In the midst of a global pandemic that has seen gigs, club nights and festivals cancelled, and tens of millions around the world in some kind of lockdown or quarantine, the need for musical escapism and aural daydreaming is greater than ever. It was this search for creativity and positivity that led to the recording of Sunday in June, the gorgeous and sun-kissed debut album from Hillside.

The outfit’s origins lie in the ongoing friendship and musical relationship of guitarist/bassist Alex Searle, percussionist Patrick Dawes and Claremont 56 founder Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy, a trio who have been playing on each other’s records since the dawn of the millennium. They began jamming and creating instrumental music together for what would become the Hillside project a few years back, but the pace of production increased during the pandemic year of 2020, with multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger Michele Chiavarini (an experienced solo artist and long-term member of Dave Lee’s Sunburst Band) coming on board to help shape the sound of their eight-track debut album.

Built around warm, languid grooves, expansive musicality, simmering strings – arranged by Chiavarini and replayed live by Pete Whitfield – and seductive solos provided by a handful of guest musicians (most notably flutist Tamar Osborne and violinist Mike Piggott, who has previously worked with Ralph McTell, Pentangle and Bert Jansch), Sunday in June could be considered an imaginary soundtrack to a long, lazy drive down the U.S West Coast.

The collective’s intent is exemplified by stunning opener and title track ‘Sunday in June’, where soaring strings, eyes-closed guitar solos, expressive keys and subtle percussive touches seemingly dance atop a sun-soaked groove that sits somewhere between jazz-funk and vintage West Coast rock. It can be heard, too, on the low-down hustle of ‘Trinity Strut’ – think Steely Dan doing Blaxploitation movie funk and you’re close – and in the languid drift of ‘Aguila Negra’, with its heart-aching orchestration, jazzy guitars and sunset-ready synths.

Sunday in June has many subtle twists and turns. Check the swelling, flute-sporting, organ-rich breeze of ‘For Daniel’, a track written in tribute to an old friend of Murphy’s who passed away in 2020, and the kaleidoscopic, smile-inducing positivity of ‘1939 Grand Avenue’, whose title references the address of a favourite San Diego hang out. There’s also room for recent single ‘Walpole Days’, a gorgeous downtempo odyssey, and a new album mix of the combo’s most Steely Dan-esque cut, 2019 single ‘Hidden Port’.

Rounding things off is a rather impressive bonus cut: a previously unheard ‘Spiritual Healing Mix’ of ‘Walpole Days’ by the great Joaquin ‘Joe Claussell’. Whereas his previously released versions of the track were largely percussive and dancefloor-friendly, this interpretation takes us deep into the world of weightless new age ambient, with Hillside’s impeccable instrumentation slowly rising above immersive chords and pads.

As usual with Claremont 56, the album’s artwork is every bit as detailed and painstakingly crafted as the music, with the stunning cover illustration coming courtesy of regular label collaborator Mark Warrington. His vibrant vision is naturally a perfect fit with Hillside’s colourful and emotion-rich music.

Hillside - Sunday In June

Music For Dreams are proud to announce the album release of Vinicio Adames ‘Guaral’, releasing the 26th of August.

‘Guaral’ →https://linktr.ee/musicfordreams

The music of Venezualan composer Vinicio Adames has featured in various productions, art exhibitions, film and tv for over 30 years. Vinicio Adames has won several awards for his soundtracks on Venezuelan movies.

His new album combines electronic sounds with traditional Venezuelan instruments. The album consists of processed orchestral ensembles, that creates an enveloping ambient atmosphere. Throughout intensifies, floats, and intertwines.

Connect with Vinicio Adames
Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/4QuAsuvc8W8QRJkzyENddI
IG : https://www.instagram.com/vinicioadames/

Connect with Music For Dreams
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/musicfordreams
FB : https://www.facebook.com/musicfordreams
SC : https://soundcloud.com/music-for-dreams
YT :https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo8HNI0C0QGdOoHWrTqhVWA​
IG : https://www.instagram.com/musicfordreams/
TW : https://twitter.com/musicfordreams
BC : https://musicfordreams.bandcamp.com/
Home : https://musicfordreams.dk/

Vinicio Adames - Guaral (Full Album) - 0241

112 KBPS FILES - DON'T BE A DUNCE!

Stream & Buy - https://razor-n-tape.fanlink.to/ClubLevel

RNT welcomes Brooklyn-based band 79.5 to the family with the first single from their forthcoming eponymous LP. Soulful and psychedelic, the haunting melodies of Club Level float above a steady strutting rhythm section, punctuated by moaning baritone saxophone and drenched in washy reverb.

NYC mainstay Eli Escobar crafts a masterful remix that leans into 80s nostalgia, with a soundscape and arrangement nothing short of perfection.

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www.razor-n-tape.com​
www.razor-n-tape.bandcamp.com

Club Level

Stream & Buy

79.5 - Club Level

Jpye – Freedom Ain't Free (Instrumental)

Jpye & e11e – Shiver

An introspective, dramatic rework from the Tartelet producer,  for a forthcoming collaboration between French duo Fulgeance and Soulist. 

Follow:
@souleance
@firstwordrecords
@fulgeance
@dj-soulist

Souleance - New York (Uffe Remix)(STW Premiere)

Wah Wah 45s are proud to bring four remixes of our Afrobeat legend to vinyl! You No Fit Touch Am has been universally received with open arms.

A perfect document of the lessons Dele learned in Fela Kuti’s ranks during the 70s and 80s, but brought firmly up-to-date and with contemporary social comment as vital to the afrobeat genre as any rhythm or instrument. To take that forward thinking even further Wah Wah 45s commissioned four huge remixes from some of the UKs most interesting new production names.

Tru Thoughts’ no-nonsense house producer Titeknots first delivered us a massive tropical-house take on Sanctuary back in January. Gaining radio support from Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 6 Music, Wah Wah 45s received an endless amount of requests for this to appear on vinyl, so here we are.

Alongside it Wolf Music legend and in-demand house remixer Medlar brings an, intense and insistent disco flavoured rework. To complete the package two relatively new production duos bring quite distinctly different versions.

Warsaw artists Ptaki take on slow burner We Siddon We Dey Look with characteristic punch and new London outfit Modified Man light a broken beat fire under the album title track You No Fit Touch Am.

Four tracks of killer dancefloor fodder for pretty much every occasion. Taking the already incendiary music of Dele Sosimi in a more angular and electronic direction, worthy of a rare 12” release on the Wah Wah imprint, we’re sure you’ll agree



We Siddon We Dey Look (Straight Molin') (Ptaki Remix)

Rare Silk - Storm (Cheap Kidz Edit)

Tokyo Editsu - Moonlight Lovers

The Idjut Boys and Laj (one of Ray Mang man Raj Gupta’s lesser-known aliases) were once regular studio partners, laying down a series of now legendary dubbed-out disco and deep house releases on the former’s U-Star label during the mid-to-late-90s. Now one of the trio’s lesser-known gems is returning to record stores for the first time since 2002, courtesy of Claremont 56.

“Slateo” first appeared on the 2002 Session Recordings label compilation Solidsession Vol. 2, the CD version of which was mixed by the Idjuts and also contained a fine cut from Akwaaba, a band whose members included future Claremont 56 founder Paul “Mudd” Murphy.

Built around undulating bongo beats, fireside-warm dub bass, outer-space chords, delay-laden guitar flourishes and spacey jazz-funk synth solos by regular collaborator Pete Z, “Slateo” sits somewhere between warm-up gold, late night bliss and early morning release. In true Idjuts and Laj fashion, it boasts epic amounts of reverb and dub delay, as well as the kind of enveloping production that’s always been a hallmark of their collaborative work.

16 years after the track first slipped out, it’s appearing on a single-sided 12” single, pressed to gorgeous green and white vinyl. With only 350 copies available worldwide, pre-orders are recommended.

Slateo

Idjut Boys & Laj - Slateo (Clip)

Jpye & e11e - Samba With You

Claremont 56 is an independent label  dedicated to releasing beautiful music.

Please don't message me here as I don't read them, please get in touch via the website, thanks.

Jpye & e11e - Samba With You

Claremont 56

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