Territories: Worldwide no restrictions

Format Notes:
2024 first time double vinyl reissue with exclusive bonus track, 140g double vinyl, remastered audio with restored artwork


Track List:

A1 Intro 0:50
A2 WordPlay 3:17
A3 Spontaneity 4:08
A4 Rugged Ruff 3:08
A5 Interlude 0:29

B1 I Confess 4:06
B2 UKNOWHOWWEDU 3:35
B3 Interlude 1:09
B4 Total Wreck 3:26
B5 Innovation 3:23

C1 Da Jawn 5:19
C2 Interlude 1:05
C3 True Honey Buns (Dat Freak Sh*t) 3:41

D1 3 Tha Hard Way 4:12
D2 Biggest Part Of Me 4:51
D3 Path To Rhythm 3:24

Release Notes:

Bahamadia’s 1996 debut album Kollage is rightly regarded as one of the greatest rap albums of the 1990s. For the first time ever, Be With present the definitive double LP version of this eternal hip-hop classic, including the legendary "Path To Rhythm" which never appeared on the original LP or on vinyl, anywhere. An indelible VIBE from start-to-finish, Kollage presents Bahamadia's swirling rhymes delivered with an irresistibly butter flow and razor-sharp assuredness over a steady slew of smoothed-out, jazzed-up, blunted beats. Achingly cool and effortlessly funky throughout, it's an absolute must for true 90s hip-hop fanatics.

The entire Kollage project was recorded at D&D Studios and the ties to Gang Starr are keenly felt, with DJ Premier producing five tracks in addition to the killer songs Guru had already produced with her. Working with the cream of the mid-90s East Coast sound, Kollage is, accordingly, a record that demonstrates a varied musical taste with disparate influences, as Bahamadia has previously stated: “The title Kollage was a reflection of my state of mind. I first got interested in music from playing my parents’ and grandparents’ records, as well what I heard on the radio. I wanted Kollage to reflect that diversity both lyrically and sonically."

With intelligent, poetic lyricism and a laconic verbal style bursting with both warm texture and deceptive energy, Bahamadia’s flow was as inspired by Aretha and Nancy Wilson as it was Q-Tip, Schoolly D and Lady B. Swaggering out the gate, "WordPlay" finds Bahamadia confidently showcasing her considerable old-school battle-rhyme skills over a Guru beat that utilises an infectiously bouncy bassline with splashes of sultry jazz horns and a Jeru vocal snatch for the hook. Up next, the quietly shimmering and ruggedly beautiful "Spontaneity" is one of the most alluring on the record, Da Beatminerz crafting a brilliantly soulful and jazzy soundscape for Bahamadia's effortless vocals to float across. It's followed by "Rugged Ruff", where the rapper carefully constructs a swift off-beat flow over Premier's raw jazzy fire.

With smooth spacey synth vibes overseen by former Geto Boys producer N.O. Joe, "I Confess" is, without question, a fly love song and soothing (p)-funk groove. "UKNOWHOWWEDU" is an airy, chilled tribute to her hometown. Produced by Ski Beatz & DJ Redhanded, it rides a gloriously mellow break. It's a true Philly anthem, shouting out a who’s who of the entire city’s scene. Early banger "Total Wreck" follows, presenting a murky Guru instrumental elevated by jazzy horns. Bahamadia invokes the title's suggestion, firing her brilliant bars more aggressively than we’re accustomed to. More Beatminerz-brilliance comes in the way of "Innovation", an opportunity for the MC to invoke Freestyle Fellowship in her forward-thinking and literary verses. "Da Jawn" features hometown buddies The Roots, with Black Thought gliding into a back-and-forth with Bahamadia over ?uestlove’s warm, snapping percussion. With the strut club banger "True Honey Buns (Dat Freak Sh*t)", DJ Premier provides some laidback vibrant boom bap for Bahamadia to share a wild, cautionary tale about a night out with her girl, Kia.

Fan favourite "3 Tha Hard Way" is a hypnotically sinister cut, with Bahamadia, K-Swift and Mecca Star taking star turns to coast over DJ Premier’s raw beat whilst the tender "Biggest Part Of Me" is a heartfelt stunner dedicated to her son. Incredibly, only the European and Japanese CD versions of Kollage was released with the brilliantly breezy “Path To Rhythm”, featuring Ursula Rucker. Whilst ostensibly a "bonus track", it's anything but, to our ears. Very much in sonic conversation with KRS-One's stretched-out sleeper classic "Higher Level", it's absolutely essential so we had to include it, appearing on wax for the first time here, exclusively. Quite a coup.

Somewhat predictably, whilst Kollage was released to significant critical acclaim, it suffered from disappointing sales. In the intervening years - and for far too long - it was a criminally underrated record, an increasingly hidden gem. We hope this double LP reissue - which looks and sounds amazing - will go some way to correct this. This 2024 Be With double LP re-issue has been mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Cicely Balston and pressed at Record Industry. It's too bold and beautiful to remain overlooked and underserved.
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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

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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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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You may know Aretha Franklin's scintillating "One Step Ahead" from its vital role in the Oscar-winning movie Moonlight. You may also know it as providing the beautifully melancholic backdrop for Mos Def's 1999 hit "Ms Fat Booty". The inaugural Be With 7" is a special one indeed, containing the first ever officially licensed reissue of Aretha's all-time deep soul classic. "One Step Ahead" was not included on any of her Columbia studio albums, and remains one of her rarest releases. On the flip, "I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face" is a thrilling, goosebump-inducing killer and an unfairly slept-on rendition of this eternal track. The single comes housed in a custom printed full-colour company sleeve and is limited to just 1000 copies. More

Territories: Worldwide no restrictions

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

Track List:

A1 Coming Down From Love 4:01
A2 Wrong Or Right 4:56
A3 To Know What You've Got 3:08
A4 You Promised Me 4:01

B1 It's Over 2:56
B2 Open Your Eyes 3:43
B3 Mother Of Creation 5:05
B4 I Don't Want To Lose Your Love 4:35


Release Notes:

Bobby Caldwell's second album, Cat In The Hat, from 1980, is one of his greatest moments and another masterwork of soulful sophistication. Featuring the eternal "Open Your Eyes", brilliantly sampled by J Dilla for Common's "The Light", it's about as essential as records get. Like its eponymous predecessor, it's been out of print for far too long. To finally release the hugely-anticipated reissue is one of our sincerely proudest moments.

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.

Right from the off, it's easy to tell that Cat In The Hat is a deeply special record. It's fantastically produced and incredibly well-rounded, carving its own lane with deep soul, warm jazz and a stunning vocal delivery that really helped Bobby reach out to some big new audiences at the time. Goosebumps at the ready for the rolling power-piano funk of "Coming Down From Love", opening up the album with a track as good as anything Steely Dan or The Doobies ever crafted, with a vocal performance from the heavens. Pumping AOR wonder "Wrong Or Right" is up there with the slick, classy rhythms of prime Ned Doheny whilst the cool, skipping soul of guitar-drenched "To Know What You've Got" is a funky ballad par excellence, with elemental traces of "What A Fool Believes". No bad thing. Closing out Side A, the folk-funk of "You Promised Me" is a bright, soulful strut with a wonderful vocal coda that just builds. Sensational.

The delicate bounce and falsetto self-harmonising of "It's Over" offers a truly delightful introduction to Side B, and serves as a great precursor to what follows. Bobby's dynamite "Open Your Eyes" is likely the reason you're all here. As if he needed it, the eternal J Dilla further immortalised Caldwell in the hip-hop canon with his production of Common’s epochal “The Light,” which heavily samples the magical “Open Your Eyes.” On a post paying tribute to Bobby in March 2023, Questlove claimed that he "got word Brother Bobby loved it". Bobby's original has seen new life even more recently from the likes of Dwele and Kendrick Lamar and deservingly so, as its insistent drums and staccato piano created a modern-soul classic. You'd think that would be hard to follow, wouldn't you? Not so, when you're Bobby Caldwell. Indeed, the horn-drenched stepper "Mother Of Creation" is absolutely ace, and, whisper it, possibly the album's finest track, all funky piano and guitars with horn lines to die for. Exquisite ballad "I Don't Want To Lose Your Love" rounds out the album beautifully.

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 Cat In The Hat 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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