Territory: WORLD minus UK/IE/US/CA

DOUBLE VINYL
The full album on vinyl for the first time, packaged with the classic original Designers Republic artwork


ABOUT
To celebrate the 20th anniversary, Collabs 3000: Metalism, the original classic pure techno album and first full-length collaboration between techno innovators Chris Liebing and Speedy J, is remastered and reissued via NovaMute.

Originally launched by Speedy J (aka Jochem Paap) as a platform for 12" collaborations with other artists, the Collabs series laid the groundwork for what would become one of techno's most compelling partnerships. The first release with Chris Liebing, Collabs 300 (featuring 'Trick_' / 'Treflon_'), landed in 2004 to a rapturous response; its machine-funk intensity and unmistakable breakdowns helped define the sound of early 2000s techno whilst revealing a writing and production chemistry that demanded a larger playground for their work.

That creative spark ultimately manifested in Collabs 3000: Metalism, a landmark record for techno. Combining the pair's mastery of subversive electronics and peak-time techno, the album remains a career highlight for both artists: a smouldering collision of taut techno rhythms, sonic abstraction, and, as the title suggests, robust metallic beats.

The 20th anniversary edition of this timeless techno masterpiece has been fully remastered by Liebing himself and is available on CD and for the first time on vinyl across 2 discs.


TRACKLIST
A1 Lego (2025 Remaster)
A2 Modish Ride (2025 Remaster)
A3 Triflon (2025 Remaster)
A4 Hilt (2025 Remaster)
B1 Tunox (2025 Remaster)
B2 Acid Trezcore (2025 Remaster)
B3 Cream 3 (2025 Remaster)
C1 Eventide (2025 Remaster)
C2 Lava (2025 Remaster)
D1 Assault (2025 Remaster)



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Territory: WORLD minus UK/IE/US/CA

CD
Packaged in card eco-pack with original classic Designers Republic artwork


ABOUT
To celebrate the 20th anniversary, Collabs 3000: Metalism, the original classic pure techno album and first full-length collaboration between techno innovators Chris Liebing and Speedy J, is remastered and reissued via NovaMute.

Originally launched by Speedy J (aka Jochem Paap) as a platform for 12" collaborations with other artists, the Collabs series laid the groundwork for what would become one of techno's most compelling partnerships. The first release with Chris Liebing, Collabs 300 (featuring 'Trick_' / 'Treflon_'), landed in 2004 to a rapturous response; its machine-funk intensity and unmistakable breakdowns helped define the sound of early 2000s techno whilst revealing a writing and production chemistry that demanded a larger playground for their work.

That creative spark ultimately manifested in Collabs 3000: Metalism, a landmark record for techno. Combining the pair's mastery of subversive electronics and peak-time techno, the album remains a career highlight for both artists: a smouldering collision of taut techno rhythms, sonic abstraction, and, as the title suggests, robust metallic beats.

The 20th anniversary edition of this timeless techno masterpiece has been fully remastered by Liebing himself and is available on CD and for the first time on vinyl across 2 discs.


TRACKLIST
1 Lego (2025 Remaster)
2 Modish Ride (2025 Remaster)
3 Triflon (2025 Remaster)
4 Hilt (2025 Remaster)
5 Tunox (2025 Remaster)
6 Acid Trezcore (2025 Remaster)
7 Cream 3 (2025 Remaster)
8 Eventide (2025 Remaster)
9 Lava (2025 Remaster)
10 Assault (2025 Remaster)



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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Territory: WORLD minus UK/IE/US/CA

DOUBLE VINYL
The full album on vinyl for the first time, packaged with the classic original Designers Republic artwork


ABOUT
To celebrate the 20th anniversary, Collabs 3000: Metalism, the original classic pure techno album and first full-length collaboration between techno innovators Chris Liebing and Speedy J, is remastered and reissued via NovaMute.

Originally launched by Speedy J (aka Jochem Paap) as a platform for 12" collaborations with other artists, the Collabs series laid the groundwork for what would become one of techno's most compelling partnerships. The first release with Chris Liebing, Collabs 300 (featuring 'Trick_' / 'Treflon_'), landed in 2004 to a rapturous response; its machine-funk intensity and unmistakable breakdowns helped define the sound of early 2000s techno whilst revealing a writing and production chemistry that demanded a larger playground for their work.

That creative spark ultimately manifested in Collabs 3000: Metalism, a landmark record for techno. Combining the pair's mastery of subversive electronics and peak-time techno, the album remains a career highlight for both artists: a smouldering collision of taut techno rhythms, sonic abstraction, and, as the title suggests, robust metallic beats.

The 20th anniversary edition of this timeless techno masterpiece has been fully remastered by Liebing himself and is available on CD and for the first time on vinyl across 2 discs.


TRACKLIST
A1 Lego (2025 Remaster)
A2 Modish Ride (2025 Remaster)
A3 Triflon (2025 Remaster)
A4 Hilt (2025 Remaster)
B1 Tunox (2025 Remaster)
B2 Acid Trezcore (2025 Remaster)
B3 Cream 3 (2025 Remaster)
C1 Eventide (2025 Remaster)
C2 Lava (2025 Remaster)
D1 Assault (2025 Remaster)



Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
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Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Territory: WORLD minus UK/IE/US/CA

CD
Packaged in card eco-pack with original classic Designers Republic artwork


ABOUT
To celebrate the 20th anniversary, Collabs 3000: Metalism, the original classic pure techno album and first full-length collaboration between techno innovators Chris Liebing and Speedy J, is remastered and reissued via NovaMute.

Originally launched by Speedy J (aka Jochem Paap) as a platform for 12" collaborations with other artists, the Collabs series laid the groundwork for what would become one of techno's most compelling partnerships. The first release with Chris Liebing, Collabs 300 (featuring 'Trick_' / 'Treflon_'), landed in 2004 to a rapturous response; its machine-funk intensity and unmistakable breakdowns helped define the sound of early 2000s techno whilst revealing a writing and production chemistry that demanded a larger playground for their work.

That creative spark ultimately manifested in Collabs 3000: Metalism, a landmark record for techno. Combining the pair's mastery of subversive electronics and peak-time techno, the album remains a career highlight for both artists: a smouldering collision of taut techno rhythms, sonic abstraction, and, as the title suggests, robust metallic beats.

The 20th anniversary edition of this timeless techno masterpiece has been fully remastered by Liebing himself and is available on CD and for the first time on vinyl across 2 discs.


TRACKLIST
1 Lego (2025 Remaster)
2 Modish Ride (2025 Remaster)
3 Triflon (2025 Remaster)
4 Hilt (2025 Remaster)
5 Tunox (2025 Remaster)
6 Acid Trezcore (2025 Remaster)
7 Cream 3 (2025 Remaster)
8 Eventide (2025 Remaster)
9 Lava (2025 Remaster)
10 Assault (2025 Remaster)



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Territory: WW-UK/EIRE & USA,Canada
Limited Edition Double Vinyl
Pressed on bio-viny and packaged in environmental wrapping

ABOUT

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Plastikman, aka Richie Hawtin, has remastered his groundbreaking second album, Musik, from the original tapes for a new limited bio-vinyl edition.

The record was first released in November 1994 through NovaMute and Plus 8, following the debut Plastikman album, Sheet One (1993). A masterclass in minimal techno, Musik quickly propelled Hawtin to new levels of success. The release followed Plastikman's first-ever live performance in a black vinyl-encased room at a semi-derelict Packard Plant in Detroit, where Hawtin was central to the burgeoning underground scene.

Before the full album hit the shelves, the track 'Plastique' (which was later described by Q as "...the flipside to Hawtin's early singles, all ticking percussion, feline acid tweaks, and cushioned sub-bass") set the stage for a more dance floor-friendly album, albeit one with an unsettling and sinister side.

The album, described by The Guardian as "music as you've never heard it before" and by The Wire, who made it one of their Albums of the Year, as "... a masterpiece", defined a moment in techno that still echoes today.

Now, 30 years later, the album has been remastered from the original tapes, reminding us why Plastikman is a name that still resonates and that the album's intensity - on and off the dance floor - has lost none of its potency in the intervening years.

Available on limited edition double bio-vinyl from Mute and NovaMute.



TRACKLIST
A1 Konception
A2 Plastique
B1 Kriket
B2 FUK
B3 Outbak
C1 Ethnik
C2 Plasmatik
C3 Goo
D1 Marbles
D2 Lasttrak



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Territory: WW-UK/EIRE & USA,Canada

2024 repress

Double Vinyl
Pressed on BioVinyl and packaged in environmental wrapping


To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Plastikman's redefining acid techno masterpiece, Sheet One, has been mastered from the original tapes and reissued on vinyl via Mute and NovaMute.

Released in 1993 on Mute's subsidiary label NovaMute, this record was the debut for Richie Hawtin's alias Plastikman. 30 years on Sheet One is a landmark album in the field of electronic music, it changed the shape of what the genre could be and became.

Introducing one of techno's most recognisable logos, the album achieved a degree of notoriety for its acid blotter-style perforated artwork. Musically it focuses on laser-precise minimalist rhythms to drive a series of echo-box acid lines that gradually acquire power over the course of lengthy album tracks, with frequent use of the Roland TB-303, which gained prominence in the electronic music world as a staple of Chicago's acid house scene. Hawtin once described Sheet One perfectly in an interview with MusicRadar, saying "...It's music for the end of the party as you're melting into the floor, which is exactly what the name Plastikman was made to represent."

This seminal album helped to establish the template for minimal techno, and is a must listen for lovers of electronic music.

Available on double bio vinyl.

TRACKLIST
A1 Drp
A2 Plasticity
A3 Gak
B1 Okx
B2 Helikopter
B3 Glob
C1 Plasticine
C2 Koma
D1 Vokx
D2 Smak
D3 Ovokx



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2023 Repress Edition

Charlotte de Witte presents a new EP on the recently relaunched seminal British imprint NovaMute. It arrives after three acclaimed 2017 EPs from the rising Belgian artist, whose residencies and packed touring schedule have fuelled her reputation as one to watch. ‘Brussels EP’ is out on 12" January 5th and features three menacing techno cuts employing impeccable production technique and moody atmospherics.
The title track is a restrained burner with stripped back beats over sweltering pads and vocals. ‘Control’ pairs distorted speech with a whirlwind of rumbling bass frequencies, whilst ‘Look Around You’ brandishes trance inspired crescendos with hypnotic percussion.

Tracklisting:
01 Brussels
02 Control
03 Look Around You


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2023 Repress edition

Tracklisting:

1. The Healer
2. Silence
3. Kuda
4. Song Of The Woods Nymphs

Charlotte de Witte continues to establish herself as a driving force on the contemporary techno scene with The Healer, her second EP on seminal British imprint NovaMute. The four-tracker comes after the Belgian has fully broken through with a dark, dense and driving sound that is proudly unrelenting. Her meteoric rise has come off the back of a series of huge productions, plus standout sets at key festivals and clubs all around the world.
Charlotte's fresh and innovative sound is immediately laid bare on opener 'The Healer', with eight minutes of spine-tingling, hypnotic techno. The sleek drums and icy hi-hats soon cast their spell, as well-crafted synths unfold up top to bring real emotion. 'Silence' is another slice of tunnel vision techno with perfectly designed drums rolling on and synths peeling off the groove. It is trance inducing and otherworldly, with eerie voices adding to the all-consuming atmosphere. Then comes 'Kuda', a track built on monstrous kicks that hit hard and drive forward with real force. Filtered vocals bring character, and sharp edged percussion grows ever louder to take the track, and the club, to the next level. Last of all, 'Song Of The Wood Nymphs' shows another side to the producer with three minutes of suspensory synths and expansive ambient sounds that are filled with drama and tension.



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Teritory: Avaible for the World Minus UK/EIRE
Nicolas Bougaïeff presents a new four track EP On The Grid. This is the final instalment in a series of EPs inspired by Greg Egan's sci-fi novel Permutation City (1994).
Tracklist:
Eden Configuration
Rip Tie Cut Toy Man
On The Grid
Skyscraper Model

Opening track 'Eden Configuration' combines a monolithic synth line with propulsive bass grooves. 'Rip Tie Cut Toy Man' introduces a furtive synth melody tucked beneath rhythmic rumbles. Bougaïeff's voice is featured for the first time on the stripped back title track 'On The Grid', a playful alternative to dark dystopia. The result is a fast and upbeat cut, reminiscent of 90s minimal yet delivered with punchy modern production. Closer 'Skyscraper Model' features a fluid acid line amidst reverberating warehouse beats, providing a sense of energetic resolution. First EP in the triptych, Dust, was released in 2018 on Max Cooper’s Mesh label and was followed by Permutation Djinn on NovaMute later that year.

Appeals to fans of Max Cooper, Lucy, Terence Fixmer, Regis, Marcel Dettmann, Recondite, Ben Klock, Chris Liebing, Planetary Assault Systems
300 copies 12” vinyl

Nova Mute, a subsidiary of Mute (Depeche Mode, Goldfrapp, New Order, Liars, Erasure, Moby), began in 1992 as a response to the growing demand for techno releases in the UK. Originally presenting white labels and
imports, NovaMute went on to release records by Plastikman, Speedy J, Juan Atkins, Luke Slater and Joey Beltram to name a few,this is Nova Mute’s first release since over ten years ago.

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300 copies 12” vinyl

Tracklisting

1. The Swarm
2. FRF2
3. No Dreams
4. The Dawn

Release Info:
Terence Fixmer returns to NovaMute with a new EP, The Swarm out on vinyl on 24 May 2019. 

Terence Fixmer’s career has spanned two decades with releases on many acclaimed labels, most recently releasing his sixth solo album Through The Cortex, on Ostgut Ton. His sound deftly avoids repetition by developing soundscapes which maintain musical depth and integrity and he above all preserves an original style, an increasingly experimental, simultaneously ruthless and instantly recognizable aesthetic.
  
“The title track ‘The Swarm’, I made with the full Roland System 100 [1970s’s vintage semi-modular analogue synth]. I had been collecting all the individual parts of the System 100 and was happy to finally find the sequencer System 100-104. This was the first full track I created with it.”



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300 copies 12” vinyl

Tracklisting

1. Daughter Of Darkness
2. The Huntress
3. Wolf Clan

Release Info
Darkly melancholic, driving and highly original; the tracks from ‘Daughter Of Darkness EP have been tested, tweaked and perfected at Sisyphos’ cavernous main room Hammahalle, where Fidelity spins monthly as one of the Berlin club’s leading residents. Tracks ‘Daughter Of Darkness’ and ‘The Huntress’ are intuitively inspired by the Sunday daytime vibe from the Berlin club scene, whereas ‘Wolf Clan’ builds and raises energy, written from the perspective of being behind the decks as the DJ.

Appeals to fans of ANNA, Charlotte de Witte, Marcel Dettmann, Ben Klock, Adam Beyer, Chris Liebing, Nina Kraviz

Upcoming Shows
Monthly residency at Sisyphos, Berlin

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Following the success of recent NovaMute releases by Charlotte de Witte
and ANNA, Nicolas has delivered a stellar techno EP. Will appeal to fans of Ricardo Villalobos, Len Faki, Ben Sims, Jay Lumen, Charlotte de Witte, ANNA, Chris Liebing
Limited Edition 12” Vinyl - Part 1 of a 2 EP series

Tracklisting
1. Woke Up As A Copy
2. Panic Time Tryout
3. Little Djinn
4. No Escape

Nicolas Bougaïeff returns to NovaMute with ‘Permutation Djinn’ inspired by Greg Egan’s sci-fi novel ‘Permutation City’. A follow up EP will be released
later this year.
Following the success of recent NovaMute releases by Charlotte de Witte and ANNA, Nicolas has delivered a stellar techno EP. Bougaïeff’s interpretation on ‘Permutation Djinn’ attempts to translate the stages of
Egan’s novel into music while respecting the constraints of making club friendly tracks. 
The opener ‘Woke Up As A Copy’ is an expansive track with Blade Runneresque metallic reverberations. ‘Panic Time Tryout’ is a peak time cut, fostering the futurist atmosphere with an unsettling melody. ‘Little Djinn’ is the most frenetic of the tracks whilst ‘No Escape’ takes it back to peak time with resounding drums and drills. 


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Tracklisting:

1. Razor
2. Dreamweaver
3. Escapism

Short Info:
NovaMute welcomes ANNA to it’s roster, the Brazilian producer has been a mainstay of the Beatport Techno chart over the last year. The first track on ANNA’s debut EP for NovaMute , Razor was born while playing with her Roland MKS-80, a synth from 1985 and one of ANNA’s favourites. You can hear the fat, juicy sound on the breakdown and ever evolving throughout. The track has already been getting a great reaction when played out in her sets. Escapism plays with trippy arpeggio’s that lay down the atmosphere for the whole track, it feels really dense and trippy but still powerful, making use of heavier drum sounds for the groove. The last track on the EP Dreamweaver, is a simple track that always works well on the dance floor. ANNA reworked this track many times before deciding to strip down the beat and focus on the final sequence, sometimes the simple ideas are the ones that work the best.


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Teritory: Avaible for the World Minus UK/EIRE

Tracklisting:
1.Dance Of The Comets, 2.Orion, 3.The Silence

In a career that spans two decades, Terence Fixmer reached worldwide recognition with the release of his debut album Muscle Machine on DJ Hell’s seminal International Deejay Gigolos imprint in 1999. The album opened a whole new genre by combining Electro, Industrial, EBM and Techno into a more dance floor-focused EBM style, simply called ‘Techno Body Music’. The French producer and live act has consistently explored and redefined the boundaries of modern Techno –and he is not slowing down.
Dance Of The Comets is the second release on the newly relaunched NovaMutelabel. NovaMuteis the seminal techno label that has been home to Plastikman, Speedy J, Juan Atkins, Luke Slater, Joey Beltramand more. NovaMute, born again, recently released Cognitive Resonance by Nicolas Bougaïeffand will release the forthcoming EP by Charlotte De Witte.
Terence Fixmer'ssound deftly avoids repetition by developing soundscapes which maintain musical depth and integrity. He above all preserves an original style, an increasingly experimental, simultaneously ruthless and instantly recognizable aesthetic.

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Teritory: Avaible for the World Minus UK/EIRE
Nova Mute, a subsidiary of Mute (Depeche Mode, Goldfrapp, New Order, Liars, Erasure, Moby), began in 1992 as a response to the growing demand for techno releases in the UK. Originally presenting white labels and
imports, NovaMute went on to release records by Plastikman, Speedy J, Juan Atkins, Luke Slater and Joey Beltram to name a few,
this is Nova Mute’s first release since over ten years ago:

Tracklist:
A1 Cognitive Resonance
B1 Truthful Hyperbole
B2 Fake News

Nicolas Bougaïeff presents his new EP on seminal British imprint NovaMute. As a producer he harbours a diverse musical background, having studied in a conservatoire setting whilst foraying into anti-authoritarian rave culture. He is also a respected lecturer, regularly teaching masterclasses in composition and speaking at global events such as Mutek and Ableton Loop - the results of which come to life in the inquisitive spirit of his productions.
Cognitive Resonance explores elements of psytrance, gabber and techno through a compositional lens, drawing on the artist’s love for avant-garde forms and long-standing relationship with the electronic music community.
The title track lays out long, expansive phrases and warped crescendos to create a disorienting structure, whilst distant harmonies, distorted kick drums and shattering effects merge into a hypnotic form on 'Truthful Hyperbole’. Lastly, ‘Fake News’ mangles our sense of rhythmic familiarity, disrupting the 4/4 beat with a complex metre and sinister melody.
This is NovaMute’s first release since MOTOR (Bryan Black and Oly Grasset) over ten years ago. T as well as forging invaluable links with labels such as Tresor and Probe, which allowed them to license rare tracks for a wider audience.
Forthcoming releases on NovaMute will include EP’s from Terence Fixmer and Charlotte de Witte.



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Territories: DE,AT,CH only

catalogue - available via WAS beginning by April 2

Tracklist:
A1. Roche
A2. Kilometer
A3. Look
A4. Divine
A5. Pomme
A6. Une Heure

B1. Sexual Sportswear
B2. Elle
B3. Fingers of Steel
B4. Manty
B5. L'Amour et la Violence

A special reissue of this album, released in 2008 on Record Makers and now considered a classic of its kind. The album was produced by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (half of DAFT PUNK).

A talented eccentric, Sébastien Tellier began distilling his intimate pop sound in the early 2000s. His first album, L'Incroyable Vérité, released in 2001, was a huge success, gradually establishing him on the French music scene. After an unlikely foray into the Eurovision Song Contest, the release of Sexuality, also in 2008, marked a turning point in his songwriting.



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Territories:
Worldwide no restrictions

Format Notes:

2026 first time ever vinyl reissue of this undisputed "holy grail", *the* most sought after album for J Dilla / Madlib sample collectors. Produced with the full and extensive participation of Gap, tip-on sleeve, 2 page insert, 140g vinyl.


Track List:

A1 Boy With Toys
A2 Diana In The Autumn Wind
A3 Long Hair Soulful
A4 Yesterday
A5 The XIth Commandment
A6 St. Thomas

B1 You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You
B2 Pond With Swans
B3 You Are My Sunshine
B4 Free Again
B5 Dream On Little Dreamer
B6 Graduate Medley

Release Notes:

Gap Mangione's monumentally influential Diana In The Autumn Wind. AKA BEWITH200LP. And, without question, Be With's White Whale.

They said it could never be done. And with good reason.

We've spent the past 12 years trying to license this legendary 1968 recording from Gap and, after much work, it's finally here. Remarkably, this is the first ever vinyl reissue of Gap Mangione's Diana In The Autumn Wind, produced with the full and extensive participation of Gap. An exceedingly rare album, it's been coveted by funk, soul, jazz and hip-hop sample fiends for decades.

It's unarguably *the* most sought after album for J Dilla / Madlib sample collectors. It has also been brilliantly sampled by A Tribe Called Quest, Large Professor, Ghostface Killah, Kendrick Lamar and Talib Kweli.

But this record is so much more than a sample-spotters curio. It's solid gold throughout. Bursting with killer funky-jazz grooves and tracks adorned with warm electric piano, the release is notable for featuring some extremely significant players at the very outset of their careers; Tony Levin, at 21, whose superb playing on both acoustic and electric bass was the harmonic mainstay of the trio and Steve Gadd, at 23, one of the greatest drummers of his generation.

With acceptable copies of this holy grail changing hands for $400, to call this reissue "much-needed" underplays just how vital it is. Gap's story is told in his words alongside rare photos across a sumptuously designed 2-page insert and, to augment this deluxe edition further, its all wrapped up in a beautiful, no-expense-spared luxury tip-on sleeve, as per the original hens-teeth release. And, while we're talking packaging, just take a look at that cover - a work of art in and of itself.

The tracks are short but complex, with that extraordinary rhythm section backing the beautiful piano, organ and electric piano work of Gap. It's like the best ever library funk breaks record you never heard - but all your favourite golden age rap producers were all over it, long ago. It's a stunning blend of the vibrant, driving music of the Gap Mangione Trio coupled with the sensitive composition and superb orchestration of Gap's legendary brother, Chuck Mangione, who helmed an amalgam of seemingly disparate elements – rock, big band jazz, solo improvisation and "classical" music - into a spectacularly cohesive whole that has aged wonderfully well. As Gap himself notes in the liners, "with this group I was able to explore and add new and exciting elements from rock, Brazilian and then-current pop music."

Opener "Boy With Toys" triumphantly swaggers out the gate, all big band horns, flutes and dextrous organ work. The synthesis of everything going on is nothing short of stunning. When one wise YouTube commentator called this tune "old school superhero music", Gap agreed. Rap luminaries did, too, amongst them Talib Kweli, who rapped over DJ Scratch's chopped up intro for "Shock Body" on his Quality album back in 2002.

You've barely recovered from that incredibly affecting opener when you get hit over the head with the exquisite title-track. And now you see how two of the greatest beats of all time emerged from one single track produced nearly 50 years earlier. Unforgettably utilised by Dilla for Slum Village's heartbreakingly good "Fall In Love" and then Madlib for his "Official" beat for Dilla to rap over, on the Jaylib record. Regardless of the records it went on to spawn, this is just a staggering tune in its own right. Be beguiled by the flutes and the flutter tonguing, the counter-melody from the trombones, the soprano sax solo. All of it. Simply beautiful.

The questing organ and horn workout "Long Hair Soulful" deserves a lot more attention, overshadowed somewhat by the opening two monsters but no less fantastic. It swings, it grooves and Gadd and Levin truly cook. Up next, Gap's wonderfully percussive, mellifluously piano-heavy cover of "Yesterday" by some fellas called The Beatles. It's a subtly arresting gem. "The XIth Commandment" is damn fine, with thick, gorgeous electric piano and snappy drum work underpinning chaotic soundtracky horns. To close out the side, "St. Thomas" showcases the "fourth" member of the Gap Mangione Trio, conga drummer Dhui Mandingo. Having performed with the Trio since 1965, Dhui‘s African-based and jazz-latin-influenced style amazed listeners and its way to hear why.

Opening the B-Side, standard "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" breezes along in the late-night jazz club fashion before things get super deep with the outstanding and - up to now - un-sampled "Pond With Swans". It's simply heavenly, and how its moody, melancholic intro has yet to be pilfered is anybody's guess. It oscillates between gentle, sombre movements and bombastic grooves, equally hypnotic and joyous. The rendition of "You Are My Sunshine" is yet another showcase for Gap's virtuoso playing and Gadd's mastery of the pocket. Indeed Gadd's drumming on "Free Again" is nothing short of neck-SNAPPING! Ghostface took it for not one but two "Iron's Theme" tracks across his seminal Supreme Clientele. It's got that Galt MacDermot "Coffee Cold" feel. Suuuuuper cool. The frantic "Dream On Little Dreamer" hurtles along and must've surely had the whole room absolutely swinging from the chandeliers back in Rochester in the late 60s. The album closes with the magnificent Graduate Medley, featuring memorable renditions of "Scarborough Fair", "The Sounds of Silence" and "Mrs. Robinson". The warm electric piano lines of the former were sampled by The Ummah (Dilla again!) for Tribe's "Pad & Pen" from their reappraised final album, The Love Movement, as well as by Large Professor on his much-loved "The LP (For My People)".

Under the watchful eye - and extremely attentive ears - of Gap Mangione himself, the audio for Diana In The Autumn Wind has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, with a few much needed tweaks here and there, according to the artist's wishes. At the prestigious Abbey Road Studios, 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 the always stellar Record Industry in Holland. The artwork restoration has taken place here at Be With HQ and has that drop-dead gorgeous cover artwork popping like new. Buy on sight!


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