The new ANORAX label keeps the faith with to its’ #eatsleepcollect mantra by releasing this much loved and in-demand iconic work of beauty for the first time ever on vinyl. It’s stating the bleeding obvious to say that DECIDE is a Soulful House recording. The real deal is that the combination of Jay-J’s template precise but haunting San Francisco production, Big Brooklyn Red’s life affirming vocals and the truly awesome remixes from the late Ethan White (R.I.P) together conjure up a masterpiece that defines the genre. The remixes from Ethan, the co-founder and keyboard player of Tortured Soul have up till now only been available on digital release. Jay-J (Joseph John Hernandez) dug into his Shifted Music vaults to come up with the original 2009/ masters for the latest ANORAX limited edition 7” release. DECIDE is an affirmation who believes that true house music is a spiritual thing. Is this one of the greatest so Soulful House records ever made? As the haunting backing vocals plead:”I’ll Let You Decide”… More

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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

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A wonderful, rare record wrapped in a mysterious yet playful ambiance. Or maybe it's just the impression that the Japanese language often gives me. ''Suiren'' is an odd jazz-fusion-wave tune that sounds like its boiling, waiting to burst but somehow manages to stay in control. Like the nervous tick of a leg fidgeting under the table of a restaurant on a first date. Re-issued again, with new liner notes.

Yasuaki Shimizu is a Japanese composer, producer and saxophone player born in 1954. He worked with Ryuchi Sakimoto on certain arrangements, with the South Korean artist Nam June Paik on art+sound installation pieces and even DJ Towa Tei (of Deee-Lite fame). ''Suiren'' was released in 1981 and is the opening title on the sought-after ''Kakashi'' album and is my personal favorite on this overall brilliant record. It weaves behind new wave, jazz, fusion, ambient and experimental music.

Repetitive and hypnotizing, punctuated by exclamation marks on most first mesures, the muted triangle percussion hits me straight in the heart. About 90 seconds into the song, the saxophone makes its appearance and the song goes from ''this is cute'' to ''oh, this is some serious shit!''. Shimizu's saxophone frees the song from the rest of the elements which are more calculated and repetitive.

A joyful, mysterious slow-moving train ride led by the artist's mellow voice that rocks us with this calming but funky lullaby. Every phrase is punctuated by the xylophone there to energize the piece, albeit very subtely. More

Tracklisting
A1 Beste Hira - Remember Me
B1 Beste Hira - Observe
B2 Beste Hira - Flew Of Cliffs

Sales Note
Key Vinyl welcomes on board Turkish born and Amsterdam based Beste Hira, delivering an EP that brings together funky rhythms and soulful vocals. Known for her versatile style and vibrant approach to production, Beste Hiras new offering is an uplifting blend of loopy material, infused with percussive
elements and emotive atmospheres perfect for different moments across the night.

The A-side, Remember Me, opens the EP with a groovy, vocal driven track that sets the tone with its infectious energy. The funky vocal line is layered over a well structured rhythmic base, creating an upbeat, driving experience that feels both positive and dance floor ready. The track maintains a balance of groove and flow, offering a feel good excitement thats certain to resonate with diverse crowds. On the B side, Observe follows with yet another example of the producers inclination for blending vocals with polished production. This track leans on textured soundscapes, while percussive elements and subtle
layers bring depth and sophistication. Its a charming cut that works well in the mix, providing DJs with material thats both dynamic and versatile. Rounding out the EP is Flew of Cliffs, characterized by a thick bassline, while delicate atmospheres give it a sort of ethereal edge.

This ones for the diggers, the dancers, and those who appreciate a sound thats as uplifting as it is refined. More

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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

Limited edition (200 copies) golden vinyl. Michal Martyniuk, who lives in New Zealand, may be known from the band After 'Ours, whose double album was recently released by Funky Mamas and Papas Recordings.Two of Michal's original songs, which he recorded with a great line-up: Jakub Mizeracki - guitars, Alan Wykpisz - bass, Tymek Papior - drums and of course Michal Martyniuk on keyboards. A real seven-inch rarity on gold wax. A1 "3202" - This is one of those things that just happened. In his quest to discover something new in jazz, Michal combines and experiments with jazz harmony and groove club vibes, all performed using acoustic instruments. The aim is to encourage jazz audiences to get up and groove, and possibly introduce young people who like more upbeat music to discovering jazz. This Fender Rhodes based track is complemented by warm analog synths, a rock inspired guitar sound and tasteful drums that keep the groove going throughout the track. Recorded live in Poland late last year. B1 "From The Planet Of The Hunters" - This track, as the title suggests, is a tribute to the great master Herbie Hancock. Michal has always been influenced by the sound of the Fender Rhodes and The Head Hunters. Without trying to copy anything, Michal based the song on a nice groove played by Alan Wykpisz on bass guitar and Tymek Papior on drums. While the groove takes us on a journey through time, Kuba Mizeracki on guitar adds beautiful melodies and rhythmic parts to complement the rest of the band. Michal Martyniuk, again with his Fender Rhodes, plays a simple but tasty and groovy solo, while adding some analog synths. This song is funky and rich in its simplicity. More

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A classic downtempo disco track amongst diggers world wide. "Stardance" is a dreamy cosmic delicacy to the ear, originally produced in '78-'79 by Alan Hawkshaw, it features a library style jingle melody one might imagine hearing at the end of a B-movie star trek knockoff series, but the simplicity of the arrangement is beautiful and effortless, clearly the work of someone highly trained and experienced in music theory, Alan Hawkshaw's work has transposed to numerous sample based projects from Sugarhill Gang to Wiz Khalifa, a maestro by all means, whose work will be immortalized in appreciation for as long as humans can hear. This debut EP from the MISSYOU sub-label comes with “Stardance” and “Do You Hear Me” along with an respectfully extended edit of “Stardance” by Castro. Remastered and now on 12” format at 45rpm. More

New Miami material from Mickey De Grand IV & Psychic Mirrors. The band revisits their PPU debut title "Charlene" with the updated "live" version from their recent tour. “II” now ready to hit the streets with a fresh coat of LA studio high gloss sheen. "French Dip" is just a taste of what's to come in 2025. Brought to you by Amnisa & PPU records. More

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Canadian produced, highly sought after Hi NRG masterpiece, who’s legacy continues to live on in certain Mexican dancefloors. Faithfully remastered and officially re-pressed for the first time since 1988, featuring newly edited Bonus Beats version by Castro. In memory of Fred “Kinck” Petersen - R.I.P. More