Review: musclecars - Double Honey Pack (Louie Vega & Maurice Fulton) (BBE Music)

After rockin' the WeOutHere Festival this year (and no doubt everywhere else musclecars have performed), BBE release the 'Double Honey Pack' knock-out version of this years' album where Craig Handfield and Brandon Weems (the duo known as musclecars) go head-to-head with alternate versions and remixes with music legends Louie Vega (also at WeOutHere Festival with The Elements Of Life) and Maurice Fulton.

You'll recall we were very excited about musclecars being represented on the Audrey Powne single, 'Feed The Fire'(see review HERE) and then we got 'Ha Ya (Eternal Life)' (see review HERE) followed by the album 'Sugar Honey Iceed Tea!'.

Well, it's a good job we're still on this as the 'Double Honey Pack' even supasses them all as the 'Ha Ya! (Enternal Life) (Planetarium Mix)' is the spiritual flute gang jazz-house classic of the year and 'I Don't Remember The Last Time I Saw The Stars' is 11 minutes of pure Latin-jazz-house perfection.

It's a bit pricey for the double vinyl verson (worth it for 'Water (Spiritual Mix)' on its own) but with all the dancefloor remix version, to mis-quote this weeks' budget statement by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, "think of it as an investment in the future".

Get It tonight!

1. Tonight 05:55

2. Tonight (Louie Vega Bronx Dub) 05:50

3. Tonight (Louie Vega Remix) 08:22

4. Hello? (Maurice Fulton Remix) 06:44

5.  'Ha Ya! (Enternal Life) (Planetarium Mix) 07:35

6. I Don't Remember The Last Time I Saw The Stars 11:10

7. Water (Spiritual Mix) 08:30

8. Tonight (Louie Vega Bassin Dub) 05:38

9. Tonight (NV South Jersey Dub) 03:48

10. Tonight (Louie Vega Remix Brooklyn Solo Dub) 08:22

11. Tonight (Clean Version) 05:55

12. Tonight (Louie Vega Remix) (Clean Version) 08:22

Artist: musclecars 

Title: Double Honey Pack 

Release date: 6th September, 2024

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number : BBE763

Format: 2 x LP / Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: musclecars - Ha Ya! (Eternal Life) feat. Natalie Greffel (BBE Music)

New York flute gang gets 'Ha Ya!' with the musclecars for the first in the 'Best Of' 2024 folder!

You'll recall we were very excited about musclecars being represented on the Audrey Powne single, 'Feed The Fire'(see review HERE)

There's a deep spiritual feel to this and their other productions (what's the odd on them getting together with Alina Bzhezhinska & Tony Kofi on BBE with the 'Anima' project? - see reveiw HERE) and then there's others who just want to paaarrrrrrtteeeeeeee with the Shannon Harris' A Love 4 Joy Journey Mix.

And these guys do like the perfect lenght of 7-9 minutes per track and will be featuring in our charts for ever more: but where's the Audrey Powne remix? (don't forget last week's 'Single of the Week', 'From The Fire'. see review HERE)

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Artist: musclecars feat. Natalie Greffel

Title: Ha Ya! (Eternal Life) original / instrumental / Shannon Harris' A Love 4 Joy Journey Mix.   

Release date: 23rd February, 2024

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number : BBE763SDG2

Format: Digital  

Review: Audrey Powne - Feed The Fire (Atjazz & Musclecars Remixes) (BBE Music)

The next cab of the Melbourne musical rank of excellence is Audrey Powne and the fires are being fed with this single that brings the heat.

Ozzie heat in the case is not Damon Heta or the Australian Open but multi-instrumentalist Audrey with her composition and title track of the forthcoming album, 'Feed the Fire' that's a soul-jazz reflection on the bushfires that have plagued her homeland of late and the resistance of the powers that be to associate the problem with the climate crisis.

She's caught the ear of the likes of Gilles Peterson and Masta Ace in the past and BBE haven't been slow to spot the potential: and just to make sure she gets even more attention, the ever present master remix veteran Atjazz and NYC's musclecars have jumped at the chance for some mega remixers.

We're always in awe of the dancefloor skill of Atjazz (in this case, a set of remix, instrumental and the monster "Deeper" remix with instrumental) but last year you'll recall Jazzanova's 'Beyond The Dream' got a "remingination" by musclecars (see review HERE) which then got us excited about their work with Brandon Markell Holmes (see review HERE) and their single, 'Shelter (Building It, Still)'.

BBE don't let you down and if the album is as good as this single, we're in for a fantastic 2024; and just to set it up a bit more, the next single on the label is a musclecars' own single, 'Running Out Of Time' (what odds on a Audry Powne remix?)

Artist: Audrey Powne

Title:  Feed The Fire (Atjazz & Musclecars Remixes)

Release date: 2nd February, 2024

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number : BBE753SDG

Format: Digital / Bandcamp 

 

Review: Jazzanova - Beyond The Dream (musclecars Reimaginations) / Face At My Window (Kyoto Jazz Massive Remixes) (BBE Music)

So you've got some massive 'Red Flag Must Have' going on hear, Jazzanova's take on Detroit's Strata Records (as facilitated by DJ Amir and BBE last year) for one.  Then there's a remix of one of the most popular 'finds'. 'Face At My Window' (originally by Sam Sanders) by the stalwarts of modern J-Jazz, Kyoto Jazz Massive.  

Not only two versions of that but the Jazzanova's featuring the vocals of Sean Haefeli.  So how come there's 'Beyond the Dream' and 3 remix versions of it?  We'll, in short, we've got NY extension heaven from a duo known as musclears (aka Craig Handfield & Brandon Weems) who have really taken this on with a 10 minute 'reimagination' (vocal and instrumental versions) and a 8 minute dub and a tight Radio Version.  

Needless to say, we love this and now love musclecars (and everyone else) too! Lets say it again, 'MUST HAVE'. STOP PRESS: I'm not the only one that thinks this as BBE have brought forward the release date by a week!

Don't forget, Kyoto Jass Massive have been announced on the 'First Line' up of artists for this years' WeOutHere festival been held for the first time in Dorset at Wimborne St. Giles (10-14 August) with loads more YATM favourites.

Artist: Jazzanova

Title: Beyond The Dream (musclecars Reimaginations) / Face At My Window (Kyoto Jazz Massive Remixes)

Release date: 27th January, 2023

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number : BBE723SLP 

Format: CD / Digital / Bandcamp