Frits Wentink’s Bobby Donny Label returns once more for the second BODO-ACE VA release, featuring both familiar and new faces across a six track EP of previously digital only releases. Frits and friends continue to showcase the unique and impeccable sound of Bobby Donny. After the success of the first VA, this won’t be around for long, so buy or cry.
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Frits Wentink’s Bobby Donny is back with six cuts taken from the first nine releases of the Bobby Donny ACE offshoot label. These previously digital only releases from five unknown producers alongside the King of Swing himself, Frits Wentink showcasing the unique sound of Bobby Donny. Presented here for the first time on vinyl and strictly for the discerning house music lover. More

Back in business, Bobby Donny cruise out with label head Frits Wentink popping up with ‘Timid Kickflip’ a four track EP of trademark Wentink wobblers.

Signature sounds, modulated movements, swung in all the right spots and just that right level of quirk to spin your head and free your limbs from their sedentary life. More

Anonymous newcomers Broke Brotherhood delivering 4 cuts, from driven trippy techno to wonky house. Celebrating the broke side of lyf. That side we all know, but forget to wear it with pride. Losing money for the love of music xxx Bobby Donny More

The regular Bobby Donny producer gets his groove in check with 4 uk garage style edits of 90’s era songs. Comes as a vinyl only, hand numbered series. Limited to an 800 run. More

Frits Wentink's Bobby Donny label welcomes Reykjavík producer Felix Leifur for more lush house explorations across four new cuts. The producer last released on this label in 2017 and his new one finds him again exploring deep and organic grooves, rough drums and jazzy pads.
The Tarleton Appreciation Club' has real, live sounding drums making for a spaced out house cut coloured with dreamy pads and muffled vocal samples that have an aching beauty. 'Parts' is a brilliantly jazzy jam with bright chord vamps, wooden hits and clipped vocals making for a track somewhere between the styles of Moodymann and Max Graef. Robbi' is another atmospheric track with pads and intimate melodies lingering in the air above choppy drum work that makes you want to wiggle. Closing things down is 'Juledreng', another perfectly roughed up bit of house with saturated chords and tons of reverb drawing you into its cosy little world. More

Frits Wentink's label Bobby Donny welcomes back young US producer TLIM SHUG for a second EP after his last effort back in 2016. His house sound has developed nicely but remains resolutely deep and atmospheric. More

Frits Wentink is back with his Bobby Donny label for his annual special edition vinyl only release for Amsterdam institution, Mary Go Wild! BODOMRGWLD03, features the crystal clear and mesmerizing vocals of Loes Jongerling, accompanied by frits on keys.
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Hailing from Bristol, Scissorwork presents three sharp cuts straight from the blades, including a classy remix by label boss Frits Wentink himself.
The Bristolian's unique style fits Bobby Donny like a glove, combining a knack for off centre grooves with dusty soul chords and grungy tambourines.

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This record was specially made for Mary Go Wild. It is a collage of the finest jams and sketches created by the loveliest bunch imaginable. It is collected, arranged and fiddled with by Frits. Love goes out to all involved and contributed: Iron Galaxy, Malin Genie, Axel Boman, Darling, Ben Westbeech, Celoy, Theravada, Boris Werner, Andeh Lang, Yaleesa Hall, Medlar, Hodini, Jordan CGZ, Chevel, Scissorworks, Detroit Swindle, Know Va, Larry The Cat, Maximill, Mosca, San2, Tom Ruijg, San Proper, Urulu, Laurel Halo, Viktor Palmer, Kornel Kovacs, Ally Howie, William Kouam Djoko, MLIR, Red Rackem, Ewald, Presk, Scott Franka & Kaap, Firestone, Wolf Music, DJ+ and Peel Seamus. More

The Bobby Donny label hits number four with a first EP of 2016. After efforts from label owner Frits Wentink and Eindhoven producer SAN2, this one comes from Tlim Shug. The low-profile American producer has only one EP to his name so far, but it was an impressive one that came on Echovolt Records last year and suggested he has a passion for moody and lo-fi deep house. Rari Techno is up first and operates in an underground cavern. It sets a sombre tone with its swirling pads and buried deep kicks all obscured by a grainy sheen of dust. That analogue warmth continues with Wig $plit which has a loose and raw percussive line laid over tender piano chords, bumpy drums and a gritty vocal r It's a fresh fusion that will get clubs on their toes before 'Mutuality' again sounds all knackered and broke, scuffed up and imperfect with its squelchy synths, off time hits and stuttering kicks. Last of all Overcaste Tune is another zoned out and moody deep house offering that sounds like L.I.E.S. artist Terekke at his best. This is a brilliantly insular and atmospheric EP that oozes subtle emotion and a cautious sense of optimism. More

For the second release on Frits Wentink's new Bobby Donny label, he hands over to San2, aka Geert Schilder. Hailing from Eindhoven in the south of the Netherlands, Schilder takes his production name from the building which houses his studio, on the second floor of the SAN building where the legendary radios and tape recorders were built by Philips. With this in mind, it seems to follow suit that his music is mainly produced with analog techniques, incorporating equipment like the Roland TR-606, SH-101, SBX-1 and AKAI MPC 2000XL. The EP opens with the title track, 'Impartial Perspective' with its marching beat gradually forming into a machine groove that's raw and funk-fuelled. Moving on to San2's second track, 'Distinguishing Bias' sits perfectly alongside the kind of wonky house manoeuvres that Frits is also known for. And talking of Mr. Wentink, the EP also includes his remix of 'Impartial Perspective', which twists up the original into a deep and trippy, lo-fi journey, while still maintaining the raw groove of the original. Released early September, San2's 'Impartial Perspective' is a great addition to what's already becoming a quality label. Look out for more releases on the horizon soon! More

Frits Wentink launches his new label Bobby Donny with 'Live Fast, Dwayne Young'. Bobby Donny has been set up to primarily feature Frits Wentink's own tracks, but focusing on the wonkier, more lo-fi house edge of his sound. The emphasis will be on tracks that are hardware jams on Rhodes, Juno 60 or mpc, then structured later. Frits Wentink has already garnered a huge fanbase for his quirky, innovative and characterful house music on a number of forward thinking labels like Wolfskuil, 2020Vision, Heist and Wolf with his recent debut album, 'Rarely Pure, Never Simple' on the latter, gaining much critical acclaim. His first EP on Bobby Donny opens with 'Dwayne Young', which puts the fun into funky with its deep vibe, filtered vocals and creative samplings. Slowing it down, 'Rio' is next, like a short but sweet interlude of off-kilter slow-mo experimentation. Then it's back to the grooving house beats of 'Guacamole' with its jazzy backbone, before the melodious 'Q&A' kicks in, featuring a gorgeously wobbly overtone. 'Aquarelle' is a perfect ending, with distorted elements gradually coming together to find their harmonious compromise. With 'Live Fast, Dwayne Young' Frits Wentink once again displays the hugely creative talents of this much sought after producer. More

The next in the Undercover Lovers series from the wizards of editing, with lysergic renderings of some well-known pop/dance classics, just not as you might expect.

Number 5 features a steel band cover of an 80's classic (itself sampled on a 90's hip hop classic!) backed with the Balearic banger of the year; an edit of a rare 'Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime' cover...

Limited pressing as usual, be quick! More

American house music legend Kerri Chandler has reimagined Gabriels’ debut single, Love and Hate in a Different Time. It’s the first reinterpretation of the LA band’s standout hit, and an unsurprisingly soulful take by the New Jersey deep house pioneer.

Kerri says "The moment I heard and saw the video for the Gabriels it gave me chills, Jacob’s voice and the production immediately stood out to me. I wanted to know who was behind this beautiful song. The more I spoke with Ryan, Ari and Jacob, the more we became family, it felt like I have known them for years. When they told me they wanted to go back in the studio to go and re-record vocals, just for my rework I was overjoyed that we were all working together to give this new mix its own signature sound and personality. Gabriels are incredibly talented and I’m very happy to have met such an inspirational band."

Comprising four classic Kerri mixes across one 12 Inch, the A side hits with a trademark Vocal mix from the master, as he adds a soulful house swing and uplifting Kerri-keys that enhances the gospel spirit of the original and aims it squarely at the club. Following this, Jacob’s incredible vocal performance sits centre stage with an exquisite Acapella version.

On the flip, Kerri offers up a deep, late night ‘623 Again’ mix, blending all manner of elements from his illustrious back catalogue and an eyes closed, sun soaked ‘Feel’ mix to round off the EP. More

Repress!

Midnight In Tokyo 2, the second installment to the compilation series that rounds up hidden gems by Japanese artists that's perfect for listening at night in Tokyo, is here. This time the collection brings together some tasty electric jazz fusion from the '80s , compiled by Dubby, the man behind the online record store Ondas.

The compilation begins with "Hikobae," a dark and slow cosmic jazz by saxophonist Genji Sawai, followed by "Danza Lucumi," an odd Caribbean-style jam by Today's Latin Project, a band fronted by Tadaaki Misago of Tokyo Cuban Boys, with arrangements by Yasuaki Shimizu. "On The Coast" is a soulful and mellow vocal track arranged by Ryuichi Sakamoto, from guitarist Shigeru Suzuki's album White Heat, and fusion boogie cut "In The Hot City" is by Mr. Theodore, which was a one-off project by a mysterious artist.

The melancholic soul jazz number "So Long America" is the title track from the album Yasunori Soryo released in '82, following a stint in America with the band Brown Rice. "Twisty" is a tropical reggae tune from the album Samba Kathy, an underrated classic by Jugando which was released on Trash, a sublabel of one of Japan's finest jazz labels, Trio. "Samarkand" is an electric Latin jazz jam that sounds like something Miles Davis and Santana could have played on, performed by a Latin funk band from Fussa. "Imagery" is a primal African fusion track by Katsutoshi Morizono, a member of the prog rock band Yoninbayashi.

"Windmill" is the most acoustic sounding tune on this compilation, a breezy Brazilian affair with a Hermeto Pascoal feel. "Mystery Of Asian Port" is by the band Parachute, which consisted of Japa-nese fusion giants like Akira Inoue, Tatsuo Hayashi and Masaki Matsubara. The cosmic jazz record sounds like something Daniele Baldelli would play in his sets. "Bay Sky Provincetown 1977" is a classic Japanese fusion tune by guitarist Yuji Toriyama.

The set also features the mellow but danceable "Heatwave" by keyboardist Keiichi Oku, featuring a female vocalist (which some have identified as Rie Ida), and last but not least, closing out the 13 track compilation is "Day Dream At The Bob's Beach," a wonderful urban fusion with a beautiful vibraphone melody, from the Japanese fusion classic album that was a one-off project by studio musicians More

Repress!

at mule musiq, we’ve focused on shining light on the many aspects of what electronic music can be, putting out house, techno and ambient releases on our main label, while releasing alternative-leaning dance music through our endless flight imprint. but with the launch of our new label, studio mule, we are stepping away from electronic club music for a bit. the label will not be tied to a specific genre, as we will instead focus on releasing any kind of music that we feel is a little bit different and interesting, but somehow make sense in this day and age. for our first batch of releases, we will be focusing on japanese music.

to be honest, i have been watching the recent rise of global interest in japanese music with a skeptical eye, not sure of how to feel about all these labels overseas licensing great albums that were birthed in our country. but then, i was told by somebody i greatly respect that i should do something similar with mule, and put our own spin on it, which sounded like a good idea to me. after a period of procrastination, i finally got around to doing it. we are starting things off with a compilation of japanese disco, boogie and soul music that we selected from a modern dance music perspective — the kind of songs that we feel would intrigue music fans across the world.

at first, i started seeking authentic-sounding disco that sound like it could have been recorded in the states, but after struggling to get licensing rights for many of those tracks, i started to wonder if that was really the direction we should be going in. when we start new labels or projects, we often come up with the title or artwork first, before deciding on the actual music. we came up with the title midnight in tokyo first, which dictated that we needed to find music that would be a perfect soundtrack to listen to at night in tokyo. we ended up compiling a selection of tracks that you could both listen to at home, and play in clubs at certain time slots. the compilation also ended up sounding a lot more pop than we initially imagined…

during the selection process, we did not care whether the tracks have been reissued already or not, and how rare the original copies of the records were. our sole purpose was to gather a handful of songs from across labels, major or otherwise, that we felt could be listened to for many years to come — even after this whole japanese music trend dies down. although we put together this release mainly for listeners outside of japan, the compilation can also be a chance for japanese music lovers to rediscover the greatness of domestic music, as we did during the process.

the compilation starts off with the afro disco classic “mi mi africa” by harmonica player nobuo yagi, which was also included in the compilation mastercuts.

“silver top” is a jazzy fusion disco taken from composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist nobuyuki shimizu’s first album, which he released when he was 19. the track features singer epo, whom he worked with many times over the years as an arranger.

“samba night” is by vocalist keisuke yamamoto and his band piper, from their masterpiece second album summer breeze. a delightful city pop number that should appeal to tatsuro yamashita fans.

“akogareno sundown” is a japanese soul classic, sang by singer haruko kuwana (the sister of well-known musi-cian masahiro kuwana). recorded in hawaii and produced by mackey feary band, known for the soulful classic “a million stars.”

“koiwa saiko (i’m in love)” is a mellow and groovy track by singer aru takamura, the great-grandchild of sculptor kouun takamura, whose son kotaro takamura is a famed poet and sculptor. can be thought of as japan’s answer to cheryl lynn’s “got to be real.”

“what the magic is to try” is a cult electropop track by honma express, a project helmed by producer kanji honma. hailed as japan’s trevor horn, he is also known as the producer of legendary techno pop band tpo.

“colored music” is a song by colored music, a duo of pianist ichiko hashimoto and her partner atsuo fujimoto, who have gone on tour with ymo. taken from colored music’s sole album, the japanese rare groove treasure is a mesh of new wave, synth pop and jazz influences.

the dubby electronic new wave disco “electric city” is a b side of pop idol group shohjo-tai’s debut 12” single, but the girls aren’t actually singing on it, making the instrumental one of japan’s greatest ’80s dance tracks.

“love is the competition” is a breezy disco jam by okinawa-born bilingual artist hitomi tohyama. featured on her album next door, the song’s melody seems like an interpolation of the whispers’ “it’s a love thing.”

taken from mariah project’s diva yumi murata’s first album, “krishna” is a funky and soulful rockin’ disco cut.reminiscent of chaka khan’s “i know you, i live you,” “live hard, live free” is a song by jazz vocalist eri ohno who is known for her work with dj krush and singing on the soundtrack to anime rupin the third.

“rocket 88” is a melancholic disco number by singer minnie. though the track was released through sapporo’s independent label paradise records, the superb production quality suggests otherwise.

closing out the 13-track compilation is japanese disco staple “tokyo melody,” sang by half african and half swedish american singer shoody and backed by tetsuji hayashi’s disco band the eastern gang. More