Conch Records

Date

November 23 2010

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Recloose - Early Works (Rush Hour)

Written By 1 - November 23 2010

Available Here From Conch

There are also vinyl releases of Early Works in the form of 2 EP's, for avalability contact us at info@conch.co.nz

With this compilation we celebrate Recloose’s early works from the late 90’s, early 00’s.  This material is often regarded as his best. The compilation includes his best music from that period, both released and unreleased.  In fact, it’s an even score with seven released tracks and seven unreleased tracks.

The CD starts with tracks from his first two releases, both for Planet E, from 1998 and 1999: So This Is The Dining Room and Spelunking. It is especially Spelunking that solidified his name and earned him a worldwide fan base.   This CD once again showcases Recloose’s talent for merging electronic music with just about any preceding form of music: jazz (First Off, originally released under Dapp on Omoa Music), reggae/dub (Insomnia In Dub) or soul (Cant Take It).

Track List & Soundclips: 1. Get There Tonight 2. Soul Clap 2000 3. MYM 230 (RIP) 4. Insomnia In Dub 5. First Off (Dub Version) 6. Mauis Lament (Original Demo mix)* 7. Lagan* 8. Antares 9. Land Of The Lost Dance* 10. Flotsam* 11. Absence Of One 12. Cant Take It (feat Dwele) 13. Crosstown* 14. Jetsam* More: Recloose on George FM's "Hit It & Quit It" Hit It & Quit It Blogspot

Date

November 01 2010

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3

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Ladi6 - The Liberation Of... (Question Music)

Written By 3 - November 01 2010

Available here from Conch

Recorded over a feverish two months in Berlin, Germany during the second half of 2010, renowned New Zealand hip-hop soul icon Ladi6's sophomore album The Liberation Of... is a heart warming work fluid in sound, content and scope. Handcrafted while Ladi6 was in the midst of a sprawling six month European/UK tour which saw her grace stages alongside the likes of Gil Scott-Heron, Mos Def and Mayer Hawthorne, The Liberation Of... was produced by Parks and respected German hip-hop producer/DJ Sepalot (of Blumentopf). With session features from drummer Myele Manzanza (of Electric Wire Hustle), German backing vocalist Esther Adams and Fat Freddy's Drop horn player Toby Laing, counting in at 10 songs deep, The Liberation Of... offers a unique blend of modern Antipodean soul'n'beats music and contemporary European grooves. From the vibrant "claps and synth" soundscape of lead single 'Bang Bang', to the hypnotic mid-tempo magic of 'Like Water', the surprisingly up-tempo feel of 'Jazmine D.L' and beyond, The Liberation Of... takes the template Ladi6 and Parks set forth on her 2008 debut album Time Is Not Much and stretches it into new, previously untapped avenues of sound. Be it the digital funk of 'Goodday' or the jazz referencing arrangements of 'Koln', as the emotional and musical successor to Time is Not Much, The Liberation Of... maintains a firm emphasis on the qualities we associate with Ladi6, detailed well-thought lyrics, smoky vocal delivery and sophisticated danceable modern rhythms. The Liberation Of..., much like Time Is Not Much, looks set to under the clarifying light of live performance and repeat listening,  smoulder into the hearts of listeners across the planet.

For Album Release Tour details check here

Date

October 25 2010

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Brackles - Songs For Endless Cities (!K7)

Written By 3 - October 25 2010

Available here on CD

New !K7–affiliated label Cool in the Pool opens its account with a state of the art compilation from 24 year old Londoner Brackles. In the last six months, the Blunted Robots co-owner and FWD/Rinse FM regular has been grappling with the "future garage" tag that's been pushed his way, and he's not too keen. "Too limiting" he says. He can live with the "post dubstep" moniker, but his first commercially available mix album gives us a better snapshot of where this buzzing, vibrant scene is going than any scene name could hope to do. Songs for Endless Cities aims to capture a slice of Brackles after hours and out of hours, with the afterglow still burning, maybe the rhythms still bumping, but with the freedom to roam around a bit, enjoying and exploring sound without always having to turn back to the dancefloor. It's a mix for the mind and the soul as much as the body, and it comes from a legion of musical influences, not all of them conscious ones. It was only when Mike 'Mu' Paradinas commented on the Detroit influence he heard in Brackles' sound that the young Londoner went off to explore and enjoy the Motor City mothership, and now it's there, along with the garage, the dubstep, the house, the funky and the rest of it, all channelling into Brackles' contribution to the continuum, all helping shape his Songs for Endless Cities.

Track List & Soundclips:

01 Flying Lotus My Chippy clip
02 Floating Points Peoples Potential clip
03 Zomby Tarantula clip
04 Roska I Need Love feat. Anesha clip
05 Brackles Blo clip
06 Martin Kemp No Charisma clip
07 Kyle Hall Luv for KMFH clip
08 Cooly G Love Dub Refix clip
09 DJ Dom Sunshowers clip
10 DJ Mystery Speechless feat. Natalie K clip
11 Hypno Over The Top clip
12 Rishi Romero African Forest clip
13 Breach Fatherless clip
14 Deadboy If U Want Me clip
15 2562 Dinosaur clip
16 Dorian Concept Trilingual Dance Sexperience clip
17 Funkineven Must Move clip

Date

October 11 2010

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3

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Upcoming: Groove Merchant 20 (14 Selections From Behind The Counter)

Written By 3 - October 11 2010

Out on Luv N'Haight Records November 11th 2010, to pre-order please let us know at info@conch.co.nz

There will also be accompanying 12"s as well as a 7" boxset

CD & 2LP Track Listing & Listening Clips:

01. The McCrary - Emerge 02. Ron Forella - Crystals 03. Twilight - Straight To My Heart 04. Numonics - You Lied 05. Jodesha and Star Ride - The Answer 06. April Fulladosa - Sunlit Horizon 07. Rod Abernethy - Ron and Eddie Blues 08. September - Stump 09. Lois Johnson - Be Mine 10. Frankie Gee - Date With The Rain 11. Round Robin - Our Love Is So True 12. Arthur Foy - Get up and Dance 13. Soul Liberation - Who Is Your Friend 14. Pataphysics - Nick Danger

20 Years ago the Groove Merchant record store opened its doors on Haight Street in San Francisco. The rare funk, soul and jazz emporium became a mecca for collectors, DJs, music fans and producers.

It was also the birthplace for the Luv N'Haight and Ubiquity Record labels. To celebrate this anniversary, Groove Merchant Record store owner Chris Veltri is collaborating with Luv N’Haight and has compiled a tasty selection of 14 musical treats that range from soulful disco to dusty funky folk, and beyond. The forthcoming full-length album will be packaged for release on CD, and super limited edition 7 x 7” box set with an exclusive poster by Props/Wax Poetics designer Freddy Anzures.

Liner notes will be by Oliver Wang of Soul-Sides.com, who says, “It’s no surprise that the GM has become far more than a retail space. Especially on weekends, you’re likely to find a small block party of disc junkies in attendance; all you need is a BBQ and lemonade stand on the corner of Haight and Pierce to make the cipher complete.”

With Veltri at the helm, this anniversary compilation takes off into unexpected directions. Whether you’re listening to the cozy soulfulness of April Fulladosa’s folk tune “Sunlit Horizon” and the bouncy, handclap groove of Numonics’ modern soul jammer “You Lied” or the uber-chill, moogy mellowness of September’s stump, the diversity reflects just a sliver of the surprises to be found within the GM’s curated crates. Frankie Gee "Date with the Rain" is a nice funky disco version of the song also covered by Eddie Kendricks (a Dimitri from Paris fave) and Lois Johnson "Be Mine" is an obscure and uplifting Bay Area soul 7" that could be mistaken for something new by Alice Russell.

The point of the album (and the store) isn’t just to be obscure, or to present only super-expensive jams (although many are included.) The point is to put together a compilation that presents the eclectic outlook of a friendly, well-stocked record store, which is run by music enthusiasts. This is a shop where the only “in-store” you’re likely to catch is a conversation about dope psychedelic Korean funk jams, fueled by a pack of Negro Modelos. That free-flowing, easy-going vibe carries over into the selections on this album.

Within a year of opening, the small Groove Merchant record shop had built a reputation the world over as a place to find rare records and learn about new sounds. Within a year of opening, the small Groove Merchant record shop had built a reputation the world over as a place to find rare records and learn about new sounds. Collectors, DJs, and producers came in to look for soul jazz, musical obscurities, and break beats, and the Groove Merchant even earned a toast on the Beastie Boys song "Professor Booty", "This one goes out to my man the Groove Merchant, comin' through with the beats that I've been searchin'," rapped Mike D. on 1992's Check Your Head album. With a few dollars and little knowledge of the record business, the Luv N' Haight record label (named after the Sly and The Family Stone song) was launched from within the store. In 1993 the company incorporated as Ubiquity Recordings releasing an instant hit-record from a then unknown DJ called Greyboy.

Long live the Groove Merchant!

Date

October 06 2010

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Roots Manuva Meets Wrongtom - Duppy Writer (Big Dada)

Written By 1 - October 06 2010

Available on CD here & 2LP here

Mini Mix via PopMatters

Tracklisting:

1. Butterfly Crab Walk 2. Chin Up 3. Duppy Writer (Skit) 4. Worl’ A Mine 5. Big Tings Redone 6. Jah Warriors 7. Proper Tings Juggled 8. Dutty Rut 9. Dub Decay 10. Lick Up Ya Foot 11. Rebuff 12. Son of Bodda 13. Motion 82

Fire up the barbecue, crack a Dragon Stout, mix up yer Guinness punch, carry out whatever cliched act of Caribbeanism you can think of, because it’s summer at last and a new Roots Manuva album is here! And with artwork from the legendary Tony McDermott (who was responsible for the illustrations on Greensleeves classics by the likes of Scientist, Mad Professor and the famous “Carnival of Reggae” 12” sleeve) it’s a thing of beauty.

Okay, let’s clarify that ‘new’ a little. What you hold in your hands is in fact largely a series of re-works by a talented producer who, for reasons best known to himself, goes by the moniker Wrong Tom. Big Dada first came across Wrong Tom a few months before the releaase of Roots Manuva’s album, “Slime & Reason”. The DJ and producer (whose previous credits includes work for Lynval Golding’s Pama International, Trojan Records and his Staines homeboys Hard Fi) got in touch asking if he could bash out a dub version of the lead single for that campaign, “Buff Nuff”. As it wasn’t costing and we’re cheap like that we said he could have a go on spec. When we heard the result we immediately commissioned a series of mixes which, turned round in about a fortnight, became the bonus disc for the limited edition version of “Slime & Reason”. The responses we received were pretty ecstatic so we asked Tom if he would be up for expanding the work into a full album.

Two years on and Tom, with moral support from Mr Manuva, has turned in an album which covers all four of Roots Manuva’s main albums, plus tracks from “Dub Come Save Me” and “Alternately Deep” and a brand new collaboration with Mr Manuva and Ricky Ranking on lead single “Jah Warriors”. Tom decided to re-imagine each track as if his re-work was in fact the orignal version of the tune from a previous decade. Hence “Motion 5000” becomes classic roots groove “Motion ’82,” whereas something like “Rebuff” sees “Buff Nuff” return as vintage digi-dub. The project is approached with such conviction and skill that many of the tunes become hard to place in their orignal context, so it really does feel as if these funky, skanking, shuffling little numbers are in fact the ground zero of the Manuva experience.

And while this album is, in effect, a bit of summer fun to keep us all satisfied until Roots comes through with a whole new batch of material, the re-works are so well done, and lock so tight with Rodney’s vox that they actually achieve more than anyone could hope for. Often when people are dealing with Mr Rodney Smith they’re so concerned with his ground-breaking productions, his convoluted back story and his Genuine UK Maverick status that it’s easy to forget just what a good MC he is, how clever with words, how funny and insightful, how relaxed and easy and plain beautiful he sounds on the beat. It’s all here, one of the best UK lyricists and voices of the last decade as you’ve never quite heard him before, but probably secretly always wanted to. Sit back and enjoy while the sun still shines…

Duppy Cast by Banana Klan roots_manuva_vs_wrongtom-duppy_writer_b

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