Buy / Stream: https://orcd.co/modernlove

BBE Music is thrilled to announce the release of Modern Love, a diverse compendium of specially commissioned cover versions of rarities and classics in tribute to David Bowie.

Featuring an array of artists such as Jeff Parker, We Are KING, Meshell Ndegeocello, Helado Negro, Khruangbin, Matthew Tavares, Nia and more, Modern Love seeks to champion Bowie’s lesser-known connection to soul, R&B, jazz, funk, and gospel. The prominent jazz influences throughout Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, were a key inspiration for curating this collection of reimagined Bowie songs with these artists. The resulting album is an eclectic tribute featuring a group of artists who not only fit together creatively, but who, like Bowie, straddle different worlds musically, with soul and jazz at their core.

Modern Love offers a fresh look at Bowie’s trailblazing career, aiming to highlight the often overlooked relationship between his back catalogue and musical genres traditionally pioneered by artists of color. The project was curated by music executive and DJ Drew McFadden, alongside BBE Music founder Peter Adarkwah. “I felt that the connection between Bowie and R&B, jazz, funk, gospel and all things soulful, had never really been explored before — at least not so much in covers, which tend to lean more towards rock and pop,” says McFadden. “Certainly, there’s been plenty of Bowie covers over the years, but none that have really tapped into what seems to have been a big part of his core musical
style and direction.”

Modern Love is an interactive sonic map. Here, seventeen artists make their way into the varied regions of his sundry catalog and circle back with seventeen unique re-imaginings of both his cornerstone and lesser-known tracks. Some, in atmosphere, feel like a sly alternate take from original sessions (Khruangbin’s ethereal, funk infused version of “Right” from Young Americans); others nod at the source, then wink before diving into the deep waters of another musical stratosphere (Sessa’s sexy Tropicalia-drenched “Panic in Detroit” from Aladdin Sane). Still others take tunes down to the studs and then re-arrange the moody interiors: Meshell Ndegeocello’s pensive “Fantastic Voyage” from Lodger and Tavares’ clever take on “Heroes” which is restructured into a kinetic hardbop-esque backdrop, fronted by ice-cool, held-back vocals. The bullseye these artists aim for is Bowie’s fearlessness. “Fame was an incredible bluff that worked,” he once reflected. “Very flattering. I’ll do anything until I fail. And when I succeed I quit too.”

Modern Love packs us off on a journey that balances on risk’s sharp blade. Track-to-track, it explores what happens when a musician throws out notions of should and safe and stretches beyond the known. These artists use Bowie both as a guide and a prism: A way of being and seeing. Their offerings, widely divergent, explore the inheritance from an artist who freed himself from labels, genres and, consequently, pigeonholes. While he was at it, he decimated fixed notions about territory (or terra) itself; boundaries hemmed-in his creative process, but his essence remained free to roam. He may have vanished in earthly form, yet, as he also promised in the lyrics of “Modern Love,” But I never wave bye-bye . . .” This compilation assures us that his spirit swirls around us. His force is alive to all of us and, here, it is summoned with an incantation that celebrates possibility.

Modern Love

Out Now On Cold Busted:

1.  The Island
2. Douglas Firs
3. Tropics
4. Toucan
5. Takayama
6. Body & Soul
+ 7 more tracks on the full length album

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Sim Nagai specializes in imagined journeys to faraway places. The Belgian beat-maker finds inspiration from where he’s travelled as well as those places he’s yet to visit. Sim finds a connection with the ‘50s music genre of ‘exotica,’ a vintage flavor which aimed to sonically transport its listeners to distant locales. Sim takes on a similar mission with his debut album on Cold Busted, Exotica XL. Its 13 tracks convey rhythmic excursions to leisurely destinations — where palm trees shimmer in the wind and colorful birds fill the sky. Sim’s solid hip hop beat foundations accompany these visions, resulting in a distinctive style to be enjoyed by heads around the world.

The album opens with a familiar chord melody in “The Island” as waves gently crash in the sound-field. Guitars, birdcalls, and subdued drums channel a lazy day on the beach. There’s also the tougher rhythms of “Tropics,” featuring rousing strings and expressive atmospheres that’ll liven things up poolside. “Douglas Firs” proudly wears an inspiration from Twin Peaks on its sleeve, and “Toucan” seamlessly drops Asian-adjacent elements into its melodic stew. Things get jazzy and old school with the NYC-inspired “Body & Soul,” and “Takayama” brings out intricate drum patterns and synth work from Sim’s arsenal. With many more cuts and sounds to discover, Exotica XL is a first class ticket to sunnier vibes.

.
Kid Loco (Flor) – “This is a work of pure genius. I love all of the tracks.”  
Mister T. (Cold Busted) – “Pure Cold Busted sound here. Downtempo at it’s best.”  
DJ Osric (Black and Blue Show) – “A sublime release.”  
Jon Fugler (Fluke) – “Lovely, I can almost taste the sunshine.”  
Apostolos Argyris (The Zuzu Club) – “Excellent. Very smooth with great atmosphere.”  
Sandro Bianchi (Ibiza Sonica) – “This is beautiful.”  
Soul of Man (Finger Lickin’ Records) – “Yep. Feeling ‘Tropics’ and ‘Toucan’. Can you tell I need a holiday?”  
DJ Junior (Eavesdrop Radio) – “WOW!”  
Sharif Galal (Triple J Radio) – “Sonically transports you to different places and times. Beautiful!”  

.
Available Now From Bandcamp: https://is.gd/JKZCax
Juno Download: https://is.gd/EF6zA0
Apple Music: https://is.gd/HNY1d9
Spotify: https://is.gd/LrZdxS

Label and Artist Links:
coldbusted.org
instagram.com/simnagai/

Exotica XL

Sim Nagai - Exotica XL (Cold Busted)

MF Robots unleash the third salvo from upcoming BBE Music album ‘Break The Wall’, a feelgood mid-tempo funk bubbler entitled ‘Good People’.

Underpinned by Jan’s unmistakable rock-solid rhythm section and topped off with Dawn’s life-affirming lyrics, ‘Good People’ delivers yet another tough groove, brought to life by some of the UK’s tightest musicians.

Following up their latest single ‘Good People’ on BBE Music, MF Robots unveil an extended version of the track accompanied by an up-tempo remix by MontaQue Adamson and a brand new ‘Bossy Nova’ version of ‘Mother Funkin’ Robots’ by Jan Kincaid.

Emerging London production duo MontaQue Adamson have both played with MF Robots since their first gig at The Bussey Building and helped write the band’s upcoming album ‘Break The Wall’. Both Alex Montaque (keys) and Naz Adamson (bass) have been staples in the UK music scene for the past 15 years, working with world-renowned artists both on stage and in the studio. Their remix of ‘Good People’ takes the laid back original and sends it into overdrive, with a funky-house interpretation.

Making the most of Dawn Joseph’s powerhouse vocal, Jan Kincaid’s ‘Bossy Nova Refit’ of previous single ‘Mother Funkin’ Robots’ injects an enticing Latin vibe into the cut, with a delightfully old-school synth line providing some light hearted interplay with that superb brass section. Says Jan: “it was a challenge to remix this tune and give it a different personality. I wanted it to be a fun late night, the last few dancers left in the place type of thing.”
An extended of ‘Good People’ is also included in the package, alongside instrumental versions of all three tracks.

About MF Robots:
Collaborating for the first time while recording and performing with one of the UK’s most commercially successful Acid Jazz bands The Brand New Heavies in 2013, founder / drummer Jan Kincaid and vocalist Dawn Joseph discovered immediate musical chemistry and began writing songs together right away. They soon left the band to concentrate on their own work, starting MF Robots (Music For Robots) and releasing an eponymous debut in 2018. The duo quickly morphed into a band as they found themselves in-demand at venues and festivals all over Europe, and haven’t looked back since.

MF Robots - Mother Funkin' Robots (Bossy Nova Re - Fit)

Hyped to premiere this summer-ready jam by Brighton's own Anushka. “Speak To Me” feels like electronically enhanced future soul for the dancers and roller skaters.

Out 25th March, “Speak To Me” follows “You My Love” - their first release with Brighton-based label Tru Thoughts – which received support from our favourite Jamz Supernova on BBC 1Xtra. Both songs are taken from their forthcoming album and first since their debut ‘Broken Circuit’, on Brownswood. 

Based around a loop written by producer Max Wheeler whilst on tour in Denmark, the lyrics for “Speak To Me” are a call to a higher power – the Eternal Mother - from singer/songwriter Victoria Port, born from feeling at one and safe in nature. “This song was written before I knew the name for Yemaya”, Victoria tells us. The Orisiha Yemaya is the Goddess of the Sea and protector of women in the Santeria/Yoruba religion. It is believed in Santeria that Yemaya guides and supports her children, helping them to grow; an ethos and energy that fuels the track from its core. 

Following the success of their debut, the duo have spent the last few years shedding themselves of unhelpful expectations, whilst developing an honest sound between soul and electronic music influenced by their love of breakbeat culture. 

The single drops on March 25th with a remix from West-London Broken-Beat revivalist, producer and DJ Danny Wheeler AKA WheelUP, recently premiered on the Beeb by GP, no less.

Speak To Me

Exclusive Premiere: Anushka "Speak To Me" (Forthcoming on Tru Thoughts)

BBE Music is thrilled to announce the release of Modern Love, a diverse compendium of specially commissioned cover versions of rarities and classics in tribute to David Bowie.

Featuring an array of artists such as Jeff Parker, We Are KING, Meshell Ndegeocello, Helado Negro, Khruangbin, Matthew Tavares, Nia and more, Modern Love seeks to champion Bowie’s lesser-known connection to soul, R&B, jazz, funk, and gospel. The prominent jazz influences throughout Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, were a key inspiration for curating this collection of reimagined Bowie songs with these artists. The resulting album is an eclectic tribute featuring a group of artists who not only fit together creatively, but who, like Bowie, straddle different worlds musically, with soul and jazz at their core.

Modern Love offers a fresh look at Bowie’s trailblazing career, aiming to highlight the often overlooked relationship between his back catalogue and musical genres traditionally pioneered by artists of color. The project was curated by music executive and DJ Drew McFadden, alongside BBE Music founder Peter Adarkwah. “I felt that the connection between Bowie and R&B, jazz, funk, gospel and all things soulful, had never really been explored before — at least not so much in covers, which tend to lean more towards rock and pop,” says McFadden. “Certainly, there’s been plenty of Bowie covers over the years, but none that have really tapped into what seems to have been a big part of his core musical
style and direction.”

Modern Love is an interactive sonic map. Here, seventeen artists make their way into the varied regions of his sundry catalog and circle back with seventeen unique re-imaginings of both his cornerstone and lesser-known tracks. Some, in atmosphere, feel like a sly alternate take from original sessions (Khruangbin’s ethereal, funk infused version of “Right” from Young Americans); others nod at the source, then wink before diving into the deep waters of another musical stratosphere (Sessa’s sexy Tropicalia-drenched “Panic in Detroit” from Aladdin Sane). Still others take tunes down to the studs and then re-arrange the moody interiors: Meshell Ndegeocello’s pensive “Fantastic Voyage” from Lodger and Tavares’ clever take on “Heroes” which is restructured into a kinetic hardbop-esque backdrop, fronted by ice-cool, held-back vocals. The bullseye these artists aim for is Bowie’s fearlessness. “Fame was an incredible bluff that worked,” he once reflected. “Very flattering. I’ll do anything until I fail. And when I succeed I quit too.”

Modern Love packs us off on a journey that balances on risk’s sharp blade. Track-to-track, it explores what happens when a musician throws out notions of should and safe and stretches beyond the known. These artists use Bowie both as a guide and a prism: A way of being and seeing. Their offerings, widely divergent, explore the inheritance from an artist who freed himself from labels, genres and, consequently, pigeonholes. While he was at it, he decimated fixed notions about territory (or terra) itself; boundaries hemmed-in his creative process, but his essence remained free to roam. He may have vanished in earthly form, yet, as he also promised in the lyrics of “Modern Love,” But I never wave bye-bye . . .” This compilation assures us that his spirit swirls around us. His force is alive to all of us and, here, it is summoned with an incantation that celebrates possibility.

Matthew Tavares - Heroes

Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family - Foxtrott

Sessa - Panic In Detroit

Kit Sebastian - Lady Grinning Soul

Miguel Atwood Ferguson - Life On Mars

Helado Negro - Sound And Vision

Jeff Parker And The New Breed - Soul Love

Just what we need to hear on our first return to the club.

One of our favourite producers, the talented and versatile Contours, puts an club-destroying spin on the deep, gnawa-influenced "Maktub" cut by Cuban trumpeter, producer, composer and artist Yelfris Valdés. Forthcoming on Música Macondo.

Featuring London-based gnawa specialist and Electric Jalaba frontman, Simo Lagnawi, "Maktub" was originally released on Yelfris' acclaimed 'For The Ones...' LP in 2019.  This favourite LP of ours delved deep into Yelfris' Yoruba religion and its shamanic chants, subtly infusing those deeply personal elements with electronica and live instrumentation creating a beautiful pulsating soundscape. 

In purposefully mutating the acoustic sound of his trumpet he adds depth without losing his power and tenderness. Manifesting an adventurous and experimental shift in his composition, Yelfris drew on his classical training and love of jazz whilst at the same time delving further into the world of electronica.

Now Yelfris Valdés and Música Macondo have invited an all-star cast of producers to remix and reinterpret a selection of the LP’s standout tracks. With the LP’s impressive palette of epic, cosmos-weaving trumpet melodies, fuzzy keys and psychedelic textures at their disposal, Quantic, K15, LCSM, Osunlade, Maxwell Owin, Contours repurpose and rework some of the album’s key moments, bringing an injection of dancefloor - friendly sensibilities to the proceedings.

'For The Ones​.​.​. Remixed' is released on Friday June 4 on vinyl and digital.

For The Ones (Remixed)

Exclusive Premiere: Yelfris Valdés "Maktub" (Contours Remix) (Forthcoming on Música Macondo)

29.05.21
Rebecca Vasmant - Start Of Time
Brain Damage, Big Youth - Play It Again
Athletic Progression - Debra
Gil Scott-Heron - Jazz
Gil Scott-Heron - Inner City Blues
Jerome Thomas - No B.S
Yarni - Purezento
Yelfris Valdés - After Sly (Osunlade Remix)
Malphino - Aji de Malphino
Meridian Brothers y Grupo Renacimiento - Bomba Atomica

Yarni Mix

Triorität - Brexit feat. Lukas Lehmann
Quantic - You Used To Love Me ft. Denitia
Huw Marc Bennett - In My Craft
jitwam - temptations
Jacob Groening - Kopru Ortas (Original Mix)
Emanuel	Arbete/Fritid - Aquarius	Prins
Tommy Guerrero - El Camino Negro
Keno & Tristan De Liege - Forever We Were
Boozoo Bajou -  Under My Sensi
Sylvester ‎– I Need Somebody To Love Tonight (Psychemagik Remix)
Bugge Wesseltoft & Prins Thomas	- Bar Asfalt
Susso - Ansumana
Sandpipers - The Windmills Of Your Mind
Silvetti - Spring Rain (Original Mix)
Boz Scaggs - Lowdown

www.musicamacondo.com

Musica Macondo on Jazz FM with Tim Garcia Ft Yarni

Swedish producer and DJ Rasmus Faber and Berlin based British vocalist David Sanderson have teamed up to produce what is set to be the sound of the summer.

Never Enough is a perfect blend of blue-eyed soul, yacht rock and disco that brings the sunshine. Over immaculate production, the guitar, piano and bass sit perfectly with David's heartfelt vocals. The break brings a touch of gospel before the chorus plays out and is left spinning. The Extended Mix strips things back to give more room to the instrumentation for a more DJ friendly version.

Longtime Paper collaborator Max Essa delivers a remix masterclass with his smooth rework, taking things a touch deeper with extra arp and pads.

The Dub Mix brings delays and EFX as individual elements are broken down and sprinkled with studio magic. The bass is locked, the pad riff casts its hypnotic spell and vocal phrases are worked in and out. One for late nights and early mornings.

Support in from:

Jim Stanton (Horse Meat Disco): "Max Essa again what a fantastic track would totally be playing this!"

Hardway Bros: "Very Balearic indeed!"

Barrie Urquhart (Buddha Lounge): "Lovely to see Rasmus Faber on here. Thanks for this EP, my fave for a long time from Paper. Every single version is usable for me in slightly different situations and locations i play. Personal fave is Max Essa Extended Vocal"

Fingerman: "Wonderful vibes here!"

Quincy Jointz: "Loving the original and the Max Essa Dub!"

Pathaan: "Perfect sunset vibes!"

Never Enough

Rasmus Faber X David Harks - Never Enough

DisTance

A new day

It’s been a while since I’ve made an Electro track — so here it is! It reflects my creative process — full of trial, error, and discovery — until something finally sticks and flows.

Buy on Bandcamp

See What Comes

Join the BBE Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/yfBFX

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...

Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family - Foxtrott

BBE Music

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