Author: TJ Gorton
For about three decades, the London-based Jazzman label, ran by vinyl digger ‘Jazzman’ Gerald, has probably been one of the top labels in bringing forth rare and obscure jazz titles from all over the world.
We are kicking off a brand new weekly ‘Funk 45’ series here at BeatCaffeine. Over the course of each month, we will highlight a number of essential forty-five. In this series, we will cover everything from rare selections to essential reissues, from soul jams and heavy funk classics, to rare tropical gems from all corners of the globe.
Under the name Felbm, Dutch multi-instrumentalist Eelco Topper (aka Falco Benz) releases a great new two-part project through Soundway Records titled Tape 1 / Tape 2.
I was recently featured in The Vinyl Factory’s ongoing Home Grown Series. This ongoing weekly series profiles different collectors from around the world to find out more about their collection, what records they are proud of owning, and what vinyl ultimately means to them.
Chicago-based drummer Makaya McCraven is one of the most cutting-edge artists in jazz right now. He follows up his incredible Chicago-meets-London mixtape Where We Come From, which was released earlier this year, with a brand new 22-track album on the International Anthem label titled Universal Beings.
The third in BBE’s well-curated ‘J Jazz Masterclass Series’ features one of the most sought-after jazz albums out of Japan in ‘Earth Mother’ by the Koichi Matsukaze Trio.
Led by multi-instrumentalist and producer Pete Cunningham, the Bristol-based Ishmael Ensemble releases their second of a three-part 7” series, titled Severn Songs 2.
Fresh off his superb remix of Lord Echoes’ “The Sweetest Meditation,” well-accomplished New Zealand-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Julien Dyne has released a great new album on the Soundway label, titled Teal.
Over the past two decades, the London-based Jazz re:freshed organization has played a major role in showcasing some of the best young jazz talent in the region.
Drummer and producer Moses Boyd is one of the leading and most cutting-edge artists in today’s thriving London jazz scene. Over the past few years, he has performed on some of the best recordings alongside other major players of the UK jazz scene including Nubya Garcia, Oscar Jerome, Joe Armon-Jones, Shabaka Hutchings, Zara MacFarlane, Four Tet, Gilles Peterson, and others.
The London-based producer has just released his third album titled Radio Highlife. This recording, which is the first on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label, is the London-based producer’s most ambitious to-date, as he made a conscious effort to infuse an array of different global sounds that he came across over the years from his worldly travels as a deejay.
Paris has a long history of being a global hub for both culture and music, including a fusion of influences from Europe, the French-Caribbean, and Africa. This led to a rise of new African sounds in the city’s underground nightclubs and recording studios during the eighties known now as the Pan-African movement.
This edition of BeatCaffeine’s Bargain Bins series features five essential 7-inch selections from the Brit-funk scene of the late seventies and early eighties. Through the support of pirate radio and deejays like Chris Hill and Colin Curtis, Brit-funk was an underground music scene that took place in both south and north London.
