BBE

Join two of BBE’s most prolific artists and compilers, Mr Thing & Chris Read on a voyage into the mysterious, strange and wonderful world of Library Music, courtesy of Cavendish Music. Founded in 1937 and originally known as Boosey & Hawkes Recorded Music Library, Cavendish Music is the largest independent Library Music publisher in the UK and also represents a host of music catalogues across the globe.During the Library Music heyday of the 60s and 70s, thousands of original instrumental tracks were produced across a broad range of genres for companies like Cavendish, who then created vinyl and tape collections, often arranged by theme or mood, for their customers in radio, television and film. Cult British TV shows such as The Sweeney and The Professionals as well as documentaries and feature films relied heavily on these catalogues, and companies like KPM, De Wolfe and Boosey & Hawkes went a long way toward defining the sound of British popular culture at the time. Never commercially available, music created for these libraries that never made it to the promised land of TV or Radio was destined to languish in Cavendish Music’s vast London vault, only recently unearthed by a new generation of DJs and producers searching for rare gems or a perfect sample. Mr Thing & Chris Read were first invited to examine the contents of the Cavendish Music archive in 2014 as part of WhoSampled’s ‘Samplethon’ event in which producers created new tracks against the clock using sample material mined from the catalogue. Whilst digging through box upon box of records and tapes looking for interesting sounds, the pair also discovered a host of 70s library music which has not only stood the test of time, but deserves to be heard in its original form.From dramatic big band numbers reminiscent of Lalo Schifrin’s film scores to atmospheric proto-hip hop instrumentals produced before the genre’s existence, right through to fairly straightforward jazz and funk cuts, this amazing collection of music is sure to inspire and delight DJs and beatmakers the world over.

Legendary DJ and collector Sadar Bahar & Dutch synth obsessive Ben Spaander's present their new collaborative EP on BBE!Hugely respected both as a DJ and authority on rare disco, funk and his own brand of ‘Soul In The Hole’, Chicago’s Sadar Bahar joins forces with Dutch synth-obsessive Ben Spaander for a very special 12” release, “The Red, White & Blue’s”. A regular fxture at the world’s most discerning parties including Southport, Soundwave and Helsinki’s Flow Festival, Sadar Bahar frst joined forces with BBE in 2012, releasing acclaimed (and highly sought after) compilation album ‘Soul In The Hole’. Better known as Cosmic Force, electro veteran Ben Spaander has amassed an enviable array of synths in his Utrecht studio, using them to devastating efect in his productions and live shows. Starting out working only with Ben’s synth collection and Sadar’s supreme ear for the groove, the pair soon enlisted help from some talented sax, guitar and keyboard players to give their new project a delightfully organic, live sound. Following hot on the heels of their debut release (‘We Are Righteous People’ on Rush Hour), ‘The Red White & Blue’s’ comprises four heavy grooving dance-foor cuts of varying shades. ‘Electronic Frequencies’ sounds like an early Chicago House track, with a hypnotic synth bassline and insistent kick drum punctuated by sensual spoken word vocals and jazzy guitar licks. ‘Fast Trumpet’ lives up to it’s title with a frenetic disco rhythm and looping brass samples giving way to an ultra-funky wah-wah guitar jam. ‘Binaries In Love’ is a disco/funk workout of epic proportions, the dizzying interplay between live sax and guitar giving a classic feel to the rock-solid groove. Finally ‘East River Throwdown’ gives a nod to b-boys and bgirls across the world, touching on one of the most iconic breaks of all time while adding a earscandalous layer of smooth jazz-funk. An exciting partnership from two artists brought together simply through a love of music, the energetic, joyful nature of these tracks lends them a wide and instant appeal. Coming soon to a dancefoor near you. Expect smiling faces.

BBE present a new single from Spanish producer Kiko Navarro.We are delighted to present this special pair of tracks from Spanish producer and DJ Kiko Navarro on glorious 12" vinyl, providing a glimpse of his much anticipated forthcoming album 'Everything Happens For A Reason'. Opening track 'Twilight' will need no introduction for crate diggers and 80's club kids. A complete remaking of the Maze classic, Kiko's version raises the tempo into deep house territory, retaining the dreamy, sensual feel of Frankie Beverly's original. Providing a sumptuous taste of the oldschool, Kiko's own acid-laden, energetic dub version of 'Twilight' is sure to wreak havoc on the dance-floor, with perhaps a little hint of good old fashioned euphoria as it reaches it's synth string-filled climax. On the B-Side 'Cranc' provides a raw, analogue, Detroit-esque synth jam, building an intense groove with an insistent, wrongfooting bassline underpinning dizzying arpeggios, jazzy stabs and warm chords.

BBE present the cult classic Paz Are Back from Brtish Jazz collective Paz.Recorded during the summer of 1980 and originally released in 1982 on Spotlight Records, 'PAZ are Back' was the second (and arguably the finest) album by the London jazz collective, founded by vibraphonist, composer and arranger Dick Crouch. Known for their original jazz-funk and latin stylings, the band held a weekly Sunday residency at The Kensington pub in Holland Park for over 8 years, becoming a fixture at many London venues throughout the 70's and 80's, most notably Ronnie Scott's.For PAZ, band leader Dick Crouch assembled a group of the finest jazz musicians working in London at the time. Piano, keyboard and synth player Geoff Castle was a mainstay of the band throughout the years, as well as playing and recording with George Coleman, Ian Dury & Georgie Fame to name but a few. He also composed the highly original and energetic track 'Moonchild', featured on this album.Sax and flute player Ray Warleigh enjoyed a successful three decade career (sadly, he passed away in 2015), playing alongside Dusty Springfield, Marianne Faithfull, Scott Walker and Stevie Wonder as well as 9 years with PAZ. The full breadth of his musical dexterity is on display here, from the gritty alto sax solos featured on 'Laying Eggs' to his eerie home-made panpipes on 'Horrors'.Guitarist Ed Speight also worked extensively with Ian Dury and the Blockheads, as well as performing 'Tubular Bells' with Mike Oldfield on the QEH and BBC2. Now an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, Ed taught guitar and keyboard harmony between 1988 and 2010. Bass player Ron Mathewson is best known for his years spent working with Ronnie Scott, but he also recorded with Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, Ben Webster and Bill Evans (to whom the stunning 'I Can't Remember' is dedicated). His absence on one album track is noted in its title 'Where is Ron?', so called because he realised the song required no bassline (as the original liner notes stated: "this awareness of when not to play is part of his genius").Appearing with the band for the first time on 'PAZ are Back', drummer Frank Gibson was perhaps better known for accompanying Leo Sayer, David Essex and Dusty Springfield, although jazz was always his first love. Following his time in the UK and touring the world, Frank returned to his native New Zealand, where he won three 'Best Jazz Album' awards and performed at the 1990 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.Capturing a group of prodigiously talented musicians at the height of their powers, 'PAZ Are Back' features timeless original compositions from almost all the band members, as well as a unique cover of 'Everywhere Calypso' by Sonny Rollins and a truly frenetic, heavily improvised version of jazz standard 'Dancing In The Dark'. A band who remained steadfastly resistant to being pigeonholed, incorporating a multitude of influences before 'fusion' became fashionable, PAZ's music stands the test of time magnificently, as evidenced by the staggering demand for original copies of this album.Remastered and packaged with the original artwork, BBE are excited to make the magic of PAZ available to a new generation of fans.– Album tracks sampled by Madlib & DJ Vadim among others– Copies of the original fetching 3 figure sums on Discogs– Featuring a group of London's all-time finest jazz musicians at the height of their powers– Full press , radio & social media campaign

BBE presents the long awaited reissue of Raw Movements / Rude Movements from SunPalace.Way back in 1981, two musicians got together to make a record. Mike Collins played guitar and had just bought a Roland CR78 - the first programmable drum machine. Keith O'Connell played Fender Rhodes piano and Prophet 5 synthesizer. Excited about the quirky and unusual instrumental track they'd composed, when the duo entered London's Utopia Studios to finish off their creation, neither could have predicted what was to follow… Now viewed by many as one of the most influential early electronic dance records, 'Rude Movements' was swiftly picked up on by David Mancuso, who used it to devastating effect at his infamous 'Loft Parties', in turn introducing it to Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles, David Morales and Kenny Dope, a group of young DJs who would go on to write the blueprint for dance music as we know it.In the more than 35 years since its release, 'Rude Movements' has continued to inspire and excite, sampled by The Bucketheads' classic House track 'Whew!' (featured on recent BBE compilation '20 years of Henry Street Records') and listed by a veritable 'who's who' of dance music's elite as an all-time favourite. Rare and much sought-after on vinyl, BBE are happy to announce the release of a fully remastered version of 'Rude Movements' presented alongside the original demo version 'Raw Movements', plus three other versions of the iconic track. Also included on the vinyl package are the Afrika Bambaata inspired 'Street Beat' and 808/MiniMoog workout 'Palace Strut', as well as three other 80s SunPalace compositions. CD and digital versions expand the catalogue still further, with more experimental SunPalace magic. Timeless original, quirky and unique, these recordings are set to inspire yet another generation of DJs, producers and music fans.- Full press , radio & social media campaign- Contains previously unreleased recordings- Artist Mike Collins will be available for interviews- Artwork contains detailed liner notes written by the artist himself

Digging duo Kon & Amir occupy a select corner of the DJ world, with radio, mix-CDs, live sets and compilations on their radar. Theirs is a slowly-but-steadily growing catlogue crammed with timeless releases: six volumes of their widely celebrated On Track mixtape series, a highly regarded compilation The Cleaning (2004), a breaks-heavy instalment called Kings of Digging (2006) with DJ Muro from Japan and now the third volume of five in their Off Track series for BBE. Not to mention tours spanning the US, Europe and Far East taking in appearances at clubs, festivals and weekenders, in addition they have a strong affiliation with record diggers' bible 'Wax Poetics', and have just completed an 18-month residency of their own monthly show on online music 'zine Spine Magazine's radio station.Off Track III finds the New York/Boston-based pair shining light on another diverse array of underexposed vinyl. The eclectic African disco and soul cuts Amir highlights on his disc are Americanized by style but inherently authentic in feel, demonstrating the very best of the region's dance music from the period following Fela Kuti's mid-70s creative peak. Some standouts: Tee Mac's 1980’s insistently catchy 'Living Everyday', Effi Duke's percussive materpiece 'The Time Is Come', and Christy Essien's glorious 'You Can't Change', which features famed bandleader Geraldo Pino's Show Train outfit. Also in the mix are a couple of cuts from unsung Nigerian star Dizzy K. Falola aimed at sophisticated dancefloors.Kon's disc opens with an extended edit of Donny McCullough's 'From The Heart' from a pricey 1981 album. Rudolph Baker's little known album track 'Getting Next To You' is a floor-filling anthem in the waiting. Edge of Daybreak were a prison band whose punchy title track from their rare Eyes Of Love album provides a solid argument for subsidizing more music programs behind bars. 'Tin Top' is another cut with a Kon edit, but Kenny Mann & Liquid Pleasure are the antithesis of mysterious indy-label group, the veterans performing to this day and maintaining a comprehensive website loaded with videos and resumes.

Compiled by Italian DJ and purveyor of rare vinyl Gino Grasso with the assistance of his brother Federico, 'We Know How To Boogie' is a joyful romp through the finest forgotten dance-floor disco and soul from the 70's and 80's . A bona fide 'disco don', Gino has collected music for over 30 years and supplied the likes of Kenny Dope and Dimitri From Paris with obscure gems. A familiar face behind the decks in his hometown of Bologna and across Italy, Gino's music, passion and knowledge has seen him play underground clubs the world over, including Le Souk in NYC and the Bussey Building in London. Many of the tracks included on 'We Know How To Boogie' have become 'signature tunes' for DJs such as Phil Asher, Sadar Bahar, Joe Davis and Daniele Baldelli, rarely if ever leaving their record boxes. Containing several exclusive edits from the Grasso Brothers, 'We Know How To Boogie' is simply filled with sure-fire hits for the discerning dance-floor. Lesser known tracks remastered from eye-wateringly expensive original vinyl releases by William Barlak, Living Colour & Carol Meriwether rub shoulders with the truly obscure and utterly wonderful French-Canadian disco outfit 'Black Sun' in what can only be described as a musical celebration like you've never heard before. This 'Italian Job' is guaranteed to do more than just 'blow the bloody doors off.- Full press & radio campaign in key territories with coverage assured in key magazines & websites- Gino Grasso has been supplying the Kings of Disco with their dance-floor bullets since the 90's- Limited vinyl for new & old turntablists alike