“RARE & LOST TAPES” is a collection of singles by the legendary group CORTEX never released on album.
This album brings together previously unreleased and rare recordings such as "Les Oiseaux Morts" (Alternative Take 76) released only as a Test Pressing, "Mary & Jeff" (Fender Rhodes Version 77) recorded for TV, or "Californie" & "Stevie" released for the Side Project CARIBOU in 7Inch...

A1 - Californie
A2 - Moanion
A3 - Stevie
A4 - The sky is grey i'm so blue
B1 - Psychose
B2 - Mary & Jeff (Fender Rhodes Version 77')
B3 - Les oiseaux morts
B4 - Les oiseaux morts (Alternative Take 76') More

French avantgarde Jazz-Funk pioneers Cortex released three milestone albums during the seventies including the iconic Troupeau Bleu. Their music has been sampled by Hip Hop artists such as MF Doom, Wiz Khalifa, Lupe Fiasco and Rick Ross and as a consequence is still very much alive today.

Trad Vibe Records proudly presents a first time re-issue of their double sider 7inch single from 1976 Les Oiseaux Morts / Back To Life. We are sure that you will enjoy the melancholic beauty of “Les Oiseaux Morts” and the harmonica driven disco funk of “Back To Life”.
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Very first version of the first single by Cortex, reissued as 7inch for the 1st time. “I remember that I and Alain Gandolfi wanted to put ‘Mary & Jeff’ on the A side, but the producer decided to set ‘L’Enfant Samba’ instead because he thought that the voice of Mireille would be more selling than my piano… 6 months after, at the beginning of 1976, ‘Mary & Jeff’ was a hit in a lot of Disco clubs and radios!” (Alain Mion).

Limited to 500 copies.

La Rue 4:23
Automne (Colchiques) 2:35
L'Enfant Samba 3:00
Troupeau Bleu 5:00
Prelude A "Go Round" 3:52
Go Round 1:20
Chanson D'Un Jour D'Hiver 5:20
Mary Et Jeff 2:40
Huit Octobre 1971 4:22
Sabbat (1ère Partie) 1:00
Sabbat (2ème Partie) 3:15
Sabbat (3ème Partie) 0:26
Madbass 2:50 More

This new edition is the first realized directly from the original master tapes. Great care has been given to the 24 bits transfer respecting original sound. Recorded on July 15-16, 1975 at Damiens Studio, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
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“Volume 2” is the 2nd and rarest album which had been recorded by the French Jazz-Funk band legend, Cortex. The obscure French jazz group that's been a favorite of funky collectors for years! Reissued last in 2002 by Follow Me Records, it’s now back in stock in a final limited repressing of 500 copies, reissued by Trad Vibe Records under official license from Alain Mion. It really is another absolute killer album of dope Jazz-Funk tracks! Unlike their first album it's all instrumental (save for a few chants on "Poxa") and lean even more heavily on the groove side, in a funky Blaxpoitation kind of way. The group's got a strong fusion-driven groove on this set – with plenty of tight drumming, hard riffing, and spacey keyboards that give the tunes a nicely soulful finish. The best tracks are actually the mellower ones, which have a nice use of space and sound – creating strong little patterns of groove that stand out from the rest of the tracks. Lots of work on Fender Rhodes, mini korg, Hammond, and clavinette – and titles include "Poxa", "Datura", "Regina", "Mister J", "Efficace Swing", "Oh Lord", and "Devil's Dance".

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"Pourquoi" is the 3rd and the rarest album which had been recorded by the French legend of Jazz Funk, Cortex. This new edition, using the original master tapes, is realised by Trad Vibe Records. "Pourquoi" was initially recorded in 1978. It sounds like a new side of Cortex: songs are mainly composed around the voice and the various keyboards of the band leader, Alain Mion, who also played bass lines on synthesizer. More, the band gave up the live recording to use the beloved Stevie Wonder or Quincy Jones' technique of "re-recording". But, in spite of these changes, their groove remains as spontaneous as powerful. So, the band collaborated with great backing vocals and other session musicians, such as the great Italian trumpet player Giulio Didio who performed the funky horns arrangements. There is plenty to enjoy on every track: the ending chorus of “Sans Toi” song (which has been written by Alain Mion for his wife, Mireille, and is probably the flagship track of the album) comes with a brilliant Rhodes solo to lead the listener to one of the most emotion-loaded moment of the recording. Whereas “Le Visionnaire” song sounds with disco echoes, “Pourquoi” song browses in melancholy and “Pauvre Star” is groovin’ high with its clavinetbass- drums rhythmics that reminds George Benson...

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“Volume 2” is the 2nd and rarest album which had been recorded by the French Jazz-Funk band legend, Cortex. The obscure French jazz group that's been a favorite of funky collectors for years! Reissued last in 2002 by Follow Me Records, it’s now reissued by Trad Vibe Records under official license from Alain Mion. It really is another absolute killer album of dope Jazz-Funk tracks! Unlike their first album it's all instrumental (save for a few chants on "Poxa") and lean even more heavily on the groove side, in a funky Blaxpoitation kind of way. The group's got a strong fusion-driven groove on this set – with plenty of tight drumming, hard riffing, and spacey keyboards that give the tunes a nicely soulful finish.
The best tracks are actually the mellower ones, which have a nice use of space and sound – creating strong little patterns of groove that stand out from the rest of the tracks. Lots of work on Fender Rhodes, mini korg, Hammond, and clavinette – and titles include "Poxa", "Datura", "Regina", "Mister J", "Efficace Swing", "Oh Lord", and "Devil's Dance".

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After the hot first single with Sadat X (Brand Nubian) & El Da Sensei (Artifacts), Moar present the full LP Boom Bap Mentality featuring the legendary Dumi Right (Zimbabwe Legit), the underground Finsta (Finsta Bundy), the explosive duet Dirt Platoon, le real Mc Napoleon da Legend, Rita J from Chicago, LS Brigandes from NYC & the newbie & homie Miss Kraze from Nantes (France).

All beats produced by Moar on the MPC’s & SP1200 with many taste of Jazz, Soul & Sera Groove vinyl samples ! Cuts by Moar himself & Dj Impact (Switzerland).
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On its 14th album RAMZi addresses the Gremlin’s Paradox. Feeding the ‘World Fuzion Music’ frequencies, above every category and for all hearing ears, the beat-wielding imp meets each new quest with a sharp-toothed smile and a moon tan glow.

This new multi-quest pathfinder on FATi imprint was aided by Dave Biddle on sax, Loic Reeves-Blizzard on guitar and Zach Frempton on keyboard. More

Sweet Music Volume II is the long awaited follow up compilation from one of Nigeria’s most adored 80's artists, Dizzy K. Falola. Featuring the most sought after tracks from his last three albums this double LP has both the dance floor feet movers he was known for and some more experimental African pieces but it's all glazed with that 80's Nigerian boogie sound we've come to love. With restoration by Colin Young, and Vinyl Mastering by Frank Merritt at The Carvery the pressing is a beauty. Only pressed in a small quantities. This is one you don't want to miss!

A1 - Who's The Other Guy
A2 - No Dime
A3 - Afrikan Jamboree
B1 - Who's The Other Guy (Mix)
B2 - Traffic Jammer
B3 - Tiwa N' Tiwa
C1 - Hold Me Tight
C2 - Bad Boy
C3 - Ambushin'
C4 - No One Loves (Like You)
D1 - Love Is All
D2 - Dance Afrika
D3 - Coming Home More

* Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the seminal 'Valley of the Shadows', this special edition run is presented on 180g yellow vinyl.

* In 1993, Andy C & Ant Miles set out about creating a fourth release for the newly established Ram Records, now just a year old. With Hardcore still prominent in the clubs around the world, The Touch features rollercoaster bass swoops against energetic breaks flowing around the main sung vocal "c'mon and touch me".
An early sign of the precision arrangements that became synonymous of Ram's early sound that followed over for many years. Whilst going through the remaining samples in the sampler that had not been used on the A side, the pair suddenly went on a tangent with one of the drum breaks.
Experimenting with the new time stretch function in the Akai sampler, they soon had a shuffle groove layered and moving. With Ant Miles' sculpted and edited arpeggio bell line sample, a new overall sound and vibe was beginning to emerge out of their studio Atari ST computer.
Utilising an original organic analogue string pad, the haunting sinister vibe became complete. With the vocal from the BBC QED documentary 'Glimpses of Death' - "I felt, like I was in a long dark tunnel" all that remained was one of the most memorable pounding bass lines to sit underneath it all.
The result was an instant impact on the scene, heralded as one of the first anthems of the Jungle genre. Multi award winning and the track that cemented Andy & Ant and their label Ram Records within the scene.

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On Albacete Knife Al Wootton offers up four hardware tracks of raw percussion and
ambience dubbed out to infinity. Drawing on the Post-Punk elements of his Holy Tongue project and transmuting them for the sound-system deejays, the EP covers low slung steppers, trance inducing percussion trips, psyched out Goa beatdowns and mutoid hardcore reductions. Raw and bristling psychedelic techno dubs for out there heads and feet. More

For their second LP ‘Elios’ on Periodica Records, musical collective “Parbleu” - led by Andres Balbucea and Andrea De Fazio - reach towards realms both astral and ancient to present a solar sonic suite of sky-seeking exotica inspired by the mythological adventures of Helios. Elemental grooves anchor textures of cosmic magic and faraway fantasy, wherein panoramic conga and bongo displays lead to limbo line hysteria and fat-bottomed bass grooves slide through layers of galactic grease. Phaser riffs and flangers arps fly in unison, lyrical runs dart and dash through flourishes of baroque Turkish psychedelia, and as moonbeam lasers fire over thrilling balearic escapes, Iberian reeds dance joyously amidst jangling six-string sunstrokes.

Captured in part at the West Hill Studio, the album is an evocative and polychromatic display of sight and sound, one where Arabian strings riding a desert wind dub skank give way to passages of cinematic folk funk, or elsewhere to sections of pompous progressive rock and angular jazz fusion. And as with Parbleu’s first LP ‘Danse Cette Zik,’ there is an awe-inspiring display of vocal talent across ‘Elios,’ as soft-soul seances, choral pop communions, 60s soundtrack spirituals, Italo diva poetics, and intoxicating call-and-response spells rain down over the mystical melodies and dancefloor dynamite.

A1 - Elios
A2 - Pour Cette Liberté
A3 - Si Tu Veux Vivre Ou Pas
A4 - Sababa
B1 - J'Entends Pas
B2 - Je Le Ferai
B3 - La Guillotère
B4 - Calima More

Don Blackman is a truly iconic, cult artist. A pianist, songwriter, producer, and vocalist from New York he is a mystical figure for record collectors, one of those artists where if you found an old dusty record with Don's name on it, you'd buy it on sight. Hip-hop heads, jazz, funk, disco, rare groove, and soul fans all share a love for his music, it seems to possess a quality that resonates with a wide spectrum of music lovers. Don is best known for his 1982 magnum-opus, the eponymous album released on Arista GRP. It featured the all-time classics 'Heart's Desire' and 'Holding You, Loving You', and is consistently remarkable throughout. He also collaborated with other greats such as Bernard Wright, Weldon Irvine, Roy Ayers, and Lenny White.

We couldn't quite believe it when Chicago DJ/digger/producer, Marc Davis (Black Pegasus), told us he had heard of a vault of unreleased Don Blackman material. Marc had reached out to Don Blackman's children, Irene and Kyle, in 2019, building a relationship with Kyle with whom he shared a musical affinity. To Marc's delight, Kyle confirmed that there was a treasure trove of Don’s music that had never seen the light of day. As Kyle described it, “In 2013, shortly after my dad’s passing, my sister and I collected all of his possessions and put them in a storage unit. After 2 years I finally got back into the groove of things and went through the unit. I came across forty years’ worth of music history. Hundreds of cassettes, CDs, Disks, reel-to-reels, paperwork, photos and VHS tapes. It took about ten years to organise and digitise everything. All of this magic was almost thrown away in the trash, never to be seen, never to be heard forever.”

Two tracks were selected, 'Your Love Makes Me Crazy' and 'Say You'll Be Mine'. 'Your Love Makes Me Crazy' is as funky as it gets, with infectiously catchy vocal hooks, and a serious jam, whereas ‘Say You’ll Be Mine’ is a classy, soulful boogie, instrumental number, that shows off Don’s masterful piano playing. Both tracks warrant full attention and capture a genius at work. He was also a one-man show when it came to production. He played all of the instruments and emulated the sounds of different instruments through patches on his keyboard. He recorded these tunes in his home studio in South Jamaica, Queens, New York City.

On first hearing the tracks, Marc knew he wanted to extend the songs and enlisted fellow Chicago legend, Tone B. Nimble, to work on the project with him. Their extension/edit of the songs was conducted in a way that was respectful and true to how the tracks were originally recorded by Don. They extended and re-sequenced the groovy parts of the songs organically for the DJs and dancers.

In Marc's words, "Don Blackman was a true musician and an awesome songwriter. The beauty in it is many people are just now discovering him and his music which helps keep his legacy alive."

A huge thank you to Kyle, Irene, Marc, and Tone for allowing us the honour to release these raw-soulful nuggets from a true master of his craft. The final words on this release are best coming from Kyle…

“We are very excited and thrilled to continue to share all of this unreleased magic with the world. We hope that this music will help, heal, and inspire a new generation of artists to never give up, and to strive for what their hearts desire.”

RIP Don Blackman, your light shines on.

7" Vinyl includes lyric sheet insert.

Artwork design by Raimund Wong. More

Al Wootton returns to his label Trule with his second album “We Have Come To Banish The Dark”. The record is a product of dystopic times, taut with energy and restrained violence, yet never oppressive or nihilistic. The theme is one of unity, liberation and resistance to a darkening world, against the rising tide of fascism, hypercapitalism, and right wing politics. Yet there remains a constant hope and light, most evident in the downtempo roller “Devarim” and the closing bars of “May Your Angels Of Light Accept Him”.

Wootton brings to the fore his youth experiences playing in post-punk bands and his longstanding appreciation of Metal to this swung, robust techno album. “We Have Come to Banish The Dark’’ recalls the industrialism of Chris and Cosey, Coil and Throbbing Gristle, while the ghosts of the UK Hardcore continuum through Jungle and UK Garage remain an ever haunting presence. The rhythms maintain a flexibility and lightness of touch that provide contrast to the monochrome industrial sound palette.

Over nine tracks Wootton explores a variety of rhythmic styles, from techno steppers such as “Descender” and “A Pox Cast”, to the 4x4 house of “A Cruel Sun Over Catalonia”, the minimal Drum and Bass-esque “Number, Weight , Division” and the loopy techno of “The Norman Yoke”, while eschewing typical genre tropes to maintain a cohesive sound over the whole album.

We Have Come To Banish The Dark is an album that rewards both ecstatic club moments and repeated deep listening with its high energy and detailed, textured sound design. More