Emerging from the Oakland underground and the ever-expanding Bay Area cumbia scene, Ritmos Tropicosmos delivers this debut 9-song LP for Summer 2024 on Econo Jam Records. Song subjects range from the purgatory of the unknown, to love/loss and family with lyrics by lead vocalist Eli Reyes and percussionist/vocalist Lesli Rodriguez. With several hard-hitting instrumentals on tap as well, the groove is ever-present, with a constant ear towards experimental sounds and cosmically drenched psychedelia. Band members have a long history in the Bay Area music scene with players from the cumbia, noise, rock, and electronic music communities. Live shows have been described as “how you might imagine a party in the underworld” (Nastia Voynovskaya, KQED). This record aims to capture the playful but deep-burning energy of the band’s live performances and maybe to even take it one step beyond.
LP $24.00
07/12/2024
***"Again and again and again, JAMES WAVEY continues his winning streak with his third release for Econo Jam Records in so many years. "Babe" finds Mr Wavey (if you're nasty) branching out further, trading loft parties and block parties for slow dances and smooth rides. It's a hip-hop LP, sure, but it's one colored through R&B and doo-wop lenses...and it's got a freakin 60's garage psych sample too!?! Features guest spots from fellow head BRYSON WALLACE and MAE POWELL. Limited to 150 copies and if after 3 records you haven't been convinced of JW's talents both on the mic and as a producer then I'm afraid that's three strikes and you're out boss cuz like the others these won't last long!"
LP $20.35
02/26/2021
***"After a sold-out 7" and an acclaimed LP (also sold out), Econo Jam Records and Jim's Pool Room have teamed up to bring you Otoño—JAMES WAVEY's second LP in two years featuring the single "Photogenic" (feat. BRYSON WALLACE). On his follow-up to Roses Wavey has extra room to explore his many varied influences—from the playful jazz guitar on "Soul Music," the psychedelic riffing on opener "Starman," to the jittery trap beat of "Jump Off"—all while retaining the hazy atmosphere of a loft party two blunts deep. Get hip to this rising talent but act quick—at 300 copies this one won't last long either!"
LP $18.85
09/04/2020
***MICHAEL BRIDGMON aka JAMES WAVEY aka ALLEYES MANIFEST is a Midwest transplant who hit the Oakland ground running, releasing four tapes, a 7" single, and a handful of digital EPs over the past few years—and while the aliases may change, his slanted, rhythmic poeticism and hazy hip-hop stays consistently solid. Roses is his most recent full-length release and it marks a progression in his sound, marrying a psychedelic aesthetic to his jazz-steeped beats and inviting KERI SHEWMAKER (SMALL CRIMES) and BRYSON WALLACE along for the ride. Hand-numbered edition of 100 copies.
LP $17.75
10/04/2019
***"Like its namesake implies, Stellar Fantasies floats in celestial space with synth, organ and machine guided tunes harkening back to old sci-fi soundtracks and cosmic experiments. Known for their baroque psychedelic pop, Tara King th. returns with a solo endeavor from Ray Borneo alongside a few other guest accompaniments. The album is full of driving, grandiose space opera vignettes purposefully fitted alongside quiet kosmiche-inspired drifters. Melodically brilliant as ever, Stellar Fantasies hits that perfect spot between memorable, experimental pop and far out mood pieces." (RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE - STREET DATE - 4/21/2018)
LP $19.95
04/21/2018
***The Demo LP from this band comprised of former LYCUS members and current FELL VOICES and NEGATIVE STANDARDS. “...An extremely raw production, the absence of a bass, and extremely short, dissonant and stripped-down songs are the key elements to a release that sounds like pure fucking starvation and ruin, and in which you can literally feel the lack of life and human warmth. You can hear the rawness and desperation of No Sanctuary-era Amebix collide with the dismal and hypnotic bleakness of early Burzum, paving the way for a masterful splicing of crust punk rudeness and a hateful surge of vile early Scandinavian black metal.”—Mattia (Cvlt Nation). Limited edition of 250 hand-numbered copies pressed on heavyweight vinyl and packaged in gatefold jackets.
LP $22.95
04/21/2015