Various - Movements 4
(CD/2LP) Tramp Records TR-9015, 2012-03-12

Just like with some the best Paris DJs mixes, some selections take a long time to gather. This 4th volume in the Movements series happens 7 years after the first one and took Tramp records founder Tobias Kirmayer two years to complete, chasing lost treasures and privates pressings of funk, soul and jazz tracks all over the globe. So don't expect familiar names, semi-hits or any kind of already-compiled-over-and-there kind of grooves, this is real diggin' business, each track to be found here has been carefully brought back to life, thoroughly annoted and properly referenced with full-color label scans and band photos. Most intense findings include Carl Westmoreland stunning early 70s political burner Shakers and Movers, Iris Bell's funky piano on the aplty titled Honky Games, the Gershwin classic Summertime covered by Polish Old Metropolitan Band, the irresistible and stamping unedited Discotheque Soul from blind drummer and piano player Ricky Williams, and the amazing heavy funk of I Don't Think We Are Going Back Again by The Soul Brothers Inc. that was already available on The Story of The Soul Brothers Inc. anthology released on Tramp Records in 2010. A real treat for music lovers in search of discoveries to be released march 12th 2012.

Super Hi-Fi - Single Payer
(7 inch/Digital Single) Electric Cowbell EC019, 2012-02-11

When Ezra Gale, bass player for Super Hi-Fi, contacted us last december, announcing the upcoming release of their 45 on Electric Cowbell Records, and describing the band as "a Brooklyn, NY-based live dub band", we were immediately hooked. Ezra is also playing bass for Aphrodesia, a heavily recommended 11-piece Afrofunk band from New York and San Francisco, which we already played twice in some of our much-respected 21st Century Afro mixes. Electric Cowbell Records are friends of ours who release some of the most eclectic and tasty music coming out from Brooklyn these days. And on the flip on the 45 there's also a dub heavy remix by Victor Rice... On paper you must admit that this 7 inch is supposed to be fantastic. Well it is. If you bring together the Fela Kuti influence of Aphrodesia, add some King Tubby kind of live dubbing, and put it out on vinyl through a supa-innovative label, that's what you get: incredible afro-dub greatness. The single will also be available digitally as an unedited 7mn version, with no less than 3 dub remixes. You need this and we'll prove it to you by playing the A-side in our next 21st Century Roots Reggae Spectacular coming up February 11th, a few days prior to this single's release. This is just the kind of band we wouldn't hesitate a second to go and see play live, so promoters move your asses and bring them to Paris asap!

Quantic and Alice Russell with the Combo Bárbaro - Look Around The Corner
(CD/2xLP/Digital) Tru Thoughts, 2012-04-02

The first single from Quantic and Alice Russell's upcoming album with the Combo Bárbaro, Look Around The Corner, felt to us like a marvelous and deep tribute to the late Charles Stepney (arranger and producer for Minnie Riperton, Terry Callier, Rotary Connection, Marlena Shaw, etc. - check this mix for more info) and we were expecting an album of the same type, quality-wise. Well no disappointment here, none at all, this is another killer album from Quantic and the Tru-Thoughts label, "pure sweet soul and blues, with overtones of gospel and folk music and the added Latin swing of the Combo Bárbaro", as the press release says. You're in for a big surprise though, since Alice Russell is not singing out of her powerful, knock-you-down voice, and embraced the opposite, full of self-control and near-reserve, reaching for example for a so seductive Dusty Springfield spirit on Here Again... Absolute class!The album will be released early april 2012, don't miss that train.

Lee Fields - Faithful Man
(CD/LP) Truth & Soul Records TS018, 2012-03-13

We've been spreading the Lee Fields gospel a lot those recent years. His latest album, My World, was selected in our Best of 2009 annual summary and even announced the instrumental version of that same album. We've featured a Lee Fields Mega Mix by Truth & Soul Records' alumnus DJ Akalepse. We've ordered physical LPs from the label for the Superfly Record Store when Djouls was still a partner. OK we passed on the reissues of his older stuff but we never got copies anyway so it would have been telling without knowning... And finally we've podcasted the bluesy and souful new single You're The Kind Of Girl to some thousands of listeners. That's why when their French distributor, Differ-ant, offered to send us the new album, Faithful Man, we kinda jumped and hit the roof. so what's the verdict? Is that another fantastic LP aiming at the ladies' hearts? Absolutely! The more you'll play it, the more in love you'll be with this soothing soul and heart-wrenching ballads. The title track, Faithful Man, even reaches the heights of James Brown's classic It's A Man's World and will hopefully make it for the next single to be extracted from this treasure of an album.

Hint - Crash & Burn / Daily Intake
(10"/CD) Tru Thoughts Recordings TRU245/TRUCD246, 2012-02-27 (10") / 2012-03-19 (CD)

Hint is back with a new single and a new album and that's reason enough for us to celebrate! His second album, also released on Tru Thoughts Recordings, Driven From Distraction, was killer soulful electronic madness, sounding like nothing else on the map, a really astonishing record that easily made it to our 2008 Top 10. After many singles, tracks here and there and remixes, Hint has just released a new 10 inch, Crash and Burn feat. Natalie Storm b/w Aliens Enter feat. T-Fly... The A-side is a monster dancehall/bass mashup, while on the flip you'll find an addictive piece of abstract and exotic hip hop. Both tracks are to be found in the album to be released march 19th, Daily Intake, which we're supposed to come back to next month, but it's so brilliant we couldn't pass on talking about it many weeks before it's available. Expect hip hop, UK house and bass, dancehall and breakbeat to collide on dancefloors worldwide because this is HEAVY, on the opposite end of the cheesy/cheaply sounding stuff to be found in 99% of dance music out there. Prized tracks include the mesmerizing bounce of Lock The Door featuring Zed Bias, hip hop/bass headphone marvel Peter & I Featuring T Fly and the closing track and aptly titled Mad Nervous.

DJ Format - Statement of Intent
(CD/2LP) Project Blue Book Records 2012-02-27

The new DJ Format album is coming out on Feb 27th but it's already been playing on repeat @ Paris DJs for a few weeks! The man is one of the most interesting and groovy DJs from the England, fresh, funky and shining like none other on the island. With his friend Simon James, DJ Format has released as The Simonsound in may 2010 an astounding album, Reverse Engineering, and if you slept on this one it's high time waking up! We deeply wanted to host a Simonsound mix on Paris DJs, but since Format was in between albums, preparing this Statement of Intent, we finally agreed on publishing a DJ Format & The Simonsound mix, blending psychedelic and electric records with a hip hop spirit. 6.000 people downloaded the mix and we hope they'll be at least as many to buy the vinyl (or the CD if there's no vinyl, or the digital release if you don't mind paying for owning nothing). Anyway now's the time for the DJ Format album and both old school b-boys and psychedelic music nerds will be more than pleased. This is really heavy shit, and with many guests: The Simonsound, of course, Sureshot La Rock, Edan, Mr Lif, Nostalgia 77, Beta Hector... Prized choices for us in this orgasmic collection of music are the two Simonsound collaborations, the retro-futuristic psyched-up breakbeats of Battle of The Planets and the party-people-ready Beyond disco which we'll be spinning very very soon in our monthly Bag of Goodies mix, and the over-groovy James Brown-esque Horse Power.

Dafuniks - Enter The Sideshow Groove
(CD) Underdog Records 2012-02-22

Dafuniks are a Danish trio recently signed on the French rising label Underdog Records who released the nice Fanga DVD last year. Their deeply souful hip hop blends admirably live instruments, breakbeats and samples for a really old school and funky vibe. The production will slap your ears like a forgotten classic from the golden age, and they even managed to get Pigeon John as a guest! Well, don't know about you, but having this supacool rapper on an album is a sign for us. We had to choose a track to play for our monthly Bag of Goodies mix (to be aired very soon) and it was not easy but their Ease My Mind won the prize, evoking the spirit of both Portishead and Handsome Boy Modeling School - remember this marvelous project from Dant The Automator and Prince Paul and their classic hit The Truth? Oh we could have played the organ-ized Disko Dansen, the irresistible Typical Guy or the poppish All I Want, the minimalistic Breakers or the almost lazy Hello I Love You... It's rare to find such consistency on a hip hop album released on a French label, so we're proud to be supporting these cats. They'll be playing in Paris on april 7th at La Maroquinerie, see you there if you're not lost gone listening to standardized rock or 80s synths stuff.

Quantic and Alice Russell with the Combo Bárbaro - Look Around The Corner
(10" vinyl/Digital) Tru Thoughts TRU249, 2012-02-20

The new collaborative full length from Quantic and Alice Russell with the Combo Bárbaro, Look Around The Corner will be released on Tru Thoughts Recordings next april; preceded by the lead single (the title track) out on deluxe 10 inch vinyl and digital in February. One could of course expect some deep Colombian roots stuff, or even maybe, on the opposite, a comeback to the duo neo-classic UK funk sound of some of their previous collaborations. Not at all, this first single is really a surprise, and the biggest influence appearing here is obviously (much-lauded in those pages) arranger and producer Charles Stepney (Minnie Riperton, Terry Callier, Rotary Connection, Marlena Shaw, etc.). Go and check the mix we had published way back in 2006, Charles Is The One if you haven't already! If the whole album's as good and deep as this single, it's sure to be one of the releases of the year! Nuff' said. (Djouls)

Galactic - Carnivale Electricos
(CD/LP/Digital) ANTI-, 2012-02-21

Two years ago we left Galactic with Ya-Ka-May, their heaviest album to date, followed by a long, successful tour. The band did cameos in HBO show TREME and composed a few tracks for PS3 video game Infamous 2 (located in New Orleans, naturellement). Stanton Moore released a record with his trio and another mighty one with Garage à Trois, among other things. Ben Ellman helped Trombone Shorty launch his career with Orleans Avenue, producing his two first records on Verve. So with everyone so busy, a new album this quickly was the last thing we expected. We were wrong. Galactic is now 18 years-old, and it's a strong and creative teenager who can't help partying all night away while Western world - at least its financial and capitalistic side - teeters on the brink. Here comes the brand-new album Carnivale Electricos, to be released on Mardi Gras 2012...

Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again
(CD/LP/Digital) Communion Records, 2012-03-26

We'll have to wait until late march 2012 to discover this long-awaited first album from British soul singer Michael Kiwanuka. Three EPs will have been released by then, on beautiful 10 inch vinyl that look like old dusty records, Tell Me A Tale EP in april 2011, I'm Getting Ready EP, in july, and Home Again EP in january 2012. The album, as the EPs, is produced by Paul Butler from The Bees, a man and a band we've been foloowing for years for their uniqueness and amazing recordings - get their albums! We've gathered all the available streams and videos so don't hesitate to plunge deep into the masterful folk/soul of Michael Kiwanuka, you won't be disappointed. We'll should be back soon with a real review, and hopefully more exclusive stuff...