Gil Scott-Heron We’re New Again – A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven

"In February 2010, the late, legendary musician, poet and author Gil Scott-Heron released his thirteenth, and last, studio album. First conceptualised in 2005, and ultimately produced by XL Recordings head Richard Russell during New York recording sessions that commenced in January 2008, 'I’m New Here' was Scott-Heron’s first album in thirteen years and found him sounding as vital, boundary-pushing and insightful as ever before. XL Recordings release a limited-edition, expanded version of the album on its 10th anniversary. In addition to the original album, the 'I'm New Here 10th Anniversary Edition' features two unreleased tracks - a cover of Richie Havens’ 'Handsome Johnny’ and a previously unheard Scott-Heron song 'King Henry IV’ - as well as a selection of other recordings from the original I’m New Here sessions that were only previously available on a rare, vinyl only deluxe version of the LP."

Legendary classic first album featuring heavyweight percussion backing up the amazing spoken poetry/rap of the young genius. E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L!

Re-issue of this Record Store Day release from 2013 - 'Nothing New' is the collection of outtakes and unreleased takes from the late, great Gil Scott-Heron album, 'I'm New Here'.

The three albums Gil Scott-Heron recorded for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman label are some of the most important in the history of black music. They show a multi-talented artist reaching maturity with his first recorded efforts. "The Revolution Begins” gathers together every piece of music released by Gil on Flying Dutchman, including a track recorded with Bernard “Pretty” Purdie which has never been previously reissued. All remastered from the original master tapes, bringing you sound that’s better than you’ll ever have heard and new clarity to Gil’s words and the musical performances. BGP have additionally assembled an alternate version of Gil's third album, "Free Will", based on access to the original recordings.

Brilliant early Gil Scott-Heron album. One of his rarest on the great Flying Dutchman label.

On their debut album Smerz reveal the sonic touchstones from their youth, like musicals and classical music, mapped next to vivid synth lines, pop and mutant, R&B strains. Ace.

"FRIDAY FOREVER is the second album from multi-artist project Everything Is Recorded, helmed by producer artist Richard Russell. This follows the critically acclaimed and Mercury Music Prize nominated debut of 2018, Everything Is Recorded by Richard Russell. FRIDAY FOREVER takes on a multi-lensed perspective of a classic night out, followed closely by the sobering reflections of the next morning. The album features an array of new collaborators – in British rappers Aitch, FLOHIO and Berwyn, Irish singer songwriters Maria Somerville and Kean Kavanagh, the inimitable voices of A.K. Paul, James Massiah, and returning vocalist Infinite Coles – as well as established names like Ghostface Killah and Penny Rimbaud."

After two feverishly received albums as King Krule, plus another low-key outing under his own name, this extraordinarily gifted 25-year-old from Peckham in South London adds further depth and substance to his oeuvre with another wondrous long-player called ‘Man Alive!’. It arrives packed full of his trademark sonic ambition and compositional skill, as well as the now-familiar corrosive lyricism and lurid social observation.

"In February 2010, the late, legendary musician, poet and author Gil Scott-Heron released his thirteenth, and last, studio album. First conceptualised in 2005, and ultimately produced by XL Recordings head Richard Russell during New York recording sessions that commenced in January 2008, 'I’m New Here' was Scott-Heron’s first album in thirteen years and found him sounding as vital, boundary-pushing and insightful as ever before. XL Recordings release a limited-edition, expanded version of the album on its 10th anniversary. In addition to the original album, the 'I'm New Here 10th Anniversary Edition' features two unreleased tracks - a cover of Richie Havens’ 'Handsome Johnny’ and a previously unheard Scott-Heron song 'King Henry IV’ - as well as a selection of other recordings from the original I’m New Here sessions that were only previously available on a rare, vinyl only deluxe version of the LP."

"The indie hero could have played it safe with his first full-length record of the 2010s, but this comeback represents a bold new chapter."

Debut solo album from Radiohead frontman!

Third solo album from Radiohead's Thom Yorke, a companion piece to a Netlfix film made with auteur director Paul Thomas Anderson. Haunting electronic music, in the vein of Radiohead's 'In Rainbows'.

The iconic album Pablo Honey is the debut studio album by English rock band Radiohead. It was released in 1993 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Capitol Records.

Radiohead's Thom Yorke scores an eerie soundtrack to the reboot of Dario Argento's supernatural horror classic, 'Suspiria'!

XL boss Richard Russell follows up last year’s Close But Not Quite EP with the debut LP from his Everything Is Recorded project. Featuring guest spots from Sampha and more.

Case bound limited edition 2xLP & 2XCD now in stock! Includes 2 bonus tracks and 32 pages of artwork!

Ninth studio album 'A Moon Shaped Pool' has finally landed from the band that just won't go away - Radiohead. You'd think by now they'd be happy to rest on their laurels, but Radiohead and Mr Yorke don't have that in their locker. 'A Moon Shaped Pool" is yet another triumph blending the electronic elements of 'Kid A' with the raw indie sound of 'The Bends'. Highly Recommended!!!

Texan R&B singer Leon Bridges teams up with psychedelic wanderers Khruangbin on this lush, hallucinatory, dream collaboration!

It's the bomb!

Just landing! Release date brought forward! WILL SELL OUT!! Don't miss out!

Comet Is Coming band leader Shabaka is back with The Ancestors on 'We Are Sent Here By History', follow-up to their 2016 breakout, 'Wisdom of Elders'.

"The more urgent, unrelenting and darker feel of the album reflects its social commentary set the context of ancient traditions, with a mixture of African and Afro-Caribbean musical history. It takes the concept of the griot, one of the storytellers who keep alive the tradition of oral history in parts of Africa, and transports it to the present day."

UK jazz drummer Moses Boyd returns with 'Dark Matter', an album that explores the point where electronic music and jazz converge. Incredible stuff, featuring guest spots from the likes of Joe Armon Jones, Poppy Ajudha and Nonku Phir.

Super-limited new 1000 copies special white vinyl edition!

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When the band Trees Speak, coming out of nowhere, released an exclusive one-off 100-pressing white label 45, described as CAN/NEU! meets LIQUID LIQUID, it sold out so quickly (in less than 30 mins - one for sale on Discogs now at £400!) that Soul Jazz Records decided to release their album almost immediately.

Here it is! And it's awesome!

Soul Jazz Records rarely release new music but found the music of TREES SPEAK’s album ‘OHMS’ so stunning and to have so many elements of music that they admired that they felt compelled to release it.

The group Trees Speak are from Tucson, Arizona and create new music that sounds like GERMAN KRAUTROCK meets NO WAVE/POST-PUNK and PSYCH ROCK – music for fans of CLUSTER, TANGERINE DREAM, CAN, NEU!, SILVER APPLES and early KRAFTWERK.

The album ‘OHMS’ sounds at times like a tripped out & moody JOHN CARPENTER/GOBLIN/MORRICONE soundtrack that seamlessly segues into propulsive, ‘motorik’ Krautrock instrumentals loaded with fuzzy, hypnotic mellotron, synths and analogue effects, as well as elements of ART ENSEMBLE free jazz, and all at times reaching a kind of post-rave psychedelia. More recent comparisons would include BEAK and GHOST BOX who draw upon similar themes and styles.

Trees Speak are Daniel Martin Diaz and Damian Diaz plus musicians from the Tucson, Arizona scene such as Giant Sand, XIXA and James Hunter. ‘Trees Speak’ relates to the idea of future technologies storing information and data in Trees and plants - using them as hard drives – and the idea that Trees communicate collectively.

Trees Speak - Ohms :

Album of the Month - Splintered Eye/50 Best albums 2020 - Pop Matters/Favourite albums 2020 -The Soap Company/Albums of the Year 2020 -Bear Tree Records/Independent Albums of the Year -Love Records/Albums of the Year -Concrete Islands

"In February 2010, the late, legendary musician, poet and author Gil Scott-Heron released his thirteenth, and last, studio album. First conceptualised in 2005, and ultimately produced by XL Recordings head Richard Russell during New York recording sessions that commenced in January 2008, 'I’m New Here' was Scott-Heron’s first album in thirteen years and found him sounding as vital, boundary-pushing and insightful as ever before. XL Recordings release a limited-edition, expanded version of the album on its 10th anniversary. In addition to the original album, the 'I'm New Here 10th Anniversary Edition' features two unreleased tracks - a cover of Richie Havens’ 'Handsome Johnny’ and a previously unheard Scott-Heron song 'King Henry IV’ - as well as a selection of other recordings from the original I’m New Here sessions that were only previously available on a rare, vinyl only deluxe version of the LP."

This album coincides with the massive new exhibition Soul of A Nation - Art in the Age of Black Power at Tate Modern, London.

Watch Channel 4 news piece here

Read Guardian feature here

The album shows how the ideals of the civil rights movement, black power and black nationalism influenced the evolvement of radical African-American music in the United States of America in the intensely political and revolutionary period at the end of the 1960s following the assassinations of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and the rise of the Black Panther party.

Featuring groundbreaking artists such as Gil Scott-Heron, Roy Ayers, Don Cherry, Oneness of Juju, Sarah Webster Fabio, Horace Tapscott, Phil Ranelin and many others, Soul of A Nation shows how political themes led to the rise of ‘conscious’ black music as new afro-centric styles combined the musical radicalism and spirituality of John Coltrane and radical avant-garde jazz music alongside the intense funk and soul of James Brown and Aretha Franklin and the urban poetry and proto-rap of the streets.

The Soul of a Nation exhibition draws on the links between Black art forms – art, music, poetry - and how they came together during the civil rights and black power era as part of the wider black arts movement across the United States.

Iconic African-Amercian revolutionary figures such as Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Angela Davis, John Coltrane, Muhammad Ali all appear in the radical artworks of Barkley L. Hendricks, Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis, Lorraine O’Grady and Betye Saar.

Stuart Baker (founder of Soul Jazz Records) will appear with the curators on the panel of Jazz for Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power discussion at the gallery as part of the show. You can book a ticket for this event here

The Soul of a Nation album comes with extensive sleeve-notes and exclusive photography in a large 36-page outsize booklet and slipcase. Double gatefold vinyl album edition comes with full colour inners + bonus download code and includes full sleeve-notes/photography.

Read More Reviews of the Soul of A Nation Exhibition:

Independent

Time Out

The Telegraph

Frieze

BBC News

Super-limited new 1000 copies special ox-blood red vinyl edition!

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It's a big one ... Absolutely stunning second album from Trees Speak new on Soul Jazz Records.

Trees Speak’s new album ‘Shadow Forms’ is a blend of 1970s German electronic and ‘motorik’ Krautrock instrumentals (think Harmonia, Can, Cluster, Popul Vuh, Neu!), haunting and powerful 1960s & 1970s soundtracks (think Italian prog-rock Goblin and John Carpenter horror movies, Morricone and existential John Barry spy movies), together with a New Nork no wave electronic synth and guitar analogue DIY-ness (think Suicide, anything on Soul Jazz’s New York Noise series or Eno's New York No Wave)!

Trees Speak’ segue together all these elements into ‘Shadow Forms,’ which follows on from their critically-acclaimed debut LP ‘Ohms,’ released on Soul Jazz Records less than six months ago.

Trees Speak are Daniel Martin Diaz and Damian Diaz from Tucson, Arizona and their music often draws on the cosmic night-time magic of Arizona’s natural desert landscapes. ‘Trees Speak’ relates to the idea of future technologies storing information and data in trees and plants - using them as hard drives – and the idea that Trees communicate collectively.

Trees Speak - Shadow Forms:

Records of the week-Drift/Album of the week-Resident/Album of the week-Norman/Records of the Year-South/Albums of the Year-Concrete Island/Albums of the month-Reveal/Albums of the Year-Piccadilly/Albums of the Year-Buzzsaw

Anticipated album release, produced by Flying Lotus and Thundercat himself, features musical contributions from Ty Dolla $ign, Childish Gambino, Lil B, Kamasi Washington, Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington, BADBADNOTGOOD, Louis Cole and Zack Fox.

"Who Sent You? is the punk-rocking of jazz and the mystification of the avant-garde, a sci-fi sound from that out-soul-fire jazz quintet Irreversible Entanglements."

An astonishing collaboration between two artists of very different disciplines, and one of the most unique and seamlessly original projects of its ilk to date - the soulful vocal of Tom Misch and the powerhouse drumming from prodigious talent Yussef Dayes of Yussef Kamaal fame.

Moving fluidly through sleek electronica, avant-garde jazz, vintage hip hop and so much more, Misch and Dayes take you on a journey that is by turns surprising and spontaneous, heady and head spinning, and nothing less than compelling.

Brazilian singer, guitarist and actor Seu Jorge turns to brother-in-arms Rogê, for their first ever album recording, acknowledge 25 years of close friendship with this intimate direct-to-disc recording for Night Dreamer.

Emerging London-based collective SEED Ensemble, fronted by Nerija and Kokoroko's alto saxophonist, Cassie Kinoshi. The ten piece band combine jazz with inner-city London, West African and Caribbean influenced grooves, exploring a blend of genres through their unique and original compositions / arrangements.

‘Synchro Sound System & Power’ features the music of Nigeria Fuji Machine, which includes some of Nigeria's finest ‘Fuji’ master drummers and singers, and is newly recorded by Soul Jazz Records in Lagos.

Fuji is the heavily percussive and improvisational style of Nigerian popular music, at once modern and yet deeply rooted in the traditional Islamic Yoruba culture of Nigeria.

Here on this album Nigeria Fuji Machine’s striking and powerful lead vocalist Taofik Yemi Fagbenro soars above a wild and energetic backdrop of polyrhythms played on traditional talking drums, trap drums, electronic and street percussion to create a powerful wall of intense sound.

Fuji is hi-energy street music, heavily percussive which evolved out of the Islamic celebration of Ramadan, which became a major event in mid-20th century Lagos. Groups of young men walked through Muslim neighbourhoods at night singing improvised ‘wéré’ music to the accompaniment of pots, pans, drums, bells and anything else available, waking believers for the early morning prayer. By the early 1970s this music had crossed-over into popular Nigerian culture where it came to be known as Fuji, first made popular by the artist Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, as the music began to be performed commonly at parties and social events.

In the 1970s and 1980s three Nigerian artists – King Sunny Adé, Chief Ebonezer Obey and Fela Kuti – all secured international major record deals bringing popularity to the Nigerian musical styles of Juju (Adé and Obey) and Afro-Beat (Fela Kuti’s unique mixture of highlife, funk and jazz) abroad, but in the process ignoring much of Nigeria’s rich musical landscape. Fuji is, alongside Highlife, Juju, Afro-Beat, Sakara, Afro-Reggae, Waka, Igbo rap, Apala and numerous others – one of these central styles of Nigerian music.

The singer Barrister described the music as follows: ‘Fuji music is a combination of music consisting of Sakara, Apala, Juju, Aro, Afro, Gudugudu, and possibly Highlife.’ Juju performer King Sunny Adé described the difference between the two styles of Fuji and Juju somewhat competitively thus: ‘Fuji music is more or less like my music without guitars. It’s like I’m singing in a major key and they are singing in a minor. The music itself is the music of Juju music.’

Today Fuji remains a powerful popular music with deep and powerful Islamic roots which continues to modernise and attract new generations of young Nigerians and Nigeria Fuji Machine’s ‘Syncho Sound System & Power’ is a powerful and intense musical experience.

This album is released as a limited-edition heavyweight vinyl edition (+free download code), deluxe CD and digital format.

45 issue of Sons Of Slum's infectious horn-led, proto-disco dancer that has a KILLER break! 'Part Two' has the group getting down deep and funky as the song takes a change in tempo and direction. Ace!

Killer soul and funk compilation from unsung hero Alice Clark!

This fantastic collection features all the tracks from Alice Clark's classic Mainstream album plus unreleased cuts and previously vinyl only tracks! 

Includes ‘Don’t You Care’, ‘Never Did I Stop Loving You’, 'You Got A Deal' and northern soul classic ‘You Hit Me (Right Where It Hurt Me)’ plus many more !!!

Very highly Recommended ! 

Soul Jazz Records’ new Nigeria Soul Fever is their first release to explore the vast wealth of Nigerian music recorded in the 1970s. The new album comes with introductory sleevenotes by Bill Brewster (author of Last Night A DJ Saved My Life).

Packed-full with Afro-Funk, Disco and Boogie all from Nigeria, this triple album/double CD set brings together a stunning collection of diverse West African sounds. Whilst a small handful of the artists featured (Joni Haastrup, Tee Mac, Christy Essien) have seen the light of day outside Africa, this is essentially a collection of killer tracks by an array of artists completely unknown outside of Nigeria. 

Artists such as Don Bruce & The Angels, Akin Richards & The Executives, Angela Starr, Jimmy Sherry & The Music Agents. It’s no surprise that these records are extremely rare and expensive to buy individually so this album will save you going broke trying to find them.

These recordings were made at a time when Nigeria’s trade restrictions banned imported records. Whilst new musical trends (such as American soul, funk, disco etc) entered and influenced the country, the local music scene remained just that – local. Consequently, these recordings remain practically unknown to anyone outside of the country.

Nigeria Soul Fever is released as triple-album vinyl + download, double-CD digi-pack and digital download. This album follows on from Soul Jazz Records’ 1960s collection Nigeria Freedom Sounds, released last month, and will be followed by the reissue of the incredibly rare and groovy Nigerian 1980 disco boogie funk album Tee Mac’s Night Illusion.

"Excellent new soul jazz compilation Nigeria Soul Fever: Afrofunk, Disco And Boogie: West African Disco Mayhem!" THE GUARDIAN

READ Guardian top 10 Nigerian Disco full feature here

Reissue of this amazing, one-off album produced by Roy Ayers! Vocal group Eighties Ladies was made up of the talented Susan Beaubian, Marva Hicks, Vivian Prince, Denie Corbett & Sylvia Striplin backed by an all-star line-up Roy Ayers band (including Rick James who shares the production).

The anthemic ‘Turned on To You” and “Ladies of the Eighties” are both included in this absolutely classic boogie-funk-jazz-soul album from the start of the 80s.

Limited repress of Light Of Saba's first killer roots single originally released in 1974 with "Words Of Wisdom" backed with "Peanut Vendor".

BBE reissue this fine collection of thirteen never-before-released tracks and outtakes from the Roy Ayers vaults.

Wildflower return with their second, anticipated album release, following their huge, self-titled debut. Beautiful, deep jazz with spiritual touches and haunting melody. Essential release!

Hip hop production hero Madlib and rapper Oh No collaborate as The Professionals on their self-titled album. Marking their first full length album as The Professionals, the album mixes Madlib’s production with Oh No’s rapping, alongside cameos from Chino XL, Elzhi, and Adub.

Kalita Records unearth Cross Island's highly sought-after 1978 disco bomb "East of the Apple". Originally privately released on Raja Records as a promotional single to attract tourism and businesses to Long Island, New York, the record has since become highly prized by both DJs and collectors alike, in particular for its B side "Just A Little Different". Features edits from the man, Al Kent.

Second, anticipated album release from Henry Wu aka Kamaal Williams!

The jazz new-wave cover the classics from The Beatles' ‎'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' all reimagined under the 'A Day in the Life: Impressions of Pepper' banner via Impulse! Some of our favourite artists showcasing such as Shabaka & The Ancestors, Wildflower, Makaya McCraven, Onyx Collective and more!

Ruby Rushton trumpeter and composer Nick Walters, returns to 22a with his second album for the label - a deep and spiritual journey into freeform jazz! "Active Imagination" brings together a collection of Nick's favourite musicians to collectively experiment and improvise. Featuring Ed Cawthorne (Tenderlonious) on flute and soprano sax, Mo Kolours on percussion, Max Hallett (Comet Is Coming) on drums, Rebecca Nash on keys and Nim Sadot on bass guitar.

Limited to 500 copies!