What da hell about the albums ? Haven't had that much space to talk about the
latest in this format around over the last weeks, due to the big amount of the
WMC' and post-WMC' releases. So this time this is it, from a brief reminder of
our current Album of the Month (the
Mzansi House compilation hailing from South Africa) to its April
follower being French pair Oscar's 2nd elpee. Also to be
featured on this selection, music from UK including disco don, Joey
Negro's and his partners The Sunburst Band, much sought after
songstress
Vanessa Freeman's making her debut for Chillifunk label, a new collection
called Dois – Japan Connections on Disorient + the much awaited
NSM (New Sector Movements) second effort from broken beat wizzard
IG Culture on Virgin this time. Back to SA, we have Brenda Fassie
back in action with some revamps of her classics on the same label. Meanwhile,
the US scene provides us with Frankie Knuckles's newie (his first album
in 7 years) and the third installment of the Deep & Sexy series by
the likes of Matthias 'Matty' Heilbronn. German outfit, Intuit
completing the whole while giving Munich-based Compost Records label what has to
be taken as their more organic album to date...
Thanks again to the various talents united in this Issue # 49 for keeping up the
good work and providing us with some space whereas we may find a consistent
alternative to feed our minds, boddies and souls. This is what gives us the
faith to believe in a better future, while displaying signs of true quality and
real talent as opposed those numerous pre-formated clones heavily supported by
the major companies in their obsession of makin' fast money…
Got the chance to be given a copy of that double-CD
Mzansi House
comp by House Afrika Records and B.O.P. member, Vinny Da Vinci
while in Miami and it's an absolute corker and also a revelation in some ways (see
our current
Album of the Month). Here, you may find some genuine
Africanism kind of concept as brilliantly shown by DJ Fresh with the
festive "Comme si, comme ça" amongst others), but also true deep soulful house
music that has nothing to suffer in comparizon to the NY production A very good
purchase if you happen to be able to make it, although I would suggest you to go
to their website and order directly from them as this may not be distributed
everywhere (houseafrikarecords.com).
Stucked on "existential"
problems for a while, Cape Town born songstress and local phenomenon, Brenda
Fassie deserves a strong welcome back with The Remix Collection
album seing some of her best songs relifted with some true pieces of beauty by
the likes of Dubtribe Sound System, Gerd, Ashley Beedle,
4Hero, Groove Chronicles and Howie B to keep the best + rhe
original version of her mythical "Vulindlela" (Virgin). Don't quit as the same
label provides us with the much awaited second effort from NSM (in other
words : New Sector Movements).As you would normally expect, broken beat
guru, IG Culture's outfit delivers some serious pieces of groove, from
soul/funk to sort of afro R&B ("Big It Up"), nu soul… broken beat and other
futuristic approach of hip hop/soul, seing Turn It Up having all
the ingredients to compete with its American counterparts in the genre.
As promised (see
our Compost Records profile) as today done… Was more thinking of a jazz album
when Michael Reinboth told us about the release of Intuit's
offering. Guess he wanted to point out the fact that the aforementionned is more
organic as compared to its previous releases… Loads of thangz in here as you
also may expect from a Compost release, from latin to soul/jazz and afrobeat
vibes featuring a whole bunch of prestigious guests like Fiora Purim,
Airto, Andy Bey, Doug Carn and Ray Obiedo to name but a
few. Would suggest you to have a careful listen to "Western Sunrise" (if you're
into Jon Lucien's kinda stuff), the post Roy Ayers-ish "A Hard
Night's Day", their already classic "O Preguiçoso" on some bossa tip or the
infectious "Weva" for the Fela's crowd to be released on May 25 (compost-records.com).
Your attention please as
the forthcoming one might well reach a much wider crowd than than expected.
Wanna talk about a French pair called Oscar whose 2nd album
entitled Portrait robot is due for release at the end of this
month. An album that somehow marks a radical change from the twosome who've
dropped the organic phonk jazz influences for some more electronic perspective
and the result ain't bad, reachin' a level we'd have liked ro see Daft Punk
being at after their first LP. More to read about this as it's our forthcoming
Album of the month (Denote Records).
Dave Lee
aka Joey Negro looks like being at the epicenter of the post-disco
revival we've noticed a while ago as is, in the opposite direction former Radio
Nova broadcaster Ivan Smagghe with his electroclash deliriums. A guy that
is awaited as one of the highlights of the (very) next Southport Weekender in UK
at the beginning of May who, after a couple of recent mixes which have made some
waves in the charts, delivers his new album alongside The Sunburst Band.
Needless to say that the references to the past are numerous, from Nick
Straker Band to Mike G, Chic, Earth, Wind & Fire and
the likes (zrecords.ltd.uk).
On a far more
serious perspective is Vanessa Freeman's Shade debut-LP for
Chillifunk, twisting hip hop, R&B, soul and jazz vibes, where Restless Soul's
Phil Asher has definitely put more than a finger. An album in the true tradition
of what is usually called the Brit soul, full of delicate downtempos and cool
grooves (chillifunk.com).
Another quite
active mate of ours is NYC based Matthias Heilbronn, doing the do on
almost every front, from DJing with an international upcoming tour, productions
for French singer Hanna Haïs and featuring Monique Bingham and
that issue #03 of the Wave Music's Deep & Sexy series. Expect there song strong
mixwork blending afro, latin and… deep grooves featuring Said, Eric
Kupper, Onda, Tom & Joyce, ChiChi Peralta, MKL,
Sarah Devine, Solu Music and Antonio Ocasio amongst others
(wavemusic.com).
Meanwhile Brighton-based label Disorient provides us with their new selection
called Dois – Japan Connections with some more goodies including
Lonesome Echo Production featuring Byron Stingily, Kenny Bobien,
Monday Michiru, Jephte Guillaume and a (big) couple of japanese
producers starring Jazztronik and Calm to name but a few (mrbongo.com/disorient).
On a strictly house fan point of view, the event of the month might
well be Frankie Knuckles's return with a new album after some seven years
of silence. Entitled A New Reality although seing our man
surrounded by his usual team (David Sussman, Danny Madden,
Eric Kupper, etc) + vocalists CeCe Rogers and Jamie Principle
as well as Nikki Richards the thing in question hailing from this
sensuous and plaintive atmospheres that have been a part of Frankie's reputation
("Journey") to some more progressive territories and a bit of R&B (defmix.com).
Leavin' you for
now with a couple of x-tra albums worth to check out from Stephanie Cooke's
Everything gathering some of her best singles to date (kingstreetsounds.com)
and Dutch lounging champion, Monte La Rue with another of those smooth
collections he's best known for called… Deluxe (unitedrecordings.com/deluxe),
not to mention the killing Soulfuric In The House and its cohort
of much sought after material mixed by Brian Tappert and John 'Julius'
Knight which has just hit the shelves this Monday on Defected (defected.co.uk)…
Peace, MFSB
IDM Album Tracks
TENNERZ
DJ FRESH Comme si comme
ça – from Mzansi House (House Afrika)
BRENDA FASSIE Vulindlela – from The Remix Collection (Virgin)
INTUIT Western Sunrise – from Intuit (Compost)
LONESOME ECHO PRODUCTION featuring BYRON STINGILY Sweat Dream – from Dois –
Japan Connections (Disorient)
OSCAR Lovely Eyes – from Portait Robot (Denote Records)
NSM Big It Up – from Turn It Up (Virgin)
MKL Her Song Her Song – from Deep & Sexy 3 (Wave Music)
FRANKIE KNUCKLES Journey - from A New Reality (Def Mix)
THE SUNBURST BAND Twinkle – from Until The End Of Time (Z Records)
VANESSA FREEMAN Downing A New Day (Chillifunk)
INTERVIEW
