Visions of Light

Feather

Sink In

Yasuaki Shimizu - Umi No Ue Kara

What Has Happened

Saâda Bonaire

Shut the Door

03. Ensemble Ethnique - Asilah

The Aegean Sea, with its turquoise waters and scattered islands, has long been a muse for poets and travelers. But beneath its beauty lies the untold story of its daughters—women whose lives are as turbulent as the sea itself. This blog post is a collection of seven letters from a young Greek girl, whose love for the Aegean is intertwined with the harsh realities of her existence. Through her words, we glimpse the economic struggles, societal pressures, and heartbreaking choices that define her life. Oh my poor and pretty Iliad Eleni :(
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Vocals: Busra Azizov & Azra Azizov & Seçkin Çelik
Violin & Guitars: Ufuk Çelik
Rhythm Guitar: Masal Su Çelik
Keys: Büşra Azizov & The Sugar Diggy DunX
Bass & Dbass & Bassy things :D : The Sugar Diggy DunX
Drums & Drum Kits & Percussion: KTGTIM
Lyrics & Music: Ufuk Çelik
Mix and Mastering: The Sugar Diggy DunX & Ufuk Çelik
Production: UFCEBABA

ILIAD ELENI (7) The Choice

Chassol – Birds, Pt. I

Camino Del Sol

Silly Things

Following 2019’s release of Azymuth’s Demos (1973-75), two more home-recorded demo tracks by the Brazilian psychedelic jazz-funk masters have surfaced from a tape in drummer Ivan ‘Mamao Conti’s private archive. These five-decade old recordings by the young band show the maturity, musicianship and distinctive style that saw Azymuth become one of the most important groups in Brazilian history. 

Featuring an instrumental take on iconic pop song writing team Roberto Carlos and Erasmo Carlos’ 1969 Jovem Guarda hit “As Curvas da Estrada de Santos”, and spacey psych-folk oddity “Ze e Parana” on the b-side, the new 7” release via Far Out Recordings shines yet more light on this critical period for Azymuth.  

As is the case with many of Brazil’s most well-known artists, Roberto Carlos had been backed by Bertrami, Malheiros and Conti either on stage, in the studio, or with compositions (in Bertami’s case) since the late sixties. Conti notes that “As Curvas da Estrada de Santos” was a big hit in Brazil when it came out in ’69 and had already been covered by Elis Regina a year later. 

But where Elis’ version and indeed Roberto Carlos’ original were grand pop-rock ballads, Azymuth’s take is a moody, melodic jazz excursion, featuring Bertami’s incredible Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes and grand piano juggling, Ivan ‘Mamao’ Conti’s distinctively tough drums, and unusually, Alex Malheiros plays a double bass instead of an electric one.

As the title suggests, “Ze e Parana” is guitarist Joao Americo (Parana) playing alongside Bertami’s Rhodes comping, synth embellishments and dreamy wordless vocals. Aside from being credited as the composer and guitarist on “Linha do Horizonte” a track from Azymuth’s debut album which would become the theme tune for a famous novella, Parana has to this day, remained relatively unknown. 

Both tracks were recorded in Jose Roberto Bertrami’s house in Rio de Janiero at some point between 1973-75. These tracks were not recorded in a professional studio, meaning the sound quality differs from other Azymuth releases. At Far Out we take great pride and extreme care in ensuring our releases and reissues are produced to the best possible sound quality. In this case the original source material – the cassette tapes – had not aged well and were considerably damaged. The sound has been restored to the best possible condition but there is still some noticeable tape hiss and slight distortion on ‘Ze e Parana’. For this reason, we strongly advise listening to preview clips before buying this release.

Azymuth - Zé E Paraná

Far Out Recordings was founded in 1994 by London DJ and record producer Joe Davis. His longstanding and insatiable passion for Brazilian music, fuelled by his initial love of the jazz, funk and soul ubiquitous on the Rare Groove scene in 1980s London, took him to Brazil first as a teenager. It was there that his enthusiasm for record-collecting led him to some of his musical heroes and the eventual formation of musical bonds and close friendships. Joe’s early discoveries led to him becoming the UK’s foremost authority on Brazilian music, much of it little-known here before his enthusiastic endorsements began to ring out across the music scene. This led to the inevitable, and the keen young music fan and DJ with an entrepreneurial flair founded Far Out Recordings.

The label’s aim from the start has been to bring the sound of Brazil to the world – to showcase the history and culture of a land bursting with creativity and energy – from the classic to the cutting edge. There have been numerous releases from both new and established Brazilian artists including legends such as Azymuth, Joyce, Marcos Valle, Arthur Verocai, The Ipanemas, Sabrina Malheiros, Clara Moreno and Binario, to name a few. 

Far Out also releases music from musicians and producers around the world who share the label’s appreciation for Brazilian music and culture. Alongside Brazilian music, the label is also well known for its longstanding association with underground dance music, having collaborated with some of the most acclaimed and accomplished electronic producers of our times. This had led to a rich plethora of pioneering and innovative dance and beats music, forging a future for the oft-neglected role of Brazil and its rhythms in the complex dance music diaspora of the UK and US, with 12" remixes and original productions from the likes of Theo Parrish, Mark Pritchard, 4hero, Dego, Andres, Marcellus Pittman, Kirk Degiorgio, Nicola Conte, A.D. Bourke, Henry Wu and Rick Willhite among many others.

Joe's crate-digging mentality has also been the driving force behind another crucial aspect of Far Out's work - unearthing forgotten masterpieces and once impossible to find records. This has led to reissues from the likes of Milton Nascimento and Roberto Quartin’s catalogue of lost gems, resulting in some of the finest Brazilian reissues you’re likely to find. While this remains a relatively small percentage of the label's output, every release is brought to you with the utmost love and care, ensuring painstaking perfection in the realms of sound, aesthetic and physicality.

Many of the artists on the Far Out roster regularly tour worldwide, playing across Europe, the USA and the Far East. Look out for them in your town, spreading the joy, the warmth and the restless creativity of Brazilian music and all that Far Out seeks to represent. “After more than twenty years of Far Out, we are only just beginning to realise our ambitions” surmises Joe. “We are still learning about production, recording and music, always.. and we are fortunate to be surrounded by the most exciting group of musicians and producers who are making consistently brilliant music. We are still intent on finding new stars, but we are immensely proud of what we have achieved so far and our formidable artist roster.”

"Brilliant British-Brazilian label" Daily Telegraph
"15 years of the excellent Far Out" Word
"The original and the best, Far Out has never faltered" Gilles Peterson
"Excellent London-based Brazilian label" The Independent
"UK's leading Brazilian label" The Observer
"UK's foremost Brazilian record label" Clash

Azymuth - Zé E Paraná

Far Out Recordings

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