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A fantastic 500th release by the BBE label – one that looks back at the past, and soars to the future! This special extended single package is a fantastic return to form for everyone involved – as underground club legends Patrick Adams and Leroy Burgess get a whole new groove from Louie Vega – but with a warmly soaring vibe that's a great update of their classic approach! "Barely Breaking Even" is a classic from the Universal Robot Band – but this new take has both vocals and production that are a lot warmer than the original P&P Records version – and a groove that's even catchier too! All four mixes are over eight minutes long – served up here beautifully on a double 12" package! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Excellent! The cut's a dancefloor classic – and it's got this wonderful little moogy instrumentation that's a perfect example of the genius of Patrick Adams and Greg Carmichael, who put the whole thing together, and who give the cut a real P&P funky flavor. A real killer, and one that we never tire of! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Amazing sounds from this very hip group – a contemporary combo, but one who play with a depth of sound to warrant their inclusion on the Jazzman label! The style is almost spiritual jazz, but a bit more laidback too – sounds that are cosmic, yet never soaring to the skies – and almost more content to contemplate their own existence in these cool little rhythmic progressions – a very hip approach that draws a lot of power from its minimalism! Instrumentation is a bit trippy at points – but mostly in the way the players fold things together – so that tinkling piano tipples over brooding basslines, or organ lines hum softly to encourage string sounds to start too – a beautifully poetic style that only gets better as the album moves along! Titles include "Cast Adrift", "For A Breath I Tarry", "Have Spacesuit Will Travel (part 2)", "Clear Skies Select Stick", "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 6)", and "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 4)". LP, Vinyl record album

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Robot Rock n Roll issue featuring a lavishly illustrated encyclopedia of hundreds of robot records/bands/etc. Interviews with Captured! By Robots, Gilbert and George (The Singing Sculpture), Arthur Lee Maye (1950s R&B/Baseball star), Blowfly, The Troggs, Snoop Dogg, The Syndicate of Sound, Richard and the Young Lions, Rocket From The Crypt, Archer Prewitt, Andy Starr and Junior Brown. Plus Bubblegum, Martin & Lewis, Shrimpenstein (written by Dominic Priore), Crispy Ambulance, Sammy Davis, Jr., Art Fein's 1950s Chicago memories, Bryan Gregory obituary, lots of comics, reviews and more. Magazine

A shot of tequila and a whole lot more – one of the few albums issued by the legendary Champs, a group who helped reinvent the sound of instrumental rock at the start of the 60s! The group's classic "Tequila" is a very familiar mix of raunchy sax, strutting guitar, and some slightly south of the border rhythms – and the other tunes here follow suit beautifully – offering up some of the grittiest side of late 50s/early 60s instrumental rock you could hope to find. The album's a definitely all-killer, no-filler set – and in addition to "Tequila", titles also include "Go Champ Go", "I'll Be There", "Sky High", "Lollipop", "Night Beat", "Robot Walk", "Midnighter", and "Train To Nowhere". LP, Vinyl record album

Daft Punk's epic second live album – an uncommon feat for an electronic act of their era, in that they had that kind of pop or rock cache to build a reputation as a must see live "band', without compromising their club floor shaking genius – and a bit of a classic in its own right. This one came a decade after their first, and again somehow harnessing the show's energy in perfect form and blasting it outta the speakers – and it includes Robot Rock", "Oh Yeah", "Steam Machine", "Brainwasher", "Superheroes", "Rock N Roll", "Alive", "Da Funk", "One More Time", "Prime Tiem Of Your Life", "Short Circuit" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The decoy here might be in the rhythms, which are often electric, but still played live – handled by Robert Irving III on many tracks, with a cool 80s fusion sound that's mighty nice! The style of the album's a nice change from the Miles groove of the 70s – a bit leaner, with almost a Weather Report influence at times, but far less jamming – and still prone to the darker tones that always make Davis' music of these later years surprisingly good. Al Foster handles acoustic drums on some tracks, and other players include Bill Evans on soprano sax and Mino Cinelu on percussion – on titles that include "Decoy", "Robot 415", "Code MD", "Freaky Deaky", "What It Is", "That's Right", and "That's What Happened". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully expansive album from The Incredible String Band – initially performed as a stage project with the Stone Monkey dance troupe, and featuring the ISB at their most evocative and creative! Some tunes have a darker, sinister undercurrent – that link between the band and the acid folk underground – but others are more hippy dippy, with playful touches that still seem to have this undercurrent of evil somehow – an offbeat quality that really marks the special way that British groups like this were taking folk in very odd directions at the time – never losing sight of roots, but still never having the sense of optimism or indulgence of American acts. The double-length set has loads of especially nice instrumental moments – both acoustic and electric – and titles include "Bridge Song", "El Wool Suite", "The Juggler's Song", "Bad Sadie Lee", "Partial Belated Overture", "Walking Along With You", "Invocation", and "Robot Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A smoking funky set from early 70s Stax Records – the only album we've ever seen from Roy Lee Johnson & The Villagers, and a stone cooker all the way through! The sound is hard and heavy on most numbers – with loads of funky 45-styled riffs – and the core group is a nicely self-contained unit, with a lot of focus on the rhythm section – but they also get some great help here from the Memphis Horns, who blow over the top beautifully, and add a nicely soulful vibe to the record! Drums are nice and hard – and titles include the killer "The Dryer (parts 1 & 2)", plus "Razorback Circus", "Robot", "Midnight At Riley's", "Don't Tell Me Nothing About My Woman", "Patch It Up", and "I'll Be Your Doctor Man". CD

The funkiest man? Could well be – and this set will more than support that case! By the time of these recordings, Rufus Thomas was already a legendary figure in the Memphis scene – an aging R&B star that also worked on radio and did a fair bit of promotion for other artists, including daughter Carla. At the end of the 60s, Stax brought him into the studio with the idea of pumping up his sound a bit – adding in some of the newer funky styles, which proved to be a perfect fit for Rufus' rough-hewn style of vocals. Tracks on the set feature a number of classic singles from these years, plus a few unissued numbers – with an all funky track list that includes "Funkiest Man Alive", "Give Me The Green Light", "Itch & Scratch", "Turn Your Damper Down", "Funky Hot Grits", "I'm Getting Better", "Sophisticated Sissy", "Funky Mississippi", "Git On Up & Do It", "The Breakdown (part 1)", "Push & Pull (part 1)", "Do The Double Bump", "Funky Robot (part 1)", "Memphis Train 75", and "Funky Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful sound library set from the great Piero Umiliani – and a record that's filled with some of his coolest electronics ever! The feel of the record is very much in keeping with the image on the cover – kind of sci fi, but kind of playful too – a wonderful blend of keyboards and moogy bits, often played with a cool little groove – but one that's laidback enough to recall Umiliani's best soundtrack music! Tunes are relatively short – between one and four minutes in length – but really have a great sense of variety and imagination – at a level that goes way beyond some of the overdone repetition you might find in other albums of this nature. Really great all the way through – with cuts that include "Futuristic Jam", "Killer Robot", "Soft Key", "Bric Brac", "Soundmaker Blues", "Gadget", "Danza Galattica", and "Jingle No 1". CD

A wonderful sound library set from the great Piero Umiliani – and a record that's filled with some of his coolest electronics ever! The feel of the record is very much in keeping with the image on the cover – kind of sci fi, but kind of playful too – a wonderful blend of keyboards and moogy bits, often played with a cool little groove – but one that's laidback enough to recall Umiliani's best soundtrack music! Tunes are relatively short – between one and four minutes in length – but really have a great sense of variety and imagination – at a level that goes way beyond some of the overdone repetition you might find in other albums of this nature. Really great all the way through – with cuts that include "Futuristic Jam", "Killer Robot", "Soft Key", "Bric Brac", "Soundmaker Blues", "Gadget", "Danza Galattica", and "Jingle No 1". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool idea for a collection – a set that brings together vintage 70s tracks and more contemporary cuts – all with a globe-spanning ear for a groove, and an approach that's as heavy in soul as you'd expect from the title! This isn't your usual collection of sample tracks or funk classics – as the selection moves way past the obvious, and does a brilliant job of combining tracks we never would have thought to put together – while also introducing us to a number we'd never heard before too! Titles include "Every Time I See Him" by Metropolis, "Eva" by Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti, "O Galho Da Roseira" by Airto, "Apocalypse Now Ho" by Nar'Chiveol, "Wache" by Francisco, "After All" by Soylent Green, "Space Queen" by King Errison, "Robot Man" by Yusef Lateef, "Stay This Way (lunar dub)" by Brand New Heavies, "Le Train" by Chene Noir, "Southern Freez" by On, "The PL (ext edit)" by Typesun, and "Le Cyclope" by Daniel Humair, Francois Jeanneau, and Henri Texier. LP, Vinyl record album

A very soulful set of big band material from Quincy Jones – recorded during that tight early 60s period when his arrangements just couldn't fail! The album's his only session for Impulse, and it's got a slightly deeper style than his work from the time for Mercury – a bit more sophisticated, with nice modern touches that take the tunes in surprising directions. Part of the greatness of the set lies in the players – as the album features work by Curtis Fuller, Thad Jones, Stu Martin, Freddie Hubbard, Patty Brown, Phil Woods, and Jerome Richardson – and titles include "Robot Portrait", "Hard Sock Dance", "The Twitch", and "For Lena & Lennie". CD

Very moody work from Polish keyboardist Wladyslaw Komendarek – an unreleased album from 1990, and one that features a whole host of Korg, Casio, and Yamaha Keyboards – all creating a dark soundscape that's very much in keeping with the image on the cover! This isn't playful robot music, as you might find in the work of Der Plan at the start of the previous decade – and instead, Komendarek crafts a very dystopic sort of record – each track longer than the next, and creating a world where it really seems like the robots have won the war! Titles include "Zadanie", "Inwazja", "Korekta Inteligencji", and "Milosc Robotow". The set also features two bonus tracks added to the record – "Synergia" and "Kepler 1649C". CD

Some of the most soulful housey sounds your likely to find in the later 00s – a warm & grooving Destination from Anthony Nicholson! Destination has numbers flavored by smoothed out keys, beats more lightly percolated gems as well as spacier, more thumpingly percussive numbers – with uncommonly soulful vocals and a more live feel than so much of the club ready grooves out there. Anthony's on keys, vocals, drums, percussion & programming with assistance from Chris Robb on keys and bass, Matt Cashdollar on sax, Will Kurk on keys, guitar & vocals, Jrod Indigo on vocals, and others. Titles include "Love Is Everything", "Fallin", "So Good (Feel The Joy)", "Your Love", "Never", "Destination", "Hot Sauce & Drama", "Robot Disco", "Black Galaxy Suite", "Go" and more. CD

A fantastic CD collection – one that brings together all five volumes of Stereolab's Switched On albums in one set – a huge collection of unusual material and rare singles! On the original Switched On record, moog, fuzz, and farfisa have never sounded so great together – and although these guys drank deep of the well of 60s pop magic before making this modern-day classic – they also come off sounding pretty darn original on their own! When this gem of a record first hit the world, it was as if all of us were hearing music from the cosmos for years, but could never find a way to make it part of our everyday lives. Then along come Tim Gane, Laetitia Sadier, and crew – and completely change the world for the better! An album that no home should be without – with titles that include "Contact", "Super-Electric", "Doubt", "Brittle", "Au Grand Jour", "The Way Will Be Opening", and "Changer". Refried Ectoplasm is the second in the holy trinity of "switched on" albums from Stereolab – a set that collects together all the unusual recordings and other side bits the group were doing in the early years of their career – standing strong as a testament to their non-stop efforts to forever push the boundaries of electric fuzzy pop! The vocals Laetitia Sadier are completely sublime – almost a bridge between the darker modes of the previous pop generation and all the new ideas of the world to come – when the rest of rock music would finally catch up to these guys, and realize that the best path to the future is through the past! Titles include "Farfisa", "John Cage Bubblegum", "Tempter", "Exploding Head Movie", "French Disko", "Harmonium", "Revox", "Mountain", and "Sadistic". By the time of Aluminum Tunes (Switched On Vol 3) – it had only been a few years since the previous Switched On set, but Stereolab had already created so much musical magic, they needed a double-length record to keep the whole thing intact! The sound here is somehow getting even more dreamy and wonderful – definitely showing their work with the mighty Sean O'Hagan, and also really opening up into all the many musical ideas that Tim Gane was picking up from his never-ending search for unusual records! The 60s swirl through time and space, and make the future sound even better than we could have imagined it – while the Channel is drained, and England and France become one in a genius marriage of pure pop modes. Titles include "The Extension Trip", "How To Play Your Internal Organs Overnight", "Space Moment", "Iron Man", "The Long Hair Of Death", "One Note Samba/Surfboard", "Percolations", "1000 Miles An Hour", "Klang Tone", and a great take on the theme to "Get Carter". Switched On 4 is full of fantastic sounds from Stereolab – an assortment of rare singles and other unusual recordings that were mostly issued on their own Duophonic label, and which are far more obscure than their bigger label albums during the same period! Even though Stereolab gave the world some undeniable classics in the late 90s and early 00s, they were also working endlessly, and seemed to record more than they could ever fit on a full length set – which resulted in all the cool singles, limited releases, and other material included here – not dusty tapes pulled from the archives, but beautiful work that often returns the group to all the space age charms of their first few records! The package is huge – 25 tracks in all, of varying length – and titles include "Barok Plastik", "Calimero", "Fried Monkey Eggs (voc)", "Solar Throw Away", "Variation One", "Monkey Jelly", "Explosante Fixe", "Jump Drive Shut Out", "The Super-It", "L'Exotisme Interieur", "Pandora's Box Of Worms", "Retrograde Mirror Form", "Nomus E Phusis", "I Feel The Air Of Another Planet", "Outer Bongolia", and "Intervals". Includes tracks from Duophonic 45s, Underground Is Coming EP, Moog, First Of The Microbe Hunters, and work from compilations, unreleased tracks, and even a collaboration with Brigitte Fontaine! Switched On 5 is maybe the coolest entry so far in this really wonderful series – a set that's overflowing with rare and unusual work from Stereolab – most of it done at a time when the group were riding high on a major label, but still managed to issued a huge amount of music on their own, and work in a variety of collaborative settings too! One of our favorite is their work with Nurse With Wound, and tracks from that partnership begin this set – which then moves into rare singles, work with artists, compilation contributions, and plenty more – all with the usual Stereolab charm, but often with a nicely different vibe too! Titles include "Simple Headphone Mind", "Symbolic Logic Of Now", "Magne Music", "Forensic Itch", "Spool Of Collusion", "Robot Riot", "Trippin With The Birds", "Cybele's Reverie (live)", "Nth Degrees, "Refractions In The Plastic Pulse (Autechre Feebate mix)", and "Plastic Mile (original version)". CD

Moogy magic from the legendary Piero Umiliani – a wicked track that begins with lots of cool electronics, stripped down into an early drum machine rhythm – and delivered with more space energy than you'd expect from the "blues" in the title! "Gadget" is a cool quirky bit of electronics – almost like a robot creating dance music with a moog and an acoustic bass – and "Automa" has a cold feel that's somewhere between early Sheffield electronica and the sound of the German new wave! 7-inch, Vinyl record

5CDs, and a set that's overflowing with classic tracks from the legendary Stax Records – with an especially heavy emphasis on the label's genius moments from 1968 to the mid 70s! There's way too much here to list, but some of the more unusual tracks include "What A Man" by Linda Lyndell, "Gettin Funky Round Here" by Black Nasty, "Funky Robot (part 1)" by Rufus Thomas, "Circuit's Overloaded" by Inez Foxx, "Gettin Funky Round Here" by Black Nasty, "Sweetback's Theme" by Melvin Van Peebles, "Help" by David Porter, "Starting All Over Again" by Mel & Tim, "I Could Never Be President" by Johnnie Taylor, "How Can I Be A Witness" by RB Hudmon, "What Goes Around Must Come Around" by Sons Of Slum, "Harlem Heaven" by Rance Allen, "Mother's Day" by 24 Carat Black, "Bump & Boogie (part 1)" by The Wrecking Crew, "Chains Of Love" by Jimmy Hughes, "Itch & Scratch (part 1)" by Rufus Thomas, "What's Usual Ain't Natural" by Eric Mercury, "Lovin You Lovin Me" by Sandra Wright, "What Do You See In Her" by Hot Sauce, "The Creeper Returns" by Little Sonny, and "It's Worth A Whippin" by Shirley Brown. CD

A record that's as groovy as the group looks on the cover – and one that comes across with just the blend of acoustic and electric instrumentation the image might imply! Ansambl Mileta Petrovica are a Serbian group from the 80s who took older songs and reworked them with a cool style that's almost garagey in approach – save for the fact that the keyboards are much more fitting to the decade in which the music was recorded! The use of bongos is great, as it keeps things nice and rootsy at the core – while the guitar has plenty of surf-styled echo, and resonates really strongly through the music. Tracks are all instrumental, and titles include "Robot", "Zov Gitare", "Japanka", "Miletova Gadje", "Cocek Ajd'Mo U Planine", "Niski Disko", and "Zoranov Cicek". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the rarest albums by Les Baxter – and one of the best! The record features an excellent batch of "space exotica" tracks, set amidst some very lively arrangements, all packaged in one of the greatest album covers of the 50s! Les' writing and leading are as excellent as always, and the record has a beautiful sound that never gets as soppy as some of the other 50s space-age albums. Tracks include "A Distant Star", "Moonscape", "Mr. Robot", "The Commuter", and "The Other Side Of The Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

Daft Punk hits a more human highway, bringing in more guitars and hypnotically repetitive bits while hanging onto the robotic dancefloor vibe their legacy was built on! Guitars stands out in the sound, but it's got that gleaming sheen that pairs so perfectly with the vocoder vocals, driving beats and purposefully repetitive groove that rolls along to hypnotic effect. Includes "Human After All", "The Prime Time Of Your Life", "Robot Rock", "Make Love", "Steam Machine", "On/Off", "Television Rules The Nation", "Emotion" and "Technologic". LP, Vinyl record album

The definitive classic of the post-millennium Flaming Lips! Weird and bubbly and soul-searchingly introspective at the the same time, metaphorically at least – there's only so much navel gazing that can happen on an album with a young girl vs giant robots motif – this one to another step in their newfound love of more layered sounds and electronics that came out so strong on the critically and fan-beloved, but at the time commercially overlooked The Soft Bulletin, with songs that manage to some of their oddest and catchiest at the same time. Includes "Fight Test", "One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21", "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots" (Pts 1 & 2), "Egotripping At The Gates Of Hell", "Are You A Hypnotist??", "Do You Realize??", "All We Have Is Now" and more. CD

A record as spacey as the image on its cover, and a further example of the keyboard genius of the great Greg Foat – a masterful musician in just about any setting! Here, Foat teams up with drummer Ayo Salawu – who provides some tight, core rhythms that mix funkier styles with more open modes – which are then pushed to the heavens by all sorts of keyboard work from Greg – on a variety of Korg, Roland, and Ensoniq keys! The back cover indicates that the record's an homage to older sound library material – particularly that moment when the keyboards took over from fuller groups – but with the jazz background of Foat, there's also plenty more going on here – which makes the album a real cut above. Titles include "Mines Of Andromeda", "Stasis Loop", "Cruising Home", "The Lonely Robot", "Interstellar Fantasy", "Solar Pirates", and "Journey To Arcturus". LP, Vinyl record album

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One of the greatest Italian club classics of all time – served up here in a whopping 10 version package! "Problemes D'Amour" was probably the cut that brought the Italo disco sound to US shores back in the day – a Fuzz Dance classic from Alexander Robotnick that played strongly on a wide variety of dancefloors. The original version's got a keyboard and beat-heavy groove that crossed over big to electro and breakdance audiences – especially on the instrumental version, which is almost even better than the original. This CD features both original 12" and instrumental takes on the tune – plus the USA version, USA instrumental, underground 2006 edit, 1993 10th anniversary version, USA original version, Carl Craig remix, Ah Ou Ah version, and even a rare demo version! CD

I-Robots take a mighty cool look at the Phantom Records label – a small imprint from that great moment when the Italian club scene was getting pretty electric and cosmic – almost as a dancefloor extension of sound library modes from a few years before! The cuts here all have plenty of keyboards and a fair bit of spacey touches – all while managing to sound upbeat and funky, although with more colder electro modes as some of the tracks move a bit further into the 80s run of the label. Some tracks are quite short, others are longer groovers – and titles include "Come With Me (I-Robots reconstruction)" by Carlotto, "Cometa Music Hall" by Cometa Music Hall, "Whirlwind" by Don Bernini, "Radio Cosmo 101" by The One O Ones, and "Music One (parts 1, 7, & 8)" by Musicone. LP, Vinyl record album

Warmly well-rounded sounds from a mighty strong trio – a group who are certainly aware of some of the newer modes of expression that have opened up for the piano trio in the 21st Century, but who also balance things out with a more standard approach from time to time too! There's a very cohesive blend of elements here – drums from Mark Guiliana, bass (both electric and acoustic) from Tim Lefebre, and acoustic and electric piano from Jeff Babko – in a modes that move between hardbop swinging and more tangled-up approaches that really emphasize a rhythmic energy. Most tracks are nice and long – and titles include "New Wave Theater", "This West", "The Church Of Bill Hilton", "Chongo's Song", "Boo Boo's Birthday", and "Fugue Robotique". LP, Vinyl record album

Strange stuff! "Automatic Lover" is a clear Kraftwerk rip off, complete with robotic vocals, and a cold German backing. Very different than anything else Sylvia ever did, and proof that she was certainly a nutter! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A whole new world of grooves we've never heard before – music from a short stretch on the Italian scene when local artists were really taken with the new developments in Afro Funk, and started to serve up some fresh styles of their own! The music here is maybe a blend of West African sounds and sound library modes – often leaner than the large group ensembles of Fela and some of his contemporaries, which also makes the tracks perfect for the clubs as well – but with a vibe that's sharper and tighter than some of the Afro/disco crossover cuts of the time! The selection of tracks is wonderful, and the whole thing is very revelatory – with titles that include "Why O" by Beryl Cunningham, "Kumbayero" by Weyman Corporation, "L'Unica Chance" by Walter Rizzati, "Amore" by Chrisma, "Tabu Tuba (part 1)" by I Robots, "Africa Sound" by Jean Paul & Angelique, "Contrabbando Di Fagioli" by Ramasandiran Somusundaram, "MAAGO" by Prognosi Riservata, "The Voodoo Lady" by Lara Saint Paul, and "Soul Makossa" by African Revival. LP, Vinyl record album

A heady serving of work from the Drums label – a small and short-lived imprint on the Italian scene in the late 70s, but one that served up some mighty nice club singles at the time! The records definitely bristle with the kind of drums you might expect from the record's name – not heavy breakbeat, but nice work on the kit that provides a live groove for these sweet electric club tracks – most nice and lean, sometimes instrumental with a focus on a keyboard line – sometimes vocal, with a chorus soaring along in the lead! The set was put together by I-Robots, who've given us some great club comps over the years – and the set even features some unreleased material too – titles that include "Mr Sam" by TNT, "I Am Here" by Dublefas, "Me Ne Frego" by Balthazar, "Disco Magic" by Analisi 91, "Music On My Mind" by Gianfrasso Ensemble, "Manila Sound" by Fango, "Samedi Soir" by Drums Music Show, "You & Me" by I Mappet, "La Fioraia Di Via Po" by Gialma 3, "Mare & Amore" by Olga Melchionda, and "Quattro Lune" by Antonella Forte. LP, Vinyl record album

A really wicked compilation, of the sort that BBE first started doing back in the day – a mix of records that spans both scenes and generations, yet which come together with a beautifully integrated vibe! There's a warmth here that's undeniable – currents of jazz, Brazilian, acoustic soul, and more – all wrapped up with a sunny vibe that really makes the whole thing soar wonderfully, as strange musical bedfellows really find a great space to play together that's full of imagination, spirit, and plenty of soul! Titles include "Factory Rhythms" by Jr Quintet, "Life" by Bugs Beddow, "I Had A Friend" by Peter Gallway, "Palavras" by Caixa Cubo, "Mystery Of You" by Jeff Scott, "Place In Space" by Joe Thomas, "Heaven" by Crosswind, "Como Aprendi A Soportar Tus Inseguridades, "Easter Suite (edit)" by John Standefer & Friends, "California (Shawn Lee mix)" by Kirk Reed, "Make The Call (ext version)" by MF Robots, "Smile Upon Your Brother" by Ambassador College Band & New World Singers, and "I Know (demo version)" by Astronauts Etc. CD

A really wicked compilation, of the sort that BBE first started doing back in the day – a mix of records that spans both scenes and generations, yet which come together with a beautifully integrated vibe! There's a warmth here that's undeniable – currents of jazz, Brazilian, acoustic soul, and more – all wrapped up with a sunny vibe that really makes the whole thing soar wonderfully, as strange musical bedfellows really find a great space to play together that's full of imagination, spirit, and plenty of soul! Titles include "Factory Rhythms" by Jr Quintet, "Life" by Bugs Beddow, "I Had A Friend" by Peter Gallway, "Palavras" by Caixa Cubo, "Mystery Of You" by Jeff Scott, "Place In Space" by Joe Thomas, "Heaven" by Crosswind, "Como Aprendi A Soportar Tus Inseguridades, "Easter Suite (edit)" by John Standefer & Friends, "California (Shawn Lee mix)" by Kirk Reed, "Make The Call (ext version)" by MF Robots, "Smile Upon Your Brother" by Ambassador College Band & New World Singers, and "I Know (demo version)" by Astronauts Etc. LP, Vinyl record album

Imagine gaining entry to a treasure trove of vintage keyboards and electronic music sources – then getting the chance to spend days improvising with them, and making new sounds of your own! That's exactly what happened to Jeremiah Chu, as he was set loose inside the Vintage Synthesizer Museum in Los Angeles – where he handled dozens of amazing instruments, improvising throughout, and capturing most of his experiments live on tape! The result is a record that's maybe a bit more warm and organic than the sorts of older analog electronic albums, especially the more academic type – as Chiu creates these really beautiful progressions of sounds that flower and glisten with a very human sensibility – not electronic music for robots, but instead an embrace of electronic possibilities for altering contemporary living! Titles include "Rococco Rondo", "For Voices", "Seawater Swell", "Rhythm Bell", "Static Stone Railway", "Transparent Spheres", and "Echo Arp Hold". LP, Vinyl record album

Four very kicking tracks hand-picked by Volcov – each nicely different, but equally great! Fred P steps in with "Time Well Spent" – a driving number with a great kick in the rhythms – followed by "Etius Motif" by Rest Symbol, a much more laidback, airy, and cosmic number! J707 follows with "Resonating" – a skittish groove that folds back nicely on itself with some very robotic keyboards – and the set ends with "Untitled (beat version)" by Patrice Scott, a tune that bubbles with all sorts of cool percolations! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A whole new world of grooves we've never heard before – music from a short stretch on the Italian scene when local artists were really taken with the new developments in Afro Funk, and started to serve up some fresh styles of their own! The music here is maybe a blend of West African sounds and sound library modes – often leaner than the large group ensembles of Fela and some of his contemporaries, which also makes the tracks perfect for the clubs as well – but with a vibe that's sharper and tighter than some of the Afro/disco crossover cuts of the time! The selection of tracks is wonderful, and the whole thing is very revelatory – with titles that include "Why O" by Beryl Cunningham, "Kumbayero" by Weyman Corporation, "L'Unica Chance" by Walter Rizzati, "Amore" by Chrisma, "Tabu Tuba (part 1)" by I Robots, "Africa Sound" by Jean Paul & Angelique, "Contrabbando Di Fagioli" by Ramasandiran Somusundaram, "MAAGO" by Prognosi Riservata, "The Voodoo Lady" by Lara Saint Paul, and "Soul Makossa" by African Revival. CD

Music from Teru, Chief, Tensei, Jeriko Jackson, MonkeyRobot, Buscrates, FloydCheung, Doc Illingsworth, Evil Needle, Tall Black Guy & more LP, Vinyl record album

Man and machine – a perfect summation of the Kraftwerk genius, delivered perfectly on this classic late 70s set! The album's got a bit more punch than some of their previous efforts – almost a not towards the dancefloor at times, yet hardly the disco you'd get from other groups of the period – and more a prefiguring of the sounds of the future from various UK and European sources! There's some great electro moments that made the record a favorite for the New York scene in the early 70s – including some wicked vocoder bits, and tight beats on a few numbers. Titles include the excellent "The Model" – plus "The Man Machine", "Neon Lights", "The Robots", "Spacelab", and "Metropolis". CD

Man and machine – a perfect summation of the Kraftwerk genius, delivered perfectly on this classic late 70s set! The album's got a bit more punch than some of their previous efforts – almost a not towards the dancefloor at times, yet hardly the disco you'd get from other groups of the period – and more a prefiguring of the sounds of the future from various UK and European sources! There's some great electro moments that made the record a favorite for the New York scene in the early 70s – including some wicked vocoder bits, and tight beats on a few numbers. Titles include the excellent "The Model" – plus "The Man Machine", "Neon Lights", "The Robots", "Spacelab", and "Metropolis". LP, Vinyl record album

The sound of Kraftwerk, updated for a whole new generation – almost as if the quartet had decided to show all the folks in 80s electro soul and the world of Detroit techno that they could still do things better than anyone else! The result is a set of fresh 1991 remixes of classics – still fortunately spare enough to retain all the charms of the originals, but sometimes with the groove picked up a bit for more contemporary dancefloors! Titles include "The Robots", "Computer Love", "Pocket Calculator", "Autobahn", "Radioactivity", "Trans Europe Express", "Metal On Metal", and "Music Non Stop". CD

Nickodemus wasn't the first to blend together a world's worth of influences with contemporary rhythms and production, but over the years, he's definitely risen to the top of the game – especially as he's moved into more subtle territory like this! The record is nicely freed from the dancefloor at times, which not only seems to allow more of blend of styles, but also really showcase the vocals from some of the album's mighty guests – in a lineup that includes The Illustrious Blacks, Antonio Uzana, Pat Kalla, and others. But if you dig his dancefloor work, don't worry, as there's still plenty of groovers too – in a set that includes "La Noche", "Mama Tchipp", "Plastic", "The Shadow Thief", "No Puedo Parar", "Race To Robotics", "Soul & Science", and "Mamaciterranea". LP, Vinyl record album