UK

Led by Saxophonist Rob Mitchell, Abstract Orchestra have been a consistent presence on the u.k. music scene, touring constantly in promotion of their debut LP "Dilla" and follow up 45 "New Day feat. Illa J", steadily building a loyal and supportive fanbase.Inspired by the legendary live performances of The Roots with Jay-Z and the 40 piece orchestral arrangements by Miguel-Atwood Ferguson of the work of J Dilla, classic arranging techniques underpin modern loop-based structures, breathing new life into familiar material.The band itself is based on the classic jazz big band instrumentation of saxes, trumpets and trombones and features the cream of the north of England's jazz scene who collectively have played with Jamiroquai, Corinne Bailey Rae, Mark Ronson, Martha Reeves, John Legend & the Roots, Roots Manuva and Amy Winehouse."Madvillain Vol. 1" takes the template of their debut LP "Dilla" and applies the same approach to the collaboration ofMF DoomandMadlib, akaMADVILLAINand their albumsMADVILLAINYandMADVILLAIN 2. Sampling the likes of Sun Ra, Bill Evans, Freddie Hubbard, George Duke, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder gave the albums a jazz oriented feel and ethos which in turn lend themselves perfectly to the deconstruction and re-imagining of Abstract Orchestra. As with their debut, all the tracks were recorded live in the studio with very few overdubs.Abstract Orchestra's MADVILLAIN Vol 1. explores the jazz, TV soundtrack and film score aspect of the original work, combining it with classic big band writing and a focus on improvisation. There is a strong influence ofQuincy Jones, Lalo SchifrinandDavid Shire(Composer of the soundtrack toThe Taking of Pelham 123) on the album, and the arranger Rob Mitchell crafts his own sound that inhabits the space between Madlib's production and Quincy Jones' writing. Bandleader and arranger Rob Mitchell says of the record: "'MADVILLAINY' is a jazz album as much as it is a hip-hop album and I wanted to explore this reciprocal territory there has always been between jazz and hip-hop. 70's cop show soundtracks have always captured my interest and imagination, and I discovered so much amazing music through TV themes, Quincy Jones and Lalo Schifrin in particular. They explored sounds that were menacing, angular, dissonant, frantic and yet captivating. They were also able to write music that was the flip side of all that dark chaos, and write lush and beautiful music. Arranging and scoring up MADVILLAIN Vol 1. Has allowed me to explore these sounds that I've always loved, yet keeping a strong hip-hop identity as the core of its sound."

“California Love (featuring Cory Henry) [7” EDIT]” / “Shiznit” is the 7” single from multi-instrumentalist Sly5thAve’s ‘The Invisible Man: An Orchestral Tribute To Dr. Dre’ LP. In this instalment, a rework of Dre’s notorious “California Love” is paired with Snoop Dogg’s timeless “Shiznit”.The album resulted from a concert called “Cali-Love”, assembled for the non-profit music charity, Playing For Change – and was dedicated to building a music school in Compton. Attended by Dr. Dre–who took to the stage to congratulate Sly5thAve’s arrangements, he said, “I’m here to show some support and give the same amount of love that this incredible band has given to me. You sound amazing.” – DR. DRE (The Cali-Love concert)Off the back of an incredible reaction to 'The Invisible Man: An Orchestral Tribute To Dr. Dre' and to mark the start of Sly5thAve’s first tour, we present this limited 7” pressing of two of the album’s standout cuts. Now on its third pressing, the album continues to pick up fans and plaudits alike. As you may have noticed, the 7” label is based on the famous Ruthless records design.- Taken from Sly5thAve’s “The Invisible Man: An Orchestral Tribute To Dr. Dre” which is already on its third pressing.- Sly5thAve’s UK tour kicks off on October 11th 2018. Including great venues such as London’s Jazz Café, Trinity in Bristol and Club Academy, Manchester- Label artwork inspired by Dr. Dre’s famous Ruthless Records designs used on releases by artists such as Easy E, Ice Cube, Brownside, NWA and many more.- Previous support from tastemakers such as Lauren Laverne, Gilles Peterson (BBC 6Music) & Jarobi White (A Tribe Called Quest), to Noisey, NPR, and The Fader.

Following hard on the heels of BBE delving into the archives of Detroit’s Strata Records and delivering their widely acclaimed and hugely in-demand exploration of J-Jazz, comes another crate digger’s delight- Ralph Thomas’ ‘Eastern Standard Time’, which dropped the USA back in in 1980, on the obscure Zebra Jazz imprint.This is the is the kind of “spiritual’ jazz gem that appears on You Tube and upon checking it out on Discogs reveals a price well in excess of £150.00. To have it widely available in its original vinyl format, as well as digitally and on CD, is a real treat. So, who is Ralph Thomas? The self-produced ‘Eastern Standard Time’ features Thomas on baritone, alto and tenor saxophones as well as flute and percussion. He describes himself as a practicing ethnomusicologist who’s musical vision evolved during the Sixties and it’s Thomas’ multifaceted, global approach that gives the music on Eastern Standard Time’ an engaging and distinct flavour. "My music has always been open to different cultures and sounds Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Mexican, Peruvian, American, Hebrew, Turkish, African, Indian and Japanese,” declares the Chicago born musician. While attending the Chicago conservatory of music in 1969 he became a member of the Chicago A.A.C.M, studying with master musicians Phil Cohran and Richard Muhal Abrams. He also recorded with well-known blues legends, Howlin' Wolf and Mighty Joe Young for the Cadet imprint of Chess records.In 1974, he moved to Los Angeles and was employed as a session player with both 20th Century Fox and Motown – where he recorded with Marvin Gaye, Jermaine Jackson, Smokey Robinson and Rick James. In the early Eighties he was working for Quincy Jones Productions appearing on the soundtrack of Roots and The Color Purple but a passion for reggae music led him to Jamaica where he recorded with producer Jack Ruby and artists like Augustus Pablo and Gregory Isaacs. In ’86 he moved to NYC where he collaborated with Boogaloo legend Johnny Colon and played with like-minded musical explorers Sun Ra, Don Cherry and Olatunji. However, by 1993 his restless spirit carried him to Paris where studied Ethnomusicology and performed with trumpeter Mra Oma and film-maker Ranaivo-Rajaona Hery. There were also gigs with percussionist Trilok Gurtu as well as drummer Sunny Murray and saxophone legend Archie Shepp. Upon moving to the South of France Thomas ran an art gallery and initiated his MusArt project – which has since toured in the US, Canada and Japan After a productive stint in Chiang Mai, Thailand – where he immersed himself in Issan culture – Ralph Thomas recently relocated back to the US to live and work. Though creating a huge amount of music over the years ‘Eastern Standard Time’ remains Ralph Thomas' only album and it’s available on BBE Records on 21st September.

Yan Tregger remains one of the more cultish names to emerge from the experimental French disco scene of the 1970s. But to a growing number of obsessive crate diggers, the two LPs recorded for the Musical Touch Sound label in 1978/9 ‘Catchy’ and ‘Ducks & Drakes’ have become like the holy grail of rare disco. Those diggers include Mark Grusane of the late Mr Peabody record store in Chicago. One of the deepest collectors of rare soul, disco and boogie, he included an edit of the sleazy disco bomb ‘Riff On’ from 'Catchy' on ‘The Real Sound of Mark Grusane’, his recent collection of hen’s teeth rarities for BBE. Now, thanks to the careful curation of UK music hero Frankie Valentine, BBE is delighted to dig deeper into the Yan Tregger archives and reissue these two indemand LPs. First up is the 1978 LP ‘Catchy’, a heady collection of cosmic disco that should see Tregger’s name ranked alongside those of Arpadys, Cerrone and Space as one of the pioneers of French dance music. Characterised by its energetic rhythm sections, space-age synths and funky guitar riffs, ‘Catchy’ couldn’t be a more perfect title for this classic collection of late 70’s grooves.- The first of two super-rare French library music LPs by Yan Tregger, fully authorized and reissued for the first time.- Curated by UK music hero Frankie Valentine.- Full global press and radio campaign.

Yan Tregger remains one of the more cultish names to emerge from the experimental French disco scene of the 1970s. But to a growing number of obsessive crate diggers, the two LPs recorded for the Musical Touch Sound label in 1978/9 ‘Catchy’ and ‘Ducks & Drakes’ have become like the holy grail of rare disco. BBE are reissuing both albums.Originally released on library music label Musical Touch Sound back in 1979, ‘Ducks & Drakes’ is an instrumental disco LP by pioneering French electronic musician Yan Tregger. Reissued this year by BBE alongside his 1978 album ‘Catchy’, Ducks & Drakes has achieved cult status among crate diggers and DJs, thanks to its ebullient charm and rock-solid leftfield grooves. Virtually impossible to find on vinyl for many years now, ‘Ducks & Drakes’ found wider allure in 2008 when Alexis Le-Tan selected album track ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ for experimental disco compilation ‘Space Oddities’. UK music hero Frankie Valentine brought these two magical albums to BBE’s attention and curated the project alongside the team. Amazingly (especially given the era in which it was recorded) the album was almost entirely performed, produced and composed by Tregger himself. Presented with its beautiful original artwork and previously unavailable to all but a lucky few record collectors, we’re excited to share the disco-infused magic of ‘Ducks & Drakes’ with the world.- Super-rare library music LP, reissued for the first time ever.- Full press and radio campaign.

Remixed With Love Volume 3 is the latest edition of what has become the industry-leading disco remix series. No one knows this era of music better than Dave Lee, who under his Joey Negro alias once again turns his impeccable hand to some of the best-loved records ever committed to wax.“I can clearly remember in the 80s having fantasies about being a remixer and dreaming of tweaking my favourite songs and re-releasing them. I really never thought it would happen. The days when I receive the parts for some of these classic recordings are literally a dream come true.” – Dave Lee Remixed With Love Volume 3 has been a real labour of love, and a release several years in the making. With original parts for some of these classics hard to find, and with major labels rightly protective of songs created by legendary artists, it is a testament to both the perseverance of Lee and the esteem in which he is held as a remixer that the project was ever completed. Luckily for us though, here we are: Remixed With Love Volume 3 is done, dusted and ready to deliver a healthy dose of joy to us all. As with previous volumes, Lee has put his own inimitable spin on more than a dozen seminal records, with The Fatback Band, Patti LaBelle, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Odyssey and many more vying for attention across a stunning three part gatefold double vinyl, double CD and digital release. As you’d expect from an artist of Lee’s calibre, he’s taken the task extremely seriously. “Some songs I’ve wanted to get access to the multi for ages turn out to be far less straight forward than I imagined. You know it’s a great track, but unlocking the key to doing a worthwhile new version doesn’t always come easy. To make more of a feature of one element sometimes means there has to be less of something else. There are many decisions to be made, lived with, revised, maybe reversed until finally your gut tells you it’s about right.” There are very few producers with either the confident or ability to take on records of this heritage, but Dave Lee has once again proved that when it comes to sensitive re-workings of disco staples, he’s in a league of his own.Released back in 2016, Remixed With Love Volume 2 included exclusive reworks of classic soul and disco records all from the original master tapes, with the collection going on to be Traxsource’s best-selling of 2016, reaching top 30 on iTunes album chart, and also being named DJ Mag’s compilation of the year. All the remixes here are 100% new and exclusive to the compilation, making Remixed With Love Volume 3 an essential purchase for any serious disco devotee. “Judging from comments and suggestions I get from people online thankfully there is still a large appetite for re-workings of 70/80s material, something you can’t bank on when you embark on the project. I hope you enjoy the music.”

Remixed With Love Volume 3 is the latest edition of what has become the industry-leading disco remix series. No one knows this era of music better than Dave Lee, who under his Joey Negro alias once again turns his impeccable hand to some of the best-loved records ever committed to wax.“I can clearly remember in the 80s having fantasies about being a remixer and dreaming of tweaking my favourite songs and re-releasing them. I really never thought it would happen. The days when I receive the parts for some of these classic recordings are literally a dream come true.” – Dave Lee Remixed With Love Volume 3 has been a real labour of love, and a release several years in the making. With original parts for some of these classics hard to find, and with major labels rightly protective of songs created by legendary artists, it is a testament to both the perseverance of Lee and the esteem in which he is held as a remixer that the project was ever completed. Luckily for us though, here we are: Remixed With Love Volume 3 is done, dusted and ready to deliver a healthy dose of joy to us all. As with previous volumes, Lee has put his own inimitable spin on more than a dozen seminal records, with The Fatback Band, Patti LaBelle, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Odyssey and many more vying for attention across a stunning three part gatefold double vinyl, double CD and digital release. As you’d expect from an artist of Lee’s calibre, he’s taken the task extremely seriously. “Some songs I’ve wanted to get access to the multi for ages turn out to be far less straight forward than I imagined. You know it’s a great track, but unlocking the key to doing a worthwhile new version doesn’t always come easy. To make more of a feature of one element sometimes means there has to be less of something else. There are many decisions to be made, lived with, revised, maybe reversed until finally your gut tells you it’s about right.” There are very few producers with either the confident or ability to take on records of this heritage, but Dave Lee has once again proved that when it comes to sensitive re-workings of disco staples, he’s in a league of his own.Released back in 2016, Remixed With Love Volume 2 included exclusive reworks of classic soul and disco records all from the original master tapes, with the collection going on to be Traxsource’s best-selling of 2016, reaching top 30 on iTunes album chart, and also being named DJ Mag’s compilation of the year. All the remixes here are 100% new and exclusive to the compilation, making Remixed With Love Volume 3 an essential purchase for any serious disco devotee. “Judging from comments and suggestions I get from people online thankfully there is still a large appetite for re-workings of 70/80s material, something you can’t bank on when you embark on the project. I hope you enjoy the music.”

Remixed With Love Volume 3 is the latest edition of what has become the industry-leading disco remix series. No one knows this era of music better than Dave Lee, who under his Joey Negro alias once again turns his impeccable hand to some of the best-loved records ever committed to wax.“I can clearly remember in the 80s having fantasies about being a remixer and dreaming of tweaking my favourite songs and re-releasing them. I really never thought it would happen. The days when I receive the parts for some of these classic recordings are literally a dream come true.” – Dave Lee Remixed With Love Volume 3 has been a real labour of love, and a release several years in the making. With original parts for some of these classics hard to find, and with major labels rightly protective of songs created by legendary artists, it is a testament to both the perseverance of Lee and the esteem in which he is held as a remixer that the project was ever completed. Luckily for us though, here we are: Remixed With Love Volume 3 is done, dusted and ready to deliver a healthy dose of joy to us all. As with previous volumes, Lee has put his own inimitable spin on more than a dozen seminal records, with The Fatback Band, Patti LaBelle, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Odyssey and many more vying for attention across a stunning three part gatefold double vinyl, double CD and digital release. As you’d expect from an artist of Lee’s calibre, he’s taken the task extremely seriously. “Some songs I’ve wanted to get access to the multi for ages turn out to be far less straight forward than I imagined. You know it’s a great track, but unlocking the key to doing a worthwhile new version doesn’t always come easy. To make more of a feature of one element sometimes means there has to be less of something else. There are many decisions to be made, lived with, revised, maybe reversed until finally your gut tells you it’s about right.” There are very few producers with either the confident or ability to take on records of this heritage, but Dave Lee has once again proved that when it comes to sensitive re-workings of disco staples, he’s in a league of his own.Released back in 2016, Remixed With Love Volume 2 included exclusive reworks of classic soul and disco records all from the original master tapes, with the collection going on to be Traxsource’s best-selling of 2016, reaching top 30 on iTunes album chart, and also being named DJ Mag’s compilation of the year. All the remixes here are 100% new and exclusive to the compilation, making Remixed With Love Volume 3 an essential purchase for any serious disco devotee. “Judging from comments and suggestions I get from people online thankfully there is still a large appetite for re-workings of 70/80s material, something you can’t bank on when you embark on the project. I hope you enjoy the music.”