Esperanto
Vegas

Trad Vibe Records is pleased to present the first release of classic Jazz-Funk band Cortex, remixed by DJ’s!Extracted from the 4th album I Heard A Sigh (TVLP11), recently released by the label, these 2 underrated gems seemed obvious material to put into the hands of two Jazz lovers DJs, both well represented and respected within the edits scene.The Reflex has held the title "Stand & Move" with loops, filters and dub, for one French-Touch side and a 100% Disco-Jazz result, highlighting the famous Fender Rhodes playing by the band leader, Alain Mion.DJ Moar was in charge of "High on the Funk", keeping most lead voice, chorus, organ and synth parts, he used re-loops and a bigger beat to give it the deserved punch and groove!Future Classic Jazz Dance!

** Available exclusively at The Pusher **Naples 1982, the earthquake leaves rubble and dismay, unease and misery, smuggling and heroin.The reconstruction is a shadow that will last more than a decade, it is a shady deal between bureaucrats and criminals.Naples is an open construction site and the redemption was long coming. There was the "music-music" of the Neapolitan Power, which conquers the national limelight, and a dark and marginal enigma called "VESUWAVE" (especially for those who have not experienced it), that remains so, even after many years. Naples is not a country for young bands that are not familiar with tradition and "bel canto" while the record industry inhabits a platonic and incorruptible world beyond the vault of heaven. At that time five Lucanians and three Neapolitans founded Little Italy, probably a tribute to the homonymous district of New York and inspired by Talking Heads, Contorsions, Polyrock, B-52's, Konk and Liquid Liquid. They have the freedom to experiment and smash the stages of the Italian peninsula festivals more attentive to the new waves as well as participate in some television broadcasts. They basically don’t unnoticed but in spite of the apprenticeship and the kilometers covered in three years of activity (from 1983 to 1985) all they had the chance to record were a couple of songs.
Fragments is a compilation made with archived materials that Futuribile Records releases on vinyl after having discovered and restored old unreleased tapes from back in the day and made available by the band members themselves. Seven tracks that highlight a collective in continuous transformation and outline their drivers and abilities.Little Italy have a horn section that gives them that chromatic vivacity, a typically mutant funk guitar groove, two fatal and dazed female voices who speak many languages (English, French, Italian) reciting collages of cryptic texts evoking modernity through no-sense and cultured quotations; a funk thrill in the basslines and drums solutions that give a nod to the sly disco beat of a specific easy listening, elegant and refined Italo sound. A super-sophisticated sound with the right dose of fusion, proper New Wave, which in the more New-Yorker passages recalls the volcanic and sweaty sound of the contemporary and fellow citizens Bisca, another out-of-the-box band member. The warm Mediterranean wind blowing on some tracks certifies their origin and the exoticism leads Little Italy to drink from that oasis of escape.After all, the escape from a world that does not contemplate banality is the synthesis of the 1980s thought. (Words by Fabio Astore)

We don’t really know Bruno “Patchworks” Hovart’s secret but we’re always thrilled to get a taste of his proven production skills. After two acclaimed LP’s as Mr President released over the last decade, the Disco ruler is back with some groovy ideas to put the country into clubs again. One Night is indeed a shiny celebration of the genuine spirit of Soul and Disco, always coming with Bruno’s modern touch, fitting all the criteria to become an instant club classic.From start to end, Mr President’s blend of grooves and subtle jazz harmonies brings a definitive Roy Ayers’ feeling to the compositions. Developing his vision along six titles, Mr President certainly knows how to produce hits for modern dancefloors. Just like on his previous albums, Bruno plays most instruments, when not even singing catchy vocals. One more time, he also brought incredible lead singers in the studio, some you may know from different projects already released on Favorite Recordings, like Jennifer Zonou (Hawa), Cindy Pooch & Celia Kameni (Saving Coco) and Sabba MG (Mr President’s previous releases). Thanks to exciting arrangements, they carry the songs to a certain climax which reminds the great US era of disco and house divas. Along the original compositions, Mr President also tackles the challenge of covering Roy Davis Jr. & Peven Everett’s house anthem “Gabriel”, bringing the track into even deeper jazz territories. Of course you may know Mr President from his previous LPs, Number One (2011) and Hips Shaking (2014), however you might also know him under many of his other projects, such as Voilaaa, The Dynamics, Uptown Funk Empire, Metropolitan Jazz Affair or Taggy Matcher to name just a few. Patchworks has been a ubiquitous artist since more than 25 years now, from the House years in the nineties to his recent involvement on different Favorite’s releases like Joao Selva, Pat Kalla, or the last EP of Leroy Burgess & Saving Coco. More globally, through all these years and various projects, Bruno “Patchworks” Hovart’s established himself as an unequalled producer, both in term of quantity and quality, fulfilling his wide passion for music and groove. Some could compare his path to famous predecessors such as Patrick Adams, Pierre Jaubert, Patrick Cowley or Jean-Pierre Massiera, who like him, have all stayed quite underrated and in the shade of the many classics and hits they gave birth to. Who knows where the future will bring him, he’s not finished yet feeding our ears!

Nine unreleased and rare tracks from the amazing Roger Damawuzan also known as the “James Brown from Lomé”, backed by the tremendous “Les As du Benin” orchestra, and recorded between 1972 and 1981.Born in 1952 in Aneho (Togo), “The king of Gazo” (a traditional rhythm) is one of the most popular singer of his native country. He started his career in 1968 with the “Ricker’s” but his first record was released in 1972 with his now classic hit “Wait For Me”.From 1972 to the early 80s alongside “Les As du Benin”, they worked more than 5 days a week at the Hotel Tropicana in front of the sea with many tourists around and it was a very good exercise to work and create a perfect Afro-Soul sound. During this period they also recorded many tracks, sometime in Ghana at the famous Philips studio, sometime during live session for big events in the “Palais des Congres de Lomé” and studio Otodi in Lomé, always live and analog.Today Roger Damawuzan lives in Lomé; in 2014 he was the featuring singer on the smash hit “Pas Contente” by Vaudou Game and performed with the band in different European big festivals.Roger Damawuzan & Les As Du Benin can be considered as one of the biggest figure of the African Funk scene from the 70s: A must have record!

Created in 2006, Setenta, the Latin Soul Band spreads a unique mix over the world scene. For their fifth album Materia Negra, the Paris-based band returns to its roots: hard Latin funk with plenty of Afro-Latin percussion upfront in the mix contrasted with accents of lush vocal harmony and warm, breezy melody. But at its core, there is something essentially darker, rougher and funkier than their previous releases, especially in the guitar and synth work, bluesy minor key arrangements, and lyrical content. It’s essentially a heavier feel with this record, influenced no doubt on the negative side by the current dark times being experienced across the globe due to the pandemic, subsequent economic downturn and the lack of effective government leadership and global solidarity to deal with the crisis. On the positive tip, the inspiring Black Lives Matter movement and international protests against oppressive governments, systemic racism, corporate greed, global warming and environmental exploitation no doubt have something to do with the serious feel of Materia Negra as well. Another crucial aspect to this newfound toughness is what band member and Latin Big Note founder and director Osman Jr. states is the group’s desire to address DJs and dancers who appreciate the rawest songs from Setenta’s previous productions. The desire is to leave their mark on the decks and dance floors of the planet with a genre that “we defend by taking the torch extended by our mentors such as Joe Bataan: Latin Funk!” Setenta’s sound has always been soulful, with plenty of tropical Caribbean roots, but this time there is an even stronger Afro-centric theme and gritty psychedelic R&B angle, clothed in galactic, outer-space trappings, bringing to mind another forerunner, Mandrill, as well as the Afro-Futurist mothership vibe of Parliament-Funkadelic.