Production heavyweight Rhys Adams returns with his second LP under the ‘YesKing’ moniker and his debut for the BBE label. Produced entirely by Adams, ‘Re-Record Not Fade Away’, marks a coming of age for the seasoned studio head and a sonic departure from the outfit’s 2008 debut ‘Rock This World’ (co-produced by Mark Rae of Rae & Christian fame). 

Borrowing it’s name from the strap line appearing in Scotch Video Tape’s 1980s TV adverts, ‘Re-Record Not Fade Away’ is both a metaphorical reference to the longevity of music produced with passion and a literal reference to Adams’ studio techniques - in particular his preference for recording live to a 1960s 1/4 inch ferrograph tape machine, a process which Adams describes as ‘integral’ to the album’s sound providing a ‘unique and authentic’ feel with a firm nod to the Dub and Reggae traditions which permeate the album. 

Featured artists provide a wealth of variety to the album’s underlying themes: Guitarist for The Soothsayers and Jerry Dammers’ Spatial aka Orchestra, Patrick Hatchett plays on much of the album also co-writing several tracks becoming, in Adams’ words, ‘central to the Yesking sound’. Togo born singer Kodjovi Kush adds afrobeat flavour to ‘One More Time’ with a vocal performance which displays his musical journey to East London via Ghana, Israel and ‘90s Central London cultural hotspot, the Africa Centre. ‘Rock This World’ collaborators make a welcome return in the form of Kenny Knotts, a UK dancehall vocalist with a string of top ten hits to his name and rapper Mystro, a seasoned veteran with a list of collaborations under his belt that reads like a who’s who of the UK scene. Representing the new generation of UK dancehall artists is Toddla T and Sticky collaborator Lady Chann providing unique sound system swag on ‘Secret King’. Decca signing Annie Bea adds a sweet summer feel to ‘Just Like Me’ and new voices Mel Uye Parker, Rioghnach Connolly offer accomplished vocals to lead single ‘Hardground’, a track which Adams is happy to describe as one of his proudest productions.  All in all a rich mix thrown in to the sonic melting pot via that all important tape machine mixdown! 

[The very tape machine to which the album owes so much is central to the album’s cover art produced by Adams together with artist Paul Curtis.]

 


Re-Record Not Fade Away - Instrumentals

Devil Inside

Yesking Devil Inside

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Founded in 1996 by Peter Adarkwah, Barely Breaking Even (BBE Music) started life as a London club night, taking its name from the eponymous Disco record by the Universal Robot Band.

The label grew from the vibrant early 90's club scene with its first release, Stop & Listen compiled by Dr Bob Jones in 1996, opening the door to iconic series' such as All Back To Mine & Late Nite Tales.

A tonne of releases followed, ranging from Disco to Funk, Jazz to House. In the year 2000, the label celebrated Masters at Work's 10th Anniversary with a mighty box set that featured near 80 tracks.

A year later BBE Music spawned the Beat Generation Series of artist albums, notably introducing J Dilla (Welcome 2 Detroit) & a young Will.I.Am's first solo outing, alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff, Madlib & DJ Spinna, all of whom contributed to this seminal set of long players.

A quarter of a century and well over 500 titles later, having worked with Mark Ronson, Roy Ayers, Questlove, Hugh Masekela, DJ Premier, Dimitri from Paris, Joey Negro, Kon, RZA, Laurent Garnier, Black Coffee, DJ Shadow, David Rodigan and John Morales among many others, BBE Music looks to the future, celebrating its rich heritage while continuing to release a bounty of fresh titles.

The label’s most recent projects include an expansive reissue series from pioneering Nigerian label Tabansi, new imprint ‘Batakari’ in association with Boddhi Satva and the critically acclaimed ‘J Jazz’ Japanese Jazz multi-album project, not to mention the recent landmark 500th label release: a brand new version of 'Barely Breaking Even', featuring Leroy Burgess, Patrick Adams and Louie Vega.

In 2021 BBE Music is celebrating its 25th anniversary. To mark this milestone, the label is offering up some special projects, from the 20th Anniversary edition of J Dilla’s ‘Welcome 2 Detroit’, through David Bowie tribute album ‘Modern Love’, to a special new ‘Worldwide’ compilation from old friend Gilles Peterson. BBE Music will also be looking to the future with more exciting original artist projects, plus merch collaborations events and more...

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