US

Former co-owner of Mr Peabody infamous record Store in Chicago, exquisite music connoisseur, deep dj and fresh Sounds Familiar member Mark Grusane provides the next in the series of SF 45s. Space Mountain is a funk fusion monster while in Fifth Dimension Mark shows his darker side pushing the electro/new wave envelope and even providing vocals. Once again a Sounds Familiar winner and another demonstration of Mark’s rich musical palette. Growing up in Chicago during the early 80’s, Mark - with the help of his older brother - started collecting records and DJing from his pre-teens. During high school he listened to WBMX radio mixes and was producing house tracks inside empty classrooms with his friends during lunch period. By the time Mark was a young adult having music everyone knew and liked was not good enough anymore and so he entered the endless world of searching and seeking music he had yet to discover and his music habits soon reached a level deemed as obsessive. To balance his spending habit, he found himself selling music to older peers, stores and DJs in order to afford more records for himself. This finally lead him into founding Mr. Peabody Records with Mike Cole a fellow fanatic, in 2004, aiming to become a world class resource for all genres of obscure music and indeed Mr Peabody Records became a destination point for many DJ's and Music lovers worldwide and indeed they did. Sadly, the brick and mortar store closed shop in 2012. However we’re lucky Mark still collects and continues to play music to dancers and clubbers around the world.His style is derived from his unique persona, many years of collecting dance music and knowing how to move people with it. Although totally capable, Mark isn't your typical cookie cutter style DJ. He has his own signature way of putting records together with a focus to play quality, obscure, heart pounding, "Make You Get Up And Move” music.

It is safe to say PPU boss Andrew Morgan is a fan of Atlanta-based producer Rekchampa, with this limited test pressing edition of his Dream Sequence album arriving the same week as the killer Fried Chicken Skin 12". After a few days rotation on the Juno office stereo, we're the latest converts to the Rekchampa cause! First surfacing on our radar via a NDATL 12" in late 2014, Stefan Ringer has been popping up in a few interesting places ever since; sharing sides with Eliphino on A Love Below 12", appearing under the Black Suede name on the CGI label. This album finds PPU compiling Rekchampa cuts that first appeared on a Harsh Riddims cassette in 2014, complemented by a few bonus cuts from the Ringer studio. These six tracks brandish a style of vocal, soulful house comparable to Moodymann, Peven Everett and Seven Davis Jr but Rekchampa definitely has his own rough-edged vibe going on.

Andrew Morgan's Peoples Potential Unlimited label may well have been founded to document the lost and forgotten funk, disco and boogie that peppered the DIY and private press labels of 1980s USA, but their contemporary releases are just as good. See 12"s from the likes of Legowelt, Beautiful Swimmers and Pender Street Steppers for evidence. Fried Chicken Skin adds to this small but deadly canon of contemporary PPU releases, presenting one of two records on the label from Stefan "Rekchampa" Ringer, a Stockbridge, Atlanta-based producer who got his break in late 2014 thanks to Kai Alce's NDATL label. "Fried Chicken Skin" is a bumping, rough US house delight replete with ad-libbing vocals from Ringer himself, whilst "Ride" sees him collaborate with Personal Trainer for a more reduced, deeper cut that will appeal to Sound Signature fans.

When Greg Caz and Deano Sounds teamed up to create The Brasileiro Treasure Box Of Funk & Soul they created a collection of vintage Brazilian music that stretches across the scope of funk, soul, and psychedelic. Co-compiler and Brazilian music aficionado, Greg Caz says: “Without necessarily having a central theme other than funky nuggets from the first half of the 70s, we believe this compilation displays its own particular sense of logic, and that these songs ultimately all sound fantastic together. Regardless of one’s familiarity, or lack thereof, with artists like Antonio Carlos & Jocafi, Os Incríveis, Toni Tornado or Celia, the material on these 45s speaks its own truth and justifies their inclusion here. Many of these were originally available as singles, while others were taken from albums, but all are guaranteed to find their way into many DJ boxes and playlists.”The stunning 45s from this set will now be available for individual sale. Split 45 with the out and out rocker from Antônio Carlos & Jocafi (Quem Vem Lá) on the A-Side and the groove laden “Paz E Amor” from Os Incriveis on the B-Side.

When Greg Caz and Deano Sounds teamed up to create The Brasileiro Treasure Box Of Funk & Soul they created a collection of vintage Brazilian music that stretches across the scope of funk, soul, and psychedelic. Co-compiler and Brazilian music aficionado, Greg Caz says: “Without necessarily having a central theme other than funky nuggets from the first half of the 70s, we believe this compilation displays its own particular sense of logic, and that these songs ultimately all sound fantastic together. Regardless of one’s familiarity, or lack thereof, with artists like Antonio Carlos & Jocafi, Os Incríveis, Toni Tornado or Celia, the material on these 45s speaks its own truth and justifies their inclusion here. Many of these were originally available as singles, while others were taken from albums, but all are guaranteed to find their way into many DJ boxes and playlists.” The stunning 45s from this set will now be available for individual sale. The series continues with the split 7” containing the essential rare groove track “Bananeira” by Emilio Santiago b/w Osmar Milito E Quarteto Forma’s rare “América Latina” (as sampled by Madlib). Also available, the extremely rare and funky “Labirinto” by 2001 & Beto on a split 45 with the Fender Rhodes driven infectious samba from Trio Mocotó called “Swinga Sambaby.”

"Legwork 5 comes from Berlin-based bad boy Kenneth Scott. Tonight is a slow building affair with a heavy bass line that weaves it's way into your consciousness before opening up for all-out psychological warfare. On the flip the Legwork guys speed up the tempo and add steady drum work to give the main loop it's just deserts."

After starting as a digital label, Chicago based Groove Access Music makes its vinyl debut! Groove Access has multiple releases by label owner and Chicago's own, Ed Nine, and is set to expand with more Chicago artists and others outside of the city. The label's focus is simple; to represent a music culture that just feels right & brings positive dance floor vibes. The debut 12"release "Timeless" also comes from Ed Nine. Ed creates his own unique flavor with each track while simultaneously paying tribute to his city and its diverse house sound. Join in on the journey from deep to acid house and celebrate Chicago's timeless house sound!

Ron English’s full-length Strata debut, Fish Feet, was recorded, promoted, and even mocked up with an album cover. Unfortunately, the Strata machine ran out of financial steam before the LP could see release.John Sinclair, in his original liner notes to the Lyman Woodard Organization’s Saturday Night Special LP, mentions Fish Feet, hinting at a track listing and even assigning it a catalog number (Strata SRI-108-75). Recorded in the same spirit, same space, and with essentially the same line-up as Saturday Night Special, Fish Feet could have achieved the same renown as Woodard’s cult classic.The enduring momento of this never-released LP comes courtesy of its album artwork. Funk aficionados will recognize the work of Overton Loyd, best known as an artist in George Clinton’s P-Funk camp. (Loyd created the delightfully demented cover illustration for Parliament’s 1978 classic Motor Booty Affair).“The concept was entirely Overton’s,” says Ron English. “I just told him what the music was we would be doing—[Lyman Woodard’s arrangement of Thom Bell’s] ‘You Make Me Feel Brand New’ and some of my originals. And going from that, and what he knew of me, and my way of life in those days, and the scene in general, he said, ‘Fish Feet? All right, here it is: A mermaid tending bar, basically, and the floor of the bar drops away and it’s a night sky and all the regulars are lined up and down the bar.”