Paris DJs - Music News

Jungle By Night X The Gaslamp Killer present Brass Sabbath (7", Kindred Spirits)

Djouls — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:06:00 +0200

A 100% collaborative effort between Netherlands' premier Afrobeat band Jungle By Night and and Californian heavy psych DJ/producer The Gaslamp Killer, this new single injects some voodoo New Orleans spirit into a destroy covers of English heavy rock band Black Sabbath and 70s Turkish singer/guitarist/producer Selda!! The limited Record Store Day 7 inch is definitively one to hunt down…

Jungle By Night X The Gaslamp Killer present Brass Sabbath
(7", limited) Kindred Spirits KS043-7, 2013-04-20

Tracklisting :
A1. Electric Funeral (Black Sabbath cover)
B1. High Times / Ghost Town (Selda cover / The Specials cover bit)

Recorded at Redbull Studio Amsterdam
Mixed by Wiboud Burkens
A Record Store Day 2013 release (stickered).

Links :
Listen on soundcloud.com/kindred-spirits
Jungle By Night : official | bandcamp | discogs | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | twitter | youtube
The Gaslamp Killer : official | bandcamp | discogs | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | twitter | wikipedia | youtube

Gaslamp Killer and Jungle by Night collaborate in Amsterdam

Press Release :
2 years ago The Gaslamp Killer and the musicians of the Afrofunk-band Jungle by Night met during the Pitch Festival in Amsterdam. Moved by each other's musical output and energy they've kept in touch with the intention to combine their efforts in order to create a couple of tracks. Redbull Studio Amsterdam offered the resources needed to finally get together and put their creative spirits to work. Comes with a special gold foil print.

The result of these studio recordings is this great 7" containing two pieces of steaming, raw uncut rock-inspired tracks. A record store day special, meaning limited and only available at the RSD outlets!

Paris DJs feature on Bandcamp's homepage

Djouls — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:19:00 +0200

"Julien Lakshmanan heads up a prestigious music blog and promotions company. Having overseen the production of over 400 musical podcasts, his label now aims to release one record per week on Bandcamp." says Andrew Jervis as an introduction to Djouls' interview about Paris DJs on Bandcamp.

Read the full interview here

Andrew Jervis interview with Djouls/Paris DJs, April 23rd, 2013

Links :
The bandcamp website : bandcamp.com
Paris DJs on bandcamp : parisdjs.bandcamp.com
Paris DJs interview on bandcamp : blog.bandcamp.com/2013/04/23/well-always-have-paris

Movements 5 - Compiled by Tobias Kirmayer - out on Tramp Records

Djouls — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:28:00 +0200

Just one year after the Volume 4, Tobias Kirmayer is back with a new episode in his series of the 'Movement' compilations, on a 16-page CD booklet including detailed liner notes and unseen photographs, or deluxe double-gatefold Vinyl - properly mastered from original 45s. Tobias is one of the greatest soul, funk, R&B & jazz diggers in Europe, relentlessly searching for the supacool rare groove you haven't heard yet. You'll find some of the tracks selected here on youtube, of course, but badly ripped from old vinyl and sounding like your little sister encoded them, at best (well youtube re-encodes them…). So if you're in search of obscure & lost grooves treasures, you've found the right record - and label! Highlights include Bobby Allen & The Exceptions 70s funk piece of 'Soul Chicken', a rare Lee Fields 45 deep funk classic from 1974, 'Funky Screw', one of the best tracks from the timeless 'Story of Jimmy Preacher Ellis' compilation released earlier this year by Tramp Records, vocal/piano jazz covers of 'Summertime' by the Dave Harris Trio and 'It Ain't Necessarily So' by Nannie Porres & Claes-Göran Fagerstedts Trio, and the novelty dancefloor funk of Alley Pat's 'Pat's Rubber Band', previously only a mid-70s private press.

Various - Movements 5 - Compiled by Tobias Kirmayer
(CD/2LP/Digital) Tramp Records TR 9021, 2013-04-22

Movements Vol.5 by V./A.
Tracklisting :
01. Bobby Allen & The Exceptions – Soul Chicken
02. Ray Weatherspoon – Stop Stuffin And Start Sho Nuffin
03. Lil' Buck & The Top Cats – Monkey In A Sack
04. Lee Fields – Funky Screw
05. Al Reed – 99/44 100 Pure Love
06. Jimmy Gilford – Nobody Loves Me Like My Baby
07. Lonnie Lester – You Can't Go
08. Jimmy Ellis – Puttin It On Your Mind
09. Eddie Buster Band – Churn The Butter
10. Jimmy Rowles & The Gravel Pit – Behind The Face
11. Iris Bell Trio Feat. Butch Miles – Baby, You've Got Soul
12. Dave Harris Trio – Summertime
13. Nannie Porres & Claes-Göran Fagerstedts Trio – It Ain't Necessarily So
14. Alley Pat – Pat's Rubber Band
15. Wildfire – Tend To Your Business
16. Sunrize – Ease It On In
17. Theodis Ealey – Deepest Sympathy

Links :
Listen & order on kudosrecords.co.uk, buy on Juno, HHV or from the Tramp label through bandcamp
Tramp Records : official | bandcamp | discogs | kudos (UK distribution) | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | youtube

Press Release :
The year is 2013 A.D. True music lovers are forced underground because the whole world has been overrun by multinational media conglomerates... the whole world? Not entirely! There is one small village in Bavaria inhabited by an indomitable DJ whose record label still holds out against the invaders of minimalistic electro sounds and narrow-gauged pop bleat. Life ain't a cakewalk for our mighty little label, but with verve, spirit and a great courage it defends the mission of long-forgotten musicians: to reanimate the soul sounds of the 1960s and 70s.

Ladies and gentlemen - Tramp Records is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! Founded by music maven and enthusiast Tobias Kirmayer in 2003, the purpose of this label is to prevent privately produced Soul, Jazz and Funk from being forgotten. By maintaining close contact to the living musicians and the families of those who have passed, he underlines that with Tramp Records, honor is given to whom honor is due: the artists. By abiding by this strict line, always following his ears, and trusting his heart, Tobias Kirmayer has gained a worldwide reputation for limited-edition vinyl releases stressing, rarity, quality, integrity, and mystery.

Movements 5 is another representative release for this close collaboration between label and musician. As with previous releases in the Movements series, Volume 5 features detailed liner notes that include unpublished band photos that may have never seen the light of day had it not been for Tramp's mutually beneficial artist/label relationships. The happiness and pride felt in an enthusiastic "Thank you man!" from a 75-year old funk musician could not be counterbalanced by all the gold in the whole world. Tobias Kirmayer would like to thank all loyal souls and defenders of expelled music for their never ending support and hopes that all the tasty tidbits expected to drop this month will sweeten the start of a new decade.

HIP-HIP-HURRAY and CHEERS to Tramp Records, the artists, and all the loyal fans!

Shake-A-Leg Vol.2 - Compiled by Jerker Kluge & Tobias Kirmayer - out may 13th on Perfect.Toy

Djouls — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:03:00 +0200

Take a professional DJ, vinyl digger and label owner, Tobias Kirmayer, add a latin/jazz producer, Jerker Kluge. Have them run together a monthly club-night in Munich, 'Shake-A-Leg'. After a few years, ask them to manifest the concept of the party on a compilation. Enrich the worldwide Funk, Soul and Jazz community with their research work. Does this sound like a formula? Yes it does. Is this volume 2 a killer recipe resulting from this formula? Yes it is!! The musical spectrum is quite large, from Hip Hop (Mighty Mocambos ft. Afrika Bambaataa) to Afrofunk (Afro Latin Vintage Orchestra, Fanga), Heavy Funk (The Qualitons, Tommy Dark) to Nu Soul (Radio Etiopia feaT. Bajka), Latin Jazz (Pucho & his Latin Soul Brothers, Cesar's Salad, Willis Jackson) to Hip Hop/Jazz hybrids (Jacknife Lee, Samp Brothers), Soul (CJ. Leach) to Dancefloor Jazz (Deep Jazz)… The two German selectors are music pros with GREAT taste, there's no filler to be found here - only 74mn of pure communicative grooviness!! So, is this compilation recommended? Heavily.

Various - Shake-A-Leg Vol.2 - Club Night Compilation
Afro Beat, Jazz, Hip Hop and Funk compiled by Jerker Kluge & Tobias Kirmayer
(CD/2LP/Digital) Perfect Toy Records PT042, 2013-05-13

Tracklisting :
01. Mighty Mocambos ft. Afrika Bambaataa, Charlie Funk and King Kamonzi - Zulu walk
02. Afro Latin Vintage Orchestra - Presentations
03. Qualitons - Rolling the Bones -
04. Radio Utopia feat. Bajka - Get Up, Stand Up
05. Pucho & the Latin Soul Brothers - Sunny
06. Cesars Salad - La Serpiente
07. C.J. Leach - Branded
08. Tommy Dark - Wobble Legs
09. Jacknife Lee - Hey Kitty Kitty
10. Samp Brothers & Outbound - Alcoholic Drinks (Whiskey mix)
11. Dizzy Gillespie - Unicorn
12. Fanga - Natural Juice
13. Willis Jackson - Jive Samba
14. Charles Earland - The Mighty Burner
15. Deep Jazz - Coincidence of Circumstance

Links :
Listen & order on kudosrecords.co.uk, buy on Juno or from the Tramp label through bandcamp
Perfect Toy Records : official | discogs | kudos (UK distribution) | myspace
Tobias Kirmayer's Tramp Records : official | bandcamp | discogs | kudos (UK distribution) | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | youtube

Press Release :
After the great success of the first Shake-A-Leg club-night compilation, Jerker Kluge & Tobias Kirmayer come up with an even more exciting selection on this second volume. Like on its predecessor, there are almost no musical boundaries. The album shows a colorful micture of sounds which represents best the personal taste of the two compilers. Wether it is original stuff from the 1960s or new recordings from the 21st century, it's all about the groove. And this has its good reasons:

Tobias Kirmayer is the man behind the renowned Tramp Records label which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. He is also a professional DJ who tours worldwide.

Jerker Kluge is a professional bassist, composer and producer. He plays in various band projects (Hi-Fly Orchestra, Cesar's Salad, etc) and also leads his own band, Jerker Kluge's Deep Jazz.

Shake-A-Leg Vol.2 contains everythign from soulful Hip Hop (Mighty Mocambos feat. Afrika Bambaataa) to Afro Beat (Fanga), from latin-jazz (Willis Jackson) to Funk (Tommy Dark). Whenever your listen to this album, it makes you get on the dance floor to shake your hips and wobble your legs. Let's party!

Shae-A-Leg Vol.2 will be available on deluxe double-vinyl, CD and digital download. The vinyl version is limited to 555 copies.

Hidden Orchestra - Archipelago Mixtape

Djouls — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:04:00 +0100

The long-awaited 'Archipelago' mixtape is now ready to go, almost a year after the last one ('Flight Mixtape', which recently earned Hidden Orchestra top spot in Paris DJs 'most downloaded mix of the year' for the second year running). Like previous mixes it features all the variety of music that Joe Acheson has been listening to in the last year or so, much of which he has added to or remixed, with lots of spoken word and field recordings. There are also once again many 'imagined collaborations' created with acapellas and mashups - Kelpe with Thom Yorke, Floex with Maxi Jazz, Thom Yorke with Four Tet and Neil Cowley Trio, Crunch with Kate Bush, Ivor Cutler trading poems with Johnny Cash's verses over Jan Johansson's piano, Hauschka feat Bob Marley, and so on…

Hidden Orchestra - Archipelago Mixtape
(MP3 download on Soundcloud) Tru Thoughts, 2013-02-28

Tracklisting :
00:00 Spoken - Hidden Orchestra
 00:01 The Great Animal Orchestra (Audiobook read by Nigel Lindsay) - Bernie Krause
 00:22 Reminder (drums only version) - Hidden Orchestra
 04:08 Unconscious Motivation (film excerpt) - Prelinger Archives
 05:06 Reminder - Hidden Orchestra
 05:25 Paivi's Favourite Sound - (Interview with Joe)
 06:19 Fourth Wall - Hidden Orchestra
 06:55 Fourth Wall (drums only version) - Hidden Orchestra
 07:04 Forgetmenot - Floex
 07:13 Kimmo's Favourite Sound - (Interview with Joe)
 12:25 Insomnia (film excerpt) - Prelinger Film Archives
 12:52 Music For 18 Musicians (Section VI) (Joe Acheson Many Musicians Remix) - Steve Reich
 13:25 A Day in the Life (acapella) - The Beatles
 17:25 Feel the High pt. 2 (acapella) - Finsta Bundy
 19:54 Shipwreck Glue - Kelpe
 19:58 Staring Out of the Window (Short Story) - Alan Bennett
 20:06 Black Swan - Thom Yorke
 24:36 Stop Parching Yourself - Kelpe
 24:56 The Blankout Agreement - Kelpe
 25:10 Up Up and Away (spoken introduction) - Sammy Davis Jr.
 25:15 Nightbreed (acapella) - Klashnekoff feat. Jehst
 27:52 Storrington Birds Spooked (field recording) - Joe Acheson
 27:53 The Great Animal Orchestra (Audiobook read by Nigel Lindsay) - Bernie Krause
 27:55 Sounds of Harris: Lullaby of a Lapwing - Kuljit Bhamra, Jacqueline Shave & John Parricelli
 29:07 Tarbert Nightwalk (field recordings from Isle of Harris) - Joe Acheson
 30:06 Sounds of Harris: Song of the Shiants - Kuljit Bhamra, Jacqueline Shave & John Parricelli
 31:12 Ursa Major - Floex
 31:24 Patrick Moore in interview - (prod. Journeyman Pictures)
 31:51 Insomnia (acapella) - Maxi Jazz
 35:13 Topkapi Park (Istanbul field recording) - Joe Acheson
 35:15 Dave Brubeck in interview - BBC Radio 4
 35:24 Ping (Joe Acheson refix) - Haushka
 38:51 Tenere Taqqim Tossam (Joe Acheson refix) - Tinariwen
 40:12 Conflict (acapella) - Guru
 41:48 Keep - Nils Frahm
 41:55 The Great Animal Orchestra (Audiobook read by Nigel Lindsay) - Bernie Krause
 43:40 Crunky - Crunch
 45:24 Half Broken Harp - Kelpe
 45:31 I've Gotta Be Me (Spoken Introduction) - Sammy Davis Jr.
 47:51 Visa Fran Utanmyra (Joe Acheson remix) - Jan Johansson
 47:53 I Like Sitting - Ivor Cutler
 48:38 Hurt (acapella) - Johnny Cash
 49:52 Darkness - Ivor Cutler
 52:32 If Everybody - Ivor Cutler
 53:03 After The Goldrush - King's Singers
 53:50 Atoms for Peace - Thom Yorke
 54:33 Rooster Was a Witness - Neil Cowley Trio
 54:54 Atoms for Peace (Four Tet Remix) - Thom Yorke
 56:47 Disquiet (drums only version) - Hidden Orchestra
 61:25 Disquiet - Hidden Orchestra
 61:26 Unconscious Motivation (film excerpts) - Prelinger Archives
 66:29 Dave Brubeck in interview - BBC Radio 4
 66:38 Radar - Hauschka
 67:10 Is This Love (acapella) - Bob Marley
 70:07 Edit 2 - Crunch
 70:17 And Dream of Sheep (acapella) - Kate Bush
 72:00 The Great Animal Orchestra (Audiobook read by Nigel Lindsay) - Bernie Krause
 72:18 Whistman's Wood (Joe Acheson remix) - John Surman

Credits :
Selected and mixed by Joe Acheson / Hidden Orchestra

Links
Hidden Orchestra : official | bandcamp | facebook | juno | parisdjs | twitter
Tru Thoughts : official | etchshop | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | twitter | youtube

Press Release :
This latest mix from Joe Acheson (aka Hidden Orchestra) is to celebrate the release of the second Hidden album, 'Archipelago', which came out on Tru Thoughts Records in October 2012, and the second single to be lifted from the album, 'Fourth Wall / The Revival', which came out on February 25th 2013.

Like previous mixes it features all the variety of music that Joe has been listening to in the last year or so, much of which he has added to, mashed up or remixed, with lots of spoken word and field recordings. One of the themes is sleep, or the lack of it - and there's a strong theme of imagined live collaborations - Kelpe with Thom Yorke, Floex with Maxi Jazz, Crunch with Kate Bush, Tinariwen and Guru with a heavy rhythm section, Ivor Cutler and Johnny Cash trading verses over Jan Johansson's piano with added beats, Hauschka feat Bob Marley, Steve Reich with vocals from John Lennon and Finsta Bundy, and so on… full tracklist and times below.

The band tour the following places in February, March & April 2013 :
 28/02 Glasgow, Oran Mor
 01/03 Edinburgh, Queens Hall
 08/03 Manchester, Band on the Wall
 09/03 Bristol, Thekla
 10/03 Brighton, Blind Tiger Club
 16/03 Aberdeen, The Tunnels
 18/04 Oxford, The Cellar
 19/04 Nottingham, Contemporary Arts Centre
 20/04 London, Koko

The Story Of Jimmy 'Preacher' Ellis 1963-1972 - out on Tramp Records

Djouls — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 13:46:00 +0100

Jimmy "Preacher" Ellis (not to be mistaken with the Jimmy Ellis, singer for The Trammps, who left us last year) was born in Arkansas, grew up in Seattle and is now living in Texas. In the 60s he released two handfuls of soul 45s, from blues, R&B and proto-funk to psychedelic funk and seventies soul, for labels such as Jewel, Space, Kris and Romark. Most of the tracks from this superb anthology are reissued here for the first time, either on CD with a 12 page booklet or on superdeluxe double-gatefold vinyl edition, with rare photographs and detailed liner notes for both. Late 60s track 'Put your Hoe To My Row' should brightfully light the soulful dancefloors, while 70s soul piece 'Looking Thru The Eyes Of Love' will appeal to all the retro-funksters out there, deep into Truth & Soul & Daptone stuff. The Afro-American political blues of closing track 'Don't Tax Me In' is also an obvious one to play these days with lyrics that haven't aged a bit!

Jimmy 'Preacher' Ellis - The Story Of Jimmy 'Preacher' Ellis 1963-1972
(CD/2LP/Digital) Tramp Records TR 9020, 2013-01-21

The story of Jimmy Preacher Ellis by Jimmy Preacher Ellis
Tracklisting :
01. Since I Fell For You
02. Go Head On
03. Cry, No More
04. I'm Gonna Do It By Myself
05. Work With What You Got
06. Puttin It On Your Mind
07. Dance To The Drumbeat
08. Put Your Hoe To My Row
09. A Fool For A Friend
10. Jimmy Preacher Ellis –Kiddio
11. Baby I Love You
12. Tough Competition
13. Looking Thru The Eyes Of Love
14. That's The Way I Am
15. Happy To Be (The Man You Like To See)*
16. I Gotta See My Baby
17. I Just Wanna Be Myself
18. Don't Tax Me In
(* vinyl-only bonus track)

Links :
Listen & order on kudosrecords.co.uk
Buy on Juno, JunoDownload or HHV or directly from the label through bandcamp
Tramp Records : official | bandcamp | discogs | kudos (UK distribution) | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud

Jimmy "Preacher" Ellis & The Odd Fellows - "Put Your Hoe to My Row"

Press Release :
Jimmy Preacher Ellis was born in 1935, in the rural farming community of Foreman, Arkansas. Like most youths, his first singing experience came in church, where he and his brother both sang. By 1950 Ellis had moved to Seattle, Washington where he began singing in the choir at the nearby Mount Baker Baptist Church. Eventually his vocal talents came to the attention of the Reverend F.F. Billups who asked Jimmy to join The Traveling Four, since their baritone singer had just quit. By 1955 The Traveling Four split up, and Ellis, now 20 years old, entered the military service. By the late 1950s, he was back in Seattle and began to seriously pursue his interest in playing the guitar. In spite of his developing instrumental skills, Ellis wasn’t quite ready for a solo career. Instead, he recruited former ex-Traveling Four members, Tony Harris and Billy Marshall, to form a doo-wop group called The Centuries. Finally, in 1964 Ellis became a solo blues act, and a legend was born.

Ellis took the road south to Los Angeles in hope of doing some recording. In the same year he released his debut 45rpm single under his own name. After that he got introduced to Ferdinand ‘Fats’ Washington who, by this time, had already garnered a well-deserved reputation as one of the finest R&B songwriters in the business. Washington started his own label called Movin’ in the mid 1960s on which Ellis recorded a pair of 45s. Soon later two additional Ellis singles appeared on Ride, another of Washington’s record labels. In 1969 Ellis hooked up with producer Mel Alexander, recording a number of sides for his Kris and Space labels well into the 1970s.

And this is it, the fourth release in “The Story of” series on Tramp Records. All these songs have been originally released on 45rpm single only and most of them are available for the first time since its release 40+ years ago. From the detailed liner notes to the classic packaging, you can be assured of the refined taste and heartfelt care that went into this entire production.

The 12-page CD booklet contains his detailed biography incl. label scans and promotional photographs. The vinyl version comes as a deluxe double-gatefold LP.

The Greg Foat Group - Girl With Robot and Flowers - out on Jazzman

Nicolas Ragonneau — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 10:52:00 +0100

In 2011 Paris DJs named Greg Foat’s first outing, 'Dark is the Sun' (Jazzman), as one of its top ten albums of the year. I interviewed Greg back then (click here) because I was convinced that this young pianist was only just getting started. Little did I think that he’d be back so soon with a new, entrancing album of low-tech sci-fi jazz, 'Girl And Robot With Flowers' (Jazzman). This stunning new disc confirms the arrival of an original and powerful talent who is getting full support from his label. Jazzman Records founder <>Gerald Short has given Greg free artistic rein, enabling him to create a radically different sound in contemporary jazz. GARWF blends the best of spiritual jazz (hat-tip to Matthew Halsall on trumpet) and stock music with late-60’s/early-70’s movie soundtracks from France, Italy and the UK. It’s built around two compelling and recurring themes: the eponymous title and 'Have Spacesuit, Will Travel'. The twin melody lines are repeated six times and twice, respectively, on different instruments, with different tempos and moods. This construct takes its cue from the great movie soundtracks, where a main theme played at different speeds in various orchestrations conjures up a gamut of complex, ambivalent feelings. On each of GARWF’s six tracks (Part 1 to Part 6), the solo instruments - harmonica, Hammond, sax, vibraphone - add unexpected nuances of colour and tone. Greg Foat’s influences are many and varied, from Serge Gainsbourg and Alain Goraguer to René Laloux and Michel Legrand, but he transcends them all to create his very own retro-futurist masterpiece that’s classy, complex and cosmic.
Vinyl junkies, please note that you’ll have to buy the 10" EP and the LP to get all the tracks on the CD.
Special thanks to TB.

The Greg Foat Group - Girl And Robot With Flowers
(LP/EP/CD/Digital) Jazzman Records JMLP.054/JM.094/JMCD.054, 2012-12-03

CD Tracklisting :
01. Girl and Robot with Flowers (Part 1)
02. Have Spacesuit Will Travel (Part 1)
03. Girl and Robot with Flowers (Part 2)
04. Girl and Robot with Flowers (Part 3)
05. For a Breath a Tarry
06. Cast Adrift
07. Girl and Robot With Flowers (Part 4)
08. Girl and Robot With Flowers (Part 5)
09. Have Spacesuit Will Travel (Part 2)
10. Clear Skies Select Stick
11. Blues for Lila
12. Girl and Robot With Flowers (Part 6)

Links :
Free mix to download : The Greg Foat Group - Sci-Fi Bugalu Mix
Interview : in English / in French
1st album review : The Greg Foat Group - Dark Is The Sun

Fink - Wheels Turn Beneath My Feet - out on Ninja Tune

Nicolas Ragonneau — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 10:29:00 +0100

You can't be serious and offer mp3s for Xmas, can you? In those mp3 times, it's good to see some fine workmanship from labels and artists avoiding the boring CD plastic case scenario too. So If you seek the perfect gift, Fink's first live album comes at the right time. The CD documents the 'Perfect Darkness' 2011 tour in Europe (From Copenhagen to Prague, From Paris to Vienna, London, Amsterdam...) and is presented in a strong matt paper 84-page hard-bound bookpack featuring great pics from Dutch photographer Tommy N Lance. He's captured the essence of the tour with a focus on backstage preparation's details or trivial scenes (like this funny shot of Fink ironing a T-shirt) coming along with the more classical 'live' pics. On stage Fink is a convincing artist who is able to rewrite the script, stretching out the originals in epic and surprising ways like this moving version of 'Blueberry Pancakes' or this dubbish 'Sort of Revolution', among other classics.

Fink - Wheels Turn Beneath My Feet (Live Album + Bookpack) Ninja Tune ZENCD189, 2012-10-08

Tracklisting :
01. Biscuits (live from Amager Bio, Copenhagen)
02. Perfect Darkness (live from Union Chapel, London)
03. Fear Is Like Fire (live from Koko, London)
04. Yesterday Was Hard On All Of Us (live from Paradiso, Amsterdam)
05. Blueberry Pancakes (live from WUK, Vienna)
06. Trouble’s What You’re In (live from Union Chapel, London)
07. Berlin Sunrise (live from La Cigale, Paris)
08. Warm Shadow (live from Epicerie Moderne, Lyon)
09. Honesty (live from La Cigale, Paris)
10. Wheels (live from Paradiso, Amsterdam)
11. This Is The Thing (live from Paradiso, Amsterdam)
12. Sort Of Revolution (live from La Cigale, Paris)
13. Pretty Little Thing (live from Meetfactory, Prague)

The Decoders - Walk On By - out now (digital self-release)

Nicolas Ragonneau — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:54:00 +0200

Los Angeles-based The Decoders release a Walk On By cover as Burt Bacharach's great lyricist Hal David passed the first day of September this year. Of course it's a coincidence but now the single turns to be a great unintentional tribute to the co-author of so many Bacharach's hits. Walk On By was originally recorded with Dionne Warwick on vocals in 1963, then it became a huge hit one year later - and a cult track covered hundreds of times. Fav versions among this endless list are Isaac Hayes' (1969), The Stranglers' and its crazy organ solo (1978) and, more recently, El Michels Affairs (2009). The Decoders' take on Walk on By is very different from what we've heard. Itai Shapira and friends stick to their initial project of great standards revisited in californian reggae-soul. And it is indeed a heavy reggae-soul cover with superb horns arrangements (thanks to Todd Simon), huge spring reverb, echo effects and delicate classical string instruments (violin and viola). No need to say - at last- that new hot funk diva Noelle Scaggs from Fitz and the Tantrums delivers a lovely inspired performance on vocals.

The Decoders - Walk On By
(Digital Single) self-released, 2012-10-16

Walk On By featuring Noelle Scaggs by The Decoders

Tracklisting :
01. Walk On By feat. Noelle Scaggs 6:33

Links :
The Decoders : official | bandcamp | facebook | soundcloud | twitter | youtube

Press Release :
We are pleased to announce the arrival of the first single from Vol. 2, featuring one of our favorite singers from Los Angeles, Noelle Scaggs ( of the band FItz & The Tantrums). This isn't our first collaboration with Noelle...

Our very own Todd M. Simon inked a new Rock Steady arrangement of James Brown's "Think (About It)" for The Lions back in 2007, which featured Noelle on vocals. Noelle has also graced many other collaborations on her own, including Quantic (aka Will Holland) and Dilated Peoples, as well as being the featured lead female vocalist in the L.A. funk and soul outift The Rebirth.

This version of "Walk On By" is an extrapolation of the original Dionne Warwick version, mutated with the stylings of Isaac Hayes rendition and finally given a "decoded" Lovers Rock backbeat. This was quite the undertaking, and Noelle did a great job invoking the classic women of soul from the 60's era to give this version a refreshing-yet old school feel.

Burt Bacharach and Hal David (R.I.P) were a great composer team, penning many a classic hit including "I Say A Little Prayer For You" which is also slated for a Decoders vol. 2 release later this year. We hope that we did justice to their vision with our version of "Walk On By".

The strings were recorded by San Diego native, Thomas Lea. Thomas is the latest addition to the Decoders production team, and you can hear his lush string arrangements on upcoming releases from Rhye & Quadron.

Biography :
The Decoders are Los Angeles-based producer duo Itai Shapira (producer/engineer & studio/live musician) and Todd Simon (trumpeter/arranger for Mayer Hawthorne, TV On The Radio, The Lions, Quantic, etc.), with heavy contributions from Adam Berg (Grammy nominated producer/engineer), Quincy McCrary on keys (Mayer Hawthorne) and Blake Colie on drums (The Lions of Stones Throw Records) . They just released their first installment of modern-Jamaican Lovers Rock-inspired versions of soul classics they dug up from the vaults of the Music Sales publishing catalogue.

In this first batch, Shapira and Simon have deciphered some Earth, Wind and Fire, Minnie Riperton and even one from Ruby and the Romantics! The project is overseen by the songwriter and producer behind many of Minnie Riperton’s hits - Richard Rudolph.

The Decoders have enlisted the help of vocalists Sy Smith (Macy Gray, Foreign Exchange) original “Baby This Love I Have" songwriter and legendary producer Leon Ware (Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Maxwell), Coco Owino (of Quadron), Kevin Sandbloom and Boston Fielder (of Muthawit). Miguel Atwood Ferguson (Suite For Ma Dukes, Brainfeeder) also makes a guest appearance on the new single "Les Fleurs".

Volume 2 features guest vocalists Noelle Scaggs (of Fitz & The Tantrums), Raul Midon, Alex Isley and many more...

The Decoders - Vol.1 - out now (digital self-release)

Nicolas Ragonneau — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:42:00 +0200

The Decoders is a new band from Los Angeles featuring young producer and multi-instrumentalist Itai Shapira, ubiquitous trumpeter Todd Simon, Quincy McCrary on keys and The Lions' drummer Blake Collie. From December last year to June this year they've been releasing reggae-soul and lovers rock covers singles of famous or forgotten standards like Minnie Riperton's Les Fleurs, Earth, Wind And Fire's That's The way Of The World or Ruby & The Romantics' Hey There Lonely Boy. The three Minnie Riperton covers were supervised by Minnie's producer and husband himself, Richard Rudolph. Another legendary name, Leon Ware, joins the young guns to sing one of the songs he co-wrote with Minnie, Baby This love I Have. The result is a new kind of californian cool with talented guest vocalists, immaculate production and arrangements that show evidence of LA's scene's vitality. Vol.2 is already announced with guests like Noelle Scaggs, Raul Midon and more...

The Decoders - Vol. 1
(Digital EP) self-released, early 2012

EP Vol 1 by The Decoders

Tracklisting :
01. Hey There Lonely Boy feat. Coco Owino 3.26
02. Inside My Love feat. Sy Smith 4.15
03. Baby This Love I Have feat. Leon Ware 3.55
04. Les Fleurs feat. Boston Fielder 3.54
05. That's The Way Of The World feat. Kevin Sandbloom 4.17
06. Reasons feat. Love-Logiq 4.14

01 Ruby & The Romantics cover
02, 03, 04 Minnie Riperton covers
05, 06 Earth, Wind & Fire covers

Notes : Vol. 1 is a series of singles released online from December 2011-June 2012. This is the Decoders debut release. It features guest vocalists Leon Ware, Sy Smith and Coco Owino (of Quadron), among others. Vol. 2, also a series of singles to be released on a monthly basis, will debut October 16th, 2012 with "Walk On By" featuring Noelle Scaggs of Fitz & The Tantrums.

Links :
The Decoders : official | bandcamp | facebook | soundcloud | twitter | youtube

Press Release :
The 1st chapter of an ongoing series, “The Decoders: Volume 1″ is the 1st EP of a series that will explore classic ’60s/’70s soul music reinterpreted in a roots reggae, hip hop, latin or some (hopefully) refreshing production that may give these favorite songs of mine a new life. Like the group’s namesake, it is a decoding, if you will, of the magic that spawned these gems that I’ve always cherished in my music collection growing up.

With an inspiring team of my peer musicians who I consider to be the cream-of-the-crop LA session players (in their own right), I embarked on the great adventure of tackling songs like Minnie Riperton’s
“Les Fleurs”, Earth Wind & Fire’s “That’s The Way Of The World”, and many other classics from the vaults of the music sales publishing catalog.

The project is overseen by the songwriter and producer behind many of Minnie’s hits, and he also happens to be the widowed husband of the late Great Minnie Riperton, Richard Rudolph.

Todd Simon, needing no introduction if you’ve heard the name Macy Gray, Sharon Jones & Dap-Kings or Antibalas, is holding down the duties on the trumpet (his main instrument) and many other brass instruments from his staggering horn collection, including flugelhorn, french horn and euphonium. Todd is also a key player in getting so many of these incredible vocalists on the project.

Quincy McCrary (currently on tour with Mayer Hawthorne of Stones Throw), a keyboardist of rare stature, is the contributing member for all things keys. Hammond B3, rhodes, piano, Moog, Clavinet…you name it, he’s on it. Does a little sangin’ too!

Blake Colie, another label mate of Stones Throw with his revivalist reggae group The Lions, signed on as the drummer for the project. His reggae pocket is uncanny, and he’s a great hang in the studio! One of the best session drummers I know…

Miguel Atwood Ferguson (Suite For Ma Dukes) will make an appearance on “Les Fleurs” with his viola. It’s always an honor to make music with such a talented and focused musician like Miguel. As for the vocalists on the project: we have the unsung hero of blue-eyed soul Kevin Sandbloom, Sy Smith aka “Minnie reincarnated”, Boston Fielder of Muthawit fame and many others I cannot mention just yet…

Coco Owino (also known as Coco from the Danish duo, Quadron, also featuring Robin Hannibal) is holding down vocal duties on our first single, “Hey There Lonely Boy” (originally recorded by Ruby & The Romantics in 1963).

Curumin - Arrocha - out now on Six Degrees

Nicolas Ragonneau — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:35:00 +0200

Percussionist and Sao Paulo sensation Luciano Nakata Albuquerque aka Curumin is back with his new album, his best work so far. Arrocha is very different from his previous release. Japan Pop Show (2008) was featuring a nice bunch of guests while Arrocha is rather self-centered and a one-man-band effort. No line-up or guest list this time (except Céu on Vestido de Prata, another third part of the Urban Jungle label with Lucas Santtana), just Curumin doing almost everything, singing, cooking heavy bass, breaks and beats on his MPC and percussions. Above all, this is a minimalist masterpiece, close to the japanese aestethics of his origins. The album starts with the powerful afro-tropical track Afoxoque, then it meanders brilliantly between lazy funk, liquid psychedelia, electronic bossa and samba. Brazilian saudade's addicts will fall for the incredible trumpet on Treme Terra or the moving ballad Paris Vila Matilde. This is original and slow-burning half-electronic half-organic music, infectious and addictive like a sweet disease.

Curumin - Arrocha
(CD/LP/Digital) Six Degrees/Urban Jungle, 2012-06-05

Curumin - Arrocha (2012) by Curumin Oficial

Tracklisting :
1. Afoxoque 03:17
02. Selvage 03:52 | free MP3 download
03. Treme Terra 03:45
04. Passarinho 03:22
05. Paris Vila Matilde 02:12
06. Tupanzinho Guerreiro 02:20
07. Vestido de prata 04:18
08. Doce 03:17
09. BlimBlim 01:53
10. Sapo Cururu 01:18
11. Acorda 02:03
12. Pra nunca mais 02:30
13. Bambora! 01:00

Links :
Curumin : facebook | myspace | sixdegressrecords | soundcloud | twitter | youtube

Press Release :
'Arrocha means to hold on with a lot of pressure,' Curumin says from his São Paolo home, describing the meaning behind his new album title. 'In Bahia it's a rhythm, a way of dancing where you hold your girl very close. That pressure is something we feel here in Sao Paolo. It's a very big city and you are always surrounded by people. On this album I'm trying to make more sensual music, speaking with a lot of feeling and getting closer to people.'

Born of Spanish and Japanese parents 35 years ago, Luciano Nakata Albuquerque adopted the persona Curumin (KOO-roo-mean) as a way of exploring the possibilities of Brazil's many sonic heritages. Known globally as the land of bossa nova and samba, the youthful vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/producer has borrowed much from his Brazilian culture but expanded upon it by creating an inviting, sensual tone while eschewing any lust for stardom through mainstream sounds. On the pioneering Arrocha (Six Degrees Records), he has built upon prior success in creating a melodically addicting and rhythmically potent exploration of modern Brazil.

Discovered by California hip-hop outfit Blackalicious on a 2005 South American tour, the duo helped Curumin gain international recognition by releasing his debut, Achados e Perdidos, in the United States. After successfully launching his presence in the States at CMJ that same year, he was quickly booked to perform at Chicago's World Music Festival and the M3 Conference the following year. Natalie Portman included his track 'Tudo Bern Malandro' on a compilation; when 'Guerreiro' was used in a Nike ad during the FIFA World Cup, the fame he never sought was ensured.

It was Curumin's second album, JapanPopShow, that really launched him in 2008. His unique fusing of samba, reggae, electronica, funk and hip-hop earned him gigs at Central Park Summerstage, Los Angeles's Grand Performances, the Montreal Jazz Fest, the Red Hot Rio +2 concert at Brooklyn's BAM and San Francisco's Stern Grove. He's performed alongside Femi Kuti, Jorge Ben, Money Mark, Blackalicious and Juana Molina, and earned glowing accolades from the NY Times, Spin, the Village Voice and Billboard.com.

Part of a wave of evolutionary Brazilian artists updating their native soundscape, this self-professed tropicalia and funk addict now delves deeply into the electronic sound of his MPC to control the direction. 'I created different atmospheres and textures from doing a lot of research with all of the albums I have here in my house,' he says. Being that his home would not cater to a full band set-up, Arrocha dives right into the heart of his intentions: it's a warm, sensitive journey featuring gorgeous melodies floating over a wash of spacious percussion, guitars and bass, while never losing the danceable beats that his culture demands.

'The electronic angle let me work inside of the machines,' he says. 'It's a different way to do Brazilian music. But it's also part of my Japanese heritage. The thing that I'm trying to accomplish in my music is connected to the past and tradition, as well as to the future. This is a very Japanese way of looking at things.'

Kicking it off with the hard edge of 'Afoxoque,' the word is an amalgam of the Portuguese word afoxê and the English shock. 'I was programming the beat and just gave it this name. A few days later I tried to write lyrics, and I started to research what afoxoque could mean. Afoxê is a word from Yoruba, the African tradition here in Brazil, and it means 'the power of speech.' So it's the shock that happens to you from the power of language.'

Not all of the album depends on metaphysical explanation. In fact, the topics of yearning and connection, to a soulmate, family member of friend, dominates the content. 'Selvage,' the album's first single and video, is about getting wild. Having lived in downtown São Paolo for eight years, Curumin felt that past-future connection, noticing that very evolved people live daily with their primitive instincts. On 'Selvage' he waxes romantic over the 'jungle' of his former neighborhood, providing the listener with Arrocha's most upbeat, punchy track.

On 'Paris Vila Matilde' he tells a story about calling his girlfriend, who comes from the São Paolo neighborhood of Vila Matilde, while he was in France. This gorgeous two-minute gem is engulfed by that seductive term, saudade, an indescribable feeling of desire and aching made globally famous by the poetic hand of Federico García Lorca. And speaking of poets, 'Pra Nunca Mais' was penned by Arnaldo Antunes, Brazil's renowned wordsmith and singer.

'It's like you're waking up and coming out from a dream,' Curumin says of that song. 'But you don't want to wake up, so you go back to your dreams and begin to float. Then the things in the dream start to happen again, but then you are waking up again, but you don't want to.'

Following up on the many successes he garnered with JapanPopShow, Curumin has produced a record that's certain to surpass previous praise. Introduced to Six Degrees Records via his friend (and now labelmate) Céu - who guest stars on the reggae-inflected 'Vestido de prata' - he's excited to be moving in new musical directions, blending catchy tracks with an integrity and inventiveness unique unto himself. For him, this is all he could imagine himself doing.

'I'm always trying to be minimal in my music and life, just putting in what's essential and not too much information,' he concludes, in what is perhaps another quality pulled from his Japanese ancestry. 'I'm happy that the alternative scene in Brazil is building. If you just have mainstream music, nothing is creative, and no one is going to try to do anything strange. Now some people are doing strange stuff, and some people are listening to strange stuff too. This is very good.'

Matthew Halsall - Fletcher Moss Park - out on Gondwana Records

Nicolas Ragonneau — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:09:00 +0200

"To me, spiritual jazz is soulful, honest music that brings together instruments, musicians and influences from all over the world. It often has a mystical, Eastern feel to it that’s quite magical, meditative and dreamy", said trumpeter Matt Halsall in the interview we did in March. You won't find a better definition for Matt's new album, Fletcher Moss Park. Named after one of Manchester's beauty spots, this gorgeous 7-track release is his fourth on his own Gondwana label. The art cover, showing Matt in dwindling pre-dusk sunlight, sums up the album's mood: sweet, peaceful and plain compositions that ignore the musical fashions of the day. There are three distinct moments in Fletcher Moss Park. The first act features three superb modal tracks with Matt's partners-in-crime: Nat Birchall on sax, Rachael Gladwin on harp, Adam Fairhall on piano, Gavin Barras on bass and Gaz Hugues on drums. Then come two short interludes for violin, cello and double bass, leading us in another direction, something closer to the music of The Cinematic Orchestra – an obvious influence on tracks like Sailing Out To Sea or Finding My Way. Excellent keyboardist Taz Modi (Submotion Orchestra, Eddie Roberts and The Fire Eaters) and drummer Luke Flowers join in on the last two tracks, The Sun In September, with its bewitching oriental flute, and Finding my Way, an uptempo composition delivering an infectious and compelling groove. In just a few years, Matt Halsall has managed to create a sound of his own - a difficult feat horn-wise - that is unspectacular, moving and modest. Besides, understanding that silence is a central part of music, he plays just the right number of notes, elegantly leaving plenty of room for the rest of his talented band. You can download Matt's exclusive Paris DJs mix here.

Matthew Halsall - Fletcher Moss Park (CD/Digital)
Gondwana Records GONDCD007, 2012-10-15

Tracklisting :
01. Cherry Blossom 7:21
02. Fletcher Moss Park 5:45
03. Mary Emma Louise 6:36
04. Sailing Out To Sea 1:29
05. Wee Lan (Little Orchid) 2:31
06. The Sun In September 7:50
07. Finding My Way 8:17

Links :
Matthew Halsall : official | discogs | facebook | myspace | soundcloud | twitter
Gondwana Records : official | discogs | facebook | flickr | myspace | parisdjs | twitter | youtube

Press Release :
Manchester based trumpeter, composer, arranger and band-leader Matthew Halsall is one of the rising stars of the UK jazz scene. His unique sound was brilliantly described as "Rain-streaked spiritual jazz from Manchester" by the Independent On Sunday and previous albums have found Halsall exploring the modal jazz of John and Alice Coltrane or paying heartfelt tribute to the hard bop of the late '50s and early '60s, but on Fletcher Moss Park he offers his most personal statement yet.

Written and recorded over the last couple of years, Fletcher Moss Park is inspired by one of Manchester's most beautiful places. A rambling, multi-tiered park of walkways and dreamy gardens that offers the contemplative Halsall a place of peace and respite from the city, a meditative space to think and write in. The stillness and beauty of the surroundings have steeped into his beautiful compositions for this album. Elegant and sincere, Halsall's compositions draw on his love of spiritual jazz, modern dance music and even his work with the award-winning Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band earlier this year. Halsall who has recently been exploring his music in a stripped-back, electronica influenced, trio (featuring Taz Modi and Luke Flowers who also appear here) as well as the 12 piece Gondwana Orchestra has always favoured an earthy honestly and direct communication over tricksy arrangements and it is this deceptively simple openness that gives his music such a unique flavour as the young composer and producer seeks to express his feelings and thoughts with his music.

Fletcher Moss Park opens with three tracks featuring saxophonist Nat Birchall, harpist Rachael Gladwin and pianist Adam Fairhall alongside bassist Gavin Barras and drummer Gaz Hughes all long running members of Halsall's sextet. The beautiful Cherry Blossom opens with a nod to Alice Coltrane before exploring it's own contemplative trajectory, the title track features a gorgeous opening from harpist Gladwin and one of Halsall's trademark slow but foot tappingly catchy grooves, Mary Emma Louise is an elegant tribute to someone special and features some beautifully wistful playing from the composer. Sailing Out To Sea and Wee Lan offer a change in mood, two short interludes for violin (Holly Simpson and Davinder Singh), cello (Adrianne Wininsky) and double bass (Barras), Halsall chose not to play here feeling that the brief musical sketches caught his intentions perfectly. Finally the album closes with the two most recent compositions, the reposeful Sun In September which features fine work from flautist Lisa Mallett, alongside pianist Taz Modi and drummer Luke Flowers and the uplifting Finding My Way, which with it's compelling groove and fine drumming from Flowers (best known for his work with Cinematic Orchestra) offers a nod towards Halsall's love of contemporary electronic music as well as a hint of future projects. But as with the writing here you can be sure that wherever Halsall's muse takes him his music will remain heartfelt and life affirming in it's elegant directness as he explores his own unique musical terrain that stretches from the bucolic stillness of Fletcher Moss Park to a world far beyond!

Various - Ancestors Of Rap - out on Tramp Records

Djouls — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:59:00 +0200

I always thought that rap evolved from spoken word jazz & blues poetry from the late 60s, with godfathers such as The Last Poets or Gil Scott-Heron, with the first rap song ever recorded being Requiem Pour Un Con by Serge Gainsbourg (in september 1967 in France!), a vocal rap on funky breakbeats… That track always marked, until proved wrong, the starting point of Hip Hop as we know it. Well, Tramp Records label boss & rare funk/jazz vinyl digger Tobias Kirmayer goes even further in that search for the origins of rap with his Ancestors of Rap compilation, collecting some highly underrated prototype rap songs from the late 60s and early 70s. With that utterly original theme, this record sounds like a perfect Paris DJs selection, with original artwork, extensive liner notes, scans of the records the songs originate from, lots of VERY rare grooves you won't even find info about on the Internet… and amazing taste in soulful and funky music all along! We've been playing this incredible selection on repeat at Paris DJs studios ever since we received the promo and can't wait for the limited edition (1000 copies only) gatefold double LP to come out!

Various - Ancestors Of Rap A Collection of Highly Underrated Prototype Rap Songs
Compiled by Tobias Kirmayer
(CD/2LP/Digital) Tramp Records TR-9019, 2012-10-08

Ancestors of Rap by Various Artists
Tracklisting :
01. Pigmeat Markham - We Got The Number
02. Bill "Butter Ball" Crane - Steppin Tall
03. Butterball - Butterballs
04. Obsidian II - Hanging In
05. Billy Dee & Sugarbear - Everybody Says
06. James West - Hanging Out
07. Johnnie Morisette - I'm Hungry
08. Timmie Rogers - Snake Hips (At The Apollo Theatre)
09. Gary Byrd - Every Brother Ain't A Brother
10. Bobby & Deborreh Williams - The Pusher's Thang
11. Round Robin Monopoly - Little People
12. Iris Bell & Jive-Ettes - Honky Games
13. Blowfly - Sesame Street
14. James Brown - Get On The Good Foot
15. A.J. Rowe - Smoke My Pipe (The Sign Ain't Right)
16. Rufus Beacham - Do You Have A Good Woman

Links :
Listen & order on kudosrecords.co.uk
Buy on Juno, JunoDownload or HHV
Tramp Records : official | discogs | kudos (UK distribution) | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud

Press Release :
Although Tramp Records is known worldwide for its expertise in soul, funk and jazz from the 1960s and 70s, label boss Tobias Kirmayer always had a deep connection to hip hop and rap music. His dream to compile prototype rap songs has existed for quite some time. In the search of quality songs, Kirmayer realized that it takes more than to simply scratch the surface. The challenge was to locate enough proper material to meet the criteria to be called prototype rap. The answer is Ancestors of Rap.

The origins of rapping (referring to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics") go way back in history. Blues music, rooted in the work songs and spirituals of slavery, was first expressed by blacks in the Mississippi Delta region around the time of the Emancipation Proclamation. Historians have argued that the blues were being rapped as early as the 1920s. By the late 1960s spoken word jazz poetry artists like Gil Scott-Heron and The Last Poets, to name two, became predecessors of rapping.

This compilation unites the few existing soul and funk tracks from the late 1960s to early 70s that feature lyrics that are rhymed in rhythm. Alongside the famous representatives of this genre were a handful of lesser-known musicians who gave notable contributions. One of the most expressive examples is Who Got The Number by comedian Pigmeat Markham. Similar in style are Billy Dee & Sugarbear. No matter what track you select, James West, Bobby & Deborreh Williams or one of the big names like James Brown or Blowfly, you can be assured of the sheer quality and relevance of each song.

And this is it. A thunderous selection of so far mostly unknown prototype rap songs, recorded way before hip hop actually got its start in 1979. The intense research combined with the first-class quality of each song makes it clear that there won't be a Volume 2. Throw your hands in the air, and wave them like you just don't care - you are about to experience in depth the real Ancestors of Rap.

The 12-page CD-booklet contains detailed liner notes and scans of all labels. The deluxe double-gatefold LP contains the same information as the CD-booklet and is limited to 1000 copies.

Excerpt of the original liner notes :
Pigmeat Markham - We got the number (actually Who Got The Number, but the Major-label knows it better)
Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham (1904 - 1981) was an African-American comedian, singer, dancer, and actor. Markham began his career in traveling music and burlesque shows. In the 1940s he started making film appearances, in the 1950s he began appearing on television. Markham was a familiar act at New York's famed Apollo Theater. His boisterous, indecorous Heyeah (Here) Come Da Judge, which made a mockery of formal courtroom etiquette, became his signature routine. Markham was signed to Chess Records in 1964 and released several standup comedy albums. Markham cut We Got the Number, with Pigmeat bellowing a rhyming version of his act and a hot R&B band cutting the funk in the background. After a career that spanned seven decades, Markham died as a result of a stroke on December 13, 1981.

‪Pigmeat Markham - Who Got The Number‬ - hear it also on Paris DJs' latest Bag Of Goodies mix

Johnnie Morisette - I'm hungry
Johnny Morisette was born January 1, 1935 in Montu Island, South Pacific. He was raised in Mobile, Alabama, where he grew up singing with a local quartet, The Bells of Heaven. At the time, Mobile was a regular stop for touring black gospel quartets. Morisette and Sam Cooke became friends during one of his tours through Mobile. In 1952, Johnnie Morisette decided to abandon gospel and hitchhiked out to Los Angeles.He started releasing for Sam Cooke's SAR label. When SAR folded after Cooke's death, Morisette recorded sporadically for several local independent labels in styles ranging from blues to funk. I'm Hungry was recorded in the early 1970s and features the Jennell Hawkins Sextette as the backing band. Despite the fact that I'm Hungry has been a deep-funk classic since the mid 1990s you just need to listen closely to hear why this tune fits so perfectly on the compilation. Sadly, Johnnie Morisette passed away on January 8, 2000 in San Francisco, California.

Timmie Rogers - Snake hips
Timmie Rogers (1915 - 2006) was one of the first black comedians allowed to directly address a white audience when he worked. He was born in Detroit, Michigan and was earning nickels and dimes dancing on the street by the time he was 8. By 1932, Rogers was part of a successful dance team: Timmie & Freddie. They split in 1944 as blacks across the country were developing a collective voice in the name of civil rights. In 1949 Rogers came out with his signature phrase - Oh, yeah! - at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. During the 1950s and 60s he was a regular on The Jackie Gleason Show and recorded for the Cameo and Parkway labels. Rogers continued to perform on television in the 1970s but eventually faded as other comics, such as Richard Pryor, rose to fame. Rogers admired the new performers but not their language. He thought it was evidence of a performer's lack of creativity and originality when they overused 'four-letter' words. Snake Hips features an introduction by MC Honi Coles and the Stax House Band.

Blowfly - Sesame Street
Blowfly is the alternate persona of Clarence Reid (born February 14, 1939 in Cochran, Georgia). His stage name originated from his grandmother, who overheard him as a child singing Do The Twist as Suck My Dick, and said, "You is nastier than a blowfly." After moving to Miami, Florida, Reid started off writing songs for artists of the Henry Stone family including Betty Wright, Gwen McCrae, and KC & the Sunshine Band. He also recorded many songs of his own in the 60s and 70s including Nobody But You Babe. He created this alter ego to protect his career as a songwriter. As Blowfly, he has recorded numerous albums, mostly of sex-based parodies of other songs, as well as original raps themed around sex. Established record labels wouldn't release profane material so he distributed the records himself under his own Weird World label. Many of Blowfly's songs featured his style of talking in rhyme, which can be considered a primitive form of rapping.

Round Robin Monopoly - Little People
Round Robin Monopoly was the band of Robin Lloyd (Round Robin). He was a Los Angeles based singer. He got his start in the early 1960s with the regional hit Do The Slauson, for a time as something of a West Coast, dance-craze ala Chubby Checker. In fact, 'The Slauson' (a street in LA) was so popular that Robin Lloyd devoted sides of his first three 45rpm singles to the 'Slauson' theme, incl. Slauson Shuffle Time. Interestingly, Bob & Earl reportedly looked to Slauson Shuffle Time for inspiration when they whipped up the mighty Harlem Shuffle. Lloyd recorded more than a dozen 45rpm singles between 1963 and 1975, running the gamut from R&B/twist party, through soul, garage and funk. In 1974 he recorded the album Alpha under the name the Round Robin Monopoly from which Little People originates from.

Billy Dee & Sugarbear / James West / Bobby & Deborreh Williams
Little is known about Billy Dee who delivers a fine example of what we call prototype rap. Besides We Got The Number it is the only track with so called back-to-back rhymes. When I first heard this tune it blew me away, and it took more than one year to track down a copy of the original 45rpm single. Next comes James West, the "preacher man", from New York. His singing style is something between spoken-word poetry and rapping. He released both songs on Strength Records which was likely to be his own label. An interesting side-note is that Hanging Out was arranged by jazz guitarist George Benson. Another jewel with a female singer (or should I say rapper?) is The Pusher's Thang by Bobby & Deborreh Williams. It was originally released on the Chez label out of New Orleans. Not only the style of her story-telling but the critical social lyrics about a drug dealer are both way ahead of its time.

King Porter Stomp - Shuffle - out on Comm:UNITY Sounds

Djouls — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:54:00 +0200

Brighton's seven-piece ensemble King Porter Stomp has decided not to choose between hip-hop, ska, 2-tone, reggae-dub, funk and afrobeat for your own good. The result is a unique sound mixing all these genres on record or even in a single track, without losing the band's identity - a tour de force, isn't it? After their critically-acclaimed first CD released in 2008 (Poison The Beat, Comm:UNITY Sounds), they now give birth to a powerful follow-up called Shuffle. King Porter Stomp's recipe has not really changed (haunted vocals and lyrics by MC Jonezy, superb horns arrangements), but the cook gets richer with some extra flavors, like those latin rhythms on Thick and Thin or the two guests vocalists (MC Elemental and The Resonators' singer Faye Houston). The album starts with the eponymous funk and deep soul track Shuffle, followed by the heavy horns, New Orleans brass-band-style of Mileage. Among other favorites on the album are the uptempo ska Less FortunateHot Coals (a kind of sinister Fat Freddy's Drop track) and the afrobeat epilogue Mama Needs a Hand (recently included in our latest 21st Century Afro Spectacular mix). This last piece is an original composition in the tradition of Fela with a female voice (Faye Houston) answering to MC Jonezy's flow. We can't wait seeing the band live, since they announced a series of gigs on the continent later this year and in 2013.

King Porter Stomp - Shuffle
(CD/Digital) Comm:UNITY Sounds, 2012-09-03

The Shuffle by King Porter Stomp

Mileage (featuring MC Elemental) by King Porter Stomp

Thick and Thin by King Porter Stomp

Tracklisting :
01. The Shuffle 04:38
02. Mileage (featuring MC Elemental) 04:38
03. Thick and Thin 04:22
04. Breathless 05:17
05. Let It All Out 04:39
06. Less Fortunate 03:24
07. The Last Bat Train To Cuba 04:40
08. Hot Coals 04:52
09. Mama Needs a Hand (featuring Faye Houston) 06:30

Links :
Official site : kingporterstomp.co.uk
Buy on kingporterstomp.bandcamp.com

King Porter Stomp - The Shuffle

King Porter Stomp - Hot Coals

King Porter Stomp - Let It All Out

Choban Elektrik - Choban Elektrik (self-released)

Djouls — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:53:00 +0200

Last summer we did an interview with Club d'Elf's Mike Rivard (check here) when he released his gnawa fusion and psychedelic masterpiece Electric Moroccoland. Now a NYC trio lead by keyboardist Jordan Shapiro brings another kind of fusion in a taste approaching Rivard's striking improvisations. Choban Elektrik takes Albanian, Macedonian Greek and Armenian traditional songs (let's say the balkanic répertoire) and turns them to wild prog-rock-psychedelic-free-jazz mainly improvised pieces. On Choban Elektrik Frank Zappa's disciple Jordan Shapiro plays ultra-powerful, heavy and dirty Fender Rhodes and Hammond B3 - a category in which he joins his NYC heavyweights counterparts John Medeski and Marco Benevento. Tracks like Koftos or Steve's Gajda will blow your mind for good, making Shapiro and his mates a very exciting and young crew worth to follow. Probably some 'under the radar' release outside the Big Apple, but truly an impressive record from start to finish.

Choban Elektrik - Choban Elektrik
(CD/Digital) self-released, 2012-05-18

Choban Elektrik by Choban Elektrik

Tracklisting :
01. Valle E Shqipërisë Së Mesme 5:46
02. Moj Xhemile 4:57
03. Kopanitsa 5:12
04. Beratche from Prespa 4:56
05. Mom Bar 5:09
06. Koftos 3:12
07. Steve's Gajda 6:50
08. Çobankat 6:07
09. Ibraim Odza/Pusteno 4:39
010. Jasino Demarilievo Oro 5:21
011. Stankena Tehova 4:35

Links :
Official site : chobanelektrik.com
Buy on chobanelektrik.bandcamp.com

Band Members :
Jordan Shapiro : Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes, electric guitar, accordion, piano
Dave Johnsen : Electric Bass
Phil Kester : Drums, kanjira, marimba, riq, pandeiro, tuned bronze alloys
Eva Salina Primack : Vocals
Jesse Kotansky : Violin

Choban Elektrik "Kopanitsa"

Choban Elektrik "Solunski Coceck"

The Souljazz Orchestra - Solidarity - out on Strut Records

Nicolas Ragonneau — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:29:00 +0200

Solidarity is one of Paris DJs' 2012 favorite albums and undoubtely the best Souljazz Orchestra work so far. The Ottawa crew has changed almost everything on this record, reaching a new dimension. First they add latin and West indies rhythms and melodies, samba and reggae (Jericho, sung by Slim Moore) to their usual afrobeat and spiritual jazz musical landscapes. The sound is also very different. We love this raw, sticky and greasy production, giving the impression that the whole band is playing behind some thick curtain and through amps falling to pieces. At last guitars are widely used for the first time with a great spatial effect. Absolutely no weak moments on this album, loaded with hits, incredible protest or psychedelic anthems (listen to the cinematic Conquering Lion, its powerful intro and its frantic and dirty keys). Like every great platter, Solidarity does sound like an instant classic - as if this music was here a long time ago. As if it's always been here.

The Souljazz Orchestra - Solidarity
(CD/2LP/Download) Strut Records, 2012-09-18

The Souljazz Orchestra - Cartão Postal by Strut

Tracklisting :
01. Bibinay 6:22
02. Kelen Ati Leen 3:38
03. Cartão Postal 3:55
04. Ya Basta 3:42
05. Jericho 3:26
06. Serve & Protect 6:26
07. Conquering Lion 4:13
08. Kingpin 3:43
09. Tanbou Lou 3:18
10. Nijaay 4:08

Links :
Buy it on Juno
The Souljazz Orchestra : official | discogs | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | twitter | youtube
Strut Records : official | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | twitter | youtube
Artwork by Lewis Heriz

Album Info :
Canada's hardest working super-group, The Souljazz Orchestra, are back! Since our last project together, 2010's Rising Sun, the band has been refining its sound on the road, and it shows on Solidarity which boasts a muscular, plugged-in sound that positively commands dancing. The album showcases a diverse set of influences, buoyed by the many featured vocalists, all of whom are connected to the group through the Canadian music scene, yet hail from a variety of backgrounds, from Senegal to Brazil to Jamaica and beyond. Recorded on vintage gear, the music packs a punch which is often lacking on contemporary recordings. Solidarity comes out September 18th, but we'll make sure to share some new music before that. The band will be touring internationally around the release, so look for them soon near you! (Source : Strut Records)

SOLIDARITY INTERNATIONAL RELEASE TOUR
Sep 22 - Ottawa, ON - Babylon
Oct 10 - Paris, France - La Bellevilloise
Oct 11 - Pau, France - Showcase Time
Oct 12 - Marseille, France - Cabaret Aléatoire
Oct 13 - Lille, France - Bal à Fives
Oct 14 - Chalon-sur-Saône, France - La Péniche
Oct 17 - Lyon, France - Afrosoul Festival - La Marquise
Oct 18 - Milan, Italy - Black Gusto Live
Oct 19 - Bordeaux, France - BT59
Oct 20 - Montpellier, France - Le Jam
Oct 22 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
Oct 23 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - MC Theatre
Oct 24 - Vienna, Austria - Cabaret Fledermaus
Oct 25 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Bratislava Jazz Days
Oct 26 - Prague, Czech Republic - Agharta
Oct 27 - České Budějovice, Czech Republic - South Bohemia Jazzfest
Oct 28 - Dornbirn, Austria - Conrad Sohm
Oct 31 - Cologne, Germany - Stadtgarden
Nov 01 - Athens, Greece - Gazarte
Nov 02 - Athens, Greece - Gazarte
Nov 03 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Gaia Live
Nov 04 - London, UK - Jazz Cafe
Nov 09 - Toronto, ON - Wrongbar
Nov 10 - Kingston, ON - The Mansion
Nov 15 - Québec, QC - Le Cercle
Nov 16 - Montréal, QC - Le Belmont
Nov 17 - Gatineau, QC - Petit Chicago
Nov 28 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
Nov 29 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
Nov 30 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
Dec 01 - Washington, DC - Jammin Java
Dec 02 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
Dec 04 - Buffalo, NY - Nietzsche's
Dec 05 - Detroit, MI - The Crofoot
Dec 06 - Columbus, OH - Woodlands Tavern
Dec 07 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
Dec 08 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
* w/ Zongo Junction

More tour dates to come…

Soul Sugar - Hands On EP - out now!

Nicolas Ragonneau — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:13:00 +0200

Off the hills of Paris Montmartre comes the man behind Soul Sugar: Guillaume Méténier is regarded as one of Europe's grooviest keyboardists. He's specialized in vintage keyboards such as Clavinet, Fender Rhodes, and most of all B3 Hammond organ. After his critically acclaimed first album Nothing But the Truth (Freestyle Records, 2010), he's back with a new soul/jazz/dub gem titledHands On, a limited edition EP featuring tracks from the forthcoming eponym album, plus an exclusive remix by Blundetto. As a disciple of the legendary Dr. Lonnie Smith with whom he regularly studies organ, Guillaume belongs to a great blues, soul jazz and funk ancestry stretching from Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Brother Jack Macduff, to Booker T, Art Neville, Bernie Worrell, and Jamaica greats like Jackie Mittoo. He brings his own ingredients and smooth style to the stainless soul-jazz trio recipe.

Soul Sugar - Hands On EP
(limited CD) Soul Sugar, 2012

"Hands on" EP preview by Soul Sugar

Tracklisting :
01. Witch Doctor
 02. Hands On
 03. Theme From King Heroin
 04. Hit The 5
 05. Drum Song
 06. Theme from King Heroin (Blundetto Dub Mix) (bonus track)

Links :
Buy Soul Sugar music on Juno
Soul Sugar : facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | twitter | youtube

Credits :
Guillaume Metenier : Hammond organ, Clavinet, mini Moog
 Thomas Naim : guitar
 Yvo Abadi : drum
Horns on "Hit the 5" & "Theme from King heroin"
 Etienne de la Sayette : saxophones / flute - arranger
 Sylvain Gontard : trumpet
 Georges Philippe : trombone
"Theme from King heroin-Dub Mix" remixed by Blundetto, mixed by Blackjoy

Biography : Prior to the Soul Sugar project, Guillaume was half of Seven Dub, a cornerstone of the "french touch" at the end of the 90's, delivering one of the best mix of live and electronics around at the time with hit tracks like "Rock it tonight" or "Chateau rouge" currently featured on many cult compilations such as Hotel Costes vol.1.The two partners in crime also produced remixes for the likes of Femi Kuti, Horace Andy v/s King Tubby, Dubblestandart vs Sly & Robbie...
A sought-after sideman, Guillaume has worked with/for The Last Poets, Tanger, Emilie Simon, Louis Chédid, Alain Bashung, Grant Phabao & Lone Ranger/Carlton Livingston, Gizelle Smith, Blundetto and even french rock legend Johnny Hallyday, just to name a few... He's played keyboards with his friend Kid Loco ever since Kidʼs very first cult album 'A Grand Love Story' (1998).

Bonus
Listen to Soul Sugar's demo cover of Augustus Pablo's "East of River Nile"

East of the river nile - demo - (A.Pablo) by Soul Sugar

Roy Porter Sound Machine - The Story Of 1971-1975 - out on Tramp Records

Djouls — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 11:55:00 +0200

The upcoming months looks promising for German label Tramp Records, with some fantastic records planned for release, starting with a long-awaited Roy Porter Sound Machine reissue. A regular of the 50s/60s San Francisco jazz scene, Roy Porter in the late 60s began working with a trio which he called Roy Porter Sounds, later changed to Roy Porter Sound Machine when he began to add more horns and other instruments. This anthology of the American jazz drummer covers his 1970s recordings, with all the tracks from his 1971 album Jessica and also from his 1975 one, Inner Feelings, both sought-after essential rare groove vinyl rarities that would cost a few hundreds to grab, properly mastered. The former is a beatmaker's paradise, full of breaks, beats and shuffles to kill for, while the latter is as crazily funky and soulful. The CD booklet contains a detailed biography and many photographs from the 1940s/50s/60s/70s but it's the vinyl version we're highly recommending here, a deluxe double-gatefold vinyl LP, strictly limited to 500 copies so don't hesitate for a second!

Roy Porter Sound Machine - The Story Of Roy Porter Sound Machine 1971-1975
(CD/2LP/Digital) Tramp Records TR-9018, 2012-09-10

The Story of Roy Porter Sound Machine by Roy Porter Sound Machine
Tracklisting :
01. Jessica (Vocal)
02. Funky Twitch
03. Hip City
04. Wavering
05. Hense-Forth
06. Jessica (Instrumental)
07. Love You
08. Ohh-la-la
09. Funny Feelin'
10. Drums For Daryl *
11. Wow
12. Panama (Vocal)
13. Party Time
14. Panama (instrumental)
15. Out On The Town Tonight
16. Givin' Me The Blues
* CD bonus track

02, 03, 05, 06, 08, 10, 11 from the album 'Jessica' (1971)
01, 04, 07, 09, 12, 13, 15, 16 from the album 'Inner Feelings' (1975)
14 from Tramp Records 7 inch 'Panama' (TR-14, 2012), originally released in 1976

Links :
Listen & order on kudosrecords.co.uk
Buy on Juno or HHV
Roy Porter : | wikipedia
Tramp Records : official | discogs | kudos (UK distribution) | myspace | parisdjs

Press Release :
Roy Porter was born in a small mining town but he moved to Colorado Springs with his mother at the age of eight, following the death of his father. In school he took lessons on the clarinet, however he always wanted to play drums. On Saturday nights he would hear radio broadcasts of Duke Ellington and Jimmie Lunceford. He also heard Chick Webb's famous drum solo Liza that made him even more determined to play drums.

Roy graduated from high school in 1941 and decided to enroll at Wiley College in Dallas, Texas. In March of 1943, after he was the drummer for the Wiley Collegians' College band for almost two years, he had to leave college because his mother had become gravely ill. When she died one year later, he moved to Los Angeles where he played with guitarist Teddy Bunn. In 1945 he joined the quintet of trumpeter Howard McGhee. Bebop was just coming to fruition as a form at that time, and Porter was an enthusiastic convert to the new ways. His opportunity to link up with Charlie Parker arrived when Dizzy Gillespie brought a quintet from New York which featured the saxophonist. Parker wanted Porter on drums for his now classic Dial session on 28 March 1946, which was released as the Charlie Parker Septet. Parker went back to N.Y. And Porter continued to work with McGhee until 1947. In 1948 Porter put together a highly ambitious modernist big band which included future jazz greats Eric Dolphy, Art Farmer and Herb Geller. He played for a time on the San Francisco jazz scene with the likes of Hampton Hawes and Sonny Criss. In 1953 his addiction to heroin led to a two years stint in prison. Back on the jazz scene in 1955, he was featured in many different settings with Joe Liggins, Earl Bostic, Louis Jordan, Perez Prado, and Clifton White.

In the late 1960s he began working with a trio which he called Roy Porter Sounds. He later changed it to Roy Porter Sound Machine when he began to add more horns and other instruments. During the 1970s, Porter was busy playing gigs with the Sound Machine. They performed at dinner houses, nightclubs, and a lot of private parties for dancing. He released two albums under Roy Porter Sound Machine, „Jessica“ (1971) and „Inner Feelings“ (1975). Porter retired from performing in 1978 on health grounds, but continued to give workshops and ran his publishing company. At the age of 71 he released his last album titled Roy Porter Sound Machine '94 – Generation. Four years later, Roy Porter passed away on 25 January 1998.

The CD booklet contains his detailed biography and many photographs from the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s. The deluxe double-gatefold vinyl LP is limited to 500 copies.

The Cactus Channel - Haptics - out on HopeStreet Recordings

Djouls — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 19:44:00 +0200

After a "funky as hell, while catchy and melodious as candy" first 7 inch (reviewed here), ten piece high school funk orchestra from Melbourne The Cactus Channel have now released their first album, available on beautiful gatefold vinyl, CD and digital through HopeStreet Recordings, a label we wrote about many times already and who still hasn't found a distributor for France. You won't find the two tracks from this 7 inch on the LP, but instead 10 new killer funk instrumentals, including the previous 45 we played in The Friday Night Session mix a few months back, Emmanuel Ciccolini, a monster high-octane bassy funk tune. Other highlights include The Colour of Don Don, which sounds like Daptone soul, the blaxploitation flick sounding Level Up or the afrofunky Jungle Run recalling early Budos Band material. Hot!

The Cactus Channel - Haptics
(LP/CD/Digital) HopeStreet Recordings HS008, 2012-08-03

The Cactus Channel - Haptics by HopeStreet Recordings

Tracklisting :
01. Emanuel Ciccolini 3:21
02. The Colour Of Don Don 4:04
03. Derty D's Thang 3:28
04. Budokan 3:51
05. Tom Has Ideas 4:15
06. Level Up 3:24
07. Boss Cat 4:04
08. Jungle Run 3:12
09. Under The Birdcage 3:56
10. Hot Teeth 12:37

Links :
Buy it on Juno
The Cactus Channel : official | discogs | facebook | myspace | soundcloud | youtube
HopeStreet Recordings : official | discogs | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | twitter | youtube

Press Release :
Hear that sound? Raw, loose and nasty funk, recorded straight to analog tape. It's just like the old days, but so new it's sporting a badass teenage moustache. Now that Melbourne funk sensation The Cactus Channel have graduated high school, they're taking their own brand of high-octane, instrumental car chase funk and smooth soundtrack soul to the people with their debut, Haptics. On the road and on the airwaves, 2012 is the year The Cactus Channel come of age.

Back in 2009, the founding members of The Cactus Channel were already jamming on some classic soul feels, tripping on Eddie Bo, James Brown and their contemporaries, and using words like "Boss" and "Cat" while trying make it through year 10 in 21st Century Australia. What began as experimentation in Junior Stage Band developed into outright insubordination in Senior Jazz Ensemble and by 2011 The Cactus Channel were an out of control ten piece funk orchestra with the momentum of a runaway train who could count The Dap Kings' Tom Brenneck and soul legend Charles Walker as fans.

How did members of the iTunes generation get on to those rare and deep seventies sounds at the age of 14? The internet, of course! Also, who really cares? It works! No matter what year it is, or sounds like it is, these records are great. From triple j Unearthed to FatBeats Records in NYC, people all over the place love this band.

The Cactus Channel deliver on all their precocious promise with this super heavy full length debut LP. Haptics is chock full of deep funk, jazzed-up soul and boogaloo hits, all informed by a canny sense of soundtrack-ready drama, loaded with tight, hard grooves and one strong track after another. The Cactus Channel is ready to roll!

"Tightly raw soul, rambling deep-funk jams and organ-driven party mash-ups" - THE AGE
"Infectiously funky sounds... a horn-fuelled, butt-shaking affair" - triple j HOME & HOSED
"It's old-fashioned, gritty and down-home soul music – by a bunch of white teenagers from Melbourne" - THE MONTHLY
"Brilliant... The Cactus Channel are poised to take over the world with their sweaty, nasty, funky sounds" - BEAT
"Haptics is quite simply a near-perfect funk album... A rich cluster of solid, compelling instrumental pieces" - DRUM MEDIA

The Bombay Royale - You Me Bullet Love - out on HopeStreet Recordings

Djouls — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 19:41:00 +0200

You might remember Sote Sote Adhi Raat, the first taste of this album from The Bombay Royale, a bonkers Bollywood Disco track we played in our Block Party 2011 end-fo-the-year mix. Or the album opener, Monkey Fight Snake featured in our Bag of Goodies Vol.5 mix, which sounds like The Budos Band with tablas on acid in a Sergio Leone movie. Maybe you've heard our Friday Night Session mix for Andrew Jervis? We picked The Bombay Royale's "James Bond in Delhi" track The Perfect Plan for this one. We'll be playing their "Kill Bill in Rahjastan" title track You Me Bullet Love in the next Bag of Goodies mix and have even invited Australian record collector DJ MAnchild to do a Disco Dandia mix on Paris DJs showcasing the funky Indian music that had influenced the band. This is what Quentin Tarentino would produce is he was to do an original soundtrack to a film he would shoot in Bollywood. One of the records of the year or my name is not Lakshmanan!

The Bombay Royale - You Me Bullet Love
(LP/CD/Digital) HopeStreet Recordings HS007, 2012-05-08

The Bombay Royale - You Me Bullets Love by HopeStreet Recordings

Tracklisting :
01. Monkey Fight Snake 3.34
02. You Me Bullets Love 4.37
03. Jaan Pehechan Ho 4.28
04. Sote Sote Adhi Raat 4.14
05. The Perfect Plan 3.39
06. Bobbywood 4.16
07. Mahindra Death Ride 3.41
08. Oh Sajna 2.40
09. Dacoit's Choice 3.46
10. Phone Baje Na 7.26

Links :
Buy it on Juno
The Bombay Royale : official | bandcamp | discogs | facebook | myspace | soundcloud | youtube
Hope Street Recordings : official | discogs | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | twitter | youtube

The Bombay Royale - You Me Bullet Love

Press Release :
The Bombay Royale are dedicated to bringing music and mayhem of vintage Indian cinema back to the future, where it belongs. Their debut album You Me Bullets Love is a blend of haunting Hindi and Bengali vocals, pulsing deep funk and disco breaks and shimmering surf-a-delica. Expect huge horn riffs, wild spaghetti guitar, bustling tabla, screaming organs and all the synthesizers, sitars and strings that made the music of 1960s and 1970s Bollywood so electrifying. Starring vocalists Parvyn Kaur Singh as "The Mysterious Lady" and Shourov Bhattacharya as "The Tiger," You Me Bullets Love is the soundtrack to a story of espionage, excitement, extended dance sequences and the eternal power of true love.

The golden age of Bollywood was a riot of saturated color and dramatic excess and the music that accompanied it was unmatched in bizarre experimentation, deep sophistication and outright funky badness: a treasure trove for sample hungry hiphop heads and secretive, vinyl-obsessed funk collectors. Musical director Andy Williamson ("The Skipper") formed The Bombay Royale to bring the hidden musical gems of that lost era out into the light. The originators, people like R.D Burman, Asha Bhosle and Mohammed Rafi are still household names in India, but largely unknown in the outside world. The Bombay Royale is here to rectify that situation. You Me Bullets Love is for the neophytes and enthusiasts alike, a combination of vibrant original material and vintage Hindi superhits. Available on Gatefold LP, CD and digital worldwide, You Me Bullets Love sounds like no other record you will buy this year.

You Me Bullets Love is out now through HopeStreet Recordings via Fuse Music Group, and worldwide in May.

The Bombay Royale - Sote Sote Ahdi Raat

Slavic Soul Party - Jackson - out on Electric Cowbell

Djouls — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:43:00 +0200

Electric Cowbell Records introduces us - once again - to something really different, while still very high on the groovy side. Slavic Soul Party is a brass band from New York playing "BalkanSoul GypsyFunk", a heavy combination of Balkanese and Gypsy music with American Soul, Funk and Jazz. Serbian brass stars Boban Markovic Orkestar and New Orleans funk sensations Galactic covered some of their tracks, and we played them in the 10th volume of our Bag of Goodies selections. Nuff' said!

Slavic Soul Party - Jackson b/w Gangsta
(7") Electric Cowbell Records EC026, 2012-07-13

Slavic Soul Party - Jackson by Electric Cowbell

Slavic Soul Party - Gangsta by Electric Cowbell

Tracklisting :
A1. Jackson
B1. Gangsta

Links :
Buy it on Juno
More info on Slavic Soul Party on slavicsoulparty.com or on electric-cowbell.com
Electric Cowbell Records : official | bandcamp | discogs | facebook | parisdjs | soundcloud | twitter

Press Release :
"Jackson" is a karşilama (9/8 rhythm) that was the result of sitting around on a couch with a little old Casio keyboard, in the tiny village of Jackson, PA, contemplating the global reach of the king of pop: Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson might be the closest thing to "world music" if you mean music that the whole world has heard. It seems impossible now to ever appeal to that many people again at the same time. But what if Michael Jackson had grown up Roma in Serbia?

"Gangsta" is a tune of unknown origin (to SSP! anyway) that was a big hit in the southern Serbian brass band scene a few years back. We first heard it when we were hanging out in Vranje with Ekrem Mamutović; he led his band through it at a rehearsal and we fell in love with it instantly. The next day we asked him to teach it to us, and he said he couldn't – it's their hot new tune, and he couldn't give away the trade secret. We definitely respected that. The next day in the car, we put on the latest Boban and Marko Marković album, and there was a version of the tune on the album, attributed to Marko. With competing claims as to whose hot new tune it was, we decided it was open season and whipped out our recording of the rehearsal. Peter Stan said with wonderment, "that tune is so gangsta", and lo it had a title.

Chico Trujillo - Gran Pecador - out on Electric Cowbell

Djouls — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:20:00 +0200

Watch the dancefloor go crazy with Chico Trujillo's unique & heavy blend of Balkanese Cumbia party tunes, specialy selected by Electric Cowbell Records for the 7 inch format. The A side from this Chilean band limited vinyl, Gran Pecador, is just massive, a singalong monster for all kinds of open-minded bars and clubs. B-side is more chic, a kind of latin-funk wedding song with breakbeats. Will definitively play this one in the next Bag of Goodies mix!

Chico Trujillo - Gran Pecador b/w Caleta Vargas
(7") Electric Cowbell Records EC025, 2012-06-11

Chico Trujillo - Gran Pecador by Electric Cowbell

Chico Trujillo - Caleta Vargas by Electric Cowbell

Tracklisting :
A1. Gran Pecador
B1. Pink Wasabi

Links :
Buy it on Juno
More info on Chico Trujillo on chicotrujillo.com or on electric-cowbell.com
Electric Cowbell Records : official | bandcamp | discogs | facebook | parisdjs | soundcloud | twitter

Press Release :
Fresh heat from Chile on 45RPM vinyl collector's edition made available by a cozy relationship between Electric Cowbell and Barbes Records. Chico Trujillo is one of Chile's most important bands. They are the soundtrack to every party from Arica to Punta Arenas. Their mixture of classic cumbia, bolero, reggae, latin american and Balkanic music has assured them an audience from every generation and walk of life. They tour the world extensively and never seem to stop. This record will appeal to fans of Balkan Beat Box, Chicha Libre, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Roots of Chicha, cumbia, uninhibited dancing and raw, unbridaled adventures in sound.

Orquesta el Macabeo - El Sueño - out on Electric Cowbell

Djouls — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:10:00 +0200

On the top of the game in the modern digging business, Electric Cowbell Records are presenting here two awesome tracks from Puerto Rico's Orquesta el Macabeo for worldwide DJs willing to put tear the roof off with some amazingly uptempo salsa madness. Get this 7 inch before it's sold out cos' once again is a very limited pressing… We'll play the killer funky groove of the A side El Sueño in the next Bag of Goodies mix to prove our point!

Orquesta el Macabeo - El Sueño b/w Cogiendo Pon
(7") Electric Cowbell Records EC023, 2012-06-11

Orquesta el Macabeo - El Sueño by Electric Cowbell

Orquesta el Macabeo - Cogiendo Pon by Electric Cowbell

Tracklisting :
A1. El Sueño
B1. Cogiendo Pon

Links :
Buy it on Juno
More info on Orquesta el Macabeo on orquestaelmacabeo.com or on electric-cowbell.com
Electric Cowbell Records : official | bandcamp | discogs | facebook | parisdjs | soundcloud | twitter

Press Release :
Scorching fresh heat from Puerto Rico. Orquesta de Macabeo delivers classic old-school salsa with a punk rock DIY intensity. Very limited pressing of this 45! Available from our online shop and select record stores. This release made possible by the collaboration of 5 independent record labels: Electric Cowbell, Discos de Hoy, CMR, Lucha Libre Discos, Entes Anomicos, Canya de la Muntanya.

The Apples - Fly On It - out on Audio Montage

Djouls — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:42:00 +0200

The Apples are an AMAZING funk band from Tel-Aviv, who's already been heavily featured on Paris DJs, with their incredible cover of Rage Against The Machine (played in Grant Phabao & Djouls Are Molesting Laura Vol.8, january 2008), the no less incredible cover of Snap! (played in Who Is Molesting Laura ? part 6, august 2009), or its b-side (played by Flevans in his March 2009 Mix). The band was also massively present in our Israeli Funk mix (Paris DJs & Jewpop present Funk, Soul, Reggae & Hip Hop From Tel-Aviv) and their latest single, Thang, was the killer opening track from our march 2012 monthly Bag of Goodies selection. Fly On It is already their 5th album, after Mitz (Bumbaklaat, 2003), which they recorded for themselves, Attention! (Audio Montage, 2005), recorded because there was a demand for more material, Buzzin' About (Freestyle, 2008), which happened because The Apples had been given an advance in a record deal, and Kings (Freestyle, 2010), released because of two recording sessions with legendary musicians Fred Wesley (James Brown/JBs) and Israeli music legend Shlomo Barr (Habrira Hativeet). Recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios, Fly on It is their most achieved and intense record yet. With higher peaks and lower deeps, it really captures the essence of The Apples' live vibe. A sure-fire winner and already a contender for our favorite albums of the year!

The Apples - Fly On It
(CD/LP/Digital) Audio Montage Entertainment AM016, 2012-08-06

The Apples - Powder / Thang by Outpost Music PR

Tracklisting :
01. Preserve 5:34
02. Fly On It 2:48
03. Sixth Stream 6:34
04. Thang 4:59
05. Rhinocerize 6:00
06. Looking For Trouble 5:01
07. Powder 3:50
08. Do The Car Horn 3:42

Links :
Buy on Juno
Connect with The Apples on theapples.net, facebook, myspace or youtube
Connect with Audio Montage Entertainment on amontage.net or on soundcloud

‪The Apples live Sala Sol, Madrid‬

Butch Cassidy Sound System - Echo Tone Defeat - out on Oldap Music

Djouls — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:42:00 +0200

The Butch Cassidy Sound System is a Reggae/Funk/Dub project by Michael Hunter who also records under the pseudonym Pablo. in the same musical universe as Grant Phabao or Ticklah, he describes his music as "a melting pot of keyboards, bleepsn drums, echoes & reverbs". His 2004 album Butches Brew, now a heavy vinyl collector, is a classic we've been playing ever since, to every reggae lover who came to the Paris DJs studios. Last year he self-released a Michael Hunter electronic/rock/soundtrack album, State of Flux, and now the long-awaited second Butch Cassidy Sound System long player is finally happening, Echo Tone Defeat, out on CD and digital, with a 12 inch vinyl coming out soon. Again this is a self-release so don't hesitate to buy directly form the artist… This 2nd album, 8 years later, sounds like the perfect follow-up to his seminal classic blending roots reggae, dub and funk, exactly what we expected! Michael gladly accepted our invitation do share his love of reggae with Paris DJs listeners with an exclusive mix to download here.

Butch Cassidy Sound System
(CD/Digital) Oldap Music, 2012-06-11

Tracklisting :
01. Ready Dread
02. Melodic B
03. The Pressure
04. Hang Up
05. Bear In The Den
06. Pulsar City
07. Radioactive
08. Fireball
09. Echo Tone Defeat

Links :
Full discography 1998-2005 on djouls.com/butchcassidy
Butch Cassidy Sound System : official | bandcamp | discogs | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | wikipedia
Olbap Music : official

Exclusive mix for Paris DJs :