2018

The Pendletons return with their latest EP, Funk Forever, a Jazz flavored boogie affair with soul inspired song-writing that evokes old school vibes while still staying fresh and current. Horn lines, Yamaha dx7 keys and snapping hip hop inspired drum programming topped by sweet singing with heartfelt themes, the group carves out a bold new sound on these 5 solid tracks. Featuring Elive, Potatohead People and Ishtar.The Pendletons are a long-standing boogie-funk and modern soul project of E da Boss (of Myron and E on Stone's Throw) and Trailer Limon. The group emerged with their very first release in 2010, a 7" inch of "Coming Down/Waiting On You" on the Slept On record label, which set the tone for the group to emerge... it instantly became a cult classic receiving constant play at nights like Sweater Funk and Funkmosphere, and fetching for serious sums among collectors. Most recently, in 2016, they released the EP "Gotta Get Out". The title track caught the ear of renowned DJ Gilles Peterson, who liked it enough to release it on his Brownswood Bubbler compilation.In 2018 the group is hitting the ground running with a brand new EP out this spring, and a full-length album to follow later later in the year on the renowned Bastard Jazz label. Now armed with a horn section, a vast array of accomplished jazz and funk contributors, and a knack for quality song-writing, the Pendleton's sound has shaped into something fresh and unique, setting it apart from the legions of imitators.

Fat Beats Records is proud to present Baker’s Dozen, an exclusive series that shines a light on the best minds of instrumental hip-hop, ambient, and electronic music. Each installment gives one artist carte blanche to capture their signature sound.Every volume’s limited vinyl pressing features one artist and twelve tracks, and comes equipped with a 5x7” postcard insert that features a photo of the artist’s workspace along with the equipment used in their music-making process. Visually cohesive and packaged with the utmost attention to detail, Baker’s Dozen is a series that speaks up for artists whose craft renders voices superfluous, whose instrumentals alone suffice to make a statement.Volume nine highlights the Guelph, Ontario producer Elaquent, who breaks down his creative process below:“Since the beginning, my philosophy has always been that perfection is boring, so despite all the changes that have occurred with my equipment and system, that main philosophy remains the same. In the beginning it was all about flipping samples with FL Studio and just my computer keyboard, and over the years, I added the MPD and Masterkey in order to be able to jam out drums live and play keys, which speeds up the workflow. I like the effects on the 404, and there’s a lot of dope ways to integrate my iPad into it, but at the end of the day, it starts with a melody or sample, and I kinda just let the vibe take over.”-ELAQUENT

An underground classic in every sense of the term, Slum Village's 1998 production Fantastic, Vol. 2 was a breath of fresh air for hip-hop heads when it finally hit shelves in 2000, earning heavy acclaim and artistic clout for the trio of T3, Baatin, and the late production legend J Dilla. Fantastic, Vol. 2 featured vibes and lyrics harkening back to the classic sounds of De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, smooth and infectious production that would go on to set a blueprint for the 00's arrival of neo soul, and top-shelf guest appearances from Q-Tip, D'Angelo, Busta Rhymes, and many more. Now, upon the 20th anniversary of the album’s completion, Ne'Astra Media Group is proud to bring a whole new collection of long lost tracks from the Fantastic, Vol. 2 sessions to you. Produced between 1996 and 1999, The Lost Scrolls Vol. 2 (Slum Village Edition) features 11 unreleased demos and remixes featuring the classic Slum Village lineup. Tracks that have never previously been heard, and might not have ever seen the light of day otherwise. Featuring a never-before-heard freestyle from J Dilla, a newly discovered remix of the single “Hold Tight” featuring Q-Tip, a long-lost Kurupt-guesting track “Talk About Hoes”, a posthumously discovered Baatin solo cut, and numerous other unearthed gems of underground hip-hop.

Anglo-Mauritian producer, singer and percussionist Joseph Deenmamode aka Mo Kolours is set to release ‘Inner Symbols’, his third solo album, on 22ND June via Five Easy Pieces.You won’t find many producers quoting Plato - ‘Inner Symbols’ takes its cue from the philosopher’s words "Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, charm and gaiety to life and everything''. Influences are many and all, ranging from colonization and African diaspora to Korean shamanism, Doug Hammond to Junior Byles.“Inner symbols is a musical path that begins within, and reveals itself outwardly, only to return to the INNER. Themes are, introspection, truth, history, family, mental nature of reality, recognizing positivity, greed, honesty, unity, love, ignorance, lust, and of-course DRUMS!” - Mo KoloursThe entire album was created on a Electro Harmonix looper using samples and live instrumentation and a Roland drum machine. Similarly his energetic, improvised live show sees tracks layered up from loops of voice, percussion and drum machine before skewing in new directions. It’s a thrilling approach which has taken him to clubs and festival stages from Brighton to Brisbane, as well as to the BBC’s hallowed Maida Vale studios at the invitation of Gilles Peterson.Raised on the traditional sega music of his father’s Indian Ocean homeland alongside records by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Michael Jackson, Mo Kolours adds hip hop, dub, soul and other electronic styles to his individual sound. His approach could find him placed alongside Madlib or The Gaslamp Killer but he would be equally happy in the company of James Blake, Erykah Badu, Theo Parrish or Moodymann.Along with Reginald Omas Mamode IV, Jeen Bassa, Henry Wu, Al Dobson Jr and Tenderlonious, he’s helped forge in the 22a co-operative that The FADER calls “a kaleidoscopic patchwork of hip-hop, house, and groove investigations bound by one thread: a timeless belief in rhythm as a universal language”.

Songs about the unity of Sudan, peace between Muslims and Christians and the fate of war orphans, backed by grooves equally taking influence from Arabic sounds, American funk as well as neighboring Ethiopia.Kamal Keila was among the first artist we met in Sudan during our two trips to Khartoum and Omdurman last year. He is one of the key figures of the Sudanese jazz scene that was a vital part of the musical culture in Sudan from the mid 1960s until the islamist revolution in the late 1980s. When we meet Kamal he luckily presented us with two mold covered studio reels.Each tape included five tracks. One with English lyrics and another with Arabic ones. Musically you can hear the influence of neighboring Ethiopia much more than on other Sudanese recordings of the time, as well as references to Fela and American funk and soul. His lyrics, at least when he sings in English which gave him more freedom from censorship, are very political. A brave statement in the political climate of Sudan of the last decades, preaching for the unity of Sudan, peace between Muslims and Christians and singing the blues about the fate of war orphans called „Shmasha“.A note inside one of the boxes specified the track titles, durations and the fact that the sessions were recorded on the 12th of august 1992. Both sessions stand as a hearable testament how Kamal Keila stuck to a sound aesthetic from decades ago, while incorporating current events into his lyrics.Kamal Keila’s album is the first in a series of releases covering the Sudanese jazz scene on Habibi Funk. Be on the lookout for albums by The Scorpions and Sharhabeel coming soon.2LP + Download Code + 8 Page Booklet

Come To Canada You Will Like It is a record about slowing down while finding a balance between rural and city living. Inspired by subjective memories and ideas about things and places: Looking back and moving forward.

2LP version Hunee presents a collection of his favorite dance floor cuts.Going from afro to disco to techno, "Hunchin' All Night" holds a wide spectrum of songs, tracks by the wonderful Boncana Maïga, Black Beat Niks, Larry Heard, Mappa Mundi and many more.Hunee, aka Hun Choi, is a Korean Berliner who has been drawn in music since a very young age. After working in record stores and studying musicology he resided in Amsterdam, where he released his debut album Hunch Music. As a DJ he has always followed ‘a hunch’, which gave him wings to communicate the music he loves with crowds all over the world. With Hunchin’ All Night, Hunee expresses his relationship with the dance floor.