***"I’ve never heard anything quite like Anomalie. It may exist, but I’m certainly not aware of it. He’s an immensely talented keyboardist and composer, and to that end, sure- you can point to a handful of other keyboardists and composers that we all know and love that are incredible soloists and amazing at production and and composition and also work from home and whose reels and videos we have saved innumerable times across all platforms...'Velours' blew my mind the first time I heard it. It starts off with an ambience almost reminiscent of something downtempo I’d hear in the chill room at a rave in the early 90s here in the SF Bay Area, giving way to piano so smooth it’s almost easy listening. Normally used in the perjorative, I don’t mean it like that here. It’s just got a level of maturity and is so mellow that it almost feels like something I’d have made fun of when I was younger, although something else- something intriguing—is happening in the synth backing and then noodling over the smooth piano, and the beat is a bit too hard to make that snap judgement, and besides, it’s HELLA groovy."
7" $17.25
03/28/2025
***"'One Life to Live' is a HOT HOT HOT Afro-beat dancefloor banger which opens right away with a blazing horn section line that leads in to a tight groove, then a flute solo which takes the flute in a direction that I’d never even thought that instrument was capable of. The lyrics are both a celebration of enjoyment as a form of self-care, and making the most of what we have. Words that speak a truth that is so easy to lose sight of. As the track continues with the entire band keeping the irresistible groove just as hot as it came in, we’re treated to a sax solo that begins so low and snakey that it almost sounds like a baritone clarinet before rising to blazing heights.'Kingdom Come' is… Unlike just about anything I’ve ever heard before. It’s triumphant and regal but not boastful. It’s somehow both clean and a bit dusty, but in the best way. Maybe more like in fantastic shape with a gorgeous patina and shimmery in all the right places. It’s sturdy, driving, slow, steady, and hard. It’s laid back and commanding. And it’s FUNKY. Just peep it, for crying out loud. It’s ILL.Both of these tracks have been songs that I’ve listened to for days at a time with a tireless desire for another play. The album it comes from, Inner Fire, came out in 2014, and honestly, that’s still the case. These tracks are absolutely timeless."
7" $17.25
03/28/2025
***"An absolute BANGER from Ms. De Grasse’s 1959 LP La Cita. I first got hip to her a few years ago on the @Panama45s account on instagram a few years ago with the title track from that album and was instantly taken with her voice—it’s fucking killer. And not that it matters, but she happens to have been stunning as well. I found a copy that’s been in heavy rotation ever since at my house and found myself wishing that I had 'El Chicotazo' on 7-inch. She was one of the first on my long list of dream 7s to put out, and I can’t front; I got a little emotional when I heard back from the amazing folks at Ansonia Records that they were willing to work with me on this. The flip side is 'Matando Los Chivos', another smash hit in my opinion. A very similar rhythm but a slightly different vibe, and would probably mix very well, should you be so inclined to do so."—Devin Limited run of 500 copies.
7" $17.25
09/13/2024
***"Man alive. Galt MacDermot. You know who he is. And if you don’t, you’d better ask somebody. Most famous (probably, in certain circles anyway) as the composer and arranger of the 1969 Grammy-award winning, perennially-running-somewhere musical Hair, which had three no. 1 singles including 'Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In'. But his catalog is so much more than that. SO much more. He’s incomparable. He composed music for a grip of films and plays, but my favorite is his solo work. (well, with bands he’d put together, but you know what I mean). His body of work includes jazz, soul, and classical and some of it is downright FUNKY. He’s been sampled by Handsome Boy Modeling School, MF Doom, Run-DMC, DJ Vadim, DJ Premier, Busta Rhymes, and who knows who else. He’s worked with Bernard Purdie, Idris Mohammed, Jimmy Lewis, and countless others. Nothing I can write can do him any justice. This record here has two different versions of one of my favorites—'Duffer' and 'Duffer in F.' Are they the same song? Yes. Are they different? Yes. Side A, 'Duffer,' is a laid-back, loosey-goosey irresistible groove with killer solos. It’s so chill, but I’ll be damned if you don’t still want to dance to it—maybe even a slowdance with your sweetie or something. It’s a whole vibe—cozy, funky, slow, intimate, yet spacious… I never want it to end. Side B, 'Duffer in F', is the same tune, but with everything tightened up. The groove, the drum kit, heck, even the...
7" $17.25
09/13/2024
***"…I’m a big fan of Benedic Lamdin (AKA Nostalgia 77)… Massively talented as a composer, arranger, songwriter, producer, and guitarist across hella genres who’s been quite prolific since he started releasing stuff in 2004. Seriously, check out his catalog- pretty sure that there’s something for everyone there, and also check out the Impossible Ark (his amazing contemporary jazz label) as well. One of my favorite projects of his is a 2010 LP called Skeletons—Smile. From the Bandcamp page of that album: 'These musicians never stood in the studio together, they just passed through my house or left some scraps of sound behind after sessions we were working on.' The project started life as material recorded for a library music company, playing into the hands of 'the current vogue for a certain style of African jazz', as Lamdin puts it, in a refreshing bout of honesty. Apparently Lamdin got so absorbed in this process of musical forgery a whole LP emerged, and if the producer wasn't so darned honest, you might never know that this wasn't the work of a genuine, and wholly exciting spiritual jazz troupe. 'Mulatu' was another dream 7 of mine. (yes, I know they all are, but)… It’s just so good; and while I own the Smile LP I just really wanted this record to exist and have it in my collection. It’s a slow burner that take cues from Mulatu Astatke but flipping them a bit and making them even groovier, funkier, and heavier. Dig it....
7" $17.25
09/13/2024