• Music

    The Gaslamp Killer meets The Heliocentrics – LEGNA

    March 28, 2024 - By 

    This collaboration between Los Angeles’ The Gaslamp Killer and Britain’s funkiest band, The Heliocentrics, is one of those lucky finds you stumble into every now and then, and I say this as someone who isn’t too big a fan of hip-hop.  From the release’s Bandcamp site: “The stars would align a few years later, as The Heliocentrics would go on to tour with the GLK Experience as his backing band. This laid the groundwork for a monumental collaboration that was recorded at Quartermass Sound Lab, and would take many years to complete. The resulting album is a testament to the…

  • Music

    Bô’vel – Changes

    February 29, 2024 - By 

    I had no idea who Mancunian soul singer Bô’vel was until our esteemed friends over at Athens Of The North released this album of long-forgotten tracks recently.  Bô’vel was a darling of pirate radio during the mid-1990s, and judging by how soulful and funky these tracks are, she deserved a lot more exposure and due than what she received.  Kudos to AOTN for continually unearthing little gems like this.  For a deeper look at her story, consider going to the AOTN Bandcamp release site.

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    Elia y Elizabeth – Alegr​í​a / Ponte Bajo el Sol

    November 6, 2023 - By 

    From Vampi Soul’s Bandcamp site: “Elia y Elizabeth Fleta were two Colombian girls who recorded a handful of songs between 1972 and 1973, acompannied by Jimmy Salcedo and his group La Onda Tres, mixing soft-pop with a touch of tropical-pastoral funk, singer-songwriter sweetened by the subtle perfume of Caribbean music and psychedelia.” Charming, sunny music for a very cold Beijing day.

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    Gianni Marchetti – Milano: Il Clan Dei Calabresi

    August 31, 2023 - By 

    Thanks to killer reissue labels like Four Flies Records out of Italy, we can experience the easy/cheesy listening sounds of 1970s Italian movie soundtracks.  From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Four Flies’ 45s series continues to pay tribute to the golden age of Italian film music, this time with the first 7-inch release ever of two super-groovy themes from Gianni Marchetti’s soundtrack to Milano: Il Clan dei Calabresi (known in English as ‘The Last Desperate Hours’), a 1974 poliziottesco film directed by Giorgio Stegani. “M2”, on side A, is a re-versioning of a timeless classic – Quincy Jones’ “Ironside” theme –…

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    Nicola Conte – Umoja

    June 8, 2023 - By 

    My friends, mark your calendars for June 30, 2023.  This is the date that Italian DJ/bandleader/impresario and all-around man of good taste Nicola Conte releases his latest album under the banner of  Far Out Recordings, who have never let me down on a single release all these years. As Nicola’s music spreads to all corners of the globe, rather than having me describe it to you, let us start with who’s on this platter: Zara Mcfarlane – Lead Vocals On Arise/life Forces/freedom & Progress Bridgette Amofah – Lead Vocals On Dance Of Love & Peace/soul Of The People/flying Circles Myles…

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    Felix Lebarty – Girls For Sale

    May 2, 2023 - By 

    It’s safe to say that 1976 Nigeria was a somewhat different world from today’s.  The Edo-Delta region must have been a rather swinging place if this reissue of Felix Labarty’s classic, Girls For Sale, is any indication.  The music is lush, perhaps a little tinny, disco mixed with reggae vibes and lyrics filled with a combination of braggadocio and grieving over lost loves.  No, not love, but loves.  He was quite a player in his day.  An essential for those who want their Afrobeat to come in a different flavor.

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    Groove Paradise – 欲望

    April 27, 2023 - By 

    I have to say that I know next to nothing about vaporwave and the history of the scene.  Most of what I’ve heard is, to put it mildly, awful.  However, Groove Paradise, a Spanish artist, left me with a more positive view of the genre.  The music sounds like something you would hear on 1980’s mainstream radio, with AOR, funk and soul influences, only underwater.  I was a teenager during the 80’s, so hearing the music left me with a very pleasant sense of nostalgia.  If this is truly representative of vaporwave, then then album is done well.