Rights: World excluding FR & UK

Packaging: 1x Black 140 Grs Vinyl, 'Dufy' Sleeve with textured card & gold Pms, printed inner sleeve, marketing sticker. Vinyl cut at half-speed.

COLLECTOR VINYL 1LP,
- Restored "second edition" artwork with textured sleeve
- The exact textured card for the outer sleeve has been accurately sourced. Gold PMS finish, printed inner sleeve, marketing sticker.
- 45th anniversary edition
- Newly remastered from the original source tapes for the first time since 1980
- ½ speed master
- Liner notes by The Durutti Column / Factory Records expert James Nice

VINYL EDITION

Side One (all 2025 remasters)
1. Sketch For Summer
2. Requiem for a Father
3. Katherine
4. Conduct

Side Two (all 2025 remasters)
1. Untitled
2. Beginning
3. Jazz
4. Sketch for Winter
5. Collette
6. In 'D'
7. Lips That Would Kiss
8. Madeleine


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Packaging: 2 x CD, harcover sleeve (like a book) with textured card , dimensions 14,7 cm x 19,6 cm, 48 page booklet , marketing sticker.

OVERVIEW
Alongside Joy Division, The Durutti Column were amongst the first artists to be released by Factory Records. Their debut album, produced by Martin Hannett, showcased the filigree guitar work of Vini Reilly, awash with reverb and early experiments with synthesisers. It would be a first album of a five-decade career, in which The Durutti Column would quietly emerge as one of the most influential acts from the Manchester scene and beyond.

"Essential." The Quietus
"..the most distinctive LP in the Factory canon" Record Collector ?????
"..a perfect meeting of the minds" BBC
".. a quietly stunning debut" All Music ????1/2

To celebrate the album's 45th anniversary, London Records revisits the album with new editions, with audio sourced and remastered from the original tapes, with vinyl cut at ½ speed.


DELUXE DOUBLE CD SET
- 33 tracks
- 45th anniversary edition
- Newly remastered from the original source tapes for the first time since 1980
- 2 Discs including original album, bonus tracks, home and studio demos, and early live tracks. Features two home demos exclusive to this format.
- Housed in a special hardback tall storybook edition (dimensions 147mm (w) x 196mm (h)). 48p page booklet.
- Restored 1985 "cassette edition" artwork with textured "tall book" sleeve
- The exact textured card for the outer sleeve has been accurately sourced.
- 3 essays by The Durutti Column / Factory Records expert James Nice, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and MOJO editor Ian Harrison.

TRACKLISTING:

DOUBLE CD EDITION

CD1
1. Sketch For Summer
2. Requiem for a Father
3. Katherine
4. Conduct
5. Untitled
6. Beginning
7. Jazz
8. Sketch for Winter
9. Collette
10. In 'D'
11. Lips That Would Kiss
12. Madeleine




CD2
1. No Communication
2. Thin Ice
3. Won't Look Out (Gammer and His Familiars ft. Vini Reilly)
4. Intervals (Home Recording -1978)
5. Katharine (Home Recording -1978)
6. Untitled (Home Recording -1978)
7. Conduct (Home Recording -1978)
8. I'm a Face (Studio Demo - 1980)
9. Sketch for Summer (Studio Demo - 1980)
10. Requiem for a Father ((Studio Demo - 1980)
11. Madeleine (Studio Demo - 1980)
12. Katharine (Studio Demo - 1980)
13. Lindsay (Studio Demo - 1980)
14. For Belgian Friends (Studio Demo - 1980)
15. Detail for Annik (Live - Leeds Polytechnic 1980)
16. Sketch for Summer (Live - Leeds Polytechnic 1980)
17. Requiem for a Father (Live - Leeds Polytechnic 1980)
18. Conduct (Live - Brussels 1981)
19. Self Portrait (Live - Brussels 1981)
20. For Belgian Friends (Live - Brussels 1981)
21. Sketch for Summer (Live - Brussels 1981)


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4 CD + 1 DVD Boxset, carboard clamshell box, expended booklet

PRODUCT INFORMATIONS
• 35th Anniversary edition of the seminal 1989 album ‘Vini Reilly’, Produced by Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur, The Cranberries, New Order).
• Remastered and heavily expanded 5 disc version, featuring over 75 tracks:
1. Disc 1. Vini Reilly album + 3 Bonus tracks [16 tracks] The original album (presented in the famous (and as to now unseen) ‘rejected’ sleeve by 8vo) remastered with bonus tracks.
2. Disc 2. The Sporadic Recordings [28 tracks] , a limited edition CD from 1989 [SPORE 1]
3. Disc 3 :=‘Womad Live’ EP plus bonus live tracks and demos [16 tracks]
4. Disc 4 : An exclusive DVD, Live from Porto 1988
5. Disc 5 : Bonus 1 track 3-inch mini CD - ‘I Know Very Well How I Got My Name’ a replica of the bonus addition from the original CD pressing
• Expansive booklet includes new essay by Durutti Column / Factory Records expert James Nice, liner notes by band member Bruce Mitchell, liner notes from Anthony Wilson, interview extracts with Vini Reilly and restored images and outtake images.




Tracklisting:

1. VINI REILLY (CD)

1. Love No More
2. Pol In G
3. Opera I
4. People’s Pleasure Park
5. Red Square
6. Finding the Sea
7. Otis
8. William B
9. They Work Every Day
10. Opera II
11. Homage to Catalonea
12. Requiem Again
13. My Country
14. Otis (No Samples)
15. Dry
16. My Country (Monarchy Mix)

2. THE SPORADIC RECORDINGS (CD)

1. Buddhist Prayer
2. Pathway
3. Nile Opera
4. Shirt No. 7
5. Kind of Love
6. Rob Grey’s Elegy
7. Misere
8. For Steven Patrick
9. We Stumble
10. Sketch for a Manchester Summer 1989
11. Arpeggiator II
12. Diazepam 5 mgs
13. But Was I…?
14. Pol in Ab
15. Real Drums – Real Drummer
16. Another Mirror – Another Wall
17. 30 Oldham Street
18. 4.10 AM
19. For Lydia
20. Detail for Heidi & Jodie
21. Zinni’s Dance
22. PPP Version
23. For Lucy H
24. 4.30 AM
25. It’s a Bright Guilty World – Pt 1
26. It’s a Bright Guilty World – Pt 2
27. Nile Reprise
28. Diazepam 5 mgs

3. WOMAD LIVE EP + DEMOS (CD)

1. Otis (Womad Live)
2. English Landscape Tradition (Womad Live)
3. Finding the Sea (Womad Live)
4. Bordeaux (Womad Live)
5. Day Is Over (Live)
6. Red Shoes (Live)
7. Opera II
8. Finding the Sea I
9. PPP (demo)
10. Juan Montero (Sketch 1)
11. Sample Tune
12. Finding the Sea (2)
13. Juan Montero (Sketch 2)
14. William B (demo)
15. Sketches on Stratocaster
16. Zinni and Vini Tune

4. LIVE IN PORTO 30/04/1988 (DVD)

1. Mercy Theme
2. Arpeggiator
3. What It Is To Me (Woman)
4. Jongleur Grey
5. Pol in B
6. Bordeaux Sequence
7. Jacqueline
8. Sketch for Dawn
9. Tomorrow
10. Requiem Again
11. English Landscape Tradition
12. When the World
13. The Missing Boy
14. Red Shoes
15. The Beggar
16. Sketch for Summer

5. I KNOW VERY WELL HOW I GOT MY NOTE WRONG (Mini CD 3’’)

1. I KNOW VERY WELL HOW I GOT MY NOTE WRONG


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RSD 2024 - don't sell before 20th of April - Rights: World excluding France & UK

1 x 140 grs Black Vinyl , Numbered Sleeve , printed inner sleeve, marketing front sticker.

PRODUCT INFORMATIONS
• 35th Anniversary edition of the seminal 1989 album as Record Store Day Exclusive
• The album is presented in the famous (and as to now unseen) ‘rejected’ artwork sleeve by 8vo. Produced by Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur, The Cranberries, New Order).
• Vinyl mastered by Peter Beckmann at Technology Works.
• Numbered limited edition – 2 200 copies for the World

TRACKLIST
A1. Love No More – A2. Pol in G – A3. Act I Opera – A4. People’s Pleasure Park – A5. Finding the Sea
B1. Otis – B2. They Work Every Day – B3. Act II Opera – B4. Homage to Catalonea -B5. My Country

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CatNo: LMS5521916 (FACT 2.31)
Artist: DURUTTI COLUMN
Title: TIME WAS GIGANTIC..WHEN WE WERE KIDS (25 YEAR ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

Double 180 G Black LP, 2 x heavy weight printed inner sleeve. Remastered album + 5 bonus tracks.

TRACKLIST DOUBLE VINYL:
A1. Organ Donor
A2. Pigeon
A3. I B Yours
A4. Twenty Trees
B1. Abuse
B2. Drinking Song
B3. Sing To Me
C1. My Last Kiss
C2. For Rachel
C3. Highfield Choir
C4. Epilogue
D1. It’s Your Life, Babe (Bonus Track)
D2. Kiss of Def (Bonus Track)
D3. In the City (Bonus Track)
D4. New Order Tribute (Bonus Track)
D5. Drinking Song (version) (Bonus Track)

BIOG
Celebrating 25 years since its release, ‘Time Was GIGANTIC… When we were kids’, the seminal 1998 album by The Durutti Column is released on vinyl for the first time, and reissued on CD.
The band and lead member Vini Reilly were one of the first signings to Antony Wilson’s Factory Records, and ‘Time Was GIGANTIC…’ was the final Factory Records release for The Durutti Column and the last release for the label before it closed. Formats are double heavyweight vinyl and digipak CD. Both formats are re-mastered and feature 5 bonus tracks: It’s Your Life, Babe - Kiss of Def - In the City - New Order Tribute - Drinking Song (version) .
The new edition features extensive liner notes by Factory Records and band expert James Nice, and the original artwork has been revisited by the original designers 8VO (Mark Holt and Hamish Muir).The band (and in particular the guitar playing of Vini) has developed a cult following over the past 40 years with fans of the band including Brian Eno, John Frusciante (who called Vini “the best guitarist in the world”, The Avalanches, The Chromatics, Jonny Marr and John Cooper Clarke to name a few.

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Cat No: LMS5521915 (FAC 2.31)
Artist: DURUTTI COLUMN
Title: TIME WAS GIGANTIC..WHEN WE WERE KIDS (25 YEAR ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

Digipack CD with 12 page booklet. Remastered album + 5 bonus tracks

TRACKLIST

CD
1. Organ Donor
2. Pigeon
3. I B Yours
4. Twenty Trees
5. Abuse
6. Drinking Song
7. Sing To Me
8. My Last Kiss
9. For Rachel
10. Highfield Choir
11. Epilogue
12. It’s Your Life, Babe (Bonus Track)
13. Kiss of Def (Bonus Track)
14. In the City (Bonus Track)
15. New Order Tribute (Bonus Track)
16. Drinking Song (version) (Bonus Track)

BIOG
Celebrating 25 years since its release, ‘Time Was GIGANTIC… When we were kids’, the seminal 1998 album by The Durutti Column is released on vinyl for the first time, and reissued on CD.
The band and lead member Vini Reilly were one of the first signings to Antony Wilson’s Factory Records, and ‘Time Was GIGANTIC…’ was the final Factory Records release for The Durutti Column and the last release for the label before it closed. Formats are double heavyweight vinyl and digipak CD. Both formats are re-mastered and feature 5 bonus tracks: It’s Your Life, Babe - Kiss of Def - In the City - New Order Tribute - Drinking Song (version) .
The new edition features extensive liner notes by Factory Records and band expert James Nice, and the original artwork has been revisited by the original designers 8VO (Mark Holt and Hamish Muir).The band (and in particular the guitar playing of Vini) has developed a cult following over the past 40 years with fans of the band including Brian Eno, John Frusciante (who called Vini “the best guitarist in the world”, The Avalanches, The Chromatics, Jonny Marr and John Cooper Clarke to name a few.

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Runden is a collaboration by Martin Brugger (bass) and Simon Popp (drums), both of contemporary Jazz quintet Fazer, and neo-classical pianist Carlos Cipa. Their debut LP is a conceptual record reflecting on Minimal Music, Afrobeat, and Dub Techno of the late 90s/early 2000s.

Genre: Organic Grooves / Minimal

Tracklist LP:

A1 + 04:58 min
A2 Am Rande 06:43 min
A3 Mikado 04:58 min

B1 Horch 02:16 min
B2 Samt 06:38 min
B3 Parallelen 04:59 min
B4 Lasso 05:12 min

Runden is a collaboration by Martin Brugger (bass) and Simon Popp (drums), both of contemporary Jazz quintet Fazer, and neo-classical pianist Carlos Cipa. Their debut LP is a conceptual record reflecting on Minimal Music, Afrobeat, and Dub Techno of the late 90s/early 2000s.
While Cipa's solo works build on clear harmonies, for the recordings of Runden he prepared the piano to make it sound like a faintly tonal percussion instrument and his mechanical patterns contrast the syncopated drum grooves of Popp and the deep and sparse basslines of Brugger.
The musicians explore, over the course of seven tracks, the concept of circular music. Each piece is based on a four-bar-motif played in a loop and varied subtly but steadily over time, creating a sense of eternal recurrence and timelessness.
This makes Runden a meditative but demanding record, that only grows with every listen.



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LP

Special remarks:
180g

Tracklist:

A1) 7:23 (03:17 min)
A2) Alles Neu (03:28 min)
A3) heyheyhey (06:56 min)
A4) Bolzano (03:39 min)
B1) Where To Go (04:52 min)
B2) 8:45 (04:41 min)
B3) Plastic Air (02:54 min)
B4) SO (03:47 min)

Info:

Happy Floating is the debut LP of Italian composer, producer and reed player Damian Dalla Torre. Over the course of two years, the Leipzig-based artist recorded 19 musicians in all kinds of places to bring to life his unique blend of Avant Folk and Electronic. With reeds, brass, guitars, bass, drums, mallets, synthesizers, organ and electronics, the album feels like a mindful walk through a flowering meadow, tickling and caressing all at once.
Born in Northern Italy to a family of non-musicians, his knack for woodwind instruments was uncovered by the sight of a big shiny baritone saxophone in a red velvet case that belonged to his grandma’s neighbour. It was and still is an odd instrument for anyone to play in the Val di Vizze, which may have added to young Damian’s excitement. He opted for the slightly smaller tenor saxophone, took up lessons and eventually studied music in Vienna and Leipzig, where he’s currently living and working within a spirited network of musicians, of which many are featured on this record.



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LP
Special remarks:
Vinyl includes three photo prints and riso-printed inlay.

Tracklist:

A1) Flat On The Water's Surface 04:10 min
A2) E 79th 03:31 min
A3) Reykjavik Syndrome 03:37 min
A4) Suburban Home From A Hill 03:55 min
A5) A Presence Of Light 03:39 min
B1) Good Intentions 05:42 min
B2) Back Around 5 PM 05:03 min
B3) Scanner 04:40 min
B3) From Where Our Signals Return 05:48 min

Info:

On his debut album producer and Squama co-founder Martin Brugger hovers through Ambient, (upbeat) Downbeat and unfulfilled build-ups.
Conceptualized as a blank soundtrack, the music was sent to fellow artists who shared their visual and verbal associations which became the source for the artwork and tracktitles, effectively making the album a collective effort.
Evident in all of his recent projects is Brugger's passion for working and thriving within closely set limits.
The only audio sources in the process of making the album were his record player and a Dave Smith Prophet 08 synthesizer. In an antithesis to most sample-based music, Brugger takes the more ephemeral moments of recorded music and uses pitching tools as a magnifying glass to dive deeper into the sound and bare layers that normally remain unheard.


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LP

Tracklist:

A1) Blue 02:42 min
A2) Zaraska 01:50 min
A3) Cuentro 01:42 min
A4) Newrak 02:06 min
A5) Eva 01:30 min
A6) 7.11.19 02:11 min
A7) Anouar 01:40 min
A8) Interlude I 01:15 min
B1) Interlude II 01:12 min
B2) Januar 02:15 min
B3) Rocinante 01:58 min
B4) Nuuk 02:59 min
B5) Arpeggio 02:29 min
B6) Interlude III 01:12 min
B7) Medeo 01:39 min
B8) Westzone 02:00 min

Info:

Following his trio debut ‘Triptych’ last year, trumpeter Matthias Lindermayr presents his duo record ‘Sequence’ with long-time companion and ECM Recording Artist Matthieu Bordenave on tenor saxophone.
In contrast to its technical title, ‘Sequence’ is a very lyrical record, sacral at times. Like two figure skaters, the voices gracefully glide along and whirl around in perfect synch, always sensing where the other one is going. A fitting comparison also, as the recording session was equally exhausting, due to the level of concentration required to perform this music.
The minimalist line-up and the hyper-focused playing gives the album both a breath-like purity and solemn depth.



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LP Vinyl

Tracklist:

A1) Zavkhan 03:28 min
A2) Diary of June 9th 02:30 min
A3) Gandii Mod 03:45 min
A4) I'm Glad There Is You 03:46 min
A5) Khorom 05:03 min
B1) Sevkhet Bor 04:40 min
B2) Ursgal 05:56 min
B3) Aya 03:13 min
B4) An Untitled Hil 04:54 min

Info:

On her second album Ursgal Mongolian singer Enji creates a unique blend of Jazz and Folk with the thousand-year-old traditions of Mongolian music. Currently based in Munich, her lyrics tell personal stories about unbearable distances, the oddness of being on earth and the simple truths in life.
She's accompanied by Paul Brändle on guitar and Munguntovch Tsolmonbayar on double bass.
Born in Ulaanbaatar, Enji grew up in a yurt to a working-class family. Having always been drawn to music, dance and literature, she initially wanted to become a music teacher with little ambitions to compose or be on stage. A program by the local Goethe Institute sparked her passion for Jazz and eventually led her to become a performing artist. Inspired by the music of Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald and Nancy Wilson, Enji started writing songs of her own, cherishing this newfound means of expression. Ursgal is the first record featuring her original compositions.


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1 LP, heavy reversed cardboard, 2 pantones printed sleeve, 60x60 double-sided poster, extensive liner notes, japanese/english.

Side A
01.Tenzing Song, 02.Gentleman, 03.Hargeisa, 04. Papa Paradise, 05. City Of Aleppo
Side B
06. City Of dub, 07.Hekri Salari, 08.Observation Is No Crime, 09.Olele Moliba Makashi, 10. Dub Hekri

"It is a great album! It sounds like he had passed through my lessons." (Tony Allen)

"Although I did not think deeply about it but I felt that a certain time had come for me and I decided to produce my solo album. It was 20 years since I first started playing drums and since then, out of all the brilliant artists who live in Japan that I played with, I wanted to freely enlist players who I really wanted to create music with. The initial catalyst was my strong yearning, wanting to know, what sort of creativity would result, if I produced my own album."
This is what Keiichi Tanaka says about his intention in making this album.

In 2014, Japan's leading 8 piece Afrobeat band with a cast of characters, Kingdom Afrocks put a halt to their group activities. For the past 8 years, firmly maintaining their steady & indispensable rhythmic core to this band's energetic live performance and music, their drummer, Keiichi Tanaka became the first member of this group who will be releasing a solo album after their split. He started working on his solo album entitled, KETA IICNA HIKA on October, 2014 and finished it at the beginning of 2015.

Kingdom Afrocks were a band whose sound centered around Afrobeat and also implemented various musical styles such as Jazz, Brazilian Music, Latin, Rock, etc. and cooked up their own distinctive musical style and also managed to release 3 albums. Their frenzied live performance encompassed the overground to Japanese club scene's prestigious stages such as Fuji Rock Festival, Sunset Live, Gilles Peterson Presents Worldwide Showcase, Felabration Tokyo, Francois K.'s Deep Space which earned them a great reputation in Japan.

In addition to Kingdom Afrocks' ex-colleague, Nao Ito, OKI of Oki Dub Ainu Band and several other artists who Keiichi has recently performed with, he has also enlisted legendary Japanese Jazz piano master, renowned for the Japanese Jazz masterpiece, Watarase, Fumio Itabashi who he wanted to previously collaborate with. Furthermore, Keiichi has enlisted many African musicians living in Japan. So, along with conventional instruments, traditional African instruments such as a banjo-sounding traditional string instrument popular in countries such as Mali and Guinea, N'goni, traditional Karafuto/ Ainu instruments that OKI plays, Tonkori, and a bamboo mouth harp, Mukkur, are superbly intermingled in natural fashion. It is as if Keiichi is trying to create a compelling, new style of music by collaborating with an assorted variety of different musicians who play their unique instruments living in Japan. Furthermore, not just confined to Afrobeat, Keiichi also includes various African music and traditions such as Benga from Kenya, a lullaby from Congo, inspiration from Somaliland and Mali. Keiichi intermingles it with dub from OKI, traditional Japanese music such as his own roots music of Tenjinbayashi and traditional Ainu sounds. Also, Keiichi undertakes a Jazz- flavored cover of Afrobeat founder, Fela Kuti who he deeply reveres. As a result, Keiichi has created a deep and an unparalleled, melting pot like album that only he was able to produce. He stubbornly insisted on recording each song "live" and as such performed with his collaborators mostly in one take.

Keiichi completed this album in 2015. The record was ready to go but tragedy struck and Keiichi was taken from us by a fatal accident. KETA IICNA HIKA represents Keiichi`s musical vision, a culmination of all he had learned in this twenty years as a drummer and musician. In tribute, his family and friends have worked determinedly since Keiichi`s death to ensure that his music will reach audiences, not just in his native Japan but also across the globe.




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No sales to Japan!

LP: 180g vinyl, half speed mastered, heavy sleeve, obi, gold ink
Genre: Jazz, Fusion, Funk

Tracklisting LP
A1. Shrimp Dance
A2. Kuro To Shiro
B1. Walk Tall
B2. Cat
B3. Romance


Info

We Release Jazz is ecstatic (purrrr!) to announce the official reissue of Hiroshi Suzuki's glorious jazz-fusion-funk Holy Grail Cat (originally released in 1976), sourced from the original masters and available on limited edition 180 gram vinyl mastered at half speed for full audiophile sound, as well as on digipack CD. Both versions come with liner notes by Teruo Isono.
Cat was recorded in October 1975 at at Nippon Columbia Studio, while Hiroshi Suzuki was visiting his home country of Japan after moving to Las Vegas in 1971 to play with Buddy Rich and perfect his craft. Back on his old stomping grounds, the man known as Neko (Cat) immediately reunited with his dear friends for an epic two day session of groove magic. The chemistry was still intact. The skills and style had grown.
The result, Cat, is a smooth masterpiece, a deep and soulful affair where stunning trombone solos by Hiroshi Suzuki flirt with Takeru Muraoka's heavenly saxophone and the sensual rhythm section of Hiromasa Suzuki (keyboards), Kunimitsu Inaba (bass), and Akira Ishikawa (drums).
Celebrated in jazz collectors circles, in the lofi beat scene, and among music diggers around the world, Cat has become one of the most sought-after Japanese jazz albums of all time and, much like Ryo Fukui's Scenery, has fascinated old and young generations alike.

Points of interests

- For fans of jazz, fusion, funk, trombone, Japanese jazz, smooth rides, cats, allure.

- Official reissue of the glorious jazz-fusion album by Japanese trombonist extraordinaire Hiroshi "Neko" Suzuki.

- 10th release from We Release Jazz, following Ryo Fukui's Scenery, Mellow Dream, A Letter from Slowboat, and Ryo Fukui in New York, the soundtrack of Le Cercle Rouge by Eric Demarsan, Stuff Combe 5 + Percussion, Marc Moulin's Placebo Live 1971 and Boillat Thérace Quintet albums. We Release Jazz is the sister-label of Geneva-based WRWTFWW Records (Midori Takada's Through The Looking Glass and Lunar Cruise with Masahiko Sato, Pierre Barouh's Le Pollen, Jun Fuka-machi's Nicole, Grauzone's discography, …)


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LP
Special remarks:
180g, Front Inlay, printed innersleeve

Tracklist:

A1) Sanctuary 05:44 min
A2) Triptych 05:32 min
A3) Lola 05:56 min
A4) Simmering 04:39 min
B1) February 19th 06:35 min
B2) First Steps 04:03 min
B3) A Long Day Out 05:54 min
B4) Farewell 05:31 min

Info:

Known for his soothing trumpet work in German jazz group Fazer, Matthias Lindermayr is back on Squama with an all-new trio and his third album 'Triptych'.
With Philipp Schiepek on acoustic guitar and Simon Popp on percussion, the Munich-based musician created a forward-thinking record between jazz and contemporary classical, conceptually bold and utterly beautiful.
'Triptych' is a thrillingly quiet record. While the album's predecessor 'Newborn' (2018) featured a quintet, the rather unusual trio line-up on 'Triptych' gave Matthias more room to share the nuances of his playing.
His compositions, most written especially for this group, are of a noble simplicity allowing the musicians to focus more on interaction and sound.


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Territories: Worldwide no restrictions

Format Notes:

Part of Bobby Caldwell Reissue Campaign, 2023 first time reissue, 140g vinyl


Track List:

A1 Special To Me 4:00
A2 My Flame 3:30
A3 Love Won't Wait 4:00
A4 Can't Say Goodbye 5:20

B1 Come To Me 2:52
B2 What You Won't Do For Love 4:45
B3 Kalimba Song 2:00
B4 Take Me Back To Then 3:30
B5 Down For The Third Time 3:30

Release Notes:

Known principally as a smooth titan of blue-eyed soul, Bobby Caldwell transcended genre tags with consummate ease; he was a musical icon of real class and versatility, cherished the world over. Tragically passing away in March 2023 at the too young age of 71, it still feels as if Bobby's true artistry is profoundly under-appreciated. His double platinum self-titled album from 1978 is a timeless masterpiece of sophisticated jazzy soul brilliance and is strictly canonical. Yes, it's perfect, yet it's been out of press on vinyl for years. We're deeply honoured to present the long-awaited reissue this summer.

Whilst Ned Doheny is known in Japan as "Mr California", native New Yorker Bobby Caldwell has always been "Mr AOR" to his Far-Eastern friends. His distinct charm is an irresistible blend of soul, jazz, and pop influences. He possessed phenomenal songwriting prowess, smooth vocal performances, was both a great soul guitarist and dextrous keyboard player and known for genius chord progressions. It all added up to a multi-layered brilliance entering the studio, and the singular sound he landed on was laced with soulful, sweeping strings and funky horns, touching lightly on disco, while allowing his supple voice to carry the stunning tracks he'd crafted.

String-swept opener "Special To Me" immediately sets the tone with its lush instrumentation, rich harmonies, and Caldwell's velvety-smooth vocals. Next up, a huge one. The infectious, mid-tempo bounce of "My Flame" showcases Caldwell's ability to effortlessly blend catchy pop hooks with soulful arrangements. It's an exquisite, emotive ballad that, at the same time, absolutely SLAPS. Game recognise game, and all that, so, accordingly, Notorious B.I.G. memorably ran with “My Flame” for his 1997 single “Sky’s The Limit”. The rolling, disco-very "Love Won't Wait" is a slick, uptempo track containing heartfelt lyrics intertwined with elegant strings and a horn section to die for. Aching - and achingly cool - single "Can't Say Goodbye" is a real fan favourite, and it's no surprise. It's a laconic, slow-mo jazz-funk stepper, with fantastic, very deliberate playing that closes out the A Side quite exceptionally. "Come To Me" slows proceedings down elegantly to open Side B before the universally agreed-upon masterpiece enters proceedings.

"What You Won't Do for Love," the standout hit that became a classic in its own right, perfectly captured Bobby's ability to infuse a contagious groove with introspective and relatable lyrics. With its instantly recognisable horn riff and Caldwell's soulful delivery, this timeless, chiller anthem continues to captivate audiences and define his musical legacy. He scored huge with the track, taking over the pop and R&B airways with this mellow soul stepper. It has remained a perennial favourite and has been heavily sampled, such is its unique allure; Aaliyah sang over snatches of it on "Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number" and you can hear Caldwell’s vocal sample used for the hook on Tupac’s posthumously released “Do For Love”.

Upon submitting the finished album to his label, they requested more material in hope of a big single. As Bobby remembered to Wax Poetics a few years ago: “Now at this point, I’m mentally exhausted...and bear in mind that I got so close to all the songs I’d written. I gave each song a profound amount of thought, and maybe too much. So, in haste, I went in and cut this song, "What You Won’t Do For Love". Wrote it in a day, cut the rhythm track, overdubbed the horns, I sang the song, and literally turned it in three days after. And lo and behold, the one song I gave the least thought to,” Bobby laughed, “ended up being a national anthem.”

The mysterious, magical "Kalimba Song" is a cosmic, kalimba-driven melodic-funk instrumental - short but oh, so sweet. It's followed by the supreme tear-jerker "Take Me Back To Then", Bobby's otherworldly voice deeply longing for a simpler time, "when life was mellow". I think we can all get behind this sentiment. The final cut is arguably its deepest, its low-key finest moment. For us, it is, anyway. The glorious, driving, effortlessly funky guitar-soul jam "Down For The Third Time" is a huge melancholic Be With favourite and has been played by discerning genre-hopping DJs with significant glee for years. Hypnotic, melodic, beautiful. Like the album it elegantly rounds out.

Bobby sadly passed away on 23rd March 2023, after a long struggle with mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress, due to an adverse effect from a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. The reissue of his wonderful eponymous album will be available on vinyl across the globe, ensuring that fans of his incomparable talent - and soul music enthusiasts worldwide - can radiate in the deep beauty of this seminal album. Meticulously remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed to the highest possibly quality at Record Industry in Holland.

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Germany
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