Julien Dyne – Glimpse (BBE)
This LP is all about the beats. Julien Dyne (who unsurprisingly happens to be a drummer in his day job) has managed to construct some very complex, yet dazzling, rhythms and built some very exquisite songs around them. The addition of the vocals (as a Meme regular you will know of Ladi6 and Mara TK already) only adds to the appeal of the album. But, beware, this album is a grower; some of the tracks that we dismissed a little too easily on our first listen have become solid favourites.
Sandy Barber – I Think I’ll Do Some Stepping On My Own (Al Kent’s Classic Mix)
The connection between this piece of superb vintage soul and the similarly excellent ‘Soul On Soul‘ LP from Jean Wells (which BBE released last week) is producer Clyde Otis who really gave both of these ladies their big breaks and also their best albums. So this track, which has been remixed by Al Kent, is [...]
Luis Radio & Raffa Scoccia – Organismo
This track arrived in our inbox just after we had published our Hammond Organ mix, but, with its jazzy organ lead and dancefloor beats, it would have been a perfect track to include. Combining the talents of DJ and producer Luis Radio and Hammond organ aficianado Raff Scoccia, this is a quirky but highly enjoyable [...]
Jean Wells – Soul On Soul (BBE)
Go back in time to when music was simple, soulful and superb, when songs had titles such as ‘Somebody’s Been Lovin’ You (But It Ain’t Been Me)’ or ‘I Couldn’t Love You (More Than I Do Now)’, and when gifted artists such as Jean Wells were considered also-rans…
Jean Wells – What Have I Got To Lose (BBE)
BBE, like Ubiquity, have a knack of finding the lost gems of soul music and bringing them to us repackaged and reborn. It’s now the turn of Jean Wells, whose peak came in 1967, to receive the re-release magic. This is the first single off the album, a double A-side conatining ‘What Have I Got [...]
VA – BBE 15 – 15 Years of Real Music For Real People (BBE)
You may have noticed that we are quite big fans of the label known as BBE, or Barely Breaking Even. Their output is both prolific and diverse – there is the BBE ‘foundation’ of hip hop (e.g. Beat Generation), as well as soul (e.g. Jean Wells), afrobeat (e.g. Spoek Mathambo), disco (e.g. Al Kent), reggae (e.g. Dave Rodigan), house (e.g. Louie Vega) and electronica (e.g. Julien Dyne) music from original atists and on superb compilation series.
Katalyst – Deep Impressions (BBE)
Ashley Anderson, aka Katalyst, seems to have carved his own little niche at BBE, sitting somewhere between the hip hop roots of the label and its inherent soul spirit. ‘Deep Impressions’ is a fine collection of tracks with deep beats, gutsy vocals and catchy tunes.
Julien Dyne – Candy Apple Grey ft. Claire Duncan (BBE)
Julien Dyne’s debut album was called ‘Pins and Digits’, which gives you some clue to the type of music he makes (atmospheric, bleepy electronica, if we need to spell it out to you). He is about to release his second album, ‘Glimpse’, on the mighty BBE Records, of which ‘Candy Apple Grey’ is the first [...]
Sneak peak of forthcoming BBE15 compilation
Here’s a quick heads up of a couple of tracks from the forthcoming compilation which celebrates BBE Records 15 years in the the business. If nothing else, these two tracks demonstrate the pure diversity of music that the label has output over its years: like our philosophy at Meme, it’s all about finding that perfect [...]
Sheila Hutchinson-Whitt – A New You In ’82
‘The Real Sound of Chicago & Beyond’ is a new selection of dance tunes compiled by Mr Peabody Records (Mark Grusane and Mike Cole) that will be released on BBE Music in the middle of August. There will be lots of rare gems from artists from the Chicago area, but the geaographic coverage has been [...]
VA – Seven Heven Compiled by Mark Webster (BBE)
We absolutely love this album. Using the seven inch as its ‘hook’, is a great idea but it is the quality of the tracks that are featured that makes this record worth spending your pocket money on. Right from the very beginning, with the James Taylor Quartet’s hammond-heavy ‘Senouci Part 1′, to the very last (‘Get Carter’ by The Filthy Six) each of the songs is a corker.
VA – Mad Styles and Crazy Visions 2 compiled by Louie Vega
The legend that is Louie Vega has compiled this album to highlight how the new African, Latin, jazz, funk and electro pop rhythms of today were influenced by the dancefloors of the seventies and eighties. Covering 3 CDs, one mixed and two unmixed, it includes artists such as Blaze, Faze Action, The Sunburst Band and, [...]
Benny Tones – Chrysalis (BBE)
We gave you the heads up on Benny Tones last January when he released the title-track first single from this LP. Benny is part of the burgeoning New Zealand scene which includes Ladi6, Karlmarx and, notably, Electric Wire Hustle, of whom he mixed their eponymous album and has managed all of that band’s live sound. [...]
Seven Heven compiled by Mark Webster
Everyone keeps banging on about the 12″ single, so Mark Webster has tried to redress the balance in favour of the original format, the illustrious 7″, by compiling a selection of his favourite 45rpm tunes. And to prove that there is life in the 7″ yet, all of the tracks are from this century. The [...]
Katalyst – Day Into Night (BBE)
Now that the sun is shining (well, in London at least) here is the perfect song to accompany it. Ashley Anderson, aka Katalyst, releases the first single from his forthcoming, and as yet untitled, LP; a soul reggae number featuring the sweet vocal talents of Stephanie McKay. This is a different vibe to Ashley’s other persona [...]
VA – The Beat Generation 10th Anniversary Collection (BBE)
In the ideal world, this LP would need no promotion at all – the music and artists it features should speak loudly enough for themselves – with names such as J Dilla, King Britt, Pete Rock, will.i.am, Marly Marl, Jazzy Jeff, DJ Spinna and Madlib this is a history lesson in 21st century Hip Hop. [...]
VA – Henry Street Grooves – Classic Deep, Funky and Jazzy House from New York (BBE)
One of a current swathe of compilation albums being released by BBE, ‘Henry Street Grooves’ is a collection of top House tunes that were all recorded at the eponymous recording studio / label in Brooklyn run by Johnny deMairo, whose day job was Senior Director A&R for Atlantic Records. Kicking off in 1993, this is [...]
Space Invadas – Soul:Fi (BBE)
Sydney-based Space Invadas, aka Katalyst and Steve Spacek, released an EP of 3 tracks and remixes from this album late last year, which we enjoyed enormously. The album arrived at the end of last month in Europe (it was released initially in Australia) and included a further 12 tracks, making this quite a substantial piece [...]
VA – More Rare Disco & Soul Uncovered Compiled by Al Kent (BBE)
Any disco compilation around at the moment (for there are many) has got to be pretty special if it is to stand out from the crowd, especially if it’s Number 2 in a series (BBE themselves are releasing The M+M Mixes Vol 2 in the same week). So, when Disco Love 2 arrived at Meme [...]
VA – The M&M Mixes Vol 2 by John Morales (BBE)
There is no denying the skill and reputation of remixer and producer, John Morales. Listening to this second instalment of his work (we reviewed Volume 1 a long while back) it’s patently obvious his influence on the disco scene of the 80s is profound – we have remixes of Teddy Pendergrass’s ‘The More I Get’, [...]
Slakah The Beatchild – Something Forever Special Edition (BBE)
The ‘Special Edition’ piece of this LP is the extra four tracks that have been added on to a digital-only EP release from late last year. So, that’s the complicated bit out of the way, and we can now talk about the actual music. Slakah The Beatchild is a young Canadian producer / performer of [...]
Benny Tones – Chrysalis feat. Sacha Vee (BBE)
This track is off the forthcoming LP of the same name from New Zealander Benny Tones and is an FX-heavy, soul-meets-synths number with a strong cinematic vibe. The vocals, provided by jazz-trained Sacha Vee, perfectly complement the big synths and doleful rhythms. You can also watch the video for the single here. ‘Chrysalis’ will be released [...]
Meme Review of the Year 2010
For us, this was the year of broken beats, disco re-edits and, of course, the cloud. We also managed a major design revamp which seems to have gone down well as our visitor numbers nearly quadrupled over the year. But we would be nothing without the music and the artists that made it… A whole [...]
Space Invadas – Done It Again
Straight from their new EP, ‘Done It Again’ on BBE Records, comes this excellent video from Space Invadas of the title track. You can hear another song from the EP, ‘Imaginist’, which will also be included on the forthcoming LP, Soul-Fi’, here.
