Patchworks Ginger X Press - Brothers On The Slide (Philly Soul Mix)

Romance

Love Amour

Timeless

O Mapa (Live)

No one has lived a life quite like Marcos Valle. He became an overnight international sensation, fled a military dictatorship, dodged the Vietnam war draft, had his music sung by Homer Simpson, made enemies with Marlon Brando, and became an unsuspecting fitness guru for multiple generations. But to truly understand the great Brazilian composer, arranger, singer and multi instrumentalist, one must listen to his music.

Between the release of his first album in 1962 and today, Marcos Valle has released twenty-two studio albums traversing definitive bossa nova, classic samba, iconic disco pop, psychedelic rock, nineties dance and orchestral music. He has also had his songs recorded by some of the all time greats, including Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn, Sergio Mendes, Elis Regina, and (last but not least), Emma Button of the Spice Girls. He has also had his music sampled by Jay-Z, Kanye West, Pusha T and many more. With his twenty-third studio album Túnel Acustico, Valle set out to bring it all together.

“I believe my music is many things. It goes in different directions. I have many different ways of writing music, sometimes it’s melodies and harmony, sometimes the groove is the focus. But all the music I have made over my sixty year career is unified. It is all natural and it is all sincere. And this is what I wanted to bring to my new album.”

A prominent feature of Valle’s career has been his dual residence between Brazil and the USA. Originally moving over in the mid-sixties on the back of bossa nova’s international proliferation, Valle toured with Sergio Mendes and became hugely in demand as a composer and arranger. But the Vietnam War loomed and the threat of being drafted saw him return to Brazil. He spent the following years in Rio writing music for TV and film, as well as four cult favourite albums in collaboration with some of Brazil’s most groundbreaking musicians including Milton Nascimento, Azymuth, Som Imaginario and O Terco.

By 1975, Brazil's military dictatorship was at its most oppressive, making living and working increasingly difficult. Valle moved back to the US where he would reside in LA, writing songs for, and collaborating with the likes of Eumir Deodato, Airto Moreira, Chicago, Sarah Vaughn and Leon Ware, amongst others.

Túnel Acústico features two songs originally conceived during Valle’s time on the West Coast: “Feels So Good”, a stirring two-step soul triumph written in 1979 with soul icon Leon Ware, and the sublime AOR disco track “Life Is What It Is”, composed around the same time, with percussionist Laudir De Oliveira from the group Chicago.

On Túnel Acústico, Valle's core band features two members of the renowned Brazilian jazz-funk group Azymuth: Alex Malheiros on bass and Renato Massa on drums. The rhythm section is completed by percussionist Ian Moreira, with additional contributions from guitarist Paulinho Guitarra and trumpeter Jesse Sadoc.

The contemporarily composed music on Túnel Acústico features an impressive lineup of guest lyricists, including renowned Brazilian artists: Joyce Moreno, Céu, and Moreno Veloso, as well as Valle's brother Paulo Sergio Valle.

The album closes with "Thank You Burt (For Bacharach)", a tribute to the legendary composer who passed away in 2023.

Marcos Valle & Leon Ware - Feels So Good

Listen on all platforms + buy the LP: https://idol-io.ffm.to/the-offline-les-cigales
Support on Bandcamp: https://theoffline.bandcamp.com/album/les-cigales
Listen to the DeepMatter Catalogue: https://tinyurl.com/dm-catalogue


The Offline - Générique

First single of a forthcoming series of five 7" vinyl by Jet Set records / Tokyo.
Each limited to 300 copies manufactured in Japan and distributed.

A highly demanded soulful jazz-funk / rare groove 7" cover reissue by the French beatmaker and producer Medline!

Like Leon Michels of El Michels Affair, Medline plays every instruments himself, delivering an exquisite and ready to dance reinterpretation of two jazz funk classics.

Side A features a stunning cover of jazz-funk legend Lonnie Liston Smith’s timeless anthem "Expansions", with pristine recorded vocals recorded exclusively for this limited Japanese edition. Absolute banger!

On the B-side, Medline's unique cover of Roy Ayers Ubiquity’s mellow groove masterpiece "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" turned into a soulful afro dynamite beat. A Boogie funk monster! Iconic track in tribute to the God Father of neo soul and famously sampled by hip-hop heavyweights like Erule, Common, and DJ Cam, and included on countless mix CDs.

Expansions

Everybody Loves The Sunshine

Medline feat Roni Alkekengi - Everybody Loves The Sunshine

The Burgundy - EP

Burgundy Whip (Instrumental)

I couldn't find a decent copy of this online, so here is my vinyl rip in a glorious FLAC format.

Blackalicious - Make You Feel That Way (Instrumental)

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