Release-Highlights in December 2019 11 Items

“Improvised Suites For Analog Machines”, an improvised tribute to some of the most influential synthesizers of the 70s and 80s, performed and composed together with another Colorful World Family-member, keyboardist Erik “Keysie” Ritfeld.

FEATURES AN EXCLUSIVE EMBOSSED COVER, PLUS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED INSTRUMENTALS
FEATURING: PUSHA T, BLACK THOUGHT, JADAKISS, CONWAY THE MACHINE, RJ PAYNE AND MORE PLUS BEATS BY: ALCHEMIST, DARINGER, DJ SHAY AND MORE

Griselda Records' own Benny The Butcher released his Tana Talk 3 project in the winter of 2018, the album was produced entirely by Griselda mainstay Daringer and Alchemist and included appearances from his Griselda/Shady Records label-mates Westside Gunn and Conway and Royce 5’9” and Meyhem Lauren.

Tana Talk 3 peaked at #4 on Apple’s Hip-Hop chart upon its release and was a mainstay on the charts for months after. Commercial success aside, the album also resulted in tremendous critical acclaim, as it was included in “Best of 2018” lists from Pitchfork, Complex & HipHopWired which crowned Tana Talk 3 as its favorite album of 2018 and a nod from Complex as one of its 20 Rappers to watch for 2019.

For further proof Benny’s star is on the rise, he was one of a select few artists to be invited by J. Cole to participate in the recording sessions for Dreamville’s forthcoming Revenge Of The Dreamers III compilation and he recently made “Headlines” alongside his Griselda brethren Westside Gunn and Conway guesting on DJ Premier’s new single.

The Plugs I Met, which was released on compact disc in late July, features collaborations with Pusha T, Jadakiss, Conway, RJ Payne, Alchemist and Daringer. Benny also released the projects first single, “18 Wheeler,” which features Pusha T. Now under the management of Roc Nation, The Plugs I Met is further proof that the future is now for Benny The Butcher.

“The anticipation for this project is crazy. I came out with Tana Talk 3 and it’s a classic and everybody wants to see what I am going to do next. People are on my dick, you can bet that. It’s like they are pitting me against myself” Benny exclaimed to Complex. “People are waiting to see if I will fail, or if I will succeed. Trust me, I delivered with The Plugs I Met; I took my time with it. It’s fucking crazy!"

Limited edition of 300 copies on colored vinyl.

The songs on this record were created over the span of about 4 or 5 years (roughly 2004 - 2009), though every track was revisited, mixed, and mastered in 2009. The record displays the full spectrum of the “CYNE sound,” including the growth of the band, our collective tastes, and the process of our songwriting. It starts on a positive note about moving forward, building community, and taking on personal responsibility (these are themes that resonate throughout the record). At times, the record grows into something very ethereal and cosmic, alongside a contrast of something that hits harder, musically and lyrically. With each subsequent ‘movement’ we see a blend of introspective thought, social commentary, and a sound weighted in a more classic, uplifting tradition. This album constantly sways back and forth between the lines of classic hip hop, textural music, and a progressive selection of words and sound that are definitively CYNE.

Joining CYNE on “Water For Mars” are track collaborators Daedelus, Depth Affect, and Ape School, as well as remixers ROM (featuring Roberto Lange/Helado Negro), Mexicans With Guns, and Jay Appleseed.

Gang Starr is undoubtedly one of the most revered, beloved and influential groups in Hip Hop. Over the course of their distinguished career, they became a cultural institution and a brand you could ultimately trust. With a handful of indelible classic albums on their resume, DJ Premier and Guru’s catalogue has not only persevered but mastered the test of time. Simply, Gang Starr did not follow trends, they created them. Album includes guest spots from: M.O.P, Q-Tip, Royce da 5’9”, Jeru The Damaja, J. Cole, Ne-Yo, Nitty Scott, Talib Kweli, Big Shug & Freddie Foxxx! Entirely produced by DJ Premier!

The 12 inch vinyl is cut at 45rpm and comes with a never-seen cover art by band member Stephan Eicher and a handmade Xerox hype sticker. WRWTFWW Records is beyond thrilled to announce the first ever vinyl maxi-single release for “Raum", Grauzone’s best-kept secret and underground mega-gem from 1980. The four-track affair includes the full title track sourced from the original reels, as well as a club-ready rework by Naum Gabo (Jonnie Wilkes of Optimo and James Savage) with help from Dennis Young of Liquid Liquid, and an extended edit by legendary Frankfurt DJ Ata (Robert-Johnson club, Playhouse/Klang/Ongaku labels). Initally released almost 40 years ago on the beloved compilation Swiss Wave - The Album (Off Course Records) alongside the band’s massive hit “Eisbär", “Raum” is the biggest Grauzone track people have yet to discover. An über-infectious New York style bassline played by Christian “GT” Trüssel and frantic drumming by Marco Repetto blend with Martin Eicher’s hauntingly hopeless lyrics and Claudine Chirac’s saxophone escapades to personify post-punk heaven and all its wonderful anomalies. It’s

Greek artist June makes his debut on Mannequin Records with the 'Silver Demon' LP. The album explores a futuristic dystopian world where transcendence and oppression coexist, where claustrophobia and infinite openness coincide. A world of contrasts that is the product of the artist‘s active imagination and conscious effort to confront the subconscious.
The album was recorded using original techniques from the golden era of electronic music (late 70s to mid 80s) with an arsenal of vintage analog synthesizers, drum machines and effect processors (originating) from the same time period. While the aesthetics of the classic precursors emerge through the minimal, deep, dark architecture of June's music, Silver Demon prevails with the artist's characteristic originality.
Mastered by Rude 66.
Graphic design by Lee Douglas.

New anthology on Afrosynth Records brings together six songs by South African disco star Kamazu, spanning his career from 1986 to 1997: two of his biggest hits, ‘Korobela’ and ‘Indaba Kabani’, two more obscure songs from his catalogue, ‘Victim’ and ‘Why’, and two tracks from his kwaito comeback, ‘Mjukeit’ and ‘Atikatareni’.

“The idea of getting together Orquesta De Las Nubes with Glen Velez, Layne Redmond and Miguel Herrero in a recording studio arose when Glen and Layne visited Spain to hold a seminar on frame drums techniques. We had met Glen some years before during an event that took place in the amazing “Aula de Música de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid”. Glen came to Madrid playing with Charlie Morrow as part of an event about Fluxus with Alison Knowles and Philip Corner. On that time Glen played in Steve Reich Ensemble and our mutual love for repetitive music and ethnic music allowed us to build a very good friendship. When Glen visited Madrid we always get together in our rehearsal space and we played, talked and drink for hours. In 1985, during one of those sessions, Miguel Herrero joined us. On that time Miguel and meI used to play together in a club each week, where we made a bizarre fusion between pop and repetitive music. The sessions sounded so good, our ideas flowed so easily that after one session, I called Track Studios to ask if they have free rooms to make a recording during next days and as they told yes, I booked it immediately. The recording was made with an incredible fluency and about 12 hours after, we had recorded Música Esporádica. Fluency, spontaneity, close friendship was the fuel that fed us. After 34 years everything remains the same. Some of them are not with us any more but Música Esporádica keeps the unselfish spirit that encourages to share without objectives. Música Esporádica never step on stage and the 6 never met again altogether.” - Suso Saiz

Limited edition 2LP set of 300 copies on colored vinyl in gatefold sleeve incl. download code.

One of the holy grails of the Westcoast Underground scene finally gets a proper re-release. Originally available in a very limited run only on cassette, the Mysterys Extinction (Blame One, Sandy Lion, Dejavoo & DJ Cro) self-titled debut album from 1997 finally gets a reissue treatment on vinyl, cassette and digital.

The feature list includes artists such as original member Kankick, God's Gift, Kaz and Dash Eye.

They Say: “Documentary and industrial underlays for current themes of modern life”. We say: Mind-blowing, percussion-heavy, Afro-tinged, cosmic-disco library bomb. This is the one. An absolutely outstanding record from 1983 and definitely one of the hardest to find on the collectable German library label, Coloursound. The Now Generation (Percussive Underscores) is comfortably one of the very best library records full stop.

After being blown away by a few tunes – probably just as you will be after listening to this – Samy Ben Redjeb travelled to the infamous capital city of Somalia in November of 2016, making Analog Africa the frst music label to set foot in Mogadishu. On his arrival in Somalia Samy questioned the need for a vehicle full of armed chaperones casually toting Kalashnikovs, deemed necessary to accompany him to the radio station archive every morning, but then began ri?ing through piles of cassettes and listening to reel-to-reel tapes in the dusty archives of Radio Mogadishu, looking for music that ‘swam against the current’. The stars were aligned: an uncovered and unmarked pile of discarded recordings was discovered in a cluttered corner of the building. Colonel Abshir - the senior employee and protector of Radio Mogadishu’s archives - clarifed that the pile consisted mostly of music nobody had manage to identify, or music he described as being ‘mainly instrumental and strange music’. At the words ‘strange music’ Samy was hooked, the return ?ight to Tunisia was cancelled. The pile turned out to be a cornucopia of different sounds: radio jingles, background music and interludes for radio programmes, television shows and theatre plays. There were also a good number of disco tunes, some had been stripped of their lyrics, the interesting parts had been recorded multiple times then cut, taped together and spliced into a long groovy instrumental loop. Over the next three weeks, often in watermelon-, grapefruit-juice and shisha-fuelled night-time sessions behind the fortifed walls of Radio Mogadishu, Samy and the archive staff put together Mogadisco: Dancing Mogadishu - Somalia 1972–1991. Like everywhere in Africa during the 1970s, both men and women sported huge afros, bell-bottom trousers and platform shoes. James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and The Temptations’ funk were the talk of the town.In 1977, Iftin Band were invited to perform at the Festac festival in Lagos where they represented Somalia at the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture. Not only did they come back with an award, but they also returned with Afrobeat. While Fela Kuti’s ‘Shakara’ had taken over the continent and was spreading like wildfre throughout Latin America, it was the track ‘Lady’ that would become the hit in Mogadishu. At the same time Bob Marley was busy kick-starting reggae-mania in Somalia, which became such a phenomenon that even the police and military bands began playing it. Some say that it was adopted so quickly because of the strong similarities with the traditional beat from the western region of Somalia, called Dhaanto. But then suddenly the trousers got tighter as the disco tsunami hit the country. Michael Jackson appeared with a new sound that would revolutionise Somalia’s live music scene. You couldn’t walk the streets of Mogadishu without seeing kids trying to moonwalk. ‘Somalia had several nightclubs and although most use DJs to play records, some hotels like Jubba, Al-Uruba and Al Jazeera showcased live bands such as Iftin and Shareero’ – so ran a quote from a 1981 article about the explosion of Mogadishu’s live music scene. The venues mentioned in that article were the luxury hotels that had been built to cover the growing demands of the tourist industry. The state-of-the-art hotel Al-Uruba, with its oriental ornaments and white plastered walls, was a wonder of modern architecture. All of Mogadishu’s top bands performed there at some point or another, and many of the songs presented in this compilation were created in such venues. Mogadisco was not Analog Africa’s easiest project. Tracking down the musicians – often in exile in the diaspora – to interview them and gather anecdotes of golden-era Mogadishu has been an undertaking that took three years. Tales of Dur-Dur Band’s kidnapping, movie soundtracks recorded in the basements of hotels, musicians getting electrocuted on stage, others jumping from one band to another under dramatic circumstances, and soul singers competing against each other, are all stories included in the massive booklet that accompanies the compilation - adorned with no less then 50 pictures from the `70s and ‚80s. As Colonel Abshir Hashi Ali, chief don at the Radio Mogadishu archive – someone who once wrestled a bomber wielding an unpinned hand-grenade to the ?oor – put it: ‘I have dedicated my life to this place. I’m doing this so it can get to the next generation; so that the culture, the heritage and the songs of Somalia don’t disappear.’