US

The Time For Peace Is Now compiles fourteen songs that, while recorded over four decades ago, speak now more than ever. The tracks are a subset of 1970s-era gospel, not directly talking about Jesus or God, but instead tackling how we live with ourselves and each other. These are undeniably soulful, passionate, and urgent songs from obscure 45s, dug up from a long dormancy in attics, sheds and rated across the American south. Compiled by Gospel guru Greg Belson. “The Gospel bands heard on The Time For Peace Is Now were comprised of musicians who played both church and secular music. The church borrowed—or rather commandeered—the guitar, bass, drums, and other instruments used to backup Motown, Stax, and other popular labels—to give power to the songs they supported. Musicians who sang at ‘the club’ on Saturday night were often leading solos or singing in the choir on Sunday mornings. Saturday night and Sunday morning music began to interweave, which was especially felt when the church choirs sang Gospel. It was Gospel’s influence that made Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, and many others the voice of the 1960s and 1970s. Gospel was the soul of America. This album is reflective of the dichotomy of the sacred and the secular. The music here is in some sense the same as the music of the club. “Keep Your Faith To The Sky” could have you singing “Keep Your Head To The Sky” by Earth, Wind and Fire. Listening to “It’s Hard To Live In This Old World” and “That’s A Sign Of The Times” imbues the pessimistic/realistic sense of what was happening. Like many Blues songs, the problem must first be named before it can be solved. At the end of The Time For Peace Is Now, hope is still present. The problem is named in the beginning and a possible solution is presented. -Pastor Keith L. Whitney-Featuring a 36-page booklet in the CD with extensive notes by Jonathan Lethem (“Fortress of Solitude) and Robert Darden. The LP has a church pamphlet by Pastor Keith L. Whitney. Both physical releases come with an exclusive track that won’t be available digitally.-The release will be complemented by a 15 minute documentary that highlights three of the artists, as well as an album trailer and animated music videos.

Bonding over a shared love of Chic, Parliament and the other signs in the greater funk Zodiac, Mayer Hawthorne (Aquarius) and Jake One (Taurus), collectively known as Tuxedo, return with their third studio album, Tuxedo III released on the Tuxedo-owned and newly launched label, Funk on Sight,. Their powers combined have yet again yielded a bevy of absolute slappers that are packaged perfectly for dance floors in 2019. The album includes features from MF DOOM, DaM-FunK, Leven Kali, Benny Sings, Gavin Turek and others. Tuxedo is back to remind you that the dance floor will always be there to welcome you, whoever you are.

DIBIA$E returns, this time with his signature 8-bit sound. Bonus Levels is everything you would expect from this LA beat scene veteran. A nod to video game culture, Bonus Levels brings back memories of endless hours of gaming and takes us to a place of Lo-Fi nostalgia. DIBIA$E dices up vintage NES, Super NES and Sega video game samples, layering them with slumped out, off-the-grid drum programming, arpeggiated synths, pixilated sounds and filthy bass lines. Sprinkled with elements of house and footwork, plus a couple of remixes from favorites, Elaquent and 14KT, Bonus Levels is destined to be an instant 8-bit classic.