The Egyptian Lover reaches out to the Arabian Knight for Left Ear remix

Australian label Left Ear Records reissued the cult electro-soul jam by Arabian Knight last year – here’s the amazing video of the track if you missed it. Now, another cult star of electro – the Egyptian Lover – is remixing.

These reissues, remixes and a new audience has reignited a flame in the Arabian Knight. Here he is performing in Melbourne last year.

From a lost Australian electro-soul gem we now have the Egyptian Lover’s remixes. The guys at Left Ear said: “Shahara-Ja’s I’m An Arabian Knight has gained much momentum since it’s 2017 reissue, so much so that the Egyptian Lover reached out to the label proclaiming he’d do a remix. The electro innovator,  who the original release appears to be highly inspired by, seemed like a perfect fit for this sleazy late Night groover. The result is three fresh mixes using elements of the original session tapes and the perfect touch of the Egyptian Lover’s signature 808.”

Here is a preview of the forthcoming remix:

The Egyptian Lover started out as an L.A DJ and began recording around Los Angeles in 1982 as a member of the Radio Crew, as well as Uncle Jamm’s Army. He released some of the earliest rap LPs, but they were less popular than his singles. His most popular single was Egypt, Egypt. After a break in the early 1990s, Egyptian Lover returned in 1994 with Back from the Tomb, his first full-length album in over ten years. The Egyptian Lover also established his own record company, Egyptian Empire Records. His 2015 release, 1984, continued his tradition of using solely analog equipment, including his famed Roland TR-808. His music continues in 2018.

Shahara-Ja ‎– I’m An Arabian Knight (Egyptian Lover Remixes) is out on April 1st.

Blip Discs drop beautiful Ugandan spirituals from Mubashira Mataali Group

Blip Discs have released an enthralling collection of Islamic spirituals from Kampala, Uganda, performed and composed with the traditional mataali drum and vocal troupe Mubashira Mataali Group (pron: moo-ba-shee-ra).

The globetrotters at Blip Discs follow up their impressive label catalogue of forward thinking and genre fusing dance music with these songs composed for weddings, pilgrimages and worship. Although these themes may not immediately seem fitting with the label’s club-focused and dance-floor specific output, Tom Blip at the label assures us that these cuts will refreshingly surprise DJs and dancers alike. The work in Uganda follows funding being awarded in the UK for cultural exchange.

“I’ve played these out a few times and I never can quite believe what I’m seeing,” Tom says. “The reaction seems testament to the idea that we don’t have to keep on remixing and westernising contemporary African music in order to dance to it. This is Mubashira Mataali Group as we recorded them – with absolutely no electronic overdubs – just a few microphones, some drums and some vocals.”

Mataali is the music the people of Madinah celebrated to when the prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) arrived in their city in the 7th Century. It features spirited call-and-response vocals, visceral chanting and driving percussion. Mubashira Mataali Group is a troupe of 25 musicians led by Sulaiman ‘Sula’ Sulait, a film star-come-musician based in Kampala. The Blip Discs crew first saw the group at the capital’s Bayimba Festival – and inspired by their performance – promptly invited them to a recording session, which took place only a few hours later on the same day.

The fruit of Blip Discs’ musical labours in Uganda were recorded in 2016. World Treasures Music features four tracks from the EP. They are back-to-back during the latest show for KMAH Radio. Click below to listen, the tracks are at the 11 minute, 25 second mark and at the 1 hour, 31 minutes and 20 second mark.

Respect to all at Blip Discs for their work and courage in delivering this music to new audiences.

Finnish soul man Ernie Hawks drops debut album with his Soul Investigators

The Helsinki based trombonist, flute and tuba player will deliver his brand of exhilarating psych funk on his first LP later this month.

Early listens indicate the skill and dexterity of the front man alongside his band. Title track Scorpio Man displays their hardness and Street of Tears shows their ambience and mood shifting. Expect Cymande flavored instrumentals, obscure B movie tunes, hip-hop samples and library music cuts. There are also plenty of nods to classic soul and funk staples.

Scorpio Man – is a Diamond & Mink production – out on Timmion Records and is released on 23rd March. The music will be featured on the next World Treasures Music radio show.

Listen: C. Scott and Plaster open new World treasures Music radio show

The latest show for KMAH Radio features new electronica from Europe and the U.S, before a tour of African music via Ghana and Uganda, plus Spanish synth-wave and South African bubblegum. Click below to listen:

Transition is the new studio album from experimental electronic producer Plaster (Gianclaudio Hashem Moniri). This LP for Kvitnu has taken a more minimal approach using only analogue gear and hardware in mostly live and improvised compositions. Plaster were originally founded in 2008 by Giuseppe Carlini and Gianclaudio Hashem Moniri in Rome. This WTM show casts off with the throb of opening track Casual Encounter from the album.

Next up is C. Scott (Charlie Scott) with one of his hip-hop influenced jams from the forthcoming EP Pittsburgh Tracks. Scott is an MPC virtuoso who first started producing music in 2009, inspired by the hypnotic, jazz-influenced sound of hip-hop’s golden era. This is Charlie’s return to vinyl with a seven track EP featuring a range of tempos and styles from deep house to trip-hop and more.

The mix then features new recordings of traditional music from Uganda, with four tracks during the show from the Mubashira Mataali Group on UK label Blip Discs, as well as the sublime reissue of Basa Basa’s High Life Music on Amsterdam’s Vintage Voudou Records.

Also featured is Left Ear Records’ latest reissue of Respuesta Alternativa, highlights from the Gumba Fire compilation of South African bubblegum and synth-boogie for Soundway Records and some Brazilian music to end the mix from Tahira’s recent compilation for Jazz and Milk Recordings.

Full tracklist available soon – once it’s written up 🙂

For more shows for KMAH Radio, visit the playlist section below (or click here for more mixes).

 

Left Ear Records revive Respuesta Alternativa’s cassette only ambience and synth-wave

Australian label Left Ear take their musical excavation to Spain and have compiled five deep and immersive compositions by Respuesta Alternativa on vinyl. Respuesta Alternativa, or ‘alternative response’, was a backlash production to traditional music at the time resulting in the cassette only album Grata Compania.

Jesús Mª Catalán (former keyboardist of Clandestine Modes) played keyboards and percussion, while also enlisting the help of Julián C. Pérez on guitars, bass and production. There were also collaborations by Fernando Largo and Carlos Redondo, the EP is dedicated to their memory. It was recorded and mixed at Estudios Frassinelli, in Oviedo, Spain, in 1985 and 1986.

The record is out now and is to the usual high standards of this trans-nationally orientated label.

Kerem Akdag drops impressive LP for the ever evolving Dimensions label


Istanbul native Kerem Akdag delivers a fantastic debut album today for the Dimensions label – an imprint born from the supreme festival staged in Croatia.

Kerem’s self titled album follows several other essential 12″s featuring club ready weapons by artists from around the globe. The selection of familiar names and up and coming producers has been varied and expertly curated so far on the label. And in tandem with the festival – which is also continually bringing a wide musical spectrum and unique vision – 2018 looks like it will be a huge year for Dimensions. This year’s festival line up is again bursting at the seams with world class bookings and an intuitive programming that sets the collective apart from all others. WTM will be bringing more on what’s to come on the label’s next releases, but expect that consistency and high standard that the brand is famed for. Where the label will go next is an exciting prospect. The first release on the label featured two of the highlights of last summer: Mim Suleiman’s Pole Pole and Alma Negra’s Onga. It was on this first Dimensions Recordings release, An Introduction Part 1, where many first heard Kerem on the cut Getdownsoclose. The whole EP was a showcase of the international sounds that the label, as well as the festival, continues to champion.

Between the first release and Kerem’s, the label has covered electro, dub techno, house and more, featuring European and American artists that have impressed at Dimensions festival and numerous events. Now it is the turn of the Turkish artist to shine. This fifth release has already pricked the interest of influential fans such as Gilles Peterson and similarly minded selectors. Understandably so, as Kerem’s music trips through jazz, soul and funk through to house techno and left leaning electronica.

It’s been flying out already since its release – for a listen and to grab one, visit Kerem’s bandcamp.

Guy One’s debut album for Philophon is unmissable and globalises Frafra music

Guy One has released a sensational debut for the Polyphon label called #1.  His story is a truly inspiring ‘rags to riches’ tale –  growing up in remote northern Ghana with no schooling, herding cows and goats, building his own instruments and teaching himself to sing. Guy One’s Frafra music is a style that originates from a small area in the north of Ghana and can be heard at weddings and funerals.

Two choice cuts from the album are featured on this WTM radio show from 41m. 58s:

Frafra music “made in Germany” is how drummer and producer Max Weissenfeldt has described it. The album is diverse and inspiring and features a range of elements including choirs, trumpet, organ, bass, drums, synthesiser, vibraphone, saxophone and piano.

Check out these great videos featuring Guy One below also: