‘On The Daily’ is the electrifying first single taken from The Brkn Record’s forthcoming debut album, ‘The Architecture of Oppression Part 1’. A ground-breaking concept album from Jake Ferguson of The Heliocentrics. It is a critical journey through the eyes of black Britons, blending powerful and sobering narratives with psychedelic and soulful symphonies.

‘On The Daily’ is a future anthem that has a timeless quality to it. With flawless production that is relevant and urgent today, but would also feel at home had it emerged from the Cadet Records stable at their 60s and 70s peak. It displays the strength and intimacy of a modern-day Odetta jamming with Charles Stepney. 

A child of Nigerian, West African parents, Ugochi Nwaogwugwu, narrates and delivers the song with the strength and ethereal beautify of an avenging angel. Ugochi describes this song as an "attempt to express the degree of power, resilience and focus it takes to be black and in this world. So many forces trying to take our peace of heart and mind. Though the battle rages on, those on the frontline win when we keep our poise and expose the perpetrators of racism and white terrorism."

This song is a clarion call driving awareness to the fact that these things are happening to black people everyday, and you have to be strong to survive this - on the daily.

The Brkn Record

The Brkn Record - On The Daily (Feat Ugochi Nwaogwugwu)

‘Melodi’ is the second album from Kit Sebastian. Those familiar with the band's cult classic 2019 debut record 'Mantra Moderne' will instantly recognise their unique sound that blurs boundaries of world music, jazz and psychedelia. Not to be content replicating the same album, sonically the feel of ‘Melodi’ is a maturation. It is more diverse and provides glimpses into many different worlds from the Italian Riviera to the mountains of the Caucasus, the beaches of Bahia to the city streets of Istanbul and Paris. This joyous merging of soundscapes evokes a borderless planet with music as an international language, belonging everywhere and nowhere.

Melodi

Kit Sebastian - Elegy For Love

New Album 'Curiosities' Available November 12
<a href="https://bastardjazz.bandcamp.com/album/curiosities">BUY ALBUM</a> (CD, Vinyl, Digital)
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/curiosities/id732812842">BUY ON iTUNES</a>

Bastard Jazz Recordings is proud to present the sophomore album Curiosities by New Zealand multi- instrumentalist and producer Lord Echo (aka Mike Fabs). An enticing sonic excursion that effortlessly transcends genre and geography, the release finds Echo flexing his dual-mastery of 60's production techniques and modern dancefloor aesthetics, while also highlighting the vocal prowess of his soulful compatriots through a flowing blend of boogie-laced Funk, disco-primed Dub, futuristic Soul, and timeless African rhythms.

Fabs, known worldwide for his production work with NZ’s biggest Reggae export The Black Seeds, drew a groundswell of excitement around his debut solo album Melodies in late 2010. The independent release became a cult classic strictly through word-of-mouth, championed by tastemakers like Gilles Peterson (who played it repeatedly on his BBC Radio 1 show), Oliver Wang (Soulsides) and Richard Dorfmeister. Re-issues of the album soon followed in Japan and Europe, with vinyl copies quickly becoming a hot commodity among discerning collectors around the globe. Echo was introduced to Bastard Jazz’s DJ DRM in 2011 (via Detroit producer Recloose), and a limited 7” vinyl release on the Brooklyn-based imprint soon followed in 2012, precipitating this full length release with the label.

Curiosities picks up right where Melodies left off, with the sun-drenched psychedelic dub sounds of tracks like “Bohemian Idol” (featuring vocals by Toby Laing of Fat Freddy's Drop), and the jerky funk vibes of cuts like “Digital Haircut” and “Street Knowledge”. The album provides a wealth of DJ fodder, with forward thinking 70s-inspired disco tunes such as “Molten Lava” (featuring the soaring vocals of Leila Adu), as well as analog Afro-infused burners like “What Is That Feeling” and “Put It In My Head” (complemented by the golden-voiced Mara TK of Electric Wire Hustle fame). Down-home spiritual jazz/electronic meanderings ("Ghost Hands", “Arabesque”) provide a counterpoint to Echo's driving cover-version of the Pharoah Sanders & Leon Thomas classic “The Creator Has a Master Plan”. His inspiring take on the track is uplifted by the soulful singing of Lisa Tomlins (who's notable vocals on Echo’s rendition of Sister Sledge’s “Thinking Of You” made it a standout hit from his Melodies album).

The finely-tuned collaborations throughout Curiosities underscore Lord Echo's pivotal position in the thriving New Zealand music scene. "I generally only work with people I know quite well personally", says Echo humbly. That personal and organic approach to creating his music is revealed as the album unfolds, layer by delectable layer. "I made this record primarily with DJs in mind," he continues. "They are generally people who really love music and are often obsessed with various aspects of it. I'm not making music for people for whom it's just some background noise in their lives, I'm making music for people for whom it IS their lives. And for better or worse, I guess I am one of those people."

A diverse, yet grounded LP chock full of head-turning sounds, Curiosities further pushes Lord Echo’s repertoire into the realm of the inimitable, and is sure to pique the interest of discerning music lovers from down-under to the big apple.

Buy on iTunes

Lord Echo - Street Knowledge

Check out 'Mermaid's Purse', a brand new song off Palm Skin Productions 26 track beat-tape LP 'Other Times', coming out on Tru Thoughts on the 6th May. 

Read more here: https://www.musicamacondo.com/2022/04/premiere-palm-skin-productions-mermaids-purse/

Pre-order your digital copy here: https://palmskinproductions.bandcamp.com/

Premiere: Palm Skin Productions - Mermaid's Purse

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From Cochemea's debut album, All My Relations, out now on Daptone Records.

LP/CD /Digital:
http://dapt.one/Cochemea 

Cochemea Gastelum is coming home to connect with his roots. After nearly 15 years of touring the world with Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, the saxophonist offers a deeply personal album of jazz and indigenous-influenced rhythms. All My Relations is 10 tracks of mesmerizing and spiritually ascendant instrumentation.

A California native with Yaqui and Mescalero Apache Indian ancestry, Cochemea grew up surrounded by music - both his parents were musicians, and they gave their son a heavy name meaning “they were all killed asleep.” Cochemea has spent much of his diverse musical career – as a soloist, musical director, composer and ensemble player – exploring and iterating on roots music, and All My Relations is a capstone meditation on his own ancestry.

Follow Cochemea:
www.facebook.com/Cochemea/
www.instagram.com/cochemea

All My Relations

Cochemea - Al-Mu'tasim

“The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s music…seeks to spark a time in which heightened sensibility and higher consciousness will universally be known." Howard Mandel, jazz critic and author

Recently celebrating an extraordinary 45 years in music, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, led by legendary Chicago drummer and percussionist Sir Kahil El’Zabar, are pleased to announce the release of their latest album, ‘Be Known: Ancient/Future/Music’, released 10th May via Spiritmuse Records.

An artist truly in a league of his own, El’Zabar is acknowledged throughout the world as the leader in the vanguard of spiritual groove and afro-futuristic jazz with a significant contribution in the continuation of the scene over the last four decades. His driving compositions - simple themes that gain complexity through repetition and improvisation - have been recorded with such jazz heavyweights including Pharoah Sanders, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre and “Light” Henry Huff and he has toured with some of the biggest names in jazz including Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderley, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Archie Shepp, Lester Bowie, Nona Hendryx, Billy Bang, Hamiet Bluiett, and David Murray.

Forming EHE shortly after El'Zabar graduated from the fabled school of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in 1973, he teamed up with tenor saxophonist Edward Wilkerson, Jr. with the goal “To combine concepts of African American music with its earlier roots in traditional African music, to produce new motifs and sounds true to their origins yet firmly pointed in a new artistic direction”. Forty-five years later and the rich and compelling, ever-evolving sound the band are known for, is still going strong. 

Together with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble are one of the two remaining original groups in the world today that were nurtured in the AACM. "I knew in my heart, that this band could endure," El'Zabar attests. "My concept was based in logic as it pertains to the history of Great Black Music. In other words, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble has a strong rhythmic foundation, innovative harmonics and counterpoint, well-balanced interplay and polyphony among the players for highly developed ensemble dynamics. We are strong individual soloists with an in-depth grasp of music history, originality, fearlessness and deep spirituality.”

Alongside multi-percussionist and vocalist El’Zabar, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s current line-up includes Corey Wilkes on trumpet, who has worked with numerous jazz masters, including Wynton Marsalis, Kurt Elling and with El’Zabar for 15 years, multi-instrumentalist Alex Harding on baritone sax and Ian Maksin on cello, known as one of the most versatile and innovative musicians of his generation, having worked with such diverse artists as Andrea Bocelli and Sting.

Following on from the success of the 2014 album ‘Black is Back: 40th Anniversary Project’, ‘Be Known: Ancient/Future/Music’ is an electrifying mix of spiritual jazz and African rhythms. Compositions such as the thrilling ‘Blew It’ are built around fundamental brass improvisations with a swing-induced groove, while El’Zabar’s vocal chants on ‘Pharoah’ whip up a trance-like fervour, as we are taken on a sacred journey of enlightenment and deep listening. 

With artwork designed by the Toronto-based interdisciplinary artist Nep Sidhu (Erykah Badu/Shabazz Palaces), EHE’s ability to consistently push new boundaries with Afrocentric rhythms and free-flowing jazz says a great deal about El’Zabar’s commitment to the music and the message.

Pre-Order

Exclusive Premiere: Ethnic Heritage Ensemble "Pharoah"

If it’s a sign, why not embrace it?
Opportunities, can’t always chase ‘em
From this point on, I gotta face reality

Nothing’s for sure, no one is special
It ain’t about you, though you got potential
We need a cure, our ego is simply over-done

This rehab is so irritating
Life itself intoxicates me 
I’m out of ways to ease the pain
That I, myself, make

So If you wanna make it happen, OK
There’s no alternative, you gotta change your ways
Don’t even think about it, it’s only a phase
When the water gets too deep and you can’t stay
The shore ain’t that far

Adrenaline, don’t take it from me
Body and soul, can’t live without it
Can’t skip all that noise, I’m destructed 
By my messy thoughts

Therapy is so frustrating 
But I’m the one who let the toxic in
It's hard to tell what’s better
when you only know one lane

So If you wanna make it happen, OK...

Can’t tell right from wrong, shit is too subjective 
Life of excess is a matter of perspective
Why do we need all these extra stuff in our mouths?

Fear of missing out, that’s why we’re blurry
I want a big house, I’m in a hurry
Take a deep breath, swallow the pride that’s in your throat

Forget about the Instant pleasures
Now is not the time to measure (things
If we treat ourselves like treasure
We could heal

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Written by Nomok, Jenny Penkin, Tal Kohavi, Omri Shani
Lyrics by Jenny Penkin
Jenny Penkin - lead & backing vocals
Nomok - keyboards & synthesizers (DSI OB6, Roland Juno 60, Moog Subsequent 37, DSI Prophet 08, Roland Juno 106)
Tal Kohavi - drums, percussion
Omri Shani - bass
Roi Avivi - guitar

Produced & Recorded by Nomok
Co-Produced & Recorded by Tal Kohavi (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8), Jenny Penkin (2, 10), Omri Shani (2), Rejoicer (7)
Mixed by Nomok & Asaf Shay
Mastered by Asaf Shay
Cover Art & Graphic Design by Jengo

Recorded at Star Studios, Lake View Studios & House Fire Of Studios
Mixed at Halal Studios & Lake View Studios
Mastered at Halal Studios

Masok - Regimen

Kit Sebastian are back with a special stand- alone 7” release that presents an appetising taster of what is to follow from their much-anticipated sophomore album.

After losing themselves in the magic of the French countryside to record, the band have delivered two gems that we initially thought were a soupçon of the said new album. In fact, though recorded during the same sessions, they felt these tracks were best served up as an aperitif to the album.

Francis Lai, Vladimir Cosma, Fikret Kızılok, Jane Birkin, and Selda Bağcan all served as inspirations during the recording sessions. Though their idols can be heard in ‘Ennui’ & ‘Abandoned’, the fusion of Anatolian Psychedelia, Brazilian Tropicalia, 60’s European pop and psych-folk vibes result in a sound that is drenched in their unique signature style and can only come from Kit Sebastian. The beautiful, heartfelt, longing vocals on both ‘Ennui’ & ‘Abandoned’’, makes it hard for the listener to resist falling in love with the world of Kit Sebastian and they leave the heart longing even more for their next longplayer to drop.

Kit Sebastian - Abandoned

COS GB 7 Inches ADD 01

Gospel Travelers - Jesus Is Watching You

In anticipation of Kit Sebastian's forthcoming second album in 2021, the duo have delved into their archives to present a special digital single release. Think of this as not necessarily a taster of what's to come, but more as a starter that refreshes the appetite for the next course.

'Rain (باران)' was the second track recorded in their analogue studio, and because of this, it has a slightly more primitive rudimentary sound. It was written more or less to test the studio and to learn what sounded good and didn't. It was a hot French hazy July day which you can hear translated into the sound of the track. The version on this EP has been re-sung to include Merve’s vocals.

'Questions' was written and recorded for the duo's short film 'C'est Quoi Le Mantra Moderne'. It was intended for a scene that they would later abandon: a summer night, sitting in an old-fashioned café in Le Grand-Pressigny, where they ask each other one question after another without any clear answers. Given the limited amount of film they had, this idea felt risky which meant they couldn't release the track with the film. Yet, it can still be enjoyed on its own and hopefully, still, enrich the experience of their visual essay and bring a new layer to it.

We hope you enjoy this further excursion into the world of Kit Sebastian, and big thanks to the duo for rescuing 'Questions' from the cutting room floor for us all to savour.

Watch the film ‘Mantra Moderne’ - vimeo.com/426778278

Kit Sebastian - Questions

Record label. Record shop. Film label. Since 1989.

Kit Sebastian - Questions

Mr Bongo