4.10.24

German-born, Amsterdam based don Retromigration (AKA Malik Kassim) steps into the big leagues, letting loose his debut album on WOLF Music. ‘Straight Foxin’ contains fourteen expertly executed tracks, ranging from hazy beats and jazz-tinged broken rhythms to club-ready groovers, deep excursions, soulful footwork and even some jungle energy. An LP that has long been in the works (and for good reason), it’s packed with a flavour for every occasion. You just know a long player from this player is going to cover all bases.

Over the past few years, Retromigration has built up a loyal following and gained solid support from tastemakers within the electronic music press and radio landscape. For example, BBC Radio 1, NTS Radio, Worldwide FM, Mixmag, DJ Mag, Phonica, Ransom Note, 5 Magazine, Bolting Bits, SlothBoogie all giving his music their seal of approval. With representation from one of the scene’s most credible DJ agencies, Sounds Familiar, Retromigration has also got a busy international DJing schedule and will be touring to support the album release. With an impressive run of releases via Handy, Healthy Scratch, wewillalwaysbealovesong and WOLF in a relatively short space – Retromigration has established himself as hot property and it’s clear to see why. A distinctive style and energy permeate his tracks with a breadth of influences on offer, from hip hop, to jazz, soul to funk.
 
His debut LP, ‘Straight Foxin’, is a carefully curated and crafted journey showcasing the creative explosions firing off in his brain. Joining the dots between genres, taking elements from here, ideas from there – twisting and turning yet never out of place. Take the opening three tracks, all of which are tied together by a deep fondness for jazz, served up in different styles. ‘Kunta’ kicks off proceedings with a hazy and low-slung blend, ‘Formant’ leaning into the realms of broken beat and DnB and ‘Be Someone’ cruises in with the off-kilter house.

Elsewhere, there’s prime examples of Retromigration’s signature sample-laden house with deeper cuts like ‘Mada’ and ‘Bouncer’, sitting side by side with more soulful explorations such as ‘New Cribs’ and ‘ITWT’. As we delve deeper into the record another course of Retromigration’s expansive taste is served up, with four high-energy hits. The bouncing footwork flavours of ‘Kush Love’ ft. Passion Deez and ethereal excursion ‘What If’ lead into a captivating nod to the heydays of jungle and DnB on ‘Mild Fever’ and ‘Bad Knees’ respectively. Straight Foxin, mad flexin – Retromigration has laid down the law with this LP, a debut album done right.

Retromigration - Bad Knees Ft. Nephews

Bobby Donny Soundsystem - Homerun (Preview)

Bobby Donny Soundsystem - Fantasy Club (Preview)

Down Jazz Records was founded by producer David Schwartz and is a boutique label from New York & Detroit, that crafts neo-soul, R&B, nu-jazz, chilled down house, and electronica. Here the label presents us with a super-heavyweight remix EP entitled ‘Rocket Love’ by multi storied talent collective, Detroit Rising.
Detroit Rising is a collection of artists comprised of 10 groove masters including the current and original members of Parliament-Funkadelic, Prince, Public Enemy and Mary J Blige. In 2018, the collective took a break from their relentless touring schedules and stepped out in a whole new direction, creating a hybrid sound of funk-jazz with injections of soul and hip hop resulting in an album entitled “A Cosmic Jazz Funk Adventure”. It was recorded live at the Motown affiliated United Sound Studios in Detroit and various other studios across America.  Lifted from the album the ‘Rocket Love Remix EP’, benefits from a handpicked selection of some of the top DJ producers in the UK brought together to create a soulful house and nu-jazz hybrid edition that features Jimpster, Kaidi Tatham, Sean McCabe with Z records (Dave Lee) and EVM128 – with mastering by UK wizard Atjazz.

First up, Jimpster remixes the Detroit Rising space opera, ‘Rocket Love’, showcasing two funk-fused house tracks with guitar licks from Duminie Deporres (Public Enemy) and bass lines courtesy of Kern Brantley (Mary J Blige, Beyonce, Aretha Franklin). The vocal remix is expertly laced with parts of the original P-funk instrumental and hip-hop vocals, with the dreamy ‘Dub’ version letting that infectious hook and melody hit hard.  Next up, Sean McCabe was brought in by Dave Lee to remix the original Detroit hit ‘Little Bit of Love’  into a fast-paced dance heater. King of the keys Kaidi Tatham is then welcomed to remix two different Detroit Rising tracks, creating a double dose of signature, broken beat infusions. ‘Our world’ stars P-funk vocalist and keyboard wizard Danny Bedrosian, alongside granddaughter of George Clinton, Tonysha Nelson. The emotive, soulful broken brilliance of ‘ Peace & Harmony’ also gets the Kaidi treatment starring Sue Ann Carwell and Steve Boyd, vocalists for Prince and Kool & The Gang respectively.  Finally, EVM128 of Co-op fame rounds off the package presenting a fast and futuristic bruk beat version from the romantic Detroit Rising cut ‘Gorgeous’.

BUY on JUNO

PREMIERE : Detroit Rising - Our World ( Kaidi Tatham Remix)

Stream: https://found.ee/exploration-of-sounds
Website: https://www.ninetofiverecords.com/2024/06/exploration-of-sounds-album/

Written by: Dennis Boukas, Oliver Hultqvist
Mixing & Mastering: Dennis Boukas
Mastering: The Swedish Gramophone Studio
Released through the Ninetofive
Photography & Artwork: Luciano Brougham

I am thrilled to announce the collaboration album by Oh, My and Boukas. This unique project, titled “Exploration of Sounds,” was created in the beautiful and peaceful southern parts of Sweden, where both producers, spent several days getting inspired and making music together myself included. In a world dominated by digital production, Oh, My and Boukas took a different approach to making music. They used authentic equipment that modern VSTs try to replicate, capturing the warm, rich sounds that only real instruments can produce. This dedication to authenticity shines through in every note of their work.

The project started together with Oh, My and Boukas in the house we rented that we thought had just the perfect atmosphere and organic vibe to inspire us in a creative way.

After the first day, when all the equipment was connected and working, the two talented producers began to improvise with both ideas and their musical vision. The release is starting to take shape.

Early in the morning of the second day, when I got up, Oh, My and Boukas were already up and writing melodies and beautiful tones to the mist outside. I was really impressed by their work together and how everything synced so easily with their collaboration. The project is gaining momentum, and one gets a little glimpse of what is to come, and even then, I understood that this would be incredibly unique.

On the third day, the feeling for the project was already in sync, and even today I wonder if the two sensed how all the songs had a consistent style where everything fit together so nicely. A project I am incredibly proud to present, where people not only make music together in one place but also share memories, food, and laughter – something that is rare today, as one usually only receives an email from the person they are working with.

After the time spent at the house together with Oh, My. and Boukas it was time to head off to ‘The Swedish Gramophone Studio’ that’s located in Gothenburg where we teamed up with Alexandros Koutsogiannis who contributed with his incredible talent on saxophone, flute and bass clarinet and Daniel Andersson with his contrabass to add depth – Truly an amazing journey and being able to witness the talent.

Stream

Oh, My. & Boukas - 18:01 (Day 1)

GEMS IN THE CORNERSTORE II

SWEEPSTAKES

DOWN EASY

Stream & download: https://melting-pot-music.lnk.to/placebeyond

Berlin-based producer, composer and instrumentalist Leon Pock, formerly known as beatmensch5000, introduces his new project ODYLE. ‘The Place Beyond The Willows’ is the third single. 

ODYLE’s upcoming debut EP ‘18 Months Of(f)’ (29.11.24) was crafted during the challenging years of 2022-2023, a period marked by significant personal obstacles. After contracting COVID-19, he faced a prolonged battle with Long COVID (ME/CFS), which severely impacted his daily life and creative process. Despite enduring persistent fatigue, ODYLE continued to create music, albeit with great difficulty. The experience demanded perseverance, patience, and resilience, which ultimately shaped the EP's thematic superstructure and creative journey. The ambivalence of time—both its slow, arduous passage during recovery and its relentless, fleeting nature—became a central theme in the music. 

Particularly influential for his first solo project is the live jazz and hip-hop format Black Bear Basement (sax, keys, vibraphone/perc, turntables), which he founded in 2016 and with which, in addition to a sold-out tour, he was also represented at several established festivals. The band's sound concept, in which sophisticated production skills and the organic timbre of the four instruments result in fully developed beat compositions, also forms ODYLE's unique body of sound.

The EP also showcases the talents of R&B singer DALEE and singer-songwriter fraen as well as award-winning jazz saxophonist Phillip Dornbusch and bassist Viktor Velinov, both key figures in Berlin's flourishing jazz and new soul scene.

Leon Pock has been a pivotal figure in Berlin's music scene for several years, contributing as a producer, composer, and songwriter across both German and English-speaking circles. As a pianist and musical director, he has toured extensively throughout Germany and Europe. Under his former alias beatmensch5000, Leon has released multiple albums and numerous singles, collaborating with a diverse array of artists.

Follow ODYLE
Spotify https://lnk.to/odyle_spotify
Apple Music https://music.apple.com/de/artist/odyle/1765104011
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/odyle_music	

Visit https://bio.to/mpm for the latest Melting Pot Music stuff.

Follow Melting Pot Music
Spotify https://lnk.to/meltingpotmusic_spotify
Apple Music https://apple.co/3YDYaXq 
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/melting_pot_music
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/MPMTV
Bandcamp https://meltingpotmusic.bandcamp.com
SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/mpmcgn

Produced by ODYLE.
Mixed by Phil Paruschke & ODYLE. 
Mastered by Phil Parushke.
Artwork and press photos by Robert Winter.

Cat No: MPM 345-3
Artist: ODYLE 
Titel: The Place Beyond The Willows

© ℗ 2024 Melting Pot Music

ODYLE - The Place Beyond The Willows

Glenn Astro leans into the twilight months of 2024 with a new album from his Delta Rain Dance project. Divining fourth world sensibilities from his restlessly curious studio workflow, Astro weaves a mesmerising tapestry of sound on Music For Autumn which treads the line between horizontal meditation and head-nodding, backroom-ready groove.

Amongst his constellation of myriad aliases, Delta Rain Dance spells out the inspiration Astro takes from fourth world pioneer Jon Hassell. The project first surfaced with a string of tapes, LPs and digital releases around 2018, all carried on a label of the same name to keep Delta Rain Dance enclosed in its own space independent of Astro's many other musical endeavours.

"I’m really into the world building aspect in science fiction and fantasy," says Astro. "This is my way of creating worlds and spaces that co-exist next to each other. Sometimes they collide but mostly they exist peacefully next to each other or pursue some form of cultural exchange by collaborating with each other."

There's a strong sense of balance and cohesion throughout Music For Autumn, as organic percussion and instrumentation wraps around delicate synthesis and patient drum machine pulses so naturally it's hard to spot the joins. The sound has plenty of room to stretch out, from the mantra-like chimes and rattles of the album opener 'Green Light Fade' to the luxury funk of 'Mmmh, Nice' (featuring fellow Tartelet alumni Nelson of the East). At times the electronic elements seem to entirely dissolve, not least behind the loping strings and tumbledown percussion of 'Second Sleep', while achingly beautiful closer 'Plucked' centres on the fluttering movement and expression Astro elicits from his modular setup.

True to the project's influences, a consistent ambiguous mood lingers in the air over Music For Autumn somewhere between far-flung mystery and comforting familiarity, reliably calm but equally contemplative. It's an odyssey of serenity with enough nuance to make you really think, perfect for the days getting shorter, leaves crunching underfoot and the last fading rays of warmth from the sun. 

Delta Rain Dance - Healing Vibe (version)

In December

Fireside (Intro)

https://www.ninetofiverecords.com/philanthrope-shares-second-single-from-pastweekend-with-leavv/

PastWeekend

Philanthrope & Leavv - Liquid Wires

Written, Composed & Performed by Clairmont The Second
Recorded, Mixed & Mastered at GRAiN PWRD Farms

they said it would rain...

bbhur

Second track taken from the mini-album "Earth Tones" by Yadava.

Vinyl  & digital release out now

Order on bandcamp
omena.bandcamp.com/album/earth-tones

More Yadava on soundcloud 
@yadavasoflute

Yadava - Good Mourning (OM026)

Music Lover. Interested in Jazz, Funk, Soul, Elektronic Music, Songwriting, Old Stuff, New Stuff, Hip-Hop.

4.10.24

Julia