MINT

The discovery and release of The Nonce ‘1990’ is an important milestone recorded during the Golden Age of Hip-Hop. Recognized as innovators of the LA Hip-Hop Underground, The Nonce was formed by two seventeen year olds, Nouka Basetype aka Sach and the late Yusef “Afloat” Mohammed. As The Nonce, the duo was part of the Project Blowed collective.Just after High School graduation in 1990, the young duo was given the chance to go into a professional studio. Their dreams of a record deal were soon dashed after the production company raised objections to their artistic choices. Unwilling to meet the demands, The Nonce walked away from the project, leaving behind the Masters of the very tracks that make up The Nonce ‘1990’.Daniel Borine, of the independent Family Groove label, discovered the lost material for this album in 2017. Borine rescued the Master tapes from the studio where they were first recorded and subsequently misplaced, (but not forgotten), since 1990. Sach had assumed the tapes were destroyed or thrown in the dumpster bin.These 14 rare tracks by The Nonce, predate their critically acclaimed 1993 single, Mix Tapes and the classic World Ultimate from 1995. Borine returned the found tapes to Sach with the idea to mix multitracks from the 2” tape master tapes and issue the album. The goal was to preserve the original sound from the era in which it was created. For that, they turned to producer and recording engineer, Kamal Humphrey, of Flying Carpet Studios in Redondo Beach. Humphrey mixed the tracks on the SSL console that had belonged to legendary 1980’s Producer, Maurice Starr and to Atlanta’s LaFace label of Outkast, TLC and Usher fame before reaching Humphrey’s Flying Carpet Studios.What was once thought to be lost forever is now preserved for generations. The Nonce 1990 available through Family Groove Records- Lost Full-Length Album from The Golden Age of Hip-Hop- Previously Unreleased Material from 1990- Legendary L.A.Underground Hip-Hop Duo, Part of the Project Blowed Collective- Audiophile Quality Mixing & Mastering from the Original Multitrack Sessions

Originally released back in 2011, Lord Giveth, Lord Taketh Away, saw Freddie Gibbs team up with leg- endary East Coast beat maker Statik Selektah. The project was recorded in a single day, with the sessions being broadcast out on U-stream. Across the seven track EP, Gibbs showcases his hyper technical gansta rap flow, stepping out of his comfort zone rapping over some classic NYC boom bap production. The EP features guest spots from Trae The Truth, Smoke DZA, Termanology and more.Omerta Inc. will be bringing this collaborative project to vinyl for the first time. As well as featuring the sev- en tracks from the original project, the vinyl release will include two bonus tracks, Crushin’ Feelings and Carry On featuring Joey Bada$$.

BRRWD is a label collaboration between Ta-ku/ repeat pattern & Jakarta Records.Villa Rosa is the second in a series of 8 apartment complexes built between 1964 and 1988 in Shibuya, Tokyo. In 1964, the year of the first Tokyo Summer Olympics, the Villa series pioneered large residential apartment buildings in Japan.Villa Rosa sits somewhere between Fitz Ambrose and Submerse's homes.

For its third release, Chuwanaga goes back in the past with the reissue of “(Where Is The) Sunshine” by Kalima, a rare 7” originally released in 1981 and produced in Baltimore by Afro-American pianist and producer Derrick Amin. Part I on the A side and part II on the B side form a real journey, a beauty in its own style fusing jazz, soul and spirituality as well as political values.Back in the mid-seventies Derrick Amin brought together young musicians from his Afro-American Muslim community in Baltimore. He tells us: “all black music in America is a response to racism and slavery” and “(Where Is The) Sunshine” was their own answer, “a plaintiff query of one immerse in darkness. The darkness of lies, lies that deny the humanity, justice, and equality of people.It’s the impetus of this song”. He adds: “Kalima means “Word” or “Langage” in Arabic. The name was inspired by a quote from Imam W.D. Mohammad (the late Muslim American leader and erstwhile successor to Nation of Islam founder, Elijah Muhammad) who once said: “Words make people””.With its splendid vocal parts (thanks to vocalist Sabreen Shareef), a unique major-to-minor chord progression, subtle synthesizer melodies in the chorus and amazing electric piano and sax solos, it really is a very special release. It’s been discovered in a Motor City Drum Ensemble’s jazz set with Gilles Peterson at the J.A.W. Family Reunion in Berlin back in 2016. Still, one must not forget its yet poetic still political message now shared once again with the world. The question asked by Kalima sadly still remains as relevant in 2018: Where is the sunshine?

Yellow vinyl 12" limited to 300 copies

The Collective Rhythm Network (Hamilton, Canada), is a weekly radio show that focuses on underground dance music past and present. This EP was produced in celebration of the radio show’s 20th Anniversary, featuring tracks by Detroit's Rick Wilhite, Ron Allen and Terrence Parker !Rick “The Godson” Wilhite is a Detroit born producer/label owner/record store owner/DJ and founding member of Detroit’s 3 Chairs. Rick also releases music under his Vibes New & Rare Music label. For this release Rick has provided us with a brand-new track entitled “Mind Control” – a thumping late night dance floor stomper reminiscent of early 3 Chairs, that is sure to keep the crowd jumping!Ron Allen is a Toronto based JUNO Nominated music producer/songwriter/DJ and founder of legendary dance music label Strobe Records that was instrumental in developing the house and techno genres in Canada in the early 90’s. “Whispers” by The R.A.S.E. (Ron Allen Sound Experience), features melodic keys, dreamy vocals and a groovy, head-nod inducing bassline that sounds just as fresh now as it did when it was originally released in 1994.Terrence Parker (“TP”) was born and raised in Detroit and has become legendary for his skillful turntablism style of playing House Music. Terrence has released more than 100 recordings on his Intangible Records & Soundworks label and various other international record labels. With lush keys, and soaring vocals, “Embrace (The Original Melody Vibe)” is one of the deeper cuts in the Intangible Records & Soundworks catalogue.