SEALED

Chances are if you are reading this, you are probably already familiar with Dinosaur L's “Go Bang” and danced countless times to Loose Joints' "It's All Over My Face". A prolific musician, Arthur Russell produced an abundant amount of recordings over the course of his career. Although a classically trained cellist, he released a number of successful underground dance hits under various monikers and collaborations. As a solo artist however, his inability to complete projects resulted in a limited amount of official releases, World of Echo (1986) being his only full-length solo effort to see release in his lifetime. After releasing a number of Club singles on labels like West End & Sire, Russell went on to form Sleeping Bag Records with Will Socolov as an outlet for a sound not as restrictive as his "disco" material. The initial concept was that Russell would provide the musical direction while Socolov handled the business side. The label had huge success early on with Class Action’s “Weekend” remixed by Larry Levan, and Russell’s seminal “Go Bang,” credited to Dinosaur L and remixed by Francois Kevorkian. Although Russell and Socolov shared a lot of musical common ground, the difference in vision began to show. Russell’s avant-garde sensibilities and perfectionism were not compatible with an industry standard to release singles in quick succession, and his "work in progress" approach began to be financially draining, ultimately resulting in the dissolution of their partnership around 1983. With Arthur's departure, Sleeping Bag moved away from the experimental and towards a successful hip-hop route with the growing involvement of Kurtis Mantronik and leading to propel the careers of artists like Todd Terry, Just-Ice and EPMD.By the mid-80s, Russell’s health began to deteriorate after contracting HIV. Although the business partnership did not work out, Socolov and Russell maintained their friendship. Aware of the time he had left, Russell reached out to Socolov to record what was to become Indian Ocean, his last release on Sleeping Bag and the last great collaboration between Arthur and his old friend Walter Gibbons.Unlike the rest of Russell's Dance collaborations, “School Bell/Treehouse” is very intimate composition, putting to the forefront all the elements that defined him musically, with his own voice and cello as the anchors to a piece that keeps growing in intensity, melding the tribal rhythms of Mustafa Ahmed’s conga with percussions that sound like distorted drum machines. There is a lot of beauty in this piece, with Peter Zummo's melancholic trombone lines and Arthur's keyboard playing. Adequately "mixed with love" by Walter Gibbons, "School Bell/Treehouse" really synthesizes the energy and soundscapes of Arthur's dancefloor.

Having co-compiled two albums, The Real Sound of Chicago and The Real Sound of Chicago and Beyond for BBE, DJ and producer Mark Grusane steps out of the shadows to present ‘The Real Sound Of Mark Grusane’. A highly personal selection of modern soul, disco and a little touch of boogie, these rare tracks have all been respectfully edited, chopped up or extended by Mark himself. Apart from the odd private vinyl pressing, or occasionally handing an edit over to close friends and DJs such as fellow BBE artist Sadar Bahar, Mark has never before made these tracks available (despite the throng of people waiting around to ask each time he fnishes a set).Mark Grusane frst came to the attention of BBE Music back in 2010 when he was running specialist Chicago record shop Mr Peabody. He and his partner went on to create two of the label’s most sought-after soul compilations, thanks to the unmatched combination of rarity and quality expressed in the duo’s selections. Still living in Chicago, still buying and selling records, Mark has also built up a sizable discography of edits and original productions on various labels, now fnding his prodigious DJ skills in high demand across the globe. Each track on ‘The Real Sound Of Mark Grusane’ has a tale to tell, precious treasures unearthed by one of the hardest working and dedicated crate diggers in the game. From an edit he made at the age of 21 to a record he discovered last year whilst in London for a gig at The BBE Store, this collection is testament to a life spent completely immersed in music.

Beats by Samiyam. Cover by Samiyam. This is Sam's second album on Stones Throw.Advancing the unfolding legacy of instrumental hip-hop at Stones Throw is Samiyam’s Pizza Party: 24 minutes of off-kilter mobster music mixed with a warm soul sound that is unmistakably L.A. producer and beatmaker Samiyam. Praised by his collaborators Action Bronson, Earl Sweatshirt, The Alchemist, and Flying Lotus, Sam’s independent beat tape ventures and instrumental albums are revered by rappers, respected by producers. Pizza Party is free of samples from the characteristically dusty vinyl grooves and warped tapes of past recordings. Instead, we have originally- played synthesizer and FX in unison with the off-the-grid drum patterns and aesthetic sonic swagger that Samiyam owns. The last track, “What Can I Do,” features co-production with Jonwayne.Samiyam grew up Sam Baker in Michigan. He was among a network of post-Donuts producers focusing on instrumental hip-hop beat as the finished work, who found themselves migrating west and huddling in the scene around Low End Theory in east Los Angeles. That’s where Flying Lotus met Sam and released Rap Beats Vol. 1 as the debut on Brainfeeder in 2008.Three other albums followed – Sam Baker’s Album (Brainfeeder, 2011), Wish You Were Here (Leaving, 2013), and Animals Have Feelings (Stones Throw, 2016) – along with production work for Earl Sweatshirt, Captain Murphy, and Pharoahe Monch.

Kuzich (Perth, AUS) is no stranger to the music industry - having toured extensively as a drummer with acts like Tame Impala, Ta-ku, Drapht, The Growl, Cameron Avery. 823 is a creative label founded by the artist Ta-ku & also the numerical representation of the phrase 'Thinking Of You'. It represents the appreciation for the people/ideas/places that inspire us and push us forward. As a label we are proud to present a series of musical releases that showcase the artists musical & visual endeavors. The artwork is shot by the artist themselves & each release has an accompanying photo zine that acts as a visual story that compliments the music they wrote at that time. It was only fitting to have Ta-ku’s friend/collaborator & band member, Kuzich to start this series off. Ta-Ku: Kuzich is a multi-faceted, multi-talented multi-vitamin.Equal parts down to earth and otherworldly.Having spent years traversing the earth, making sonic accompaniments for untold tales, his dusty backlog is finally being excavated from the basement. Dawn Chorus chronicles the absurdity and beauty of the everyday.Take a minute…With Kuzich first official release, we get a taste of his unique versatility & multi-instrumentalism in every track. The Perth (AUS) born musician is no stranger to the music industry - having toured extensively as a drummer with acts like Tame Impala, Ta-ku, Drapht, The Growl, Cameron Avery & many more. In between tours he has always been known to float & explore corners of the earth that lead him to meeting colorful personalties & creating soulful eclectic music. He’s always hoarded his own music - which has lead to layers & layers of passion, perspectives & percussion. The 12” vinyl version comes with a visual zine - all of which photos are taken exclusively by Kuzich on film with his Ricoh GR1s point & shoot camera. The cover art was also shot by Kuzich on film at Mt Rinjani, Indonesia.

Fat Beats Records is proud to present Baker’s Dozen, an exclusive 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.Every volume’s limited vinyl pressing 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 music-making process. 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.Volume eight highlights LA producer Exile, who breaks down his creative process below:“Making music from nothing, pre-internet you had to teach yourself or make homies with the local legend to drop gems on their process of making beats. Now you can take classes on how to make beats. It doesn’t matter if you use a Roland MS1 or MPC 2000XL, sampling records or sampling yourself playing the keys... get lost in the music, stay thankful, and remember the feeling of why you do this. That is my process. ”- Exile

Dr. Dundiff releases “Muneybeats” as part of the “Beats from Jakarta” series & continues what Ta-ku and Shuko started years ago.Dr. Dundiff (done different) is a Hip-Hop/Neo-Soul producer based out of Louisville, KY. Dundiff has gotten into producing around 2010 and has been a busy bee ever since with a huge number of projects under his belt, from producing as well as him rapping. Those who follow Jakarta Records might know the name from his ongoing collaboration with Otis Junior. They released their debut EP “1moment2another” on Jakarta Records receiving wide daytime airplay and recognition from French tastemaker Radio NOVA, as well as 1.500.000 Mio. Streams for their debut EP “1Moment to Antother” through Spotify & a placement on Radio Nova's “le grand Mix 2016” compilation.Muneybeats is Dr. Dundiff revisiting his roots in an all instrumental experience. “Put the most attractive beats on top. The ones that make you pull the car over and go, 'Wow, I need this be a right now.’ Those are the Muneybeats. Compact little tasty treats spanning a wide range of sounds while always sounding like Dundiff made them. He is currently also working on a new project with Otis Junior which will drop sometime in 2018 as well as their first Europe tour in summer 2018.„Beats from Jakarta“ is a series Jakarta Records kicked off some years ago with contributions from Shuko and Ta-ku, heavyweights in their own right, and we felt it would be nice to bring that series back when Dundiff sent us his new album. So here we go. „Beats from Jakarta“ part 3….

BACK IN STOCK Strut present a brand new 12” reissue of Shina Williams’ monster Nigerian disco anthem ‘Agboju Logun’, pairing the rare original album version (released on Phonodisk Nigeria) with the more sparse 12” remix which surfaced later internationally on Earthworks. This is the third release on STRUT'S new Original Masters Series.Back in 1979 when Shina Williams’ ‘Agboju Logun’ frst appeared on his ‘African Dances’ LP, Williams knew well that the track was breaking new ground. “I want to show the whole wide world that Africa is alive with modern musicians to reckon with anywhere,” he stated. Now an accepted Afro disco classic of its time, ‘Agboju Logun’ did indeed bring together the cream of Nigeria’s players as a oneoff supergroup in one inspired session. As a long-standing and well respected highlife musician and vocalist, Williams called in the ‘A’ list: Tunde Martins from Afro Collective played bass guitar, the brilliant Biddy Wright (player on albums by Lijadu Sisters, Blo and many more) contributed the famous synth lines and handled production, Fred Fisher was on trombone and Saliu Alabi played talking drum.Enjoying limited success upon its release in Nigeria, ‘African Dances’ nevertheless gained some international attention when Earthworks’ Jumbo Van Renan licensed two tracks from it for an international 12” single release in 1984, remixing ‘Agboju Logun’ in a more stripped back mix for dancefoors. However, it was the period following Fela Kuti’s death in the late ‘90s that truly ignited interest in archive African grooves for a new internet generation. Strut’s frst ‘Nigeria 70’ compilation featured the track in 2000 and it has been a staple in DJs’ crates ever since. ‘Abboju Logun’ is released in a picture jacket 12” featuring original artwork and all musicians’ credits and is fully remastered by The Carvery.- First offcial reissue of 12” version and LP version together- Restored by See Why Audio and remastered by The Carvery- Sleeve features original Phonodisk artwork and musicians’ credits- Essential reissue of Afro disco classic