Jazzberry Patch
Jazzberry Patch

Today, LA producer and underground dance-fantasy legend Benedek has shared his new EP “Zebrano” via Steven Julien’s Apron Records. It’s his first release for the London label, and features a stellar line up of featured artists, from rising Canadian-Ghanaian LA-based singer AKUA and DC's man of the moment dreamcastmoe, to R&B future icon Devin Morrison. It serves as Benedek’s first featured release since his 2011 single with Dam-Funk.While originally lauded for his own hybrid of boogie, garage house, and downtempo grooves, Benedek is traversing new realms with his esoteric innovations. These are all facets of Benedek's sunny and seductive hometown of Los Angeles, and are sonically expressed in his catalog. But as much as he’s embraced the shimmer on the surface, he’s also familiar with deeper, more hidden worlds. His work has found its home on such labels as PPU, LI.E.S., Leaving Records, Music From Memory and more. His expansive catalog includes collaborations with Steve Arrington, Delroy Edwards, Dam-Funk, Joyce Wrice, Tom Noble, Jamma-Dee, Kirin and more.

'Miss Cheryll' is midtempo Brazilian disco-jazz-funk at it’s finest, from the masters Banda Black Rio. Bass, synths, horns, drums, cuica and soulful vocals – textbook 80’s Rio vibes. Originally released on the Saci Pererê LP in 1980. The full length version was released on 12” in the UK in the same year and became a classic on the ‘Rare Groove’ scene.'Melô Do Tagarela' in the words of the one and only DJ Nuts: “Some people say that the first rap song from Brazil is ‘Melo do Tagarela’”. Recorded in 1980 by the famous Brazilian actor Miele, this is the instrumental version of his take on Sugarhill Gang’s ’Rappers Delight’.

CCR003 - UK - 2021 - Livre + Vinyl.Clap City Records, an East London based label specialising in giving new life to rare records, have reissued David Durrah’s ‘Venus Fly Trap’ single for the first time since 1975. ‘Kai’, a sultry Rhodes laced track, will feature on the B-side.A 44-page zine accompanies this 7″ – an exploration into the life and musical development of revered composer and musician, David Durrah. Ranging from Durrah’s early life in Cleveland and meeting with Doug Hammond, to the events that led to the duo’s Reflections In The Sea Of Nurnen sessions, later issued on Tribe, this zine features information that has never before been published, built from hours of interviews with the man himself, displaying photographs taken from Durrah’s personal family photo albums. In addition, a ​short film​ has been created illustrating the events that led to the creation of Reflections In The Sea Of Nurnen.The track has been re-mastered and cut by Grammy nominated audio experts at The Carvery, London

Widely available for the first time in forty-five years, featuring ‘It’s A New Day’, one of the most sample breaks in history. Official Mr Bongo reissue.Record collectors, producers and crate diggers like a good creation myth, and Skull Snaps’ self-titled ‘debut’ had it all. A mysterious funk trio, who recorded one album under a curious name, housed it in a sleeve that looked more like a proto-metal album, and released it through a label (GSF Records) that folded shortly afterwards? Everything pointed towards the Skull Snaps album as a single totemic object, packaged in a way that predicted its own disinterment almost twenty-five years later.

Mofak is an artist from Marseille (France) who has been active in the world of Funk and G-Funk for many years, mastering the art of the Talk Box to perfection. After collaborating with major artists such as X-zibit, Kurupt & McEight, he's back with a solo project.His music is even more open, with not only a Funk and G-Funk sound but also a Nu-Disco flavour that brings together even more generations and audiences.There's no doubt that fans and newcomers alike will find something to enjoy.

Favorite Recordings presents a reissue of Lucas Arruda's first album, Sambadi.Lucas Arruda’s born in 1983, in a Brazilian state called Espírito Santo, near Rio de Janeiro. Coming from a musical family (his dad and older brother are musicians) he started playing and listening to music very young. At the age of 13, he was also playing professionally already.After studying electric guitar and playing in various bands, Lucas passion quickly turned into Rhodes and keyboards, expanding his musical range of skills. At the same time he started a project called Du Black, with his older brother Thiago, quickly receiving various local support from people like Ed Motta, William Magalhães (Banda Black Rio), Robert Lamm (Chicago) or Hyldon (Brazilian soul legend).From the growing notoriety obtained, the band began to work with various other artists and singers such as Tamy Macedo, or Bossa Nova’s legend, Leila Pinheiro, leading Lucas to build a recording studio with Thiago in 2011. Now 2 years after he launched this home-studio, here comes “Sambadi”, first solo album by Lucas Arruda!On this recording he also started to team up with Fabricio di Monaco (Modo Solar), who clearly became a fundamental piece, as Lucas relates: “Fabricio introduced me to Pascal Rioux at Favorite Recordings, as they released his EP few years ago. He’s a brilliant musician and a great human being.”In Lucas’ words, Sambadi is highly inspired by Rio de Janeiro. As for the musical side, the album almost sounds like a tribute to his longtime heroes like Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, Marcos Valle, Azymuth, or Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti. And Lucas also humbly concludes: “I really hope to honor all the guys who influenced me.”