Record Shopping Etiquette
The do’s, the don’ts, and best practices when it comes to shopping for vinyl.
Surprise Chef take on Minoru Muraoka’s 1970 Japanese breakbeat classic ‘The Positive and the Negative’
UK’s Mr Bongo label has recently released a remarkable new 7inch, featuring a brilliant new rendition of Minoru Muraoka’s Japanese folkloric-rooted breakbeat classic “The Positive and the Negative” by cinematic instrumental soul band Surprise Chef. If that wasn’t enough, the double A-side single also includes a Mr Bongo edit of the original gem.
Jazz Room Records reissues rare 1983 soul jazz gem by organist “Big” John Patton
Legendary Hammond B3 organist “Big” John Patton was one of the most influential artists among the 60s soul jazz movement, releasing numerous classic recordings for Blue Note Records like Along Came John, Let ‘Em Roll, Understanding, and many others. Now, his lesser known but equally brilliant 1983 album, titled Soul Connection, receives a much-welcomed reissue from Paul Murphy’s Jazz Room Records.
David Zylberman aka Ghost covers Lonnie Liston Smith and Roy Ayers on new electro jazz-funk 7inch single
Paris born, Los Angeles-based producer David Zylberman, who is also the keyboardist in Egyptian Lover’s spaced out synth-funk backing band, has released a brilliant new single, under the alias Ghost, featuring instrumental electro jazz-funk renditions of two seminal classics in Lonnie Liston Smith’s “Expansions” and Roy Ayers “Everybody Loves The Sunshine”.
UK’s Pressure Makes Diamonds reissues Brief Encounter’s 1977 obscure two-step groover ‘Human’
Over the last few years, UK’s Pressure Makes Diamonds, which is a label run by Graham Luckhurst and Gary Johnson, has reissued some of the most obscure soul and funk singles you’ll come across on Discogs. The label continues their string of impressive releases with quite possibly their most welcomed reissue to date, in Brief Encounter’s mid-seventies obscure two-step “holy grail” 7inch Human.
LA-based pianist & producer Jamael Dean releases brilliant cosmic spiritual jazz album ‘Primordial Waters’
Composer, pianist and producer Jamael Dean, who is one the standout young artists among the Los Angeles jazz scene, has recently released an incredible new debut album, titled Primordial Water, on Stones Throw Records.
The Magic Twins release superb new jazz dance re-edit 12inch on Basic Fingers
The production tag team The Magic Twins, made up of Shiho and Yuhiro, have put together two phenomenal new jazz dance re-edits for a debut release on the UK’s Basic Fingers label.
Kyoto multi-instrumentalist Jules Brennan releases innovative jazz-funk 7inch
UK/Yorkshire-born and now Kyoto-based multi-instrumentalist Jules Brennan, who first made his mark in the 90s acid jazz and hip-hop in Nottingham, has recently released a brilliant new 7inch single on the London Diplomats Of Soul label, featuring two highly adventurous and innovative jazz-funk tracks.
Mike James Kirkland & James Gadson’s 1980 soul groover ‘Time And Space’ released for the first time
Through the remarkable restorative and production work of Italy’s Tesla Groove and Cannonball Recordings, a phenomenal previously unreleased gem, titled “Time And Space” from soul great Mike James Kirkland and drumming legend James Gadson is finally completed and put out as a limited-edition double-sided 7inch single.
Japan’s P-Vine Records releases three 7inch releases featuring Belgian jazz-funk legends Placebo
Japan’s P-Vine Records has recently released an incredible three-part limited-edition 7inch series highlighting some of the greatest tracks released by the legendary 70s Belgian jazz-funk band Placebo, led by pianist and composer Marc Moulin.
Tel-Aviv based composer & bassist Shay Hazan releases brilliant hypnotic jazz album
Tel-Aviv based composer, producer, bassist and bandleader Shay Hazan, who released a superb 7inch single last year with his Quintet on Jazzman Records, returns with a brilliant new album, titled Reclusive Rituals on London’s Batov Records.
Japanese genre-defying Kyoto Jazz Massive release first album in 19 years
After 19 years since their breakthrough debut album Spirit Of The Sun in 2002, the innovative Kyoto Jazz Massive project led by two hugely influential DJs and artists among the Japanese music scene in Shuya Okino (Kyoto Jazz Sextet & owner of The Room in Shibuya) and Yoshihiro Okino (owner of Especial Records) have returned to release a highly-anticipated new album, titled Message From A New Dawn.
BeatCaffeine’s Favorite Tracks of 2021
As we wind down the final days of 2021 and look ahead to 2022 (with so many questions regarding what the future or this virus has in store), here is one more “look back” at the past twelve months — exploring some of the best individual tracks that helped us all get through this (still very much) challenging year. Happy New Year everyone, and more importantly, stay healthy and safe!
BeatCaffeine’s Favorite EP Releases of 2021
Putting together selections for this list, I often find that there is a blurring line as to what is an EP and what is considered an album, and some of the selections below can arguably be considered full-length recordings. Sometimes I think it’s best to leave it up to the artist’s interpretation, which to me, makes the most sense. Regardless of the category, I thought this most importantly provided another opportunity to highlight more incredible recordings that came out in 2021.
