VANO 3000 - IDK Remix (Official Stream)

Reissue of the 1983's classic Messages From The Stars by British Electronic Funk outfit, The Rah Band. 

Released in 1983, "Messages From The Stars" by The RAH Band—AKA multi-instrumentalist and producer Richard Anthony Hewson—emerged as a modest club hit, peaking at number 42 on the UK charts. Four decades later, the song has been rediscovered and revered as a cult classic, transcending time and generations. This reissue celebrates The RAH Band’s pioneering sound and the track’s unexpected rise from obscurity to international acclaim, largely thanks to devoted selectors and fans who never let it fade away.

Created on a Roland SH5 synthesizer in Hewson’s home studio, the track’s iconic vocals, spontaneously delivered with playful innocence by Hewson’s then-wife Liz, proved to be a masterstroke, with her warm, conversational tone giving the track an authentic charm. The interstellar lyrics, cosmic synth-line and funky bassline combined are addictively catchy, undoubtedly contributing to the track's success as a crossover boogie-funk classic. 

The RAH Band’s resurgence owes much to DJs like DāM-FunK and Martin Iveson (Atjazz), who introduced "Messages" to new audiences in the ‘90s and ‘00s. DāM-FunK recalls discovering the track in the late '90s and making it the centrepiece of his sets, with crowds demanding repeat plays during his iconic Funkmosphere nights in Los Angeles. Fast-forward to 2019, “Messages” was selected as the opening track on pop superstar Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonded’ radio show and playlist, fuelling the track's viral explosion on TikTok in 2020 and sparking a relentless, enduring internet popularity that continues to this day.

Hewson, now in his eighties and residing quietly near the Sussex coast, continues to create music every day in his garage-turned-studio, using the original vintage gear that once brought "Messages From The Stars" to life. Enjoy this slice of space-disco history, where messages from the past have made their way to the present.

Pre-order vinyl: https://www.rushhour.nl/record/vinyl/messages-stars-1
Pre-order digital: https://rushhourmusic.bandcamp.com/album/messages-from-the-stars

The Rah Band - Messages From The Stars (Short Wave Mix)

BY liljan2k1 - nostalgia.mp3.mp3

Had to remix another one of my favourite band’s songs from their new album, ‘The Universe Smiles Upon You ii’. Def check their work out if you don’t know them! Made exclusively on MPC X Special Edition.

Khruangbin - White Gloves ii (DKODA Remix)

Found Me

Preorder vinyl (12/15/17) & digital formats (11/3/17): jitwam.lnk.to/cc17

https://soundcloud.com/jitwam

At Cosmic Compositions, we’ve long felt there was a similarity between the avant-garde/free jazz scene of the 50s/60s and the modern beat generation. Both movements aimed to deconstruct, expand and rewire the conventions of their genres of origin, and were never afraid to experiment or work outside the commercial framework of the time. With our Avant Garde Series, we connected the dots between the two, paying homage to Empire State Musicians like Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, and Sun-Ra along the way. 

In more recent years, we’ve sensed kindred spirit between jazz-infected beat music, and the new generation of lo-fi funk, psychedelia, noise, and folk musicians operating around the globe. While we’ve been feeling our way towards this liminal zone with projects from the likes of Mr. Armish, Affsid Kidjhagiffy, Aporia, and our Way Out compilation, jitwam’s new album ज़ितम सिहँ might be the most beautiful expression of it we’ve released yet. 

Born in Assam, Gauhati, in Northeast India, but currently based in New York’s storied borough of Brooklyn, jitwam spent his formative years in New Zealand and Australia, before living in monasteries in Thailand, orphanages in South Africa, and washed out apartments in London. Of everywhere and nowhere, his music draws influence from a litany of iconoclasts including, but not limited to RD Burman, Moondog, The Velvet Underground, Yayoi Kusama, Jay Electronica, Jay Dilla, Moodymann, Leon Thomas, Madlib and Asha Bhosle. 

Across the album he utilises knowledge acquired through years spent digging through dusty crates, and talents honed as a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and vocalist. A series of stumbling, jazz/soul-rooted beat sculptures, each buried beneath a haze of fuzzy psychedelia, broken microphone blues, and articulated through a freestyled process he describes as “first thought, best thought”, ज़ितम सिहँ solidifies jitwam's spot as a major emerging talent. 

Recalling the fourth world dreamscapes explored by oddball songwriters like Connan Mockasin, Clarence Clarity, Jai Paul, Silicon, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, it represents a time of transition and remembrance for jitwam, while still fulfilling the core qualities he looks for in song. In his words, “Music is a refuge. A shelter from the storm. A place you can go to close your eyes.” 

Since he first shared his music with IZWID Records boss Kutmah at a Brainfeeder afterparty in London, jitwam has released through Leaving Records, Cosmic Compositions, and The Jazz Diaries (the label he co-runs with Casey Van Reyk and Nigel Mphisa). He’s also written with Inkswel (BBE) and Paul White (R&S), featured on Moodymann’s K7! DJ Kicks compilation and been championed by Gilles Peterson, Alexander Nut, Andrew Jervis (Bandcamp), and Funkineven. Mixed and mastered by Matthew David at Stones Throw studios in Los Angeles, ज़ितम सिहँ will be available on vinyl and digital formats through Cosmic Compositions / hhv.de.

Text : Martyn Pepperell

ज़ितम सिहँ

Vinyl/Download/Stream

jitwam. - I Ain't Scared Of No Devil Feat. Dj Godfrey Ho

Happy to finally have this out in the open, the Edits and Remixes EP is live!!

Grab the entire 7 track EP here:
https://bit.ly/2NBUkt1

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