From its humble beginnings in 2001, the Brooklyn label Bastard Jazz Recordings has trailblazed a unique path in the world of independent record labels. Appealing to both DJs and music fans from all walks of life, BJR has become known for its eclectic sound & community of global artists from Mumbai to Napoli, New York to Kinshasha, who touch on everything from funk to hip-hop, house music to forward thinking beats, soul to jazz and international sounds, along with its unrelenting commitment to the vinyl medium. This November, the label will be celebrating 20 years of operation in various incarnations and are releasing a special compilation and a DJ friendly 4xLP titled ’20 Years of Bastard Jazz’ filled with brand new cuts from its current roster, plus a selection of catalog material, some of it classic, some of it overlooked, and some of it unpressed. 

Highlights from the compilation include Australian outfit The Goods, who team up with Steve Spacek (famously of the eponymous British band) on the spacey future soul banger, “FEELS 4 U,” while label stalwarts Potatohead People (who recently teamed up with both De La Soul, Jazzy Jeff, and Kaidi Tatham as well as a host of others on their new album) deliver “Bonzai View,” with its live instrumentation & technical prowess fused with a head-nodding boom-bap beat the group has become known for. Pittsburgh producer Buscrates delivers “Spotlight,” a slinky modern funk / boogie production, while brand new signing POSY gives us “Amai,” a delicate beat construction with gorgeous strings, horns and live bass weaving in and out. 

Notable past catalog on the compilation include LA producer Captain Planet’s classic “Un Poquito Mas” featuring Chico Mann (Antibalas, Here Lies Man) which is still being sung along to in clubs worldwide from Mexico City to Berlin 7 years later, and the airy, indie dance vibes of Manatee Commune’s “Majestic Diver.” Los Angeles producer and talkbox wizard B. Bravo’s “Can’t Keep My Hands Off You” featuring Reva Devito goes into more sultry territory, while Rumtum’s “Tropic Air” gives us a fresh splash of wobbly tape synth and relaxed lo-fi drums. Of course, the club is not left out and the catalog includes dancefloor ready remixes from friends of the label like Jimpster, DJ Spinna, Jacques Renault, and the red hot up & coming Brooklyn duo musclecars. 

Bastard Jazz started early as so many nascent DJ-oriented imprints come into existence, as founder & president Aaron Schultz just barely out of his teenage years was beginning to find his footing as a DJ in Brooklyn, New York. Culling together a small group of artists early on, the label ran as a side project for many years, releasing a handful of records per year. Following a reorganization & renewed commitment in 2014, the label has experienced exponential growth while moving from a DJ oriented standpoint to an artist focused organization that thrives on signing and nurturing new talent and new sounds, while maintaining a concurrent sonic thread in its music. POC owned with a majority POC artist stable, Bastard Jazz’s story is the slow build of a real indie label with a diverse sound & roster from the ground up, through trial and error, listening, learning, and adapting to the times without becoming jaded or losing its original vision. 20 years on, it’s still here & stronger than ever.

20 Years of Bastard Jazz

yoga

20 Years of Bastard Jazz Recordings is officially kicking off with the first single from the upcoming 4xLP compilation! Sydney-based future-soul mavericks The Goods - who joined the label in 2018 - have put forth a previously unreleased track “FEELS 4 U,” with Steve Spacek (famously of the eponymous British band) on vocal duties. “FEELS 4 U” sees the trio take things to a deeper, more dance-floor-ready space production-wise, counterbalanced by Spacek’s airy falsetto - it’s a beautiful banger. 

Brooklyn’s trend-setting label Bastard Jazz is celebrating 20 years of operation with an ambitious 4xLP compilation featuring half catalogue hits, and half new material from the current roster. It’s a testament to the label’s diverse and exploratory sound that touches everything from hip-hop to funk, house, and soul, all while maintaining a concurrent sonic thread. Here’s to 20 more!

The Goods - FEELS 4 U (feat. Steve Spacek)

Captain Planet - Hammock Dreams

Bad Colours - Evers' Jam

"As a multimedia artist fueled by his limitless originality, [Elbows' new single] 'Think Twice,' mixes hip-hop, electronic production and jazz instrumentation to make an elevated pop sound that will be satisfactory to your earholes." – Okayplayer

Think Twice is the first single from Elbows' upcoming Corduroy EP, due out May 19.

http://www.heyelbows.com

Corduroy - EP

Think Twice

Purchase 12" / Digi 
https://nick-wisdom.bandcamp.com/album/intimate-strangers

After making waves a few years back via his Potatohead People project (with AstroLogical) and co-producing Illa J’s critically acclaimed self titled LP, Vancouver based playboy & producer Nick Wisdom steps out from behind the boards to deliver his first solo release for Bastard Jazz. 

The “Intimate Strangers” EP mines deep into Nick’s proclivities for disco, hip-hop, and house flavours. “Good Times” kicks things off with a snapping four on the floor, deep Rhodes chords and a rollicking bassline and vocals courtesy of Mr. Wisdom himself. “Feelin’ Alright” heads into outerspace disco territory with cosmic synths, walking bass, and sultry vocals courtesy of Reva Devito (HW&W, Kaytranada). On the flipside “Don’t Tell” brings in some 80s boogie vibes with downlow vocals from San Francisco’s K-Maxx, while “Rock The Cash Bar” is an instrumental party rocking hip-hop jam sounding like a modern day Showbiz & AG.

Intimate Strangers

Nick Wisdom - Good Times

Text Me Records Presents:
BANG MY LINE 
A Valentines Day Mixtape
Out now everywhere! https://empire.lnk.to/BangMyLineAValentinesDayMixtape

This remix featuring @tianomore is the debut of LIP SET

LIP SET is a collaborative project between @feliciadouglass ( @avalunagroup / Gemma / ) and Patrick Brown ( @Studio_Dad / @woofbeats ) ...EP Coming Spring 2018!

BANG MY LINE

Buy or Stream!

Beggin' (REMIX) - Lip Set feat. Tia Nomore

New York Narcotic

Fung Wah Bus (feat. Alexis Krauss)

Free Download

São Conrado

Don't Rush / Faith You Might / In Case I Don't Feel

Don't Rush

Buy / Stream: http://hyperurl.co/kc_fastlane

B. Bravo & Rojai's collaborative Kool Customer project returns with another brand new joint entitled "Fastlane" - smoothed out synths, funky bass and Roj's soulful vocals make this a perfect end of summer windows down jam.

Fastlane

Kool Customer - Fastlane

Buy / Stream here:
Spotify: spoti.fi/3tW1ldt
Apple Music: apple.co/31kpqhM
Amazon Music: amzn.to/3d9ACDx
Bandcamp: bit.ly/3lSp63i

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This forthcoming double A-side single from Kumail, is any many ways an extension of the philosophy behind his 2019 album Yasmin. They draw from the same influences - George Benson, Marvin Gaye, GrandMaster Flash, a whole world of Japanese funk - albeit now in a completely different way. They come from a happier place, picking up from where the album closer dance tune “Ease Up” left off. The funk is evident here; especially on the track "Without You". What blinked to life in moments on Yasmin, now come right to the fore.

All Night / Without You

Kumail - Without You

Brooklyn boutique record label. Purveyors of fine beats worldwide.