Xidus Pain & Blacc Sky - Bliss & Desert Islands

Xidus Pain & Blacc Sky - Bliss & Desert Islands

Rap Music From The Soul

The new album from UK rapper Xidus Pain and American counterpart Blacc Sky provides the same kind of chills that Hip-Hop used to when Def Jux were at their peak in the early noughties. Passionate, razor-sharp raps full of coherent, complex metaphors, concepts and messages, avoiding the usual cliches and underpinned by some serious beats... this is everything Hip-Hop should be as far as I'm concerned.

I could list the albums, tracks and rappers I'm reminded of when listening to this, but that would be unfair - the fact is this album and these artists deserve  appreciation based on their own merits.

Having said that, fans of Phi-Life Cipher, Mr Lif, Aesop Rock, Anti-Pop Consortium, Wildchild and Stones Throw/Def Jux styles really should get on this one!

December Podcast - Best of 2017!

CMFCP December Podcast

Best of 2017!

The CMFCP December Podcast is an extended 90 minute episode in which we rattle through our favourite tracks of 2017! 

Tracks: 

The Black Madonna - His is The Voice I Hear (We Still Believe) 

Piero Umiliani - Discomania (Liuto) 

Zru Vogue - Do The Zru (Eskimo) 

Bonobo - Kerala (Ninja Tune) 

Lindstrom - Drift (Feedelity) 

Apostles - Banko Woman (Cultures of Soul) 

Elbertina 'Twinkie' Clark - Awake O Zion (Mr Bongo) 

Sampha - What Shouldn't I Be? (Young Turks) 

Jackson - Keep Swimming (Self-Release) 

Thundercat - Show Me The Way feat Michael McDonald & Kenny Loggins (Brainfeeder) 

Addison Groove - Changa (Self-Release) 

Alessandro Alessandroni - Afro Discoteca (Four Flies) 

Edith Peters - This Is The Moment (Rework by Gerard Frisina) (Schema) 

Com Truise - Idle Withdrawal (Ghostly International) 

Bicep - Glue (Ninja Tune) 

Todd Terje - Jungelknugen (Four Tet Remix) (Olsen Norway) 

Jamie 326 feat Masalo - Testify (Local Talk) 

*End of 'Best of 2017'* 

 New Releases spotlight: 

Ewan Hoozazmi feat Audible One - Freedom (Mr Bird Remix) (Particle Zoo) 

Tundra - The River (Particle Zoo) 

‘The Library Archive’ Compiled by Mr Thing & Chris Read

The Library Archive - Compiled by Mr Thing & Chris Read

BBE

“Join two of BBE’s most prolific artists and compilers, Mr Thing & Chris Read on a voyage into the mysterious, strange and wonderful world of Library Music, courtesy of Cavendish Music. Founded in 1937 and originally known as Boosey & Hawkes Recorded Music Library, Cavendish Music is the largest independent Library Music publisher in the UK and also represents a host of music catalogues across the globe.

During the Library Music heyday of the 60s and 70s, thousands of original instrumental tracks were produced across a broad range of genres for companies like Cavendish, who then created vinyl and tape collections, often arranged by theme or mood, for their customers in radio, television and film. Cult British TV shows such as The Sweeney and The Professionals as well as documentaries and feature films relied heavily on these catalogues, and companies like KPM, De Wolfe and Boosey & Hawkes went a long way toward defining the sound of British popular culture at the time.

Never commercially available, music created for these libraries that never made it to the promised land of TV or Radio was destined to languish in Cavendish Music’s vast London vault; only recently unearthed by a new generation of DJs and producers searching for rare gems or a perfect sample.

Mr Thing & Chris Read were first invited to examine the contents of the Cavendish Music archive in 2014 as part of WhoSampled’s ‘Samplethon’ event in which producers created new tracks against the clock using sample material mined from the catalogue. Whilst digging through box upon box of records and tapes looking for interesting sounds, the pair also discovered a host of 70s library music which has not only stood the test of time, but deserves to be heard in its original form.

From dramatic big band numbers reminiscent of Lalo Schifrin’s film scores to atmospheric proto-hip hop instrumentals produced before the genre’s existence, right through to fairly straightforward jazz and funk cuts; this amazing collection of music is sure to inspire and delight DJs and beat-makers the world over.”

 Buy it here

Ewan Hoozami - Safari Strut feat Audible One (Video)

Ewan Hoozami - Safari Strut feat Audible One 

Particle Zoo

We'll be making a bit of noise about this over the next few weeks, which definitely breaks the Bloggers Code (Section 13B: Don't blog your own music if you're a music blog)

In an effort to maintain a charade of journalistic impartiality we'll just not say anything about it and let you decide if this utterly brilliant slice of party-starting Funk/Rap is for you or not.

Totally impartial, see?

Taken from the forthcoming Remedy the Blues EP on Particle Zoo. More on that soon.

Galaxians - Let The Rhythm In

Galaxians - Let The Rhythm In

Dither Down US

Sounding exactly like the 80s thought the 2020 would sound like, Galaxians release ther debut LP Let the Rhythm In on Dither Down. Only the 80s actually recorded what they thought 2020 would sound like, and in so doing meant that 2020 had a heads up and would actually sound more like Justin Bieber. Funny old world.

Anyway, it's a cracking album, all power vocals vocals and staccato synths punctuating drum machine-led rhythms and swirly bloops and bleeps. Lovely.

Buy here from Juno (other stockists exist)

The Flying Stars of Brooklyn NY - My God Has A Telephone

The Flying Stars of Brooklyn NY - My God Has A Telephone

Colemine Records

Legend has is Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in return for his virtuosic guitar playing. The same devil must have traded with the Flying Stars of Brooklyn NY to afford them the ability to cut a record in 2017 that sounds 100% like it was cut in 1953. Only, for that to have happened, Beelzebub would have their souls, which would render the performance of this gospel-tinged soul joint impossible. Can't cut soul records without soul, right? Maybe the devil used the souls of The Flying Stars as a muse and performed through the vehicles of their bodies. Yes, that's it - like Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost. Must be. Either way, this is an exquisite record. Well worth swapping your soul for. Or alternatively, head here and exchange cash money instead.

Last Gas Station - Late Summer 7 (free compilation)

Last Gas Station - Late Summer Vol 7

Last Gas Station

Back once again with the chill behaviour... it's Last Gas Station with another delicious collection of sweet soul music and deep beats. Free ones at that.

Featuring some exemplary names from the thinking person's musical elite, we've got summery vibes in abundance, expertly curated by the Athenian afficionados.

The likes of Salsoul Orchestra, Rabo and Snob, Kraak & Smaak, Joutro Mondo and Soul Clap will be familiar to those who share CMFCP's love for smart Disco, providing the backbone of a compilation that puts the 'light' in 'delight'

Efharisto, malakas!

The Allergies dig Jalapeno

The Allergies - Blast Off (Remix) / You Got Power
Jalapeno Records

It's semi-coherent concept time at Jalapeno Towers, wherein the funky beats and slick grooves behemoth invite their highly respected roster to 'dig' through their vast vaults of virtual vinyl. Over a decade of Jalapeno means a monstrous melange of music to muddle through, and we are served some supreme selections from the likes of Boca 45, Soopasoul, Parker, Dr Rubberfunk and Skeewiff among others. To kick things off it's Bristol beatsmiths The Allergies. Still basking in the glory of their rapturously received Push On LP, of feverish acclaim from tastemakers BBC 6 Music among others, the boys dig out a hitherto unheard remix of Rock Rock B-side Blast Off feat Andy Cooper, and the piece de resistance, a booty-shaking Northern Soul banger You Got the Power.

The concept may be a tad muddled but the music's lovely. Out October 20th on Jalapeno

Fatoumata Diawara - Kanou (Fatoumata Revision)

Fatoumata Diawara - Kanou (Fatoumata Revision)

Modern Afro-soul-house vibes from Fatoumata Diawara... sounds like a day relaxing on a deserted Kenyan beach. Or at a faux-swanky pool party in some soulless expat bolt-hole. But that's not Fatoumata's fault - she just made a really delicious tune. Free download too.

Alfa Mist - Antiphon

Alfa Mist - Antiphon

Pink Bird

Heartbreakingly CMFCP only just discovered this - too late to bag one of the 250 LP copies that Pink Bird pressed. Stumbled upon purely by chance, Alfa Mist Antiphon is one of the finest modern jazz records in a long time. Possibly ever. It's right up there with Kamasi Washington, BadBadNotGood, Jaga Jazzist or Yussef Kamaal/Kamaal Williams, who are widely recognised as among the elite of today's jazz maestros. Alfa Mist appears to have come from nowhere, but his forward-facing blend of striking jazz arrangements, punchy beats and innovative instrumentation make Antiphon stand out a mile. Apparently conceived and recorded after conversations with his brothers, it's a record that invokes the true spirit of jazz, while not once sounding generic. Stunning stuff.

4004 - Sense of Departure

4004 - Sense of Departure

Quintessentials 

A delicious slice of that hideously misrepresented genre Deep House. A term that has come to mean plodding, soulless EDM remixes of James Blunt songs and wanker-in-a-wine-bar soundtracking. Which is a huge shame because when House Music is Deep, it can be a marvelous thing, as Tijuana- based producer 4004 attests with his assured Sense of Departure EP. Uplifting, sharp, understated, seriously cool vibes that would have this correspondent reaching for the lasers faster than any of its jacking Big Room contemporaries.

Preview/Buy on Juno (below) and rest of world here 

Blockhead - Funeral Balloons

Blockhead - Funeral Balloons

Backwoodz Studioz

New Blockhead music is always welcome, like a visit from an old friend. It's a peculiar phenomenon that friendships cultivated during late teens/early twenties seem most likely to survive the paucity of communication dictated by later-life concerns. While friendships made later in life can quickly wither without regular feeding, the bonds of a twenties-friendship are like cacti... water once in a blue moon and no visible deterioration presents.

So it is with the new Blockhead record Funeral Balloons. Not much has changed, style-wise, from previous efforts dating all the way back to Music By Cavelight, the 2004 album that brought him global acclaim via the legendary Ninja Tune label. It was also the record that created the bond I feel with Blockhead, AKA Tony Simon, and his music. At a time when Hip-Hop was at the forefront of my musical life and the likes of RJD2, Joey Beats, Aim, Madlib and Jel were showing what could be achieved by elevating Beats music to new ambitions, influenced no doubt by the seminal works produced on my own doorstep by the likes of Portishead, Tricky  and Massive Attack. It was a time of experimentation with what Hip-Hop could achieve, and what it could mean. Post Golden-Era and fiercely separatist from the creeping spectre of the blingy Pop-Hop that stole Hip-Hop's name, the music of that time had a particular flavour. 

That's not to say the music on Funeral Balloons feels stagnant - far from it. Blockhead has always had a masterful touch, an ear for a captivating arrangement and a delicate, nuanced palate that lift what are essentially Hip-Hop Instrumentals to a far loftier pedestal. This is music to get lost in, music to drive to, music to fall in love to, and with.

Blockhead is a master beatsmith, and while the beats he crafts are less fashionable than they were a decade ago, don't let that distract you from the majesty within Funeral Balloons.

Particular highlights: Festival Paramedics' swirling, conflictual yet uplifting double-time, Cop Rock's surreal take on 50s Rock n Roll that brings out such a range of emotions one can hardly believe it's all in the same song, and the majestic, soundtrack-ish Funeral Balloons.

Get it through Bandcamp or check Discogs

Rest in Power: Charles Bradley

Daptones Records have lost another great. We've all lost another great. Following all too soon after the passing of modern soul legend Sharon Jones, the one and only Charles Bradley has died, aged just 68.

Sadly the cancer he was diagnosed with in 2016 has taken its toll on a man whose voice carried the weight of power and soul that only a handful have ever possessed. A humble man by nature, he was always grateful to the fans who gave him the opportunity to do what he loved; he was even able to continue touring right up until last month.

"Right now, I don't see a stopping point 'cause I don't see no place where I can stop at and rest in peace," he told Rolling Stone last year. "But I know that from doing shows for the public, the love when I go out into the audience and hug 'em and the things that they say to me personally … [pauses] Wow. It's not only me onstage doing it. I open their hearts up and they feel the love of my heart and when I go out there and really respond to 'em and talk to 'em, they tell me some things."

Having only found the stardom he deserved at the age of 62, his story is one of poverty, pain, loss and struggle - things that ultimately infused his music with the screaming soul power audiences fell in love with. On a personal level, his music has been a staple of the Funk From The Trunk sound ever since he made his rise to prominence, and we had the good fortune to meet and support him several times over the years. Thus it's with a truly heavy heart I write of his passing. A great man, a one-in-a-million voice and the provider of so much incredible soul music. Mr Bradley, we salute you. Rest in Power, sir.

I've attempted to pay further tribute to the Screaming Eagle of Soul by spending the day remixing one of my favourite Charles Bradley tracks, which is available below.

I thoroughly recommend you also dig in to his three excellent studio albums and full discography, available here

Ikebe Shakedown - Supermoon

Ikebe Shakedown - Supermoon

Colemine Records

Bold, brassy, full of classic library flavour and on a fetching 'moon-coloured' vinyl, the new 45 from Ikebe Shakedown is here, and it's tasty. Limited to 300 copies, fans of the golden era of library grooves should move fast before it's gobbled up by hungry beat-freaks.

Buy it here

KH (Fourtet) - Question

KH - Questions

Text Records

Kieran Hebden AKA Fourtet reprises his KH alter-ego (where did he come up with that?) for a floor-filling edit of rare funk. As it gradually speeds up and layers crunchy, sticky percussion over the insistent groove and sweet soul vocal we can be assured that this jam will ignite dancefloors everywhere.

Limited run on Text Records, this one will fly off the shelves and is already fetching silly money on Discogs.

Less is very much more.

Sampha wins Mercury Music Prize with Process

Sampha - Process

Young Turks

Mercury Music Prize Winner

I'm not going to lay into Ed Sheeran online. For starters, I'd be very late to the party. Secondly, I really don't think he deserves the monstrous amount of negativity he receives from the self-proclaimed Music Heads across the globe. Thirdly, he's ginger. As a flame-haired brother-in-arms I'm with anyone that could navigate the school system of the 90s and emerge emotionally intact.

He's talented, he looks like someone you know from the pub, and he's insanely, inexplicably successful. I can't stand his music, but at least he writes it himself. At least he isn't another pretty boy puppet on the end of Simon Cowell's strings. Fair play to him.

Having said that, I'm infinitely pleased he didn't win the Mercury Prize, as he was tipped to do. If that is the best album of 2017 we're all doomed.

Sampha, on the other hand, released not only the album of the year, but possibly of the last five. Process is a spell-bindingly beautiful, gloriously unpolished album that lays bare the emotional journey he went through processing the death of his mother. It's a work of such staggering soulfulness it could reduce Putin to tears. Yet, in contrast to many emotionally-charged, melancholic records, it is never maudlin. Pure, raw, heartfelt and musically brilliant, the record begs to be listened to in entirety, although if you had to pick one track No-One Knows Me like the Piano is a towering example of Process' magnificence.

CMFCP would like to congratulate Sampha on a richly-deserved achievement! 

Rhi - Reverie

Rhi - Reverie

Tru Thoughts

Rhi is back on Tru Thoughts with an intimate, dreamy collection of super slo-mo soul music.

She has a breathy, soft and pure voice that soars set against the sparse, shimmering clicks and shuffles in lead track The Same, which you can check out below. You can also pre-order the whole shebang if you feel inclined.
What better way to help Tru Thoughts celebrate their 18th birthday?

Jackson - Keep Swimming (Video)

Jackson - Keep Swimming

(Video)

In an age of rapidly shrinking revenues and dying platforms for unsigned and new artists, there's an understandable shift of focus for those attempting to fulfill their musical dreams. After all, everyone needs to put food on the table.

Artists find the lure of the crowd-pleaser difficult to resist. Bands across the world find that cover song they used to close with is the only song anyone seems to want to hear nowadays... so they do another. And another. And soon enough their set is predominantly covers, with the odd original apologetically thrown in.

It's hard to blame them - Money is king, yet doesn't grow on trees. Plus, if money is King, in the musical landscape Nostalgia would have a fairly strong claim to the throne were Money to suffer an impromptu death. Edits, Remixes, Covers, and Reissues all easily outstrip sales of new music.

So we could forgive Jackson for toning down their idiosyncracy, smoothing out their edges and delivering their 3rd record as a smooth jazz/funk record with pop stylings. And of course a few covers.

That would, however, be predictable, dull and disappointing to these pages, as you'll know from my full EP review here. We love music that sticks to its guns and Jackson shows absolutely no sign of compromising.

Kicking off with 5 x DMC Champion scratch-master-cum-vocalist Asian Hawk, Keep Swimming immediately melds some incredibly disaparate sounds. The vocals have been likened to Jamiroquai but could just as easily be from an early 90s Mudhoney record. Cuts like an experimental DJ Shadow joint. Beats in 3/4 and mesmeric, loping instrumentatin a la Art Ensemble of Chicago or Pharoah Sanders, plus distorted guitars that could come from an early Tool record... it shouldn't really work, but it's glorious.

Giving a deserved platform to the exceptional performance calibre Jackson have at their disposal, the video, in contrast to its soundtrack, is unfussy and played with a straight bat - simple portraiture of a band at the top of their game.

Buy Jackson - Push Through Here: Bandcamp / iTunes

V/A - Zoo Keeping 2 (Particle Zoo Recordings)

V/A - Zoo Keeping 2 Particle Zoo Recordings

Indie Electronic label Particle Zoo Recordings have curated a brand new Free Compilation featuring some of the hottest rising talent and established artists in the electronic music world. 

Weighing in at a hefty nineteen exclusive tracks, ranging in tone from soulful Electronica, quirky Synth-Pop, and Deep House with actual depth, to varying shades of DnB and party-starting Midtempo, Big Room House and Ambient Downtempo, Zoo Keeping 2 is an accomplished label sampler that should have something for everyone interested in unusual Electronic Music.

Get your copy exclusively at Bandcamp on a Pay What You Want basis. 

The Allergies - Push On

The Allergies' debut album introduced the world to the way they effortlessly fuse funk, soul, disco, hip-hop and breaks into dancefloor-ready nuggets of ear candy. Taking classic sounds and reshaping for the modern age is the signature that won them plaudits across the globe. 

Not ones to rest on their laurels, it hasn't taken long for them to deliver more of the goods on their second full-length album, 'Push On'. As well as taking the successful formula of the first record and expanding on the sound with raw Funk, Psych, Northern Soul, and Boogie influences, The Allergies enlisted two giants of underground Hip-Hop to bless mics on the album as well. 

After a hugely successful collaboration on their debut LP, once again the dynamic lyricism and production skills of the inimitable Andy Cooper (Ugly Duckling) are present and correct in this new collection. Besides bringing the party on tracks like 'Main Event', he also settles scores with 'It Won't Be Me', before destroying all-comers on the battle Rap behemoth, 'Buzzsaw'. Also joining in on the action is UK MC veteran, Dr Syntax (The Mouse Outfit, Foreign Beggars) who prescribes some more healthy Hip-Hop advice on the track 'Remedy'.

Other highlights include the vintage Soul stomper, 'Entitled to That', Sixties uptempo groover, 'Hold You Close', and the fantastic little strutter, 'Get Down On You'. All in all it's a brand new set of future classics from your new favourite funky beatmakers, The Allergies.

Get it below