for over forty years, the apostles of aba have stood as the jewel in the crown of the music scene in eastern nigeria. since their formation in 1973, the band has turned out memorable performances in a variety of styles including rock, soul, funk, pop and reggae. even today, the apostles continue to thrill audiences in their hometown of aba with dazzling shows. cultures of soul is proud to present one of the apostlesã more obscure¨yet relentlessly funky recordings in a full-color custom reverse board jacket. banko woman, originally released on the eponymous lp on love day records in 1977. straddling the world realms of afro-funk and disco, the track has long been a coveted dance floor filler amongst djs, and for the first time is available for a wider audience. on the b-side is faith, luck & music, also from the original banko woman album.

naoki e-jima s disc shop zero record store in tokyo holds a special place in our hearts. since before idle hands was even established, when rooted records was king, the cosy, liberally stocked shop has served as a sympathetic outpost for bristol s rich culture of soundsystem music. over the years, naoki has championed all the best music to come from our fair city, from smith & mighty through to pinch and pev and on to the output from our own humble label. it s been a vital connection to help our music reach the right heads on the other side of the world, in turn providing a platform for our most treasured artists to gig and further the cause of the music we love. as a thank you for all the support naoki has shown bristol music over the years, idle hands has put together a special tribute 10inch of tracks that chime with his particular musical tastes, shining a light on some complementary gems that might have otherwise never seen the light of day. its also a chance to fill in the missing idle013 catalogue number – fortunately, the number 13 does not represent bad luck in japanese culture. on the a-side, the mighty (pun intended) rob smith takes to a track from outboxx s debut album, originally intended for a remix 12inch that never came to be. in his learned hands, lost soul becomes a shimmering stepper marked out by beautiful cascading arpeggios and of course plenty of fulsome bass, with arresting fragments of vocal drifting in and out of the mix for good measure. rob s status as a true legend of bristol music needs no explanation, but his presence here is furthermore because naoki is such a fan of his music. on the b-side, atki2 makes a welcome return to the label after bringing a classic ray of sunshine to idle hands on the second single we ever put out. as well as being a big release for us, it was apparently huge at disc shop zero, so it feels right to bring the effervescent hes royal to this 10inch release. with a sunny disposition at heart, these two tracks make sense sharing a 10inch, but it s even more fitting that they sit side by side as we doff our caps to a true hero of the global underground. thanks, naoki.

finest disco tunes, incl. tracks by aretha franklin, barry white, james brown, vicki sue robinson and more

die blitzgescheiten punk-soul-brüder melden sich zurück. es geschehen noch zeichen und wunder: schlappe zweieinhalb jahre nach ihrem letzten album -why not?- (2008) legen die sympathischen sonderlinge von superpunk ein neues album vor. nicht nur das: -die seele des menschen unter superpunk- ist das album, das man sich von superpunk (und auch von jeder anderen band) immer gewünscht hätte. die platte ist ein zärtliches und schmunzelndes -fuck you!- an, und jetzt kommt’s: die umstände. die lässigkeit und die größe, sich bei total aus der mode gekommenen musikstilen zu bedienen, die verachtung für die masse und die eliten, die textliche und musikalische autonomie - all das hat auf -die seele des menschen unter superpunk- sein zuhause gefunden. nennen wir es stil: rumpeln und groove, doo wop und 60s punk, angebertum und bescheidenheit schließen sich eben bei superpunk nicht aus. denn die blitzgescheiten genussmenschen sind musterschüler des punks, und dessen erste regel lautet nun mal: du sollst nicht langweilen! produziert wurde das album vom hamburger soulbrother bernd begemann.

four years after his excellent eclipse 12-, roberto auser is back on a rotterdam staple: pinkman. color your soul has adopted some, but not all, of its older brother s attributes. lumbering with menacing intent, the title piece leaves wreckage in its bruising wake. -do you want to believe- is cut from the same deviant cloth. grunting rhythms stomp on tortured strings, industrial shrieks cry beneath the boot of a raging beat. the closer, -wake u up-, has auser toying with his victim. steam hisses, acid lines bulge, pistons pound and sirens blare in this boiled work of brooding brutality.

this second half of 2017 quintessentials will offer a lot of south american music. like from our long time friend and regular guest soul of hex! hailing from tijuana, soul of hex (also know as sebastien vorhaus) has a rich, nuanced and grainy style with an authenticity thats closer in sound to vintage detroit or new york pastures, despite his mexican heritage. busy djing, producing and running his own label vicario ltd, soul of hex is a driving force in the mexican scene. his new helipop ep offers different styles like a downbeat intro, a deep bassy rough house cut (helipop) plus 2 back to oldschool rave/warehouse tunes not afraid using some uplifting pianos, catchy vocals and deep basslines. house music all night long!

lossless music’s leftfield sublabel exkursions is back with its second vinyl release. exkur002 features the incredible talent of james morton aka concealed identity. after hearing james’ 12” on narratives soul intent tracked james and proposed james remix “no answers” which is did in amazing style. james also offered up a stunning brand new solo track called “zahir”, a 7 minute journey into cinematic 170bpm. soul intent finishes up the 12” with a 140bpm garage/bass music monster called “tribes” via odyssia alias.

outstrip wax hits release number three in some style with a split ep featuring fresh tunes from carlos sanchez and juliche hernandez as well as remixes from outstrip and dj honesty. it makes for another tasteful package for the real soul heads out there. vinyl only release. dj support: archie hamilton, gel abril, huxley, janeret, nick beringer, ntfo, sakro, ray okpara, franck roger, reboot, onno, javier carballo and more

limited vinyl only release coming from tel aviv with minimalistic dubby mood on a side with remix from idealist. b side will immerse you in a dub techno journey with remix from andre kronert.

it’s been 3 years since the last basic soul unit ep on lab.our and the label co-head is back to top form! loose, melodic and funky, the toronto producer stretches his legs across 4 tracks in this kaleidoscopic gem of an ep. on a1 is ‘behavoural issue’, a frenetic, crunchy and off-kilter number that will have you contorted in distortion with all arms and legs on the dancefloor. ‘rising over the east’ marches in next, a deep jacking head trip to the orient opium den with its endless arpeggiators. on the b-side, the heavy broken club banger ‘propulses’ harkens back to the glory rave days without mimicry. a basic soul unit interpretation with his undeniable footprint in the mix. ‘my heart skips’ turns the dial down several notches into deeper house terrain. the soulful ride begins as an easy cruise before deftly lurching into an odd rhythmic fractal workout that the producer has become known for. sealing an untouchable reputation in the world of broken soulful lo-fi techno, basic soul unit casts an even wider net to captivate audiences with this must-have ep.

preservation records in collaboration with big dipp present the breezy and soulful estrelar album by marcos valle, the first ever vinyl reissue since its original release on som livre in 1983! arranged by the brazilian boogie and soul legend lincoln olivetti. killer coverart, with a fantasic 8 page booklet based on an interview with marcos valle, written by allen thayer

including 2 remixes by osunlade under the collective name of yoruba soul! since their first acclaimed album apiafo, vaudou game turned down the heat over 160 stages across the world. peter solo has displayed his vaudou chants and charisma around the globe. on the road he and osunlade met and shared their musical visions. kidayu is the name of the 2nd opus and means “sharing”: it’s exactly what those versions of “on se pousse” are about. ! limited press.

although not a band in a traditional sense of the word, this record was created by a rotating ensemble of players: for a brief moment, musicians from different backgrounds (in this iteration: preslav, kenny peagler, waajeed, joe defazio and phil boyd) became a band and then went their separate ways. rhodes, funk basslines, neo-soul chords and tight drum programming are the lingua franca of the 24 hour band. the title of each song represents the time of day that inspired it and collectively, they point to the goal to create records that can be enjoyed not just in a club, but throughout the day, at home, or in your car. this is the 24hr band.

pablo cahn is a talented producer hailing from and currently residing in bogota, colombia. “soul rain” is his third release on cadenza, and it comes with a massive remix by the spanish don paco osuna. the original mix of pablo is a long attractive dance floor tune textured by an overwhelming bass line and a deluge of vocal grains that shapes a large number of fills and break downs all over the track. as the journey go further, a complex twist of harmonies and resonances arise from the rhythmic grounds, shining over a blissful body of beats. paco osuna’s remix recap all the rhythmic elements and shrink the vocal drizzle maintaining their relevance to the building of the track. the bare inter-twin of its relentless bass line and its stinging hi-hats works out a magnificent outbreak of the dense original tissue of chords.

another amazing exercise by thee j johanz! in r u there? early support from dj hell, prins thomas, simeon mobile disco, audio soul project, severino panzetta, tensnake and more

ltd 500 - my two favourite tracks from the unreleased raw soul express lp (released last month) on our format of choice, blink and they will have disappeared into collections, no repress

2017 repress - timmon records in helsinki, finland - the home of myron & es band & collaborators the soul investigators - have released their own custom versions of the myron & e recordings, cut right at home in the timmion cutting laboratory. the two lps - cold game and going in circles - are strictly limited edition vinyl releases, packaged with old school thick cardboard sleeve and tip-on cover. going in circles lp contains the full, original versions three tracks from myron & es broadway (the u.s. release on stones throw) and four others which arent on the u.s. release.

the latest dig from best record italy s eternal mission to release the finest roman musical manna features noted jazz man pino presti taking on manu dibango s eternal party jam soul makossa. presti s interpretation uses oodles of gleaming 80s synths in place of the original traditional instrumentation, but fear not as the iconic brass section remains a real-world force, and sounds mighty fresh with it. following up that cover is a sumptuous version of aint no sunshine which is aimed square at the heartstrings of the most balearic cruisers. i call your name / come back to me gets even smoother, the vocals capturing mediterranean getaway romance to perfection

special double pack for all you alma soul lovers out there - contains 2 classic releases (asm001 & asm002).

soul deep recordings and blade are pleased to present the blackbird ep. the ep features 2 richly crafted rollers that will rock the dance floor.
the title track, “blackbird”, has received support from ltj bukem and many other top deejays around the world. the song starts off with a heavy amen break and light background atmospherics. at each turn, the break seems to get heavier as layers are added to the mix. when the bassline drops, the groove is undeniable, and will have your head nodding in approval. the song chugs along and builds to a crescendo with it s epic pads and tasteful atmospherics.
“bella l’amore”, is the second offering, and it shows a different side to blade s diverse productions. the track begins with a light break, airy efx, and chiming keys, that set the backdrop for this tight production. at the drop, the drums fill in nicely and the warm 808 bassline punch through the mix. overall, blade delivers big on this release, and will surely satisfy his fans with this slice of d&b heaven.

japanese re-issue of this lost jamaican soul gem. billy cole is the alter ego of reggae legend, winston francis. tip! (please note, soundfiles sourced from different sources, the sound on the lp will be consistent)

at long last, in proper quality and officially licensed, here s a pair of records long worked at, historically important, largely unheard, and most of all, musically brilliant. above all, the dub mixes on these records are known among connoisseurs as being among a handful which can not only be considered a definitive king tubby s style statement, but also among the most radical, transformative and forward thinking mixes ever committed to tape by the king himself. this is proper king tubby s music, tubby the man, not just tubby s the studio

dj, record label impresario and former swedish champion b-boy, mad mats knows a thing or two about finding good music. as well as iconic underground imprints raw fusion and gamm, mad mats is a partner in the highly regarded local talk label, making it highly probable that most of the world’s influential djs have at least one of his discoveries in their record bags.
for his first compilation on bbe, mats has put together a diverse selection of cuts, from reggae, hip hop and soul to boogie, electronica and house, reflecting his open-minded approach to djing.

psychedelic nuggets from the summer of love on 2 special marble colored vinyl lps, housed in a gatefold sleeve. compiled by alec palao.

part 1 of the “defected in the house - eivissa 2006” compilation on double vinyl.

byron the aquarius makes his eglo records debut following on from his two recent ep s for sound signature and wild oats. the alabama producer once again delivers something truly special, journeying through disco, jazz, acid, house and crashing 808 s. leaving this planet is an ep of two halves. the a-side bumps, with two bubbling house jams. whilst the b-side sees byron get loose over two freestyle jazz odysseys. music for the mind, body and soul.

nice house / funk anthem, played by mukatsuku records chart, soopasoul, spark arrester (boogieburg), i love 45 s!, soul 45, funk night us, originals, 45 live

everyone s favourite disco - boogie & house explorers midnight riot serve up another unique compilation le spank featuring a host of legendary acts & producers from the scene alongside some of the hottest rising stars from the underground. here we have grooves to move ya feet from man of the moment hifi sean with his stunning remix of unomas s shari vari featuring fritz helder (azari & iii) plus big name favourites like nyc disco giants odyssey,yam who? & al kent. dj support : greg wilson, horse meat disco soul clap, dimitri from paris, eli escobar, joey negro, luke soloman, jackmaster, dr packer,

when two creative minds join and bring an all-out modern disco track, this is the result. natasha kitty katt & twisted soul collective have aligned forces to bring you an array of ideas, thoughts, sounds and feelings. if you like your tracks, upbeat and funky, then this is a golden ticket. definitely for the disco dancers, you can visualise grooving to this number under a mirror ball. on the b side cosmic bitch with beautiful background orchestration and a contemporary groove can integrate perfectly into either a disco or house set. from big clubs, to sunshine surroundings, this track has already received stellar feedback.

bad education is a soulful heater that will shake your hips and your social consciousness. inspired by the afro-latin soul blends from the likes of joe bataan and ray barreto, this collaboration between timmion records and yemayá sol records - brainchild of bardo martinez (lead singer of chicano batman), makes a statement. the horn laden groove will transport the listener to a summer in new york. the memorable flute line by ernie hawks is flavorfully funky while the pulsating tumbao of the conga carries the vitality of a nuyorican neighborhood in full effect. the force of the rhythm section provides the vehicle by which martinez lays down a fiery indictment of educational institutions, defining them as a mouthpiece to the military industrial complex. the music and the message flow together in a very classic sense, packing a punch that gives it to the man, necessary now more than eve

nice price deal !!! the title track of this ep is the bouncy stepper >last march<. a snarling, distorted bassline has meant that this tune has found favour with numerous a-listers in recent times and is a worthy tune for the ep to be named after. on the flip, is the ferocious >disaffected<. eeerie pads and atmospheres make way for a driving drum loop and sub bass before all hell breaks loose at the drop with one of the nastiest, most twisted reese basslines heard for a very long time. the influence of labels such as the aforementioned renegade hardware is obvious, and it is one of, if not the, most ferocious and devastating slice of d&b ever to grace dsm.

another awesome techno release from our polish friends at technosoul, featuring mike parker and neil landstrumm on remix duties. you will also find the original tracks are just as as good as these 2 remixes!

this is a journey into sound. a series of journeys across the globe, in-fact. this time with don leisure from darkhouse family. let us tell you a story. firstly, we first need to answer a question. who is shaboo? it began in africa. nasser barwani was the son of shabudin. at the age of 15, nasser (don s uncle) left kenya and hitch-hiked his way to london. nasser entered the movie business, occasionally finding himself in front of the camera, acting in bollywood films. it was then that nasser changed his surname to adopt a screen name - shaboo.
5 instrumental hip hop tracks, linked together in a truly unique style and fashion, this is much more than a beat tape. this is a journey into sound. for real.

the voices of east harlem were an ensemble of vocalists who for just sunshine records recorded two albums under the direction of leroy hutson and curtis mayfield. “cashing in” is one of their most classic songs, a highly sought after track on original 7” fetches between £40 and £80 on the collectors market. first recorded and released in 1973 it has all the hallmarks of a leroy hutson composition and an established audience that crosses the boundaries of northern, crossover and modern soul. the song is coupled here with “take a stand”, another highly regarded and sought after modern soul room dance floor tracks, never previously released on 7” single until now

over the past six years, dimensions has become a leading name in the underground, with its festival, international series, dj directory and dimensions soundsystem. now, dimensions extends its influence with the start of its label - dimensions recordings. the label launches with a 12-track compilation across three separate discs. ‘an introduction’ makes a huge statement in setting out the label’s intent and breadth. with artists established and new stepping up to present 12 exclusive tracks. * an introduction part 1 calls upon artists from different corners of the globe who share the similarity of undeniable soul and expression in their music. the ep has an earthy, worldly feel to it. from the swahili sung harmonies on mim suleiman’s ‘pole pole’, to the afro influences of swiss collective alma negra’s ‘onga’, both tracks work raw percussion with just enough swing that either would sit comfortably within latenight uk dance floors or on the sun-kissed beaches of pula, croatia – dimensions festival’s home. then there’s the jazz-tinted glow of istanbul’s kerem akdag whose ‘getdownsoclose’ deep roller makes use of lush pads and rushing snares. closing is maryland’s james tillman, who’s soulful vocals on ‘wander’ sit gracefully over transcendental keys and compellingly loose drumming, rounding off part 1 with a dose of the soul.

jose lau delivers the fifth release on urban imagery. four tracks from familial territory by a producer who originally hails from managua, nicaragua. what is evident in jose lau’s debut release is the unique melding of traditional deep house elements with unassuming latin-funk percussion. common throughout is his masterful use of chicago-eque basslines and delicate pad movements alongside minor-key melodic underpinnings. the outcome is buffered by lo-fi harmonics and dub overtones. late night introspective music to its core.

delsin s re-issue arm is back with a timely release of classic norken material. featuring on the ep is the cult southern soul - originally released on reel discs in 1998 - plus more frequencies and shifting towards , two tracks from his 1999 album soul static bureau . norken, of course, is lee norris, best known as metamatics and a producer with a fine discography that takes in proper deep house, sleek minimal and atmospheric dub.

detroit s keith tucker is a man of many names, the man behind aux-88, alien fm, dj k-1, optic nerve and more. if you have even a vague interest in the motor city s electronic output of the last 20+ years his name will be instantly recognisable as someone who turns out the highest calibre electro and techno jams, the type of records that look towards the future for inspiration, existing in the subterranea and sharing the same artistic vision of artists like juan atkins drexciya, erik travis, shake, dj stingray and many more. originally released on scottish imprint seventh sign recordings in 2005 detroit saved my soul is a modern classic. it features all the hallmarks of classic 313 techno and electro which is to be expected with tucker behind the boards. first cut it s a mood (detroit saved my soul) is minimalism done right - stripped back drums with minor synth stabs punctuating flurries of vocoders and kt s voice describing the d as he sees it to us via the medium of music. killer stuff. elektronik is up next, almost classically a-u-x sounding, pure electro beats for the heads. fast paced machine funk from 50 years time beamed back to 2017 to tell us what s really up. oh, watch that bassline, you could get into trouble. finishing the ep we are treated to my mental state , a slower paced, psychedelic electro cut with killer drums and rim-shots featuring, again, kt s vox weaving in and out of the mix asking where are you, what are you doing? . absolutely essential tracks from a modern day techno legend. essential stuff. detroit saved my soul has been legitimately re-released with the full involvement of keith tucker / seventh sign recordings for 2017 and remastered by london s curve pusher from the original sources especially for mint condition. 100% legit, licensed and released. dug, remastered, repackaged and brought to you by the caring folks at your new favourite reissue label - mint condition!

top-sampler als tribut an den legendären londoner flamingo club, dessen kultige all-nighters partys in den 1950er bis 1960er jahren dem musikbegeisterten londoner publikum jazzigen rhythm n blues, proto-soul und später ska beibrachten. mit 16 top-tunes von james brown, little stevie wonder, byron lee, ray charles, sarah vaughan, prince buster, earl bostic, u.v.a.

boss soul, funk and r&b sides from the vaults of the king, federal and deluxe labels. available as a double lp for the first time. specially compiled and commented by nyc dj mr. fine wine, from his personal favourites list from the king records catalogue. including ultra-rare tracks by wayne cochran, lord thunder, jeb stuart, robert moore, frank howard & the continentals, leon austin, eddie kirk, charles spurling, james duncan, and many more.

andi and david first met in a forest beside a psychedelic castle in the wild west of scotland and soon bonded over a love of wrong speeders, balearic gems hidden in plain sight and the odder side of the dancefloor before djing together just moments after andi was unraveled from a burning tarpaulin. a firm friendship and fun partnership was born. hailing from mancunia but for sometime an export to the usa, andi, for many years was one of the great things about new york city. a charming, low-key individual, a great, great dj and a graceful presence in the land of the overhyped and ego driven. andi held down the musical supervision of rock star games and was responsible for a lot of great music getting out to the gaming masses. he was a vital member of body and soul for the best part of 15 years, delivering infamous warm up sets for danny krivit, joaquin joe claussell and françois k, pedigree vibes... david, a music lover since birth, a record collector for more than quarter of a century and a reputation for being the first on the floor at any party. db s transition from dancer to dj didn t take too long and his selections of rare disco, oddball gems and panglobal pandemonium have seen him play back rooms, basements, festivals and freakouts throughout the land, whether running his own parties in glasgow or playing further afield alongside the likes of young marco, jayda g and moodymann.

brooklyn s own, jovonn returns on his body n deep label with a release containing tracks from his forthcoming album timeless. two deep, future classics from the new york legend.

grandioser northern soul-sampler, der 16 perlen von hochkarätern wie nina simone, joe simon, bobby adams und grover mitchell vereint und dazu superbe tunes von ricky rezell, bertha tillman, george allen, mary johnson und eddie banks with the five dreamers erstmals seit original-release wieder auf vinyl verfügbar macht. ein schmuckstück für soul/r&b-vinylsammler!

athens of the north and symphoncal records are proud to present the long lost raw soul express lp in a special limited vinyl only release. mastered personally from the original tapes with love. if you dont know what this is then you re in the wrong game, the lp also includes the full previously unreleased version of their rare-groove and surprisingly rare club classic the way we live in its full intended format. solid ballads are what makes the lp for me but there is not a bad track on there, boogie, funk and rare-groove, blink and it ll be gone.

as second release daphian launch the first chapter of a larger series of various artists named -shadow plays-. the meaning behind it s to build a record that mix different shades of sounds with house flow as common denominator, which is at the moment the soul of the label. moreover, the result is suitable for differents kinds of dancefloors. in the a side there are two tracks with dark and hypnotic textures, whereas the b side mark out enchanting and warmth sounds.

tale & tone channels lee and hoj’s experiences exploring the world’s most sought after party destinations from the magic of hazy sunrises to the dim warehouses of underground’s past. the label acts as a bridge between the diverse environments in which dance music thrives and a showcase of the unique stories told by its sounds and devotées. the storybook ep will chart the tale & tone journey starting with a full vinyl release on july 21 and digital singles to follow. the ep begins with the mystic groove of daso and lutz’s better followed by the caribbean inspired ethereal soundscapes of cornucopia’s letter for poly. all day i dream mainstay lost desert has aligned with amari for the intricately layered, vocal driver hunter, while the revelatory soul of dance spirits wash me clean calls out to the calmer side of the electronic spectrum. the release is capped off with the late night affair of newman’s the sky and earth and in hoj’s own words on tale & tone, -lee and i are great friends and have been talking about starting a new project together for a long time

taken from the forthcoming album the funky side of virtue recording studios, this super soul double-sider from bob marshall & the a/cs gives you a proper idea of what you can expect from the full length album. raw soul, heavy funk, slick disco grooves, vocal and instrumental treats, male and female singers, all on one album!