Ikebe Shakedown's powerful instrumental soul takes "big unison horns, slinky bass lines, tight little guitar licks-and blends them with tasty grooves culled from '70s-style horn-driven funk (WNYC Soundcheck)." The Brooklyn-based collective is set to follow up their well-received self-titled debut album with the heavier, more mature sound of their second full-length Stone By Stone.

The self-produced album was recorded at the famed "House of Soul" Daptone Studios in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Notes bassist Vince Chiarito, "Thinking of all the great music that has come out of the Daptone Studio really pushed us to refine our songs and grow as a band. It was really inspiring to record there." The band adds that, "Stone By Stone is a much more layered and arranged album. The self-titled debut captured the raw energy of us playing live and the new record is much more of a studio effort. Psychedelic textures weave in and out of the grooves while the horn section offers an explosive response. The songs are heavy and danceable and show our moodier, more melodic side."

The seven-piece band-named after a favorite Nigerian boogie record and pronounced "ee-KAY-bay" formed in 2008 and has developed a mighty horn section anchored by tight, deep-pocketed grooves. Following 2009's debut EP Hard Steppin', the band released their self-titled debut full-length LP on Ubiquity Records in 2011 that Okayplayer called "an adventurous trip through time" and "one of the best releases of the year." Their music has also been featured on a number of television shows and commercials including HBO's Eastbound and Down, Mini Cooper and Vans.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Offering
2. Stone By Stone
3. The Beast
4. By Hook Or By Crook
5. Rio Grande
6. Last Stand
7. Cover Your Tracks
8. Chosen Path
9. The Illusion
10. Dram

Wah Wah 45s are very proud to present the debut LP from an exciting, brand new signing for 2025. The music of Isaac de Martin, otherwise known as IKE, blends jazz and electronic influences into warm, smooth, and often cinematic soundscapes. A certain eclecticism is not surprising considering that the composer, producer and guitarist was born in Italy into a musical family with British roots, studied classical guitar, graduated in jazz and went on to develop his personal style through creative experimentation, live touring and collaborative work with artists from a variety of disciplines and countries.

Under the shadow of the pandemic, IKE headed to Egypt, a country that has always held a deep fascination for him. Finding sanctuary between teaching at Cairo's Heliopolis University and observing the progress of an ecological development community, the creative foundation of IKE's forthcoming LP, entitled On Higher Dreams began to take form.

Music holds a revered position in Egyptian culture; it has done so for countless generations. With a western eye, some can be guilty of seeing music solely through the lens of entertainment. In Egypt, music holds its more natural position, as an essential and supportive accompaniment to the human experience. In Egyptian universities, faculty meetings often commence with live concerts, setting the correct tone and environment for the discussions to follow. IKE was invited to perform in this setting, and this approach to music, as well as the philosophy that underpins it, was keenly absorbed.

In western culture, all too often we bear the contrast of living with a physical and social connection, freedom and expression against one with isolation, restriction and fear. For IKE, Egypt displayed another stark contrast; one which formed the thematic centre of On Higher Dreams.

It is water that dictates the pulse of life in Egypt, with the Nile Delta standing as a lush, nourishing testament to the transformative power of the element, when set against the backdrop of the arid landscape it carves its ways through. There is a deep connection between the people of Egypt and this life-giving force. This album is an ode to this fundamental relationship.

Upon returning to Europe, IKE spent a year digesting, interpreting, understanding and refining the spirit of the work, before setting about recording in 2022 at Big Snuff Studios, Berlin. The all-analog setup that was available allowed IKE to integrate the warmth of '60s and '70s recordings, creating an atmospheric bed on which contemporary synths could lie. A live studio environment was consciously selected to preserve the raw, honest emotion of the performances.

Tracks like Nilo capture the lifeblood of Egypt—the Nile—while Sidda navigates the journey down the Blue Nile to its source at Lake Tana in Ethiopia, paying tribute to Ethiopian traditional music. Risorgini is a homage to Italian film composer Giuliano Sorgini, blending experimental and Afro elements into a resuscitation of his musical approach.

The album's overall vintage yet dynamic atmosphere, reinforces the themes of nature and existential flow. It is this that perhaps most prominently shines through on the record. It invites listeners to open themselves to the ebb and flow of life, encouraging a spontaneous, heartfelt engagement with the world in the spirit of acceptance and serenity. IKE's journey through Egypt serves as both a narrative and a metaphor for this liberating approach to life—where, like the water of the Nile, we find our own paths naturally, beautifully, inevitably to reach Higher Dreams.

TRACK LISTING

1. SIDDA
2. Nilo
3. Clay
4. Risorgini
5. Eventide
6. Interlude
7. Rapids (feat. Danny Kuttner)
8. Crepusculo
9. L'Accendino

"Has there ever been music that so much represents the fact that electronic sound exists between the dead and the living?" - by Chihei Hatakeyama. The ultimate improbient that pursues the original human way of dealing with sound, imagining the very sounds that emerged from people's activities long ago. This is the first vinyl release of a 2007 masterpiece by KEN IKEDA, known for his collaborations with computer music pioneer CARL STONE, DAVID TOOP a leading figure in the British experimental music scene, and Japanese jazz saxophonist AKIRA SAKATA. KEN IKEDA is a musician and artist who emits primitive and original electronic sounds, known for "DAM," a collaboration with CARL STONE, recorded inside a huge dam approximately 40 meters high and deep, and works on the label "ROOM40" run by Australian composer LAWRENCE ENGLISH. Remastered by Chihei Hatakeyama, a leading figure in the ambient to drone scene.

TRACK LISTING

01 Diary
02 A Part Of Shunkin
03 Mist On The Window
04 String Purification
05 From Horizon
06 Iconography
07 Rustle
08 Day Moon
09 Iki
10 Sawaribrato

This month we have three beautifully pressed mostly unreleased Ike Noble 45s with o.g style silver Ink overprinted labels, they look just

On side A we have the only previously released (but very rare) track on these three 45s. A brilliant, mid-tempo soul chugger that falls between Syl Johnson and James Brown, undeniable, how this did not blow up at the time is beyond comprehension.

On the flip, it is Deep Soul time again with a version of 'Best of Luck to You', also recorded by Sam baker and Earl Gaines, but easily toping both.

TRACK LISTING

1. It's Bad
2. Best Of Luck To You

New album from Richard Youngs that, similar to a lot of his work, happened fairly spontaneously following our having heard one of Richard's sketches utilising a Spanish guitar during the spring of 2021 and being duly impressed. We then proposed releasing a CD album of such work, where Richard uses the same guitar alongside real-time street sounds, birdsong, tape loops, synth, FM radio and runout grooves to create a setting that's comparatively gentler than most of his work thus far on Fourth Dimension Records.

Iker, meaning 'visitation' in Basque, collects five songs wilfully displaying Richard's prowess with the guitar whilst placing his delicate strumming of it alongside subtle elements that accord the proceedings with a hue unmistakably his own. If interested in the more stripped-down approach of some of John Fahey's work or Sir Richard Bishop's own impressionist playing then Iker should make for a wonderful accompaniment to such work. Moreover, though, this is just another fantastic album from one of the best eclectic and most individualist musicians the UK has produced during the past few decades.

TRACK LISTING

1.Water Feeling
2.With Cloud
3.Narrow Afternoon Feeling
4.High Window
5.Street Feeling

For fans of: Menahan Street Band, The Budos Band, Antibalas, El Michels Affair. Several members of Ikebe Shakedown were members of Charles Bradley’s touring band, The Extraordinaires. Ten years ago, Ikebe Shakedown began pushing the boundaries of instrumental music. Each new track and live set has sent them deeper into combining the primal elements of '70s soul, raw psychedelic style, and cinematic Western soundtracks with powerful grooves and soaring melodies. Now, with their new release, "Kings Left Behind" on Colemine Records, the band is giving listeners more mystery and majesty than ever before. The album features the entire group collaborating to produce tracks that deliver punches right to the gut, even as dreamy guitars and lush horn melodies and string arrangements capture the imagination. The album was recorded by Ikebe's bassist, Vince Chiarito, at Hive Mind Recording. Opened with Ikebe's saxophonist, Mike Buckley, and another collaborator in 2017, Hive Mind has become a home base for the band, leading to more experimentation with the textures and sounds of a genre they define as Instrumental Soul

TRACK LISTING

1. Not Another Drop
2. Unqualified
3. The Witness
4. Mary’s Corner
5. Horses
6. Hammer Into Anvil
7. Over My Head
8. No Going Back
9. Kings Left Behind
10. Not Another Drop (Reprise)

Life’s a bitch, and so is the world... For Ike Turner at least. Neither his late and absurd Hall of Fame induction nor the release of compilations like this one will ever do justice to one of the KEY characters in the birth and development of R&R. That is why any album underlining his historical importance and artistic talent deserves plenty of attention. “Down and Out” - available on vinyl only - gathers the very best of Ike’s output as a solo artist and as the leader of the Kings of Rhythm during the fifties. This feast of raw R&B includes “I’m Lonesome Baby”, his legendary first 45, the killer instrumentals “Cuban Getaway” and “Cubano Jump”, as well as “Box Top”, the recording debut of a very young Tina.

Exquisite cover art, remastered sound, liner notes and discography by specialist Fred Rothwell, the man who is currently writing Ike Turner’s biography.

TRACK LISTING

1. I'm Lonesome Baby
2. You're Driving Me Insane
3. Cubano Jump
4. Troubles And Heartaches
5. Looking For My Baby
6. Cuban Getaway
7. I Wanna Make Love To You
8. Loosely
9. Boxtop
10. (I Know) You Don't Love Me
11. Go To It
12. Down & Out
13. Walking Down The Aisle
14. My Love

Artists were asked to use Merzbow's album "Amlux" as an instrument in an original composition, rather than to perform the conventional remix. Hoping that this would allow the artist to flourish with greater creative freedom and a less restrictive context. Perhaps the beat oriented tracks, record scratching and vocals will annoy some noise purists, and perhaps the noisy sound collages will irritate others, but overall this collection of tracks from some of the best electronic artists working today will enlighten the listener. Tracks included are from DJ Spooky, Plug (Luke Vibert), Mouse On Mars, KK Null, Alec Empire, Kawabata Makoto, Cornelius, Kid 606, Negativland, Nobukazu Takemura, Atom TM, Chicks On Speed, Experimental Audio Research, Bola, Kim Hiorthoy Staalplaat Sound System, DJ/Rupture and many more.