Laraaji: Vision Songs Volume 1. Label: Numero Group. Format: LP. During a career that has spanned five decades, American multi-instrumentalist Laraaji has released around thirty albums and countless collaborations. Many of these albums were self released by Laraaji on cassettes, and feature his unique and inimitable genre-melting sound. This best described as a fusion of ambient, avant-garde, experimental and psychedelia which is hypnotic, mesmeric and meditative which features the zither, Mbira and piano. However, Laraaji is best known as a zither player, and as the man who transformed and re ..read more

A Crude Mechanical-Discourse. Format: LP and Digital. Once in a while, a debut album comes along that features groundbreaking, genre-melting music that stands head and shoulders above other albums that have just been released. That was the case with A Crude Mechanical’s much-anticipated debut album, ‘Discourse.’ It was based on a speech made by American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, ‘Discourse’ is an album of instrumentals that stops you in your tracks and forces you to listen. It’s an album that demands your full attention, and takes the listener on a magical musical journey ac ..read more

Bob Stanley/Pete Wiggs Present Winter Of Discontent. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘27th’ January 2023. Karl Marx said that: “history repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.” This is true. Proof of this was the Winter of Discontent which took place between November 1978 and February 1979. For four long months strikes took place across Britain in the private and public sector causing chaos and bringing a once proud country to its knees. The problem was caused when trade unions demanded wage increases above the limits the then Prime Minister James Callaghan and the Labou ..read more

In The Light Of Time-UK Post-Rock and Leftfield Pop 1992-1998. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘29th’ September 2023. Back in the early nineties, a number of British bands decided it was time to explore a different side to pop and rock music. They were going to push musical boundaries and create innovative music. It was a case of daring to be different. Some succeeded, creating groundbreaking music fusing elements of seventies art rock, post-punk and minimalist music with the new and burgeoning electronic scene. This found favour with some of the established indie labels includin ..read more

Space, Energy and Light-Experimental Electronic and Acoustic Soundscapes 1961-88. Label: Soul Jazz Records In 2017, Soul Jazz Records released Space, Energy and Light-Experimental Electronic and Acoustic Soundscapes 1961-88 to widespread critical acclaim. The album quickly sold out and has been out-of-print. Now five years later a new edition of this compilation has just been released. It features fourteen soundscapes that were created by musical pioneers.  The story starts in the early sixties, when a new breed of musicians started creating some of the earliest electronic music. During t ..read more

The Library Archive Volume 1 and 2-Funk, Jazz, Beats and Soundtracks From The Archives Of Cavendish Music-Compiled By Mr Thing and Chris Read. Label: BBE Music. Format: 2CD Set. The names Sonoton, De Woife, Amphonic, Conroy and Cavendish Music roll off the tongue of aficionados of library music. This ranges from a coterie of collectors to sample hungry hip hop producers to DJs and compilers like Mr Thing and Chris Read. One of their favourite library music companies is Cavendish Music. In 2014, the two BBE Music stalwarts entered the vast Cavendish Music vaults for the first time. They were pa ..read more

Cult Classic: Moonshine aka Monica Rypma and Friends-Classifieds. When Monica Rypma’s released her album Classifieds as a private press in 1985, little did she know that one day, it would be much-prized rarity amongst collectors and fans of the folk-funk genre. That’s why nowadays, original copies of Classifieds are changing hands for ever increasing sums of money, and the album is belatedly starting to find a wider audience. Classifieds is also an album with a fascinating backstory that showcases a truly talented singer-songwriter. Monica Rypma’s musical career began in 1976, when she decided ..read more

Lonnie Liston Smith-Live! Label: BGP. Format: CD. Innovative, influential and way ahead of the musical curve describes the music of Lonnie Liston Smith. Especially the music he recorded with The Cosmic Echoes for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions. A total of five groundbreaking albums were released by the label starting with 1973s Astral Travelling. This continued  right through to Reflections Of A Golden Dream in 1976. Later that year, the sixth album album Renaissance was released on RCA Victor who had taken over the label. It was hail ..read more

Moonshine aka Monica Rypma and Friends-Classifieds. Label: BBE Music. Format: CD. Release Date: 17th June 2022. When BBE Music recently released the compilation We Are The Children Of The Sun, one of the highlights was Monica Rypma’s Let Love Flow, a hook-laden Balearic groove hidden gem. The track was a tantalising taste of the album Classifieds, which was released as a private press in 1985.  Sadly, the album is now a rarity, and is much prized amongst collectors and fans of the folk-funk scene. That’s why original copies of Classifieds are changing hands for ever increasing sums of mon ..read more

Lonnie Liston Smith and The Cosmic Echoes-Renaissance. Label: BGP. Format: CD. Innovative, influential and way ahead of the musical curve, describes the music of Lonnie Liston Smith, and specially the five albums he recorded with The Cosmic Echoes for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions between 1973 and 1976  This began with Astral Travelling in 1973 with  Cosmic Funk followed in 1974. This was just the start. Expansions which followed in 1975 featured Lonnie Liston Smith at the peak of his powers on what was the most successful album of his career. He had brought onboard h ..read more