The Jalapeno Funk Annual has been released so I think we can down tools now and have some egg-nog.. Lovely !
As always it’s a round up of the great and the good of the past year on Jalapeno plus a few friends thrown in for good measure.
Volume 15 highlights incredible album cuts from The Allergies, Wolfgang
Valbrun and Sam Redmore plus a post album track from Izo FitzRoy.
Skeewiff were back with a loungey vengeance in 2024 and so feature
heavily as do our protoges Kraak & Smaak, now running their hugely
successful Boogie Angst label.
Smoove & Turrell commissioned some incredible remixes of tracks from
their “Red Ellen” album and a couple of our favourites are here.
Flevans dropped another beauty of an album on Jalapeno before starting
up his own Nearby Bear imprint. A couple of the highlights from his last
record for us are included.
Jalapeno Funk – making that special time of year just about funking bearable.
Tracklist: 1. Skeewiff - These Boots Are Made for Walking 2. Sam Redmore - What Would You Do? (feat. Lumi HD) 3. The Allergies - My Own Way (feat. Dr Syntax & Skunkadelic) 4. Skeewiff - The Cat 5. The Allergies - I Feel It 6. Izo FitzRoy - Chasing Days 7. Kraak & Smaak - Money in the Bag 8. The Allergies - Let Me Hear You Say 9. Mr Doris - Feel Good (feat. D-Funk, Cantaloop & Nell Shakespeare) 10. Kraak & Smaak - Ready for Ya (feat. Otis Kane) 11. Smoove & Turrell - Violet Hour 12. Flevans - Dreamer 13. Kraak & Smaak - Bobby & Whitney 14. Sam Redmore - Glow 15. Diogo Strausz - Tropical Electrical (feat. Nic Hanson) 16. The Allergies - Koliko (feat. K.O.G) 17. Smoove & Turrell - Geno's Discotheque 18. Wolfgang Valbrun - Sun Don't Shine 19. Izo FitzRoy - Body of Mine 20. Sam Redmore - Mother Earth (feat. Abdominal)
In alignment with London clubbing
institution Fabric's 25th year, the huge figural techno head Laurent
Garnier joins on for the former's Fabric Presents mix series, which
selects artists to record different stylistic kinds of DJ mixes -
separate to the longtime, peaktime, and often drum & bass-oriented
Fabriclive series. Among the shortlist of artists drawn up, Garnier's
name stuck out like a sore thumb, not least since those who are
inevitably chosen had to have risen to fame in roughly the same
timeframe as the Farringdon nightclub did. Fabric make the following
promise: Laurent's mix, released here in the form of a deluxe CD
compendium, will not only pay homage to the club, but also showcase his
own mastery of genres and the diversity of his genius. The release will
drop physical-only as a deluxe vinyl collectable and on CD and it'll
also feature a new original four-track EP from Laurent.
CD1: House Odyssey (1:18:06) 1. Mr Blasé ft. Yolanda Fyrus – Niyabaleka (Mr Blasé’s A Luta Continua Mix) 2. Aberton – Palm Springs 3. Caiiro – Drummotions (The Mike Dunn Movement) 4. Culoe De Song – Aftermath 5. Anané – Walking On Thin Ice (Louis Vega, Sebastien Grand, Alex Finkin Remix) 6. Deon Cole – Where The Freaks At ft. Teresa Griffin & Terry Hunter (Terry Hunter Club Mix) 7. Demarkus Lewis, DJ Lady D – A Deep-Felt Love (Extended Mix) 8. N.W.N. – Girl 9. DJ Spen, Aaron K Gray, Gary Hudgins – Obey 10. Skatman – What You Gonna Do 11. Tal Fussman – Parallel Reality 12. Harry Romero – Liquid Samba 13. Neinzer – Flurry 14. Junior Sanchez – Strong Enough (Original Mix) 15. Basile de Suresnes – So Good
CD2: Rhythmic Resonance (1:18:40) 1. Soundbed – Turnaround (Pezzner’s 30 Watt Instrumental Mix) 2. Dailly – Autonomy (New York Drums Mix) 3. Imperieux – Ferishtah 4. John Tejada – Different Mirrors 5. Paons – Rozes 6. Works Of Intent – Richer Sound 7. Red Axes – Calib 8. Copy Paste Soul – The Fall (Laurent Garnier Remix) 9. Carlo Ruetz – Proton 10. Lewy – Aggar 11. Avision – How We Do It 12. Electric Rescue – Autoxians (Original Mix) 13. Anjun Vagale – And There Was Was You 14. Chris Shape – Eat The Bankers (Brian Sanhaji Remix) 15. Mary Droppinz – The Cycle 16. Marco Bailey – Full Steam 17. Das SPEZIAL & Paradise Circus – Romantic Schizophranic 18. Laurent Garnier – Tales From The Real World (Version Instrumentale)
CD3: Into The Low-End (1:17:36) 1. Higgo – 3K (Instrumental) 2. Martin Badder & Maria – No Two Ways About It 3. 2Xm – Hear My Call (Neil MacLeod Remix) 4. Arkajo – Tape 17 5. R.O.S.H. – AMG (CLA45 Mix) 6. Dismantle – Garnier Uk 7. Ahadadream – Piano Skank 8. Busy Twist – Tropic 109 9. Murder He Wrote – Rave In (Dub) 10. Odd Mob – LEFT TO RIGHT (33 Below Remix) 11. WelderB – Check 12. Sammy Virji, Flowdan – Sheila Verse 13. Mythm – Bare 14. Rohaan – Easy For Them 15. Sling Wave – Jabber Jaws 16. Cesco, Hamdi – Swing King 17. Regents, Cartridge, Strategy – Greengate Adhesive 18. Skrillex, PEEKABOO, Flowdan, G-Rex – Badders 19. Lunice – Compensate 20. Cocktail Party Effect – Collapse 21. Benny L – Salute 22. ZeroZero – Anything Can Happen (feat MC GQ) 23. Heist, DJ Pleasure – Stink 24. Taxman – All Crew 25. Kings Of The Rollers – Down I Go 26. Grey Code – Voyage XIII
CD4: On The Way Home (1:17:26) 1. Crosspolar – Pattern Recognition 2. Daudi Matsiko – Hymn 3. Aja Monet – Weathering 4. Adriano Koch – I’ll Keep You Waiting 5. Dialog – Book Of Life (feat Benji) 6. Equiknoxx – Urban Snare Cypher 7. Selassie – Mmsh 8. Niecy Blues – Exits 9. Phiorio – Sparks (Doubtingthomas Rework) 10. Bardino – Tilia 11. Kang Brulee – Out Of Time 12. Joe Seven, Consequence – Noresco 13. Agf – SKINgame 14. Richie Culver ft billy woods – Swollen 15. Duckett – Nothing Left 16. Loma – I Swallowed A Stone 17. Raz Olsher – Knowledge 18. Melody Gadot – You Never Ask (from ‘Madame Sean Connery’)
One of hip-hop's longest-running successes,
LL Cool J arrived at the dawn of the genre as a fresh-faced b-boy and
spent the ensuing decades consistently evolving and expanding the range
of his talents. Streetwise and romantic early rap hits in the 80's gave
way to more versatile musical approaches and mainstream breakthroughs
in the 90's and 2000s with multimillion-selling albums like 1990's"Mama
Said Knock You Out".
LL transitioned from rap superstar to
multifaceted Renaissance man as the years went on, establishing himself
as an actor, author, philanthropist, and music industry insider
alongside his work as an artist. In addition to winning multiple Grammys
for his music, LL Cool J was the recipient of the NAACP Image Award and
a Kennedy Center Honoree, all while appearing in dozens of films and
maintaining a television role on the crime drama series NCIS: Los
Angeles and hosting the competitive reality show Lip Sync Battle. In
2021, Cool J was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,
recognized for his musical output that helped shape rap on the whole.
LL
Cool J returns with his highly anticipated 14th studio album "The
Force", which is produced in its entiety by Q-Tip from A Tribe Called
Quest.
Tracklist: 1. Spirit Of Cyrus (feat. Snoop Dogg) 2. The Force 3. Saturday Night Special (feat. Rick Ross & Fat Joe) 4. Black Code Suite (feat. Sona Jobarteh) 5. Passion 6. Proclivities (feat. Saweetie) 7. Post Modern 8. 30 Decembers 9. Runnit Back 10. Huey In The Chair (feat. Busta Rhymes) 11. Basquiat Energy 12. Praise Him (feat. Nas) 13. Murdergram Deux (feat. Eminem) 14. The Vow (feat. Mad Squablz, J-S.A.N.D. & Don Pablito)
Experience the best of independent music with BBE Music's 2024 Year-End
Compilation! This exclusive bundle offers you critically acclaimed
artist albums, rare exclusive mixes, and supports the vibrant indie
music scene.
For our BBE family - available as bundle download only, we have a very
special mix by Louie Vega off musclecars’ debut album tipped by Gilles
Peterson to be Dance Record of the year 2024, as part of this
compilation’
Discover Award-Winning Talent: Enjoy award-winning debut albums from
stars like Audrey Powne, musclecars, Illa J, and Ash Walker (aka Jaywalk
and The Cadillacs).
Legendary Collaborations: Sounds from the great Marley Marl with Lady
Alma and Joy Hallelujah, and serene melodies from Jazz Ensemble Of the
Year: Alina Bzhezhinska and Tony Kofi’s "Altera Vita."
Unforgettable Live Performance: Relive Waaju's electrifying live album
ft. Majid Bekkas, recorded at Church Of Sound during a pivotal moment in
Gnawan music history.
Unique Sounds: Dive into The Cromagnon Band's fusion of psychedelic rock and trip-hop led by virtuoso Bert Page.
Powerful Messages: The Brkn Record's latest release by Jake Fergusson speaks truth with compelling music.
Exclusive Reissues and Mixes: Revel in select J Jazz reissues, Jessica
Lauren’s trailblazing 1997 album, and Rahaan’s soulful Chicago disco.
Plus, get Louie Vega’s unreleased percussion mix of musclecars'
"Tonight."
Don't miss out on owning this collectible compilation. Support
independent music, enjoy exclusive tracks, and be part of the BBE Music
legacy.
Listen now!
Tracklist: 1. Alina Bzhezhinska - Anima - Breathe (feat. Tony Kofi) 2. Audrey Powne - Indigo 3. Aki Takase Trio - Song for Hope 4. Jessica Lauren - Uptown 5. The Brkn Record - Prison of Skin 6. The Brkn Record - Why Do They Fear Us (feat. Yolanda Lear) 7. The Cromagnon Band - Bad Night 8. ILLA J - True (feat. Ash Walker) 9. Masahiko Satoh - East Plants (feat. Takeo Moriyama, Leon Brichard and Idris Rahman) 10. Will & James Ragar - Take One More Chance 11. Larry Nozero - Tune For L.N. (feat. Dennis Tini) 12. Tamil Rogeon - Gift Of The Gab 13. Grupo Ébano - Rio Seco 14. Rick Panzer - Pre-stretch Warm Up 15. Ihsan Al-Munzer - Mountain Girl (feat. Sari Aghtchik) 16. Waaju;Majid Bekkas - Barma Soussandi 17. Ginger Johnson and His African Messengers - I Jool Omo 18. African Brothers Band International of Ghana - Locomotive Train 19. Aderemi Kabaka - Afro Beat 20. Rhythm Rhyme Revolution - Sunshine Girl (feat. DJ Tabu) 21. Audrey Powne - Feed the Fire 22. Roy Ayers - What's The T? (feat. Merry Clayton) 23. Rahaan;The Ones - What You Are To Me 24. Magnetic Machines - People 25. musclecars - Running Out Of Time 26. Pascal Morais - Protegé 27. DandyLisbon - Chipi (feat. Buru'Vera, Amzin Deep and DrummeRTee924) 28. Freddy da Stupid - Back To Pangea Part II 29. musclecars - Tonight Louie Vega Percussion Remix (feat. Kamaal) 30. Marley Marl - Joy (Hallelujah) (feat. Lady Alma & Kenny Bobien) 31. ILLA J - Vibe (feat. Ash Walker)
Ella Thompson’s new record Ripple on the Wing is a soaring 10 song
collection - a sweet and spooky modern take on classic soul music. With
echoes of 1960’s lowrider love songs and haunting cinematic
arrangements; Ella sings songs of personal empowerment &
self-realisation alongside classic themes of love & longing.
Backed by an impeccable band featuring members of Surprise Chef with
other Melbourne soul luminaries; Ripple on the Wing’s production palette
is an intoxicating blend of the acoustic & amplified - with
harpsichord, piano & flute melding with classic funky drums, organ,
guitar along with those sweet vocal harmony singalong ‘oohs & ahhhs’
that make everything alright.
Inspired by icons like Australian soul pioneer Renee Geyer & groups
like The Shangri-La’s (as well as contemporary soul artists like Thee
Sacred Souls and Baby Rose), Ella’s songwriting draws on poetry,
philosophy and personal experience to inform her lyrics. Ripple On The
Wing is truly cinematic - not just in the sense that it owes a lot to
Soundtrack & Library Musics, but that it is also an album of
storytelling & moods - each song defining its own scenery &
space. One such example comes from the sweet & soulful Little Star,
where Ella’s lyrics take comfort in belonging to the microscopic &
the universal, creating a
lullaby-like softness to sink into - inviting her listeners to
contemplate the vast expanse of human emotion & the
interconnectedness of all things.
One More Step & There's A Fire continue in the sweet soul vein with
themes of finding belonging and reciprocity. In contrast, the staunch
& spooky Omen explores Ella’s darker side, where reality intertwines
with myth & the supernatural intermingles with the personal. Let
There Be Nothing imagines a narrative where Carmela Soprano challenges
the patriarchal system she is a part of. Don’t Be A Taurus is a playful
slow dance serenade to tender love and letting go of stubbornness.
Ripple On The Wing is co-produced by Ella, Liam McGorry (Ex-Olympian,
Dorsal Fins, Saskwatch) & Henry Jenkins (Karate Boogaloo), with
Henry at the controls both in the recording process & the mix. The
album being Mastered by NY legend Alex De Turk. The songs of Ripple on
the Wing are written & arranged by both Ella & Liam, the latter
also featuring on Trumpet alongside Cheryl Durongpisitkul’s rich
saxophone. Surprise Chef’s Lachlan Stuckey, Jethro Curtin & Hudson
Whitlock provide tremendously tasteful guitar, keyboards, vibraphone and
percussion respectively, with Alex Roper & Tom Pettit locking it
all down on the drums & bass. Hiatus Kaiyote’s Jace XL rounding out
the ensemble with gorgeous backing vocals. Ripple on the Wing is a warm,
immediate & honest record, a group of friends recording live in a
room together.
Tracklist: 1. Let There Be Nothing 2. One More Step 3. Jigsaw 4. There's A Fire, Yet To Burn 5. Omen 6. Other People's Problems 7. Little Star 8. Changes 9. Sleep Walking 10. Don't Be A Taurus
January 2nd, 2023. Aside from being the second of a new year, it was a
pretty ordinary night at ETA in Los Angeles, where guitarist Jeff Parker
- alongside his ETA IVtet with saxophonist Josh Johnson, bassist Anna
Butterss, and drummer Jay Bellerose - had been holding down a regular
Monday gig since 2016. At the time, nobody knew it was the first gig of
the last year that ETA would be open for business.
Over seven years of holding down that residency, Parker’s ETA ensemble
evolved from a band that played mostly standards into a group known for
its transcendent, long-form (sometimes stretching out for 45 minutes or
more) journeys into innovative, often uncharted territories of
groove-oriented, painterly, polyrhythmic, minimalist and mantric
improvised music.
With that musical growth, the crowds for Parker and his band at ETA grew
across the years too. What started as a sparse gathering of weeknight
drinkers, friends, family, and Chicago expats (coming to get a shot of
nostalgia for the atmospheres Parker used to create at Rodan across the
‘00s and early ‘10s) grew into a Los Angeles nightlife staple with a
packed house and a line down the block for every show.
By January 2023 interest in Parker’s music was
stronger than ever, coming off successes with the December 2021
International Anthem/Nonesuch release of Forfolks – a collection of solo
guitar works – and the October 2022 Eremite release of Mondays at the
Enfield Tennis Academy, a double LP chronicling the ETA IVtet’s
distinct, expansive approach to improvisation across four side-length
tracks recorded and mixed live by engineer Bryce Gonzales.
Mondays introduced the world to the ETA IVtet’s signature sound with a
gathering of unnamed recordings from dates between 2019 and 2021.
Parker’s new ETA IVtet offering stays true to that formula in some ways –
as he returns to Gonzales’s archive of analog captures to gather four
long recordings totalling around 80 minutes – while zooming in on a more
particular moment in his journey. The Way Out of Easy provides us a
macro-lens view of the ever-refining, infinite organic essence of the
ensemble as they stretch out across a single night of soundmaking on
January 2nd, 2023.
The engineer Gonzales is well known for the high-end audio gear he
builds as Highland Dynamics, and even designed a custom mixer to be able
to record the ETA IVtet, specifically, while only taking up a single
space at the bar. In his liner notes for The Way Out of Easy, he colors
his process and approach: “There are many different ways to make
recordings and they all have their place. But for this band, the most
important thing to consider is: not doing anything to get in the way of
what they are saying to each other.” He refers to the simple schematic
he used for capturing these performances – “basically only 4 level
controls for one microphone per player” – which allows us an incredibly
pure, honest, transparent and transporting experience of the music as it
unfolds and is created in real time.
The set begins with an extended take on Parker’s composition
“Freakadelic” – a tune he originally recorded for his 2012 Delmark
release Bright Light in Winter. The B-side piece “Late Autumn” finds
Parker swaying in alliterative, arpeggiating cycles, using just a few
plucked notes as he lays the compositional foundation. At first it
almost sounds like an echo of the humble tunes he wrote alone with his
guitar on Forfolks, but in this space his ensemble joins him to help
build a beautifully multi-textured, gently-shifting four-dimensional
construction out of a simple idea. On “Easy Way Out,” Butterss’s bobbing
bass line leads, paddling the ensemble into a placid expanse of tender
psychedelia while Bellerose dusts off the drums like an archaeologist
unearthing ancient artifacts.
It had become customary for the IVtet to end their shows every week with
a standard or a tune – a practice that Parker embraced for wanting to
give the audience something warm and familiar to take home after a long
night of taking them out on creative limbs. Some of Parker’s more common
calls were “This Guy’s In Love With You” by Burt Bacharach, “1974
Blues” by Eddie Harris, or “Peace” by Horace Silver. In this set, the
IVtet closes not with a familiar song, but a familiar sound in the form
of a dub/reggae groove (given the name “Chrome Dome” by Parker in post),
developing spontaneously out of lyrical ad libs by Johnson on solo
saxophone.
In early December of 2023, ETA co-owner Ryan Julio was forced to make a
sudden announcement that the venue would permanently shutter at the end
of the year. On December 23rd, Parker and the band played at ETA for the
last time.
On July 22nd, 2024, the ETA IVtet gathered to perform together for the
first time since then, playing for a sold-out crowd of several hundred
listeners – a smiling Ryan Julio among them – at Zebulon in Los Angeles.
Gonzales was there, recording with his compact analog setup just behind
the band on stage. The space may be gone but its spirit lives and the
music moves forward into new vessels.
Tracklist: 1. Freakadelic 2. Late Autumn 3. Easy Way Out 4. Chrome Dome
NYC producer Blockhead returns to the newly revived Future Archive Recordings with a fantastic new album - “Mortality Is Lit!”.
For some it would be easy to laugh off at first glance, but it’s more
than just a humorous title – it’s a calling card for a record that
frequently meditates on death, afterlife, endings and cycles.
While some tracks are overtly pointed remarks on popular theories about
human expiration (‘All Dorks Go To Heaven’, ‘Hard Pass On The
Afterlife’), this is not just a shallow and simplistic take as the theme
is expanded throughout the record into a more overarching concept of
things coming to natural endings, cyclic patterns continuing past the
individual experience of them, and most importantly of all being at
peace with these occurrences as an accepted or even celebrated part of
life (‘They Got Therapy For That’, ‘Earth’s Farewell Tour’).
As anyone who is familiar with Blockhead knows, even the most serious of messages always come with healthy servings of
humour, irony, sarcasm, and a knowing wink. The title itself further
reinforces this by using 'Lit’ as a fad synonym for excitement which is
itself at the end of its own life cycle in popular culture...
For longtime fans it really wouldn’t be a Blockhead record if there
wasn’t at least one horny song and here we are blessed with two for the
lovers out there. Also caught up in the madness are some good old
fashioned fun joints... ‘Dolphin Lundgren’ - for example is a joyful
romp through the upbeat eyes of a high dolphin; then there’s the
glorious juxtaposition of Middle Eastern disco and festival vibes on
‘Burning Man in Tehran’; or the bleary eyed sentimentality of ‘Thursday
Night at Don Hills’.
The lowkey hero of the indie hip-hop and instrumental beats scenes,
Blockhead first made his name on Def Jux as the go-to beats man for
Aesop Rock before joining legendary UK label Ninja Tune as a solo
producer and purveyor of the most exciting sample-based instrumental
music this side of The Avalanches and DJ Shadow.
Indeed this year is the 20th anniversary of his seminal record ‘Music By
Cavelight’ on Ninja Tune, which has just seen a special reissue edition
on vinyl with some unreleased tracks from the same era which will also
be available by the time this album is out.
Now Blockhead is rightly considered a bona fide master in his craft
after an enviable career in underground hip-hop with his signature
all-you-can-eat buffet of musical samples spanning every kind of audio
you can imagine, always catering to both the audience who want to dig
deeper and those who just like to dance. As he creates expansive
narratives mostly without words, opting for a few choice vocal samples
to provide some core guidance and themes.
Contrasting between downtempo and upbeat often in the same track, he
traverses eras and styles spanning jazz, funk, blues, easy listening,
disco, exotica, cinematic, and tv show snaps, all crafted together with a
hip-hop sampling sensibility that is truly inimitable.
For all its humour, they say that in comedy timing is everything and
‘Mortality Is Lit!’ arrives very possibly at the optimal point in this
regard, two weeks after the US presidential election. Quite likely when
some perspective on cycles is needed most, regardless of what side of
the aisle you find yourself on...
Tracklist: 1. Your Daily Affirmations 2. Earth's Farewell Tour 3. Dolphin Lundgren 4. All Dorks Go To Heaven 5. Orgy At The Port Authority 6. They Got Therapy For That 7. Hard Pass On The Afterlife 8. Thursday Night At Don Hills 9. Burning Man In Tehran 10. Attack Of The Sunrise People 11. Come Again 12. George Washedington
Shabaka has enlisted rapper billy woods for
a new song called “Timepieces.” It serves as the opening song on the
jazz musician’s Possession EP, which features further contributions from
woods’ Armand Hammer bandmate, Elucid, Esperanza Spalding, South
African jazz musician Nduduzo Makhathini, Brandee Younger, Carlos Niño,
and Jason Moran.
Tracklist: 1. Timepieces (feat. Billy Woods) 2. I’ve Been Listening (feat. E L U C I D) 3. To The Moon (feat. Andre 3000) 4. Cycles Of Growth (feat. Esperanza Spalding) 5. Reaching Back Towards Eternity (feat. Nduduzo Makhathini)
Tracklist: 1. Urban Sound Lab & Eric Ericksson – Be Gone (feat. Ursula Rucker - Eric Ericksson remix) 2. The Realm, V & Eric Ericksson – One Chance (Eric Ericksson dub) 3. Sea Point 4. Eric Ericksson & Reel People – Don't Hold Back On Love (feat. Debra Debs - vocal mix) 5. In This Life (feat. Amalia - dub mix) 6. Ralf Gum & Eric Ericksson – Take Me To My Love (feat. Monique Bingham - Eric Ericksson Bigga Bingham Drum rework) 7. Eric Ericksson, Reel People & Kaidi Tatham – Don't Hold Back On Love (feat. Debra Debs - Kaidi Tatham remix) 8. The Realm, Tony Momrelle & Eric Ericksson – Time (Eric Ericksson remix) 9. Break & Escape 10. Tita Tede 11. The Company & Eric Ericksson – Superstar (Eric Ericksson remix) 12. Matthias Heilbronn & Eric Ericksson – Go Getter (feat. Monique Bingham - Eric Ericksson dub) 13. Nina 14. In This Life (feat. Amalia - original mix) 15. Urban Sound Lab & Eric Ericksson – Be Gone (feat. Ursula Rucker - Eric Ericksson instrumental remix) 16. Nina (instrumental) 17. Tita Tede (instrumental)
Formed in 2019, Lawne is the result of a meeting of minds between old
friends and self confessed music nerds Joe Nicklin and Joe Martin. Their
sound draws upon myriad influences with dub, electronics, hip hop,
psych, jazz, post-punk and Afrobeat all somehow ingrained within the
mix. It’s something that evolved during at a time of change for both of them, as Joe Nicklin explains:
“The start of this project coincided with me moving onto a canal boat,
which was a hugely rewarding time of my life but not without its
challenges. You can hear some of my boating vents coming through in the
lyrics of Beta Pan and Ame Tova.
Another challenge during this time was trying to figure out a way of
still playing and recording drums that wasn’t going to break the bank. I
decided to start renting a tiny storage space near Caledonian Road in
North London, that I would convert into a makeshift studio and soon
learned that corrugated iron sheets aren’t the best walls for a drum
booth. My friend cut me some curtains and a few egg boxes later we were
able to insulate the thing, sort of.
These limitations meant that we had to keep recordings pretty simple and I feel like this set the tone for the whole record.
Whether it was digging out my childhood bass guitar for Joe to play,
squeezing every last drop out of Logic presets or mumbling into a SM57
for the first time, we made do with what we had and I’m proud of the
charming thing we were able to create. I felt like I was learning on the
job at times for this album and I’m grateful for what it has taught me,
whilst being excited for what we can do next. As I was moving off the
water and out of my lockup, the album masters were also starting to
trickle through. A fitting close to that chapter of my life and the
making of our first album.”
Joe Martin reflects more on how their unique sound came about:
“It’s interesting thinking back to the sound we were exploring when we
first started writing together, and how different much of the record is
to that original sound. We didn’t set out a clear musical direction and
that meant we were rarely constrained stylistically, we could shift
between genres and feels and grooves, take inspiration from the new and
the old and it still sat comfortably with what we were trying to do. I
think the eight tracks we landed on illustrates that nicely.
The record’s named after the self storage unit we used as a studio for
many years, there’s something quite poetic about parting ways with the
space within weeks of the album coming out; a final homage to the place
it all started.”
Tracklist: 1. Mamasong (Album Version) 2. Beta Pan (Album Version) 3. Pool 4. Selva 5. The Huge Balloon (Album Version) 6. Ame Tova 7. Heather's Leather (Album Version) 8. To Live Here
Wah Wah 45s celebrates 25 years as an
independent record label with a deep and soulful selection of their most
loved, and often perhaps most overlooked releases.
From the jazz
inflected Scandinavian soul of Sesong and Espen Horne, to all time
classic cuts from Allison Crockett, Part-Time Heroes, Stac, Colman
Brothers and Dele Sosimi & The Estuary 21; from folky faves from
Speeka, Bev Lee Harling and Isaac Birituro & The Rail Abandon to
Afro-soul nuggets from Léa Mondo, Afla Sackey & Afrik Bawantu and
Eparapo; from canny covers courtesy of Honeyfeet, Henri-Pierre Nöel and
the Hackney Colliery Band to electro-soul beauties from Jamie Finlay,
Lawne, Hunrosa, Paper Tiger and The Milk, remixed by Scrimshire; from
dubbed out reggae moments from Youthsayers, Resonators and Soothsayers
remixed by Prince Fatty, to under-the-radar gems from Max Cole, Sam,
Scrimshire, TALC, Hardkandy, The Gene Dudley Group, Kutiman and Gideon
Conn - Wah Wah 45s is a label that's been committed to unearthing and
sharing sonorous sounds and serious song-writing for a quarter of a
century, and this is probably their most heart-felt and complete
compilation to date.
Tracklist: 1. Sesong - Love Untold 2. Espen Horne - Bakeren (feat. Faye Houston) 3. Alison Crockett - Like Rain 4. Bev Lee Harling - If I Told You 5. Speeka - Free at Last 6. Isaac Birituro;The Rail Abandon - Für Svenja 7. Léa Mondo - Mwasi 8. Colman Brothers - On a Better Day 9. Max Cole - Wallflowerin 10. Jamie Finlay - Daylight (feat. Ellen Beth Abdi) 11. Part Time Heroes - Realise (feat. Jono McCleery) 12. Hunrosa - Ransome (Full Album Version) 13. Hackney Colliery Band - Closer 14. Youthsayers - We Keep Playing 15. Resonators - Soul Connection (Live at Electric) 16. Soothsayers - We Won't Lose Hope (Truth & Lies Mix) [feat. Prince Fatty & Julia Biel] 17. Kutiman - So Long (feat. Rioghnach Connolly) 18. Afla Sackey;Afrik Bawantu - Togetherness 19. The Gene Dudley Group - I've Changed (feat. E) 20. Henri-Pierre Noel - Mercy, Mercy, Mercy 21. Honeyfeet - Clap Hands 22. Stac - Head on Me 23. Hardkandy - Yonder 24. The Milk - The Great Sorrow (Scrimshire Remix) 25. Paper Tiger - Weight in Space (feat. Shafiq Husayn) 26. Gideon Conn - Crystallised (feat. Yvette Riby-Williams) 27. Talc - Robot's Return (Modern Sleepover, Pt. 2) 28. Lawne - Pool 29. Scrimshire - Sonolo 30. Eparapo - My Beautiful City (feat. Afla Sackey) 31. Dele Sosimi;The Estuary 21 - Mo Se B'ólá tán (feat. Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly) 32. Sam - Life (Acoustic Mix)
Tracklist: 1. First Day of Christmas 2. Second Day of Christmas 3. Third Day of Christmas 4. Fourth Day of Christmas 5. Fifth Day of Christmas 6. Sixth Day of Christmas 7. Seventh Day of Christmas 8. Eighth Day of Christmas 9. Ninth Day of Christmas 10. Tenth Day of Christmas 11. Eleventh Day of Christmas 12. Twelfth Day of Christmas 13. Día de Los Reyes
Dear Santa, we just loved "Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party,"
Volumes 1-3 [TRLP-9013, TRLP-9027, TRLP-9050], and we have really tried
to be good this year! Please bring us a whole 'nother album's worth of
rare and obscure Christmas-themed funk and soul!
When the third volume of "Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party" was
released in 2015, everybody involved was certain that it would be the
final one. For years, the curators had been looking for "Christmas Rare
Grooves" until they finally realized there was nothing left to discover
that would justify a fourth volume. Sure, it would have been an easy
task to dig through the catalogues of major labels to come up with 40
minutes of more-or-less trivial Christmas soul music. But who on earth
would want that kind of album? Since the foundation of Tramp Records in
2003, the label has gained a high reputation as one of the very few
German reissue labels of obscure funk, soul, and jazz music. 99% of the
songs originate from 7" singles, the small and handy standard-format of
the 1960s, which, like Santa's sleigh magically circling the planet on
Christmas Eve, spins at forty-five revolutions per minute on the
turntable.
So, what can you expect from this, the fourth volume of a series which had ostensibly been completed with only three volumes?
After some seven years of digging across the world wide web with open
ears and eyes, never tiring of the hundreds of (mainly) shitty songs,
hoping to find that kind of monster soul or funk track that constituted
the hallmark of the previous volumes, the compilers slowly and
surprisingly began to see a fourth volume taking shape. Finally, after
more than two thousand days, a complete album's worth of quality tunes
had been discovered and secured for release.
"Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party Vol. 4" contains a highly
diverse selection of obscure Christmas songs. For example, take Bey
Ireland's garage-mod-rocker "All I Want For Christmas Is A Go-Go Girl,"
is something to get you go-going around the tree! Do you prefer
mirror-balls to tinsel? Check out Bill Deal with Pure Pleasure. Too
fast? How about the dazzling-melancholic "I Won't Be Home For
Christmas"? Do you prefer rap music while you wrap presents? Then your
choice is going to be Hot & Sassy. Old-School-Hip Hop at its best.
Every single song has a compelling reason to be included in this
extraordinary selection. Not least is the opening track by Sharon Jones
& the Dap-Kings. Their contribution represents the soul sound of the
21st century. Charming soul music with sociocritical lyrics, something
you rarely find in the current musical landscape.
Even though the selected tracks that the two compilers and their worker
elves proudly present on "Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party Vol.
4" are unbelievable, they are very real and will be the surprise gift
from Santa this season that can be enjoyed year-round! It took seven
years to complete, but believe us when we say it was well worth the
wait. Merry Christmas, everybody!
Tracklist: 1. Sharon Jones - Ain't No Chimneys in the Project (feat. Dap-Kings) 2. Wayne Champion - It's Xmas Time 3. Bey Ireland - All I Want for Christmas Is a Go-Go Girl 4. Hot & Sassy - Christmas Strutt 5. Bill Deal - It Feels Like Christmas (feat. Pure Pleasure) 6. Ray Williams - Santa Claus (feat. Space Men) 7. Ruth Harley - Christmas Is 8. Sam Applebaum - The Year Around Christmas 9. Tiny Powell - Christmas Time Again, Pt. 1 10. Tiny Powell - Christmas Time Again, Pt. 2 11. Major Handy - I Won't Be Home for Christmas 12. Bobby Peterson - Christmas Presents 13. Ruth Harley - Santa Baby 14. Fred Sabastian - Everybody Is a Santa Claus
First Word Records are very proud to bring you 'A Christmas Cwtch', the
brand new album from highly-acclaimed Welsh jazz-harpist, Amanda
Whiting.
Expertly crafted with love, care and dedication, 'A Christmas Cwtch'
takes on assorted classics from the likes of Vince Guaraldi, Bill Evans,
Holst and Tchaikovsky, and re-presents them with original arrangements
by Amanda and her accomplished trio. The end result is a 14-track
selection pack of feel-good seasonal jazz-harp magic, including recent
singles 'Peace Piece' and 'Skating'.
Amanda says "just mention Christmas and you hear Guaraldi, Bill Evans
and the sound of sleigh bells and harps. It's my favourite time of year
and the music evokes everything warm and cwtchy. Sparkling lights, mince
pies, mulled wine and nostalgia around the tree."
On the word 'cwtch', Amanda explains that "a 'cwtch' is the most
important word to Welsh folk. It's a hug, with a little squeeze. It's a
feeling. It's cosy, loving and safe. I wanted this album to hold you,
cwtch you and allow you to indulge."
Inspired by artists like Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, Amanda is a
classically trained virtuoso, well established in the UK jazz scene,
with releases on Jazzman and Albert's Favourites.
Her most recent projects were released on Worldwide Award-winning UK
label, First Word; 'Beyond the Midnight Sun' (with label-mate and Welsh
Music Prize nominee, Don Leisure) and the hugely popular 2024 album 'The
Liminality of Her', which received widespread praise in outlets such as
Jazzwise, Mojo, Clash, Bandcamp, AllMusic, Somewhere Soul, HHV, Apple
Music and Harp Column.
She has had wide support on the airwaves from tastemakers such as Cerys
Matthews (BBC 6 Music), Tony Minvielle (Jazz FM), Deb Grant (BBC 6
Music), Patrick Forge (NTS), Soweto Kinch (BBC Radio 3), Kev Beadle
(Totally Wired), Tina Edwards (Soho Radio), Laurent Garnier (FiP) and
Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2).
'A Christmas Cwtch' exemplifies Amanda's talent and personality
simultaneously, celebrating an array of her favourite things; the harp,
her Welshness, her love of jazz, her love of classical music and her
love of Christmas. This album is an absolute delight, and the perfect
soundtrack for the season. An essential stocking filler!
Tracklist: 1. The Night Before (Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Intro) 2. In the Bleak Midwinter 3. Christmas Is Coming 4. Christmas Time Is Here 5. Sugarplum 6. Happiness Theme 7. Little Elfy 8. Skating 9. Peace Piece 10. Deck the Halls 11. The Christmas Song 12. O Christmas Tree 13. We Three Kings 14. Has He Been? (Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Outro)
