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Athens of the North is very pleased to introduce part two of our nod to the world of library. This time round Greg Foat journeys into the world of synthesis with good friend James Thorpe. This new LP was recorded in the old Bees Studio on the Isle of Wight earlier this year,a special, different piece of work which I was delighted to receive on ¼ inch tape without warning. Greg's output continues to be prolific without ever tiring, he never plays it safe and is always looking forward whilst having an ear for our musical heritage.

Recording at Malcom Catto's analogue studio has been an ambition of Greg's for a long time, not only for the studio itself but for Malcolm's skill using this vintage equipment, very few people can achieve such an incredibly big sound.Earlier this year we grabbed the chance to get the full Greg Foat group joined by Binker Golding (Binker and Moses) on Tenor Saxophone, Malcolm Catto on drums and Hugh Harris (The Kooks) on Guitar on the session.Moving to a more rhythmic space, you could call it Jazz funk or Fusion, but labels suck so just listen and appreciate the pure sense of space Malcom achieves with this recording. Instruments float in space, aided by the Vintage EMI desk and a host of valve equipment which has taken Malcolm a lifetime to collect. In amongst the more rhythmic pieces we also have some classic Foat style compositions; 'Lake Kussharo' and 'The Dreaming Jewels' as emotive and personal as ever, a feeling that can only be expressed and articulated in music. These past few years will no doubt be looked back on with great favour in musical history, with prolific and high quality output in all his various projects this LP is his crowning achievement of 2019. A strong year indeed!

Since the early 80's, Gabonese musician François N'Gwa has been jamming with instruments, synthesizers and, later on, production software exploring multiple music aesthetics from his Paris based home studio.Over the years, N'Gwa has written and produced incredible and timeless music, melting together his African music heritage with his favorite influences.New French label Into The Deep Treasury is delighted to present Ogooué as a tribute to N'Gwa's homeland, compiling some of his finest pieces, carefully restored and remastered, pressed on 180g vinyl in a hand painted cover artwork for the most enjoyable listening experience possible.

The rediscovery of the music of David Axelrod in the 1990s was a revelation to the scores of hip-hop and breakbeat DJs that sampled him, but his composition genius was on display as early as the 1960s. After producing and arranging major critical and commercial hits for Lou Rawls, The Electric Prunes, David McCallum, and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, he was encouraged by Capitol Records to record and produce solo material. Coming right on the heels of The Beatles' revolutionary 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, Axelrod would produce a slew of instrumental baroque pop records, which were intricately orchestrated, fused elements of jazz, psychedelic rock, chamber music, and neo-classical, and tackled issues of mental enlightenment, environmental impact, and would be hailed by critics as highly ambitious pieces of conceptual art. The albums Song Of Innocence (1968), Songs Of Experience (1969), and Earth Rot (1970) are most often hailed as David Axelrod's finest moments, but little is mentioned of the producer's 1970s material. Among these records is Seriously Deep, his lone album recorded for Polydor, and an unheralded gem of jazz-rock fusion. On Seriously Deep, Axelrod dispenses with the heavily orchestrated measures of previous works to conduct a powerhouse crew of session musicians, including Leon Ndugu Chancler of Santana on drums, Mailto Correa on percussion, Jim Hughart on bass, Joe Sample on electric keys, and many others, with production from frequent Axelrod collaborators Cannonball Adderley and Jimmy Bowen. Seriously Deep is an obscure release, but also one of David Axlerod's tightest, and most exploratory ones. Across six tracks, Axelrod and his collective of players dip in and out of bounding jazz-funk, Afro-Latin grooves, cinematic flourishes, psychedelic synth washes, and blaring big band horns. It's a singularly insular curiosity of musical impressionism that's equal parts brooding and joyous, a definitive part of Axelrod's discography, and a well of sample material for tracks by Mobb Deep, Large Professor, The Black Eyed Peas, and Beanie Siegel, among others.

With their third album ‘Fluid Motion’, Melbourne’s 30/70 are set to soar into higher territory as the face of Australia’s newest wave of soul-influenced brilliance. From the swirling opening pads of “Brunswick Hustle” all the way through to the sax-laden shimmer of “Flowers” at its close, ‘Fluid Motion’ is an instant classic, effortlessly shifting between neo-soul and languid, astralfacing jazz textures and authentic vignettes of UK club music history. It’s a formula that those already caught in 30/70’s celestial web are fully aware of; first defined on the local heat of their 2015 debut ‘Cold Radish Coma’ and majestically expanded upon with their critically acclaimed 2017 release ‘Elevate’ on Bradley Zero’s Rhythm Section INTL (mixed by Hiatus Kaiyote’s Paul Bender). ‘Elevate’ did exactly that - elevating both the scope of the band’s sound as well as their standing in the local and international community. Since the last record was released, the music has brought the band on world tours and to the attention of the wider public and key tastemakers alike. Strongly supported by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Tom Ravenscroft, Jamie Cullum, Matthew Halsall and Bradley Zero, the UK has become something of a second home for 30/70. London in particular has openly embraced the soulful sounds of Melbourne, as evidenced by Gilles’ latest Brownswood compilation ‘Sunny Side Up’ which features three tracks from 30/70 members: Ziggy Zeitgeist, Horatio Luna and Allysha Joy. The record is a follow up to his era-defining survey of the UK Jazz scene ‘We Out Here’, the compilation that kickstarted a whole generation of London’s under-the-radar Jazz kids to global headlining heights. It would appear we’re about to witness this same effect take place for the Melbourne contingent, of which 30/70 lead the charge. The city’s invasion is well and truly upon us. While London is undoubtedly in love with what’s happening in Melbourne right now, this is no one way love affair. The 30/70 collective have had their ears to the ground and plugged into the sound of the UK underground. This new album takes inspiration from the syncopation of Broken-Beat, the immediacy of Grime’s and Dub’s sonic aesthetic to create something that is a truly global amalgamation of local sounds, finessed by Allysha Joy’s instantly recognisable vocals; the rawest and realest of voices.

Ltd. Gold Marbled LP+MP3’See You Soon’ is the third album from Tokyo-based UK native submerse on the Project: Mooncircle imprint. A mélange of Slow-Jams, R&B, Hip Hop and Soul created while on a steady diet of 90’s NBA basketball and Dreamcast games. ’See You Soon’ features collaborations from fellow Tokyo-based artist Fitz Ambro$e and L.A.-based Devin Morrison and Pink Siifu.

Koralle is the new moniker of Lorenzo Nada, a musician, beatmaker and producer from Bologna, Italy. Nada is best known for his project Godblesscomputers, which kicked off a couple of years ago while he was living in Berlin. After releasing four albums / EPs and touring Europe with a four piece band Nada is heading into a new direction as Koralle. Firmly rooted in hip-hop Koralle is taking his jazz crates and field recordings to the studio. Equipped with an array of synths, rhodes and bass he creates deeply textures tracks that touch mind, body and soul. Early 2019 Koralle signed with Melting Pot Music where he released his first first project “Collecting Vol.1”. The 6-track EP was an instant success amongst beatlovers worldwide and has accumulated more than 2 million streams to date. “Collecting Vol.2” Koralle is a seamless continuation of Vol.1 only better! “Collecting Vol.2” will be available on all digital platforms. We are also releasing a limited edition LP, simply titled “Collecting” which summarizes both EP's on one record.„Collecting it’s an eyes closed journey throughout memories, a collection of some everyday little stories, still paying a tribute to my hip hop musical background. Every beat is like an object found at the bottom of the sea, every sample emerges from my record collection, turning into something new, like corals of the Ocean.“ as Koralle writes in the linernotes.

Music From Memory’s latest release sees the reissue of the lost Art record ‘Marea / Tide: Sound and Image Research Volume One’ by Italian Wave duo Alessandro Pizzin and Piergiuseppe Ciranna aka ‘Ruins’.Piergiuseppe Ciranna & Alessandro Pizzin first conceived the "Sound and Image Research" series back in the early '80s, when they were involved in various multimedia projects in art galleries and unique exhibition spaces across Italy. In 1984 Ciranna and Pizzin came across the works of Italian artist Luigi Viola, a painter whose work was already known internationally and who was active in galleries worldwide. When the opportunity arose for the three to come together it quite naturally led to the creation and production of the album Marea/Tide; a record not only inspired by the work of Viola but evolved in symbiosis. It was to be the first and sadly the only volume in Ruins’ “Sound Image Series”.‘Marea/Tide’ was released in early autumn 1984 and showcased on November 24th of the same year at an exciting one-off event, alongside exhibitions of the works and listening sessions at the well-known Villa Sagredo in Venice. Further showcases were performed at galleries across Italy by the duo alongside Viola’s art. The records, for the large part, being available solely at those events.The first (and only) print of the album was limited to 600 copies, 200 of which also included an original screen-print of two different works by Luigi Viola; ‘Cuore veneziano/Venetian Heart’, numbered and signed by the artist. Due to poor management and disagreements with the label which produced the record, 300 copies were held for many years in storage and then later sadly destroyed, and ‘Marea/Tide’ disappeared almost completely without trace.Finally available again, and now including a bonus 7” with four stunning unreleased tracks, Ruins’ cult Art record has now been reprinted in colours true to the original work of Luigi Viola, as well as including printed insert with updated liner notes.