House of Riviera 1991-1993 Compilation, Various Artists
With over 25 years of digging, and more than 2 years in curation, “House Of Riviera”, Nick V’s debut compilation, pays homage to forgotten gems of the classic Italian House scene, circa 1991-1993.
In the early 1990s, Italy hosted one of the most flourishing scenes in the burgeoning world of House music. Riviera House had a unique, emotional flair, differentiating it from the New York House and Garage sound, making it the defining soundtrack of the golden era of Italian House music. Nick V’s compilation on Mona Musique brings together 8 iconic tracks from this specific period, covering the whole spectrum of the riviera sound.
Color De Trópico Vol.2, El Drágon Criollo & El Palmas
Continuing where the first compilation left off, Color de Trópico Vol. 2 returns to Venezuela’s hedonistic, and hugely creative, period of the 60s and 70s to gather another selection of rare musical gems, reissued here for the first time on vinyl. This compilation released on El Palmas Music goes from La Retreta Mayor with their funky jazz opus “Liquido Elemento”, blazing with saxophones and trumpets, to the folkloric, yet groovy, sounds of Anselmo y su Conjunto, his “Seis Pajueliao” indicative of the llanera music migrating to the cities from Venezuela’s plains. From Caracas’ nightclubs to the countryside and then even to the ballrooms with Orquesta La Playa’s “Negro Soy” offering a grandiose, nostalgic dose of exotica with its Afro roots on full show.
Four years after Nuova Napoli, Nu Genea are back with Bar Mediterraneo, a new album and journey, which projects the sounds of the Neapolitan duo formed by Massimo Di Lena and Lucio Aquilina even further. Out on NG Records, Bar Mediterraneo is an idea of a shared place where people meet and fuse together; a space that leaves its doors open to travellers and their lives, always exposed to the whims of fate. Some of this can be experienced through the multitude of sounds that come together in the tracks, layers of different acoustic instruments, voices and synthesizers merging in a unique musical blend.
Emerging Force Art Trio: Time & Condition, Maliks
A key figure in the St Louis jazz scene of the ’70s & ‘80s, Malik King belonged to various creative ensembles, including the Emerging Force Arts Trio which brings us this noteworthy reissue. Malik self released “Time & Condition” in 1982, capturing his work together with conga dummer Qaiyim Shabazz and bass violinist Zimbabwe Nkenya. It’s not just a crate diggers Holy Grail, but an important artistic and historic document of the St Louis scene. Reissued on imprint Moved by Sound, Time & Condition stands alone as a (very) individual, spiritual jazz classic.
Cult South Asian New Wave, Naya Beat is proud to announce its second release, ’Tere Liye’, the highly sought after and impossible to find New Wave album by the unsung pioneers of the British Asian music scene, Pinky Ann Rihal. Carefully remastered and reissued on both vinyl and digital for the first time since its limited 1985 release, the album is as fresh and relevant today as it was 37 years ago. It is an album that exemplifies the cultural collaboration and musical synthesis of the time. Complementing the rich, cosmic and layered synths and drum programming and the distorted guitars are the Hindi lyrics of vocalists Pinky and Anne. The result is an amazing one-of-a-kind South Asian New Wave album.
Born out of an impromptu post-pub jam session in Margate, the 5-piece group Pigeon swoops onto the scene with their blistering debut 4 track EP Yagana. As the tracks cross effortlessly between Afro-disco, grunge, no wave and jazz, the cohesive symbiotic relationship of the band members is obvious from the start. The Yagana EP released on Soundway Records is an emotionally-charged offering, exploring themes of lust, saudade, homesickness, and hope for peace. Musically it is a clear testament to each member’s skilfulness and varied experiences, creating a fully-fledged being that is greater than the sum of its parts.
