og:image" content=""https://s12.postimg.org/akaze8k99/blog.png"" /> Gidman's Treasures And Nuggets: Visited Sounds Of The Universe at the Weekend.....

Tuesday 4 March 2008

Visited Sounds Of The Universe at the Weekend.....

I was in London at the weekend and thought I'd squeeze a visit to one of my favourite Record Stores in Soho.....Sounds Of The Universe.....

Click HERE for an interview with Stuart Baker, label boss (Soul Jazz Records) and owner of their shop (Sounds of the Universe).

All tastes are catered for in this fantasic shop including an extensive catalogue of Reggae, Dubstep/Grime/Dancehall, Leftfield and Electronica, Balearic, CosmicHouse, Techno and Electro Disco and Boogie, Hip Hop, Nu Jazz and Broken Beat and African/ Afobeat.

"They also sell their own excellent compilations at reasonable prices. There are still some good second hand finds on the 45s side, with an excellent selection of reggae, soul and funk on 45 at good prices behind the counter. Ask to see, and they're always happy to play anything for you". Diggers Guide

Click HERE for a more comprehensive guide to DIGGING in Central London.

There was a couple of items that I new Sounds of the Universe would have.....so I snapped them up straight away.....

Zeep - Zeep Dreams Remixed (Remix veterans and comp winners supply a 4 –track barrage of Brazilian beats"

1. Zeep Dreams(Da Lata Remix) ((Da Lata Remix))
2. Zeep Dreams(Afronaught Remix) ((Afronaught Remix))
3. Zeep Dreams(John Johnson Remix) ((John Johnson Remix))
4. Zeep Dreams(DJ LK Remix) ((DJ LK Remix))

Far Our Records says "Zeep Dreams finally sees the light with a massive 12” and download release featuring heavyweight and veterans on the scene Da Lata (Patrick Forge & Chris Franck) and Afronaught (Bugz in the Attic) punching a string of right handers and basslines to boot. Underdogs and remix competition winners, John Johnson and DJ LK respond to the challenge with some deft footwork and some surprise dance-floor sonics keeping a truly competitive edge to proceedings.

In September 2007, Radio Magnetic (www.radiomagnetic.com) hooked up with Far Out Recordings and the fight was set – ‘Zeep Dreams’ parts were made available through their website to download and Benji B (BBC 1XTRA) was to be the fight adjudicator. Over the course of the autumn, over 50 remix entries passed through the
Far Out Recordings email server and were quickly whittled down to 20 by the Far Out staff and passed onto Benji B who would then decide which cuts would feature on the limited 12” pressing and download album. The
lines were drawn, stakes were high and the mission was clear. Seconds out….

The choice of Da Lata as remixer was an obvious one for the label. One of the first Far Out tunes to garner club-hit status internationally was Da Lata’s version of ‘Ponteio’ in 1995, the third ever 12” released on Far Out. Da Lata went on to sign two albums with Chris Blackwell’s Palm Pictures imprint, remix world renowned artists such as Sly and Robbie and Femi Kuti and release mixes on Especial, JCR, Talkin Loud and Far Out Records. Chris Franck of both Zeep and Da Lata explains: “This dark but soulful mix was inspired by the African input on “Zeep Dreams’. I guess you could call it electronic house music but the afrobeat is the driving force.”

Afronaught is a leading light in the broken beat genre, his Bugz in the Attic collective having led the charge since time. More recently he’s been treading the Puerto Rican step with a string of collaborations and releases with singers and percussionists based in San Juan. Orin Walters slams some sucker punches into the release with a sub-bass line destined to destroy. Watch out for the mid-track breakdown with Nina Miranda’s vocals melting into the fore but without a blip on the dancefloor. Step forward competition winners John Johnson, DJ LK and referee, BBC 1XTRA’s DJ Benji B! John Johnson’s interpretation could be described as a percussive house workout but very much in the vein of a Spiritual South production. This track is likely to be a favourite with the house and techno massive as well as the Brazilian/broken beat fraternities. DJ LK’s vibe is much more experimental but in line with this 12”, he keeps the tempos at around 125 BPM. An electro break cum baile funk groove sets the vibe with neat vocal effects and a dark array of electronics."


AND I had been after this compilation for a while now and at £9.99 - what value for money....especially when it contains the much sampled track by Brentford All-stars - Greedy G.....AWESOME

Studio One Rockers: the Best of Studio One

Soul Jazz Records says"Following on from the success of the 100% Dynamite series, here we enter the vaults of the most important Reggae label of all time, Studio One. Owned and founded by Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, Studio One's output serves as a comprehensive guide to the history of Reggae music.

The music on Studio One Rockers covers all areas of Reggae such as Ska, Rocksteady, Roots and Dancehall, all areas in which Studio One led the field.

Studio One Rockers features many legendary Studio One tracks brought together for the first time by Soul Jazz Records.

From the beginning of Reggae, when the Skatalites developed a new sound of Ska in 1962 up until today, Studio One has been the number one innovator in Jamaican music. Included in this compilation are classic Ska tracks ("Phoenix City"), Rocksteady ("Feel Like Jumping"), Roots music ("Truth and Rights"), Dancehall (Freddy McGregor, Michigan and Smiley) and many more.

Featured here are many of the classic tracks from Studio One. From Dawn Penn's legendary "No, No, No" to classics such as Horace Andy's "Skylarking" and Marcia Griffith's "Feel Like Jumping".

The Coxsone Soundsystem in the early 60s was one of the three main soundsystems operating in Jamaica alongside his competitors, Prince Buster and Duke Reid.

The Studio One catalogue is possibly the largest in Jamaican music and this release is the first in a series of Studio One compilations on Soul Jazz Records.

This album comes with an in depth interview with Mr C.S. Dodd, about how he set up and ran his record label in the 1960s and 1970s.

"Compilation of the month. 100% Essential" SEVEN
"Compilation of the month. A compilation of unbelievable quality. Awesome" MUZIK
"A who's who of Jamaican music" MUSICWEEK
"An essential slice of musical history" WAX
"The most credible compilation of reggae you can possibly buy" LATER
"A perfect intro into Jamaica music" NME
"

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