Category Archives: Downtempoo
CULT CLASSIC:NIGHTMARES ON WAX-SMOKER’S DELIGHT.
Cult Classic: Nightmares On Wax-Smoker’s Delight. Four years after releasing their debut album A Word Of Science: The First and Final Chapter in 1991, Nightmares On Wax returned with their much-anticipated and critically acclaimed sophomore album Smoker’s Delight. It was released on the ‘24th’ of October 1995 by Warp and awas part of the soundtrack …
SEAHAWKS-ISLAND VISIONS.
Seahawks-Island Visions. Label: Be With Records. Ten years ago in 2010, Jon Tye and Pete Fowler embarked upon a new chapter in their career when they released Ocean Trippin’, which was their debut album as Seahawks. Since then, the intrepid musical explorers have released at least one, sometimes two or even three albums a year. …
NIGHTMARES ON WAX-SMOKER’S DELIGHT 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION.
Nightmares On Wax-Smoker’s Delight 25th Anniversary Edition. Label: Warp. Four years after releasing their debut album A Word Of Science: The First and Final Chapter in 1991, Nightmares On Wax returned with their much-anticipated and critically acclaimed sophomore album Smoker’s Delight. It was released on the ‘24th’ of October 1995, Warp, who have just reissued …
OTO NO WA: SELECTED SOUNDS OF JAPAN 1988-2018.
Oto No Wa: Selected Sounds Of Japan 1988-2018. Label: Music For Dreams Denmark. Each and every week of the year, record companies from all over the world, release countless compilations into the global music marketplace. These compilations range from lovingly curated compilations released by small indie labels to the cheap and cheerful, nostalgia-inducing budget box …
LA TORRE IBIZA: VOLUMEN TRES.
La Torre Ibiza: Volumen Tres. Label: Hostal La Torre. The nineties and early noughties were the golden age for what was referred to as Balearic, chill out or downtempo music. Many of these lovingly curated compilations were released on smaller independent labels and featured a mixture of the new and old, from familiar faces and new names. Some of these …
COLOMBIAN SOUL COMPILED BY BAGAR AKA TRICKY D.
Colombian Soul Compiled By Bagar AKA Tricky D. Label: BBE Music. Release Date: ‘7th’ June 2019. During a long and successful career, Dean Bagar has done just about everything in music, from managing brands and folding record labels to owning a record shop, DJ-ing and working as a producer. He also collaborated with General Electrick …
CARBON BASED LIFEFORMS-DERELICTS.
Carbon Based Lifeforms-Derelicts. Label: Blood Music. During the sixties and seventies, most artists and bands released an album annually, with some even releasing two, and very occasionally three albums each year. Many artists thought nothing of this, as this was how the music industry operated. Artists and bands were contractually obliged to release one or …
MAD MATS DIGGING BEYOND THE CRATES VOLUME 1.
Mad Mats Digging Beyond The Crates Volume 1. Label: BBE. Mats Karlsson’s life changed forevermore when hip hop arrived in Europe in 1983. Back then, he was living in northern Stockholm, which was an ethnically diverse neighbourhood, and had no interest in music. That soon changed when he discovered hip hop. Soon, Mats Karlsson threw …
SOAPKILLS-THE BEST OF SOAPKILLS.
SOAPKILLS-THE BEST OF SOAPKILLS. Ten years ago, that Soapkills, one of the most influential and innovative bands in Lebanese musical history split-up. Soapkills were a trailblazing band, and one of the first indie bands to emerge from the Middle East’s nascent music scene. Since then, Soapkills’ music has continued to influence a new generation of …
NIGHTMARES ON WAX-CAR BOOT SOUL.
NIGHTMARES ON WAX-CAR BOOT SOUL. Have you ever thought after buying an album you know absolutely nothing about, just why you bought it? I have, many times. One of the explanations I’ve come up with, is the album cover. Imagine the scene, your in your local record store. You need your weekly fix of music, …
PSYCHEMAGIK PRESENTS MAGIK SUNRISE.
PSYCHEMAGIK PRESENTS MAGIK SUNRISE. By far, one of the best compilations of 2012 was Leng Records’ Psychemagik Presents Magic Circles. Released in October 2012, it’s best described as a compelling and captivating collection of music. Not only that, but it brought new meaning to the word eclectic. Fusing cosmic disco, Balearica, psychedelic funk, ambient, soul, …
BENNY TONES-CHRYSALIS REMIXES.
BENNY TONES-CHRYSALIS REMIXES. Since Benny Tones released his debut album Chrysalis, on BBE Music back in April 2011, Benny has headed off on his travels. Benny’s globetrotting adventures have seen circumnavigate the globe several times. During his adventures, Benny has often worked with, and acted as engineer for his fellow countrymen Electric Wire Hustle. He’s …
AUNTIE AUBREY’S EXCURSIONS BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY PART 2-THE ORB REMIX PROJECT.
AUNTIE AUBREY’S EXCURSIONS BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY PART 2-THE ORB REMIX PROJECT. Sometimes, unless you dig deep, trawling the internet to discover what albums are about to be released, albums can pass you by. The reason for this is quite simple, purely because they’re released without fanfare, or much in the way of promotion. …
MATHIAS STUBO-MATHIAS STUBO.
MATHIAS STUBO-MATHIAS STUBO. During the first few months of 2012, BBE Music have been on a roll, releasing a mixture of compilations and artists albums, which have included some great releases. Among the compilations, there’s been the release of Al Kent’s five disc disco Magnus Opus The Best of Disco Demands, Henry Street Records’ founder …
OM CHILLED.
OM CHILLED. Previously, I’ve written features about both OM Records and chill-out music. In my feature on OM Records, looking at some of the label’s best releases. In that article, I mentioned how OM were famous for releasing chilled out, laid back and mellow music, with compilations like OM Lounge and Mushroom Jazz, which I’ve …
MUSHROOM JAZZ VOLUMES 1-6 THE OM RECORDS’ YEARS.
MUSHROOM JAZZ VOLUMES 1-6 THE OM RECORDS’ YEARS. In an article I wrote a few months ago, I featured one of my favorite record labels OM Records, which over the years, has released a huge amount of great albums since the label was founded in 1995. Since I wrote that article, I’ve been planning to …
KRAFTWERK-TRANS-EUROPE EXPRESS.
KRAFTWERK-TRANS-EUROPE EXPRESS. In the history of electronic music, one of the most important and influential, groups are Kraftwerk. From their formative years, and their eponymous debut album Kraftwerk, released in 1970, they’ve constantly reinvented their music, using the latest technology. In the early years, they were one of first groups to realize the potential of …
FRAGILE STATE-VOICES FROM THE DUSTBOWL.
FRAGILE STATE-VOICES FROM THE DUSTBOWL. Live everything else, music is dictated by fashion and trends. What’s fashionable or “trendy” today, could be out of fashion next week or next month. Sometimes, genres of music stay in fashion for a while, others disappear quickly. A few years ago, one of the most fashionable and popular genres …
TALK TALK-SPIRIT OF EDEN.
TALK TALK-SPIRIT OF EDEN. Sometimes, an artist or group’s music changes and matures over the course of their career. This is certainly the case for the band this article is about. In their early years, their music was similar to many of the New Romantic groups popular back then. Their first two albums were very …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 