incoming cosmic gold!

Ok before a.n.o.e. turns into a soft porn site (yeah yeah I know you lot at the back love those pics), let's get back to the new stuff... Stuart Robinson's primo Cosmic Boogie label has an upcoming 12" which features a couple of edits from heavyweight crate digger, dj and all round good guy Sean P. Stu recently expanded on his Cosmic empire by introducing record buyers and dancers to his new label Boogie Originals, their first 12" (listen here if ya aint heard it) is a fine fine thing. But sir Robinson really hits it way out of the park with this new one for his first love Cosmic Boogie. 'Sunrise/You Make Me So Hot' has been on permanent rotation since i received the promo a few weeks back, I just cant get enough of these two grooves. Imagine for a minute just how many promo's I get in the post, sifting through the tunes can be quiet a mission and rare is the moment I get really blown over with goose bumps and glee. Sean 'The Knowledge' P's magic magic 12" is one such moment, it elicits such delight that I almost cant write a sensible thing about it. It's not even like either of the original tracks are that obscure; 'Sunrise' is a Rose Royce track from 'Carwash', 'You Make Me So Hot' is a superb slo mo single from Barbara Lynn. Sean not only repositions the spotlight onto these lesser known tracks, he also adds that special alchemy required in a good edit. Get this when it's out, it's one of those records you'll be spinning for years....

Sunrise - Sean P Edit by Cosmic Boogie

blue love

Dutch band Blue Feather's 1981 track 'Let's Funk Tonight' is a Mark Seven classic and let's face it Mark Seven knows his shizzle. On the flip side of 'Let's Funk' is a lil' lesser known hook laden groover called 'It's Love'. This no frills edit of the b side beauty removes most of the vocals and rewires the order of play, it comes courtesy of mystery funkateer Mark Mirage. Thank you Mark, wonderful stuff!!

Mark Mirage - Blue Love

enjoy your life

I'll be getting back to some brand spankin' new tracks in a minute and there are a number of Press Play mixes waiting in the wings for you, but before I get there, let me take a moment to say 'enjoy your life'. Well actually Oby Onyioha says it better every time with her amazing track 'Enjoy Your Life' from her 1981 album 'I Want To Feel Your Love'. The track has featured on a couple of compilations, most notably on Kon & Amir's 3rd 'Off Track' set for BBE from last year, and I imagine it's presence on Disco floors will continue to rise over time. It's Nigerian Afro Boogie at it's best, it's also highly infectious and it's rocking my decks tonight...

Oby Onyioha - Enjoy Your Life

soul talking

Italian producer and musician Mario Capuano released an excellent Funk and Soul album called 'Soul Talk Orchestra' in 1975, the album was co-written by his brother Giosy, Douglas Meakin and Mike Fraser. Strangely the album was re-released in 1978 with a cover version of John Williams' 'Close Encounters Of The Third Kind' added in. It was renamed 'Close Encounters', as was the artist, now the reduced Capuano. I don't own the record, though I'll gladly look after your copy if you like. Anyway I've been repeatedly playing the very infectious title track 'Soul Talk' from it just recently. You'll find the whole LP is amazing, but for starters give this mighty meandering sparkler a listen. Excuse the not so hot quality of the rip... Talks to the soul it does!

Mario Capuano - Soul Talk

Sen & Cazbee

I can talk about two releases in one post cant I? There are two current vinyl must haves to add to your baskets, both of which feature Sen and Cazbee; the first is their new ep for Autodiscotheque (available in stores now), the second is the third volume of 'DC Reworks' on Pyramid Disco (in stores shortly) which features another track from the pair... A little while ago the duo released a double sider called 'Cat Dance/Lifetie', actually it was in October 2008. It was a double debut for both Autodiscotheque and the Sen Cazbee combo. 'Cat Dance' kind of ripped the pulsing heart out of Kat Mandu's 'I Wanna Dance' and represented it as a spiraling dj tool. It became a bit of a theme tune for me, I still play it now (along with a number of their Mixed Blood releases). 

You could say the two make edits, but their diggers know how and their taste for underground, percussive, body poppin', Disco Not Disco puts them in a different space from most of the edits scene. Check any of their releases on their own Mixed Blood label, for I'm a Cliche, for Chopshop or Autodiscotheque to hear their inimitable style. Their latest EP for Autodiscotheque is typically excellent; each of the three included tracks make for heavy, left field dance floor dynamite, perfect for sweaty, strobe lit, cavernous throw downs. Check the mighty 'Shake It" below for example. 

Autodiscotheque 06 B2 - Richard Sen & Cazbee - Shake It by Autodiscotheque Music

Once you've bagged the Autodisco release, you need to keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming DC Le Roux/ Pyramid Disco 12", which will be on yer local's shelves in a couple of weeks. Additional items from Social Disco Club and Jacques Renault will seal the deal, but Sen and Cazbee's take on "Do You Want The Real Thing' is truly superb (check it below). Granted the original DC Le Roux track from "Thank God It's Friday' is it's own brilliant star but the duo's slo mo edit gives me giant goosebumps. I reckon you'll be playing both these 12"s for years...

press play #44 - Dj Brevil

Bondi resident and dj Dale Stephen aka dj Brevil has been playing and collecting records for many years, he's a trained classical musician who's worked both double and electric bass for a number of Australia's touring singers and bands all through the 80's and 90's, he surfs, he's a chef and he makes a mean edit. Dale will tell you that getting into the dark art of editing, has revived his passion for dj'ing and if you know his tracks, you'll have felt his fervor. Brevil's pulsing edits twist and unfold like kaleidoscopic excursions made for smiling and dancing at 2am in sweaty strobe lit basements.I've been a fan for some time, following him on SoundCloud and downloading anything that becomes available on his page. He's also had a few releases on Superbreak's digital label; his version of 'R'nB Junkie' went to number one on the charts and his edit of 'Freakman' was play listed by Alexander Robotnik no less. Vinyl junky fans will be delighted to hear he has a new release coming up on a London based label very damned shortly. 

'Brevil's Playground' is a mostly midtempo, head bangin' festival Disco mix which I'm delighted to have join the Press Play series. It's quiet similar to the set Dale played at this years Playground Weekender, a four day festival held north of Sydney. To get the full on experience while checking out the mix, try imagining a thousand or more, dressed up Ausie revelers getting down to some dirty Disco in a field... not that you'll need the extra stimulation, 'Brevil's Playground' is on fire! Thanks so much Dale for dropping in and upping the heat!

Press Play #44 - Brevil's Playground 

Track List:
1 Eddie C - Dub Up The Edit (Brevil's PGW Slight Touch-up Version)
2 Duffdisco - Fame (Brevil's PGW Slight Touch-up Version)
3 Rene and Angela - I’ll be good (Brevil Edit)
4 Tornado Wallace - Be My Ladyboy (Brevil's PGW Slight Touch-up Version)
5 Jacques Renault - Pleasure
6 Kaoru Inque - The Secret Field (Brevil vs TT Edit)
7 Janet Jackson - R n’ B junkie (Brevil's Almost Bakdor Edit)
8 Brevil - Oh so poor
9 Brothers Johnson - Stomp (Brevil's PGW Edit)
10 Situation - Sutra Love
11 James Chance & The Contortions - Incorrigible (Liv Spencer & dj Spun Remix) 

more than just two filthy bootleggers

Ever since their first release, I've wondered about the personalities behind Get A Room!. They've chosen real obscurities to go at with scalpels for their Small Time Cuts releases and there is an equally cultish air about their sleeve graphics too (done by Trevor Jackson in one instance). Hence one wonders... It's quiet exciting, to find then, that the 'mysterious' French duo have launched a website and blog. Small Time Cuts is their new online home. You'll discover mixes and a place to buy their 12"s, plus you'll find some ramblings and some blogged tracks. All of which should help with any wonderings you might have had. Go delve into their world... oh and plus - here's a download of their wonderful edit of Valerie Allington's 'Stop' to celebrate!

Get A Room! - The Valery Stop

go go go

Coming across a record like Resonance's 'Go Go Go' in an unpicked crate, would be a moment I'd not quickly forget. This Roger Tokarz produced 12" is jet-set Disco Funk at it's best. 'Yellow Train' and 'Safari Love', also by French outfit Resonance are definitely worth hunting down, but 'Go Go Go' has a deep and spacey quality which tips it over into the must have pile. So good!!

Resonance - Go Go Go

put a smile on time

Soul Funk band Rhythm Machine released their eponymous album in 1976 on Lulu Records, it would be their only album and later it would become very hard to find. Fortunately for some of us, the record got bootlegged a few years back, though it seems there aren't bucket loads of those around anymore either. Soul Cal Records (Stones Throw) released a 12" of one of the album's highlights in 2004 (preceding the album bootleg by two years), 'Put A Smile On Time' is an incredible modern Soul bomb! There is a great interview with Donald Harris from the band up on Funky16Corners if you'd like to know more about this very special outfit...

Rhythm Machine - Put A Smile On Time

colder winds

Well ok then, lets get things back up to scratch.. It's the weekend and time to play out some of those recent finds. But let's start with a find from someone else... The Growing Bin continue to be one of the coolest site's on the www, it really is a diggers paradise. Basso, who contributes a great many wonderful records to the Bin, recently posted a compilation album called 'Muzik Szene Saar' which he describes as 'hailing from from the small german federal state called Saarland, named after the river Saar, this compilation offers folky vibes, krautrock, teutonic elektronik, obscure funk and heavy rock!'. It's a real find, the way I see it and it's nearly the beardiest record I've heard in awhile. I mean how could you not get your beard on to a track like 'Colder Winds' by the never heard of again Marx, Rootschilt and Tillermann. But do go and download the whole thing, especially for the surprising Latin beauties done by the equally obscure duo Ambi and Arno. Arrrgh what a joy!! Thanks Basso and the Bin. I heard a rumour that Basso would be dropping in on anoe's Press Play mix series too... hmmmm I wonder if that's true...

Marx, Rootschilt and Tillerman - Colder Winds 

Back in a minute! Deadlines and internet connections gone done my head in...

Exclusive Andy Blake - World Unknown Mix

Luck and serendipity landed a.n.o.e. with the latest installment (volume 15) of Andy Blake's 'Music For A World Unknown' mix series (you'll find all the other necessary volumes by him and cohort Joe Hart at World Unknown's own site), this one's called 'Computer Funk Express'. You'll know Andy as the big sexy brain behind the sexy and brainy electronic Dissident label, you'll probably also know he decided against world domination and deliberately packed the whole thing in not too long ago. Dissident deftly shone lights on left field, semi genius, Electronic artists like Gatto Fritto, Naum Gabo, The Off-Key Hat, Ali Renault, Alexander Robotnik, Photonz and many more talented chaps. Their one sided, Limited Edition 12"s covered a range of sounds including Cosmo Balearic, Slo Mo Disco, Techno and off kilter, mind melting Acid House. You wont find a soul who doesn't think that the label was impeccable.

Andy's not quit music though, along with Joe Hart, the man's been running their World Unknown monthly down in Brixton (London) for some time, he also does the occasional devastating remix for the likes of Leee John (from Imagination if you didn't know) and The Detachments, plus he releases 'big fat analogue jams' under his own name for his excellent Cave Paintings imprint. So he's busy right. World Unknown, it seems, has a bit of a cult following, with worshipers from around the UK and Europe packing overnight bags for their monthly pilgrimage to South London. This mix (along with the others on their site) will give you some idea of the night's leftist music policy, but it's not so left that you wont hear a lil' cut up Man Parish or New Order. What you will notice is the quality, the cool complexity and your irrepressible desire to dance around the room. Miss this Friday's (4th March) episode at your peril, go here to join the facebook group and to get more info on where to find the party.

Big thanks go out to Cassie at Information Society and Andy for the hook up...

Andy Blake - Computer Funk Express - Music For A World Unknown - Volume 15