All Categories — CDs  

A landmark New York session from Dollar Brand – recorded in the late 70s, with a larger group than usual! Brand spins out some really magical African-tinged jazz grooves – stretching forth in his usual modal mode, but augmented by a great set of horn parts that includes work by Don Cherry, Carlos Ward, and Hamiett Bluiett. Rhythmically, the album is incredibly strong as well – as it features bass work by Johnny Dyani, percussion by Claude Jones and John Betsch, and drums by Roy Brooks – working here at the height of his spiritual powers. One track on the album gets quite free, and titles include "Sister Rosie", "Jabulani" and "Hajj".

Mos Def's first for Downtown after a weird few years on Geffen that saw many a bumped street date, the hit & miss New Danger, and finally, the semi aborted release of the controversial True Magic – back with a top shelf, excellent album in 2009's The Ecstatic! It may not be Black Star or Black On Both Sides, but The Ecstatic is absolutely strong stuff, and to be honest, much better than we would have expected – even if we knew he had great hip hop left in him! The beats are compelling, unpredictable, and steeped in abstract global funk that would sound at home on Stones Throw – some of the beats are literally Stones Throw, given Madlib's Beat Konducta and Oh No's Oxperimental sounds to be found. If we weren't already loving it, Slick Rick drops an unforgettable guest appearance on the the moody "Auditorium", Georgia Anne Muldrow does her inimitable thing on "Roses", and Talib Kweli rhymes on "History". Mos rhymes skillfully throughout, and with an infectious immediacy, as if he dropped records this tight all the time. Sadly, he doesn't, so this one's all the more rewarding! Other tracks include "Twilite Speedball", "Revelations", "Pretty Danger", "Quiet Dog", "The Embassy", "Wahid", "Priority" and more.

Soulful fusion by one of the best groups of their genre! The CD contains both albums recorded by Tarika Blue for Chiaroscuro Records in the 70s – both of them wonderful fusion records that have an incredibly soulful sound. The group features work by soulful luminaries like Justo Almario, James Mason, and Ryo Kawasaki – and the overall feel is sweetly bubbling, soul-inspired jazz – very much in the tradition of Roy Ayers' best work of the period, or work recorded for the same label by Mason and Kawasaki! Irene Datcher and Dolores Smith sing on a few tracks, giving the album a nice vocal dimension that takes things even deeper – and the CD features a total of 13 tracks that include "Love It", "Truth Is The Key", "Dreamflower", "Things Spring", "Blue Neptune", "Jimi", "Downtown Sound", "Sun Through Winter", "Sunshower", "Charlie", and "My Love Is So Free".

Modern rock/funk, with sort of a New York downtown sound, and touches of the 80's days at Celluloid. The group has electric funky basslines, and some guest keyboards on tracks by Bernie Worrell, but the sound is mostly avant rock funk, instead of straight-on funky stuff. Tracks include "Flash", "Oricinal Cin-Dee", "Voices", "Can You Dig It", and "New Rage".

A great mix of glam grooves and electronics – served up with almost the same sort of gothy undercurrent you see in the title! Gina X is probably a singer more rooted in the disco/downtown modes of artists like Christina or The Waitresses – and this record definitely would have been right at home on Z Records. But some tracks also percolate with more of a Euro/electro vibe that seems to skirt punk attitude without ever picking up its aesthetics – that cool late 70s German way of dabbling in so many genres at once, yet never pledging full allegiance to any! Titles include "No GDM", "Nice Mover", "Be A Boy", "Exhibitionism", "Tropical Comic Strip", and "Black Sheep".

Deadlier than Dracula – and a lot funkier too! This is the original soundtrack for the classic blacksploitation horror flick starring the baaadest Drac ever to grace the screen of all those shabby downtown theaters that were still around in the 70s – a wicked batch of wah wah tunes penned by Gene Page – and featuring a lot of groovy keyboards as well! The set's got a few vocal numbers, sung by 21st Century Ltd and The Hues Corporation, but it's the instrumentals that really steal the show– and there's plenty of great ones here that rank with the best blacksploitation work of the decade – hard and funky groovers that have kept this one flying out of the crates for many many years. Titles include Blacula (The Stalk Walk)", "Blacula Strikes!", "Heavy Changes", "Movin'", "Run Tina Run!", "Firebombs", "I'm Gonna Catch You", "Finding Love, Losing Love" and "Good To The Last Drop".

An interesting project from Elliott Sharp – a set that mixes his older downtown sounds with some surprising rootsy elements – all in a blend that really helps his music stretch out strongly! Sharp's guitar work is still incredible – whether arch and arty, or acoustic and bluesy – and the album features a mix of instrumental workouts and vocal numbers – with lyrics sung by Tracie Morris, Eric Mingus, and Joe Mardin. Hubert Sumlin plays some guest guitar, and Curtis Fowlkes adds a bit of trombone – and titles include "Fade To Noir", "This House Is For Sale", "Endless Path", "Banking Blues", "I Blame You", and "Off The Hook".

Raspy guitar from James Blood Ulmer – cut right at the end of the 80s decade when he was clearly one of the most inventive players on his instrument! The set's got a quality that's similar to some of James' other records from the US of the time – as it's trying to branch out to a wider audience through the use of beats and vocals on many numbers – picking up plenty of the funky undercurrents that were going on in the New York downtown black rock scene! That later modifier definitely comes into play here – as Ulmer puts aside some of his freer jazz styles for more tuneful, song-based modes that highlight the vocals as much as the guitar. Titles include "Boss Machine", "Baby Snatcher", "I Don't Know Why", "She Ain't So Cold", "Peace & Happiness", and "Calling Marry".

A landmark album of the New York downtown scene – and one of the most groundbreaking guitar jazz albums of the 70s! James Blood Ulmer plays here with members of Ornette Coleman's group of the time – including Ornette himself, Denardo Coleman, and Jaamaladeen Tacuma. The style is very similar to that of Ornette's excellent Body Meta album – a mode that has the rhythms all turned inside themselves, using guitar as strongly as drums – in a style that's one of the most perfect visions of Coleman's harmelodic mode. The overall vibe is very Ornette-ish, but still also features plenty of great offbeat work by Ulmer on guitar – and titles include "Moons Shines", "Morning Bride", "Nothing To Say", and "Revealing".

Brilliant, uncategorizable instrumental sounds from Woo! The group is the 2-man brother band of Mark and Clive Ives – with guitars, clavinet, bass and bits of vocals by Mark – and percussion, violin and electronics by Clive. They follow the trail blazed by Eno and others, fusing acoustic instrumentation with electronic experimentation – but there's really nothing quite like Woo out there! It's original and innovative, but at the same time, very warm and inviting. Definitely cozy, or "cosy", if you prefer! Truly wonderful stuff – especially when you factor in how many underground experimentalists found bigger audiences and greater acclaim later on! Titles include "Into", "The Western", "Water Drum", "Downtown Suburbia", "Upside Down", "Wallpaper", "Purple Pussy", "It's Cosy Inside", "Marion", "Did You See", "Final Card", "No More Telly", "End Of The Attic", "Overhead" and more.

The soundtrack to the rare 135 Grand Street New York, 1979 – a film documenting the post punk No Wave NYC scene which would last pretty well into the early 80s, but caught here in its ascendance – performances by Theoretical Girls, UT, A Band, Rhys Chatham, The Static, Steve Piccolo, Chinese Puzzle, Morales, Jill Kroesen and Youth In Asia! The film is made up of director Ericka Beckman's Super 8MM footage of acts performing in a downtown loft. The CD soundtrack includes material from the film and some bonus tracks on in the film, and titles include "Glazened Eyes" by Theoretical Girls, "Sharp's Loose" by UT, "Sand And Sea" and "Mirror, Mirror" by A Band, "Gay Girl In A Gay Bar" by Morales, "Talking Heads (Pt 1)" and "Amnesia" by Youth In Asia, "Superior Genes" by Steve Piccolo, plus bonus material by Chinese Puzzle, Kill Kroesen, The Static, Theoretical Girls and Steve Piccolo. 16 tracks in all.

Hip hop, street soul, and lots lots more – a really revolutionary selection of music from the legendary Celluloid Records – a label that was virtually a genre unto itself! Celluloid was a key force tying together the New York downtown scene at the start of the 80s, and the postcolonial music world of Paris – and as a result, they always operated with a culture-crossing style that few other companies of the time managed to hit – merging together sounds in really unlikely ways, and often coming up with fresh new styles in the process! The label's known for crate-diggers for its hip hop releases – and to world music fans for its electric Africa work – but they also were on the forefront of New York No Wave, avant jazz, and post-punk – and somehow found a way to integrate both young new talents, and older experimentalists who still had plenty to offer. This package finally does Celluloid justice – and goes way past the few simplistic comps of the label's work over the years – training the skilled Strut ear to the whole thing, and also serving up the full story of the label in the process. Titles include "I'm The One" by Material, "Day Tripper" by Shockabilly, "Tele Apres La Meteo" by Fredinand, "Disco Rough (long version)" by Mathematiques Modernes, "Electrique Sylvie (full length version)" by Modern Guy, "Mean Machine Chant/Mean Machine" by Last Poets, "Abele Dance ('85 rmx)" by Manu Dibango, "Change The Beat (French & English)" by Fab 5 Freddy, "The Escapades Of Futura 2000" by Futura 2000 with The Clash, and "Downing Street Rock" by Winston Edwards & Blackbeard. 26 tracks in all!

An overlooked gem from the early 80s years at Salsoul – a set that's beat-heavy, and plenty funky too – with a groove that's nicely heavy on both roller skate and electro modes! The record's a bit more offbeat than the usual Salsoul set – and we mean that in a good way – more in the street-styled mode you'd hear on the Vaughan Mason/Butch Dayo collaboration for the label – and proof that the company had a strong ear for grooves that go way beyond disco! There's plenty of surprises here – and the approach to the grooves has a very New York feel that mixes together the best of the up-and-downtown modes of the time. Titles include "Angel Baby", "Come To Me", "Rock The Rhythm", "I've Been Watching You", "Holdin On", and "I Need Your Love".

Two club corkers by Black Ivory – back to back on a single CD! The self-titled Black Ivory album is a pivotal set for the group – released at a time when Black Ivory, like so many other east coast vocal groups, was making the transition away from an older sweet soul style to a more sophisticated club vocal sound. The group's producing themselves here – and we're guessing that most of the real work is being done by Leroy Burgess, although Patrick Adams still appears to be working with the group on the string and horn arrangements – giving things just the right sort of underground disco twist to make things groove! The record includes the great club track "Walking Downtown (Saturday Night)", a longtime fave around Chicago – plus "White Wind", "Making Love In My Mind", "Could This Be Magic", "Longer Ride", and "Can't You See". Hangin Heavy is filled with killer grooves from Black Ivory – a trio who've really come a long way here since their roots – stepping out with proud, soulful tones that are a perfect fit for the upbeat grooves of the set! There's still a touch of fragile harmonies at times – but overall, the group have a much more mature, adult vibe – set to tight late 70s club arrangements from Patrick Adams and Leroy Burgess – both of whom stay far away from any mainstream disco cliches, and really hit a sweet underground vibe for the set! Titles include the classic club track "Mainline", plus "Peace & Harmony", "Get Down (Comin' Down)", "You Turned My Whole World Around", and "Rest Inside My Love".

A fantastic follow-up to the legendary Mutant Disco compilation on Ze Records – one that's newly put together by the revived label, but which features some of the company's best club cuts from the late 70s and early 80s! The "garage" in the title is a sly reference to the fact that Larry Levan's work at the Paradise Garage helped break some of the best Ze tunes on the New York scene – and overall, there's a definite early 80s downtown groove to the tracks on the package – a wonderful blend of post-disco and punk-funk elements, all served up with the usual Ze sense of style and whimsy! The best part of the package is that it brings together a number of harder to find Ze tracks – including a large number of tunes we haven't been able to track down in years, plus a few more that are making a much-needed first appearance here on CD! 15 tracks in all – with titles that include "I'm An Indian Too" by Don Armando, "Yaya" by Ron Rogers, "Sey Hey" by Coati Mundi, "Man Vs The Empire Brain Building" by Was Not Was, "Maladie D'Amour" by Aural Exciters, "Outlaw (August Darnell rmx)" by Alan Vega, "Dance Or Die" by Sweet Pea Atkinson with Was Not Was, "Techno Freqs" by Junie Morrison, "Read My Lips" by Thousand Points Of Night (Was Not Was), "No Time To Stop Believing In Love" by Daisy Chain, "He's The Groove" by Snuky Tate, and "Dream Baby Dream (long version)" by Suicide.

Wonderful lost work from Michel Legrand – a fantastic, and fantastically overlooked, 70s soundtrack – completely essential to have in a CD version like this, since most of the music hardly appeared in the film at all! The score takes off nicely from some of Legrand's more famous work of the 60s and early 70s – with a mixture of warm themes, jazzy elements, and some of the funkier touches you'd expect from a cop/crime film – all at a level that's a bit less sentimental than some of his French film work, with just the right qualities to fit the offbeat story of the movie. There's a real Dave Grusin sort of approach going on at times – although with a bit more acoustic piano than electric keyboards – but Legrand also throws in a few softer bits to round things out nicely, and create a lot more depth in the music than you might expect for a low-budget film. Really great stuff overall – the kind of soundtrack that should have gotten proper release at the time, as it easily matches any of Legrand's bigger LP hits – and presented with great notes on both the film and music. Titles include "Papa Joe The Padrone", "Downtown", "Wall Street", "The Chase", "The Sleep Song", "The Sellers", and "Uptown".