Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:strut163lp
Release-Date:08.01.2018
Genre:Afrobeat
Configuration:LP
Barcode:
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:strut163lp
Release-Date:08.01.2018
Genre:Afrobeat
Configuration:LP
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Strut presents the new album from the modern day leader of Afrobeat, Seun Kuti. The youngest son of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti is as incensed by injustice as his father ever was and, with his mighty new album Black Times including a feature from Carlos Santana, he honours the revolutionaries who have gone before and rallies the torch-bearers to come.
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More records from seun kuti & egypt 80
Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:strut163cd
Release-Date:08.01.2018
Genre:Afrobeat
Configuration:CD
Barcode:
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:strut163cd
Release-Date:08.01.2018
Genre:Afrobeat
Configuration:CD
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Strut presents the new album from the modern day leader of Afrobeat, Seun Kuti. The youngest son of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti is as incensed by injustice as his father ever was and, with his mighty new album Black Times including a feature from Carlos Santana, he honours the revolutionaries who have gone before and rallies the torch-bearers to come.
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Vinyl Album Excl
in stock
Label:Because Music
Cat-No:BEC5156502
Release-Date:01.07.2016
Genre:World Music
Configuration:Vinyl Album Excl
Barcode:5060421565026
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Label:Because Music
Cat-No:BEC5156502
Release-Date:01.07.2016
Genre:World Music
Configuration:Vinyl Album Excl
Barcode:5060421565026
Territory rights: Europe excluding France & UK , 2016 Reedition 2LP Vinyl +CD
With the mighty new From Africa With Fury: Rise, Seun Anikulapo Kuti picks up the mantle as undisputed champion and true prince of the Afrobeat movement.
Tracklisting :
Side A: African Soldier , You can run / Side B: Mr. Big Thief , Rise
Side C: Slave Masters , For Dem Eye / Side D : The Good Leaf , Giant of Africa
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With the mighty new From Africa With Fury: Rise, Seun Anikulapo Kuti picks up the mantle as undisputed champion and true prince of the Afrobeat movement.
Tracklisting :
Side A: African Soldier , You can run / Side B: Mr. Big Thief , Rise
Side C: Slave Masters , For Dem Eye / Side D : The Good Leaf , Giant of Africa
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CD Excl
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Label:Because Music
Cat-No:bec5772820
Release-Date:18.03.2011
Genre:World Music
Configuration:CD Excl
Barcode:5060107728202
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Label:Because Music
Cat-No:bec5772820
Release-Date:18.03.2011
Genre:World Music
Configuration:CD Excl
Barcode:5060107728202
With the mighty new From Africa With Fury: Rise, Seun Anikulapo Kuti picks up the mantle as undisputed champion and true prince of the Afrobeat movement, heading up Egypt 80, the extraordinary combo first fronted by his renowned father. The album follows Kuti's critically praised debut, 2008's Many Things, which was unanimously hailed for continuing Fela's musical legacy. From Africa With Fury: Rise sees Kuti finding his own idiosyncratic voice as songwriter, singer, and band leader, its songs and sonic approach marked by provocative edge and mature self-assurance.
Produced by Brian Eno, John Reynolds, and Kuti, with additional production by Godwin Logie, and mixed by John Reynolds and Tim Oliver, the album captures Seun and Egypt 80's extraordinary power, fraught with the scorching rhythms and kinetic funk energy that has earned the band - as ever, under the leadership of alto saxophonist Lekan Animashaun - worldwide acclaim as one of today's most incendiary live acts. With Kuti's booming vocal stylings at the forefront, songs like "African Soldiers" and "Mr. Big Thief" are fueled by call-and-response hooks, breakneck tempos, and combative, topical lyricism which firmly sets the classic Egypt 80 sound in the modern era.
Kuti is equally effusive about his co-producers, reminding "Brian Eno is 'Brian Eno' for a reason. He has a great mind when it comes to music. He adds new dimensions to the sound. He showed me new ways of opening up the sound I'd never have thought of on my own. Not to downplay the work of John Reynolds, who is an incredible producer. I'm really glad I had them work on the album."
Eno, Reynolds, and Kuti sought tension and release in the Rio recordings, incorporating breathing room and sonic space into the intricate rhythms and melodies. Further tracks - performed by Eno, Reynolds, guitarist Justin Adams (Robert Plant, Tinariwen), keyboardist Julian Wilson (Grand Drive, Belinda Carlisle), and guitarist Leo Abrahams (Florence + The Machine, Brett Anderson, Bryan Ferry) - were cut to lend further musical flavors to Egypt 80's archetypal Afrobeat. While Kuti has nothing but the highest praise for his collaborators, he is equally quick to note that the songs of From Africa With Fury: Rise had been written more than a year prior to recording and had long been featured in live performance. Despite the studio craftsmanship, Seun sees the recording process as merely a means to an end, a way of capturing his music's magic for posterity.
"Music has great impact on people's feelings," Kuti says. "That's what music should be. Pop music today is all about me, me, me. Nobody is singing about we. But nothing can change if we don't look out for our brothers and sisters."
Tracklisting:
1. African Soldier 2. You can run 3. Mr Big Thief 4. Rise 5. Slave Masters 6. For dem eye 7. The Good leaf
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Produced by Brian Eno, John Reynolds, and Kuti, with additional production by Godwin Logie, and mixed by John Reynolds and Tim Oliver, the album captures Seun and Egypt 80's extraordinary power, fraught with the scorching rhythms and kinetic funk energy that has earned the band - as ever, under the leadership of alto saxophonist Lekan Animashaun - worldwide acclaim as one of today's most incendiary live acts. With Kuti's booming vocal stylings at the forefront, songs like "African Soldiers" and "Mr. Big Thief" are fueled by call-and-response hooks, breakneck tempos, and combative, topical lyricism which firmly sets the classic Egypt 80 sound in the modern era.
Kuti is equally effusive about his co-producers, reminding "Brian Eno is 'Brian Eno' for a reason. He has a great mind when it comes to music. He adds new dimensions to the sound. He showed me new ways of opening up the sound I'd never have thought of on my own. Not to downplay the work of John Reynolds, who is an incredible producer. I'm really glad I had them work on the album."
Eno, Reynolds, and Kuti sought tension and release in the Rio recordings, incorporating breathing room and sonic space into the intricate rhythms and melodies. Further tracks - performed by Eno, Reynolds, guitarist Justin Adams (Robert Plant, Tinariwen), keyboardist Julian Wilson (Grand Drive, Belinda Carlisle), and guitarist Leo Abrahams (Florence + The Machine, Brett Anderson, Bryan Ferry) - were cut to lend further musical flavors to Egypt 80's archetypal Afrobeat. While Kuti has nothing but the highest praise for his collaborators, he is equally quick to note that the songs of From Africa With Fury: Rise had been written more than a year prior to recording and had long been featured in live performance. Despite the studio craftsmanship, Seun sees the recording process as merely a means to an end, a way of capturing his music's magic for posterity.
"Music has great impact on people's feelings," Kuti says. "That's what music should be. Pop music today is all about me, me, me. Nobody is singing about we. But nothing can change if we don't look out for our brothers and sisters."
Tracklisting:
1. African Soldier 2. You can run 3. Mr Big Thief 4. Rise 5. Slave Masters 6. For dem eye 7. The Good leaf
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2LP
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT273LP
Release-Date:02.08.2024
Genre:World Music
Configuration:2LP
Barcode:4062548085884
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT273LP
Release-Date:02.08.2024
Genre:World Music
Configuration:2LP
Barcode:4062548085884
Strut introduces a pioneering new compilation 'A Dancefloor In Ndola,' curated by revered East African DJ, Kampire. This release marks an evolution in Strut's approach to compilations, showcasing emerging DJ talent from across the world and embracing an innovative approach to musical discovery from the next wave of selectors.
Tracklist:
A1 PRINCESS AYA SARAH – O WINA TIENGE 9.52
A2 META & FEZA – MIVÉ TEMOIN 8.19
B1 THE AFRICAN HOUSE PARTY PROJECT FEAT. SPLASH, PATRICIA
MAJALISA & DALOM KIDS – P-COQ 5.16
B2 V-MASH – NAUGHTY BOY 5.20
B3 DI GROOVY GIRLS – RIRIMI ROTSOMBELA 4.01
B4 TSHALA MUANA – DJEPUÉ 3.41
C1 LADY ISA – DJAMBO 4.00
C2 PEMBEY SHEIRO – SALA NI TOTO 6.39
C3 PRINCESSE MANSIA M’BILA – NGOMA MANSIA 5.03
D1 SAMBA MAPANGALA AND ORCHESTRA VIRUNGA – MASHARIKI 3.31
D2 INTERNATIONAL ZAISTARS & NENE TSHAKU – JE T’AIME AU PLURIEL
5.55
D3 M.D. SHIRINDA & GAZA SISTERS – MABAZI 2.50 More
Tracklist:
A1 PRINCESS AYA SARAH – O WINA TIENGE 9.52
A2 META & FEZA – MIVÉ TEMOIN 8.19
B1 THE AFRICAN HOUSE PARTY PROJECT FEAT. SPLASH, PATRICIA
MAJALISA & DALOM KIDS – P-COQ 5.16
B2 V-MASH – NAUGHTY BOY 5.20
B3 DI GROOVY GIRLS – RIRIMI ROTSOMBELA 4.01
B4 TSHALA MUANA – DJEPUÉ 3.41
C1 LADY ISA – DJAMBO 4.00
C2 PEMBEY SHEIRO – SALA NI TOTO 6.39
C3 PRINCESSE MANSIA M’BILA – NGOMA MANSIA 5.03
D1 SAMBA MAPANGALA AND ORCHESTRA VIRUNGA – MASHARIKI 3.31
D2 INTERNATIONAL ZAISTARS & NENE TSHAKU – JE T’AIME AU PLURIEL
5.55
D3 M.D. SHIRINDA & GAZA SISTERS – MABAZI 2.50 More
Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT299LPB
Release-Date:28.06.2024
Genre:Soul/Funk
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548089349
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT299LPB
Release-Date:28.06.2024
Genre:Soul/Funk
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548089349
Strut proudly presents the official remastered reissues of Lafayette Afro Rock Band's elusive funk/Afro original album, 'Malik,' originally released in 1974 and Soul Makossa' from 1973, both pressed on black vinyl LP.
Tracklist
1.1Djungi
1.2Raff
1.3Conga
1.4Avi-Vo
1.5Malik
1.6Darkest Light
1.7Baba Hya More
Tracklist
1.1Djungi
1.2Raff
1.3Conga
1.4Avi-Vo
1.5Malik
1.6Darkest Light
1.7Baba Hya More
LP
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT300LPB
Release-Date:28.06.2024
Genre:Soul/Funk
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548089356
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT300LPB
Release-Date:28.06.2024
Genre:Soul/Funk
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548089356
Strut proudly presents the official remastered reissues of Lafayette Afro Rock Band's elusive funk/Afro original album, 'Malik,' originally released in 1974 and Soul Makossa' from 1973, both pressed on black vinyl LP.
Tracklist
1.1Soul Makossa
1.2Azeta
1.3Oglenon
1.4Voodounon
1.5Hihache
1.6Nicky More
Tracklist
1.1Soul Makossa
1.2Azeta
1.3Oglenon
1.4Voodounon
1.5Hihache
1.6Nicky More
2LP
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT129LPC
Release-Date:10.05.2024
Genre:Jazz
Configuration:2LP
Barcode:4062548080780
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT129LPC
Release-Date:10.05.2024
Genre:Jazz
Configuration:2LP
Barcode:4062548080780
White Vinyl 2LP (Contains original album and mono-mix retrieved from original tapes)
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Strut label, we are delighted to unveil a special edition of a landmark album within the realm of African music - Mulatu Astatke"s "Mulatu Of Ethiopia". Recorded in New York in 1972, this pivotal album marks a juncture in Astatke"s musical journey when he adeptly fused various styles to craft the distinctive genre known as Ethio-jazz. For this special edition, the release features the original stereo mix of the full album, as well as a special "mono-mix" of each track retrieved from the original 2" tapes, pressed on opaque white vinyl 2LP.
A1 MULATU 5:00
A2 MASCARAM SETABA 2:40
A3 DEWEL 4:00
B1 KULUNMANQUELESHI 2:05
B2 KASALEFKUT-HULU 2:25
B3 MUNAYE 3:15
B4 CHIFARA More
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Strut label, we are delighted to unveil a special edition of a landmark album within the realm of African music - Mulatu Astatke"s "Mulatu Of Ethiopia". Recorded in New York in 1972, this pivotal album marks a juncture in Astatke"s musical journey when he adeptly fused various styles to craft the distinctive genre known as Ethio-jazz. For this special edition, the release features the original stereo mix of the full album, as well as a special "mono-mix" of each track retrieved from the original 2" tapes, pressed on opaque white vinyl 2LP.
A1 MULATU 5:00
A2 MASCARAM SETABA 2:40
A3 DEWEL 4:00
B1 KULUNMANQUELESHI 2:05
B2 KASALEFKUT-HULU 2:25
B3 MUNAYE 3:15
B4 CHIFARA More
Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT346LP
Release-Date:03.05.2024
Genre:Soul/Funk
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548081329
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT346LP
Release-Date:03.05.2024
Genre:Soul/Funk
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548081329
9-piece powerhouse Nubiyan Twist embark on a fresh musical odyssey with their vibrant fourth album 'Find Your Flame’. Over 12-track the band seamlessly weaves together global grooves, soul and jazz; expertly intertwined with electronic elements, horn-led melodies and spontaneous improvisation.
Tracklist
1.1Lights Out (Ft. Nile Rodgers)
1.2All The Same (Ft. Ria Moran)
1.3Woman
1.4You Don't Know Me (Ft. Corto Alto)
1.5Carry Me (Ft. Seun Kuti)
1.6Battle Isn't Over
1.7So Mi Stay
1.8Pray For Me Part
1.9Pray For Me Part
1.10Reach My Soul
1.11Find Your Flame
1.12Slow Breath (Ft. Mamani Keïta) More
Tracklist
1.1Lights Out (Ft. Nile Rodgers)
1.2All The Same (Ft. Ria Moran)
1.3Woman
1.4You Don't Know Me (Ft. Corto Alto)
1.5Carry Me (Ft. Seun Kuti)
1.6Battle Isn't Over
1.7So Mi Stay
1.8Pray For Me Part
1.9Pray For Me Part
1.10Reach My Soul
1.11Find Your Flame
1.12Slow Breath (Ft. Mamani Keïta) More
Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT346CD
Release-Date:03.05.2024
Genre:Soul/Funk
Configuration:CD
Barcode:4062548081336
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT346CD
Release-Date:03.05.2024
Genre:Soul/Funk
Configuration:CD
Barcode:4062548081336
9-piece powerhouse Nubiyan Twist embark on a fresh musical odyssey with their vibrant fourth album 'Find Your Flame’. Over 12-track the band seamlessly weaves together global grooves, soul and jazz; expertly intertwined with electronic elements, horn-led melodies and spontaneous improvisation.
Tracklist
1.1Lights Out (Ft. Nile Rodgers)
1.2All The Same (Ft. Ria Moran)
1.3Woman
1.4You Don't Know Me (Ft. Corto Alto)
1.5Carry Me (Ft. Seun Kuti)
1.6Battle Isn't Over
1.7So Mi Stay
1.8Pray For Me Part
1.9Pray For Me Part
1.10Reach My Soul
1.11Find Your Flame
1.12Slow Breath (Ft. Mamani Keïta) More
Tracklist
1.1Lights Out (Ft. Nile Rodgers)
1.2All The Same (Ft. Ria Moran)
1.3Woman
1.4You Don't Know Me (Ft. Corto Alto)
1.5Carry Me (Ft. Seun Kuti)
1.6Battle Isn't Over
1.7So Mi Stay
1.8Pray For Me Part
1.9Pray For Me Part
1.10Reach My Soul
1.11Find Your Flame
1.12Slow Breath (Ft. Mamani Keïta) More
2LP
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT288LP
Release-Date:20.04.2024
Genre:Jazz
Configuration:2LP
Barcode:4062548070620
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT288LP
Release-Date:20.04.2024
Genre:Jazz
Configuration:2LP
Barcode:4062548070620
We are happy to announce this Sun Ra tile for this year's RecordStoreDay release!
Please note that stock is limited and needs to be allocated so you might not get your full requested quantity
Introducing a musical treasure from the enigmatic Sun Ra's expansive discography, Strut Records proudly presents "Inside The Light World: Sun Ra Meets The OVC”. This extraordinary album unveils previously unreleased recordings from the year 1986 for the very first time, showcasing a unique chapter in the Sun Ra catalogue, officially released for Record Store Day 2024.
Listen: https://on.soundcloud.com/kVj3m
Tracklisting:
A1 CALLING PLANET EARTH 11:01
A2 THEME OF THE STARGAZERS 8:35
A3 LOVE IN OUTER SPACE (DX7 INTERLUDE) 2:34
B1 LOVE IN OUTER SPACE 6:32
B2 STARDUST FROM TOMORROW 5:19
B3 EL IS A SOUND OF JOY 7:44
B4 SUNSET ON THE NILE (DX7 INTERLUDE) 3:20
C1 SUNSET ON THE NILE 7:39
C2 EAST OF THE SUN 4:39
C3 SATURN RINGS 6:03
C4 CALLING PLANET EARTH (PIANO INTERLUDE) 2:18
D1 DISCIPLINE 27-II 22:33 More
Please note that stock is limited and needs to be allocated so you might not get your full requested quantity
Introducing a musical treasure from the enigmatic Sun Ra's expansive discography, Strut Records proudly presents "Inside The Light World: Sun Ra Meets The OVC”. This extraordinary album unveils previously unreleased recordings from the year 1986 for the very first time, showcasing a unique chapter in the Sun Ra catalogue, officially released for Record Store Day 2024.
Listen: https://on.soundcloud.com/kVj3m
Tracklisting:
A1 CALLING PLANET EARTH 11:01
A2 THEME OF THE STARGAZERS 8:35
A3 LOVE IN OUTER SPACE (DX7 INTERLUDE) 2:34
B1 LOVE IN OUTER SPACE 6:32
B2 STARDUST FROM TOMORROW 5:19
B3 EL IS A SOUND OF JOY 7:44
B4 SUNSET ON THE NILE (DX7 INTERLUDE) 3:20
C1 SUNSET ON THE NILE 7:39
C2 EAST OF THE SUN 4:39
C3 SATURN RINGS 6:03
C4 CALLING PLANET EARTH (PIANO INTERLUDE) 2:18
D1 DISCIPLINE 27-II 22:33 More
LP
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT343LP
Release-Date:20.04.2024
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548077780
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT343LP
Release-Date:20.04.2024
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548077780
We are happy to announce this Greg Foat & Gigi Masin tile for this year's RecordStoreDay release!
Please note that stock is limited and needs to be allocated so you might not get your full requested quantity
Fresh off the heels of their critically acclaimed collaboration album, Dolphin, UK jazz metro Greg Foat and Venetian electronic luminary Gigi Masin join forces once again for The Fish Factory Sessions, an exclusive release for Record Store Day 2024.
1LP pressed on translucent sky blue vinyl housed in an untreated card sleeve with spot varnish.
Listen: listen.k7.com/53a48642-00a5-40c8-ae62-7ecf308cf8b2
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Please note that stock is limited and needs to be allocated so you might not get your full requested quantity
Fresh off the heels of their critically acclaimed collaboration album, Dolphin, UK jazz metro Greg Foat and Venetian electronic luminary Gigi Masin join forces once again for The Fish Factory Sessions, an exclusive release for Record Store Day 2024.
1LP pressed on translucent sky blue vinyl housed in an untreated card sleeve with spot varnish.
Listen: listen.k7.com/53a48642-00a5-40c8-ae62-7ecf308cf8b2
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LP
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT299LP
Release-Date:05.04.2024
Genre:Soul/Funk
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548079975
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT299LP
Release-Date:05.04.2024
Genre:Soul/Funk
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548079975
Strut proudly presents the first official remastered reissue of Lafayette Afro Rock Band's elusive funk/Afro original album, 'Malik,' originally released in 1974.
Tracklist
1.1Djungi
1.2Raff
1.3Conga
1.4Avi-Vo
1.5Malik
1.6Darkest Light
1.7Baba Hya More
Tracklist
1.1Djungi
1.2Raff
1.3Conga
1.4Avi-Vo
1.5Malik
1.6Darkest Light
1.7Baba Hya More
LP
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT300LP
Release-Date:05.04.2024
Genre:Soul/Funk
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548080162
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT300LP
Release-Date:05.04.2024
Genre:Soul/Funk
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548080162
Strut proudly presents the first official remastered reissue of the funk/Afro classic, Lafayette Afro Rock Band's 'Soul Makossa' from 1973.
Tracklist
1.1Soul Makossa
1.2Azeta
1.3Oglenon
1.4Voodounon
1.5Hihache
1.6Nicky More
Tracklist
1.1Soul Makossa
1.2Azeta
1.3Oglenon
1.4Voodounon
1.5Hihache
1.6Nicky More
3LP
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT204LPC
Release-Date:16.02.2024
Configuration:3LP
Barcode:4062548078282
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT204LPC
Release-Date:16.02.2024
Configuration:3LP
Barcode:4062548078282
"Strut Records were there first, well before DFA recorded The Rapture's Sub Pop debut. 'Disco Not Disco' preceded the punk funk revolution by two years." Resident Advisor Strut present a new repress of the influential first volume of 'Disco Not Disco' compiled by Joey Negro and Sean P as part of the label's 20th Anniversary. 'Disco Not Disco' was a perfectly timed compilation back in 2000. Released when interest in the myths, history and playlists of original New York clubs like Paradise Garage and The Loft was at its peak, the album drew on the outer limits of leftfield disco championed by Levan and Mancuso, bringing together unlikely dancefloor anthems by rock acts like Yoko Ono and Ian Dury, obscurities from cottage labels like BC and Splash and selected oddities from the unique mind of avant-garde hero, Arthur Russell. It was essentially a celebration of the sonic melting pot in New York during the early '80s, an era when punk had burnt itself out and disco had become commercial and saccharine; in its place, the post-punk movement threw up brilliant oddities which tore up the accepted rulebook. Since its release, the compilation title has become a by-word for a whole genre of music and remains a landmark collection of its time. With original copies now changing hands for €100+, this new pressing is a welcome return for an essential celebration of disco's difficult cousins. The album features full original artwork and Kris Needs' sleeve notes and is remastered and cut by The Carvery.
Tracklist
1.1Yoko Ono - Walking On Thin Ice (1981 Re-Edit)
1.2Liquid Liquid - Cavern
1.3Loose Joints - Tell You (Today) (Vocal)
1.4Ian Dury & The Seven Seas Players - Spasticus Autisticu
2.1Material - Over And Over
2.2Was (Not Was) - Wheel Me Out
2.3Dinosaur - Kiss Me Again (Original Edit)
2.4Don Cherry - I Walk
3.1Common Sense - Voices Inside My Head
3.2Nicky Siano - Move
3.3Indian Ocean - School Bell / Tree House More
Tracklist
1.1Yoko Ono - Walking On Thin Ice (1981 Re-Edit)
1.2Liquid Liquid - Cavern
1.3Loose Joints - Tell You (Today) (Vocal)
1.4Ian Dury & The Seven Seas Players - Spasticus Autisticu
2.1Material - Over And Over
2.2Was (Not Was) - Wheel Me Out
2.3Dinosaur - Kiss Me Again (Original Edit)
2.4Don Cherry - I Walk
3.1Common Sense - Voices Inside My Head
3.2Nicky Siano - Move
3.3Indian Ocean - School Bell / Tree House More
2LP
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT230LP
Release-Date:20.10.2023
Configuration:2LP
Barcode:
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Cat-No:STRUT230LP
Release-Date:20.10.2023
Configuration:2LP
Barcode:
A new compilation explores the far reaches of the post-punk, experimental and electronic landscape in Switzerland on Senza Decoro: Liebe & Anarchia in Switzerland 1980-1990. Curated by producer / DJ Mehmet Aslan.
Tracklist
1.1Dr. Chattanooga & The Navarones - Kabylmarabù
1.2Mittageisen - Anfang
1.3Elephant Château - Wir Fangen Mit Arbeit An
1.4Unknownmix - Nightmare
1.5Aboriginal Voices - Le Jour L'ennui
1.6Café Türk - Söyledir
1.7Lilliput - Boat-Song
1.8Bells Of Kyoto - Asho II
2.1Schamanen Circel - Arbeiter (The Worker)
2.2El Deux - Gletscher (Mehmet Aslan Edit)
2.3Konx - Basic Ground Without Voice (Mehmet Aslan Edit)
2.4Jürg Nutz - Labyrinth
2.5Schaltkreis Wassermann - Arabesque
2.6Die Welttraumforscher - Mondfolklore
2.7Christine Scaller - L'ombre Dorée Du Scarabée Bleu
Stream: https://listen.k7.com/b62b09e4-0c20-4b29-aa66-7b24f5e02f06 More
Tracklist
1.1Dr. Chattanooga & The Navarones - Kabylmarabù
1.2Mittageisen - Anfang
1.3Elephant Château - Wir Fangen Mit Arbeit An
1.4Unknownmix - Nightmare
1.5Aboriginal Voices - Le Jour L'ennui
1.6Café Türk - Söyledir
1.7Lilliput - Boat-Song
1.8Bells Of Kyoto - Asho II
2.1Schamanen Circel - Arbeiter (The Worker)
2.2El Deux - Gletscher (Mehmet Aslan Edit)
2.3Konx - Basic Ground Without Voice (Mehmet Aslan Edit)
2.4Jürg Nutz - Labyrinth
2.5Schaltkreis Wassermann - Arabesque
2.6Die Welttraumforscher - Mondfolklore
2.7Christine Scaller - L'ombre Dorée Du Scarabée Bleu
Stream: https://listen.k7.com/b62b09e4-0c20-4b29-aa66-7b24f5e02f06 More
CD
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT230CD
Release-Date:20.10.2023
Configuration:CD
Barcode:4062548064759
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1CD digipak w/ 32 pp booklet
A new compilation explores the far reaches of the post-punk, experimental and electronic landscape in Switzerland on Senza Decoro: Liebe & Anarchia in Switzerland 1980-1990. Curated by producer / DJ Mehmet Aslan.
Tracklist
1.1Dr. Chattanooga & The Navarones - Kabylmarabù
1.2Mittageisen - Anfang
1.3Elephant Château - Wir Fangen Mit Arbeit An
1.4Unknownmix - Nightmare
1.5Aboriginal Voices - Le Jour L'ennui
1.6Café Türk - Söyledir
1.7Lilliput - Boat-Song
1.8Bells Of Kyoto - Asho II
2.1Schamanen Circel - Arbeiter (The Worker)
2.2El Deux - Gletscher (Mehmet Aslan Edit)
2.3Konx - Basic Ground Without Voice (Mehmet Aslan Edit)
2.4Jürg Nutz - Labyrinth
2.5Schaltkreis Wassermann - Arabesque
2.6Die Welttraumforscher - Mondfolklore
2.7Christine Scaller - L'ombre Dorée Du Scarabée Bleu
Stream: https://listen.k7.com/b62b09e4-0c20-4b29-aa66-7b24f5e02f06 More
A new compilation explores the far reaches of the post-punk, experimental and electronic landscape in Switzerland on Senza Decoro: Liebe & Anarchia in Switzerland 1980-1990. Curated by producer / DJ Mehmet Aslan.
Tracklist
1.1Dr. Chattanooga & The Navarones - Kabylmarabù
1.2Mittageisen - Anfang
1.3Elephant Château - Wir Fangen Mit Arbeit An
1.4Unknownmix - Nightmare
1.5Aboriginal Voices - Le Jour L'ennui
1.6Café Türk - Söyledir
1.7Lilliput - Boat-Song
1.8Bells Of Kyoto - Asho II
2.1Schamanen Circel - Arbeiter (The Worker)
2.2El Deux - Gletscher (Mehmet Aslan Edit)
2.3Konx - Basic Ground Without Voice (Mehmet Aslan Edit)
2.4Jürg Nutz - Labyrinth
2.5Schaltkreis Wassermann - Arabesque
2.6Die Welttraumforscher - Mondfolklore
2.7Christine Scaller - L'ombre Dorée Du Scarabée Bleu
Stream: https://listen.k7.com/b62b09e4-0c20-4b29-aa66-7b24f5e02f06 More
2LP
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT340LP
Release-Date:29.09.2023
Genre:World Music
Configuration:2LP
Barcode:4062548064445
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Last in:05.04.2024
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Cat-No:STRUT340LP
Release-Date:29.09.2023
Genre:World Music
Configuration:2LP
Barcode:4062548064445
Occasionally, you find music outside the commercial mainstream, outside of everything – the music of visionaries, eccentrics, inventors, loners, the keepers of secrets, the path-finders. Moondog, Daphne Oram, Harry Partch are from this mould. And so too is Lori Vambe. This is the first ever reissue of Vambe’s privately pressed original albums from 1982, Drumland Dreamland and Drumgita Solo, packaged in a deluxe slipcase and featuring both albums in their original artwork!
Tracklist
1.1Intro
1.2Drumgita
1.3Ancient Boogie (Mantra)
1.4Artnam
1.5Mantra
1.6(One) Boogie Home Going
1.7Going Home Boogie (One)
1.8Un Minuto (One)
1.9Un Minuto (Two)
1.10Going Home Boogie (Two)
1.11Going Home Boogie (Three)
2.1Drumsong (One)
2.2Drumsong (Two)
2.3Drumsong (Three)
2.4Strumelody
2.5Drumelody (One)
2.6Drumelody (Two)
2.7Ydolemurd
2.8Hum Drum Dring (One)
2.9Hum Drum Dring (Two) (The Freedrum Song) More
Tracklist
1.1Intro
1.2Drumgita
1.3Ancient Boogie (Mantra)
1.4Artnam
1.5Mantra
1.6(One) Boogie Home Going
1.7Going Home Boogie (One)
1.8Un Minuto (One)
1.9Un Minuto (Two)
1.10Going Home Boogie (Two)
1.11Going Home Boogie (Three)
2.1Drumsong (One)
2.2Drumsong (Two)
2.3Drumsong (Three)
2.4Strumelody
2.5Drumelody (One)
2.6Drumelody (Two)
2.7Ydolemurd
2.8Hum Drum Dring (One)
2.9Hum Drum Dring (Two) (The Freedrum Song) More
CD
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT340CD
Release-Date:29.09.2023
Genre:World Music
Configuration:CD
Barcode:
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Cat-No:STRUT340CD
Release-Date:29.09.2023
Genre:World Music
Configuration:CD
Barcode:
Occasionally, you find music outside the commercial mainstream, outside of everything – the music of visionaries, eccentrics, inventors, loners, the keepers of secrets, the path-finders. Moondog, Daphne Oram, Harry Partch are from this mould. And so too is Lori Vambe. This is the first ever reissue of Vambe’s privately pressed original albums from 1982, Drumland Dreamland and Drumgita Solo, packaged in a deluxe slipcase and featuring both albums in their original artwork!
Tracklist
1.1Intro
1.2Drumgita
1.3Ancient Boogie (Mantra)
1.4Artnam
1.5Mantra
1.6(One) Boogie Home Going
1.7Going Home Boogie (One)
1.8Un Minuto (One)
1.9Un Minuto (Two)
1.10Going Home Boogie (Two)
1.11Going Home Boogie (Three)
2.1Drumsong (One)
2.2Drumsong (Two)
2.3Drumsong (Three)
2.4Strumelody
2.5Drumelody (One)
2.6Drumelody (Two)
2.7Ydolemurd
2.8Hum Drum Dring (One)
2.9Hum Drum Dring (Two) (The Freedrum Song) More
Tracklist
1.1Intro
1.2Drumgita
1.3Ancient Boogie (Mantra)
1.4Artnam
1.5Mantra
1.6(One) Boogie Home Going
1.7Going Home Boogie (One)
1.8Un Minuto (One)
1.9Un Minuto (Two)
1.10Going Home Boogie (Two)
1.11Going Home Boogie (Three)
2.1Drumsong (One)
2.2Drumsong (Two)
2.3Drumsong (Three)
2.4Strumelody
2.5Drumelody (One)
2.6Drumelody (Two)
2.7Ydolemurd
2.8Hum Drum Dring (One)
2.9Hum Drum Dring (Two) (The Freedrum Song) More
2LP
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT312LP
Release-Date:22.09.2023
Genre:World Music
Configuration:2LP
Barcode:4062548060881
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT312LP
Release-Date:22.09.2023
Genre:World Music
Configuration:2LP
Barcode:4062548060881
Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids are back with their first major new studio album in over 3 years, an epic, sprawling new work exploring the future, the past and the urgent reality of the present, ‘Afro Futuristic Dreams’.
Tracklist:
A1/1 AFRO FUTURISTIC DREAMS
A2/2 THANK YOU GOD
B1/3 POLICE DEM
B2/4 FIRST PEOPLES
C1/5 TRUTH TO POWER
C2/6 RE - MEMORY
C3/7 GARLAND ROSE
D1/8 REQUIEM FOR THE ANCESTORS
D2/9 NICE IT UP More
Tracklist:
A1/1 AFRO FUTURISTIC DREAMS
A2/2 THANK YOU GOD
B1/3 POLICE DEM
B2/4 FIRST PEOPLES
C1/5 TRUTH TO POWER
C2/6 RE - MEMORY
C3/7 GARLAND ROSE
D1/8 REQUIEM FOR THE ANCESTORS
D2/9 NICE IT UP More
CD
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT312CD
Release-Date:22.09.2023
Genre:World Music
Configuration:CD
Barcode:4062548061062
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT312CD
Release-Date:22.09.2023
Genre:World Music
Configuration:CD
Barcode:4062548061062
Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids are back with their first major new studio album in over 3 years, an epic, sprawling new work exploring the future, the past and the urgent reality of the present, ‘Afro Futuristic Dreams’.
Tracklist:
A1/1 AFRO FUTURISTIC DREAMS
A2/2 THANK YOU GOD
B1/3 POLICE DEM
B2/4 FIRST PEOPLES
C1/5 TRUTH TO POWER
C2/6 RE - MEMORY
C3/7 GARLAND ROSE
D1/8 REQUIEM FOR THE ANCESTORS
D2/9 NICE IT UP More
Tracklist:
A1/1 AFRO FUTURISTIC DREAMS
A2/2 THANK YOU GOD
B1/3 POLICE DEM
B2/4 FIRST PEOPLES
C1/5 TRUTH TO POWER
C2/6 RE - MEMORY
C3/7 GARLAND ROSE
D1/8 REQUIEM FOR THE ANCESTORS
D2/9 NICE IT UP More
Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT311LPC
Release-Date:16.06.2023
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548054866
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT311LPC
Release-Date:16.06.2023
Configuration:LP
Barcode:4062548054866
Recorded remotely during 2021-2022 the album took shape in the form of mutual compositions, gradually developed and embellished online. Final recording sessions took place at the majestic Chale Abbey Studios on the Isle Of Wight with Moses Boyd (drums), Tom Herbert (bass) and Siobhan Cosgrove (flute, clarinet) adding elements to several pieces. Tracks include the reflective, wistful single "Viento Calido" and drifting ambient piece "Sabena", a beautiful tribute to Gigi"s wife who sadly passed away during 2022. Greg Foat has recorded prolifically in recent years including acclaimed albums Symphonie Pacifique (2020) and The Mage (2019). Best known for his 1986 ambient masterpiece Wind and as a member of Gaussian Curve, Gigi Masin has enjoyed a revival in recent years through his Calypso album on R&S"s Apollo label and renewed touring. Dolphin represents Greg and Gigi"s first landmark recording collaboration together. "I first heard Gigi"s album Wind in 2016," remembers Greg. "I was living in Miami and I heard it playing one Summer evening. Since then, it has always been in my mind to be able to record together."
Tracklist
1.1Lee
1.2London Nights
1.3Love Theme
1.4Dolphin
1.5Sabena
1.6Leo Theo
1.7Viento Calido More
Tracklist
1.1Lee
1.2London Nights
1.3Love Theme
1.4Dolphin
1.5Sabena
1.6Leo Theo
1.7Viento Calido More
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2LP Excl
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Label:London Records
Cat-No:LMS5521861
Release-Date:17.02.2023
Genre:Electronic
Configuration:2LP Excl
Barcode:5060555218614
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Label:London Records
Cat-No:LMS5521861
Release-Date:17.02.2023
Genre:Electronic
Configuration:2LP Excl
Barcode:5060555218614
Rights: World excluding Fr & UK
2 x Solid White LP, 5mm spine Sleeve UV Gloss Finish, 2x Heavy Weight Printed Inner Sleeve UV Gloss finish, marketing sticker.
TRACKLIST DOUBLE VINYLS:
A1. Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song) (feat. The Mediaeval Baebes)
A2. Day One (feat. Dina Ipavic)
A3. Are You Alive? (feat. Penelope Isles)
B1. You Are The Frequency (feat. The Little Pest)
B2. The New Abnormal
C1. Home (feat. Anna B Savage)
C2. Dirty Rat
C3. Requiem For The Pre-Apocalypse
D1. What A Surprise (feat. The Little Pest)
D2. Moon Princess (feat. Coppe)
SHORT INFOS :
Legendary electronic music duo Orbital return Early 2023 with new album “Optical Delusion”, the Hartnoll brothers first studio album since 2018’s Monster’s Exist. Recorded in Orbital’s Brighton studio, “Optical Delusion” includes contributions from Sleaford Mods, Penelope Isles, Anna B Savage, The Little Pest, Dina Ipavic, Coppe, and perhaps most surprisingly, The Medieval Baebes.
Earlier this year, Orbital celebrated their storied history with “30 Something” which, unlike other Best Of’s, contains reworks, remakes, remixes and re-imaginings of landmark Orbital tracks including “Chime”, “Belfast”, “Halcyon”, “Satan”, and “The Box”
SHORT BIOG:
“A human being experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest [of humanity] – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison…”
You many have seen this quote attributed to Albert Einstein on social media, the archetypal Smartest Guy Ever apparently having an out-of-character religious epiphany. It certainly leapt out at Paul Hartnoll of Orbital who spotted it in Michael Pollan’s 2018 book How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence.
“As soon as I saw ‘optical delusion’ I thought Oh hey, that’s the album title,” says Paul. “It just seemed to say so much about how people construct their own realities, how we see patterns that aren’t there, how we see what we want to see.
“But it’s actually a misquote. He never quite said that. In the German original what he’s really saying is that human experience is as relative as physics. Wouldn’t it be good if we could accept that, and find a kind of universal theory of everything for the human race? Then you look at everything from history to art to your Twitter feed and you think yeah, that’s what we’re all trying to do all of the time…”
Hence ‘Optical Delusion’, the tenth original Orbital album and the latest in a burst of renewed post-pandemic creativity for two brothers who’ve stayed at the top of their game longer than anyone from the post-1988 Class of Acid House.
Now with ‘Optical Delusion’ the Hartnolls dig deeper into the unquiet psyche of our increasingly surreal and disordered world. Sketched out partly during lockdown but fully recorded in the uncertain After Times, the album summons up conflicting emotions and sometimes beguiling images from years when the science fiction doomsdays that the Hartnolls watched on TV as kids finally came true. There are mesmeric tracks with names like ‘The New Abnormal’ and ‘Requiem For The Pre-Apocalypse’ and ‘Day One’. But there are also straight-up bangers and ethereal cosmic dreams, abstract sound wars and deeply human songs of separation and loss.
And it all starts with a bang. Lead single ‘Dirty Rat’, an outright Fall-meets-Front-242 class rant with vocals by Sleaford Mods mob orator Jason Williamson, harks right back to the Hartnolls’ days of politicised anarcho-squatpunk. It began as a remix swap (Orbital did the Sleafords’ ‘I Don’t Rate You’) and morphed into a comic, brutal, bass-driven harangue not so much against our rulers but at the petty, mean-spirited, frightened, Mail-reading voters who put them there: the people who are “blaming everyone in hospital/blaming everyone at the bottom of the English Channel/blaming everyone who doesn’t look like a fried animal.”
Also key to the album is opening track ‘Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)’ which returns to an Orbital truism, that time always becomes a loop. This chugging, cyclical Orbital groove gives way to an unnerving past-meets-present timeslip fit for ‘Sapphire And Steel’ as goth maenads The Mediaeval Baebes materialise to sing ‘Ring O’Roses’ – the innocent nursery rhyme whose roots are in the Black Death.
“I’ve always liked folk music and mediaeval sounds,” says Paul, himself an occasional Morris dancer. “I had the basis of that track and I wanted to spin it off somehow.” Trawling his archives he stumbled on The Mediaeval Baebes’ version of ‘Ring O’Roses’ “and my hackles just went up. I was like, my God, this is the original pandemic folk song.”
?his being Orbital, there are collaborations galore on the album, the roles once played by Alison Goldfrapp, Lady Leshurr or David Gray now filled by new talents. London singer-songwriter Anna B Savage contributes a compellingly fragile, Anohni-like vocal to ‘Home’, in which nature reclaims the scorched and vacant mega-cities. ‘Day One’ is a pulsing techno track featuring the singer Dina Ipavic. Paul got in touch with her after working on a score for a sculpture show of giant robotic installations by his friend Giles Walker during the pandemic. First Paul cut up his own score and Ipavic’s vocals on the track The Crane, which appears on the deluxe version of the album. Then he thought, Why not work with her for real? The result is school of ‘Belfast’, a bassy dreamscape with vocalised clouds billowing above.
The pensive ‘Are You ?live?’ adds to the Orbital product range of existential questions (‘Are We Here?’, ‘Where Is It Going?’) in collaboration Bella Union signings Penelope Isles, AKA brother and sister act Lily and Jack Wolter. “They’re our studio mates, they work upstairs!” says Paul happily. “And they’ve both got amazing voices.”
But Orbital are Orbital and never far from the dancefloor. “Eventually the more abrasive bits came back into the fold…” ‘You Are The Frequency’, first of two tracks to feature mysterious vocalist The Little Pest, surrounds the listener with warped voices ordering you to the dancefloor (Phil: “we wanted the idea that the music is kind of absorbing you”). And the second, the sinister ‘What A Surprise’, traps you in a paranoid electronic hall of mirrors.
In another nod to Orbital’s resurgent past the cover artwork once again comes from fine art painter John Greenwood, creator of fantastical grotesques for the covers of ‘Snivilisation’, ‘In Sides’ and Orbital’s most recent album, 2018’s ‘Monsters Exist’. Orbital had just had a slick Mark Farrow cover for ‘30 Something’ – this is a return to the overripe and bulbous techno-organic constructions that somehow express Orbital’s own uncontrollably fertile sound.
There are gaps in the future that Orbital are desperate to fill too; there will be tours and festivals and rooms and fields full of people. Those long paralysed months when we had little to look forward to but a Zoom DJ set made Paul and Phil appreciate the things that make life worth living.
More
2 x Solid White LP, 5mm spine Sleeve UV Gloss Finish, 2x Heavy Weight Printed Inner Sleeve UV Gloss finish, marketing sticker.
TRACKLIST DOUBLE VINYLS:
A1. Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song) (feat. The Mediaeval Baebes)
A2. Day One (feat. Dina Ipavic)
A3. Are You Alive? (feat. Penelope Isles)
B1. You Are The Frequency (feat. The Little Pest)
B2. The New Abnormal
C1. Home (feat. Anna B Savage)
C2. Dirty Rat
C3. Requiem For The Pre-Apocalypse
D1. What A Surprise (feat. The Little Pest)
D2. Moon Princess (feat. Coppe)
SHORT INFOS :
Legendary electronic music duo Orbital return Early 2023 with new album “Optical Delusion”, the Hartnoll brothers first studio album since 2018’s Monster’s Exist. Recorded in Orbital’s Brighton studio, “Optical Delusion” includes contributions from Sleaford Mods, Penelope Isles, Anna B Savage, The Little Pest, Dina Ipavic, Coppe, and perhaps most surprisingly, The Medieval Baebes.
Earlier this year, Orbital celebrated their storied history with “30 Something” which, unlike other Best Of’s, contains reworks, remakes, remixes and re-imaginings of landmark Orbital tracks including “Chime”, “Belfast”, “Halcyon”, “Satan”, and “The Box”
SHORT BIOG:
“A human being experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest [of humanity] – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison…”
You many have seen this quote attributed to Albert Einstein on social media, the archetypal Smartest Guy Ever apparently having an out-of-character religious epiphany. It certainly leapt out at Paul Hartnoll of Orbital who spotted it in Michael Pollan’s 2018 book How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence.
“As soon as I saw ‘optical delusion’ I thought Oh hey, that’s the album title,” says Paul. “It just seemed to say so much about how people construct their own realities, how we see patterns that aren’t there, how we see what we want to see.
“But it’s actually a misquote. He never quite said that. In the German original what he’s really saying is that human experience is as relative as physics. Wouldn’t it be good if we could accept that, and find a kind of universal theory of everything for the human race? Then you look at everything from history to art to your Twitter feed and you think yeah, that’s what we’re all trying to do all of the time…”
Hence ‘Optical Delusion’, the tenth original Orbital album and the latest in a burst of renewed post-pandemic creativity for two brothers who’ve stayed at the top of their game longer than anyone from the post-1988 Class of Acid House.
Now with ‘Optical Delusion’ the Hartnolls dig deeper into the unquiet psyche of our increasingly surreal and disordered world. Sketched out partly during lockdown but fully recorded in the uncertain After Times, the album summons up conflicting emotions and sometimes beguiling images from years when the science fiction doomsdays that the Hartnolls watched on TV as kids finally came true. There are mesmeric tracks with names like ‘The New Abnormal’ and ‘Requiem For The Pre-Apocalypse’ and ‘Day One’. But there are also straight-up bangers and ethereal cosmic dreams, abstract sound wars and deeply human songs of separation and loss.
And it all starts with a bang. Lead single ‘Dirty Rat’, an outright Fall-meets-Front-242 class rant with vocals by Sleaford Mods mob orator Jason Williamson, harks right back to the Hartnolls’ days of politicised anarcho-squatpunk. It began as a remix swap (Orbital did the Sleafords’ ‘I Don’t Rate You’) and morphed into a comic, brutal, bass-driven harangue not so much against our rulers but at the petty, mean-spirited, frightened, Mail-reading voters who put them there: the people who are “blaming everyone in hospital/blaming everyone at the bottom of the English Channel/blaming everyone who doesn’t look like a fried animal.”
Also key to the album is opening track ‘Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)’ which returns to an Orbital truism, that time always becomes a loop. This chugging, cyclical Orbital groove gives way to an unnerving past-meets-present timeslip fit for ‘Sapphire And Steel’ as goth maenads The Mediaeval Baebes materialise to sing ‘Ring O’Roses’ – the innocent nursery rhyme whose roots are in the Black Death.
“I’ve always liked folk music and mediaeval sounds,” says Paul, himself an occasional Morris dancer. “I had the basis of that track and I wanted to spin it off somehow.” Trawling his archives he stumbled on The Mediaeval Baebes’ version of ‘Ring O’Roses’ “and my hackles just went up. I was like, my God, this is the original pandemic folk song.”
?his being Orbital, there are collaborations galore on the album, the roles once played by Alison Goldfrapp, Lady Leshurr or David Gray now filled by new talents. London singer-songwriter Anna B Savage contributes a compellingly fragile, Anohni-like vocal to ‘Home’, in which nature reclaims the scorched and vacant mega-cities. ‘Day One’ is a pulsing techno track featuring the singer Dina Ipavic. Paul got in touch with her after working on a score for a sculpture show of giant robotic installations by his friend Giles Walker during the pandemic. First Paul cut up his own score and Ipavic’s vocals on the track The Crane, which appears on the deluxe version of the album. Then he thought, Why not work with her for real? The result is school of ‘Belfast’, a bassy dreamscape with vocalised clouds billowing above.
The pensive ‘Are You ?live?’ adds to the Orbital product range of existential questions (‘Are We Here?’, ‘Where Is It Going?’) in collaboration Bella Union signings Penelope Isles, AKA brother and sister act Lily and Jack Wolter. “They’re our studio mates, they work upstairs!” says Paul happily. “And they’ve both got amazing voices.”
But Orbital are Orbital and never far from the dancefloor. “Eventually the more abrasive bits came back into the fold…” ‘You Are The Frequency’, first of two tracks to feature mysterious vocalist The Little Pest, surrounds the listener with warped voices ordering you to the dancefloor (Phil: “we wanted the idea that the music is kind of absorbing you”). And the second, the sinister ‘What A Surprise’, traps you in a paranoid electronic hall of mirrors.
In another nod to Orbital’s resurgent past the cover artwork once again comes from fine art painter John Greenwood, creator of fantastical grotesques for the covers of ‘Snivilisation’, ‘In Sides’ and Orbital’s most recent album, 2018’s ‘Monsters Exist’. Orbital had just had a slick Mark Farrow cover for ‘30 Something’ – this is a return to the overripe and bulbous techno-organic constructions that somehow express Orbital’s own uncontrollably fertile sound.
There are gaps in the future that Orbital are desperate to fill too; there will be tours and festivals and rooms and fields full of people. Those long paralysed months when we had little to look forward to but a Zoom DJ set made Paul and Phil appreciate the things that make life worth living.
More