MINT

"All Aboard!" .... "Spacepod", a low-key, late night funkadelic house anthem from Magic Mountain High. Presented in the classic 12" tradition, with an original mix as well as Acapella, Club Dub, and (courtesy of Move D) Remix versions, this demented ode to mindflight exhales a bit of humor over the room, but also penetrates the dome with its lush, single-lightbulb groove and insane effected vocal manifesto. This is definitely one for the end of the night squad. "Join us in our spaaaaaaaaaaaceship!" .

An exquisite slice of psychedelic jazz-funk, Funk Factory was criminally overlooked upon release but became a crate-diggers classic over time. Yes, the LP is most famous for containing the peerless dusty groove of "Rien Ne Va Plus", heavily lifted by the Beastie Boys for their Paul's Boutique standout "Car Thief". Yes, you'd be correct to assume said gem is worthy of the price of admission alone. Yet, to those in the know, Funk Factory represents so much more than a Dust Brothers sample-source. Indeed, the entire album represents a space-aged opus, featuring tripped-out keys, tight drums and baked synths, all laced by Urszula Dudziak's ethereal vocals drifting around the exceptional instrumentation.Funk Factory were boldly led by brilliant Polish violinist and saxophonist Michal Urbaniak and vocalist Dudziak. Two additional, accomplished Polish musicians were involved: virtuoso keyboardist Wlodek Gulgowski and singer Bernard Kafka, founder and leader of great Polish vocal group Novi Singers. To augment this solid foundation, a sensational American rhythm section was assembled, with bassists Anthony Jackson and Tony Levin, drummers Steve Gadd and Gerald Brown and guitarists Barry Finnerty and John Abercrombie.Legend has it that Urbaniak created this seminal record in response to his American colleagues' claims that Eastern European musicians were not "funky". Funk Factory demonstrates that Urbaniak and his cohorts could play funk as well as any American musician. As sophisticated and multi-layered as the best of the genre, it deserves to be as canonical as the greatest works of Herbie Hancock and George Duke. Accomplished and utterly unique, this intoxicating blend of crack musicians created an irresistibly heady dose of transportive funk that sounds every bit as vital today as it would have in 1975.Original copies are prohibitively expensive so this officially licensed 180g version enables a wider audience to now discover its genius. Dovetailing neatly with the recent interest in forgotten Eastern European grooves, this timely release of a true lost treasure is sure to be one of the year's essential vinyl reissues.

One of the most pivotal figures in the history of Malian music is Sorry Bamba. His work spans five decades and his music bridges the gap between Mali's cultural traditions and new the music which arose from the musical cross overs which occurred in Mali's post-Colonial period. Bamba was born in 1938 in Mopti. This is dissected by both the Niger and Bani rivers and known for its rich cultural diversity. Bamba's father was a distinguished veteran of Emperor Samory Toure's military and a nobleman in Malian society, however, this meant young Sorry was forbidden to make music, as under the nation's caste system, music was an art form reserved for the Griots.At the age of 10, Sorry's parents died and in traumatic times that followed the young teen found solace in music. He first taught himself to play am African six-holed flute. As he progressed he began to absorbed the rich tapestry of music of his surroundings, traditional Malian music, highlife from Ghana, local accordion master Toumani Toure, European singers and musicians. In 1957 Sorry formed his first band, Group Goumbe, named after a popular Ivory Coast dance style. In 1960 Mali gained independence from France, Bamba and his group benefited from a new openness toward local music on the state-run radio network Radio Mali. Sorry then went on to form two award-winning, further collectives Bani Jazz and later the Kanaga Orchestra. They fused Latin jazz, Western R&B, Psychadelic and funk, and traditional Malian styles made them a favourite in Mali and beyond.In 1979 Sorry produced his third LP for the Paris based Sonafric group. Long out of print Africa Seven is pleased to be re-issuing the LP with the authorization of the newly reformed Sonafric group. The re-issue benefits from extensive restoration and re-mastering to a spectral analysis level, bringing and polishing long lost and distorted sounds.The six track masterpiece opens with "Mayel". It blends Afro-space grooves, cowbell and swirling organ with psych guitar and punchy horns. "Kanaga 78" was named after his band of the time. Sounding as fresh (if not more so) in 2016 as it did in 1979 the hypnotic bass, expansive drums, twisting organ and snakelike fuzz-guitar all combine to create a masterpiece of African psychedelia. "Bayadjourou" closes off Side A of the LP with its pulsating, incessant organ hook-line and driving tom drums while adding in layers of Malian vocal from a female chorus and Sorry himself.Side B opens up with "Tjamantie Kolo" which is powered by driving conga and drums layered with traditional vocals and distorted picked electric guitar lines. "N'Nebakaidi" focuses on the song writing skill and delivery of Sorry who delivers a masterful vocal over grooves which somehow manage to sound melancholy but somehow also forlornly uplifting at the same time. The LP closes with "Nani Nani" which is a brass driven wall of African sound.Stay tuned for further re-issues of Sorry Bamba's first and second albums soon on Africa Seven.

Suff Daddy is back with his 3rd Album "BIRDSONGS" to be released this Summer accompanied by a Live-Tour in Autumn 2016.After a couple of years without a new solo release & makin moves with his Betty Ford Boys Brenk & Dexter, it was time for Suff Daddy to lay another egg in the form of a new album entitled "Birdsongs".Deeply rooted in the Suff Daddy signature sound, it is also proof of an evolutionary process. A little less sample chops, a little more synth, a little less straight hip hop, a little more melody. This doesn't mean that you won't be able to recognize the bird by its call anymore, it's just a slight change in tonality.After extending his stomping grounds to neighboring European countries by frequently playing international shows, including a London Boiler Room, he also opened for the mighty Anderson .Paak during his German shows in early 2016. Suff Daddy also remixed Lion Babe's "Wonder Woman" for Gilles Peterson Worldwide. He'll also be featured on the next "Spring in Jakarta" compilation.The album features some of the fellow birds Suff Daddy is known to fly with. Betty Ford Boy's Dexter adds drums and baselines, and Mayer Hawthorne delivers some vocals.Be on the lookout for Suff Daddy's upcoming tour which will feature a live band for the very first time. Tourdates TBA.

The Swedish label Fasaan Recordings reinvents itself once again with a 4-track EP from the Free Arts Band! Still rummaging around in the general field of dance music, but now with a touch more avant-garde on their palette. The faceless entity that is the Free Arts Band introduces us to the simple idea of bringing a drum machine to art school. Infused with the creative space of the white-painted studio, a healthy dose of post-modernist pondering and the depth of traditional lineage, these four jams seem oddly timeless. Each of them riding on the verge of reductionism, they seem to ask: how funky can this get with as limited means as possible?Opening track "Cool Grey" offers synthesized new age jazz with some sundazed guitars, while "KADK" strips everything down to their primal elements and lets the rhythms do the talking, pierced occasionally by a woozy keyboard figure that perfectly mimics the gestures of someone walking in on the wrong party. With lo-fi gloom, the heavyweight of the E.P. that is "Inhouse" rolls along on a beat that gently approaches the aesthetics of a West Coast low rider cruising track. Closing the cycle is a sequel to its opening track, and walks you out into a Japanese garden of British new wave guitar twang and brightly colored Badarou-style synths.

Limited 12" Sampler for Prescription Records 20 year anniversary compilation on Rush Hour

O.Xander is back on Nous for another jaunt into textured techno rhythms all sewn together with a cheeky side eye on diverting off the obvious path and sustaining a reticence for anything too formal .EP opener 'Snowspeeder Blues' is a glacial skitter around pitch perfect retro-techno territories, while 'Thru Our Veins' harnesses the eternal power of acid and 'A Perfect Balance' takes a wry slo-mo lens to the synth-core sound.Over on side B we are back in the acid zone for 'Full Spectrum', if a more mournful and disquieting rendition of that genre, with the Juniper's Dub version squirming through a gauzy terra firma of dim lit Detroit design.

Solid 4 tracker - his second for this label and following on various releases on L.I.E.S., Dog in the Night, Odd frequencies and such !