Renowned Italian spiritual jazz master, DJ, producer, guitarist, and bandleader Nicola Conte proudly presents his new album Umoja via London based label Far Out Recordings.

A joyous exultation across ten tracks, Umoja taps into the abundant well of knowledge Conte has amassed over his career as connoisseuring compiler and archivist of deep jazz, latin, afrofuturist, bossa-nova and soul music from around the world

Expressing unity, oneness and harmony in Swahili, Umoja coalesces universal feelings through the multifaceted global music Conte has spent his life studying and researching.

Having released music with Blue Note, Impulse! and Schema records, Nicola Conte's relationship with Far Out began over a shared love of hard-edged bossanova and swinging samba-jazz. Between 2009-2013 Nicola Conte compiled five volumes of forgotten 60s Brazilian music for his Viagem series. He then released his critically acclaimed Natural album: a collaboration with vocalist Steffania Dippiero, featuring jazz standards alongside covers of lesser known Brazilian gems.

The music of Umoja draws on the deep-dug 70's independent spiritual and free jazz sounds, private-press soul records, and African and Afro Caribbean rhythms in Conte's collection. But he equally recognises his debt to many of the decade's more celebrated musical icons, such as North American cosmic jazz masters Lonnie Liston Smith and Gary Bartz, and Afrobeat originators Fela Kuti and Tony Allen.

Since founding the Bari-based bohemian cultural movement and club night Fez at the dawn of the nineties, Conte has proven to be a pillar of the contemporary, international soul-jazz scene. Composed alongside his long time friend, guitarist Alberto Parmegiani, Conte brings together a dazzling host of guests from around the world, including award winning British vocalist Zara Mcfarlane, acclaimed Finnish saxophonist Timo Lassy, french vibes player Simon Mullier, US vocalist Myles Sanko, rising South African drummer Fernando Damon, former Roy Hargrove bassist Ameen Saleem and Serbian flute sensation Milena Jancuric.

Proudly revivalist, Umoja was recorded direct to analog tape, with just two takes for each track.

TRACK LISTING

1. Freedom & Progress
2. Arise
2.1. Soul Of The People
2.2. Heritage
2.3. Flying Circles
2.1. Umoja Unity
2.2. Life Forces
2.2.1. Dance Of Love & Peace Part 1
2.2.2. Dance Of Love & Peace Part 2

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

Far Out Recordings proudly presents laid back Brazilian groove maestro Joao Donato's synth-heavy collaboration with his son Donatinho

Sintetizamor sees the father- son duo jovially hurtle through space and time across ten tracks of sparkling pop, Brazilian boogie and club friendly disco-funk. Joao Donato has been a hugely influential figure in the development of Brazilian music since the mid-1950's. He's played and recorded with virtually every one of his fellow Brazilian masters. Many of his own albums (of which he's recorded over three- dozen) are regarded with such adulation that 'cult- favourites' doesn't quite cut it. Aged 82 at the time, Donato's collaboration with his prodigious, synth obsessed son Donatinho - whose keyboard talents have been called on by the likes of the late Gal Costa, Djavan and Donatinho's contemporaries such as Diogo Strausz - was originally released back in 2017, as a limited Brazil-only release. For Record Store Day 2023, Sintetizamor will be available on vinyl (for the first time outside of Brazil) from participating stores.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

Far Out Recordings proudly presents the limited clear vinyl edition of the in-demand Visions of Dawn album by Joyce, Nana Vasconcelos and Mauricio Maestro. Recorded in Paris, in 1976, Visions of Dawn is the stunning 'lost' Brazilian acid-folk masterpiece. First uncovered and released in 2009, the record transfixed Brazilian music lovers and fans of otherworldly psych-folk alike. Led by the sharp lyrics and gorgeous, voice of a young Joyce Moreno, the trio is completed by the late great Brazilian percussion legend Nana Vasconcelos, and master arranger, producer and bassist Mauricio Maestro. These beautiful recordings offer a unique opportunity to sit in on the original sessions of tracks that would later become Brazilian cult-classics, like swinging samba-jazz opener 'Banana' and 'Clareana', a lullaby named after Joyce's daughters Clara and Ana. The trippiest moments come from 'Jardim Dos Deuces' (one of Frank Ocean's favourite tracks of all time) and the orgasmic album closer 'Chegeda'. Clear vinyl

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2022 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

"One of the best bass players in the world Dudu Lima teams up with Brazilian guitar legend Joao Bosco to record deep, beautiful extended live versions of some of Bosco's most well known tracks. Featuring Azymuth's drummer Ivan Conti, percussion master Marcos Suzano and Dudu Viana on piano. This is a super-limited, one-off, record store day release"

Far Out Recordings presents a double bill of two monumental Brit funk classics. Keep In Touch and Stay were the first two 12” singles by the iconic Freeez, both self-funded passion projects of its founding member John Rocca, for his own Pink Rhythm imprint.

It all started over the counter at Derek’s Records on Petticoat Lane, London in the mid-70s. Rocca - at the time a budding teenage percussionist - met the prolific guitarist, composer, producer and all round brit funk fixer Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick (also the father of Far Out producer Daniel Maunick). Best known as the founding member of Light of the World, Incognito, and more recently Str4ta, Bluey’s involvement in the origins of Freeez are lesser known, but no less crucial. Bluey invited Rocca to a weekly jam session in an East London basement, where they would develop their craft, form their first band Freeez and develop the idea for ‘Keep In Touch’: “Back in the basement there was this one particular track we were playing that I really loved. It had a groove that I thought I could sell” Rocca reminisces.

Going against the advice of all the musicians involved, who thought he was mad and set to lose all his money, John decided to go full DIY, hire out a high end studio in the West End to record ‘Keep In Touch’ and release it as a private press, birthing his now famed Pink Rhythm label. Featuring Bluey on guitar, Peter Maas on bass, Paul Morgan on drums, Jason Wright on keyboards, and John Rocca on percussion, Keep In Touch was a surprise underground hit selling over 5000 copies and reaching #49 in the UK, leading Freeez into a record deal with Pye / Calibre.

Still giddy from the experience of having produced and pressed his first record at the age of just 19, John set out to do it all again with ‘Stay’ and ‘Hot Footing It’, enlisting Bluey & co once again. This time Rocca attempted to take things to the next level by adding vocals into the mix. Though this new arrangement initially backfired and cost John the deal with Pye / Calibre who weren’t feeling the slight change of vibe, original copies of the Stay 12” have become one of the most in demand from the brit funk canon.

These foundational DIY 12” singles paved the way for Freeez to become a household name in the history of British funk who went on to record hits like ‘Southern Freeze’ and ‘IOU’ as well as underground cult classics like ‘Melodies of Love’ and ‘India’ as Pink Rhythm, John Rocca’s later formation of Freeez named after his imprint.

Far Out will be releasing a very limited run of the two 12”s (1000 copies of each), both redesigned in the style of the original private presses.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Another essential Brit-funk group headed by John Rocca. You probably know "Southern Freez" but I think "Stay", featured here, pips it to the post. Either way, these fresh reissues are a welcome addition to any boogie / funk / disco record collection.

TRACK LISTING

1. Stay

2. Hot Footing It

Far Out Recordings presents a double bill of two monumental Brit funk classics. Keep In Touch and Stay were the first two 12” singles by the iconic Freeez, both self-funded passion projects of its founding member John Rocca, for his own Pink Rhythm imprint.

It all started over the counter at Derek’s Records on Petticoat Lane, London in the mid-70s. Rocca - at the time a budding teenage percussionist - met the prolific guitarist, composer, producer and all round brit funk fixer Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick (also the father of Far Out producer Daniel Maunick). Best known as the founding member of Light of the World, Incognito, and more recently Str4ta, Bluey’s involvement in the origins of Freeez are lesser known, but no less crucial. Bluey invited Rocca to a weekly jam session in an East London basement, where they would develop their craft, form their first band Freeez and develop the idea for ‘Keep In Touch’: “Back in the basement there was this one particular track we were playing that I really loved. It had a groove that I thought I could sell” Rocca reminisces.

Going against the advice of all the musicians involved, who thought he was mad and set to lose all his money, John decided to go full DIY, hire out a high end studio in the West End to record ‘Keep In Touch’ and release it as a private press, birthing his now famed Pink Rhythm label. Featuring Bluey on guitar, Peter Maas on bass, Paul Morgan on drums, Jason Wright on keyboards, and John Rocca on percussion, Keep In Touch was a surprise underground hit selling over 5000 copies and reaching #49 in the UK, leading Freeez into a record deal with Pye / Calibre.

Still giddy from the experience of having produced and pressed his first record at the age of just 19, John set out to do it all again with ‘Stay’ and ‘Hot Footing It’, enlisting Bluey & co once again. This time Rocca attempted to take things to the next level by adding vocals into the mix. Though this new arrangement initially backfired and cost John the deal with Pye / Calibre who weren’t feeling the slight change of vibe, original copies of the Stay 12” have become one of the most in demand from the brit funk canon.

These foundational DIY 12” singles paved the way for Freeez to become a household name in the history of British funk who went on to record hits like ‘Southern Freeze’ and ‘IOU’ as well as underground cult classics like ‘Melodies of Love’ and ‘India’ as Pink Rhythm, John Rocca’s later formation of Freeez named after his imprint.

Far Out will be releasing a very limited run of the two 12”s (1000 copies of each), both redesigned in the style of the original private presses.

TRACK LISTING

1. Keep In Touch
2. Keep In Touch (Edit)

Throughout a career that has spanned over twenty years and seen collaborations with MF DOOM, Thom Yorke, Damon Albarn, BadBadNotGood, Portishead’s Beth Gibbons, Kimbra and Khujo Goodie (Dungeon Family), Jneiro Jarel’s consistently distinctive, forward thinking productions, as well as his love for the music of Brazil, made his partnership with Far Out a perfect fit. Recorded between New York, New Orleans, Miami and Costa Rica, After A Thousand Years features legendary multi-instrumentalist Bill Summers, famed for his work with Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones and Eddie Henderson. The album also features Malawian-American guitarist Masauko Chipembere who has worked with the likes of RZA from Wu-Tang Clan and Ladybug Mecca from Digable Planets. In 2018 Far Out Recordings signed a record deal with Brooklyn born, nomadic producer Jneiro Jarel.

Having just put the finishing touches to the recordings, Jarel suffered an ischemic stroke while living and working in Costa Rica and his wife Indigo was forced to set up a crowd fund to cover special medical transport back to the states to receive treatment. The release was put on hold, but thanks to the generosity of friends and fans around the world, Jarel was able to get the care he needed and is now on the long road to recovery. For Jarel, After A Thousand Years is “a culmination of the longstanding musical contributions of the African diaspora.” Permeating the Brazilian music and Latin jazz Jarel has loved and drawn inspiration from, as well as the stateside jazz, soul and funk Jarel grew up around, the influence of Africa and its musical history, on both North and South America, is key to the album’s sound.

On lead single “Banana Peel”, Jarel’s outernational perspective makes for a track that is almost impossible to place geographically: you can hear the swing of Jarel’s native New Orleans jazz, the vibrance of Costa Rican rainforests as well as the influence of Jarel’s vast collection of Brazilian records. “Viberian Waves 1&2” is equally nonconformist, morphing from funky baroque-flavoured instrumental hip hop into a bossa inspired, percussive jam. Taking its inspiration from the biblical prophecies found in the books of Isaiah, Daniel, and Revelation, foretelling the fully realized, physical and spiritual restoration of the earth and mankind after the thousand year reign of the Messianic Kingdom, After A Thousand Years contemplates and celebrates a world where everlasting love, peace, and harmony abound under a sovereign, divine rulership

TRACK LISTING

1. If I Could See Heaven Without Dying Feat: Scott Burton 
2. Ce-les-tial
3. Sunwalkers Part Two And Three Feat: Bill Summers 
4. Just A Little While Longer
5. African Bahia Sol Feat: Dr Who Dat? 
6. Viberian Waves 1 & 2 Feat: Capitol Peoples 
7. Broken Arted 
8. Banana Peel (C Scara De Pl Tano) Featuring Masauko Chipembere
9. Let The Cu Ca Play Feat: Cafe, Micr Climate 
10. TROP-PICS

London based Brazilian specialists Far Out Recordings venture further out to Uruguay to record a new album with fusion legend Hugo Fattoruso. After a twenty-year search for the man behind the cult 70s jazz-funk group Opa, Far Out are honoured to present Barrio Opa: a new work from Fattoruso and his team of world-class musicians, including the sensational Candombe drumming of the renowned Silva brothers.

Recorded at Sondor Studios, Montevideo, the album is the natural development of the original Opa sound, fusing Afro-Uruguayan rhythms, jazz harmony and heavy funk attitude, under Hugo’s unique musical vision.

Fusing Candombe (traditional rhythm of Uruguay) with rock, jazz, funk and other Latin American rhythms, Opa created a distinctive Afro-Uruguayan voice within the global jazz vernacular, influencing a generation of musicians throughout the seventies and beyond. Fattoruso also famously collaborated extensively with Airto Moreia, arranging and playing on a plethora of hit records including Fingers and I’m Fine, How Are You. More recently Fattoruso’s music has been sampled by the likes Flying Lotus and Madlib.

Recorded at the state of the art Sondor Studios in Montevideo’s iconic Barrio Sur district, the album features some of the world class musicians at the forefront of today’s Uruguayan jazz scene, including Hugo’s son Francisco Fattoruso on bass, Tato Bolognini on drums, Albana Barrocas on percussion and Nicolas Ibarburu on electric guitar. The album also features the Candombe drumming of the legendary Silva brothers, Mathias, Guillermo Diaz and Wellington, who give the album its Afro-Uruguayan identity, transporting the listener to Barrio Sur, the spiritual home of Montevideo’s Candombe heritage.

In Hugo’s own words “this is the sound of Opa today.” This is most prevalent on ‘Goldenwings’ the fresh take on the funk-fusion masterpiece which became an underground hit in London jazz clubs in the 80s ‘. The stripped back yet equally rip-roaring trio piece ‘Botijas’ is led by Hugo’s virtuosic piano playing and hypnotic wordless vocals, and backed by an inventive, heavy grooving fusion of Latin rhythms from Tato Bolognini on drums. The shining moments for the Silva brothers’ Tambor playing are ‘Candombelek’ - a beautifully moody Afro-Uruguyan groove with characterful rhodes and vocal harmonies - and ‘Candombe Alto’, a carnival-esque track, awash with soaring synth lead, wahwah guitar and pulsating keys.

TRACK LISTING

La Del Cheche
Botijas
Candombe Beat Funk
El Romance Del Sordo
Trenes De Tokyo
Candombelek**
Candombe Alto
Llamada Ins Lita
Antes
Goldenwings
For You To Be Proud**

**CD Only

In 1975, the prolific and multi-talented Brazilian comedians Chico Anysio and Arnaud Rodrigues recorded an album based on the protagonist of one of their most celebrated TV series.
Sporting a dodgy moustache and an equally troubling haircut, Carioca conman Paulo Mauricio Azambuja (played by Anysio) would flog his own mother’s leg if he could, and his ever-ridiculous scams are inevitably always destined to fail. This soundtrack/musical re-imagining of the series combines jazz-funk with samba soul and MPB, with the help of cult Brazilian trio Azymuth. Keyboard maestro Jose Roberto Bertrami, who arranged the album alongside renowned conductor and composer Jose Menezes, elevates the groovy oddball sound to another dimension, with his set up including Fender Rhodes, Arp Strings, Arp Omni, Clavinet and Hammond organ. Remaining Azymuth members Ivan Conti (drums) and Alex Malheiros (bass) provide the signature Azymuth foundation, and saxophone prodigy Victor Assis Brasil and legendary multi-instrumentalist producer Durval Ferreira also feature.
As well as its distinctly comedic character, what makes the music so special is the coming together of traditional samba roots, and Azymuth’s ahead-of-itstime psychedelic funk influence. Each side ends with a comedy monologue, complete with live audience laughter, but before that you get seven tracks of weird and wonderfully emotive Brazilian groove music.

TRACK LISTING

Nega Brecho
Ao Bililico
Tema Do Azambuja
Monologo No. 1
Maristela
O Poste Da Rua
Verde
A Turma
Monologo No. 2

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2014 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

A super disco project to celebrate RSD 2014 and Far Out Recordings 20th year! Made with love by Far Out's Favourite artists including late legend 'Maestro Jose Roberto Bertrami', along with 'Arthur Verocai', 'Alex Malheiros' & many of Rio's finest musicians including a full orchestra. This has been recorded & mastered to give you the full vinyl experience & is the first album of an ongoing series. The record was produced in the best studio in Rio de Janeiro, with all old equipments including 2" Ampex tape, Neve compressors, SSL desk and needless to say all the best delicate treatments to retain that analogue feel and sound along the way to this release.

TRACK LISTING

LP 1:
Mystery (FOMDO Feat Arthur Verocai) /
Keep Believing (Can You Feel It)
A Disco Supreme (FOMDO Feat Arthur Verocai)
The Last Carnival
LP 2:
Vendetta
Keep Believing (Can You Feel It) (SS Translation By Theo Parrish) Special Radio Edit
Don't Cha Know He's Alright (JR Bertrami / J Davis) /
Freefall (JR Bertrami / JDavis) /
Mystery (Instrumental) (A Verocai / J Davis)