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Memória da Pedra Mãe

Sam Wilkes answers a few questions from Leaving Recordslabelmate Carlos Niño, on his debut full-length WILKESListening to WILKES numerous times, consideringwhat I might write about it for a Press Release, (which Iagreed to do because I'm a fan of his Music and hiscollaborations with Sam Gendel and Louis Cole / Knower,)I was growing in enthusiasm, looking forward to mynext radio show or DJ set including the song "Today"so I could hear it bump in a nice system. I was hypedthe more I took in this 6 song offering. I thought to askSam about his new record and use his answers as aidto illustrate some of my feelings, but when I read hisreply I thought you should too. It's so descriptiveand visual, perfect to pull from and quote.

Here's an all-time classic to kick back and roll a fat one to. 1996 was a landmark time for trip-hop and downtempo, and alongside DJ Shadow's Endtroducing came this silky smooth delight from Japanese turntablist maestro DJ Krush and jazz trumpeter Toshinori Kondo. Smoky beats and laconic chord licks form the perfect backdrop to Kondo's muted trumpet, and the mood just unfurls from the get-go in a brilliant reimagining of what lounge jazz could be in the fusion-fuelled 1990s. It's a benchmark which has been often imitated and rarely bettered, more than worthy of a remaster and repress on double vinyl.

Trumpeter, composer, bandleader & producer, Nick Walters delivers his 2nd studio album of the year for D.O.T. Records, an exquisite mix of jazz fusion and traditional Indian sounds. Padmāsana is inspired and constructed from experiences and samples he encountered whilst travelling around the Indian subcontinent. It was all pieced together at his studio in East London, featuring live contributions from Tenderlonious on flute, Kieran McLeod on trombone, Tim Carnegie on drums, and Walters himself on trumpet and synthesisers.

Alongside a tandem release on Unrock featuring the track 'Speaking In Tongues' from the same gig, this new release on Sub Rosa from Dwarfs Of East Agouza captures the Egyptian free improv and psych rock explorers playing live at Les Ateliers Claus in Brussels in 2017. It's instructive that A side track 'Baka Of The Future' is also the opening track from their debut album, because it sounds entirely different on this live version and thus neatly captures the creative forces at play from Maurice Loca's keys and drum machines, Sam Shalabi's electric guitar and Alan Bishop's bass. It's a mesmerising trip with shades of Krautrock underneath the scratchy, unpredictable playing on top.

Before they found fame with their 1975 debut album, Azymuth divided their time between working as backing musicians (attending recording sessions with some of Brazil's top talent) and recording experimental home demos. Recently rediscovered, these demos are finally being given a release thanks to the efforts of Far Out chief Joe Davis. There's much to admire on this first batch (a second volume is also available) of previously unheard early recordings, from the high-octane Brazilian funk insanity of "Prefacio" and Jimmy Smith-esque "Melo De Cuica", to the spacey samba/jazz-funk fusion of "Xingo (Version One)" and the relaxed, slow-burn brilliance of seven minute B-side opener "Laranjeiras".

Between the end of the 70's and the early 80's, a new sound appeared in London and its surroundings, a unique mix of Funk, Jazz-Funk and Disco labelled as Britfunk. Characterized by its raw energy that can put the needle In The Red, this up-tempo sound was a match for the UK's dancers and Jazz-Funk clubs.This first release by French label Chuwanaga features some of the most exciting, rare and powerful tracks from that era compiled by the Parisian DJ and activist Saint-James, with bands such as Equa, Potion, Inch by Inch, Congress, Index and Spookey. It features also an insert with an in-depth focus on this musical era.These young British musicians were equally inspired by the American Jazz-Funk productions and by Dub music and Reggae pushed by the Afro-Caribbean community who were at the heart of Britfunk’s development. They gave Funk a unique British flavor. However, more than just a music genre or an enclosed expression of black Britishness, it was part of a genuine musical and social movement with its own dedicated labels, fashion sense and most importantly its own set of values that fueled the whole scene. Britfunk built itself within a multicultural evolution: black people, white people, straight and queer, all dancing in the same room to the same loud sound.