Tracklist 12":

A1) It Feels Good (4:26)
A2) Playing With My Mind (5:06)
B1) Pose (4:27)
B2) Got To Survive (4:31)


Joel Holmes is a phenomenon that fits perfectly into the musical scenario of the next years. 35-year-old american jazz pianist and 4 times Grammy nominated. He was the musical director of Carl Craig’s Synthesizer ensemble as well as the keyboarder in legendary Grammy wining band of Roy Hargrove (the IT jazz artist from the late 1990ies, who later died.)

Holmes is always hunting for the new, so he moved to Berlin a few years ago. Being interested in what’s happening in that new dance world. Similar to Jazzers from the 1970ies like Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones who turned into disco stars Joel, the jazzer wanted to connect with the new Berlin electronic scene. He succeeded, teamed up with upcoming London house kid Cody Currie and the Toy Tonics crew who is working on new sounds in Berlin that connect the organic and jazz musicians scene with the dance and house world. Developing a new style of Jazz-House… (that has nothing to do with sampled jazzy‘ house! If you know what we mean).

Joel and Cody Currie released 2 EPs that had a good buzz mainly in the UK and USA. Big support from the Worldwide FM and BBC Radio world as well from tastemaker DJs such as Bradley Zero, Gilles Peterson and Masters at Work.

While working on these EPs Joel created a kind of new jazz-dance universe around him in Berlin. He curates a bi-monthly jam session in an underground location where the crème de la crème of the international ex-pad -musician scene meet up. Joel became THE MAN to hang out when American musicians come to Berlin. Like when Erykah Badu was doing her Berlin gig in Berlin in 2019, after the show all the band moved to Joel's place to have a legendary jam session. Yes, there is a lot of happening in the new Berlin Jazz meets Electronic scene. And Joel Holmes is in the center now.

So it’s time for a Joel Holmes Solo EP. The EP was recorded in a couple of jam sessions. Later reworked and co-produced by Kapote and Sam Ruffillo and mixed by Justin Vanderfolgen from DFA in New York.

It’s a big step for Joel Holmes. He started to sing in a very smooth, deep way. He wanted to make dance tracks that have a song structure and should not be too static, but still be playable in good DJ sets. And that's what you get: A Lot of Soul. Deep House vibes in a New York style and Joel's skills as a keyboarder.

Joel Holmes is a phenomenon, for sure. And this EP could be a manifesto for what he is doing in Berlin now.















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Tracklist
A1. Abundance (4:28)
A2. Obedience (3:47)
A3. Zeit (2:52)
B1. Humility (4:44)
B2. Gratitude (4:36)
B3. Forgiveness (3:19)

Key Selling Points
Kryptox records was born to show what's happening in the new scene in germany. And David Nesselhauf is the next upcoming artist. Kryptox will release his 6 track EP.?Nesselhauf is a multi-talented artists: bass player, composer, bandleader and man of very original ideas. He was already featured on the Kryptox' Kraut Jazz Futurism compilation vol 1 (2019) and now delivers his first solo EP for the label.

This EP is a follow up in a longer musical evolution that the Hamburg born talent has been making over the past years. A journey that's basically a style he is building that he calls afro-kraut. Before joining Kryptox he already released 2 albums under the Afrokraut title on his own (Bandcamp) before meeting Mathias Modica (head of Kryptox) and they decided to work together.

So on the "Rituals EP“ Nesselhauf salutes his personal pantheon of musical gods once again, leading the listener through his musical Jungle encompassing Krautrock, Downbeat, Drone, Electronica, Afrobeat, Lo-Fi, Shoegaze, Funk and Ambient textures in the blink of an eye.?The 6 new tracks share a common feel, but are colorful individuals at the same time. Some more organic, others with electronic elements.

About Nesselhaufs workflow: Four of these composition are based on quick, playful, raw jams recorded live within hours by a group of Nesselhauf's inner circle musicians. Great grooves played by a heavy rhythm section that he uses also for his live gigs. Just on a few songs Nesselhauf exchanged the human musicians with a legendary Vermona Drum Synthesizer as the main rhythm ingredient.

Guests: One more track was recorded with Julian Gutjahr, Drummer for The Drawbars. Some tracks feature guest appearances by Dennis Rux (he also mixed the EP) and Graeme Currie on guitar. Soulamadou made his way to one of the tracks just by incidentally leaving a very groovy voice message on David ´s phone ("Zeit").

The material was later bewitched into deep, organic swirls: Trippy, psychedelic somnambulistical. The rather mystical, nocturnal reworking process of the recording added even more dimension and depth, leaving the 6 Tracks ready for home listen, but also for an open minded dancefloor and an otherworldly listening experience at the same time.
The next generations of jazz are just waking up. And Davd Nesselhauf and his bunch are one of these new interesting phenomena. Working in the underground since few years, now hopefully there will be more spotlight on these great new innovators.






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For fans of: Portico Quartett, Floating Points, Jon Hassell, Ryuichi Sakamoto

Tracklist
A1. Haut (4:13)
A2. Ahonk (5:03)
A3. They still play (4:22)
B1. Andalu (5:20)
B2. Dark Phase I (3:28)
B3. Dark Phase II (3:56)

Key Selling Points
Ralph Heidel is one of the young musicians that represent the spirit of Berlin’s new musical ecleticism better than others. He is part of the avantgarde circles that mix modern jazz and contemporary classical music with elements of new electronica and experimental ambient music. This is the vibe of Germany's next generation.

Heidel creates a sonic universe that is unique. He takes the listener into a deep, atmospheric travel that stimulates emotions and feelings on a different level. Heidel brings together two worlds: what he learned at Musikhochschule München, Germany’s leading academy for classical music where he studied saxophon and composition and the moods happening in Germany's new electronic circles.

On „Relief“ Heidel created six songs. Except one, all of them are instrumental music. Partly composed and often improvised these sounds take the listener into Heidel's specific sonic universe. Raw beat structures, emotive horn lines, strong harmonical tensions and dramatic build ups. Heidel’s signature sound.
In fact Heidel is a multiple influenced artist with a strong personality that absorbs whats around him, connects it with his own wide artistic knowledge and fullfills it into magical musical moments.

Relief is the next step in what could become a longtime artistic career.
After a (very composed) debut album for string quartet and rhythm section for Kryptox (Moments of Resonance 2019), it was important for Heidel, to process current feelings of daily life.
Not just his cultural learnings, but also emotions connected to the hard COVID times and a lot of personal experiences.

Relief are six abstract, distorted patterns. Long deep transitions that lead into euphoric parts of sonic greatness. Heidel's sense for sound design and the soft tone of his saxophone phrases, add a personal note that is somehow alone in the current music scenario. Sampling his saxophone (reeds, keys etc.) to create very organic beats is one of the many techniques to create that special „Heidel“ sound. Also his calm and wide harmonies over disquiet, rough drums are part of his unique ambivalent, disrupted moods.

Most of this EP has been played by Heidel alone. For a few parts he was joined by musicians from the local scene. In fact besides his albums on Kryptox Ralph Heidel is very connected in Berlin’s current cultural playground: He creates music for underground performance art happenings in Neukölln as well as for new German theater (Volksbühne, Berliner Ensemble). Also German rapper Tarek from K.I.Z heard about Heidels string debut album, so they collaborated for an album, where Heidel reworked his record for stringquartet, piano, drums and bass.





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Tracklist
A1. Der Inder (5:13)
A2. Der Kaelte (5:46)
A3. Levent (4:40)
B1. Spacefunk (4:24)
B2. Gentrification (5:50)
B3. Fiji Fiji (9:59)

Key Selling Points
Karaba is the new signing on Kryptox. The Berlin label founded to show what's happening in the German Jazz crossover scene. One of these bands is Karaba from Munich. The band was already featured on the Kryptox Kraut Jazz Futurism Compilation in 2019. Now they deliver their first mini album for Kryptox. Five young guys from Munich. Skilled and tight on their instruments and deeply rooted in the heritage of all kind of wild forms of jazz, krautrock and psychedelic music. The kids began to jam together when starting to study music in 2012. Being from Munich, a town where legendary Krautrock bands like Amon Düül, Guru Guru and Embryo came from, the Karaba guys are obviously influenced by these german kraut and psychedelic sounds. You can hear that in many shades of this album: the complexity of the unusual rhythmical fundaments and percussive patterns. The Prog-Rock parts, with these partly abstract unisono lines and strange melodic figures or unexpected chord changes. Karaba’s album starts with an slightly arabic feel. The repetitive groove of „Der Inder“ gets the listener immediately into a different south-eastern space. Later the music gets more animated, more structured and more uplifting. A whole universe of little influences. Shades of certain Jazz and prog-rock bands: you might think about the canterbury scene of the 1960ies and 70ies. There are textures reminding of Soft Machine, Frank Zappa, Mats and Morgan, Kraan and maybe some Passport influences. (Another band from Munich that left a huge footmark in the worldwide jazz fusion history). The whole Karaba sound has a certain 1970es feel. But not in a pure retro way. The EP sounds more like a modern psychedelic 2020 Lofi Indie Jazz thing - a sound that fits well in these wild times and finds it’s place in the actual scenario of new jazz bands worldwide.




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Tracklist
A1. Erdtöne
A2. Luftkraft (Airforce Wandt)
B1. Rheinfein
B2. Regenboden Tanz

Key Selling Points
After he hit their sweet spot with a little 3/4 psychedelia on the ‘Kraut Jazz Futurism’ compilation, new Berlin based imprint Kryptox founded by the Gomma & Toy Tonics crew (yes, that new label dedicated to new jazz electronica phenomenas from the uprising German scene) do the sensible thing and tie down nomadic percussionist Niklas Wandt for his first ever solo EP. Anyone with a dancing shoe dipped in the underground will recognize the dungareed Berliner from collaborative outings with Bufi-body popper Wolf Muller, synth shaman Sascha Funke or his NDW dream team Neuzeitliche Bodenbeläge (whose funky bassman Timo Hein helps out here), and now he’s rolling (mostly) solo with four tracks of far out head music. Largely built around improvised drum jams recorded in Wandt’s rehearsal space in Berlin, the sounds on the EP mutated and matured before assuming their final form under the mix.



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- new label made by Mathias "Munk" Modica. The producer behind indiedance labels Gomma and Toy Tonics. (Modica produced records with people like James Murphy, WhoMadeWho, Peaches, Daniel Avery, The Rammellzee

Tracklist LP:
A1. Intro -1:47
A2. Morsches Holz - 3:46
A3. Edelweiss - 2:49
B1. Trauerweide - 3:58
B2. Der Blaue Fels -2:47
B3. Grande -2:33
B4. Outro -1:52

Short Info:
Edgy but cosy

Stimming x Lambert have done an album together: EXODUS!
This duo debut will be released on the new Berlin based Kryptox label on 9th march 2018.
Kryptox is the new label for Neo -Jazz/Kraut/Classical music my by Gomma and Toy Tonics founder Mathias Munk Modica.

Stimming is one of the main names in German advanced Techno. He first appeared to the public with cooperations with David August and Solomun on Diynamic records. Later he did orchestral Techno works and is by now one of the leading names in his genre..

Lambert is one of the rising starts of german neo-classical music. The "pianoman with the mask".
After 3 albums (some recorded with little help by Niels Frahm) he is selling out venues all over Europe.
Together Stimming x Lambert created a new approach on postmodern, romantic, krauty Electronica mixed with classical piano elements.



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- new label made by Mathias "Munk" Modica. The producer behind indiedance labels Gomma and Toy Tonics. (Modica produced records with people like James Murphy, WhoMadeWho, Peaches, Daniel Avery, The Rammellzee
- JRBB is a German 15 person big band that combines Jazz with Electronica. Additional beat production by COEO (Toy Tonics). On this EP is a rework from JRBB friends BRANDT BRAUER FRICK included.

Tracklist 12":
A1) Trust In Me 7:45
A2) The Euclidean Trip through Paintings by Escher 4:14
A3) The Euclidean Trip through Paintings by Escher (Brandt Brauer Frick Interpretation) 7:01
B1) Punkt und Linie zur Flaeche 9:59
B2) Moebius Strip 8:10

JRBB: Moebius Strip EP
(Additional beat production by COEO. Remix by Brandt Brauer Frick)
Label: Kryptox

"...surprising, individualistic, cutting-edge and irrepressibly fun" (The New York Music Daily)

JRBB is a German 15 person big band that combines Jazz with Electronica. Additional beat production by COEO (Toy Tonics). On this EP is a rework from JRBB friends BRANDT BRAUER FRICK included.
This EP is the first release on KRYPTOX: a new Berlin based label for Neo-Krautrock/JazzElectronica/Experimental music.
The new label is made by Mathias "Munk" Modica. The producer behind indiedance labels Gomma and Toy Tonics. (Modica produced records with people like James Murphy, WhoMadeWho, Peaches, Daniel Avery, The Rammellzee a.o.)
With the new label he goes a step further. Searching for new artists who experiment on a high musical level and go beyond boundaries. Far away form the traditional dance universe.

The first release on Kryptox comes from JRBB. A 15 piece Jazz group that has a very own, new way to combine Jazz with electronic elements. A New York newspaper called it ODM: Organic Dance Music. A term that fits well.
Even if it's hard to pin down JRBB's music - as it is so unique. There is no other band like this. But there is growing new scene of musicians that combine Jazz with electronic styles: Artists like The comet is coming, Kemasi Washington, Moses Boyd, Yussef Kamaal, ...

All of the JRBB's members are in their end 20ies and studied Jazz at international high profile jazz universities. Leonhard Kuhn is the composer and arranger of most of JRBBs music and trombonist Roman Sladek is the band leader and producer.
The four compositions on Moebius Strip are all based on a straight 4/4 beat pattern (that has been sound designed by Munich's upcoming house producers COEO). Over that rhythmic base JRBB expand their ostinato-horn/bass patterns that often start with simple one tone unisono lines, but slowly grow into huge, emotive, complex structured arrangements. Imitating the structures of dance tracks with breakdowns and DJ tool dynamics, but going much further. In JRBB's compositions you can hear influences from certain late 1960 Hardbob music, as well as 1970ies Jazzfunk and Modern Jazz and certain artists that came out of New York's Knitting Factory scene from the 1990ies.

In Germany there is already a buzz for JRBB's energetic live shows. Last year they played more then 90 shows. Creating huge euphoria wherever they come on stage. The buzz reached the artistic directors of Lincoln Center in New York: the holy place of Jazz in the USA. The director Meera Dugal invited JRBB. And so in August 2016 the band played there and was euphorically received by press and audience.

Lincoln Center impresario Meera Dugal talked to The New York Music Daily about the band:
"Who here has heard German techno big band jazz before? This was a first for me! And I have to say: This large scale German ensemble is surprising, considering how individualistic, cutting-edge and irrepressibly fun they are - their instrumentation follows the standard big band jazz model. Stylistically, they're all over the map. This seventeen-piece outfit validated their reputation as one of the world's most distinctive and adrenalizing dance outfits."


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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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Red vinyl is a limited Edition of 200 copies!


Motel d'amour - A Lost Electro-Funk Gem from the NDW Era Resurfaces

When we first collaborated with Collage member Markus Kammann on the EP project "Mit den Puppen tanzen" at the end of last year, we never imagined what would follow: Kammann approached us with a completely unreleased full-length album by his former band. Upon receiving the first three preview tracks, we were floored. One of them was "Nachtcafé" - a track that kicks off with a funky bassline layered over the punchy rhythm of a Roland TR-808. Add shimmering synths and Katrin A. Kunze's sharp, distinctive vocals, and we instantly knew we were hearing something special.

For a label dedicated to rediscovering lost treasures, this was exactly what we'd been searching for. The next two tracks - "Rendezvous" and "Casanova" - were just as compelling. When Kammann sent us the full album, we realized we were holding an electro-funk grail from the late golden days of the German Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW). We were listening to "Motel d'amour".

"Motel d'amour" is a concept album, offering a sharp, vibrant perspective from a confident, intelligent, and radiant young woman eager to experience nightlife, love, and music. Kunze's lyrics paint vivid scenes of flirtation ("Nachtcafé", "Rendezvous"), encounters with men ("Casanova"), the pulse of nightlife ("Die Nacht ist noch jung"), love ("Rotes Licht für rote Liebe"), one-night stands ("Motel d'amour"), and more. Rarely has a German album from that era captured emotional nuance and social dynamics so insightfully. Without veering into the overly personal, Kunze's direct, daring lyrical style was groundbreaking at the time - and remains refreshingly bold today.

While German listeners will fully appreciate the lyrical depth, the music speaks volumes on its own. Kunze's words are masterfully complemented by the production of Markus Kammann and Jürgen Grah. As heard on the in-demand "Mit den Puppen tanzen", their creativity seemed boundless. Each track is tightly composed, catchy, and full of character. While many German bands at the time leaned into rock, Kammann drew from the deep grooves of Earth, Wind & Fire, The Isley Brothers, Brothers Johnson, The Commodores, and the electro-futurism of Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" and "Looking for the Perfect Beat". The result: tracks with unmistakable electro-funk flair, powered by the classic 808 drum sound.

Though primarily rooted in funk and electro, the album retains flashes of NDW aesthetics - "Wir haben getanzt heut' Nacht" being a prime example. The instrumentation is a dream list for vintage gear lovers: Yamaha keyboards, Roland Juno-60, vocoder, Micromoog, Hohner D6 Clavinet, Fender bass, and a Telecaster guitar all feature prominently.
Recorded in 1985 at the high-profile Delta Studio by Richard Rossbach, the album attracted interest from Polydor. However, the label proposed using the compositions for a solo project with singer Inga Humpe (of Neonbabies), who was already signed to their roster. This would have required replacing Kunze as the vocalist, an idea the group firmly rejected. As a result, "Motel d'amour" was shelved, and Kammann, Grah, and Kunze moved on to form Cold End.
The album cover features a rare archival photo of Katrin A. Kunze - rediscovered by Kammann and now finally seeing the light of day, 40 years later.

We believe Motel d'amour deserves recognition alongside cult German classics like P!OFF?, 1. Futurologischer Congress' "Wer spricht?", Ami Marie's "Verrückt nach Glück", the funkier cuts of Cosa Rosa, or Piet Klocke's groove classic "Heute ist nicht sonst". It's a record that fits into adventurous DJ sets but also rewards a full, start-to-finish listen.

A note on audio quality: Sadly, the original master tapes were lost. The tracks were restored from a vintage TDK cassette. Thanks to modern digital tools, we were able to remaster them to a high standard - but in some songs light distortions remain. We appreciate your understanding and hope you enjoy this lost and undiscovered gem.

- Completely unissued NDW Electro-Funk LP
- Fully Licenced, recorded in 1985
- Thick 350 g picture sleeve with sticker
- Contains lyrics insert
- Quality lacquer cut by SST

Side A
Nachtcafé
Rendezvous
Herzschlag
Motel d'amour
Casanova

Side B
Wir haben getanzt heut' Nacht
All diese Jahre
Rotes Licht für rote Liebe
Musik (Rhythmische Verführung)
Die Nacht ist noch jung



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Debut for G&D Records Inc by serious Djs vinyl collectors, inspired from the best Disco Funky groove. 3 essential tune reworked for this special EP. Highly recommended.

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