LP, Limited

Genre: Balearic, Disco, Indie Dance, Electonic

Tracklist LP


A
1. Interplanetary Soccer
2. Dream Cycles
3. Watching UFOs in the Park
4. The Moon At Halftime

B
1. Liquid Roses
2. Piacere
3. Sunbathing with Venus
4. Winter Reprise

Short Info:


"Night Swim" is the debut LP from Bellofatto & Gentile, a collaboration that was founded on the soccer fields of Austin, Texas during the spring of 2019. The duo of Giovanni Bellofatto (an alias of Jesse Edwards) ) & Dan Gentile initially started exploring the melodies and textures of Italian dream house, but those experiments soon evolved to include modular synthesizers, breakbeats, and left-field samples.

Bellofatto's work dates back to the 90's and has credits on albums by Jessica Bailiff (Kranky), Odd Nosdam (Anticon), and His Name Is Alive. In the early 00's, he pioneered acoustic / electronic territories with his psychedelic project Red Morning Chorus. His forthcoming solo LP "The Otherworld" is due for release on Vancouver's Pacific Rhythm under the moniker C Thru. With 20 years of DJing under his belt, Gentile released his first house music productions as Time Zones in 2019 on Mystery Zone Records, with subsequent singles on Bay Area Disco and Moiss Music. He now lives in San Francisco, where he works as a journalist and creates visual art using a modular video synthesizer.

The legend John Beltran provides mixing treatments on half of "Night Swim" that will be released on Prins Thomas's balearic imprint Horisontal Mambo in 2023.
massage by
Prins Thomas.
Mambo HQ, Asker, September 2023



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LP, Limited, Download included

Genre: Balearic, Disco, Indie Dance, Electonic

Tracklist 12":

A
1 Can't Afford To Not Record
2 AI Sunset
3 After Hours
4 Inner Engineering

B
1 Serendipity
2 L8
3 Nightshift University
4 Rêverie

Short Info:


After a long hiatus Marius Våreid returns home debuting his new The Inner Sleeves moniker.
Already a mainstay on Full Pupp under his own name and in tandem with Jarle Bråthen as
Ytre Rymden Dansskola (and not to mention his pioneering work in the norwegian electronic music scene
with the "norwegian Grammy"-winning Päronsoda) this release represents a new chapter in
Marius' long and varied musical story.
Free floating ideas and sketches written over time, then stretched out and given a final massage by
Prins Thomas.
Mambo HQ, Asker, August 2022
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LP, Limited, Download

Genre: Balearic, Disco, Indie Dance, Electonic

Tracklist:


A
1 Giorgio Lopez Chalet Miseno 00:06:27
2 Giorgio Lopez Journey To Punta Pennata 00:05:20
3 Giorgio Lopez Lido Florida Theme 00:04:31
B
4 Giorgio Lopez Luna Mirabilis 00:05:04
5 Giorgio Lopez Dragonara Punch 00:04:57
6 Giorgio Lopez via Faro 00:04:56




Short Info:

The Neapolitan producer makes a comeback on Horisontal Mambo with an ideal follow-up to his previous LP “Palinuro Phonebox”
and once again teams up with label boss Prins Thomas for some mixdown touches.
Halfway between italoboogie and Balearic beats, Chalet Miseno is a nostalgic ode to some 90s “estate italiana” holidays seen through the eyes of a kid.
From the catchy beats of the title track (with its roaring motorbike intermezzo) and “Dragonara Punch”, to the dreamy soundscapes of “Luna Mirabilis”
this album is guaranteed to be the perfect soundtrack to a hot summer (and a refresher for the long winter).

Mambo HQ August 2022



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LP, Limited, Download

Genre: Balearic, Disco, Indie Dance, Electonic

Tracklist:

A
1.Koherencja
2.U&Me
3.More

B
1.Czasami Jestem Ciekaw
2.Keep On
3. Up



Short Info:

Fresh from his last release on Internasjonal, Das Komplex aka Marcin Lukaszewicz
offers up a snapshot of his musical stylings under his Moogy Coast disguise all
landing somewhere between a sun soaked beach and a sweaty dancefloor.
PS: Contains the (until now) Prins Thomas floorburner/secret weapon
"Czasami Jestem Ciekaw"
Mambo HQ July 2022



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LP, Limited

Tracklist 12" LP

A1 SA-RC ore 22 05:14
A2 Camogli Rendez-Vous 05:01
A3 Radio Isola Verde 05:35
A4 Palinuro Phonebox 04:48

B1 Miramare '89 04:37
B2 50cc Getaway 04:47
B3 Plastic Riviera 05:16

Short Info:

About the record:
Palinuro Phonebox is inspired by childhood memories of summer holidays in the south of Italy: nightly car trips on endless highways, late arrivals in campings for families, loitering in grungy arcade bars with cheesy neon signs, calling your friends from an old payphone and running out of coins, sneaking out unseen on some buddy's souped-up moped, playing grown-ups with girls drinking sodas with an attitude.

About Giorgio Lopez:
Born in Naples in 1985.
Playing the piano from age 7.
Discovering funk, hip hop and jazz and starts playing keyboards with bands around the city.
In 2015 he puts aside the idea of becoming a professional pianist and moves to Geneva, to work for CERN: but, there, he also falls in love with club music...
Back on holiday in Naples in 2020, dusts off his old synths and records this love letter to his own musical past.



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Pink Fluid is the new Band of Jon Tye & Pete Fowler who form the core of Seahawks!

HQ Limited MIN ALBUM 12" , 32 min, with Translucent PP Sleeve, black inner amd 30x30 cm Posterinlay

Tracklist:
A: 1. Forever&Forever , 2. Forever, 3. In Time
B: 1. Dream One, 2. Dream Two, 3. Dream Three, 4. Dream Four, 5. Dream Five


Pink Fluid is not an Italian EDM Duo by the same name
but the new Band of Jon Tye & Pete Fowler who form the core of Seahawks!

As Ransom Note once called it:
A partnership born of "A Psychedelic Guide To Monsterism Island" - the soundtrack to Pete`s illustrations, toys and figures - cemented by gigs playing records by Boston, Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac at The Big Chill Bar, fuelled by a passion for vintage music-making machines, and given a name after a weekend spent in sailors outfits at Bestival. From tracks synthesised around AOR samples, Seahawks now record pretty much as a full band - which includes members of Hot Chip and The Horrors.

So, What happened to Pink Fluid… ?
Jon: The first Pink Fluid release 'Pipe Dreams' is coming up on Prins Thomas' Horizontal Mambo imprint, we don't know when but we know it will be beautiful when it does…

And it does now! Pipe Dreams is an 8 Track, 32 minute mini album of sheer, almost translucent, beauty.

Mambo HQ 26.7. 2017

Horisontal Mambo is a new sublabel by Full Pupp /Oslo

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Beautifully Designed 1LP Album with poster like heavy paper inlay in clear outer

Tracklist: A1 Aniara , A2 Midnight Caller , A3 Ljusar / B1 Mist , B2 Norra Magasinet , B3 Utah, B4 Vardagsrummet

Following their "Atalanta"12", Stockholm-based Farbror Resande Mac returns to Horisontal Mambo with this extended EP of b**earic bliss.
Through releases on labels such as Aficionado, Back to the Balearics and Is It Balearic they've carved their own niche in the tropical music climate we northeners like to embrace. Although it's hard to to escape the use of the dreaded b-word it might be the most fitting label still.
Anyway, we love it and we hope you do to.

Prins Thomas, Mambo HQ 15th of January 2017
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Beaifully Designed Digipack CD Album with 2 Bonus tracks taken off Mambo003 12"

Tracklist: 1 Aniara , 2 Midnight Caller , 3 Ljusar. 4 Mist , 5 Norra Magasinet , 6 Utah, 7 Vardagsrummet + Bonus: 8 Atalanta, 9. Vi Over Manhattan

Previously released on vinyl as Mambo002LP and Mambo003, this cd compiles these 2 vinyl releases for a non stop short hour of balearic bliss.
Through releases on labels such as Aficionado, Back to the Balearics and Is It Balearic, the Stockholm-based Farbror Resande Mac have carved their own niche in the tropical music climate we northeners like to embrace. Although it's hard to to escape the use of the dreaded b-word it might be the most fitting label still.
Anyway, we love it and we hope you do to.

Prins Thomas, Mambo HQ 15th of January 2017
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HQ Limited 12" with Translucent PP Sleeve, black inner amd 30x30 cm Posterinlay

Tracklist: A. The Slipper B.The Pipe

Oh the joy of leaving you with this mystery. Noone really knows exactly who the Pilgrims Of Peace are or how their music ended up in our hands. But this dubbed out 2 tracker is so smokin' hot we don't really care, the music will take you there...

Prins Thomas. Mambo HQ 25th of Januray 2017

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HQ Limited 12" with Translucent PP Sleeve, black inner amd 30x30 cm Posterinlay

Tracklist: A. Atalanta B. Vi över Manhattan

There´s not much known about Farbror Resande Mac but them hailing from Stockholm, Sweden and having released a couple of ep's on Aficionado and Back to Balearics. FRM do masterfully crafted, slow paced (pacific) coastal sound with all the ingredients for making you long for more. Steady bass pulses, mechanical percussion, punctual punches make waves from underwater to hyperspace - seductively deep and almost see through light. Or how our dear friends from mighty testpress.org blog would put it: An idealized promise of the only true cure.
"Atalanta" and "Vi över Manhattan" compliments FRM's first full length album, coming in the autumn here on Horisontal Mambo

Horisontal Mambo is a new sublabel from Full Pupp.
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HQ Limited 12" with Translucent PP Sleeve, black inner amd 30x30 cm Posterinlay

Tracklist: A. Prins Thomas - Bobletekno (Bugge Wesseltoft Steinway Grand Version) B. Prins Thomas - Bobletekno (Bugge Wesseltoft Yamaha SK-15 Version)

Horisontal Mambo is a new sublabel from Full Pupp. Although "Horisontal"refers to laying down and "Mambo"is an exotic Cuban dancestyle, there will likely not be any ambient mambo records coming out on "Horisontal Mambo". Or actually, there might be...
Starting out as a very irregular listening session in my hometown of Hamar almost 15 years ago then later(and still very irregular) in Oslo the idea was to cater good music to a sitting and mostly hungover drinking crowd...We(me + Magnus International)do these "jams" occasionally during summer as a outdoor pre Full Pupp-party warm up at our regular venue BLÅ. Everything from medieval lute and harp records, underwater sounds via Elton John, Grateful Dead to Basic Channel and ECM albums gets an airing... nothing is sacred
This "openminded music policy" we now turn into a label.
The first records on offer is:
Prins Thomas reinterpreted by norwegian jazz virtuoso Bugge Wesseltoft , here!

The artwork is done by Eirik Seu Stokkmo, Mastering done at Schnittstelle
Prins Thomas, Asker 11.03.2016
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Tracklist 12":
A1. Blue Caves
A2. Avlemonas
A3. Morning Breeze
B1. Morning Breeze (Francis Harris Re-Form)
B2. Patio

The latest release on Francis Harris' Scissor & Thread label out of Brooklyn is another exercise in deep and meditative atmospheres. The label, comprised of a tight knit collective of multi-faceted composers, vocalists and instrumentalists, always strives to develop new projects based on a shared aesthetic, and this five track EP is both boundary pushing and fully
synchronized with the label's approach.

With Melquíades' 'Blue Caves' Melbourne based Composer and Sound Designer Alexander Albrecht presents his solo debut EP following on from the 'Tidal River' album he released as part of the Albrecht La'Brooy duo.

The title track 'Blue Caves' is a skittering, weightless exploration of space, seemingly built around lush field recordings and fragments of melody developing out of the ether.

'Avlemonas' flows from a similar source, but crystallizes around an off kilter rhythm and occasional subby bass, balanced against swooping pads and piano motifs.

'Morning Breeze' seems to revel in the evocative nature of its title, with hand played percussion backing more wistful, emotive piano sketches and wandering bass notes, before the track settles into a hypnotic groove.

Label head Francis Harris provides another take on the track for his Re-form version, a more dancefloor aimed excursion that draws deeply from the classic deep house of the New York and Detroit masters.
Ending the relases is 'Patio', which drifts back towards the ambient territories of the opening tracks, with exquisite, understated instrumentation and a melancholic yet elated vibe.
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2023 repress

Tracklist:
A1 Sweet Juju (4:45)
A2 Nomalizo (5:10)
A3 Nkedama (4:44)
A4 Hamba Nam We (4:36)
B1 Vumani Makhosi (4:57)
B2 Down By The River (5:09)
B3 The Village (4:25)

Release Notes

Originally released in South Africa in 1983, In The Music… The Village Never Ends is one of those holy grail African records that barely needs any introduction. Featuring the enormous “Nomalizo”, it’s a record that aficionados around the world have been waiting many years for. Now, Be With Records proudly presents the hugely anticipated vinyl reissue of this bona fide classic.

This release is officially licensed and has been lovingly mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis (Claremont 56 mastering engineer). It has been pressed on audiophile 180g vinyl for the first time and features the original, rarely seen artwork.

South African singer Letta Mbulu possesses one of the most beautiful voices the world has ever known. Her immaculate voice emits a sweetness that radiates from deep within, brimming with a joy of life and inspiring a spirit of hope and happiness. On this album, her voice soars over a strident musical force that veers between disco, soul and pop music of the most incredible kind. The gleaming guitars recall disco’s finest hours while the thump of the beats anticipate 80s British soul.

News of this reissue has already been causing a significant stir amongst those in the know so do not sleep on this - you have been warned! More

7” with picture sleeve

Tracklist

A Dub The Farmer's Daughter
B Out On A Limb


Short info:

A double shot of Y2K digi thrillers from Sydney via Bromley electro-dub producer Jeff Dread. Part of the city’s burgeoning network of blunted bass and sound system culture, Dread worked in parallel with the likes of Sheriff Lindo, Andy Rantzen and Ali Omar, issuing two dynamite albums on Creative Vibes in 1999 and 2001.

Utilising the Atari 1020 Ste, Dread would frantically live mix up to 9 tracks direct to CD-R, echoing the same rough and ready low tech intuition as Jamaican trailblazers King Tubby, Scientist and Jack Ruby and their UK-based disciples Jah Shaka, Adrian Sherwood and Mad Professor. While unmarked discs of his indulgently durational sessions litter the archives, this plate showcases versions immortalised by two crucial compilation CDs. Wicked stepper ‘Dub The Farmer’s Daughter’ burrows the ear canal with its addictive melodica and tightly coiled acid synth lines, edited for high impact by Sheriff Lindo for his volume of Dub For the Masses (Dread would curate its successor), while ‘Out On A Limb’ hails from Just Is, a double album sequenced by legendary Sydney queer party crew Club Kooky. A bass bin creeper that was extended with horns for his second longplayer Return From Alpha One, it’s this unembellished work in progress that really stings.

With Dread’s allegiance to local sound system heavyweights Firehouse, these totally brained studio jams are tried and tested weapons, finally blasting on the sacred 7” format.


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2023 repress

Format Notes: 140g vinyl, remastered from the original tapes

Territories:
Worldwide no restrictions

Track List:

A1 : Flying High (3:35)
A2 : Going Home (2:46)
A3 : Walking In The Dark (4:42)
A4 : Fighting For Life (3:37)
A5 : Feeling Tense (4:05)

B1 : Running Fast (4:42)
B2 : Loving Tenderly (3:27)
B3 : Fearing Much (3:35)
B4 : Being Friendly (2:54)
B5 : Having Fun (4:00)

Release Notes:

More than once Jay Richford and Gary Stevan’s Feelings has been described as the greatest library record ever released. Of course Be With can’t be seen to be playing favourites, but we have to admit, it’s pretty good. Insanely rare and immensely sought-after, it’s a tough funk, street jazz masterpiece coveted for many years by collectors of all musical genres.

Since its original release on Italian label Carosello in 1974, Feelings has appeared on several labels with different sleeves and even under a different artist. Indeed cult library label Conroy put it out in one of their iconic red sleeves in 1976 and yes, Feelings has indeed had more than one modern re-issue since these “original” releases. But a record this special deserves to be kept in press and we think it deserves the Be With treatment.

No, Jay Richford and Gary Stevan aren’t two of the most Italian sounding names. As the story goes these were the pseudonyms adopted by Stefano Torossi and Giancarlo Gazzani who wrote the album but couldn’t use their real names on the original release for legal reasons. But Stefano Torossi himself later both clarified and confused the tale further by explaining that Feelings was the work of four people not just Gazzani and himself. Fellow composers and musicians Sandro Brugnolini and Puccio Roelens also worked on the album and as Torossi himself explained “we all worked together”, with all four gents “dividing the royalties in equal parts… that’s the story.” Right, so, with that all sorted out let’s get back to talking about the music. And what music it is.

Long hailed as a holy grail of library music, Feelings is the epitome of the sort of cinematic orchestral jazzy funk that is “that 70s library music sound”. Infectiously funky, deliciously melodic and with impeccible, elegant production, this record is the showcase for a stunning set of compositions and arrangements and with performances that are nothing short of virtuoso.

The record’s first side lifts off with “Flying High”, soaring brilliant and shimmering. Funk licks, menacing strings and swaggering horns combine for an ice-cold intro groove that Isaac Hayes would surely have envied, before the steady-paced drums deliver the slo-mo TKO. The string-drenched cop-funk of “Going Home” raises the tempo. All funky quick-fire bass lines and killer electric guitar soloing. A real thriller.

“Walking In The Dark” positively drips in blaxploitation-funk drama strings and horn struts, all laced with delicate drums, velvet piano and more filthy wah-wah. “Fighting For Life” is another funk-fuelled workout built around an effortlessly relentless drum track that refuses to give up until even the stiffest-necked head is nodding.

The loping, open drum break that guides the much-loved “Feeling Tense” through its early stages would be good enough on its own. The heavy bass gloss, swirling strings and ominous horns that follow take things to the next level.

The second side opens with another favourite “Running Fast”, and the track does precisely that. This is one fine rollicking chase theme underpinned by frenetic (yet funky) Fender Rhodes and skipping bass and drums. Those sweeping strings are a gorgeous extra. It’s a deliciously feel-good groove that sets the heart racing.

“Loving Tenderly” envelops us in warm, velvety night-time vibes with easy listening horns and slinky strings dialing up the seduction. Definitely one for the lithe lovers out there. The pace picks up on the electrifying “Fearing Much” where strings dart around deep bass, buzzing guitars and another funky drum break. The lush, melancholic “Being Friendly” is another easy beauty, all warm Rhodes and strings. Majestic stuff that puts an aural arm around you. The climactic “Having Fun” rides a pulsating, bass-heavy drum break with snatches of a funky guitar refrain, some luxurious keys, sweeping strings and triumphant horns. Sensational.

“Feelings” is a profoundly appropriate title for such an emotionally funky and genuinely affecting record. Groove-laden bass, irrepressible horns, sweet flute lines, warm Rhodes, lush string arrangements, blaxploitation-styled wah-wah guitars and so, so much more make this one of the finest instrumental soul LPs of the 70s, if not of all time.

The audio for this re-issue of Feelings comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis and cut by Pete Norman. The same care has been taken by the Be With team to restore that glorious original Carosello sleeve. Feelings is almost too good to be true. Feels good all over.
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2024 Repress

Tracklist:
A1. Lonely Planet A2. Trance Encounters A3. Today ft. Sui Zhen
A4. Warp Odyssey B1. Voices B2. Kingdom Animalia B3. Healing Feeling

Info:
The eye of the storm: welcome to Tornado Wallace's debut album! The accumulation of about four years of work, with tracks written in Berlin and Melbourne, 'Lonely Planet' is nothing like you may have expected from the Australian expat. No stranger to fans and followers of ESP Institute, Beats in Space and Music From Memory's sister Label Second Circle, Tornado Wallace's strain of releases so far merged functionality with a musical playfulness that led him to find himself as one of the producer's behind José Padilla's International Feel album. Here, he leaves the needs of the dance floor behind in order to create a magical mystery tour de trance into his and our inner jungle.

How about some references? New Age sounds meet new wave melodies, Grace Jones runs into the Dire Straits at Compass Point, while a Korg Mini Pops and a Roland CR78 make amends for Sly & Robbie's absence, Michael Mann pictures Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness', Robert Rauschenberg tries his luck at naturalism and an imagined Wally Badarou echoes through all of it.

Sandwiched between the title track and the yearning beauty of the album's final point 'Healing Feeling', you get all of that as well as collaborations with and contributions of NO ZU, David Hischfelder and the voice of Sui Zhen on 'Today', who would easily make Anna Domino take her proverbial hat off.

Tornado Wallace created an album that supersedes the requirements and expectations of a debut. Like a lost Island Records or a never released Made to Measure album, 'Lonely Planet' soundtracks notions and ideas that recall the nostalgic future in the past as much as it looks ahead.
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Special remarks: Gatefold Sleeve

Tracklist
A1. Forever Summer
A2. Warning Fails
A3. A Lovely Change
A4. Night Quake
B1. The Bad Boys
B2. Salsaro Ete
B3. 1:00AM
B4. Kelly McGillis


Shortinfo:

Unshrouded in mystery: what once started as an anonymous underground project with stamped white labels and a clever take on sampling, has since then unfolded to be one of the longest-running and most successful teams in current dance music. Nurtured by the sounds of the past and blessed with the techniques of today, the music of Tiger & Woods always kept evolving in and around the tropes of disco, house and boogie. Classic dance music, if you will.

Celebrating the 10th anniversary this year, Marco Passarani and Valerio Delphi managed to arrive at album number three. “A.O.D.” is a pun on A.O.R. (adult oriented rock) and a play on their own sound. Defying the restricting rules electronic music record shop crates, it's a departure and an arrival at the same time. Inspired by the faded buildings and images of discotheques on the Italian countryside, the romantic start and bittersweet endings of summer, beach life and the excitement of travelling through the landscape to get to aforementioned temples of dance and subsequently the morning after.

Except for the 100% sample-free “1:00 am”, everything on “A.O.D.” is based on a quiver of cleared samples from the Roman institution that is Claudio Donato and his Full Time and Goodymusic emporium. In Tiger & Woods hometown Rome, the often very electronic and futuristic sound of Italo Disco had a different twist. Much more boogie-based and influenced by the song-writing styles of New York City's dance scene, it played in a league of its own. Tiger & Woods use these materials to take them apart, out of context and into contrasting areas. Molding something completely new, one gets fooled to recognize Sade songs that aren't, pop music instrumentals and a reprise of memories that never existed. A ride through one’s brain in a convertible with an Italian FM radio station playing in the background. Or to use less stiff poetry: a chill out album you can dance to or a dance album you can chill out to. Adult Oriented Dance.


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12" + with limited 600x300mm Artwork-Poster
Genre: House, Deep House

Tracklisting:
A1 Never Ever
A2 Never Ever (Johannes Albert Remix)
B1 Phero
B2 Phero (The Cruiser Remix)

Short Info:
Hamburg’s Polycarp Records delivers the ‘Never Ever’ EP by Bonn this
January, backed with remixes from Johannes Albert and The Cruiser.
The Polycarp Records imprint was launched in 2016 by Simon Ferdinand and
across its past ten releases has unveiled an array of material from the
likes of Pleasant Systems boss Tilman, Frank Music founder Johannes
Albert and Simon Ferdinand and Basch both under their own artist names
and of course their collaborative project, Bonn. In 2019 Ferdinand and
Basch inaugurated their Bonn guise with a debut album entitled ‘Forget
Forgot Forgotten’, 2021 saw the release of a follow up EP entitled
‘Ravenous’ and here the story continues with the pair’s latest
collaborative works.
The original mix of title-track ‘Never Ever’ opens the EP and lays down
crunchy, off-kilter drums alongside mystical atmospherics, an unfurling
acid bass lead and loopy, fluttering stab sequences. Johannes Albert’s
twist on ‘Never Ever’ follows next, the fellow German producer takes
things down his signature cosmic, nu- disco path via bubbling arpeggio
lines and 80’s tinged resonant leads melded together with fragments from
the original composition.
‘Phero’ then opens the flip side and sees Bonn deliver a twitchy house
workout fuelled by fidgety synth bleeps, dubbed out chords and bumpy,
saturated drums. Last up to round things out, The Cruiser turns in a
high- octane interpretation of ‘Phero’, upping the tempo and reshaping
the original’s raw elements into a murky, dynamically unfolding thumper.
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Tracklist 12":

A1 Gome - Elevator Man
A2 Gome & David Bay – Television
B1 Gome - Elevator Man (Mike Dunn BlackBall Remix)
B2 Gome - Elevator Man (Telephones Remix)

New record by Gome with fat remixes by Mike Dunn and Telephones.




















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Territories: Worldwide no restrictions

Format Notes: 2023 reissue, 140g vinyl

Track List:

A1 Shakin' 5:52
A2 Hang Tight 4:10
A3 Can't Get Enough (Do It All Night) 4:10
A4 Who Do You Love 5:23
---
B1 Changes 4:48
B2 One Minute More 4:48
B3 Risin' To The Top 5:16
B4 All Night 4:46

Release Notes:

Keni Burke's seminal Changes yielded the eternal club classic "Risin' To The Top". You need this record for this iconic steppers anthem alone. However, it's crucial to acknowledge that the whole of Changes, first released in 1982 on RCA but now a tricky one to find, is something truly special. It's a masterpiece of sophisticated 80s groove, containing first class funky soul that sounds as fresh as ever. This is multi-tempo soul music conceived in heaven.

Ace bass player, songwriter, arranger and producer, Keni Burke was discovered by Curtis Mayfield and a childhood member of the Five Stairsteps. Emanating from that magical 81-83 era and pristinely recorded at Philadelphia's legendary Sigma Sound Studios, his third solo album Changes really perfected Keni's groove. It incorporated tight, snappy rhythm arrangements which, despite the era, featured *real drums* courtesy of Steve Ferrone (from Average White Band) to compliment Keni's meaty bass lines. With Dean "Sir" Gant on synths and keyboards and Ed Walsh handling the Vocoder-OBX and Prophet 5, wonderful lines from Earth, Wind & Fire's legendary horn section and hooky rhythm and lead guitar riffs courtesy of Ed "Tree" Walsh, Keni was truly spoiled for excellence. With Doc Gibbs on percussion and Vince Montana on vibes elevating the sensational writing and arrangements, Keni couldn't really go wrong.

“Risin’ To The Top” is undoubtedly the defining crown and lasting legacy of this album. Wth its instantly captivating bassline, slowly creepin' groove and uplifting lyrics, it was a favourite among both the 80s soul steppers and hip-hop crowd and remains canonical to this day. Written by Burke, Allan Felder, and former Chic member Norma Jean Wright, it incredibly failed to garner much American radio play or really trouble the soul charts. Whilst it was an instant classic in the U.K., in the States it took the hip-hop generation and later R&B and hip-hop samples of the tune to finally make it popular, many years later. Of note, Big Daddy Kane sampled it for "Smooth Operator", LL Cool J for "Around The Way Girl", Pete Rock & CL Smooth for "Take You There" and O.C. with "Born 2 Live".

But the highlights are not restricted to this one behemoth. For example, the track which precedes "Risin'" on Side B is another steppers favourite. "One Minute More" is a perfect mid-tempo ballad and the epitome of deep modern soul. A truly timeless work of genius. We, for one, struggle to think of a better song segue than the moment you're still reeling from the intense beauty of "One Minute More" and "Risin'" elegantly stirs into action. Frisson in excelsis. The propulsive, bass-heavy opener "Shakin" is an indisputable cracker and its followed by the timeless mid-tempo class of "Hang Tight". Just gorgeous. Next up, "Can't Get Enough" is another emotional, horn heavy chugger. The side closes with the sparse, tender, floating sl-o-o-w jam "Who Do You Love"; a truly divine ballad. The B-side beings with the title-track, "Changes", a squelchy, melodic boogie banger with fantastic keys, incredible vocals, ace shuffling percussion and spacey synths. It's followed by the ultimate one-two in "One Minute More" and "Risin'" before this sensational set closes with the glorious easy glide "All Night".

An absolutely essential record for fans of deeply soulful modern-funk, Changes was mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Cicely Balston for Alchemy at AIR Studios. The artwork was restored at Be With HQ over many painstaking months so, hopefully, this fresh new edition ensures this long-lusted after album is no longer so awkward to find. More