“RARE & LOST TAPES” is a collection of singles by the legendary group CORTEX never released on album.
This album brings together previously unreleased and rare recordings such as "Les Oiseaux Morts" (Alternative Take 76) released only as a Test Pressing, "Mary & Jeff" (Fender Rhodes Version 77) recorded for TV, or "Californie" & "Stevie" released for the Side Project CARIBOU in 7Inch...

A1 - Californie
A2 - Moanion
A3 - Stevie
A4 - The sky is grey i'm so blue
B1 - Psychose
B2 - Mary & Jeff (Fender Rhodes Version 77')
B3 - Les oiseaux morts
B4 - Les oiseaux morts (Alternative Take 76') More

The track PSYCHOSE, unreleased to date, was recorded by CORTEX in 1977, for a film whose film was unfortunately destroyed in a fire.

The original soundtrack, fortunately saved, has recently been found. More

French avantgarde Jazz-Funk pioneers Cortex released three milestone albums during the seventies including the iconic Troupeau Bleu. Their music has been sampled by Hip Hop artists such as MF Doom, Wiz Khalifa, Lupe Fiasco and Rick Ross and as a consequence is still very much alive today.

Trad Vibe Records proudly presents a first time re-issue of their double sider 7inch single from 1976 Les Oiseaux Morts / Back To Life. We are sure that you will enjoy the melancholic beauty of “Les Oiseaux Morts” and the harmonica driven disco funk of “Back To Life”.
More

Very first version of the first single by Cortex, reissued as 7inch for the 1st time. “I remember that I and Alain Gandolfi wanted to put ‘Mary & Jeff’ on the A side, but the producer decided to set ‘L’Enfant Samba’ instead because he thought that the voice of Mireille would be more selling than my piano… 6 months after, at the beginning of 1976, ‘Mary & Jeff’ was a hit in a lot of Disco clubs and radios!” (Alain Mion).

Limited to 500 copies.

La Rue 4:23
Automne (Colchiques) 2:35
L'Enfant Samba 3:00
Troupeau Bleu 5:00
Prelude A "Go Round" 3:52
Go Round 1:20
Chanson D'Un Jour D'Hiver 5:20
Mary Et Jeff 2:40
Huit Octobre 1971 4:22
Sabbat (1ère Partie) 1:00
Sabbat (2ème Partie) 3:15
Sabbat (3ème Partie) 0:26
Madbass 2:50 More

This new edition is the first realized directly from the original master tapes. Great care has been given to the 24 bits transfer respecting original sound. Recorded on July 15-16, 1975 at Damiens Studio, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
More

"Pourquoi" is the 3rd and the rarest album which had been recorded by the French legend of Jazz Funk, Cortex. This new edition, using the original master tapes, is realised by Trad Vibe Records. "Pourquoi" was initially recorded in 1978. It sounds like a new side of Cortex: songs are mainly composed around the voice and the various keyboards of the band leader, Alain Mion, who also played bass lines on synthesizer. More, the band gave up the live recording to use the beloved Stevie Wonder or Quincy Jones' technique of "re-recording". But, in spite of these changes, their groove remains as spontaneous as powerful. So, the band collaborated with great backing vocals and other session musicians, such as the great Italian trumpet player Giulio Didio who performed the funky horns arrangements. There is plenty to enjoy on every track: the ending chorus of “Sans Toi” song (which has been written by Alain Mion for his wife, Mireille, and is probably the flagship track of the album) comes with a brilliant Rhodes solo to lead the listener to one of the most emotion-loaded moment of the recording. Whereas “Le Visionnaire” song sounds with disco echoes, “Pourquoi” song browses in melancholy and “Pauvre Star” is groovin’ high with its clavinetbass- drums rhythmics that reminds George Benson...

More

“Volume 2” is the 2nd and rarest album which had been recorded by the French Jazz-Funk band legend, Cortex. The obscure French jazz group that's been a favorite of funky collectors for years! Reissued last in 2002 by Follow Me Records, it’s now reissued by Trad Vibe Records under official license from Alain Mion. It really is another absolute killer album of dope Jazz-Funk tracks! Unlike their first album it's all instrumental (save for a few chants on "Poxa") and lean even more heavily on the groove side, in a funky Blaxpoitation kind of way. The group's got a strong fusion-driven groove on this set – with plenty of tight drumming, hard riffing, and spacey keyboards that give the tunes a nicely soulful finish.
The best tracks are actually the mellower ones, which have a nice use of space and sound – creating strong little patterns of groove that stand out from the rest of the tracks. Lots of work on Fender Rhodes, mini korg, Hammond, and clavinette – and titles include "Poxa", "Datura", "Regina", "Mister J", "Efficace Swing", "Oh Lord", and "Devil's Dance".

More

“Volume 2” is the 2nd and rarest album which had been recorded by the French Jazz-Funk band legend, Cortex. The obscure French jazz group that's been a favorite of funky collectors for years! Reissued last in 2002 by Follow Me Records, it’s now reissued by Trad Vibe Records under official license from Alain Mion. It really is another absolute killer album of dope Jazz-Funk tracks! Unlike their first album it's all instrumental (save for a few chants on "Poxa") and lean even more heavily on the groove side, in a funky Blaxpoitation kind of way. The group's got a strong fusion-driven groove on this set – with plenty of tight drumming, hard riffing, and spacey keyboards that give the tunes a nicely soulful finish.
The best tracks are actually the mellower ones, which have a nice use of space and sound – creating strong little patterns of groove that stand out from the rest of the tracks. Lots of work on Fender Rhodes, mini korg, Hammond, and clavinette – and titles include "Poxa", "Datura", "Regina", "Mister J", "Efficace Swing", "Oh Lord", and "Devil's Dance".

More

"Pourquoi" is the 3rd and the rarest album which had been recorded by the French legend of Jazz Funk, Cortex. This new edition, using the original master tapes, is realised by Trad Vibe Records. "Pourquoi" was initially recorded in 1978. It sounds like a new side of Cortex: songs are mainly composed around the voice and the various keyboards of the band leader, Alain Mion, who also played bass lines on synthesizer. More, the band gave up the live recording to use the beloved Stevie Wonder or Quincy Jones' technique of "re-recording". But, in spite of these changes, their groove remains as spontaneous as powerful. So, the band collaborated with great backing vocals and other session musicians, such as the great Italian trumpet player Giulio Didio who performed the funky horns arrangements. There is plenty to enjoy on every track: the ending chorus of “Sans Toi” song (which has been written by Alain Mion for his wife, Mireille, and is probably the flagship track of the album) comes with a brilliant Rhodes solo to lead the listener to one of the most emotion-loaded moment of the recording. Whereas “Le Visionnaire” song sounds with disco echoes, “Pourquoi” song browses in melancholy and “Pauvre Star” is groovin’ high with its clavinetbass- drums rhythmics that reminds George Benson...

More