LP

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.

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.

Kev Brown has done his Homework and he’s back to teach us a new lesson with his Delve Into Classical Moog.Artists are often measured by not just talent, but their portfolios. Pursuing one idea after the next and absorbing inspiration from an array of sources, some of the most memorable and storied artists are also great storytellers. With over 15 years in the business, Kev Brown has consistently been at the forefront of hip hop production. His instantly recognizable yet often imitated sound is a fabled treasure that makes his legacy not only a work in progress, but a work of art.With such history, one might ask, what’s left? If you ask Kev Brown, he’ll assure you that there’s unfinished business and still untapped territory to explore. 50 plus years ago it was a similar mentality that propelled visionary Robert Moog to the peak of what we classify as electronic music. Moog’s adventurous engineering in synthesis was not just a creation to house his discoveries, but an open source universe that musicians of all ages, backgrounds and genres would develop into the infinite artistic space of today. From pop to rock to jazz to even country & western, there’s no style of music that hasn’t been graced by the Moog synthesizer. Hip hop is no stranger to this beast. Beginning in the early days of the 80’s all the way to the sounds of Dr. Dre’s G Funk to Dilla’s Detroit takeover, the Moog is well traveled. Along it’s journey, Kev Brown got acquainted with the sounds of this instrument through his own rite of passage. Who knows where the last chapter will conclude, but since Kev is far from done, he’s proud to unveil his latest experiment.Complete on colored vinyl and original artwork partially sourced from Moog waveform documents including Bob Moog’s original hand drawn schematics, experience “Kev Brown’s Delve into Classical Moog.” Intended for explorers of sound and beyond.