Freedom's time on this earth was painfully short. The group formed in 1975, made up of young musicians studying at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. Drawing inspiration from the great funk and soul outfits of the era — the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire,The Bar-Kays and Kool & the Gang— Freedom quickly developed a sound built on tight horn arrangements, bubbling rhythm sections and uplifting vocals designed for packed dancefloors. It wasn't long before the band built a reputation across Mississippi and throughout the American South as a powerful live funk outfit. In 1977, just two years after forming, the group recorded and independently released their debut single "Can't You See" b/w "Sunshine". What's remarkable about this record is how fully formed it sounds. For a band in their early twenties, the rhythm section, arrangements and vocal performances feel incredibly assured — polished, pulsating and full of promise. On the strength of this release the band soon signed with Malaco Records, where they would go on to release four albums and their best-known recording, "Get Up and Dance". "Can't You See" leans into the modern soul-boogie sound with a propulsive groove and silky vocal hooks, reportedly inspired by a track fromThe Emotions. On the flip, "Sunshine" switches gears with crisp brass lines, deep-pocket rhythm and joyous, club-ready energy.

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Originally released in 1980 in very limited quantities, Salty Miller's sole album is a hidden gem of the Beach Music scene. Issued under the unwieldy Beach Music Records of the Carolinas, the album blends soul, disco, and mid-tempo steppers, all perfectly suited to Beach Music's signature dance, the Shag. The album was dreamt up after Miller had stepped away from the music industry, only to return years later, driven by a mix of disposable income and lingering creative regret. Determined to record again, he made regular trips inland to North Carolina, assembling a cast of renowned musicians, including members of the legendary Beach Music combo The Embers. Steeped in local influences, oceanic soundscapes, and emotive string arrangements, the album serves as both a love letter to Beach Music's golden years and an outlier that pushed beyond its conventions. While many tracks celebrate the nostalgic Beach Music themes of love and joy, others take on a stormier, more introspective tone—offering a rare departure from the genre's traditionally sun-soaked spirit. As sampled by The Avalanches. Highlights include One More Time, Music Makes Me High, and The Fox. This long-awaited reissue comes with a newly written liner notes presented on an 2pp insert and has been expertly mastered and cut at AIR Studios.

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Compiled by label founder Dom Ore Miles Away: One is a collection of tracks that spans continents, era and genres. Rooted in soul this compilation features recordings from legendary musical figures side-by-side with perhaps lesser-known soulful gems – all beautifully bought together in one cohesive long player.

Setting the tone is Idris Muhammad's spiritual-jazz recording I'm A Believer before moving into the modern soul and funk selections Miles Away have built their reputation around. We have the crossover-soul rarity Yes It's You by Eugene Smiley, the remarkable foot-to-the-floor soulful dance cut She's So Good by Solid Gold Revue, enduring soul funk explosion No Communication by True Transfusion, the gospel-infused Fantasy Ride by Uneda Dennard & the full length extended version of Superstar by Ruth Waters. Many tracks appearing here for the first time since their original release.

On the second disc the compilation begins to weave a slightly different direction compared to the output from Miles Away thus far. Here you'll find soundtrack and library music cuts from the likes of Czech artist Milan Kymlicka, renowned Argentinian composer Oscar Lopez Ruiz and noted Italian song-writer Paolo Zavallone alias Bimbo E I Milionari (edited by Ric Piccolo). Oddities and curiosities come in the form of Be My Friend by Laine August - an 80s electro-pop gem courtesy of Freeez keysman Andy Stennett. There's the stripped back street-soul-sounding Deeper by Colour and the breezy Latin American sounds of Paulina Virgo's Vale Valor. Finishing the set is Lady Africa Margaret Singana's timeless cover of the Stretch track Why Did You Do It.

Painstakingly researched and officially licensed from the artists, producers and labels that originally put out this wonderful music. In-depth liner notes go into great detail about each artist depicting their histories, stories and music - something which has been at the heart of Miles Away from day one. This music deserves to live on long in the memory!

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Miles Away Records are proud to introduce our latest single to land on the label: the cosmic soul gem "Super Star" by Ruth Waters and the State of Mind Show Band. A Texas native, Ruth "Silky" Waters was best known for her two disco-infused album's "Never Gonna Be The Same" and "Out In The Open"- produced by the late, great John Davis (John Davis Orchestra). It was however some of Ruth's early material that caught our interest when we started the label as far back as 2018. "Super Star", released on the tiny independent KMBA Recordings label in the late 1970s, draws from the wells of modern soul and gospel with a touch of cosmic synthy goodness. An proper ear turner, it was like nothing we'd heard before. Flip it and "Super Star Pt.2" goes deeper into the cosmic essence of the track with extended guitar and synth solos making this a crackin' little 45. The track has been lovingly remastered by Phil Kinrade at the legendary AIR Studios and the lacquer was cut deep by Jukka at Timmion Records. It's now presented in our custom teal green labels and house bag.

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Miles Away Records are extremely proud to introduce our latest single by the incredible Howard Lemon Singers. You Are Somebody and For The Children are two blinding tracks cherry-picked from the incredibility rare 1977 album Seasons released on the legendary TK Records subsidiary Gospel Roots.
Both sides of this 45 are oozing with positivity and good sentiment, a fine example of the harmony between sacred and secular sounds, and the experimentation taking place, during the late 1970s as gospel artists were modernizing the soundtrack, and lyrical content of gospel music..
You Are Somebody is a gorgeous modern soul heater. Accomplished vocalist Esther Smith's sublime voice delivers her vocal lines with such confidence and assurance that the words seem to strut over the funky basslines and drumming support. Flip it over and For The Children is a more mid-tempo burner, but don't let this fool you - it's "stop-you-in-your-tracks" good. Smith's vocals once again shine brightly and are delightfully accompanied by the Nile Rodgers-esque 'wacka-wacka' guitar of Lester Snell throughout. Musicianship is of the highest quality as Howard Lemon, group leader, called upon some of the best musicians from STAX Records – Willie Hall and the aforementioned Lester Snell were key components of such groups as the Isaac Hayes Movement and the Bar Kays. These two nuggets are presented here for the first time on a 45 and complete in our customary teal green labels and sleeve. Remastered and cut by Timmion.

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Miles Away Records are proud to present our latest release Keep Holding On / You're The Best by Savoir-Flair. Dallas, Texas in 1982, during the hot summer months Roger Boykin, John Miller and Cassandra Wright were working as session musicians at Precision Audio studios. They were put together to create soundtracks, jingles and idents for US TV commercials and, in what spare studio time the three of them had, would experiment with the studio equipment at their disposal - writing and developing what would become the Savoir-Flair sound. In these secret, after-hours sessions the three would create a staggeringly good private press 80s modern soul album. A flawless collection of tracks with every one of them hitting hard. It would be released on Roger's own label SoulTex Records with the group touring locally. Alas though, this was to be their only album as Savoir-Flair disbanded a year later. The impact this album had however can still be felt today with the 45 and LP becoming highly sought after amongst modern soul collectors around the world.

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Ola Tunji is a young French quintet based in Brussels. Together, they explore the boundaries between spiritual jazz and free jazz, following in the footsteps of their great heroes John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and Albert Ayler. At the forefront is the still only 24-year-old Ornella Noulet, whose saxophone playing can both rasp and soothe with the authority of a seasoned jazz veteran.

The band describes their music as collective meditations, in which they express love, compassion, joy, and serenity through improvisation. By making music together, they search for a deeper sense of humanity.

Their self-titled EP was initially released only digitally on Bandcamp, but it was immediately met with enthusiastic international acclaim, including praise from the American platform All About Jazz. Bandcamp itself also highlighted the release as a jazz standout. While awaiting their first full-length album, W.E.R.F. records is releasing this outstanding EP on vinyl for the first time.



Tracklist

A1. Ola Tunji - Experimentation
A2. Ola Tunji - Sun Meditation
A3. Ola Tunji - Mr. Scott
B1. Ola Tunji - Blues For Swami Turiya
B2. Ola Tunji - Realisation

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BYAMM (pronounced 'bye-yam') is a retro soul studio project that was born during the 2021 lockdown. The focus is on soul music with strong themes, memorable melodies and catchy hooks layered with synthesizers, grooving bass lines and a hint of 1980s influences.
Central to BYAMM is a strong song-writing etiquette and a classic and timeless appeal to all ages.

BYAMM stands for Barima Yaw Asante Making Music. Barima is the songwriter, keyboard player and producer. Lead vocals are handled by the seasoned Ade Omotayo, whose credits including working with the late Amy Winehouse, the original members Amy Winehouse Band and the Gorillaz.

BYAMM is supported by a collective of professional session musicians recruited from around the world.



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the first-ever reissue on studio mule of the debut album by japanese jazz legend and bassist yoshio ikeda.

having performed with such illustrious figures as sadao watanabe, masabumi kikuchi, and terumasa hino, ikeda’s first album as a leader features pianist and vocalist ichiko hashimoto—also known for her involvement with yellow magic orchestra—berlin-based jazz pianist aki takase, and leading japanese drummer motohiko hino.

avant-garde yet imbued with a distinctly japanese sense of melancholy, this is a work that resonates profoundly with the present moment.

the gem “whispering weeds,” highlighted by thrilling piano and hashimoto’s evocative scat vocals, was also included on a compilation by bbe.

remastered from the original master tapes by kuniyuki, the album has been revived with a richer, more lustrous sound in this definitive reissue.

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Not all music can cope with physical reality. Instruments can be pushed until they lose grip. Eventually, they will slip so far that their untethered voice is all that remains. Panoram follows up on his Pianosequenza series engaging in seventeen excursions into playing the part of the piano that doesn't exist, coaxing out inarticulate feelings in lieu of familiar characteristics. Sounds and rhythms resulting from thoughts that can't be put into quite the right words.

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From the HERBIE-inspired outro jam of "ONE TIME OFFER," to the angular early-'80s UK feel of "BIRTHDAY BOY," and the HALL & OATES-tinged glow of "LATER TONIGHT," HYBRID showcases AULDIST at her most assured-grounded, soulful,and completely at ease. Full Pic Sleeve

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Dreamweavers II sees Mark de Clive-Lowe reunited with Italian rhythm masters Andrea Lombardini and Tommaso Cappellato for the next chapter in their electro-acoustic trio journey.
Recorded at Sotto il Mare Recording Studios in Verona, Italy in summer 2024, the album builds on the cosmic, hypnotic language established on Dreamweavers (2020) while pushing deeper into groove-driven terrain, dancefloor jazz and textural improvisation. Across eight tracks, the trio explore the elastic space between jazz tradition, beat culture, and club-influenced momentum – without samples or looping – relying purely on live interaction, feel and shared intuition.Opening with the Azymuth-inspired “Terra de Luz,” the album immediately signals its global outlook. “Kaze no Michi” follows with late-night Tokyo energy – dancefloor jazz that feels equally at home in jazz clubs or after-hours rooms. Two intentional reinterpretations bridge jazz and beat culture: J Dilla’s “Raise It Up” (from Slum Village – Fantastic Vol. 2) is reimagined with its original groove and bass line as the launch pad, while “The Bass That Don’t Stop” becomes a lush house-jazz tribute to the late Phil Asher, originally co-created by Asher and de Clive-Lowe in 2002 under the moniker musiclovelife.Bassist Andrea Lombardini’s “Pam” brings the album inward – introspective, spacious, and deeply melodic; while “Lucid Dreams” draws on the trio’s shared love of jungle, drum’n’bass and the exploratory spirit of greats like Chick Corea, amplifying the journey with forward motion and harmonic curiosity.Dreamweavers II is a concisely intentional sound narrative: a trio record rooted in jazz lineage, shaped by beat culture and guided by a collective curiosity for texture, rhythm, and movement.

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Next up in our Cuban Classics series, one of the jewels of record label Areito’s extensive and sought-after catalogue. Ricardo Eddy Martinez’s Expreso Ritmico from 1978 is a prized album fusing funk, disco, and orchestrated influences with Afro-Cuban percussion, Latin breaks, and lush vocal harmonies.

Whilst maintaining its distinctive Cuban identity, Expreso Ritmico is one of the more American / Western-influenced Cuban titles of the time drawing inspiration from jazz funk, disco, and library music. The album was directed, written, and orchestrated by keyboardist and drummer Ricardo Eddy Martinez, who was also the mastermind behind the orchestration of the Los Reyes 73 album (that was recently reissued by Mr Bongo). Martinez would later go on to work with international musicians and singers such as Gloria Estefan, José Feliciano, Chick Corea, and many more, whilst also working as a sound engineer in the US.

Produced by Adolfo Pichardo, who worked on much of Areito’s output, Expreso Ritmico is packed with gold. The opening title track carries a loose, breezy Latin-disco-funk vibe that breaks into a brilliant Afro-Cuban workout. ‘Que La Tristeza Se Fue’ was expertly sampled and looped by Jazzanova on their 2008 song ‘Look What You Are Doing To Me, featuring Phonte from the hip hop group Little Brother. Elsewhere, ‘Tambo Iya’ has an Afro-funk, Soul Makossa-esque groove, while tracks such as ‘Te Quedas’, ‘Mi Conga Es La Que Es’ and ‘La 132’ run with a heavy pulsating Latin-funk sound. Head to the sultry psych funk of ‘Este Tumbao’ for a spacey journey that blends and morphs through genres.

A record that was ahead of its time, Expreso Ritmico is a superb and unique album that merges western influence with Cuban flair. It comes housed in a replica of its original Cuban sleeve design.

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Fresh off the back of the successes of Work Money Death, The Flying Hats and The Library Archives: Volume 4, ATA Records is proud to present The Kármán Line by Outer Worlds Jazz Ensemble.

When musicians are on tour conversations naturally turn to music. Two years ago, whilst exploring the jazz kissas and record stores of Tokyo, woodwind maes Chip Whickham and ATA mastermind and bassist Neil Innes discussed their shared influences of Yusef Lateef, David Axelrod and Alice Coltrane. The seeds for a new project were sown and soon seven tracks of deep, spiritual, groove driven jazz were laid down on tape.

Listen: https://listen.k7.com/36832c2f-9c04-410d-83a5-73845cd01c43


TRACKLIST
Side A
1. Kármán Cantata
2. Alto Vento
3. Low Orbit
4. All Is

Side B
1. Celestial Matari
2. Earthly Elements
3. Molecules

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Extremely hard-to-obtain LP from the Ghanaian master composer, producer and musician. Originally released in 1982 by the WEA International label and then again in Germany in 1985 by Ambolley himself; this is one of his finest albums in our opinion.

’Ambolley’ fuses Highlife, disco and boogie sonics perfectly and features the anthemic club cut, ‘Highlife’, that we have spinning for a while – always does the job!

Gyedu Blay Ambolley is still actively touring today, keeping these vibes alive – he will be touring Europe throughout 2019.

Official Mr Bongo reissue. Licensed from Gyedu-Blay Ambolley.

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