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Lena Platonos) is a Greek musician, pianist and music composer. One of the pioneers of Greek electronic music, she remains active today. Lena was born in Heraklion, Crete, and grew up in Athens. She began learning how to play the piano at the age of two and became a professional pianist before turning eighteen. Soon afterwards, she received a scholarship to study in the the Berlin and Vienna Academies , where she was exposed to jazz, rock and Middle Eastern music. She returned to Greece in the late 70’s and began working with the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation. Released in 1984, ‘Μάσκες Ηλίου’ (‘Sun Masks’) was Lena Platonos’ first record to feature her own words and vocals. All instruments were performed by Lena herself.. ‘Sun Masks’ was inspired by Argentine writer, Julio Cortázar as well as the film ‘The Wall’ by Pink Floyd. "I began to reverse my thought process, to let melodies fade out, to turn to minimalism, to experiment on my Yamaha C60 synthesizer and a variety of “boxes” which I used to change the sound of my voice as well as the sound of the synthesizer” says Lena. The album featured experiments with different sounds and a new batch of electronic equipment, such as the legendary Roland TR 808 drum machine. Lena narrates each song in deadpan fashion, skillfully reciting her surreal Greek poetry. Her lyrics deal with the futility of love, the gap of human relationships, consumerist alienation in the bourgeois lifestyle of the 1980s.

Down in scenic Auckland, New Zealand, tucked in a small basement studio, musician Leonard Charles & his friends paid tribute to Dilla's landmark release by re-recording the entire 31-track album on live instruments. Charles gives the tracks a modern funk reinterpretation on live bass, drums, clavinet, Rhodes & synths - sans any sampling of the original source or sourced material. Featuring vocals by Anji Toy, Adi Dick, Ruby Walsh and Georgia Anne Muldrow on the emotional tribute "Airworks (Forever)".

Superstructure has been blessing the world for 15+ years with underground cassette tape's and limited 7 inch records that have most likely been in your favorite producers collection since day one. Superstructure now unearths SUPERPOSITION, a six song EP guiding us through a secret valley of gems displaying his multifaceted songwriting ability, proving there is so much more to be seen in the landscape of modernfunk. Sonically baptizing listeners with sophisticated and intricate synthesizer arrangements before for carrying them on the backs of warm bass-lines through a journey of drums, where no detail is to be spared. The mechanics of SUPERSTRUCTURE immerses listeners in deep chords before ascension into dimensions previously unseen, transforming consciousness into its SUPERPOSITION.Produced, Composed, All Instruments Performed By SUPERSTRUCTURE (Todd Osborn)

We are pleased to welcome you once more aboard Africa Airways. For your third flight your pilot has informed us of some particularly adverse turbulence en-route. Your trip may be multi-coloured, the winds may be swirling and the clouds may be kaleidoscopic. Ladies and Gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts for your mind-expanding journey through the Afro-Psych skies. Opening up proceedings are Afro National from Sierra Leone. Their progressive psyche-highlife foot-stomper setting down a marker for things to come. Next it is Ifang Bondi who serves up a swirling concoction of powering afro rhythms, fuzz guitar, magic flute, fuzz organ, all underpinned with a driving powerful driving bass line. Next stop is Mali where Sory Bamba serves up the highlight from his 1979 album "Kanaga 78". An early use of psychedelic synthesizer paired cleverly with pulsating bass guitar and harsh choppy guitar. We step forward in time a few years for the distorted guitar chords and over-stacked beats of "Nzango" by African Black. Bunzu Soundz from Ghana close side A with their choppy, percussive, "Zinabu". Messi Jacques & Les Dissoumbas De Libreville open up side B with "Onga Ben Ma Na Mene Mebua", prepare for an onslaught of psych organ, crazed drumming and eeechho vocals to the max. Decca West Africa, Nigerian favorites Ofo and The Black Company grind out the psych factor next with their conga driven fuzz fest "Allah Wakbarr". The Damas Swing Orchestra slow proceedings down with their afro left-field swing micro epic "Odylife". We take a brief detour via Indonesia for the AKA and their dance floor mover "Shake Me". It's a track of two halves. Psychedelic throughout but in the second half things swing fast and funky. We close down with the master Manu Dibango. Proving he can turn his hand to just about any genre of music, the Cameroonian legend delivers his pensive, xylo-driven, riff locked, soundtrack epic "Ceddo" to close out our journey. Welcome to your destination. We hope you enjoyed your trip.

RacecaR & Grant Phabao met at Paris DJs' studio in 2014, thanks to an introduction from hip hop activist Miska with whom the French label has been doing hip hop-themed compilations. They decided to try something new together. Grant Phabao had never produced any hip hop artist before. And RacecaR had never tried to write and record on afro, funk or reggae music in the past. So they planned to produce new tunes together, and blend RacecaR's unmistakable flow with Phabao's unique take on deeply funky American, African and Jamaican grooves.The goal of Grant Phabao and RacecaR's collaboration was not from day one to be in competition with their other projects, or to jump on the beatmaking bandwagon, but instead to explore where both of their musical worlds could meet. What if they tried recording one's hip hop rhymes over the other's reggae, ska, afro, jazz or funk productions ? Exploring some new rare grooves with rhyming and rapping, is uncharted waters in terms of tempo for a boom-bap aficionado ! indeed there's no boom bap here, no maverick beats, no wonky, no wobble — all breaks, skanks, drops and more polyrhythmics. The word was : "let's turn our worlds upside down, and make something different together".LISTEN : https://soundcloud.com/parisdjs/sets/grant-phabao-presents-racecar

Includes a two sided 12"x12" poster.Limited edition 500 copies private pressing.

Bosq (Whiskey Barons, Ubiquity) teams up w/ cream of Old San Juan: Roberto Roena, Tempo Alomar, Tito Cruz, Ray Lugo, Luis De La Rosa Solá, more to explore the intersection of Puerto Rican music w/ African styles, reggae, funk, house, etc.

There are a few terms that get thrown around loosely, two of which are legend and retro-soul. One of these fits Lee Fields hand and glove, one of these doesn't fit at all. Very few people in music have both earned the status of legendary and continue to solidify it. 50 years in the game and only getting better, gaining more fans, and evolving his sound on each album, Lee is in fact a Living Legend. This brings us to the misuse of the term "retro-soul" when talking about Mr. Fields. You don't have to look far to find a younger generation emulating the essence and styles of an era the've only experienced through music and movies. It seems unfair to tag Lee with a term that implies imitation when he is part of the generation that actually defined the genre. Plain and simple, this is not that. "Special Night" is a masterclass in soul music past and present.“I feel that every human being’s purpose is to do what their inner voice says to do,” says Lee Fields. “And my inner voice, my driving force, wants me to put out music and keeping making better records.”Produced by Leon Michels and Thomas Brenneck, and brilliantly performed by the Expressions, Special Night was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered entirely to tape in three weeks at the legendary Diamond Mine Studios in Queens, NY. A sense of urgency, equal parts fun and inspiration, and a decent amount of beer and Jack Daniels were the driving forces during the sessions that produced Lee Fields & The Expressions latest offering. Special Night is also the first record in the Expressions catalogue in which every song was written jointly by Lee Fields and The Expressions. “When I record, I make every song like I actually mean it. I mean every word I say. On Special Night I’m talking to my lady — literally, expressing the way I feel.” says Lee Fields. “You can tell if a song is real or not, and every moment I’m recording, those moments are real, this is a record about what people do in real life”. For one example, he cites the song “Work to Do,” which tells the story of “a guy going to counseling, drinking too much, apologizing to the old lady and trying to keep family together, doing the manly thing.” On “Make This World”, Lee makes a nod back to his early funk roots with a cautionary tale about the health of the planet. The world was designed to last indefinitely,” says Fields. “We’re the only living species on Earth who can alter that process. I’m hoping that song has a chain reaction, helps somebody put into action whatever contribution they can to change what the world is going through.” As always, sticking to the formula but pushing the boundaries “Never Be Another You” from the first note doesn’t sound like something you would hear on a Lee record, that is until he starts singing anyhow. A low tempo ballad with a head nodding drum track, sparse piano lines, and all the space Lee needs to lay down what is sure to be one of the flyest love songs of 2017.Whether tackling a tune about love lost, found, or broader topics like the state of humanity, Lee has a very unique and honest perspective that is on display with each unforgettable performance. Also, The Expressions have never been sharper, they, along with Lee, have created a collection of music on Special Night which holds court with pretty much any soul music that came before it.