BBE HHV Records 105 Items

Pete Rock's contribution to the now classic BBE Beat generation series. Essential!

Japanese master drummer Takeo Moriyama returns to BBE Music’s J Jazz Masterclass Series in a majestic live set showcasing his exemplary musicianship and stature as one of the leading names in Japanese modern jazz.

Recorded in December 1990 at the jazz club Lovely in Nagoya, this set sees Moriyama’s quartet deliver an exemplary session of the finest modal, post-bop and spiritual jazz.

Moriyama is backed by long-time colleague Fumio Itabashi on piano and the group perform a stunning rendition of Itabashi’s classic ‘Watarase’, revisiting the track they first recorded on Moriyama’s 1981 ‘Smile’ album. Demonstrating his range as a composer, Itabashi penned four of the five tracks on this album. ‘Live at Lovely’ also features regular bassist Hideaki Mochizuki and tenor saxophonist Toshihiko Inoue, who also feature on Moriyama’s ‘East Plants’ album, previously reissued in the J Jazz Masterclass Series.

The quartet’s communication and interplay are revelatory, each player listening closely and finding their own space within the richly textured music. The album opens with ‘Sunrise’, a blast of blistering unrestrained post-bop, with Toshihiko Inoue’s strident horn motif and Itabashi’s commanding piano underpinned by Hideaki Mochizuki’s thunderous bass and Moriyama’s relentlessly authoritative and expressive drumming.

On ‘Exchange’, another Itabashi composition, the quartet up the energy level even further, pushing to the edge of free jazz but maintaining enough structure to keep it together as they race headlong into a 20 minute epic that leaves the listener as out of breath as the band. Every track on ‘Live at Lovely’ stands by themselves, but taken together, it’s an extraordinary listening experience that demonstrates the calibre of the Japanese jazz players who emerged in the 1970s and who, like Moriyama and Itabashi, continue to perform today.

This special double vinyl edition is mastered by the Grammy-nominated Carvery and is the first ever reissue since the album’s original Japan only CD release in 1991 and comes with a translation of the original notes plus a new sleeve note by Tony Higgins.

BBE Music present the latest in the acclaimed J Jazz Masterclass Series: Kohsuke Mine ‘First’, the debut album by one of the leading artists in the new wave of modern jazz that swept Japan in the late 60s and early 70s. ‘First’ epitomises the shifting sound of the Japanese modern jazz scene of the time, characterised by rich textures and tones, kinetic rhythms, punctuated by urgent, angular melody lines.

Reissued for the first time since original 1970 release, Mine is joined by master keyboard player Masabumi Kikuchi on electric piano, and two American players – bassist Larry Ridley and drummer Lenny McBrowne – to deliver one of the strongest debuts in the J Jazz canon. ‘First’ announced the arrival of a serious talent, one who was to be a hugely influential figure in the Japanese jazz scene across the decade that followed and beyond. ‘First’ established an artist who built a reputation for standout albums spanning spiritual jazz, post-bop, modal and funk-fusion. All of that started here, on this exemplary album.

‘First’ is issued on CD, digital and vinyl. The vinyl edition is presented as a double album, cut at 45rpm by the Grammy-nominated Carvery, with full original reproduction artwork, including obi strip. Both CD and vinyl comes with a 4500 word sleeve note and interview with Kohsuke Mine by Tony Higgins, plus artist portraits by Shigeru Uchiyama.

J Jazz Masterclass Series is curated by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden for BBE Music.

Enter the realm of Illa J, the musical force shaking the foundations of the industry. His latest offering, 'No Traffic', is a testament to his boundless talent and versatility, showcasing his singing, production and rapping abilities on 19 tracks written and produced entirely by Illa J himself. This album marks his debut on BBE Music and a new chapter in his musical journey. Meet Illa J: a musical prodigy raised in a family of talented musicians. With a jazz bassist father and a gifted singer mother, it's no surprise that Illa J was destined for greatness. He's best known as the younger brother of hip-hop legend J Dilla and has made a name for himself as a former member of Detroit's iconic hip-hop group, Slum Village. With a lifetime of exposure to quality music and top-tier musicians, Illa J is a force to be reckoned with. Created amidst the chaos of the pandemic, Illa J's 'No Traffic' serves as a beacon of hope, a roadmap for creatives seeking their path. He enlists the help of Detroit legends Amp Fiddler, Frank n Dank, British soul sensation Harleighblu, and introduces the rising stars of Detroit, Serious, Joz B, Maine Soul, and more, all matching Illa J's energy and passion on the tracks. The focus track of the album, "Star Struck", is a prime example of Illa J's signature style. The astral pentatonic soundscape and precise drum programming transport you to new heights, while Illa J's beats, melodies, and bars will leave you in awe. 'No Traffic' is a musical journey that takes you to a place where Illa J's playful and versatile sound reigns supreme. The album is expertly mastered by Grammy-award nominated The Carvery Studio and is a refreshing experience of a true artist reveling in their artistry. Don't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to delve into Illa J's musical realm."

Super rare album now reissued on BBE!

Producer extraordinaire John Morales returns to BBE Music, celebrating the life and work of R&B / soul legend Teena Marie with a double album full of brand new remixes, lovingly crafted from the original studio tapes, entitled ‘Love Songs & Funky Beats’. “Teena is somewhat underrated, and people don't really know much about her.” Says Morales. “I set out to immerse people in her music and represent what she really did. That meant for me a dive into more than her R&B hits, to dig into her ballads and dance cuts. People know she was talented. I don't really think they really knew the depth of her abilities, her complete confidence to take it upon herself to do everything – singing, producing, arranging, songwriting. Teena Marie was the total package.” John Morales had the pleasure of mixing many of Teena Marie’s original records over the years, so it felt natural to dig into the archives and select his favourite cuts to rework, extend and subtly update in his own distinctive style. While by no means a definitive collection of Lady Tee’s expansive musical catalogue, ‘Love Songs & Funky Beats’ represents a fitting tribute to a multifaceted and important voice in popular music, by one of the most storied mix engineers and remixers of our age. Jumping into the music industry deep end in 1979 with a three-year mentorship from Berry Gordy & Rick James at Motown, Teena Marie then spent seven fertile years with Epic, which yielded her greatest commercial successes (including the classic album 'Starchild'). After founding an independent label ‘Sarai’, Marie took a ten-year hiatus which ended in 2004 in a deal with hip hop label Cash Money Records; a less unlikely partnership than some might assume, given that Teena was one of the first ‘mainstream’ artists to perform a rap verse, on 1981’s ‘Square Biz’. Teena Marie Brockert forged a unique path through the industry, an artist in-charge of her own destiny, influencing (and heavily sampled by) both the hip hop and R&B sounds of the 90’s and early 2000’s. Her 1982 lawsuit against Motown records resulted in "The Brockert Initiative", which has benefitted literally thousands of other artists by making it illegal for record companies to ‘shelve’ artists by keeping them under contract without releasing their material. She continued to tour regularly and deliver commercially successful, expertly sculpted music, right up until her untimely passing in 2010.

The first in a brand new 7" vinyl series from Soul Clap's Eli "Bamboozle" Goldstein.
Featuring the hard to find ‘DC Nu-Vox Dub’ version of Derrick Carter’s classic track
Squaredancing.. Better known to most of one half of Boston duo ‘Soul Clap’, Eli "Bamboozle" Goldstein
presents the first 7” vinyl release in his brand new ‘House On 45’ series for BBE Music.
Featuring the much sought-after ‘DC Nu-Vox Dub’ version of Derrick Carter’s Squaredancing
on the A-Side and George Alexander & Big John Whitfield's cover version of Joe Smooth's
'Promised Land' on the flip, this record is simply a must-have for house music connoisseurs
everywhere.
Says Eli: “I’ve been collecting 45s for about 10 years, but didn’t start playing them until our DJ
Kicks tour with Wolf+Lamb in 2011. Obviously I’m never going to have the deepest funk, soul,
or disco 45 crates (I’ll leave that to OG’s like Danny Krivit or Kenny Dope), so as I got more
serious about collecting and playing 7” records, I realised that I could have my own angle by
really focusing on collecting and playing House On 45.”
In contrast to DJ Spinna and Kai Alcé’s ‘Foundations’ 7” series on BBE, which focusses on
house classics previously unavailable on the format, the aim of Eli’s ‘House On 45’ is to shine
a light on modern house tracks that have only ever been released on 45. Some of tracks are
originals, some are covers and some are special mixes that have only been available on 7”
vinyl, many in such limited quantity as to render them impossible to find for all but the lucky
few.
Eli sums up: “45s are perfect for my DJ style. I get bored playing more than three minutes of
a track and with 45s you always have to keep it moving, know your records, and be ready
with the next one. You can cover so many styles in one record bag that you can throw over
your shoulder. There’s also tons of music only available on 45, usually limited pressings, so
when you find something special you feel like you’ve been let in on a secret.”

‘Taste of Chicago’, edit kingpin and DJ par
excellence Jamie 3:26 drops a 12”
comprising two of his most highly prized
cuts.
At the top of many a vinyl digger’s wish-list
since its highly limited white label release in
2010, the Jamie 3:26 edit of Calendar’s 1977
disco stepper ‘Comin’ On Strong’ has
become the stuf of legend, played to
devastating efect by Theo Parrish among
others over recent years.
On the fip, Jamie 3:26 heads into classic
Chicago House territory with a fery
reworking of impossible-to-fnd Braxton
Holmes banger ‘Stomps & Shouts’, taken
from his mythical ‘Cabrini-Greens and
Cornbread’ project.
A scintillating teaser of what’s to come later
this year when BBE release ‘Taste Of
Chicago’, a full album’s worth of Jamie’s
incredible edits, this 12” is surely a must
have for House and Disco players the world
over.

Producing under the moniker Isoul8, as well as teaming up with Domu under the Rima alias for the incredible jazz/fusion album 'This World', Volcov is a truly important player in the underground music scene.
Remixing artists such as Frankie Valentine, Azymuth & Taylor McFerrin, running his two labels Archive and Neroli, as well as DJing all over the World has given Volcov a rare knowledge of soul, funk, disco and deep house music; knowledge which is very apparent throughout this album.
'From The Archive' comprises a lovingly chosen collection of obscure Funk, Disco & Boogie tracks, alongside three very special edits produced by the man himself. From Chez Damier's sun-drenched remix of The Urban Crew's 'Go' to Bembe Segue's emotional 'Sun On My Back' via Shuya Okino's disco epic 'Still In Love', this record takes the listener on a joyful journey deep into Volcov's musical mind.

After the release of the first volume of music selected by Klinkhamer Record shop owner Michel Veenstra in 2022, the anticipation and expectation amongst the heads for a follow up compilation has been building. Now BBE Music can announce that Klinkhamer Volume 2's collection of music from the 70's and 80's is ready to add to the series.

An eclectic selection of tracks which crosses genres and styles, Michel has once again curated a compilation album of music that will appeal to the heads, the collectors and the lovers of the groove. A melange of folk, Jazz and funk for the headphones and the dancefloor, Klinkhamer juxtaposes instrumentals with vocal tracks in English, Swedish and French over a double vinyl release and a track order that creates as much a journey as a flow.

Michel, alongside his brother Stephen, is the owner of the Klinkhamer Record shop in Groningen and a regular trader at the globally known Utrecht Record Fair since the 1990s. It is this wealth of experience, a nose for a gem and an ear for a tune that that has fed into a compilation that has music lover stamped throughout its eight tracks, all remastered from original vinyl.

Coming as a double vinyl and digital release, Klinkhamer Volume 2 is a Godfather II level of follow-up to the previous compilation in the series and really is a must for all true music collectors, vinyl junkies and lovers of tunes curated for the mind, the heart and the feet.

Taken from the album ‘Strata Records – The Sound of Detroit – Reimagined by Jazzanova’, BBE Music, DJ Amir and 180 Proof records present the 3rd single from this monumental project.

This release features remixes by Japanese Club Jazz pioneers Kyoto Jazz Massive, and Genre Blending New Yorkers, musclecars.

Kyoto Jazz Massive were enlisted to remix the Jazzanova reimagining of Sam Sanders’s iconic song Face at my Window. Their mix adds an intimate Jazz Club feel to vocalist Sean Haefeli’s recording, which highlights the dynamics of Sean’s voice. The subtle tempo increase maintains the feel of the original and adds a punch to the brass section, making the track an entirely new experience.

musclecars add that traditional New York / Chicago House vibe to Jazzanova’s reimagining of Kenny Cox’s ‘Beyond the dream’, and the result is a skippy afro/latin dancefloor filler which can go on forever. musclecars demonstrate their genre blending superpowers on this mix which adds a garage swing to a jazz record, definitely going to be a jam for the dancefloors in 2023.

Both remixes showcase the importance of DJ Amir’s unearthing of these strata gems, and Jazzanova’s reimagining, how they have breathed new life into one of Detroit’s hidden gems – Strata Records. They will definitely on board new audiences to the treasure trove that is Strata, and the iconic stories surrounding the often overlooked record label.

Repressed 2023.
12 tracks feat. Busta Rhymes, Common, Pharoahe Monch, Madlib, Med, Dwele, Black Thought and others.

A private press rarity that few know of, ‘Song of Island’ was the third album from pianist Yasuhiro Kohno’s trio, recorded live at the jazz club and live house (gig venue) ‘Again’ in August 1985. Pressed up in small numbers, ‘Song for Island’ was issued on the private Ascap Records, set up by pianist and band leader Yasuhiro Kohno.

The long-awaited vinyl pressing is finally with us. BBE Music continues its highly acclaimed J Jazz Masterclass Series with Kemo Sabe, the debut album from pianist Masao Nakajima. Recorded in 1979 on Yupiteru Records, it’s an elusive beast in the field of J Jazz and balances delicate and refined playing with power and vigour.

aken from Dilla's 2001 BBE Music debut solo album Welcome 2 Detroit, 'Big Booty Express' gets the remix treatment from German duo Âme, Parisian Pépé Bradock and London's Coda Deep. Alongside the OG version these new productions add up to a six track exploration of Dilla's tribute to Detroit's melding of the Motor City's Black music heritage with Kraf twerk's experimental Euroelectro. Contributing two mixes to the EP, Parisian producer Pépé Bradock AKA Julien Auger first forays into music were after learning guitar as a 14 year old and playing with various Jazz-Funk bands. At this time he also started DJing with Hip-Hop bands and turning his hand to producing their tracks. As the 90s progressed he also discovered Techno and House music. His musical influences range from Jazz to Dub Reggae and he has remixed for Blaze, Cassius and Alex Gopher among others. Also providing a remix of Big Booty Express is the German production duo of Frank Wiedemann and Kristian Beyer who work together under the name of Âme. After first meeting in Kristian's record shop in their home town of Karlsruhe and bonding over a shared love of Chicago House and Detroit Techno the pair started working together and producing records for Sonar Kollektiv in 2003. The final two remixes on the Big Booty Express EP and only included on the digital package come from the Londoner Coda Deep. Influenced by avant-garde Electronica, Nu Wave and African Tribal sounds, he is a DJ and producer playing deep and melodic Tech and Techno and will also be known to music fans for his 2019 BBE release 'The Running of the Bulls'. This EP of remixes sits very well alongside the catalogue of J Dilla releases on BBE Music and adds to the rich heritage of innovative beat making and music production that we can associate with Dilla and those he worked with.

Tracklisting

1. B.B.E. - Big Booty Express (Âme Remix) 2. B.B.E. - Big Booty Express (Moulin Rouge Remix by Pépé Bradock) 3. B.B.E. - Big Booty Express (Memorex Interlude by Pépé Bradock) 4. B.B.E. - Big Booty Express

‘Little Orphan Boy’ is the second single taken from album ‘This Is Brian Jackson’, presented with remixes by Two Soul Fusion, a.k.a. Louie Vega and Josh Milan.

The veteran artist’s first true solo LP in over 20 years, ‘This Is Brian Jackson’ is produced by Phenomenal Handclap Band founder Daniel Collás. Collás lovingly re-frames and updates ideas and demos that Jackson first laid down back in 1976, right around the time he recorded ‘Bridges’ with Gil Scott-Heron, for a solo project that never saw the light of day… until now.

Alongside his ‘Two Soul Fusion’ partner Josh Milan, Louie Vega gives the album’s closing track ‘Little Orphan Boy’ two truly vintage remix treatments, taking the song on an eclectic, soul-stirring, timeless journey. The extended ‘Two Soul Fusion’ mix calls to mind the golden era of Masters at Work productions, featuring a Latin-infused percussion groove, shimmering organs and in-the-cut funky guitar lines. The ‘Downtempo’ remix lets Brian Jackson’s vocals ride over a head-nodding, stripped back, yet equally soulful arrangement.

“A dream to work with Brian Jackson” says Louie Vega. “I mean, he’s a big part of our musical landscape and has been a huge inspiration in our lives. From way back to my early years in the Bronx, through to my DJing and producing career, into productions like Nuyorican Soul, Elements of Life, Kenlou, Brian and Gil have always been with us! Now to work on such an amazing song with Brian’s keyboard work and lead vocal, it made it so much easier for Two Soul Fusion (Josh and I) to find that pocket and groove. We had to create an epic piece and take you on a trip through several styles, it was calling for it. That’s due to the original work of Brian Jackson, a true Master at Work & Two Soul Fusion hero!!! I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next on the horizon with us and the one & only Brian Jackson.

Brian Jackson: “I have always loved the musicality and the rhythmic power that surges through the artistry of Louie Vega since I first heard him in Masters at Work. I made a silent wish that one day I would hear one of my songs given that special treatment. Imagine my elation to know that it would finally happen – with a song I wrote and recorded 45 years ago for a solo project that might have never happened if not for producer Daniel Collás and BBE chief Peter Adarkwah! Louie, along with Two Soul Fusion partner Josh Milan and I are alike in so many ways, I knew that if we ever got together, magic would happen and well… here’s to magic! My love and gratitude to Louie, Josh, Daniel, Peter and the beautiful BBE family.”