MINT

Moniquea established herself as one of the foremost female artists in the modern funk scene with her 2014 MoFunk Records debut album Yes No Maybe. For her followup, she continues exploring and expanding upon the boogie/modern soul sound of her debut, and at the same time, ventures bravely into a new sound inspired by the new wave and synthpop sounds of the 80’s. Thus, the album title: Blackwavefunk.Listening to Blackwavefunk feels like sweeping across a spectrum of sounds and feels. The lead single, “Checkin’ Out,” channels the ‘street funk’ sound that Moniquea’s native California is known for, while “I Just Don’t Know” slows the pace and mood to offer up one of the few true downtempo love songs of the genre. “When You Are Away,” “Make You Feel My Love” (feat. Brian Ellis) and “Why Can’t You See” offer sleek, sexy modern soul soundscapes while the Turquoise Summers-produced “Knew It” thumps with a menacing g-funk bounce. Finally, the wave in Blackwavefunk reveals itself on the eccentric “Check Your Sources,” an anthem about sordid speculation and grievous gossip, over a musical backdrop that sounds like 1999-era Prince and DPG somehow achieved perfect sonic fusion. The album’s closer, “Famous,” takes it further and gives a glimpse of what it might sound like if Bernie Worrell played synth basslines for OMD or Pet Shop Boys.

Music continues to evolve and lions continue to roar! Thus is the case with Michael The Lion and his first EP on Soul Clap Records. MTL is just one of the successful pseudonyms that have been associated with DJ Apt One. Pittsburgh-reared but Philly-styled, that City of Brotherly Love flavor is resident in nearly all of his work. A "genre-setter" with Nu-disco before it had a name, Michael has consistently delivered quality DANCE MUSIC through his production and DJing for more than a decade.Great music often pays homage to its foundational past. Michael's original music accomplishes this with his sample-based focus rooted in a disco-fink-soul core but with a keen sensibility for today's dance floor. His incorporation of live vocals, like Amy Douglas' gutsy performance on the modern funk monster "Get It On", results in original SONGS vs. the "one hour bedroom tracks" that proliferate today. Live instrumentation has also been Michael's hallmark, differentiating his past hits like "Get More" and "909 and Herb" and on this EP with the hypnotic, "The Changer". I also love Michael The Lion's focus on POSITIVITY in MESSAGE, as is evident with the uplifting "Side of Life".Whether through his original production, remixing/editing, or DJing, diverse music luminaries like Soul Clap, Jackmaster, Francois K, Gamble and Huff, Todd Edwards and many more all agree and appreciate Michael The Lion's prowess. On this new EP, you'll get to find out why too. Roar LION Roar!

After the success of Nickodemus' Wonderworld compilation album, we've decided to press a limited edition double 7" featuring 4 favorites off the compilation that have never seen the light of day on wax. First up is the rolling dancefloor cut "Los Tarantos" from Nickodemus' "Moon People" album, followed by Los Angeles producer Yukicito's uptempo reversioning of "Mirage". Tal M Klein's absolutely stomping remix of "N'Dini" featuring Ismael Kouyate on vocals starts the D side, while Nickodemus and Brian J (Pimps of Joytime)'s "Wanted Man" gets a skanking treatment by Nickodemus to round out the package.

Recently championed by Gilles Peterson on his BBC6 Music radio show, "Dilla" by Abstract Orchestra has been generating a buzz since it's inception in 2016 and subsequent u.k. tour, during which the album was presented to the public in its live form.Led by Saxophonist Rob Mitchell, Abstract Orchestra seeks to reflect the diversity of music sampled by Hip-Hop producers by presenting music that has the complexity of jazz, framed within the simpler structures of Hip-Hop. Complex harmonies are framed within simple loops and complex bar structures and time signatures can pass by unnoticed. "I selected the tracks on the album with very much the live performance in mind" says band-leader and arranger Rob Mitchell "So the album is a reflection of the tour and the music we performed".Inspired by the legendary live performances of The Roots with Jay-Z and the 40 piece orchestral arrangements by Miguel-Atwood Ferguson of the work of J Dilla, classic arranging techniques underpin modern loop-based structures.The band itself is based on the classic jazz big band instrumentation of saxes, trumpets and trombones and features the cream of the north of England's jazz scene who collectively have played with Jamiroquai, Corinne Bailey Rae, Mark Ronson, Martha Reeves, John Legend & the Roots, Roots Manuva and Amy Winehouse."Dilla" by Abstract Orchestra is a tribute to the work of the highly acclaimed and influential producer. Opener"Welcome to Detroit/The Diary"takes the the vocal sample from Isaac Hayes's "Man's Temptation" and places it against lush brass and driving beats while"Workinonit"Transplants the original 10cc guitar samples from the Dilla original onto biting trumpets and aggressive saxes, underpinned as always by Joost Hendrickx's on point drumming. On"Stop"vocalist Anna Uhuru handles the Dionne Warwick vocal with assurance while the band lay down an arrangement that is reminiscent of the work of David Axelrod and Don Sebeskey, both big sources of inspiration for Abstract Orchestra.The middle of the album revolves around 2 Dilla medleys featuring versions and sections of"Airworks", "ULove", "Last Donut"and"Welcome To The Show"."Raw Shit"sees Farfisa organ underpinning the insistent brass figures with the bass taking on an almost bassoon-like quality while "Official/Fall In Love"sees Anna & Akin provide a stunning vocal performance, trading lines over the delicate horn arrangement. "Fantastic"features theRhodes intro of the original which is then taken up by the flutes and baritone sax. Inspired by the work of 20th century classical composers like Barber and Copeland the 2nd half of the arrangement takes on an almost orchestral feel with shades of Gil Evans."Love","So Far To Go","A.N.G.E.L.", and"Sun In My Face"provide interesting takes on these well known Dilla originals while album closer"Two Can Win"(recently championed by Gilles Peterson on his BBC6 Music show) acts as a showcase for the variety of Anna Uhuru's vocals, blending the style of the original Sylvers track with Minnie Ripperton style harmonies, 70's funk and Lalo Schiffrin/JJ Johnson film score vibes. Closing track "Two can win" was played twice in two consecutive weeks by Gilles Peterson on his BBC6 Music show, where he declared it to be "A Winner".