another night on earth

the cracks...

2012-01-29T05:39:00.000-08:00

Time to move on... I dont know about you, but I've had this strange nagging prejudice about digital labels for some time. It's obviously born out of my chronic love for vinyl and while I have nothing against wav's and mp3's as such, it's when they exist without a more credible partner release on the black stuff, that i loose interest. Of course I am aware there are many labels doing great things via the digital medium and I'm aware that I have probably missed out on some very special music as a result of my narrow minded thinking. As there is so much music about these days, I guess, in the end, some sort of selection criteria is required, certainly there seems to be one already in place. Perhaps it's worth noting also that i have a similar prejudice against laptop dj's, so getting through to me on this level is always going to be difficult.

Anyway then along came uk based Audio Parallax Records. With one hand in the edits scene and two feet in original Deep House territories, this digital label has quickly (in just over a year) signed and released a huge amount of very lovely, deep music by various players from these terrains (both heavyweight and lesser known). Lets see, the list of contributors includes Volta Cab, Mannmademusic, Cole Medina, 78 Edits, Andras Fox, Andrew Clarke, Matthew Kyle, Legendary 1979 Orchestra, Joseph Terruel, Another Project, Quiet Fish, James Johnston and Simon Weiss amongst many others. I think there are 31 ep's in all and many of them are excellent. There does seem to be a thread which loosely connects the music on offer; it's all pretty underground, quiet a lot of it is mid tempo or even slo mo, it's often atmospheric as f*ck, and it looks to be a furtive breeding ground for creative endeavors. Not having released any vinyl so far has allowed the label to move quickly and perhaps make freer choices, it hasn't however, like so many other digital labels, meant that quality is compromised.

I've meant to do several posts about the label before (thankfully they don't rely on me for their publicity), but their recent EP from Chubbie Boots (their fifth from a Melbourne based artist) has forced my hand in getting on with it. Chubbie Boots is Gavin Walsh, originally a guitar player; his musical journey from 60's and 70's Rock through Krautrock and Drone, eventually led him to left field modern electronica like Caribou and Flying Lotus. It's this journey that filters profoundly into his music and it's why the results are so individual. "The Cracks Are Starting To Show" is a strange and beguiling hybrid of Hip Hop, Indie, Cut Up Disco and Electronic Psychedelia, the opening track 'Adlerwerke' is a beautiful, sun drenched and hypnotic un-anthem (very the theme from Brokeback via some sort of Canadian electronica outfit). But then there's also the blunted boogie of the title track, a backward sliding melodic workout called 'We Don't Want No Stinkin' Wurli' (which may be impossible to really describe) and the Slo Mo slice 'n dice quickie 'How Could I Forget'. This may be the label's finest moment so far... it's an opinion... Anyway the extra good news is this looks to be coming out on vinyl quiet soon. Which is having your cake and eating it as they say... check their site for more...

Press Play #56 - The Drunk

2012-01-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

A little under a year ago I got to chatting with deep digger, dj and edit meister The Drunk. Mainly it was me badgering the man into doing a mix for a.n.o.e.'s long standing Press Play series. I've long been a fan of the mysterious fella, since his early releases on Rong and Freestyle, and I knew if I could pull it off, the series would benefit greatly. A little under a year later, many emails across the ocean and back and here it is. It is an eclectic beast that traverses Country, Reggae Disco, Afro, hairy Rock, House and a number of genre defying styles with the ease of a slinky rolling down the Odessa steps. At an hour and forty minutes, 'Drunkin' Jukebox' is an epic ride, it's packed with really amazing music (much of which i'd not heard before) and it's exactly what I'd hoped it would be, what I knew it would be... totally brilliant! Both you and I will be playing this for years to come...

If you dont already know The Drunk, check out these records, I suspect though, if you still read this blog, you're already very much tuned in and have probably already hit download... mega thanks go out to The Drunk, thrilled to have you join the Press Play crew...

Press Play #56 - The Drunk - Drunkin' Jukebox

same as it ever was...

2012-01-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. or maybe not. Rune Lindbaek re-wires Talking Heads classic 'Once In A Lifetime' into a nice n' clean, dub heavy edit. What else is there to say? Talking Heads are probably my favourite band ever, especially the first 9 albums. I mean, how many bands can u say did at least 9 great full length records? And Rune is one of my favourite contemporary producers, his work on the Meanderthals records alone is mind boggling and then there's his classic Those Norwegians and Klubb Kebab sides... I could go on...

Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime (Rune Lindbæk Master Tape Dub)

hold tight

2012-01-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

Spanish blogger and producer/editor Gorka Laspiur's rework of Magic Lady's 'Hold Tight' is exactly what a lovin' heart needs on a lonely rainy night in Georgia (or Jozi maybe). As good as anything by Chaka or Randy or Minnie even.. maybe. Gorka's edit is clean and well... tight. Get it on his Souncloud page or from the player below... Oh it's here, January 2012.. let's go. Wish you all the best for the last year on earth... hold tight!

Hold tight (Gorka edit) by Gorka Laspiur

do it slow

2011-12-28T15:30:00.000-08:00

Hot Ice's 'Dancing Free' is a much sought after deep Disco groover, it can be found on the band's 'Hot Ice No.1' lp on Polydor from 1976. The track has featured on a couple of diggers styled comps, Dimitri & Dj Muro's 'Super Disco Friends' for example. The thing is the whole album is delicious and quiet varied in it's depth. It's not that hard to find and it's not all that expensive all things considered (about 35 euro should do it for a mint copy). 'Do It Slow' and the hippy Disco beauty 'Up Off Your Ass' are my favourite items on the record, although if you're looking for a guaranteed party rocker it would have to be 'Dancing Free'. I'm thinking you need to hear the slightly off beat and spacey 'Do It Slow'.. check it...

Hot Ice - Do It Slow

journey to love

2011-12-27T06:23:00.001-08:00

Tis the season of the chart and the forecast, but not here on a.n.o.e. Though not for some clever or thought provoking reason, but more to do with the fact that i don't have a clue about 96% of new records released this year. Thus it would be seriously uninformed. I did buy a lot of records in the past 12 months, a great deal more than I did in 2010. Partly due to a bigger budget for records (I just ate less) and partly to due to that chronic 'must have' emotional surge caused by so many good sides in 2011. Anyway you know what records you liked this year and you don't need me telling you what i think is better or best.

I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season, I certainly needed the break. So here's wishing you all a fantastic year ahead, it's the year of the dragon soon and i heard the dragon smiles on everyone. So by February the latest, your year should be rocking! Expect more deep digs and the occasional look in on newer stuff on these pages, plus an ever growing Press Play series with some killer mixes coming up from Lee Douglas, The Drunk (oh yes!) and newer heads like Niall Kirk. I hope you've enjoyed the goodies from 2011, yeah i know it's been a little more erratic than the 'hardest working blog' of earlier years, but I gots to make the dough for the bread and biscuits. Love to ya all!! xxx...

Stanley Clarke - Journey to Love

spaced out

2011-12-22T05:20:00.000-08:00

Funky midtempo, space themed Disco from Juice People Unlimited, lifted from their 'Disco Godfather' album on Apple Juice Records back in 1979. The album is the soundtrack to the fantastic blaxploitation flick 'Disco Godfather' which features the immense Rudy Ray Moore of 'Dolemite' infamy. The film's anti drug message lends the track it's double meaning (stating the obvious there I think - ed)... Trippin'...

Juice People Unlimited - Spaced Out

surrender

2011-12-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

As their name fatefully suggests Secret Weapon is a lesser known Prelude outfit who released one album back in 1983. Actually they had club hits with 'DJ Man' and 'Must Be The Music', but their eponymous album is the harder to find beast and indeed it contains one or two real secret weapons. For me both 'Surrender' and 'Piece Of The Rock' are great tracks, I'm half surprised that they haven't been edited yet (hasn't everything been edited?), partly because they could do with a little clean up, but also because they're such tight grooves. Check 'Surrender' out below with its heady mix of midtempo R'nB Disco.. very Prelude...

Secret Weapon - Surrender

e. b.

2011-12-13T16:16:00.000-08:00

Coming back to an old idea with this post. The fact is I'm sitting on a massive heap of edits from some great producers that never made it onto vinyl, or legit digital download (whatever that is). Anyway it's almost Christmas (whatever that is) so I'm gonna drop a few 320k 'lost' edits your way over the next month or so. Well Hung Don is an old moniker of a now fairly well known producer, it was a name he used to create something a little different from his usual stuff (um not that his usual stuff is usual at all) and probably to avoid any legal wrangles. His work as WHD had strong Hip Hop overtones and a cheeky attitude. Lets hope this doesnt get me one of those copyright warnings from the fat cats...

Well Hung Don - E. B.

ready to fly

2011-12-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

Some time back I mentioned that you needed to check out Niall Kirk's Amen Brother Disco Band on Soundcloud, where the man keeps a bunch of really great edits of lesser known goodies. Since that post Niall's added numerous off kilter chop shop jobs over the months and one thing is clear, he's got a great ear for unusual grooves that beg for repeated plays on sweaty, free thinking, underground dancefloors. One of his recent cut up's, a Psyche Beast of glorious stature called 'Ready To Fly', is destined, I hope (I hope, I hope), to find it's way onto vinyl sometime in the near future. You know you're onto something good if JD Twitch is already dropping it in his sets, even friend of a.n.o.e. Basso loves it, I love it! So I guess I'm saying it comes highly recommended. Like drugs and Spacemen 3 never happened...

Amen Brother Disco Band - Ready to Fly by Amen Brother Disco Band

Traveller

2011-12-12T15:26:00.000-08:00

I've been keeping an eye on Traveller Records for awhile now, with early releases from Bicep and Rayko and Alphabet City and links to Kojak Giant Sounds, it was inevitable. But things got a lot more interesting over their last three outings. First off the label re-issued Jerline & Friends 'Joy Trip pt2' (a track i nattered on about some years back) as well as 'Tell Me' a superb groover from Jerline Shelton and her gang. It's a legit re-issue with the tracks being licensed from the original label, so major kudos there. The label quickly followed the 7" with a brilliant re-issue of original House tracks from Creation, Fantasy and X-Man. 'Deep' & 'Reach Out' hail from a time when House music was made on machines; warm analogue sounds, heaps of Soul and authentic art make this release unmissable.

Most recently Traveller launched Ultimate Man's 'The Prologue', a killer House monster with Ravey stabs and a warehouse energy onto the airwaves. Ultimate Man is a side project of one Toomy Disco or Mariano Iliuta as he's known to his mum, it's undoubtedly the best thing he's done so far too. Sadly I think you'll find the record is sold out in most places, given only 151 copies were pressed up. Talk about creating an instant, highly desirable, hard to find record. I'd suggest putting Traveller on your radar if you haven't already, in case you miss any more gems from this Finnish goldmine... Check out a clip of 'The Prologue' below...

Magic Wand 4

2011-12-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

News of a fourth Magic Wand 12" is trickling across underground music scenes as we speak, in fact Clone Records online store is already featuring it as a pre-order (with sound clips too) sometime ahead of it's January release schedule. The way I see it it's an AOR Disco Balearo types essential, not only because it has a synthy rework of an unlikely English Folk Rock ditty from Sad Ghost, but because the other three tracks by Coyote, T2MM & Swarthy Rogues makes this (possibly) the best Magic Wand release so far. But I would say that right? Certainly this piece of wax is as necessary to your collection as Magic Wand 1 is. Head over to Clone and abuse their players...

rainy...

2011-12-11T10:27:00.001-08:00

It's a rainy night in Jozi Town, moody as anything. So here's Daniel Salinas' 'Like A Rainy Night' from his excellent Atlantis album. I'm wondering what happened to Whatmusic.com, they were responsible for a number of fantastic re-issues of hard to find Brazilian, Latin and Jazz albums during the early 2000's, amongst them Daniel's great record...

Daniel Salinas - Like A Rainy Night

Honey Machine

2011-12-04T09:55:00.001-08:00

I have zero info on Nigerian 80's act Honey Machine, their self titled lp came out in 1982 on Grandstar Records. For the most part it's a Disco Pop record with vocals sung in English. The album opens with the shebeen Disco track 'Pleasure', surely some sort of proof of the material girl's far reaching influence at the time....?

Honey Machine - Pleasure

life with you

2011-11-25T15:51:00.001-08:00

Italian musicians Franco Rago and Gigi Farina were known as Expansives, but they also worked under the names Decadance, Atelier Folie and Message From Future. If you're up on your Italo Disco then you know they released some great 12"s on indie labels like Leader Records, Proto, Durium and Blood Records. They would later find a new audience on labels like Viewlexx and Panama in the early/mid 2000's. Expansives 'Life With You' is exactly the kind of track that would have influenced Morgan Geist's Metro Area and is a phat slice of Proto House Electro Disco with just a touch of the Bee Gees. Originally released in 1982 this gem is now off the charts as far as cost is concerned, but if you dont know it, check it below...

Expansives - Life With You

Thesda

2011-11-20T10:03:00.001-08:00

Sometimes it feels as if there is no end to the number of great slept on records from the past, but to say 'slept on' suggests people may have ignored said records the first time around, when in fact so much great music is lost because there was no budget to market the beast or even press that many vinyls up. Certainly now, we are also discovering any number of... I want to say 'amateur' Disco, Funk, Soul, whatever bands over the years who produced low budget records of immense grooviness, 'amateur' is the wrong word...

I recently discovered the brilliant 'Spaced Out' album by Thesda. I don't own a copy (yet!!!) and i certainly dont hold out any hopes of finding one of the few hundred that were made, but this highly sought after record is such a beauty that it definitely deserves a decent repress. Here's what I know about the band.... Hailing from Bethesda, Eugene Hagburg, then assistant to the Postmaster General, had a deep passion for music. He'd amassed a healthy sized collection of studio bits and pieces and created a dedicated space in his home to write and produce. Members of Thesda would come over in the evenings to explore their significant musical interests, without the worry of professional studio costs and limiting label bosses. Here they would record 'Spaced Out' for Hagburg's excellently named label Integrated Performance Systems International, later their horn player would go on to join Trouble Funk. Apparently vocalist Lateefah had no real training but her performances on the tracks are both mighty and mighty wonderful. The album is sought after not only because only a few hundred were pressed, but also because it's a complex, spacey and deeply soulful Disco tinged side. While there are many far more uptempo items on the record, here is the marvelous title track...

Thesda - Spaced Out

Press Play #55 - Moonboots

2011-11-07T06:01:00.000-08:00

To make up for recent quiet times here on a.n.o.e. you get a brand spankin' new mix from Moonboots. Well actually we refer to him as Sir Moonboots around these parts because he's the boss of soundtracking those quiet summer nights, trips to the beach, driving across the dessert in yer jeep and pretty much anything that involves living. Richard's mix goes beyond the Balearic in search of beautiful golden autumnal beats only to discover a message in the music along the way, a message that's both timeous and timeless. Moonboots has an uncanny knack for digging up previously little known gems that sound instantly familiar and almost as instantly get added to a long list of must have records. His 'Falling Leaves' selection is very fine indeed, classic Moonboots in fact.

We gonna run this one 'mystery mix' style, so if u spot anything drop it in the comments section and I'll get a playlist going. Huge thanks go out to Richard for the beauteous blend, it's more than a delight having you drop in on our little corner of the web. For the rest of ya, get downloading...

Press Play#55 - Moonboots - Falling Leaves

Track list: (spotted so far)
01. Jean-Pierre Martin - Close Up
02. The Bernie Leadon & Michael Georgiades Band - Glass Off
03. Doug Ashdown - Willie's Shades
04. Julie Felix - Big Bang
05. Herb Ohta - Fragments
06. Rachel Sweet - It's So Different Here
07. Michael Deacon - Won't be Long
08. Wendy Waldman - Cold Back On Me
09. Peter Nero - Soul Ballet
10. Scott Walker - The Old Man's Back Again
11. Michael Kiwanuka - Tell Me A Tale
12. Paul Horn - Long Time Gone
13. Willie Wright - Nantucket Island
14. Marvin Franklin - Kona Winds
15. Captain Beefheart - Observatory Crest
16. Michael Kiwanuka - I'm Getting Ready
17. Brian Hyland - The Thrill is Gone

Harry Mosco

2011-11-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

I've got a killer new Press Play going up on the weekend from a Balearic Jedi, keep em peeled for that, but in the meantime I've been wanting to share this with you for awhile. I've been really enjoying a fair bit of Afro Disco bits n' pieces lately and a stand out record for me at the minute is Harry Mosco's 1979 album 'Peace & Harmony'. Harry made several albums over a period, all released through his own label Samba Records, but this particular record is the only one I have ever heard. The two opening tracks on the record 'Sexy Dancer' & 'Step Up' are top class Afro Disco items, both with excellent butt moving grooves. The title track of the record, which follows, heads off in a Reggae direction, while the album closer is a superb dubbed out version of the title track. I don't normally hand over two tracks from a record, but I really want you to hear both of these... check em
Harry Mosco - Sexy Dancer
Harry Mosco - Peaceful Dub

find a way

2011-10-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

Lusty Zanzibar's debut album has been awhile in the making, but with work on it now complete, Nang are letting it out to play with people this Monday. If you check out Lusty's first 12" on Bear Funk on Discogs, the 'recommendations' at the bottom of the page suggest artists like Morgan Geist, Ilija Rudman, The Revenge & Harvey's Locussolus would also be enjoyed by fans of the Zanzibar; Geist & Rudman's synth heavy, modern Disco is a good reference point if you haven't heard Lusty's music before, though Alex Cordiner's sound is certainly his own. Lusty makes intricate, elastic, electric and Italo influenced tracks, they're dense with keyboard pleasures, yet simultaneously light and uplifting. 'Find A Way' ventures through Disco, Deep House, early 80's Pop and even Balearic territories, some of the tracks feature the vocal stylings of Muneerah, but everything here is also about Lusty's obsession with the synthesizer. Square wave patterns, arpeggios, synthetic pulses, flourishes and oscillating sequences carefully combine into beautiful and deep melodies with tangible soul. The instrumental tracks on the record are currently my favourites, 'On Our Way To Bliss' and 'Luminous Motion' in particular are modern classic synth pieces, they're like updated dusty Library tunes played by a European Metro Area. Nang recently released the albums first single 'Feeling'/'Yeah' which came with mixes from Max Essa, Fear of Theydon and Ilya Santana, if you like the albums opening tracks, you'll love the EP. Check your favourite stores on monday and give 'Bliss' below a listen... Congrats on the album release Lusty!

lifetide

2011-10-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

Swedish synth meister Ralph Lundsten has recorded a fair few albums, both in a solo capacity as well as in collaboration situations. His work began appearing around 1966 and if Discogs is to be trusted his last album was recorded in 2008. His 1978 track 'Discophrenia' has been given both the edit treatment (on Moton) and a full on remix pack which can be found on a late 90's Svek release. If you're into spacey landscapes and retro synth origami he's definitely on your radar. On a recent dig I managed to find two mint Library records by the man from the early 80's, which was a bit of a thrill and turned out to have a track or three of great value. One particular track of his, which I have been playing a lot, being drawn in by its muted brilliance, is from his 1979 album with The Andromeda All Stars (a crew he did several albums with) called 'Alpha Ralpha Boulevard'. Check out 'Lifetide' which closes the album. I see the track featured on a Prins Thomas mix for Fact magazine last year too. Excellent!

Ralph Lundsten & The Andromeda All Stars - Lifetide

Croose is back!

2011-10-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

The joke is on me, only 5 posts or so ago I was ranting on about how much more into digging I am currently, than tuning into a lot of newer music. The next thing you know, we're being hammered by good good new tunes from all directions.The new one from one half of early a.n.o.e. press play champions Worst Friends' Tom Croose is, in a word, huge!. Actually it's been a minute since his dreamy 7" rework of Fleetwood Mac's 'Never Going Back Again', but 'Cho Chua' is a whole other kettle of Latin grooviness. Resista (previously the home to those 'Daphni Edits'), hits no. 3 with Croose's double sided Tropicalia rework. The Dub side takes things in a slightly more minimal direction, where as the A side mix holds nothing back in it's quest to bottle the very essence of sunshine and Brazilian attitude. Both sides are superb. Check it below and feel the heat, you might even do a little dance... I did.

Resista003 by resista

Noncollective

2011-10-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

Noncollective have long been providing us with some of the finest mind expanding mixes available on the www, but now you'll find head honcho David McFarline has ventured forth into the dark and murky art of releasing records. I have no doubts at all that Noncollective No.1 is destined to become a classic in your record collection; Dutch dj Abel Nagengast hands in 3 superb and eclectic edits. 'Aegean Sea' has been getting a fair bit of exposure and for good reason, it's a Balearic meets Laurel Canyon, airy and uplifting groove of serious quality, 'Belly Button' is all sweaty and sticky Euro porn Boogie and '7th of April' heads off in a Noir Crime Kraut Dub direction.... or something along those lines. 300 copies only!!! Essential!!!

(Non, Nº.1) Abel – Aegean Sea by Noncollective

JTC love!

2011-10-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back Rotating Souls Records (one to watch for sure) dropped Jupiter Tuning Center's excellent 'Vodka Sour' on 12". It's a monster Jazz bruiser with shades of Moodyman and tons of class, actually the e.p. features four tracks by the Berlin digger, producer and dj (two as JTC and another 2 under his Boogie Arkestra moniker). You get a cross section that includes 4 very fine slices of modern Boogie, Disco and Jazz House. The always good Rush Hour has copies if you want to check the beast. Frank De Kova has featured on these pages before (quiet a few times), you'll find his JTC and Boogie Arkestra projects developed out of a long and magical musical past which used to go under the name of Coffee Garner. More recently he's had a digital release with Editorial and now the 12". I'm a huge fan and I believe you'll also find a mountain of depth on his Soundcloud page where many unreleased gems reside. Just a few days ago a track called 'Voodou Disco Shizzle' popped up, it's really doing it for me at the minute (check it below), plus if you check the embedded player below that, you'll find a late night beauty that is no longer on his cloud, from last year. It's one of my all time favourites by the man. Get with the program on this guy!

voodou disco shizzle by jupiter tuning center

Press Play #54 - Antony Kein

2011-10-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

Athens based dj and guitarist Antony Kein has been making his way on the Balearic scene over the last year or so, his mixes for the Amen Brother crew in Dublin (if you arent following them on Soundcloud, you should be), for Plaid Music and another for Pleasure Cruise'n are impressive and wonderful Balearic diggers journeys into the man's eclectic and seemingly vast record collection. His selection for Another Night which goes under the appropriate name of 'Under The Balearic Sun' is a delight and displays a knowledge for music usually associated with much older bearded fellas (Antony is 24). I still know very little about the man but I do love the journey... Thank you Antony, it a real pleasure to have you join the Press Play crew... check it!!

Press Play #54 - Antony Kein - Under A Balearic Sun

Track List:
1.Bisca - Ninos
2.De Blanc - Hush
3.Sade - Siempre Hay Esperanza
4.Jah Wobble, The Edge, Holger Czukay - Hold On To Your Dreams
5.Pino Daniele - Me So' Mbriacato 'e Te Forever
6.Dave Samuels - New Math
7.Ivano Fossati - Panama
8.Lucio Dalla - Washington (Kommand Loves Obama re-edit)
9.Hong Kong Syndikat - Too Much (dub mix)
10.Ethereal Beat - Underboard
11.Georgie Red - Help The Man (save ya mix)
12.The Quick - One Light In a Blackout
13.Alla Pugacheva - Pevchaya (Timofey edit)
14.Aurra - such a Feeling (part 2 & 3)
15.Gypsy - Gypsy
16.Jan Akkerman - Streetwalker
17.Klaus Schulze & Michael Shrieve - Transfer Station Blue

2011-10-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ok definitely the quietest month ever on a.n.o.e.... fear not, I have not given in (no way baby), work has been keeping me very busy which is always a good thing, but the downside is those of you who still read this thing have been short changed. We also just turned 5, or sometime last month anyway. The thing is, I have definitely had a shift in musical interests this year, favouring digging over a lot of new stuff that proliferates on the shelves of stores around the world. It's not a new thing and I certainly am still very much interested in things shiny and new, just not most of it. I maintain that a fair few contemporary producers are making some of the best music we have ever heard, but I seem to have an unlimited capacity for loving both amateurs and virtuosos from the past, heads who seem to live for their music and who's output now resides deep in bargain bins and forgotten basements just off your local high street. Obviously you have noticed the 'digging' trend in a great deal of the content up on these pages and I would say this is likely to continue... until the club closes down or we get turfed out! As I say, it's not new, it's just stronger... so onward then into the future (and the past)...

Randolph Baker's 'Reaching For The Stars' lp has been getting a fair bit of discussion on some boards lately, apparently there are a number of copies hitting ebay and the like (some of which are a bit warped) in the last while, which is rather cool if you need a copy. If you dont know the track that makes this LP very collectable, check it below, it's a feel good slice of dancing... ok we're back...

Randolph Baker - Getting Next To You

2011-09-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

Spacey keys, warm bass, mellow beats, swirly fx and girls doing vocal gymnastics in unison seems the perfect soundtrack for Sundays. Go straight then to Ofrenda Con Vytas Brenner's 'Avila' on their double album from 1977, 'En Vivo!'.... waiting for my copy to arrive is like waiting for godot...

Ofrenda Con Vytas Brenner - Avila

2011-09-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

With their excellent 'Disco Power Play' edits album done and dusted, Soft Rocks drop in at ESP Institute with the wonky and dubby, genre folding original "We Hunt Buffalo Now'. Like anything else on the label, this beast sounds like none other and simply put is bloody genius. The single is one of a series which leads up to the release of 'The Curse Of Soft Rocks', their second LP of the year, only this one's all original material. Original really is the right word for 'Buffalo' too, how else would you describe a track that conflates Elvis via Lux Interior, Dub, The Clash, a Cantonese waltz and Primal Scream? If that isn't enough, the flip side has a remix from Andrew Weatherall that joins a handful of contenders for track of the year.. no doubts... Check the clips below and buy it on the 3rd of October. Massive!!!

[ESP007A] SOFT ROCKS - We Hunt Buffalo Now (snippets) by ESP Institute

Ramada

2011-09-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

If, for some reason, you're in Charleston, USA on the first Friday of any month, you're in luck. You can catch JAZ and Party Dad doing their combined Disco party thing at local joint 'The Upper Deck'. Personally, as a long time fan and friend of JAZ, I'd love to catch them spinning records. Having recently discovered Party Dad, only adds to the desire. But you're in luck anyway, as the duo, known as Ramada (when spinning together), have just dropped in with a fresh recording of part of their last night at The Upper Deck. It's a happy selection of classics, diggers gems and one or two more recent'ish bits. The recording is mostly of Party Dad, with a good slice of JAZ taking over around the 45 minute mark before handing the decks back to Tay who closes the proceedings. Sounds to me like a good night out, a few wobbly mixes suggests fun was had by all. The two will also be putting on a second roller disco party in October too, rightly and wonderfully named 'Heaven On Wheels'. So... more reasons to visit Charleston.

I've got quiet a few mixes to get up in the next short while, hope you're ready for 'em...

Ramada at The Upper Deck

Press Play #53 - Sergio Rizzolo

2011-09-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

One thing is certain, in the hunt for mixes from top diggers for a.n.o.e's Press Play series, you're really scoring well in 2011. I realise you may not know some of our contributors as well as you do others, but you can be sure the selection process is the same for all, hence every time I put one of these up I urge you to check it out regardless of who it's by. Anyway having said that let me present you with Press Play #53, a smorgasbord of lesser known and frankly completely unknown grooves (to me) found and mixed by one of Malmo's tuned in heads, Sergio Rizzolo. If you do a mild search of these pages you'll find we've been going on about him for years (as far back as 2008 to be precise). Sergio is a member of and dj's for a Malmo party collective called Prejka, they've been stirring up their crazy Swedish Disco sound over recent years along with fellow Malmo heads Parlour, Lugnet and others. I love this end of the scene, for it's mixed up, deep digging, free thinking take on music to dance to. Mr Rizzolo's 'Postcard From Schweeden' is yet another goldmine set made for your gold lovin' ears...

Definitely stop by Sergio's SoundCloud page for a gander at his excellent edits of obscure goodies (some damn fine tracks amongst them) and do also check his fantastic and long running blog Diskoakademin which is often, as the name suggests, a real learning experience. Lastly grab the mix and step inside the world of a Malmo Disco king.

Press Play #53 - Sergio Rizzolo - Postcard From Schweeden

2011-09-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

Kelenkye Band's 'Moving World' Album is sadly their only record, but it's so good you can buy a near mint condition copy for about 770 Euro's. Ha! Someone at the excellent Comet Records saw fit, back in 2000, to add the albums highlight 'Jungle Music' to a compilation of Afrobeat goodies called 'Bilongo - A Third Collection Of Modern Afro Rhythms'. Now if you could only find a copy of the compilation. 'Jungle Music' is pure groove, coming from Ghana, Kelenkye's Afrobeat is all warm and fuzzy shebeen Funk, it plays right into the idea that Ghana is 'the heart and soul of West Africa', the rest of the album is good too... Check it...

Kelenkye Band - Jungle Music

invent

2011-08-31T13:29:00.000-07:00

The Very Polish Cut Out's collective continue their blitz on the edit scene with a third ep, this time by Invent. This time round things head out in a beats heavy Hip Hop cut up direction, 'Sen o Warszawie' is particularly good. I love the diversity of these giveaway EP's and I love that they're turning up loads of fresh, unheard source material.. that's it check em out...

Polish Edits EP # 3 by Invent by The Very Polish Cut-Outs

ultraviolet

2011-08-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

Right, I been wanting to talk about this record for awhile... Recent Press Play guest Lord Of The Isles has a new track out on Adult Contemporary (brought to you by the same clever clogs behind American Standard). 'Ultravoilet' follows the labels debut release with Beat Broker's 'Pacific Break' (a very fine item with a killer Reverso 68 remix on the flip), and it's a monster of note. But let's rewind for a minute... Loti, as he is known to those with ADD, has been rather busy since his visit to these pages. Most notably his fantastic Tina Turner 'What's Lord Got To Do With It' finally came out on American Standard a little while back. It's one of those tracks that's been up on Soundcloud for some time, certainly over a year. I'd been hammering it for at least that long on mp3, plus with 'With An Angel' on the flip side, the 12" is a welcome and necessary addition to my collection. Loti followed it with an EP of original material called 'Hot Blobs' on his own Little Strong Recordings label, it's a super record with a glimpse into the man's deep archive of sounds. You get the feeling he's pushing less immediately accessible material here, tunes which the many labels he's featured on might not have totally grasped in an A&R styled quick listen. Let it be said I think it's some of his finest work, it would be the Loti record to get (for me anyway) if it weren't for the very classy Adult Contemporary side which hits the stores any minute now.

'Ultraviolet' is one of 2011's top tracks without a doubt. It's a rolling contemporary Space Disco mind bender with a melancholy hook that will ravage your heart and soul. Strong words I know, but when you check the clip below (which also features a slice of the lovely dubbed out remix from the previously mentioned Beat Broker), you'll hear what I'm on about. Ok for now you only get to hear a short clip (thank the rippers for that) but trust me when I say the full track is mighty. I suggest you buy it on sight (did I mention it's on 180 gm vinyl) and play it as often as u can.

Last up, if you're a Loti fan, and you should be, head here, to check out a recent live set (his first) which is splendid indeed...

Lord Of The Isles - Ultraviolet (Original & The Beat Broker Ultra Dub) Samples by Adult Contemporary

future street no. 7

2011-08-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

I been hammering Michael Bundt's 1979 Krautrock/ Space Disco album 'Neon' just lately. It's a pretty amazing record which seems way ahead of it's time on many levels, but 'Future Street No.7' is particularly prophetic with it's Dam Funk'esque squashed boogie keys, it's Fat Jon Space Hop tones and it's epic slo mo beats. It's a bleak vision with an icey Soul heart. I wonder if the 'No. 7' refers to the number of takes Mr Bundt did to create this meisterwerk...

Michael Bundt - Future Street No.7

Mr Peabody on BBE

2011-08-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

Who doesnt know and love BBE Records? They've always backed true diggers and come up with superbly well made compilations. With many years under their belt you'd think they might have run out of steam, but this couldn't be farther from the truth. Upcoming releases suggest they're stepping up their game and digging deeper than ever before. Their latest comp with Mr Peabody Records from Chi Town called 'The Real Sound Of Chicago and Beyond' is a veritable treasure trove of unknown and unheard delights. Mr Peabody Records doesn't really need an introduction, if you're a vinyl hunter/collector and you've been to Chicago, then you've also been to Peabody's (I count myself lucky to have been); the guys behind the store really know a thing or two about rare gems. So for this compilation they've unleashed two full cd's of tracks they've hunted down over the years, plus there are some re-edits included in the selection. For this second collection (the first was released in 2009) they 'decided to provide Dance music from all around the world' instead of music made only in Chicago, they say 'It's also important to us that those non-native Chicagoan artists receive their just dues as well'. Head for the BBE site for more info, sound clips and an easy way to get the release... and check out Mr Peabody's monster edit of Total Eclipse's 'Space Disco Boogie' below, for insanely good Afro'ish Disco Funk... sorry no download, but definitely check it anyway...

party dad

2011-08-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

Party Dad hails from Charleston, South Carolina, the same town that Disco minister JAZ comes from. I've seen them billed on the same local gigs, so we know they're friends. Like the Cosmic minister, Party Dad is a vinyl lovin' Disco-phile with a taste for underground sounds of the 70's, though, unlike JAZ, he'll also drop newer edits and newer Disco goodies into the mix (here's a recent Juno chart thingy of his current favourites). I know Party Dad through Soundcloud; he keeps a small but enjoyable selection of edits up there and I like em a lot, especially his take on 'Sajak's Revenge' and 'Mellow Blow', go check 'em out. You lucky non hipsters get his clean and easy re-shuffle of Atlanta Rhythm Section's 'So Into You', perfect for that mid tempo AOR Disco set you've been working on. Thanks Party Dad for dropping by...

Atlanta Rhythm Section - So Into You (Party Dad Edit)

Press Play #52 - Lel Palfrey

2011-08-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

Lel Palfrey hails from Edinburgh, he's addicted to vinyl and nurturing a craving for rotary mixers too (apparently 3 is not enough). If you live in the area you've heard him in local Bars and Clubs and you'll have already witnessed his passion for Soul, Funk, Boogie, Disco and House. Lel rides the wave between digger and party dj with a focus on much loved underground classics like Arthur Adams' 'You've got The Floor' and Skye's 'Ain't No Need'. You'll find his mix has a good blend of new bits, old stuff and lesser known gems, mixed up with the dexterity of a well seasoned dj. If you know our Press Play series well, then you'll also know we attempt to mix well known dj's with lesser known selectors, but with a strict eye on quality and scenes we dig. Lel delivers a top class, late night, groovin' basement mix for the heads, you'll be off the couch in no time.

You can catch the man playing a similar vibe - bar the Housey numbers - in a sweaty basement in Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival at Ultragroove on Saturday 20th August at Cabaret Voltaire (not much notice I know), alongside Julio Bashmore and Gareth Sommerville, who runs, promotes and plays at the party. Or keep em peeled for upcoming gigs, this man knows his onions... Thanks Lel for dropping by, the rest of you get downloading. Big!!

Press Play #52 - Lel Palfrey's Basement Mix

Track list:
1. DBO - M.U.S.I.C [Audio Parallax Recordings]
2. RD76 - They Don't Tell The Truth (RD76 Edit) [Adult Music Entertainment]
3. War - The World Is A Ghetto (Special Disco Mix) [MCA Records Ltd]
4. King Tim III - Charley Says! (Roller Boogie Baby) [Spring Records]
5. Advance - Take Me To The Top (Instrumental) [X Energy Records]
6. DJ Vincenzini - In Search Of The Necronomicron [Pronto Recordings]
7. Skye - Aint No Need [Ananda Records]
8. Dubbyman - UUUUHHHH! [Ornate Records]
9. RD76 - The Prince Of The Beat (RD76 Edit) [Adult Music Entertainment]
10. Jesse Henderson - I Did It Again [Land Of Hits]
11. Sylvester - Tell Me (Remix) [Megatone Records]
12. Arthur Adams - You Got The Floor [Inculcation]
13. The McCrarys - Love On A Summer Night (Onur Engin Edit) [Disco Deviance]

cojo

2011-08-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

I hadn't realised that Lotus Land had re-released Cojo's superb Soul Funk bomb 'Play It By Ear' back in 2009, until I looked on discogs for the original. The original 7" is mad money now, but the reissue is cheap as... and the track is pure Soul heaven. Hailing from Boston, Cojo released the single in 1984 (apparently). Instant Funk!

Cojo - Play It By Ear

food for thought

2011-08-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

I recently made friends with Jason Lev, the man behind that superb Canadian label Truth Is Light, actually I bought some killer tunes from him. So I happened to check out his label's website and it's blog (something you should do too - here and here) and I read at the bottom of the current page a quick post which references another post on Francois Kervorkian's blog, where the man talks about a feeling he has about the current state of things musical. Here's what he says...

"One thing that is seriously getting me puzzled has to do with the trivialization of so many things due to computers and software. Distributed intelligence, that sort of stuff?

Don’t get me wrong, I use the stuff all the time, live it, breathe it… But it would appear that there could be a parallel between the tools becoming so incredibly powerful, yet the content of most music not quite ‘resonating’ as much as it used to anymore, and us as a group collectively becoming less sensitive from the overload?
Is it the sheer volume of new things being posted daily, or the fact that music itself has lost some of the deep and subliminal hold it had on our collective consciousness? Less emotional content in new music because of the tools used to create it? Not sure.

Would love to see translated examples of 20-year old kids rushing to the store to get a certain song, or picking someone’s brain all night until morning to discover more about some producers or groups.

Maybe it used to be that there were a lot of local scenes, with long incubation periods which led to specific styles and genres slowly being created, a differentiation which has mostly vanished with today’s globalized, homogeneous music cultures and planetary-scaled sharing engines?

No more mystery, and quests? Just accelerated, exponential growth with no buffer time to even absorb and digest what is out there. So the qualities that stick are those of a song that can make an immediate impression, rather than from one that might take several rounds of listening to reveal its more delicate and subtle beauty?

Again, parallel to Darwinism, and what it might mean for the evolution of music."

He's right on the money. What he says about 'incubation periods' both in production time and the sheer volume of releases hitting store shelves on a weekly basis is acutely insightful. How much time do we really have to let a track or an album sink in before we're asked to check out something newer? Obviously I count myself amongst those who's journey into music is both forward and backward looking, this increases the volume of music to get through, to live with, to revel in. Writing this blog has highlighted the issue in a different way, but with the same confusing result; If I don't post something, I loose readers and yet I have no desire to put anything up that I'm not feeling. But it also takes time to gain a proper insight into a track (if indeed it's worth spending time with at all) and there isn't always time. Ironically I'm also aware some readers will find this very post, a solid block of text (sans pay off download at the end), intimidating or tedious even and not bother to read it at all. The main thing is I love doing it regardless of how many people are reading what ever I might rant about and it helps remind me of my original fan status. It takes some doing to find that original excitement about music, in order to give an individual track or album the proper listen it often deserves. food for thought...

thank you baby!

2011-08-12T14:50:00.000-07:00

Amos Leon Thomas Jr is well known in Jazz circles for, amongst other things, singing on 'The Creator Has a Master Plan' for Pharoah Sanders, as well as with any number of high profile artists like Louis Armstrong, Archie Shepp and even Carlos Santana. He's much less known for his self written and co-produced 1975 Jazz Disco track 'Thank You Baby' on Don Records, released under the name Leone not Leon. Thing is I hadn't heard this bomb until a few days ago and then only on a shitty mp3 (which I'm happy to share with you), it seems the 12" is the one to go for, it's longer and deeper than the more readily available 7', though it could cost you up to 100 quid. What a beast!!! I'm curious, has anyone heard this played out before? Maybe Giles? Check it, add it to the want list...

Leone Thomas - Thank You Baby

Press Play #51 - The Main Stem

2011-08-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

Keeping up the pace on our, by now, pretty serious collection of Press Play mixes, I'm deeply delighted to bring you a new and 'homegrown' mix from The Main Stem (their second for our series). The Main Stem are about to release their debut album 'Electric Church' through the below mentioned Lipservice. Their first single for the label, 'Contortion Danse' is already out, it has excellent mixes from The Rhythm Odyssey, themselves and Mark E. I love their album, it's very English, it's all cowbell Funk and Disco played by a Country and Western Punk House band, it's The Clash on a Disco holiday in Benidorm, only not cheap or tacky. 'Kountry Klubb' from the record (also in the mix) is the coolest new Disco track since Soiree's 'Zim Zim Zah Zah', well in my addled mind anyway, though you'll find plenty of their left field genius at work across the whole lp (out late August).

So for their 'homegrown' mix The Stem have kept things very close; all the tracks are by them or label buddies Dean Meridith and Andrew Meecham (Chicken Lips, Rhythm Odyssey, The Emperor Machine), others are mixes of their original material, and it includes that heavyweight Emperor mix of Locussolus. Massive love goes out to The Stem for dropping by with this beast...

Press Play #51 - The Main Stem's Homegrown Mix

Track List:
1.The Main Stem - Electric Church (Intro)
2.Bernard Fevre - Dali (Emperor Machine mix)
3.The Main Stem - Kountry Klubb
4.Harvey Presents Locussolus - Little Boots (Emperor Machine's extended mix)
5.The Rhythm Odyssey - Move Groove (Dr Dunks mix)
6.The Main Stem - Yes, Sacrifice! (Mark E's turn the tv off mix)
7.The Rhythm Odyssey - Right On Up For Love (Main Stem version)
8.The Main Stem - No Love (Downtown Party Network mix)
9.The Grand Corporation ft. Jeremy Glen - Wonder and Amazement

galactica

2011-08-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

Ok it's true, I've said very little about new music just lately. Fact is there have been truck loads of great new sounds out over recent months, one record that has been a constant player through long hours of work over this time, is the excellent 'Galactica' album by Tuscan trio Out Of City on Lipservice. Primarily an electronic Disco Not Disco affair, Out Of City produce a modern blend of spacey Disco, Funk, Electro, Boogie, Rock and even Punk with apparent ease. They've already individually worked with labels like Eskimo, DC Recordings and Smash Hit Music, and they appear here together as a trio for the first time (though you wouldn't say so). It's a concept album of sorts, charting the search for the Key of Salvation in galaxies far away, but it's not proggy or arty in the way concept albums can be; 'Galactica' is synth heavy, ie. lots of glorious Moog mania, it's inventive and often dance floor friendly. If you're a fan of other releases on Lipservice like the superb Rhythm Odyssey record or any of the Chicken Lips goodies, you'll love this.

Long time friends of a.n.o.e. The Main Stem have also just dropped their first single from their debut album on Lipservice too, it's a cracker, but more on that in a minute... In the mean time check out 'Phobos', one of my favourites from Out Of City's classy side...

Out Of City - Phobos

foreign

2011-08-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

While we're doing AOR Disco business, I need to mention Zambon & Mental from The Very Polish Cut Out's new project and their new label Primitive Copies. Zambon reconfigures Bryan Ferry's 'Slave To Love' into a jacking mid tempo House burner on one side, while Mental turns that awful Foreigner classic 'I Wanna Know What Love Is' into a beachy Space Disco head nodder, complete with acid pulses and stretched out keys on the other. Neither of these little monsters are ordinary edits and the Mental track in particular brings an entirely new vision to a piece of music I never liked in the first place. With only 300 copies floating about and plays from a host of fans like Ali Ooft, Bicep, Rune Lindbaek and Cosmic Boogie to mention only a few, you'll find getting yourself a copy in a few months nigh impossible.. hot!

Mental/Zambon - Primitive Copies 001 by Zambon

beard

2011-08-05T11:13:00.000-07:00

Ok before you go accusing me of being a rare record snob, here's one i recently discovered, already in my collection, on a record that's neither expensive, hard to find, rare or even revered. Not being a Kenny Loggins fan has kept me from bothering to check his 'Celebrate Me Home' lp for possible AOR loveliness. Obviously Loggins & Messina is a different story, already all over some good stuff there, but Loggins on his own is potentially too cute and curly. Anyway it turns out there is one, nice hooks, check it...

Kenny Loggins - I've Got The Melody (Deep In My Heart)

love is...

2011-07-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

Gloria Ann Taylor's 'Love Is A Hurting Thing' is a bit of a holy grail record by now, it's fairly well known and much discussed. The Walter Whisenhunt (her husband) produced gem is quiet lo-fi in one respect, it is more or less a demo recording and yet it's haunting, repetitious and melancholic piano and string hooks combined with Gloria's singing make it like no other. I have The Drunk's edit of it in my collection, which is rather good and probably the closest I'll ever get to the record, but it eliminates a good deal of Gloria's inspired vocals. What intrigues me and gets me every time is how in the original, the kick slips out from underneath the track and the hats are so dirty and high in the mix, a bit like an early Theo Parrish or Three Chairs production, it's very raw and loops like one of Theo's edits too.Gloria and her husband (once right hand man to James Brown and once co-owner of a label with Bootsy Collins) apparently finally broke up after moving to LA via Maryland, they recorded 5 singles and an ep for their label Selector Sounds.

Gloria Ann Taylor - Love Is A Hurting Thing

is it good?

2011-07-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

Absolutely loving Tony Moore's 'Is It Good To Ya, Baby' just at the moment. Tony was a playa on the early Italo Disco scene apparently, but this his first 7" is proper Disco Funk with a sweet hook and a pretty creative vocal delivery. I can't think of a single contemporary artist who might take on the same sort of stylings. I'll be getting back to the new stuff in a minute..

Tony Moore - Is It Good To Ya Baby

asphixiation

2011-07-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

As you know I love a little obscure Disco Not Disco, which is why discovering Australian band Asphixiation's 1981 album 'What Is This Thing Called Disco' is such a pleasure. I don't expect to actually find one of the 1000 lp's that were originally pressed up and I imagine if they do hit the market they sell for high numbers. The whole record is excellent, it originally came with a bonus 12" which included some extra made 'for discotheques' tracks. One of my favourites on the album (and there are a few) is the wobbly, dub disco of 'Blurred Movements', it's all beats, bass and percussion for the most part, with a little minimal low-fi Disco added in toward the end, somehow reminding one of an edit technique which gets used a fair bit these days. Actually I think someone should do a proper re-issue of this classic and quirky 80's lp... (that's the original cover in the pic too)

Asphixiation - Blurred Movements

press play #50 - Steve Kotey

2011-07-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

Press Play #50 huh?! We've come a long way baby! If you've been reading these pages for any length of time, you'll know I might well be Bear Funk and Ambassador's Reception's number one fan (scary for them I know), which is why having Steve Kotey drop in for our 50th Press Play is a bit of a thing. What's more is, Steve has gone totally bonkers (or bananas even) and dug up some crazy jungle Disco madness for the ride. As you know a.n.o.e. has been on a serious diggers quest of late, resulting in some super fine mixes from Albion, Basso and The Very Polish Cut Out's, Steve's 'Banana Disco' literally takes the cake.

While I'm here, it needs mentioning that you should keep an eye out for Steve's brand new label Valley Sound and their first release by Puller. Essential purchase. So all that remains is to thank Mr Kotey for this superb mix and for you to download it...

Press Play #50 - Steve Kotey - Banana Disco

fried tofu 2

2011-07-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

I recently got a promo of the second Fried Tofu edits 12"; a great set of deeply funky, block party styled dj edits which operate somewhere in the Ugly or Shoes end of things. The mysterious Fried Tofu is very clearly into keeping things raw and the original sound intact; he's not adding any heavy compression or housed up kick drums, but he's fiercely cutting things up to keep the heat up high and the dance floor rocking. He makes a very real point when he says "the good old kick drum of the 70's and 80's leaves some space for the beauty of the music to breathe", plus his old school slice n dice style also focuses in on the groove, the result is loose, live and lovely. With plays from Jacques Renault, Session Victim, Iron Curtis & the Sleazybeats crew you know he's moved a fairly wide spectrum of Disco and House heads with his bumping re-shuffles. Tofu isn't serving up deep crate finds, for the most part you'll recognise the source tracks, these are underground Disco classics we all know and love, but check out the clip below for how he brings his own magic to the floor... (the dirt and needle blowing audio in the clip is there to keep these tunes on vinyl)...

Mori-Ra

2011-07-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

While I'm on about Library tunes, another new Soundcloud friend who I'm keen for you to check out is Japanese record collectors and editors Mori-Ra. The duo have eleven deep n' delicious reshuffles up on their page, each one excites the mind with future retro synthscapes and electronic origami. These are not simple cut 'n paste styled edits, but the duo also keep things sounding very authentic, no housed up edits here. I love every one of their tracks and I'm hoping someone picks these up for vinyl release very soon. Check out no 8 in the series, a truly mesmerizing slice of intricate and deep Library Disco, then check out all the others... superb!!!

御山Edit 08 by Mori-Ra

lost star

2011-07-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

I've been on a serious Library music journey just lately and have shelled out a small mountain of cash i don't have on a number of fairly hard to find records. There seems to be an infinite cosmos of great sounds if you get really deep into this end of things, but much of it is unaffordable, unless you find the lp's in good digging spots. Anyway, one record I'd love to own but don't, or not yet anyway, is British songwriter, composer and occasional Library Record producer Anthony King's 'Lost Star' on Peer International Library Limited. The very clever people at Jazzman re-issued the albums best track 'Filigree Funk' back in 2002... Super deep!

Anthony King - Filigree Funk

following E.M.G.S.

2011-07-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

Ok work has been keeping me very busy, but it's time to get things moving here on anoe again... The easiest place to start would be to introduce you to a couple of people I've been following on Soundcloud who you really need to check out. E.M.G.S. hail from Tokyo, Japan, the dual talents of Asai & Kaji who are E.M.G.S. are quietly putting out a bunch of very cool, crate digging, often left of center edits through their SC page, all of which are available for download and all of which are essential to your collection. They have two sets or EP's called 'Editors Must Get Stoned' and a couple of extra bits and pieces, plus a brand new one which went up today called 'Desert Disco' which is damn fine. Check 'em, follow 'em and I'll be back to talk a little more about them in the near future (there's quiet a bit you should know about them)... to new friends then...

Desert Disco (orient edit) by E.M.G.S.(ASAI & KAJI)

funky bump

2011-07-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

Italian TV music composer Pino Presti has worked with big names like Quincy Jones, Maynard Ferguson & Shirley Bassey amongst others. Back in the 70's he released his only album '1st Round' as Pino Presti Sound, the very cool 'Funky Bump' features along with a fair few other good uns. Both the LP and the 7" are collectable and fetch high prices on the circuit, so grab the beast if u see it in a dusty room in the back of someone's long forgotten shop. Funky bump on a Friday.

Pino Presti - Funky Bump

press play #49 - Albion

2011-07-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

A little while back I had the chance to interview Albion, his fantastic 'Mixtura' album for Ambassadors Reception was about to be released and he'd reached episode 14 of his mammoth and much loved mix series of the same name. He's unquestionably a guy who takes his record digging very seriously, he's uncovered many many crazy obscure Disco records over the years, which we now get to enjoy. I have always loved the idea that an amazing record can be dug up from some dank basement by one guy and soon find a new worldwide audience as a result. Few enable this process better than a guy like Albion, it's said that he can spend days on end, till he can no longer walk straight, hunting out those Disco truffles that proliferate in his mixes.

I cant begin to tell you what a joy it is for me to hand over Albion's absolutely amazing new mix 'The Continental Disco Sound' for a.n.o.e.'s Press Play series. It's indescribably good, more than an hours worth of track after golden track, every one a must have Mediterranean Disco bomb! My own personal digging list just got a whole lot longer, ouch! Oh I really can't recommend this more highly!! Huge thanks go out to Albion for this very special mix, I am a very happy fella, how about you?

Press Play #49 - Albion - The Continental Disco Sound

let's merge

2011-07-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

When it comes to digging for African records, there are so many very fine sides that have become impossible to find, due mainly to limited print runs and very minimal distribution, even in Africa. It's a bit like getting into dub, you could spend an entire lifetime researching it and uncovering huge gems. I have a pretty long list of wants which includes a little known Nigerian act called Hotline. There was a South African band, also called Hotline, I see a lot of their records about, but we're talking about an entirely different beast. The Nigerian Hotline's only album came out on Blackspot Records, home also to a great Christy (Essien Igbokwe) album and a much sought after Benis Cletin record (you may know the relevant Sofrito Edits Record which uses Benin's tracks). The album is packed with Afro boogie gems, the over all sound is cheap and minimal, but in the best possible way; it's Electro Disco Pop flava and township vocals combine to make this both unique as well as irresistible. 'Lets Merge', from the A side, rocks my world. You'll have to excuse the recording, no one i know has found a decent copy so far... Afro Boogie Pop... the night is young...

Hotline - Let's Merge

Soophaluv

2011-06-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

Claremont 56 sub label Sixty Five recently signed two new JAZ edits, the resulting 12" has just gone up on Piccadilly's pre order list. Sixty Five's neat catalogue is almost all JAZ, they're great records which get regular outings here at a.n.o.e. hq, and this new double sider will make an excellent addition. Both sides of this 12" are superb, super superb; these magic JAZed up crate finds sport delightful Euro babe vocals and antique underground Disco vibes, for the minute they're my most favourite JAZ edits ever. The Episcopal minister delivers sweet 'n heavenly Disco goodness again! Essential!!!!

SoopahLuv (JAZ edit) by J.A.Z.

Everybody More (JAZ edit) by J.A.Z.

polish edits 2

2011-06-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

Back in December of last year, The Very Polish Cut Out's unleashed their first ep of 'Polish Edit's' onto the www, I dug them very much, for both their diggers value and the keen production these guys brought to the finished tracks. Since then of course, they've visited these pages and given us a very fine Press Play mix (absolutely essential if you haven't downloaded it yet). Anyway for their second free ep, Polish guy Mental reworks a couple of obscure crate finds and they're bloody marvelous too. I'm especially loving the Aya RL rejig, it's sounds like an old Lovefingers find to me for some reason. check and download em!

Polish Edits EP # 2 by Mental by The Very Polish Cut-Outs

press play #48 - All Out War

2011-06-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

Over the years I don't think i've said too much about Disco label All Out War, it's a bit strange since I'm an all out fan and own at least a couple of their releases on wax. Richard Hardcastle's AOW is a particular thing, strong on personality and quality. What u get are edits which, as Rich puts it, 'attempt to make the track better without ripping it's heart out', plus there is a diggers outlook to what actually gets the chop. If you don't already know, Richard has been contributing to the Disco revival since more or less the start; you may know his releases as Solid State on labels like Toko and Guidance Recordings or Primitive or Cookhouse. Plus there was the Product Of Society edits and releases back in 2005 and 6, a project which began as a sideline to their pioneering Sheffield nite out and transformed over a little time into All Out War. It's a small but potent catalogue thus far, with superb edits from Solid himself, Al Kent and Greg Wilson and of course there are a number of releases already lined up for the future, including original material and remixes. Hardcastle's All Out War, with it's distinctive graphic design, it's A grade tunes and it's anti 'dumbing down' agenda is a definite force on the underground and since for me the mark of great records is how long you'll be playing them for, All Out War is a catalogue to own and play.

Press Play #48 is, I'm delighted to say, 'the 'story so far' mix that brings together the complete All Out War releases (and a couple of unreleased edits) for the very first time.' As is almost always the case, it's truly a big deal for me to be able to hand this mix over to you, it's a classic for sure. If you want to hear more of their influences and current hot tracks you should catch All Out War Radio, a monthly show on myhouseyourhouse and there is their soundcloud page to check out too. Huge thanks go out to Richard for this...

Press Play #48 - All Out War - Wake Up And Smell The Napalm

All Out War Discography:
AOW01 Solid State ‘Prisoners of Wax Volume 1’
AOW02 Greg Wilson ‘Music Is Better Edits’
AOW03 Al Kent ‘Million Dollar Disco Edits’
AOW04 Solid State ‘Dry Ice’

Track list:
All Out War Intro
Spanish Heartbeat (AOW04)
If You Love Me (AOW01/04)
Oxygen (Unreleased)
Down The Mainline (AOW02)
Delirious (AOW03)
Shortwave Radiation (AOW01)
Eddie’s Out (AOW04)
The Magnificent (AOW02)
America (AOW01)
Brock Party (AOW03)
Philly Live (AOW04)
Gonna Dub (Unreleased)

welcome stranger

2011-06-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Solei'd Music Group's first 12" 'Sale Away' by Hidden Fees is a fantastic record. It's a no digital, vinyl only release for starters, a great trend with a few select and current labels who clearly care a lot about their music, it's a very loveable trait! But then on playing the record it really is immediately apparent that this is something special. The original by Hidden Fees is a midtempo, NY, Disco not Disco, slice of rocking magic which features the voice of Shannon Funchess and is perfect for those edgier Indie sets. On the flip you'll find real dance floor gold with Welcome Stranger's 'Early Voyage Dub', a stuttering, pulsating monster of a jam. There have been a few tracks so far this year which push things to a new level for me, Claremont and Tiago's 'Birds' remix for one, and though it's not the same sort of thing, Welcome Stranger's Dub is another. It's a total transformation of the original and yet it retains it's NY flavour, albeit of a housier kind. As the sound clips below are quiet short, you'll not get the full impact of the mega dub and it's massive breakdown, I suggest you take my word for it and order the record, which you can do here, you wont regret it...both sides now!

Hidden Fees - Sale Away (Featuring Shannon Funchess) Sample by Solei'd Music Group

Hidden Fees - Sale Away (Welcome Strangers Early Voyage Dub) Sample by Solei'd Music Group

pay the price

2011-06-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, probably a limited number of pressings, Stevo's 'Pay the Price/Party Night' 12" on TK Disco is pretty hard to find. It's especially strange from a label like TK who's releases were always pretty well covered. It's doubly strange because the record is lovely, better even than some of their bigger records. Both sides are great too. Check it. The big news of the day is I have received dynamite Press Play mixes from both Steve Kotey and Albion, so expect those to follow the next installment from All Out War, which will be up in days.... good times, the price has been payed!

Stevo - Pay The Price

wildwood

2011-06-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Cutloose is a top night in Manchester, they've had some amazing guests over the years including Mark Seven, The Idjut Boys and Brennan Green and this friday night they'll be featuring supreme crate digger and Theo Parrish favourite, Sadar Bahar. Ouch! What i wouldn't give to be there... Check out the Cutloose website for info on the gig and a bunch of very fine mixes from some of their guests, I cant recommend it more highly. As a special treat, and I mean really special, Paul Jenks who run's the night and who is clearly a consummate digger himself, has given a.n.o.e. a sublime, drifty, after hours, head nodding, deep digging, journey into exactly the sorts of sounds we love here at earth's headquarters. Jenks' mix 'Wildwood' is already one of my favourite of the year so far and I'm hoping we can convince him to give us a track listing. Thanks so much for dropping in Paul, everyone else download the mix now for instant sweet release...

Paul Jenks - Wildwood

tobor experiment disco experience

2011-06-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

Ok moving on... It's crazy out there right now, there are so many releases hitting the shelves on any given day, it really is easy to gloss over things that might easily, if given the chance, change your life. With the little time I've had over the last year or so, I've failed to punt Bear Funk's killer Kotey Extra Band album, their excellent Hibernation Volume 2 compilation and I've not even so much as mentioned their recent Peter Visti or Ilija Rudman goodies. So I thought it best not to let their latest Tobor Experiment Disco Experience album release go by without at least a glance. The thing is, like so many of the labels projects, this record is so damned fine, it deserves more than just a glance, it deserves a f*cking monument.

Giorgio Sancristiforo is a multitude of things; a synth and software designer based in Milan, he's a Sound artist and he is also Tobor Experiment Disco Experience. Bear Funk released an ep by Giorgio back in the last half of 2008, a highly original and accomplished Euro Disco record which I still play regularly and now of course there is a whole long player of the man's unique sound. Giorgio's own website describes one of the tracks on his lp as sounding like a long lost meeting between Air and Daft Punk, it's a fitting description of most of his work here, but only if Air had been drinking Absinth for a month and Daft Punk were from Italy. It's better than that, Giorgio imports an off kilter Pop into a very Space Disco mix and surprisingly for a hardware head, he plays guitar and bass and does all the vocals. This is a proper album album. I keep saying this about Bear Funk artists, but they do seem to make artist records, the sort of records which could sit comfortably alongside the best records by say Bowie or Steve Harley. Speaking of Bowie, Tobor's cover of 'Station To Station' is another of the album's highlights.

Sancristiforo's debut long player is a beauty and I decided even though I may never receive another record from Bear Funk as a result, that I would hand over a low res of one of the LP's tracks just to help lure you in. On 'Shivers' you'll find Giorgio mainlining Moroder, Roxy Music and Bowie in equal measures, the result is genius. It's like we've known each other for years...

Tobor Experiment Disco Experience - Shivers

see you november

2011-06-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

I found Miroslav Vitous 1976 album 'Majesty Music' in my collection, I must have gotten it from my mom who is a big Weather Report fan. The album is full of that lush vintage sound that I love, though many of the tracks are way too noodley for me. That said there are passages which positively ache with beauty and there are at least two future classics diggers items on it. I know that Miroslav's 'New York City' (not from this album) is a David Mancuso favourite and features in his Loft 100 list in Bill Brewster's 'Last Night A Dj Saved My Life'. 'See You November' from 'Majesty Music' is a wonderful spacey outing with exactly the kind of drums Mancuso favoured at his club, if a little mellow. I have new Press Play mixes for you and a bunch of great tracks which I'll get to as soon as I have this wall of deadlines behind me.. see you in a minute..

Miroslav Vitous - See You November

2011-06-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

Back in a minute - 20 deadlines going down at once. i've lots of goodies incoming...

moonsong

2011-06-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

From their 1973 album 'Life Is Round', Jazz outfit Compost's 'Moonsong' is an incredible, lush, island style beauty. I'm not sure about you but the opening bass line sounded so familiar when I first heard this gem, has someone used it elsewhere? Whether that is the case or not, 'Moonsong' is laid back heaven!

Compost - Moonsong

feel my tears.

2011-06-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

As you're probably already aware, a.n.o.e. loves Danny Red Rack'em, in fact we've been practically stalking the man since his first release on Tirk back in 2008. Since then Danny's had an amazing run, developing his particular brand of Machine Soul over a number of releases, culminating in the creation of his own label Bergerac. 'Feel My Tears' is the label's second 12" release and typically it contains three very fine, original work outs from Rack'em, it's also just in at the stores. Check the clips below, my personal favourite has to be the second track 'Courting', it's classic Detroit influenced Rack'em superbness. I asked Mr Berman how his recent move to Berlin has been and also what it's like making music for his own label. Here's what he had to say...

Making tracks for my own label.

I started my own label Bergerac for a number of reasons. One was that I didn't really know which labels to approach with the types of music that I was making. It seemed easier to just put them out myself rather than run the a+r gauntlet. I also wanted to get more involved in the marketing and image of my music so I have really enjoyed working with Silke Eiselt and Alex Traska on the artwork and design. Silke is illustrating every house or building of significance in my life chronologically for each release so we're currently waiting for someone to take a pic of my first ever flat in Edinburgh for the B side of the third release. The current release is my the house I grew up in and my primary school.

Another reason is that I wanted to retreat from the industry a bit as it all seems totally hype driven these days and although I know that this is nothing new, ironically the easiest way to escape all that bullshit was to do my own label and create my own enclave.

Also I am getting sent so much good unreleased music for my radio show. So watch this space as I am hoping to start a label soon focusing on the great new production talents that are sending me stuff to play. Loads of great stuff out there is being ignored and I get sent a load of shit promos every week so I think there's a message in there somewhere..

Move to Berlin

Moving to Berlin is the best thing that's happened to me in years. I am in a brand new place with brand new people, making my way in life again. I met my oldest friends in Berlin last November so as you can imagine the social side of things has been really fresh and exciting, I have met so many cool people and been made to feel so welcome. I am loving the newness of whole situation. I have actually hardly been here since I moved due to touring so I am still totally learning about the city. Just working out the public and checking the architecture has been inspiring for me.

It felt like the end of an era in the UK really. I had to push myself on to a better place. I was completely bored, demotivated and miserable in Nottingham and I didn't want to move to London. I think drastic situations need drastic solutions. And it's been totally the right move. I am back. I count myself as very lucky that I was able to take control of my life and make the changes necessary to keep moving as an artist.

Drop in on Danny's Redportage Vimeo channel to get a more in depth look at his world, it's definitely worth checking out and get this record!

Red Rack'em - Feel My Tears EP Clips - BERG002 by Red Rack'em

luvrocket

2011-05-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

A little while back Mark Mirage handed over his top edit of Blue Feather's 'It's Love' for you to check out, he's back with another freebie. Mmirage, as he's now called, does a neat re-arrangement on Luv You Madly Orchestra's wonky 'Rocket Rock'. Definitely more oddball than your average Salsoul number and Mark's trimmed the rubbish bits from this cowbell loving, Walter Gibbons mixed romp. Goody goody!

Mmirage - Luvrocket

Press Play #47 - The Very Polish Cut Outs

2011-05-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

It might not yet be completely apparent, but an underlying theme or intention with a.n.o.e. in 2011 has been to up the diggers content. Thus I have invited a number of dj's who are great at hunting out lesser known gems to contribute mixes for the Press Play series. Some of them are very well known, others less so, but then we've always tried to mix up those who are revered with those we may come to revere later. So as a follow up to that exceptional Basso mix you just got, Press Play goes to Poland for a visit with The Very Polish Cut Outs.

The Very Polish Cut Out's are Zambon and Pnk Discirporation, their thing is bringing a little spotlight onto quality 70's and 80's Polish music. And with some help from friends of theirs (Old Spice, Yacht Rock Disco, Funk Off and others) they've set about recycling and editing a bunch of retro Polish beats to use in mixes and releases. Go and check out their SoundCloud page to get a better idea of what they're up to. Their mix 'Po Drugiej Stronie Świata', which translates as 'The Other Side Of the World', is excellent. I'm not even going to try and describe the music, instead I suggest you succumb to this very cool, eclectic and wizardly journey into deeper Polish grooves. Massive thanks to Zambon and Pnk for hooking up this superb, superb mix!!

Press Play #47 - The Very Polish Cut Outs - Po Drugiej Stronie Świata

zanzibar

2011-05-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

Sleazy Beats have a new EP in stores today, it features 4 slo mo Disco bruisers from Milan based artist La Tuerie. Cutting up Disco tracks is pretty much everywhere these days, so you really have to hunt out the tunes that count, that you'll be playing for awhile, maybe even for years (if you get really lucky). But Sleazy Beats have already put out some amazing records, so you know you're in good hands. I think the whole EP is good, but in particular La Tuerie's track 'Zanzibar' makes this slice of vinyl a must have; those deep warm keyboard drops, that rollerskating bump and grind, the block party atmosphere and it's Hip Hop Disco roots all work together to make a heady and very danceable brew. Hot stuff...class action even!!

(SBR007) La Tuerie - Zanzibar (SNIPPET) by SleazyBeats

project tempo 'kill the mids, boost the slows'

2011-05-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

If, like me, you love the latest 12" from French duo Project Tempo (discussed a few posts below), then you'll want to get on this shiny new mix which they've given us to host. 'Kill the Mids, Boost the Slows' is a manifesto of sweet midtempo boogie and slo mo lovin', looped up House, it also features both sides of their new record. Keep up with the pair over at their fine blog Interesting Blends and soundtrack your next pool party with this...

Project Tempo - Kill the Mids Boost the Slows

Track list:
01: Indeep - Dj's Delight
02: Deadly Sins - You & I
03: 6th Borough Project - Deep C
04: 78 Edits - I'll be True
05: Project Tempo - rue 52
06: Aeroplane - We can Fly (Beat)
07: Mustang - On Mercury
08: Trujillo - Baby your still the Same (original)
09: Project Tempo - Get up and clap your Hands
10: D-Pulse - Velocity of Love (original)

lucky day

2011-05-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

Can Dee's 1984 Boogie gem 'Lucky Day' on Kee Wee Records is a long time favourite. Boogie Times Records put it on their 'Great Collectors Volume 1' CD, but otherwise it's not the easiest of records to find. At 4 minutes and 12 seconds, it's way too short, but what a beauty!! Lucky Sunday Boogie then... (um.. do I need to say that's not Can Dee in the pic?)

Can Dee - Lucky Day

half man half coyote

2011-05-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Coyote are on a roll, their last single 'Always' for Need Want has been building fires on beaches across Europe for the last month or so (check those class Neville Watson remixes too if you haven't already), there's a hot new remix of Runaway's classic 'Dead Dog Farm' out soon from On The Prowl, and now there's news of a new album. 'Half Man Half Coyote' will be in stores in the next month, it's a fantastic follow up to their lovely 'Harlyn Bay' LP from 2 years back. Staying true to their love of the island life, Timm Sure and Ampo have produced a beautiful and seductive album of Balaeric, Dub and worldly variants. You get a definite sense that the pair have really settled into their sound; the melodies are bewitching, the warm production is achingly precise and palpable though never glossy, there is a wider palette of instrumentation, and they invoke a vast tradition of Balearic tunes with apparent ease. You still get a bunch of 'enlightenment voice overs' designed to massage your mind, which I have to say I love, it's very Coyote. But these are overlaid onto song structures which mostly go beyond words. There are a couple of vocal tracks too and in particular 'Our Time', a bitter sweet, melancholic, canyon of a beauty is destined for classic status, check the clip below. Max Essa, Huw Costin, IPG and Penuckle are amongst those who drop in to help out, the result is a record with a wider and deeper range of sound than 'Harlyn Bay'. Future classic Balearic opus indeed and guaranteed sunshine in a box!

dont be afraid

2011-05-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

Don't Be Afraid are launching two new EP's with a top night that includes Photonz, Bullion, Alex Chase, Mr Beatnik, Architeq and Semtek (what a line up!). Check out the invitation here on Facebook for those of you who will be in London on the 27th of this month. It's important to know the first of the two EP's has already been getting support from the likes of Ivan Smagghe, Neville Watson, Mugwump, and Disco Bloodbath, and Gilles Peterson premiered the second 12" on his Worldwide show just before International Record Store Day. Don't Be Afraid is primarily the home of Cambridge born artist Semtek and it's his Bob James sampling bomb 'WestAcydShelter' that's at the center of first of the two Ep's (DBA004). Semtek actually rebuilt the main hook from 'Westchester Lady' from scratch, then repositions it in a field of jacking electronica; check out the track below. Importantly the 12" also comes with a killer Photonz remix which should have any of Andy Blake's 'World Unknown' heads in a total sweat.

The second of the two EP's (DBA004) contains three original tracks from Mr Beatnick and a remix by Tirk's Architeq. Late last year Mr Beatnick's released his 'The Fourth Day' 7" single on Futuristica Music, the flip side 'Fallin Apples' was a personal favourite, it's a superbly rich, deep 'n tweaked downtempo track which deserves multiple listens. The New EP is probably even better; it's full of innovative, sophisticated and diverse moves. Each track explores quiet different ideas with immense detail, pitting modern electronica against superb antique sounds with immensely pleasurable results. The clip of Beatnick's opening track 'Synthetes' (which also gets the remix) is a direct rip from Gilles' show. Future beats then, on both counts...

DBA004 - West Acyd Shelter (Release Date May 9th) by Semtek

Synthetes - ripped off BBC Radio 1 Gilles Peterson show by mrbeatnick

rue 52

2011-05-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

French duo Project Tempo have a second 12" about to hit the stores, and as with their first release on their own Project Tempo label there are a limited number available. I liked the first 12" which had an edit of Carly Simon's big Balearic hit and a Tom Tom Club edit. Thing is it didn't seem absolutely essential, though it did get plays from some lovely folk like Sleazybeats and Dicky Trisco, so I could easily be wrong about that. Their second 12" is a whole other story. The a side is a heavy looped up edit of Gwen Mcrae's 'Funky Sensation' now called 'Get Up & Clap Your Hands', and it's bloody marvelous. The B side edit, apparently of a well known British Soul group (clue is in the name), is destined for serious repeated play here at anoe hq. The duo mention that they've tried to pay homage in the method of the edit, to old school edit heads like Latin Rascals and Shep Petibone, it's superb either way, very dubby... check it... get it... boogie makes the world go round... oh and check their blog here...

Project Tempo - Rue 52 by Project Tempo

harmony cat's theme

2011-05-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

Kon & Amir are probably the greatest diggers on the planet, it's just that every time I find a tune I really dig, they've already comped it. I never bought BBE's 'Kings Of Digging' compilation, though I realise now I should have. That said Harmony Cat's 'Harmony Cats Theme' appears on the BBE record as an edit, 'Kon's Drum Edit' in fact. The intro to this killer, sought after Disco Funk beast is a bit special, well the whole track is amazing.. too short, but amazing. It's tracks like this that make the whole game so thrilling, music for life... here's the original...

Harmony Cat - Harmony Cat's Theme

mixtura 15

2011-05-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

Albion's new Mixtura adventure is freshly up on Soundcloud and it's typically excellent! Albion has been very busy, what with his fantastic album out on Ambassadors Reception, a superb mix for Noncollective and now this 15th edition of his long running diggers Disco series. These things take an enormous amount of work I imagine and Albion seems to have an uncanny talent for unearthing a great many obscure gems. Check out his new mix below and keep an eye out for his upcoming press play mix too.. wohoo!!

Albion - Mixtura 15 (2011) by AlbionVenables

balerama

2011-05-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

I'm really loving Giulio Dj's version of Luminodisco's new track 'Balerama' on the fantastically named label Danny Was A Drag King. Actually the whole EP is great, but I'm a fan of the Giulio and he's gone all out and rebuild the track into a lush Balearic beauty, he's also added in an entirely new vocal. Izzy, on vocals, does a wonderful sleazy Disco, almost rap for Julian's blissful 'Space and Time' Remix. Apparently she came up with the lyrics on first hearing the instrumental. There is also some lovely guitar work from the clearly talented Simrin Phull. The record hits the stores on the 16th and is bound to be a European summer classic.. check it.

Balerama (Giulio DJ Space & Time Version feat. Izzy) by Julian Horn

true love

2011-05-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

If you come across a record by The Terrible Frankie Nieves, grab it. Actually there's a copy of their only LP (I think it's their only album) in at Dusty Grooves, but really what you want to find is their 'True Love' 7". It's a heart tugging Latin Funk tune with incredible vocals and a stomping vibe. I know almost nothing about the Northern Soul scene but I imagine this could have been a real contender. It's a massive tune for me right now, but there's not much hope of getting the required heavyweight dollars to acquire a good copy... true lovin' on a Friday night...

The Terrible Frankie Nieves - True Love

re ups

2011-05-04T17:04:00.000-07:00

You'll find both Ray Mang & Kelvin Brown's Press Play mixes are back up (excellent mixes both). That should be the lot, though I'll have to double check. Some of the earlier mixes had reached over 3000 plays each, with many catching up, that's before divshare zeroed all my counters... You probably don't know this about me, but I love web stats...

press play #46 - Basso

2011-05-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

Basso is one of the clever and talented folk behind blog of the decade 'The Growing Bin', a specialist space on the www, dedicated to rare, obscure, unheard, super interesting & quality records from the past. I'm sure i'm not the only one who's gone and hunted down, bought and shipped home an LP or three as a result of records they put up on their site. You may also know the man from his amazing 'Joy Of Cooking' mixes for Deepfrequency.com which go out monthly; Basso mixes up beautiful new and old tracks, he has an impeccable ear for truly special sounds and each episode is a real keeper. Last year in October, label of distinction Blackdisco released 'Basso's EP', a four track vinyl debut of Disco edits by this Hamburg resident. You'll also find more of his quality cut ups on Soundcloud, where he covers a range of diggers sounds. I read somewhere, it could have been facebook or Soundcloud or even The Growing Bin, that Basso 'likes edits that don't sound like edits' and it's a description that fits his own work perfectly.

I am once again delighted, more than you can possibly know, to be able to bring you a very special mix from another of my favourite dj's. 'Another Summer On Earth' is the very essence of the season; it's the perfect soundtrack for drifting on your favourite lilo, for cooking in the open with friends, for strolling in the park with your most loved one, for driving in the countryside with the sunroof down. It's programmed with Basso's usual finesse and is as such another classic mix from this consummate musicologist... I'll see if I can get a play list, but in the meantime get on this at once...

Press Play #46 - Basso - Another Summer On Earth

Track list:
The Essence - Across The Steppes
Luc Ferrari - Presque Rien
Vita Nova - Dream For You
Jochen Schrumpff - Nano Nano
Junior Byron - Sunshine
Cameo - We're going out tonight
Birdland - Feelings
Chromatic Filters - Slow Emotions
Worst Friends - Neve's For None (Eddie C Remix)
Incarnations - Make you mine
Cymande - Brothers On The Slide
9th Creation - He's Coming
Senora - Paul
Maze - Joy & Pain
The Stallions' Fantastic Remix of Canyon's My Rescue

Benji

2011-05-02T17:43:00.000-07:00

It's ridiculous how many tracks, mixes and albums I'd like to write about, but I never find the time to get to them all. It bothers me a lot. Often people who have contacted me have to remind me about a post that I'd promised to write. Some eventually give up. I'm currently trying to improve on this (have you noticed?)...

So awhile back Benji, a great digger and dj from Berlin got hold of me to say he'd done a mix for a.n.o.e. and that he'd made it available on Soundcloud. It's a great Cosmo Disco set and I've been meaning to mention it to you for sometime. Benji was amongst those who contributed to the superb and much missed CBS Network, he's been dj'ing since he was a kid (in the early 80's) and he has a deep love for obscure dance music. He also used to run a weekly show with digger Marko Koenig which focused on hard to find Disco and Italo on Berlin's Twen-FM. Benji knows his onions and if you've been paying attention you'll have followed the link to some of his older mixes which i've had up on the sidebar for months. He's also Dj'ed alongside people like Loud-E, so you know you're in excellent company. Check out his crazy mixed up set "Die Kleine Disse Am Ende Der Strasse" below, I love it (you can download it too if you like). Also go check out his most recent radio show (only days old) with Marko up on soundcloud... learn, love, laugh... dance!

Die Kleine Disse Am Ende Der Strasse by Benji_DF

live it up

2011-05-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

Sweet Touch's 'Live It Up', their only track as far as I know, has been given love by both Kon & Amir & Dimitri From Paris on compilations of theirs. It's another of those records that comes with a fairly high price tag if you're after a mint condition, original 12" (on New Yorker Began Cikic's BC Label). I get the feeling that The Brand New Heavies must have known and loved this track, it's practically a blue print for their early sound. so... living it up on a monday night...lovely!

Sweet Touch - Live It Up

Starmagic

2011-04-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

On a bit of roll here, no edits since Record Store Day and a li'l spotlight on some of the hottest original tunes going on right now. Seriously here is another record that really blows the lid off with quality. Queens based label *DanceCamp* Music just dropped their second 7", this time by Discovery, a Brooklyn outfit with star power in their veins. Their track 'Starmagic' is super fresh Boogie/NY Disco/Cowbell Funk and the flip side remix by label boss Alfredo Romero is massive. It all seems a little mysterious; a boutique label out of Queens, a live band with real Disco chops, a golden nugget 7" only release... But really what you have here is a guy who's hearts deeply in it, he's really obsessed with good tunes, he has a real history on the scene and now he's pimping hot vinyl with his own label designed for open minded music lovers. You may already know Alfredo from his 90's Acid Jazz hit 'Deep Vibes' as Swing Machine or from any one of his fine collaborations with House genius Pal Joey (on Loop D' Loop) and if you're a New Yorker you'll definitely know him from his many gigs around town over the years, backing heavyweights like Afrika Bambaata, Kool Herc, Cannibal Ox and others. Alfredo's thing is playing what's good across a multitude of genres, you can hear it in his warm and Dubby, Psychedelic 'Moonlight' remix on the flip side of Discovery's single (check the clip below).

Discovery have their own history, which includes playing in NYC for years, drawing influences from Disco, Prog Rock and Latin quarters and an evolving line up that's had some very influential New Yorkers at varying times. They've an album out and have been known to do the occasional cover of tracks by Debbie Deb or Smokey Robinson amongst others. What's important for the minute, is this single on *DanceCamp* Music. Check stores and the labels own web site to get your hands on it... Killer! (the clip below is not the full track, this is all about getting the vinyl)

2011-04-26T16:24:00.000-07:00

Amazed by how many blogs have shut down, just going through the list on the sidebar and had to remove more than 25 links so far (i havent gone through them all yet)... the landscape continues to change...

Alumnia & Torn Sails

2011-04-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

By now label Claremont 56 should hardly need an introduction... Quickly then, the domain of Paul 'Mudd' Murphy has been the source of some of the finest music and diggers collections available on scenes with or without names in recent years. With truly classic releases from Fist Of Facts, Holger Czuckay, Bison, Smith & Mudd, Dog Eat Dog, Ahmed Fakroun, Icasol and Blackbelt Anderson, superb remixes by the Idjut Boys, Lexx and more and supreme diggers compilations from Joylon Green, Matthew Burgess, Sean P, Felix Dickinson & Mark Seven, you know you're where great passion and serious talent dwell.

The label has two new releases, already on Piccadilly Records Pre Order lists. Alumnia's debut album 'New Moon' pitches Psyche and dubby live Disco into the mix, forging a kind of sun bleached west coast Disco not Disco, imagine Arthur Russell living in Colorado via LA and you've half got it. Ok clever descriptions aside, the record is wonderful; I love the Pink Floydy title track and also 'Moving Up Slowly', a weighty drifting epic for beards. 'Kissing Time', another favourite, is a near perfect, dusty Pop gem that's been on playback in my head since I first heard it. Like many of Claremont's records 'New Moon' could easily be called Balearic, but Alumnia's 'Dos Estrellas' for example, is so well constructed, so beautifully written that it's better to call it classic; what really matters is you and i will be playing this record for years to come. Check out the fantastic 'L&G Psychedlic' on Soundcloud or that top title track below.

Almunia - New Moon by Claremont 56

The other record Claremont has waiting in the wings is by Torn Sails, it's even more West Coast than the Alumnia side, it's also similarly a must have. Torn Sails are from Nottingham (not very West Coast I realize), fronted by Huw Costin (vocalist for Smith & Mudd), the bands single 'Birds' comes as a double pack 12", with the first part hitting stores shortly. What an incredible track, it's right up there with the best of John Martyn or CSN; 'Birds' starts out as an achingly beautiful acoustic meander and quickly develops into a 'soaring over canyons' even Laurel Canyon'esque classic. Flip the record over for Tiago's milestone remix; in the interest of trying not to write the word 'classic' in this post again, 'track of the year' will do it. no jokes... essential purchase right!!!

go check the youtube vid of the original track here... do it!!

plastic hero

2011-04-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

Drummer, singer and songwriter Toni Esposito's 1974 debut on Numero Uno is another of those must own records, rather sadly the copy I found looks a little like someone took a sheet of sandpaper to it. It's not the first time I've had to buy a record in spite of it's condition, knowing that I'll probably not come across another copy. Anyway Episito's rhythms are superb, he almost speaks through his percussion, add to that warm funky bass lines, spacey jazz synths, some vocals and beautiful melodies and you have an album that covers a kind of forward thinking Jazz Rock with heavy shades of Funk, Cosmic overtones and mesmerizing tropical jams. Almost every track could go on much longer than they do, hence the whole thing flies by a little too fast. Check the marvelous 'L'Eroe Di Plastica' below for a slice of this album's genius....

Toni Esposito - L'Eroe Di Plastica

deco lady

2011-04-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Continuing then with tunes found while digging in crates... I've actually been sitting on this track for some time, I thought I might do an edit of it, you know make it a little longer, a little more dj friendly and such, but the more I looked into it, the more I felt it didnt need one. It's not a particularly rare track or a particularly rare album (though I haven't seen it on blogs or in any of the usual digging spots at all), it's kind of like one of those incredible Robert Palmer tracks that popped up everywhere over recent years, his records certainly aren't rare but you had to check out his earlier albums to find those real gems. 'Deco Lady' by Rupert Holmes is an amazing lush mid tempo Disco groover, with marvelous camp lyrics and smooth strings heavy breaks and it resides on his debut LP on Epic from 1975. It's the sort of record one might gloss over while hunting, but you know how it goes, every record must be checked, just in case... So maybe you heard this dynamite track for the first time right here...

Rupert Holmes - Deco Lady

press play #45 - Lord Of The Isles

2011-04-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Lord of The Isles has some fantastic music coming out on American Standard, Sleazybeats, Little Strong, Ene Tokyo, Adult Contem- porary and probably a few I don't know about yet. It's not just the labels that love LOTI though, Neil's got quiet a following on Soundcloud too where you'll find his tunes cover a range of very deep and atmospheric flavours; he produces original material and he works on edits. Moody, spacey, intricate, melodic, light twisting, evolving, shape making, thought massaging, synth abusing, underground and often slightly melancholic journeys are the Lord's way. Best of all (for me anyway), he's also just joined the mega talented few who's mixes make up a.n.o.e.'s Press Play series.

#45 aka 'Another Earth At Night' is a masterclass in deep oscillating underground House, it hovers at that intricate electronic, low coma, experimental, loop level for some time before piping in sweet blasts of air and bright lights. If you are or were ever a true Deep House head this is going to appeal greatly to you. I definitely don't mean that soulful sleep House or Vocal House or Funky House which all but obliterated my interest levels in the genre. The Lord goes in for that heavy smudged Detroit sound, mixed up with a little classic Chi Town Deep House, a little dusky beats from Edinburgh, some Ukrainian magic, throw in some genius Romanthony and you have a slice of the night with Lord Of The Isles. Massive gratitude goes to Neil for this, now the pleasure is yours...

Press Play #45 - Lord Of The Isles - Another Earth At Night

Track list:
Sudden Landing - Fudge Fingas
Blame It On The Boogie - Theo Parrish, Osunlade and Rick Wilhite
Here’s Your Trance Now Dance - Omar S
2x5: Movement 3 Fast - Steve Reich (Vakula mix)
Morning Fever - Ron Trent
Solar Funk - Kyle Hall
The Brand New Heavies – Close To You (Maw Mood Dub)
Deep Horizons - Rick Wilhite
One Off - People Of Earth
Fudge Fingas – Shake Off
Romanthony – It’s Not The Same
Danse City – Lunar Tune
On A High - Ozone

another must read...

2011-04-19T16:05:00.000-07:00

Another must read article about the death of 'Rare' music and the roll of the internet. The comments section has lots of interesting points of view. I don't necessarily agree with the main points of the article itself as I myself am still very excited by music in all sorts of forms and formats, rare or not rare... still it's worth a read...

re upped

2011-04-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

I've just noticed some of the Press Play links have gone dead. Our friends at Divshare seemed to have frazzled some of the older files once again (they also reset all my counters, buggers). Both Disco Outcast's wonderful mix and Mike Burns' killer selections are back up. There are some others that need sorting which I'll get to in the next days... Oh and speaking of killer Mike Burns mixes, have you checked out this?

fantasia

2011-04-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

Do you know German band Bayon's 'Suite' LP? Categorized as Folk Rock on Discogs, others might suggest it's Proto New Age. What ever journo style heading it falls under, this 1980 album is an exercise in superbly designed 'natural' sounds and 'multi cultural' melodies. Check out the track 'Fantasia' and tell me that it wouldn't fit beautifully into a Moonboots or Joylon styled Balearic mix. File under 'music that sounds like the sun'...

Bayon - Fantasia

may you can

2011-04-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

As Saturday was Record Store Day 2011 I went digging in my favourite spot, I found some great records as luck would have it and thus I've decided to give the edits a break for a bit and focus on some original music and a few recent crate finds. Finding a record like Five Letters 'Hysteries' on the original Crocos Records in a bin in a store in Johannesburg is unlikely, but thanks to someone who brought it in and let it go, it now resides happily in my collection. It's quiet a mad album to say the least, but the last cut on the record 'May You Can' is stellar. There are edits of it already out there, it appears on a Rong Music/How & Why? Edits 12" and also on one of Felix Dickinson's Bastedos releases. Perhaps because the original isn't so easy to digest, perhaps because its packed with glorious breaks, perhaps because it's way too short, it was inevitable that the track would be dug up and re programmed for current ears; the deep 'n spacey intro alone is worth attention. That said 'May You Can is the standout moment on the LP, where Five Letters harness their warped and far out Disco ideas and produce a catchy high octane, almost soulful jaunt. Later of course there would be 'Tha Kee Tha Tha' and a few other very worthy bits...

Five Letters - May You Can

pacifica

2011-04-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

Dominic Dawson has been making underground club bombs for years. Hydraulic Dog's 'Shake It' would be the one that crossed over for him back in 2000 and as such is probably his most well known track. Every time I dropped it back then, someone would ask me to play 'that Daft Punk track' again, even Eric Rug quizzed me about it when I opened for him the same week I got it. The track captured that Disco/Touch House sound & time brilliantly, but it's by no means Dominic's best work... Personal favourites of his would be his remix of First Choice's 'Armed & Extremely Dangerous' on Arthur Bakers Minimal Records or his edit with Blackbeard of Pleasure's 'Joyous'... there are others. Anyway I was delighted to see his DJD moniker on the subject line of a promo send to me this week from new label Pacifica. The first of the three tracks on their debut 12" is Dominic's refix of Cuba Gooding's 1983 version of The Main Ingredient track 'Happiness', the result is a dubby, feel good Sound Factory'ish bump & grinder which I predict will be heard on more than just the Croation coastline over your summer. On the flip side you get 'Chunga Funk', a superb and breezy Afro Caribbean Disco workout of an original by sought after French band Tumblack, and also 'Arkade Funk' a B boy, icy Electro, oddball bruiser. The 12"s themselves also look very classy, the mastering is superb, so it's an all round quality item and I for one will be playing 'Chunga Funk' repeatedly. Check it..

Pacifica 001 - DJD 'Happiness' by Pacifica Records

a must read!!

2011-04-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

Stefan Goldmann writes a very succinct and slightly depressing account of where we're at in the music biz right now and what you need to be in order to survive as an artist in 2011, for the excellent Little White Earbuds site. Go read it now...

sky's the limit

2011-04-14T17:14:00.000-07:00

Nocturnal are back with a very limited run of their new double sider 'Late Nite Tales'/'Sky's The Limit'. If you dug their Disco Deviance release from last year, you're going to scramble for this one when it hits the stores in a few days. This time on their own label Nocturnal Music, the two superbly mastered tracks will no doubt be getting the same heavy support from the likes of The Revenge, Greg Wilson and Pete Herbert as their last outing did; 'Sky's The Limit' is the one for me. For the minute there are only short clips of the two tracks up on Nocturnal Music's SoundCloud page, this to keep pesky file grabbers from sharing these lovely items before they have a chance to sell. Stores will probably provide longer clips for previewing, or u could, nay should bag 'em when you see them in the shops shortly...

Sky's the limit PREVIEW - Nocturnal by nocturnal music

flash watcher

2011-04-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

I know absolutely nothing about A Tint Of Darkness, except that they had an eponymous album in 1978 on SOB Records. It's a Funk/Soul record with at least two really cool tracks on it; the slinky blaxploitation Disco of 'Flash Watcher' and the super sweet r'nb banger 'Play Fair'. The album cover is a strange white on black graph of 5 bow ties and jackets, it would be easy to pass over it in a record bin, especially after the mind begins to numb from too many Dan Hill compilations and Neil Diamond lp's. But you'd be missing out on this...

A Tint Of Darkness - Flash Watcher

lee in africa

2011-04-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

Got word on a great edit that popped up on Soundcloud this morning... I first heard JKD Band's 'Africa' chopped up on an early Noid Recordings record, though I can't remember if it was by Phantom Slasher or Ray Mang or... The Noid version works the intro and some instrumental parts of the track into a great DJ tool but Danny Blue's take utilizes the whole fortune cookie. JKD Band's 1979, Bruce Lee themed album 'Dragon Power' fetches good money on the increasingly expensive collectors circuit. It's produced in the main by Henry 'Stardust' Hadaway and features the fairly well known track 'Dream Machine'. Danny's edit takes on the wonky and very beardy Disco 'Africa', the best part is you get a 320k download by clicking the little down arrow on the right side of the player.. Loving this.

Africa (DannyBlue Edit) by danny blue

a disco deviant goes digital... again

2011-04-11T13:25:00.000-07:00

Right peoples... Disco Deviance just released their second 'Digital Deviance' compilation on CD. As with volume 1, the collection gathers tracks from their amazing 12" series and throws in a couple of exclusive, unreleased goodies to sweeten the deal for those of you who have been buying the records. The thing is, these tracks have not been previously available as digital files, this makes them highly desirable for many folk, especially considering the phenomenal contributors. Situation rub shoulders with Social Disco Club, Nocturnal, Dicky Trisco, The Revenge and more. BC aka Boogie Corporation's contribution 'NY Jump' remains my all time favourite edit from the Deviance crew bar none and it's the first track on the cd. What follows are all heavy hitters..I have the feeling you're already all over this, but just in case get a copy here and/or check the clips below if ya aren't...

Digital Deviance Vol 2 Clips by Disco Deviance

Lumberjacks 002

2011-04-09T15:43:00.000-07:00

Marcel Vogel's top class Lumberjacks In Hell label just released their second 12", which I reckon is one to add to the collection. Rare Wiri's Rayko hands in two great edits, of which his take on Barbara Kieth's cover version of 'All Along The Watchtower' is primo beard vinyl. Actually so is his stripped down re-write of Candi Staton's 'Nights On Broadway'. Marcel's own Em Vee edit reworks Alma Lee's version of 'Give Me Your Love' into a heavyweight cut up which, for me, will put him in the same class as Leonard Part Sixx (aka Underdog), Danny Krivit and the like. Also definitely keep a look out for Lih 003, an incredible double sider from Chicago's Traxx which will follow pretty soon... btw you might know the guy who designed the labels for this lovely record...

RAYKO/EM VEE:"Lumberjacks In Hell 002" by JUNO DISTRIBUTION

windy lady

2011-04-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

I was recently introduced to the music of Tatsuro Yamashita by an upcoming guest on a.n.o.e. He's obviously very well known in some parts of the world and has made at least 10 albums between the middle of the 70's and the early 2000's. They cover smooth Funk, Soul, Jazz, Disco and Pop sounds. Check out his first four records if you can, jammed as they are with lush n' deep, hook filled tracks which sound like Bob James meets Love Unlimited Orchestra meets Dexter Wansel and Lonnie Liston Smith with a Japanese Jay Kay on vocals... kind of...A brief search on Soundcloud reveals that the edit heads have already begun plundering his back catalog, but listening to his 'Circus Town' and 'Spacy' albums one can easily hear why. I'm certain a couple of Hip Hop head are about to point out some related sample information too. Being a fan of a great deal of Japanese music, I'm very pleased to have learned about the wonders of Yamashita. Check 'Windy Lady' for classic Tatsuro...

Tatsuro Yamashita - Windy Lady

incoming cosmic gold!

2011-03-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

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