37th installment of the Joyful Union Select series.

Tracks by Qba Janicki & Obsequies, Natural Expressions, Jay Royale, Synalegg, DrumMachineMike, Washed Out, and more.

Joyful Union Select 037

Daco returns to the label after a busy year touring with the Elektrons across Europe and productions for his own Magnetic Recordings imprint. ‘Round & Round’ twists and breaks as Mike Rapheal’s cool vocal gives the essential dose of soul to work the dancefloor. The track has proved very popular pre release with spins off promo cdr from Zed Bias, Domu and many of the broken beat scenes key players.

Round & Round

ARBOU-Broken Streetlights [DARK NATURE CONCEPT]

“La Dolce Vita Z – Roman Nights” revives the timeless decadence of Fellini’s Rome, reimagined for nightlife. Blending lo-fi house, dream pop, and sensual R&B with cinematic orchestral textures, this album is a soundtrack to forbidden romance and luxury excess. From moonlit Vespa rides to champagne-fueled rooftop affairs, every track drips with erotic glamour and nocturnal seduction. A modern love letter to passion, chaos, and desire under the Roman moon.


🎶 10. Trevi Fountain 💦

half

hail to the church of forgotten latinjazz gems

excusez-moi, michelle

South London producer Aeshim returns with another four-pack of beats and sounds created on his treasured Juno 6 synthesiser.

Premiere: Aeshim - Try Love Feat. Alice Higgins

A short little bump in celebration of my favorite season of the year!

Buy now!

Seasons Change

give it a try  ...
we are fools whether we dance or not,
so we might as well dance.
dig big!
"better be your life"

jus care 4 one day

Thanya Iyer - "Always, Be Together"

An unexpected slice of funk from Liz Damon’s Orient Express, a successful pop music troupe from 1970s Hawaii.

https://alohagotsoul.com
https://lizdamonsorientexpress.bandcamp.com

Culled from an obscure corner of the band’s catalog of classy cover songs, “Woota (Feelin Good)” is a welcome departure into original funk-and-groove territory, penned by bassist Dennis Osurman and drummer Randy Isaki.

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Liz Damon's Orient Express - Woota (Feelin Good)

Underneath the stark white light of the laboratory lamps, the mysterious organism writhed and twisted into obtuse and indistinct shapes. Everybody gathered round in awe as it began to sprout new features, strange abnormalities that grew and lengthened before their eyes. What it would morph into, nobody knew, but curiosity kept them firmly fixed on this unspecified life form. 

The next transmission from Polish label Pointless Geometry comes courtesy of percussionist and leading force in Polish experimental music Qba Janicki, and Belgian sound sculptor and Knives alumni Obsequies. Titled Autolysis, the release blends various production techniques, from sound sculpting to processed percussion and digital manipulation, recorded through improvisation before being fully formed into an album. Described by both parties as an "electro-acoustic sound organism, which consumes its own flesh for the purpose of self-regeneration", the release explores a new world of sonics that are built, morphed and layered in the most unpredictable ways.

PREMIERE: Qba Janicki and Obsequies - Desintegration [Pointless Geometry]

From the upcoming album 'Angels Are Apparent', out July 31, 2020 through Tenth Court.

Neil O'hardty - Sorry I Was Vibin' (Speechless)

Preview from Mid-Air! - Catch Me If You Can (2020 100% BOOTLEG Cassette Tape Company)

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No Contest

Excited to premiere this brand new beat, and share the accompanying video, lifted from Dan Jose's forthcoming tape "Saccade" . 62 minutes of Corona Virus induced psychological turmoil and political chaos embedded on magnetic tape. Cassette and digital released on July 31st 2020.

Dan Jose is a Bay Area USA born & raised, London UK based producer, photographer, b-boy and co-founder of London dance & DJ collective, #UNiTY.  Words from Dan below on 'Saccade' and "This's No Flu". Plus as an added bonus, a brand new mini-video reflecting more recent developments. 

Saccade? Saccade: a quick, simultaneous movement of both eyes between two or more phases of fixation.

I started this project in Early March when I was re-covering in self-quarantine after contracting Corona Virus. While isolated, my crewmate challenged me to make 19 tracks. With nothing to do and nowhere to go, I started. This was before lockdown even began in the U.K. Fast forward 3.5 months here and here we are. All of the songs are a sort of quarantine time capsule. It’s a soundscape of what it was like (and still is like) trying to ingest this bad-tasting soup of political chaos, intense confusion, sadness, anger, tiredness, contradiction, despondency, humour, anxiety, fear, boredom, hope, loneliness and depression.

Saccade is a reference to the anxiety we feel as our eyes rapidly dart around digital screens, endlessly inhaling social media feeds on our phones and computers, while trying to process them before the next second’s harrowing scroll.

It's my attempt to soundtrack the psychological turmoil of the last few months while throwing comical jabs at the increasing fervor of the culture wars and political ineptitude growing across the U.S. and U.K. 

Sonically this project samples heavy from European prog rock, acid-fuelled euro-jazz and U.S.soul. It breathes major influences from Bay Area Rap, Stones Throw’s early hip-hop days, L.A. beatsy business, London’s dance music scene & some lil B for good measure.

This one in particular was a feeling that something more than a biological disease is ripping through us. The video toys with the idea that some predatory entity is fanning this confusion among the herd, turning the herd against itself while it lurks waiting to make its kill.

Exclusive Premiere: Dan Jose "This's No Flu"

In 2018 Far Out Recordings signed a record deal with Brooklyn born, nomadic producer Jneiro Jarel. Having just put the finishing touches to the recordings, Jarel suffered an ischemic stroke while living and working in Costa Rica and his wife Indigo was forced to set up a crowd fund to cover special medical transport back to the states to receive treatment.

The release was put on hold, but thanks to the generosity of friends and fans around the world, Jarel was able to get the care he needed and is now on the long road to recovery.

We’re overjoyed to finally announce that Jneiro Jarel’s After A Thousand Years is now set for an October 2020 release. Throughout a career that has spanned over twenty years and seen collaborations with MF DOOM, Thom Yorke, Damon Albarn, BadBadNotGood, Portishead’s Beth Gibbons, Kimbra and Khujo Goodie (Dungeon Family), Jneiro Jarel’s consistently distinctive, forward thinking productions, as well as his love for the music of Brazil, made his partnership with Far Out a perfect fit.

Recorded between New York, New Orleans, Miami and Costa Rica, After A Thousand Years features legendary multi-instrumentalist Bill Summers, famed for his work with Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones and Eddie Henderson. The album also features Malawian-American guitarist Masauko Chipembere who has worked with the likes of RZA from Wu- Tang Clan and Ladybug Mecca from Digable Planets. For Jarel, After A Thousand Years is “a culmination of the longstanding musical contributions of the African diaspora.” Permeating the Brazilian music and Latin jazz Jarel has loved and drawn inspiration from, as well as the stateside jazz, soul and funk Jarel grew up around, the influence of Africa and its musical history, on both North and South America, is key to the album’s sound. On lead single “Banana Peel”, Jarel’s outernational perspective makes for a track that is almost impossible to place geographically: you can hear the swing of Jarel’s native New Orleans jazz, the vibrance of Costa Rican rainforests as well as the influence of Jarel’s vast collection of Brazilian records. “Viberian Waves” is equally nonconformist, morphing from funky baroque-flavoured instrumental hip hop into a bossa inspired, percussive jam.

Taking its inspiration from the biblical prophecies found in the books of Isaiah, Daniel, and Revelation, foretelling the fully realized, physical and spiritual restoration of the earth and
mankind after the thousand year reign of the Messianic Kingdom, After A Thousand Years contemplates and celebrates a world where everlasting love, peace, and harmony abound under a sovereign, divine rulership. 

After A Thousand Years will be released on Vinyl LP, CD and digitally on the 30th October 2020 via Far Out Recordings.

Exclusive Premiere: Jneiro Jarel "Sunwalkers Part Two And Three" Feat. Bill Summers

We are very excited to premiere “Black Lives Matter”, a blazing hot and extremely timely Afrobeat song by brand new London-based supergroup, Eparapo. Due for release this Friday on the unstoppable Wah Wah 45s.

Eparapo came together during the unprecedented events of this year. Despite being a project born from the privations of lockdown, with their music they sought to create an expression of hope, resilience & resurgence. With a white supremacist still in the White House and far right rhetoric being normalised by governments across the world, Eparapo see Afrobeat, highly political from its inception, as a tool to fight injustice and corruption. 

In the current global political climate and especially under the spectre of lethal police brutality in the U.S., the B.L.M. movement is the most important since the civil rights era and attempts are being made to discredit it in the same way. Rather than standing idly by and hoping for the best, this group of musicians wanted to contribute to a soundtrack which inspires, engages & hopefully motivates listeners from across the spectrum. 

The word “eparapo” means “join forces” in Yoruba, the language of Afrobeat. In troubled times when so many seek to divide us, an expression of unity can be an act of defiance. A call to join forces, come together and fight back. Eparapo is also the title of a track by the late, great Tony Allen - drummer for Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti and lifelong friend and mentor of the UK's “Afrobeat Ambassador”, Dele Sosimi. Not only did Tony help to invent Afrobeat, he always looked for ways to push the boundaries, never content with recreating what had gone before but constantly expanding and developing the genre. This project hopes to pay homage to his legacy, and that of Fela Kuti himself. Its aim is to innovate, fuse and diversify while still retaining the essence of the music. 

Eparapo is led by bassist, composer & producer Suman Joshi. He has been a member of Dele Sosimi’s Afrobeat Orchestra for nearly a decade and has performed on stage with the likes of Tony Allen, Seun Kuti, Ginger Baker & Laura Mvula. He is also bassist with UK jazz ensemble Collocutor and fusion project Cubafrobeat.  Featured vocalist on both tracks is the aforementioned Dele Sosimi - keyboard player and musical director for Fela’s Egypt 80 as well as Wah Wah 45s recording artist on both his solo material and the recent collaboration with house music producer, Medlar. 

The rest of the group comprises of Afrik Bawantu bandleader, Ibibio Sound Machine and Keleketla! percussionist, and Koichi Sakai collaborator, Afla Sackey; highly rated UK jazz vocalist Sahra Gure; saxophonist, composer, producer and bandleader of the renowned & forward thinking jazz outfit Collocutor, Tamar Osborn; keyboard player, producer and front man for Lokkhi Terra and Cubafrobeat, Kishon Khan; one of the UK’s finest and most in demand trumpeters, Graeme Flowers, who has played with Quincy Jones, Gregory Porter and many more; trombonist for Bellowhead and mainstay of Dele’s Afrobeat Orchestra, Justin Thurgur; and finally drummer for Steamdown and Sons of Kemet, as well as the man behind the Nache project, Eddie Wakili Hick. 

Half of  the artist's income for this release will be donated to the NAACP - a civil rights organization in the United States, created for the advancement of black people by means of following judicial policies.

Exclusive Premiere: Eparapo ft. Dele Sosimi "Black Lives Matter" (Forthcoming on Wah Wah 45s)

Future Classics & Forgotten Treasures — Selections for the Adventurous Music Listener (Founded in 2007 by Lexis)

Exclusive Premiere: Dan Jose "This's No Flu"

Music Is My Sanctuary

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