V/A Driftworks (Big Cat) 4cd 28.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
So lovely, a disc apiece from international drone-meisters Paul Schutze, Pauline Oliveros & Randy Raine-Reusch, Thomas Koner, and Nijiumu (Keiji Haino).

V/A Drinking Horns & Gramophones 1902-1914 (Traditional Crossroads) cd 17.98
Subtitled: "The First Recordings in the Georgian Republic." The Traditional Crossroads label is at its best when digging up and restoring historical recordings from the Middle East and elsewhere, such as those found here, 25 tracks recovered (and digitially remastered -- as wonderfully dusty and crackly as these are, I wonder what they sounded like beforehand!) from the archives of the Gramophone Company in Moscow and London. It's a treasure trove of complex, polyphonic choral folk music, a unique Georgian tradition dating back to the 4th century (predating the use of polyphony in Western music). These songs were recorded prior to the Russian Revolution and have been "lost" for many years... Work, wedding, and religious songs, and even improvisations based on nonsense words, all quite beautiful and mesmerizing. Packaged with 23 pages of detailed notes and photos.
RealAudio clip: CHOIR OF TBILISI "Ghmerto Mets Gadmomkhede"
RealAudio clip: CHOIR OF GURIA PROVINCE "Tsamokruli"

V/A DRONE RECORDS: A Selection Of Drones Past: Singles 1993-2000 (tUMULt) 2cd 16.98
If there's one unifying theme or sonic characteristic present in all the music we love, even if it's not always obvious, it would surely have to be the 'drone'. Whether it's in lugubrious campfire crackle and hum, furious blasting black metal buzz, jagged fuzz and hiss drenched noisepop, skeletal slow motion low end ambience or motorik rhythmic hypno-rock, there is always the drone. Infusing each note with its pervasive sound, its palpable feel. A force as much as a sound. To be felt as much as heard. For us, the core, the heart of all music. The sound of the stars dying, the sound of planets being born, the sound of cells splitting, the sound of our bodies growing and decaying, the sound of life and especially death. Whether heard or felt, it is there, in, of and around all sound. Otherworldly and transcendent. Soothing and relaxing. But NOT easy listening. Not easy at all. The drone can be as bleak and foreboding as it is warm and soft, as moody and malefic as it is sweet and shimmery. Subtle for sure, but with a power and energy unlike any other sound in the universe.
So it would of course make perfect sense that we would be completely obsessed with a label, created for the sole purpose of recording and releasing dronemusic. A label appropriately named Drone Records. Run by Stefan Knappe of the group Troum (and formerly of the group Maeor Tri), Drone Records is a vinyl only label focusing on, in the label's words, "atmospheric music that has a certain 'mind-challenging' character, thus supporting the sensibility of the human senses. DRONE RECORDS RELEASES MUSIC FOR THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR BRAIN... music for the unconscious, irrational mind, creating an emotional communication without language." We couldn't have said it better ourselves. For the last 15 plus years, Drone has been releasing ultra-limited vinyl only ep's each one hand designed and assembled by the artist, and each one a gorgeous slab of unique and individualistic drone music.
This two disc set, released by our own Andee's tUMULt label, collects some of the best tracks from many of the earliest, long out of print 7"s and makes them available on cd for the first time ever. The artists featured include Maeror Tri, Alio Die, Dual, Ultra United, Delphium, Inade, Aube, Vance Orchestra, Osso Exotico, Klood, Vir, Reynols, Spear, Dronaement, Toy Bizarre, Tarkatak, Francisco Lopez, Kallabris, Yen Pox and Die Feinen Trinkers Bei Pinkels Daheim. Two discs, over two hours, a completely mesmerizing collection of droning drifting bliss. From barely there minimal ambience to thick clouds of whirring fuzz, to glistening expanses of ghost like melody. Essential for all drone lovers. And of course recommended for fans of Colelcough, Chalk, Aidan Baker, Tim Hecker, Fennesz, Tiermes, Noisegate, William Basinski, Philip Jeck, and the whole current crop of minimal cd-r soundmakers.
While most of the music we love is in some way drone-y, these singles give us a chance to gaze upon the drone unadorned. Feel its warmth, its mystery, its sublime beauty. Like staring into the sun. Or into the void...
One of the most potent and pervasive sounds in the world, in our lives, our bodies, in music, the industrial world and in nature. All hail the drone...
Packaged in a gorgeous mini cd gatefold, with a fold out poster, liner notes on one side, reproductions of all the 7" covers on the other.
So gorgeous!
MPEG Stream: MAEROR TRI "These Tears Will Cristallize"
MPEG Stream: ALIO DIE "Thank You Lucky Star"
MPEG Stream: DUAL "Klanik"
MPEG Stream: REYNOLS "10,000 Chickens' Symphony Part I"
MPEG Stream: SPEAR "The Names - Low Frequency Silence"
MPEG Stream: DRONAEMENT "Wassermond"

V/A Droppen the Bomb (Bomb) 2cd 16.98
Groundbreaking ten-year old underground hip hop label releases a new 2-disc compilation for the nice price of one. Bomb Hip Hop was responsible for the Return of the DJ compilations which brought the label into worldwide spotlight, and they've been going strong ever since. The tracks on this comp are not throwaways, each one is a strong showpiece. The second disc is a cool contrast to the first, as it is the long-awaited cd version of Bomb Hip Hop's first ever release from 1994. Fans of Freestyle Foundation and Jurassic 5 -- heads up, there's lots of underground tracks here that will please your ears. Acts included: Blackalicious, Rasco, Peanut Butter Wolf, Mystik Journeymen, Jedi Mind Tricks, Homeliss Derelix, etc.
RealAudio clip: RASCO "Heat Seeking"
RealAudio clip: SWOLLEN MEMBERS "Dark Riders"

V/A Drum>MachineGun (Relapse) cd 14.98
The humble drum machine. It's had a tumultuous existence, equally loathed and loved, no more so than in metal (where for the most part it tends to be loathed). Without it, there's be no techno, or hip hop, or grime or industrial music. Or maybe there would be, but it would sound drastically different. It opened up a whole new world of sound, allowing musicians to program beats and sounds that they couldn't necessarily play or make themselves. So it was only a matter of time before extreme musicians discovered the sort of speed and brutality one could wring from that little box. It's nothing new, metal bands, grind bands and the like have been using drum machines for ages, but as extreme music gets more aggressive, more fucked up, more complex and more extreme, folks making this sort of music are pushing the limits of what a drum machine can do. Before, a band couldn't be any faster than their drummer could play. Now there is no limit, 100 bpm, 200 bpm, 300 bpm or more, speed is now no longer an issue. Nor is arrangement. Now a deft drum machine programmer can fit millions of beats and an insane number of different rhythms into a one minute song. Faster, more furious, more freaked out, we love it. From the murky blackened dizzyingly complex mechanical drums of black metal outfits like Draugar, to the pounding industrial grooves of Godflesh, to the lightning fast blasts of Agoraphobic Nosebleed, we can't get enough, we love the sputtering stuttering pounding skittering drum machine. Not as a replacement for real drums, and a real drummer (lord knows that usually the best part of seeing a band live is seeing a kick ass drummer totally destroy) but as another tool in the already formidable arsenal.
So here we have Drum>MachineGun, an audio report on the current state of grind. And metal. And more specifically, just what these grindmetal freaks are doing with their drum machines. And what they're doing is totally fucking mind blowing and face melting and completely confounding. Forget about music you think is fast, or heavy, or complicated, or freaked out, or fucked up. Because whatever you think, these songs, and these bands are more. Much more. 20 bands playing 67 songs in 73 minutes. Average song length about a minute. Average number of parts per song? More than our puny minds can handle. If you could imagine the most insane, most complicated, heaviest weirdest grindmetal band in the world, this comp is the record they would make. Each band linked in some ways, sometimes obviously, sometimes not so. But it makes for an incredibly cohesive listen. Which is rare for comps in general, especially one with 20 bands and almost 70 songs.
Probably our favorite discovery amongst the bunch is Noism, who might possible be our new favorite band. Imagine a group that sounded like a skipping Pig Destroyer cd. Or like multiple Agoraphobic Nosebleed cds playing at the same time. A totally mind blowing freaked out shredfest, impossibly convoluted rhythms, bizarre and brutal riffage, splattered all over the place, but sometimes lopping and skipping into bizarre industrial metal breakdowns, like a death metal Oval or something. Drum patters that are mind blowingly complex, and chugging squiggly guitars that somehow sync up perfectly. It's like a super scratched up, skipping grindcore 45, played at 90 rpm. We are dying for more than these 5 minutes. Then there's Jet Jaguar Kr3 Kill Spree, maybe the weirdest of the bunch. Imagine any of the other bands on this comp, having their blasting grind picked apart, chopped into tiny pieces and then flung haphazardly into a swirling black froth by V/VM or someone equally demented. An industrialized black metal music concrete. There are riffs and harsh vocals and all that but they are scattered amidst all sorts of bizarre sounds, damaged FX, and random looped samples. Some familiar AQ faves are present as well as a whole bunch of bands we'd never even heard of but were immediately blown away by. On the familiar side, BIG faves Black Mayonnaise, who we hadn't really expected to find on this comp, but they do indeed employ the machine made drums, although BM use them much differently. A sludgy ambient freaked out drug dirge world of fucked up home recorded doom. Noxious ambience, dense clouds of grinding guitar grrr and swooping FX drenched synths, all over a relentlessly pounding simple machine made beat. Like Hawkwind with a drum machine, or a super blissed out on-the-nod Butthole Surfers, a deliriously dark lugubrious creepy crawl. And no drum machine grind comp would be complete without Agoraphobic Nosebleed, the patron saints of mechanical grind, the lords of drum machine destruction. A technical grind metal juggernaut, who choose to instead indulge their industrial techno jones here, spewing forth a thick wash of pounding doom drenched gabber, with creepy vocal snippets, whirling clouds of synth fuzz and lo-fi hiss, all over a relentless 4/4 pound. Then there's Nemo, who we last heard from years ago on a split cd released by the now defunct Rage Of Achilles label. And we went absolutely apeshit for their new wave video game death metal grind. Wishing for a full length that never came. Thankfully not much has changed. If anything, they've gotten weirder and faster and more fucked up. It's like classic eighties metal chopped up and sped up, splattered with drum machines, run through some 16 bit video game system, and then performed by some grind metal super group. Yowza!
On the new to us side of things, there's Mecha Bongzilla, who we're tempted to believe is Bongzilla's faster, less stoned alterego, but it's a bit hard to tell. One track is downtuned buzzing blurry techgrind, but with INSANE vocals, like some alien gargling with a mouthful of kazoos and croaking frogs. Although their other track is downright sludgy and doomy so who knows? Also, Mad Cow who spit out weird echoey blast beats and spastic rhythmic splatter underneath thick sheets of low end guitar grind and super fucked black vomit vocals. Oh and a bunch of bird calls, monkey sounds, and a totally bizarre sped up super affected Elizabeth Clare Prophet sample right in the middle!!!! Woah!
Ok, it'll probably be easier to go through the rest of the bands in list form:
Artificial Intelligence Agency: more of a strange series of interludes, mostly weird sound effects, movie snippets, found sounds, bizarre FX, and only the occasional bit of music, and it's NOT metal, more some sort of weird ambient porno funk.
Voltron: chugging super fast gurgling vocalled death metal grind, with guitars and vocals so indistinct they are just blurs of low end sound and of course lightning fast drum machine blasts.
Submachine Drum: murky lo-fi industrial grind, so fast it's all a dizzying blur of hyperspeed drums and looped processed guitar riffs.
Slough: Not related to the similarly named Slough Feg... and take away the Feg and you've got a guttural grindmetal shred fest. Impossibly downtuned guitars, all a growing gurgling blur.
Scumfusion: some seriously shredding grind, but with plenty of wheedily lead guitars, grinding sludge metal riffs over ridiculously fast rhythms and super weird processed vocals, that sound like some underwater alien. Surprisingly melodic, but still furious and fierce, pounding and pummeling.
Prosthetic Cunt: We reviewed these guys' full length ages ago, a gleefully perverse and sick sick sick take on ultragrossoutgrind. Super blown out guitars and a drummachine cranked to 11 and programmed at about 300 BPM. And of course lots of goofy movie samples.
Ocrilim: No comp of insanely technical grind would be complete without some Mick Barr madness. Ocrilim is Barr (Orthrelm, Octis, Crom Tech) shredding wildly to sputtering spastic machine drums. SO insanely inspired but incredibly hard on the ears. In a good way.
Nerve Not Found: Prog gone grind. Keyboards swoop in and out of super complicated arrangements. Like the Locust covering Magma.
Hellz Army: Pounding DHR style industrial gabber. Big static repeating guitar riffs and pounding four on the floor drum machine pummel with bizarre samples of fifties rock, Space Ghost and tons of other random weirdness.
Genghis Tron: We sure do love these guys. Imagine Slayer sped up to impossible speeds, a grinding super technical satanic death metal, then mix in a bunch of fuzzed out new wave synths, hip hop breakbeats, samples and prepare to have your mind melt.
Decomposing Serenity: These guys represent the old school. Super blow out death metal gore grind. Downtuned riffing, chugging guitars, machine made blast beats, and a vast array of gurgling, strangled, alien, monster growls. Bits of this are almost even funky, making them sound at times like a gore grind Chili Peppers.
Data Clast: Another grind new wave hybrid, but with a bit of a prog bent. Heavy and super pummeling but with plenty of thick fuzzy synths, and convoluted song structures, complex arrangements, and processed guitars that skip and stutter as much as they riff. And of course some huge slow and low grumbling monster gurgle vocals.
Cocoon: Stretched out industrial black ambience, one of the few tracks whose drum machines are more a part of their whole vibe than the driving focal point. Crackling, rumbling drones, clouds of drifting glitch, and shuffling stuttering rhythms, an ominous dreamlike subtly drum machined drift.
This is the kind of record that leaves you bruised and bloody, beaten and exhausted. Like having the musical shit kicked out of you. This is a seriously intense bout of heavy listening. Hard listening. Nothing easy about this at all. Super furious, totally relentless, loud as fuck, faster than a speeding bullet, grinding and gurgling and bellowing and blasting and skipping and looping and crushing and pulverizing and pummeling and shrieking and shredding and so goddamn amazing.
MPEG Stream: THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY "1"
MPEG Stream: DATA CLAST "2"
MPEG Stream: NOISM "11"
MPEG Stream: JET JAGUAR KR3 KILL SPREE "17"
MPEG Stream: PROSTHETIC CUNT "30"
MPEG Stream: NEMO "37"
MPEG Stream: DECOMPOSING SERENITY "40"
MPEG Stream: MECH BONGZILLA "42"

V/A Dub Echoes (Soul Jazz) 2cd 25.00
In all of its shapes, forms and incarnations we do love dub! Whether it's vintage dub from Jamaica, or more contemporary sounds channeling dub through electronics like the Basic Channel camp and the new wave of dub-steppers. There is just something so intoxicating about the reverb, the echo, that seductive pulse that pulls you in and makes you never want to leave. Soul Jazz has struck gold once again with a two disc collection that brings together the best sounds of dub in many of its incarnations from the past and the present. In lesser hands this could come off as some haphazard hit and miss intersection of music spanning several decades, but what has made Soul Jazz a label to trust so much when it comes to reissues and compilations is what great taste and understanding they have of making records that flow and make sense as a whole.
A record like this is perfect, combining the world of dub's pioneers and those who are now carrying the torch into the future. Dub was always such a futuristic and forward thinking movement as artists like King Tubby, Bunny Lee, Prince Jammy and Lee Perry found ways to turn the studio into a full on sonic time machine, a musical instrument unto itself. So along with tracks from those pioneers there are also folks like Kode 9, Harmonic 313, Roots Manuva and Disrupt, who have taken from the blueprints of that holy grail of dub and found new ways to make those echoes reverberate with such sizzling delight. Highly Recommended!
PS there's a Soul Jazz Films dvd also entitled Dub Echoes that came out when this did, we have it in stock too but haven't had a chance to view it yet, should review it soon...
MPEG Stream: DISRUPT "Sega Beats"
MPEG Stream: KING TUBBY "Psalms Of Drums"
MPEG Stream: COTI "Cotti"
MPEG Stream: RHYTHM & SOUND WITH CORNEL CAMPBEL "King In My Empire"

V/A Dub Echoes (Soul Jazz Records) 2lp 27.00
In all of its shapes, forms and incarnations we do love dub! Whether it's vintage dub from Jamaica, or more contemporary sounds channeling dub through electronics like the Basic Channel camp and the new wave of dub-steppers. There is just something so intoxicating about the reverb, the echo, that seductive pulse that pulls you in and makes you never want to leave. Soul Jazz has struck gold once again with a two disc collection that brings together the best sounds of dub in many of its incarnations from the past and the present. In lesser hands this could come off as some haphazard hit and miss intersection of music spanning several decades, but what has made Soul Jazz a label to trust so much when it comes to reissues and compilations is what great taste and understanding they have of making records that flow and make sense as a whole.
A record like this is perfect, combining the world of dub's pioneers and those who are now carrying the torch into the future. Dub was always such a futuristic and forward thinking movement as artists like King Tubby, Bunny Lee, Prince Jammy and Lee Perry found ways to turn the studio into a full on sonic time machine, a musical instrument unto itself. So along with tracks from those pioneers there are also folks like Kode 9, Harmonic 313, Roots Manuva and Disrupt, who have taken from the blueprints of that holy grail of dub and found new ways to make those echoes reverberate with such sizzling delight. Highly Recommended!
PS there's a Soul Jazz Films dvd also entitled Dub Echoes that came out when this did, we have it in stock too but haven't had a chance to view it yet, should review it soon...
MPEG Stream: DISRUPT "Sega Beats"
MPEG Stream: KING TUBBY "Psalms Of Drums"
MPEG Stream: COTI "Cotti"
MPEG Stream: RHYTHM & SOUND WITH CORNEL CAMPBEL "King In My Empire"

V/A Dub Reggae Essentials (Hip-O) cd 17.98
Spanning the very roots of dub, with tracks like U Roy's "Wake The Town" dating back to 1970 and spanning up to nearly the present with modern remixes by erstwhile electronica artists, this disk is as much a nice dub mix as it is a history lesson of dub. There is even a several page dub history essay by David Katz (author of "People Funny Boy", the Biography of Lee 'Scratch' Perry.) Featuring Augustus Pablo, King Tubby, Scientist, Thievery Corporation, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Prince Jammy, U Roy, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Lee Perry, Sly & Robbie and much more.
RealAudio clip: AUGUSTUS PABLO "King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown"
RealAudio clip: BLACK UHURU MEETS THIEVERY CORP "Boof n' Baff n' Biff"
RealAudio clip: SELECTER "Last Tango in Dub"

V/A Dub Tribunl (Inflatabl labl) cd 14.98
Three way split between Small Rocks (a.k.a. Matt Wand of Stock Hausen & Walkman), The Rip Off Artist (a.k.a. Matt Haines) and Atom (a.k.a. Senor Coconut a.k.a. Uwe Schmidt) with each contributing four original tracks. As the title would lead one to expect, the three irreverent plunder-tronicists take on Jamaican dub for this project. I guess it had to happen eventually. While the myriad cheese farmers of electronica out there "pay homage" to the genre (the final installment of Select Cuts From Blood & Fire that we listed on the last AQ newsletter to present an example), it seems only appropriate that the jesters of electronica should have their day in court as well. Oddly enough, the three seem to take a lasseiz-faire attitude (in comparison to their usual output) when applying humor to the pieces presented here. But, unlike the Select Cuts series, the fellers here are not directly referencing tracks -- these are not remixes in even the most remote sense, but original compositions that are about as "dub" as you would expect any of them to be. To this end the rhythms and bass lines are all appropriate to the genre, but the palette of sounds are not. Of the three, Atom Heart tends to approach the task at hand with possibly the greatest sense of familiarity with the genre being decomposed. Where Small Rocks and The Rip Off Artist seem content to merely applying their palette of sounds to a virtual MIDI dub template, Atom Heart has the knack of pulling out all the iconic elements of dub and smashing them back together. With Atom, the grainy edge of decaying tape delay is looped and treated like King Tubby might ride the fader on a vocal track with reverb or delay. In other words, treatments in which the effect is paramount and the source becomes inconsequential. I can only hope that these (Atom Heart tracks) are trial runs for a future Rather Interesting release. The relative success of the artists here might be attributed to how much time each spent on these tracks. Glancing at the inside of the booklet, The Rip Off Artist apparently got his tracks recorded just last month (September of 2002) and the other two in August. Seeing as how it's only mid-October now, and they obviously had to get this thing mastered, have artwork made, the whole thing produced, and sent to distributors before reaching our digs, that doesn't leave much time for schlepping tracks together in the studio.
RealAudio clip: THE RIP OFF ARTIST "Hippopocracy"
RealAudio clip: SMALL ROCKS "A Lung Full Of Woofer Gas"
RealAudio clip: ATOM "Constellations"

V/A Dubstars Vol 1 (Echo Beach) cd 17.98

V/A Dubstep Allstars Vol. 4 (Tempa) 2cd 17.98

MPEG Stream: D1 "Missin'"
MPEG Stream: SKREAM "Rottan VIP"
MPEG Stream: LOEFAH "Mud"
MPEG Stream: DIGITAL MYSTIKZ "Hunter (Bobby)"

V/A Dubstep Allstars Vol. 6 (Mixed by Applebim) (Tempa) cd 17.98

V/A Dubstep Allstars Vol.1 (Tempa) cd 16.98

MPEG Stream: KODE 9 "Babylon (Feat. Daddy G)"
MPEG Stream: BENGA "Sholay"
MPEG Stream: BENNY ILL & KODE 9 "Fat Larry's Skank"

V/A Dusty Fingers Vol. 1 (Strictly Break) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
You know how everyone thinks they can be a DJ now, right? Maybe one of the unlooked-for benefits of this trend is that there are that many more people sifting through dusty ole record bins in dusty ole record stores worldwide, searching for the good breaks to sample and scratch. And perhaps that explains the sudden number of recent, very tasteful, well-done compilations that have graced the shelves here at Aquarius, comps filled with original source material utilized during or created for the breakbeat era's heyday (mid to late '70s). And hey, now that these amazing tracks are collected in one place on cd or vinyl, we can listen to them in the safety of our own living rooms -- instead of having to brave yuppies and cigarette smoke and $6 drinks to hear perfectly good tunes mangled by DJs of mediocre skills.
The Dusty Fingers comps, brought to you by the Strictly Break folks, are very strong, utterly delightful compilations of tracks from such a wide variety of genres that it brings a smile to my face just to see them in one place! And yes, the tracks totally work together as great compilation cds, and the welcome effect of the different tracks side by side is a fresh perspective on the music. Very spacy stuff, some easy listening psych material, with each track featuring killer rhythms that'll appeal to the DJ in you.
Vol. 1 features everyone from Ferrante & Teicher to Amon Duul, David Axelrod, Donovan, Les Baxter, Annette Peacock, and the Small Faces. No liner notes to speak of, just a copyright and year of original release (almost all '70s), plus an assurance that all tracks are legally licensed. Mastered from original tapes with very clean results. Highly recommended!
RealAudio clip: PROJECTION "Intro/Abstractions"
RealAudio clip: AMON DUUL "Kismet"
RealAudio clip: DAVID AXELROD "The Warnings"
RealAudio clip: DONOVAN "Get Thy Bearings"

V/A Dusty Fingers Vol. 2 (Strictly Break) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
You know how everyone thinks they can be a DJ now, right? Maybe one of the unlooked-for benefits of this trend is that there are that many more people sifting through dusty ole record bins in dusty ole record stores worldwide, searching for the good breaks to sample and scratch. And perhaps that explains the sudden number of recent, very tasteful, well-done compilations that have graced the shelves here at Aquarius, comps filled with original source material utilized during or created for the breakbeat era's heyday (mid to late '70s). And hey, now that these amazing tracks are collected in one place on cd or vinyl, we can listen to them in the safety of our own living rooms -- instead of having to brave yuppies and cigarette smoke and $6 drinks to hear perfectly good tunes mangled by DJs of mediocre skills.
The Dusty Fingers comps, brought to you by the Strictly Break folks, are very strong, very delightful compilations of tracks from such a wide variety of genres that it brings a smile to my face just to see them in one place! And yes, the tracks totally work together as great compilation cds. Each track features killer rhythms that'll appeal to the DJ in you. (Speaking of which, the Harvey Averne track on this volume appealed to Terry Riley so much that he remixed it for his amazing "You're No Good" all-night performance in 1967--see elsewhere on this list.)
Vol. 2 is jazzier than the easy-listening first volume, with Bola Sete, Les McCann, and funky bits from the soundtrack to Gator! No liner notes to speak of, just a copyright and year of original release (almost all '70s), plus an assurance that all tracks are legally licensed. Mastered from original tapes with very clean results.
RealAudio clip: HARVEY AVERNE "You're No Good"
RealAudio clip: GALT MACDERMOT "Ripped Open by Metal Explosions"

V/A Dutch Assault (Relapse) cd 14.98
Ok, so far this Relapse series has visited Brazil, Poland, Japan, the Czech Republic, and Sweden, and all of those comps were pretty great, solid purchases for any grind/death metal fan looking to do some armchair travel. So why make single out this Dutch entry as a highlight? Well we think that at least two of the four bands on here take extreme metal to extremes that maybe would appeal to not necessarily just metal fans. If you're the sort of AQ customer who revels in fucked up sonic fuckery, who digs silly weird noisy music of any variety, you should check this out.
A band called Suppository start things off in righteous grindcore mode, blasting through ten tracks at a zillion kilometers per hour, pausing only occasionally for a humorous audio sample as per grindcore standard operating procedure. Good stuff.
Then, Eindhoven's Last Days of Humanity take over with nine tracks of even faster and nastier grind, with titles like "Decrepitated Regurgitation In Foetal Leprosy". Wow, that's morbid and gross sounding, yes, but does it even make sense? Lyrics aside, what's really notable about this band are the amazing vocals. This singer may in fact have the most extreme, low-end, belching, vomitous voice we've ever heard. Incredible and inhuman, a rumbling drone instrument unto itself. And the band's music is as shreddingly-distorted to match.
But then, when you think *that* was some crazy grind, comes band number three, S.M.E.S., who are all about silly drum-machine dance beats, and super grunty vocals. Vocals that I'd say are even more bowel-scraping that those of Last Days of Humanity, but it turns out it's the same guy. Apparently S.M.E.S. is the solo project of Last Days singer Erwin. S.M.E.S. sorta sounds like an electronic polka mixed with a Chris Watson field recording (lion, rhinoceros, and birds perhaps). A grind rave safari? Erwin must be taking the piss, but regardless these five totally cracked tracks are pretty freaking great.
Batting clean-up, Inhume can't hope to compete with that sort of ridiculousness, so they just stick to providing four straight-forward tracks of killer grind. RRRRrrrrrrrragh!!
So, Holland makes a strong showing here. If you're only gonna get one foreign four-way split grind comp this year, Dutch Assault maybe oughta be it!
MPEG Stream: LAST DAYS OF HUMANITY "Morbid Phallus Grinder"
MPEG Stream: S.M.E.S. "Cricket Bat Man"

V/A Dynamite With A Laserbeam (Three One G) cd 14.98
An album of Queen covers where each song is so unlike the original that it's only slightly recognizable. And the Queen connection turns out to be enough of a good thematic idea to hold this record together! The point isn't really the Queen songs, but the bands' styles unified with a theme. And besides, a good cover must totally obliterate the original. From the free-jazz-mathrock of Upsilon Acrux to the yowling-diva-art-punk of Glass Candy, the short-sharp-noise-assault that is The Locust, and the utter weirdness that is Weasel Walter's (Flying Luttenbachers etc) version of Bohemian Rhapsody that is so bad it's good (and sounds exactly like what we'd imagine a Steven Schultz version of Bohemian Rhapsody would sound like). Also features Get Hustle, Gogogo Airheart, The Convocation Of, The Spacewurm, Bastard Noise, a very restrained Melt Banana who's closing cover of "We Will Rock You" is one of the least noisy and yet still one of the most original and compelling songs on here, and more.
On the other hand, Allan thinks this is a compilation of bands he mostly wouldn't normally want to listen to, ruining a bunch of songs he loves, but can't deny the humor value, and imagines that Freddie wouldn't be too upset. Queen were pretty campy after all.
RealAudio clip: BLOOD BROTHERS "Under Pressure"
RealAudio clip: UPSILON ACRUX "Bicycle Race"
RealAudio clip: MELT BANANA "We Will Rock You"

V/A Dynamite With A Laserbeam (Three One G) lp 10.98
An album of Queen covers where each song is so unlike the original that it's only slightly recognizable. And the Queen connection turns out to be enough of a good thematic idea to hold this record together! The point isn't really the Queen songs, but the bands' styles unified with a theme. And besides, a good cover must totally obliterate the original. From the free-jazz-mathrock of Upsilon Acrux to the yowling-diva-art-punk of Glass Candy, the short-sharp-noise-assault that is The Locust, and the utter weirdness that is Weasel Walter's (Flying Luttenbachers etc) version of Bohemian Rhapsody that is so bad it's good (and sounds exactly like what we'd imagine a Steven Schultz version of Bohemian Rhapsody would sound like). Also features Get Hustle, Gogogo Airheart, The Convocation Of, The Spacewurm, Bastard Noise, a very restrained Melt Banana who's closing cover of "We Will Rock You" is one of the least noisy and yet still one of the most original and compelling songs on here, and more.
On the other hand, Allan thinks this is a compilation of bands he mostly wouldn't normally want to listen to, ruining a bunch of songs he loves, but can't deny the humor value, and imagines that Freddie wouldn't be too upset. Queen were pretty campy after all.

V/A Dynamite! Dancehall Style (Soul Jazz Records) cd 21.00
The latest in Soul Jazz's Dynamite series focuses on Dancehall classics, rarities and brand new tracks from the last 25 years to the present. Featuring current dub steppers, Digital Mystikz, and Ladybug (aka The Bug and Warrior Queen) from the digital/dancehall/grime scene amongst classic Dancehall originators, Lady Saw, King Tubby and Beenie man, this compilation features 21 non-stop dancehall party classics in all styles from digital rhythms, Nyabinghi drumming, and dub step to the lyrical vocal styles of Tippa Irie, Shinehead and Cecile. Get your freak on!
MPEG Stream: LADY SAW "Mi Ting Deh"
MPEG Stream: LADYBUG "Dem A Bomb We"
MPEG Stream: SHINEHEAD "Billie Jean"

V/A Dynamite! Dancehall Style Volume 1 (Soul Jazz Records) 2lp 24.00
The latest in Soul Jazz's Dynamite series focuses on Dancehall classics, rarities and brand new tracks from the last 25 years to the present. Featuring current dub steppers, Digital Mystikz, and Ladybug (aka The Bug and Warrior Queen) from the digital/dancehall/grime scene, along with classic Dancehall originators Lady Saw, King Tubby and Beenie man, this compilation features 21 non-stop dancehall party classics in all styles from digital rhythms, Nyabinghi drumming, and dub step to the lyrical vocal styles of Tippa Irie, Shinehead and Cecile. Get your freak on!
This double lp is part one of the two part vinyl Dynamite! Dancehall Style.
MPEG Stream: LADY SAW "Mi Ting Deh"

V/A Dynamite! Dancehall Style Volume 2 (Soul Jazz Records) 2lp 24.00
The latest in Soul Jazz's Dynamite series focuses on Dancehall classics, rarities and brand new tracks from the last 25 years to the present. Featuring current dub steppers, Digital Mystikz, and Ladybug (aka The Bug and Warrior Queen) from the digital/dancehall/grime scene, along with classic Dancehall originators Lady Saw, King Tubby and Beenie man, this compilation features 21 non-stop dancehall party classics in all styles from digital rhythms, Nyabinghi drumming, and dub step to the lyrical vocal styles of Tippa Irie, Shinehead and Cecile. Get your freak on!
This double lp is part two of the two part vinyl Dynamite! Dancehall Style.
MPEG Stream: LADYBUG "Dem A Bomb We"
MPEG Stream: SHINEHEAD "Billie Jean"

V/A E2-E4 2001: Tribute To Manuel Göttsching (Saldisc) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Manuel Göttsching, founder of legendary Kraut pioneers Ash Ra Temple, recorded a few records in the eighties under his own name. "E2-E4", the first among them and recorded in 1981, is hailed as a classic and is a great influence for early Detroit techno artists like Derrick May and Carl Craig. The resonant timelessness of said record has extended beyond and has continuously popped up within more recent minimalist techno circles -- most noticeably within the Cologne scene. And this collection reveals that Japan has obviously been listening too. Disc one collects reinterpretations by the likes of Rovo, Sugar Plant, Buffalo Daughter, Dub Squad, Hi Speed & Star Light Express, and two other indecipherable acts (sorry, nobody here can read Japanese!) Disc two is an extended mix by the mighty EYE of the Boredoms! You probably already know if you need this based on the presence of the contributing artists, but let it be said that none of these tracks are representative of any of their 'normal' works. And there's always the theory that if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Check out "E2-E4" by Göttsching for the real deal!
RealAudio clip: ROVO "Catch And Release"
RealAudio clip: SUGAR PLANT "Just Be There"
RealAudio clip: EYE "E2-E4 Mix (Excerpt)"

V/A Eagle Has Landed (Tranquility Base) 2LP 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From indie/new-wave to math rock with Don Caballero, Hourly Radio, Ke Chandara, Glorium, Cordial, Stratego, Cerberus Shoal, and more! Comes with a free map!

V/A Early Modulations : Vintage Volts (Caipirinha) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Compiled in part by Rob Young, editor for the exemplary UK magazine The Wire, "Early Modulations" tracks the historical birthing of electronics within the academic framework of European and American institutions. The scope of the compilation is not so much an analysis of the importance of these pieces but a celebration of contemporary electronica by looking to its past. And if you can handle the K-Tel musk of the project, this makes a pretty cool primer.
Founders of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in the late 1940s, Otto Luening and Vladimir Ussachevsky found within the tape machine a means by which to scramble the structuralist codes of musical notation. Their 1953 piece "Incantation" processes multiple tape machines in which flutes, pianos, and gongs flicker in metaphorphic sonic swells. Similar experiments were made in France by Pierre Schaeffer, the inventor of musique concrete. His featured piece "Étude aux Chemins de Fer" (1948) stitches together tiny fragments of tape, collaging repeated signatures of chugging locomotives stopped in mid-stride by a variety of whistles, offering a new experiential sonic landscape of the familiar. The earliest and perhaps most breathtaking piece on the compilation is John Cage's "Imaginary Landscape No. 1" (1939). Pure tones bleep and modulate against an a prepared piano, whose internal organs are exposed and prodded to coax a secondary palette from the piano. While Iannis Xenakis, Morton Subotnik, and Luc Ferrari are also documented, the one glaring omission is Karlheinz Stockhausen (strange, 'cause he's so prominent in the historical parts of the "Modulations" film).

V/A Early Morning Hush: Notes From The UK Folk Underground 1969-1976 (Castle Music) cd 23.00
Second compilation of essential British Acid Folk (Gathering In The Mushrooms was the first.) compiled by Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne. Featuring well known figures such as John Renbourn, Steeleye Span, Shirley Collins, Anne Briggs, and Pentangle along more obscurer groups such as Midwinter, Stone Angel, Shide and Acorn, and Mellow Candle.

V/A East Africa: Ceremonial & Folk Music (Nonesuch) cd 12.98
Originally released in 1975 as "Africa: Ceremonial & Folk Music", this collection of recordings comes to us from Northern Uganda, Kenya & Tanzania and is extremely varied in the tracks contained within. From the insane Aluar Horns which feature a group of horn players each with a horn capable of playing merely one pitch (reminiscent of the "Orgues A Bouche" in that sense) accompanied by a chorus of singers and a troupe of drummers, they mete out a teeth gnashing fanfare unlike about anything we've heard this side of Test Dept.'s "A Good Night Out." This track is immediately followed by the soft seven stringed enanga which accompanies a vocal duet as pretty as you can imagine. The rest of the disc is just as good, with both haunting and beautiful ceremonial music caught on tape.
RealAudio clip: "Aluar Horns"
RealAudio clip: "Enanga"
RealAudio clip: "Samburu Warrior's Initiation"
RealAudio clip: "Wagogo Soothing Song"

V/A East Africa: Witchcraft & Ritual Music (Nonesuch) cd 12.98
Recorded in 1975 by David Fanshawe, Witchcraft & Ritual Music is a collection of recordings made throughout Tanzania and Kenya of medicinal music. Fanshawe explains that, in this recording he had "tried to capture the spirit of a musical heritage now nearly extinct. The music on this album comes from a part of East Africa whose musical traditions remain largely unknown to the rest of the world. Particularly fascinating is the manner in which music and medicine are combined in the indigenous practice of witchcraft; music becomes associated with the healing sound of drums, interwoven with beautiful threads of melody." Most of the music utilizes vocals, individual and chorus, in addition to percussion and several tracks include stringed instruments and some of the most odd and amazing horn playing you're likely to ever hear. Most notable is the buzzing melodies of the Kenyan bung'o horn weaving its melodies throughout a choral accompaniment.
RealAudio clip: "Ngoma Ra Mrongo"
RealAudio clip: "Kayamba Dance: Giriama Wedding"
RealAudio clip: "Nyatiti"

V/A East Village Other (Get Back) lp 13.98
Several ESP-Disc classics have been re-pressed onto 180-gram vinyl by some nice Italians, whoo-ooo! A great early 70's Sun Ra cosmic keyboard/spacefunk concert, *the* essential Patty Waters avant-jazz-vocal platter (with "Black Is the Color Of My True Loves Hair"), a freaky underground scene sound collage document (with the likes of the VU and Allen Ginsberg), and an all-star free jazz soundtrack from '65 with Albert Ayler, Don Cherry, Roswell Rudd, John Tchicai, Gary Peacock, and Sunny Murray! And, as the now-deleted cd reissues of these are becoming harder and harder to come by, just in time.

V/A East-Westercism (Blue Angel) 2cd 23.00
Double cd compilation featuring stretched out tracks heavy on the sitar, tabla and ethno-ambient vibe, if you know what I mean, featuring Talvin Singh, Bedouin Ascent, T-Power, Rhys Chatham and more. This is a recent AQ-bestseller, due to repeated instore play by Marc who thinks it's brilliant, and not due to Windy and Andee who don't get it, and Allan's too busy listening to the most highly-anticipated black metal album of the summer. Choose your salesperson accordingly!

V/A Easy Beatles (Bureau) cd 17.98
Were you one of the unlucky millions who got to witness the most recent American Idol where contestants brutally butchered classic Beatles songs? We had to wonder if any of them had actually heard the originals or were just played the songs by the studio band. Maybe that's why you don't see too many contemporary artists tackle Beatles covers today. The originals were either so much better due to their deceptive complexity or perhaps they were covered so much during their time that their familiarity has become more of a liability than an asset. Does anyone really need to hear an emo version of "Eleanor Rigby" or an R&B version of "Long and Winding Road" (or for that matter, The Bee Gees and Peter Frampton's version)?
You gotta figure most rock fans during the Beatles' heyday probably felt the same way about this particular set of Beatle covers from the sixties and seventies' softer side: Brothers Four. The Letterman. Nancy Wilson. Dick Hyman, Earl Grant, The Sandpipers. Shirley Scott. Nancy Ames. Just a few of the pop-jazz, pop-vocal, soft-samba, jet-lounge, bachelor pad, easy-listening artists that took a run with the fab fours' immense songbook. Probably aiming at a hipper, younger audience given many of the hyper-upbeat tempos and / or smooth vocal delivery here, most acts really just managed to broaden the musical awareness of their older listeners, like our parents. However, time's a good friend to kitsch, and as we become further distanced from the context of the original songs and era, these songs take on a different feel. They actually sound pretty good, dare we say, better than some of the overtly familiar originals. Some versions are crate digger gems like Ella Fitzgerald's backwardly funky "Savoy Truffle", Gary McFarland's scat samba version of "She Loves Him" and Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcer's organ groover "Hey Jude". Other songs are sheer novelty such as Gershon Kingsley's Moogy "Paperback Writer", The Assembled Multitude's muzak take on "I Want You (She's so Heavy)", and the overly-enunciated delivery of The Brother's Four, "We Can Work It Out". Yet, the best covers are of songs that fall the closest to the easy listening model, The Sandpiper's soft Latin-tinged "Things We Said Today", easily trumps the original, and The Lettermen's sublime string-driven "I'm Only Sleeping" comes really close. Most choices in this collection wisely steer clear from the more rocking or druggy side of the songbook. No "Helter Skelter", "Tomorrow Never Knows", "I Am The Walrus" or "Come Together", though Arif Mardin does us a service by doing an instrumental version of "Glass Onion", a late period rocker whose lyrics (mostly Beatles inside jokes) we never really liked. We think Lena Horne and Gabor Szabo's "Rocky Raccoon" and Bossa Rio's "Blackbird" deserved inclusion here, but we shouldn't really complain. There are probably enough interesting Beatles covers out there to make for a tight second volume. Just don't even think that we'll be having a similar change of heart towards the American Idol versions thirty years from now. Shiver.
MPEG Stream: ELLA FITZGERALD "Savoy Truffle"
MPEG Stream: THE SANDPIPERS "Things We Said Today"
MPEG Stream: CLARENCE WHEELER & THE ENFORCERS "Hey Jude"
MPEG Stream: NANCY AMES "I Feel Fine"

V/A Eat To The Beat: The Dirtiest Of Them Dirty Blues (Bear Family) 2cd 23.00
We know that some of you like it dirty! And so do we when dirty is done with wit, style and old potty mouth class. This is an amazing compilation of old RnB with the kind of NAS-T lyrics that tickles us silly. What's so irresistible about this collection is how musically it still sounds so classic and clean in that sock-hop Mom and Dad on the dance floor kind of way. But when you hear the lyrics, OOF! Songs about poon-tang, sixty minute men, and big ten inch... um records (later covered by Aerosmith!). Greats like Dinah Washington, Lavern Baker, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins getting down and dirty as well as some lesser known but equally great performers. R-rated songs from the likes of The Blenders, The Treniers, Dorothy Ellis and more. Comes with amazing packaging including a thick booklet with tons of photos and all the lyrics so you can sing along to these dirty ditties. For some reason we always think that the 40's and 50's were so squeaky clean, prude and sedate. It's just that all the glorious filth was a big dirty secret. And this comp's got the sass to prove it!
P.S. Someone needs to get a copy of this to John Waters as this is bound to be his new favorite record! (although we imagine he might have some of the originals!)
MPEG Stream: THE CLOVERS "Rotten Cocksuckers Blues"
MPEG Stream: LAVERN BAKER & JACKIE WILSON "Think Twice [Version X]"
MPEG Stream: SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS "Bite It"

V/A Eccentric Soul : The Capsoul Label (Numero Group) cd 17.98
In the early 70s, the Capsoul label suffered a similar fate as Stax Records out of Memphis. Great small label, amazing artists, amazing songs -- but in the midst of a Motown big-hit explosion. Founded by Bill Moss in Columbus, Ohio, Capsoul produced some incredible soul and funk music. Musically, Moss had all the ingredients of a great label (he even wrote some of their hits) but his timing in the industry couldn't have been worse. As it was at this time, Motown had just moved to Los Angeles and was quickly growing to gigantic proportions. Sadly, Capsoul went out of business only five years after starting up. Even more sadly, when it did, all master tapes were destroyed. So the songs on this comp are actually taken from 45's gathered by the folks at Numero Group through various sources, including Ebay! Meticulously transferred, they sound totally awesome. The 19 funk and soul treasures are beautifully packaged and feature a couple cool studio photos. Extensive liner notes detail a bit of the label, its artists and historical context.
MPEG Stream: BILL MOSS "Sock It To 'Em Soul Brother"
MPEG Stream: ELIJAH & THE EBONITES "Hot Grits!!!"

V/A Eccentric Soul : The Capsoul Label (Numero Group) 2lp 18.98
In the early 70s, the Capsoul label suffered a similar fate as Stax Records out of Memphis. Great small label, amazing artists, amazing songs -- but in the midst of a Motown big-hit explosion. Founded by Bill Moss in Columbus, Ohio, Capsoul produced some incredible soul and funk music. Musically, Moss had all the ingredients of a great label (he even wrote some of their hits) but his timing in the industry couldn't have been worse. As it was at this time, Motown had just moved to Los Angeles and was quickly growing to gigantic proportions. Sadly, Capsoul went out of business only five years after starting up. Even more sadly, when it did, all master tapes were destroyed. So the songs on this comp are actually taken from 45's gathered by the folks at Numero Group through various sources, including Ebay! Meticulously transferred, they sound totally awesome. The 19 funk and soul treasures are beautifully packaged and feature a couple cool studio photos. Extensive liner notes detail a bit of the label, its artists and historical context.
MPEG Stream: BILL MOSS "Sock It To 'Em Soul Brother"
MPEG Stream: ELIJAH & THE EBONITES "Hot Grits!!!"

V/A Eccentric Soul : The Deep City Label (Numero Group) cd 17.98
Without a doubt the Numero Group is becoming one of our favorite labels over the last few years. Releasing such tasty reissues with classy and informative packaging, a distinct aesthetic and most importantly amazing sounds that deserve to be heard! This time out they have excavated a lost treasure down in Florida. The short lived Deep City label put out a slew of totally rich 45's that unfortunately never made their way much past the confines of the Sunshine State. The core of the Deep City label were three high school teachers and former marching band members Willie Clarke, Johnny Pearsall, and Arnold Albury. They began recording in small studios with local artists like Clarence Reid (who some of you might know later would be known as Blowfly) and a then preteen Betty Wright. The sound that emerged was so gut hitting, soul wrenching, and totally right on. The warmth in these recordings makes you lament where soul music has gone in the last few decades, getting it so wrong with its slick glossy overproduction. Fans of the recent Searching For Soul comp on Luv N' Haight make sure you check this out as it's just as strong an offering as that amazing comp. If you are a big soul affieciando you might remember a few of the artists on this comp from the Soul Jazz comp Miami Sound a few years back but none of these tracks have been reissued until now and wow do these songs hit the spot. Highly Recommended!
MPEG Stream: THEM TWO "Am I A Good Man"
MPEG Stream: PAUL KELLY "The Upset"
MPEG Stream: HELENE SMITH "I Am Controlled By Your Love"

V/A Eccentric Soul: Mighty Mike Lenaburg (Numero Group) cd 17.98
By now there's almost no point in writing much about the incredible Eccentric Soul series on the Numero Group label every single record seems to speak for itself, LOUD AND PROUD!. One after another, lost pots of gold (should've-been-gold-records, that is) are constantly unearthed, dusted off and presented to us for maximum grooving. If there was any question as to how deep Numero have been digging, the answer becomes evident with this most recent outing, which compiles amazing soul recordings from the not so soulfully hip city of Phoenix, Arizona, recorded during the 60's and 70's. Being that I (Irwin) grew up in Phoenix, this release proved just how deep and far these guys will go for their lost soul.
As anyone who has lived in Phoenix over the last quarter century can tell you, any relics or history of a soul scene going on in the valley of the sun are pretty much non-existent. Luckily when Mike Lenaburg lived in Phoenix he had his finger on the pulse of the city's soul scene and managed to produce some totally scorching tracks from folks like Michael Liggins, We The People, and the Soul Blenders. Names that never got the same kind of glory that their rock 'n roll Phoenix counterparts like Alice Cooper did. But even so, these guys were responsible for some of the richest and liveliest sounding recordings to ever come out of Phoenix. As a high school kid I spent many of my waking hours in vinyl stores all over the city eavesdropping on the classic vinyl store employees and regulars talking for hours about the good old days, when there was a world of rich and vibrant soul music happening all over the place. I had no idea who those artists were and the one time I got the courage to interrupt and ask if I could see one of the records they all laughed and told me good luck since they were all pressed in such small runs that anyone who had one wasn't EVER going to give it up. So for years I could only imagine what these soul sounds from the desert sounded like but now I get to hear them for real, we all do, and they blow away anything I could have dreamed of. Phoenix, a goldmine for soul!!?? Who would have ever known. Thanks again Numero Group!
MPEG Stream: MICHAEL LIGGINS "Standing On The Corner"
MPEG Stream: WE THE PEOPLE "Function Underground"
MPEG Stream: THE SOUL BLENDERS "Blending Soul"

V/A Eccentric Soul: Smart's Palace (Numero Group) cd 16.98
This time out the mighty Eccentric Soul series focuses on the dingy and delightful venue Smart's Palace, located in Witchita, Kansas which during the years of 1963-1975 was ground zero for all the best sweaty, sensual and romping soul being played around that town. While the club did get a few big names in their time, both James Brown and Aretha Franklin once played there, its bread and butter were the nationally unknown but completely talented soul artists located in the tragically underrated scene going on down in Kansas.
The man behind Smart's Palace was Dick Smart who not only ran the club but also played music himself, promoted most of the shows AND ran his own label. In true DIY fashion he helped cultivate one of the richest soul scenes around, totally overflowing with true but untapped talent. This has got to be the sexiest, sweatiest, most romantic, sultry and sexual set of songs that has come out of the Eccentric Soul series yet. So many amazing voices on here, some as smooth as butter, others as commanding as a drill sergeant of love. Fans of folks like Eddie Kendricks, Al Green, and Curtis Mayfield will find so much to dig as as the new to us artists here like Baby Neal, Fred Williams and Kenneth Car offer up songs that we could listen to over and over and still get down and dirty with their raw yet flawless true soul grooves.
MPEG Stream: BABY NEAL & THE SMART BROTHERS "I'm Not Ashamed"
MPEG Stream: THERON & DARRELL "It's Your Love"
MPEG Stream: TIM JACOB "Mercy Baby"

V/A Eccentric Soul: Smart's Palace (Numero Group) 2lp 21.00
Now On Double Vinyl!
This time out the mighty Eccentric Soul series focuses on the dingy and delightful venue Smart's Palace, located in Witchita, Kansas which during the years of 1963-1975 was ground zero for all the best sweaty, sensual and romping soul being played around that town. While the club did get a few big names in their time, both James Brown and Aretha Franklin once played there, its bread and butter were the nationally unknown but completely talented soul artists located in the tragically underrated scene going on down in Kansas.
The man behind Smart's Palace was Dick Smart who not only ran the club but also played music himself, promoted most of the shows AND ran his own label. In true DIY fashion he helped cultivate one of the richest soul scenes around, totally overflowing with true but untapped talent. This has got to be the sexiest, sweatiest, most romantic, sultry and sexual set of songs that has come out of the Eccentric Soul series yet. So many amazing voices on here, some as smooth as butter, others as commanding as a drill sergeant of love. Fans of folks like Eddie Kendricks, Al Green, and Curtis Mayfield will find so much to dig as as the new to us artists here like Baby Neal, Fred Williams and Kenneth Car offer up songs that we could listen to over and over and still get down and dirty with their raw yet flawless true soul grooves.
MPEG Stream: BABY NEAL & THE SMART BROTHERS "I'm Not Ashamed"
MPEG Stream: THERON & DARRELL "It's Your Love"
MPEG Stream: TIM JACOB "Mercy Baby"

V/A Eccentric Soul: The Bandit Label (Numero Group) cd 17.98
If you've ever read any Iceberg Slim (Afro-Noir books), set in 70's south side Chicago, you'll get a pretty good feel for Bandit Label's founder, Arrow Brown. Keeping a harem of his "daughters", Brown ruled over his consortium with an iron-fist while striving for, what he imagined to be, a ghetto entertainment conglomerate. Much ghetto-glamorous drama ensued in the Bandit compound during its years of operation. Though no real "hits" emerged, this compilation is a document of the undeniably real soul that existed in the hearts of his artists. While you'll find some truly moving demos here (they had acted as rehearsal tapes), many songs have some pretty scrappy vocals that are also absolutely endearing. So despite the rich tales spun from real events at the Bandit studio, we're left with true soul-driven songs in this chapter of the beautifully packaged Eccentric Soul series. Well allriigghhhtttah!
MPEG Stream: THE MAJESTIC ARROWS "One More Time Around"
MPEG Stream: THE MAJESTIC ARROWS "If I Had A Little Love"

V/A Eccentric Soul: The Big Mack Label (Numero Group) cd 17.98
Our love affair with The Numero Group is still running hot and heavy. Can they do no wrong? Looks like it with the most recent outing in their "Eccentric Soul" series where they dig deep to find forgotten and obscure regional soul labels and share the found treasures with all of our ears. And we thank them tenfold cause every time they do it we are exposed to such rich songs that begin making their way on every mix we make. This time out it's the other side of running a soul label in a town like Detroit. With Motown pretty much holding a monopoly on the sound and market labels like Big Mack had a really hard time breaking through. If Motown was for millionaires the Big Mack label was truly a label for the people. In fact they even advertised in the Detroit Free Press offering anyone off the streets a chance to record a one-off track for under fifteen bucks. And then you could go down the street and get your songs pressed on its own 45. This is soul deep in the garage bursting with sincerity and flare. We keep hoping that with all these great soul reissues by Numero Group and Soul Jazz and Luv n Haight someone will get the good insight to start making soul records with this same kind of raw stripped down production. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: PERFORMERS "Mini Skirt"
MPEG Stream: MAE YOUNG "The Man Puts Sugar In My Soul"
MPEG Stream: SOUL PRESIDENT "Get It Right"

V/A Eccentric Soul: The Outskirts Of Deep City (Numero Group) cd 17.98
At this point the Numero Group's Eccentric Soul series is no longer any sort of secret. The world couldn't help but take notice of the amazing job the label has done at digging deep into uncharted and forgotten regional labels and scenes from the heyday of soul and funk. So now, we usually don't have to turn people on to the series but instead we're often asked -which- of the Eccentric Soul comps is our favorite. A very tough question as they have yet to release a dud. But there are two of the releases so far that are a step or two above the rest in their golden soul perfection. The collection from The Big Mack label out of Detroit and Florida's Deep City label, a collection that we still listen to all the time.
So we were quite excited when we found out that Numero was going to mine even further into the Deep City vaults with a follow up collection from the amazing Florida label. Apparently Numero Group got their hands on a box of lost Deep City master tapes so seven of those tracks are on here as well as killer tracks from some of the other Miami labels putting out sizzling soul 45's back in the day. Every song we've ever heard from Helene Smith fills us with chills of excitement and she has two more on this collection, alongside amazing songs from a young Betty Wright, Lynn Willliams, Clarence Reid, The Rollers, etc. Anyone who has been taken by the spell of Miami soul needs to get this immediately and in fact this could very well become our new favorite of all the amazing Eccentric Soul releases. So damn pleasing!
MPEG Stream: HELENE SMITH "Pot Can't Talk About The Kettle"
MPEG Stream: THE ROLLERS "Knockin' At The Wrong Door"
MPEG Stream: LYNN WILLIAMS "Don't Be Surprised"

V/A Eccentric Soul: The Outskirts of Deep City (Numero) lp 18.98
Now On Vinyl!!
At this point the Numero Group's Eccentric Soul series is no longer any sort of secret. The world couldn't help but take notice of the amazing job the label has done at digging deep into uncharted and forgotten regional labels and scenes from the heyday of soul and funk. So now, we usually don't have to turn people on to the series but instead we're often asked -which- of the Eccentric Soul comps is our favorite. A very tough question as they have yet to release a dud. But there are two of the releases so far that are a step or two above the rest in their golden soul perfection. The collection from The Big Mack label out of Detroit and Florida's Deep City label, a collection that we still listen to all the time.
So we were quite excited when we found out that Numero was going to mine even further into the Deep City vaults with a follow up collection from the amazing Florida label. Apparently Numero Group got their hands on a box of lost Deep City master tapes so seven of those tracks are on here as well as killer tracks from some of the other Miami labels putting out sizzling soul 45's back in the day. Every song we've ever heard from Helene Smith fills us with chills of excitement and she has two more on this collection, alongside amazing songs from a young Betty Wright, Lynn Willliams, Clarence Reid, The Rollers, etc. Anyone who has been taken by the spell of Miami soul needs to get this immediately and in fact this could very well become our new favorite of all the amazing Eccentric Soul releases. So damn pleasing!
MPEG Stream: HELENE SMITH "Pot Can't Talk About The Kettle"
MPEG Stream: THE ROLLERS "Knockin' At The Wrong Door"
MPEG Stream: LYNN WILLIAMS "Don't Be Surprised"

V/A Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label (Numero) cd 17.98
The Numero Group's "Eccentric Soul" series lives up to its name with this new entry, lucky number seven in the series, which also lives up to the high expectations all its bumpin' predecessors have created for it -- Capsoul, Bandit, Deep City, all the rest, some better liked here than others but all pretty great when you get down to it... and get down to it is what you will, what this shit's all about. Long lost soul/funk/r&b gems from back in the day, regional obscurities that never had the breakout hit they deserved. Dunno why such soul men as Eddie Ray and Marion Black, heard here, didn't become stars. Wasn't for lack of talent.
Ranging from Stax style soul, to chicken scratch geetar funk in a right-on JB's vein, and even to some funked up psychedelic instrumental wailing, this disc features 19 killer tracks, eight of them previously unreleased (demos and even finished masters recently discovered at an estate sale!), recorded circa 1969-1973 for the obscure Columbus, Ohio based label Prix. Yes, more amazing stuff from the same town that supported the Capsoul label documented on the very first Numero Eccentric Soul comp. If you like soul and funk from the era, you owe it to yourself to take a listen, and then you'll owe thanks to Numero for digging these tracks up. A great comp in a great series.
MPEG Stream: MITCHELL MITCHELL & GENE KING "Never Walk Out On You"
MPEG Stream: EDDIE RAY "Wait A Minute"
MPEG Stream: OFS UNLIMITED "Mystic"

V/A Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label (Numero) lp 18.98
Now on vinyl!!!
The Numero Group's "Eccentric Soul" series lives up to its name with this new entry, lucky number seven in the series, which also lives up to the high expectations all its bumpin' predecessors have created for it -- Capsoul, Bandit, Deep City, all the rest, some better liked here than others but all pretty great when you get down to it... and get down to it is what you will, what this shit's all about. Long lost soul/funk/r&b gems from back in the day, regional obscurities that never had the breakout hit they deserved. Dunno why such soul men as Eddie Ray and Marion Black, heard here, didn't become stars. Wasn't for lack of talent.
Ranging from Stax style soul, to chicken scratch geetar funk in a right-on JB's vein, and even to some funked up psychedelic instrumental wailing, this disc features 19 killer tracks, eight of them previously unreleased (demos and even finished masters recently discovered at an estate sale!), recorded circa 1969-1973 for the obscure Columbus, Ohio based label Prix. Yes, more amazing stuff from the same town that supported the Capsoul label documented on the very first Numero Eccentric Soul comp. If you like soul and funk from the era, you owe it to yourself to take a listen, and then you'll owe thanks to Numero for digging these tracks up. A great comp in a great series.
MPEG Stream: MITCHELL MITCHELL & GENE KING "Never Walk Out On You"
MPEG Stream: EDDIE RAY "Wait A Minute"
MPEG Stream: OFS UNLIMITED "Mystic"

V/A Eccentric Soul: The Young Disciples (Numero Group) cd 16.98
By the late 1960's East St Louis, Illinois had seen better days. Hit hard by poverty, crime, drug addiction and gang activity, it was really important for teens to have a safe place to hang out, and a positive outlet for creativity. No one understood this better then Allen Murray, a seasoned musician from the area who was semi-famous for his past work with the likes of Ray Charles and Ike Turner. He started a really inventive program at The Southside Community Center, where youth could come and sing and play music in his program called The Young Disciples.
With an amazing stable of musicians and fresh new voices on the mic, most for the first time, he really created an amazing musical world while also offering salvation to so many teens in East St Louis. What's even more remarkable is how damn good the music they made was. This was not some sort of amateur hour soul, in fact before we even knew the whole back story to this record we just thought it was another amazing lost soul label getting the primetime Eccentric Soul series attention it deserved. These songs are just dripping with warmth, soul and unfiltered funk. Another total winner from the Numero Group and such a cool program that Murray developed, we only wish it was being used as a template in cities across the country today!
MPEG Stream: THE DEBONETTES "Tears"
MPEG Stream: LAVEL MOORE "The World Is Changing"
MPEG Stream: GEORGETTES "Hard Hard"

V/A Eccentric Soul: Tragar & Note Labels (Numero) 2cd 31.00
There hasn't been a dud yet in the Numero Group's superb and ever ongoing Eccentric Soul series and this latest two disc offering is no exception, in fact it might find itself a special spot near the Big Mack and Deep City collections as one of our favorites so far!
This time out they dig up gems from two woefully obscure labels out of Atlanta in the late '60s. While there are some uptempo shakers sprinkled amongst the tracks on these two discs, what's swept us off our feet is the totally devastating heart broken soul that just drips with honesty and warmth. We just can't get enough of it. And it's the ladies who really shine the brightest on this collection, we now want to get our hands on everything and anything that Eula Cooper, Franciene Thomas and Sonia Ross have ever released. The kind of richly orchestrated soul that sounds so perfect when you're alone in your living room with the lights dimmed, a cocktail to lessen the pain of a broken heart and these songs to let you wallow with class, yet still enough uptempo tracks to let you cut a rug when your tears take a break. So great!
MPEG Stream: FRANCIENE THOMAS "Too Beautiful To Be Good"
MPEG Stream: NATHAN WILKES "Strange Feeling"
MPEG Stream: EULA COOPER "Let Our Love Grow Higher"

V/A Eccentric Soul: Twinight's Lunar Rotation (Numero) 2cd 26.00
The Numero Group has helped spawn a much needed revival and rediscovery of lost soul from the 60's and 70's, showing the world that there was much more amazing music beyond the Motown monopoly. Amazing soul records were being released everywhere by all sorts of small independent labels. We'll never ever tire of really good soul done juuuuust right and once again the Numero Group has hit the bulls eye. This collection focuses on the Chicago label Twinight. The label began with the name Twilight but soon found out another label with the same name existed so they changed one letter and thus became Twinight which would prove to be an appropriate moniker for the label, as most of the records they released were only played during the wee hours of broadcasting day often referred to as the twinight hours. The label was known primarily for its one star Syl Johnson but this collection digs even deeper and exposes the music and the artists who never had big hits but who produced some classic soul burners.
This collection isn't as flashy or outright catchy as some of the past Eccentric Soul collections but it's that great kind of tasty soul that heats up nice and slow and keeps you coming back for more.
Another fantastic collection of lost soul treasures!
MPEG Stream: JOHNNY WILLIAMS "Breaking Point"
MPEG Stream: ELVIN SPENCER "Lift This Hurt"
MPEG Stream: JOSEPHINE TAYLOR "Is It Worth A Chance"
MPEG Stream: KRYSTAL GENERATION "Satasfied"

V/A Eccentric Soul: Twinight's Lunar Rotation (Numero) 4lp box 48.00
NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL! Incredibly deluxe and over the top packaging. A gorgeous full color printed heavy box style slipcover, each lp in its own heavy printed full color sleeve inside, and of course pressed on nice thick vinyl. WOW.
The Numero Group has helped spawn a much needed revival and rediscovery of lost soul from the 60's and 70's, showing the world that there was much more amazing music beyond the Motown monopoly. Amazing soul records were being released everywhere by all sorts of small independent labels. We'll never ever tire of really good soul done juuuuust right and once again the Numero Group has hit the bulls eye. This collection focuses on the Chicago label Twinight. The label began with the name Twilight but soon found out another label with the same name existed so they changed one letter and thus became Twinight which would prove to be an appropriate moniker for the label, as most of the records they released were only played during the wee hours of broadcasting day often referred to as the twinight hours. The label was known primarily for its one star Syl Johnson but this collection digs even deeper and exposes the music and the artists who never had big hits but who produced some classic soul burners.
This collection isn't as flashy or outright catchy as some of the past Eccentric Soul collections but it's that great kind of tasty soul that heats up nice and slow and keeps you coming back for more.
Another fantastic collection of lost soul treasures!
MPEG Stream: JOHNNY WILLIAMS "Breaking Point"
MPEG Stream: ELVIN SPENCER "Lift This Hurt"
MPEG Stream: JOSEPHINE TAYLOR "Is It Worth A Chance"
MPEG Stream: KRYSTAL GENERATION "Satasfied"

V/A Echoes of Africa: Early Recordings (Wergo) cd 17.98
Interesting collection of early recordings from throughout the African continent. Rare recordings dating as far back as 1929 and on up to the early 50's give us a peek into the germinus of modern popular music on the continent. Inundated by Christian missionaries, Europeans looking to make a buck and an increasingly urbanized lifestyle new forms of music had been developing even long before the introduction of the phonograph to Africa. There's a wealth of proto-African pop on here in the form of string bands, concertina and/or accordion groups, guitar, brass bands and vocal ensembles.
MPEG Stream: WEST AFRICAN INSTRUMENTAL QUINTET "Bea Tsin No. 2"
MPEG Stream: SITTI BINTI SAAD "Njia Ungurusumbwe"
MPEG Stream: LAGOS MOZART ORCHESTRA "Ore Mi Kini Se"

V/A Economi$ed (Economy / Manifold) cd 11.98
This is a compilation from Economy, the new breakbeat/drill & bass subsidiary of the dark ambient label Manifold. With such notables as Justin Broadrick, Mick Harris, and Neil Harvey appearing under various pseudonyms and in various combinations, expect devastating dub production, fractured two-step drum & bass, and an overall malevolence.

V/A Ed Rec Vol III (Ed Banger) cd 15.98
Volume twa! Or at least that's how the pronunciation sounds, yeah our French sucks here but that never kept us from leaving work sore from chronic head bobbing and rabid fist thrusting. Okay maybe not that extreme, but it's like our own mini rave here at aQ whenever this is bumped. Yep, it's the third installment of much hyped French imprint, Ed Banger Records. More pumping electro from the masterminds behind the more commonly used term, "the French touch" and a very consistent example of the description.
Within this compilation the Ed Rec roster explore new ground and take some unexpected yet intriguing attempts at chopping the hell out of samples, synths, and vocals, and turning them into full on grueling disco-house anthems. But not ALL of it's that jump up, dancey, semi-rave hype shit, they tend to unveil more of their hip hop roots this time around with the likes of label frontman, Busy P's number, "To Protect and Entertain" a collab with Murs from LA's underground hip hop troop The Living Legends, including a simple yet arduous analog synth melody rolling over boosty drum patterns to accompany Murs' simple yet catchy raps. Along with Spankrock's rap appearance on the indie-rave thriller "Back it Up" by Feadz, as well as new predominately hip hop label signees DSL, who deliver a new twist to French rap with "Find Me a World". But of course the majority of the artists shine most with their dancefloor thrashers and grinding synth driven tunes that we've grown to love. Veteran Mr. Oizo cooks up more of his signature punchy and spastic sample chopping techniques, horns and all, with everything in its right place to produce a bouncy yet fun rhythm. Then of course there's Sebastian who delivers a mind fuck of a track, "Dog", sampling, yes, a black metal tune and cutting it to shreds, guitars, screams and all, delivering a punishing yet addictive, sweatdriven "banger" that we like to call "metal house" if we may...(yeah we said). While Dj Mehdi delivers his blissful disco composition "Pocket Piano", not necessarily for the dancefloor but amazing "groove" music nonetheless! Simply put, Ed Rec 3 is a well rounded hype machine that's bound to work wonders at any given party. Truly one to check out!
MPEG Stream: KRAZY BALDHEAD "No Cow No Pow"
MPEG Stream: SEBASTIAN "Dog"
MPEG Stream: BUSY P "To Protect and Entertain"