Official reissue of Citro’s Smile EP from 1986. An unsung German funk band from Saarbrücken that existed for almost 4 years and played shows in Germany and Italy. The band featured male and female lead vocalists giving variety to their songs.

It starts off with a boogie. The positivity of Smile should be remembered on every blue monday or whenever you got the blues. Just put on your smiling face.

Smile is reworked by Dea (who released his own EP on Gudu records recently and is one half of Zatua that got a LP out on Second Circle). He gently extended the original and added some nice keyboard and drum machine sounds without losing the original vibe.
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If the a-side already got you grooving, the b-side will make you dance. Way Down To You is a melancholic dancefloor bomb about a love at the crossroads. The future of it depends if some rumours about the man’s faithfulness are right or wrong. Open end.

We Got Fantasy – a statement of a song, with great keyboards and additional percussion.

We Got Fantasy is edited by BM, the label boss himself, starting directly from the keyboard solo and extending it to an almost neverending and tenseful intrumental. From a DJ perspective, simple and effective.

funkscapes 002 | A2 Citro - Smile (Dea Rework) | Preview

funkscapes 001 | A1 Citro - Smile | Preview

funkscapes 002 | A2 Citro - Strange World | Preview

funkscapes 003 | A2 Jimmy Patrick Longfort - Attention (TAFS Rework) | Preview

funkscapes 003 | A1 Jimmy Patrick Longfort - Attention | Preview

What A Funky Night! Now officially remastered from the original analogue master tapes and pressed onto wax in its full length as a super sound single with the original artwork and extensive liner notes. Right in time for the 40th anniversary of this killer boogie funk tune straight outta Vienna.

On the flipside you got a previously unreleased version of Marihuana that surfaced during the reissue process. This earlier version was recorded during the 'Camera' LP sessions - slower than the familiar version on the 'Tight' LP.

funkscapes 004 | Harri Stojka Express - What A Funky Night (Original Version) | Preview

Official reissue of Dortmund's self-released single from 1981. For those in the know a sought-after gem, for everybody else the single you didn't know you need in your life! Comes in picture sleeve with the original artwork. Limited edition.

'Titanic' - quite self-explanatory - is about the queen of the ocean and her sinking as a ship believed as unsinkable. Starting off with its morse code-like sounds it evolves into a heavy grooving mélange of alternative rock, funk, new wave and synth pop.

The B-Side 'The Deep' explores depths you didn't know about. This instrumental jazz boogie funk fusion piece takes you on a five minute journey that will be your life-saver on any day.

In the early 1980s the scene of the Ruhr area was alive and kicking but still under the radar. Musicians played in different bands and projects of various styles. Three guys gathered simply under their city name "Dortmund" and did their own thing which led to this conceptual single - their only release.

Before that Elmar Krohn (keyboards) and Thomas Meyer (vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards) were part of the "Mardi Gras Band", a funk and soul band with a great reputation for their live shows. They were also involved in writing 'Blame It On The Boogie' which got performed by "The Jacksons" in 1978 but that is another story. On the drums they were joined by Siegfried Hermes who also played in the band "Die Salinos".

funkscapes 005 | Dortmund - The Deep (Part 1 + 2) | Preview

funkscapes 005 | Dortmund - Titanic (Part 1 + 2) | Preview

Official reissue of a German pop rap obscurity in addition with a bombastic HADE rework. Comes in picture sleeve with the original artwork. Limited to 300 copies.

The project fes consisted at its core of Fred Schwalbacher and Herry Schmitt. Their impetus was to combine the local dialect of the German Saar area with modern musical styles. After a full length release in 1984, the single 'Altstadtking' was released in 1986.

At that time musicians were encountered with rap music and some experimented with and included it into their musical output. 'Altstadtking' (old town king) is the result. The old town part of Saarlouis was a mecca for all kind of braggadocio back then, it was all about seeing and beeing seen. This tongue-in-cheek song is the story of a man showing off and bragging at nighttime while living an ordinary life at daytime.

For the flipside jack of all trades and any-bpm-powerhouse HADE (baumusik, OYE Records, Razor-N-Tape) did a stunning rework. He chopped and cooked down all instrumental parts of the original into a new dub version, added keys & bass on top and an extra punch to the mixdown for his vision of a dancefloor-ready 'Altstadtking'.

Rock it!

funkscapes 006 | fes - Altstadtking (HADE Rework) | Preview

funkscapes 006 | fes - Altstadtking | Preview

12" compilation with new tracks by Eoism, Voertuig, Colkin and a lost gem by Peter Seiler featuring Sheryl Hackett. Picture sleeve with a bold artwork based on a sculpture by Hede Bühl. Limited to 500 copies.

Colkin (Raw Soul, Mauke Club) kicks off the a-side with a spheric acid house meditation. Next is a track by Peter Seiler which could be found on the extended reissue of his 'Flying Frames' debut LP on Innovative Communication in 1989. It features the soulful voice of Sheryl Hackett. An extraordinary groover that is meandering between song and jazz improvisation. Eoism (Pulse Drift, Undersound, Inch By Inch) complete the a-side with some low-swung electro flavors, driving you straight into sunset.

On the b-side Voertuig (Tonal Oceans, Cobra Club) hit us with a serious and raw acid jam - dark and dirty. On the following track they show us their experimental jazzy side and cool things down again. A track the 1990s downbeat era was missing. Eoism close the first volume of FUTUR with a floating, futuristic banger from their lab.

Benedikt Meger's aspiration for funkscapes was always to feature funk grooves, old and new, fresh and relevant for today. Whether some rare, not so rare or just under the radar recordings from the past or new productions from today's artists across different electronic genres. This idea now culminates into the selection for the compilation FUTUR.

Enjoy the ride.

funkscapes 007 | Futur | B3 Eoism - Even Flow | Preview

funkscapes 007 | Futur | B2 Voertuig - 808 Ambient Jazz | Preview

funkscapes 007 | Futur | B1 Voertuig - Cego | Preview

funkscapes 007 | Futur | A3 Eoism - Ultraverse | Preview

funkscapes 007 | Futur | A2 Peter Seiler feat. Sheryl Hackett - Timebend | Preview

funkscapes 007 | Futur | A1 Colkin - Via Marcomanni | Preview

The 1980 space disco hit you probably never heard of. Now officially remastered including new stunning edits by Peaking Lights and Korkut Elbay. Picture sleeve with an outstanding painting by Antonia Freisburger.

'Inside' with loads of synths and some vocoder on top is a wild jam that is propelling more and more into a frenzy during its course.

Following the orginal is a dancefloor-edit by Korkut Elbay which puts the vocal part into focus. Korkut Elbay, part of the Cómeme camp and an integral part of Cologne's electronic music scene for over 20 years, crafted an edit in its purest form.

On the flipside Aaron Coyes of the California-based duo Peaking Lights stretches out the original and reaches higher grounds with his stomping rework. He gently adds some more keys and puts you into a trance with his soothing melodies. Now dance!

But what's the story behind this unearthed gem stone? In the late 1970s a marketing company owner faced an increasing competitve market and wanted to work indepently from the professional studios which were charging high rates for commercials back then. The solution was to build his own sound studio. So he set one up in the basement of his company in Saarbrücken, Germany. He hired a studio operator and a composer that got quite a reputation in the local scence back then and besides daily job routines 'Inside' was created.

funkscapes 008 | B Three Men - Inside (Peaking Lights Rework) | Preview

funkscapes 008 | A2 Three Men - Inside (Korkut Elbay Edit) | Preview

funkscapes 008 | A1 Three Men - Inside | Preview

In 2009 I recorded two mixes digging out tunes that sampled Zapp's "More Bounce To The Ounce". All vinyl and mostly chronological. One focussed on tracks of the westcoast, the other one on the eastcoast. Now in July 2020 the first Zapp LP turned 40, so that's a perfect occasion to share both mixes as a mega-mix via stream. Enjoy.

Big up to all featured artists and labels!
Peace.

More Bounce To The Ounce Mega Mix by Benedikt Meger

electronic funk grooves from the past and the future. record label run by music lover & dj benedikt meger. get in contact for bookings.

07.11.24 - groove attack recordstore, cologne
19.10.24 - schleuse zwei, düsseldorf
31.08.24 - schleuse zwei, düsseldorf
30.08.24 - schnörres, cologne
24.08.24 - büdchentag, düsseldorf
13.07.24 - schleuse zwei, düsseldorf
12.07.24 - elektra bar, cologne
11.05.24 - king georg, cologne
08.05.24 - schleuse zwei, düsseldorf
02.05.24 - groove attack recordstore, cologne
12.04.24 - dublab.de, cologne
06.04.24 - stube 8, saarbrücken
06.04.24 - humpty records, saarbrücken
13.03.24 - salon des amateurs, düsseldorf
17.02.24 - schleuse zwei, düsseldorf
17.01.24 - schleuse zwei, düsseldorf
13.01.24 - jaki, cologne
24.11.23 - schleuse zwei, düsseldorf
07.10.23 - schleuse zwei, düsseldorf
16.09.23 - off the traxx open air, wuppertal
09.09.23 - schleuse zwei, düsseldorf
12.08.23 - büdchentag, düsseldorf
20.06.23 - dublab.de, cologne
16.05.23 - dublab.de, cologne
18.04.23 - dublab.de, cologne
14.04.23 - pip, the hague
21.03.23 - dublab.de, cologne
01.02.23 - dublab.de, cologne
27.08.22 - salon des amateurs, düsseldorf
12.08.22 - loch, wuppertal 
18.06.22 - synop, saarbrücken
18.06.22 - humpty records, saarbrücken
07.05.22 - wp8, düsseldorf
06.05.22 - dublab.de, cologne
12.02.22 - fm4 tribe vibes, vienna
27.11.21 - wp8, düsseldorf
07.10.20 - salon des amateurs, düsseldorf
03.01.20 - salon des amateurs, düsseldorf
26.10.19 - wp8, düsseldorf
17.05.19 - wp8, düsseldorf
06.10.18 - salon des amateurs, düsseldorf
04.09.18 - callshop radio, düsseldorf
29.08.18 - wednesday news, salon des amateurs, düsseldorf
25.08.18 - büdchentag, suffon. corner, pausenbrot, düsseldorf
03.04.18 - callshop radio, düsseldorf
08.11.17 - kassette, düsseldorf
15.09.17 - vernissage 15-30, punktkommastrich, düsseldorf
25.08.17 - salon des amateurs, düsseldorf
04.06.17 - callshop radio, düsseldorf
05.04.17 - dublab session, topic drift record store, cologne
16.12.16  - graffithek, düsseldorf
12.11.16 - solobar, düsseldorf
30.09.16 - _____thek, düsseldorf
23.09.16 - acephale, cologne
13.08.16 - something open air, tanzhaus nrw, düsseldorf
20.05.16 - solobar, düsseldorf
09.04.16 - vernissage off-line, ninasagt, düsseldorf
18.03.16 - solobar, düsseldorf
13.02.16 - vernissage juicy island, damenundherren, düsseldorf
22.01.16 - solobar, düsseldorf
30.04.15 - solobar, düsseldorf
23.01.15 - solobar, düsseldorf
05.12.14 - solobar, düsseldorf
24.10.14 - solobar, düsseldorf
18.07.14 - solobar, düsseldorf
11.04.14 - solobar, düsseldorf
03.01.14 - 1000+, parkhouse, düsseldorf
18.09.13 - after party 40° urban art festival, monkey's room, düsseldorf
06.09.13 - vernissage 40° urban art festival, pretty portal, düsseldorf
15.10.11 - electronic night, zakk, düsseldorf
27.09.08 - electronic night, zakk, düsseldorf

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