Floating Points’ personal collection of global soul, ambient, jazz and folk treasures form the latest in the warmly revered Late Night Tales series.
Sam Shepherd aka Floating Points’ music taste is notoriously tricky to define, ranging from ethereal classical at one end to coruscating techno at the other, united only in a firm belief in the transcendental power of music to move hearts, minds and – yes – feet. Similarly, his production career has ranged from early experiments in dance music with breakout records such as the ‘Shadows EP’ and collaborating with legendary Gnawa master Mahmoud Guinia to his expansive album ‘Elaenia’, which met with critical acclaim upon its release in 2015.
This Late Night Tales excursion into the depths of the evening reflects his broad tastes. The globally-travelled producer has collected untold treasures on his travels from dusty stores in Brazil to market stalls near his hometown. There’s the gorgeous ‘Via Làctea’, culled from Carlos Walker’s debut album, Abu Talib’s (Bobby Wright) plaintive ‘Blood Of An American’ and Robert Vanderbilt’s gospel reworking of Manchild’s ‘Especially For You’. Raw soul and feeling oozing from each song’s pores. At the other end of the music scale are the modernists, such as Québécoise Kara-Lis Coverdale who weighs in with the indelible ‘Moments In Love’, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith whose ‘Milk’ is an exercise in tranquility, while Sarah Davachi’s meditative mix-opener offers respite from a weary world.
We have some tracks exclusive to Late Night Tales; alongside Davachi’s offerings there is also Toshimaru Nakamura’s ‘Nimb #59’, as well as the now traditional cover version. Shepherd delved into his childhood memory for this one, a track taken from the first album his parents bought him, Kenny Wheeler’s ‘Music For Large & Small Ensembles’: Sam offers up his interpretation of ‘Opening Part 1’. Wheeler also contributes horns to Azimuth track The Tunnel, written and performed by Norma Winstone and John Taylor who, coincidentally, are the parents of Floating Points’ drummer Leo Taylor. Closing the album, Lauren Laverne reads the suitably nocturnal poem ‘Ah! Why, Because The Dazzling Sun’ by Emily Brontë.
“I tried to find music that reflects the stillness of night. And because my musical interests lie all over the place, it’s quite difficult to distil that notion down to just a few songs. I was quite keen to have some electronic music in there but I also really wanted to have some soul music mixed in, so I had to try and find a pathway between all of this different music.” - Sam Shepherd (Floating Points), 2019
a1. Sarah Davachi - Untitled (live In Portland - Excerpt)
a2. Carlos Walker - Via Lactea
a3. The Rationals - Glowin'
a4. William S Fischer - Chains
b1. Max Roach - Equipoise
b2. Abu Talib - Blood Of An American
b3. Sweet & Innocent - Express Your Love
b4. Robert Vanderbilt & The Foundation Of Souls - A Message Especially From God
c1. A Message Especially From God - A Message Especially From God
c2. Alain Bellaiche - Sun Blues
c3. Alain Bellaiche - Sea Fluorescent
c4. Kara-Lis Coverdale - Moments In Love (Excerpt)
d1. Azimuth - The Tunnel
d2. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - Milk (Excerpt)
d3. Toshimaru Nakamura - Nimb#59
d4. Floating Points - The Sweet Time Suite" (part 1 - Opening - Exclusive Kenny Wheeler Cover version)
d5. Lauren Laverne - Ah! Why, Because The Dazzling Sun (Exclusive Spoken Word Piece)
A much needed repress of this cult classic album from Al Dobson Jr.
Al Dobson Jr. returns to Rhythm Section International with his debut full length LP. Spread over 28 tracks and clocking in at just under one hour, this body of work provides a glimpse into the mind of one of the UK’s most talented, enigmatic producers.
Al Dobson’s debut mini album marked the inauguration of Bradley Zero’s fledgling label back in 2014, proving to be a breath of fresh air to the london scene with it’s loose, undefinable sound and unique approach to production.
As a newcomer, Al Dobson Jr.’s music didn’t remain a secret for long, with major global tastemakers such as Gilles Peterson, Theo Parrish, Dego, Alex Nut and Osunlade being early adopters. As with other key releases on 22a and Izwid, it didn’t take long for Rye Lane Volume 1 to go from obscure debut to cult classic, propelling the artist and the label onto the international platform.
At once a continuation and evolution of the sound, Rye Lane Volumes II & III offers a deeper exploration into the Al Dobson Jr universe, moving with ease through tempos and textures but never losing that effortless magic that makes ADJ stand out from the crowd.
a1. Al Dobson Junior - Live at Makeover a2. Al Dobson Junior - Guyana SpeciAl a3. Al Dobson Junior - Xingu a4. Al Dobson Junior - Commerce a5. Al Dobson Junior - Overseas, Lebanese a6. Al Dobson Junior - Move It Up a7. Al Dobson Junior - Many Schools b1. Al Dobson Junior - Sweet Critics Pt.2 b2. Al Dobson Junior - Vibrations b3. Al Dobson Junior - What It Is - Shake down b4. Al Dobson Junior - Malfuf - Nebetia b5. Al Dobson Junior - In The World b6. Al Dobson Junior - Love TAlk c1. Al Dobson Junior - Church cafe (Intro) c2. Al Dobson Junior - Drum Sounds Pt.4 - Africana Salon c3. Al Dobson Junior - After Carnival c4. Al Dobson Junior - Step Off c5. Al Dobson Junior - It's You c6. Al Dobson Junior - Guadeloupe Meditaáao c7. Al Dobson Junior - Yellow Peppers c8. Al Dobson Junior - Bey Line d1. Al Dobson Junior - Peru Timing Pt.2 d2. Al Dobson Junior - Time Is Now d3. Al Dobson Junior - Tracy 36 27 36 d4. Al Dobson Junior - In The Lobby d5. Al Dobson Junior - What It Is Pt.2 d6. Al Dobson Junior - White Rum d7. Al Dobson Junior - Mercy
For the uninitiated, good old disco music fever has (once again) taken over the dance music world in recent years. And if you are looking for some rare & obscure grooves on wax, your infamously enigmatic live electronic artist & Indian disco edit king Todh Teri has got you covered for any dance-floor situation for this season.
With Deep In India Volume 5, he offers a unique vinyl tool for your collection that deftly interpolates 2 evergreen disco gems from the South Indian silver screens.
Sampadan 14 is a rolling 303 disco work out, peppered with lush & summery vocals.
Sampadan 15 is a chunkier interpretation of the same by the equally mysterious Kone, built strictly for stereo wide dance moves.
Sampadan 16 is an 80s breakdancing groove bridged with classic 90s lush & wavy house beats
Sampadan 17 pushes the same chunky house madness further into peak time dance floor rambling business. Dance music so ill... buy this copy to get your fill.
Same Speed Edits return with the third instalment of their (almost) annual foray into the world of the lesser spotted samba. Having already scoured California, Norway, Denmark and the UK they turn their attention Poland for two edits primed for the more discerning of dance floors. Urszula's Samba re-works a much loved version of a jazz classic in some style with vocal scatting leading the way; Jerzy's samba, on the other hand, is all about the piano and haunting vocal chants that make it a more alternative club banger.
With previous support from Gilles Peterson, the UK's king of all things jazz and samba, this latest edition of the Same Speed series is sure to tickle the eardrums of the more daring and forward thinking soulful DJs across the globe.
A collection of contemporary reggae, dub and electronica, which marks a broadening of musical horizons for the label beyond reissues of lost African guitar dance music.
The LP covers a range of Jamaican inspired sounds, including roots reggae, dancehall, dub and jungle, which may act as a taster for potential future releases.
01. Majah Tunder - Wicked Man
02. Teshay Makeda - OMG
03. Owen Hender & Trevor Westcarr - Last Days (Dub Version)
04. UK Principal - Theme (feat. Charmaine Holder)
05. Mosi - Search
06. D'Oxman - The Best Is yet to Come
07. Mad-X - Real Sensimilla
08. Charmaine Holder - Carry Come (feat. UK Principal)
09. Markee Ledge - Conscious Brother
10. UK Principal - More Peace (Junglist Remix by Sasha Khan)
Versatile presents part one of a two-part 7 inch series featuring dub versions of selected tracks from Etienne Jaumet's latest album, "8 regards obliques", in which he gathered and covered his personal jazz favourites. The first volume sees DJ Sotofett turn 'Unity' into a proper digi dub on the A-side, whilst on the flip I:Cube revisits Miles Davis' classic, 'In A Silent Way', turning it into a stellar 135bpm version.
From the yearly "Inside the Dance" series, we bring you 4 new songs reflecting our love for the African influenced house music on Wonderwheel. Starting things off, the new group from Australia Digital Afrika's "Babalu Ayé" been lighting up the dancefloors all Spring while Kiko Navarro & Nickodemus take it deep with M'bira melodies & traditional vocals on "Cacao Ceremony".
On the flip we have a new one from Randomized Coffee called "Barake" which features vocals from Burkina Faso and Chris Annibell "Ye No ntem" featuring Rozie Gyems rounds out the EP with a heavy one we always wanted on vinyl. The full compilation will drop in December with all new music that takes us deep inside the dance.
Dancing People is an edits label embracing sounds from around the globe, with the focus firmly on making you move. These DJ friendly cuts are ready for dancefloors far and wide, paying respect to the original versions by enhancing their energy, vibe and musicality.
Vinyl only, 300 press.
a1. Dancing People - Agboju (Nick XOA + HWRD edit)
b1. Dancing People - Lalala (Nick XOA + HWRD edit)
Pete Herbert, Afro fusion outfit Oyobi and Neo Soul singer Andre Espeut jump on the train to the South American territories in order to meet Juan Laya & Jorge Montiel for the continuation of their latest sonic excursion: Electropical Part 2.
Years before Scientist and Jammy battled the space invaders, Tradition dreamt up a sci-fi jazz/dub odyssey in north London.
Captain Ganja and the Space Patrol is one of the most singular dub albums that barely saw the light of day. A conscious effort to create a new breed of dub centred around the cosmic synths and keys of Paul Thompson. Making use of an early Roland sampler, Tradition broke away from the standard drum / bass workouts that ruled the day. With the Captain, dub becomes an atmosphere, a feeling, not a formula - littered with baby's cries, tribal chants, radiophonic noodlings and library soundtracks for space-age bachelor pads.
Originally issued by Venture Records in 1980, this small run was easily lost beneath the weight of their huge vocal LPs for RCA and everlasting lovers-tinged tracks like 'Movin On','Breezin' and 'Summertime'. The experimental strains in one of their early 45s led the BBC to approach them about contributing to the Dr. Who soundtrack, Captial Radio did likewise for the Hulabaloo theme. Neither saw fruition and this facet of the band's sound is easily forgotten by diehard fans.
Little is known about the ensemble that is Sun Atlas. It's not certain whether you'd find them in Los Angeles, New York, Addis Ababa, Marrakesh or northern Germany. Maybe non, maybe all of the above.
Their only proof of existence is banned on this 45. Their razor-sharp mixture of afrobeat, ethiojazz, surf, cinematic soul, crime jazz & funk/hiphop breaks speaks for itself. Only on vinyl.
This release by The Band of Enlightenment, Reason & Love presents a new instrumental version of the heavily sought after debut release "Zota Yinne" by Alogte Oho, the meanwhile classic second release on Philophon from 2014 (PH45002). So far, The Band of Enlightenment, Reason & Love, as Philophon's house band, never had any release under its own name, but here we go! It's sure: more will follow.
"Zota Yinne" is a dubbed out variation of the original Frafra gospel classic with the one and only Jimi Tenor as a guest on flute and synth. "Starlet Road Filling Station Romance" is an other-worldly search for love, perfectly characterized by Jimi Tenor's love cries on the saxophone.
Matasuna Records is delighted to reissue another jewel on vinyl: Ralph Week's song 'Let Me Do My Thing' is probably the most sought after Panamanian soul tune and the rare original 7inch is sold at incredible prices. The song was recorded together with the band 'Los Dinámicos Exciters' in 1971 in Panama.
During our research we were lucky to find Mr. Weeks, who could give us some background information to this song and his music career in general. Ralph Weeks was born 1943 in Panama, which he left at the age of 17 to move to the United States. There he founded the band 'Ralph & Telecasters' at the beginning of the 1960s. After his time in the US Army he started the band again, recorded their first single in 1965 and went touring in the United States during the following years. Among other gigs they also played twice in the famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem (NYC) where one of the greatest musicians like Louis Armstron, James Brown, Marvin Gaye etc. performed there. The charismatic singer and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass & keyboard) was invited to a show in Panama in 1970, where he performed with members of the band 'Los Dinámicos Exciters ', which he knew from his youth. In 1971 he came back again and recorded four songs with the band, which were released on the album "Lo Mejor De Los Dinámicos Exciters". Two of the recordings were also released under Ralph's name as a 7inch vinyl single on the Panamanian label "Sally Ruth Records" - among them "Let Me Do My Thing". Then he returned to the States and founded a new band in 1975 with Carlos Brown, a member of the Exciters, which existed for about 25 years. Weeks' life has always been dedicated to music: even today, at the age of 76, he is still a member of an accapella gospel group that sings weekly at the church in his hometown in the state of Connecticut.
On the A-side of the vinyl you can listen to the amazing original version recorded in 1971 - which was remastered for the release. The funky Latintune has all the ingredients that helped him to his status as one of the best Panamanian soul songs: a killer rhythm, a deep grooving bass line, the virtuoso interplay of the trumpet players and the super sweet soul voice of Ralph Weeks. There's nothing more to add, but our favourite producer "Voodoocuts" was able to get something out of the original. On the B-side you'll find his version of the classic: a modified arrangement with a new in and outro, an extended break part and additional beats that will set every dance floor on fire. Don't miss this gem!
For Record Store Day 2019, Freestyle Records are proud to release on a fresh vinyl 45, two 1970's tracks by Ginger Johnson & His African Messengers that have been lost for over 45 years. 'Witchdoctor' and 'Nawa' (written by Dizzy Gillespie cohort Chano Pozo) demonstrate a musical progression as afro-funk had stamped it's indelible footprint on Ginger's ground-breaking afro-cuban and jazz hybrid style.
Volume Ten of the Mukatsuku label's Afro Funk & Disco Gems series has two more tracks released for the first time on a 7 inch in their own right. First up is Peter Yamson's 80's afro boogie feelgood masterpiece ''Everybody Dance'' taken from the Sun On Africa album (mispelt on discogs as Sun Of Africa by the way ! ) and licenced directly from the artist .Infectious chorus and funk groove with Roy Ayeresque vibes and punchy brass .
On the flipside from 1981 we get Get Up Tchamassi from french african group Tala AM which is a funk drenched heavy slap bass boogie mostly instrumental affair with female vocals and great sax playing and catchy rhythm guitar.
"Luz da Joaca" is a track taken from S-Tone Inc. latest full-length "Onda", here retreated by the magic touch of Maestro Gerardo Frisina with his unique taste. A musical journey in two different movements, both in a Batucada style
The A-side exalts the original melody sung by Toco, while the B-side is a dub rhythm-focused version especially made for a DJ use. Once again Mr. Frisina gives us a sample of his skills as an affirmed producer and longtime collaborator of Schema Records!
Combo Lulo returns to Names You Can Trust for their sophomore single, digging deeper into the diversified sounds of the Caribbean that helped define their debut. While the first single took a Jamaican foundation south into the neighboring continent, fusing the sensibilities of rock steady with those of classic Afro-Latin orchestras, this single goes far east. Inspired by the heady and sublime sounds of foundational ska mixed with East African influences, (think Buster's Islam, Don D's Addis Ababa or Further East),
The Sieve & The Sand is a brand new composition within this natural order, albeit with the fortune of different reggae eras and studio styles to draw from. Divided into two parts (but also available seamlessly as it was played in the studio), Combo Lulo's talented players move effortlessly from the galloping shuffle of ska into a deep and dark, Roots Radics-styled instrumental. It's a lovely ode to the original styles of reggae, but also another impressive accomplishment that will surely leave listeners and new fans in anticipation of the shape of things to come for Combo Lulo.
In 1966, Bunny Wailer started singing spiritual lyrics before anyone else, and this masterpiece he sung about returning to Africa was written while he was still recording for Studio One.
Although it was originally recorded for Studio One, it has never seen the day of light. Then Lee Perry recorded it again and released in 1971. This particular take was recorded especially for the album in 1976 and released from Island Records UK as a single.
a. Dream Land (feat. Bunny Wailer & Solomonic All Stars)
b. Dream Land - Version (feat. Bunny Wailer & Solomonic All Stars)
A classic Rasta Man song sung by Bunny Wailer, the most devoted Rastafarian out of all the Wailers. This unforgettable Rasta Man Anthem was released just before one of the most important roots reggae albums to date, Blackheart Man, dropped. Unlike the original release, this single take is backed with a dub cut.
One of the many spiritual and cultural classic lyrics that Bunny Wailer has written, and this is an exclusive single take. The lyrics - written soon after he was arrested due to possession of Marijuana, can be heard as "Fight Against Conviction" on one of the most important roots reggae albums to date, Blackheart Man, although this recording is an early take released in 1974 by the Wailers.
a. Battering Down Sentence (feat. Bunny Wailer)
b. Battering Down Sentence Version (feat. Solomonic All Stars)
Kicking off 2019 two tracks the first time on a 45 from prolific Japanese producer DJ MItsu The Beats from the Sendai hip hop group GAGLE and licenced from the Jazzy Sport organisation.
Mukatsuku put out two GAGLE 45's produced by DJ Mitsu back in 2008 so this is a welcome return to the label for the producer . A side kicks off with a dreamy jazzual affair featuring Kaneko Takumi on keys.On the flipside an excellent low slung jazz hip hop instrumental