Out of print for over 40 years, this is a true rare 12” party hip-hop classic, reissued by Soul Jazz Records.

Absolutely stunning very rare old school party disco rap 12” performed by members of the Chicago public high school, Carver High.

Originally released in 1982 on their own private press label, Challenger Records.

The track is the opening highlight of Soul Jazz Records’ recent ‘Yo! Boombox’ collection and is featured here in its full glorious seven and a half minutes and comes complete with exact replica of the striking original hand-drawn artwork.

TRACK LISTING

Get Live ’83 (The Senior Rap)
The Carver Senior Song (Class Of ’83)

Simbi Ajikawo, crowned Little Simz, lets her work do the talking - and her prolific releases and boundary-breaking achievements clearly tell a story of a pioneering hip-hop artist who leads the way on her own terms. Giving lauded, energetic performances, critically acclaimed albums, sold-out headline shows around the world, and international tours with the likes of Gorillaz, Anderson .Paak and Ab-Soul, this visionary 24 year old woman from North London is living out her childhood dreams to heights of excellence - and inspiring her generation to do the same.

STAFF COMMENTS

Millie says: North London’s Little Simz has turned hip hop on its axis in recent years and excels herself with ‘Grey Area’, an LP exploding with high energy, rapid flow and sharp production. A bold and ingenious lyricist, she peppers her fourth album with twists of dry humour and quick wit; ‘had to let you mature like some fine wine’ from the hit track “Selfish” gets me every time. These comedic phrases are matched with provocative barbs and personal experiences, lending this flawless listen depth and realness. Her bars are intelligent and fierce, leaving no doubt that this is a powerful black female voice in hip hop whose importance should not be overlooked. “Pressure” juxtaposes melancholic piano chords with fat off-kilter beats, a balance which is mirrored by her emotive and gritty lyrics. Alongside this, “101 FM”s’ 8-bit beats are reminiscent of a forgotten game-console soundtrack, the perfect backdrop for a nostalgic narrative focusing on growing up in London and playing Mortal Kombat.
However “Venom” has to be the stand out track on the album for me, you can feel her rage as it strikes through each verse, exploring themes of inequality of race, gender and class throughout: “They would never wanna admit I'm the best here, from the mere fact that I've got ovaries”. The focus she draws upon surrounding her experience as a woman in hip-hop and within wider-society is refreshing and important. Her flow is incredible, I can’t do it justice to just say how good it actually is; this is one amazingly talented woman. If you listen to one song from this entire booklet, make it this.

TRACK LISTING

Offence
Boss
Selfish (Ft. Cleo Soul)
Wounds (Ft. Chronixx)
Venom
101FM
Pressure (Ft. Little Dragon)
Therapy
Sherbet Sunset
Flowers (Ft. Michael Kiwanuka)

Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Moon landing (July 20 2019) Axis Records unleashes a brand new Jeff Mills LP, which showcases the legendary producer's interpretations of Earth’s Moon.

In his own words...

“There are influences of the Moon we can detect, measure and document as scientific facts. If these are perceived as rational explanations, then it should raise questions about the possibility of other unseen mental and metaphysical connections humans have, not just with the Moon but with all other celestial bodies in and outside this Solar System. On the flipside, as we recognize that our Sun gives us light and a lifespan, what does an even greater force in the Cosmos, perhaps the darkness [or absence of anything] affects us.

If we look at the Moon as a component in a vast configuration of integral connected parts, then an intuitive sense might lead us to a wider understanding about how deeply our relationship lies.

This album and the imagination that helped to produce it should be considered as a proposition with open-endedness and no foreseeable conclusion. It is a chemistry of facts and feelings based on then, now and forever”.

TRACK LISTING

Vinyl
A. Control, Sattva And Rama (7’03”)
B1. Stabilising The Spin (5’04”)
B2. The Tides (4’25”)
C1. Sleep-Wake Cycles (8’32”)
C2. Erratic Human Behavior (4’45”)
D1. Lunar Power (5’20”)
D2. Electromagnetic (5’35”)

CD
1. Control, Sattva And Rama
2. Stabilising The Spin
3. The Tides
4. Sleep-Wake Cycles
5. Erratic Human Behavior
6. Lunar Power
7. Electromagnetic
8. Decoding The Lunar Sunrise
9 Peaks Of Eternal Light
10. Measuring The Doppler Shift
11. Theia
12. 180-Degree Repositioning Phase
13. Absolute
(total Timing: 69 Min)

Having already made a name for himself in Nollywood (the Nigerian film industry) and in the sweatiest of London’s sweaty clubs. Ekiti Sound fuses Chicago house, Detroit techno and African poly rhythms with deviant electro synth patterns and a sub bass so deep you can hear the speakers rattling from Manchester. Throw in some cowbell, (what sounds like, to my uneducated ears anyway) arabic vocal and you have a dark, brooding, wall shaking, floor filling Lagos via London bomb.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Area 10k Boys Riddim
B1. Area 10k Boys Riddim (Flightmode Remix)
B2. Area 10K Boys Riddim (Radio Edit)

Environ mark the 15th (now 21st!) birthday of Metro Area's exceptional eponymous debut with this great reissue. Meticulously remastered using the original source tapes and generously spread across three slabs of vinyl, this is a welcome chance to grab a copy of one of the finest albums in dance music history.

In the late nineties, the budding producers Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani bonded over their shared love of slower tempos and '70s and '80s NYC club culture. Obsessed with record digging and the sounds they heard on late-night club classics radio shows - and turned off by current releases they saw as artlessly updating sublime disco by sampling, filtering and subjugating them with huge kick drums - the duo set out to discover how their favorite old 12" records were made. They naturally gravitated towards extended dubs of songs - full of strange mistakes and echoing backing tracks - instead of the better-known vocal versions. Lacking the big budgets and gear that made so many of their favorite classic records come together, they were forced to take a guerrilla approach. They reprogrammed their techno-oriented arsenal of secondhand synths and samplers, using novel digital recording technology to capture live instrumentation and prioritizing mood over hooks, and the resulting music was just wrong enough to sound unlike anything else being released at the time.

After four essential 12" releases, the duo released their first and only album, "Metro Area", in the autumn of 2002. twenty years later, it's time to celebrate the culmination of their shared history and inspiration once again. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Though it may be 21 years old (scary right!), the music on Metro Area's remarkable debut is just a vital as ever. Refined drum programming, spacious arrangements, neat hooks and nocturnal moods, all brought together into the warmest, grooviest house music you could ever hope for. It always reminded me of Brooklyn on a warm, sweaty late afternoon, even though I've never been there! :P

TRACK LISTING

A1. Dance Reaction
A2. Piña
B1. Caught Up
B2. Evidence
C1. Miura
C2. Soft Hoop
D1. Orange Alert
D2. Square-Pattern Aura
E1. Atmosphrique
E2. Machine Vibes
F1. Strut
F2. Let's Get... 

Wayne McDonald and Andy Callen met on the Manchester acoustic scene in the early noughties, and started working together following the splits of their former bands, Because They Came From The Wrong Side Of Town and The Spinning Fields, in 2005. In 2006 they became Picnic Area, on the basis that they were a British band playing country music, and picnic areas are what you find in the British countryside! As a duo, they released their first album, the confidently-titled "The essential Picnic Area". A sprawling 21 track DIY recording made at home in Wythenshawe, it nevertheless drew some favourable comments in early reviews. The additions of Simon Parkin, Matt Crawford, and most recently Paul Manina, have resulted in a flexible lineup capable of playing any type of gig. The new album, "You know you want it!", is now available for sale. The album was recorded with legendary producer Bill Leader and engineer/ jazz keyboardist John Ellis.
Picnic Area play frequently in the Manchester area, including their own monthly "Picnic Club" showcase at Fuel Bar, Wilmslow Road, Withington. They have hosted events at the Middlewich Festival, Cheshire, for a number of years, and have played support to many leading acts on the British new country scene, such as Quiet Loner, and The Good Intentions.

The current lineup of Picnic Area is:
Andy Callen - guitars, backing vocals
Matt "The Bonsai Whale" Crawford - bass guitar, multi-instrumentalist
Wayne McDonald - lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Paul Manina - harmonica, percussion
Simon Parkin - drums, percussion

"Haunt" is a swirl of farfisa organs, loops, stretched out guitar and the fragmented, fractured beats of an analog drum machine and tube amplifier static. Recorded by Eric Carlson and Jeff Knoch (Eyes Like Saucers) in late 2005. Area C was started by Eric Carlson in 2003, his compositions examine the texture and tonal characteristics of sound, working with live loops, their cyclical relationships, and the details of their decay over time, Jeff Knoch has appeared live with Area C, but this is his first recorded work with Eric.

Subtitled "Barrio Breaks, East Bay Grease, Folk Funk And More From The Vaults Of Atlantic, Reprise San Francisco & Warner Brothers 1967 - 1975", "From Burbank to The Bay Area" is not only a musical trip between two locations in the sunshine state; Burbank in Los Angeles, home of Reprise / Warner Brothers Records and the vibrant Bay Area, comprising Oakland and Berkeley, then across the Bay Bridge back to San Francisco, but also a convenient way to round up some differing styles of music. Latin-tinged funky rock, latin-soul, the funky, syncopated rhythm and horn sections of Oakland's Tower Of Power and Cold Blood, a radical instrumental gem by easy listening orchestra Mystic Moods, a disparate band of singer-songwriters, funky session guys, jazzy progressive folk types and a bona-fide soul diva all add a little soulful something to the melting pot. Includes The Ides Of March, Fred Ramirez, Labelle, Tower Of Power, Jo Mama, Bamboo, Seatrain, Hard Meat, Mystic Moods and more - 20 tracks in total!