2023 Repress

Tracklist
A1. Open Door (original) 11:31
B1. 00000000 (original) 18:42

C1. Open Door Theo Parrish Behind Closed Doors Remix 10:32
D1. D1 (Unreleased) 08:04
D2. Open Door (Gerd Remix) 08:51

Release Info:
In certain circles, this is a record that would easily be called „eternal“. Back in 1996, when it was originally released, it sounded like nothing else - and still does. The sixth record of Frankfurt’s soon to be imperial Playhouse label and Losoul’s first outing on the label, it hot-wired many things at once: house and techno, US roots and European fruits, grittiness and wittiness, high tech funk, the expansion pf playtimes and the concept of minimalism in dance music. Elegance met effectiveness.
A composition that hooked you and also caused a stir elsewhere. Daniel Bell licensed it to his Elevate label and commissioned a very young Theo Parrish to remix it, Michel De Hey did the same with his EC Records and treatments by Gerd among others.
Here you finally get both of those carefully restored, remastered and reissued next to the originals. Amply placed on a double 12“, it also features the previously unreleased D1. Stemming from the same time and era as Open Door it rings and feels like a compact lost brother. Addictive as on the very first day and here to stay.


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2x12"

Liner Notes by Gerd Janson

Tracklist

A1. Surprise - Original
A2. Surprise – Isolée Remix
B1. Surprise – Fake Jazz Mix
C1. Surprise – Holy Bassline Mix
D1. Surprise – Losoul Remix

In its main mix, Surprise is a classic early nineties house track that heavily nods towards the Big Apple, house music’s disco roots and the power of swinging drum programming, albeit with meticulous production work and engineering. In short, it sounded and sounds as un-German as Germans can. The Holy Bassline Mix on the other hand is already in the shape of things to come. Carried by a Roland TB-303, sprinkled with trance bits and elegiac pads, its in perfect balance.
Others thought so as well. Heavily supported by David Holmes and Andrew Weatherall, it was the manager of the latter who licensed it to Eye-Q Records UK with the addition of the Fake Jazz Mix and ordered remixes by freshmen Isoleé and Losoul who became pillars of Playhouse. The first known for his idiosyncratic and sculptural ways of creating dance music meets the irresistible funk of his peer and both add spice to the already great menu. Here you have the chance to listen and digest Surprise in all its glory and entirety for the first time. Carefully remastered and processed by Lopazz and packaged by Running Back. Remember the good times and get some more.



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Tracklist

A1. Mermaids
A2. Mermaids (Demo Version)
B1. Slacker (Unreleased Extended Version)

Mermaids is many things at once: The debut single by Fila Brazillia (named after the mishearing of a Brazilian mastiff breed mentioned on the radio), the second release on Pork Recordings, a deep house master piece, the brainchild of the summer of love, a pen friend to A Man Called Adam’s Barefoot in the Head and most of all pure balearic bliss. Originally released in 1991 and subsequently featured on Old Codes, New Chaos, which according to Frank Tope at Mixmag, is "the Best Dance LP ever made”, it marked the beginning of a long and illustrious partnership for Hull natives Steve Cobby and David (Man) McSherry.
Mermaids still sounds as good and as addictive on any kind of beach or natural environment as it supposedly did on Boris Dlugosch’s Front dance floor or any other basement suffused with strobe lights at the time (or any hedonistic place for that matter). Having been already part of the latter’s and Klaus Stockhausen’s Mastermix Front Compilation, it has now been dusted off and remastered for an individual performance. Added for the first first time though is the original demo version that makes use of a different yet not less enchanting bass line.
Also included is Fila’s 1994 trippy, dare we say progressive, UK house blueprint Slacker. A seismic shift from the traditional tropes of house, it set an example for what should rock the dance music boat just a few years later. Delivered in a previously unreleased extended version for your utmost enjoyment.
Artwork note: The sleeve photograph is a proto-selfie taken by Steve in 1983 (the year the two first met). Man still has those braces.

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Re-issue of a 1990 German deep house novelty record that ended up being a Tony Humphries Powerplay on KissFm. Re-mastered, re-issued and re-designed with care and affection. Includes Original, Instrumental and Cheveux Rouge dub.

Tracklist
A1. Das Rote Haar
A2. Das Rote Haar (Cheveaux Rouge Dub)
B1. Das Rote Haar (Instrumental)

Release info:
I first stumbled across this record on a Tony Humphries Kiss FM Mastermix from 1990. While my obsession with vintage Humphries radio shows is no mystery, „Das Rote Haar“ stayed one for a while. With all the ingredients of a novelty record (German lyrics about someone falling in love with a red haired person), but graced with a backing track that sounded somehow like a Ben Cenac or Larry Heard production and not German at all, it was almost impossible to be placed in any corner. A few years down the line, I finally found out that it was by a - surpassingly enough - short-lived German studio project called Love Club. Behind it was one of Germany’s longest-serving DJs: Jens Lissat. Together with Peter Harder they recited a poem by Francois Villon that was made popular by the late German actor Klaus Kinski and built a deep house instrumental around it. According to the creator the idea was indeed to find a groove that was similar to those of the „cool records going out of Chicago and New York at the time“. So there you go. Re-issued, re-mastered and with a re-designed picture cover, it’s your chance to share my joy with a record that is as balearic as it is basement ready. Including a dub and in case the vocal creeps you out, an instrumental version par excellence. But maybe you will fall in love with the red hair, too.


Gerd Janson

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Repress Black Vinyl

Tracklist
A1. Test 1
B1. Test 2


Shortinfo:
Acid House re-release alert! For the first time after its initial release on Playhouse Records, Roman Flügel’s sought-after and classic Acid Test 10“ is available again. Now, pressed on pink coloured vinyl (first edition only!) as a Running Back 12“ Double Copy and remastered from the original recordings. But, before writing an essay about the art school of TB303-acid-tracks, we hand it over to the man himself to hear about the genesis of this project:
„I’ve always enjoyed Acid House the most when it still has that raw simplicity.
When I recorded Acid Test One & Two in the bedroom of my parents’ house around 1993, Acid House was of course already an established genre since it’s origin in Chicago in the mid 80’s. But Acid Test was actually the first time for me to record an Acid House session I was finally happy with.
It took the usual suspects of the Roland TB 303, TR 808 and TR 909 Machines along an Ibanez Time Machine Flanger and some cheap Yamaha Digital Reverb, to create the perfect balance of the few ingredients that makes good Acid House so powerful. Two or three attempts of mix downs before the right version was recorded to DAT Cassette - only some of my own favourite records were made like this and I’m happy to see it’s re-release on Running Back so many years later.“



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Tracklist
A1. Hemisphere
A2. Hemisphere (Blade Mix)
B1. Magic Phantasy
B2. The Traveller


Shortinfo:
Subtle Houzze were Boris Dlugosch and the late Gary D. The joint venture of Hamburg’s golden boy and Front resident Dlugosch and his Unit/Tunnel counterpart Gary D was like a moment in love. Written & produced in 1992, it cast the grappling statues of techno soul and deep house in bronze. Save for two tracks of the original release, albeit graced with another and previously unavailable mix of „Hemisphere“, all the glory of the future of the past is available again. Remastered, restored and reconfigured via the Running Back Double Copy series. If you need more proof, we want to redirect you to this quote from Discogs user guigui612 from 26. September 2019: „Super good EP. Very diverse, full of deepness and emotions“.


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A little while before Metro Area came into life, there was Acronym City....

Tracklist
A. Powermoves
B. Powermoves Remix
B2. The Push

Shortinfo:

A little while before Metro Area came into life, there was Acronym City. Originally released on Sub Freq Recordings in 1996, Darshan Jesrani's moniker deals with the impact that electronic music from Detroit had on some inhabitants of said metro area. Long out of print, now carefully restored, re-mastered and slightly re-edited by Gerd Janson, Darshan Jesrani finds the missing link between techno soul and the sort of contemplative and playful heavy deep house that New York's underground was bringing forth in the early nineties. Without plagiarizing the one or the other, Acronym City naturally explores form and function of a sound that will never grow old. Backed up by an ethereal stop and go remix version of "Powermoves" by DJ Sprout and escorted by "The Push", this one is for the users.


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Tracklist:
A1. Äkäsha (edit) B1. Thank You Larry (edit) B2. Let's Take A Break (edit)

Shortinfo:
Being selfish, is one of the good things about running your own label. If you please, you can just try and re-release that certain record that you always wanted for yourself, but never could get your hand on it. Now, you can just edit it the way you always wanted it to be (oh, those fade-outs...) and press it up. This is one of these occasions.
When Kalk (the collaborative project of Philippe Heinen and Joffrey Becker) was released on Julien Briffaz' label Brif in 1999, I just had started to DJ out at a Club in Darmstadt (the late Café Kesselhaus) and the restrained, yet punchy house tracks symbolized what I liked about deep house back then: a mellow alternative to the BPM hunt and rigid attitude in mainstream techno, while not losing itself in chin-stroking wisdom or pesky noodling.
It seemed that there weren't too many around with the same desire. Otherwise "Akasha" wouldn't have remained a diamond in disguise and not what Morgan Geist so aptly named an "unclassic". By his definition, that is: an old by and large forgotten record that would have deserved to be hit. If you take discogs as an indicator, more and more people start to think so though. Here is your second chance to obtain a copy of the spirit of Kalk. Mildly edited and restored in the best human-possible way. Mind you, it's old house music from days of Yore. If you look for the production values of a Phil Collins, please go somewhere else.

DJ GJ
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Tracklist
A1. It Works
A2. Without Thought (Bassline 1)
A3..Without Thought (Bassline 2)
B1. Lakeview Slang (First Mix)
B2. Lakeview Slang (The Mix)


Shortinfo:
Running Back Double Copy Re-issues the Final Cut Mateo & Matos Holy Grail Lovingly Re-mastered
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LP, Heavy 350gsm Sleeve, Sticker

Genre: Ambient, Proto-Techno, Experimental, Minimalism


Tracklisting LP

a1. entrance
a2. orientation
a3. club-a
a4. club-b
b1. days-man
b2. boy in vision
b3. schooling
b4. graduation

WRWTFWW Records is honored to announce the first ever vinyl release for esteemed Japanese producer, composer, and environmental music luminary Yoshio Ojima’s rare forgotten album Club, previously only released as a limited edition of 50 cassettes back in 1983. The electronica/proto-techno/experimental gem is available as an LP reissue supervised by the artist, sourced from the original masters and housed in a heavy 350gsm sleeve. Only 500 copies were made.

A precious and sought-after item among collectors and enthusiasts of early Japanese electronic music, Club is a stunning and timeless collection of avant-garde electronica, proto-techno, mecha-ambient, and ear-pleasing experimentations from Yoshio Ojima, the ambient/environmental master behind the pivotal Music for Spiral albums released in 1988 (aka Une Collection Des Chaînons I and II reissued on WRWTFWW), and producer of Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Pier & Loft, Motohiko Hamase’s #Notes of Forestry, and Satsuki Shibano's iconic Rendez-Vous.

Filled with quirky minimalist acid-synth-and-drum-machine-handiwork, bouncy collages of beautifully childlike techno and pre-IDM, and the irresistible DIY charm of humble beginnings, the 8-track album is a fun, adventurous and risqué-but-catchy-in-the-most-peculiar-way piece of Japanese electronic music history neatly capturing the incredible creative energy boiling through the country’s scene in the 1980s.


Experience the roots of Japanese electronica!


Points of interests

For fans of electronica, ambient, minimalism, kankyo ongaku, cassettes, YMO, Hiroshi Yoshimura, DIY adventures, albums that were never on vinyl before, music that predicted the future (which is now the present…or even the past!)

First ever vinyl release of Japanese environmental music legend Yoshio Ojima’s super rare 1983 album Club. More

12"

Tracklist:

A-Side
A1 Tabu (06:30 min)
A2 Love Cave (05:05 min)

B-Side
B1 Bass in Space (09:42 min)
B2 DJ Drum Tool Edit (04:35 min)
B3 Alto Voltaje (07:30 min)

Short information:
As an extension of his highly successful „Big Beat Manifesto“ series on Public
Possession, currently standing at Volume XI, Eden now opens up his garden to invite
some friends. The BBM label will host a series of releases that are close to his heart.
Secret D.J. Tools, meditative seances & more. Kicking of the new label is young
fellow kiwi Colter Carson, delivering 5 stellar dance songs. Already tested &
approved this mix of heavy percussion, quirky baselines and large synths will be just
the right treat for all fans of the Big Beats! More

Track list:
A1. Jet Free
A2. Cryfaze
A3. Tiraquon's Final Quest
B1. 1 4 U
B2. Acid Funk Sequel (Vinyl Exclusive)
B3. Beyond2

Highlight:
Space Dimension Controller returns to Aus Music with six tracks of superb cosmic adventure

EP arrives digitally or as a six-track 12" including exclusive vinyl-only cut 'Acid Funk Sequel' on July 26th
Space Dimension Controller is an intergalactic musical explorer. His sci-fi sounds paint technicolour pictures
in widescreen. Whether crafting definitive albums like Love Beyond The Intersect on R&S, club-ready EPs
for Aus and Running Back or dropping collections of unreleased tracks on his own Tiraquon Recordings, his
work sounds futuristic yet nostalgic for the past. It is fueled by funk and crafted on synths, hardware, tape
machines and various other imperfect tools that lend it a loveable character.

His Final Quest EP is a "French-inspired" release, which is an influence that predates the Space Dimension
Controller alias and goes back to Hamill's teenage years. It is also the last EP from his current studio before
it is dismantled and moved to Amsterdam sometime this summer.

From start to finish, this new EP showcases Hamill's ability to craft emotionally evocative melodies and
genuinely absorbing soundtracks. Opener 'Jet Free' is awash with filtered synths that are sugary sweet and
underpinned by funky guitar riffs and laissez-faire grooves. The wonderful 'Cryfaze' has rueful pads spiralling
around sleek drums that bounce along next to supple neon arps, while 'Tiraquon's Final Quest' is a bubbling
and elastic rhythm run through with soft acid squelches and pixelated pads full of cosmic charm. '1 4 U' rides
on heavier drums but is no less joyous thanks to the crystalline melodies and dreamy vocals that swell the
heart. Vinyl exclusive 'Acid Funk Sequel' is another playful moon safari with buoyant bass patterns and
snappy drum funk under ever-evolving melodic refrains and 'Beyond2' closes down with forlorn, introspective
melodies that ripple over heavy-hearted chords.
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GENRE/S: HOUSE

TRACKLISTS:
A1. Smokey And The Fundance Kid ft. Nikolai
A2. Mixdemos ft. San Proper
B1. Mind The Gap ft. Testa Rosa
B2. Droidt ft. San Proper
B3. Grappa ft. Nikolai

SHORT INFO:

Time to freshen up











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Special remarks: 180g

Tracklist:

A1) Akin (02:51 min)
A2) Cathedral (05:45 min)
A3) Whoo (04:45 min)
A4) Anirugui (04:33 min)
B1) Buuwein Duu (02:11 min)
B2) Ybbs (04:16 min)
B3) Tunneling (03:32 min)
B4) Ipê (05:36 min)

Info:
Squama regulars Enji and Popp join forces on ‘Nant’, the debut LP by their newly minted duo ‘Poeji’, exploring the confines of Post-Dub and Downtempo.
2022’s 3-track EP ‘031921 5.24 5.53’, released as a limited run of dubplates, was the first testament to their open approach to writing, which takes only very basic ideas and relies on non-verbal communication to define form and pace.
Enji’s vocals are less centre-stage than on her solo endeavors, piercing through reverb plates and guitar pedals while Simon inked his signature set of wooden and metal percussions with chains of tape echoes and analog delay.
Listening to ‘Nant’ as a snapshot of Poeji’s artistry at a certain time and place can instill a sense of gratitude within the listener that something so fleeting can be captured.
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- Beautiful 1 LP 33rpm Cut Re-Edition
- 33 rpm LP mastercut by Emil Berliner

*** TERRITORY RESTRICTION - NO SALES TO JAPAN ***

Tracklisting:
1. Mr. Henri Rousseau's Dream
2. Crossing
3. Trompe-l'œil
4. Catastrophe E

Info


WRWTFWW & Palto Flats Records are ecstatic to announce the highly-anticipated reissue of Japanese percussionist Midori Takada's sought after and timeless ambient / minimal album "Through The Looking Glass", originally released in 1983 by RCA Japan.

Considered a Holy Grail of Japanese music by many, "Through The Looking Glass" is Midori Takada's first solo endeavor, a captivating four-song suite capturing her deep quests into traditional African and Asian percussive language and exploring contemplative ambient sounds with an admirably precise use of marimba. The result is alternatively ethereal and vibrant, always precise and mesmerizing, and makes for an atmospheric masterpiece and an unparalleled sonic and spiritual experience.

The fully licensed reissue is available as a single 33rpm LP and a limited 45rpm DLP, both cut directly from the original studio reels (AAA), at Emil Berliner (formerly the in-house recording department of renowned classical record label Deutsche Grammophon) for the 45rpm DLP, and at the equally famous Frankfurter SST Studio for the LP. It is also available in CD format for the first time. All versions come with extensive liner notes.

Bio

Midori Takada is a composer, multi percussionist, and theater artist renowned in Japanese vanguard circles. She will tour Europe this year.

Midori released two solo albums: "Through The Looking Glass" and "Tree Of Life" and wrote music for Tadashi Suzuki's theater plays. Her hypnotic, minimalist music is based in the concept of coherence between sound and the human body. She performs solo on marimba and other percussion instruments.

She debuted on the scene of Berlin Philharmonic, performing with the RIAS Symphonie-Orchester Berlin just after graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1974. She continued her career with solo concerts in Japan and abroad.

In the 1980s Midori began to explore the traditional music of Asia and Africa. Her fascination resulted in joint projects with Kakraba Lobi from Ghana, Lamine Konte from Senegal, Farafina Band from Burkina Faso, and Korean musicians: zither player Chi Seong-Ja, flute player Won-Il, and saxophone player Kang Tae-Hwan. She also led Mkwaju Ensemble's innovative percussion project and still performs with free-jazz band Ton-Klami with Kang Tae-Hwan and jazz pianist Masahiko Satoh.

In the past 20 years, Midori Takada spent more time in theaters than in concert halls - composing and performing live music for theater. She regularly works with Tadashi Suzuki and his Suzuki Company of Toga on their adaptations of "Electra" and "King Lear".

Takada's compositions have a remarkable way of affecting the imagination. Her minimalist, contemplative music is filled with the concept of infinity and reminds us of a moon voyage, falling stars, a journey into the ocean, or a walk in the garden. The trans melodies, initially simple, begin to loop and splinter, their rhythm breaking and thickening, slowly drawing the listener into another reality.

Every live performance Midori Takada gives is unique and prepared especially for that occasion.


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Format Notes: 2023 reissue, 140g vinyl, remastered for this edition by Simon Francis

Territories: Worldwide no restrictions

Track List:

A1 Can You Feel It (Part 1)
A2 You Better Believe It
A3 Soul On Your Side
A4 Zone

B1 Funk-N-You
B2 Street Dreamin'
B3 You're My Last Girl
B4 Monterey
B5 Can You Feel It (Part 2)

Release Notes:

The Rhythm Makers's Soul On Your Side is flawless proto-disco funk. The Bronx-based band - that later went on to form heavyweight disco outfit GQ - originally released this treasure in 1976 and it's long been a hard to find record. It's also rare to find a record this hard. Captivating funk at its rawest, no doubt.

Storming out the gate with the rollicking Loft/Garage staple "Can You Feel It (Part 1)", the listener is immediately put on notice that this LP is just a little bit special. The title track, "Soul On Your Side", is a classic dancer and the basis of GQ's future hit "Disco Nights". But it's perhaps "Zone", a huge Baldelli track, that the record is best known for. Hypnotic psyched-out cosmic-disco / cosmic funk, it's an unrelenting groove that really thrusts the party into hyperdrive. With doses of scintillating Latin and pulsating African rhythms driving the pumping tune, atop an unstoppable bassline and imaginative, soul-slathered keyboard figures, it's basically a full-on funk assault. You might need a lie-down after this.

But there's no let-up on the B-Side, immediately grooving thanks to "Funk-N-You", a laidback glider that just rolls in the sleek style. Gorgeous harmony skills are displayed on "Street Dreamin'". Beautiful and gritty funk, by turns. "You're My Last Girl" is an airy ballad with two leads before the legendary "Monterey" enters the fray. A much-sampled instrumental and heavy disco-funk nugget, it contains an amazing B-Boy drum break making the whole LP worth the price of admission. "Can You Feel It (Part 2)" closes out this spectacular set.

The Rhythm Makers had been gigging around New York City since the late ’60s, having initially come together as Sabu and the Survivors, named after bassist Keith “Sabu” Crier. They eventually - for this album at least! - settled on The Rhythm Makers and cut one record for the small De-Lite subsidiary Vigor. The core lineup featured Crier, keyboardist Herb Lane, drummer Kenny Banks and rhythm guitarist Rahiem Leblanc.

Mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Cicely Balston for Alchemy at AIR Studios with artwork restored at Be With HQ, this new edition should hopefully bring this album into the homes and record boxes of many more people.
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- Vinyl Only. Produced by Ollie Marland of De-Lite and Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart fame
Label logo by manga legend Shintaro Kago

Vinyl: 350gsm, Sleeve With Logo by Shintaro Kago Printed Inside, Sticker

Presented by Mitsuko & Svetlana Records, distributed by WRWTFWW Records.

Archival reissue of rare 1984 jazz-funk fusion diamond in the rough by German-Australian-British madcap ensemble Bells of Kyoto, produced by Ollie Marland of De-Lite and Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart fame. Fusions grooves with Orient-funk detours and looking out the window of a Swissair aircraft moments of cool mid 1980s contemplation.

Highly recommended to porthole dreamers, seasoned mind travelers, inventive dancefloor adventurers, and dogs who like to stick their head out the car window.

Tracklisting
A1. Swiss Air
A2. Asho II
A3. Temple
A4. Unterschwelliger Durchblick
B1. Swiss Air (Easy Teenage Version)
B2. Vistas
B3. Asho I




Drums - Alex Friedrich
Electric Bass - Peter Drefahl
Mastered By - Rico Sonderegger
Piano, Bells - Peter Waters
Producer - Bells Of Kyoto, Laurie Carls, Ollie Marland
Recorded By - Laurie Carls, Ollie Marland
Synthesizer, Guitar, Percussion - Ollie Marland


Points of interests

- For fans of jazz, fusion, funk, Oriental grooves, ambient, rarities, percussion, WRWTFWW Records, De-Lite, and dogs who like to stick their head out the car window.

- Rare gem reissued on vinyl for the first time since 1984.

- Third release from Mitsuko & Svetlana Records (Piero Milesi - The Nuclear Observatory of Mr. Nanof, Sora - Re.sort), distributed by friends WRWTFWW Records (Midori Takada's Through The Looking Glass, Lunar Cruise and MWKAJU ensemble's projects, Kenji Kawai's Ghost in the Shell Original Soundtrack, Yasuaki Shimizu's Kakashi, John Carpenter's Dark Star Soundtrack, Piero Umiliani's Tra Scienza e Fantascienza and Il Mondo Dei Romani, Bernard Parmegiani soundtracks, Colored Music's self-titled album, EP-4's Lingua Franca-1, Normal Brain's Lady Maid…), label founded and curated by Olivier Ducret of Mental Groove and Musique Pour La Danse (Miss Kittin, Orbe, Donato Dozzy, Imperial Tiger Orchestra...) and Stephan Armleder of Villa Magica Records (Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Christian Marclay, Stephan Eicher & Rainier Lericolais, John Armleder, Sylvie Fleury…)
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Territories: Worldwide no restrictions

Format Notes: 2023 reissue, 140g vinyl

Track List:

A1. Manhattan Skyline 4:27
A2. Mysteries Of The World 5:27
A3. Tell Me Why 3:57
A4. Metamorphosis 5:16
--
B1. Fortune Teller 6:08
B2. Old San Juan 4:27
B3. Thank You Miss Scott 4:14
B4. In The Shadow 3:37

Release Notes:

Mysteries Of The World is the stunning final studio album from legendary Philly supergroup MFSB. Expertly co-written and produced with the mighty Dexter Wansel, it features the untouchable, sparkling masterpiece "Mysteries Of The World". The whole album is truly exquisite; a stylish, classy collection of pure Philly soul and orchestral jazz-funk.

MFSB, an acronym for Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, was formed by producers Gamble & Huff of Philadelphia International Records. The band's roots can be traced back to the house band at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios, where they played on numerous hit records by artists like The O'Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes and The Stylistics. Mysteries Of The World comprises slick jazz-funk grooves, mostly penned by Wansel, who produced a fair chunk of the album in a similar style to his space-funk records. MFSB's smooth sound is retained but it receives a fresh, elegant and jazzy upgrade. While this album is as mellow as the rest of the latter-period MFSB recordings, it never forgets the group's soul music underpinnings.

Swaggering, well-timed horn blasts, sweeping strings and a percolating, hard thumping slap-bassline combine to devastating effect on amazing opener "Manhattan Skyline". It's a sexy mid-tempo instrumental which sets us up nicely for what follows. Essays could be written analysing the perfection of title track. Arguably the finest jazz-funk instrumental ever made, it's absolutely magnificent. Featuring musicianship of the highest calibre, the band play with their trademark tight discipline, cooking up a syncopating rhythm with an array of exploratory keyboard riffs wrapped around a punchy bassline sent from heaven. It sounds like house music, it's that ahead of its time. The string intro is sumptuous, hypnotic and divine and that's all before the beat hits. The track fuses classical, jazz and funk into a musical journey that you never want to end. Absolutely flawless, it's a dramatic disco dancefloor killer.

Says Dexter Wansel himself: "You know, of all the songs I wrote/produced/arranged for MFSB, this is for me the most different. I think it's an experiment in rhythmic, soft sonic synth and live string and harp combinations. I composed it in an effort to blend a funky groove, along with synthesis, and orchestral sounds. There are 3 synthesizers: Oberheim 4 voice, Polymoog, and of course Arp 2600v. And, as I remember, I recorded the track with the rhythm section, string, harp and flute players first. Then I added synthesis."

The profound elegance remains in abundance on the slinky, harp-laced "Tell Me Why"; Carla Benson's beautiful voice truly shines on this sophisticated cut. The side closes out in dramatic style with the string-drenched "Metamorphosis". It's a staccato, Blaxploitation groove workout featuring wah-wah guitar, creeping basslines, rich horn solos and soulful vocals drifting in and out of the mix. The bouncy, irrepressible "Fortune Teller" opens the B side in the bass-heavy orchestral funk style before the beautiful "Old San Juan" glides in, a Balearic-adjacent track with intricate arrangements, building its mellow soul groove around an atypical flamenco guitar hook. Melancholy, guitar-led instrumental "Thank You Miss Scott" is a real highlight, with gorgeous flute, string and percussive elements whilst closer "In the Shadow" works an otherworldly synth line into its bossa nova groove.

An essential record for fans of Philly soul and groovy jazz-funk, Mysteries Of The World was mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Cicely Ralston for Alchemy at AIR Studios. The stunning artwork, the work of renowned illustrator Robert Giusti, was restored at Be With HQ to round out this beautiful reissue.


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