12"

After an impressive debut in early 2015, the boys behind the Soviet veil have slow-cooked another frothy sampling of off-kilter edits from the motherland (or somewhere). Never mind the long pause between releases, the tenacious attention to detail shows on all four jams. This is one to pick up if you're a serious club DJ or not, really.

Australian vocalist extraordinaire Kylie Auldist will be no stranger to soul & funk fans, her searing soul singing having featured on her own albums 'Made Of Stone' ,'Still Life' (Tru Thoughts) also in The Bamboos, as well as Freestyle Records own Cookin' On 3 Burners.Her unmistakable voice is currently topping the pop charts across Europe, as the Kungs remix of Cookin' On 3 Burners 'This Girl' has proven a sure fire hit with club audiences as well as pop fans. It has been playlisted on BBC Radio 1 and Capital FM, and is now a Top 10 hit in the Official UK Chart.For her first solo album on Freestyle, Kylie, assisted by long time friends & collaborators Lance Ferguson (The Bamboos/Lanu/CO3B/Black Feeling) and Graeme Pogson (of Aussie electronic duo GL) have honed and perfected a collection of amazing new boogie, disco & electro-funk inspired tracks that evoke the feel and sound of late 70's & early 80's club classics. Think of classic acts like D Train, Sinnamon, and singers like Chaka Khan, Maxine Singelton, Sharon Redd and you will already start to understand where this new project is rooted.Kicking off this authentically disco style 5 track, 12 inch single and download single is Waste Of Time, a shimmering, soulful and devilishly catchy mid tempo groover. Graeme Pogsons' synthesizer bass lines are so evocative of that era , they act like a musical time machine! This is perfect summer time soul.Sensational (which has a sensational video to accompany it) hits a little harder, the beats, bass line and Kylie's vocals will drive you onto the dance-floor and stay there until the very last note and begging for more. Good Time Girl doesn't let the pressure drop for a second and also features a fantastic proto-rap contribution from King Merc - whilst Family Tree (the title track from the forthcoming album) is pure Saturday night, feel good disco aimed at the ears and dancing feet.The last track Rewards is yet another supremely insistent and catchy song that provides a tantalising hint of the goodies to come when Family Tree finally sees release later this year...can you wait?

Introducing Felix Leifur, Dirt Crew's latest discovery, an all new, raw and savvy talent from Reykjavík, Iceland. Reykjavík has a population of just over 120,000, so the disco, hip hop and soul sampling, house music community that Felix rolls with is pretty tight knit, giving him a unique and inspired perspective on the sound. Remixing is friend of the label, Manchester's Hidden Spheres. After breaking through on our 'Deep Love 10' compilation, he went on to drop his 'Waiting' EP last summer on 'Distant Hawaii' (the dreamy offshoot of 'Lobster Theremin'). On the A, 'Berg Toppur', is a dance floor workout, a sublime balance of shimmering rhodes and vibrant arps with slamming organic percussion. 'Giving' is a spirited and warbling cut, crooning vocals and gritty horn blasts punctuate it's steady groove and loose live clap. This one's got open air written all over it. On the B-side, 'The Sunday Club' is a eclectic and somewhat eccentric jam, samples from across decades, weave together to create something altogether new. Next up, Hidden Spheres' "Rocky Top" remix of 'Berg Toppur' eases in with a casual vibe, steamy drums, and a no-nonsense bass line set the pace, while the arps and elated vocals from the original sweep and soar, building to a feverish peak of sun-scorched bliss. Finally, 'Wait' sets the mood with a dusty jazz piano refrain and a strutting groove, before bringing the playful yet punchy trip home with a solid head-nodding bass line. Felix Leifur's diverse ear and distinct style gives 'The Sunday Club' EP the perfect blend of breezy summertime spirit and serious night club heat.

It is late 1972. Six emigres from Congo, Benin and Cameroon find themselves in Pavia, near Milan in Italy. Sharing a passion for music and dance rooted in African culture they form a band called M'Bamina ("Lightning") they and stage their dance and music show in Le Rotonde di Garlasco. Two years of hard work and gigging follow before they make their first album "African Roll", released in 1975.Following a European tour in 1976 then find themselves performing in Cameroon for a landmark concert at the Stade de Yaounde with Claude Francois (French Pop star and the writer of the original version of Sinatras My Way) and African music legend Manu Dibango. As it often happened in the 70s when talented ambitious bands met Manu Dibango, a move to France and a record deal with Fiesta Records (Decca) soon followed.In Paris 1977 the band find themselves opening for a James Brown's concert Au Pavillon de Paris. By now the band is a well-oiled machine they have honed their live shows and sound by distilling a pure and fresh blend of R.& B, Rumba, Afro-Cuban, Funk and traditional African. M'Bamina then hook up with French producer Philippe Brejean to record their second album "Experimental" in Sysmo studios (a hot bed of album activity and French production music at the time). The results capture the band at the peak of their powers.The core of M'Bamina was made up of Samba Ngo (guitar and vocals), Antoine Nkouka Batenda (guitar and vocals), Bernard Bifuanibo (bass), Jean-Marie Bolangassa (percussion), Anselme Tambakassa (congas) et Ligali Ali Amidou (percussion and vocals). The band would go on to make 2 further albums before disbanding in 1985.