Crucial Material – September 14th, 2020

Hope everyone is doing great after a restful month of August. Summer is over. Social distancing is back on. Dreams of massive global reunion parties are still on hold. 🙁

This will be our last double-stuff edition before we get back to our weekly pace of that crucial material. So here you are with a double dose of our favorite EP’s, Albums and Reissues of the moment.

As always we hope you make some nice discoveries and feel free to encourage these artists/labels if you do! Enjoy and have a great week.

CLUB-ISMS

Contours & Yadava — Cosmic Echoes

A beautiful EP that grew out of live jam between producer/DJs Contours and Yadava finally sees a joint release on ANMA Records and Flumo. Through numerous turns, the pair weave house, jazz, broken beat, ambient and hip hop, with a hint of Balearic. A worthy soundtrack to the autumn transition.
– Selected by Oli Brunetti

Byron the Aquarius – Apron EP

Fans of Byron the Aquarius HAVE to check out this new EP for London’s Apron Records. Arguably more than long enough to be called an album, 10 songs taking in funk, jazz, house & electro, all with his own soulful signature swing. Ending on a cheeky nod to one of the UK’s most esteemed house producers.
– Selected by Oli Brunetti

Anz — Loos in Twos

Hessle Audio been one of our favorite imprints throughout its 10+ year existence (time flies!) but this is definetly one of the nicest 12’s in recent times. Manchester’s ANZ with a scientific mish mash of UK sounds aligning the steppers and hardcore continuum. “Loos in Twos” sounds like Todd Terry’s classic “A Day In The Life” re-imagined inna Manchester 2020.
– Selected by Lexis

Blacksea Nao Maya — Maquina de Venus

I keep saying it. Lisboa’s Principe is one of the most forward-thinking electronic labels out there. Each project feels like it breaks new ground, and this Blacksea Nao Maya EP (their first in 5 years on Principe) is no different. Everything I love about electronic music all at the once, all at the same time. Definitely no social distancing possible when listening to the “Estranhos e Loucos” track.
– Selected by Lexis

Altered Natives — The Trinity Black EP

When digging through the endless piles of stale house and techno releases, one of the names you can always count on for that good shit is Altered Natives. His broken beat roots always shine through even when he’s putting out the darkest techno. The Trinity Black EP also marks the launch of his global consultancy agency for cultural diversity in dance music. Respect!
– Selected by Lexis

Nikitch & Kuna Maze – The Leak (Domu & Sonar’s Ghost Remixes)

Via Tru Thoughts, a brand new Nikitch & Kuna Maze twist on  juke with jazz & broken beat, complemented by three (!) remixes from the legendary retired broken beat and DnB producer, Domu aka Sonar’s Ghost. One broken, one DnB, the third mix is an epic journey combining both styles. A very rare outing for Dominic Stanton!
– Selected by Oli Brunetti 

JAZZ

Various – New Horizons: A Bristol Jazz Sound

With this compilation for the newly minted Worm Discs label, Bristol proudly stands up for its own home-grown almost (post?) rock-tinged jazz scene. Primarily built around songs by Waldo’s Gift, Run Logan Run, Snazzback, look out for a sublime rework from Ishmael Ensemble and a beautiful quiet storm of a surprise from Lyrebird, a brand new name to us.
– Selected by Oli Brunetti

Calabashed — Behold a Black Wave 

Purple City releases the first results of a special collaboration between saxophonist (& poet- but here only sax) Alabaster dePlume & poet/songwriter Joshua Idehen, joined by harpish Maria Osuchowskam, Donna Thompson on drums, James Howard on guitars and Raimund Wong on tape & FX. Produced by Dan Leavers (Comet is Coming, Soccer96), the album provides a dreamy, sometimes sombre but heartwarming bedding for Idehen’s poignant verse.
– Selected by Oli Brunetti

Andrew Wasylyk — Fugitive Light and Theme of Consolation

On his second outing for Athens of the North, continuing to explore the landscape of Scotland’s East coast, Wasylyk’s subtle cinematic melodies and orchestrations, always somewhere between jazz in the Alice Coltrane vein, neo-classical and library music, picking up a little more of an almost psychedelic David Axlerod-like orchestral soul.
– Selected by Oli Brunetti

Roscoe Weathers — I’ll Remember

Jazzman Records highlights overlooked jazz journeyman and flautist Roscoe Weathers on brilliant new retrospective album. The collection of 60s-era recorded tracks feature a wide range of grooves from laid back beatnik jazz grooves to more uptempo percussion heavy Afro-Latin gems.
– Selected by TJ Gorton

Various — WAMONO A to Z Vol. I: Japanese Jazz Funk & Rare Groove 1968​-​1980

Avid crate diggers DJ Yoshizawa Dynamite and Chintam follow-up the publishing of the now out-of-print ‘Wamono A to Z’ records guide book with the first of a great new complimentary compilation series highlighting “the Wamono sound.” Volume 1 features ten highly obscure jazz-funk and rare groove selections produced in Japan from 1968 to 1980.
– Selected by TJ Gorton

Błoto – Kwiatostan

Błoto follow up their acclaimed ‘Erozje’ album on Astigmatic, with ‘Kwiatostan’. Privately recorded at the newly opened Jazzmine club in Warsaw during the pandemic, whilst revisiting its improvised take on golden era hip hop, further inspiration comes from house, footwork, etc. with a welcome guest vocal from Toni Sauna. A less immediate listen but at least as rewarding.
– Selected by Oli Brunetti

HIP-HOP & BEATS

MZ Boom Bap — EXPEDITion 100 Vol. 3: The Raw Version Of Smooth

Another stellar instrumental project by Portuguese producer MZ Boom Bap. All jazz/soul samples, in that vein of the golden era of Hip-Hop. There’s also a bonus track with Swiss rapper Buds Penseur (La Base/Tru Comers).
– Selected by Walla P

Big Sean — Detroit 2

I’m not the biggest Big Sean connaisseur but I gotta say I enjoyed this record which is part concept record (dedicated to his hometown of Detroit) and part mainstream rap mega blockbuster (guests on the record feature pretty much all of the biggest names). Solid from top to bottom, even the interludes are great (Badu, Stevie, Keith Sweat), especially the Detroit story from Dave Chapelle.
– Selected by Lexis

J Rocc — Turn me up some

The legendary J.Rocc has been dropping tons of gold from his secret stash lately. This one features Dilla-inspired-collab nuggets including two versions of the all-time classic “Fuck The Police” which I’ve already had the pleasure of rinsing out in a recent DJ set in Estonia (in front of real humans!). Get this on bandcamp, it might not be up for long.
– Selected by Lexis

SOUL & FUNK

XL Middleton — Rose Bowl Motel 

The Pasadena Funkster is back with another great release, where Modern Funk meets House & Electronic music. XL also added “Shotgun Lover” feat. Zackey Force Funk, for the first time on a 12’ edit. (it was previously available strictly on 7’) 
– Selected by Walla P

Star Creature Vibes (Compilation)

SCUV continues their hot streak of releases with their first official compilation, all Modern Funk tracks by some of the heavyweights of the scene, Saucy Lady, Amalia, Proh Mic, Shiro Schwarz, Ourra, Kutcorners, and the highly sought “Do Me Like That” by Chesta Blake and E.Live.
– Selected by Walla P 

OUTERNATIONAL

Disco Vumbi – Disco Vumbi, Vol. II

Avoiding all pigeon holes, UK label Byrd Out, home at times to the late great Andrew Weatherall, released this killer album of East African traditional meets electronic music by Kenyan musician Alai K. Uplifting vibes, beats that demand your physical participation, and a fresh & timeless sound. Check it out.
– Selected by Oli Brunetti

LEFTFIELD

The Heliocentrics – Telemetric Sounds

Apparently The Heliocentrics had so much strong material at hand for their last album, released by Madlib on his Rapcats imprint, that the cinematic, psych, funk, avant garde, motorik influenced band was able to deliver a second album just a few months later.
– Selected by Oli Brunetti

Holy Tongue — Erev 

Our good friend Deadboy aka Al Wooton, who has been on an absolute tear lately, teams up with the talented Valentina Magaletti for a stunning EP combining post-punk, leftfield sounds, experimental dub. You absolutely need this on wax. Just trust me.
– Selected by Lexis

Suso Saiz & Suzanne Kraft —Between No Things

Suzanne Kraft teamed up with Spanish New Age pioneer Suso Saiz for a lovely ambient/soundscape record presented by Music From Memory – purveyors of records that are always worthy of very deep listening.
– Selected by Lexis

Gavsborg — Jamaican Drum Machine

Been a fan of anything coming out of the Equiknoxx Music stable for a while but I gotta say the last three releases have all been incredible. Forward-thinking-dub-dancehall-experimental-music-for-those-who-know.
– Selected by Lexis