Bastard Jazz US 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Brooklyn based Bastard Jazz always come up with the goods. Classy, sophisticated and groove-fuelled breakbeat is their staple sound and the latest Basics EP from Colm K sticks firmly within that remit. "Basics" coaxes us in with a singular key piano melody, providing itself as the platform for the sensually sung vocals from Elaine Dowling. Laid back, sexy and driven by an underlying groove, simplicity is the key here and it's worked to perfection. The Uptown Dub pushes things skyward a notch with electric keys and a speedier rhythm, while Alister Johnson's remix leaves the beat to chug away in the background whilst bringing the vocals right up front. On the flip, the Part Time Heroes & Patchwork Pirates remix speeds things up with a marked BPM increase taking it into a vague drum and bass territory without losing the track's soulful dignity. Jugoe turn on "Basics" house capabilities with a deep bassline, twisted synths and drawn out strings. For the bonus, "Love To Love You" garners downtempo, ultra sexy melodies.

Review: Patrick Wade aka Dead Horse Beats presents the Bad Hopes EP for Brooklyn boutique label Bastard Jazz. In his own words "I live in Montreal. I play several instruments and turn knobs and push buttons and stuff" and that's good enough for us! But for something a bit more in depth, we referred to the label who said he has "garnered attention for his unique brand of hazy, rhythmic, soul-styled creations" and that's a pretty fair observation. Starting out on the A side with the bubbly and blissful synthpop of "She Said" (feat Frase) there's also some sassy R&B flavour on "Young Ruins" featuring his smooth crooning vocals. On the flip, future beats and his pop tendencies collide perfectly on "Dive".

Review: The "Champion Mushroom EP", by The Magic Fly, is a monster dub-disco-breakbeat release that manages to source out original Jamaican deejay vocals and mash them into a hilarious Bill Hicks sample.

Review: Brooklyn's Peter Matson returns to local imprint Bastard Jazz with three original tracks on The Right Way. Matson takes his experience as a DJ and musician to create these club-ready productions, featuring strong African influences for which he is known. On 'Call & Answer' he collaborates with Ibibio Sound Machine, fronted by London-born Nigerian singer Eno Williams for a deep, sunny and uplifting groove that's perfect tackle for the upcoming summer session, backed by a more straight-ahead remix by Faze Action which gets a nu-disco vibe happening, plus more dancefloor dynamics to boot.

Review: Simon Mavin is known for his work as co-writer and co-producer with Australian band Hiatus Kaiyote. Now he steps out with his own solo debut on Bastard Jazz and shows off his multi-instrumental skills. 'Good Hair Day' kick off with lush synth heavy funk and expressive melodies that are soaked in sun and sprinkled with cosmic dust. 'Only You & Me' than rides on dusty broken beats that make you want to move while the keys glow up top. Remixes come from fellow Aussies Harvey Sutherland and Close Counters - the former brings some heavy percussive vibes and the latter slows things down to a steamy crawl.

Review: Beats are right at the heart of this release on Brooklyn's Bastard Jazz label. This San Francisco producer found his feet under his Dj Centipede alias, putting on the weekly "Change The Beat" parties in his hometown. It's under his Mophono's Halftone Society moniker though that he's really starting to make a big impression, as this quite brilliant and surprising EP proves.
Hunger is the perfect way to get his flavour. Putting the punchy & live sounding drums out front in the mix, he shows off his ways with a beat almost in the same way a jazz quartet might allow the drummer to drop a solo. He lets the sampled brass hits subside and allows himself space to create a drop-dead devastating drum break that will have listeners everywhere undoubtedly comparing him to Dj Shadow (the vibe of Hunger is indeed very similar to the classic break in the middle of "Building Steam..." from Endtroducing).
Elsewhere, Bumps keeps the winning combination of huge drums and sampled brass, this time putting some sax centre stage and creating a lot of fun in the process. Sinicism again "gives the drummer some" in timeless jazz style, dropping down to an accomplished solo before switching rhythms and turning into a perfect hands-in-the-air hip-hop jam. Tru Thoughts and Ninja Tune star Natural Self delivers a remix that concentrates on this section of Sinicism, adding some tasteful sub-bass amongst other things to really bring out the bopping qualities of MHS's original. With a couple of drum-only edits included with the single, you're perfectly placed to marvel in this man's seriously impressive way with a beat. Get in early, there's going to be a lot of buzz this producer very soon.

Review: Osage is the alter ego of veteran Philadelphia dj/producer lil'dave. A member of the highly respected Illvibe Collective and the co-host of the internationally known broadcast Eavesdrop Radio, he has released music under various aliases for record labels. BBE Records, Tru Thoughts, Record Breakin' Music and First Word Records to name but a few. His sound incorporates deep house, African rhythms, UK garage, broken beat and much more. Over the years, he has been building a solid reputation, with his tracks supported by notable tastemakers such Gilles Peterson. This 12" compiles four favourite moments from the two EPs that Osage has released thus far on the Brooklyn based Bastard Jazz - who have previously presented works by Soul Clap, Phil Gerus and Dead Horse Beats. From the deep, sexy and soulful house of "I Found You" (feat Dezeray Dawn ) to the spiritual Afro vibe of "Last Call" and the rather Bugz In The Attic sounding "Anyway" (feat Yemi) - this is a solid release.

Review: E Da Boss and Trailer Limon, two of the US' most hyped boogie maestros, are back with a new EP for Brooklyn's Bastard Jazz Recordings, under The Pendletons moniker, and we have to say that it sounds like some pretty dope material from the get-go! The lead track "Funk Forever" is a downpour of funky pop vibes guided and charged by jazzy nuances, and the following "Don't Be Late" is a certified tune for the lovers. On the B-side, "Telling Lies" slows the tempo to a majestic r&b swing, filtered through fat boogie bass, while "Set Sail" features the vocals of Ishtar in what is a proper boogie slammer, and "In The Mood" is all about the slow, sensual sound of endless, blissful synths. Gorgeous.