Tracklist:
A1. Another Beach 06:00
A2. Unison 05:14
B1. In Between State 05:30
B2. Durchs Hinterland 06:15


Info:
Inexplicably, yet true, Lexx returns to International Feel with a record that lives exactly where his music feels most at home. In Between State is a gentle navigation between memory and motion, between what has passed and what is still quietly unfolding. It is reflective without nostalgia, uplifting without force. A record that trusts the listener to drift.
Another Beach opens as a meditation on time and possibility. It looks back with warmth but keeps its gaze fixed on the horizon. A reminder that nothing is fixed, everything moves, and somewhere ahead there is always another sunset waiting on another shore.
Unison follows as a celebration of togetherness. Open-hearted and weightless, it captures the simple magic of shared moments with friends, music traveling across a room, and the quiet certainty that joy multiplies when experienced collectively.
The title track In Between State settles into that suspended hour where day dissolves into night. Inspired by early 90s electronica yet unmistakably Balearic in spirit, it drifts forward with a subtle psychedelic glow, neither arriving nor
departing, just perfectly hovering in place.
Closing the journey, Durchs Hinterland rolls steadily outward into open space. Born from long rides through backwoods and side roads, it moves with hypnotic momentum and the calm rhythm of forward motion. Endorphins rise, thoughts loosen, and the landscape begins to breathe with you.
Four tracks, quietly luminous. Music for transition, companionship, and the spaces in between. Lexx remains exactly where he should be.







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Tracklist:
A1. Dhol Parade
A2. Icari
B1. Huldufolk
B2. Viaggio Tascabile

Info:
Daniele Baldelli and Jolly Mare come together for a record that feels less like a collaboration and more like a shared state of mind. Flusso Uno moves through Afro-cosmic kraut-inflected psychedelia and cinematic electronics with a natural, unforced flow, where rhythm, texture and narrative all pull in the same direction.
Rather than referencing the past, the EP treats it as a living language. The longform, ritualistic percussion of early cosmic dance culture meets the hypnotic motorik pulse of krautrock and the more structured, sample-driven tribalism that followed in later decades. What ties it all together is a deep sense of atmosphere and
intention: music that feels physical, emotional and quietly transportive.
“We particularly focused on ritual percussions, hypnotic grooves and suspended atmospheres, trying to blend musical anthropology, auteur electronics and narrative instinct.”
Dhol Parade opens the journey like a slow-burning procession, drums circling and expanding as if guiding the listener into another space. With Icari the perspective lifts, melodic lines drifting and tilting, constantly searching for balance between gravity and flight. Huldufolk pulls everything back into a shadowy, nocturnal zone, where textures feel half-real, half-imagined.
Finally, Viaggio Tascabile loses the record in a quietly reflective way, a compact voyage that sums up the EP’s philosophy: small in scale, deep in meaning. Flusso Uno is not about nostalgia or revivalism. It is about taking the spirit of cosmic culture and letting it breathe in the present, where storytelling, dancefloor
intuition and sonic exploration still meet. A record made for open ears, open minds and long nights.








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2025 Repress

Tracklist:
A1. Into The Stream
B1. Ode To Mode
B2. Abun-dance

Inexplicably, yet true, Lexx has never appeared in any way, shape, or form on International Feel recordings – until now. And it’s been worth the wait. Into the Stream is one of the finest endeavors of the Zurich record hound, DJ, musical mastermind, and Balearic baron to date. Bespoke for International Feel, it feels like a comforting blanket for hard times. Inspired by early 90s electronica and serene landscapes, the title track embodies those magical moments just before sunset on warm summer days — a light breeze carrying the sweet scent of earth as you cycle past a peaceful herd of white, black, and brown sheep moving in unison.
Revisiting stages of faith and devotion of one of the favorite bands of nearly every 1980s teenager, and using their formal vocabulary after a deep dive into their rich discography, Lexx delivers a respectful nod and a heartfelt bow, one that is not only a question of lust, but simply irresistible.
Last, but not least, Abun-dance is a celebration of life and love. It manages to tap into the stream and discover the true abundance of the (Balearic) bliss that surrounds us. A match made in heaven.
Lexx, we salute you. credits








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Tracklist
A1. Lucy’s Electricity
A2. Stompin n Risin (Pacific Loon Version)
B1. ONE (Forest Stage Mix)
B2. Love 2 Love ft. Hanne Uekermann

Info:
From a 4x5m room stacked with vinyl, ashtrays, magazine drafts, and semifunctional synths, Stompin n Risin rises again—reincarnated but not revised.
Originally a spontaneous ritual from the days of blunted dreaming and one-eyeopen ambition, this track first snuck into the world under a different name (Jacobite Fool, courtesy of those tasteful Belgians at International Feel) and went on to
become a cult curio. Now, it’s back—rebuilt with the very same machines that once hummed beside the mattress, but still left to run wild like they used to.
The rest of the EP stays close to that spirit: music as lived experience, jammed with friends, lovers, and ex-boyfriends (literally). Lucy’s Electricity is a shimmering daydream, born from a jam with Daniele Labbate, recharged by a whirlwind
wedding, and soundtracked by a bittersweet guitar line courtesy of the groom’s bride’s ex. A track for walking into churches—or out of time entirely. A personal favorite of the artist, and maybe the only funeral anthem with this much static joy.
One takes things inward—made with the Moog One for open-air yoga sessions during the era of no-dancing-but-still-dreaming. It’s a sun-dappled, slow-motion
dancefloor where breath and bass align. Love 2 Love closes the circle: an unearthed jam with long-time collaborator and platonic supermodel Hanne Uekermann, revived from hard drive purgatory and infused with new life. A love
song to the music, the moments, and the friendship behind it.
This record isn’t just a collection of tracks. It’s a lived-in photo album, a soft pulse through oceanic memory, a reminder that all sound comes from life, and maybe all life comes from sound.








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Tracklist
A1. île Flottante
A2. Central Park
A3. Crystal Snowflakes
A4. Katamaran
B1. Low Tide
B2. Cedar Sunset
B3. Ocean Spray
B4. Dance Of The Dolphin

Île Flottante is Mr. Beatnick´s 5th album, following 2023’s Joy In Variation (including the notorious cover of Love on a Real Train) and his well-received off-beat collaboration with London-based avant-garde agitator Richard Greenan – Coasty – this is his first contribution to the International Feel trademark. Probably best known for some big deep house revivalist tunes circa 2013 on the now dormant Don’t Be Afraid record label, Beatnick now converts that aural quality and dimensionality into the Balearic system.
Île Flottante takes its name from the tastiest French pudding of Mr. Beatnick’s childhood holidays. The name, also a jeux de mots - floating island - hinting at the album’s inspirations and sense of identity, as a danceable soundtrack to a fictional island. Explored with high intensity and over a yearlong process, the sounds of the well-worn, but never failing Balearic universes were a mind expanding influence. Think of genre staples like Software, Manuel Goettsching, Mark Barrott, Len Leise, Don Carlos, Gaussian Curve, Joan Bibiloni or Yasuaki Shimuzu.
„I spent a year listening to a lot of synthesized island music, and marveling at the many twinkling wonders of the Balearic musical universe. Struck by a sense of belonging that had often eluded me on my musical journey thus far, as the weirdo at the back of the club who had orbited many scenes for 20 years, but never felt like I fitted in, I found music that made me feel like I had come home. The songs that came out of this process are presented in the order that they were written - an open book of ocean hymns, honest and spoken from the heart.“
Île Flottante tries its very hardest to avoid being any one thing in particular. At one point, it is a gentle beach walk accompanied by polyrhythmic drum plod and flourishes of Guzheng. At another, the infamous James Yancey septuplet swing is repurposed against a marimba melody that wouldn’t be out of place in one of Link’s forest adventures.
Elsewhere, there are the bellows of distant whales, touches of Italian dream house and a splash of vintage madchester, all working to create a space that feels both familiar and loaded with well worn tropes, but with its own quirky sense of personality, facets which are often attributed to Mr. Beatnick’s holistic b-boy approach. This is his understanding of a Balearic (b-boy) stance. Just with a float instead of a freeze.


Short:
Île Flottante is Mr. Beatnick´s 5th album and first contribution the Balearic system of International Feel. Full of ocean hymns and forest adventures, it includes marimba melodies, the bellows of distant whales, touches of Italian dream house and a splash of vintage madchester, all working to create a space that feels both familiar and loaded with well worn tropes, but with its own quirky sense of personality. This is his understanding of a Balearic (b-boy) stance. Just with a float instead of a freeze. For fans of: Software, Manuel Goettsching, Mark Barrott, Len Leise, Don Carlos, Gaussian Curve, Joan Bibiloni or Yasuaki Shimuzu.








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Tracklist:
A1. Mazzara Return
A2. Half Baked
B1. Hustle
B2. Respiro feat. Penelope Rossano
B3. Respiro (Instrumental)

Calabra are London based duo DJ Toni Rossano and musician Neil Simons.

Having hung out as teenagers in the Midlands the friends went on to pursue different musical paths in the capital. Neil has engineered, mixed and produced a wide variety of artists whilst Toni, a DJ/Producer, was part of the pirate soul explosion as Blackbeard in the noughties and currently dabbles under the Gospel guise as The Showfa. Now many moons later...

The idea for Calabra was born during fuzzy after-party hours on the pebbles of a brisk Brighton beach and is the musical yearning for adventures on warmer Balearic shores. Sunshine inspired beats and melodic guitars lead a cast of analogue synths, percussion, fender bass, oboe and voices all lovingly coloured by 70’s art rock, New Age, folk and inspired Ghanaian High Life.

Picked up by Gerd Janson the Calabra EP features four debut tracks. The leading ‘Mazzara Return ’has a midtempo Balearic-like feel with lead guitar, house-up styled beats and electronica inspired atmospherics. Followed by the sci-fi synth driven ‘Half Baked ’with melodic spanish guitar riffs and sequenced synthesizers for that old skool analogue sounding thrill! ‘Hustle ’launches with a rolling live played bass and synth line on top of the guitar chill-out like licks fused with congas, bongos and cowbell rhythm courtesy of Yam Who? percussionist Des Morgan. ‘Respiro ’the EP’s grand finale introduces vocalist and songwriter Penelope Rossano and is a folk/jazz style ballad showcasing not
only a poetic gentle beauty in the song but also her own oboe composition to make a perfect book ending with the bonus of an instrumental added for measure for this debut EP on International Feel.








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Tracklist:

A1. Edwin Schimscheimer – Bon Nuit Michelle
A2. Dancing Fantasy – Mystery Voice
A3. Peak Of Normal – Hava
A4. Christian Ch. Kneisel – Jungle Connection

B1. Beau Michael – Move Away (Extended)
B2. Summer Vee – Judas
B3. Patrick Jahn & Erobique – Moonlight Shuffle
B4. Ikee Largo – After The Storm



This whole text about a compilation of legit chill slippers could be over with one quote of drummer Aaron Sterling. The John Mayer band member and studio guru called Basso (our compiler) the „ECM of chill wave“.

As we all know, even if some words may be hollow, good quotes help to tell a story. And that is definitely a great quote and if someone has a good story to tell, it is Basso.

Best known for his label Growing Bin and probably even more so for the online record shop of the same name, he is one of those miraculous figures in music or record culture who can be called a true believer.

Helplessly addicted to collecting music nonstop (hence Growing Bin) from all corners of the spectrum and with an uncanny knack of finding precious little diamonds, where others only assume slop, his shop features everything from original trance tapes to fake reggae and plain private press folly. Much to the pleasure of his devoted customers and even more so to the nickel nursers who use his website for window shopping and go bargain hunting in the dusty canyons and wide plains of the internet. Unfair, you might think, because knowledge like that comes with a commitment. A commitment that is not only financial in nature, but also involves time, dedication, thrift store and flea market visits and hardships (lacerated cuticles especially).

Sitting in Trees for International Feel is a sampling demonstration of this commitment. Devotees of his previous compiling efforts Proper Sunburn (Music For Dreams) and Lucky Are Those Who Hear The Birds Sing (Growing Bin), know what to expect: some of the best songs you have never heard before, some you would probably never hear without this and even some that you did not know you would even like. Even self-proclaimed record diggers might not recognize more than Mystery Voice by smooth jazz new agers Dancing Fantasy. It is a world of merry music that pretty much is boundary- and genre-free and includes sunshine stepper like Beau Michael’s Move Away. Patrick Jahn’s and Erobique’s previously unreleased Moonlight Shuffle (the soundtrack to a lost Schimanski Tatort) and Christian Ch. Kneisel’s impossible-to-find Balearic digi gem Jungle Connection.
All contextualized, explained and wonderfully described with meticulous liner notes by the king
of record descriptions himself: Basso. But what else would you expect from a DJ turned trip-hop-producer turned artiste turned record sommelier? Magic moments galore that won’t make you move away!



Short: Legit chill slippers by the „ECM of chill wave“ by Growing Bin boss and record collector sommelier Basso. A world of merry music, precious little diamonds and impossible to find records. File under Balearic beats, smooth hardcore jazz, new age ambient or fake reggae.








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Tracklist

A1. Casita Más Alta
B1. Cala Vedella
B2. Las Cicadas
B3. Niu Blau

Ruffy's back with a new four track EP Casita Más Alta and it's a love letter to Ibiza -
as he takes us on an alternative tour of his favourite parts of the pine-covered
island.

The title track opens slowly, spaced out with motifs and pads washing in like an
incoming tide, before charging headlong to the beach with a thumping kick and
distorted keyboard solo. In contrast, we get a more sundown feel with Cala Vedella,
soaking up the forest breeze and sounding like The Art of Noise but fed through a
modulator and left to float in the iciest pitcher of 7Up.

Meanwhile, the rolling congas and percussive synths of Las Cicadas take us deep
into tribal territory, Lost Woods style. The EP closes out with Niu Blau, built on
beautifully optimistic choir pads and steel pan sounds, and the evening could just
go on forever, especially if you've taken any of those power ups. It might be an
homage to Ibiza and the Balearics, but seen through the Ruf Dug prism, there's
always something new to discover.







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Tracklist

A1. About Time
A2. Zwang!
B1. Anyway, Music
B2. Lost In The Forest
B3. Where’s The Fifty?

Release Info:
Marco Vella and Anth Wendt step up to International Feel with a five-track EP of Balearic-tinged bliss for their first collaborative release as Other Mother.

There’s definitely something in the air round the Adelaide Hills. Longtime friends Marco (aka Body Corp) and Anth (aka Oisima) finally got together in Anth’s studio after the pandemic and the result is Numero Uno an EP of laidback synth guitar and drum machine workouts mixing 303 riffs and sunsets for a supremely low-slung vibe.

After cruising around the Hills in the day the pair worked on tracks by night and their carefree days soaking up the sun shines through. Opening track About Time sets a steady pace with its lush delayed guitars slow-rising acid melody and hefty sub perfect for Sunday pub garden appreciation. A side closer Zwang! drops the tempo but brings the percussion into focus for another masterclass in tension and release with interwoven 303s and dub feedback.

Side B keeps the beach-side atmos flowing with guitar licks working around sumptuous synth chords for Anyway Music - a song that’s the ultimate soundtrack understated parts fitting together seamlessly in service to the feeling and belying the technique required. Lost In The Forest makes use of expansive ambient pads synth riffs and shakers to evoke a sense of wonder sunlight coming through the trees.

The EP concludes with Where’s The Fifty a dreamy piece of drum synth phrases and 303 interplay that perfectly characterizes Marco and Anth’s collaboration - two musicians and producers playing to serve the song. They write elements that combine for a harmonious whole greater than the sum of its parts. This is the underlying feel of Other Mother and Numero Uno - we’re all in this together - and by working collaboratively a brighter future might just be around the corner.










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Tracklist:

A1. Pulsar Diaries
A2. Delphic Expanse
A3. Blackburn Tales
B1. Fourth Amendment
B2. Farewell Theme
B2. Ursa Major

Release Info:

The Croatian production powerhouse and disco boogie impresario steps up to International Feel, and takes a left turn into deep space with a new six track LP Pulsar Diaries.

Ilija’s discography stretches back to 2003, and over those 20 years he’s packed it full with albums, versions, remixes and singles. His releases are often perfectly-penned love letters to ‘80s boogie, electro and disco, and like postcards from an old flame, they’ve landed in an array of record label catalogs, from Bear Funk, Rong, and Electric Minds, to Is It Balearic? as well as his own Red Music and Imogen Recordings. He’s long-been an active voice on the underground club scene, and if you’ve been out dancing in Zagreb, Berlin or even Tisno beach, chances are you’ve gotten down to one of his beautifully blended sets of cosmic-tinged electro funk and disco dubs.

On Pulsar Diaries, Ilija delivers a panoramic collection of spaced-out synths and drum machine grooves, dedicated to the planet and our place in the universe. The A side opens up with the blissful, weightless pads of the title track, before it breaks out into filtered stabs over a minimal b-boy bounce. Delphic Expanse ebbs and flows like a lunar eclipse, sounding like a futuristic version of Key-Matic’s Breaking In Space, all uprock rhythms and syrupy synth horns as it spins off beyond the asteroid belt. Side A closes out with Blackburn Tales, a suspenseful and spacious electro rhythm packed with strings and 303 squelch, which you might call anti-gravity acid, if you were so inclined.

Side B picks up the tempo with Fourth Amendment, perfect for the space station discotheque with its sweeping bass filters and ice-cold synth melodies hovering in orbit. Farewell Theme takes an introspective moment, slowing the pace to a cosmic 90 bpm and inviting a certain cinematic feel to proceedings. This feeling applies not just to the vivid landscapes we travel through, but also wider thoughts about humankind: as we pause for a breath and look around, we find ourselves in Ilija’s space, considering human motivations, like the pursuit of happiness, or the eternal struggle with the self.

Every journey begins with a goodbye, and so the last track of the album feels like the arrival at a new destination: Ursa Major is ablaze with cascading drum fills, bubble-wrapped bass riffs and bright synth chords that sparkle like city lights underneath a re-orbiting satellite.

With Pulsar Diaries, Ilija Rudman has created a rare artifact: an album that straddles several worlds at once. Part soundtrack to space travel, part meditation on the human condition, part deep-burning dancefloor dynamo - whether in the club surrounded by friends or at home by yourself, this is a record that expands the mind and lets the imagination soar.









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Tracklist

A1. Subtle Body
A2. Nightfall (Instrumental)
B1. The Light Of Jesus
B2. Room ’96 (Recorded live at Room Nightclub, Hull)

Release Info:
Hot on the heels of last year’s Mermaids reissue retrospective, Hull’s deep listening house forerunners return: this time revisiting a pair of originals as well as previously unreleased versions.

It’s testament to the depth of feeling that Steve Cobby and David McSherry can conjure, that these tracks sound as potent and impactful as they did when they first came out - and not just for the dance. Throughout their 30+ years, the Yorkshire duo have produced ten albums amid many more collaborations, and transformed the remix into an artform, putting their fingerprints on everyone from Busta Rhymes to The Orb to Radiohead.

This EP collection finds them at the full scope of their powers: from disembodied mood music, to tripped-out dubby beats and raw house sessions for the club. The title track Subtle Body sounds like it drifted in through the window in the middle of a snowy night. Its layered chimes, looped delay feedback and floaty chords (played on a Wurlitzer Electronic Piano that Steve bought from Bill Nelson), mark it out as an enduring piece of ambient music, and a favorite for film-makers, able to soundtrack both haunted memories and afterparty comedowns with finesse. It precedes an unreleased instrumental version of Nightfall from Fila Brazillia’s 2002 album Jump Leads (named Mixmag’s chill album of the year), and as an instrumental, the chunky electro bass and mix of ephemeral tones and bird-like chirrups are brought clearly into focus. The attention to detail is what makes Fila Brazillia’s sound palette so rich, and Nightfall a certified smokers’ anthem.

On the B side, the tempo and temperature rises, and we’re treated to The Light Of Jesus, a favorite from Fila Brazillia’s 1994 debut LP Old Codes: New Chaos. Atop a bumping house groove, the song weaves together smooth organ pads and electrified guitar licks with syrupy bass and gospel-tinged exaltations from Charles Bukowski. The EP rounds out with Room ‘96, a live house jam from Hull’s Room nightclub, and a veritable time capsule back to the halcyon ‘90s rave days, when the lights were still on, everyone was home, and anything seemed possible.

The songs here on Subtle Body might be a window into a time long past, but they remain in the present: and as long as bodies seek pleasure, and dancers want to keep going til sunrise, Fila Brazillia will endure, and soundtrack those moments for us all to get lost in.






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Tracklist:

A1. Coding
A2. Positive People
B1. Expensive Zeit
B2. Decline All Cookies

Info:
Running Back regular Feater aka Daniel Meuzard puts his newly-transplanted studio through its paces for the first time since relocating from Vienna, swapping out the bustle of the city for the fresh mountain breeze of the West Alps. The Positive People EP proves that a change is as good as a rest, as the wide open nature not only had some rejuvenating effects on the creative process - it also gave Feater some room in his head to ponder questions about nature, nurture, and whether our inner morality is externally programmed.

The taut jazz funk of opening track Coding springs into action like the montage music of a lost ‘70s TV show, while the title track Positive People plays on the ambiguity of its title, with cascading synth notes, tastefully dubby 303 stabs, and an afro-cuban drum figure that forms the foundation for a spaced-out dancefloor workout. It's a combo of tracks that should appeal to chat room moderators and serotonin programmers alike.

Expensive Zeit kicks off sounding like grime maverick XTC had been brought up on Murder Capital electro rather than East London garage - before it morphs into a bumpin electrofunk and percussion session, with its sights set firmly on an aquatic worm hole. The EP rounds out with Decline All Cookies, which breaks out of a flanged-out half-time drum 'n' effects intro to reveal a lush chord progression, flipping a soul jazz piano mood into a trippy slice of modern instrumental funk.


Can man be the master of his own destiny? It seems with this change of location and musical direction, Feater might just have figured out the answer.





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Tracklist

A1. Don’t Give In (Street Soul Vocal Version)
A2. Don’t Give In (Street Soul Instrumental Version)

B1. Don’t Give In (Reggae Vocal Version)
B2. Don’t Give In (Reggae Instrumental Version)


Release Info:
Manchester’s balearic synth provocateur Ruf Dug teams up with Private Joy for a sizzling slice of laidback street soul - if the streets were lined with palm trees, that is. Ruffy admits to not having any recollection of making the beat, which adds to the sundrenched, day-dream quality. Modulated pads evaporate in the heat haze, while a synth saxophone riff dances on the breeze, all setting the scene for a tropically-tinged marimba and a piano solo that respectfully nods to Vladimir Cosma’s Sentimental Walk. When Gerd enquired about a possible vocal, Ruffy reached out to Private Joy, who sings like the fate of the track was entwined with her own, and it elevates the track to a whole other soulful level. In true ‘90s tradition, Ruffy delivers an alternate reggae mix for the flip, putting an off-beat bump to the track, while the instrumental versions shine a light on Ruffy’s pitch-perfect production, and provide plenty of ammunition for acapellas of all sorts.





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LP

Tracklist:

A1 Capitolo 1 Consacrazione
A2 Cities
A3 Drum Talk
A4 Congiuzioni

B1 Capitolo 2 Coscienza
B2 Time Spirals
B3 Giallo assoluto
B4 Ritorno al domani
B5 Capitolo 3 Terra

Release Info:
Rome’s own disco wizard L.U.C.A. aka Francesco De Bellis is back for his second LP Terra, hot on the heels of his Venus 12” EP earlier this year. In this far-reaching album, the Edizioni Mondo founder explores the deteriorating relationship between Man and Nature, and the dire consequences. The album is split into two themes - part one is Consacrazione (Consecration) and side two is Coscienza (Conscience) - as L.U.C.A. charts a trip through mankind’s psychic universe, and imagines worlds beyond our physical dimension.

The opening composition Cities is an uptempo number that slowly comes into focus, as dreamy drum machines emerge from the urban bustle, before settling into a soulful groove as keyboard, upright bass and guitar figures dance across bright percussion. As it builds up a head of steam, the piece gives way to an ambient, tribal breakdown, which is also echoed in the following song, Drum Talk. This second tune sets up in a fourth world dreamscape of drums, synths, and abstracted echo effects, and is peppered with word fragments from the bush of ghosts. By the time we’ve reached the third track, Congiunzione sounds like travelling at singularity speed, beaming in from a future where human consciousness and gaia can finally dance on a cosmic plain.

Part two of Terra details how revelation of the spirit can guide the mind, as Time Spirals rises out of a drum motif with a nod to classic ragas, as a disembodied voice asks questions on the nature of corporeality. The sound design is just as front and centre as the sitar and fretless bass, and the song gives way to a richly-layered soup that sounds like the vast space between atoms. It’s this shift from composition to ambience that is the dynamic core of Terra, giving L.U.C.A. plenty of space to showcase his next-level audio and arranging skills. Midway through part two, Giallo Assoluto begins with reverb tails and choral voices before expanding in brightness and texture until the audio field is practically levitating your hi-fi speakers, vibrating them with drones, twinkling keys and shards of digital noise. The closing composition Ritorno al Domani is a perfect balance of optimism and mystery. Tension and release collapse in on themselves as waves of ambient pads crescendo and then break over stretched-out sonic turbulence, before reversed synths bring the listener to a closing door, and the end of the journey.

It’s a mind-expanding musical exploration of other worlds and parallel universes which are surely all around us, and in many ways serve to remind us of the marvel that is our own planet.








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Format: 7”

Tracklist

A1. Manctalo Beach - Original
B1. Manctalo Beach - Version


Info:

Manchester producer, DJ and dancefloor spirit guide Ruf Dug gets fruity on his Korg DW8000, for this homage to Manctalo pioneers Red Laser Disco who have revitalised the Italo sound over the last decade. Given that Ruffy lives on the same street as Red Laser head honcho “Il Bosco” it’s unsurprising that his latest release is heavily influenced by his noisy neighbour’s antics.

Manctalo Beach has gone through several versions over the years to arrive, like a chilled Bianco, at the crisp beauty you hear today. Packed with chunky bass arpeggios, pixelated pitch-bent melodies and freeze-frame drum fills, the A-side conjures images of coastline sunsets and waterski waves. Meanwhile on the flip, the bonus beats proceed in a more dubbed disco direction, with acres more space, cascading delays and tripped-out breakdowns. One for your speedboat!






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Tracklist

A1. Nebula
A2. Optical Bells
B1. Luce Eterna ai Sognatori
B2. Templum Dub


Info:


With the two-part EP Mediterranean Dreams, Perugia producer and composer Feel Fly revisits his musical roots and pays tribute to the sounds and ‘sun-kissed nostalgia’ that informed his style.


Mediterranean Dreams Part 1 collected four tracks, and added that Feel Fly touch of emotive chord progressions and layered production onto cosmic disco grooves to powerful dancefloor effect. Now with Mediterranean Dream Part 2, Feel Fly switches the tempo both up and down, to fully demonstrate his affinity for club moments of all shapes and sizes.


Nebula flies out the gate with full intent, recalling classic Detroit techno while pushing the vibe even more wide-screen - it’s driving, melodic dance music that delivers on the fine details as much as it does on the life-affirming, big picture sentiment.


Optical Bells opens in meditative style, not unlike a new dawn in a Tibetan monastery, before each element of the track slowly reveals itself and assumes its place. It’s an arrangement technique that Feel Fly employs masterfully, and gives the impression of a camera lens moving into focus, or a storyteller setting the scene. The revolving chord changes pull you in and while whisking you away, you’re compelled to engage with the moment - like being asked to dance by a mysterious stranger.


The B side kicks off with Luce Eterna Ai Sognatori, still keeping the tempo high while cherry-picking disco house drum patterns and piano synths with a slight Italo flavor to create an irresistible slice of dancefloor dessert. This is a soundtrack for Sognatori, in whose dreams anything is possible.


The EP finishes up with a superb cut of echoey balearic dub in the form of Templum Dub. Putting the drums through its mixing desk paces, Feel Fly reanimates the drum kit with delays, phasers and flangers, and wraps it up in hazy drifting pads that could accompany any moment of contemplation - from that morning espresso to a midnight phone call.


Mediterranean Dreams Part 2 acts as the perfect compliment to its prequel Part 1, and shows a producer at the height of his powers, reimagining his musical roots and composing a love letter to the sounds and stories of his youth.





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Tracklist

A1. Onironauta
A2. Grace In Space
B1. Mediterranean Dreams
B2. Becalmed


Info:
Perugia producer, synth collector and linchpin of the underground scene Feel Fly pokes his head above the trenches to deliver a consummate four track EP Mediterranean Dreams - Part 1.

Onironauta rolls up all the best bits of spaced-out disco and italo house into an expansive dancefloor soundtrack that would sound equally at home in a Den Haag squat as by an Ibizan hillside pool. Sounding in turns both futuristic and nostalgic, it sets the tone for the dream-like timezone in which this EP resides.

Meanwhile slowed-down 303 chugger Grace In Space sounds perfect for Room 2 - that is, if the room is on an orbiting space station and someone adjusted the gravity settings. The track concludes the side with timeless balearic drift and a dash of kosmiche afro percussion sprinkled on top.

Flip the 12” over and the title track Mediterranean Dreams seeps through, with more than a slight nod to the summer of ‘88, like a faded photograph. The revolving chord progression and melodic synth phrases that weave through the groove fit together sweeter than the cogs in a swiss watch.

EP closer Becalmed rounds proceedings out in fine cosmic disco style, firing more 16th note lasers through the dry ice than KITT, as melancholic pads float over the rhythm section like a négligée. It’s a stylish way to sign off a collection of tracks that are equal parts fond memory, hopeful optimism, and hazy dance-fuelled hedonism.




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Tracklist

Dunkler Sonnenaufgang
Erinnerungen
Wüstensonne
Schweben
Wenn Der Tiefe Schlaf
Am Wasserfall
Sonnentanz
Spähren Am Strand
Übergang
Ein Neuer Anfang
War Alles Nur Ein Traum

Info:

Studiogruppe1

Not much is known about the German session musician ensemble Studiogruppe 1 from the ‘70s and ‘80s. It’s believed that the grandfather of one member, known only as V.S., originally soundtracked silent films in theatres - although that hasn’t been proved. Studiogruppe1 never rose to prominence in the heyday of studio groups and library records, but it certainly wasn’t due to lack of trying.

Although it’s unknown who the individual members of Studiogruppe1 were, it’s clear they could find a groove within the machines. It appears the sessions were also engineered by V.S., and there’s plenty of space between the notes, which lends a heady atmosphere of anticipation to the music. Just close your eyes and you will find that the music triggers many scenes from the movies in your mind.

Take the opener Dunkler Sonnenaufgang, for example. Waves lap on the shore line of an alternate Coney Island, while the sound system of an abandoned amusement park plays arpeggios in the distance. Errinungen could complement expansive panoramic time-lapses of natural cycles and rolling clouds. The track Wenn Der Tiefe Schlaf Kommt, might accompany a documentary on REM dream cycles and flotation tanks. Sonnentanz raises the temperature, as act III in every movie narrative should, as protagonists rush to overcome their challenges. Ein Neuer Anfang would perfectly soundtrack the plot twist of any number of thrillers, film noirs, or sci-fi mysteries. Album closer War Alles Nur Ein Traum could supplement slow-motion shots of dawning realization, foreshadowing a betrayal or a cliffhanger.

V.S. and Studiogruppe1 have condensed the evocative sounds of the ’80s into something of an art form. Bringing to mind the lilting melodies and melancholy chord movements of Tangerine Dream, Vangelis or Manuel Göttsching, Studiogruppe1 manage to capture widescreen emotional flash points without the need for celluloid, or barely any visual aid, for that matter. These tracks work just as well in the furnace of your imagination or a dark room filled with dry ice and lasers.

(Short version)

Not much is known about the German session musician ensemble Studiogruppe 1 from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. They never rose to prominence in the heyday of big studios and library records, but it’s clear they could find a groove within the machines. Just close your eyes and you will find that the music triggers many scenes from the movies in your mind.

This collection of tracks could accompany a whole host of scenes, from the plot-twist of a sci-fi noir, to widescreen timelapses, or the slow-motion foreshadowing of a cliffhanger. Studiogruppe1 have condensed the evocative sounds of the ’80s into something of an art form. Bringing to mind the lilting melodies and melancholic chord movements of Tangerine Dream, Vangelis and Manuel Göttsching, Studiogruppe 1 manages to capture emotional flash points without the need for celluloid. These tracks work just as well in the furnace of your imagination or a dark room filled with dry ice and lasers.







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180g vinyl LP
Features a 24 pages risograph printed publication and a print with works by Tokyo-based photographer Daisuke Tomizawa

Special remarks: 180g

Tracklist:

A1) Hatsuhinode 06:55 min
A2) Agora 02:39 min
A3) Ostinato 03:56 min
A4) Hibari 04:59 min
B1) Maya 06:55 min
B2) Shizuku 04:40 min
B3) Niwa 04:07 min
B4) Tio 08:04 min

Info:
Pianist Masako Ohta and trumpet player Matthias Lindermayr are back on Squama with 'Nozomi', the follow-up to their 2022 debut 'MMMMH'.
The Japanese title, which translates to ‘hope’, felt fitting, as the album was conceived during a time of personal loss for Ohta, during and after which music proved itself as a beacon of hope.
The music on Nozomi unfolds gently, with Lindermayr’s airy tone and lyrical playing being wrapped in Ohta’s chordal backing that moves from tender to tense and back over the course of the album. While most tunes were written by Lindermayr, the only exception being an interpretation of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ‘Hibari’, the arrangements are largely improvised, letting the duo’s intuition guide the course and build the form.
Solemn slowness has become a signature trait of the Munich-based duo and it makes listening to their new record a healing retreat from the frantic chatter of the present.




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GENRE/S: House, disco, Gospel

TRACKLISTS:
A1 - Jesus
A2 - Your Love
B1 - Afrodemo

SHORT INFO:
NeighbourSoul Rhythms proudly presents the latest sonic masterpiece from Tony B.Nimble – the NeighbourSoul Edits Vol. 4. This three-track wonderland release is set to shake your soul. Featuring three soul-stirring tracks – "Jesus," "Afrodemo," and "Your Love" – this EP takes you on a musical roller coaster through the realms of gospel, disco, and soul. Nimble's artistry knows no bounds as he seamlessly blends together spiritual vibes with funky beats and soulful melodies.





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Upstairs, a band from Frankfurt, Germany was active from 1977 to 1983. Though considering themselves mainly a rock group, the band incorporated elements of funk, jazz rock and disco into their music. On their rare and privately released debut album "It's Hard To Get In The Showbiz" from 1980 they created something that could be called Germany's definite answer to AOR, yet still with an edgy and unique krautrock flavor.

The album starts with "Wontcha Try," a track where core songwriter, guitarist and lead singer Helmer Sauer is telling the story about being dismissed from his job: "They tried to tell me in a fucking gentle way, that the time had come to kick me…". Sauer serves more personal, hard-edged lyrics on the album as well. On "Happy Hooker," for example, he tells the story of a working girl in the red light milieu: "The job is as hard that you really can never imagine, she serves for the money, degradin' herself in a way - if you'd know how she's feelin' you wouldn't laugh at all". An empathetic view on the subject of prostitution rarely heard at that time.

But aside from the profound lyrics and songwriting, the album has a lot to offer on the groovy side of things. With catchy bass lines, rhythm guitar, Fender Rhodes, Moog synthesizer, Clavinet and swift crisp drumming "It's Hard To Get In The Showbiz" is one of the best examples of late 70s flavored funky rock from Germany. Additional to the aforementioned "Wontcha Try" another DJ delight should be "Make Your Steps On Better Lines" which showcases a superb synth line and disco funk flavors. We also get the slick mellow latinesque AOR grooves of "Get On A Plane" as well as the now-classic "You're Just Yourself", which marks the most soulful track of the LP. As followers of our label are already well aware, "You're Just Yourself" was featured on the compilation, "Boogie On The Mainline - A Collection Of Rare Disco, Funk And Boogie From Germany 1980-1987" from 2018.

The band mainly performed locally and never really had ambitions to release their music on a bigger label. Too bad that Upstairs only released this one album. Of course, the highly sought-after original pressing is almost impossible to find nowadays. Therefore, we are proud to finally make this record available again after 40 years for a reasonable, regular LP price. Only 300 copies of the carefully re-mastered repress have been produced, and included is a printed lyrics insert identical to the original.


TRACKLISTS:

A1 Wontcha Try 3:18
A2 You're Just Yourself 4:13
A3 It's Hard To Get In The Showbiz 4:19
A4 Happy Hooker 3:36

B1 Make Your Steps On Better Lines 4:33
B2 Time To Get Up 3:05
B3 Get On A Plane 4:54
B4 She's Back Again 3:39


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LP

Special remarks:
180g

Tracklist:

A1) Trudelutt 05:03 min
A2) Oli's Balloon 02:22 min
A3) All Good Things Are Four 05:04 min
A4) Tolv 03:13 min
A5) Sora 03:45 min
A6) Kogia 05:39 min
B1) Ayet 08:49 min
B2) Penguin 04:29 min
B3) La 04:23 min

Info:

Pianist Masako Ohta and trumpet player Matthias Lindermayr's music flows in gentle waves, moving with ease between every theme they imagine. Their music is largely improvised, embracing chance and following sound down winding paths. Their debut collaborative album, MMMMH, highlights this loose process through its relaxed pace, surprising turns, and drifting style. The album presents small vignettes that each encapsulate their free-flowing motion and tranquil melodies, drawing from simple ideas to create a fully bloomed, radiant sound.



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- LP, GF, Sticker, 50th Anniversary Re-Edition with 4 page Inlay including original Manuscript by Timothy
Leary and photos from the recording session
- Recorded 1972, Original Release: 1973
- 2022 Re-Cut carefully overseen by Manuel Göttsching
- Cover painting by Walter Wegmüller

GENRE/S: Krautrock, Kosmische, Early Progressive-/Psychedelic-Rock, Early Ambient.
TRACKLIST
Space (16:03)
Downtown
Power Drive
Right Hand Lover
Velvet Genes
Time (21:15)
Timeship
Neuron
SHe

SHORT INFO

After the 2021 Re-Release of “Schwingungen” (MG.ART612) we proudly announce “Seven Up” as Part 2 of
the authorised 50th Anniversary “A.R.T.” Re-Edition Series.
“Seven Up” is the third studio album by Ash Ra Tempel and their only album recorded in collaboration with
American Ph.D. in psychology, Dr. Timothy Leary. The Coverart for “Seven Up” was designed by famous
Swiss Artist Walter Wegmüller. Recorded in August 1972 at Sinus Studio in Berne, Switzerland, remixed
September 1972 at Dierks Studios in Stommeln, Germany. First release in spring 1973 by OHR Musik - the
first release on the new sub-label "Kosmische Kuriere", Kat-Nr. KK 58001.
We release “Seven Up” in a Re-Cut carefully overseen by Manuel Göttsching himself, on September 9th
2022, also being Manuel Göttsching´s 70th Birthday. Our Edition features the full original text for the “7 levels
of consciousness” by Timothy Leary in English, i.e. “Instruction Manual for Pleasure Panel” plus a previously
unreleased glimpse view of the original scripts incl. notes and mark ups as well as partly unreleased photos
from the recording session. ->continued on page 2->continued on page 2
As for the music itself we again refer to Julian Cope´s review and remarks from his book “Krautrocksampler”
(published by Head Heritage, 1st ed. 1995):
“When the Leary Mob met the Kaiser Gang, the sparks flew ever Up-wards...
7up is a stone classic in every way. Yes, it is unlikely to find Timothy Leary singing lead vocal in a cosmic
group, but even weirder that he chose to sing a wild yelping freaked out blues !
Manuel Göttsching and Hartmut Enke had begun their careers in The Steeple Chase Blues Band back in the
mid-'60ies, and they quickly felt their way through what Barritt and Leary were aiming for. They reconciled it
all as a kind of West Coast chordless psychedelia, where blues riffs sparkle out of nowhere and the sheer
weight of synthesizers renders everything with an unreal Pere Ubu/early Roxy Music quality.
The greatness of Ash Ra Tempel burned so brightly on 7Up that there is really nothing else like it. Hartmut
Enke and Manuel Gottsching here returned to their riffy roots. It can hardly be called a retro act, though, as
the context of music is everything. And with Dierks at the controls, even the New Kids on the Block would
have sounded psychedelic.
7Up is like a late night radio show glimpsed through a shattered tuner where all but the most truly dangerous
sounds have been allowed to stay, to drift and to dance around the performers.
The result is an extreme gem, a flash of hysterical white lightning, and a pre-punk Technicolour yawn in the
grandest of traditions.
In typical Ash Ra Tempel style, the record is divided into two pieces, “Space” and "Time”. Within this, though,
Timothy Leary’s ideas are allowed to free-flow and the two sides are therefore divided into mini-songs all
segued together. The highlight of Side 1 is “Power Drive”, a West Coast burn-up that transcends any W.
Coast music I ever did hear. Leary and Barritt present the greatest twin-vocal of all time, coming on like
Jagger and Morrison but too caught up in their own maelstrom to be anything less than Heralds of the Punkfuture still five years away.
In chaos it was conceived and in chaos it was recorded. Yet Dieter Dierks, the great Aural Architect of the
Cosmic Couriers, turned 7Up into a personal triumph and a Kosmische dream.”

Ash Ra Tempel – “Seven Up”
TIMOTHY LEARY - voice
BRIAN BARRITT - voice
MICKY DUWE - voice & flute
LIZ ELLIOTT - voice
BETTINA HOHLS - voice
PORTIA NKOMO - voice
HARTMUT "HAWK" ENKE - bass, guitar & electronics
MANUEL GÖTTSCHING - guitar & electronics
STEVE A. - organ & electronics
DIETMAR BURMEISTER - drums
TOMMY ENGEL - drums
DIETER DIERKS - synthesizer & Radio Downtown



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2025 Repress

Format Notes: Part of Be With x Tommy Guerrero Reissue Campaign, 2024 first time vinyl reissue with original artwork, 140g vinyl

Track List:

A1 B.W.s Blues
A2 So Blue It's Black
A3 Keep On Keepin On
A4 Azule
A5 Black Sheep Blues
A6 30

B1 Pollo Caliente
B2 Never
B3 Solow
B4 Introspection Section
B5 Gone
B6 In My Head
B7 Soul Miner

Release Notes:

Loose Grooves & Bastard Blues is Tommy Guerrero's sublime debut. Of this beloved masterpiece, the legendary skater himself says: "my 1st album. It was never meant to be released. I was just recording for the fun of it.. still my fave. Oh so naive..." And you know what? It's definitely Be With's fave too. An astonishingly great record. A chill, blissful, deeply moving album, it was rightly garlanded as an instant classic.

A laidback, fusionistic ride replete with loopy drum tracks underpinning Tommy's trademark reflective guitar stylings, Loose Grooves & Bastard Blues remains powerfully evergreen. Originally released in 1997, there's elements of jazz, trip hop, rock and downtempo groove. All shot through with a heavy dose of soul. Thirteen tracks of lo-fi (mostly) instrumental freshness fused with Cuban, Latin and blues, it's a must for fans of Money Mark, J Dilla, RJD2, DJ Shadow and Pete Rock. As ever with Tommy's records, the title sums up the music contained within most aptly. And writing about his songs, his vibes, is one of the trickier things to do, it has to be said. It's just all gorgeous!

A total vibe throughout, to blast Loose Grooves & Bastard Blues is a majestic experience, one that suits a start-to-finish listen and renders the picking out of highlights totally redundant. Featuring nagging, deeply melodic guitar lines - both electric and acoustic - over simple rhythms with such sumptuous elegance, the hypnotic playing against unrushed percussion releases a crystal clear stream of healing frequencies. It's ust divine. This album laid the blueprint from which Tommy Guerrero would subsequently explore further on A Little Bit of Somethin' and Soul Food Taquiera.

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. The original and iconic sleeve, designed by Natas Kaupas, has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

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Format Notes:

2024 first time vinyl reissue, Seasick Steve in a previous "funky AOR" life(!), 140g vinyl

Track List:

A1 The Light Of The Mind
A2 Hey! Hey! What You Doin To Me
A3 Take Strength
A4 The Lady Of The Sea
A5 All My Life

B1 You're The Only One Girl
B2 At Least We Got Love
B3 All Love's Children
B4 Get Out In The Sun
B5 Golden Hues
B6 I Meditate Each Day

Release Notes:


Steve Leach's Balearic beach-funk beast Ocean Potion, recorded with the Crystal Grass Orchestra is an absolutely ace, Ned Doheny-adjacent funky AOR / blue-eyed soul BBQ classic from 1976.

Who is Steve Leach, you ask? None other than Seasick Steve in a previous life! A French-only release on Philips, it's a hugely immediate, pop-funk firecracker. It features a wonderfully lush, full orchestral sound throughout, underpinning Steve's gorgeous voice and an army of brilliant backing vocalists.

The supporting cast is phenomenal and is arguably the salient reason this is such a fantastic record. We're talking legendary players from the French scene (think Arpadys, Voyage, Kongas, CCPP, Giant, Swing Family) such as Don Ray with his arranger-conductor hat on as well as synths, Marc Chantereau on percussion, Slim Pezin on guitar, André Ceccarelli on drums, Christian Padovan on bass and Pierre Halation on flute.

With these snakes behind the scenes, it remains a mystery how Ocean Potion is so relatively unknown. Hopefully, this long overdue reissue rectifies this and puts a stop to people dropping $200 on it.

Triumphant, horn-forward opener "The Light Of The Mind" has that uniquely Ned Doheny fidgety funk feel with a fantastically irresistible chorus and great harmonies. Just magic. The insouciant, swaggering "Hey! Hey! What You Doin To Me" is straight up white-hot feel-good funk with by turns sweeping and stabbing strings and a neck-snapping break. Crucial. Coming off like something off The Beach Boy's Surf's Up or Holland (including a sneaky "reason to live" reference that surely nods to "The Trader") is the brilliantly ominous, driving wall of sound of "Take Strength". Cavernous drums, urgent strings and a staggeringly good vocal performance make this a real highlight amongst an album of highlights. The blissful folk-funk of "The Lady Of The Sea" is a real naked heartbreaker, melancholic vibes and a beautiful flute line complementing each other perfectly. Side A closes out with "All My Life", a groovy island-funk white-reggae-tinged lilter which just about lands the right side of acceptable.

Side B opens with the gorgeous "You're The Only One Girl" before the propulsive Philly soul of "At Least We Got Love" elegantly glides into focus. Pulsing beats and piano working with that irresistible orchestra of grass. Glacial ballad "All Love's Children" has a deep New Orleans soul feel that truly soars whilst the breezy "Get Out In The Sun" owes a debt to "Crocodile Rock". It's pure pop for now people and wouldn't have been out of place on a late 70s Nick Lowe effort. Deep late-period Beach Boys gem "Golden Hues" is another heavy melancholic down lifter that really beguiles before the real reason you're all here. Pastoral closer "I Meditate Each Day" is just beautiful, and likely the reason this reissue is giving you that special feeling. Another gorgeous flute-led, folk-funk groover, it featured in a memorable mix from the Creme2laCreme crew (Raphael Top-Secret, Jerome Qpchan and Antoine Kogut) live on Red Light Radio over a decade ago and has been top of many heads' wants list never since. Just mellow out.

As ever, the audio for Ocean Potion has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring it sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original, iconic sleeve featuring a topless Steve reclining next to his piano on a flatbed truck on the beach (of course?!) has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.


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Format Notes: 2023 reissue, 140g vinyl

Territories: Worldwide no restrictions

Track List:

A1 Keep It Funky 5:20
A2 Day Dreaming 3:36
A3 Here Comes Funky Lou 4:00
A4 Betcha By Golly Wow 4:15
A5 People Make The World Go Round 5:34

B1 Slipping Into Darkness 7:15
B2 Missing You 3:17
B3 John's Groove 2:55
B4 The Love Gangster 3:20
B5 Lie 2:15
B6 Ah Movin' On 4:00

Release Notes:
"Every cut on our albums are what we call "A" sides" - Cleveland Eaton, on Half And Half

Like the winged half-man/half-bull that dominates its outrageous cover, Cleveland Eaton's Half And Half is a mutant bass-heavy monster that absolutely slays. Incredible jazz-funk from 1973, it's been largely overlooked for decades, and unfairly so. This is just sensational music - a crate digger's delight. It's super funky throughout, with lots of layers, jazz breaks for days, dripping with style and gritty class. This is the first reissue of what has been a hard to find record for many years; it's long overdue. Joyous music for mind, soul and body.

Cleveland Eaton was a revered bassist who played an active role in the backing of Count Basie, the Donald Byrd Quintet, The Ramsey Lewis Trio, Terry Callier and Minnie Riperton; amongst many, many others. Half And Half was the first album released under his own name, initially released as a private press record on his - awkwardly named - Cle An Thair Records. It was then picked up by Gamble & Huff for Gamble Records. Varied, string-adorned and with stupid funky grooves, it's just exceptionally good.

Whilst Half And Half is treasured for its famously brilliant interpretations of gold funk-soul standards, Eaton proves an imaginative composer in his own right. Indeed, the album opens with a striking original; the earthy, laconic jazz-guitar-funk fusion of "Keep It Funky". Cleveland and co. do exactly that. Up next is a properly moving cover of Aretha Franklin's eternal "Day Dreaming". The flute and guitar combo truly achieve celestial greatness here. "Here Comes Funky Lou" rides a bassline from the Gods and a driving soul-jazz groove allows the track to go off in all sorts of directions. Serene guitar soul of the breezy variety one moment, crazy hectic violin-driven wig outs the next, courtesy of Ed Green who played with Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane.

His blistering two track salvo of Stylistics covers to close out this A-Side of A-Sides will leave your jaw dropped, and they're likely the reason you're here for this. And why not? "Betcha By Golly Wow", which uses a bed of acidy synths and harmonica to create a unique atmosphere, is on some next level business. Melancholic, wistful, beautiful. "People Make the World Go Round" is so good, dripping in wonderful horns and ace percussive breaks, it could even be regarded as the definitive version. Seriously!

Opening Side B, War's gigantic "Slipping Into Darkness" is tightly tailored to Eaton's funky flute fusion arrangement whilst the insistent "Missing You" is a swaggering horn-heavy version of Luther Ingram's track from the Dilla/Ghostface-linked LP, I've Been Here All The Time. The creeping, screeching guitar-drenched original "John's Groove" features more fantastic horn lines and neck-snapping percussion whilst "The Love Gangster", written by Bill Wyman and Stephen Stills for his seminal Manassas LP, contains a heavy break with slick drums high in the mix and fuzzy guitars.

The album closes with two more Eaton originals. Written with Johnny Guitar Watson, "Lie" is one hell of a funky string and guitar-driven gem whilst the wild, celebratory "Ah Movin' On" cleverly quotes "Wade In The Water" (which he'd recorded with Ramsey Lewis in 1966) folding it into his new free-jazz composition. A message to his old boss, perhaps, as a sign-off?

We've worked on this reissue for 3.5 years, spending the whole time making it sound super sharp and looking as perfect as it possibly can. An absolute must-have for fans of soulful jazz-funk, Half And Half was mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Pete Norman at Final Tweak. The bizarre artwork, mutant beast and all, was restored at Be With HQ over many painstaking months! Hopefully, this new edition, a real labour of love, should bring Cleveland Eaton into the homes and record boxes of many more people.


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