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Sergio Messina & The Four Twenties' superb cover of 'Fly Away' from 2020's Buena Onda compilation has become a Balearic secret weapon. Now, Hell Yeah is releasing it as a single with new mixes by some of Sergio's Italian friends including Paolo Polcari, Gallo, Paolo Baldini and Yakka.

The original is a cover that is a real guilty pleasure. It is a heartbreaking robot love song with gentle acoustic guitar and romantic chords that comes ahead of a new full-length, Sensual Musicology, on Hell Yeah in November.

The first remix is from Paolo Polcari, founder and keys player with cult Naples dub band Almamegretta. His take is more for the dance floor, with big, leggy drums and sensuous chords rolling deep.
Buena Onda's very own Gallo then offers a Tropical Hinterhof mix built on a rickety beat as a cooling seaside breeze blows by.
Legendary Italian dubmaster Paolo Baldini then serves up his own heavy dub rework that slows things down, strips everything away and rebuilds a lazy but atmospheric mood. Bristol-based Italian Yakka keeps things horizontal, with the acoustic chords ringing out over pillowy dub that sinks you in deep. A bonus dub from Polcari closes this more comforting of packages.

These are mature and musical dubs for lovers.

Sergio Messina & The Four Twenties - Fly Away (Yakka Dub)

Strap in for another standout release from Hell Yeah, and their final 12" of the year. 'Lagos Connect' is a one-off dance floor bomb from Aura Safari, one of the hottest names on the Italian electronic-jazz-funk circuit. Vocals come from Nigerian singer Villy and the artwork is by long-time label collaborator Andrea Amaducci who finishes off this package in style.

Aura Safari are Alessandro Deledda, Andrea Moretti, Lorenzo Lavoratori, Daniele Melloni and Nicholas Iammatteo. They contributed to the first volume of the Buena Onda compilation in 2020 and released the critical acclaimed Hotel Mediterraneo EP after years entrenched in the local scene of Perugia, attending the Umbria Jazz Festival every summer and legendary Red Zone Club during winter, both of which shaped the sound of Aura Safari. Now, they showcase their good-time grooves and vibrant vibes on two brilliant new tracks.

'Lagos Connect' is a gloriously upbeat tune that brims with musicality. The bass is fat, the chords seductive and the guitars slide in and out with funky charm. It immediately drops you in the middle of an open-air dance floor in high summer. Villy's soulful lyrics are socially and politically aware. They talk of living life with good vibrations even in the face of adversity. They speak of how society views those less fortunate and of staying true to yourself. They add realness and emotion to a sizzling and timeless track that will unite hearts and minds around the world.  A reprise, radio edit and dub mix are also included, then 

'Moving Rivers' ups the jazz-funk. It's another majestic arrangement packed with dazzling Rhodes chords, crashing drums and squelchy bass that demand that you move every limb in your body.

Keep yourself warm this winter with this pair of irresistible dance floor heaters from Aura Safari.

Lagos Connect

Download / Vinyl

Aura Safari feat. VIlly - Lagos Connect (12" Snippets)

Legendary Italian musician Sergio Messina serves up his 13 track Sensual Musicology on Hell Yeah this March. It comes a couple of years after he first released on the label's Buena Onda compilation and takes in everything from demented waltz to grown-up jazz, groovy beach music to heart-aching melancholia with artwork by virtuoso Italian AD DeeMo.

Now based in Lombardy, Sergio was there at the birth of pirate radio in the mid-seventies and eventually produced Radio art for national broadcaster Rai. At the same time, his DJ career took off and he helped establish Hip hop in Rome before taking his own live show to the stage with a mix of PCs, samplers and tape recorders as early as 1989. Frank Zappa declared himself a fan and in the years since Sergio has done everything from radio art to producing Neapolitan reggae and hip hop band 99 Posse, producing his own solo albums and writing for monthly music magazine Rumore.

The multi-talented Sergio has delivered talks on Realcore, the digital porno revolution, contributed to an Italian TV show about technology called Mediamente and worked as a strategy consultant for several brand and artist websites. He teaches History of Pop Culture at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan, lectured on his research on amateur pornography, and has written books such as Real Sex, Alt Porn is the New Rock'n'roll. All this makes him a truly original creative thinking who has long been immersed in many niche facets of popular culture.

Sensual Musicology took several years and four different locations to happen. Its release has been delayed by the pandemic, during which Sergio lost many friends and relatives close to him. As a result, the album is dedicated to all of them. It is a record that addresses many topics from economic migration to jazz piano, 60s blues motifs to corruption, pollution and racism via Michael Jackson covers, odes to West Coast guitar albums and spaced-out pieces of electronica.

Opening with the beautifully delicate Mingus melodies of 'Goodbye Porkpie Hat' the album roams through the bluesy Italo-American-Jamaican groove of 'Amara,' slow melancholy of 'Sometimes Remember' with classy vocals from chanteuse Valeria Rossi and 'The Way You Make Me Feel', an acoustic rebuild of Michael Jackson's hit song. Then comes the serenade that is 'Just Because You're Dead,' and 'Still Stufa' which is based around a protest speech recorded from the radio in the 1980s.

The second half of the album opens with 'Jon Hassell Beach Bar,' a musical hybridisation for dancing pleasure, then takes in 'Ouana Di lambo' which is the Four Twenties taking you to a cocktail bar in the tropics. 'Benjamino Placido' is a melody for a man who inspired Sergio to start writing his columns, 'Nowhere Special' is a tribute to West Coast guitar albums and 'Bolero' then has a Zappa-esque theme.

Sensual Musicology is a rich and diverse musical world that is as thought-provoking and deep as it is emotionally rewarding.

vinyl / download

Jon Hassell Beach Bar

Goodbye Porkpie Hat

Ustad Zakhir Hussain, Ustad Sultan Khan, Bill Laswell, GiGi And Karsh Kalle

Marma Boog reaches for the sixth gear on OTE010 laying down three no nonsense, mind melters. Marma Boog hits with an Italo mix of ‘Hypnotizing a Kookaburra’ to kicks things off. Proper hyperspace pumper business, synth hypnotism with that cosmic kookaburra in tow.

On the flip a dark percussive, tribal-tinged chugger in the form of the Mood Mix with a familiar vocal that sits all to sweetly in the midst of the psychedelic stomping.

Keeping it on a similar tip and rounding off the EP in style, ‘East of Canada’ powers on through - a downtempo, piano poised, acid-laden trip to expand your mind.

PREMIERE : Marma Boog - East Of Canada

My Friend Dario is back on his home label Hell Yeah with a new EP that continues his journey through Balearic beats. Sonica Jonica is an homage to the Mar Jonio coast on the Ionian sea and will appeal to fans of his NuNorthern Soul release last year.

The title track opens up with looping synths rising up from below in dramatic fashion. They're filled with tension as the chugging drums and fat bass roll on and after a break in the heaviness, the dark disco groove returns again. 'Marittimo' then cuts loose on jazzy chords with tumbling toms, percussion, shakers and marimbas all bringing a sunny open-air sound.
'Old But Gold' is perfect dance floor disco bliss with its leggy drums and splashy hits run through with curious and colourful synth sounds. Last of all, 'Acid Mosquito In Summer Night' mixes up 60s psyche, dark funk, freaky disco and expect percussion into an ever-evolving workout that sounds like little else.

With this first fresh EP, My Friend Dario has served up some perfect grooves for summer.

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

Support by Sean Johnston (ALFOS), Bill Brewster, Pete Gooding (Worldwide FM), Leo Mas, Phil Cooper, Mike Salta, Cottam, Tangram DJs, Buena Onda Crew, Feel Fly, Massimiliano Pagliara, La Guardia De La Luz, Grant Williams (Eclectics), Steve Optix, DJ Rocca, Ed Mahon...

Sonica Jonica EP

Download

My Friend Dario - Acid Mosquito in a Summer Night

Johannes brings his magic touch to Claptrap for this 4-track club ready release. With previous releases on Beats In Space, Mule Musiq, Mireia, Fienes Tier and his own imprint Ancient Future now, Johannes has established a strong aesthetic which shines through on this new release.
WARENHAUS is the ideal release to get you back out and onto the dancefloor, with 4 up-tempo dreamy house vibes to choose from.

PREMIERE : Johannes Klingebiel - Whatuneed

Azzddine with Bill Laswell - "Takassim (Harissa Mix)"

Taken from the Kasbah Rockers album: 
"Arabitronics Lounge Vol. 2"

Kasbah Rockers feat. Bill Laswell - "Skinjebir"

Taken from the album "Arabitronics Lounge Vol. 2"

KASBAH ROCKERS WITH BILL LASWELL FEAT OEZLEM - "Gokyuzu" (short cut)

Format: Download | Releasedate: 16.01.2015

Tracklist:

1. I Did Bad
2. I Did Bad (Oliver Frost Remix)
3. I Did Bad (Oliver Frost Alternate Remix)
4. I Did Bad (Bill Laswell Remix)

iTunes: http://geni.us/SK295DiTunes
Amazon: http://geni.us/SK295DAMAZON
Webshop: http://www.sonarkollektiv.com/releases/SK295D

Last June Sonar Kollektiv released the album „Inspiration“, the wonderful collaboration between bass legend Jah Wobble and eccentric singer extraordinaire PJ Higgins. Having Dennis Bovell and a certain Lee Scratch Perry remixing „Watch How We Walk“ off said album two of the style-defining pioneers of Dub already contributed their strokes of genius. 

Regarding reputation New York based legend Bill Laswell is second to none either. His remix for „I Did Bad“ is at the same time a lesson and a speleology on the subject of Dub. Plainly audible a champion of a league of it's own at work. 

Oliver Frost (next to Eva Be) is somehow the in-house dub remixer at Sonar Kollektiv. His impressive portfolio spans dubby reworks of  Recloose feat. Joe Dukie, Fetsum, re:jazz and Horace Andy. Now he adds two remix versions of „I Did Bad“ to it – putting his characteristic trademark sound on the original without doing it any kind of harm. 

Lovely vibes for the spring to come!


www.sonarkollektiv.com


https://www.facebook.com/Jah.Wobble.Music?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/PJ.Higgins.music?fref=ts
www.facebook.com/sonarkollektiv


iTunes

04 - Jah Wobble Presents PJ Higgins - I Did Bad (Bill Laswell Remix)

Stop Plastic Pollution – Florian Schneider(Kraftwerk co-founder), Dan Lacksman (Telex)

The original Last Poets pay tribute to Black Lives Matter,
a crucial movement for black rights in America at a crucial time. 

Black Lives Matter by The Last Poets

1982 italo disco classic given the hot tracks treatment

Dirty Talk [Hot Tracks Mix]  KLEIN & MBO

Valentino by Hiroko Murata

Sally Shapiro - Starman (Miami Nights 1984 Remix)

Hell Yeah welcomes the Italian musical collective @AuraSafari for a debut EP on the label.

The band, who are at the forefront of a new Italian fusion sound that blends jazz-funk, electronic and world sounds, is made up of acclaimed house devotee Nicholas Iammatteo, plus Alessandro Deledda, Lorenzo Lavoratori, Daniele Melloni and Andrea Moretti. They contributed a standout track to the Buena Onda - Balearic Beats compilation last year as well as releasing a full length LP on UK label Church to critical acclaim.

Opener 'Dreams of Music' is a lush, new age groove with rich musicality, wind instruments and live drums all glowing warmly as you roll into sundown. 'Oasis' then sinks into a reflective mood, with lazy drums and sensuous late night chords sounding like Roy Ayers all loved up and super stoned. The noodling keys really melt your heart before the excellent 'Slow Divers' pairs more majestic bass riffs with wet claps and splashing cymbals as a wandering lead drifts up to the heavens. It has a dubby swagger to it that is superbly subtle.

Closing out the EP 'Libra', is a heartwarming, slow motion, jazz-funk fusion packed with detail and life affirming synth playing.

These are gloriously heartfelt tracks that showcase this collective's supreme musical ability as well as their unquestionable understanding of jazz, funk and soul, past, present and future.

Hotel Mediterraneo EP

pre-order

Aura Safari - Hotel Mediterraneo EP (12" snippets)

Hell Yeah welcomes the Italian musical collective Aura Safari for a debut EP on the label.

The band, who are at the forefront of a new Italian fusion sound that blends jazz-funk, electronic and world sounds, is made up of acclaimed house devotee Nicholas Iammatteo, plus Alessandro Deledda, Lorenzo Lavoratori, Daniele Melloni and Andrea Moretti. They contributed a standout track to the Buena Onda - Balearic Beats compilation last year as well as releasing a full length LP on UK label Church to critical acclaim.

Opener 'Dreams of Music' is a lush, new age groove with rich musicality, wind instruments and live drums all glowing warmly as you roll into sundown. 'Oasis' then sinks into a reflective mood, with lazy drums and sensuous late night chords sounding like Roy Ayers all loved up and super stoned. The noodling keys really melt your heart before the excellent 'Slow Divers' pairs more majestic bass riffs with wet claps and splashing cymbals as a wandering lead drifts up to the heavens. It has a dubby swagger to it that is superbly subtle.

Closing out the EP 'Libra', is a heartwarming, slow motion, jazz-funk fusion packed with detail and life affirming synth playing.

These are gloriously heartfelt tracks that showcase this collective's supreme musical ability as well as their unquestionable understanding of jazz, funk and soul, past, present and future.

Back at Monday...

muddy mike