How do you do yourselves ? Talking about us, we really felt the need to take some time. Not only editorially speaking, but also in terms of organization, welcoming a third member on our directorial board by the likes of Romain Pigenel who’s to give us a hand on the development of our venture. As a result, expect us back in full effect with an update of our usual sections + the addiction of extra ones. Not to mention the launch of our record shop online within a short while. As for what to expect in terms of reviews this week, we provide you with our monthly selection of some of the hottest albums around + as a bonus, a chat with Marlon D who happens to be the conceptor our current Album Of The Month All da best !

ISSUE#96

33 RPM

Summer’s just around the bent on this hemisphere of the globe and we’ve got a whole bunch of appropriate vibes to satisfy your expectations. We start with a warm welcome to NYC producer Marlon D releasing his most awaited debut-LP called Love Is Key (our Album Of The Month). In the same situation are Howie Caspe and Dano Nathanson better known as Solu Music with the addiction of female singer Kai Martin but also former studio musician Colonel Red and long time IDMW.Com friends Nutropic, + Martin Solveig droppin’ his second effort to date. On the compilation front, expect a new bunch of goodies selected by the ever active Blaze in charge of the latest instalment of the SoulHeaven series. Meanwhile the Southport Weekender welcomes both, Dimitri from Paris, Jazzie B and Quentin Harris on the issue#3 of their eponym series and Phil Asher reacts with the release of Soul In The House 2. At your disposal are also the Defected In The House Eivissa 2 with some of the most in demand tunes around and the circumstancial Klubb Latino 2. Not to mention, as a celebration of those 24 hours Scandinavian Northern daytime, a selection of some of chosen tracks on Bugge Wesseltoft’s Jazzland label.

In search of the perfect balance ? Marlon D has no doubt got what it takes on his Love Is Key debut-LP on Jellybean (our Album Of The Month), providing the right grooves and melodic keys/sax parts to a whole bunch of first class female vocalists by the likes of Stephanie Renee, J.R. Morrison and Caroline Peppers (Jellybean). Also signing their first shot on the LP front this month is NYC pair Howie Caspe and Dano Nathanson (the Solu Music guys) who, alongside female singer Kai Martin, manage to provide us with a full array of atmospheric groove in the vein of their memorable ‘Fade’ on Wave Music a few years back, having that something of a plaintive emphasis which has been for much in the worldwide recognition of those balearic jewels as selected by José Padilla or Phil Mison on their respective series dedicated to Ibiza (Solu Music). Although unleashing his first album to date – Blue Eye Black on People Records - Birmingham based musician Nick Romillie aka Colonel Red is far from being a nu comer. His recent collabs with people such as Beatless, Rima, Sweet Abraham and Alex Attias should be obvious signs of what he’s into for the connoisseurs. In other words, expect a mixture of broken beat oriented kinda nu (organic) jazz with bluesy soulful vocals alla D’Angelo, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and the likes over sparse eclectic grooves.

The arrival of summer is simply a question of days now and that’s the period appropriately chosen by our long time pals Nutropic to get to the superior gear with the release of their very first album as well. This Strasbourg based pair reknown for previous 12’’ and remixes for labels such as Comet and Compost has obviously taken the required time to come up with a seriously made Brazilian affair with exquisite arrangements and orchestration, receiving the help of talented guests from Brazilian songstress Fernanda Porto and US singer Allen Hoist + add’l musicians who’ve obviously got the know how. As a result this collection named Você Sabe is quite moody and very well balanced with a bit of electronic (modern beats) and more traditional oriented songs without being of those numerous re-productions of the likes around. Quite a dope affair without the singlest doubt (Disques Comet). In comparison, Martin Solveig is more of a chameleon. Having made his name on African based grooves, he has obviously taken care of the rock revival around in the electronic music sfere, as firmly shown  on the opening cut (‘Everybody’). The vocal performance of Jay Sebag on the following ‘Something Better’ would tend to give it something of a Jacko-ish feel, meanwhile ‘If You Tell Me More’  also performed by Sebag is more of a retro electronic R&B/funk feel. And the impression is even more obvious on the electro/funk/rocky ‘Rejection’. Further on, we’re provided with quite an interesting cover version of Serge Gainsbourg’s ’Requiem pour un c..’ This said, no doubt as Martin has obvisouly learned his lessons. It simply will be time seing him on a more personal tip on his forthcoming album (Mixture).

That Spanish guitar on Trüby Trio’s ’Jaleo’ and its Gypsy feel come as the ideal (seasonal) opener for the new instalment of the SoulHeaven series, by the likes of the ever active Blaze behind the desks. The production is, as you may guess, first class as well as the selection, starting on an Afro-Latin tip, almost boricaish with the addiction of Abicah Soul Project’s infamous ‘Diablo’ followed by Oreja’s’Vazilando. Then, we step into the soul scene with the killing  ‘Mystic River’ by Battle, then it becomes abstract a bit further on featuring Sydenham & Ferrer’s classic ‘Sandcastles’ before diving into garagey gospel influences pieces. Kevin (Hedge) told us how he appreciated Ian Friday, we have now a clearer understanding of what he meant with the subtle and shiny unreleased Roots Mix of ‘Carib’s Leap’ followed by a new version of Stephanie Cook’s ’Love Will’ on a CD 2 that looks more fluid and somehow more contemplative with fine cuts from Kings Of Tomorrow (‘Another Day’) even tougher when mixed with Monique Bingham featuring Apartment’s ‘Flight’ with the insertion of Kerri Chandler’s ’Bar A Thym’ inbetween. Funny at the end of the day how music can sound differently from a mix to another, but as said years ago by Barrie K Sharpe (see our current Back 2 Da Roots subject), it’s not what you mix that counts but the way you do it and Blaze have undoublty their personality on this segment as well (Defected).

Another serious collection as you may guess is the vol.3 of the Southport Weekender series on suSu Records. A triple CD left to the hands of both Dimitri from Paris, Soul II Soul honcho Jazzie B and Detroit born Quentin Harris. As you may guess, this display a vast array of things which has heavily contributed to the history of dance music. But before we carry on, we would kindly suggest you to have a look at our forum whereas we can make you win a couple of copies of Blaze’s 'Keep Hope Alive remastered and expanded project on the same label. Dimitri remains true to who he is as the ambassador of disco with a selection featuring the late Sylvester’s classic ‘You Make Me Feel’ as retouched by David Morales, Debbie Jacobs, The Sunburst Band, but also Yukihiro Fukutomi featuring Lady Alma’s ’Peace’ as remixed by himself. This sounding somehow a bit too factual for my ears. Then we have none other than the one who’s given birth to the said Brit Soul at the end of the 80’s. In other words, Jazzie B of Soul II Soul and I gotta say that this man we deeply appreciate here on IDMW.Com hasn’t lost an oz of his magnetism, evolving on a hip hop funk soul vein with tracks from people such as Hustlers Of Culture, Roy Ayers, Teena Marie, Maze, Marvin Gaye, Young Disciples and even James… Brown with the addiction of his classic ‘Back To Life’ featuring Caron Wheeler as remixed by Masters At Work, only available as a white label so far. And this is exactly how we love this. Meanwhile, n°3 in the order of appearance is Quentin Harris. You also know how we love this talented man here and the fact is that we’re not disappointed neither while checking his selection. And what a mix indeed seing him showing signs of real eclectism with a blend featuring music from Kings Of Tomorrow  Fertile Ground, Solu Music, Moby, Ambrosia, Mike L & Lanoiraude, Monique Bingham and himself, Ashen & Walker and Audio Soul Project to name but a very few.

West London hero Phil Asher puts out his summer effort by the likes of the Soul In The House vol.2 of the series. Here again a serious choice featuring cuts from ‘Smart Pants’ by First Choice with the add’l remix treatment by Redsoul, Carolyn Harding’s ’Pick It Up’ relifted by Jon Cutler, Double’s ’Desire’ reworked by Frankie Feliciano and Dawn Tallman’s ’You Are Why’ + a bunch of current must haves like Sarah Devine’s ‘Special’ and cohorts (Stephanie Mills and Kenny Bobien + Friends ‘Spread Love’) produced or remixed by Louie Vega. All on all making this a very profitable investment despite being quite conventional (Slip’N’Slide). Meanwhile, on a more catchy (and expectable) vein, the same label drops the vol.2 of Klub Latino fuelled with those usual kinda of bumpin’/progressive approaches whereas you may just find the vocal parts as ‘sparing partners’, to the rare exceptions of the jazzy ‘Viva L’Amour’ by Physics, Claude Monnet & Monica Nogueira’s ’Eu Vou Levar’ and Tiger Stripes‘ ‘Vem Samba’. Defected closing this festive series with the In The House - Eivissa ’05 double CD full of Miami faves melted with laidback classics, featuring Kings Of Tomorrow, Glenn Lewis featuring Mojo & Bongani, Kerri Chandler, Jamie lewis featuring Michele Weeks, DJ Technics + Inner Life’s ’Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ and Roberta Flack + Donny Hathaway’s ’The Ghetto’ to name but a very few.

We end up this post-Summer album selection going up North, ready to celebrate St John (the longest day of the year) with a particularily good sampler of what Bugge Wesseltoft’s Jazzland is about, at the crossroad of ambient, classic, jazz and electronic with a drop of local folk with people such as Eivind Aarset, Sidsel Endresen, Torun Eriksen and Beady Belle with a CD2 going more into the free jazz territory.

Props to the hard workers. Another couple of weeks and, as said by Roy Ayers, Everybody s’gonna Love The Sunshine… MFSB

33 RPM TENNERZ

BUGGE WESSELTOFT Skog – from V /A : Jazzland Sampler (Jazzland)

MARLON D featuring STEPHANIE RENEE Digital Love (Jellybean)

BATTLE Mystic River – from V/A : SoulHeaven (Defected)

NUTROPIC Pascalito’s Theme (Disques Comet)

COLONEL RED Gotta Be A Place For Us (People Records)

MONIQUE BINGHAM & QUENTIN HARRIS You Can’t Have New York – from V/A : Southport Weekender#3 (suSU)

SOLU MUSIC featuring KAI MARTIN (Solu Music)

DAWN TALLMAN You Are Why – from V/A : Soul In The House 2 (Slip’N’Slide)

KERRI CHANDLER Bar A Thym – from V/A : Defected In The House – Eivissa ’05 (Defected)

PHYSICS Viva L’Amour – from V/A : Klub Latino (Slip’N’Slide)