Kicking off a new edit series on É Soul Cultura, head honcho Luke Una hands over the keys to three secret weapon edits of transcendental dancefloor tackle. Having spent a lifetime getting his hands dirty digging in crates, Luke’s collection of off-the-beaten-track gems is second to none. For this three-track É Soul edit release, Luke delivers a one-way ticket to the outer reaches of the universe soaking up sounds from Barbados, the UK and Cameroon along the way. Strap in for a triple threat of signature Luke Una edits reworking Ella Andall, Slick Mission and Manu Dibango for the modern dancefloor.

Up first, Luke twists and tweaks the Caribbean radiance of Ella Andall ‘My Spirit Is Music’, enriching this high-energy heater. Speaking about the track he said, “It’s a remarkable, ‘90s, swerve ball, machine soul, afrobeat groove from Barbados. Incredibly rare, but most importantly it’s a wonderful fusion of drum machine and this almost carnival-like feel to this afrobeat rhythm that just turns it into the outer cosmos.”

Following that, Luke gets suitably cosmic on the dub dials with his 5am Shabeen Proto House Edit of Slick Mission ‘Times Up’. Produced by Jerry Pike of Atmosfear / Elite Records fame, Luke recounts, “This is a very much missed slice of UK house pressure which has its foot firmly in a proto-house feel. Very DIY, rough and raw – it’s an absolute gem. This is one that has definitely escaped most eyes.”

Last but not least, it’s a stop in Cameroon shining a light on the legendary Manu Dibango and his cover of ‘Jingo’ featuring King Sunny Adé. “Their version of ‘Jingo’ takes the original classic into a whole new level of outer space, afro brilliance. It’s such a beautiful cover and really turns the track into something else. The musicianship and vibes just scream out. Oddly no one really seems to know it.”

Three certified winners from Luke’s underground arsenal, reworked, refined and ready to be deployed on any dancefloor when the feeling hits.

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Taken from Crooked Man’s forthcoming, future-facing Transmission Towers remix album, Crooked Transmissions, two of the standout club cuts are given the punchy 12 inch pressing they deserve. Released on Luke Una’s É Soul Cultura label, in partnership with Mr Bongo, Crooked Man has remoulded, re-energised and completely reworked ‘Everything’ and ‘My Shadow’ from Transmission Towers’ critically acclaimed debut LP, Transmission One. The result is a double dose of transcendental, tripped-out productions utilising every ounce of Crooked Man’s experience and expertise.

A key figure in electronic dance music since the late ‘80s, Sheffield-born Crooked Man aka Richard Barratt released one of bleep techno’s defining records back in ‘89. Landing on Warp, it came under the alias Sweet Exorcist with the late great Richard H. Kirk. Since then, Barratt has put out a slew of exceptional productions under a variety of different monikers from Crooked Man and Parrot, to Earth Angel and Athletes of God. He has released on DFA, delivered countless remixes for Róisín Murphy and reimagined the likes of JIM and Joe Goddard.

For this release, Crooked Man first takes ‘Everything’ and contorts it from a post-punk guitar trip into a cybertronic, new beat heater, aptly titled ‘Everything (Gone Crooked)’. A percussive state of hypnosis leads the charge, building the tension for a rumbling kick drum and buzzing synth-line to twist their talons into your mind. Eleanor Mante’s vocals take on a new vivacity, feeling like your head has been sucked into a psychedelic swirl away from reality. Afrofuturist, arresting and perfectly equipped to electrify any waning dancefloor into action.

On the B side, ‘My Shadow (Crooked Shade)’ sees Crooked Man morph the original into a firestarter of galactic proportions. The crunched-up breakbeat drives the journey and flips what was once a hallucinatory machine soul number, into an intoxicating slice of club-focussed heat from another dimension. Spiralling pads and astral synths coil around Eleanor’s reverberating vocals, as your body is willed to move in a trancelike state of cosmic motion. -

Early support from: Optimo, Erol Alkan, Mr Scruff, Sean Johnston (ALFOS), Test Pressing, Lakuti and Paula Tape.

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Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op0O2eD3iy8

Aerials live, dials tuned, Transmission Towers broadcasting. On either side of the river Mersey, transcendental communications are traded back and forth. Two late-night revellers, one firing messages filled with music, the other returning them laced with lyrics. The result, a dopamine hit of oddball machine soul, melded with a highlife, Afrofuturist touch. Wonky and murky yet deeply emotional, Transmission One, is a debut album that also marks the first release on Luke Una’s É Soul Cultura label, encompassing expertly the off-kilter atmosphere the label sets to orbit.

A synthesised landscape with a Northern charm, Transmission Towers marry the musical worlds of two artists that last collaborated over a decade ago. 10 years have passed, lives have been led, but a gravitational pull has placed Mark Kyriacou and Eleanor Mante back in each other’s spheres on opposite sides of the city of Liverpool. Energised with a newfound desire to strip it all back to the sounds that influenced their formative years in the late ‘80s and ‘90s - astral travelling, intoxicated on Motor City techno, Black Dog IDM and mystical Sun Ra.

Mark half Irish, half Greek Cypriot, Eleanor half Nigerian, half Ghanian, the music contained within is an alchemy of those roots and the pivotal acts that buried deep into their minds. A cosmic contrast, part machine-made, part distinctly human. Take the opener ‘UP’, an ESG-channelling, sci-fi punk beatdown or the polychromatic hyperspace anthem ‘Roller Skater 23’.

Transportive throughout, you ride the solar waves, pace and emotion ebbing and flowing. Tracks like ‘Go Slow Heart’ and ‘Cosmic Trigger’ step to a slower beat but hit with a punch. The former, a slo-mo blast of celestial tenderness, the latter an otherworldly, chugged-out lunar excursion, micro-dosing on whacked-out Wah Wah and Eleanor’s ethereal vocals. Beaming love letters to space and back, ‘Sparse’ marries the organic with the artificial, pianos and percussion circling around synth pads and broadcasting bleeps.

Elsewhere, vibrations move faster. ‘Mega’ strikes, fusing sonic tribalism with psychedelic swirls, as ‘Everything’ sweeps you up in its extra-terrestrial new wave grip. Synth stabs and basslines fizzing from every angle.

Demos of Transmission Towers music surfaced on Luke Una’s radar, making him stop in his tracks. Something magical was emerging, perfectly aligned with the E Soul guardian’s tastes. Guidance followed, quickly turning into conversations about Transmission One becoming the first release on Luke’s own label.

Escapist and futurist yet grounded and relatable. Transmission One is synthesis meets sentiment with a deep, spine-tingling soul at its core.

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Optimo Music excitedly unleashes Japan’s G?G and their Anarcho Disco volumes 1 & 2 into the world. We thought we were done with 12” single release, at least for now, but then these tracks showed up and it was instantly obviously ESSENTIAL that they get pressed up on big fat twelve inch singles. Every single track here has been tried and tested and caused delirious delight on the dancefloor over the last year. Now it is time to share them with YOU! Truly Anarchic, Psychedelic dance music for the open-minded and genre-free crews.

G?G say – ?DISKO KLUBB boss MONKEY TIMERS, who leads Tokyo’s underground disco scene, and KEITA SANO, who has been gaining attention for his releases on labels around the world, have started the project “G?G”.

Using a variety of sampling and unique FX, our music has created a unique G?G sound that is psychedelic and anarchic.

This subversive sound is sure to be the key to shaking the dancefloor.

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Next Edits Collection by , one of Chicagos finest exports, with 4 cuts from disco to house.

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