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Dig this way records is proud to present its first official reissue: a marvelous Nigerian disco boogie album by Peter Abdul - Get Down With Me. Impossible to find on the original EMI press is now finally back into the market for everybody to enjoy it and make the hips move! Originally released in 1984 it’s an outstanding experimentation of Nigerian disco boogie - heavily influenced by western artists – played by talented musician that follows with their monster cosmic sounds the tiny and strong voice of Peter Abdul in his only officially released LP. The luck of this work came from the collaboration with Nkono Teles at keyboards ; Sole at bass guitar; Ganiyu Bello , Emmanuel Akoko Jr. and Tolu Gayas as backup vocalists – arranged and produced by Odion Iruoje and assisted by some good engineers like Bayo Aro, Monday Oki and Edward Jatto. All together they created this insane disco- boogie LP. For the 2018 reissue, the audio was carefully restored by Colin Young - Liner notes that come with a interview and some unseen and raw original pictures of Peter Abdul back in the days- these photos are printed separately on tick quality paper insert (from a small studio of Milano called Legno). As Peter Abdul said: “Music to me it's a pure natural instinct, a natural gift which i grew to love so much” - I was lucky and pleased to collaborate with great artists like Nkono Teles, a Cameroon born multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Nigeria; Ganiyu Bello, who came for a visit from London and joined me as a backup vocalist along with Emmanuel Akoko Jr.; and Tolu Gay – the woman vocalist and romantic flavor on “Baby I Love You”. Some great musicians played on the tracks, interested in making music with a talented teenager with a tiny voice – but one that sang to the beat and with a good sense of tonality. It was like a great adventure, and from that symbiosis, “Get Down With Me” was born. And fun: people started calling me the Michael Jackson of Nigeria at live shows, especially at the University of Ibadan, the Alfa Club and others. So many pretty girls wanting to win my heart. -
Visionary “Rap” EP by precocious 18-year-old duo Eric Davis (elv) and Chuck Prater (Chuk Chu) from 1989. Imagine if Schoolly D had joined Native Tongues and made an early hiphouse EP produced by Larry Heard. The story of Me & E took shape in Avalon Park in South Chicago, a vibrant, diverse, and politically active community with a rich musical culture. This was the fertile playground for producer Eric Davis (elv) and lyricist Chuck Prater (Chuk Chu). The park itself was adjacent to Eric’s backyard and they would hop the fence to listen to music, drink beers, and freestyle, even in the middle of the notoriously cold Chicago winters. Eric’s dad, Arlington Davis Jr., was a jazz drummer who played in the legendary spiritual jazz group The Awakening in the ‘70s. Jazz ran deep in their family with proud connections to Miles Davis. Arlington would host weekly jam sessions at his home, and Chuck & Eric were in regular attendance. On those evenings, Eric and his brothers were able to take turns on the sticks alongside the veteran players, honing their fledgling chops. These experiences gave them the confidence to take music seriously, and start a group. Channeling his drumming skills through an array of synths and drum machines, Eric produced tracks in his bedroom, inspired by artists like The Art Of Noise, Kraftwerk, and New Order. Combining their atmospheric electronic elements with his jazz background, and beat-making skills, he created a distinct sound that still sounds fresh today. Chuck was listening to Hendrix, Joplin, Public Enemy, MC Lyte, and Big Daddy Kane and developed a unique and uplifting lyrical flow. They met up after school almost every day to make music, and quickly produced the four songs that make up their Rap EP. The music duo never lost touch, and continued to produce throughout the 90’s, forming Rich Boys, another rap group with their crew from Avalon Park. In 1995, Chuk Chu released a solo album, Memoirs of a Blue Light Special, focussing on a more sample based production style. Eric inspired by the house scene in Chicago, produced some ethereal and otherworldly electronic music, which Mixed Signals is compiling for future release. The Rap EP is just an introduction to the ongoing story of Me & E. -
12'' Label: Eine Welt OTTO is back with a Maximal Super Sound Maxi 12" on Eine Welt. The label, run by Alexander Arpeggio concludes this 12" series with an obscure banger by the Berlin-based Organ Band OTTO. On the A-side: Obscure uptempo Italo Madness, bassline-heavy, and featuring dirty vocoder Ansagen. On the other A-side: a driving and full of surprises midtempo groover with mysterious german voodoo ritual chants. Get a copy of this limited 12" and get your fun fair ceremony started. Limited 300 Copies only - special cover finish with metallic look. -
DJ Sotofett remakes of the debut LP (Content To Write In I Dine Weathercraft, 1983) from Irish post-punk producer Stano. A whole load of styles on this one. TIP! How this record came about has been lost a bit to the midst of (recent) time, back in 2018 when we repressed "Content to Write in I Dine Weathercraft" the 1983 debut LP of one of Ireland's more enigmatic musical characters - we slid it the way of the versatile Norwegian polymath who suggested a remix, which quickly became two and soon ended up a full suite. We put it aside for a bit, became a bit longer, then the artwork - pieced together by the Sex Tags boss himself cutting up features from Irish fanzine Vox - and the general lag of production in the post covid world and here we are the guts of 5 years later! A member of the legendary punk / post-punk group The Threat which disbanded after lead singer Maurice Foley disappeared to join the Hare Krishnas, Stano set up his outsider stall early on. The Threat had Stano on synths, one of the first female bassists in Deirdre Creed and their debut single was produced by progressive trad musician Donal Lunny of Planxty. His solo career of improvised electronic music continued in this vein of the unexpected – sitting outside both the country’s mainstream and alternative rock scenes. Eschewing both live performance and the spotlight for studio collaborations for this LP he worked with a number of Irish musicians - Roger Doyle, Daniel Figgis and of course Michael O Shea. This remix pack kicks off with the drum machine exotica funk of "Room" and runs the gamut of 80's pop experimentation via the new wave dream pop of "Emma Wild", dubbing out the haunted house vibes of "Seance of Klondalike", adding some menace to the gothic feel of "Melting Grey", stretching "Out of the Dark, Into the Dawn" into a skrangled baleric dubby house jam and closing it out adding a hypnotic repetitive punch to O'Shea's beautiful timeless playing on "A Dead Rose". -
12'' Label: Eine Welt 700WET, a clever wordplay on "wet" and "watt", evokes the image of a charged battery ready to make some serious noise - and is eager to release its energy. This electrifying art-pop project is the brainchild of Marja Christians, an award-winning dancer and opera singer and Cid Hohner of Moonwalk X Records, OTTO, and Aufgang B. Their alluring synth-pop and honest operatic vocals transport listeners to a realm of sensual pleasure, inspired by the feminist power of erotica. Imagine Grace Jones singing minimal wave style in a Chicago house and you'll get a taste of their genre-defying 'Lovers-Dance' sound. Fans of italo disco and digi dub would surely like to take a bite here. They crafted their music with Yamaha Portasound keyboards and smoky Crumar string keyboards. All of this creates an authentic and distinctive sound that is hard to find elsewhere. 700WET is an explosion of creativity that will take you on a journey of lust, passion, and love. -
Used Vinyl. VG / VG+ 12'' Label: P&P Records Uptempo disco goodie on Patrick Adams's label, including instrumental version. Produced by Billy Nichols of Westend fame. This is an anthem, should be owned by every disco freak!There is no doubt Peter Brown's P&P is one hell of an eclectic label. Enter Jesse Gould's Powerful protest song "Out of Work". A song that could have easily fit better at the Harlem Cultural Festival in the summer of '69 than at a Disco in '77. A regular at David Mancuso's Loft, this fast-paced Funk Jam Borderlines Disco. However more Sly Stone than Disco Inferno, the realities of Harlem were all here on display. Produced and arranged by Billy Nichols, "Out of Work" showcases the qualities that made him famous - Funky Rhythms rooted from his time at Motown, Big Strings and special attention to the Drum Section. Another incredibly rare record, another incredible opportunity to own what the Disco Black Market has priced for more than a Day's Work minimum wage. -
The third release from Canopy features the title track from a tough to catch Afro funk 7” originally released on private press in Benin in the 1980s. While information on the mesmerising Tomede Ehue remains elusive, she is backed by the Beninois powerhouse, the truly almighty, “TP Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou”. Electrifying cosmic voodoo disco grooves, heavy bass pulsing, blistering horns and spooky organ riffs set the tone on this transcendental dance floor afro funk cut. A modernised tropical disco remix from bosq & an Afro - acid version from Sam Redmore revitalise this mysterious dance floor incantation and launch it into the present day. These tracks strike a balance between moody afro psych-funk and more punchy electronic aesthetics, while maintaining the subtleties of the original composition and performance. -
Heavy South African cut, unearthed by Dene from LCT, All about the massive title track ''Got My Magic Working''... Phat bassline, machinegun claps dipped in acid! The origins of Amajika is a tale of two worlds colliding at the perfect moment and begin in KwaMushu Township outside Durban. Here would be where a young Tu Nokwe would set up a school to help teach other aspiring youngsters like herself in music, dance and acting. This would become known as the Amajika Youth and Children’s Art Project and would be run from the Nokwe home, a common hangout for artists at the time. Some boast 2000+ pupils going through this program while others claim it wasn’t more than a backyard dance group, but for the lucky group of kids that were members in the mid 80s it would be their chance at stardom. It was during these years that a young aspiring playwright and musician Mbongeni Ngema had come across Tu and her group of gifted youngsters at the Nokwe family home. Although he was touring extensively at the time with the plays Woza Albert and Asinamali, the latter which eventually ended up on broadway, he would spend any time off from the tour with Tu and her dance troop. After being inspired by the American group New Edition, Mbongeni envisioned Amajika as the South African answer and decided to bankroll a studio session. The session would take place in a private studio in Durban.The release of the first single would follow very shortly. The lead track, Tomati-So is a fun swinging groove over some basic programmed drums. The song is dedicated to Tu Nokwe sings of her unique style and kind heart. On his next tour Mbongeni would take the remaining masters with him to the US and had the track remixed. Although it never materialized in a release States side he did return with the remixed tape and release it in South Africa the following year. Much like Tomato So the song was an ode and would be dedicated to the man who was making all their dreams come true. Got My Magic Working sings of going overseas and being a star on Broadway and TV and the man who is making it all happen. All these true predictions are sung on top of a groovy acid bass by a clearly matured troop of artists. During these years of working with Amajika, Mbongeni became very impressed with the exceeding talent of one of the members and decided to cast her in his upcoming musical Sarafina. The other children also wanted to be a part of the Broadway show but not everyone would get a role. This would be the end of Amajika as the next years would be dedicated to creating success on the musical stage. The growing kids that formed Amajika became young adults and pursued their own careers after the fact. Tu Nokwe would leave the country to return years later as the wife of Shaka Zulu on the big screen. To this day she is still very active both on stage and screen while Mbongeni is still writing and adding to the South African Musical Theatre catalog. Fast forward 30 years from the original release to a smokey club where ESA hears Got My Magic Working played by Rush Hours Store’s own Bonnefooi. Instantly he inquires about the track from his homeland and feels it a perfect addition the repertoire of the Afro Synth band he is quietly cooking up. The band’s instrumental take ended up as the B side on a mysterious and limited white label released by Rush Hour in early 2020 but quickly sold out. Here you have compiled the two title tracks from original Amajika singles along with the instrumental version by ESA’s Afro Synth Band for The complete Amajika experience, past to present. -
Jamaican born and Toronto raised, KG Russell is an unsung journeyman who followed the DIY path with his compelling output. Only a handful of collectors have been aware of the few releases via his private imprint Rain Sound - of which little information is known and copies very seldom seen. A striking stand-out of Russell’s work comes via his Dance With Me album - a self-produced jewel originally recorded in 1988 with help from friends Tony Cameron and Orville Malcom on session duties. The brilliant blender of synth-soaked soul was released in 1990 on cassette only. Roughly 200 copies were manufactured and personally handed out to local record stores around Toronto. Crown Ruler returns, plucking out three superior cuts for Last Dance and breathing new life into each via an impressive remastering effort from Melbourne sound wizard Daniel Elleson. Finally pressed to wax, this EP is clearly deservent of the 12” treatment. An island-tipped-electro-come-proto-house string of melters , guaranteed to prick the ears of lovers of the obscure and exotic. Last Dance is full of curious influences. It could be described as Caribbean flavored drum machine r’n’b. From the title track, a hypnotic boogie dancefloor filler, to Talk To Me, an electro rap meets smooth-jazz love jam, and finally Dance With Me, a bent and wasted soul ballad - Russell bares it all in another lost treasure given some TLC and re-purposed for today’s DJ leaning ear. -
Used Vinyl. VG+ / VG 12'' Label: 4 Men With Beards This 1968 LP was powered by three hit singles (including '[You Make Me Feel Like] A Natural Woman') each nested in the upper reaches of the pop Top 10. It became Aretha's second Gold LP and remained on the charts for over a year. -
Used Vinyl. VG / G+ 3 x 12'' Label: Underl_ne Few hairlines but sounds great. Very worn sleeve. Price tag on backside. -
Used Vinyl. G+ / Generic 12'' Label: Music Man Records Second sampler from the long awaited second mix-cd from Marcel Dettmann, resident at the Berghain club in Berlin since even before it was called like that, and one of the key artists on their label Ostgut Ton. Including tracks by Cheeba Starks, Vril, The Analogue Cops & Answer Code Request.
