love makes the world go around. “two”, the second album by the soul session, is full of love. ralph kiefer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and producer from south germany embarks on a stylistically diverse journey into soul, jazz, funk and world music. being a highly respected session musician in the jazz as well as the crossover scene, kiefer made a serious impact in 2011 with “one”, the first soul session album. “one” was built on a solid backbeat of soul, hip hop and funk, while “two” now takes a step further into a spiritual and eclectic dimension. “quantraversa” featuring the voice of las vegas based neo-soul queen georgia anne muldrow is the mind- blowing opener of this album, a truly deep and intense rhythmic statement. quantraversa is a word which you will not find in any dictionary, but that is not the point, says ralph kiefer. “this album is a journey to the inner self. the recording process was like meditation. i often started with a loop, or an idea for a melody. it evolved from there and i simply let it happen. when i involved the lyricists and vocalists, my drafts sometimes took a completely different paths and ended in something unexpected and beautifully new.” the double vinyl is housed in a gatefold sleeve with download code included.

the patchouli brothers deliver four raw tunes, looped for optimum dancefloor ecstasy. on the a side he wonders is a squelching synthy, guitar laden gem, extended and reworked for full cosmic galacticness. a mighty joy follows up with a slice of gospel disco gold, expertly tweaked to enrich your soul with spiritual goodness. on the b side can t stop christy is laced with a good helping of slap bass and trumpet flurries alongside the elusive christy trading licks with that hazy distorted guitar. closing out the ep. take you there channels the glory days of disco into a six-and-half-minute reglammed opus.

sven atterton‘s much anticipated follow up to ‘the cove’, thematically named ‘the cape’, drops on his newly formed cruise club records. anyone that’s experienced the wonder of sven live, is well aware of the prowess and apparent effortlessness he possesses on stage. as at home laying it down on a synth, as he is tearing it up on the bass, ‘the cape’ showcases modern synth boogie as good as anyone at present.
‘taboo’, one of many highlights, demonstrates both sven’s skills as a multi-instrumentalist and as an accomplished producer. flexing those 80’s linndrum hits, getting spiritual on the keys, whilst layering that full frontal bass and dreamy pads – it’s a nod to the past, whilst re-imagining it for the modern age. and considering the cost sven’s debut album now goes for on discogs, ‘the cape’ is one to snap up on sight.

repress from spiritual r&b/soul album from 1982! the album we want a piece of the pie is the product of a joint effort between los angeles songwriter/producer anthony browne and the woolfolk brothers of oklahoma, with their seven-piece funk band, septimus. the two parties sent tape reels back and forth to each other in the mail to assemble this masterpiece of buoyant and spiritual r&b... and 36 years later, those tapes have found their way into the hands of cultures of soul records! remastered from the original tapes, this new edition of we want a piece of the pie presents the legendarily rare lp to a broad market for the first time, radiating all its sunny optimism and infectious dance grooves.

ron trent returns with his gemini jazz entity on his music & power imprint with 2 deep spiritual tracks the tantra & hard & soft. the tantra is a preview of the upcoming album gemini jazz. hard & soft is a hint of the future album whatthefckdoyouknowaboutdeephouse

wiederveröffentlichung von aura’s “spiritual conection” album aus dem jahre 1976. die unsichtbaren kräfte, die um sich herum ausstrahlen, sind immer naturkräfte des schicksals. der glaube selbst ist gott. aura’s reise könnte man am besten als einen spirituellen aufruf beschreiben, mensch und musik zu verbinden. ein fester glaube an uns selbst hat diese gruppe an diesen punkt gebracht, aura macht eine astralreise. dies ist ein album, das eine aufrichtig süße frucht der entschlossenheit ist, gefühlvoll genug, um dich in wahre lebenserfahrungen guter musik zu verwandeln.

strut presents the brand new album an angel fell from cosmic jazz travellers the pyramids, led by saxophonist idris ackamoor. produced by malcolm catto of the heliocentrics, the album was recorded during an intense week at quatermass studios in london. some of the many highlights include the poignant title track depicting a fallen angel in purgatory, outrage and grief on the powerful, hard hitting soliloquy for michael brown and the lilting, beautiful album closer, sunset. the pyramids originally came together in 1972 at antioch college, yellow springs, ohio where teachers included renowned pianist, cecil taylor. after forming in paris and embarking on a cultural odyssey across africa, the group recorded three independent albums,‘lalibela (1973), king of kings (1974) and birth/speed/merging (1976) and became renowned for their striking live shows, mixing percussive, spiritual and space-age jazz with performance theatre and dance.

dubbed by igloo magazine as the -romanian detroit electro/techno pioneer- and by the late aaron carl as -the romanian underground resistance himself-, andrew red hand from romania s spiritual capital of lasi stands up as an unwavering militant of the underground, a true detroit spirit possessed as romanian humanoid! from his early gigs throwing parties as one of the first generation djs in lasi since 1997, arh continues to break boundaries as part of the romanian resistance scene and numerous time portals as they open around europe. his blistering, mind-bending sets such as at berlin s tresor and griessmuehle see the dj with the red hand fuse pure detroit electro and techno with the sounds of techno-bass, raw chicago acid house, classics and futuristic beats. his mixes for radio ur (underground resistance) and the grid (detroit techno militia) remain some of the best frequency transmissions to surface to air. armed with a soviet union reel to reel majak 203, his scorching raw analogue and searing acid productions have been picked up by foundational detroit labels such as twilight 76, matrix, detroit underground, databass, detroit techno militia, cratesavers intl, visillusion as well as around the world from holland s iconic m>o>s recordings to 1Ø pills mate (lobster theremin), bass agenda and land of dance. on his remix list includes work for scan 7, santonio echois, thomas barnett, sean deason, niko marks, six foe, t.linder and more while support from anthony shake shakir, dj bone, dave clarke, dj godfather has been garnered for our sonic warrior... beware of the red hand!

there is a memory of a forgotten past, or an unknown future. that momentary seed of thought of a time where the unearthly and the spiritual reigned supreme. an abundant force of the senses , linking to the deeper paths of consciousness. where our roots merged and linked with the universal network of thought. where magic and mystery where not seen as illusion, but a treasure of collective inspiration. captured in the now and the endless, the same and the opposite intertwined, the light and the dark. the thing with five eyes is jason kohnen’s phoenix rising from his previous disassembled ‘darkjazz’ projects the kilimanjaro darkjazz ensemble and the mount fuji doomjazz corporation. the continual journey into unknown musical territories. ‘noirabesque’ is that current day journey into those worlds that have been or are still to come. a boundless universe. on this adventure kohnen is accompanied by algerian / french singer leila bounous, who perfectly adds the oriental and mystical vocal timbre to the album. pressing on 180 gram double vinyl, housed in full coloured sleeve.

italian duo hiver present the spiritual machines ep, their debut on obscura. inverted scale brandishes a hypnotic synth lead that swirls into a formidable energy. the title track is a meditative ambient cut immersed in deep waters, whilst glass effect? exposes a similar form with radiant sonic properties. on the b side, orbe turns the title track into a low slung basement workout, whilst crossing avenues rework of rj45 channels psytrance and rave sentiments.

our latest examination of esoteric, modal & progressive jazz of the 20th century has taken us to japan. the liberating force of jazz has been created and felt all around the world, but few nations on earth embraced the jazz message with the passion and intensity of japan. from the dawn of the jazz age to the present day, japanese audiences have been renowned tastemakers, enthusiasts and champions of the music in the 1980s, japan was the biggest per capita market in the world for jazz records, and it has even been said that japanese jazz fans kept the jazz record industry alive through the lean years of the 1970s, when the music fell from commercial favour in the land of its birth.

our latest examination of esoteric, modal & progressive jazz of the 20th century has taken us to japan. the liberating force of jazz has been created and felt all around the world, but few nations on earth embraced the jazz message with the passion and intensity of japan. from the dawn of the jazz age to the present day, japanese audiences have been renowned tastemakers, enthusiasts and champions of the music in the 1980s, japan was the biggest per capita market in the world for jazz records, and it has even been said that japanese jazz fans kept the jazz record industry alive through the lean years of the 1970s, when the music fell from commercial favour in the land of its birth.

moby has released a new single and video for “like a motherless child,” from his forthcoming album everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt. featuring la-based soulstress raquel rodriguez, “like a motherless child” is a re-work of the well-known spiritual, with its origins in the slavery of the american south. the track describes the void left when one feels separated from a parent, higher power or similar guiding force. over the years this powerful song has been reinterpreted by the likes of odetta, lena horne, mahalia jackson and van morrison. the album is a glowing tapestry exploring spirituality, individuality and the brokenness of humanity and finds him returning to his orchestral, soul, trip-hop and gospel roots.

• sixth and final part in a series of first-time vinyl editions of early rse material
• originally released on tape in 2012 in a run of 16 copies
• remastered by paul corley, cut at d&m, berlin
• 500 copies
• riyl coil, demdike stare, prurient, brian eno / jon hassell’s fourth world...

steeped in the influence of flannery o’connor and tom waits, the album wrong-eyed jesus revealed jim white as a spiritual anatomist of the american south. no such place ups the ante revealing a broader, more diverse collection of songs about rage and redemption, depravity and dreams, dead cars and broken hearts. with tracks produced by morcheeba, sade co-founder andrew hale, and q-burns abstract message, along with stellar remixes by japanese underground guru, sohichiro suzuki of world standard and yellow magic orchestra fame, jim finds himself reveling in the unlikely zeitgeist of the new album. “this is a crackpot love letter to all those lost souls out there like me who won’t settle for wrong, but have no clue how to get to right.”

bringing electronic music to the physical realm, genre-bending drummer ian chang is set to release his debut ep spiritual leader this september. an acclaimed drumming virtuoso known for his work in son lux and landlady, chang uses his kit to control and manipulate samples resulting in a seamless synthesis of raw performative intensity and sophisticated sound design.
the vinyl release includes a download code.

the long awaited follow up to the modern classics find a way and dont stop is finally here and has all the elements that we love so much from dego & the 2000 black family ... the way it should be.

seit fast 20 jahren bereichert der brite james holden die electronic-szene mit innovativen, prägnanten und stilbildenden ideen. für sein drittes album versammelt er die liveband the animals spirits um sich herum, um seinem elektronischen sound organische liveinstrumente wie saxofon, kornett oder cosmic-percussion hinzuzufügen. so entsteht ein neuartiger, synthbasierter folk-trance, der elemente wie psychedelia, krautrock, weltmusik und spiritual-jazz mit holdens melodischer stärke kombiniert. damit kreiert holden eine neue genreprõgende form universeller musik, die gleichzeitig flüssig wie lebendig klingt.
schwarzes 180g doppelvinyl im gatefold inklusive downloadcode.

j.c. aka jose cabrera and kastil collaborate and come with the exciting results. a fresh blend of fierce techno, ambience, industrial, noise and found sounds recordings. a full length captivating album that pushes and pulls you through an edgy and engaging world of sound.

in the midst of the storm brings together two exceptional talents and two generations of reggae musicians. jah9s previous release 9 was critically heralded as one of the most re-freshing reggae albums of 2016. and now, fans will get the fully de-constructed, dubwise version of the album with nine newly recorded dub sessions from the legendary dub master, mad professor. he s renown for hundreds of productions with the who s who of jamaican veteran artist like i.e. lee perry, u-roy, the congos, horace andy, and did also great dub re-mixes for massive attack, sade, depeche mode, grace jones and many more. this release marks the first mad professor title with vp records as well as the first commercial recording of mad professor and jah9 together. the press and media coverage will include interviews with mad professor and jah9. the great original cover illustration is by artist richard nattoo!

this is the second in a reissue series of dominick fernow’s early work as rainforest spiritual enslavement, casting spells from the green amulet crafts supernatural qualities (2011) tape onto vinyl for the first time and steadily closing the gap in your rse collection.
something like the soundtrack to one of ballard’s prophetic visions of sunken cities, this second rse incursion was initially released in an edition of 63 tapes in 2011 and found fernow dwelling in a dread-fuelled, paranoid headspace.
prssing on translucent green vinyl.

ellery roberts dürfte dem ein oder der anderen bekannt sein als frontmann von wu lyf. ebony hoorn ist eine amsterdamer künstlerin, die im bereich audiovisueller medien arbeitet. produziert wurde ihr nun vorliegendes debütalbum -songs for lovers to sing- von bobby krlic alias the haxan cloak, der neben seinem eigenem genreüberschreitenden drone-und ambientwerk nicht zuletzt für björk und health gearbeitet hat.
das limitierte schwarze & weiße doppel-vinyl erscheint inklusive 3 streng limitierten artprints, downloadcode und poster.

ellery roberts dürfte dem ein oder der anderen bekannt sein als frontmann von wu lyf. ebony hoorn ist eine amsterdamer künstlerin, die im bereich audiovisueller medien arbeitet. produziert wurde ihr nun vorliegendes debütalbum -songs for lovers to sing- von bobby krlic alias the haxan cloak, der neben seinem eigenem genreüberschreitenden drone-und ambientwerk nicht zuletzt für björk und health gearbeitet hat.
das schwarze & weiße doppel-vinyl erscheint inklusive downloadcode und poster.

sunlightsquare keeps on exploring multiple style of house music this summer. the previous single from the last month -oyelo- was a winning combination of authentic latin cuban music and classic 909 house beats. it was championed by ron trent, osunlade, hunee, bradley zero, nick the record and atjazz to name a few. this time, the main man and keyboard wizard claudio passavanti deployed two remixers for deeper and more spiritual endeavour to showcase his magical composition. hailing from the birth place of south african house music pretoria, the talented young producer blaqtone laid out beautiful sunset pad, earthy african percussions and solid rolling beats, all work like magic with claudio s original spiritual keyboard works. on the flip side, kay suzuki pulled off another dubbed out psychedelic mix with -astro dub-, just like the previous release, and the more dance-floor oriented classic deep house style of -moon mix- influenced by the likes of larry heard. the track features sequenced mini-moog bass line and call & response drum programming before blissful harmonies and melodies kick in.

another essential excursion on wax, and one that will never leave the box.
already finding its way into the crates of selectors such as gilles peterson, horse meat disco and patrick forge, it s also received love in mixmag and across the airwaves, from nts to mi-soul to rinse fm.
for our fourth release, we re pleased to welcome the showfa inside the excursions kitchen, to cook us up something sizzling for your mind, body & soul. wielding a nifty set of disco scissors, he s selected the finest of gospel cuts and brought them neatly to the boil, serving up three delectable dishes of hot spiritual gumbo. soul food of the highest calibre.

from the italian dub duo babe roots comes the groups third vinyl release since their debut 7inch last year on the sardinian rohs imprint which sold out in record time. like the a-sides artwork suggests (a photo of the major league baseball pitcher doc ellis famous for pitching a no-hitter while on lsd), this record will take the listener on a trip. in classic babe roots fashion, each song was carefully crafted using traditional jamaican dub techniques, blending 90’s chain reaction / basic channel atmospheres and uk trip-hop elements. spiritual connection / brown walls aims to be their strongest release yet. us-based label visceral vibrations teams up with big horn sound (a sound system out of las vegas, nv) to provide a record worthy of any dub-heads collection, presented on 12inch vinyl and professionally mastered by beau thomas at teneightseven.

rayko and inigo vontier remixes, dj rocca doesnt need much introduction... he has been very prolific over the years producing music and touring the world but a little known fact that he is a great musician especially on the flute,) hes recent collaborations include danielle baldelli and dimitri from paris

five prolific electronic soul tracks melodic techno by the abstract eye, better known as gifted and blessed. originally released on valentine connexion in 2011, now available again in a shiny new jacket. big! tip! with a fixation for vintage electronic instruments, the extraordinarily gifted gabriel reyes-whittaker creates striking electronic songs under many monikers, integrating the technological with the spiritual and ancestral in his music.

chapter three for the italian deeper label cosmic rhythm, a very emotional trip by spiritual emphasi.

walrus has no fear! by taking care of the maiden release on his newborn label “basic moves” he shows the spiritual direction and marks the blueprint for future offerings. the concept is simple: a 12” always has two different sides. one track on each side, each track a different mood. “full of feeling” resonates like the synthesis of an endless night encoded in washes of sounds. twisted, alienated vocal signals communicate in deep space to form a teasing, never-ending, spine-tingling groove. the weekend lingers on, the dream is not over. “among the thugs” is stripped down music for abandoned warehouses. a distorted vision of bleep techno and druggy chicago acid house hides deep in the quirky waves of this wobbly and moody crowd mover. the ghosts of after hours haunting sweaty warehouse clubs from the past seem to float over these excellent tracks. walrus refers to the best of all eras but forges his own unique stamp of modern dance music. underground clubs are where his music comes alive.

on his sixth album, the arc of tension, the berlin based dj, label owner and producer oliver koletzki yet again presents his remarkable vision of contemporary electronic music, while he assumes the role of a storyteller. the arc of tension speaks to its listener as a singular, self contained work, which communicates by way of its natural flow and arc of suspense. the latter is mirrored not only in the multifarious narrative of the actual album, but can also be understood as evidence for its creators long musical history. while koletzki focussed on a diverse range of vocal collaborations on his previous long players, he now moves on to a different form of storytelling, rooted in the quiet confidence of a veteran musician, as well as the hectic lifestyle of a globally in demand dj.

solune real name etienne dauta hails from france, the son of a record store owner father and artist mother. he moved to berlin 6 years ago and for the last 3 years co-ran the bass cadet record store. solune has just released one ep in his short career on the bass cadet imprint but is also is one half of the arcarsenal duo who also released on the label. the ep kicks off with the mighty the vision , a majestic new york inspired atmospheric stomper combining both spiritual and techy vibes that you can imagine hearing pumping out over the system at the sound factory or shelter.

what is amateur space jazz? one could call it a lo-fi minimal wavish version of cosmic space jazz and anything closely related to it...from spiritual soul, g-funk, ethiopian jazz to ambient and everything in between...no knowledge of musical theory is required...played with a d.i.y punk approach on crappy digital synthesizers - preferably with dubious renditions of real instruments. warmed up to the right temperature with some offbeat effectsbox. multitracking is a technique widely used...to create a one person band with all its members oneselfs multidimensional copies in time........comes with a 24 page graphic novel written and drawn by danny wolfers himself and a nightwind amateur space jazz gummy domed sticker.......lets enter world of amateur space jazz!!!

bio rhythm returning to the mothership. straight from chicago jamal moss aka hieroglyphic being delivers two pieces of playful yet esoteric technosoul of the highest order. enlightment. in the spiritual world all beings arrive as equals.

fresh off of a pair of well-received eps on his recently-launched manhigh imprint, berlins highly respected techno auteur henning baer makes his first appearance on nonplus with 4 excellently crafted, saturated machine techno tracks on the idea of instinct. following on feelings suggested in the title, the ep opens with a pair of more contemplative pieces: the title track’s spare arrangement puts mechanical rhythmic drive behind its exploration of dusky electronic atmospheres, while the feeling of dna is both brighter and slightly pacier, its hypnosis deriving from the pads and synthesizer sequences that circle the drums. ccc ii takes a darker approach to a similar idea, this time with the suggestion of polyrhythms in the distant and heavily-treated percussive elements circling in the background behind uneasy ambience. it builds to the closer spiritual quest, where overlaid rhythms in 3 and 4 are not easily reducible and create the tension at the track’s centre driving it to its conclusion.

“spiritual jazz 7: islam - esoteric, modal and progressive jazz inspired by islam 1957 - 1988”, songs ancient and divine - the seventh volume of our acclaimed spiritual jazz series examines the influence and impact of islam on four decades of jazz innovation.

wrwtfww & palto flats records are ecstatic to announce the highly-anticipated reissue of japanese percussionist midori takadas sought after and timeless ambient/minimal album through the looking glass, originally released in 1983 by rca japan. considered a holy grail of japanese music by many, through the looking glass is midori takadas first solo endeavor, a captivating four-song suite capturing her deep quests into traditional african and asian percussive language and exploring contemplative ambient sounds with an admirably precise use of marimba. the result is alternatively ethereal and vibrant, always precise and mesmerizing, and makes for an atmospheric masterpiece and an unparalleled sonic and spiritual experience

the search from collocutor, the band’s second lp, is the story of a journey, from disillusionment to new beginnings, alienation to belonging, darkness to hope. it is a journey that can be interpreted as spiritual, emotional or physical/geographical, depending on the listener’s own experiences. tamar osborn, the band leader and composer says: “this wasn’t planned as a ‘concept’ album, but as the four main compositions developed they and their titles fell into a natural narrative order and the theme of the album became apparent. the three improvised conversations were an opportunity to explore musically the meaning of ‘collocutor’ - a person taking part in a conversation - and how this applies to performance, and also to expand the textural range of the ensemble by dividing it into smaller groupings and freeing the musicians from structured composition.”

it was in june of 1980. after a long and intense journey through time and space, rupert marnie met spiritual highness frater loannis and became his apprentice. the magus told him invaluable things, like controlling his precious bodily fluids and the holistic mastery of others’ endocrine glands. the greatest wisdom though reached him on his seventh day, when frater loannis professed him an an-cient ritual that would allow him to meet the titan ufohagen, also known as cdboy. it was the 4th, when he appeared, dressed in a long, slim silk cloak, a sprinkling wand in his right. rupert stood in awe, immediately losing his newly gained fluid control, and started crafting a piece of music, that would remind mankind that not all is lost, as long as there is almighty ufohagen.

this opus was recorded in a room transformed into a studio, where countless hours of work happened on an old computer, with trips back and forth to the grocery to buy liters of soda. in between soundtrack, jazz-funk and house, the beginnings of this ep find their roots in the encounter between lucien and dj gregory (point g), spiritual guide, who pushed into an introspective work, where the feelings were ultimately revealed sincerely. this ep is also the meeting of 4 musicians whove known each other for a long time and, together, form lucien & the kimono orchestra.

pieced together from sounds and samples from all over the globe, the albums aim is to charge listeners with harmony and a feeling of connectedness to the world. reflecting on his own attitude towards life and the importance of inner balance, pavel attempts to share some of the spiritual experiences he made while traveling.

persian ahu karimi is a berlin resident. he began his musical exploits in a punk band in tehran but time and space and inertia have distilled his music into a rare spiritual essence, with a delicacy and evanescence like memory. the five tracks here have a gauze like quality.

expect unexpected music from the 1960s and 1970s, mixing western and eastern elements, remapping your knowledge of pop music along the way. hear italian shouters, east-european freak beat, anatolian rock, kurdish spiritual pop, uzbek folk pop, pakistani soundtracks, nepalese folk beats, mongolian pop, indian bollywood scores, malaysian rock’n’roll, philippine surf pop, singaporean dream pop and many sounds more — for all lovers of the danceable, the mind-expansive, and the sure-fire hits. come on and take the trip...
with pt. 4/4 you will travel from south korea via japan, india, indonesia, malaysia, philippines to singapore. here the trip ends.

jamal moss aka hieroglyphic being veröffentlicht sein lang erwartetes soloalbum “the discos of imhotep” auf technicolour/ninja tune! jamal moss hat sich einen einwandfreien ruf als produzent sowie als live-performer von hypnotisierendem, experimentellem elektro und free jazz aufgebaut, der in seiner heimat chicago und seinen beziehungen zur schöpferischen underground club-szene wurzelt. inspiriert durch ron trent, dj rush und ron hardy, wurde jamal moss von den visionären und produzenten steve poindexter und adonis ausgebildet. diese brachten ihm die drum machines näher, die das rückgrat der bewegung waren und ihn zu seinen frühen streifzügen durch die musikproduktion ermutigten. seitdem veröffentlicht er fleißig über sein eigenes label mathematics recordings sowie labels wie rvng intl. und soul jazz / sotu. seine stellung, als unverwechselbare, kreative kraft, verfestigte moss auch durch seine zusammenarbeit mit marshall allen von sun ra arkestra und noleian reusse (als africans with mainframes). unverwechselbar ist auch seine art, musik zu machen: er vereint seine antike herkunft und musikalische dna mit einer leidenschaft zum experimentieren, erschaffen und setzt musik als heilmittel ein.
die vinyl lp erscheint inklusive downloadcode.

swag classics centeres around some sought after reissue fare from the croydons legendary swag records label. these are 2 expensive double a side vinyl cuts - almost unaffordable if bough 2nd hand. so this is a very democratioc re release for fans of the label
(if any)think croydon and a few things come to mind, kate moss, punk band the damned, crystal palace football club, peep show and of course dubstep, the now world conquering music genre that will forever be linked to the south london suburb. what you never hear though, is any mention of tech house, another world conquering music genre. and to be honest we’re a little bit peeved about that. because if tech house has a spiritual home it’s croydon, and that is due mainly to swag records and the people that gravitated towards the humble west croydon record shop and studio.

fresh from the black ark: free, rawly spiritual trance-music a full-force nyabinghi freak-out

over the course of four albums, manchester based trumpeter, composer, arranger and band-leader matthew halsall has carved out a niche for himself on the uk music scene as one of it s brightest talents. his languid, soulful music has won friends from jamie cullum and gilles peterson to jazz fm and mojo as well as an ever-growing international following. his label gondwana records is home to gogo penguin and his own albums have found halsall exploring the modal jazz of john and alice coltrane, paying tribute to the hard bop of the late ’50s and early ’60s or most recently on fletcher moss park drawing on eastern influences in his most personal statement yet. his latest album when the world was one is something of a companion piece to fletcher moss park (much of the music was written at the same time) but draws more explicitly on halsall’s love of spiritual jazz and eastern music as well as his own studies in meditation and travels in japan. beautifully recorded at hasall’s favourite studio, 80 hertz in manchester, and engineered by brendan williams and george atkins it features the recording debut of halsall’s large ensemble, the gondwana orchestra, which utilises the exotic flavours of harp, koto and bansuri flute and eastern scales to create a global palate for halsall’s life-affirming sounds.

in 1949 miles davis, gerry mulligan and gil evans - they’d never met before - gravitated together with the natural affinity of kindred souls. combined, they gave each other a spiritual boost that resulted in many all-night sessions of earnest discussion, writing and playing-productive work on new musical ideas, new voicings, new concepts of jazz. their first appearance startled a delighted jazz public, and marked the birth of the cool. today, these famous miles davis instrumentals are as exciting as ever, and here are in all their glory.