On the surface, Alex Blex has a tidy life. He gets up smiling, wears shirts, eats eggs mayonnaise in the canteen, and works in a grey office with a green plant. His hyper-normal daily life is made up of spreadsheets of figures and slides full of diagrams. Nobody knows, however, that he wears an undershirt under his shirt, and that he travels the strangest corners of the Internet. And his music looks like him, of course. At first glance, everything is normal, stable rhythms and honest chords. And then suddenly, without realizing it, we entered his world, where New Beat rubs shoulders with Pink Floyd, and disco from the fiery Carrère Musique label. The groups Red Axes, Django Django, Nu Guinea, or the label Border Community also occupy a place of choice in this discreet little world. Alex Blex met Yuksek nearly 20 years ago, in Reims, after writing him a private message on Myspace, you have to know how to take the time…
“Nice move, Peter!” is his first solo release – it’s available to stream / buy / download everywhere now

Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi Folks, I am Alex Blex, French producer from Paris. I am about to release my debut EP “Nice move, Peter” on Partyfine. I like to define my music as UDM (Utilitarian Dancing Music), that means I am doing my best to craft tools for you to dance to

What can you see from your window today?

A shiny winter sun, a Baptist church, and a scary Bart Simpson figurine my neighbour put on his balcony.

Tell us about Nice Move Peter!

This EP is a first extract of my recent work, and I am very grateful to Yuksek to release it on his label. The presented tracks are mid-tempo discoid-rare groove pieces. They’ve been written with a limited set up: Juno 106, Prophet 08 and Korg MicroSampler. One of the guiding threads across the tracks is the presence of horns, which is always a touchy exercise when you deal with dance music. (I don’t want to become the new “epic sax guy” meme).

This release is for lovers of …

Todd Terje – It’s album Time, Hubbabubbaklubb – Mopedbart, Nu Genea – Ddoje Facce, Bobby Konders – The Poem

Where is the best place to listen to it and what should we be drinking?

At a fancy cocktail party with a jar of Moscow Mule.

What was the last piece of studio kit that you bought and why do you love it so much?

A microphone! I am not using it for singing but to record lots of stuff, like my glockenspiel and all kind of percussions.

If someone wanted to get to know your taste, what album should they listen to get to know you?

Classic album by French duo Air “Moon Safari”.

If you didn’t work in music, what do you think you might have been doing instead?

Actually, music is not my day job. I work in a French design company where I run the finance department (no fake!). In all cases, running a boutique guest house and a table d’hôte in Quercy (French southern region) could be kind of a dream job to me.

What does Alex Blex have in the pipeline?

I am writing lot of new music right now, as well as digging hard drives with older projects and demos to upcycle un-used ideas. This is my creative process. Like wine makers in Champagne, I like to combine actual freshly harvested wines with vintage ones!

Stepping up for his fourth release on Heist, we’ve got sample wizard Nebraska coming in with some lovely chops and a giant curveball of an a-side that has summer anthem written all over it. Curious? Dive into this massive 4 track EP by the London native who keeps on bringing the goods.

The Chant des Oiseaux EP is built around a collaboration between Nebraska and BeBelle. Anyone who’s picked up Nebraska’s 2021 release on his own Friends & Relations label will have already heard a glimpse of what happens when these 2 get into the studio. They have a mutual love for French vocals and we can’t blame them; everything BeBelle says, whispers and chants just sounds syrupy sweet.

This might be most evident on the title track of this single, where modulated Rhodes chords, distant chirping and fluttering of birds and a minimal beat form the foundation for BeBelle’s mesmerizing vocal. The dreamy and contemplative vibe of this track makes you long for those endless days of summer. We’re not sure if it’s a 70’s summer we’re longing back for, or 2022’s summer to look forward to, but with music like this, it doesn’t really matter, does it?

If you were still hovering mid-air on the vibe of the A1, ‘Skelp Tune’ – the second A track – will take you back to the ground and straight into the club. Skelp tune is a Detroit inspired house track (Nebraska sent us a ‘note to self’ saying ‘you are not Moodymann’ along with the first demo of this one). He doesn’t have to be; this track has all the clever sampling and disco energy of a classic Nebraska track, nicely tucked into one hell of a groove.

The flip starts with ‘Cop Show’: A no frills disco house track with a life affirming string section, guitar licks all over and a bottom end to freak out your neighbour’s neighbours.

We round up the EP with another collaboration with BeBelle, with the track ‘Henri Rousseau’. The track is built on a groove that almost gallops along, with strings, outer-worldly vocals and howling soundscapes that turn this track into a covert disco burner on the more experimental side of house music.

On the Chant des Oiseaux EP, Nebraska effortlessly shows off his impressive sampling skills, electronic fiddling, and powerful drum programming, reminding us that he’s not lost an inch of talent over the years and manages to surprise us with his music. Knowing him, this is simply because he’s simply exploring new ways to keep surprising himself. – Releases March 25, 2022 via Bandcamp player below, Juno and all good record stores.

What are you up to today?

Hi – BeBelle and I are up on the north coast of Scotland, taking a break from city life. We’ve been down by the river watching the birds and we’ve been on a beautifully windswept beach with our dog.

Tell us a little about the Chant Des Oiseaux EP.

The EP features a couple of tracks with vocals by BeBelle (who’s from Belgium originally). We’ve been working together a in a way where I find or write a text, she translates it into French, and we record her. Moving the text into a language I don’t fully understand makes it somehow more useable for me. Musically, it’s still all about that hip hop-influenced sampling.

This release is for lovers of …

I guess the title track reminds me a little of Herbert, but I’d resist flattering myself with that comparison. I think a lot of what I do pings between Paris and Detroit in the 90s. Certainly ‘Skelp Tune’ owes a debt to MoodyMann, and ‘Cop Show’ perhaps to stuff on Roulé or Crydamoure.

Where is the best place to listen to it and what should we be drinking?

Oh, I hope much of this is primed for a warm summer evening yet to come. What to drink? I’ll have whatever you’re having.

What is the most recent record that you bought and who is it by?

I absolutely love the recent album by Nala Sinephro. Sublime. I heard on Spotify and then got the vinyl.

What was the last piece of studio kit that you bought and why do you love it?

Truth be told, I don’t hold much at all in the way of hardware. However, the last two pieces of studio kit were birthday gifts from my cousin. A Joe Meek compressor and a tiny drum machine, which is literally just a circuit board. The two together sound great and are really inspiring.

If someone wanted to get to know your taste, what album should they listen to?

An album that nearly brings together a few strands is ‘Mother Nature’s Son’ by Ramsey Lewis. Killer late 60s soul-jazz covers of songs from The Beatles’ White Album with early electronic Moog effects, produced by Charles Stepney. And it’s got breaks. So much of what I’m into on one record… I must go and listen to it again immediately.

What do you like to do when you’re not making music?

Well, I spend a lot of my time making creative work of one sort or another – whether music, visual or written. Outside of that, I love to cook and to eat at great restaurants – of which luckily there are so many where we live. One of my current favourites is Nandine, a Kurdish cafe that does sensational meze boxes. You can eat your way around a good few culinary cultures in London, and that’s a great thing.

Inner Sauce is the latest label venture from Tribe Records frontman Zepherin Saint. The North Londoner who first defected to Berlin, eventually settling down under in the musical treasure trove that is Melbourne. An accomplished DJ and Producer in his own right, Zepherin’ s Tribe Records has hosted artists that sit within the deep house, warm techno, and tribal genres. The engaging city of Melbourne possesses a vibrant night life and thriving live house scene which he has fully immersed himself in over the course of six years he’s been there. Inner Sauce Recordings has been created with this scene in mind with pure focus on this emerging live house scene coming out this intensely creative city and in particular, the area of Naarm, Melbourne.

For its third release Inner Sauce welcomes On-Ly to the carefully curated roster for his own full release after he appeared on the Inner Sauce Compilation volume 1 compiled by Horatio Luna. On-Ly is the outfit of pianist, producer, and composer Joshua Smeltink. On-Ly is about hard-hitting groove music that crosses nu-jazz, psychedelic, house, spiritual-funk and hip-hop fused with long-form composition and wild improvisations. It’s a balance between the sound of Melbourne’s eclectic underground scene and those of Deodato, Azymuth, Joe Zawinul/Weather Report and Miles Davis, showcased beautifully on the ‘Anthochaera EP’ – PRE ORDER / LISTEN NOW VIA TRAXSOURCE

Please introduce yourself to our readers..

Hey! My name is Joshua Smeltink aka On-Ly.

Tell us where you are based and where you are from?

I am based in Carlton Nth, Melbourne, Australia and I’m from Canberra, Australia.

There is clearly a sound that is On-Ly. How would you define that sound?

Where jazz and sub-genres of jazz/disco/fusion – house, hip-hop, psychedelic – reconnect.

Who are the artists that have inspired you over time?

Joe Zawinul, Kaidi Tatham, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Kiefer, Mndsgn, Shostakovich, Glenn Underground, St Germain, John Scofield, Azymuth, Dilla.

If you had to a pick a genre to ‘listen to’ over everything else, what would it be?

A certain brand of Jazz – heavy-hitting, swing-monsters from when the great players are in their prime.

Why did you chose to work with Zepherin Saint and Inner Saucer to host your new release?

The start of a new label, in Melbourne, amongst amazing talent, by a house and dance music don, who is not only legendary but happens to be a total legend… I was left with very little choice haha!

Talk us through the EP a little.

‘That One’ was written in 2018. I remember being inspired by Tenderlonius at the writing of that track. ‘Flush’ was one of the last to be written. I was super inspired by the Tribe Records catalogue at that time, and I think it came out here. ‘How’s That’ is the quintessential rainforest music: reminiscent of drives to the coast from my home in Canberra as a kid. ‘Funky Isolation’, kind of exactly what it’s called. I was isolated at home, I was feeling funky, plus I wanted to shake off the isolation funk – boom. Total flow.

This release is for lovers of ..

St Germain – Tourist, Glenn Underground, Tenderlonius + Dennis Ayler – 8rick City, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock

If someone wanted to get to know your taste, what album should they listen to?

Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters

Where should we listen to this EP and what should we be drinking?

On the dance floor, drinking something colourful.

What you got coming up in 2022?

On-Ly is currently finishing off a residency, where the band will launch the EP, then a string of gigs; got a festival booked and recording two new albums!

Osei Korankye is a master musician and singer from Accra, Ghana. Known as one of the very last remaining Seperewa musicians in Ghana. The Brooklyn-based Super Yamba Band, comprised of Daniel Yount (drums), Evan Frierson (percussion), Walter Fancourt (sax), Sean Smith (trumpet), Eric Burns (guitar) and Prince Amu (bass) have long been students and devoted fans of vintage West African, psychedelic Afro-funk. Super Yamba Band pushes boundaries, always favoring melodies meant to excite and engage larger audiences. It’s difficult to imagine anyone resisting the group’s infectious beats. These songs are a throw back to the classic styles of Afro-Funk in 1970s Ghana. Upon a trip to the United States in 2017 Korankye linked up with Yount for a few gigs in New York City. Yount learned Korankye’s music and played drums on the gigs. “After that I knew I wanted to collaborate with Osei on some of the songs Super Yamba had written in the style of Ghanaian funk.” The collaboration came together effortlessly and the result is two beautifully psychedelic funk tunes made for dancing time!

Releases March 25, 2022 via Bancamp – listen & buy via link below

Please introduce your band to our readers.

We are the six-piece afro-funk group known as Super Yamba Band from Brooklyn, New York. We write and perform all original music, mostly inspired by 1970s funk music from West Africa. We are best known by fans for backing a songwriter from Benin, Leon Ligan Majek, also known as Kaleta, but we are working on other collaborations as well, as you’ll hear in this 45 release with Osei Korankye.

Describe your sound and the origins of the sounds of Super Yamba Band?

Our sound is mostly inspired by the classic recordings of 1970s funk from West Africa. The band has a pretty big sound made up of drums, congas, percussion, guitar, bass, keys, sax, and trumpet. We write original music inspired by artists like Fela Kuti, Orchestre Poly Rythmo, Ebo Taylor and The Funkees.

Tell us about the set-up of your live performance and about the performance and vibe?

Our live shows always turn into sweaty dance parties! We are a big band so some of the stages we play on in clubs in Brooklyn aren’t even quite large enough—we end up kind of spilling out into the crowd with our horn section and some of the rhythm section. We dance, we groove, and as cliche as it sounds, we really feed off the energy of the crowds. There has been nothing more energizing than the feeling of being in front of actual dancing people after a year-plus Covid hiatus. I feel like our music is really best experienced live so being back in a room with a crowd of people out enjoying the night feels so good.

Talk us through your new release.

So, our band started without a lead vocalist. We were a fully instrumental group and many of us have been playing together in different forms for more than fifteen years. We slowly built up the band, adding new core members through 2016. In 2017, we began to look for a vocalist who could really bring our music to life. Think of us as the JBs without James Brown—we really had a solid funky groove and an arsenal of songs, but we knew we needed the energy and performance that you can only get from a front man. So, we were introduced to several people around this time, one of whom was Kaleta, who we’ve been playing and touring with ever since. But around that same time, I was also introduced to Osei Korankye by my friend Seth Paris, who knew him and had played with him before. Osei was in New York, so I met him and played a couple shows with him and Seth. I really loved his sound. when Osei returned to Ghana, I had these tracks that we’d recorded a few months prior, and I just sent them to him. I hardly gave him any direction or notes, just the files, and he wrote, arranged, and recorded the vocal parts. When I got the tracks back, I was completely blown away. I knew how talented he was, but I couldn’t believe how perfectly he dialled in the sound. We sat on the tracks while we were releasing our first LP with Kaleta but when we resurfaced them with Ubiquity Records last year, they absolutely loved them and were psyched to put them out for us. So, this release has really been five years in the making, but most of that was just because we were waiting for the right time, and here it is.

What can you tell us about Osei Korankye?

First off, Osei is an unbelievably kind person. He’s full of life, he’s joyous. Pair that with the fact that he’s also an incredible musician, and you can imagine what a pleasure it was to work with him. He’s well known as a Seperewa player in Ghana, a type of harp from a specific region there. Though I haven’t seen Osei in many years now, I still feel very musically connected to him through this release.

This release is for lovers of…

Fans of classic Afro-funk from the 1970s, artists like Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Marijata, Orchestre Poly Rythmo, King Sunny Ade, will love this album. If you haven’t gotten into Afro-funk but you’re a fan of James Brown, Sly & The Family Stones, The Meters—definitely give this release a spin and check out our other recordings too.

Are there any plans for the band to tour the UK?

We hope so! We were booked at a major festival in the UK (which I can’t name, but let’s just say it’s very well known internationally) for summer 2020 but it was cancelled at the start of Covid. We have a great European agent though so we’re hoping to make it across the pond soon.

What does Super Yamba have in store for 2022.

A few big things. First, we’re really working on re-establishing ourselves in Brooklyn. It’s our homebase but after Covid, things feel kind of new here again. So, we’re playing around town as much as we want and really enjoying being back with our hometown fans. We’re also planning on doing some touring around the US this summer, including some shows out West this year, which is really exciting. We also have another full LP that we recorded at Sonic Ranch in El Paso, Texas that we’re planning to release this year, so keep your eyes and ears open. If you want to stay in touch with us and hear more about what’s coming, please sign up for our mailing list on our website: http://www.superyambaband.com.

UBIQUITY PRESENTS SUPER YAMBA BAND FT. OSEI KORANKYE – YEN NI AGORO / WO NKOA NA MENDO ON 25^TH MARCH

For its next release Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks in Hell label takes a surprising turn with an eight track LP by Berliners Panna Cotta. This duo came together one summer evening on the legendary Berlin airfield of Tempelhof. Their debut album is the sonically sweet and heartfelt audio delight entitled ‘Sunrise’, produced, and curated with blissed-out, sun soaked, love filled days in mind

Sitting somewhere between sultry disco and polished pop, French-born Alex Arslan, and Italian Riccardo Pirotto, takes the listener on a journey to the blissful planet joy. All of the tracks are composed, mixed, and mastered on vintage analog gear, maintaining a feeling of past, and making for a sublime combination of warm keys and heart beating drums.  The music is inspired by Panna Cotta’s soulful search for instant happiness and long-lasting love through  poetry in musical moments.

Opener ‘Tasting Sugar’ takes us on a psychedelic cosmic journey, while ‘Sweet’ picks up the yacht rock pace a touch.  ‘Childhood’ with its slo-mo vibrations encourage the dancers to sway, while ‘Nobody’ surprises with its broken beat breakdown and impressive drum solo.  ‘I Feel Love’ plays with analogue synths and steady drums, with flecks of acid  beneath the uplifting vocal, all floating along on a killer groove. Track ‘ Sunrise’ allows the honeyed vocal harmonies to take centre stage amidst the blissed-out soundscape, with Marcel Vogel adding muscle and further acid twists with his interpretation, taking us on an even further exploration of Panna Cotta’s cosmic disco universe. Panna Cotta have travelled space and time in search of these poetic moments.

LISTEN & BUY VIA JUNO HERE…

We had a conversation with the sweet toothed duo just before the new album dropped…

Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Panna Cotta is a Berlin-based band comprised of Riccardo Pirotto (Drums, Visuals) and Alex Arslan (Synthesizer, Voices). Panna Cotta cooks sweet music which could be defined somewhere between Slow-Disco and Synthwave. We met by chance on the  Tempelhof airfield in Berlin, the place where thousands of people each week, symbolising  the openness and tolerance of the city of Berlin. We share a vision of sexy and groovy music.

What are you up to today?

We just got the keys of our new studio in Berlin next Funkhaus. And we are ready to work on some new tracks.

Tell us about your new release ‘Sunrise’

We wanted a full analog experience, taking the listeners back to a classic sound and letting them revive their sweetest moments in life. The LP “Sunrise” was conceived at the beginning of the pandemic, a time where Music could not be lived freely anymore. The album is an ode to all these beautiful moments and feelings we missed during the first lockdowns, moments we all remember and learn to cherish even more: our Childhood, Love, Sunrise, etc.

This release is for lovers of …

Payfone, Parcels, 70’s Disco, Synth lovers and warm drum sounds.

Where is the best place to listen to this album for maximum listening effect?

Berghain!
More seriously in the car, at the beach, driving slowly with open windows.

What should we be drinking while we listen to it?

Aperol Spritz or Nice beach cocktails

If someone wanted to get to know your taste, what other album should they

listen to?

From the past we love Motown records, Pink Floyd. In the present Air or Wayne Snow.

What do you like to do when you’re not making music?

Cooking and drinking a glass of natural wine.

Do you have any other desserts in the pipeline?

Tiramisu. More seriously, we can’t wait to move into our new studio to invent our next dessert.

Released 4/3/22 – Listen & buy via Juno now…

We grabbed a few words with Hazmat regarding his new release on House of EFunk…

Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hey this the main man Hazmat LIVE. I’m a musician, producer, and Talkboxer from Detroit Michigan. I use drum machines and keyboards to create live house and techno. I started performing deep sequence in 2015 after touring with touring with the Four tops / The Temptations.

Tell us a fun fact about you..

I’m an accomplished Beatboxer and my taco game is ruthless. Also I am totally addicted to fishing!

Talk us through the idea behind your new EP ‘No Ordinary Love’.

Well, I’m a HUGE Sade fan! I did a feature piece for Roland and Reverb in 2018 Talkbox movement !!! Hazmat LIVE at Reverb.com  and I wanted to have something that was unique and completely different than anyone had seen or heard before to showcase the gear. This track give me so much room for interpretation. I had to get it out to the world.   

Who would you love to hear playing this music?

Carl craig, carl cox, moody man, Ummm DJ Holographic , Dj Minx and anybody that wants a true a sonic experience.

What should we be drinking while we listen to it?

This is a song you have to have some water for. As YOU WILL be dancing! Hydration is key.

What artists you into right now?

To truly be honest, I’ve been kinda deep in production mode. I’ve been recording album after album and working on promotional material for my band The No Boundaries Quartet  https://www.facebook.com/No-Boundaries-Quartet-NBQ-174855289739675 I’ve been truly digging into my own artistry and sheltering myself from other artistic influence.

If someone wanted to get to know you, what album should they listen to?

If you really  Wanted to get to know me?? You should check out Romantic warrior by Return to forever. I WAS NEVER THE SAME after I heard this album.

What is Hazmat Live working on in 2022?

Well, I’m working on some movie scores and creating improv music. I’m in a place in my life where I’m kinda done playing other people’s music. I want to convey music from my heart to listeners and give them an untainted piece of me. currently I’m working on ambient, disco/boogie records, deep house, and techno offerings too. I can’t wait to share these vibes with you.