Crucial Material – Best Releases of the Week (October 13th, 2018)

No time to rest, the new releases keep coming in! Whoever said “they don’t make em like they used to” should stop complaining about the state of music, stop looking backwards and realize: there is a shit ton of amazing music being put out every single week!

As always, you can trust us to distill the hundred of weekly new releases and boil it down to the best. So here you go, another serving of Crucial Material. Open your ears, your heart and maybe your wallet!

NEW ALBUMS & EP’S

Butcher Brown “Camden Session”

Genres: Funk / Jazz / Soul / Hip Hop
Label: Gearbox
Purchase

The Five-member Funk-Jazz collective lands on an ever-wavering dime between instrumental Hip Hop vibes and any Headhunters-era Herbie Hancock creation. They’ll be opening for Kamasi Washington on his upcoming “Heaven and Earth” US tour this fall so keep an eye out!
-Selected by Channel Subtext

Auntie Flo “Radio Highlife”

Genres: House / Balearic / Highlife
Label: Brownswood
Purchase

The London-based producer’s third album is his most ambitious to-date and his first on the Brownswood label, featuring a fusion of Balearic House grooves Jazz instrumentation, African Highlife and Caribbean-influenced rhythms. The album also features many guests including UK producer / singer Andrew Ashong, Cuban percussionist Yissy Garcia and others.
-Selected by TJ Gorton

Moses Boyd “Displaced Diaspora”

Genres: Jazz / Electronic
Label: Exodus Records
Purchase

Drummer and producer Moses Boyd is one of the leading and most cutting-edge artists in today’s thriving London jazz scene. His new album, released on his own Exodus Records imprint, is a collection of music he recorded back in 2015 during the same sessions that produced the now classic “Rye Lane Shuffle.” Boyd’s diversity as both a drummer and a producer is clearly on display, showing why he is one of the musicians leading the way in jazz right now.
-Selected by TJ Gorton

Sea Moya “Falmenta”

Genres: Psych-Rock / Indie-Rock
Label: Majestic Casual / Golden Brown
Purchase

Germany to Montreal “Kraut Beat Combo” Sea Moya release their debut full-length and things are sounding promising indeed! Be sure to keep an eye out for these guys if you’re into Homeshake, Jonti, Silk Rhodes, or anything else that drops kaleidoscopes on your mind’s eye.
-Selected by Mike Jones

Lone “Ambivert Tools Volume Four”

Genres: Electronic / Dance / House / Techno
Label: R&S
Purchase

Three more cooled out bumps from Lone, who’s clearly caught the frequency! The same sort of drum sounds found here as on Volume Three, however this time around things are a bit smoother, like breathing a breath of pure air.
-Selected by Mike Jones

Pepe Bradock “ATA 019”

Genres: House / Abstract / Deep
Label: Atavisme
Purchase

And STILL the undisputed master of abstract, eccentric, weirdo, leftfield house music: the legendary Pepe Bradock. Over the past 2-3 years he’s quietly released some of the most forward thinking house music out there. On the 19th release for his Atavisme label, Pepe gets as wonky as ever!
– Selected by Lexis

Kawuku Sound “Kawuku Sound”

Genres: Electronic / African Percussion
Label: Banana Hill
Purchase

“Kawuku Sound is the coming together of UK producers Contours & Cervo and Ugandan percussion troupe Fonkodelis Arkestra. This is the culmination of a month-long creative process that was born out of the Nyege Nyege affiliated Boutiq Studio in Kawuku, Kampala, Uganda.”

REISSUES & COMPILATIONS

Koichi Matsukaze Trio “Earth Mother”

Genres: Jazz/ Post-Bop
Label: BBE
Purchase

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. This extremely rare recording, which was originally released in 1978 on a private label, features special guest Toshiyuki Daitoku on both acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes. The music ranges everywhere from spiritual jazz to post-bop burners, and also includes a great version of “Round Midnight.”
– Selected by TJ Gordon

Yan Tregger “Catchy”

Genres: Disco / Funk
Label: BBE
Purchase

Essential reissue of Yan’s library disco holy grail, Catchy. I became aware of this album ala Mark Grusane’s extended edit on The Real Sound of Mark Grusane. Originally released in ‘78, the Frenchman’s funk-filled arrangements are well received in 2018.
-Selected by Jake Stellarwell

Ramuntcho Matta “Ecoute”

Genres: Experimental / Improvisational
Label: Emotional Rescue
Purchase

Another reissue from France, this time by artist Ramuntcho Matta on Chuggy’s Emotional Rescue imprint. Light the Nag Champa, pour the wine and unravel to the fanciful improv on Ecoute.
-Selected by Jake Stellarwell

Victor “Amerikan Dread”

Genres: New Wave / Boogie / Dub
Label: Music From Memory
Purchase

First released as a limited 7-inch in ‘86/’87, Amerikan Dread is the only known work by Victor Davis. Now, thanks to Music From Memory and Satoshi Yamamura, who helped with the release, Amerikan Dread gets a wider audience and some choice reworks by Lipelis and Androo.
-Selected by Jake Stellarwell

Ronald Snijders “A Safe Return”

Genres: Jazz
Label: Everland
Purchase

The second album from Dutch / Surinamese flutist Ronald Snijders finally gets a much needed reissue courtesy of Everland Jazz who are are relatively new (founded in 2017) in the reissue label biz but have been smashing it so far! This reissue of “A Safe Return” will save you a couple hundred dollars and have some cash left over for a few substances that would be perfect to listen to this record.
-Selected by Lexis

Sleepy’s Theme “The Vinyl Room”

Label: Be With
Genre: Hip-Hop
Purchase

Absolutely incredible reissue project from Be With Record who breathe new life into one of the most underrated late 90’s rap / soulful records. In addition to being 1/3 of the Organized Noize, Sleepy Brown orchestrated Atlanta’s hallmark sound of the 90s; his slow-cooked southern-fried G-Funk providing hits for TLC, Outkast and Goodie Mob. “The Vinyl Room” was a conceptual album that was only ever released in extremely small quantities on CD and Tape… so here is Vinyl Room, finally on Vinyl!
– Selected by Lexis

Stano “Content To Write In I Dine Weathercraft”

Genres: Post-Punk / Experimental / Spoken-Word
Label: All City
Purchase

Leftfield Irish Post-Punk from Irish Post-Punker John Stanley aka Stano. This one gets a much needed reissue from All City Dublin who are becoming the go-to label when looking for what strange things Ireland has to offer!
– Selected by Mike Jones