Originally released in 1980 on short-lived Oregon label ‘Match Box Recordings’, ‘Burnin’’ is the only album recorded by Portland jazz/funk band Carl Smith And The Natural Gas Company.

At the time of the release of this album, Carl Smith’s band had already been performing for almost two decades, starting out as the ‘Carl Smith Orchestra’ in 1959, fusing 40s and 50s big band styles with rock’n’roll, before gradually morphing into the more compact jazz / funk influenced outfit you can hear on Burnin’.

“Carl had this bright red delivery van he bought from the natural gas company. He got a hold of that thing and that’s how we went on the road. When we’d roll up to the gig they’d see this big van full of musicians and on the outside it said “Natural Gas Co.” Then out comes Carl Smith and it’s all over.” – Lee Bradford (trumpet, flugelhorn)

The orchestra that Carl Smith founded was a Portland institution for about 50 years all-told, becoming an essential training ground for young musicians on the come-up; even the later Grammy-award winning trumpeter Chris Botti passed through at the age of 17 and Jefferson Airplane’s Signe Anderson was a long-time collaborator. It was “hard to find many jazz players around here who haven’t played with the band” said Smith in a 1980 interview with The Oregonian. They performed at festivals, universities, nightclubs, dance studios and even military bases from Portland to Seattle and everywhere in between, opening for Dave Brubeck, Buddy Miles and Johnny Ray among many others.

The story of this album’s recording has gone down in infamy among the remaining band members and Carl Smith’s daughter Carlee (who performed lead vocals on ‘Love Won’t Let Me Go’), all of whom recall a fraught, rushed recording process, led by a producer who had no musical experience and was nothing more than a puppet for the somewhat shady label owners. This led to the album being cut too fast and accidentally pitched up a key, so if you want to hear it as the band intended, pull the pitch control down a little on your turntable.

“Turns out the whole thing was backed by a bunch of farmers from central Oregon who were looking to take a loss… So here we were playing out and selling records. As soon as we were about to hit one thousand copies sold, their plan was to stop promotion so it would die…but we didn’t know that.” – Peter Piazza (trombone, electric violin, euphonium)

Upon its release, the album received airplay on several radio stations across Oregon and Washington, the band were invited to play live on local TV channel KGW, and copies sold out quickly within the local area. Despite the bitter-sweet circumstances around the record, Burnin’ remains a fantastic document of this well-drilled and talented group of players, showcasing original funk, jazz and soul compositions mostly arranged by Larry Dunlap, who went on to become musical director for the Pointer Sisters and write for Cleo Laine during a long and fruitful career in music.

The original label’s intentional sabotage of Burnin’ has made it a rare and sought-after album for vinyl collectors the World over, so we are delighted to reissue it for the first time ever, complete with its original artwork, accompanied by liner notes providing a detailed oral history of the band, as told by several of its original members. 
credits

Carl Smith And The Natural Gas Company - You Take The Time

Find a Way

Effortlessly dismantling the barriers between R&B, soul, funk, disco and jazz sounds, MF Robots present long player ‘Break The Wall’, on BBE Music. 

Astonishing musicianship, pristine production and top-tier songwriting, ‘Break The Wall’ immediately calls to mind those iconic American rhythm sections of the 70s and 80s. The music is energising, uplifting and the potent result of a highly accomplished musical partnership maturing, growing and hitting their stride together in lock-step. 

Jan Kincaid and Dawn Joseph met as members of one of the UK’s most successful Acid Jazz bands, which influenced Mark Ronson, D’Angelo, Jamiroquai, Erykah Badu and The Roots to name a few. Founding the Brand New Heavies was an important chapter for Jan, but once he and vocalist and songwriting partner Dawn began working together, the chemistry was instant and irresistible. It was time to turn the page, and soon MF Robots was born. 

“When we made our first album, we didn’t have a band as such. We basically made a lot of the record at home and called on other musicians as and when we needed them. Our sound was developing organically, and when we finally released the record to great critical acclaim, it was time to get out on the road,” says Jan. “We put together a band of likeminded young musicians, playing intimate gigs and big festivals all over Europe and beyond, growing tight as a unit, so that when it came time to think about making this, our second album, we knew we had an extra level of musicianship full of personality that could realise our vision.” 

Inviting band members Alex Montaque (keys), Naz Adamson (bass), Mark Beaney (guitar), Jack Birchwood (trumpet), Ben Treacher (sax) to improvise and contribute their own ideas over song-sketches laid out by Jan and Dawn gives ‘Break The Wall’ a special sense of offthe-cuff brilliance. Even on the polished final product you can detect a collaborative, fluid and unhurried approach to production that’s all-too rare these days. 

There’s guest performances from bassist Gail Ann Dorsey (‘The Love It Takes’, ‘Make Me Happy’) and guitarist Cory Wong ('Shine', 'Make Me Happy'), the former a top-flight session player who’s collaborated with Lenny Kravitz and David Bowie among others, the latter a member of the incredible Vulfpeck collective and an accomplished solo artist in his own right. Mixed by Clinton McCreery and mastered at The Carvery in London, the album was completed in March 2020, just before the World went into COVID19 lockdown. 

As for concept behind the project, “the name of the band, MUSIC FOR ROBOTS, is an entirely tongue in cheek one. It’s a poke at the generic nature of a lot of present day pop music, of a certain “factory” songwriting style and lack of real individuality and personality in ‘manufactured’ music. We want to create strong Soulful music with a timeless classic feel, drawing from a lot of diverse influences that makes you feel good, so maybe you can lose yourself for a little while. We want to create something that touches a feeling in people, the way that we are touched by a lot of great music and want it to still sound good in years to come.”

 In this long player, the duo’s musical mission has been both accomplished, and surpassed. The title ‘Break The Wall’ could not be more apt.

Break the Wall

MF Robots - Brand New Day

Meant to have this together sooner, but you know how it goes. Second Summer Session mix is all beats with a laid back flavor, for the headphones or the ride. Tried to play a few things old and a couple new. Enjoy!

Summer Sessions 2021

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Summer Session #2

Morris Mobley - What's On Your Mind (Late Night Dub)
CQQL-002
https://cqqlrecords.bandcamp.com/album/morris-mobley-whats-on-your-mind

Nostalgic, suave, cosmopolitan, lustrous and precise, Morris Mobley is an alter-ego engineered to chill vibes, and simultaneously blow minds. Transport into the neo-noir, a timeless environment of dimly-lit nightclubs, smoky spaces, and hazy visions, where razor sharp vocals dance in tandem with a warm jazz-funk guitar, backed by the analog crispness of icy 808 hits and luxurious synth pads.

“What ‘s On Your Mind” is a single shrouded by sentimental memories, influenced by hard choices and rooted in sophisticated R&B: Side A for the questions, Side B for the answers.

Morris Mobley - What's On Your Mind (Late Night Dub)

Buy/Stream the EP here: https://orcd.co/brondesburypark

UK multi-instrumentalist Ziggy Funk returns to BBE Music with his third release on the label, the Brondesbury Park EP.

Ziggy Funk is no new name to BBE, having previously issued the EP ‘Red Light Syndrome’ in 2016 and full-length album ‘Boxer’s Fracture’ in 2017 on the label. Now he returns with Afro/Latin inspired two tracker, Brondesbury Park.

Driven by infectious horns and showcasing Ziggy’s love for percussion, title track ‘Brondesbury Park’ is an uptempo dance song with roots in Afrobeat, but with a nod to South American carnival culture and touches of jazz.

Second song ‘Ice Cream’ is more restrained in its approach, but still just as irresistible. The electric guitar takes the lead and hits with eerie overtones as well as elements of funk and blues, over a languid Afrobeat horn and drum workout.

The Brondesbury Park EP is filled with vibrant colours, some immediate and some only revealing themselves with repeated listening. Two tracks with different pulsating drives, both with pure groove at their foundations.

Brondesbury Park

Ziggy Funk - Brondesbury Park

“Gotta Give It Up!!!” is soulful, dancy and riddled with funk. The track is inspired by the soul and funk artists of the 70’s and 80’s (such as Rick James and Earth, Wind & Fire) and modernized with a production style that pays homage to the current funk masters like DāM-FunK and Mndsgn. It features an intricate synth-bass line, a horn section, slick rhythm guitar, and gang vocals (reminiscent of the P-Funk era). The release is the second single off of Alistair Blu’s upcoming 4-track EP, titled Shades of Blu, scheduled for release on October 1st.

@alistairblu: This track was really fun to make. It all started with that synth-bass line that pulses along throughout the whole tune. I think that’s what inspired me to create a whole song around that groove. I had the first three elements (programmed drums, the main synth pad, and the synth-bass) that gave me a solid starting point to make something special. In order to get that big chorus sound I recruited some awesome musicians, including the very talented vocalist Mel Pacifico and my horn player pals from Busty and the Bass (Scott Bevins on trumpet and Chris Vincent on trombone). 

The track has two instrumental solos in there too. The first is a reverse trumpet solo that Scott initially recorded and that I later processed and chopped up. Then there’s that climactic synth solo that I added near the end. I wanted to combine a bunch of elements of various funk styles, from Parliament-Funkadelic and Rick James to the more contemporary producers of Modern Funk. I’m happy to hear how the track finally ended up.

Purchase

Exclusive Premiere: Alistair Blu "Gotta Give It Up!!!"

BBE Music celebrates its 25th year of Barely Breaking Even with 'Staff Selections 2021', a bumper pack of musical highlights from the last 12 months, as chosen by the label team themselves.

In another year dominated by uncertainty, crippling manufacturing delays and a global shipping crisis, BBE Music has managed to get a surprising amount of music out into the world during 2021, even if none of the staff are entirely sure exactly how they did it.

The last year has seen multiple reissues in DJ Amir's continued exploration of Detroit's iconic Strata Records, a benchmark 20th anniversary box set and book celebrating J Dilla's 'Welcome 2 Detroit', acclaimed David Bowie tribute album 'Modern Love', more contemporary Afro-centric cuts on BBE's sister label Batakari Music, and fresh original material from MF Robots, Sean Khan and Sons of the Sun.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy this selection of almost 40 tracks, featuring an exclusive reimagining of Beatchild and Justin Nozuka's 'The Only Difference' crafted by BBE artist and staffer, Sumsuch.

We wouldn't still be here after 25 years if it wasn't for your support and encouragement, so we'd like to extend our eternal thanks to you all, whether you've bought a record, attended a gig or streamed a song of ours over the last quarter century. You're a vital part of the BBE story and we look forward to journeying on with you, into 2022 and beyond.

Stay safe, and thank you all once again, from all of us.

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

Australian jazz funk ensemble Kerbside Collection return with dusty grooves of “Round The Corner”, the second single to be taken from their forthcoming fourth studio album of the same name, following the lush & laidback “‘Glaze”.

Referring to some of the ‘unknowns’ and ‘uncertainties’ around the corner post cv-19, “Round The Corner” is also an uplifting groove affirmation looking forward to the positive things, and seasons to come round these kinds of unknown corners, and the new year ahead.  

In contrast to the cruisy, layered and cinematic first single, ‘Round The Corner’ is a tight, dancy, uptempo, jazz funk burner featuring the group’s core trio raw and upfront. The Rubbery, pulsating electric bass guitar of Lachlan Symons, the silky Fender rhodes (and acoustic piano solo), jazzy guitar licks guitar of Andrew Fincher, and the gritty, razor sharp grooves and percussion of drummer paprika, are all wrapped up into this dancefloor-friendly, contemporary live jazz funk track.

“Round The Corner” embodies some of the current resurgence of live jazz-house crossover sounds coming out of Australia (Horatio Luna, First Beige etc), whilst also reminiscent of Incognito, The Rebirth and Herbie Hancock’s 70’s jazz fusion years. Another sumptuous taste of what to expect on this special new record from ‘down-under’ out on modern funk and soul label Légère Recordings.

Exclusive Premiere: Kerbside Collection "Round The Corner" (Forthcoming on Légère Recordings)

Here at Studio Funk we are super stoked to have the wonderful Andre Gibson on this months show. The multi talented musician, singer and songwriter of Universal Togetherness Band. As you can expect we have a lot to discuss including the history surrounding the band, how it got started, early memories and performing on the notorious TV show, The Chicago Party at the CopHerBox II (1982). We also talk about Andre’s desire to continue to making music and his recent album ‘Movin On’. Plus the collaboration with The Numero Group to publish the unreleased material of Universal Togetherness Band many years later. It’s a full packed show and if that wasn’t enough we wrap up the episode with a Studio Funk Chicago Party featuring music by Jesus Wayne, Donnell Pitman, Universal Togetherness Band and many more!

Tracklist

S4 EP4 - Andre Gibson

+++This is a story about a backdoor virus, told through the allegory of the Three Little Pigs.+++
+++Lyric EN+++

>1
Think for a moment,
This is the story of the Three Little Pigs.
Outside the door, the wolf is waiting.
He is eager to eat the pigs.

Now, what would you think
If one pig inside the house
Tried to unlock the door?

They say the wolf got angry
Because the pigs locked the door inside.

They say the wolf got angry
Because the pigs locked the door inside.

Why did they come to such a thought

>2
Think for a moment,
This is the story of the Three Little Pigs.

Outside the door, the wolf is waiting.
He is eager to eat the pigs.

Now, what would you think
If someone inside
Spoke of love for the wolf
And shouted, "Open the door!"?

They say the pigs are bad
For not loving the wolf inside.

They say the pigs are bad
For not loving the wolf inside.

Why did they come to such a thought

PIG-DOOR--1970

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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...

MF Robots - Brand New Day

BBE Music

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