MLP 1013 :: SUN ATLAS

Return To The Spirit

Transcendental outernational funk and psychedelic jazz from mystery L.A.- based collective Sun Atlas. Little is known about Sun Atlas. The group members are hidden behind masks and costumes to keep their identities secret and to put the focus entirely on the music and oneness. A sense of community and universal spirit as an alternative to idolization and individualism is heavily reflected in their eclectic musical style.

The sound of Sun Atlas is mystical and cosmopolitan, combining afrobeat, cinematic soul, spiritual & ethio jazz with space sounds, hiphop-breaks and a garage funk vibe.

Their cryptic first 45 single “The Mystic Parade” b/w “Grand Theft” sold out immediately after release and has often been mistaken for either “lost” hiphop samples, 70s habibi funk or another project in disguise from the inner circles of the Mocambo, Big Crown or Daptone families (which it is not).

Return To The Spirit picks up where Sun Atlas’ first single left off, with everyone wondering where the journey might lead. With the door to a colourful universe opened, the full-length format gives time & space for further exploration.

Big Crown Records (USA) :: BC155-LP :: BACAO RHYTHM RHYTHM & STEEL BAND

BRSB

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, the mysterious steel pan outfit hailing from Hamburg, Germany have amassed a cult following around the globe. With a slew of classic 7”s and three critically acclaimed full length albums, they set a high bar for themselves, one they clearly intend on pushing even higher with this new offering. On their fourth album BRSB, Bacao are back with more of the same, but more of the same with them is inherently different. Covering songs that span genres and range from mega hits to underground album cuts, they make them their own with their unique approach to the traditional steel pans of Trinidad and Tobago.

While part of the allure of a new Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band album is finding out what covers they do it is equally intriguing to see what original tunes they cooked upland this record is foul of stand out originals. The album opener, “In The Crosshairs” is a rough and tough mid tempo head nodder while both “Grilled” & “Treasure Quest” pick up the tempo with heavy African Funk influences on both. Bacao goes deep with “Hazy Memories”, a bass heavy slow burner that walks a line between hypnotic and hype. All these originals stand as testament that the term “cover band” is a shoe that could never fit Bacao. However, in the tradition of steel pan music, they do a heavy amount of covers. This time around there is a big West Coast Hip Hop influence with covers of Game & 50 Cent’s “How We Do”, Dr Dre & Snoop Dogg’s “Nuthin But A G Thang”, and Tupac’s “Got My Mind Made Up” all of which take on new energy and lend themselves to the BRSB steel treatment. Bacao puts another certified dancefloor filler on their resume with their cover of Claudja Barry’s uber Disco classic “Love For The Sake Of Love” which they flip into a dubbed out affair aptly changing even the title to “Love For The Sake Of Dub”. Pulling from the contemporary smash hit section of Hop Hop they cover Drake’s “Hotline Bling” and “Love$ick” by Mura Masa & A$AP Rocky. Then they go very unexpected with “Stranger Things Theme” where they take the synth heavy theme song to the hit show and give it a more hypnotizing tone than the original.

By the time BRSB is through, Bacao has taken the listener on a journey spanning a myriad of energies, tempos, and moods while keeping it all under one umbrella. For all that, these songs are alive, and they will be taken out of the context of this album and sewn into the fabric of DJ sets around the globe for many years to come. Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band continues building their legacy and pushing the boundaries of steel pan music forward with another rock solid musical offering. Enjoy.

Big Crown Records (USA) :: BC163-45 :: BACAO RHYTHM RHYTHM & STEEL BAND

Love For The Sake Of Dub b/w Grilled

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, who are infamous at this point for their vast and flawless catalog of 7”s, put yet more points on the board with this unstoppable two-sider. The A side is what is known in the DJ world as a “get out of jail free card”, meaning if the party isn’t going well, put this on and voila!!! It’s a party again. BRSB cover Claudja Barry’s mid-tempo disco classic “Love For The Sake Of Love” which they flip into a dubby steel pan affair and aptly retitle “Love For The Sake Of Dub”. A punching drum break starts the record and all bets are off when the melody comes in on the pans.

The B side “Grilled” is a BRSB original composition that is as they say “cooking with grease”. An African funk inspired tune with two drummers that give it a wildstyle energy that is sure to burn up dances around the world.

Big Crown Records (USA) :: BC170-45 :: BACAO RHYTHM RHYTHM & STEEL BAND

Stranger Things Theme b/w Halloween Theme

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band come in heavy with a two-sider for the Halloween season that is sure to get the masquerade ball moving. Side A is their cover of “Stranger Things Theme” where they play the top line on steel pans with echoed out guitar chanks and sound effects that haunt the track. This is the second time they take on a popular TV theme song and both times they knocked it out of the park. They manage to keep the eerie vibe but their cover takes on a more hypnotizing tone than the original.

On side B they take on a tried and true October 31st classic…John Carpenter’s iconic “Halloween Theme” and they do it up in a disco four on the floor style that is guaranteed to get spins at Halloween parties from now til infinity. Get the ghouls and the ghosts off their seats…

MLP 1012 :: ELEVEN76

Synchronization

Kraut synth funk explosion from the sci-fi, library & soundtrack specialists.
DIY funksters break into museum, steal modular moog and record proto-electro-punk with dusty live drums, wild percussion and out-of-control analog synth sequencing onto Tascam 8-track tape.
Following their debut ‘Space Voyage’ for Warner Chappell’s music library and the outernational soundtrack LP ‘Occhio Occhio’, the U.K. based trio return with a darker, heavier edge on their new full-length ‘Synchronization’.
The soundtrack to a strange and mysterious dystopian future Immersed in the sounds of arpeggiated vintage synths, full fat drum breaks and fuzz guitars. At times the album is reminiscent of post punk with hints of boom bap hip hop and as the album progresses the listener is transported to the dance floors of Berlin’s underground raves. In an age that sees AI increasingly omnipresent, Eleven76 take control of the technology, creating a hybrid, genre spanning, production style that could only come from their hive mind.

The trio surrounded themselves with an enviable array of vintage synths and modern classic studio toys, with Paul Elliott and Anthony Donje at the helm of patching, connecting and bringing these analog beasts to life, while Timmy Rickard continued to lay down the grooves as the heart of the rhythm section. The result is SYNCHRONIZATION, of synth and drums, pictures and sounds, man and machine – and of your heart and brain if you’re ready to get synchronized.

Big Crown Records (USA) :: BC154-45 :: BACAO RHYTHM RHYTHM & STEEL BAND

How We Do b/w Nuthin’ But A G Thang

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band are back with a heavy two sider of West Coast Hip Hop covers that put a new spin on two tried and true classics. Side A is their cover of Game and 50 Cent’s “How We Do”, one of the standouts from Game’s 2005 debut album. It was their cover of 50’s PIMP that really put Bacao on the map and now they are back to lend their sound to another club hit. Steel pans and horn lines trade off over their signature heavy drums and breathe new life into this classic.

The B Side is another show stopper. Bacao takes on Dr Dre & Snoop Dogg’s “Nuthin But A G Thang” and give it a proper treatment. Staying close to the original and replaying the iconic synth and bass lines on the pans proves to be incredible. This will be working its way through DJ sets around the globe as soon as it hits the streets

45-1064 :: CARLTON JUMEL SMITH

Keep On Swinging b/w Hope

Original soul man Carlton Jumel Smith and the infamous Mocambo crew hook up for a double sider 45 of the highest order. The A-side “Keep On Swinging” is a slab of tough street funk with real-life storytelling about persistence and not giving up, hitting heavy on the one. Carlton’s message of positivity and encouragement continues on the flip side, “Hope”, an uptempo sweet soul hitter with a strong gospel vibe over urgent breakbeats.
Recorded on 8-track tape featuring members of the Mighty Mocambos and Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, this single is equally at home at breakdance battles as it is at soul allnighters, and whether you’re in a gangster limousine or in church – turn it up! “Long live soul music”.

45-1065 :: MONA & HAMMERBROOK SOUND MACHINE

Moya Vode b/w instrumental

Stunning outernational funk for the psych breaks dancefloor featuring the mesmerizing vocals of Ukrainian jazz singer Mona. Sung in her mother language, “Moya Vode” is about the “ancient ritual to put a spell on water and remove all negativity through its power”.

Mona and MC Fame, a well-known Ukrainian hiphop producer and activist, both left their hometown Kyiv last year and found a new home in the Hammerbrook district of Hamburg, Germany, where they quickly connected with the lively funk scene of the city. Together with the Mocambo crew they set off to work out some magic by combining universal funk grooves and Ukrainian folklore.
Mona’s mystical soulful vocals are backed by the “Hammerbrook Sound Machine”, a group featuring members of Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band and the Mighty Mocambos, with instruments like the Tsymbaly or Drymba added on top. The “folk-funk” continues more electronically on the instrumental flip side when MC Fame takes over the lead on Moog synthesizer. Dive into this spell!

Rocafort Records (CH/Spain) :: ROC-050 :: THE MIGHTY MOCAMBOS

International Cypher b/w Queen 16 Theme

Recorded live on 8-track tape at Queen 16 Festival, Berlin. Queen 16 Theme was written for the event and recorded during the finals. International Cypher was recorded during the cypher on the same festival day.

Favorite Recordings (France) :: FVR189LP :: MAGIC SOURCE

Voyage Spectral

Magic Source invites you to a journey to the obscure side of disco music. Led by producer & notorious tape operator Björn Wagner (of Mighty Mocambos, Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band and Mocambo Records), the group follows up on their rootsy cosmic debut LP Earthrising and last year’s EP Riviera Drive, whose stunning flute jazz cover of “Genius of Love” is also featured on this longplayer.

Further exploring the more unusual facets of disco in its otherworldly and international stylings, Voyage Spectral travels through a wide musical scope, ranging from “lost” tropical grooves, Mediterranean funk, outernational boogie, to cosmic sci-fi soundtracks. All 100% organic – created by real musicians with real vintage instruments, captured on 16-track analog tape.

An all-star cast of musicians invites you to a fantasy trip where angelic voices blend with spaced-out synths, ethnic string instruments interplay with sharp horn lines while the rhythm section is holding down a polyrhythmic puzzle of guitars, clavinets, B-3, drums and percussions.