During a year like we’ve never seen before, the Sol Power Sound imprint reaches the proud milestone of its tenth release, Lomé Connections in Hi-Fi by the Sol Power All-Stars, because the music simply can’t stop now.

To anchor the EP, the Sol Power All-Stars revisit some touchstones that have been featured on previous releases. Massama Dogo, of DC based band Elikeh, connects the capitol cities of Togo and the United States with “Va Sé Da”, much as he did on the Sol Power All-Stars’ Djidjo Vide EP from 2016. Elikeh guitarist Frank Martins (who got his start with legendary 1970s Nigerian psych rock bands) propels the slinky afro groove while the LA-based Jungle Fire lends its infamous horn section to give the hook its punch.

The “Va Sé Dub” increases the slap factor as well as dancefloor tension, letting darker synths fill in the stripped down space as the Jungle Fire horns take center stage and stretch the jam all the way out.

The Jose Marquez mix of “Djidjo Vide” was previously only seen in digital form in 2016. This sturdy and deep take was just waiting in the wings to serve as the hidden muscle in the B1 slot of a physical release.

“Lift It Up Again” is a treat for adventurous selectors that closes the project. It carries the same DNA of the other tunes but pushes the vibe further left with dubbed out Caribbean samples, tripped out synths, and broken drum patterns.

Cet article Sol Power All-Stars – Va Se Da (feat Elikeh) [SOL POWER SOUND] est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Given the first 3 releases sold out straight away, receiving worldwide plays on dancefloors and airwaves alike, this is not one to be missed. Limited edition, vinyl only release. Cut loud in glorious stereo.

Pre-order.

Cet article Dancing People – Afe Ate Yen Bio (XOA + HWRD Edit) [Dancing People] est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Adam J.

Cet article RFX – Gambian Neptune (RFX Edit) [Fantastic Wax] est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Funkyjaws or Sergei is a really humble, but extremely gifted guy from Belarusian town of Grodno, which lies close to Lithuanian border. Most likely that’s how we can explain Sergey’s multiple gigs in Vilnius, capital of Lithuania. With a solid bunch of releases on Houston’s Kolour LTD, Sheffield’s Shadeleaf Music and Austrian Pusic Records from Innsbruck, Funkyjaws productions should be well known by these and those who are interested in more soft, discofied side of house.

The newest offering from the Belarusian comes in the shape and form of “Afrojaws” vinyl EP. This is a collaboration with St. Petersburg-based blog, house music party series and now also a label known as “Craft Music”. As you can suspect from the title, the whole EP rotates about Afro, Caribbean vibes and, as far as we understand, all 4 tracks in the release are edits.

Bolting Bits are happy to premiere B2 track of the release today which is titled “Untitled II”. The track is a very well crafted edit of the legendary Afro-Caribbean band Osibisa which was established by African and Caribbean expats in London back in 1969. What initially came out as a 7 incher in 1971, now gets a really good treatment from Funkyjaws. The tempo is not as fast as in the original, some percussion parts are dropped as well, but nevertheless the groove is still there. Masterfully played funky horns, intricate work on percussion, some tasty effects for good measure and the overall bright mood of the track will get you hooked easily. It will surely transport you to a tropical, carefree beach somewhere on the shores of Granada, Antigua or Trinidad. And there you dance naked under the palms trees with the ancestral spirits of the musicians who established Osibisa.

A bit sad that the release is scheduled only for midsummer (15th of July) as we’re sure that there’s a lot of people who won’t mind dancing and grooving to this gem from the very beginning of this year’s summer.

Ramūnas

Cet article Funkyjaws – Untitled II [Craft Music] est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

The German-based imprint Blaq Numbers, who have played a pivotal role in exposing the world to the sounds of producers such as Jesse Bru, Explorer of the Humankind, and DJ Psychiatre, are gearing up to release music from yet another talented musician. This time, it is London artist Last Nubian, who has only been on soundcloud for about a year now. Having grown up being inspired by the likes of Flying Lotus, Mndsgn, Theo Parrish, Last Nubian is making a name for himself by crafting rhythms and beats that often feel nostalgically familiar but manage to take the best from the worlds of hip-hop and house. A crate digger through and through, Last Nubian showcases his diverse musical background on his forthcoming EP Reunion by delivering catchy dance floor melodies that will appease the crowd while satisfying the palettes of heads alike.

[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/premiere-last-nubian-reunion-feat-dexter-dougan-2xm-remix” /]

In total, this record will feature 7 brand-new originals from Last Nubian as well as 2 remixes. The edit that we are premiering for you today comes from our favorite brotherly duo 2XM and is of the record’s lead track “Reunion.” Compared to the original, this remix sets out to make it easier for club room consumption; upping the tempo ever so slightly and adding in an assortment of synth and percussive elements that give the tune a little bit more punch while staying true to its spacey, afro-futurist vibe.

To get your hands on this EP, as well as a remix from Paso, make sure to pre-order your copy here! Reunion is set to come out on January 8th of next year!

Cet article Last Nubian – Reunion Feat. Dexter Dougan (2XM Remix) [Blaq Numbers] est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Ramūnas

Cet article Dagfest – Falling In Love [Lovedancing] est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Hey Bolting Bits family! We have quite the treat for you today –  and it’s a remix from the likes of St Germain! It’s been quite some time since we have heard new material from the French maestro, but fortunately, the wait is now over. Having centered his self-titled album around the music of sub-Saharan Africa (particularly Mali), it’s no surprise St. Germain has elected to remix one of Mali’s brightest rising stars. Abdoulaye Koné said Kandiafa is his name, and he comes from a long lineage of famous Mali musicians. In fact, he’s the nephew of Mama Sissoko, Ali Farka Touré’s famous traveling companion.

Cet article Kandiafa – Nyonton (St Germain Remix) [Pschent] est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

The Bostonion Bosq has long been a favorite for heady fans of afrolatin and soul grooves. Having started as the production arm of duo Whiskey Barons, known for stealthy edits of the global soul variety, Bosq has been churning out consistently solid releases — 12″ singles, EPs and LPs alike — for the last five years. As a solo artist, the producer is renown for integrating the classic inspirations of african and latin dance musics into his contemporary melange. Whether through his uncanny work as an official remixer or his flavorful originals — Bosq is a bet for fans of tropically-inspired dance music. Lend an eye and an ear respectively to our interview with the man himself, and his entry for our MIXED BY/ series ahead of his next album “Love and Resistance” on Ubiquity records.

[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/mixed-by-bosq” /]

 INTERVIEW

Alright, I’ve searched around and can’t find the answer to this: how did you land on the name “Bosq”?
It’s actually very unexciting – it’s sort of an abbreviation of my last name, woods, in spanish. I also like that it represents something organic and natural which is a feeling & sound I try to imbue my music with.

How’s life in Antioquia? Are you playing out much in Colombia?
It’s incredible! I’ve felt really welcomed by both the music community and the local community that I live in. Me and my wife are just constantly filled with gratitude for the opportunity to live there. I’ve been djing something like once a month, I’m trying to not oversaturate my presence you know? I’d like it to still be somewhat of a rare event that I’m playing. I’ve been focusing a lot more on production and writing and practicing instruments than playing out in the last year or so.

It seems you’re still hitting the states quite regularly. Who’s holding it down in Boston these days, anyway?
Yeah I make it over every few months, and then whenever I line up some gigs I make it a point to go see my family while I’m around. In terms of nightlife in Boston I’m not sure whats going on these days. Serge Gamesbourg is a great dj / producer (& bass player) who is still there, Kon is still in and out. My homie Oliver aka Gucci Vuitton is making good things happen both on the music scene and in the fashion world with his shop Bodega. My friends CLLCTV throw great parties too especially their sunday day party called “The Wave”.

Love and Resistance marks your fourth LP. Have you approached it differently than Celestial Strut, or any of your prior albums?
It’s still the same basic approach for me on these Ubiquity albums, they are like a mix tape for me sort of, I like them to have a flow and a variety that is similar to how I DJ. It’s been a good and bad approach for me I think, on the one hand I never get bored but on the other hand it’s a lot easier to market something that is a little more narrow. I’ve never been good at doing things in a marketable way though, haha. I will say I definitely feel it’s another step forward though. Musically, I’m learning a lot between each record and understanding theory and songwriting better as I go. The first record sounds really simple to me in a lot of ways now. I still like it and stand by it but Im always after making things a little more musically interesting.

What’s it been like working with Ubiquity over the years, both on the albums and the 12” singles you’ve dropped through them?
All in all it’s been great! We’ve had to navigate a rapidly changing music business landscape together but they’ve been really supportive of basically whatever I want to do. I think, especially in the beginning, they helped me think bigger and worry more about really executing my vision instead of trying to do everything as cheaply as possible or something.

We had an interesting discussion a few months ago on social media about edits and properly crediting artists. . . in the past you’ve also mentioned that the Whiskey Barons got in trouble for copyright issues and you wanted to credit originals going forward. On that topic: what advice would you give aspiring and current editors alike on how to tastefully ply their trade and release their versions?
Yes, this is really important I think. The trouble we got in with Whiskey Barons wasn’t necessarily about crediting artists, because we always did that aside from the very first bootleg 12”, but because we had done an entire mixtape of bootleg remixes from the Fania catalog. Luckily they preferred to work towards doing stuff legit instead of just a cease & desist. The problem I have spoken out about a lot recently is the current rash of uncredited bootleg edits that seem to be flooding the market. A lot of these are just some rearrangement, a kick drum and some filters and are being labeled as an original track by the editor.

It’s fucked up in a lot of ways, the most obvious being that you are just straight up stealing someones work and calling it your own, but they are also seriously muddying the waters for people who are doing original music. I can’t tell you how many times people have asked me what the original track is for my originals. Something that’s just more of an annoyance is the ridiculous amount of edits flooding the market and taking space from original artists, like you see these year end or monthly lists of “top disco tracks” or something and it’s 9 edits and one original. I also think the too many edits thing is just making parties more boring and vanilla but maybe I’m just a salty old man, haha.

I do have to check myself here too though because I had kind of given myself a pass like, well I’m clearly crediting the original artist so it’s ok to sell these un licensed remixes but after that convo I realized that’s just another lame excuse, so I’ve stopped selling or giving out anything that’s not either original or an official remix. We kid ourselves that these are some kind of a service but we’re all just doing these edits to further out reputations and get gigs on the backs of other artists work.

I still didn’t really answer your actual question though, did I!? I would say if you want to do edits to make tracks more playable for your own sets, go crazy! But they should not be looked at as a shortcut for building your profile as an artist. Don’t release them for free or for sale without permission. If you are absolutely set on releasing them the LEAST you can do is title it properly so people know who actually made the music. Just think about how you’d feel if someone took your edit, changed it slightly then released it as their own? You’d probably not be psyched, and I guarantee whoever wrote the original spent a lot more time and money working on that than you did the edit. I would also say don’t be afraid of playing original tracks from the 60s and 70s, theres an energy in the tempo fluctuations and imperfections and dynamics that can get lost in an edit. Of course some edits are great and really useful, but a 2 hour set of them is, to me, super boring.

Similarly, has your general shift towards original instrumentation over the last five or so years been motivated by the complicated nature of sample-based music these days?
I don’t think so because when I think about it, I never really made sample-based music. The edits and remixes were always reworkings of entire tracks basically, and when it came time to make my own stuff, more in-depth sampling just wasn’t my thing. Don’t get me wrong, I think sampling can be done in incredibly creative and amazing ways and I’ve been listening to sample based hip-hop by whole life, but it’s just not the way I hear things. It amazes me when people can hear something immediately know how they are going to chop and flip it, my ear just always worked better building from the ground up.

You’ve had some fun EPs in the last year or so — Body Music and the Poly Rythmo Edits come to mind — that sort of expand your current catalogue a bit beyond the Ubiquity drops. Anything else in the pipeline we should be looking out for?
Thank you! And yes definitely! I’ve actually got another full album coming out later in the spring on Fania Records, it’s more heavily rooted in Afro-Latin sounds than this Ubiquity album. We also have another Body Music single lined up, and are working on a bunch more material this week while I’m in NYC. I did a remix in a similar vein of the Poly Rythmo project for Hot Casa records out of France and I think we’re just waiting to get the clearance all sorted out but that should be summertime I think.

Interview by Martín

Cet article MIXED BY/ Bosq est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

If you consider yourself “in the know” on all things house and disco, then you’re no stranger to Ponty Mython (soundcloud), the rising Lithuanian talent who’s released incredible projects on various imprints including Dirt Crew Recordings, Fina Records, and Better Listen Records. This time around, he’s produced The Black Magic EP, a brilliant afrocentric project, and debut EP for new London based label, Burnin Music Recordings. Compared to the rest of his catalogue, this EP is much weirder; dark and mysterious, the project sounds like something you’d listen to while slinking around an African marketplace on a rainy day. In it’s entirety, the project showcases Ponty’s wide range of musical influences, advanced sampling abilities, and his knack for creating a cohesive, non-homogenous body of work.

[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/ponty-mython-hidden-object”/]

The final track, “Hidden Object”, is the perfect finisher to a unique outing, and begins with a deep, downtempo groove laden with african chanting, dull horns, hand drums, and bells. The track sets an instant mood and is fully transportive, a journey from headphones to Africa. A simple bassline resounds underneath swirling, trippy synths, building towards a quick and beautiful vocal section that is the absolute high point of a track that eventually breaks down into it’s original, sultry groove.

Ponty Mython’s Black Magic EP is set for release on April 28th and we expect it to fly off the shelves…don’t sleep, kids. Pre-order on Bandcamp now!

Ryan

Cet article PREMIERE : Ponty Mython – Hidden Object est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.