Repress!

The follow up of the acclaimed first volume of this compilation, a real discovery for many DJs and music lovers worldwide, exposing the Zouk or DIY electronic music of the french west indies.

The selectors Julien Achard and Nicolas Skliris continue the excavation of French Antillas vinyl from the 80’s and the 90’s and for this second volume, they found some really exciting new references which should be soon classics on the dancefloors. More

New one from French DJ / compiler, GUTS.

The label say "We've been waiting for it! GUTS' Straight From The Decks compilation is back, with Volume 3 still packed the classic tracks played in his DJ set. Musical discoveries from all over the world. Different genres, different cultures. GUTS invites you to follow him on his musical journey from your living room or your local club!" More

Repress.

Not every day do you celebrate a 40th birthday. That’s why, the most famous French Jazz Festival, “Jazz at Vienne” is marking the four-decade – emerald – anniversary of France’s signature jazz and blues event not once, but twice. After a truncated 2021 edition, the festival’s storied history, dating back to 1981, is being celebrated with a full concert schedule this year, alongside a compilation album, Past & Future in collaboration with Heavenly Sweetness. The album - an amalgam of stories, emotion and resonant echoes – captures the festival’s essence. Listen in closely, then once again.

PAST
Listen to the best moments of live music in Vienne Antic Theater. With prestigious names of jazz : McCoy Tyner, trio Romano / Sclavis / Texier, Hank Jones, Milt Jackson, Lalo Schiffrin, Roy Hargrove and world music Gilberto Gil, Banda de Santiago de Cuba.

FUTURE
A selection of the best young artists of the French jazz scene, chosen following a call for candidates of several months ! 7 unreleased tracks specially recorded for this album. The young talents who will hopefully be part of the festival in the coming More

*2023 REPRESS **
180gram vinyl. The Ethio Jazz album by Mulatu Astatatke is a jewel of the modern Ethiopian music. Essential.

An incredibly groovy Ethiopian record, originally from 1969-1972. Amazing orchestral 'Ethio-groove' filled with US soul, jazz, sometimes Latin and the deepest Eastern rhythms, even including some great nasty and dirty fuzz guitars. A true gem of Ethiopian modern instrumental music, which illustrates perfectly this symbiosis of strong rhythms and quality arrangements of subtle yet deep Ethiopian melodies. A must for all '60s/'70s collectors! In the Ethiopian musical landscape, Mulatu Astatke is a unique musician, composer, arranger. His real contribution consists in his action for instrumental music, in a country where orchestral traditions doesn't exist. For the last 30 years, he is the leading head of the Ethiopian musical scene. First vinyl reissue and definitely one of the most important Ethiopian music albums." More

2023 REPRESS **
180gram vinyl. Reissue of the original Ethiopian vinyl compilation.

"Ethiopians' deep-seated ethiocentrism, the legacy of a thousand years of history, has contributed in no small way to their music's strong national identity, particularly impervious to any African influences. Latin influences, so pervasive in the great musical centers of West Africa and the Congo, have been similarly rebuffed, despite the brilliant attempts of a musician like Mulatu Astatke. He was the first and for a long time the only Ethiopian to have studied music abroad (England and USA). In the late '60s, he brought back 'ethio-jazz', as well as a passion for Latin rhythms that was not readily shared by the Ethiopian audience. As early as 1966, he released a single and two LPs in the US entitled Afro-Latin Soul (and a third LP, Mulatu of Ethiopia in 1972), with his Ethiopian Quintet composed of American and Latin-American musicians (Worthy Records). That was three years before Fela's first American tour and six years prior to Manu Dibango's key breakthrough with the release of Soul Makossa in the Western 'pre-World music' market. All this goes to show how much the history of the African continent's musical modernity should be reconsidered in light of the Ethiopian adventure, even though this lone spark bore little relation, musically or ideologically to the musical revolutions initiated most notably by Ghanian highlife, South African jazz, Congolese rumba or, much later on, by Fela." More

Repress!

Best off from the now classic Ethiopiques series. Francis Falcetto, the founder of the series (already 28 Cds available) and THE specialist of Ethiopian music selects, in his view, the best tracks of the series !

He opened his large collection of pictures, vinyl and memorabilia to make the artwork for this double LP gatefold release.

The perfect introduction to the world of Ethiopian music but the specialists will also discover some rare and unknown tracks and artists. More

Under the leadership of GUTS, Dakar became the creative centre of an exceptional encounter between "All Stars" musicians from Cuba, Africa and France : the ESTRELLAS. A tribute to Afro-Cuban culture, between new versions of finely selected songs and original compositions.

• The great return of GUTS with a tribute album to Afro-Cuban music. With a resolutely modern approach and never really far from Hip Hop

• GUTS brought together in Dakar more than 25 musicians from Cuba, France and of course Senegal and neighbouring countries.

• Many prestigious guests: Cucurucho, members of the Orchestre Baobab, David Walters, Cyril Atef, Djeuhdjoah & Lieutenant Nicholson, Pat Kalla, Cuban rappers El Tipo Este, and Senegalese MCs ISS814, Samba Peuzzi ...

• Deluxe packaging ! Triple Vinyl LP Gatefold Sleeve Replica, OBI, Printed Inner Sleeves w/ Liner Notes (English, Spanish, French) - Artwork by the international artist MAMBO! More

Repress!

Bassist of the band Lo'Jo until 2016, Kham Meslien has performed on all continents, from the big stages of the world's cities to the Australian and American deserts. He also plays in the trio Sweet Back and has collaborated, on stage or in the studio, with many international musicians: Robert Plant, Archie Shepp, Robert Wyatt and Justin Adams. With this solo double bass project, Kham Meslien embarks on a new adventure, introspective and shared. More

Repress!

For this new album, Guts decided to come back to his Hip Hop roots (he created the french rap Band Alliance Ethnik in the 90’s) and invited quality MCs and singers to join him in the studio.
You can find on this album, some Hip Hop legend as Grand Puba, Masta Ace, Bob Power, Rah Digga some singers as Cody ChestnuTT, Patrice and a batch of new talents as Leron Thomas, Lorine Chia, Quelle Chris & Denmark Vessey, Dillon Cooper. More

Repress!

The re-release series of original Ethiopian classic vinyl continues -- the finest Ethio jazz by Mahmoud Ahmed and his band from 1975 plus two tracks from 1978.

The liner notes: 'Melancholy blues, piercingly minimalist country airs, brassy, danceable urban jazz, heart-wrenching, off-key crooners: a rich and stirring patchwork of sounds, crossing Afro-beat, Latino-swing moves and Eastern arabesques (Ana�s Prosa�c).' Such were the first -- informed and enthusiastic -- opinions of the music press when the first strains of modern Ethiopian music sounded on our shores. This was in 1984-1985. Such a positive note, struck about such a country at such a time, created plenty of reverb. The country had been so thoroughly trashed by the media's feeding-frenzy, which spewed out a mix of horror and pious pity, bitter denunciation and humanitarian appeals, wallet-tickling clich�s and refusal of identity. In one brutal swoop, TV-reality transformed Ethiopia into a cursed nation, forsaken by God and by man. In contrast to these tragedies, but in the same hackneyed tones, Mahmoud Ahmed's life resembles an edifying fairy-tale where destiny, talent and achievement combine to triumph over poverty, fate and the evil eye. Biography, history and legend, with the help of God, infallibly weave the lesson of merit rewarded. But who can argue, in spite of the mockery that celebrities invariably draw, when faced with one of the greatest voices in all of Africa? Once upon a time, there was a street urchin in Addis Ababa, who started off as a shoe-shine boy and went on to become one of his country's biggest stars, opening the door to Ethiopian music to Western audiences. --Francis Falceto More

Repress!

REPRESSED 2021! "Alèmayèhu Eshèté is no less than one of the great voices of the heyday of modern Ethiopian music, the swinging sixties which, in this country, went on until the fall of the Emperor Haile Sellassie 1 in 1974. On a par with Tlahoun Gèssèssè, Bzunèsh Bèqèlè or Mahmoud Ahmed, Alèmayèhu is a star at the top level of the constellation that once lit up the wild nights in the capital." More

REPRESS!! Although he is still completely unknown to Western audiences, for Ethiopians, Tlahoun Gèssèssè (pronounced Guèssèssè) is THE VOICE.The first-ever pan-Ethiopian star, he has embodied such nonstop unanimity since the end of the 1950s that is a role-model and a point of reference. More

Repress!
The follow up to the highly acclaimed reissue of the first volume Ethiopian Hit Parade. This 2nd volume features 'Ethiopian Hits' from 1972 to 1975. The track layout is Identical reissue to the original vinyl

"After releasing around fifty 45 rpm singles and his first 33 rpm album (Ethiopian Modern Instrumental Hits AELP 10, re-released by Heavenly Sweetness HS092VL), Amha Esthèté set about compiling his best 45s on a series of now legendary albums (the originals are impossible to find) in 1972. The first four volumes of Ethiopian Hit Parade were released in September and October 1972, with the fifth volume appearing in January 1973. You are the proud owner of Volume 2.

It is worth reminding ourselves that when Amha Esthèté set up his Amha Records label in 1968-69, it was in defiance of a state monopoly designed to regulate the imports and production of records by an imperial decree of July 1948. This extravagant state privilege had produced only 78s of traditional music , which though thrilling, excluded anything at all modern. To the best of our knowledge, only sixty-seven of these prehistoric discs were pressed in Great Britain between 1955 and 1961 and released by His Master’s Voice. They were supposed to be part of celebrations of Emperor Haile Selassie’s silver jubilee . . . even though 33s and 45s had existed since 1948 and 1949 respectively! Such incompetence and servility, combined with a rejection of an effervescent contemporary music scene, were symptomatic of the decadence surrounding the end of an era.

An audacious, funky outlaw, a music lover and an entrepreneur in tune with the baby-boomer generation, young Amha Esthèté (he was only twenty-four when he launched his label) will be remembered as the instigator of a peaceful revolution thick with soul and rock’n’roll.

After the acclaimed reissue of the first volume Ethiopian Hit Parade. Here is the second volume that include all the greatest Ethiopian Hits from 1972 to 1975. Identical reissue to the original vinyl which is extremely rare and expensive.

The opening track of the compilation is the song Tezeta Slow and Fast by GETACHEW KASSA were featured on the album Ethiopiques, Vol. 10: Ethiopian Blues & Ballads. and originally released on 1972. The other tracks on this second volume celebrate such pioneers of modern Ethiopian groove as Abayneh Degene, Tèshomè Meteku, Menelik Wossenachew Mulatu Astatqe and Muluken Melesse, alongside “tradi-modern” singers representing Amhara and Oromo culture, so rich and so long marginalized." More

Repress!

Gatefold Double LP Cut at 45RPM.

"French saxophonist Laurent Bardainne summons the spirit of astral jazz on a heavy-grooving new album, Hymne au Soleil.

A dreamlike, cinematic excursion to the outer reaches of the solar system and the inner workings of the soul, Laurent Bardainne returns to Heavenly Sweetness with his Tigre d’Eau Douce group for a second album of free-flowing, jazz-inflected groove.

Building on critically acclaimed 2020 album Love Is Everywhere, Hymne au Soleil sizzles with Arnaud Roulin’s Hammond organ licks, in-the-pocket bass work from Sylvain Daniel, and shuffling drum and percussion interplay from Philippe Gleizes and legendary Guadeloupean musician Roger Raspail, who has played with the likes of Kassav’, Cesaria Evora and Meshell Ndegeocello. Together they pin Bardainne’s soaring saxophone lines to the mast like a flag in the wind.

The 11-track album represents a consolidation of Bardainne’s vision as a consummate jazz saxophonist, having made his name collaborating with the likes of Pharrell Williams and Cassius, afrobeat legend Tony Allen and co-founding Tigersushi electro outfit Poni Hoax.

That eclectic experience comes to the fore on Hymne au Soleil, which is named after a piece by trailblazing French composer Lili Boulanger. Beginning with the lilting, late-night smoker ‘Oh Yeah’, which recalls the mellow funk of Khruangbin, the album rolls through a rich musical landscape, whether in the Motown-era soul breakdowns of ‘Adieu My Lord’ or the roaring, dance floor-ready ‘Hymne au Soleil’, that draw parallels with the high-octane sound of UK jazz outfit The Comet Is Coming.

Throughout, there is a full-blooded urgency to Bardainne’s writing that reflects his myriad influences. Look no further than the Pharoah Sanders-meets-Funkadelic freak-out ‘Destination Danger’ for evidence of his sensitivity to both the freedom of improvisation and the power of a solid hook.

Where Love Is Everywhere enlisted the vocal talents of Trinidadian label-mate Anthony Joseph, Hymne au Soleil features a beguiling collaboration with Paris-born, Guadeloupe-raised rising star Célia Wa on ‘Jou en Nou Rivé’, and French singer/guitarist Bertrand Belin on lush, nostalgic closer ‘Oiseau’. The album is further coloured by wistful choral refrains that drift in and out of view, providing a crepuscular soft-focus glow and dynamic counterpoint to Bardainne’s more ferocious sun-worship blowing.

Recorded at the iconic ICP Studios in Brussels in April 2021, Hymne au Soleil continues a prolific streak for the multi-faceted artist, whose collaboration with synth and sax master Etienne Jaumet was released as Bardainne Jaumet on Heavenly Sweetness in November 2021. It is set to further secure Bardainne’s place among the constellation of saxophonists charting a course into the cosmos. It remains to be seen just how far he will fly. " More

Energy and inspiration come from the Gwoka. From these hands which, when they are not a raised fist, pound the drums, proud of their roots and of their Guadeloupean identity.
This is where Celia Wa comes from, from all that she inherited by spending her childhood between the West Indies and France.

The first years of her life were spent discovering the musical soul of the island, letting the seven gwoka rhythms seep into her until they became an integral part of her. The following years were spent discovering reggae, salsa, jazz and the omnipresent hip hop. Music whose original source was close to her, but to which she only opened up after having travelled thousands of kilometres.

After two self-produced EPs, Wastral is the sum of these inspirations and influences. Born in the acoustic, it is under the modern and futuristic production of Victor Vagh (producer of Flavia Coelo) that the seven tracks were revealed and then sublimated. Dissipated in the vaporous arrangements, softened under the effect of the synthetic layers, the organic was meticulously covered with an electro varnish disturbed by the echoes and reverbs of the dub. Celia Wa's soaring, twirling flute grazes or stirring the groove, her lyrics reviving the memory of her island. In Creole or in English, they tell the story in the present tense without forgetting the past. A past full of the sounds of struggles, of clashing chains and cracking whips, marks that have disappeared from bodies but remain deeply rooted in families and history. New feminine signature at Heavenly Sweetness, Celia Wa draws with Wastral the map of an avant-garde stellar journey in which the musical star of Guadeloupe shines the brightest. More

Four months on from the release of David Walters’ hit Nocturne album, the Marseille singer/songwriter’s penchant for creative re-invention is on full display on this new EP that shows off the creative dexterity of DJs and producers from Europe and the Caribbean.

Featuring a stable of DJs and producers from France (Folamour, Synapson, Patchworks/Voilaaa); Germany (Henrik Schwarz); Portugal (Batida); the Netherlands (Pushin wood) and Guadeloupe (Déni-Shain, Mister Francky; Woodini) the EP enacts Walters’s resolutely international and collaborative artistic vision.

Paris-born DJ/composer Walters has long encouraged others to re-interpret his work. Indeed, one might say it’s a defining characteristic of his oeuvre, so much so that earlier albums have on occasion included differing versions of his songs on the same release.

Take the now talismanic Walters’s song, “Mama.” The tribute to Walters’s grandmother and the resilience and wisdom of all Afro-Caribbean women was the first single on Walters’s 2020 LP, Soleil Kréyol; then re-appeared on the Nocturne release one year later (after providing the foundations for an EP of mixes by longstanding musical confrère Patchworks in 2019).

Here, Henrik Schwarz’s take on “Mama” – the German DJ best known for his mixes of Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas - introduces a distinctive keys motif, shifting the scene to dancefloors (far removed from the song’s original lilting, lyrical vibe).
If there’s a through line for the new remixes collection it’s the EP’s delicious groove. See, French producer duo Synapson’s version of “Baby Go” that’s sustained by disco dreaminess, strings for enhanced effect, playing around with momentum. Or the gorgeous Folamour-helmed “Sam Cook Di” sustained by the intricate Romantic sensibility of 90s Parisian House.

The inclusion of Folamour – the Lyon-based DJ/producer charged with carrying the torch of French electronica, check out his Mix Mag cover from April this year – in the EP line-up is quite a coup.
Other highlights are the EP’s twin re-invention of the song, “Papa Kossa” – a homage to the Cameroonian saxophonist/singer Manu Dibango, dubbed “Papa Groove” who passed away in March, 2020 – by Lisbon’s Batida and also DJ team, Déni-Shain and Mister Francky, who are currently based at the legendary Debs studio at Point-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.
Batida (aka Pedro Coquenão) a DJ, born in Angola; raised in the Portuguese capital’s suburbs, whose music has been lauded by BBC6’s Gilles Peterson offers a particularly captivating remix of the song written for one of the giants of West African music.

While the first “Papa Kossa” allowed for the ensemble of master musicians - Malian master kora player, Ballaké Sissoko, French cellist Vincent Segal and percussionist Roger Raspail - to shine, the Batida remix strips the music back, transforming the piece into a delicate bird-like structure deep on anticipation. The Déni-Shain and Mister Francky mix, meanwhile, emphasises the tune’s buoyant essence.

Another immediate classic is the Woodini remix of “Sa En Yé” that breaks the musical elements down to a kind of deep super structure, starting with Walters’s voice – in close – to then add all the other parts, jangly piano, descending chords and percussion.

The recording of the Nocturne album – released in February 2021 – epitomised the notion of “unplugged” - 100 % live, no over-dubs or re-recordings, the fact that the musicians were performing “without headphones” (no safety net) led to the creation of a work of “rare sincerity” as Heavenly Sweetness label owner, Franck Descollonges recalled

The Nocturne remixes release maintains Walters’s essential spirit of collaboration; his desire to create music that is a bridge between places and people. But whereas, the first Nocturne album was deeply involved and meditative – a master class of musicians whose careers stretch back four decades or more – Walters’s remixes EP is all about contrasting voices and visions, spanning the globe. More

Repress!
Afro trance, Brazilian jazz funk and frantic percussion are all explored over this 13 track offering...

Lead singles Kenke Corner and Mucagiami step effortlessly between the dancefloor to ballad, the latter featuring a stunning vocal performance from Angolan vocalist, Vum Vum. Now five albums deep into his recording career, he’s built a loyal fanbase and following from his early days as a beatmaker. Guts’ initial spirit of sampling, sequencing and programming still remains but it has now morphed into something of a full-on musical opus.

Philantropiques is an experimental yet sunny outing, comprising longer tracks that open up into carefully considered arrangements. One strong theme that runs throughout is the vibrations of the Southern Hemisphere, somewhere Guts has been so well associated with over the years. His compilation series, Beach Diggin, now in its fifth volume, brings together highly sought-after rarities, lovingly curated with long-time friend, collaborator and visual artist, Mambo. To help him realise this new musical plan, Guts set up a brand new live band featuring: Kenny Ruby on bass, Christiane Prince on drums, Cyril Atef on percussion, alongside Adelaide Songeons and Ben Abarbanel-Wolff on the horns. This was the musical base, around which all the other elements were to be composed by a whole host of other musicians, MCs, vocalists and creatives including saxophist Jowee Omicil, guitarist Lameck Macaba, Djeuhdjoah and Lieutenant Nicholson, storyteller Pat Kalla, Brazilian legend Pinduca, vocalists Nazaré Perera and Catia Wernec, and also French jazz virtuoso pianist, Mario Canonge. More

Repress! 6x7" Boxset!
Following the succes of volume 1, heavenly sweetness follows up with six new 7 inches, including original artwork and labels.The boxset contains a poster and 6 stickers of all the covers. Limited edition, 2000 copies ! More

“It’s just too easy to make a standard dance track,” Aphex Twin said of his mindset back in 1992. “You’ve got to put a bit of thought into it to get something a bit different.” ‘Didgeridoo’ was released on the Belgian R&S Records label in 1992, and originally peaked at #55 in the UK singles chart in May of that year. Over the last 32 years the track has become one of the essential Aphex Twin tracks in a gargantuan catalogue that continues to amaze and inspire. “I wanted to have some tracks to play to finish the raves I used to play in Cornwall, to really kill everybody off so they couldn’t dance,” Richard D James, AKA Aphex, told Select magazine back in the 90s. “Digeridoo came out of that.” Released as a 4 track EP that also included early Aphex productions (now classics) including the industrial, acidic clang of ‘Flap Head’ and hyperbolic futurism of ‘Isopropanol’, the release cemented a relationship with the R&S label that went on to release the ‘Xylem Tube’ EP and the pivotal album ‘Selected Ambient Works 85-92’ in the same year. The label’s owner & A&R Renaat Vandepapeliere reflected “When I first heard Aphex Twin’s music I said, ‘This is it!’, and everybody else said, ‘You’re crazy!’ …a lot of the hardcore R&S fans dropped us. To them it wasn’t music.” ‘Didgeridoo’ (Expanded Edition) is the first time the EP has been re-issued with extra material. Whilst digging in his DAT archive (allegedly stored in an airtight military ammo box), Richard James revisited the recordings, encoding them through a Nakamichi CR7e cassette deck, using the customised deck with vari-speed to encode at speeds “felt right at the time”. Alongside these CR7e versions, the original mixes have been remastered by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven Mastering, offering a dilated insight into one of electronic music’s most endearing releases. More

Tracklisting
A1 Sonic Propaganda - Native
A2 Sonic Propaganda - Soul Pressure
A3 Sonic Propaganda - Terminal
B1 Sonic Propaganda - Basic Path
B2 Sonic Propaganda - Body Empire

Sales Note
SHDW's Mutual Rytm imprint is back with its third release of 2024, marking a full label debut from Sonic Propaganda with their 'Native' EP.

Sonic Propaganda comes from the collaborative minds of Earwax and Rosati, a pair who favour dark and intense techno sounds and take inspiration from Jeff Mills and Robert Hood. In the studio, they blend analog and digital technologies into smoky warehouse atmospheres and immersive journeys that connect with listeners on an emotive level, and this full EP lands following their contribution to the third instalment of the Mutual Rytm's Federation Of Rytm compilation series in February.

The powerful 'Native' opens up at high speed with tightly coiled drum loops that never let up. Sleek metal percussive sounds peel off the grooves and lock listeners into a perfect state of hypnosis. 'Soul Pressure' is just as absorbing, with a tense bassline keeping you on edge as the train-like drums march under incendiary hi-hat ringlets. There is plenty of perfect machine funk to 'Terminal', which has more rusty synth textures and chopped-up vocal fragments humanising the turbulent grooves. 'Basic Path' brings an extra skip to the kicks as they enter, scuffed up and flowing just above the groove, while vocal pulses and twitchy synth modulations bring the detail. 'Body Empire' closes the vinyl package with a deeper vibe and pensive synths that add warmth and soul to the brilliantly mechanical grooves, while digital bonus 'Acid Riot' closes with squelching acid lines amongst a swell of analog crunch and laser-sharp percussion.

Sonic Propaganda 'Native' drops via Mutual Rytm on 5th April 2024.



More

During the weekends, we used to drive a 131 "caffellatte" for a trip out of town towards the South. Family adventures from a distant time, the cassettes carefully chosen long before the departure, all around us the scent of the sea and in the background the Vesuvius.

In a kaleidoscope of memories and Mediterranean influences, Baffone recount in their own special way that Golden Age between the 70s and 80s. An era full of dreams, passions, unresolved issues and dizzying grooves.
Mixing Napoli Soul, Funk, Disco and songwriting, Baffone gives us a profound investigation of the human soul, performed with an original and authentic language.

A tribute to primordial forces, the sea, the lava earth and the childhood that slips away.

A1 - Jesce Sole
A2 - Amico Mio
A3 - Miez' o' Mare
B1 - Ciniglia
B2 - Baffone
B3 - Tatò
B4 - Miez' o' Mare Remix More

“Maledetta Quella Notte” is the first EP by Il Mago del Gelato, a new band from Milan (IT) with a strong Mediterranean imprint.

This first release runs through funk, afrobeat and jazz, where all the different souls that make up the project converge and blend in a perfect balance. The EP ranges between more energetic moments, strongly characterized by Afro-beat and Funk influences to introspective atmospheres, where the reminiscence of a warm, sensual jazz rings out loud.
All held together by a full sound, the unique and recognizable mark of the Il Mago del Gelato: vocoder, percussion, 80's synthesizers, roots guitars and a rhythmic section of drum and bass which drags you in a wild and sweaty dance.

Before being a record product, Maledetta Quella Notte is a project human, in which the concept of union, exchange, positive vibes is summarized in six tracks with taste of your favorite ice cream. More

2023 Repress!
The stars and their reflection on the sea still inspire Pellegrino and his live band Zodyaco. Their second LP 'Morphè' released on Early Sounds Recordings, is an ode to Naples as seen from Vesuvius. The ensemble that follows him through this musical journey has been enriched with new members for the continuous development of the label's distinctive Mediterranean sound; this marks a further step into the evolution of their Neapolitan melodic disco from the slopes of Vesuvius.

The sound and aesthetic metamorphosis of this second release, which gives the title to the LP [ the greek word "Morphé" ] is inspired by the conflicting scenarios of the Neapolitan metropolis; always caught up between the never ending and frenetic flow of its narrow alleys and the soothing relief of the sea, with the night as the backdrop that is not able to light it up its inner depths. More

Equatorial groove excursions by Parbleu on this new Periodica release. A multi-cultural fever dream of imagined sonic exotica, one featuring both evocative instrumentals and breathtaking vocal performances and where energized expanses of dynamic disco, futuristic funk, and cinematic jazz fusion are colored over by warming vibes of Caribbean dub, Latin tropicalia, and sunshine Afrobeat. 'Danse Cette Zik!' is the debut LP from this enigmatic group of musicians and has been expertly captured and magically crafted by the sorcerers of sound at the West Hill Studio. Tip! More

Repress!

Essential!
Comet is pleased to announce the third volume of the Afrobeat Makers Series: Nu Guinea - The Tony Allen Experiments.

By re-working the original magic drum patterns from the Afrobeat master Tony Allen, Nu Guinea created a compilation of tracks which is charged by a voluminous electronic jazz-Psyche funk imprint.

For this release, Comet Records teamed up with Early Sounds Recordings, the berlin label, also home to duo Berliners Nu Guinea.

The Naples formed, Berlin-based duo, is a project that arose out of jam sessions, melting synthesizers with instruments, containing a handmade sound that is not aiming for perfection but genuineness. It can be understood as a steadily shaping form, always open for collaborations with other musicians.

They've previously collaborated with singer Wayne Snow (fellow berliner artist on Comet) for the vocal edit of Nu-World, also delivered a remix for Wayne Snow’ ?Rosie Ep' both recently released on Tartelet Records.

Tracklist:
A1 Prelude
A2 Howls
A3 Open Paths
A4 NG Theme
A5 Stasis (Calm Before The Storm)
B1 TA-Storm
B2 The Birds Rejoice
B3 Phunkhysteria
B4 The Sun Returns More

Tracklisting:
A1 Chlär - Dopamine Rush
A2 Chlär - Intrinsic Drive
B1 Chlär - For Marco
B2 Chlär - Steady Pace
B3 Chlär - Greedy Man

Sales Note
Mutual Rytm welcome back Swiss DJ/producer Chlär for a bustling, high-octane return as he unveils his latest six-track EP, 'Intrinsic Drive'.

Swiss artist and mastering engineer Chlär's last outing on Mutual Rytm, his 'Optimized Grooves' EP, was a standout success that made an impact far and wide across the techno realm. It was another big step for the fast-rising producer, who is also a dexterous DJ that plays across three and even four decks in the club. A craftsman of sounds, his take on techno is full throttle and has come on labels like Iceland's NIX and Stranger's Self Reflektion imprint. Always looking to improve his sounds, he hits a perfect sweet spot with a fresh and visionary approach across six fresh productions with his 'Intrinsic Drive' EP, again showcasing exemplary creative progression in his ever-impressing production skills.

Up first is 'Dopamine Rush', a quickened techno pumper with synths peeling off the straight-ahead drums and locking you into a state of hypnosis. The title track 'Intrinsic Drive' is a tightly woven mix of drums, hits and bass that never lets up, while the supple rhythm is overlaid with alien sound designs to up the intensity. 'For Marco' takes a heavier path with darkened and more weighty kick drums under eerie synth loops. There is a real swing in the drums of 'Steady Pace' as the crisp hits and vocal fragments all up the ante, before 'Greedy Man' delivers a tough panel beater with skewed synths and an industrial undertone. Digital bonus 'May I Dance?' rounds things out with raw textures and unhinged loops that take you to the heart of a strobe-lit dance floor, shaping up another
mighty fine statement of intent from the ever more vital Swiss native.

Chlär 'Intrinsic Drive' drops via Mutual Rytm on 4th August 2023.




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2023 REPRESS **
180gram vinyl. Reissue of the original Ethiopian vinyl compilation.

"Ethiopians' deep-seated ethiocentrism, the legacy of a thousand years of history, has contributed in no small way to their music's strong national identity, particularly impervious to any African influences. Latin influences, so pervasive in the great musical centers of West Africa and the Congo, have been similarly rebuffed, despite the brilliant attempts of a musician like Mulatu Astatke. He was the first and for a long time the only Ethiopian to have studied music abroad (England and USA). In the late '60s, he brought back 'ethio-jazz', as well as a passion for Latin rhythms that was not readily shared by the Ethiopian audience. As early as 1966, he released a single and two LPs in the US entitled Afro-Latin Soul (and a third LP, Mulatu of Ethiopia in 1972), with his Ethiopian Quintet composed of American and Latin-American musicians (Worthy Records). That was three years before Fela's first American tour and six years prior to Manu Dibango's key breakthrough with the release of Soul Makossa in the Western 'pre-World music' market. All this goes to show how much the history of the African continent's musical modernity should be reconsidered in light of the Ethiopian adventure, even though this lone spark bore little relation, musically or ideologically to the musical revolutions initiated most notably by Ghanian highlife, South African jazz, Congolese rumba or, much later on, by Fela." More