2016

Last year, Music From Memory released a brilliant retrospective of Vito Ricci. Music for Amiga is Ricci’s first vinyl record of original music in decades. This project was made on the Commodore Amiga (with it's infamous sound chip) composing all the pieces on 'Music Mouse' - Laurie Spiegel's pioneering software from the mid-80s.

Jay, now 25 years old, has become one of the leading artists in the latest generation of Detroit electronic music-makers. In the five years that he has been on the scene, he has released the “Scorpio Rising EP” on Theo Parrish's Sound Signature Records, “Karmatic Equations” on Kyle Hall's Wild Oats Music, and featured on Funkineven’s “Abyss”, all the while gig-hopping from New York to London, Japan to Australia and all points in between. In 2015, Jay took it to the next level with the foundation of his own record label Watusi High, releasing the inaugural EP: “School Dance”. "Broken Knowz" signals a departure from Jay’s previous output. Disillusioned with the constraints of drum programming and the associated deficiencies translating human feeling or emotion; he retreated to his mother’s basement, picked up his drumsticks and started recording into a multitrack mixer for the first time. This was key for Jay, as he knew he wanted the album to sound more live, more natural, and more human. Consequently, ‘Paradise Valley’, ‘Boolin’, ‘Yemaya’ and lead track ‘Knowledge Of Selfie’ are founded on loose-knit, shuffling breaks with Jay’s signature keyboard runs marauding over the top. Refreshingly exposed and overtly reliant on the sheer weight of the grooves, it’s a mighty debut from a young man seemingly oblivious to the weight of expectation associated with the pantheon of music-makers hailing from his hometown.“Broken Knowz” is only the third longplayer on Ninja Tune’s Technicolour imprint which has delivered a string of exceptional leftfield club music EPs from Florian Kupfer, Legowelt, Nathan Melja, NY*AK, U and superb albums from Levantis and Hieroglyphic Being.

Rare brazil album made available again through MR Bongo, incl. 'Voce Abuso' & 'Kabaluere. Nice! A truly fantastic record that sounds the way it looks – psychedelic rock, samba-funk and tripped out MPB. Features ‘Kabaluerê’ as sampled by Marcelo D2 on his hit ‘Qual e?’. Arranged by Rogerio Duprat, featuring legendary guitarist Lanny Gordin. Antonio Carlos & Jocafi were a very successful and famous Brazilian writing duo, born in Bahia. They worked with the likes of Wilson Simonal, Rosinha De Valença, Trio Mocotó, Milton Banana, Toquinho and more. Originally released on RCA Brazil in 1971, this was the duo’s debut LP. Two versions of the album cover exist in Brazil – this, the psyched-out, burnt out version, and a much less exciting photograph of the chaps, pressed to include the single ‘Desacato’ which became a popular hit in Brazil and several European countries.

For Rhythm Section International's fifteenth 12" release, Bradley Zero has looked to the bourgeoning Polish house scene. It sees occasional Transatlantyk artist Newborn Jr. (AKA Adam Brocki) join forces with the previously unheralded Earth Trax. They open with the tactile, wide-eyed warmth of "Sax & Flute", where dreamy, stretched-out chords, toasty bass and hazy house breakbeats rub shoulders with punchy, synthesized saxophone and flute lines. It's reminiscent of not only 808 State's "Pacific", but also Italian "ambient house" (Morenas, Lux, Midas etc.) of the same period. Flipside "Flute Track" is similarly woozy and loved-up, though its' twittering synth-flutes, chiming melodies and bold bassline recall memories of Orbital's more Balearic-minded moments, rather than Sueno Latino.

'Better' is an edit of Gladys Knight & The Pips* - It's A Better Than Good Time 'Fever' is an edit of Fever (3) - Standing In The Shadows Of Love