2017 Blog
Latest Releases Manufactured by Key Production Group_July Round-up
James Living in Extraordinary Times CD + Double Vinyl, [BMG]
James are proud to announce the release of their new album Living In Extraordinary Times. The album is produced by Mercury and Brit Award winner Charlie Andrew (whose previous work includes alt-J and Wolf Alice) and rising star Beni Giles. Living In Extraordinary Times follows the release of their recent Better Than That EP, the band’s first new music since their hugely successful 2016 album ‘Girl at the End of the World’, which debuted at number two in the UK album charts, second only to Adele – their highest debut entry in nearly twenty years. This is the band’s 15th studio album and delivers the same vigour and urgency as its predecessors, a fusion of social commentary and personal reflection, covering everything from the current political climate in America in frustration-charged ‘Hank’ – “This crack heads tiny fingers, Accusing you of what he’ll do, White fascists in the white house, More beetroot in your Russian stew” – to lonesome Father’s Day in heartfelt ‘Coming Home (Pt. 2)’, the latter of which also features keyboard from long-time collaborator Brian Eno.
Rick Astley Beautiful Life LP, [BMG]
Beautiful Life is the eighth studio album by English singer and songwriter Rick Astley. His new album, ‘Beautiful Life’, was released on July 13th on BMG with an iconic cover shot by Rankin. Each of the twelve tracks is written, produced and played by Rick. Highlights are many and include the Chic flavoured title track, the evocative ‘Rise Up’, the insanely catchy ‘Try’ and the warm childhood memories of ‘The Good Old Days’.
John Digweed Live in Tokyo LP, [Bedrock Records]
Live recorded at Contact in Tokyo (Japan) the 28th of April 2018. "This time we head to Tokyo and to one of the best underground clubs out there. Contact is an amazing basement club with a low ceiling, minimal lighting and an incredible sound system. This 5xCD captures my set from start to finish - from the deep moody opening tracks to the peak time bangers and everything in-between" - John Digweed.
Various Artists Balearic 4 LP + CD, [Balearic]
Balearic are back with their fourth label compilation, programmed by label boss Jim Breese. Featuring legends and newcomers of the style alike, such as Japan by way of London's Max Essa with the sublime slo-mo beauty of "Gold Hush" (part 2), the legendary On U Sound (Adrian Sherwood) serves up a rework of Los Twangueros' classic "Entre Dos Aguas", Faze Action delivers a superbly neon-lit rendition of Private Agenda's "Dawn" and man of the moment Fabrizio Mammarella (who collaborates with Philip Lauer as Black Spuma) impresses as always - on his life-affirming re-rub of Gallo's "Faron".
Five Star Luxury – The Definitive Anthology 1984-1991 deluxe casebound book, [Demon]
This 9CD /1DVD set housed in a sumptuously packaged 12″x12″ Deluxe Casebound Book, comprising the SIX studio albums from their international hit-laden recording periods with RCA Records and Epic Records.
All six albums feature extra tracks, including non-album B-Sides, with the remaining three CDs containing 7″ & 12″ Alternate Versions and Remixes. The DVD features a number of Promotional Videos. RCA, Epic and Buster Pearson lined-up a stellar host of the most prolific Producers of the time to work with the Group.
77:78 Jellies LP + CD, [Heavenly Recordings]
77:78 is the new project from The Bees card-carrying members Aaron Fletcher & Tim Parkin. Set to pick up where the Bees left off, ‘Jellies’ was recorded at Studio Humbug on the Isle of Wight and musically picks it’s way from sublime west coast harmonies that recall the frayed beauty of the Beach Boys Smiley Smile, to the ramshackle dub of King Tubby via the playfulness of early Syd Barret. “Some musicians and bands definitely have their sound and stick to it, which is fair enough, but that’s just not us. Whenever we’re in the studio we’re constantly inspired to go down different musical paths, which I suppose is why the record we’ve made sounds so diverse“.
Phantastic Ferniture Phantastic Ferniture LP + CD, [Transgressive]
Phantastic Ferniture, the project of Julia Jacklin, Elizabeth Hughes, Ryan K Brennan and Tom Stephens, release a debut self-titled album on Transgressive. “I’d gone straight into folk music,” says Jacklin, “so every experience I’d had on stage was playing sad music with a guitar in my hand. I thought I would love to know what it’s like to make people feel good and dance.” Phantastic Ferniture’s spiritual home may be the garage but they were born in a bar, specifically the hallowed basement of Frankie’s Pizza in Sydney. One late night in 2014, on Jacklin’s birthday, a group hug manifested amid the pinball machines, with all ten participants vowing to form a band. “Only four of us remembered the next day,” notes Hughes. United by fern puns and a love of leisurewear, the band met up whenever schedules would allow, writing songs and playing smatterings of dates to an increasingly devoted audience. Eventually, it was decreed that this was no side project and an LP should follow. “It feels really good,” Jacklin says with satisfaction. “It’s like having an alter ego.”
Mattiel Mattiel LP + CD, [Heavenly Recordings/PIAS]
Atlanta's rising star, is a rare exception to this time-honoured tradition: a fulfilled creative by day and night, albeit in different contexts. "It's like I have two full-time jobs: designer and musician," she says, humbly hip to her good fortune. During office hours, Brown works as an ad designer and illustrator at MailChimp, a position she's enjoyed for four years. "I work with a great video production team, in a great studio. Luckily, they're a company that encourage side gigs." Out of office hours, Brown swaps the design studio for the stage, a softly-spoken, chilled-out design nerd turned rock & roll belter, performing bold, vintage soul as Mattiel (pronounced 'maa-TEEL'). Brown grew up on a five-acre farm in rural Brooks, Georgia, the only child of a Detroit native. "My mom bought the farm in the early '90s. She had - still has - horses, so I learned to ride western-style when I was 6, 7 years-old," (a skill Brown nods to in her cover art). "We had a vegetable garden and chickens. My mom would sell sheep's wool and eggs. Before that, she'd been a professional set decorator working on films. She's a really driven, creative person. I definitely inherited my work ethic from her."
Speedy Wunderground Year 3 LP, [Speedy Wunderground]
The London-based record label releases the third compilation of its limited edition 7” and one 10” singles on one LP. Among those artists / tracks involved in this collection are the skittering Arthur Russell indebted jam of Running Out by Boxed In and Formation; the DNA-rearranging genre-shifting post-punk of Melt Yourself Down; the glacial synth-pop of JW Ridley; and the Sade-meets-PJ Harvey power pop of newcomer Dewey. In the strong tradition of breaking their own rules the comp also includes the two tracks from Speedy’s very first double A-Side – Meatduscher aka Meatraffle’s The Bird Song (one of Marc Riley’s tracks of the year) and the dirty riffage of Warmduscher’s The Sweet Smell Of Florida which also appears on their recent Carey-produced album Whale City. For the first time ever – the label also deviated from their strict 7” policy with the epic sprawling 13-minute epic Hyperborea from kraut-psychedelia darlings Flamingods – the results of which could only be contained on 10” wax. Also included (and his second outing on Speedy) is the summery G-funk groove of I’m Gone from legendary Detroit Stones Throw rapper Guilty Simpson – laying down his vocals over a beat provided by label head-honcho himself Mr. Dan AKA Dan Carey.