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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.

The DMV’s own, Kev Brown has announced his frst solo rap album since 2005. Hailing from Palmer Park in Landover, Maryland specifcally, after a 13 year hiatus, the producer/MC has fnally prepared the sophomore sequel to 2005’s in?uential cult classic, I Do What I Do. Entitled, Homework, Brown and Redefnition Recs have partnered to release an LP the game has been missing for too long.Now 13 years is a long wait, but don’t think Kev has been idle in obscurity. He has been involved with several collaborative projects, garnered tons of production credits and released over a half dozen beat tapes during that time frame. It is also important to note that he was in no rush to drop another rap album and preferred to compose Homework organically and at his own pace, in the comforts of his own home, hence the title. Though Brown is known as one of hip-hop’s elite producers from heavyweights like Diamond D, Pete Rock, Busta Rhymes, Peter Rosenberg, 9th Wonder and Jazzy Jeff, he is a man of many hats.Kev Brown’s debut album was groundbreaking in so many areas that the recording itself and Kev is cemented as legendary. It would be no surprise that hip-hop would ask for the next installment and he’s nowhere near done leaving his mark. Homework is a seamless nonstop exhibition of KB’s range. Kev raps confdently and wisely throughout the album’s 27 tracks. Lyrically it’s personal, introspective, comedic, observatory and witty delivered in Kev’s smooth baritone style. Vocals are equally complimented by instrumentals all produced by the man himself and ?uidly morph into instrumental compositions too good to be considered interludes. The album was composed using several different samplers and recording technologies, but the vibe is never compromised.Homework is the perfect game plan for today’s climate and for those who haven’t, do your homework on this man. You won’t be disappointed

The album We Want A Piece Of The Pie is the product of a joint effort between Los Angeles songwriter/producer Anthony Browne and the Woolfolk Brothers of Oklahoma, with their seven-piece funk band, Septimus. The two parties sent tape reels back and forth to each other in the mail to assemble this masterpiece of buoyant and spiritual R&B... and 36 years later, those tapes have found their way into the hands of Cultures of Soul Records! Remastered from the original tapes, this new edition of We Want A Piece Of The Pie presents the legendarily rare LP to a broad market for the first time, radiating all its sunny optimism and infectious dance grooves.

“New York’s Harlem River Drive is a dividing line, a highway where the rich zip past the poor,” says singer Jimmy Norman. Eddie Palmieri’s Latin-funk band of the same name tackled these hard truths, playing prisons and speaking to the common man. Ultimately, Norman and Palmieri made a powerful socio-political statement that continues to resonate to this day. - Pablo Yglesias/Wax PoeticsWhen initially released in 1971, many critics panned Eddie Palmieri’s 1971 album Harlem River Drive. Clearly, those critics were wrong. Regardless of critical opinion, the release was not the crossover success Palmieri and Roulette Records had hoped for, at least in the immediate. Over the years the release has developed a following among listeners, DJs and aficionados of rare-grooves.The record may have been recorded towards the end of the Latin soul era, yet it features that genre's wonderful mix of Puerto Rican soul, Spanish Harlem Latin, and New York funk. Palmieri worked with an incredibly talented crew of Latin and R&B session musicians to create this quintessential New York vibe, a synthesis of funk and Afro-Cuban sounds. Contributors include Victor Venegas from Mongo Santamaria’s band, Palmieri’s brother Charlie, an accomplished musician in his own right, Bruce Fowler who went on to join Frank Zappa’s band, Dick Meza who went on to great things with Tito Puente, Ray Barretto and Celia Cruz, as well as Andy Gonzalez who’s pedigree includes recordings with Barretto, Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colon and even Chico O’Farrill. Also appearing Randy Brecker and one of the all-time greatest of the greats Bernard Purdy.An over-arching theme of Harlem River Drive is the thought that, as Palmieri puts it “The U.S. is richest country, all this immense wealth, side by side with the most intense poverty, racial prejudice, how is that possible?” A question that’s perhaps more even more relevant today than it was in 1971. A question that can be further explored with Get On Down’s reissue of this seminal recording.

The second baseball related record to be released on PPU - single sided with both the original 1983 private release and Victor Giordano's updated 2018 recording!

Following up on the massive worldwide success of their debut album 55, Bacao Rhythm & Steel band is back with another heavy duty offering. Picking up where they left off and incorporating a ton of new recording techniques they take a huge step forward with The Serpent’s Mouth. Named after the eight-mile strait between the island of Trinidad and the coast of Venezuela, The Serpent’s Mouth is a journey through both originals and covers, combining classic elements that wide-eared music fans already know, and mashing them up in new and unique ways.Take “1 Thing” – on it, the group attacks the galloping, chopped Amerie smash hit, with singing pans that follow the R & B vocal. The sound is crisp and up-front, arguably more muscular than the 2005 original. On “Great To Be Here,” they take on the Jackson 5 B-Boy favorite (which stretches back to the Zulu Nation / Bronx block party days) – uncoincidentally, the original version featured a guitar lick that emulated a steel pan run. Here, it gets an even more pulsating groove, adding open-drums breaks throughout, to get DJs salivating. The group veers through more inventively-constructed covers as the album’s sequence continues, including Gang Starr’s “All For The Cash”, Mary J. Blige’s “I Love You”, and the recently unleashed first single, “XXplosive” and “Burn,” paying tribute to both Dr. Dre and Mobb Deep for a bi-coastal funk party. And, as band leader Bjorn Wagner states, “My favorite cover on the album is probably ‘Crockett Theme,’ which is the theme to ‘Miami Vice.’ I always loved the melody, and the cosmic vibe of the song, and I was honestly surprised that it worked without synthesizers.”This time around the group’s originals are even stronger, as evidenced by cuts like the flute-fueled break-fest of “Hoola Hoop”, the slow and spacey “Touchdown”, and the album’s title track, the future-epic-adventure-movie-soundtrack cut “The Serpent’s Mouth.” Wagner explains, “I wrote the song with Bernhard Hummer as an instrumental fantasy story – think of pirates, smugglers and a dangerously beautiful sea passage towards the island. It became an allegory for our mind travels into the world of the steel pan.”The Serpent’s Mouth is sure to please past fans and newly-minted ones alike. It seems like a new era for Steel Drum music is upon us, and Bacao is firmly leading the way into the hearts of music fans around the world.

In recent years, Los Angeles rapper Blu has become one of hip hop’s most prolific artists, releasing more than a dozen acclaimed projects and building a worldwide fanbase. The gifted lyricist often joins forces with a single producer for an entire collection, leading to classic collaborative releases with Exile, Nottz, Madlib, and more. Now, Blu is back with The Blueprint, a new mixtape produced by Shafiq Husayn. Known as one third of visionary production team Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Shafiq has produced for the likes of Erykah Badu, Kanye West, Andre 3000, John Legend, Anderson Paak, Thundercat, Bilal, Ty Dolla $ign, Ice T, and many more. Dedicated to the gang culture that permeates the city they both call home, The Blueprint reflects Blu’s eternal L.A. state of mind, with Shafiq’s eclectic soundscapes providing the perfect backdrop. After mysteriously appearing online and then abruptly disappearing, the project is now receiving an official release on CD and vinyl.