Good things come to those who wait. The album 'The Children of Scorpio' by Project Gemini aka Paul Osborne is a result of his steeped 30-year musical journey that’s seen him dig deep, study his record collection and re-emerge to fine-tune his craft. 

A cinematic musical journey that plays out like a long-lost soundtrack (think cult B-movies of the 60s and 70s); 'The Children of Scorpio’ was formed from Paul's love of a myriad of genres; from European library music, acid folk, psych-funk, vintage soundtracks and the contemporary breaks scene. The album draws on iconic classics such as the masterful cinematic funk of Lalo Schifrin's 'Dirty Harry', Ennio Morricone's 'Vergogna Schifosi’ and Luis Bacalov’s 'The Summertime Killer’, to name but a few. You can also hear the folk sounds of Mark Fry's iconic 'Dreaming With Alice', the Britsh folk-jazz of The Pentangle and the David Axelrod-produced 'Release Of An Oath' by The Electric Prunes, woven into the cultural tapestry of this gem. The influence of these vintage productions of the 60s and 70s is evident; however, it could be argued that there’s also echoes of the funkier psychedelic moments of bands such as The Stones Roses and The Charlatans, alongside contemporaries such as The Heliocentrics and Little Barrie, thus giving the album a broader crossover potential beyond the world of crate digging and vintage soundtracks.

A bass player and musician since the age of 16, the arrival of his first child in 2010 saw Paul move away from live performance and retreat to his home studio, recording a wealth of music that was destined to never be heard. One of the first tunes to be made was a demo entitled ‘The Children Of Scorpio’, inspired by his long-time obsession with Lalo Schifrin’s soundtrack to violent Clint Eastwood cop classic 'Dirty Harry'. Recorded for fun, the track was fated to sit in the archives untouched. However, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, connections to a wealth of inspirational musicians and labels would re-ignite Paul's musical fire and give him the impetus to develop his slept-on ideas into something more concrete. Firstly resulting in releasing two limited 7'' records on Delights Records and now the long-player for Mr Bongo. 

Assisting in the recording of the record were several close friends that have helped spark Paul's musical creativity along the way, including well-renowned guitarist and Little Barrie frontman Barrie Cadogan (who contributes killer six-string guitar to four tracks), Delights Records head-honcho Markey Funk (who adds spooked out keyboards to ‘Path Through The Forest’), Kid Victrola, the chief songwriter and guitarist with French psych girl group Gloria who added wild 12-string to ‘Scorpio’s Garden’, Haifa-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Shuzin who brings the heat behind the drum kit, and Paul Isherwood, co-founder of Nottingham’s The Soundcarriers, who mixed the album on his wealth of vintage gear.
We are delighted to be releasing this slowly-brewed timeless classic that manages to achieve that rare feat of keeping one foot firmly in the past whilst still sounding totally contemporary.

Project Gemini - The Children Of Scorpio

Brighton-based musicians Glenn Fallows and Mark Treffel join forces for an ode to 60s and 70s soundtrack and library music on Mr Bongo.

Read More & Buy: https://www.stampthewax.com/2021/09/09/premiere-glenn-fallows-mark-treffel-who-knows-when/
Listen on Youtube: https://bit.ly/GlennFallowsMarkTreffel

The Globeflower Masters Vol.1

Listen on Youtube

Glenn Fallows & Mark Treffel - Who Knows When (STW Premiere)

PRE-ORDER: https://bfan.link/masters-at-work-harvey-sutherland

At the vanguard of Melbourne's bustling underground music scene you’ll find Surprise Chef. A band very much on the rise, who with two exceptional albums under their belts, are picking up a rapidly swelling fanbase across the world. Working out of the College of Knowledge stable (their home / studio / record label namesake), the band’s take on instrumental cinematic soul and funk has connected with listeners across multiple scenes and genres. Their intoxicatingly laidback sound, which pairs expertly crafted hooks with a seriously funky, watertight rhythm section, has earned them a wide appeal and made their tracks ripe for interpretation.

When floating ideas for potential remixers, two names came to the fore, Masters At Work and Harvey Sutherland. MAW have a long history with Mr Bongo having remixed the Brit-funk classic ‘Dancing In Outer Space’ by Atmosfear for the label in 1997, and releasing the original track, ‘Brazilian Beat’ in 2000. With their studio collaboration now back in full swing, it was the perfect time to inject the MAW magic back into the label.

They picked ‘Crayfish Caper’ from the band’s first album ‘All News Is Good News’ as their choice of track to remix. The ’Nuyorican Broken Remix' sees MAW stepping into their Nuyorican Soul guise. A Latin shuffle meets an afro-beat rhythm and some very chunky broken beats, which all underpins an infectious melody constructed around the original track’s bassline. They pair this with horns and synths that add a flourish and reveal new layers as the track develops. It’s a sound that is uniquely Nuyorican Soul and a welcome return for fans of this aspect of their phenomenal output.

Masters At Work & Harvey Sutherland Remixes

More exclusive music

Premiere: Surprise Chef 'Crayish Caper' (Nuyorican Broken Mix)

Buy link: https://bfan.link/masters-at-work-harvey-sutherland

At the vanguard of Melbourne's bustling underground music scene you’ll find Surprise Chef. A band very much on the rise, who with two exceptional albums under their belts, are picking up a rapidly swelling fanbase across the world. Working out of the College of Knowledge stable (their home / studio / record label namesake), the band’s take on instrumental cinematic soul and funk has connected with listeners across multiple scenes and genres. Their intoxicatingly laidback sound, which pairs expertly crafted hooks with a seriously funky, watertight rhythm section, has earned them a wide appeal and made their tracks ripe for interpretation.

Rounding off the package is the remix from https://soundcloud.com/harvey-sutherland. Having made international waves since 2013 with his unique take on dance music, Harvey has long been on https://soundcloud.com/mrbongo’s remix radar, but until now we hadn’t managed to get that ambition over the line. This time around the stars aligned perfectly. Surprise Chef and Harvey Sutherland are both Melbourne residents and they had already been working on projects together. The band set things up and Harvey chose to remix ‘New Ferrari’ from their latest album, ‘Daylight Savings’. His take on the track sees things venturing into dubby-disco territory. A dreamy, cosmic, bass-heavy, sweeping synth-led workout, that retains yet reinterprets the catchy-as-hell hooks from the original track. A roller with serious muscle!

PREMIERE: Surprise Chef - New Ferrari (Harvey Sutherland's Weird Flex)

Mr Bongo taps Harvey Sutherland and Masters At Work to remix tracks from Melbourne jazz and funk troupe Surprise Chef

More info: https://djmag.com/music/premiere-surprise-chef-crayfish-caper-masters-work-mix

Premiere: Surprise Chef ‘Crayfish Caper (Masters At Work Mix)’

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Artists: Surprise Chef, Masters At Work
Title: Crayfish Caper
Label: Mr Bongo
Release Date: 2021-10-22

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Surprise Chef - Crayfish Caper (MAW Dub) [Mr Bongo] [MI4L.com]

At the vanguard of Melbourne's bustling underground music scene you’ll find Surprise Chef. A band very much on the rise, who with two exceptional albums under their belts, are picking up a rapidly swelling fanbase across the world. Working out of the College of Knowledge stable (their home / studio / record label namesake), the band’s take on instrumental cinematic soul and funk has connected with listeners across multiple scenes and genres. Their intoxicatingly laidback sound, which pairs expertly crafted hooks with a seriously funky, watertight rhythm section, has earned them a wide appeal and made their tracks ripe for interpretation.

When floating ideas for potential remixers, two names came to the fore, Masters At Work and Harvey Sutherland. MAW have a long history with Mr Bongo having remixed the Brit-funk classic ‘Dancing In Outer Space’ by Atmosfear for the label in 1997, and releasing the original track, ‘Brazilian Beat’ in 2000. With their studio collaboration now back in full swing, it was the perfect time to inject the MAW magic back into the label. They picked ‘Crayfish Caper’ from the band’s first album ‘All News Is Good News’ as their choice of track to remix. The ’Nuyorican Broken Remix' sees MAW stepping into their Nuyorican Soul guise. A Latin shuffle meets an afro-beat rhythm and some very chunky broken beats, which all underpins an infectious melody constructed around the original track’s bassline. They pair this with horns and synths that add a flourish and reveal new layers as the track develops. It’s a sound that is uniquely Nuyorican Soul and a welcome return for fans of this aspect of their phenomenal output. The 'Masters At Work Remix’ is straight up vintage MAW in House mode. It takes many of the same elements found in the 'Nuyorican Broken Remix' and points things in a House direction. It’s 4/4, but the beats have that Kenny Dope trademark swing. Tough, but oozing soul. Add to that heavy bass, vocal cuts, fierce horns and saxophone, layered synths, and that undeniable MAW bounce. 

Rounding off the package is the remix from Harvey Sutherland. Having made international waves since 2013 with his unique take on dance music, Harvey has long been on Mr Bongo’s remix radar, but until now we hadn’t managed to get that ambition over the line. This time around the stars aligned perfectly. Surprise Chef and Harvey Sutherland are both Melbourne residents and they had already been working on projects together. The band set things up and Harvey chose to remix ‘New Ferrari’ from their latest album, ‘Daylight Savings’. His take on the track sees things venturing into dubby-disco territory. A dreamy, cosmic, bass-heavy, sweeping synth-led workout, that retains yet reinterprets the catchy-as-hell hooks from the original track. A roller with serious muscle!

PREMIERE : Surprise Chef - New Ferrari (Harvey Sutherland's Weird Flex)

Like what you hear? To buy us a coffee and help support LV Online via Ko-FI click: ko-fi.com/levisiteuronline

Check the full mix tracklist on LV online, the link is below.

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Hailing from Melbourne / Naarm Surprise Chef are a band who are creating a rather large buzz across the globe as well as their own backyard Working out the College of Knowledge stable which encompasses a studio as well as the record label, and is also their DJ moniker when playing out, they have a intoxicating laid back soulful sound which encompasses the funkiest of riffs, hooks and a seriously impressive rhythm section.

Their latest EP see's them enlist the unquestionable skills of Harvey Sutherland and Masters at Work who cook up both a MAW remix and a Nuyorikan Soul remix for the package. Safe to say it's a rather brilliant release which lands on the 22nd of October via @mrbongo.

We have a full interview incoming with Surprise Chef this week to talk about the release, the band and of course those remixes. In the meantime they have put together this rather outstanding mix for us. Check it out here and jump over to LV online for more on the mix including a quick chat with the men behind it and the full tracklist via: https://levisiteuronline.com/music/lv-disco-selectors-29-college-of-knowledge-surprise-chef-mr-bongo/

LV Disco Selectors 29

LV Disco Selectors 29 - College Of Knowledge / Surprise Chef

'The Children of Scorpio’ is the first single and title track from Project Gemini’s forthcoming album. Project Gemini, aka Paul Osborne, has created a cinematic musical journey that plays out like a long-lost soundtrack (think cult B-movies of the 60s and 70s); 'The Children of Scorpio’ was formed from Paul's love of a myriad of genres; from European library music, acid folk, psych-funk, vintage soundtracks and the contemporary breaks scene. 

The single ’The Children of Scorpio' started life as a demo 12 years ago, when Paul's time playing in various bands had come to an end and he started recording music at his home studio. Paul took inspiration from many sources including his obsession with Lalo Schifrin’s soundtrack to the Clint Eastwood film, 'Dirty Harry’, and artists like David Axelrod and his work on The Electric Prunes 'Release of an Oath’ LP. Paul channelled these influences into his creation, titled it in a nod to the villain in 'Dirty Harry', shelved it and moved on. 

After the release of his first single as Project Gemini in 2019 Paul decided to start work on an album project and revisited the original demo. He described the process, “I stripped it right back to its bare bones and started reconstructing it from scratch (although the vocals and middle guitar break survived from that original 2010 demo), and once I’d nailed the bass sound it all came together. Haifa-based multi-instrumentalist Shuzin brought some serious heat on the drums, and Barrie Cadogan, aka Little Barrie, put the icing on the cake by adding the solo you hear at the tail end of the track. It turned out to be the creative trigger for the whole album, and for that reason, it’s a really important track for me personally.”

Download

‘June’ is the third single to be taken from Project Gemini’s forthcoming album. Project Gemini, aka Paul Osborne, has created a cinematic musical journey that plays out like a long-lost soundtrack (think cult B-movies of the 60s and 70s); 'The Children of Scorpio’ was formed from Paul's love of a myriad of genres; from European library music, acid folk, psych-funk, vintage soundtracks and the contemporary breaks scene. 

Every good soundtrack needs a love song, right? 'The Children of Scorpio' is no exception. 'June' takes a left-turn from the tough and funky psychedelic tracks and eases us into a gentle, brief calm to cleanse the palette. It is reminiscent of a late 60s pop and folk-rock love theme that draws inspiration from The Free Design, Wendy & Bonnie etc. Calming, beautiful and warm, but with a slight sinister shimmer. 

Paul Osborne describing the lyrics and production said “The original intention of the lyrics was about the passing of Summer to Autumn, but as the narrative thread behind the album is about a missing person, they became the mysterious June of the title. Paul Isherwood (from The Soundcarriers) who mixed the album added the final touch with the spooky 2 second intro.  I try and shy away from doing vocals these days but needs must for this tune and I was actually really happy with how they turned out which never happens. The closest thing to a proper ‘song’ on the record!”

Project Gemini - June

Project Gemini - The Ritual ’70

Project Gemini - Searching For June (Interlude)

Project Gemini - The Path Through The Forest

Project Gemini - The Road To The Hills

For this months Radiant Flux, I was joined by Electronic musician and singer/songwriter Elli . Maker of ethereal ambient and downtempo productions. Join for an aquasonic journey, with field recordings from oceans and underwater scenes, featuring a
brand new piece of music, named ‘Radiant’ that Elli wrote especially for the show 🤍🌊 l

Radiant Flux w Elli 28/07/24

Monday Tsubaki: Mr Bongo - 28.10.24

Matthew Tavares is the founding member of perhaps one of the most definitive, cutting edge bands in funk, soul and jazz of the moment. Instrumental group BADBADNOTGOOD have been influential in a new wave of musicians and artists who blur the lines between hip hip and the old school sentiments of 70's and 80's music. They have become a household name playing festivals and venues worldwide to critical acclaim. 

As a musician in his own right, Matthew has also released music independently and alongside alternative collaborators. He has formed a close friendship and relationship with Brighton based imprint and record label Mr Bongo which makes perfect sense. Here he has contributed to compilations and released material alongside the likes of Leland Whitty. 

Rather unsurprisingly he has impeccable taste. We asked him to record this mix showcasing some of his own personal musical influences and points of reference. The result see's him include music by the likes of Odyssey, Richard Hawley, Art Ensemble of Chicago and more.

Read & Download

Matthew Tavares: The 'Monday is Okay' Mix

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

Project Gemini - The Ritual ’70

Mr Bongo

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