MINT

Following the release of his limited-edition "Boomerang" EP and his cassette-only album "Special Request," Diamond Ortiz brings you his first full-length LP, "Loveline." His heavy, bounce-laden style carries the album from start to finish, cementing him as California's heir apparent to the gutter synth funk sound which originated from Ohio and found an adopted home out west, where it fit perfectly with the cultures of lowriding and popping/locking. Diamond Ortiz proves on "Loveline," as he has with all of his past efforts, that the sound he is a proponent of is not simply "retro" or "old school" - it has a place in the modern day pantheon of electronic music.

Just Do You is the first single from underground super-producer Lord Echo's hotly anticipated 3rd album 'Harmonies'. So long has it's gestation been that it has reached a status reserved only for the mythical and the absurd. Some say it will never be finished with the album devouring its host creator and assuming a life of its own - but this first single proves other wise.Lord Echo emerges from the darkness with a gleaming diamond in his hand - a slice of pure disco dub indulgence with all the rough trimmings that have made him a cult favourite from Tokyo to Trinidad.With the real life concerns of the DJ always foremost in his mind, this 12" has something for every occasion with two different vocals and a radical excursion into the realm of left field disco dub that record collectors sweat over in feverish night dreams of cult record acquisition.Both vocalists are long time Lord Echo collaborators : Electric Wire Hustles' Mara TK and Fat Freddies Drop's Toby Laing.Mara's version sees the golden voiced visionary wax lyrical on a night time affair stemming from a tiresome diplomatic function in a sweaty, exotic location deep in the recess' of your mind. Toby's vocal was recorded in a hotel room in France on one of Fat Freddies Drop's sweeping European Tours and features some of the most obtuse yet deeply penetrating lines in contemporary songbook narrative.

3 Track EP from the one and only Kaidi Tatham, on 2000Black. Kaidi Tatham returns as a solo artist for the first time since the very sought after Japanese release 'In Search Of Hope'.This ep see's Mr Tatham explore jazz fusion,hip hop and soundtrack music with great arrangements warm analogue synths and a groove thats always strong.

Melodies International (Sam Shepherd / Floating Points reissue label) reissue three of the most desired records from the 'modern soul' scene.Privately recorded in the Detroit area between '73 and '78, and scarcely distributed since, the rare 'Aged In Harmony' 7"s have become highly sought after and much revered by soul enthusiasts around the world. The unique vibrations emanating from these very special records have resonated at the heart of the Melodies label since it's conception, originally prompting the birth of the internationally acclaimed 'You're A Melody' party and forever inspiring generations of soul collectors to dig that little bit deeper.All originally written, arranged and produced by Arnold Moore, the six recordings bring together Strings, Vocals, Guitars, Synths, Horns and Drums for the perfect marriage of textures, each track contributing it's own individual energy to the warming aura which surrounds the whole collection. There’s something about these compositions that draws you closer to anyone in your vicinity - trust me.After lovingly remastering these gems in conjunction with their creator, Melodies are proud to present the masterpieces together as a set for the very first time, accompanied by the second edition of the label's very own Melozine, which features an exclusive interview with Arnold himself, amongst much, much more...

LIT is a snapshot of Bluestaeb und JuJu Rogers' musical endeavors in Fall 2016. Both had a successful 2015 & 2016 with highly acclaimed albums and a European support tour of Oddisee for JuJu Roogers. Both musicians are working on new solo albums and both of them are not happy with having the "boom bap" stamp forced on them. Their perspective is about progression, live music, changing the formula and going new ways. This doesn’t mean that they’re blindly following trends but to question and adapt one’s own formula. In the case of lit it means adding live musicians to the equation, going for a sound that refines the direction they took on their previous releases.With regard to content, JuJu's raps on the project deals with the important questions of our time. The trend word „lit“ becomes „LIT“, an abbreviation for "lost in translation" and a metaphor for the disconnection from trends of our society in general and hip hop especially. Racism, police brutality, gangsta rapper turning activists while still following a pattern of hate and destruction. Bluestaeb’s productions fluctuates from soulful and smooth to raw and gritty without sounding redundant or interchangeable.Be on the lookout for Bluesteab’s and JuJu’s solo albums dropping in 2017."This record is dedicated to the wretched of the earth. The weak and poor. To the people all around the world less privileged than us who are forced to live under even worse circumstances. The criminalized, racialized and marginalized people of this planet. RIGHT ON! ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!"

Where The Piecelock Ends is a collection of beats recorded straight from the stereo output of Thes One’s Akai MPC3000 in December 2014. It was first presented as a free gift to lovers of sample based production via the artist’s soundcloud (google it and you’ll find that it’s still available for free download!). Now available on Vinyl & Cassette for the first time via Thes One’s Piecelock70 & Redefinition Recs.

Fat Beats Records is proud to present the fourth installment of Baker’s Dozen, an exclusive vinyl series that shines a light on the best minds of instrumental hip-hop, ambient, and electronic music. Each installment gives one artist carte blanche to capture their signature sound. This edition features Los Angeles based producer Ras_G.Every volume features one artist and twelve tracks, and comes equipped with a 5x7” postcard insert that features a photo of the artist’s workspace along with the equipment used in their musicmaking process as well as a personal narrative of how they got into beat making in the first place. Visually cohesive and packaged with the utmost attention to detail, Baker’s Dozen is a series that speaks up for artists whose craft renders voices superfluous, whose instrumentals alone suffice to make a statement.

Carthago: Rare Tunisian Disco Including Unreleased Instrumentals And Eight Page BookletWhen we first decided to start Habibi Funk, a label dedicated to re-releasing „funky" Arabic music from the 1960s to 1980s, a band called Dalton was the first release we worked on. Dalton was a band from the Tunisian capital of Tunis and they played a unique mix of soul & funk with an Arabic DNA. We licensed the release from the band’s composer Fawzi Chekili, and when we spoke to him on the phone in preparation of the release he mentioned another band he was part of, called Carthago. Our work with Habibi Funk is like a big treasure hunt. There are too many great bands that fully vanished into obscurity and didn’t leave any traces in the digital sphere yet. We are so used to the internet providing all informations we might be looking for, but Carthago was one of those bands where the internet largely failed to provide any infos despite the fact that Carthago created some incredible music in the form of an highly infectious Tunisian take on disco music. Luckily most of the members of the 1970s musical scene of Tunis are still around to tell their story.Carthago was founded in the late 1970s as a fusion of Dalton and a second band called Marhaba Band. Both bands frequently played at hotels and night clubs in Tunis and Sousse. They had similar musical influences and despite the fact that they were competition for the most part, they came up with the idea to join forces for a new band. Musically Carthago kept on walking on the musical path of Dalton and Marhaba but incorporated disco music, a new style that was making its way to North Africa from Europe and North America. The band had quite some success on local radio and played a number of big shows with thousands of people showing up. The band’s concerts were a mixture of their own compositions as well as cover versions of the hits of the time from Stevie Wonder to Chicago. At the end of the 70s they went to Paris to record their only, self titled album. For our reissue we picked out two of our favorite tracks: „Hanen“ and the outstanding disco version of the Dalton track „Alech“ which has proved to work on every dance floor we played over the last two years.When I came to Tunis for the first time after the Dalton reissue I met Fawzi in person. He still lives in Tunis and still works as a full time musician though his focus has shifted more towards Jazz over the years. Luckily he did not only keep a spotless copy of the Carthago album but he also kept the master tape of the instrumental versions of the album which to this day were unreleased. Being able to add exclusive content to a reissue is something that is rare and we feel highly privileged to be able to do so. Futher more we are so happy that we will be able to add something new to the bands legacy not only musically but also visually: One day I realized that most of the releases from Tunisia I liked, be it from Dalton, Carthago or Marhaba Band had the same photographer credit.Hassen Turki started taking photos at a young age and when he was 18 he started going to the gigs of the bands of the time that were playing in the Marhaba Hotel which was managed by his father at the time. He became friends with the bands and ended up being the person to be asked when it came to shooting the photos for the covers of the records. After some research I managed to get in touch with Hassen and met him in his hometown Sousse. Luckily he kept most of the negatives of the photos he took so we’re more than happy to be able to share these unseen photos with whoever is interested.