US

In association with DJ Amir’s 180 Proof Records, BBE is honoured to present another gem from the small yet significant Strata catalogue. A precursor to New York’s Strata East, Detroit’s Strata Records was founded in the late 1960s by former Blue Note artist Kenny Cox. Starting life as a music-led community organisation, coffee shop studio and venue, Strata released only a few titles as a record label, gaining the imprint a cult following among record collectors and jazz lovers across the globe. Possibly the best known of Strata’s releases, The Lyman Woodard Organization’s ‘Saturday Night Special’ is rightly heralded as a jazz fusion classic. Recorded in 1975, ‘Saturday Night Special’ features organ, electric piano and Mellotron by bandleader Lyman Woodard alongside guitar and bass by Ron English, with drums and percussion by Leonard King, Bud Spangler & Lorenzo "Mr. Rhythm" Brown respectively. Despite the fairly sparse instrumentation, ‘Saturday Night Special’ lays down an impressive wall of sound, powerfully atmospheric in its almost low-fi aesthetic. Hinting at more traditional jazz, rhythm & blues, afrocuban styles and more, the uniqueness of this album is surely in its feel: summoning up images of a vast industrial landscape, assembly lines and urban decay. In other words, this record sounds like Detroit. No great album artwork is complete without a good story to match, and ‘Saturday Night Special’ does not disappoint. Snapped by photographer and political activist Leni Sinclair (responsible for seminal pictures of Miles Davis, Fela Kuti and John Coltrane and many others), the cover image shows the contents of Lyman Woodard’s pockets placed on the hotel bed after a show: cigarette papers, cash and a pistol. Following Woodard’s death in 2009, this incredible album was reissued in highly limited numbers by Wax Poetics, now just as hard to come by as the original pressings. It’s our pleasure to make this important and influential chapter in the story of contemporary jazz available on vinyl once again.

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' final studio album, Soul of a Woman is a lush, orchestral masterpiece. A true testament to the life and career of Daptone's fearless leader and one of the world's greatest performers. Though we'll never again see her electric form shimmy across the stage, Sharon Jones continues to give us her soul and her music. She died nearly a year ago, but only now can we hear her final creation. Soul of a Woman captures a singer and a band at the peak of their power. Cutting one last time to eight-track tape at Daptone’s House of Soul studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn, the band endeavored to create a record that stretches the limits of their soulful sound in all directions, giving us both their rawest and most sophisticated recordings to date. A final statement by one of the most influential rhythm and blues voices of the 21st century.- All new songs recorded in 2015 and 2016.- "Call on God" written and composed by Sharon Jones.- Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were nominated for a Grammy for their previous full length, Give the People What They Want (2014).- The Emmy-nominated documentary Miss Sharon Jones!, directed by Academy Award-winning director Barbara Kopple, is currently streaming globally on Netflix.- Standard LP is black vinyl w/ download code.

Cultures of Soul is back! This time it's with a new set of 12"s - the Carib Boogie Synth series. Featuring the iciest synths, the slickest basslines, and other '80s-sounding vibes from the Caribbean islands, all of the tracks are fully licensed. First up in the series is the killer Junior Byron track "Trying To Hold On," written and produced by Wild Fire's Oliver Chapman and originally released on the Wild Fire label back in 1985. The A-side includes the original mix as well as the Version. On the B-side we've got the epic "Megamix." The track was reworked by Gerd Janson, who created the mix old-school style with two copies of the record, a mixer, and an EFX box. Adding the final touches to this track is mixing and mastering engineer LOPAZZ, who mastered many of the best techno tracks in the Get Physical catalog and released the seminal dance-classic "I Need Ya" on Output.

Zackey Force Funk deserves (and receives) a lot of respect. If he’s not robbing banks with baseball bats and roaming the streets for fat cats to hustle, you can usually find him leaning over the turntables of a dirty dirty late-night discotheque. Take off your kevlar, put down those batons – Zackey Force Funk comes in peace! This time... This eighteen track album compiles early demos and rarities originally included in DJ KUTMAH’s “This Is The Force Funk Sound” [HNR03] megamix created in Summer 2009. Each song has been digitally remastered for the special release of “THIS IS MY FORCE FUNK SOUND” [HNR73]. Available on limited-edition 12” picture disc in a shrinkwrapped full color cardboard jacket (not screenprinted). DONT FAKE THE FUNK!-Limited edition picture disc LP housed in full color jacket-This 18 track album compiles early demos and rarities originally included in DJ KUTMAH’s “This Is The Force Funk Sound” megamix created in Summer 2009-Each song has been digitally remastered for the special release

It’s rare for a debut album, especially one in such a polarizing genre like Reggae, to garner the kind of universal fanfare The Frighntrs’ 2016 long player Nothing More To Say received. Mainly because it’s a record that transcends genre specific qualifiers and rhetoric that pigeonhole many albums. It is in the truest sense of the phrase, a great record.Shortly after its release a single for Dispute (a featured track) was pressed, and like many classic reggae singles, it included a Dub (version) on the B-Side (courtesy of famed reggae producer Victor “Ticklah” Axelrod). The single was a smash success which in return inspired Axelrod to produce Dub versions for all the songs on Nothing More To Say. The result?! “More To Say” Versions: A fresh take on a modern classic that needs to be heard.This isn’t a repackaging of some remixed material. Each song has been lovingly deconstructed and reimagined by Victor Axelrod - resulting in a wholly original piece of art that is a must for fans of the Frightnrs and Soulful music in general. Limited to 3000 copies and sporting psychedelic 3-D cover art (custom Frightnrs 3-D glasses included) - these puppies will not stay in stock long. Grab ‘em while you can! Don’t make us say “I TOLD YOU SO!”-The Frightnrs’ modern classic, Nothing More To Say, masterfully reimagined by producer extraordinaire, Victor Axelrod aka Ticklah. These are the dub versions.-LIMITED to 3,000 LPs worldwide. No CD release.-LP features a 3D cover with custom printed 3D glasses included featuring The Frightnrs logo.-The Frightnrs Nothing More To Say, released September of 2016, has scanned over 6,500 in the US alone.-Previous press highlights include: A New York Times Sunday Arts & Leisure feature, NPR’s The Record and Heavy Rotation, The Wire, Wax Poetics, FADER, and more.

Previously unreleased Disco Boogie recorded at Sound Ideas Studio in NYC, mid 1970s.Limited to 300 copies hand-stamped 12" 45rpm.Cut from original Master Tape.

Part 2 of the TO2C collection featuring FOUK, Frank Booker, Vincenzo de Bull & Soul of Habib.Pressed on Black Vinyl housed in a Manila Sleeve.

This 14 track, 3 x 12 vinyl release is a smooth journey throughout the realms of deep house, mid-tempo grooves, funk/soul, with an edit (or two) for good measure. Spread over 3 EP's with part 3 coming with a Poster.Part 1 features tracks from some big hitters in the shape of Franc Spangler, Admin, Henry Wu & Ugly Drums.Pressed on Black vinyl & housed in a Manilla sleeve.

For over 40 years Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou has combined traditional Beninese music with soul, funk, afrobeat, rhumba and Cuban rhythms to create this infectious sound…Hailing from Benin, West Africa, Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou has been churning out incendiary Afro grooves since 1966. On 'Bosq Meets Poly Rythmo Uptown,' Bosq tastefully reworks 4 of Orchestre Poly Rythmo's legendary recordings. As a die-hard fan, Bosq took a subtle approach to the project. According to him Orchestre Poly Rythmo has been a strong influence on his work and he wanted to be respectful to the original tracks. Bosq focused on making the tracks DJ friendly by beefing up the low end, rearranging and stretching parts out, and adding in extra percussion and a drum machine. The result is a 4-track EP of bumpy Afro disco, psychedelic funk, frenzied Afrobeat, and sunny soulful grooves.Based in Medellin, Colombia, Bosq has released a collection of music on Ubiquity Records, Soul Clap Records, Fania Records, Razor-N-Tape, and more. Since 2015, Sol Power Sound, out of Washington, DC has released deep sounds inspired by rhythms and traditions from around the globe. The label's output includes Afro-Latin stompers, re-edits of lost disco grooves, heady percussive tech workouts, and other sonic treats.Four stone-cold classic Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou tracks re-shaped by Bosq for the dancefloor today...