we’re delighted to report that black grape are back on the road, and with new album pop voodoo that really does rock the fuck out of the discotheque. it’s a rewind to over twenty years ago and the glory days.
shaun’s word play has never been deployed to such devastating effect, and he scores a bullseye whether he hits the obvious targets (trump), and the more obscure ones… well, find out for yourself. the world is in a bit of a state right now, and bullshit reigns more than ever, and perversely disguised as candour. we need manc street sass, intelligence and wit more than ever right now. this new pop voodoo album has that in spades.
180 gram vinyl in gatefold sleeve with download code included.

nice price deal !!! e-men is a member of the psychedelic electronic rock band >liebermen has jumped<

one of the most important harmony groups in the entirety of jamaican music, the paragons have a long and complicated history. first formed in the ska years by bob andy and tyrone evans as the duo of andy and ronnie, the group soon expanded to a quartet through the addition of howard barrett and john holt, the latter naturally assuming lead duties, following the subsequent departure of andy, holt, evans and barrett made the paragons the quintessential rock steady trio. they had an incredible run of hits for duke reid and coxsone during the mid-to-late ‘60s, and also issued some self-produced work, before holt’s solo career skyrocketed, leaving the group on the back-burner. then, in the mid-1970s, the paragons reformed, cutting material for new york-based labels such as clocktower and clintones, which led to this intriguing album, which saw material recorded in jamaica at harry j for bunny lee mixed with work cut at bullwackie’s studio in the bronx, along with re-workings of classics such as ‘left with a broken heart’ and ‘memories by the score’ is a whole range of new material, dealing with contemporary themes.

zwischen gospel-rock und punk-soul: revolution ist kein tv-programm.
limitierte pressung auf cremefarbenem vinyl.

karl meier, ken meier and jon krohn, aka stave, are launching a label called standards & practices.
the three us artists, who share chicago roots, have a pretty straightforward mission in mind for standards & practices: “to provide a platform for releases by both talker and stave, as well as for material by other like-minded artists and collaborators.” talker is the downwards-affiliated duo of karl meier—a longtime techno dj, now based in berlin, who took part in ra’s playing favourites series last year—and krohn, formerly of the experimental rock group male, who’s also been putting out his own brand of abstract, industrialized electronic music as stave for around four years. ken meier, a new york-based graphic designer, partner at common name and dj—and karl’s brother—takes care of art and design for the label.
standards & practices’ opening move is a talker 12-inch, battle standards, the duo’s third full release and first since their 2014 album for downwards. a three-track ep built with material from their new live set and “aimed squarely at the dance floor,” it includes a new version of “my favorite colour is gold,” from 2015’s the immortal eye compilation cd. it’s due out in late july. next will be black hills, a five-track ep from stave that’s expected in september.
along with the soon-to-launch label, the meier brothers recently rebooted their fear of music podcast with some new mixes, including two from karl.

nice price deal !!! hits und fast vergessenes aus den frühen 70ern vom gründungsvater des dancehall.

nice price deal !!! zur veröffentlichung ihres mit spannung erwarteten neuen albums >shields< im september 2012 veröffentlicht warp die ersten beiden grizzly bear-alben auf dem label in limitierten re-release-ausgaben auf 180g vinyl mit download-code: yellow house (2006, inkl. knife), veckatimest (2009, inkl. two weeks & while you wait for the others). zwei klassiker des indie/alternative-rock!

casino shanghai was a -techno-pop- band started in the mid-80s in mexico city. they released their debut and only album -film- in december of 1985. an album considered today as cult status. casino shanghai were part of a great cultural change in mexico and its music scene. the band made various controversial appearances on tv when a band without a drummer or guitarist was unheard of. all members had been in different notorious bands in the local scene. ulalume was the lead singer of the casuals (punk-new wave) and denseundergrowth (avant-garde). carlos robledo and walter schmidt were part of size (post-punk) and have been playing together for many years in decibel (experimental). humberto alvarez played with mcc (prog rock) and is currently a well-known musician and multi-instrumentist. before the band split-up they recorded two last songs in 1986, -le tombeau d edgar poe- and -l action minimal-, as part of an unreleased solo ep for ulalume. these tracks were edited in 2014 on 12&#8243,,, by mannequin records together with a remix by in aeternam vale. the music of casino shanghai was also used for the soundtrack of some mexican films. -crónicas de familia- directed by diego lópez and nominated for the ariel award for best original soundtrack in 1986, and -juana la cantinera- directed by josé loza. -film- has been restored and remastered for this new edition including all original tracks plus two bonus: -le tombeau d edgar poe (haunted version)- and -cuerpos huecos- (spanish version of -hollow bodies- available only on a promotional 7&#8243,,,). limited to 350 copies on white vinyl with a new artwork and printed inner sleeve with photos and song lyrics.

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.

reissue of a classic! the label: tk records in essence represents the city of miami when it came to soul/r&b and the early stages of disco. in 1974, george mccrae gave the label its first no. 1 disco hit with rock your baby. a little more than a year after mccrae s hit, the record label struck gold with kc & the sunshine band with five 1 songs on the billboard hot 100. needless to say at the height of the genreÆs cultural domination tk did pretty well.

seit ihrem deb?talbum gluey porch treatments von 1987 haben die melvins einiges gewagt: musikalische konzepte erweitert, ungew¸hnliche kollaborationen riskiert, genre-grenzen stets neu definiert. aber an eines haben sie sich bis dato nicht herangetraut: das format des doppelalbums! kein wunder also, wenn buzz osborne, der kopf der melvins, hier von einem neuen ma?stab spricht. das werk wartet mit wunderbaren g§sten auf, so haben sich joey santiago (the pixies), teri gender bender (le butcherettes/crystal fairy) und anna waronker (that dog) an den aufnahmen beteiligt. ist der erste part noch alternative-rock melvin scher pr§gung, widmet sich der zweite teil weit experimentelleren klangwelten, die gleichzeitig den soundtrack zu a walk with love and death von jesse nieminen bilden.

special pack for all you skizofrenik lovers out there - contains 3 classic releases
- skz002: necro dur vs. dj arcane vs. fl-x - new era ep
- skz003: greg notill / fl-x vs. pat sanders - what else / pump up
- skz004: necro dur - chromosome disorders

soul jazz records’ new space, energy and light is a collection of music by early electronic and synthesizer pioneers (from the 1960s through the 1970s), mid-1970s proto-new age gurus and 1980s guerrilla d-i-y cassette-era electronic artists, spanning in total over a near 30-year time frame. all of these artists used electronic advancements in music technology as a means of exploring not only space and the idea of the future, but also of looking inwards to the soul and of creating music in harmony with the natural world.
comes as a heavyweight triple vinyl album plus download code. artwork includes some of the earliest photography of the plieades star cluster dating from the 1880s.

record kicks presents a new limited edition 45 vinyl by uk rock steady/soul/dub combo pama international feat 2 super soulful cuts. on the a side the new single wake up flipped by i crid till i stopped on the b side. in their first 10 years pama int l recorded 9 albums, 3 bbcradio 1 maida vale sessions, won the rebel playlist on bbc6, and became the first new act to sign to trojan records in 30 years. their collective nature saw them work with members of the specials, madness, steel pulse, style council, galliano, kasabian, mad professor, toots & the maytals, jimmy cliff to name a few. wacth out, the 45 is limited to 500 copies worldwide.

‘white punks on e’ is the taste of bike chains rubbing against black leather. heavy cast iron forged across studs and hot-wired organs. the howls from blazed skull hordes jacked up to distortion engines broadcasting into neglected cellar units. it s shrill echoes from the parking lot carried along the financial district, overturning lobotomised business lunches, attache cases and $50 slick-backs. nasty club rock fed through biohazard cassettes, doom arcades, sabres and scorpion tattoos - new blood to rock the neighbourhood and a pleasure to welcome stratton into the fold.

29 songs from the movie “baby driver” on 180g double vinyl in gatefold sleeves. which includes the bonus song “chase me” by danger mouse featuring run the jewels & big boi.

“the mark of the devil” is the third and last chapter of alex puddu’s trilogy with italian legendary vocalist edda dell’orso, here featured in three songs. written, arranged, produced and performed by alex puddu, together with many great musicians, the album is dope-groove, is prog-rock, is psych-blues, a walk through the gates of hell within lust and temptation. this album is the most obscure and experimental alex puddu has ever made to date!

limited dj friendly double vinyl edition.
harmonies is the new long player from underground super-producer lord echo. the new album solidifies his already distinctive mutations of reggae and rock steady with disco, african soul, techno and spiritual jazz. in other words, the lord has returned from the wilderness with a bounty for his followers. eat of the bread of life and enjoy access to his crazy world of sound.

limitiertes farbiges heavyweight vinyl in gatefold sleeve mit vierseitigem booklet und mp3-donwloadkarte.
erstes album seit 20 jahren: der sänger der only ones überrascht mit einem neuen album voller pop-preziosen und einer stimme, die lou reed zum verwechseln ähnlich ist.
heutzutage suchen wir nach verlässlichen figuren in der welt. zum glück gibt es peter perrett. auf das britische musik-urgestein war schließlich schon in den späten 70ern verlass. damals bescherte er mit der band the only ones der londoner new wave bewegung den hit “another girl, another planet”, drei alben und ganz viel inspiration. nun meldet sich der heute 65-jährige mit dem neuen solo-album “how the west was won” zurück. wer the only ones kennt, wird wissen, dass perrett schon früh anleihen aus dem us-rock’n’roll mit new wave und britischer schnauze einzigartig vermischen konnte. durchflossen von neuem elan hat er gleich einen hit genau dieser couleur mitgebracht: den albumtiteltrack.

2012er deluxe lp edition des 1990er debuts auf silbernem vinyl mit neuem artwork! die schwedisch amerikanische arbeitsgemeinschaft von talisman war eine der wenigen bastionen ehrlichen melodic rocks, die es mit großartigen alben auch in den 90er jahren schaffte, die vom grunge und dem kollektiven abgesang der großen musiksender errichteten windmühlen des kontra- hard rock stimmungsbarometers zu bekämpfen. talisman waren herausragend und trotz ihrer großen klasse so unaufdringlich, extravagant und eigenständig. genau deshalb war die von marcel jacob gegründete band seit beginn ihrer tage in der lage ein großes spektrum an musikliebhabern von rock bis metal, von prog bis funk zu begeistern. mit einem ausnahmesänger und songwriter wie jeff scott soto (mit dem er gemeinsam das 85er malmsteen album marching out eingespielt hatte und der fast zeitgleich mit eyes für aufsehen im genre sorgte) in seinen reihen, standen jacob und seinem neuen baby in bereits den späten 80ern alle türen der kreativität offen, und spätestens im jahre 1990, als talisman ihr großartiges debüt mit und um den jahrhunderthit i’ll be waiting veröffentlichten, strahlte die band als einer der hellsten sterne am melodic rock firmament. (darkscene)

heutzutage suchen wir nach verlässlichen figuren in der welt. zum glück gibt es peter perrett. auf das britische musik-urgestein war schließlich schon in den späten 70ern verlass. damals bescherte er mit der band the only ones der londoner new wave bewegung den hit -another girl, another planet-, drei alben und ganz viel inspiration. letzteres wussten vor allem die kritiker. und trotzdem gelang der band niemals der totale durchbruch. danach blieb es über ein jahrzehnt ruhig um perrett. seinem drogenmissbrauch folgte das abtauchen und dann die mystifizierung seiner person. nach zwei solo-gehversuchen 1996 und 2001 brach er 2015 zu einer kleinen tour auf. dort performte er seit langem auch wieder neue songs. nun meldet sich der heute 65-jährige mit dem neuen solo-album -how the west was won- zurück. wer the only ones kennt, wird wissen, dass perrett schon früh anleihen aus dem us-rock n roll mit new wave und britischer schnauze einzigartig vermischen konnte. durchflossen von neuem elan hat er gleich einen hit genau dieser couleur mitgebracht: den albumtiteltrack. von the replacements bis hin zu violent femmes, peter perretts musik hat den sound vieler darauffolgenden bands mitgeprägt. 2017 feiert er das comeback, das keiner kommen sah.

2017 reissue , 180 gr pressing
james murphys latest styling comes with a valley of trombone-punctuated jazzy disco, funky soft rock and more bass-lead probing punk-electro

since its release last year, the grammy nominated album louie vega starring…xxviii has reached unfathomable heights, after 8 single vinyl releases and two full triple set album releases, we still have one more up our sleeve. today, here we are in the third and final installment of the louie vega starring…xxviii vinyl album release series, this time taking it to another level with unreleased and lost mixes. when making an album there are usually way more than the number of songs allocated for the project. in this case there were over 50 songs and tracks created for the louie vega starring…xxviii album. vega has selected 14 unreleased and lost tracks from the recordings and put together dj friendly versions with these super talented artists involved: funkadelic, nick monaco & soul clap, kenny bobien, cindy mizelle, maphorisa, berita, wanda baloyi & kabomo (south african top talent), roberto roena (of the fania all stars), brutha basil, jesse jackson (blues rock artist), sara devine, luis salinas (argentinean guitarist), duane harden (song/hitmaker), & 3 winans brothers featuring the clark sisters. the packaging is lovely with an open gatefold huge picture of a mural painted by none other than richard wilson uk artist. mastering by the great walter coelho, for sonic perfection & pressing manufactured by optimal in germany.

mind fair return with a deadly two-part interpretation of the joe jackson classic steppin out. for their latest rogue cat sounds incarnation the golf channel mainstays have enlisted the indispensable talents of charmaine baines on vocals, climax blues bands derek holt (bass &guitar) and alex bradbury (sundown drive) on keys. this slowed down, melting pot of soca not soca meets lovers rock, reggae, blues and soul is brought to you in two parts part one deals mostly with the song, charmaine s vocals sounding suitably dreamy and laid back whilst part two puts focus on the instrumental groove where the guitars, strings and rhodes are the main attraction. mark e provides one of his merc dubs on the flip which takes a afro rhythm meets beat down central then builds intensively with rhodes and a horn section breakdown to die for the man is on form! essential music to step out to this summer for sure!

reissue of the polar bear club debut album from 2008. pressing on transparent red vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve.

rooted series is back with a really fresh v/a ready for rock the dance floors.
this time starts with label mate dakpa (rooted/sukhumvit) who brings a really rolling house track with great ambiances. a2 comes with in haus wax label boss tijn with a minimal chords house with great senses. b side arrives with our partner rickzor who builded a great old school house track full of groove. the release ends with label boss bolumar who brings another old school house feeling track.

frigio records is going back in time for its latest release, some 38 years into the past. back then a young newcastle man was experimenting with early electronic instruments and synths. mick clarke is his name and nearly forty years later he is still at it. two tracks have been borrowed from clarke s seminal games lp, each given a bit of modern boot polish from minimalrome s heinrich dressel and frigio father juanpablo.

-walls of the night- is a blissed out work of ambient prog rock abstraction. think rumbling horror score and soaring guitar strings. heinrich dressel offers a giallo dipped remix. the building bars of the original are maintained, beats added for ballast and darkened organ keys for a remake etched with murderous intent. the flip is introduced by the dreamy -time is now.- slender synthlines intertwine with gentle strings in a cerebral work. juanpablo tweaks the 1979 material. syrupy acid lines swim in meandering currents, a thick beat keeping time in murky waters of modulations and undulations.

creme organization s latest missive comes from fabio monesi, an italian with a gritty house sound that is aimed squarely at the club. he s served up punchy beats on labels like russian torrent versions as well as his own wilson records before now and has a simple but effective sound. riot kicks us off with rock slid kicks and lithe synth stabs fleshing out the macho groove. clever vocal samples bring some steaminess and ensure this one will do plenty of damage on the floor. last friday is a raw and lo-fi affair with rattling, sharp edged hits and hissing synths all softened with jazzy chords. house drums and rolling bass prop it up in groovy fashion, then reduction is a frazzled brew of spiting hits, jerking machine grooves and busted frequencies that is as raw and tough as you like. last of all, the excellent ozyork rounds us out with punchy drum programming, intoxicating and off kilter chords and brain frying sonic imperfections that are perfectly imperfect. add in a deep acid line and you have a surefire house bomb with real meat in its bones.

blackcash & theo get back at it with the latest in this series of funk soul party edits. pleasure bouncy lady is an amazing funk break track, produced by jazz legend wayne henderson of the crusaders. the intro break has been extended, and is one of the all time classic hip hop funk breaks. elements of this track were sampled on brand new funk by dj jazzy jeff & the fresh prince, word to the mother (land) by big daddy kane, and church by de la soul. whatnauts why cant people be colors too is a soul / r&b jam with another heavy break, as sampled by q-tip, pete rock, diamond d, dilla, and oh my god by a tribe called quest featuring busta rhymes.

dystopian dreams are often used by our minds to try out new, scary scenarios. they are the perfect playgrounds because they combine elements of our real world with speculative elements that do not exist in real life. viers gets to work on his own visions of dystopia, with this menacing 12” tripped with hidden spooks and monster pummel lines.

quantize recordings is excited about the latest release from the incomparable susu bobien, help is on the way. produced and written by dewey cioffi and bj nelson, this creative tribute to jesus christ is second to nothing else. once you ve heard susu s vocals on this recording, you will be amazed. this package features the dynamic production skills of earl tutu and john khan. earl s beautifully laid keys are the perfect complement to john s driving drums. add the mixing talents of dj spen, and you ve got their original and inspiration information mixes that are simply irresistible! if that isn t enough, thommy davis lends his extraordinary talents to this project resulting in the gospel-driven rescue remixes. these mixes rock straight down the aisle and contain all the elements needed to make dance floors explode with energy!

australias superbreak crew return with their 2nd release this time bother j teams up with aston agassi for a funky 4 tracker. superbreak has released a number of singles on their own self-titled imprint, and have set their sights on breathing new life into dusty obscure soul funk disco and boogie nuggets. superbreak s dj style reflect their productions, the all action, diversity and the constant surprises at every turn, is where its true strength lies, combining slo-mo boogie, groove laden disco, quality house, 70s funk rock and party funk/boogie and always adept at reading the crowd thanks to combined decades plus experience behind the decks, they pride themselves on getting the crowd moving, whether they re into boogie bombs, sleazy deep house, party funk or deep house/disco.

t.v. baby is a project that came to life during 2016 in a makeshift hideaway deep within a remote corridor of industrial new york city. the romantic isolation of their decaying surroundings leant its vibe to the otherwise occupied musicians as they intuitively explored their formative musical experiences, while playing at shifting their roles around within the band. from these changing dynamics the close friends debut album dignity dont dance was born. it comes on the label deus records, an imprint that continues the great independent ny tradition of dropping highly danceable music with rootsy, rock n roll swagger.

a sublime slice of boogie-funk, alec mansion has steadily gained the status of a crate-digging classic. accordingly, it has been near-impossible to unearth a physical copy in good condition for many years. be with is delighted to present the first ever vinyl reissue, remastered in time to grace the discerning terraces and boat parties of the coming summer months. originally released in 1983, the lp arrived with impeccable credentials programming duties were handled by dan lacksman (the brains behind telex, the belgian kraftwerk) whilst production came from marc moulin (of jazz-rock fusion heroes placebo). at the time its merits were mainly praised by radio and studio heads. today, mansions masterpiece is lauded by boogie aficionados from liege to los angeles.

say you love me wasn’t “om” alec khaoli’s first solo recording but the 1985 ep solidified the bass player and songwriter’s standing as one of south africa’s most consistently innovative pop auteurs. he built a career on ubiquitous rock, pop and soul hits with groundbreaking bands like the beaters, harari and umoja. but khaoli’s seemingly endless fountain of music continued outside these ensembles, where he usually played bass and contributed songwriting and vocals.

das prog-goth/trip-goth/rock-kollektiv the eden house mit seiner ersten single vom dritten album featuring monica richards von faith & the muse. the eden house wurden 2009 von stephen carey mit tony pettitt von fields of the nephilim gegründet.

chemical brothers iconic 2nd album from 1997 sees a well deserved 20th anniversary reissue on silver coloured double vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve.

sicknote, j bionic and dissect are back with the second volume in the paws recordings series.
nowadays intros with relentless, rolling beats and percussion that chugs away before building you up to the kind of exciting bass drop that invokes a dancefloor energy straight from the 90’s. this is a groove that will rock any system.
occurrence begins building through a plethora of percussive treats and sounds that conjure up cosmic landscapes and alien horizons before lifting into an interstellar journey that has you moving through the stars at lightspeed.

2 classics on one 12 single, gems excavated from the deepest realms of the tk disco vaults.on side a we have former foxy frontman ishmael ish ledesma with his sublime esoteric disco cut from 1979 called don t stop , a deep, late night diamond of a track that will appeal to the more left-field disco lovers out there. don t stop has long been a favourite with the diggers with it s sweet vocals, synth heavy production and overall cosmic vibe. a beauty of a track indeed and one of tk s lesser known cuts. side b sees fusion guitarist john tropea s 1979 cosmic classic living in the jungle , a long time spin of dj s like daniele baldelli and dj harvey. infusing tropea s rock sensibilities with the throb of the disco dance-floor the track is a low slung, midtempo groover that touches all the right spots. overall, this essential double-header is a must have for all disco heads and left-field dj fiends.

rich la bonte is a musician, writer and editor from upstate new york born in 1946. at age 11 he figured out how to record a piano backwards with his first tape deck and discovered monk, mingus and art blakey. in 1965 rich moved to ithaca, bought an electric guitar and started singing in garage rock band the huns. after the band dissolved, he moved to nyc and played bass and sang in the original cast production of the musical godspell. in the late 70s la bonte moved to hollywood with shari famous, released a a few 7” singles as dada2, and started flatdisk records, a vinyl subsidiary of dave gibson s moxie record company.

limited edition 45 from daru jones x marcus machado’s (aka d.stubs & m.drix) beat tape “pregamevl1”. which features guest appearances such as dj premier, dj scratch, pete rock, doug wimbish, felix pastorius, the royal pharaohs and more.this single features live instrumental covers from classic gangstarr / madvillain joints! a. discipline / nice girl (gangstarr) b. meat grinder (madvillain)

bruno pronsato returns with his first new artist album in 6 years. entitled us drag, it’s the follow-up to 2011’s critically acclaimed lovers do— lauded by pitchfork as a “striking and massive statement,” and decorated with a 4.5/5 rating by resident advisor. the new record, which finds the ex-punk rock drummer exploring dense, interlocking rhythms and unorthodox tuning systems, was recorded in berlin during the second half of 2016, and features a collaboration with liars’ frontman angus andrew. after the vast, complex arrangements of his previous albums, the 9 recordings on us drag are relatively more upfront and direct, with a particular focus on bells, tuned percussion and the sequential circuits six-trak synthesizer (used to create many of the album’s synth parts). pronsato’s ongoing collaboration with yonatan levi continues, with the israeli bassist appearing on the album’s second track

dutch psych-rock artiste jacco gardner, and production partner in crime, the percussive culprit behind many a twisted tropical beat, nic mauskovic, have teamed up for a devilish ep of cinematic, balearic disco for their debut ep as bruxas. wielding a love for the wild and exotic, más profundo is a record influenced by the black arts, the sun, and the love of making nostalgic, summertime music.

following last year’s much-acclaimed solo album “mondo alterado” (hippie dance 08), original pachanga boy and hippie dance mentor rebolledo returns to the limelight with the jam-packed mondo re-alterado (hippie dance 10), tapping into his vast and varied network of friends and fellow soundsmiths. artists such as superpitcher, dj tennis, maceo plex, red axes, fango or fantastic twins deliver stunning takes on rebolledos’ unique signature sound, creating a full suite of exclusive remixes, cover versions and reinterpretations.
from the super-energetic club rumblings of maceo plex’s discotico plexico to dj tennis’ dreamy pimiento drive version of a numb gas to the future or fantastic twins’ party bomb fantastic pow pow, the journey through mondo re-alterado is full of twists and turns – a world where an epic, cinematic soundscape such as superpicher’s rainboy super space sits comfortably alongside the claustrophobic, punishing banger that fango sculpted from stand-out cut “pow pow”.

meanwhile, red axes turn the casual narrative of “life is strange, life is hard, life is great” into a bouncing workout – a great companion piece to want, danny daze and shokh’s propulsive, jagged dub version of “fears come true”. other highlights include jörg burger aka the black frame with the lush black rainbow woman, paulor’s country rock extravaganza discotico desertico and not one, but two excellent contributions from former italians do it better honcho mike simonetti. it’s a magical, surprising ride that finds beauty in contrasts – while staying tuned to rebolledo’s spirit of adventure and powerful sense of style.

a selection of forgotten demos by band hymn, active 1981-1984, with multi-talented musician and post-punk pioneer lucas trouble (†2016) in the lineup. dition of 400 numbered copies. hand stamped sleeve. includes insert with photos, artwork and liner notes. all the tracks were originally self-released as demo tapes in a very limited run. their first work, coming home, was published in 1983, and the second one, too many lies, in 1984. both of them were distributed by the band themselves. shortly after, they released a more widely known 12” ep, tired (nova express, 1984), with a different line-up and noticeably more rock-oriented. definers of a totally genuine sound, hymn were coevals to the underground-synth-post-punk movement that surfaced in france in the early eighties, easily recognisable today via cult labels such as bain total and invisible/scopa records, with stunning releases by experimental references like ilitch, philippe doray or incontinents.

born roy samuel reid in saint thomas in 1944, i roy was one of jamaicas all-time greatest deejays. a natural-born toaster, his rhyming raps always sounded effortless, whether describing the harsh realities of the inner city, or making light of nonsense nursery rhymes. a former employee at customs and excise, he was first active on a sound system called soul bunnies in the rock steady era, moving to son’s junior in 1968, and later, to the legendary supreme ruler of sound, defecting to the rival stereo sound system after that. hits for harry mudie and other producers soon followed, and after the killer debut album presenting i roy impacted overseas, the toaster began spending frequent periods in london. his longstanding working relationship with hit-making producer bunny lee led to some of his most noteworthy albums during the mid 1970s, the 1977 set cant conquer rasta is a superb showcase-style album, on which the toaster blows hard lyrics over five of lees killer rockers rhythms (recorded with the likes of johnny clarke), each complete with a corresponding aggrovators dub on the flip, all mixed by prince jammy at king tubbys studio

one of jamaicas most highly-rated vocalists, alton ellis made an incredible contribution to the islands popular music. blessed with a particularly emotive voice that brings shivers to the spine whether singing original material or cover tunes, ellis was born and raised in trench town, the west kingston ghetto area that gave rise to bob marley and the wailers and countless other singers. ellis and singing partner eddie parkins hit big in 1961 with the ballad muriel for coxsone dodd, and after parkins moved to the usa, ellis teamed briefly with john holt, and then began fronting the flames harmony group. he excelled in the rock steady style, christening the genre with rock steady and i have got a date, bouncing between studio one and treasure isle for a number of years. from 1971, he spent increasing period in london, but continued to record hits in jamaica for various producers. the 1979 release love to share was arranged by the great studio one keyboardist, jackie mittoo, who co-produced the album with junior lincoln, founder of the london-based bamboo label, the disc straddles the line between lover’s rock and roots reggae, remaining a lesser-known classic

one of the sweetest and most idiosyncratic voices in reggae, tenor singer cornell campbell also has one of the longest-running careers of any jamaican recording artist. taken under studio one founder clement sir coxsone dodd’s wing at a very young age, cornell cut his first recordings in 1956, long before ska was even established. he remained based at studio one for many years (working as a label printer as well as a recording artist), and also voiced sides for king edwards in the ska years. he then briefly joined the sensations in rock steady and recorded at treasure isle, before moving back to studio one as leader of the eternals when reggae arrived, cutting huge hits there such as stars and queen of the mistrel, and giving early coaching to slim smith, jacob miller and bassist robbie shakespeare. joining forces with ace producer bunny striker lee in the mid-1970s brought a dramatic new surge in popularity that greatly boosted his profile overseas. the ropin lp was issued on third worlds justice subsidiary in 1980 a sub label set up to handle strikers product in the uk (though hits like mash you down and the title track had been handled in jamaica by joe gibbs). one of the albums outstanding moments is bandulu, an anti-rude boy epic voiced on the late night blues rhythm, while opening cover, just my imagination, has an uncredited toasting portion from errol scorcher.