Review: Aytiwan & Kaudron & Nes Mburu – Es Vedra (incl. Chaleee Remix) (Deep In Your Soul)

We may be on the cusp of the annual migration of millions of animals that travel across the Serengeti into Kenya’s Maasai Mara in pursuit of greener pastures, but could it be that they've been beckoned by the enchanting vocals Kenya's Nes Mbue?

Aytiwan and Kaudron's new collaboration has all the Afro house soul of previous releases on DIYS, like Nico Efstratiou's 'Ndibize' featuring Athimux that included Aytiwan and Mahandana remixes (see review HERE) so it could have easily been the standout track on this release as it is as dreamy as 'Es Vedra' itself; being an island off the southern coast of Ibiza that is blessed with myths and legends.

 

However, another new name to us, Chaleee is on the remix and puts the track into Dutch after hours party in which the beasts are on the run by big trance like synths and tribal percussion.

That said, both tracks and hypnotic and coming to a dancefloor near you soon.

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Artist: Aytiwan & Kaudron & Nes Mburu

Title: Es Vedra (incl. Chaleee Remix) 

Release date: 17th May, 2024

Label : Deep In Your Soul

Catalog Number : DIYS034 

Format: Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Sam Redmore - Home feat. Dele Sosimi (Jalapeno Records)

I think it was Wah Wah 45s that first drew attention on Sam Redmore and it was certainly Wah Wah 45s that re-injuvinated the Afrobeat legend that's Dele Sosimi, so it seems appropriate that when they meet, it's on a track called 'Home'.

I say that with the added connection that Dele sings of his connection to 'home' (Lagos) as that's where his heart is, with years of being an important part of Fela Kuti, The Shrine and the roots of Afrobeat (you may recall the Dele link with Eparapo 'From London To Lagos' with a Sam Redmore remix of their 'Black Lives Matter' - see review HERE).

Sam's home is in Birmingham (just so happens that's where I was born) but his musical home stretches far and wide from soul, funk, disco, house, Cumbia, Afrobeat, broken beat - like a Brummie Will 'Quantic' Holland meets DJ 'Pura Vida' Guts.

Dele's putting himself out a bit as this follows his collab with another Sam Duckworth (formerely known as Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly) on the album, 'The Estuary' (see review HERE) and I'd definitly call Mr. Redmore if I needed a remix of any of the tracks.

Artist:  Sam Redmore 

Title:  Home feat. Dele Sosimi

Release date: 17th May, 2024 

Label : Jalapeno Records

Catalog Number :  -

Format: Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Sai Galaxy - Nomalizo ft. bambam (Independent)

Sai Galaxy has come down from the spacewaves of 'Hold Me Tonight' from the begining of the year that featured the vocals of Steve Monite to release a cover version of Letta Mbulu's hit 'Nomalizo'.

The previous single was more of Afrobeat-disco track so now taking on a classic Mbulu track, he's found another South African as a guest artist, bambam.

She sound a little like Letta, best know as being one of the South Africa exiles who fled to New York and "discoved" by Gilles Peterson on his "In Africa" compilation and her big hit originally recorded in 1967(!), 'What's Wrong With Groovin?'.

Sai's swopped the disco synth to some deep bass bounce with some classic gospell jazz organ.

This gives back that old time feeling for the dancefloor of the now.

Artist:  Sai Galaxy 

Title:  Nomalizo ft. bambam 

Release date: 17th May, 2024 

Label : -

Catalog Number :  -

Format: Digital / Bandcamp  

Review: Chet Baker - Chet On Poetry (Right Tempo / Mono Jazz)

Chet Baker was known for his voice, his trumpet and being cool; this re-issue 'Chet On Poetry' has the benefit of all three!

Last month we looked back (and forward) with Yellowtail's 'easons In My Mind' with  remixes (see rview HERE) that featured another jazz vocal original, Mark Murphy.

Baker is even a bigger name in jazz and as a swan song (recorded in 1988 in Rome and originally released the year later after he passed away) has been somewhat overlooked.

So it's a good time to re-assess this one and, in some ways, come to terms with what Chet could envisage from his West Coast notoriety.  And it you start with 'Party Is Over', whilst his voice may have lost something over the years, the track could be early Jazzanova!  And don't be put off by the opener being a (yet another) version of 'In A Sentimental Mood' but put in the context of an album based on poetry and music (by Nicola Stilo who was in the Chet Baker Quartet and plays flute guitar, piano and synthesizer on this album) with poetry 

The remastered original tapes also feature Carla Marcotulli (backing vocal), Enzo Peitropaoli (double bass), Roberto Gatto (drums) and Alfredo Minotti (percussion) with Chet on trumpet and vocals as interpretations of translated Roman poets Gianluca Manzi and Maurizio Guercini.

There's some glorious flute on here, notably on 'With Sadness' and the Jack Kerouac-ness of 'Waiting For Chet' (both highlights on the album).

Chet's horn is fantastic as you'd expect from a true master and whilst the pathos of 'Like The Precedent' is a little downbeat, the horn on the semi-bossa of 'Deep Arabesques' and the jazz-bounce of 'Chet's Blues' is proof (none needed) of what a star he is.

In addition to the Duke Ellington cover, he does Elvis Costello's 'Almost Blue' (come on, he's not got to do 'Watching The Detectives' or '(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea' - perhaps he should have?)

This may not have been his last album/performance but one of the most unusual and now available in 'all' formats, you've got no excuse to treat yourself to a copy.

Artist: Chet Baker
Title: Chet On Poetry  

Release date: 14th May, 2024 

Label : Right Tempo 

Catalog Number : -

Format : LP / CD / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Ihsan Al-Munzer - Orientalissimo Vol. 2 (BBE Music)

BBE's Middle Eastern Heavens series of re-issues of the albums made by legendary Lebanese composer Ihsan Al-Munzer is now on its fourth release and it's the best yet!

Fantastic news that this follows last years' album by Al-Munzer on BBE, 'Belly Dance' (see review HERE) and show's there's so much more to 70s pop-synth disco cross-over tradtional folk as Batov Records' 'Middle Eastern Grooves' (see review HERE) have been proving too!

Fancy living in Beruit and being known as "The Godfather of Belly Dance" but as a digital only release, your hard-drives are going to have trouble keeping up with this.

Artist: Ihsan Al-Munzer

Title: Orientalissimo Vol. 2

Release date: 10th May, 2024

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number : BBE526 

Format: Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Lefteris Volanis, Dimitris Pagidas - Outside The Long Walls (Veego Records)

Having worked together in an experimental pop group, multi-instrumentalists Lefteris Volanis and  Dimitris Pagidas cleared their minds to take a look 'Outside The Long Walls'.

YATM have their own musical views outside of the walls of conformity and we do like a post-rock, psych OST approach.  And that's what we've got with these 11 tracks.

'Leaving London' (on a personal note, be warned, once you've left, there's no going back) is the most folky-pop of the set with it's Sunday morning soothing vibe.  In fact, the whole album is like a laid-back Project Gemini ('Colours & Light' see review HERE) merged with the quieter less jazzy elements of 'Valia Calda ('Homeland' see review HERE).

That said, the combinationof the guitar, synths, xylophone, electronics with some vocals (Greek & English) are perfect in setting the post-ENO-Fripp ambient Balearics - particularly like the 'eastern' title track and the longest tracks, 'Goodbye To Purity' and 'Crystals'.

Following on from last month's Record Store Day 7", 'Melodia / Melancolia', these two are on it like an out-there on a 60/70s space prog-folk Parthenon mission centre take off OST.

PS. This months' Colour & Pitch Sessions starts with their track 'August' - see below.

Colour and Pitch · Colour and Pitch Sessions with Sumsuch - May 2024

Artist: Lefteris Volanis, Dimitris Pagidas 

Title:  Outside The Long Walls

Release date: 10th May, 2024 

Label : Veego Records

Catalog Number :  -

Format: Deluxe edition 12" vinyl (limited to 500 copies) / Digital / Bandcamp  

Recorded in Epidaurus between March 2020 until September 2023
Mastered by Richard König
Vinyl Master by Ekelon
Cover photo by Eftichia Vlachou
Artwork by Giorgos Maraziotis

Review: King Bee ft. Dave Wilde - On The Hill (Ramrock Red Records)

It's so good to be back as King Bee are now 'On The Hill' and it could literally be that!

It doesn't seem that long ago that we were heralding the new era in jazz dance Brit-funk with King Bee's previous single, 'Good To Be Back' (see review HERE).  But can this new track be even better as they and Ramrock Red Records (and Mrs Ramrock, Jo Wallace in particular) are one rack away from winning the match (a term Mosconi Cup fans will know well).

Once more, the Newcastle based seven piece band that features the classic three horn front line with Chris Jelly on vibraphone, has Dave Wilde taking on featured vocalist duties for the first time giving a post-Weller-esque sound to their own condensed acid-jazz'd Incognito/ Chevalier Brothers/ Morrissey Mullen/ Beggar & Co. cool selves.

Expect even more support from DJ fans, Craig Charles (BBC 6 Music), DJ Robbie Vincent (Jazz FM), The Relex, and more as they all line-up to pot the proverbial 9 ball!

Artist: King Bee
Title: On The Hill ft. Dave Wilde
Release date: May 10th, 2024
Label: Ramrock Red Records
Cat No: RRR061

Review: Florence Adooni - Uh-Ah Song / Otoma Da Naba (Philophon)

Fans of YATM and Philiphon will know Florence Adooni is a Frafra-Gospel singer from Northern Ghana who has collaborated with artists like Jimi Tenor, the Frafra-Gospel group Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy and North-Ghanaian Kologo master Guy One.

So it's always good news that theto follow-up 7" Jimi Tenor's 'My Mind' (see review HERE) is a super Highlife take on the classic 'southern freeeze' with some super sexy synth work.

Backed up with 'Otoma Da Naba' which translates as 'The Creator Has Done Well' that's got some 303 acid lines to it which could equally stand next to, say, Rekab's latest EP on Yore records, 'My Future & My Past' in what could be looked at as a Berlin vs. Köln battle.

Florence will be Europe this summer so if your looking for something exceptional for your festival or spot her on a gig listing, don't miss the opportunity to go and see her.

Artist: Florence Adooni

Title:  Uh-Ah Song / Otoma Da Naba

Release date: 10th May, 2024

Label : Philophon Records

Catalog Number : PH45034

Format: 7" / Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Transmission Towers - Transmission One (É Soul Cultura)

For those that enjoy Imaginary Radio Stations, here's the first out of Transmission Towers, 'Transmission One' being the debut album on Luke Una's É Soul Cultura label.

Fans of the charactmastic DJ, producer, promoter and 50% of The Unabombers, Mr Una (aka Luke Cowdrey) will know from his DJ sets and compilations (last seen HERE with Luke Una Presents É Soul Cultura Vol.2) that he is very much his own man when it comes to what rocks his musical dancefloor.

That said, you don't have to be the next Mancunian Tony Wilson off the rank to know if you got a mix of duos like MR Robots and Glass Slipper in a 70s ESG come Roy Ayers Ubiquity funk soul groove, like the first single, 'Sparse' (see review HERE) that it's going to bounce folks off the wall.

Coming from Liverpool, we're told that Mark Kyriacou and Eleanor Mante are divided by the River Mersey and then brought together Mark's music and Eleanor's lyrics.  And like any historical port, there's lots of split atom divisions that are then re-forged together with influxes to safe harbours; in this case, Detroit-flavoured deep house" with a bit of 80s Compu Rhythm programing with a big touch of Sun Ra school. 

The leftfield post-punk Afro-futurism there throughout (notably on 'Everything' and 'Mega') and in all, the 12 track album has got elements of a dreamy pirate radio past (late night Sunday soul of Invicta FM on 'Go Slow Heart' and 'Affirmation Of Love') but we love the spacey longer tracks like 'Planetary Alignment', 'My Shadow', 'The Universal Drift' and 'Cosmic Trigger' whilst your radio plays will be full of 'Up', 'Roller Skater 23' and 'Sparse'.

This is deep, soul and pop all at the same time and you can see why Luke (and DJ BiggaBush) is so tuned into this - you should be too!

Artist: Transmission Towers

Title: Transmission One

Release date: 10th May, 2024

Label: É Soul Cultura

Cat. No: ESOUL0193BT108

Format: Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Trinidadian Deep - Moments Of Sounds EP (Ensouled)

Ensouled are clever to have Trinidadian Deep as their second single release to capture 'Moments Of Sounds'.

To follow-up the hit of Cee ElAssaad's 'Clever' (see review HERE) which featured the vocals of Jaidene Veda with this Afro-jazzy percussion heavy dreamscape is a smart move.

And then to emphasise the heavyweight nature, to pair it with a DJ dub-stylee 'Drum Tool' version is genius.

Trinidadian Deep is mentored by Chicago's very own house legend Ron Trent and 'Moments Of Sounds' would have been ideal for a Trent remix but in all honesty, all you need is the mesmorisizing 'Drum Tool' mix and you're gone!

Artist: Trinidadian Deep
Title: Moments Of Sounds EP
Release date: 10th May, 2024 on Traxsource / Elsewhere 24th May, 2024

Label : Ensouled

Catalog Number : ENSLD002

Format: Digital / Bandcamp