2018

1996 is an instrumental album by Germany's beatmaker 'Shuko' who produced for the likes of Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Snoop, Pusha-T, Jedi Mind Tricks, Talib Kweli, B-Real and many more... When he started to listen to Hip Hop in 1996 he never thought about working or writing with one of his icons. 22 Years later he looks back on a strong catalog of beats he produced for his childhood heroes from Cypress Hill, Grand Puba, Cl Smooth, Sadat X, O.C., Ras Kass, Keith Murray and many more just to name a few. For this album Shuko only worked with the original equipment that was used 1996 in Hip Hop's golden era to capture the same vibe and sound. SP1200 & Akai MPC60 are the foundation of all his Beats besides one of his favourite samples of this age. 1996 is a homage of one of the best years in hip hop with guaranteed flashbacks, knocking drums, jazzy vibes and nodding heads.

Thanks to the partnership between roman labels and distributors Cometa Edizioni Musicali, Beat Records and Four Flies Records, one of the most iconic and essential works by Piero Umiliani has finally emerged from the archives. Recorded at Ortophonic studios in Rome in September 1973, "La schiava io ce l’ho e tu no" is the original soundtrack of a Giorgio Capitani’s movie with Lando Buzzanca and Chaterine Spaak, widely regarded as one of the most sought-after productions from the famous Italian composer, and whose original LP has now considered as a kind of holy grail among the most serious worldwide record diggers. The reason is maybe the magnificent quality of the composition and the arrangements, written by the Maestro himself, who reaches here one of his top-level creative peaks ever. His music is the quintessential Italian sound for 70’s sophisticated comedy: an unmistakable flavor now carved into our imagination, blending samba-bossa rhythms, funk guitars, dynamic and airy strings, but most of all, those brilliant choirs, always functional in relation to movie’s mood (performed here by ominpresent Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni in a leading role). Together with the sensual vocalisms of Edda Dell’Orso, they truly represent the identity of an entire genre. The release of this double LP makes us really proud, not only because it brings to light one of the most fresh and topical soundtracks of Piero Umiliani, but also because, after a long and patient research work, we have had the chance to locate the original master tapes with the complete recording sessions of the soundtrack.That’s why we are able to present here, in addition to the LP’s original track listing, 23 tracks never before released in any format, revealing Umiliani’s compositional eclecticism and his ability to transition effortlessly from jazz to funk, easy listening to symphony. Personal memories by Umiliani’s daughters enrich this edition through their contributions to the liner notes, giving us a familiar and intimate perspective about the composer’s private life.Listen : https://soundcloud.com/fourfliesrecords/piero-umiliani-la-schiava-io-ce-lho-e-tu-no

Incredibly unique modernized adaptations of traditional rhythms of the diverse regions of Sudan, recorded in Kuwait 1980. The “holy grail” album from Sudan.I heard about Seif Abu Bakr and The Scorpions maybe 3-4 years ago. Their album “Jazz, Jazz Jazz” ended up on my radar because of an eBay auction with the bids eventually rising daily up to a staggering 1000$. The music is a unique combination of incredible horn arrangements powerfully performed, a vigorous drummer contributing a funky backbone and Seif's vocals uniting those elements. The results range from instrumental tracks awaking memories of 1970s crime thriller soundtracks to more Sudanese-rooted tracks, a lot of them modernized versions traditional rhythms of the diverse regions of Sudan and even an excursion into Colgolese Soukouss.I went for my second trip to Sudan in December 2018 and after doing some research on the first trip my local colleagues Larissa and Yassir had managed to reach Amir, The Scorpions band leader and he was happy to meet. We got together with him in a Cafe right at the Nile in Omdurman. It was a happy occasion for everyone. He told us stories about him meeting Jimmy Cliff and Lewis Armstrong when they visited Sudan and how he and his band mates from The Scorpions played extensively in Kuwait, both in club residencies as well as for television. Amir brought tons of incredible photos illustrating not only the bands history but the vivid cultural live in the many music clubs in Khartoum of the 1970s. During this decade up until 1983 the capital was home to a huge number of clubs, bards and concert halls. This scene started to perish after president Nimeiry's turn away from his socialist policies, that he was widely associated with in the first decade of his rule, towards the implementation of Sharia law in 1983. During the first decade of his rule he had actively supported various artists of the Jazz scene, taking some of them on trips throughout Africa. The 1989 coup of Bashir and his generals then caused the final blow to a once thriving scene. Both of these political events within 6 years lead to significant drawbacks for the Sudanese jazz scene resulting into hardly no gig opportunities left and parties and concerts being critically observed. A number of musicians faced prosecution, most of the time for their political views, some left Sudan for good. Music never completely vanished from public life and even the regime kept selected artists close, but for a majority of those bands affiliated to the jazz scene life and making ends became a lot harder. The Scorpions dissolved as a group around the same time.The re-release was produced with a clean copy of the vinyl version as a source. The original reel tape of the album stayed with Saif Abu Bakr along with another reel with other recordings that were never released. Unfortunately it was lost when Saif Abu Bakr had to flee to Kuwait temporarily during the second gulf war when Iraq raided Kuwait. Both the CD and vinyl version come with extensive booklets with photos, interviews, liner notes. The vinyl version also has a DLL code.