The italian disco-funk band "Le Dune" come back with a new version of the single "Sugar", released last summer, and remixed by Fimiani, FrescoEdits, Sparkling Attitude, Costariva. "Le Dune" is a project led by Francesco Fisotti featuring the singer Done and various musicians from Apulia

Music written and produced by Francesco Fisotti Lyrics and vocals by Davide Leucci

Bass - Davide Codazzo
Congas - Roberto Chiga
Electric Guitar - Emanuele Pagliara
Add. Keyboards - Andrea Rossetti
Add. Vocals - Vincenzo Destradis

Remixed by Fimiani, Sparkling Attitude, FrescoEdits, Costariva
Mastered by Marco D'Agostinis
Graphic by Fabio Conti

Recommended for who loves Pino D'Angò and the Italian disco flavour!

Tracklist:

A1 Sugar (Fimiani Dolce & Salato Mix)(5:30)
A2 Sugar (Sparkling Attitude Mar Adriatico Mix) (5:29)
B1 Sugar (FrescoEdits Re-Drum Mix) (4:52)
B2 Sugar (Costariva Balneare Mix) (5:36)


Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

Genre: broken-beat, deep-house, future-jazz, dub

After the nostalgic disco album Lido Sirena and the spiritual housy Aqua Viva, Francesco Fisotti came back with his adriatic sound, this time inspired by the broken-beat scene from the 2000s accompanied by the young talented Italian singer Lauryyn, the musical genius Stefano De Santis and remixes by Steal Tapes and XL Regular. The sound from Apulia never been so bruk, blue and eclectic.

A1 Rise (House Kitten Mix) 5:36
A2 Rise (Broken Mental Mix) 6:10
B1 Rise (Steal Tapes Remix) 5:56
B2 Rise (XL Regular Remix) 4:08
B3 Rise (Vocal Mix) 4:54

Music written and produced by Francesco Fisotti Lyrics and vocals by Lauryyn
Additional keys and drums on A2, B3 by Filippo Bubbico
Electric piano on A1 by Stefano Nardon
Sax by Marco Chiriatti
Electric bass by Davide Codazzo
Lead on A2 by Stefano De Santis
B1 produced by Steal Tapes
B2 produced by XL Regular
Mixed by Francesco Fisotti & Marco D’Agostinis
Mastered by Marco D’Agostinis
Graphic by Matteo Meta



Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

"Grey Hoodie is the 1st official album of the young producer and DJ Pentola, born in Apulia and based in Milan. Grey Hoodie is a mixture of electronic vibes inspired by the UK sound from 90s and 2000s. Broken-Beat, UK Garage, Jungle, Deep-House are the ingredients of these 8 tracks in which you can also recognize a post-Dilla flavor, all embellished by the presence of jazz musicians like Stefano De Santis, G-Foxxx and Stefano Nardon, and the singer Aljiaa. Anyone could write a good review of this album just by listening to the snippets that compose it and realize the conceptuality of the work that aims to achieve different goals, including that of being the album made with the greatest passion possible and with the greatest spirit of aggregation. Grey Hoodie is Pentola's sonic refuge, the place where the artist feels most at ease, where he manages to bring together the harmonies of jazz with the percussions and grooves of modern electronic music with that "touch" inspired by J Dilla, leader of Detroit's underground hip-hop scene in the mid-1990s."

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

Soulful hip hop instrumentals from Italy on Best Record-affiliated Quattro Bambole! "The "Moderna Sonorizzazioni" series by Quattro Bambole Music continues its investigation of the infinite expressive possibilities of instrumental hip-hop, recognizing it as the most contemporary form of library music. After the first two chapters - signed by Biga and JayBee Vibes - the third volume of the series, "Sport & Calcio", features the Roman producer Delphi for whom there was a lot of anticipation on the part of both Italian and scattered beatmakers everywhere in Europe and the United States. With the subtitle which is already a declaration of intent ''Tales of a boy from Rome....'' etc. etc., "Sport & Calcio" is an instrumental fresco in which football and sport become narrative pretexts to evoke images, memories and suggestions. The twelve tracks that make up the album are real cinematic sketches, in which Delphi (born Valerio Del Prete) combines raw beats, nostalgic loops, sample-delia and a narrative that evokes family Sundays, spent on the street as well as stadium, and the heat of the crowded stands. Therefore a work that is musically declined based on moments and emotions.. ''Sport & Calcio'' is therefore a deliberately introspective and not very ''danceable'' work. Sound photographs, short descriptions, themes, small fragments associated with television reports on sport... with which the artist touches chords that allow him to express a different compositional depth, a conceptual work, more descriptive and functional to the line of "Moderna Sonorizzazioni" series."



Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

A great mixture of jazz, funk, afrobeat and house on new album by Italian outfit Asakaira for Quattro Bambole. "Asakaira is the name of a place that does not exist, an "invisible city" that is the backdrop to the meeting of four musicians. Michele Vassallo (sax and efx), Giuseppe Desiderio (bass), Francesco Fasanaro (percussion) and Giuseppe Limpido (drums) who together have already gone through various experiences to immerse themselves in an imaginary space, of the border! So, they exploit this nature to transcend the limit, throwing caution to the wind with carefree abandon, but not before carefully noting the history and legacy of jazz, hip-hop and afrobeat. Asakaira' s sound is psychedelic, fluid, constantly evolving: afrobeat & jazz punk alternate with funk, electronic music of Mediterranean culture. An absolutely "stateless" sound, while maintaining its own timbre and stylistic coherence to make it recognizable. The choice of not having a harmonic instrument present in the lineup gives ample space to electronic effects and the groove, creating a sort of modern ritual. The eponymous debut album, released by Quattro Bambole Records, consists of seven tracks, in which the ability to reinterpret their native sounds with polysemic rhythms emerges in a work where layered drums and percussions intertwine with effected saxophones and psychedelic bass lines. A path that moves between songs with a more "ethereal" ancestry, such as the opening track "Night Tales", an acoustic groove that rests on the use of the handpan, an idiophone instrument that gives the song a psychedelic vibration and like "Chatting With You" where a soft and extended overlapping of multiple musical meters emerges, between neo soul, jazz and hip-hop."

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

Romes favourite contemporary Jazz maestro, Stefano De Santis, reveals his New Beginning EP on the highly lauded Italian label, Quattro Bambole Music. Unleashing 4 incredible new tracks, performed with the highest level of musicianship, Stefano delivers his most impressive body of work to date as he seamlessly journeys across a colourful spectrum of Jazz fused Broken Beat, Boogie, Deep House and lo-fi Hip Hop. From the jazz-fuelled mellow soundscape of Roy and the lush fusion of slo-mo House, Broken Beats and an effervescent bass on Lie#3, to the stunning down tempo piano led Paths and the 80s Boogie / Broken Beat vibe of Tokyo 80', each composition is adorned with Stefanos mesmerising key performances. Also on the package, UK producer talent Sean McCabe (who also mastered the EP), joins forces with Boogie Café, delivering a sublime Deep House Dub of Lie#3, ripe for the head nodders and dancers alike.

Tracklist:

A1 - Roy
A2 - Lie#3
A3 - Paths
B4 - Tokyo 80'
B5 - Lie#3 (Sean McCabe & Boogie Cafe Dub)


Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

Horizon is the first official album by the italo-moroccan producer Issam Dahmani, also known with the alias NNatn. Issam's style flows between deep-house, balearic and afro influences, the perfect blend for a sunset aperitivo on the italian coast.

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

''Sugar'' is the first work of the italian disco-funk band Le Dune, a new project led by Francesco Fisotti. The electronic drums and synthesizers blend with groovy bassline, sparkling guitars and pop-oriented vocals. In addition to the radio version, in the "Extended Mix" more space is given to the groove, the instrumental version is more percussive and tribal, in the end "La Notte Mix" is a late 80s proto-house edit co-produced by Issam Dahmani.



Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

AZZURRO is the soundtrack of a summer vacation in Italy of the Hungarian dj/producer duo "Pleasure Voyage". The label Quattro Bambole continues on his Adriatic Funk series blessing a new summer with the rightest vibes. Available on vinyl and on all digital stores.
The concept of the record was like a week-long vacation in Italy. It starts with jazzy, slower sessions and progresses to an italo-jazzy-house gem, Summer Voyage. Passionate vocals with smooth Rhodes solo and licks on this track. Following some clubby tunes Electromarea and Dolphine Dance as a nightlife hangout, and a remix by the label founder Francesco FIsotti with cool vocals follows.
Finally, with the last tune, you can feel the bittersweet emotions when you are on your way to the airport to leave this magical country, but you have some souvenirs on your skin that they call “Ambraskin” (tanned skin) and the visual memories of the crystal clear sea they often call Mare Azzurro.



Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

Gelateria Fisotti (a real gelato spot from Otranto, Apulia IT) is back with the 2nd volume of Gelato Italiano series, a various artists that presents itself as a summer soundtrack for the coolest gelaterias of the riviera.

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

“Popcorn” looks at the world of contemporary R&B but from inside a club immersed in the glitter of 80s New York. The productions curated by Francesco Fisotti are accompanied by the arrangements made by a group of exceptional musicians, such as Roberto Chiga, Filippo Bubbico and Andrea Rossetti, with the addition of the vocal participation of Vincenzo Destradis. In this ensemble, Done's flow merges with the carpets of 909/808 drum machines and synths such as the Korg M1 and Juno 106, giving birth to an album with a strong swingbeat heart but which also flirts with boogie funk and smooth jazz.
After wearing out Strictly Rhythm records, looking at icons like Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Teddy Riley, being inspired by the touch of producers like Kaytranada, with "Popcorn" Done not only demonstrates his versatility and his ability to experiment, but takes us on a musical journey that pushes us to reconsider the past to imagine an even brighter future

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

Aqua Viva is the second album by Francesco Fisotti, who returns to tell the exotic and mystical atmospheres of Puglia (Apulia), with a deep and italo house sound, jazzy and fonky, in which synths and drum machines are combined with arrangements by musicians, enriched by rap and sung. Incl. featuring of Andrea Rossetti, Roberto Chiga, Maurizio Tomaselli, Michela Giannini, Karlino Princip, Neos, Done, Filippo Bubbico, Manu Funk, Max Ingrosso, Emiliano Roca, Marco Chiriatti, Giorgia Santoro, Alyona Tsarbell.

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

This record is a soundtrack for imaginary movies, private documentaries and unreleased TV-series. Let yourself go and unleash your fantasies. Someone calls it library music.


A1 Sol Levante
A2 Monumenti D'Egitto
A3 Mura Di Sorano
A4 Complesso Di Externsteine
A5 Sentieri Sommersi
A6 Immagini Dal Sud Africa
A7 Perla Del Sud
A8 La Chiave Del Mistero
A9 Tramonto Canadese
B1 Una Nuova Speranza
B2 Sogni Nei Tuoi Occhi
B3 Visioni Dalla Costa
B4 Brezza Orientale
B5 Intervallo Romantico
B6 Il Suono Della Grande Pietra
B7 Intervallo Di Tensione
B8 Tenacia
B9 Necessità

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

Butterflies go through a four-staged life cycle: egg, caterpillar, pupa (chrysalis) and then adult as a butterfly. The transformation from caterpillar to butterfly happens in the chrysalis where the caterpillar body dies to give life to a new, beautifully winged body. This album is an ideal soundtrack to this amazing
phenomena, a representation to inner transformation and deep evolution.

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

lim. 2xLP colored yellow and oxblood vinyl with A3 Poster, Sticker & Mp3 Download!

We are back with another chapter in our ongoing series of unearthing smooth vibes from all over the world, this time we go back to the FUTURE for you with:
THE SUNSET MANIFESTO Volume 2.
After a five year break mainly concentrating on the late 70s/early 80s Westcoast Soul/Yacht/AOR sound, we finally dive deep into the modern world of our beloved sister-label Too Slow To Disco NEO (for the third time after 2018s TSTD NEO - En France and 2020s The Sunset Manifesto excursions).
But of course it wasn't a real 5 year break since the first Sunset Manifesto compilation, as in the meantime we also released a few digital TSTD Neo singles, and - more importantly - our "Too Slow To Disco NEO - FM" playlist on spotify (handcurated by Dj Supermarkt every week and now hosting more than 1500 tracks of mellow, modern sunshine vibes) was growing steadily and becoming a new, important fixpoint in the TSTD musical universe.
TSTD NEO is the outlet Dj Supermarkt is using to unearth modern laidback, smooth, sunny slow disco vibes with a soulful Westcoast/Balearic touch. For him TSTD always has been about a laidback vibe/feeling, not a certain time period in musical history.
And that sunny Westcoast vibe we dug out on those traditional TSTD compilations has become a huge influence to so many modern artists.
So it makes sense that we present the cream of new slo/mo Nu-Disco/Sunset Disco/Daytime Disco acts in the TSTD format, a luxurious compilation, with artists from all across the globe: Not only from the two homelands of that modern slow disco sound, Los Angeles/California and France, but also from Beijing, Montreal, Mexico, London, New York, Stockholm, Rotterdam… the moon, you name it! This music is more a state of mind, a feeling, then a geographical thing.
We are happy and really excited to annouce the following passengers are on board with exclusive tracks: Poolside, Woolfy, Prep & Eddie Chacon, Turbotito, Young Gun Silver Fox, Lovetempo, Kimchii, Goodvibes Sound a.m.m.


Tracklist:

A1 Lovetempo - Same Ole Love (365 Days A Year) (Extended Summer Breeze Mix)
A2 Nicholas Cangiano - Falling Behind
A3 Poolside - Ventura Highway Blues (Monsieur van Pratt Dub)

B1 Prep & Eddie Chacon - Call It (Turbotito Remix)
B2 Moi Je - Découvre
B3 Turbotito - Time Starts Moving Slow

C1 Young Gun Silver Fox - Curious
C2 B.U.M.P. - Give A Little Love A Lot
C3 Woolfy vs Projections - Seeds
C4 1-900 - Breakin' 84

D1 Goodvibes Sound - Stay For One More Night (Matt Hughes Remix)
D2 Moods & Nic Hanson - Music Never Looked So Good Good
D3 BowAsWell - Over When The Night Is Gone
D4 Joel Sarakula - Hands Of Love (Phil Martin Remix)
D5 Kimchii - Do You Ever


Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

Tracklist:

A1) Paul Older - Che Disco Vuoi (Extended Version)
A2) Riva Starr - Allora Amore (Extended Mix)
A3) Valentino Vivace - Statua Greca
B1) Hey Cabrera! - Tutto Matto (Extended Version)
B2) Sam Ruffillo & Fimiani feat. Gianni D'uomo - Non Era Facile (Extended Version)
B3) Kymono - Lasciati Andare (Extended Version)
C1) Dov'e Liana - La Notte Infinita (Extended Version)
C2) Mille Punti - Matto (Extended Version)
C3) Bruno Belissimo - Donna Piu
D1) Fimiani - Proibito (Extended Version)
D2) Alessandro Rotter - La Sera, La Discoteca, La Spiaggia
D3) Alberto Melloni – Credimi


Toy Tonics ITALOMANIA Vol. 3 is a compilation dedicated to NEW ITALIAN DISCO. (Not Italo Disco.)
14 young contemporary Italian producers made new organic disco, indie dance, pop house tracks with Italian vocals.
Everything on this compilation has been produced in 2024. Fresh dance music by Italian artists
Paul Older, Riva Starr, Valentino Vivace, Sam Ruffillo & Fimiani, Kymono, Mille Punti, Mind Enterprises, Bruno Belissimo and legendary cosmic disco pioneer Daniele Baldelli + french italo hitmakers Dov'e Liana.
The ITALOMANIA compilation was initiated by Toy Tonics boss Kapote. Italo-German producer, DJ, keyboarder and head of Toy Tonics and Gomma records.
ITALOAMNIA is a MANIFESTO to show the status of Italian Disco of today.
Kapote invited the most relevant Italian producers to make new tracks with Italian vocals and show different styles of modern Italian disco with Italian vocals.

Italian Disco is not Italo Disco.
The last years the trashy pop music of the 1980’s called Italo Disco (with English lyrics) had a big revival.
But this compilation is about something else: It’s about this Italian Disco. Because the popularity of good Italian pop music is rising all over the world.
And Toy Tonics want to show a new way to combine Italianity with dance culture.
Its funny that also in France, Swiss and Germany there are new artists singing in Italian.
Let’s not forget: The culture of party, dancing, show bizness and pop music would be unimaginable without the heritage and creativity that Italians contributed.
Italy is not just the country of good food, beaches and high fashion, but it’s also the original country of dance music. Since the ancient roman times the Italians have been the kings of entertainment.
And if it comes to music; The DISCO wave of the 1970ies and the Pop music of the 1980ies has been co-created by Italians (and Italo-americans in New York).

The ITALOMANIA Pt 3 artists

Kymono

..are a jazz-funk band from Bologna. They are just at the beginning but can easily be compared to bands like Nu Genea or Il Mago Del Gelato, They are 5 amazing musicians, influenced by the great soul bands from the 1070es. Kool and the Gang, Jamiroquai, Roy Ayers… are they heroes and you can hear this in their music. They combine these skills with a big love for Italian songwriters like Battisti or Lucio Dalla. They can be big on day!

Mille Punti
is an indie dance band from Milano. Coming from a 1980s love of guitar bands with post punk attitude now they started to combine this vibes with disco. And its fun! Very catchy and very indie.

Bruno Bellissimo
is also coming from a more rock and indie scene. He plays bass, he sings, he tours around Italy as part of the band of Fra Quintale and other gib artists. Now he started to produce dance music and runs the fabulous POLYAMORE record label from Bologna.

Dov’e Liana
are from Paris, but sing in Italian language. Their raw, ironic electro pop music has been very popular over the last 2 years. They fill big concert venues in Italy now, with thousands of young fans singing they songs. It’s a phenomenon!

Riva Starr
..come from Napoli, lives in London and is one of the most successful house music producers coming from Italy since the 1990ies. He worked with Defected and many other labels. Is a regular in all important Ibiza clubs and made this pop house hit song „Allora Amore“ for Toy Tonics together with Dario Basssolino from Napoli.

Paul Older
Italian from the north. Famous in the dance world for producing funky, new school disco tracks that are played by DJs like Folamour, Jamie Jones and DJ Tennis. His song „Che Disco Vuoi“ has a big 1970ies influence. Deep & soulful.

Sam Ruffillo
Sam Ruffillo is an upcoming Italian DJ and producer and one of the lead artists of Toy Tonics (along with Coeo, Kapote and Cody Currie). He had a few underground hits combining leftfield disco and Lofi House with Italian vocals creating a new genre that is finding lot of fans right now. One of his songs (Chiamami Subito) made it into the rotation of big Italian radio station M20. On Instagram you can see his DJ sets where hundreds of Italians sing his songs at Toy Tonics parties.

Fimiani aka BPlan
The DJ und producer from Napoli is part of the new, vibrant disco scene from Napoli. (NuGenea, Mystik Jungle, Manny Whodamanny )

Valentino Vivace
is Italian from Switzerland. And is one of the most promising artists on this compilation. He combined 1980ies Italo Disco vibes with new House music and very catchy song writing. His live show with a 6 person band is one of the most existing bands of the new Italian dance scene you can see currently on stages all over Europe.

Mind Enterprises
.. are dedicated totally to the trash pop 1980ies sounds. ironic, funny, catchy. They are regularly playing in Ibiza with the hybrid live show. And their song „Americano“ is probably a radio hit…

Daniele Baldelli and DJ Rocca
are not new to the scene. Baldelli was a legend already in the 1990ies because he co-started the Cosmic Music thing with FDJs like Loda or Mozart. He is one of the most important guys in the Italian dance scene and the only older person on this compilation.


An although his Munk and Kapote music was an underground phenomena his music has always been a favourite of many great people from the scene.
Supported by DJs like Harvey, Chromeo, Moodymann, Jennifer Cardini, Gerd Janson, MYD, Andrew Weatherall to Blessed Madonna, Justice and Laurent Garnier… to name just a few.





Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

Collecting Orders for Repress!

In an unprecedented international collaboration, Energy Exchange Records presents 'The Napoli Exchange' - the brainchild of Energy Exchange Records co-founders, Lewis and Ziggy, joining forces with producer and label boss Federico Gallotti (Tartelet / La Scimmia), the project was inspired by numerous visits to Naples, allured by the mediterranean breeze and of course the underground disco and funk forged by labels such as Early Sounds and Periodica Records. This meeting of minds created an opportunity to build bridges from the historic Italian city to the broader european scene of club crossover music.

A1. Juno, Minerva, Venus e Fortuna
A2. Napoli Fresca
A3. A Pusteggia
A4. Holding Your Heart
B1. Seratina
B2.Cavalluccio Rosso
B3. Hurting Lies
B4. Girovago
B5. Controra


Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

Gatefold Cover, Double-12”

Tracklist:

A Original Mix (08:55 min)
B Broken Mix (08:39 min)
C Kuniyuki Version (09:26 min)
D Session Victim Version (06:51 min)

Following well-regarded outings on Phonica Records and Wolf Music, and a superb "Many Shades Of House" compilation released this year, Lausanne-based Lea Lisa joins Smallville Records this June with ‘Poem For The Lost Souls’, accompanied by remixes from Kuniyuki and Session Victim as a special Double-12“ package with Gatefold Cover.

For these tracks, Lea Lisa has worked with several musicians in the studio to transform the warmth and organic feel of real instruments into her musical universe. The original mix of ‘Poem For The Lost Souls’ leads, a jazzy house journey that ebbs and flows through fluttering flute melodies, ethereal chords, wandering piano and funk-infused bass grooves running atop organic percussion and disco tinged drums. On the B Side, the ‘Broken Mix’ follows, as the name would suggest, rhythmically shifting focus towards off-kilter drum breaks alongside the other melodies and again - all the ingredients that make a classic house track.

Opening the C-side on record 2, acclaimed Japanese artist and Mule Musiq regular Kuniyuki steps up to rework ‘Poem For The Lost Souls’, in typical fashion the Sapporo born producer extracts the core grooves from the original and shapes it into something uniquely his own, laden with warmth, soul and dynamics. The duo Session Victim then round out the release on Side D with their interpretation, fusing together the original synth melodies with their own amalgamation of intricately intertwined keys and atmospherics, underpinned by a shuffled rhythm section and bouncy low-end drive.

It’s coming with a gatefold cover-artwork by Stefan Marx for a cherry-blossom glimpse of Yoyogi Park in Tokyo.

Tracks written & produced by Lea Lisa
Flute by Thibaut Martinez - recorded at Magneto Studio / Lausanne, Additional Synth By Bayron, Piano by Joseph Miller
Additional production and remix on Side C by Kuniyuki Takahashi
Additional production and remix on Side D by Hauke Freer & Matthias Reiling

Mastering by Kuniyuki Takahashi, side A Mixed & mastered by Benoit @ Perception Mastering
Vinyl cut by Helmut Erler @ Lathesville
Cover Artwork by Stefan Marx
Distributed by Wordandsound


Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore

Territories: Worldwide no restrictions

Format Notes: First ever vinyl release of Stimulator Jones's formative early boom-bap beat experimentations, 140g vinyl.

Track List:

A1 Pharoah Jones
A2 Ghost Gospel
A3 Ill Feeling
A4 Capital Punishment
A5 Do Not Adjust
A6 Cool Green Trees
A7 Chill Scratch
A8 Poisonous Fumes
A9 Welcome Aboard The Starship

B1 Keep On Runnin
B2 Sounds Impossible
B3 Painted Faces
B4 The Knew Style
B5 Chicken Wing Blues Sauce
B6 Kool Breeze
B7 Sexx Bullets
B8 Soul Child
B9 Take Off Runnin
B10 Centurian
B11 Bozack
B12 Church
B13 Splash One
B14 Hank
B15 73 Goatee

"Chasing the funky symphonies that filled my head and my dreams..."

December 25th, 2023 - an Instagram post. Stimulator Jones shared half a dozen FIRE tracks from his beat tape archive. We were immediately drawn to the rough hewn boom bap.

"I'd release that", Rob commented.

Hours of material was shared and the result is this: Cool Green Trees (1999-2005). A collection of beats and loops Stimulator Jones created between the ages of 14-20 at home in his basement, bedroom and computer room in Roanoke, Virginia.

You will not believe the profound soulful genius contained within these naive schoolboy melodies.

December 25th, 1998 - 25 years ago to the day and his much-coveted Yamaha SU10 sampler was finally bestowed upon young Stimmy AKA Sam Lunsford: "I immediately hooked up a CD Walkman to the input jack and looped the beginning two bars of Grover Washington Jr.'s "Mercy Mercy Me". I don't know what exactly was so thrilling about hearing two measures of music repeating over and over but it was so infectious and hypnotizing and enthralling to me. I'll never forget that ecstatic rush of making my first loop - an uncontrollable, gleeful smile plastered all over my face." When you hear the pocket breakbeat symphonies featured here on Cool Green Trees, you'll feel the same sense of frisson.

In the wake of his Stones Throw breakthrough - Exotic Worlds & Master Treasures - Stimulator Jones was pegged by many as a 90s throwback artist. However, he literally IS a 90s artist. He's been recording music most of his life and he's now 40. He created the bulk of Cool Green Trees as a teenager. Everything before 2004 was recorded when Sam was still in school. He was in 8th grade when he made the 1999 tracks - he didn't even have his learner's permit. This album is a snapshot of a young man in a simpler time. Things were still mysterious back then and he was flying blind, relying on his ears and having to figure things out for himself: "I had no road map for becoming a beatmaker. I have been collecting music since I was a kid, I am a lifelong digger and seeker of cool and interesting sounds. I was there in the golden age of Hip Hop, and while I may have been a suburban white kid in Roanoke, Virginia, I was tuned in and I bought so many classic albums when they came out. I was attracted to Hip Hop because of the musical and poetic quality. I was hypnotized by the rhythms, partially because I was a drummer. I didn't brag about collecting my breakbeat records or making beats - it was something I did in isolation. It wasn't something I generally wanted to bring attention to and it didn't really score me any cool points. I certainly wasn't flexing on social media about it."

Hell, he can do that now!

Opener "Pharoah Jones" was inspired by Yesterday's New Quintet and Madlib's ability to capture that classic 70s sound whilst playing all the instruments. Sam created this one stoned afternoon by laying down a 2 bar loop and a shaker loop on his Yamaha SU700 sampler. He hung a microphone from the ceiling and played his Yamaha Stage Custom drum kit over the top before adding ender Rhodes and playing his dad's Selmer tenor sax through an Electro Harmonix Memory Man echo pedal. Yes! Up next, "Ghost Gospel" utilises a dope loop from a gospel record and adds some soul-funk drums overtop, whilst working that filter knob. Says Sam: "The loop reminded me of something Ghostface would rap over. The sample was in 3/4 waltz time but I flipped it for a 4/4 groove, a technique I picked up from RZA. "Ill Feeling" uses sped-up pieces from a dusty old funk record and putting them over a classic NOLA drum loop; gain chopping up a slow, bluesy 3/4 time signature and bending it to a 4/4 groove. Classy shit. "Capital Punishment" features drums tapped in live, inspired by MF Doom's Special Herbs series. "Do Not Adjust" consists loops found on a compilation of 70s French music at Happy's Flea Market, a classic Roanoke digging spot.

The sublime, evocative title track, "Cool Green Trees" was created when Sam was still living at home. He dumped samples off his SU10 into the family desktop and arranged them in a demo version of Pro Tools: "This track was sort of my ode to the DJ Shadow style of sample based production. Super spacey, slow, and moody. The heavily filtered drums were inspired by Alec Empire's 'Low on Ice' album. I later added some scratches and sounds from a Spider Man storybook record." "Chill Scratch" snags the final bit of a bossanova record and pairs it with a drum loop before adding experimental scratching run through an Electro Harmonix Memory Man echo pedal. "Poisonous Fumes" was made using a sampler, mixer and a turntable; a kind of mixtape beat collage with added scratches and sounds from various records. Using dialogue from superhero records was a nod to Madlib. "Welcome Aboard The Starship" is dark, downtempo trip-hop with a spooky bent. Sam paired a slow, hard drum loop with a guitar sample grabbed off a psychedelic rock record. To finish, he added various backwards sounds and weird atmospheric effects and a little scratching. Swoon.

Side B opens with "Keep On Runnin", made on a borrowed Roland SP202 sampler. Having always loved the sound of the Lo-Fi filter on those machines, reminiscent of the Emu SP1200, Sam always imagined Del or another of the Hieroglyphics crew rapping over this beat. You can certainly hear why. "Sounds Impossible" sees Sam experimenting with layering multiple kick samples at different volumes to create patterns similar to those heard by Showbiz and Lord Finesse during their God-level 1995 period. "Painted Faces" was made by chopping up a [REDACTED] record which he had gotten from Happy's Flea Market and paired it with a [REDACTED] drum loop. By the time Sam recorded "The Knew Style", he had acquired a shitty old 1960s portable turntable off eBay. It didn't function properly when he bought it but his brother opened it up, cleaned it out and got it working: "I remember he told me that there was a bunch of sand inside of it when he opened it up, as if its previous owner had taken it to the beach. I would take that turntable on my Happy's Flea Market digs so I could preview records...that's how I found this loop."

"Chicken Wing Blues Sauce" loops up a classic blues joint and pairs it with some [REDACTED] drums. A bit of filtering and arranging et voilà! "Kool Breeze", from 1999, is one of Sam's oldest surviving beats, as is "Sexx Bullets". The Roots sampled the same record, leaving Sam frustrated yet vindicated. "Soul Child" was an early SU10 creation, looping a dusty old Soul Children 45 and pairing it with 70s rock drum loops to great effect. "Take Off Runnin" was another loop found digging with a portable turntable. Paired with some boom bap drums it makes for a hypnotic head-nod groove. "Centurian" was intended to be a little beat interlude a la Pete Rock. The sample is from a sun-dappled soft-psych record and it's paired with a Robin Trower drum loop that just happens to fit perfectly. Sometimes you slap things together kind of haphazardly and magic happens. "Bozack" was the first beat Sam made using Pro Tools, his first foray into using chopped sounds instead of loops, an exciting new world. "Church" is beat interlude using a Phil Upchurch loop with the "Long Red" drums - a favourite break of Dilla et al. Sam was really on a tear in late 2004, probably because he was unemployed and phoneless and able to just make beats all day. He made "Splash One" on a borrowed Yamaha SU700 and again was experimenting with tapping the drums in live with his fingers, instead of using a loop or sequenced pattern. Channeling 9th Wonder, Sam used a water splash sound effect from a Batman record as a percussive element, hence the title (also a 13th Floor Elevators reference). The main loop is a backwards portion of one of his favourite Roy Ayers songs.

"Hank" is another fun little beat interlude thing, created on a borrowed Roland SP202 sampler with the fantastic Lo-Fi effect that resembled the Emu SP1200 at a fraction of the price. "73 goatee", from 99, is another of his oldest surviving beats, created in his bedroom with his Yamaha SU10 and his brother's Vestax MR-300 4-track recorder: "This one will always feel special. I can remember having a feeling all the way back then on the night that I created it that this was a solid beat with a catchy loop. There was something in the Fender Rhodes melody that resonated with me emotionally, and I had never heard a producer sample that portion before. I felt like I had found my own unique sound, my own unique loop. It came from an Ahmad Jamal '73. I actually even recorded myself rapping and scratching over this beat way back then, I still have that version in all its imperfect sloppy glory."

Sam explains just how much these tracks mean to him: "They all have immense historical and sentimental value and I'm proud of them. These beats come from an innocent, simple time when I was just figuring out how to craft these sounds. They're something very personal to me. They are the initial part of a journey that I really was taking *alone*. There was no YouTube. I couldn't Google shit. I didn't even know any other beatmakers, producers or DJs in my town that could teach me anything. It was always just me, alone, in a room with some equipment - chasing the funky symphonies that filled my head and my dreams. What I was doing wasn't cool. Most of my peers thought I was a weirdo and couldn't care less. Creating these sounds was an anti-social endeavour. In a sense, I felt like it was me against the world, and all I had to instruct and assist me were the recordings produced by my heroes - RZA, DJ Premier, Erick Sermon, Beatminerz, Showbiz, Diamond D, Beatnuts, Prince Paul, The Bomb Squad, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, E-Swift, Mista Lawnge, DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Peanut Butter Wolf, El-P and so many more...I dedicate this collection to them, and to my older brother Joe who has always been a musical and technical guiding light for me.

This was a time before every kid was a self-described producer and beatmaker, before everyone had a DAW, before Kanye and "chipmunk soul", before Red Bull beat battles, before there was any social media beyond chat rooms and AOL Instant Messenger, before Soundcloud, before SP-404 mania, before lo-fi beats to study to, before Splice, before targeted ads for MIDI chord packs, etc. In 99 when I told people that I had a sampler and made beats I was mostly met with bewildered confusion and indifference. Kids and adults alike would wonder why I got this weird machine for Christmas instead of something worthwhile like a Playstation or a mountain bike or even a guitar for that matter because at least that could be used to make "real music". Back then, sampling was still not widely respected as an art form - it was seen as lazy, talentless and unoriginal at best and outright criminal theft at worst. I had gotten respect for playing drums and guitar and things of that nature but this was a step in the wrong direction in the eyes of many."

The cover photo is a picture of Sam standing on his back porch in the latter part of 1998, just before he got his first sampler. He was 13 years old, in 8th grade. His dad took the picture with his 35mm film camera: "I actually wanted to be pointing my dad's .22 pistol at the camera lens but he wouldn't let me. He gave me an old walking cane to use instead. The Tommy Hilfiger puffer jacket came from the lost and found at William Fleming High School where my mom worked as a secretary. I was thrilled when she brought it home because we never spent money on expensive name brand clothing like that - we were for the most part strictly a sale rack, bargain bin, thrift store, yard sale, flea market kind of family when it came to clothes. My watch is some cheap off-brand fake gold department store watch." Mastering for this vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry.

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: gpsr@wordandsound.netMore