30.4.2007 von mk.

2006 was the year Kraak & Smaak made the jump from being a cool retro-funk act pumping out some essential vinyl releases to a world beating live act with one of the funkiest debut albums in recent history. In between releasing their own records and touring the US, UK, their home country of Holland and everywhere in-between they also found time to do some serious re-rubs of friends, acquaintances and the odd superstars work.
So first off how did the Jamiroquai remixes come about? “Well” says Oscar “the Kraak & Smaak yacht is coincidentally moored next to Jay Kay’s in Ibiza and often time when he came back from a night out at Pacha he would hear our tunes and ask for a remix. To start off with we said no but then one day as we were mooring the yacht after a day out at sea we did quite a lot of damage to his boat and so we did the remix as a way of making things right between us”
Whoa - serious story there boys and what about the Mark Rae mix? “Well that was a little bit more straightforward” says Mark Kneppers “We are members of the same parachute club and he used to play me stuff on his ipod when we were in the plane on the way up. I really loved Medicine so we agreed to remix it. Oscar drops some incredible Rhodes at the end of it that’s made it a big favourite with the jazz heads”
And the Dorfmeister mix? “Just a chance connection” says Wim ” I was mountain climbing in Nepal and I like to use some little chants to keep my concentration. One of them is “I like the Nightlife, I Like to Boogie” I was saying it over and over to myself as I climbed a very steep internal corridor of Annapurna - what I didn’t realise is the acoustics carried and amplified the chant down the valley to where Richard Dorfmeister was trekking. He’d recently completed his Boogie No More track and when he heard this chant come echoing down from above he decided it would fit perfectly on a remix. He waited for me to come down and proposed it to me on the spot. Bizarre really.”
And the other mixes on the album? “Well most of them have a story attached. Some of them were done for the labels we’re signed to, others were done for friends for instance Mimezine is a band that our bass player was in before, others were done for exposure when nobody knew us and just occasionally we did one because we needed the money. But even those ones we showed full love to and gave them the proper Kraak & Smaak treatment.”
And treat them they did because unlike most remix albums this doesn’t sound like a cobbled together collection, these all sound like Kraak & Smaak tracks. You can tell that the band really put a lot of themselves into each remix they do and the mixes have a common theme of uncommon funk. Funk is kind of an overused word these days but when you’ve got it you’ve got it and these boys got it big time.

Label: jalapeno

Listen

Geschrieben in Review | 1 Kommentar »

24.4.2007 von mk.

Debut album from English singer/songwriter Kathy Diamond, produced by Maurice Fulton. Can 2007 get any better than these songs? “‘Miss Diamond To You’ is (…) the most exciting piece of modern boogie, disco or soul music this year will have to offer” (Groove, March 2007). Incl. the club hits “All Woman” & “Over”.
After the great success of the 12″ vinyl teaser releases “All Woman” (PERMVAC 005-1) and “Over” (PERMVAC 008-1) here finally is the full debut album by Kathy Diamond.
Kathy Diamond is a singer/songwriter originally from Sheffield, England, but now lives in London. She listened to mainly soul and disco at home as that was the music her mum played. As she grew up she was inspired to write and sing herself and has been doing so since 1993, working with many different writers, musicians and producers within many genres. In 2002 she wrote a song called “Miracles Just Might” with writers/producers Swag. It didn’t make it on the Swag album so Kathy raised the money and released it herself on white label.The reviews were excellent. Within a month “Sunshine” was released on the Idjut Boys’ Cottage label. Again, the reviews were great. The Idjuts also used this track for their compilation “Press Play” on Tirk Records in 2005. On there, Kathy’s track also caused quite a stir.
In the past two years Kathy concentrated on writing a collection of songs in preparation for a solo career and here is the result. Kathy’s voice and great production make this a strong as hell bundle demonstrating how good pop music can sound today.

Label: Permanent Vacation

Listen

Geschrieben in Review | 1 Kommentar »

24.4.2007 von mk.

The Compost Black Label Compilation #2 features tracks by legendary producers like Move D and Patrick Pulsinger alongside newcomers like TJ Kong & Nuno Dos Santos or DJ Enne. The diversity in sound ranges from cosmic to acid, from Studio R’s audio chemistry with b-boy energy to Phreek Plus One’s space bass disco.
Two years ago Compost Records was breaking new grounds with the formation of the Black Label Series. The aim was to put Compost back on the dancefloor map and into the cases of the worlds leading international DJs. The formula was easy: less jazz and soul - more disco and tech house. The outcome wasn’t the “typical” Compost sound anymore which people related with the Munich based label. This was bleepy and creepy, dark and pumping! Distinguishable by its artwork, colour and sound, the Black Label Series turned out to be the perfect imprint to release forward thinking club tracks, DJ tools and sonic experiments. To this day there are 18 releases on the Black Label imprint and each 12″ is getting mad love round the globe from DJs as well as reviewers.
To give those people who don’t own a turntable the opportunity to enjoy the Black Label sound, Compost offers the highlights from the much acclaimed 12″ series on two special CD compilations. While last years Volume 1 covered the meanwhile classic releases #1 to #8, the second part provides you with the stand out cuts from the more recent #9 to #18.
The Black Label Series will continue! With releases #19 (Jay Shepheard) and #20 (Matt Flores) already in the pipeline, Compost is prepared to rock the future - “cause Zeitgeist won’t stop!” (De:Bug on Compost Black Label Series)

Label: Compost Records

Listen

Geschrieben in Review | 1 Kommentar »

18.4.2007 von mk.

Originally formed in 1992. The first EP saw the launch of the record label “Moving Shadow”. Subsequent releases have appeared on Rising High and Good Looking as well as ‘UCMG-Millennium Jazz’ and on a number of compilations including Orbital’s ‘Back to Mine’ compilation. Earth Leakage Trip is energy leaking from the earth, into our souls, taking us on a journey, the ‘trip’.

Musicians include Aluna Francis (vocals) Neil Sanford (Drums, Keyboards, Trumpet, Artwork) Tony Lobue (Guitar, Bass, Percussion) and Adam Stringer (Flutes)

Earth Leakage Trip Biography

Neil Sanford

I started making music as soon as I could reach the keys on the piano, composing simple progressions. After two years at art college, the acid house scene blew up, and was an inspiration to invest in some equipment to make dance music. Soon after I met up with Rob Playford, who had yet to form moving shadow, he liked the music and suggested releasing the music on his new label. I joined forces with Simon Carter (Crystal Distortion) and Earth Leakage Trip was born. The success of the Psychotronic EP has followed me everywhere, and this EP has had much acclaim since, leading me further into the music scene, going to many warehouse parties in between producing technofunk in the studio and drumming in Cosmic Radio for pleasure. While jamming with Tony, it became my ambition to fuse the two music forms together, this lead ELT to reform, and form Sanford Lobue Productions. personal philosophy. My motivation for the music is to catch vibes. We found that jamming in the studio created a spiritual transcendence that we all felt. Capturing this atmosphere has become the essence of ELT.

Tony Lobue

I started playing guitar at the age of 8, going on to start 2 or 3 bands during my school years, playing blues and funk to punk. Things took a leap forward around 1990 when I started together with Neil Sanford, forming ‘Cosmic Radio’, a free improvisation trip funk jazz band, playing a few local gigs and recording a multitude of stoned out 90 minute tapes. We received much acclaim for what we did, pushing forward the boundaries of what was expected from a live band, mainly for the fact that we didn’t know what we were going to do until we did it! It was around the same time Neil released the groundbreaking EP ‘doors are where the windows should be’, the first EP on Moving Shadow (see discog). Through the studio productions Neil was working on and the productions I was putting together in the studio, a partnership was formed for studio work with various tracks being recorded and released on various labels, under the name of Sanford Lobue and Earth Leakage Trip.

Label: sanford lobue productions

Listen

Geschrieben in Review | 1 Kommentar »

13.4.2007 von mk.

Quite some time has passed since GOGO Music unleashed the worldwide acclaimed debut album of Raw Artistic Soul “What About Love” and moved the global world music-scene, Deep house, Freestyle and Afrobeat music fraternities alike. Fresh for 2007 Phil Kullmann delivers an outstanding rich tapestry of dancefloor-grooves with his second album “You Got Rhythm Too”.
Raw Artistic Soul music lifts borders between genres and has a unique defined sound, drawing from fat house-beats, timeless good funk, warm soul, driving afrobeats, virtuous jazz vibes and skillful deep song intimacy. With a musical horizon and background to send the average beat-hobbyist pale, top-percussionist, remixer and producer from Cologne, Phil Kullmann has set another distinct exclamation mark on the music scene. Having previously gained so much respect around the globe, Phil’s work has been championed by the international dancefloor-elite including Osunlade, Kenny Dope, Dimitri from Paris, Karizma, Bobby & Steve, Franck Roger, DJ Deep, Roger Sanchez and more. Alongside his long-term musical partner Michael “Nivalito” Ehnes, Kullmann delivers an impressive broadside on “You Got Rhythm Too” sporting a superb playing team of musicians including Domingo Patricio on flute, Flamenco-wunderkind Rafaél Cortes on Accoustic-Guitar, Patrick Wieland on E-Guitar, Lillo Scrimali on the Accordion and Christoph Titz on Trumpet and Flugelhorn, as well as some illustrious guests on vocals.
Brilliant drum-programming, very soulful arrangements, jazz-coloured soundscapes, crisp substantial percussive layers topped off with live strings build the perfect platform for guest-appearances. Vocalist include:
Masters At Work approved vocal Icon Wunmi who features on the acclaimed single “Oya O”, the US-Exceptional Poet Ursula Rucker whose brilliance can be heard on “The Light” and regular cohort and Cuban vocalist Edisney Portales Vega on “Pa La Loma”. The album also features the new Raw Artistic Soul discovery, John Gibbons, a folk/soul vocalist who is featured on the current soulful smash “Keep On Shining” which recently hit number #1 on the ultra-credible download-platform Traxsource within shortest time. John is also featured on the closing track “In Their Eyes”. “You Got Rhythm Too” also features a fantastic selection of instrumental tracks, including last years disco/jazz fused WMC hit “Miami Theme”, the very funky “Zaab” which oozes succulent brass stabs with a smattering of Scat vocals, the beautiful sun-drenched “Bayahibe” laced with pretty Accordion, Abanico featuring outstanding flamenco guitars.

Label: gogo music

Listen

Geschrieben in Review | Keine Kommentare »

1.4.2007 von mk.

behind 1luv is canadian jason oculto aka dr. j. who from his homebase in vancouver has been operating as a dj for over 10 years. he is an avid record collector and has a rich background in all things jazz, latin, funk, house and related genres.
not only active as a dj but also as a producer, jason oculto had a couple of productions in the bag which early on won the interest of jazzanova. over a period of years the debut 1luv album neophilia took shape and it was first released on major label columbia in japan. this move put a productions budget at jason oculto’s disposal which allowed him to have the album mixed by daz-i-cue (bugz in the attic) in london. a smart decision that definitely adds to the international character of the album.
12″ releases on suntzu sound (black daylight - a track we also know as a slope remix (sk130cd/lp)) and on especial, the label of kyoto jazz massive followed. while dixon’s edit of above you was received with real enthusiasm in the club context.
and now the album neophilia appears on sonar kollektiv - in a version slightly recompiled and shortened by jazzanova, which is fully in keeping with the spirit of the album and adds weight to the record’s club aspect.
if you are looking for a brand to define the 1luv sound it is above all a deep house vibe that rings throughout the album and makes a connecting thread between its 11 tracks. but the most prominent feature of the album are the congenial vocals by amalia townsend aka miss fuze, which jason oculto’s productions give a very charming pop appeal.
via this release on sonar kollektiv, 1luv, with his feathery light deep house sound, provides a kind of summery freedom in spring already.

Label: sonar kollektiv

Listen

Geschrieben in Review | 1 Kommentar »

1.4.2007 von mk.

“Ink”is the fifth studio album by The Dining Rooms. It contains 5 instrumentals and 6 vocal tracks. The instrumentals flows through different rhythms to take the listeners to a world of melodious and dark deepness. “Ceremony” and “On the beach” (dedicated to the Picasso painting) mix at best the funk (mid and slow) and the blues attitude while “Fatale”, “Appuntamento a Trieste” and “Etage noir 2″ go really deep in modern jazz. Regarding the vocals, for the first time they go not only with English language in the songs having one track from Brazilian singer Toco and another one by French actor Renaud Chaurè. Toco’s touch in Cobra Coral is really contemporary Brazilian noir-wave while Renaud gives us a monster interpretation in “Etage Noir”, written by TDR and Luca Lezziero, paying homage to maestros Serge Gainsbourg and Katonoma. Going back to English language, Sean Martin, from South Africa, is going deep in blues and soul in “Thank U ?”; for sure a new jewel in his TDR career, with echoes of Marvin Gaye in the chorus. A strong piece with politically conscious lyrics. The Dining Rooms usually have new singers for each new album and in this case we have Afro-German Dodo N’kishi and North American queen Georgeanne Kalweit. Dodo, better known being the singer and drummer of Mouse on Mars ( and member of other interesting combos as NatiMatti and Pet), sings the opening track of the album “Freedom” interpreting at best the instrumentals given to him, to create a meeting point between Nick Drake and Stevie Wonder, Georgeanne then, co-wrote “Hear us Now” and “Ink”, two emotional gems to be intended as a sort of birth of nu folk. As some already know The Dining Rooms touch is a mixture between electronics, samples and live instruments: Leziero Rescigno on drums, Marcello Testa on bass and double bass and Patrick Benifei, Marco Rigamonti and Don Freeman on Rhodes.

Label: schema records

Listen

Geschrieben in Review | 1 Kommentar »