Front 242 through to recent club hits from Zombies in Miami, and 12 brand new, totally exclusive tracks from the likes of Shubostar, Chinaski, and Curses himself.

Exploring the darker side of club music, ‘Next Wave Acid Punx’ traces decades of a musical passion and joins the dots between the EBM, New Beat, Italo and Acid House tracks of the 1980s to present music of today.

"Putting together a compilation like this is a strange experience. I’ve never been one to stay still too long. Whether as a musician, DJ, or producer I’d never wanted to tie myself down to one scene or one sound, always looking to move on before I’d maybe run a project completely dry. With an album you create a snapshot of who you are during that time in life, with a DJ set maybe just that night, but this felt more like trying to sum up a lifetime of musical experiences. A bit daunting! But in putting this comp together I did find a path that led from listening to FRONT 242 and Ministry cassettes in my bedroom when I was just 11, through to the music I make and play today.

What links these tracks together, is an attitude. It’s one I’ve been drawn to since I was a teenager, playing in punk bands, skateboarding in NYC, hanging out at CBGBs, and following Sonic Youth around, to eventually raving every weekend at underground drum & bass and electro nights.

As a teenager I’d dig through the bargain bins at shops like Vinyl Mania and Bleecker Bob’s where you’d find all these Freestyle, Italo and New Beat records. Straight away I zoned in on the “Dub” and “Extended Dance Mix” versions where the focus was on the drums and I could hear a link to bands I’d loved years before.

The first chapter takes early tracks from bands who came directly out of the punk and new wave scenes, that played a major role in forming my musical taste. The second chapter celebrates current music influenced by these early pioneers, while the third chapter comprises exclusive new music made for this compilation, with the passion for these genres in mind.

Some of these songs may have been written decades apart, but they all share an energy, a raw spirit, it’s those massive drums and gated snares that you hear on both Demolition Group’s ‘You Better Stay Alive’ from 1988, and Shubostar’s brand new track, ‘Aya’. This mix of electric and electronic sounds have been part of my make up ever since I learned to play guitar accompanied by a DR550 drum machine.

After leaving New York, I found a scene that helped me realize I could combine all my own past influences into my productions, song-writing and DJ sets. Discovering underground parties like Wrong Era, Cocktail d’Amore in Berlin, La dame Noir in Marseille, and of course A Love From Outer Space, made the pieces fall into place for me. This is the sound of a community I love, a passion without sacrifice, that I now want to share with you."

TRACK LISTING

LP Part 1: Origins:
A1. Borghesia - Z.M.R.
A2. Gina X Performance - Kaddish
A3. Suicide - Wild In Blue (2005 Remaster)
A4. Demolition Group - You Better Stay Alive
B1. A Split Second - Flesh
B2. BPM AM - Come To Me (Vocal Version)
B3. Ted Milton - Love Is Like A Violence
C1. Front 242 - Funkhadafi
C2. Colourbox - Fast Dump
C3. Yello - Lost Again (Extended Dance Version)
D1. Mystery - Mystery Girl (Club Mix Remastered)
D2. In-D - Virgin In-D Sky's
D3. Judy Torres - No Reason To Cry (Instrumental)
D4. Hard Corps - Porte Bonheur (Lucky Charm) 2021

LP Part 2: Move Your Body:
A1. Moderna & Theus Mago - Francesca (Wild At Heart)
A2. Zombies In Miami - El Wild
A3. Juan Maclean - She's Breaking Up Featuring - Fantastic Twins
B1. Damon Jee & Darlyn Vlys - Kronos (Wild Mix)
B2. Modular Project - Electronic Disco (Curses Remix)
C1. Curses - Discipline
C2. Chinaski - Hart Und Kalt
C3. Cornelius Doctor - Life In Chains
D1. Shubostar - AYA
D2. Kendal & David Carretta - Pastaga
D3. Local Suicide & Skelesys - Faster Faster

3CD Edition:
Chapter 1. Origins (Classics)
1. Borghesia - Z.M.R.
2. Gina X Performance - Kaddish
3. Suicide - Wild In Blue (2005 Remaster)
4. Demolition Group - You Better Stay Alive
5. A Split Second - Flesh
6. BPM AM - Come To Me (Vocal Version)
7. Ted Milton - Love Is Like A Violēnce
8. Front 242-Funkhadafi
9. Colourbox - Fast Dump
10. Yello - Lost Again (Extended Dance Version)
11. Mystery - Mystery Girl (Club Mix Remastered)
12. In-D - Virgin In-D Sky's
13. Judy Torres - No Reason To Cry (Instrumental)
14. Hard Corps - Porte Bonheur (Lucky Charm) 2021
Chapter 2. Break A Sweat (Recent)
1. Moderna & Theus Mago - Francesca (Wild At Heart)
2. Middle Sky Boom Feat. Eliezer - Slow With The Run (Il Est Vilaine Remix) 3. Tiempo De Maldad - Maxico (Alvee Remix)
4. Zombies In Miami - El Wild
5. Moscoman - Fernandez
6. Juan Maclean Feat. Fantastic Twins - She's Breaking Up
7. Damon Jee & Darlyn Vlys - Kronos (Wild Mix)
8. Zakmina - Viral News
9. Radial Gaze - Totem Echoes (You Man Remix)
10. Paresse - Temple
11. Rina X Benji X Megaphonim - Ani Cham
12. Modular Project - Electronic Disco (Curses Remix)
Chapter 3. Maximum Heat (Exclusives)
1. Curses - Discipline
2. Chinaski - Hart Und Kalt
3. Shubostar - AYA
4. Cornelius Doctor - Life In Chains
5. Mufti - Restrained
6. Amarcord - Spleen
7. Franz Scala - Shortwave Memories
8. Tronik Youth - Spirit Dancer
9. Cardopusher - Escape From Reality
10. Kendal & David Carretta - Pastaga
11. Local Suicide & Skelesys - Faster Faster
12. Pablo Bozzi - Storm In Dallas

Somewhere Between: Mutant Pop, Electronic Minimalism & Shadow Sounds of Japan 1980–1988 hovers vibe–wise between two distinct poles within Light In The Attic’s acclaimed Japan Archival Series—Kankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980–1990 and Pacific Breeze: Japanese City Pop, AOR & Boogie 1976–1986. All three albums showcase recordings produced during Japan’s soaring bubble economy of the 1980s, an era in which aesthetic visions and consumerism merged. Music echoed the nation’s prosperity and with financial abundance came the luxury to dream.

Sonically, Somewhere Between mines the midpoint between Kankyō Ongaku’s sparkling atmospherics and Pacific Breeze’s metropolitan boogie. The compilation encompasses ambient pop, underground electronics, liminal minimalism and shadow sounds—all descriptors emphasizing the hazy nature of the nebula. Out–of–focus rhythms wear ethereal accoutrements, ballads are shrouded in static, and angular drums snake skyward on transcendent tones. From the Avant–minimalism of Mkwaju Ensemble and Yoshio Ojima, to the leftfield techno-pop of Mishio Ogawa and Noriko Miyamoto (featuring members of YMO), and highlights from the groundbreaking Osaka underground label Vanity Records, these are blurry constellations defying collective categorization.

These tracks also exist in a space of transition when the major label grip on the Japanese recording market began to give way to the escalation of independents. Thanks to the idyllic economic climate and innovations in domestically–manufactured music gear, creators on the edges were empowered to focus on satisfying their artistic visions in the open headspace of home studios. While labels like Warner Music and Nippon Columbia explored new sounds through traditional channels, it was possible for Vanity, Balcony and other indie labels, not to mention self–released artists like Ojima and Naoki Asai, to publish their work via affordable media such as cassettes, 7" vinyl, and flexi–discs.

Expertly curated by Yosuke Kitazawa and Mark “Frosty” McNeill (dublab), Somewhere Between is a collection of music, much of it released for the first time outside Japan, that is bound more by energetic vibration than shared history, genre or scene. They are the sounds of transition and searching—a celebration of the freedom found in floating.

TRACK LISTING

Noriko Miyamoto - Arrows & Eyes
Mishio Ogawa - Hikari No Ito Kin No Ito
Yoshio Ojima - Days Man
Mkwaju Ensemble - Tira-Rin
R.N.A-ORGANISM - WEIMAR 22
Naoki Asai - Yakan Hikou
Takami Hasegawa - Koneko To Watashi
Mammy - Mizu No Naka No Himitsu
Dip In The Pool - Hasu No Enishi
Wha Ha Ha - Akatere
D-Day - Sweet Sultan
Perfect Mother - Dark Disco-Da·Da·Da·Da·Run
Neo Museum - Area
Sonoko - Wedding With God (À Nijinski)

‘Cuba: Music and Revolution’ is a new album compiled by Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker (Soul Jazz Records) that explores the many new styles that emerged in Cuba in the 1970s as Jazz, Funk, Brazilian Tropicalia and even Disco mixed together with Latin and Salsa on the island as Cuban artists experimented with new musical forms created in the unique socialist state of Cuba. The album comes as a deluxe double CD and heavyweight triple vinyl, complete with extensive sleeve notes, jam-packed with heavy basslines, synth and WahWah guitar funk combined with the heavyweight percussion, powerful brass lines and the all-encompassing Latin rhythms of Cuban music known throughout the world.

The album is released to coincide with the massive new deluxe large format book ‘Cuba: Music and Revolution: Original Cover Art of Cuban Music: Record Sleeve Designs of Revolutionary Cuba 1959-90’, which is also compiled by Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker (Soul Jazz Records) and which features the music and record designs of Cuba, made in the 30-year period following the Cuban Revolution. The music on this album features legendary Cuban groups such as Irakere, Los Van Van and Pablo Milanés, as well as a host of lesser known artists such as the radical Grupo De Experimentación, Juan Pablo Torres and Algo Nuevo, Grupo Monumental and Orquesta Ritmo Oriental, groups whose names remain largely unknown outside of Cuba owing to the now 60-year old US trade embargo which remains in place today and which prevents trade with Cuba - and thus most Cuban records were only ever available in Cuba or in ex-Soviet Union states.

The music on this album reflects the most cutting-edge of Cuban groups that were recording in Cuba in the 1970s and 1980s - who were all searching for a new Cuban identity and new musical forms that reflected both the Afro-Cuban cultural heritage of a nation that gave birth to Latin music - and its new position as a socialist state. Most of the music featured on this album has never been heard outside of Cuba. Both Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker have been involved in Cuban music for more than two decades - Gilles Peterson with his many Havana Cultura projects for his Brownswood label and Stuart Baker with a number of Soul Jazz Records albums recorded in Cuba. This Soul Jazz Records album is released in conjunction with Egrem, the Cuban state record company, and has been put together after the many crate-digging trips that both compilers have made on the streets of Havana and beyond in Cuba stretching over a 20-year period, searching out rare and elusive original Cuban vinyl records.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Following on from *that* gorgeous book with all of the beauty in it is the musical collection of the same. Compiled by some of the greatest selectors around on the scene, this is a fascinating and superb collection of groovers, shakers and under-appreciated heavy hitters.

TRACK LISTING

Grupo Irakere - Chequere Son
Conjunto Rumbavana - El Son Del Campeon
Juan Formell & Los Van Van - Mi Ritmo Caliente
Grupo Monumental - Mi Son Caridad
Grupo De Experimentación Sonora Del ICAIC - Sondeando
Las D'Aida - Con Cadencia Y Con Dulzura
Juan Formell & Los Van Van - Y No Le Conviene
Pablo Milanés - Te Quiero Porque Te Quiero
Emíliano Salvador - Luna Wanestain
Los Reyes 73 - Un Lamento Hecho Cancion
Eduardo Ramos - Vocación Revolución
Grupo Mounmental - Hasta Las Cuantas
Los 5 U 4 - Solo Esta Musica
Grupo De Experimentación Sonora Del ICAIC - Canción Con Todos
Orquesta Los Van Van - Yo Se Que Van Van
Grupo Mounmental - Nadie Se Siente Cansado
Orquesta Ritmo Oriental - Maria, Baila El Son
Juan Pablo Torres Y Algo Nuevo - Rompe Cocorioco
Los Reyes 73 - Grandes Amigos
Paquito D'Rivera - La Patica
Grupo De Experimentación Sonora Del ICAIC - Grifo
Raúl Gómez - Dacapo
Grupo Irakere - Juana 1600

Texan Roky Erickson was one of the true mind-blowing pioneers of psychedelic music. The original leader of the Austin-based 13th Floor Elevators formed in 1965, Erickson and band invented a brand new style of rock & roll, one that was slightly unhinged while it explored the consciousness-expanding influence of LSD on music. After three years, the group imploded with mental issues and legal challenges, ending with Erickson being incarcerated for several years in the Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Rusk, Texas. When he was released in the early ’70s the musician continued on his own trail, recording songs that had come to him in his far-flung cerebral wanderings. Erickson, who passed away May 31, 2019, is now celebrated on this 12-track tribute to one of the most original rockers ever.

The participants range the whole world of modern music, and each chose one of Erickson’s originals to stamp their own imprint on. They include Lucinda Williams, Billy F Gibbons, The Black Angels, Margo Price, Mosshart Sexton (Alison Mosshart & Charlie Sexton), Neko Case, Mark Lanegan & Lynn Castle, Jeff Tweedy, Gary Clark Jr & Eve Monsees, Ty Segall, Chelsea Wolfe, and Brogan Bentley. With the full support of the Roky Erickson estate, the album is produced by Bill Bentley, executive producer of the 1990 Roky Erickson tribute album Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye on Sire Records, with associate producers Matt Sullivan, co-founder/co-owner of Light in the Attic, and Wyatt Bentley.

The songs range from Erickson’s debut iconic original, “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” recorded when he was a member first in The Spades and then the 13th Floor Elevators during the early ‘60s in Austin, to some of Erickson’s later songs, like “If You Have Ghosts,” which heard him exploring some of the outer limits of the human psyche. Each new recording is a stunning modern take on the sound that Roky Erickson gave the world over a half-century of writing, recording and touring. No one has ever equaled those explorations.
This truly is the music of the spheres, as Erickson once sang about his sound, as seen through the eyes and ears of those who are united in their love and respect for a person who dedicated his life to rock & roll. Roky Erickson, through the trials and tribulations of a man both imbued with greatness and haunted by darkness, never quit in his quest to share with others what he heard and saw. As he sang on the 13th Floor Elevators last recording, “May the circle remain unbroken.”

TRACK LISTING

Billy F Gibbons - (I've Got) Levitation
Mosshart Sexton - Starry Eyes
Jeff Tweedy - For You (I'd Do Anything)
Lynn Castle & Mark Lanegan - Clear Night For Love
The Black Angels - Don't Fall Down
Neko Case - Be And Bring Me Home
Margo Price - Red Temple Prayer (Two-Headed Dog)
Gary Clark Jr. & Eve Monsees - Roller Coaster
Ty Segall - Night Of The Vampire
Lucinda Williams - You're Gonna Miss Me
Chelsea Wolfe - If You Have Ghosts
Brogan Bentley - May The Circle Remain Unbroken

What better way to celebrate 100 releases than with a handmade box containing soul expanding music!? Höga Nord Rekords have reached an important goal and releases a rare box set containing all 12” from the HNRUK-series plus a new record from Birds, unique for this box. Except Birds, this compilation includes Dark Strands, High Boys, Vox Low, Timothy J. Fairplay, Fontän, Bird Of Paradise, Mythologen, Jamie Paton and Frak.

The music is of course the main focus of all releases on Höga Nord Rekords but what birthday gift comes without a proper wrapping? This exclusive handmade box made in Norrmalms kartongfabrik in Stockholm, is a celebration to the Scandinavian Bronze age. You’ll find rock carvings like those on the artwork scattered over the land but mostly near Gothenburg, home of Höga Nord Rekords on the Swedish west coast.

Archaeological evidence proves similarities in ornaments and pictures between the Nordic and European Bronze age, just like you find common features in the music released on our label. Though the acts in this compilation box come from all over Europe and beyond, they stem from an obscured and mysterious common source of escapism, purity and creativity.

TRACK LISTING

Dark Strands - The Last Ride
Dark Strands - We Own The Night
Dark Strands - Black Dog
Dark Strands - Wandering Star
Vox Low - I'll Save You Anyway (Evelyne)
Vox Low - I'm Coming To Your House (feat. Tarik Ziour)
Vox Low - Loving Hell
High Boys - Drunken Master
High Boys - Down With Chaos
High Boys - This Is The Captain Speaking
High Boys - No Hope For A Sexual Revolution
Timothy J. Fairplay - Mindfighter
Timothy J. Fairplay - Nightmare City
Timothy J. Fairplay - Lost In The Mirror Maze
Timothy J. Fairplay - Jennifer Has Some Strange Ideas
Fontän - Sen Sen No Sen (Red Axes Remix)
Fontän - Mangsebung (Timothy J Fairplay Remix)
Fontän - Gangri (Khjinda Remix)
Fontän - Bardo (Mythologen Remix)
Fontän - Shadows (Pardon Moi Remix)
Birds Of Paradise - Tito
Birds Of Paradise - Joy-Rides
Birds Of Paradise - Smoking Holiday
Birds Of Paradise - Breather Resist
Mythologen - The Joy I Feel
Mythologen - Canavan's Peckham Pool Club
Mythologen - Blackheath
Mythologen - House Of Parakeet
Jamie Paton - Enhance 224
Jamie Paton - State Line
Jamie Paton - Disk Memories
Jamie Paton - Leviathan Aftermath
Frak - Corridor
Frak - Stetoskop
Frak - Micro Fisson
Frak - Arcitect
Birds - Solitary Dancers
Birds - Night Time Life
Birds - Dont Drink The Acid Water
Birds - Young Blood

In 2020, 4AD turned 40. Never one to be on time for a party, the label is commemorating that landmark this year with the release of Bills & Aches & Blues.

The compilation features 18 of its current artists covering a song of their choosing from 4AD’s past: a creative experiment rooted in the spirit of collaboration and a snapshot of 4AD, 41 years after its inception.

Bills & Aches & Blues will be released on double LP and double CD on 23rd July. The first 12 months’ profits from Bills & Aches & Blues will be donated to The Harmony Project, a Los Angeles-based after-school programme for children from communities and schools that lack equitable access to studying the arts or music.

Bills & Aches & Blues’ 18 recordings contain fascinating connections between artist and track. The earliest song chosen (by U.S. Girls) is The Birthday Party’s ‘Junkyard’, from 1981; the most recent are the two Grimes covers (‘Genesis’ and ‘Oblivion’, respectively by Spencer. and Dry Cleaning) from 2012. Suitably, for the one band that bridges 4AD past and present, The Breeders are all over Bills And Aches And Blues. They’re covered three times – ‘Cannonball’ by Tune-Yards, ‘Mountain Battles’ by Bradford Cox of Deerhunter and ‘Off You’ by Big Thief, whilst The Breeders cover ‘The Dirt Eaters’ by their ‘90s contemporaries His Name Is Alive.

Landmark songs such as ‘Cannonball’, ‘Song To The Siren’ and Pixies’ ‘Where is My Mind?’, will feel comfortable to casual fans, however by contrast, much joy can be found in the album’s surprise choices, such as Air Miami’s ‘Seabird’ and the Lush B-side ‘Sunbathing’, covered respectively by new signings Maria Somerville and Jenny Hval.

Bills & Aches & Blues is named, arguably (as Elizabeth Fraser never published the lyrics) after the opening line of Cocteau Twins ‘Cherry-Coloured Funk’. Perhaps too unique and uncoverable in their own right, their legendary take on Tim Buckley’s ‘Song To The Siren’, under the name This Mortal Coil (along with Buckley’s pre-Starsailor acoustic version) informs SOHN’s cover.

Some tracks unearth hitherto hidden shared DNA, such as Future Islands’ and Colourbox’s ‘The Moon Is Blue’; other tracks are more akin to reinvention. Aldous Harding distils the melodic essence of Deerhunter’s ‘Revival’ and recasts it in her own uncanny image. U.S. Girls’ future-disco ‘Junkyard’ and Bing & Ruth’s neo-classical instrumental ‘Gigantic’ are even more radical interpretations. Leading off the album, Tkay Maidza brings both her Art Rap and R&B game, but also an unexpected ‘80s synth pop template, to Pixies’ ‘Where Is My Mind?’, a perfect title for these chaotic times.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1:
01 Tkay Maidza - Where Is My Mind? (Pixies)
02 U.S. Girls - Junkyard (The Birthday Party)
03 Aldous Harding - Revival (Deerhunter)
04 The Breeders - Dirt Eaters (His Name Is Alive)
05 Maria Somerville - Seabird (Air Miami)

Side 2:
06 Tune-Yards - Cannonball (The Breeders)
07 Spencer - Genesis (Grimes)
08 Helado Negro - Futurism (Deerhunter)
09 Efterklang - Postal (Piano Magic)
10 Bing And Ruth - Gigantic (Pixies)

Side 3:
11 Future Islands - The Moon Is Blue (Colourbox)
12 Jenny Hval - Sunbathing (Lush)
13 Dry Cleaning - Oblivion (Grimes)
14 Bradford Cox - Mountain Battles (Breeders)

Side 4:
15 SOHN - Song To The Siren (Tim Buckley)
16 Becky And The Birds - The Wolves Act I And II (Bon Iver)
17 Ex:Re - Misery Is A Butterfly (Blonde Redhead)
18 Big Thief - Off You (The Breeders)

The horse still bucks, the band still funks, and well…the fire still burns.

That’s right - Country Funk is back.

In the summer of 2012, a new sound blew in from the dusty desert. It was a sound difficult to pin down, to codify; a sound that, like some wild horse, resisted one’s grasp. But this was no trend, no flash-in-the-pan movement, no shotgun marriage of styles, no ma’am. This sound went back decades, back to the latter half of the 1960s and early 1970s when adventurous artists started to blend country hoedown harmony with the elation of gospel, the sexual thrust of the blues and a touch of inner-city grit. This was a new sound with a simple name: Country Funk.

Country Funk 1969-1975, first released in 2012 and co-produced by Zach Cowie, Patrick McCarthy and Matt Sullivan, brought together a disparate group of artists that were neither bound by geography nor a shared ideology, but connected through the simple feel of their songs. Country Funk is alternatively playful and melancholic, slow jammin’ and booty-shakin’. It’s a sound both studio slick and barroom raw, as evident in the artists featured on Volume I: Johnny Adams, Mac Davis, Dale Hawkins, Tony Joe White, Bobbie Gentry, Larry Jon Wilson, and many others. Just two years later, we chased Volume I with a new collection of songs for Country Funk 1967-1974 (LITA116, 2014). Volume II didn’t let up, dealing out all the loose-talking and lap-steel twangin’ one could handle. Heavy hitters like Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and J.J. Cale shared barstools with the lesser-known voices of Bill Wilson, Donnie Fritts and Thomas Jefferson Kaye.

With Country Funk Volume III1975-1982 (LITA194) we’re here to say there’s more funk left in the trunk yet. This time around, the jeans are tighter, the hair is bigger and the disco ball spins along to a country-synth beat. Produced and compiled by Jason Morgan (Bay Area DJ/collector) and Patrick McCarthy (co-producer/compiler of Volume I & II), the tracklist features regulars Dolly Parton, J.J. Cale, Larry Jon Wilson and Tony Joe White (whose track is released here for the first time) alongside new faces like Steven Soles, Gary & Sandy, Conway Twitty, Travis Wammack, Billy Swan, Rob Galbraith, Brian Hyland, and so many more. As the 1970s began to wane and the 1980s approached, the Country Funk pallet expanded to include disco beats, heavy Moog synth bass lines and more clavinet than you could shake a stick at. Volume III shows artists continuing to buck traditional country tropes and production while embracing modern soul, disco, and coked-up 80s synth-pop. This is the true soundtrack of the Urban Cowboy. Saddle up, partners.

TRACK LISTING

1. Steven Soles - Shake The Dust
2. J. J. Cale - Nobody But You
3. Conway Twitty - Night Fires
4. Eddie Rabbit - One And Only One
5. Jerry Reed - Rhythm And Blues
6. Dolly Parton - Sure Thing
7. Billy Swan - Oliver Swan
8. Rob Galbraith - I Got The Fever
9. Travis Wammack - Do Me
10. Larry Jon Wilson - I Betcha Heaven’s On A Dirt Road
11. Gary & Sandy - Gonna Let You Have It
12. Brian Hyland - Hale To The Man
13. Tony Joe White - Alone At Last
14. Ronnie Milsap - Get It Up
15. Delbert McClinton - Shot From The Saddle
16. Terri Gibbs - Rich Man
17. Dennis Linde - Down To The Station

Profondo Nero compiled by Cinema Royale

Profondo Nero narrates a storyline that goes beyond the borders of Italy’s musical legacy. Cutting across the face of Italo disco’s leftfield musicians between the early and late ‘80s, Profondo Nero champions a multi-faceted sound that nods to the blueprint of Italo disco but tries to dig deeper. The music is unmistakably Italo disco but moves away from the familiar classic sound. Amsterdam based collector Cinema Royale stitches together eleven tracks from 1983 – 1989, celebrating a sound he fittingly describes as ‘leftfield Italo’.

The compilation connects the dots between soulful disco (Louise Freeman – Mirage), synth-pop (Mark – Dreamland), electro-rap (Loukas Thanos – Jazzburger), breaks (Santoro – Lover Message), 80s dub disco (Jet Set – Love Break), Balearic (Isamar & Compañia ‎- No Estas), boogie (Tom Hooker – Talk With Your Body) and proto-house (International Music System - An English ’93).

Profondo Nero’s title salutes the legendary oeuvre of Italian horror director Dario Argento. His Profondo Rosso (1975) is a classic example of exquisite cinematic storytelling, boasting courageous colors, expressionist camera angles and an unforgettable Goblin score forming the ingredients for an intriguing piece of art. Profondo Rosso’s music, created the spark for a new Dekmantel Records endeavor led by Amsterdam based experimental film score connoisseur, record collector and DJ Cinema Royale.

For those in the know of underground Amsterdam music culture, Arne Visser aka Cinema Royale is among the city’s longest standing record collectors. Born to an Italian mother and Dutch father, Arne was brought up on a diet of Italo disco in the 80s. Cinema Royale explains: ‘For Profondo Nero I took a plunge into the lesser known fringes of Italo disco. From there I tried to connect, among others, San Francisco boogie, Balearic, Japanese late era Italo-electro and synth-pop funk. I hope you can hear what I had in mind: an infectious showcase of my take on traditional Italo disco that will hopefully get a lot of listeners itching for a spin. It’s fair to say that lately this particular sound has seen a reappraisal and renewed interest.

As a party-starting collection for entry-level connoisseurs or suave but lazy types, I hope Profondo Nero can be an education. I’m not claiming I’m the first DJ or collector to do so, but I did try do present something special by digging deep.’ It wasn’t my goal to unearth the most obscure tracks, instead I wanted to compose a compilation that takes you on a journey.
‘In my opinion the best DJs create something extraordinary out of illogical selections by combining music against all odds and showing different kind of moods along the way. There’s a certain amount of arrogance involved: you take the music out of its original context. But by doing so in a very conscious way, you might be able to enhance the power of the individual records. Hopefully each song on Profondo Nero provides an intimate and memorable experience.’

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: All manner of deep and dope cuts on this Dekmantel comp, digging deeper into the sounds of the Italian clubs than your usual Italo comp. There's lots to love on here, but it's probably worth the entry fee for the I.M.S. and Tom Hooker alone.

TRACK LISTING

1. Louise Freeman - Mirage
2. Mark - Dreamland
3. Loukas Thanos - Jazzburger
4. Galvanica - Nightlights In Japan
5. Santoro - Lover Message
6. Robert Sandrini - Occhi Su Di Me
7. Silvia Dheve - Night Ranger
8. Isamar & Compania - No Esta
9. Jet Set - Love Break
10. Tom Hooker - Talk With Your Body (instrumental)
11. IMS - An English 93

Following on from 2012’s acclaimed “Fame” Post-Punk & 2015's "Perfect Motion" Psychedelic-Baggy 1988-93 compilations, Jon Savage decided to focus upon Electronic music from the Post-Punk era 1978-82 & has compiled an album that takes in Disco, proto-techno & experimental sounds..

This compilation is selected and curated by renowned cultural commentator, writer and film-maker Jon Savage. Amongst many highly revered projects Jon has produced the definitive work on Punk Rock in “England's Dreaming” and the documentary & book “Teenage” The Creation of Youth, 1875 - 1945. He is also the biographer of Joy Division & author of the top 10 Sunday Times best seller "This Searing Light, The Sun & Everything Else" The Oral History Of Joy Division in 2019.

Includes rare tracks & full length 12" versions

Re-mastered with care & attention from the very best available audio sources for maximum listening pleasure.. 

TRACK LISTING

A1. The Droids - Do You Have The Force ? 3"25
A2. Sylvia Love - Extraterrestrial Lover 6"59
A3. Transvolta - Disco Computer 6"50
A4. Rayon Laser - Funky Meteor 2"40
B1. Harry Thurmann - Underwater (12" Version) 6"05
B2. Slick - Space Bass (12" Version) 7"06
B3. Suicide - Mr Ray 5"14
B4. The Flying Lizards - Steam Away 4"48
C1. BGM / And 4"36
C2. Monoton - Shortwavetransmission 3"03
C3. The Sea Of Wires - Seascape 12"10
D1. Cabaret Voltaire - Invocation 6"24
D2. A Number Of Names  - Sharevari 5"30
D3. Homenaje A Patrick Cowley 10"07

“I wanted to try and showcase as many people as I knew on this mix. My idea of Late Night Tales was to distil a series of relaxing moments; the whole conceptual sonic of relaxation. So, I was trying to think of all the collaborators and friends that I knew, who’d recorded stuff with this horizontal vibe. Plus, I was also trying to help my friends' stuff get into the world. I know the story of Khruangbin blowing up after appearing on the series (in fact, I think that's how I discovered them). So, the main idea was to create a certain atmosphere, but also to help some of my favourite collaborators and bud- dies to give their songs a little push out into the world. Hope you like it” Jordan Rakei.

Late Night Tales celebrate their 20th anniversary with the release of multi-instru- mentalist, vocalist and producer Jordan Rakei’s majestic compilation. The 28-year-old modern soul icon effortlessly stamps his own jazz and hip-hop driven sound all over this gorgeous array of handpicked tracks. A beautifully layered blend that is mirrored in the music he’s made, it comes as no surprise that such a supremely gifted songwriter should deliver a mix that is all about the song.

Rakei, born in New Zealand, but raised in Australia, moved to the UK in 2015; he released his debut album, Cloak, with Oz label Soul Has No Tempo, but his two subsequent LPs, Wallflower and Origin, came out on Ninja Tune, the former #2 in Album Of The Year for Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide poll, while Origin was nominated for Best Album at the AIM Awards. Jordan had this to say on his upcoming mix:

As Jordan says, there’s so much more to the song selection on Late Night Tales’ latest outing than a random collection of artists. Many have some sort of personal connection, so just as Bonobo provided a platform for the breakout of Khruangbin on a previous LNT, this may have the same effect for Rakei’s friends. After a soothing opener from Fink, good friend and big influence Alfa Mist (part of the Are We Live collective) delivers ‘Mulago.’ “I want to champion their sound and show the world how good he is, and I thought it’d be fitting to start the mix with family,” says Jordan.

Next up is Charlotte Day Wilson with ‘Mountains,’ followed by ‘Count A Heart’ from Moreton, an exclusive collaboration with Jordan, who grew up on the same street in Brisbane, Australia. “She was the first artist I ever collaborated with, and one of the first artists to be involved in my career,” he explains. Elsewhere we hear Scottish producer and multi-instrumentalist C Duncan’s haunting ‘He Came from the Sun,’ Barcelona collective Oso Leone deliver a dreamy ‘Virtual U’ and Bill Lauren’s ‘Singularity,’ which evokes a striking sense of time and place.

Snowpoet’s ethereal ‘Evitenity’ is a “long mediative narrative over a beautiful soundscape,” which at times seems chaotic, nicely juxtaposed with undeniable beauty, and Maro’s kooky songwriting shines on ‘Always And Forever.’ Long-time buddy Armon-Jones contributes ‘Idiom,’ and Jordan’s exclusive cover version is a two-for-one, Radiohead’s ‘Codex’ merging with ‘Lover, You Should’ve Come Home’ by Jeff Buckley and another exclusive, original com- position by Jordan, ‘Imagination.’ The latter works as a piece with the spoken (Spanish) word voiced by movie director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, Birdman, and The Reve- nant,) who is a big fan of Jordan’s. “He messaged me when I went to L.A and asked to come to my show. I was in such shock and we hung out after. I thought it would be nice to get him to do this in his native tongue, because I don’t think that’s been done yet on the series.” It certainly is a family affair. Not the blood is thicker than water kind, but certainly musical kindred spirits.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: There are very few labels as influential in the compilation game as Late Night Tales, and this newest outing from Jordan Rakei is one of the best yet. Flitting between downbeat jazz business and more ambient pieces, this collection is perfect for popping on and zoning out to. Brilliantly paced and superbly selected, this is a fascinating insight into Rakei's influences, and most of all, a great listen.

TRACK LISTING

Mixed CD Version
Incl. Unmixed Tracks Via Download As MP3 / FLAC/ WAV
1. Fink - Covering Your Tracks
2. Alfa Mist – Mulago
3. Charlotte Day Wilson – Mountains
4. Moreton Feat. Jordan Rakei – Count A Heart (Exclusive Track)
5. Puma Blue – Untitled 2
6. Connan Mockasin – Momo’s
7. C Duncan - He Came From The Sun
8. Oso Leone – Virtual U
9. Joe Armon-Jones - Idiom Ft. Oscar Jerome
10. Snowpoet – Eviternity
11. MARO – Forever & Always
12 Homay Schmitz – Speak Up
13. Bill Laurance - Singularity
14 Jordan Rakei - Lover, You Should've Come Over (Exclusive Jeff Buckley Cover Version)
15 Jordan Rakei – Codex (Exclusive Radiohead Cover Version)
16. Cubicolor - Counterpart
17. Jordan Rakei – Imagination (Exclusive New Track)
18. Alejandro González Iñárritu - Imagination (Exclusive Spoken Word Piece)

Unmixed Vinyl Version
(includes Mixed And Unmixed Tracks As Download As MP3 / FLAC / WAV)
A1. Fink - Covering Your Tracks
A2. Alfa Mist - Mulago
A3. Charlotte Day Wilson - Mountains
A4. Moreton Feat Jordan Rakei - Count A Heart (Exclusive Track)
B1. Puma Blue - Untitled 2
B2. Connan Mockasin - Momo's
B3. C Duncan - He Came From The Sun
B4. Oso Leone - Virtual U
B5. Joe Armon-Jones & Maxwell Owin - Idiom Ft Oscar Jerome
C1. Snowpoet - Everternity
C2. Maro - Forever & Always
C3. Homay Schmitz - Speak Up
C4. Bill Laurence - Singularity
D1. Jordan Rakei - Lover, You Should've Come Over (Exclusive Jeff Buckley Cover Version)
D2. Cubicolour - Counterpart
D3. Jordan Rakei - Imagination(Exclusive New Track)
D4. Alejandro González Iñárritu - Imagination (Exclusive Spoken Word Piece)

As a lifelong soul boy - poet, actor, presenter Craig Charles has been adding to his trunk of funk music since his youth, and now after almost 20 years hosting his world renowned BBC6 Music and Radio 2 shows, DJing at clubs and festivals around the globe his reputation as an ambassador for all things soulful & funky is indisputable.

Craig was overwhelmed with the success of Volume 1 which hit the Official UK Album charts; “It’s been a whole year (and what a weird year) since I unleashed Volume 1 on a music starved world. It clearly hit home with a funk hungry public as it got into the UK charts, nestled between film soundtracks and pop compilations, so I’d like to thank everyone for supporting – especially those who grabbed the double vinyl album – that was an instant sell out!”

Volume 2 contains all the trademark features his fans have come to love - kicking off with The Allergies – and their 100% exclusive Trunk Of Funk remix of their bombastic Move On Baby. Ranging from Luther Ingrams’ If It’s All The Same To You Babe – a Northern Soul stomper extraordinaire from 1966 – through to 21st century soul champions Joseph Malik and Joel Culpepper, New Orleans born, London based Acantha Lang who Craig describes as an ‘independent artist destined for world domination’, the obscure and bizarre psychedelic 70’s funk of Your Autumn Of Tomorrow by The Crow.

Volume 2 the only place you’ll ever get to hear Smoove & Turrells’ Exclusive Trunk Of Funk edit of Slow Down. The classic dance floor jazz magic of Mario Biondis’ This Is What You Are still sparkles, and the funk driven soul-jazz of Seattle’s Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio hits sweet and hard - this brand new Trunk Of Funk draws together old and new music from all four corners of the globe into one beautiful collection, or as Craig puts it “I’m confident this second volume of my Trunk Of Funk will tick all your musical boxes, give your ears and feet enough mellifluous musical fodder to last you until Volume 3 – Awooga!”

TRACK LISTING

A1/1. The Allergies - Slow Down Baby - Exclusive Trunk Of Funk Remix
A2/2. Cha Wa - My People
A3/3. Acantha Lang - He Said / She Said
A4/4. The Lafayette Afro Rock 22Band - Soul Makossa
A5/5. STR4TA - Rhythm In Your Mind
B1/6. The Bamboos - Ride On Time
B2/7. Jay Nemor & Electrified - Sitting On Top Of The World
B3/8. Mario Biondi – This Is What You Are
B4/9. Luther Ingram - If It’s All The Same To You Babe
B5/10. The Souljazz Orchestra - Sorrow Fly Away
C1/11 Smoove & Turrell - Slow Down – Smooves Exclusive Trunk Of Funk Edit
C2/12. Joseph Malik - Mixed Race Combination
C3/13. The Crow - Your Autumn Of Tomorrow
C4/14. Ferry Ultra Ft Ashley Slater - Why Did You Do It? – The Reflex Revision (Edit)
C5/15. The Traffic - Beat It
D1/16. Lettuce Ft. Big Tony & Jungle Boogie – Checker Wrecker
D2/17. Joel Culpepper - WAR
D3/18. Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio - Hole In One
D4/19. PM Warson - (Don't) Hold Me Down

For a duo whose youthful energy rejuvenated the world of house music at the start of the 2010s, it seems incredible that Disclosure are now into their second decade of musical life. The incredible vigour of those early records, the spark of invention and ever-onward musical thrust, remains with the Disclosure brothers, Howard and Guy Lawrence, to this day.

The emphasis throughout DJ-Kicks is on motion. After a brief ambient introduction from Pépe’s Life Signs, Disclosure keeps the energy high, in a mix that showcases the wonderful malleability of a house beat in the right hands. From sub bass to disco samples to 303 tweak, all is welcome in Disclosure’s house, with the mix allowing individual songs space to breathe even as the pace remains harefooted.

TRACK LISTING

CD
1. Pépe - Recollection
2. Harry Wolfman - LOTF
3. Cleanfield - Conflict With Clayton
4. Disclosure - Deep Sea
5. Simon Hinter - Wanna Make Love
6. &on&on - Don’t Say A Word
7. M-High - Harmony In The Distance
8. Slum Science - Mezmerized
9. Disclosure - Observer Effect (DJ-Kicks)
10. East End Dubs - BRave
11. Onipa - Fire (Disclosure Edit)
12. Arfa X Joe - Recognise

LP
A1. Pépe - Recollection
A2. Harry Wolfman - LOTF
A3. Cleanfield - Conflict With Clayton
B1. Disclosure - Deep Sea
B2. Simon Hinter - Wanna Make Love
B3. &on&on - Don’t Say A Word
C1. M-High - Harmony In The Distance
C2. Slum Science - Mezmerized
D1. Disclosure - Observer Effect (DJ-Kicks)
D2. Arfa X Joe - Recognise

DEEWEE, the label from Grammy-nominated artists David & Stephen Dewaele AKA Soulwax/2manydjs, release "Foundations", their 50th release and first compilation album coming out on May 7th. 27 tracks including 3 brand new exclusive works* are beautifully presented across triple LP and 2CD physical editions, along with digital format. All are united by a breadth of imagination, a love of hands-on artistry, and of course by the sonic craftsmanship of the Dewaele brothers themselves.

Foundations is more than just a compilation of tracks from the DEEWEE label. It’s a beautiful object in its own right. As with all DEEWEE releases, Parisian art directors, Ill-Studio have created a gorgeous artefact that collectors will love. It’s also a wonderful audio experience, with new music complimenting and elevating the catalogue material, and the sequencing of the 27 tracks done with as much love as any artist album or DJ set. It’s an expression of the values of a musical family with the brothers at its heart and featuring their creative input throughout. Everything on the album has come through the DEEWEE Studios in Ghent, Belgium which was built to bring together their friends from around the world. In many ways, Foundations represents a new phase in the label’s existence, one that is aided by a new joint venture with UK and FR label Because Music.

TRACK LISTING

Double CD
CD 1
01. Charlotte Adigéry - Bear With Me (And L'll Stand Bare Before You)
02. Laima - Disco Pregnancy (Tonal+ Rhythmical)
03. Each Other - Burn It Down
04. Bolis Pupul - Moon Theme
05. James Righton - Release Party
06. Die Verboten - Aquarius
07. Soulwax - Heaven Scent Feat. Chloe Sevigny
08. Ems Synthi 100 - Movement 6
09. Soulwax - Conditions Of A Shared Belief
10. Soulwax - Close To Paradise
11. Asa Moto - Kifesh
12. Laila - The Other Me (Deeweedub)
13. Asa Moto - Wanowan Efem
CD 2
01. Charlotte Adigéry - Paténipat
02. Klanken - Drie
03. Phillipi - 9000
04. Movulango - Leave
05. Laima - Home
06. Emmanuelle - Italove
07. Sworn Virgins -Take Your Lady
08. Phillipi & Rodrigo - Paciencia
09. Extra Credit- Drive Me
10. Bous Pupul - Wéi?
11. Soulwax - Essential Eleven
12. Sworn Virgins - Fifty Dollar Bills
13. Phillipi & Rodrigo - Retrogrado
14. Future Sound Of Antwerp - Tom Cruise, Scientologist

Triple Vinyl Edition
A1. Charlotte Adigéry - Bear With Me (And L'll Stand Bare Before You)
A2. Laima - Disco Pregnancy (Tonal+ Rhythmical)
A3. Each Other - Burn It Down
A4. Bolis Pupul - Moon Theme
A5. James Righton - Release Party
B1. Die Verboten - Aquarius
B2. Soulwax - Heaven Scent Feat. Chloe Sevigny
B3. Ems Synthi 100 - Movement 6
B4. Soulwax - Conditions Of A Shared Belief
C1. Soulwax - Close To Paradise
C2. Asa Moto - Kifesh
C3. Laila - The Other Me (Deeweedub)
C4. Asa Moto - Wanowan Efem
D1. Charlotte Adigéry - Paténipat
D2. Klanken - Drie
D3. Phillipi - 9000
D4. Movulango - Leave
D5. Laima - Home
E1. Emmanuelle - Italove
E2. Sworn Virgins -Take Your Lady
E3. Phillipi & Rodrigo - Paciencia
E4. Extra Credit- Drive Me
F1. Bous Pupul - Wéi?
F2. Soulwax - Essential Eleven
F3. Sworn Virgins - Fifty Dollar Bills
F4. Phillipi & Rodrigo - Retrogrado
F5. Future Sound Of Antwerp - Tom Cruise, Scientologist

For Jayda G, joy is a state of mind. Whether she transmits it through her upbeat productions or magnetic energy at the decks, the Canadian-born DJ and producer, real name Jayda Guy, is a beacon of empathy on the dancefloor.

It’s no surprise, then, that Jayda G’s DJ-Kicks mix, releasing on 14 May, captures the buoyant spirit of the music that has influenced her most. “DJ-Kicks has been a personal goal of mine for a really long time. I've been a fan for decades now. I remember there was one mix by Chromeo and it had some French disco on it that always stood out in my mind,” she remembers. Clocking in at just over an hour, Guy’s mix takes you on a journey that moves through loved classics and new bubblers.

The mix contains Jayda's Brand new single "All I Need", the follow up to Grammy Nominated breakthrough single "Both Of Us", a slinky house tune co-produced with James Ford that fizzes with shimmering energy. A rallying cry for kinship and understanding, Guy’s insouciant vocals insist “all I need is you to hear me”, gliding across the perfectly swung house beat. “Because the mix was made during the pandemic, I thought, ‘What music makes me happy?’ I want people to feel like they know me. I wanted it to be approachable, still honouring the disco and soul music that I love. I hope that translates in some shape or form.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: K7 presents the eclectic electronics of one Jayda G. Unmixed for the purists, mixtape style for the party heads. What's not to love?

TRACK LISTING

CD (mixed)
** = Exclusive

1. Light Of The World - London Town
2. Aged In Harmony - You're A Melody
3. Glass Beams - Taurus
4. KOKOROKO - Uman
5. Atmosfear - Invasion
6. Universal Togetherness Band - More Than Enough
7. Royale - I Want Your Body
8. Don Blackman - Just Can't Stay Away
9. Gerry Read - 90’s Prostitution Racket
10. Naomi Daniel - Stars (Dos Cult Mix)
11. LNS - Bitumen **
12. DJ BORING - Gardenia **
13. Jennifer Loveless - In 10,000 Places **
14. HAAi - Good Ol'Fashioned Rugs
15. Jayda G - All I Need **
16. Fred Again.. - Diana (You Don't Even Know) **
17. House Of Jazz - Hold Your Head Up
18. 250 Lbs. Of Blue - Rejoice! (People C'mon) (Spen's New Vocal Mix)
19. FIT Siegel Feat. L'Renee - Tonite (Detroit Mix)
20. DJ Koze Feat. Ada - Homesick (feat. Ada)
21. Benny Sings - Summerlude


LP (unmixed + Mix DL)
** = Exclusive

A1. Jayda G - All I Need **
A2. Fred Again.. - Diana (You Don’t Even Know) **
B1. LNS - Bitumen **
B2. Jennifer Loveless - In 10,000 Places **
B3. HAAi - Good Ol'Fashioned Rugs
C1. DJ BORING - Gardenia **
C2. House Of Jazz - Hold Your Head Up
D1. Glass Beams - Taurus
D2. Royale - I Want Your Body
D3. Benny Sings – Summerlude