Review: DJ Muro - Diggers Dozen (BBE Music)

Originally this was going to be a  'PHYSICAL ONLY release!' and 'very limited stock' as esteemed DJ Muro gets into a 'Diggers Dozen'.

So you were warned that you needed to get the vinyl but somebody has had the bright idea to list a digital version on Bandcamp; "PHEW!".

And this is brilliant as Takayoshi Murota, better known as Muro, the DJ, producer, remixer and digger, presents his first compilation on BBE Music.

So he's been getting dusty with the 70's archive of Nippon Columbia for the gems of composer and musicians of Japan's jazz & latin and soundtracks. You've got Kiyoshi Yamaya, Kifu Mitsuhashi, Toshiyuki Miyams, Tadaaki Misago & the Tokyo Cuban Boys and many more.

You can imagine any original vinyl of these releases will cost a few million yen but here you've got sumptuous jazz, funk, beats and OST soundtrack souding tracks that have absorbed the US '70s influences with, at times' the Japanese traditions such as 'Asadoya Yunta' and 'Nanbu Ushiou Uta' (both by Kifu Mitsuhashi on Shakuhachi and band leader Kiyoshi Yamaya).

There's the super Japanese version of 'Superstition' (listed here as 'Souma Nagareyama'), over 9 minutes of Toshiyuki Miyama and His New Herd's 'Seijinshiki (aka Adult's Day)' and four tracks by Tadaaki Misago & the Tokyo Cuban Boys (a "Latin hits covers band" formed in 1949) to complete this set; watch out for the 'Soran Bushi' karate chop and the jazz dance 'hit' 'Sakura Sakura'.

What with the sucess of the J-Jazz compilations and masters series releases, I can't see this being the first and last 'Diggers Dozen' by Muro; he's not known as 'King Of Diggin' for nuthin' and lets hope we can see some DJ sets from him soon.

Artist : DJ Muro

Title : Diggers Dozen

Release Date : 13th January, 2023

Catalog Number : BBE633

Label : BBE Music / Bandcamp

Review: Conic Rose - Learn To Be Cool / Goodbye

Is that 'Teardrops' you hear in 'Learn To Be Cool' or is it a modern version of the "Pioneering jazz-rock, progressive, psychedelic, funk & pop" group, Ian Carr's Nucleus or an electronic jazz version of Cinematic Orchestra? 

We'll it is hard to try and tie down some bands to a unique/tribal genre and Conic Rose is definitely one of them. 

Love 'Learn To Be Cool' as the 'Teardrops' sounding line is almost like a taped Short Wave radio show with super lovely keys and a funky bassline; quasi 'Baba O'Riley' meets OST. 

This German band have all the background of playing arenas filled with fans of pop stars Clueso, Jan Delay and Samy Deluxe together with supporting jazz bands too. It's German; it's post-Compost/Jazzanova/Sonar Kollektiv/MPS Records and it's great. 

'Goodbye' is similar in a glitchy/bruk/downtempo 'Miles' jazz way which is super cool. 

Album due soon and don't forget last year's release Gleisdreieck / Chopin Rosé / Honeylake but you've got to learn to be cool first.

Artist: Conic Rose 

Title: Learn To Be Cool / Goodbye

Release date: 13 January, 2023

Label: Conic Rose

Cat. No: ConicRoseS04

Review: Pedro Ricardo - Déhéba (Soundway Records)

I can guess you're first thought, is Pedro Ricardo's single 'Déhéba' as stunning as the image artwork?

Well, my answer is yes as the ever dependable Soundway Records continue to dig and delve to find us the best music from around the world.

DJ and producer Pedro Ricardo is from Portugal and 'Déhéba' drops ahead of his debut album on Soundway Records, 'Soprem Bons Ventos’ that is due out mid-February.

This is classic bassy Brazilian folk flamenco electronica!  This guy's music seems as eclectic as his DJ sets and radio shows on Balamii and NTS. 

Pedro Ricardo · Déhéba

Artist: Pedro Ricardo
Title: Déhéba
Release date: 13th January, 2023
Label : Soundway Records
Catalog Number : Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Audio Dope - Round & Round ft. Noah Slee (Radicalis Music)

There seems quite a lot of the downtempo, electronica, lo-fi hip-hop and trip hoppy mixtures going on at the moment.

And here's Audio Dope adding to that list with a single, 'Round & Round' with Auckland/Berlin 'resident', Noah Slee on vocals.

It's a bit potty mouth so a instrumental version would be cool to highlight those keys and percussion so we'll keep out fingers crossed for the album release. 

The album title is 'Gone' (to keep in with the vibe?) which is scheduled for release in March on the eclectic Swiss based Radicalis Music.

Artist: Audio Dope

Title: Round & Round ft. Noah Slee

Release date: 13^th January, 2023

Label : Radicalis Music

Catalog Number : Digital / Deezer

Review: Anchorsong - Windmills (Salamanda Remix) (Tru Thoughts Recordings)

Tru Thoughts ended last year with their best release of the year [Ed. that's because you're Edit was on it - see A Different Style EP by Biggabush] so what will 2023 bring?

Well, compared ot the 8 tracks on 'A Different Style' this release has a very different style with just the two; the original Anchorsong (aka Masaaki Yoshida) version of 'Windmills', a short and atmospheric track and a Salamanda remix.

Salamanda are new to me and the track itself has 'moved' to a gentle shinto water garden at the break of day with sunlight shimmering on the water (just like the cover image).

Apparently, Salamanda are based in Seoul, South Korea and have already found fans for thier electronic ambience on a number of labels around the globe and have a thier own NTS radio show.

'Windmills' was one of the many highlights on Anchorsong's 2021 album 'Mirage' so let's hope that there's more stunning remixes in the pipeline like this one.

Artist: Anchorsong 

Title: Windmills (Salamanda Remix)

Release date: 12th January, 2023

Label : Tru-Thoughts

Catalog Number : Digital / Bandcamp

Review: The Eight Minutes - An American Family (BBE Music)

Another fantastic re-issue by BBE from the vaults of Perception Records but who are The Eight Minutes and why haven't we heard of the album, 'An American Family' before now as it was originally released in 1972!

Well, I don't know all the answers but the cover would suggest we're looking at some type of type of Jackson 5 on an expansion programme to 8; as in The Eight Minutes.

And would you believe the music is very 'Jackson 8' with the addition of The Undisputed Truth, and other soul-pop incarnations of the time together with healthy dose of Curtis, Isaac, etc.

And they flit from pop ('Loneliest Girl In Town') to anti-war ('Time For A Change'), funk '(I Can't Get No Higher') to do-wop and modern life love, 'Behind To Times' to 'Oh Yes I Do' is quite a jump but then. 'I Love You' is like a quantum leap with it's lush string arrangements; somebody tell me that this was a big hit/modern Northern Soul monster.

There's also the tease of what they could have done with the 6 minutes of 'Take My Love Don'y Set me Free' plus four bonus tracks that weren't included on the original release.

So that's not to say that this was a disfunctional  American entertainment family al a Jacksons/Osmonds/Partridge whichever way you slice the America pie, the three Goggin sisters plus three Sudduth sisters with Juwanaa Glover and Carl Monroe might have dodged the train wreck of a bullet of fame and in doing so, have left us with 14 tracks of a great period in musical history.

'I Love You' is worth this album on it's own and really fits in with the other re-issues from BBE of this time like the two Black Ivory albums (review HERE), Johnny Pate's 'Brother On The Run' OST (review HERE) or even the Julius Brockington album's (reveiw HERE).

Artist: The Eight Minutes

Title: An American Family

Release date: 17th February, 2023

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number : BBE657 LP / CD / Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Lenz – Still I Rise EP (Colour and Pitch)

The duo of DJ Joma and German vocalist Moon Aton, collectively known as, Lenz are joined, at least in words, by the multi-award winning poet and activist, Maya Angelou for the latest release on Colour & Pitch.

It seems fitting that the last release of the year by the label should be on a high (no pun, etc) as the original version was first heard on November's Colour & Pitch Sessions 

with founder, Sumsuch (available on Mixcloud) .

And yes, those are the lyrics!

That I dance like I've got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

The instrumental is not so strong but it's proper dreamy on the beach with those baleraic synth waves rolling gently on the shore.

And the mix that brings is all together in a dark basement is the Hamburg mix. Can't say I'm up to date with the Hamburg scene but this has moved from the gentle shoreline to the where the dockyards meets the red lights.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

Not sure what the cover is representing (being trapped/restricted buy a hooped fishing net thing?) but as a highlight of 2022, they will rise. 

Links: Still I Rise by Maya Angelou | Poetry Foundation

Artist: Lenz

Title: Still I Rise EP

Release date: 30^th December, 2022 [Alll Platforms] (Beatport & Spotify): 16th December 2022

Label Colour and Pitch

Catalog Number CAP088

Reveiw: Conic Rose - Gleisdreieck (Conic Rose)

It's always great to hear great music from new bands/groups/co-operatives but it's even better when it comes from an unexpected location.

When it comes to jazz, outside of the US, you'd probably think of the 'hot spots' post covid are London, Helsinki (WeJazz) and Melbourne.  Aiming to put Berlin back on the list is Conic Rose as they launch a 3-track single ahead of next years' album,  'Heller Tag'.

If you check out the band's collective palmarès of who they have played with, it's a proper collection of who's who like Michael Wollny, NDR Bigband, Nils Landgren (you'll find these on the national institution that is the ACT label) and at the other extreme is Udo Lindenberg, Samy Deluxe and the Stegreif.Orchester.

And together they are like a mix (or should that be a match) between The Cinematic Orchestra (Ninja Tune) and Matthew Herbert (BBC electronics, Accidental, !K7 Records) that should be signed up to Compost or Matthew Halsall's Gondwana Records; some have even mentioned Radiohead - but that'd be the good bits when Thom isn't singing.

'Gleisdreieck' is a glichy bruk dreamscape that mixes the trumpet and flugelhorn with electric guitars and electronics in an expanded Portico Quartet.  

Two more singles are to follow, 'Chopin Rosé' follows in similar vein and it clearly re-imagined and a bit more OST and the set is finished off by the best of the lot, the romantic 'Honeylake' with Döben doing his best Miles.

The debut LP which will be released on vinyl, CD, cassette and digital formats in February 2023.

Line-up: Konstantin Döben (tr, fgh) • Johannes Arzberger (p, electronics) • Franziska Aller (b) • Bertram Burkert (git) • Silvan Strauß (dr) 

Artist: Conic Rose 

Title: Gleisdreieck / Chopin Rosé / Honeylake

Release date: 12 December, 2022

Label: Conic Rose

Cat. No: ConicRoseS03

Format: Digital

Eldeanyo – Colombia (Oliver Knight Remixes) (Adesso Music)

There's lots of different types of Acid about at the moment and here's some more as Oliver Knight remixes Eldeanyo's 'Colombia'.

The 'Acid Reflex' remix sounds like it should be at a World Cup (with proper fans) and it's bouncey and has with squelchy Bailie Funk meets acid house party revival feel.

The original is even more Carnival with a hard Latin edge to it.

Knight seems to be increasingly in demand of late since his recent colabs with Johan S (Toolroom) and Italy's M.F.S Observatory (303Lovers) and since there's early support for this one from MK (AREA10), Claptone, Joris Voorn, Robert Owens and many more, his Bump N Hustle and Back To Ours residencies might be at risk of being too small for him in the future?

Artist: Eldeanyo

Title: Colombia (Oliver Knight Remixes)

Release date: 16th December, 2022

Label : Adesso Music

Catalog Number : WP1278 / Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Lucky Sun - Balance Remixed (Lucky Sun Recordings)

The original album 'Balance' by Lucky Sun was mostly set on the Baleraic beach house under the palm trees.  A year on, what have the remixing experts given us as a transformation?

Well, it's very hard to make anything that features the vocals of Alison David into anything that isn't brilliant. So when you've got three tracks on the original album, there's more than a fair chance one them is the one going to be picked. 

So 'Rain And Sunshine' getting two versions as a Sumsuch 2022 vs. Tim Haze's remixes. 

I'm going for the one with more horn (that's Sumsuch to you and me) but I like the idea of even more horn and dub.  Whilst Tim's has super warm keys as if he's on the beach with Alison's groove - where's the instrumental version? [Ed. you're so greedy Hectic!]

And then Al Bradbury provides two different remixes of 'Calling You In'; Broken Acid vs 3am Deep House. The acid style remind me of the sophisticated BiggaBush acid wobble (also on the beach) whilst this lady is wide awake at 3am. And then there's 'Sunrise' (Jero Nogues Vocal Remix) and 'Deep Love' (Alvaro Hylander Remix) are both main room with Alison's pillow talk and Frank H Carter III's soulful sun worship. 

Totally 'Balance' (Ezra Collins Remix) takes the pace up but our man Sumach teams up with Kanedo for a Spanish 'Sunset' bounce with those night time horns. 

Balearic beats in a chill mid-winter, this will keep you warm until the Lucky Sun returns.  And if there's a new trend for 8 track remix EPs, (did you miss 'A Different Style' EP?), if they're all as good as this one, long may it continue.

Balance Remixed (2022)

Balance (2021 Original)

Artist: Lucky Sun

Title: Balance Remixed

Release date: 14th December, 2022

Label : Lucky Sun Recordings

Catalog Number : LSR032

Format: LP / Digital / Bandcamp