Review: Urbs & Cutex - On Our Way (Beat Art Department)

Wherever you are this release is perfect for 'Wherever You Are' -  what'd mean they taken their time? Urbs & Cutex are on their way with this 15-track album, 'On Our Way'.

This 22 year long wait for the reformation of Urbs & Cutex was introduced to us with the single, 'Wherever You Are' featuring T.R.A.C., 'Bird Of Paradise' and ' Memories' (see review HERE) has elements of where Urbs left his album 'Im Geheimland' (see review HERE) but the Cutex association has put instrumental hip-hop in a bit of a Viennese Whirls (Ed. OK. we'll let you off repeating this).

'Wherever You Are' is still perfect for the summer park strolls with echoes of Bob James and rap wy New York MC, T.R.A.C. (who has worked with Visioneers).  In fact, the mostly instrumental album has a lot of 'Marc Mac presents Visionneers' jazzy-beats quality about it.

In addition to the dreamy 'Bird Of Paradise' and 'Indian Summer' (Ed. what no sitar!), 'Make It Real' and the title track is full of the summer haze of jazz horn and it's very chill-hop West Coast throughout; perhaps 'Recognize' could be a West Coast with Cuts and 'bone (love it), a bossa 'Watch Out' and 'Lovegod'.

Urbs & Cutex (aka David Schuller and Paul Nawrata) have expanded their downtempo 'Peace (Talks!) & Love' hip-hop theme with tracks like 'Bubbles', 'Not An Angel In The Sky' featuring beatiful flute (at 6 minutes long - in fact, it's great to see such an album with many tracks over 3 minutes long in the 4/5 minutes range) and Compost's sub-label, Beat Art Department, is an ideal podium to host this album and the timing for a 'new' Austrian "Kruder & Dorfmeister" couldn't be better timed.

BUY LINK: https://BAD.lnk.to/UrbsCutex-OnOurWay

Artist:  Urbs & Cutex 
Title: On Our Way
Release date: 13th June, 2025
Label : Beat Art Department
Catalog Number  BAD016 
Format: Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Charles Petersohn - Children Of Zu Zu EP (Compost Records)

'Children of Zu Zu' featuring Roberto Di Giola and the People of Tla'aga Samoa was released as a 'Short Version' single and everyone in the YATM office was saying, "where's the long version?"

Producer/DJ/Singer Charles Petersohn told me, "I am really excited, to be released at one of my favourite Labels" and that's not surprising as you'll recall the single was his first release in 18 years (see review HERE).

So 'Children Of Zu Zu (Long Version)' at nearly 7 minutes long is even more perfect than the short versions' "echoes of Lonnie Liston Smith's 'Space Princess' on a visit to Jimi Tenor's Philophon studios with a touch of ragas going on, it's almost transglobal; but in a 'Compost Records' underground way.."

Di Giola is also featured on 'Schmettrlinge Im Bauch' that really covers the inspiration of, "Smooth deep house, different kinds of jazz and jazznotjazz, African rhythms, Brasil batucada, psychedelic funk poetry, inspired by Dr. John and most of all the space music and afrofuturist philosophy of Sun Ra and his Arkestra" and it's a springtime classic already.

With two perfect tracks, he does it again with 'Love In Space' (Part 1 ft. Jana) and 'Love In Space' (Part 2 ft. Harold Pop & Lu).  And there's an alternative version of  'Schmettrlinge Im Bauch' plus, can you believe it? 'Myth Versus Reality' actually features the Sun Ra Arkestra (couldn't have been better timed with the Marshall Allen debut album, 'New Birth' recently being released - see review HERE).

But hang on, what is Zu Zu Music?  We'll, 'Zu Zu Music' that features Mickey Nether, AdaSoul and Narjara Thamiz tells us.

This album is like the equilavent of Kahil El'Zabar's remix project of 20 years ago where he got some of the Art Ensemble of Chicago with remix/edits by Afro/Jazz/house luminaries Henrik Swartz and Osunlade to give the dancefloor touch.

This is just perfect and there's bonus digital tracks but you'll really want the vinyl. 

BUY LINK: https://CompostRecords.lnk.to/CharlesPetersohn-ChildrenOfZuZuEP

Artist: Charles Petersohn

Title: Children Of Zu Zu EP

Release date: 14th March, 2025

Label : Compost Records

Catalog Number : CPT648-1/-3

Format:  Vinyl 12" / Digital / Bandcamp  

Review: Tomasz Guiddo & Jimi Tenor - Where The Wild Roam / Smile (Compost Records)

The word on the streets was that Compost Records have got some really exciting projects lined up for us this year - and it's true! 

It hasn't taken us long to get impatient for Vol. 2 of the 'Future Sounds Of Kraut' compilation by Fred und Luna but here's another project  to get estatic over as globe trotting DJ and veteran of undergroung sounds, Tomasz Guiddo teams up with electronic/jazz/afrobeat/Sun Ra fan, Jimi Tenor: 'Future Sounds of Finland' you might say?

This EP features two tracks, 'Where The Wild Roam' and 'Smile' featuring Louie Austen who probably couldn't help but smile after getting the call to do some post-Rat Pack crooning for Compost.

'Smile' is a Guiddo/Tenor take on Lounge jazz and it's really cool with bits of Indo-Café Del Mar shuffle - a perfect compliment to Eric Hilton's 'Sound Vagabond' (see review HERE and also released today) especially as there's an instrumental version.

'Where The Wild Roam' is one for the Flute Gang (Jimi on top form as usual) along with some 60s space-mod organ and dreamy Mike Sammes Singer's style vocals.  Love the original and there's remixes by Erobique (pretty funky 'Disko' meets boogie), Ale Castro (Argentinian Italo-House stylee) and the approapriately more "less defined out-there" one by Freestyle Man. 

All the instrumentals and radio edits are great so get your orders in for the 12" as they're guaranteed to be 'Sold Out' before you can say, "Sähkö Puu" or "Philophon" - it's #1 on Sun Ra's Chart on Jupiter Radio.

  

 

Artist: Tomasz Guiddo & Jimi Tenor 

Title:  Where The Wild Roam

Release date: 23rd February, 2024

Label : Compost Records

Catalog Number :  CPT 627 12" / Digital / Bandcamp