MUSIC

Bastian Epple makes an eagerly anticipated return to marionette under his elusive MinaeMinae guise that imagines rich sonic architectures for the journeying spirit to voyage to. Räumlichkeit is Epple’s debut album and third release to date following Gestrüpp from 2020, venturing further into melodic electronic nostalgia and percussive beat oriented soundscapes. Spanning fifteen vignettes that trapeze through uncharted winding trails and familiar spaces, the album’s recordings evoke a scenic state of mind. The tracks simulate a room or nested rooms where the breathtaking views of nature and contrasting brutalist structures are explored with an equal sense of curiosity and wonder. Taking the listener down unpredictable paths that are rooted within the music itself, Epple is as much present in the creation as the listening experience which gives the recordings an immediacy and a live element of unfolding before your ears, unfamiliar each time. This novel viewpoint is very much at the core of Räumlichkeit, poetically contemplating the concept of spatiality and how that, in turn, influences the receiving of those fleeting moments. Apart from the world building qualities of the recordings, it's the speed of travel that also impacts the perception of the journey, and Epple tends to manipulate time at a fully immersive rate that grips the mind and body.

Roots Reggae's one and only genius Augustus Pablo! Remastered reissue of Rough Trade's early classic 7"! Augustus Pablo, the one and only genius of Roots Reggae, who is still loved beyond genres, left his only catalog in the very early days of Rough Trade, and this long-awaited remastered reissue commemorates the 45th anniversary of its release! Originally released as the label's catalog number 2, this instrumental piece traces the nostalgic melodica of Horace Andy's classic. For this reissue, the classic sleeve from that era has been reproduced, remastered and cut by Marco Perry, known for his work with Dennis Bovell and Massive Attack, and distributed in a limited edition of 100 copies in Japan!

The early days of the man affectionately known to his peers as Tubbs' are chronicled in some detail in the notes to this LP's predecessor and companion volume, not unreasonably titled "King Tubby's Classics Chapter 1". It's unlikely that anyone who buys Volume 2 will not already have Volume 1, but for the few who don't it's only fair that we start the note with a short précis of the early life and career of the boy born to be 'King ...

Mala and Joe Armon-Jones unite on A Way Back; a five track collaborative project that calls back the golden age of dubstep, released on Armon-Jones’ imprint Aquarii Records.

The Upsetters, a studio band that rehearsed at Lee Perry's Kingston record store at the end of the 60's, released their first album in 1970 and it has been reissued on vinyl by Antarctica Starts Here, a subsidiary of Superior Viaduct. The Upsetters were a studio band that rehearsed in record shops. The album is mainly Ska and Rocksteady, with dreamy reverbed keyboards and studio work that could be considered a prototype for dub.

“Surf synth acid dancehall rock!!” is how Jackson Bailey aka Tapes/Rezette describes the A-side of this new release from Osaka’s 7FO. This 7-inch single, marking 7FO’s return to EM Records, is an homage to both the vinyl single format itself and also to the legendary producer Joe Meek. “Healing Sword” is the first time 7FO has created a track expressly as a single. On the flip side, “Snake (Live)” is a dubby lo-fi mono travelogue. The ‘onsen’ (hot spring) artwork is by artist/performer Keisuke Yamao and friends.

Ayatollah is an apocalyptic record, full of dread - dubwise and deep from the first chords of Jackie Mittoo's interstellar keys, over classic Wackies-style steppers drum and bass - with a dream-like atmosphere in which pain and sufferation are swirled together with devotional mystery and redemption. Originally released on the Nefertiti label, like Rocking Universally this is from the early eighties (and the B-side here is another essential, extended version of that rhythm - dancefloor murder), when Jackie Mittoo was between New York and Toronto. Such a killer.

A fine selection of unpublished tracks from the pioneering British roots dub duo. "Ancient A&O is a selection of unreleased tracks and dubs we like from our old DAT tapes all created during our early years between 1989 and 1993. It includes Here For A Reason, a rare unreleased track featuring Nishka. We're very pleased the great Lantern Rec are releasing the vinyl and we hope you like it, many thanks... A&O"

COMPUMA has released his long-awaited first solo album "A View" on his own label <SOMETHING ABOUT>.

This is an full-length album based on the music for the play "View" commissioned in fall of 2021 by the theater group "Blue Egonak" based in Kitakyushu. The album contains 9 original songs and 2 dub mixes, totaling 11 songs, newly reworked with co-producer hacchi (Urban Volcano Sounds / Deavid Soul).

In addition to his inexhaustible DJ and music selection activities, COMPUMA has released a number of collaborations and remixes, including a 2007 album
as Smurphies' Fearless Bunch [Smurph-Otokogumi] (reissued on vinyl in 2021) and its predecessor Asteroid Desert Songs [ADS], as well as duo works with Ken Takehisa (KIRIHITO)). COMPUMA has also released a number of collaborations and remixes, but this is his first album as a solo artist. Recently, his DJ trio "Akuma no Numa" with Dr. Nishimura and Awano, has been getting a lot of attention, and their performances have been introduced on radio shows overseas.

The sound, including electronic sounds, field recordings, and the space between them, evokes a variety of landscapes, and that quietly stimulates your imagination. It is a work that will have a unique presence in the next wave of the new age ambient/environmental music revival that has been emerging in the global ambient/IDM scene.

One of the two dub mixes included on the album, "Vision(Flowmotion in Dub)" is a re-work of "Flowmotion(IN DUB)" which will be included in  "Midnight is Comin'", a compilation curated by ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U scheduled for release in May on the Singapore label Midnight Shift. The other dub mix is a version of "View 2", done by Naoyuki Uchida who is known for his work on LITTLE TEMPO, Oki Dub Ainu Band and more recently GEZAN's "KLUE".

Album is mastered by Soichiro Nakamura of Peace Music, who has worked with Shintaro Sakamoto, OGRE YOU ASSHOLE, and countless artists. Artwork is by Tomoo Gokita, a world-renowned painter who is also known in Japan for his jacket art for META FIVE and TOWA TEI. Design is by Satoshi Suzuki. Gokita and Suzuki, both of whom have worked on COMPUMA's previous products.
(text by Yusuke Kawamura)

LIL MOFO

Litho printed sleeve of the Praises double vinyl set. On the Justice label produced by Bunny Lee and mixed by Paolo 'Dubfiles" Baldini. Nice set.

<tracklist>
1. Step It Up Youthman extended - Barry Brown 
2. Natty Rootsman (part 1) - Barry Brown 
3. Natty Rootsman (part 2) - The Aggrovators 
4. Fittest Of The Fittest (part 1) - Barry Brown 
5. Fittest Of The Fittest (part 2) - The Aggrovators 
6. We Can’t Dub Like This - The Aggrovators 
7. Longer (intro) 
8. Look How Long (vocal) - Barry Brown 
9. Look How Long Dub - The Aggrovators 
10. Longer (outro) 
11. From Creation (vocal) - Barry Brown 
12. Creative Vibes (xylophone) - Diggory Kenrick 
13. From Creation (part 3) - The Aggrovators 
14. Give Thanks And Praise (vocal) - Barry Brown 
15. Give Thanks And Praise (Lion Mix) - Barry Brown 
16. Give Thanks (part 3) - The Aggrovators 
17. Creative Dub - The Aggrovators (CD only bonus track)
18. Natty Roots Controller - Barry Brown (CD only bonus track)

Recorded at: Channel One Studio, Dynamic Sounds Studio, Harry J Studio, King Tubby’s Studio 
Backed by The Aggrovators
Drums: Carlton ‘Santa’ Davis, Lowell ‘Sly’ Dunbar
Bass: Robbie Shakespeare, George ‘Fully’ Fullwood
Guitar: Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith, Tony Chin, Radcliffe ‘Dougie’ Bryan, Bertram ‘Ranchie’ McLean
Keyboards: Winston Wright, Robbie Lyn, Ossie Hibbert, Tony Asher 
Horns: Tommy McCook, Lennox Brown
Percussion: Noel ‘Scully’ Simms
Xylophone: Diggory Kenrick 
Mixed : Paolo Baldini Dubfiles at Alambic Conspiracy Studio

Includes Download Code for the live recording and a new remix "View 2 Electro" (remix of "View2" from the
album "A View").

Compuma : Electronics, Synthesizer
Naoyuki Uchida:Dub Mix
Kiyotaka Sumiyoshi:Movie

"A View" release party held at WWW Shibuya on Sept.30 2022 has been reproduced on video. Video footage
was added to the live recording from the show.

Mastered by Naoyuki Uchida ( except “View 2 Electro” by hacchi )
Produced by Compuma for Something About Productions 2023
Design : Satoshi Suzuki

Emotional Rescue is delighted to reissue for the first time, the legendary Ernest Ranglin teaming up with Noel Williams aka King Sporty, on this 1983 meeting of reggae guitar legend and Miami disco boogie don that resulted in this highly sought after 6 track mini-LP.

A defining guitarist and composer in the development of Jamaican music, Ranglin leads little introduction. In a career spanning over 50 years, he was involved in the move from mento and calypso to ska and on to reggae, playing on the groundbreaking recording of My Boy Lollipop itself, before going on to work with the likes of the Skatalies, Prince Buster, Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley.

Born in 1932 in Manchester, West Jamaica before moving to Kingston, Ranglin’s self-taught chordal and rhythmic approach blended jazz, mento and reggae with percussive guitar solos. On moving to Florida in 1982, he teamed up with scene king, Williams to present ‘a new style’, mixing the bass heavy boogie disco the producer was famous for with Ranglin’s unique playing.

Featuring a who’s who of the Miami scene including Bobby Caldwell, Timmy Thomas, Betty Wright and Williams himself, the rearranged order starts here with Soft Touch. A retake of Thomas’ TK Disco (and Cosmic) classic Africano, before a skanking remake of the William’s standard, Keep On Dancing and title bomber Be What You Want Be, crown the match of reggae and vocal disco. Also, included is a beautiful take on Anthony Hester’s R&B classic, In The Rain, while the record closes with the choice Papa “Doo” and jammer Why Not. 

For the tenth release on Nummer Music, we’re excited to introduce our good pal Cousin, aka Jackson Fester, hailing all the way from Sydney. “Hudson” is an ode to Cousin’s daily sonic routine during lockdown, a collection of five meticulously crafted slices of modular experiments, club-ready and hazy. Just how we like it

We have repeatedly surprised you with unusual releases that sound uncharacteristic for wellknown artists Remember Merzbow with guitars, synth (almost said synth-pop) and drum machine? Well, Muslimgauze's turn came up. Emak Bakia – long out of print masterpieces from 1994. Even in the huge Bryn Jones' discography Emak Bakia really stands out of albums from the period due its rather unique (house-music related) sound and short, by the standards of Bryn Jones, tracks. Like a crossmix between Psychic TV (circa Towards Thee Infinite Beat) and Muslimgauze's trademark percussion and eastern vibes.

日夜音楽を通してアラビック/ダブに襲撃を繰り返し続け、あまりにも膨大な音源の数々を残してきただけでなく、未だにその未発表音源までもが掘り起こされる今は亡き英国の名手ことMuslimgauze。97年に米国のノイズ/アヴァン系大名門〈Soleilmoon Recordings〉に残したアラビック・ダブ/ノイズ名作『Farouk Enjineer』の2021年度再発盤！エクスペリメンタルとアラビア世界のトラディショナルなリズムがあちら側で溶け合う、Muslimgauzeのベスト作品のひとつ！新規アートワークを起用＆リマスタリング仕様。限定プレス。

日夜音楽を通してアラビック/ダブに襲撃を繰り返し続け、あまりにも膨大な音源の数々を残してきただけでなく、未だにその未発表音源までもが掘り起こされる今は亡き英国の名手ことMuslimgauze。97年に米国のノイズ/アヴァン系大名門〈Soleilmoon Recordings〉に残したアラビック・ダブ/ノイズ名作『Farouk Enjineer』の2021年度再発盤！エクスペリメンタルとアラビア世界のトラディショナルなリズムがあちら側で溶け合う、Muslimgauzeのベスト作品のひとつ！新規アートワークを起用＆リマスタリング仕様。限定プレス。

• Brilliantly remastered picture LP/CD with new stunning artwork! • Unique tribal dub-trance music influenced by arabic culture with a touch of post-industrial. • Hypnotic rhythms mixed with with eastern vibes. • Muslimgauze at it's best! • Released as picture LP in gimmix cover limited to 500 copies • Also available as black vinyl and CD A1 taken from VA - 110 Below - No Sleeve Notes Required (110 Below, 1995) A2 taken from VA - Assemblage Volume Two (Extreme, 1996) A3 taken from Nonplace Urban Field – Golden Star (Incoming!, 1996) B1 taken from VA - Le Sacre Du Printemps (Gonzo Circus, 1994) B2 taken from VA - X-X Section (Extreme, 1991) B3 taken from VA - Directions 2 (Direction Music, 1989)

The “Step In Time” EP is the latest release from prolific Nottingham-based producer, engineer, songwriter and DJ Kevin Thomson AKA Origin One. The project features vocal offerings from Rider Shafique, Nadia Latoya (MELONYX), Charlie P and K.O.G, documenting the struggles and experiences of Origin One’s peers during Covid-19 and lockdown. Funded by Help Musicians UK as part of a proposal to support musicians impacted by the pandemic, the release is available on extremely limited 200-press vinyl.

Musically mapping the journey of reggae through the decades, the EP features both vocal stylings and instrumentals from Origin One. Opening with “Babylon 19 feat. Rider Shafique”, reminiscent of 2006 dubstep and steppers music, the track highlights the Tory government’s failures to deal with the pandemic in a considerate way for artists. Referencing the Rastafarian belief system where Babylon refers to the corrupted, capitalist and colonial world, Rider Shafique highlights his reluctance to adhere and agree to the Babylon 19 measures.

Shifting through to a classic lover’s rock groove with a nod to the roots and reggae releases of the 1970s, Origin One collaborates with one half of Nottingham-based duo MELONYX, Nadia Latoya, on “Just Beginning”. With a love of reggae dating back to her childhood, additionally influenced by her uncle King Jammy and the records he would bring round to her house while he was on tour in the UK from Jamaica, Nadia’s timelessly soulful vocals glide across Origin One’s production. On the track, she pieces together a widely experienced tale of a romance cut short by isolation; "Kev wanted to use the concept of our experiences through the pandemic so you’ll hear some subtle references to this in my lyrics… a lover’s spin on a lover’s rock feel”, she explains.

Harking back to the mission at the heart of the EP, “Dance Again feat. Charlie P” sees the renowned Essex-born reggae vocalist speculate the energy and excitement that comes with returning to the dance after two years. Set against a backdrop of a 1980s dancehall riddim, the parallels between the frustrations of the shutdown of live events during Covid-19 can be drawn between the restrictions of blues dances during the 70s and 80s. Aligning with the theme of live music, recent Nubiyan Twist collaborator K.O.G shares his experiences as a touring artist on closing track “Nuh Money Nuh Fren”. Finding his whole world pulled away with lockdown, he found himself questioning the recognition of his value when faced with no money, no friends, and a lack of opportunities. Bringing together trap-influenced reggae, hugely prominent on Jamaican radio, with elements of UK and US 808 influence, the track pulls together the widespread influence of the EP, further highlighting the restrictive nature put upon musicians during lockdown.

Origin One’s vast skillset has led him to produce and engineer releases for the likes of Bru-C, Harleighblu, Devilman, MC Spyda, Irah and more. Additionally, he has toured with UK Hip Hop legend Klashnekoff as his DJ, written and performed as part of a live orchestra for Natalie Duncan and worked as a studio engineer for Wiley. Closer to home, Origin One is a key player in the Nottingham community and is the director and owner of the city’s DTR Studios. Ordinarily known for his sounds reflecting UK Bass music, Jungle, DnB and Hip Hop, coming together to form his own interpretation of Sound System culture, his 2021 Tru Thoughts release saw him collaborate with Portuguese-London songstress Nãnci Correia. 

"Over the years, they would come to say that the Africans just appeared one day in Jamaica. That two Congo men somehow materialized on the streets of Kingston sometime in 1977, almost as if by magic, speaking not a word of English or patwa. The duo, they say, were musicians brought in by a Jamaican promoter – a woman who ditched them, leaving them to fend for themselves, stranded in a strange land.

"What really happened is harder to fully divine. The two young Africans – Molenga Mosukola (aka Seke) and Kawongolo Kimwanga (aka Kalo) – were musicians from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then known as the Republic of Zaire, and had indeed been brought to Jamaica by a woman. But she was not a Jamaican promoter; she was a Frenchwoman named Nadette Duget, an executive at CBS France.

"Seke and Kalo were both vocalists and guitarists who also played percussion; one of them also handled the saxophone. Initially, Duget had intended for the recording to take place at Byron Lee's Dynamic Sounds studio. Somehow, though, the project instead ended up at Lee 'Scratch' Perry's Black Ark.

"When Seke Molenga and Kalo Kawongolo arrived at the Black Ark, Perry was wrapping up the sessions for the Heart of the Congos. He was immediately enamored with the two Congolese visitors and did regard their presence as a fortuitous sign. As he later said in 1992, 'I know they were sent from Africa, because Africa wanted to make that heart connection in the Ark Studio. So African have to appear in the Ark Of The Covenant to manifest the African drum.'

"Perry eventually completed the work with Seke and Kalo: a deeply rootsy and rugged album under the working title Monama (which in Lingala means 'Rainbo'). He submitted it to Island, but as they had done with Heart of the Congos, they passed on releasing it.

"While it has remained relatively obscure, even as Perry's Black Ark oeuvre has been rehabilitated and lionized over the past two decades, the album has nevertheless been quietly influential. Its groundbreaking amalgamation of African music and dub anticipated similar experiments by producers like Adrian Sherwood, Bill Laswell and Jah Wobble who would ride to critical acclaim in the '80s and '90s."

– Uchenna Ikonne (excerpt from the liner notes)

It's by some strange inversion that since his untimely death in 1999 Bryn Jones' Muslimgauze project has become evermore enigmatic as his publicly available recordings have become evermore vast. The Mancunian artist's sudden passing at the age of 37 prematurely resolved a body of work that remains as experimental as it is diffuse, with an informal archive that was left spread between favoured labels and confidantes. And though this monadic project never abided by genre specifications, it all feels as if it is taking the critical pulses of its time and rendering them into something other than the sum of its obscure compulsions. Jones' double album 'Veiled Sisters' from 1993 is no exception, and it persists as a magnificent outlier in his singular and bewildering discography. Originally released by the label Soleilmoon, an early and lifelong supporter of Jones' work along with Staalplaat, the album is a notable example of the uniquely recombinant fragility and fervour of Jones' work. This 3LP edition marks the album's first appearance on vinyl. Like much of the Muslimgauze catalogue, 'Veiled Sisters' is dedicated to the Palestine Liberation Organization, with its two halves—Sister One and Sister Two—calling on the history and conflicts of the modern Islamic world through opaque titles and snatches of musical oration. Forgoing the raucous timbre and abrasion that Jones could occasionally employ, this album balances a medley of shrill instrumental bursts with a complex patterning of ambient atmospheres. 'Veiled Sisters' moves with a hypnotic gait across its extended runtime with a dynamic ensemble of electronics grounded in a pulsing yet evasive combination of low-slung kicks and dub-soaked bass. The hissy wash of drums, both played and machined, decorate a restless patina all over, and the cacophony of samples send impressions scattershot into Jones' idiosyncratic yet readymade psychedelia. With a quiet intensity that is not often captured this succinctly in the Muslimgauze catalogue, this new edition of 'Veiled Sisters' is a reminder of the haunting wonder that Jones was capable of manifesting.

It's by some strange inversion that since his untimely death in 1999 Bryn Jones' Muslimgauze project has become evermore enigmatic as his publicly available recordings have become evermore vast. The Mancunian artist's sudden passing at the age of 37 prematurely resolved a body of work that remains as experimental as it is diffuse, with an informal archive that was left spread between favoured labels and confidantes. And though this monadic project never abided by genre specifications, it all feels as if it is taking the critical pulses of its time and rendering them into something other than the sum of its obscure compulsions. Jones' double album 'Veiled Sisters' from 1993 is no exception, and it persists as a magnificent outlier in his singular and bewildering discography. Originally released by the label Soleilmoon, an early and lifelong supporter of Jones' work along with Staalplaat, the album is a notable example of the uniquely recombinant fragility and fervour of Jones' work. This 3LP edition marks the album's first appearance on vinyl. Like much of the Muslimgauze catalogue, 'Veiled Sisters' is dedicated to the Palestine Liberation Organization, with its two halves—Sister One and Sister Two—calling on the history and conflicts of the modern Islamic world through opaque titles and snatches of musical oration. Forgoing the raucous timbre and abrasion that Jones could occasionally employ, this album balances a medley of shrill instrumental bursts with a complex patterning of ambient atmospheres. 'Veiled Sisters' moves with a hypnotic gait across its extended runtime with a dynamic ensemble of electronics grounded in a pulsing yet evasive combination of low-slung kicks and dub-soaked bass. The hissy wash of drums, both played and machined, decorate a restless patina all over, and the cacophony of samples send impressions scattershot into Jones' idiosyncratic yet readymade psychedelia. With a quiet intensity that is not often captured this succinctly in the Muslimgauze catalogue, this new edition of 'Veiled Sisters' is a reminder of the haunting wonder that Jones was capable of manifesting.

Collaborators since 2020 who have also made music with AIR Krew, Russian producer Piper Spray and multimedia artist Lena Tsibizova present their first album-length work in ‘Leaving Memory’. Compelling freak zone music encompassing ambient, outsider pop, dub and industrial elements and weaving them into a coherent sonic patchwork.

New work from the enigmatic duo Tav Exotic, 4 tracks to tantalize and energize your mind and body. Private Stress is proud and honored to have this E.P. as our first release!

This set of Al Brown dub mixes by Paolo ‘DubFiles’ Baldini was a project that Pressure Sounds had been itching to tackle for some time. They finally got around to starting on the mixes during the lockdown period, when everyone had a little more time and headspace!! Thirteen tracks on the CD and eight tracks on the single vinyl LP. 

Al Brown is a fine Jamaican singer who came closest to troubling the UK charts with his Al Green cover version ‘Here I Am Baby.’ In the early 1980’s he recorded a beautiful album, backed by Inner Force, which was inexplicably never released, and thought to be lost forever. When Al Brown’s original multi-track tapes were miraculously discovered, he handed them over to Pressure Sounds, who had them restored and beautifully mixed by Paolo ‘DubFiles’ Baldini, with a sympathetic blend of overdubs on top of the original backing tracks. 

These dubbed-out mixes are firmly in the roots reggae tradition of classic Jamaican recordings from the 70s, blended with the tastefully restrained modern studio techniques of today. Tracks range from the heavy dubs of ‘Ghetto Situation’ and ‘Dub Me Again’, to the funkier ‘Liquid Dream’, featuring Toike Mitsuhiro from Japan on vibraphone. The feel is modern retro!! 

Baldini explains how his mixes combine modern and older techniques, but are always urgent and raw as he mixes his dubs live in a single take. “In terms of the equipment I tried to have a ‘conservative’ approach and stay with a mixing desk and analogue outboard that were consistent with the original recordings. So we had a pleasant alternation between the tradition of analog effects (tapes and springs...) and the nascent digital technology that began to establish itself in Jamaica from 1986.” Working from his Alambic Conspiracy Studio, which is stuffed with an eye-watering selection of vintage and modern audio gear, Paulo ‘Dubfiles’ Baldini has used ancient lost tapes to create a beautifully crafted modern classic. Five extra tracks on the CD and a single vinyl lp. We are excited about this release!!