Seems like our call from last February was worth it, the resistance is organizing itself, we received a LOT of records - yes vinyl and CDs, both still exist and seem to ast much longer than digital releases in the real world… The Paris DJs collective has been very busy these last weeks, preparing not one, not two, but three new compilations, AND a new series of releases… so stay tuned cos' we have many surprises coming!
On the releases front, Paris DJs has put out an new EP in the 'Reggae Reworks' series from Grant Phabao and a new single with The Lone Ranger. It's been quite a calm period but it should stay calm much longer… Meanwhile, indie labels and artists have been regularly hitting our mailbox with some of their new music, read on to get the lowdown on each of those.
The March/April 2014 Paris DJs Playlist :
ALBUMS
01. Black Flower - Abyssinia Afterlife (CD, Zephyrus Records, march 2014)
zephyrusvzw.be | soundcloud
Soulful and psychedelic Ethio-jazz-blues from Belgium. Brings back mushroom memories of Super Numeri with an Ethiopic twist!
02. Bombay Monkey - Dark Flow (CD, BBE Records, may 2014)
bbemusic.com | juno | bandcamp
A dark/pop piece blending various electronic styles with some quirky humor. Think Mr Scruff meets Hint...
03. Boozoo Bajou - 4 (CD/LP, Apollo_Records/R&S, 2014)
boozoobajou.com | juno | soundcloud
More than a decade after their first record, the German downtempo duo is back with a fourth album, which sees them begin new adventures, in ambient jazz this time.
04. Deluxe - The Deluxe Family Show (CD/2LP, Chinese Man Records, september 2013)
chinesemanrecords.com | juno
The first album after a few EPs for the French sextet. An eclectic trip into hip hop-tinted chewing-gum funk absolutely promising a festive time.
05. DJ Vadim - Dubcatcher (CD/2LP, BBE Records, june 2014)
bbemusic.com | bandcamp | juno
A superb album of hip hop/reggae/raggamuffin grooves with a plethora of vocal guests from the Russian producer. Favorites tunes include the soulful 'Hope feat. Rio Hemopop & Sabira Jade' and 'If Life Was A Thing feat. Demolition Man', and the playful rub-a-dub vibes of 'Sweet like a Lolly feat. Governor Tiggy'.
06. Hal Bradbury - This Is Love (CD/LP, BBE Records, may 2014)
bbemusic.com | juno
Deep-digging reissue of a very rare Hawaiian modern soul album from 1981, recorded by one of the lead singers from cult pop group The Fabulous Krush. The cover of The Beatles' 'She's A Woman' is quite funky, but the real gems are to be found in the poppy funk of 'You Win I Lose' and the disco adult-oriented rock of 'Babe I Want You'.
07. Horndogz - #Woof (CD, Uptone Records, march 2014)
uptone-records.com | juno
Horny hip hop, funk & soul produced in France, with a heavy George Clinton influence. Includes a cover of Curtis Mayfield' 1970 hit 'Move On Up'. The guestlist is quite impressive with Ty, Fred Wesley, Blitz The Ambassador, Juan Rozoff, Bibi Tanga, Amp Fiddler, Michael Clip Payne and a few others...
08. Ikebe Shakedown - Stone By Stone (CD/LP, Ubiquity Records, april 2014)
ikebeshakedown.com | bandcamp | juno
Fantastic second album from the Brooklyn-based collective, recorded at Daptone studios - excepted for one track recorded at Menahan Stret Band's Dunham's). 10 cuts of instrumental soul/funk in the Menahan Stret Band kind with additional African influences. A recommended vinyl offering!
09. J-Walk - Off Beat (CD/LP, Wonderfulsound, may 2014)
juno | soundcloud | tumblr
12 years after his first album, Martin Fisher is finally back with a second album of very cool downtempo grooves & cosmic funk straight from one of the centers of the musical world, Manchester. Try to imagine a library funk album recorded by William Onyeabor or Francis Bebey and you're nearly there!
10. Kaveri Special - Kaveri Special (CD/LP, Monamour Records, march 2014)
kaverispecial.com | bandcamp | soundcloud
Vintage highlife & soukous from Helsinki, sung in Finnish and recorded last year in Finland. Explosive and so joyful, an amazement for the ears. You need to hear this!! (vinyl available at Betino's in Paris)
11. Miraculous Mule - Deep Fried (CD/LP, Bronzerat Records, october 2013)
miraculousmule.com | bronzerat | juno | soundcloud
A blues rock trio out of London. Gritty & raw, gospel-infused. A refreshing platter of deeply roots blues spirituals.
12. Paddy Steer - The Fortified Herd (LP, Mad Waltz, july 2013)
paddysteer.com | bandcamp | soundcloud
Second solo album from the former Homelife ensemble leader after 'Dragon's Breath' in 2009. Only available digitally or as a limited to 250 copies LP. A cosmic one-man band (featuring 2 sax players on the album) playing electro-organic psychedelic jazz-pop. This sounds like an English version of Sun Ra, and of course, needs to be heard!
13. Quantic - Magnetica (CD/3LP, Tru Thoughts Recordings, may 2014)
quantic.org | bandcamp | soundcloud | juno
A hypnotic record blending ingeniously programmed beats & synths with traditional sounds, from Nigerian highlife to Angolan merengue or Colombian marimba - with an illuminating array of guests, among which UK soul sensation Alice Russell or Australian Ethio-jazz funksters Dereb The Ambassador - both Paris DJs collaborators! We've been playing this on repeat since it landed in our mailbox so the 3LP edition is obviously a recommended prescription for vinyl addicts.
14. Sax Machine - Speed of Life (CD, Saxtoyz Records, may 2014)
saxmachine.biz | soundcloud | youtube
A dope hip hop/jazz project coming from France led by two horn players, Guillaume Sené & Pierre Dandin, and featuring the unstoppable MC RacecaR on the rhymes - who's currently also working with Blanka (La Fine Equipe, A State of Mind), Soul Square (invited on Paris DJs for a mix), DJ Suspect, Alakazam, or the mighty Grant Phabao - just to name a few...
15. Shareholder Tom - Im Garten des Alltäglichen (CD, Büro.9 Music, may 2014)
buero9.de | bandcamp
A beautiful & fresh eclectic pop album of many colors, sung in German with bits of soul, reggae and afro-latin grooves. Thomas Bergaus and his indie label from Köln Büro.9 always deliver very interesting releases… too bad we don't speak much German at Paris DJs because this is pure spring sunshine!
16. Shawn Lee / Tim Love Lee - New York Trouble / Electric Progression (CD/LP, Tummy Touch Records, april 2014)
bandcamp | juno
Take some rare KPM LPs from the 1970s, with Herbie Flowers on bass, Barry Morgan on drums, add Shawn Lee and Pierre Duplan (The Kramford Look) in London on the re-edit, additional drums, fuzz guitars, percs, Hammond organ, Rhodes, horns, vibes, marimba, xylophone and even banjo, plus some analogue synth madness from Tim Love Lee in Brooklyn, and you get a superb cinematic funk album… out now on Tummy Touch!! Grab the free download of the rare b-side of the promo 45 here. Paris DJs played the a-side in june 2006 in the 4th 21st blaxploitation mix...
17. Shawn Lee - Golden Age Against The Machine (CD, BBE Records, may 2014)
shawnlee.net | bbe | juno
A brilliant, sample-free tribute to old school hip hop - from the early 80s to the mid-90s - with classy vocal guests such as Braille, Lightheaded, Earl Zinger, Busdriver, Andy Cooper (from Ugly Duckling), Princess Superstar… Too bad this doesn't seem to be planned for release on vinyl, because it's addictively killer from start to finish. Multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee is playing every instrument, every note, becoming thus the psych library funk version of a one-man The Roots band. Bim!!
18. The KutiMangoes - Afro-Fire (CD/LP, Tramp Records, april 2014)
facebook | bandcamp
Tramp Records has been on the forefront of groovy and deep European Jazz for years, with this new release they add afrobeat to the classic rare groove formula of jazz, soul & blues. The Kutimangoes are destined to rule the club and festival scene this summer!
19. Woima Collective - Frou Frou Rokko (CD/LP, Kindred Spirits, march 2014)
johannes-schleiermacher.de | kindred-spirits | soundcloud
This second album from the groovy afro-psych-jazz combo from Germany announces some great live gigs this summer. Let's cross fingers an hope they'll come through Paris! Band leader Johannes Schleiermacher traveled Africa over three months last year, passing through Morocco, Mali, and Senegal, and came back with lots of new grooves, rhythms and melodies, gathered here in this marvelous new record. If you liked the recent releases from The International Ducks or Onom Agemo & The Disco Jumpers on the Paris DJs afro/tropical compilations, this is good for you music in the same vein. Welcome to hypnotic Africa!!
SINGLES
20. Chinese Man - Once Upon A Time (12", Chinese Man Records, february 2014)
chinesemanrecords.com | soundcloud
Marseille-based label & collective Chinese Man Records are celebrating their 10 year anniversary with a new 12 inch announcing the third volume of their 'Groove Sessions'. First tune invites South-African MCs Tumi & Zubz for a classic & melancholic hip hop standoff - and the Hugo Kant Eastern trip-hop remix that comes next is hot! On the flip, a reggae/hip hop anthem featuring French toaster/singer Taïwan MC, along with a remix by UK producer Wrongtom. Great people's tunes announcing a cool new compilation and tour!
21. Grant Phabao - Reggae Reworks Vol.3 - Dynamite B-Boys (Free digital single, Paris DJs, march 2014)
parisdjs | bandcamp
Third in a series of five free EPs collecting the best reggae reworks from the Paris DJs Virtual Releases podcast in high-quality audio, entirely produced, mixed and newly remastered by French superproducer Grant Phabao, 'Dynamite B-Boys' gathers four reworks of monumental American Hip Hop artists Lyrics Born, Jurassic 5, Big Daddy Kane and The Procussions. Those four reggae reworks have generated nearly 50.000 downloads in 128k MP3 through Paris DJs' podcast of free tracks.
22. Grant Phabao & The Lone Ranger - African Land (Digital single, Paris DJs, march 2014)
parisdjs | bandcamp | junodownload
Number one roots reggae producer from France Grant Phabao is back with a new single, featuring the vocal prowess of legendary Jamaican deejay The Lone Ranger, the rhymester in the forefront of the original rub-a-dub flavor movement, the Johnny Depp of Dancehall! A marvelous slice of pure jamaican spice and already his 9th single on the Paris DJs label!! Listen to all his recent output on theloneranger.bandcamp.com.
23. Karl Hector & The Malcounds - Coomassi (12", Now-Again Records, may 2014)
nowagainrecords.com | parisdjs | juno
Third in a series of vinyl EPs from the afro/psychedelic funk German band issued from the cult Poets Of Rhythm collective, before the release of the new album 'Unstraight Ahead' scheduled for summer 2014. Seven new pieces of Eastern & Northern African music colliding with psychedelic jazz & funk. Heavily recommended once again.
24. Nostalgia 77 - Your Love Weighs A Tonne (Digital single, Tru Thoughts Recordings, may 2014)
nostalgia77.com | bandcamp | juno
Second single extracted from the 'A Journey Too Far' album from UK jazz activist Nostalgia 77, featuring Josa Peit on vocals. Sensual soul, jazz breaks & horn slabs, who could say no to that? The remix by Ambassadeurs adds some psychedelic synth landscapes for a deep & dubby downtempo affair. Heavy shit. Don't pass on this.
25. Papa Chango - Enter The Dragonfly (CD EP, Papa Chango, april 2014)
papachango.com/au | bandcamp | parisdjs
Our favorite Australian cinematic afro-funksters are back with a new EP, after their amazing first album 'The Matador'. Opening with a new mix of "'Enter The Dragonfly', the magistral track Paris DJs picked for their summer 2013 afro/tropical compilation, you know instantly this epic 4-tracker is gonna be absolute must-have. The three, hard-hitting and deep, afro-funk or ethio-funk tracks that follow confirm the trend. African peplum funk in the vein of The Budos Band which confirms the unstoppable rise of troubadour warriors in Australia!
26. Various - Footprints - Previously Unreleased Tracks by Label Artists, Friends & Family (12", Jazz & Milk Recordings, april 2014)
jazzandmilk.com | bandcamp | juno
We've been spreading the gospel about this label for years now, but every new 12 inch coming from Jazz & Milk is still something to absolutly check, and you'd be a fool to pass on this 'Footprints Ep'. From Dusty's cosmic afro-funk to Sam Irl's soulful deep house from, from Todd Simon & The Angel City All Star Brass Band's Ethio-Colombian-jazz (featuring Quantic on guacharaca!) to Lay-Far's jazz/breaks/house combination, and closing with an brand new psychedelic/ethio-jazz/funk tune from Karl Hector & The Malcouns, this 6-tracks EP is bursting with goodies for the DJ bag!
COMPILATIONS
27. BamaLoveSoul presents On Deck 2 - Future Soul Classics For The New B-Boy Generation (CD, BBE Records, february 2014)
bamalovesoul.com | bbemusic | juno
It's essential to support explorators such as Roderick Moody aka DJ Rahdu, who's bringing here a second volume of his soulful & spiritual 'On Deck' selections, full of brand new talents he handppicked and asked to produce a track especially for this project, giving them a six month time to deliver… The space funk of 'Diligence' by Stephanie Nicole is our favorite of the lot in this relaxing, rather horizontal panorama of the emerging neo-soul scene.
28. Various - Footprints - Previously Unreleased Tracks by Label Artists, Friends & Family (CD, Jazz & Milk Recordings, april 2014)
jazzandmilk.com | bandcamp | juno
The CD version of the EP reviewed earlier on this page adds 9 tracks to an already great selection: a cover of Andy Bey's 'Celestial Blues' by Deep Jazz, some stoned hip hop by Romanowski, psych funk by Lipanti-Rodrigez produced by the drummer from Karl Hector & The Malcouns, broken soul by Lunga e Mono or 45 Prince produced by J. Whitefield, an exclusive nen track from Mr Chop previewed in the 'Paris DJs Soundsystem presents Mr Chop' mix, some strong Afro-Funk from Dusty' live band project Bad Jazz Troupe, bits of electronic madness from GTA Hoffman and enchanting soul-pop from Ray Lugo. Quality choice picks all along!!
29. Sean P - Rock It, Don't Stop It - Rapping To The Boogie Beat In Brooklyn & Beyond 1979-1983 (CD/2LP, BBE Records, march 2014)
bbemusic.com | juno
Killer selection of obscure rap singles from the late 70s/early 80s era with a focus on tunes with a disco groove. Old school hip hop-disco - the kind everybody agrees on nowdays. Vintage and unadulterated, this is a pure aural delight and a history lesson for the young b-boys out there!
30. Soul Square - Can I Get A Soul Vibration (Free download mix, Paris DJs, march 2014)
parisdjs.com
Take Arshitect, Guan Jay & PermOne, three beatmakers from Nantes known for their love of neatly used samples and sharp arrangement, add DJ Atom, turntable goldsmith five times world champion with his crew C2C, shake the whole thing and you'll get the latest Jazzy-Hip-Hop sensation: Soul Square, coming from Nantes. The band has just released two EPs in their 'Millesime' series, including some impressive featurings from RacecaR, a Chicago-born Paris-based MC Paris DJs has just started collaborating with. As with all their releases, this exclusive 30mn soulful mix is way for Soul Square to pay tribute to black American music, with class, squaring the circle and hitting your iPods - again!
Contact us to be featured in this monthly playlist or send us records at :
Julien Lakshmanan / Paris DJs
240 rue de Belleville
(gardien au 55 rue du Telegraphe)
75020 Paris, France