Monthly Archives: November, 2017

FUNKADELIC REMIXED BY DETROITERS.

Funkadelic Remixed By Dettroiters. Label: Westbound Records. Although George Clinton was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina in 1941, he grew up in New Jersey, where he formed the doo wop quintet The Parliaments in the late fifties, whilst straightening hair at a barber salon in Plainfield he co-owned. George Clinton became the leader and manager …

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AKSHARA-IN TIME.

Akshara-In Time. Label: Akshara Music. It was in 2008, that composer, vocalist and percussionist Bala Skandan founded Akshara in New York. Seven years later, and Akshara’s Mohana Blues won the Best World Traditional Song award at the 13th Annual Independent Music Awards in 2015. This made all Akshara’s hard work worthwhile, and spurred them on to …

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PHIL SEYMOUR-PRINCE OF POWER POP-HIS VERY BEST AND 11 MORE.

Phil Seymour-Prince Of Power Pop-His Very Best and 11 More. Label: Big Beat Records. Sadly, not every artist goes on to enjoy a long and successful  musical career, and their star shines only briefly. That was the case with Nick Drake and Gram Parsons, whose tragic and untimely deaths cut short what could’ve and should’ve …

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GEORGE HARRISON-ALL THINGS MUST PASS (LIMITED EDITION VINYL BOX SET).

George Harrison-All Things Must Pass (Limited Edition Vinyl Box Set). Label: UMC. On the ‘10th’ of  April 1970, Paul McCartney announced his departure from The Beatles. This signalled the end of The Beatles, and start of his solo career, which began a week later, when Paul McCartney  he released his debut album McCartney. Meanwhile, The Beatles were …

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THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CHI COLTRANE.

The Life and Times of Chi Coltrane. The word prodigy is an overused word, but that is the only way to describe Chi Coltrane who could play eight different instruments by the time she was twelve. What makes this all the more remarkable is that Chi Coltrane had absolutely no formal musical training. Instead, her …

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MIRWOOD NORTHERN SOUL LP.

Mirwood Northern Soul LP. Label: Kent Dance. For many aficionados of Northern Soul, whether DJs, dancers or collectors, Randy Wood’s Mirwood Records, which was based in Los Angeles, is one of their go-to labels. Its discography has been, and still is, a source of many dancefloor favourites and fillers for DJs within the Northern Soul …

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CHOPTEETH AFROFUNK BIG BAND-BONE READER.

Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band-Bone Reader. Ten years after the Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band were founded in Washington DC in 2007, the twelve piece, award-winning, Afrofunk orchestra return with their eagerly anticipated third album Bone Reader. It’s the first album the Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band have released since Chopteeth Live in February 2010. Since then, the …

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LETS DO THE BOOGALOO. 

Lets Do The Boogaloo. Label: BGP. By the time eighteen year old Chubby Checker released his cover of The Twist in the summer of 1960, records that that launched new dance crazes were nothing new. They had been around since the late-fifties, when The Diamonds 1957 single The Stroll launched a short-lived dance craze. It …

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HASA-MAZZOTTA-NOVILUNIO

Hasa-Mazzotta-Novilunio. Label: Ponderosa Music Records. Just over three years ago, Albanian cellist Redi Hasa and vocalist Maria Mazzotta from Puglia, in Southern Italy, released their first critically acclaimed collaboration Ura, in September 2014. Ura was the result of a four-year journey, which showcased and combined the powerful and poignant sound of Redi Hasa’s cello and …

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BELGIAN NUGGETS 90s-00S Vol 1.

Belgian Nuggets 90s-00s Vol. 1.  Label: Mayway Records. Each and every weekend in life, record collectors around the world, spend their precious free time searching backstreet record shops, garage sales, auction houses and thrift stores in search of vinyl. Some are even willing to venture down into dusty basements or old warehouses in search of elusive boxes …

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HENRY GROSS-THE SEVENTIES SOLO YEARS.

Henry Gross-The Seventies Solo Years. When Henry Gross took to the stage with Sha Na Na at ‘7.30pm’ on Sunday, August the ‘17th’ 1969, the eighteen year old made history, he became the  the youngest person to perform at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair. Despite his relative youth, Henry Gross took  playing in front of 400,000 people in  his stride during Sha Na Na’s thirty-minute …

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MOTORHEAD-MOTORHEAD.

Motörhead-Motörhead. Label: Chiswick Records. By the time Motörhead’s  eponymous debut album was  released by Chiswick Records in August 1977, the two previous years had proved eventful for Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister and his band. So much so, that it was a wonder Motörhead was ever got as far as recording, never mind releasing their eponymous debut album Motörhead. Everything that could’ve gone wrong, had gone wrong. It was …

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KEN BOOTHE-INNA DE YARD.

Ken Boothe-Inna de Yard.  Label: Chapter Two/Wagram. On the ‘26th’ of October 1974, twenty-six year old reggae singer Ken Boothe was celebrating his first number one in Britain, with a cover of the David Gates’ composition Everything I Own, which two years earlier, gave Bread a worldwide hit in January 1972. Now it was Ken …

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THE ZODIAC-COSMIC SOUNDS-LP.

The Zodiac-Cosmic Sounds-LP. Label: Elektra Records. By 1967, many critics and record buyers regarded Elektra Records as a folk rock label, that had released albums by some of the genre’s finest exponents including Judy Collins, Love, Tom Rush and Tim Buckley. Many of these albums would later become important and influential albums, and some are …

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SWEENEY’S MEN-SWEENEY’S MEN AND THE TRACKS OF SWEENEY.

Sweeney’s Men-Sweeney’s Men and The Tracks Of Sweeney. Label: BGO Records. One of the bands that emerged from the mid-sixties Irish roots revival was Sweeney’s Men, who were formed in Dublin in May 1966, by Andy Irvine, “Galway Joe” Dolan and Johnny Moynihan. They would be together for just three years, and released two albums, …

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HILARIO DURAN-CONTUMBAO.

Hilario Durán-Contumbao. Label: Alma Records. Nowadays, sixty-four year old Hilario Durán is regarded as one of the greatest Cuban pianists of the ‘20th’ Century. His career began in 1973, and twenty-five years later, in 1998,  he left Cuba behind and  emigrated to Toronto in Canada, which has been his adopted home for the past two decades. However, when  Hilario Durán …

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DJ ANDY SMITH PRESENTS REACH UP DISCO WONDERLAND.

DJ Andy Smith Presents Reach Up Disco Wonderland. Label: BBE. DJ Andy Smith has spent much of the last three decades DJ-ing in clubs at home and abroad where his eclectic sets can feature anything from boogie and disco to funk and hip hop, right through to Motown, Northern Soul and even on occasions, AC/DC. …

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THE STORY OF TOM SCOTT’S SHORT-LIVED JAZZ SUPERGROUP L.A. EXPRESS.

The Story Of Tom Scott’s Short-Lived Supergroup L.A. Express. Musical history is littered with artistes and groups that never enjoyed the commercial success that their music deserved. That was the case with L.A. Express is an oft-0verlooked fusion supergroup who released a quartet of albums between 1973 and 1976. Sadly, these albums never found the audience they deserved and it was only later, that L.A. Express’ music started to …

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MILES DAVIS-BITCHES BREW.

Miles Davis-Bitches Brew. Label: Sony Music. Although Miles Davis’ recording career began in 1951, when he released his debut album The New Sounds, he soon had established a reputation as a prolific, and innovative musician. He released further forty-three albums between 1951 and 1969. This included classics like 1957s Round About Midnight and 1959s Kind Of …

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GORAN KAJFES SUBTROPIC ARKESTRA-THE REASON WHY VOLUME 3.

Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra-The Reason Why Volume 3. Label: Headspin Recordings. Just over four-and-a-half years ago, Swedish trumpeter Goran Kajfeš released the first volume in The Reason Why trilogy, on Headspin Recordings the label he had founded with producer David Osterberg in 2004. The Reason Why Volume 1 was hailed by critics as an ambitious …

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