Fuck Fame  - Bart Davenport

Ann Arbor's Trees drops this wicked ep, six slices of lush, each on their own planet but part of the same galaxy, where techno, hip-hop and house rub up against jazz, Kraut-rock and African percussion.
There's a saying in Ann Arbor that goes “I spent half my life waiting for Charles”. Charles Trees, because that's who people are referring to when uttering those words, is the local music scene's best kept secret. In a city literally brimming with talent (MC5, Iggy, George Clinton, Mitch Ryder, Recloose, Mayer Hawthorne, Shigeto, Dabrye, anyone?), Charles is one of the absolute heroes, a gem among gems, yet relatively few people outside the city limits have heard of him. Why? Well, probably because our man doesn't really care too much about fame, hipster blogs, online social networking or other forms of shameless self promotion. He just makes his music, and remixes, and spins his tunes around town, and sometimes even releases some of them, like his EPs on Moodgadget, Ghostly International, or Paris imprint Musique Large. Which is how we heard about Charles. He made us a brilliant remix for Pajaro Sunrise' “Old Goodbyes”, and after that we had the pleasure of meeting him in person. A deal was struck for an EP. It was the summer of 2012, and we were about to find out what the “half my life waiting for Charles” was all about.
Fast forward to 2014, and lo and behold, habemus EP. And not just any EP. A HUGE EP. Six slices of lush, each on their own planet but part of the same galaxy, where techno, hip-hop and house rub up against jazz, Kraut-rock and African percussion. Sounds like a cliché, right? Uh huh, yeah.
The title track starts out like a Sun Ra jam, with the brilliant Dan Bennett on sax. After the fist bass stab, the beat kicks in and we're taken on a jubilant ride towards the acidic finish. “Exodus” continues on a hypnotic house tip while the level of funk keeps rising. The slamming beat finishes things off quite nicely. On “Get Advanced”, Detroit rapper, poet and Egyptologist Intricate Dialect spits his rhymes over hypnotic and minimal percussion and some nasty 303-stabs. Dan Bennett returns on “What's Left”, a slow burning piece of space boogie. Madrid-based DJ F does a good job of remixing”Rootwork”, adding some eeriness by changing the beat and replacing Bennett's sax with trippy keyboards. And finally, the mighty Shigeto stretches “What's Left” to almost nine minutes, with a four-minute intro leading up to a more uptempo but equally hypnotic version of the original.
https://soundcloud.com/charlestrees
http://lovemonk.bandcamp.com/album/rootwork

Trees - Rootwork

The Sooner

Slingfunk

Saint Malo is the artistic name and title of the debut album by Javier Jiménez Rolo, a classically trained multi-instrumentalist who has collaborated with Pajaro Sunrise for several years.

Javier has chosen this French city to name a project that explores the intersections of neoclassicism, folk, ambient and electronic textures. 

The album is a captivating instrumental tale of serene emotion made up of twelve postcards whose introduction is 'Le pont roulant', a title that pays homage to the old rolling bridge of Saint-Malo. Like a three-minute sunrise, the track reveals its delicate elements until it reaches a passionate fragility.

Saint Malo

Saint Malo - Le pont roulant

As Pete Isaac from Jelly Jazz said, "Makala does tasty club rocking tunes that fuse old school rumba, salsa, reggae, swing and mambo with breakbeats and chugging 4 to tha floor beats". Remix action here from our friends and heroes Dusty and Dubben. Both delivering amazing takes on the originals. 

Watch out for Makala’s new album, coming very soon!!


Vamos A Comer (Dusty Remix)

Makalambo

Maquina De Amor (Dubben Remix)

New Visionaries are UK-based Australian artist Joel Sarakula and Dutch musician Phil Martin.

The New Visionaries story starts with an unexpected rendezvous in the summer of 2019, when Phil joined as a conga player for a Joel show at the very last minute. From that point onwards, spontaneity becomes the cornerstone of their musical relationship. Fast forward a year and the narrative of New Visionaries truly unfolds in July 2020, when Joel found himself stranded in The Netherlands after playing a few club shows in Amsterdam, his first performances after the early pandemic lockdowns. He was waiting for the UK borders to reopen for those traveling from The Netherlands, allowing him to return home. Recognizing that he had some time to spare and already sharing a rapport with Phil, he set up camp in Dordrecht for an unpredictable period and they embarked on recording fresh material together.

Despite Phil's involvement in the European funk and soul scene and Joel's inclination towards soulful pop, what led them to create new music is their shared affinity for contemporary instrumental bands such as Khruangbin, Calibro 35 or Air, as well as classic influences like David Axelrod and the KPM library series. They started crafting tracks for what would become “Roadmaps”, their debut album. The idea was to construct succinct mood pieces capable of transporting listeners on a three-minute odyssey, often traversing distant and distinct musical cultures. With Phil handling drums, percussion, keys, bass and guitar, and Joel contributing on keys, bass and guitar, they managed to flesh out most of the arrangements in Phil's studio, packed with vintage instruments. 

The duo also called in guest artists who contributed with enriching performances, as brilliantly shown in the first single off the album, ‘Summer Rain’. A collaboration with the acclaimed British singer Hannah Williams, her smooth, soulful vocals embed this emotional composition in the mind as a flawless classic.

Roadmaps

New Visionaries ft. Hannah Williams - Summer Rain

‘Dolce far niente’ is the second single taken from Saint Malo’s forthcoming debut album, a bright and playful track built on a captivating combination of light percussion, synths, ukulele and handclaps. Featuring an evocative Theremin-like melody, Javier Jiménez (aka Saint Malo) describes it as “a mix between elevator music and a song announcing the arrival of summer”, where echoes of Raymond Scott and Isao Tomita resound beautifully.

Saint Malo - Dolce far niente

The second single off the upcoming New Visionaries debut album (“Roadmaps”) showcases all the band’s strengths, weaving a sonic tapestry that blurs boundaries and shines as a true gem. The title ‘Desert Disco Nights’ perfectly describes the song’s vibe, three instrumental minutes during which the steady and flowing rhythm section irresistibly grabs you, hypnotic guitar and keyboard melodies have you spinning, while synth and percussion flourishes accentuate the slightly psychedelic mood.

New Visionaries - Desert Disco Nights

‘The Mute And The Blind’ is the second advance track from Pajaro Sunrise’s upcoming album, “The Future Is Not What It Used To Be”. Yuri Méndez keeps treading his own path within the Spanish independent music scene and this new single is another exceptional display of his craftsmanship in songwriting, akin to contemporaries such as José González, Damien Jurado and Kings Of Convenience. While the lyrical subject deals with notions around media obsession and the commodification of most elements of society, the song’s melodic strength and its gentle instrumentation provide a sense of marvel and candor as necessary counterpoint.

The Future Is Not What It Used To Be

The Mute And The Blind

Pajaro Sunrise - The Mute And The Blind

‘Give Me The Strength To Be Me’ is the exclusive single for Lovemonk by Soulnaturals, featuring London singer Chalibrann. This stunning track fuses all the power and beauty of gospel and soul music with exquisite arrangements that take Soulnaturals to spiritual heights, akin to contemporary artists such as Michael Kiwanuka and Sault.  

Soulnaturals is the London-based project of songwriter, producer and band leader Tony Cannam, who collaborates with outstanding guest singers and musicians on high-quality soul/R&B music which has received rave reviews from Blues & Soul, Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show, Jazz FM, Andy Peebles at Smooth FM, Solar Radio, Clash Magazine, DMC World and London Live TV, among others. Cannam is influenced by the rich heritage of 60s and 70s US soul/funk artists and arrangers such as Norman Whitfield, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones. 

Soulnaturals released their debut album, “Love Says Yes!”, in 2017 as part of Record Store Day, receiving strong critical acclaim and a nod as contender for album of the year from UK Vibe. Their second album, “Parlo Discoteca”, came out in October 2023 on their own label, British Soul Standard.

Give Me The Strength To Be Me

Soulnaturals feat. Chalibrann - Give Me The Strength To Be Me

Is it wishful thinking to release a track called ‘The Sunshine’ during the second week of January? Maybe so, but when you hear Yolande Kalb and Margriet Groenhof’s soulful voices sing the title, we think you’ll join in straight away. The third single by New Visionaries carries on the best tradition of 70s European library music and displays Joel Sarakula and Phil Martin’s knack for groove and feel ahead of their imminent debut album, “Roadmaps”.

New Visionaries - The Sunshine

‘Pregones (Edit)’ is the first preview of “Jolifanto”, the joint album by ZA! and Perrate: two powerful musical entities, artists who come from very different backgrounds and converge in their eagerness to experiment, in their curiosity and passion for rhythmic exploration in their music. 

“Jolifanto" is an inexplicable explosion propelled by (poly)rhythm which expands into apparently distant territories under the influence of flamenco. The Dadaist spirit is very present in a work that moves forward impelled by the tension between the improvised and the meticulously planned, between listening and reaction. ZA! and Perrate together are an organism that travels from the roots to the rave without anything being out of place, because the place is yet to be defined.

Jolifanto

ZA! + Perrate - Pregones (Edit)

On this second EP of Kulturkatzenjammer remixes, Madrid-based Rayko does a good job of making “Minolta” sound like a bright-lights-big-city production in the vein of Italians Do It Better. Parisian-via-Barcelona Toni Harispuru, better known as Golden Bug, reworks the anxious “This Vision” into something that somehow sounds even more obsessive and troubling than the original 2-minute album track. British producer Cottam, then, applies his raw finesse to the same tune so that it can tear the roof off the sucker any time of the week. Bomba!

Minolta (Rayko Remix) - Pajaro Sunrise

Bandcamp

Bart Davenport - Girl Gotta Way (Peaking Lights Remix)

‘La milonga’ is the second preview of “Jolifanto”, the joint album by ZA! and Perrate: two powerful musical entities, artists who come from very different backgrounds and converge in their eagerness to experiment, in their curiosity and passion for rhythmic exploration in their music.

“Jolifanto" is an inexplicable explosion propelled by (poly)rhythm which expands into apparently distant territories under the influence of flamenco. The Dadaist spirit is very present in a work that moves forward impelled by the tension between the improvised and the meticulously planned, between listening and reaction. ZA! and Perrate together are an organism that travels from the roots to the rave without anything being out of place, because the place is yet to be defined.

ZA! + Perrate - La milonga

‘Campos de Soria’ is the first single taken from “Romanticismo siempre”, the upcoming second album by Delone, aka Andrés Téllez. Recorded mainly using synthesizers, the album travels a territory that borders on the experimental and the dancefloor, entering at times in both fields.  
  
Its musical language is rich and varied. Among synths, analogue experimentation, drones and psychedelia, many of the subcultures that have shaped what was once called “electronic music” appear. Flashes of trip hop, new age and proto-electronics are amalgamated throughout, together with hints of mutant house, breakbeats, IDM and trance.

Romanticismo siempre

Delone - Campos de Soria

Daga Voladora’s last album came out in 2016. ‘Quise ser’ is the first single taken from “Los manantiales” (“The Springs”), the long-awaited return of someone who never left completely. 

“The title of the album refers to all those sources from which I drink to make my songs: Stereolab, Broadcast, Galaxie 500, Cate Le Bon... And also something from the flamenco language. Flamenco in my own way, of course,” explains Plaza. To some, “Los manantiales” will also bring echoes of Spanish cult artists such as Vainica Doble, Ana D or Kikí d’Akí. Deep voices for songs with substance. 

But there is also that other idea of the spring that gushes forth when it can no longer be contained. “It has taken me so many years to make this album because I had a prejudice related to the previous one, in which there was a coherence. I couldn’t find that concept this time and I couldn’t get into it. Until I decided that maybe I didn’t have to demand such a rigid direction from myself...”

In “Los manantiales” there are many possible worlds, as many dreamed ones. Of course, those of Daga Voladora, but also those of any curious and sensitive listener.

Los manantiales

Daga Voladora - Quise ser

This is a very special release for us. We have been involved in a wonderful project with a great outcome: ING Direct has filmed this music video to raise funds for Unicef. They will use these funds to build schools in Africa. And we have been in charge of the music. Yuri Méndez from Pajaro Sunrise and Barcelona’s up and coming house music star Clip! have joined forces  and under the name “Conundrums" they have produced "Keep On Dancing”.

The package comes with remixes by Berlin's XXXY and two totally different approaches by Clip! and definitely it’s going to keep you dancing.


Keep On Dancing (XXXY Remix)

“Chicken Wire” (the one with that video of those very funky elderly Mexicans) gets a stomping 4x4 boogie do-over by Souleance (DJ Soulist & Fulgeance), turning a laid-back shuffler into a make-room-I'm-gonna-show-you-my-moves-and-then-you're-coming-home-with-me dance floor shaker.

Gecko Turner - Chicken Wire (Souleance Remix)

Mo Kolours dons “I'll Do That” with a subtle hip-hop beat like only he can, and gives the tune an even more late-night, jazzy vibe than the original. Score!

Gecko Turner - I'll Do That (Mo Kolours Remix)

Incarnations strike again with a fine batch of reworks of tracks off of the mesmerising “With All Due Respect” album. 
For starters, Lexx turns love ballad “Let Love Find You” into a haunting Balearic Jan Hammered beauty, keeping Bing Ji Ling's vocals and adding some Nyabinghi drumming and spectral synths. 
Space Ranger then take the uplifting “Hindi Ko Alam” to jacking disco territory while sprinkling their cosmic dust all over it.
Kare Frisvold & Rune Lindbæk manage to transform the contemplative “Sunset On Punta Paloma” into a psychedelic dancefloor peak time affair.

The digital bonus track is delivered by Pepe Link, who delivers exactly what he promises in the title of his rerub: slow-mo Balearic disco for “Let Love Find You”.

Let Love Find You  (Pepe Link Remix)

Taken from La Sombra, the first solo album by Chip Wickham.

La Sombra

Chip Wickham - Sling Shot

Space Ranger - Nothing's Wrong (Lipelis & Simple Symmetry Remix).mp3

The first single from @chip-wickham's second album, Shamal Wind. Now connected to a greater musical vision, fine-tuned with the ongoing influences derived from Chip's many bases in Doha, Madrid & Brighton, Chip now sees those US jazz forebearers like Yusef Lateef and Sahib Shihab, who have had such an effect on his playing, in a fresh new light.

'Barrio 71' is out now on Lovemonk (digital).
Download the track here: https://hypeddit.com/track/aj4dwy
Shamal Wind will be released in May 2018.
Pre-order the album here https://lovemonk.lnk.to/ShamalWind

http://chipwickham.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ChipWickhamMusic/
https://www.instagram.com/chipwickham
https://chipwickham.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/62MkXCxcZ345tVUHsD9NK0

Shamal Wind

Barrio 71

Chip Wickham – Barrio 71

As the release date of Chip Wickham’s second album Shamal Wind draws closer (May 25th), the UK flutist and sax player will drop second single ‘Snake Eyes’ on May 4th. Where predecessor ‘Barrio 71’ was an Art Blakey-style, percussive outburst of energy in 6/8, ‘Snake Eyes’, though still highly danceable, is a more laidback affair, tapping into the meditative exaltations of modal jazz, with Wickham’s intoxicating transverse flute taking the lead. The debut single ‘Barrio 71’ received praise and support from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Laurent Garnier, Craig Charles, Jez Nelson, Gideon Coe, Toshio Matsuura and Dom Servini.

Chip Wickham was an early lynchpin of the jazz scene in Manchester in the '90s playing and collaborating with Matthew Halsall and the likes of Nightmares On Wax, Badly Drawn Boy, and Grand Central Records. Despite Chip's international meanderings, the Manchester connection still burns strong, and Matthew Halsall guests on album track 'The Mirage'. In 2017 Chip toured with both Matthew Halsall and Dwight Trible, and his previous credits include Craig Charles Fantasy Funk Band, The New Mastersounds, The Pharcyde, and Roy Ayers.

Chip released his debut album 'La Sombra' in 2017 on Lovemonk.

Pre-order Shamal Wind on LP, CD or Digital
https://lovemonk.lnk.to/ShamalWind

Snake Eyes

Pre-order

Chip Wickham – Snake Eyes

“Testify” is the second single taken from Boohgaloo Zoo’s stunning self-titled debut album. U-Gene goes all out on the vocals while the bassline and synth stabs are clearly in the business of tearing roofs off suckers. Heavy 21st century funk!

The remixes make sure that those who like to shake their behinds to something more up-tempo get with the program as well - Soulphiction goes to work on the track not once but twice in a full-on boogie mix and one that is more on the minimal side, while Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard takes it to very late night club territories.

Background info:
Boohgaloo Zoo are K’bonus and U-Gene, two veterans of the Belgian and Dutch music scenes respectively. After meeting at the 10 Days Off festival in Ghent the duo started sending each other beats and tracks and soon enough a full album was in the making. K’bonus’ beats and samples and U-Gene’s vocals and keys are a match made in heaven, resulting in tunes reminiscent of Amp Fiddler, Chromeo, Arthur Russell and Funkadelic. All at the same time!

www.myspace.com/boohgaloozoo

Boohgaloo Zoo - Testify (Joe Goddard Remix)

After the pretty huge success of the “Star Wash EP” Space Ranger bring along two new boogie bangers from their voyage to the stars in order to make the wait for their debut album (due out in October 2010) a lot more bearable. Cosmic disco galore, with Madrid-based producer Rayko slowing the title track down a tad more and making it even more psychedelic than it already is, and Italian Ajello using his stardust on “Shave Me, I’m Famous” for extra space/spice.

Background info:
Space Ranger come from the stars.
The trio based in Stuttgart has a wide experience and an unlimited love for music.
In their previous disguises they have done remixes for the likes of Kool and The Gang, Sugababes or Kurtis Blow, but now they are absolutely focused on this project.
Space is the place.

The three members of the band have been producing music and spinning records for a while now. They started their DJ career in late 80s/ early 90s and they are strongly influenced by the deep club sound of these days. Combining sophisticated production skills, a huge range of analogue equipment and a long-term experience of what’s working on dance floors around the world they know how to move the crowds. By accessing to samples taken from a huge collection of old-school dance, disco and soul records they are creating the distinctive and sophisticated house and disco sound of today. Knowledge is power and Space Ranger is a powerful fresh force addressed to the discerning dancefloors.

www.myspace.com/spacerangersound

Space Ranger - Superstring (Rayko Remix)

(en castellano abajo)
“This song means a lot to me... It was the first single released on Lovemonk, the very beginning of our fifteen-year relationship. It also has pretty cool lyrics in Spanish, I still like them after all these years. ‘Put a little lemon on your head’ (‘Échate un poquito de limón en la cabeza’) is the phrase that finishes almost every verse, somehow trying to promote a certain ‘mental acidity’, or critical thinking.”
- Gecko Turner

Ahead of the release of "Soniquete", a compilation of greatest hits, previously unreleased gems and new songs by Gecko Turner, slated for release in autumn 2018, come the radio edit and instrumental version of one of the man's signature tunes. A radio-friendly version of the original off of Gecko's first album "Guapapasea!", 'Un Limón En La Cabeza' has long been a staple in sets of the more broad-thinking DJs of this world. Its jazzy intro, the funky rhythm section, the gorgeous horns, and Gecko's inimitable, multi-lingual word juggling make for an irresistible groove and a timeless classic.

“Esta canción significa mucho para mí... Fue el primer single lanzado por Lovemonk y el comienzo de nuestra relación que dura ya quince años. Tiene una letra interesante en castellano, todavía me gusta después de todos estos años. ‘Échate un poquito de limón en la cabeza’ es la frase con las que terminan prácticamente todas las estrofas, quizá tratando de promocionar de alguna manera cierta ‘acidez mental’ o pensamiento crítico.”
- Gecko Turner

Como avance de "Soniquete", un recopilatorio de grandes éxitos, joyas anteriormente inéditas y nuevas canciones de Gecko Turner, que verá la luz en el otoño de 2018, Lovemonk presenta el "radio edit" y la versión instrumental de uno de sus temas de referencia. Una versión apta para la radio del original que está en el primer álbum de Gecko, "Guapapasea!", 'Un Limón En La Cabeza' es un elemento básico en las sesiones los djs de mente más abierta. Su comienzo en clave de jazz, la sección de ritmo cargada de funk, los deliciosos cobres y los inimitables malabarismos lingüísticos de Turner forman un groove irresistible y todo un clásico atemporal.

Un Limón En La Cabeza (Single Edit)

The opening track of Incarnations’ forthcoming debut album “With All Due Respect” is a sun-drenched Balearic bomb if ever there was one. Handsome threesome Daniel Collás, Quinn Luke aka (Bing Ji Ling) and Bart Davenport soaked up al the good vibes of the Tarifa studio on the south-coast of Spain, just in front of Africa, where the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet, and transformed them into little over three-and-a-half minutes of pure loving goodness, reminiscent of the 70s west coast sounds among many other things.
 
On remix duties we have Christian Prommer and Alex “Jazzanova” Barck taking the track into the late night territory with an epic deep-house stormer, while Bing Ji Ling makes those lazy sofa surfers get up and boogie with a strong NY flavour while the sun is setting.
 
Pressed on delicious 180 grams vinyl and stuck in a silk-screen printed sleeve, “Make You Mine” is quite the 12” to get your hands on this autumn!
 
Background info:
Incarnations are Daniel Collás (Embassy Sound Productions, The Phenomenal Handclap Band), Bing Ji Ling (Q&A, Tommy Guerrero, The Phenomenal Handclap Band) and Bart Davenport (Honeycut), three kindred spirits who one fine day decided to record an album together. They did so in a family-run studio in Tarifa, on the south coast of Spain, and ten days later they came out with nine shiny little gems on the crossroads of yacht-rock, Balearic and singer-songwriter pop, collected on “With All Due Respect”.

Incarnations - Make You Mine

Quantic - Sound of Everything (Señorlobo & Watch TV Remix)

Arácnido

Boohgaloo Zoo - I Got (Mugwump Funk Ford Remix)

Lovemonk is a small but very sunny and eclectic label from Madrid. When it comes to put an, err, label on the label’s sound things become complicated. In times when everybody seems to be specialising in something, Lovemonk touches a lot of styles, and many different styles at that. 

Its artists cover a wide range of styles from the most club-oriented electronica to the prettiest folk, with everything in between, although the most common sounds in our catalogue come from black roots.

Everything fits under the motto, “Discos Buenos.”

Popular tracks by Lovemonk