Thursday, 24 April 2025

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Here is the Balaphonic album of the summer in the form of Afro Brazilian, Dub with leftfield acid on the beach: in other words, 'Resolution Revolutions'.



So this is very different to the last release on the label by Maarten Goetheer featuring Pong Nakornchai with the "tribute" 'Suite For Chick (see review HERE) but they are both high on our 'Must Have' lists as there might only be 6 tracks, but they really are so good the titles 'sell' themselves.

A 'Deep Summer's Mix' of 'Sunflowers In Dub' opens the set with a dubbed out summer rain forest with Augusto Pablo at the controls; for 8 minutes!  And if it's not enough to bask is the rays of the sunflowers, we're straight off to Brazil for 'Disorganics' with a 'All Strings Mix' for Latin guitarists on the Ipanema beach terrace (with some jazz bass joining in).  You might guess that 'Six Fingers' might go the same way; and it does but with a more percussive Hermon Pascal touch that's like rain drops in the jungle.

I don't know if you'd expect to find 'Udders' in the land of Balaphonic but it brings synths to the party before we move back to the beach with a track called 'Oxum' featuring vocals by Ocean Waves Brasil with some electro-acid synths adding to a laid-back groove. 

I never thought Northern Soul had to be "Nu" but you'll want this in you're 'Modern Room' everytime - 'Bloco Manco' indeed.
 
If you missed the Bandcamp Listening Party last night you'll know how good 'Resolution Revolutions' and how far it resonates, from Barli to Birmingham, from Gorton to Gamelan (Ed. that doesn't work) as the six tracks are heavy on the Balearics but equally enchanting at home. 

Not something you'd expect from a certain drummer Danny Ward with DJ/Producer credentials as Moodymanc (a play on the name of Detroit master, Moodymann): but more on that with the YATM interview! 

You And The Music Interview with Balaphonic HERE.

 

 
Artist: Balaphonic 
Title:   Resolution Revolutions
Release date: 25th April, 2025
Label : NuNorthernSoul
Catalog Number : NUNS068D,
Format:  Vinyl LP / Digital / Bandcamp 

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Romano's album 'Güle Güle' is the madest mix of Mulatu, Herbie Hancock and Joe Meek that you'll ever likely to hear on the Mediterrean camp site disco bar - in other word(s), brilliant!



The synth wizardry of Romano's debut LP ‘Güle Güle’ is more than unique as Lior Romano grew up in a Turkish-Egyptian heritage household, surrounded by music. Turkish and Egyptian, naturally, but also Greek, and the unique fusion of Greek and Arabic sounds common to the culturally diverse neighbourhood he grew up in.

All the tracks are synth funky and happy on any dancefloor along with other Batov favourites (many of which are featured on this site) or next to The Ventures to Sun Ra! 

This album is definitely a sideways look at the Batov's last album release, Şatellites' 'Aylar' (see review HERE) as the album showcases Romano’s rich musical heritage and cutting-edge creativity, building a unique sound worldwide from influences as vast as funk, disco, reggae, to Latin America, the Balkans and particularly the Middle East.


Artist: Romano
Title: Güle Güle 
Release date: 25th Apri, 2025
Label: Batov Records 
Cat. No: BTR
Format: Limited LP / Digital / Bandcamp


Ayane Shino is a Japanese classical guartist who has re-imagined the works of the late electronic music producer Rei Harakami, and not only is it beautiful, it's uniquely chilled and festival approved.



If you're a fan of Paul Hillery and your looking to compile a Japanese inspired version of 'Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours' and you've already checked out the 'love letter to Japan' that is Mark de Clive-Lowe's 'past present (tone poems across time - see review HERE), 'River' is definitely the next point of call after Shino follows up her 2021 album, 'Sakura - The timber of guitar #1 Susumu Yokota'.

'River' is a typical homage to elements to traditional Japanese 'themes', 'sayonara', 'last night', 'red curb', 'the backstroke' (Ed. ?) and the title track itself, that reflect the hypnotic themes of Harakami in acoustic guitar form.  So impressive that the eight minute 'Theme Of Red Curb' becomes more Spanish in style.

Even for a tranquil album, 'last night' is busy and mesmorising and 'River' has a touch of The Third Man mixed with the 'On The Riverbank' theme. As Shino says herself, in Harakami's works, she discovered "a sense of simplicity, warmth, moisture and a  floating sensation.” “I was gripped by his songs, which had an array of sounds that gave me a sense of mystery but also coexisted with a sense of familiarity”.

This album is going to increase interest in Shino and Harakami, who, up until his untimely passing at the age of 40, he was seen as the 'next' Haruomi 'Harry' Hosono (who had a pre-YMO psych, jazz and folk-pop period himself) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (RIP, also see Nick Luscombe's tribute via 'CITY MUSIC TOKYO - see review HERE).

A very cool album from a highly sort after label - definitely ones to follow.

Artist: Ayane Shino
Title:  River せせらぎ The timbre of guitar #2 Rei Harakami
Release date: 25th April, 2025
Label : MusicMine Records / Sublime Records
Catalog Number : TBC
Format: Vinyl LP / Digital / Bandcamp 


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Sheffield's hip-hop family probably didn't know what had hit when Jamaica born Franz Von turned up but it's good news as he's just announced his debut solo album is going to be release this year, 'Take What You Want' with the single, 'We Live' released today!


The single, 'We Live' features another Sheffield resident, singer/songwriter wolf peaches (yes, she of 'Rotten Fingers' with the Kerrier Collective - see review HERE) and combines elements of post-dancehall-dub-poetry jazz fusion (Von also MCs for TC & The Groove Family) and Afro-fusion K.O.G (see HERE).

As he's also collaborated with Onipa, corto.alto (so good at last year's We Out Here Festival), Wiyaala and Afro-beat legend Tony Allen so who knows what the album is going to be like?


Artist: Franz Von
Title: We Live feat. wolf peaches
Release date: 24th April, 2025
Label : Bridge The Gap
Catalog Number : TBC
Format: Digital / Bandcamp  


For the follow up to albums Re:Calamari and Re:Calamari 2, Oliver Lutz takes the next step on the spirit of Jaco journey is in old skool snyths and jazz-funk sax whirls with the mountain tops under the light of the silvery moon.



There's been a couple of 'singles' 'Paffee Mountain' and 'Old & Wise' but it's not a singles type of album have been "recorded in an intense session at Fattoria Musica in Osnabrück" it's clear that these guys are big fans of Weather Report and their individual icons within the band particularly the mainstay leaders Zawinul and Shorter.   That's not to lesson Lutz and Gall section of the Calamari Fantasy: more 'Mysterious Traveller' than 'I Sing The Body Electric'.

There's certainly a deep connection within the group and the jazz-fusion of 'Paffee Mountain' and 'The Revenge Of Ronni Love' and the dream like 'Alfahri's Melancholia' are great examples of where the sum of the whole is greater than the parts.

RE:CALAMARI Band Credits:
Tineke Postma - Saxophone

Pablo Held - Synthesizer, Keyboards

Oliver Lutz - Electric Bass
and guitar
Peter Gall - Drums, Percussion


Artist: Oliver Lutz 
Title: Calamari Fantasy 
Release date: 25th April, 2025
Label :Klaeng Records
Catalog Number: Klaengrecords093
Format: Digital
 / Bandcamp


Wednesday, 23 April 2025

Posted by Gerry Hectic | File under :

I might have said this before but at one stage, Ubiquity Records were everywhere with thier distinctive 12" covers making them stand out from the crowd: and they are doing it again with the sounds of desert disco's finest, the Flying Mojito Bros. with their own album of a massive 11 tracks.



Ubiquity's sunny West Coast vibe couldn't be a better home to Balearic nu-disco is cowboy boots.  Up until now, FMB were best known for taking an edit from the leftfield US 'rock'y/funky road or putting a remix in the form of a refrito of something that the Flying Burritio Bros. or Gram Parsons in particular would be a fan of.  Like their remix of James Alexander Bright (see review HEREor the "beach" series of Paul Hilary's 'Children Of The Sun' (see review HERE) or Lucky Sun (see review HERE) - you know the type of thing.

So be prepared for their own creations that supported by some proper musicians featuring Pearl Charles, Scott Hirsch, Will Worden, Robert Chaney and Hero Fisher on vocals, the mighty Shawn Lee (last seen on the drum stool behind at Asha Puthli at We Out Here last summer but also the Ping Pong Orchestra,Young Gun Silver Fox and our fabourite, the link up with Bei Bei), plus Joe Harvey-Whyte (a specialist in pedal steel, lap steel, dobro and guitar) and bass guitar by Joe Stoddart (a touring artist for ABBA).

If you think this is justs novelty project, the title track will prove you wrong and not long after that you'll be totally up for 'Glitter' with it's railroad harp vs.Róisín Murphy at the rodeo. 'Catch Me', 'Lost To The Desert' and the opener 'Area 54' (Ed. that's no studio) kind of sum the album up but are we quite ready of a version album? 'Slow Train To Fuego' shows us what's possible - or even up their cowboy shirts with the twangy geetarh of 'Thunder Exchange'.

With their DJ heads on, they've really managed to absorb MOR, Classic Rock, Country and funk-up the disco balls with tumble weed for a trendy Hank Wangford (a personal friend of Mr Parsons you know) meets a Luther Vandross and Diana Ross for the next generation that can handle J.J.Cale or disco Little Feat: whilst on the boarders of the Modern Room at NuNorthern Soul - amazing!

It's official then, San Francisco (and the rest of the world) is the new mid-west with 'Just Passing Through' as the sound of the spring, summer, autumn and winter: in the Desert, there's always a disco going on. What's the dress code?

 



Artist: Flying Mojito Bros

Title: Just Passing Through
Release date: 25th April, 2025
Label: Ubiquity Records
Cat. No: TBC
Format: Digital LINKS / Bandcamp

Tuesday, 22 April 2025

Posted by Gerry Hectic | File under : , , , ,

Star Creature's Mr. Zawada, know a sure fire funker when he hears one and here's a warped synth fuelled disco 7" to proove it.


Fresh from Plastic Bamboo's 'Cinerama EP' (see review HERE), Star Creature return with a couple of tracks The Egpytian Lover could have spawned, particularly the original version side of 'City Freaks'.

And then Rafael 'Electrify' Marfil is a great choice to move the electric boogie up a notch with the remix that's squares the pyramid of Brooklyn (Wonder), Chicago (Star Creature) and Mexico City (Marfil).

Similar in vibe to the forthcominng 80s inspired 'Monsro' 12" by Rob J Madin (see review HERE - coming soon), we have a vinyl groove for the dancefloor this summer.

BUY LINK:  https://starcreature.bandcamp.com/


Artist: Wally Wonder
Title:  City Freaks (Rafael Marfil Remix)
Release date: 25th April, 2025
Label : Star Creature
Catalog Number : SC7082
Format: Vinyl /  Digital / Bandcamp  
Posted by Gerry Hectic | File under : , , ,

You have to have some big ones to say you'll be known as Moodymanc but that's what DJ, producer, drummer did when he had his first deep house moniker so what's with the change to Balaphonic?  YATM goes north to find out!



Of course, if Danny Ward wasn't based in Manchester, the name tribute to Moodymann (aka Kenny Dixon Jr. of Detroit legendary status) would not have worked nearly so well (if at all) but he's also known as Dubble D and as a drummer he's played with Fila Brazillia, Rae & Christian, The Pharcyde plus Manc jazz legend Matthew Halsall and Nat Birchall.  So, when we know 'Resolution Revolution' started during lock-down, the obvious question is,did you want to get away from you Moodymanc persona for this new/different project?

DW:  I started making and releasing music as “Balaphonic” around 10 years ago and have been DJing out under that name too, mainly as a resident at ‘One Tree Island’, a long standing party here in Manchester with the focus on playing dance floor music which comes or draws from influences from right across the globe.

As a project it started with me recording grooves on a Balafon (a type of African Xylophone) and building around them by recording live drums and percussion instruments from my ever expanding collection, sometimes inviting musician friends to collaborate by jamming then developing those ideas further.

I’ve tended to always make different music under different names and as a part of different projects: Dubble D, Vault:, Lenny Middles, as well as 2020 Soundsytem and more.

“Moodymanc” was actually the name of a vinyl imprint that I had through 20:20 Vision (they came up with the name!) though it started to stick as a nickname then artist name later. Some people hated it, some loved it.  It’s nice to have a project which has less weight or expectation due to the name though.

The Moodymanc output, though somewhat eclectic has always been within the realms of ‘House’, but the Balaphonic releases, whilst still being aimed at DJs and the dance floor, have always started with a slightly different process: Organic instruments first and wearing their influences on their sleeve in terms of the roots of the rhythmic ideas.

Given that clubs suddenly stopped during lockdown I found myself exploring the same recording techniques I’d been developing over a number of years but with a lot more freedom and time for experimentation.

Initially it was a bit of a challenge to develop tracks without considering specific tempo ranges or sounds and arrangements that might be geared mainly towards club DJing, but it became really liberating to let the instruments and playing guide the shape of the music first.  It eventually led me to re-visit some of the previous Balaphonic projects and jam sessions I’d had with friends with a fresh approach, as well as getting involved in some collaborations which came about in a similar spirit.

YATM:  Funny enough, the album kicks off with something that's DJ and future beach/Balearic/dub all at the same time, the must have 2025 track 'Sunflowers In Dub (Deep Summer Mix)'? It's very Augustus Pablo in the rainforest; what was your vision for this?

DW:  I absolutely love that description, thanks!

I made an original version which was released on my own ‘Well Cut Records’ back in 2017 as part of the ‘Balinese Saints’ EP.  At that time, I’d been revisiting a lot of dub music but also remember thinking of “Towers of Dub” by The Orb.

I’ve been playing with a wonderful harmonica player and old friend, Robin Sunflower for many years in various projects (and still do) so I asked him to come into the studio and jam over the original beats on a couple of different harmonicas. I then used an old school technique of heavily fed back delays and channel muting on/off with those tracks to ‘dub out’ the takes.

I don’t play tons of my own stuff out DJ wise, but it’s been one that I’ve dug out often in late night or very early morning moments for its blissful, floating vibe. For this version I stripped out all the previous drum tracks and started re recording, but with a half-time, almost a ‘one drop’ feel, gradually layering up organic sounds and grooves. I also did a few takes using lots of shakers, seeds and bells-quite fluid textures - trying to keep them quite free and pontaneous.  I was thinking very much of Airto, who has been a constant inspiration and influence (my initial connection for collaborating with his wife Flora Purim and their daughter Diana on my first Dubble D album was through lending him drums when in Manchester!) which is also where the inspiration for some of the vocals buried in the mix comes from!

The bass tone which gives the ‘one-drop’ is an instrument called the Udu.  It’s a clay pot, traditionally for water, played by the women of the Igbo tribes in Nigeria. It also has some beautiful ringing tones but in this case I wanted to give the effect of a heavy 808 like bass to anchor everything, especially as there is no formal ‘bass line’ as such.

Though tricky to record effectively as they’re relatively quiet I really love these instruments and have five of them. They’re all featured on another track on the album, 'Udders' which inspired a 5/4 time signature. There’s a ‘solo’ section for which I filled one with water and tipped it to various degrees to change the pitch. The inspiration for the Udu was initially through the Brazilian percussionist and artist Nana Vasconcelos who is also referenced throughout the project!
 
YATM:  And as the six tracks are all so good, if we can go through all of them, the next one 'Disorganics' (All Strings Mix) where the strings is the guitar/bass and that's prime Balearic but in a stripped mode?

DW One of the first musicians I started to hang out and play a great deal with back in the late 80s/early 90s is a guy called Frank Grime. A wonderful bassist (guitar and double bass) who went on to become a really accomplished percussionist and multi-instrumentalist.

I had been sketching some beats around some light samba grooves, particularly mindful of a 1960s Brazilian “Quarteto Novo” album that I love.  Frank came into the studio for a session and played double bass (I seem to remember him having to crouch down because I’m in a cellar and the ceiling is low!) but then overdubbed some parts with 10 and 12 string guitars and a mandolin with which he’d been experimenting with tunings. He then did a pass with a cello, playing pizzicato.

This became another track that came out previously on vinyl on “Well Cut Records” (actually the second release) but which I re visited with ‘fresh ears’- again stripping out most of the drums and re-recording new parts. When I first made the original track I remember James Holroyd dropping round and suggesting I should release a completely drum less version. Impossible for me to go completely naked in this respect (haha!) but I was mindful when making this mix, keeping the percussion much lighter and trying to let the acoustic guitars and double bass shine with the groove.

YATM: So we were wondering why did you think NuNorthern Soul would be the label for this project?

DWI’ve known Phil (Cooper - music lover, radio host & label owner: linktr.ee/phatphilcooper) for many years.  He is a wonderful DJ, particularly in the respect of his depth and breadth of music knowledge and also his impeccable taste, something to which I’ve always aspired and admired!  On top of this he is simply a warm, positive and honest person.  I have learned the hard way over the years that this is perhaps the most important factor to consider when releasing music with anyone and is why I’m very careful in this respect these days!

Pre-lockdown I was very lucky to play regularly at WooBar in Bali, grace of an old friend and amazing DJ, Damian Saint who is music director and resident there.  When Phil first moved to Bali he came to sit by the pool with me, jumping on our wi-fi to do business pretty much straight after landing!

It was through that, then playing with him next door at Potato Head, that I started to learn much more about NuNorthern Soul, its music and the concept and ethos behind it and was naturally thoroughly impressed.

As a body of work I was pretty clear that ‘Resolution Revolutions’ was not immediately suitable for any of the more ‘club focussed’ labels that I’ve been involved with, or indeed my own, and yet I felt I wanted to work with a label who understood where I came from in that respect but that was connected to a much more ‘open’ forum.

Since lockdown I’ve been lucky to find more DJ gigs than ever before, mainly here in Manchester, where I get to play extended sets right across the board, from jazz to techno, but also referencing my times DJing in Bali and Asia: A major inspiration for these tracks too which I started to play out more alongside releases from NuNorthern Soul amongst other labels.

The dots all started to join so I was overjoyed when I finally plucked up the courage to play them to Phil, and even more so when he saw them as a body of work in their own right and wanted to do a vinyl release! I actually can’t think of a better home for it than NuNorthern Soul!

YATM:  And that makes sense as to why they released Maarten Goetheer's 'tribute' to Chick Corea, 'Suite For Chick' (with Pong Nakornchai - see reveiw HERE) and with that in mind, the next track,  'Six Fingers'  takes a more percussive marimba in the rainforest approach; a bit experimental like Hermeto Pascoal - and I love the bass which make gives it a jazz flavor and then the sound like an old fashioned phone: it's a bit like the spiritual sounds of Carlos Nino?

DWAgain, I’m blown away by your referencing.  You’ve no idea what that means to me!  As a kid I started to be heavily influenced by Brazilian music, initially Airto and Flora, who I discovered through Chick Corea and Return to Forever, then all the bossa/jazz samba stuff. One night in the early 90s I turned up to Band on the Wall here in Manchester (where I was a regular ‘house’ drummer for quite a while) to check out an Egberto Gismonti gig which I presumed would be in that vein (go easy on me - this was way before there was an internet!). I was completely blown away-it was like no music I’d heard before and it led me to dig deeper (and further sideways) where I stated to encounter the music of artists such as the above (If you check out the Quarteto Novo stuff mentioned above you’ll actually see Hermeto and Airto looking incredibly dapper and straight!).

Whilst I’m pretty unashamed in wearing my influences on my sleeve in all the projects I do, I’m also more than aware that I can only offer sincerity by my own Mancunian take. Ultimately it’s my own way of ‘resolving’ my musical love affairs (hence the album title!) so to have someone ‘get it’ is incredibly flattering!

I started the track by thinking of afro 6/8 rhythms, playing very simple patterns on the balafon, but very lightly with my fingernails. The ‘watery’ sounds come from using a couple of parts of an Indonesian Sudanse bamboo instrument, the Angklung (another Bali connection, though this one came from Oxfam!) and bunches of dried nuts and seed pods as a foundation for the groove!  Again, it features Frank’s double bass and guitars from a previous session.

One of my favourite sounds on this track is the bell that rings through occasionally. It’s a small brass ‘spider’ bell that was in my Gran’s house when we were kids - one of the only things I have of hers….another ‘resolution’ perhaps?

YATM That's so cool! I'm a big fan of Oxfam (by total co-insidence, listen out for Gerry Hectic 'Listerners Choice' appearance on Charity Shop Classics on Manchester's All FM from last Sunday, Mixcloud link HERE) and experimental instruments from ya Grans.  Talking more influences/Manchester, 'Bloco Manco' sound like it could have been a BiggaBush drum circle at the Haçienda?  That bass is mad good.

DWHa! Thanks! Another very flattering comparison!  Actually, around the time I was going to the Hacienda, there was a street Samba group called Inner Sense Percussion who were pretty ubiquitous around town but who went on to tour festivals, shows and workshops worldwide.

I’d often find myself rehearsing in the same studios (Manchester was a particularly small musical village then!) but would also fill in as a percussionist on gigs if needed. It was through them that I first became aware of ‘Samba Reggae’, which as it suggests is a form of Samba from Bahia in the north of Brazil which is heavily influenced by Jamaican grooves. The bass lines are often played by the big ‘Surdo’ bass drums and sound huge and heavy.
This is definitely a very Mancunian take, with 808 bass drums playing the Surdo parts, then me layering up the other instruments on top. I had a period of playing drums with Reggae and dub artists in the 90s who were hugely influential on me, particularly DubDadda, Freedom Masses Soundsytem and Nucleaus Roots. I would sit mesmerised in the studio watching the dub mixes going down. The mix here is in particular homage, but it’s something which runs throughout my production and DJing on the whole.

YATM:  Tell us a little about 'Oxum', the collaboration with Ocean Waves Brasil?.
 
DW:  I’d met an Italian record producer, Carlo Variola when working on a project for a Jamaican dancehall artist with him and we became friends.  Just before lockdown he moved to the Northeast of Brazil and started to make multi-track recordings of local Candomble religious ceremonies, combining them with electronic sounds under the project name ‘Ocean Waves Brasil’.

Candomble is a religion that originated in West Africa, travelling to Brazil with the slave trade and becoming influenced by Catholicism, but it worships various deities and has specific rhythms and rituals that associate with each. (Oxum is a Goddess of water, love, fertility and wealth. She’s very welcome on this album!).

Carlo very kindly started to send me the stems of his recordings to re-interpret and I worked on a few ‘versions’ of different tracks. It’s not something that had been heard before in Brasil, so I was incredibly happy (and relieved) to find that my versions were warmly received.  I’m very grateful that we could include ‘Oxum’ here!

YATM:  Is 'Resolution Revolutions' the forerunner of more Balaphonic releases?

DW:  I do have various other Balaphonic tracks that I did around this time, plus plenty of other ideas ‘in the pot’ that have come together since, so I am hoping to put more out in the future for sure. As to format and timing...please watch this space! :)

YATM:  Are there any remix plans?

DW:  Remix wise, I have done a few in the past under the ‘Balaphonic’ guise and have actually just been working on something for Warriors of the Dystotheque.  But am hoping that this release might inspire some more from other more eclectic angles.  I absolutely love remixing!

In terms of remixes of this album, I know that the label is planning to have some done once it’s properly out there. I’d be very excited to hear where other people might take it!

YATM:  I think you [Danny] could well be busy with remix requests.  Are there any launch party plans?

DW:  We're doing a ‘Bandcamp Listening Party’ at 7pm (GMT) on April 23rd which I hope you might join if you can: https://balaphonic.bandcamp.com/merch/balaphonic-resolution-revolutions-listening-session

And whilst I’m busy out and about DJing, again am hoping that this release might give a few more people the confidence to book me for ‘Balaphonic’ sets too!  I’ll also be playing as Balaphonic as ever at our next One Tree Island party here in Manchester on 14th June!

YATM:  We definitely want more Balaphonic, perhaps at a Brazilian, Lation, Deep House festival at Bala Lake?

DW:  Perhaps that’s where we should be organising a launch party? It would certainly be a beautiful spot!

YATM:  And I've been wondering, would we have met at the Soho Pizza Express in 2007 when Matthew Halsall (he of trumpet, band leader and owner of and head of A&R for Gondwana Records) was playing with his band?

DW:  Ha! I’m trying to do the chronology… it’s a slight blur! That was quite possibly a little after. By that time things had got pretty full on with 2020 Soundsystem touring, my second Dubble D album and the advent of the ‘Moodymanc’ imprint!

I started playing and doing bits of recording with Matthew around the inception of his Gondwana label. I’d been doing a lot of work with Grand Central Records here, both playing live with Rae and Christian and Aim as well as working on releases, and he pulled me and Sneaky (Simon Houghton, bass: Fingathing, Rae and Christian etc.) as a rhythm section with another lifelong friend and to this day bandmate, John Ellis on keyboards, who at the time was perhaps most notably a part of Cinematic Orchestra. It might well have been (my neighbour!) Luke Flowers, also from Cinematic Orchestra at the time who was playing on that gig​?

Blimey that's some background Danny has and one of the many reasons why 'Resolution Revolutions' is so good.  And don't forget there's a Balaphonic ‘Bandcamp Listening Party’ at 7pm (GMT) on Wednesday, 23rd April (that's tomorrow) with Balaphonic aka Danny 'Moodymanc' Ward and NuNorthern Soul label boss Phat Phil Cooper  : https://balaphonic.bandcamp.com/merch/balaphonic-resolution-revolutions-listening-session 

Many thanks to Danny for the interview and creating such a great album and Sharon at Shine for organising this.


Artist: Balaphonic 
Title:   Resolution Revolutions
Release date: 25th April, 2025
Label : NuNorthernSoul
Catalog Number : NUNS068
Format:  Digital / Bandcamp 

Monday, 21 April 2025

Posted by Gerry Hectic | File under : , , ,

Mr Mulatto and Frank Situation have a new album out that have got the excellent collection of best buds on it like Javonntte, Faze Action's Robin Lee and the voice of 'Hooked On Desire', Vanessa Jackson.



Let's get it straight from the off, there is no bad track on this album, the diversity is incredible so you're going to like some tracks more than others but when they add the talents of their co-op, it's dancin' all night long with this - it's as if they've 'Never Taken A Weekend Off': what a great title.

That said 'Bullit' is a high-speed jazz-funker for the flute gang that features Javonntte (last seen hanging out with Marcel Vogel, Toronto Hustle x Sean Roman and on Soul Of Hex's 'Constellation' EP (see review HEREthat's got bongos-a-plenty and high speed train synths.  And then a total mood switch, we go gospel-soul with their mate, Andre Espeut (from 'Never Thought I'd Get Ya') and our mate from 'Downtown' (with Inkswel, see review HERE) with 'You Gotta Move' in a Prince-style before hitting the church with 'Pusherman' (nothing to do with the the Super Fly Curtis Mayfield).  

But that gets lost with the unpromising title of 'Fairy Godmother' which funks up ya disco house with a contribution from Robin Lee (50% of Faze Action) with the swirling strings; one for fans of glitter.

And keep going to the end as 'Over & Over' gets piano housey disco with some Afro-balearics percussion and climaxing with 70s funk-boogie 'Rodborough Groove' (does sound a bit TV theme tune - but in a good saxy way).

These guys, Mr. Mulatto and Frank, love a remix so I suspect they'll be more to follow but like I say, this is such quality and wide variety, they're pushing you get it all on the dancefloor.

BUY LINK: www.juno.co.uk 


Artist: Situation 
Title: Audio Proxemics
Release date: 25th April, 2025
Label:  Situationism  
Catalog Number :  SITULP06 
Format:  Vinyl LP / Digital / Bandcamp  

I'll say it again, there's much social media talk of the lack of protest songs these days at a time when stuff is hitting the fan even more regularly than previous decades. So, ROY INC and Darren Morris should be given loads of credit for taking on 'Rivers Of Blood', an infamous phrase given prominence on April 20th 1968 by a Tory Government minister speech in Birmingham, as they fight back with words and music.



Ever since the orignal of 'Rivers Of Blood came out (see review HERE) there's been speculation that the No'West-ers Wallace (Jo) and Morris (Darren) would be putting their collective knowledge of 60s organ mod-funk to get down on the remix.

Both vocal and instrumental versions are as equally as stunning as the artwork and in the spirit, proceeds are going to Amnesty International.

It's nearly been a year since the ROY INC & Darren Morris EP, 'Credit Me' (see review HEREand Roy has done another interview with DJ Martin Green (Soho Radio and much more) on The Steve/Martin Show - see below.




ROY INC: Lead vocals/ backing vocals, lyricist
Darren Morris: Keyboards, drum programming, string arrangement, bass guitar, composition, production, arrangement, mastering
Otti Albeitz: Back vocals

Artist: ROY INC. & Darren Morris 
Title: Rivers Of Blood (Wallace & Morris 'No'West' Remixes)
Release date: 21st April 2025
Label: Ramrock Red Records
Cat. No: RRR079
Format: Digital / Bandcamp