The rewind button brings the tape back several times and, with it, The Buttshakers. From the tape to the studio, the décor changes to an America lost in its own reverie, the America that Ciara Thompson left in 2008 to settle in Lyon, France. Untethered from the idealistic veil of her childhood, this America, her America, now appears in its crudest reality: disfigured by violence and racism, the streets transformed into a make-shift shelter for those without a home.
Black Lives Matter, Not In My Name, #metoo and other red flags light up the soundboard without stopping this desperate and breakneck race to darkness.
Yet, when everything darkens, there is always an afterglow that cannot be extinguished, that final ember capable of rekindling on its own a brazier of hope. This is soul music.
Arcadia, “the land of delights,” a perfect world as described by the poet Virgil. This land where all is beauty and perfection becomes, for The Buttshakers, the place to rally, to unite, a moment of resilience. Not a place of retreat, an escape from reality, but a goal towards which to reach.
On their previous album, Sweet Rewards, The Buttshakers offered a soft light on the romantic side of soul. With Arcadia, they explore its conscious face. The one which, in the heyday of the 70's, shone thanks to the albums of Gil Scott-Heron, Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield.
Creation influenced by the political and social events of our times. The form that meets the content in a music that is visceral and raw yet full of finesse and delicacy.
If over-worked productions tend to kill first intentions, The Buttshakers knew, with a skillful movement of the hips, to avoid diluting their intentions in layers of production, always preferring to be as close as possible to the natural source of their music to keep the fire burning. Here we find the sound of a group who has found a solid balance between soul music, its roots and its offspring : blues, rhythm and blues, funk.
A group led by the rugged feline presence of Ciara Thompson who’s vocal prowess, here put on perfect display, finds itself flawlessly balanced between a generous horn section and a devilish groove. A feat, yet once Ms. Thompson takes a step back, the void is quickly picked up, leaving room for the guitar and organ to reverberate, the trombone appropriating the last bars for a funk to the bone solo. With Arcadia, the listener is ushered through the kalediscope, letting the groove drift into an instrumental trans where the robotic beat takes control and sinks into a voudou-psychedelic mystique from which we can only be drawn out by the intervention of the brass section. The dust of a six-string western incantation embedded in the groove like a muffled groan, an explosion that is always on the edge, and which the vocals masterfully contain and amplify. 
Leaving behind the compositional automatisms that could have hampered a band that has been playing together for over a decade, Arcadia is their most successful album so far by the sheer audacity of their compositions. With each member of the group participating in the writing process, the richness of each idea put forward illuminates and guides the listener.
Dark and yet still luminous, Arcadia remains true to the spirit of soul : hope out of struggle, light out of fear; even when the cracks expose the darkest side of humanity, soul music has always given us the assurance that out of this chaos, a better day will come. A philosophy on which they built their discography and their stage presence; founding principles that the group has always been faithful to: to awaken the listener, to ignite the fire, to bring the dance.

Arcadia

Hear Me

THE BUTTSHAKERS Hear Me

Here is another sample of our work we bring to you as "Tales Of The Fun Kids", a new group and project formed by Mononome  and Mattic.

The track is called "They Know", a reject from the tracks we have been working on  for our upcoming homonym EP release as "Tales Of The Fun Kids" that is starting to  take shape step by step.

More infos coming soon...

mononome & Mattic - They Know

From my second album "Monometric" available on my bandcamp here :
https://kognitif.bandcamp.com/album/monometric

Produced by KOGNITIF 

www.facebook.com/KognitifOfficial 
soundcloud.com/kognitifofficial 
www.youtube.com/user/cyrilcapra 

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 Multitrack Mastering by Le MELODiST 

www.atomixproject.fr 
www.facebook.com/pages/Studio-Atomix/109926255705852 
www.facebook.com/lemelodist 

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 Artwork by Outläw Gräphic 

www.facebook.com/outlaw.graphic 


Kognitif - In Da Mood / Album "Monometric"

A robot awakes from a long sleep. In the darkness, his eyes open and contemplate a savage, thick and lush nature. The android goes in search to browse the space around him. It seems there’s no sign of life, animal or human… He quickly figures out that he’s surrounded by rusty devices, damaged metal and large dusty gearwheels. Wandering the remnants from another time, our hero, is now a true little machinist. He tampers, tinks and fishes around the mecanisms surrounding him in order to inject a new energy, a second life. Gradually, everything is gearing up, lights blink, cogs work again. It’s relaunching, it’s working well again. An amusement park re-emerges now from oblivion and comes gradually back to reality. The carousels’ shade is dancing in the starry sky, the humanoid is browsing the park’s aisles and contemplates what’s once was a place where shouts and bursts of laughter were clashing. Very slowly, but undoubtedly, the robot wards off. He casts a last gaze at this so familiar and unusual place that evokes memories, like a retrieved imaginary world. Soothed, he vanishes away, in the shade, leaving the park operating, witness of a retrieved liberty.
Tour de Manège is proud to introduce the culmination of years of work, the conclusion of a story started in 2013. Through this project, and more specifically this vinyl, we’re closing, at least for now, the interlude of this 5 volume saga. After the genesis in volume 1, “Le Train Fantôme” in volume 2, the “Freak Circus” in volume 3 and “The Wizards” in volume 4, we introduce the conclusion of this saga with volume 5 : “The Machinists”. Thanks to every contributor to the vinyl, to the Tour de Manège project et, last but not least, to the community that followed us for all these years. More than a musical adventure, it was a human adventure that started 9 years a go and lasts ever since.

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Tour De Manège is proud to present the culmination of long years of work and the conclusion of a story that began in 2013. More than a musical adventure, it is a human adventure that was repeated 9 years ago and that has persisted ever since.
Through this project and more particularly this vinyl, we close, at least for the moment, the parenthesis of this saga of 5 volumes. After the genesis of volume 1, "Le Train Fantôme" of volume 2, "Freak Circus" of volume 3 and "The Wizards" of volume 4, we present to you the conclusion of this epic, with volume 5 "The Machinist" .

To all crowdfunding contributors and to all those who have participated directly or indirectly in this project. Thank you to those who listen to us and to all those who one day or another, we have given strength. 


Artwork by JO BER
Mastered by Phil - AudioBlend
Executive Producers by David Dahan & Clément Marques
Logistic & Production by Maël Duhautois & Hugo Paris Reality Check
Tracklisting by GrandHuit, La Cantina, GooMar & JIM
Graphism & Layout by Huté

Stream/Download/Vinyl

Jim - Il Pleut Sur Le Parc

Tape_Records n°5

Light travels through the invisible corridors of form, tracing the architecture of consciousness itself. Every angle generates a reflection, every reflection becomes a source. Within this infinite geometry, radiance and shadow coexist, shaping each other into meaning. Beyond measure and movement, illumination reveals its secret nature: not to blind, but to awaken what already shines in the mind.

Lucid Geometry

Lyrics: 
Wij zijn het volk van Nederland,
Met allen één van zin,
Eenieder neemt hier deel aan,
In de nieuwe tijd begint.
De handen ineengeslagen,
Met kracht en vastberadenheid,
Om samen te gaan dragen,
Onze vrije openheid.

Wij bouwen aan een toekomst,
Waar ieder mens telt mee,
Van noord tot aan de zuidkust,
Door heel ons land, de zee.
Alleen zijn we al krachtig,
Met eigen inbreng en idee,
Maar samen onverzwakkelijk,
Is wat ons drijft, al mee.

Laat ons de diversiteit,
Als onze grootste schat zien,
In eenheid en bereidheid,
Elkander te dienen.
Geen angst of verdeeldheid,
Zal ons ooit nog breken.
Met trots en eerlijkheid,
Gaan wij samen spreken.

Ons schild en ons vertrouwen,
Zijn wij zelf, de mens,
Op elkaar willen wij bouwen,
Vervullend elke wens.
Dat wij toch sterk mogen blijven,
Voor het land dat we beminnen,
De toekomst in drijven,
Met vuur diep van binnen.

De moed om te veranderen,
Is wat ons kenmerkt nu,
Wij zijn geen bange wand'raars,
Maar staan pal, hier en nu.
De kracht van ons allen,
Maakt ons samen onoverwinnelijk,
We zullen nooit vallen,
In dit land, zo vriendschappelijk.

ONS NEDERLAND by ARGYTACT 2025

#nederland #samensterk #onverzwakkelijk #volklied #argytact #soundcloud #onsnederland

ONS NEDERLAND (instrumentaal)

Immerse yourself in the serene vastness of 'Solar Wind Meditation,' a deeply atmospheric track designed to transport listeners to a state of profound calm and introspection. Ethereal synth pads weave intricate, evolving textures, creating a spacious soundscape that gently washes over the senses. Subtle, bell-like accents punctuate the expansive sonic journey, inviting a sense of peace and weightlessness, perfect for meditation, relaxation, or deep contemplation.

Solar Wind Meditation

From the compilation 'Goosebumps - Children of the Night' (https://millenniumjazz.bandcamp.com/album/goosebumps-children-of-the-night) Available in limited Tape & Digital.

'Goosebumps - Children of the Night' is brought to you by Millennium Jazz Music & Monkey Marginal Arts as we slip into the shadows and find several entities gathering on the darker side of the spectrum and sharing their craft beneath the moonlight.

Behind Us

This is the second album of the french beatmaker Roger Molls.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Roger-Molls-The-Beatmaker/166185536743621

Tape_Records n°5

Mimih