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London-based Mike Misiu has had a handful of stellar yet secret releases under his belt, and now this squirrel is finally getting his nut with his RNT debut! The A side launches into a churning and chugging rendition of a Donald Byrd 70's jazz soul classic, followed by a cheekily infectious treatment of well-loved modern themes, while the flip kicks into high gear with two uptempo soulful stompers.

Baker’s Dozen ventures to Japan to welcome our next featured producer, Budamunk.“I started listening to Hip Hop in the 90’s. My interest grew slowly until it became a collection of records, CDs and taped VHS. This then evolved into experiments, sampling and chopping WAVs on free versions of WaveLab. In 2003 this became an MPC 2000XL. I was living in Los Angeles at the time so I had started going to shows and hanging out with people who shared similar interests. We all began to gather and learn together. Records became beats which became freestyle sessions, songs, laughter and much coughing. After several years I returned to Tokyo and it’s been 10 years since I have been back.I still make beats the same way. Going off of feeling I would get when I hear a record. The selection of sounds has changed slightly in accordance with my current environment. Still mostly sample-based but adding new and old tools have become part of my process. Just continuing to create music my body and spirit needs to feel good.”-BUDAMUNK

Things are happening. It’s a perpetual truth and something of a mysterious, even ominous, sentiment as it applies to XL Middleton’s follow up to “Tap Water.” Fittingly, the content of “Things Are Happening” strays down darker or more cynical paths than its predecessor, and in doing so takes the modern funk ethos as a whole beyond tried and true formulas such as love songs or spiritual anthems. The grooves remain uptempo, the synth work is still warm and percussive. But, there’s a heavier story to tell, and greater truths to face. The album opens with the uptempo, lowrider-ready “Never Have Too Many Freaks.” Upon frst glance it’s a hedonistic ode to maintaining multitudes of willing women for carnal conquest, but further listens reveal the story of a man in search of love, let down too many times and thus led away from the pursuit of romance. “Look Who’s Talkin’” details the strenous nature of socializing as an introvert, with tongue-in-cheek lyrics seated atop a warbly electro-funk instrumental. This theme is explored again, in a more introspective fashion, on the album’s closer, “They Don’t Wanna Leave.” On “Better Friend” (feat. Moniquea), XL plays witness to those who would invade social circles for personal gain - an all too common sight in the music business, perhaps foreshadowing a future hip hop album by dropping a few bars before the song sizzles to a close. Him and Zackey Force Funk team up on “Paradise Of Pavement,” an anthem for the highs and lows of living in LA, framed by cosmic chords and grinding synth bass tones. “Purple Sheets” resonates with a slow Linn drum bounce as XL’s vocoder fnally offers a moment of unbridled love/lust, adding a dimension to the album more akin to “Tap Water” than anything else on the project. Some might argue that the internalized nature of “Things Are Happening” is badly timed, with the hyper-politicized environment we are now living in almost demanding social commentary in art above all else. However, this album is a reminder that, no matter who the president is or what global woes we are facing, we also exist outside of the collective mind and have our own individual stories to tell.

Names You Can Trust teams up with spacey synth wiz Donatinho and his father, the legendary João Donato, to release an exclusive 7-inch single from the duo's fantastic new album, Sintetizamor. While the full-length is only available in Brazil, this crisp single, mastered especially for vinyl, will be reaching stores in the US and around the world this summer.Included are two cuts that set modern boogie funk fans alight when they leaked out online: "Lei Do Amor," with a sophisticated slinky groove that brings to mind a Brazilian Kashif, and the talkbox feature "Surreal," a knowing nod to Herbie Hancock's classic "I Thought It Was You" with all the hip touches the Rio de Janerio Donato duo do so effortlessly.The single comes housed in a custom screened NYCT company sleeve with a full color postcard reproduction of the album cover art, a spectacular image crafted by Allan Jefferson of D.C. Comics.

Known to many as the group Y Society, Insight the Truncator and Damu the Fudgemunk celebrate 10 plus years of friendship and a creative partnership that hold the two in high esteem of their fans.The MC & producer's new 7" is a compelling display of why the duo have always been at the top of their game despite their reserved output since debuting as a team in 2007. Surprising the world at the top of the year with their full length, "Ears Hear Spears" was a great way to sound the alarm for the excitement of new activity.Selective by nature, Insight and Damu's calculations have served advantageous in making moves and presenting listeners with the right music at the right time. The latest incarnation of this truth can be heard in the previously unreleased b-side track entitled "Pyramids to the Ghetto."Although it was recorded in 2008, it was archived and remained unreleased until now. Now in 2017 this particular song couldn't be any more relevant in how the artists analyze the effects racism of the past & present and it's correlation to black plight throughout the Americas (both Insight & Damu drop verses on this track).Continuing narratives of such legends as Public Enemy and Jeru the Damaja in which the track title quotes, the group individually presents short essays in rhyme form that give a candid account of what they've witnessed as black U.S. citizens living in the 20th and 21st Century. Not only are the social effects on the table for examination, but the positive and negative impacts a racist society has had on black contributions to art and culture are discussed.For the songwriters, "Pyramids to the Ghetto" is therapeutic in which harsh realities are confronted in an unapologetic manner contrasting the previous socially charged material in Insight and Damu's back catalog. For the listeners, it's a history lesson and a call to motivate us all that history doesn't always have to repeat itself even when it's been the norm for centuries. Adversity and oppression historically have hold some back and made some stronger, but acknowledgement is the first step of progression.The A-Side, "Never Off (On & On)" speaks on just that. It's a roadmap to dealing with everyday adversity, maintaining faith in self and striving to reach your full potential. Insight presents sermons of encouragement to the everyday person over the Fudgemunk's uplifting beat. The producer chimes in on the chorus with a few words of his own that insists to keep on your path and never fall off. The old saying goes, "Life ain't easy", but the group knows success is not unrealistic. "Never Off (On & On)" was the debut single from the debut album, "Travel at Your Own Pace" which has remained a staple in Insight the Truncator's and Damu the Fudgemunk's legacy. This the song's first official reissue and it's first appearance pressed on a 45.

Dark Entries and Honey Soundsystem Records have teamed up once more to release the final volume of gay porn soundtracks by San Francisco-based musician and producer, Patrick Cowley. One of the most revolutionary and influential figures in the canon of disco, Cowley created his own brand of Hi-NRG dance music, “The San Francisco Sound.” Born in Buffalo, NY on October 19, 1950, Patrick moved to San Francisco in 1971 to study at the City College of San Francisco. He founded the Electronic Music Lab at the school, where he would make experimental soundtracks by blending various types of music and adapting them to the synthesizer.

Jexy brings you two radically new versions of "First Stomp," the voodoo-chanting-mutant-disco smasher from his new LP "Ravines." Crafted with care by the man himself, the A-side features the NYC Mix--a deep n' dubby latin house-influenced builder. On the flip, Jex ups the tempo, the vocal quotient and the 707 snap for a tropical disco singalong.