Monday, 12 October 2026

Posted by Gerry Hectic | File under : , , ,

The perfect addition to your sun worship routine as the Deeper Roots label launches with Mike Steva's 8 tracks of deep global sounds to move you feet and chakras! 



'Sun Warrior', is the deeply rhythmic and immersive new album from acclaimed producer and artist, Mike Steva. Issued on his own Deeper Roots label, 'Sun Warrior' brings together deep electronic textures, intricate percussion, soulful melodies, and hypnotic grooves across a carefully crafted album, designed for both focused listening and movement.

From humble beginnings as a young DJ on Melbourne’s nightclub circuit in the year 2000, Mike Steva has evolved into a respected global name, carving out a distinct sound as both a DJ & Producer. With releases on globally revered labels including Yoruba Records, Innervisions, Defected, MoBlack & more, his music continues to make a lasting impression across the international House Music landscape.

Drawing inspiration from the sun as a symbol of energy, strength, and renewal, Sun Warrior explores the intersection of tradition and innovation. Rhythm, texture, melody, and atmosphere come together to create a cohesive musical journey that moves effortlessly between introspection and dancefloor energy.

Rooted in electronic music while drawing from a broader palette of organic and soulful influences, Sun Warrior reflects Steva’s distinctive approach to production: detailed, spacious, rhythmic, and deeply emotive like, in particular, 
'Ksantika' that travels the world of Africa and the Balearics and then to flip to Indo-funk 'Caje Sukarijie (Opa)' to disco-jazz of 'Ohrid' (with Vladimir Cetkar) are just three of the highlights.

From immersive listening to late-night sessions and movement on the dancefloor, Sun Warrior is an album built to connect — inviting listeners to tune in, and move with the rhythm.
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Vinyl is strictly limited to 100 copies. 




Artist: Mike Steva
Title: Sun Warrior
Release date: 16th October, 2026
Label : Deeper Roots Music
Catalog Number : DRM001
Format:  Vinyl LP / Digital / Bandcamp 
Posted by Gerry Hectic | File under : , , ,

Australia's Ella Thompson will make believe 'Triumph And Sadness' are as much a part of soul as floor fillers, foot stompers and Northern! 



After Ella's 'Ripple On The Wing' album (see review HERE), the Mr Bongo single 'Promise To Keep' / 'Change of Heart' (see review HERE) and her last outing, ‘Dandelion’.(see HERE), Naarm/Melbourne-based vocalist, musician, and songwriter turns sadness into a triumph on the ten track album 'Triumph And Sadness'.

Ella Thompson is standing up for feeling, joy and pain and all the messy, confusing, beautiful twists in life's journey.  Like a 'Parable' or deep in 'Promise To Keep' is on the soulful side of Northern Soul as her songs tell stories of the heart, finding universal truths in the honesty of personal experience.

Released on UK label Mr Bongo and College of Knowledge in Australia, 'Triumph & Sadness' is her most profound album yet - a powerful and unique record inspired by a classic sweet soul sound and rooted in the contemporary moment. Reaching out with vulnerability and poise, it is a plea for connection in a world gone numb.

Recorded over four fruitful days at an all-analogue studio in the stunning natural surroundings of rural Victoria (with additional sessions for horns vocals and overdubs at Sound Park in Northcote), 'Triumph & Sadness' was cut direct-to-tape with all the urgency and warmth of the iconic ‘60s and ‘70s sessions that first inspired her. Written alongside Liam McGorry (Temporary Blessings), featuring collaborators from bands Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo and mixed by Daptone and The Womack Sisters collaborator Wayne Gordon, it captures the live energy of a band at the top of their game.

Because it is through Melbourne’s vibrant, supportive independent scene that Thompson has found her voice. Coming up alongsid' e contemporaries like Hiatus Kaiyote, two solo releases followed in quick succession, the 7-track EP ‘Domino’ in 2023, and aforementioned LP 'Ripple on the Wing' (2024), pushing the boundaries of the song form and immersing herself in studio production, while building a creative community that has in turn shaped her sound.

Inspired by Australian soul singer Renée Geyer, who blazed a trail across the country in the 1970s, and a wide tapestry of influences from soul titans like Nina Simone and Curtis Mayfield, to the philosophical musings of Patti Smith, Alice Walker and Simone Weil, Thompson takes the listener by the heart and hand across the album’s 10 shimmering songs.

Her belief in the significance of connection shines through on the album’s thematic centrepiece, ‘Promise To Keep’. It is a track that feels at once profound and whimsical in the best possible way, about building nerve, embracing naivety, bravery and love in an act that Thompson likens to a renewed romanticism.

For anyone that's fallen in/out of love, there is ‘Change of Heart’ which reflects on the temporality, impermanence and synchronicity of a moment, and the bittersweet paradox where everything contains its opposite: absence and presence, innocence and experience, triumph and sadness. Musically, it unfolds as a down-tempo, slinky ballad with falsetto vocals, ending in triumphant horns that signal the release of letting go. Drawing on the group vocal arrangements of bands like The Royalettes, it is devastating in its simplicity - hard not to cry.

One of the many highlights is ‘My Weakness’ (Ed. check out the high notes), which draws on the myth of Narcissus to question the loops of recognition and unsated longing built into life under Capitalism, to the bubbling intensity of ‘Dandelion’ whose contradiction between bitter taste and beautiful flower inspires Thompson to ask what we fear by caring too much.

'Triumph & Sadness' weaves together threads that speak of life’s great challenges. It is a complete and compelling statement from an artist ready to connect with a global audience for the first time.

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: https://bfan.link/triumph-sadness


Artist: Ella Thompson
Title: Triumph And Sadness 
Release Date : 16th October, 2026
Label : Mr Bongo Records
Catalog Number : MRBCDLP354
Format: Vinyl LP / CD / Digital / Bandcamp

Friday, 9 October 2026

You'll recognise the undercover sounds of I Germin (aka Mihail A. Popov) as he's grounded in earthly BRUK and  jazzy deep house - add Kid Sublime & 6th Borough Project and you've got a 12" heading for the stars!



Big fans of Deepa's Henna Onna's 'Maboroshi' EP (feat Kuniyuki, Satoshi Fumi Remixes) so no surprise then that even when there's no Japanophiles element, we're just as taken with I Gemin's Terra Incognita EP featuring Kid Sublime (remember 'You Got Me Runnin' - see review HERE) with 6th Borough Project remixes (they of 'The Deal' on Delusions of Grandeur - see review HERE).

Mihail A. Popov is a Russian with two decades in the game behind him, partly under his given name, but half of that time has also seen him work as I Gemin. Now he lands on Deeppa Records with a conceptual EP "built around depth, patience and underground exploration."
 
We are told that the aim is to explore all new musical ground and follow newly emerging paths, and the result is a fine four-track EP, 'Terra Incognita'. 'Like The Star' is a lush, deep nu-disco jam with funk and flute gang goodness (Ed. top track), 'Love Undercover' has a seductive slide to the live-sounding drums and playfulness in the horns, while 'Terra Incognita' brings jazzy chords and a balmy late-night warmth. 'Melancholy' gets more heavy and roughed up with smudged neo-soul and R&B samples, making it a romantic affair. 

All pretty down to earth stuff you might think, but when you add in a Kid Sublime remix ('Like The Star' as a 'Star Dub BRUK Mix') and 6th Borough Project (remixes of the title track and 'Love Undercover' you're more than club-ready for the dancefloor - Undercover of the Night you might say?


Artist: I Gemin 
Title:  Terra Incognita EP (feat Kid Sublime, 6th Borough Project Remixes)  
Release date: 19th October, 2026
Label : Deeppa Records
Catalog Number : DEEPPA18
Format: Vinyl 12" / Digital / Bandcamp 

Monday, 5 October 2026

Posted by Gerry Hectic | File under : ,

There's a global focus on 'Woven Together' that evolved over a decade of "electronic wieight, live band musicality, Kiwi tropical warmth and a new sense of purpose" - the Flamingo Pier are dancing again!



Those with good memories for the name Flamingo Pier will recall releases on Soundway and Razor 'N' Tape but this album is a return for the New Zealand born, London shaped trio of Luke Walker, Dom Jones and Brad Craig

And a big return it is for they have developed into their own quiltwork of Balearic disco beach soul that shadows what Fat Freddy's Drop did with reggae/beats/soul; there must be some Kiwi synergy going on.

With roots in London warehouse party culture, Flamingo Pier have built a reputation for rhythm driven, melodic dance music that feels both expansive and intimate whilst collaborations with Auckland's reknown sax player/flutist Nathan Haines and Steve Monite and Netflix syncs on 'Good Girls' and 'Partner Track'. Their Waiheke Island festival and high energy live shows have cemented them as one of the southern hemisphere’s most joyful and musically ambitious dance acts.

The 10 tracks on 'Woven Together' captures that history while pushing confidently forward. Written, produced and released entirely on their own terms, the album threads together the trio’s global influences with the relaxed, percussive, nature shaped feel of their New Zealand roots. It’s a record built on groove, melody and emotional clarity — dance music with sunlight in its bones.

Across its singles, the album’s palette has already begun to reveal itself. Opening track 'Cool Nights' (Ed. everything else is hot) introduces a sleek, late night Italo shimmer; 'No Excuses' delivered a driving, piano led anthem about living fully in the present; 'Glowdown' stretched into a radiant slow burn designed for golden hour sets, and 'Be The Same' is heavily,  Influenced by Outkast and Timbaland.  In addition to that lots, there's the Latin influenced speed soul-jazz instrumental Italo 'Piano 130'.(Ed. guess the bpm) 

Put all this together and you've got an idea of the album’s breadth: confident, spacious, rhythmic, and unmistakably a re-defined Flamingo Pier; as they say in the ultra-catchy title track, "no body does it like you".

'Woven Together' as an album is a celebration of their connection — between people, places, influences and moments — and a statement of where Flamingo Pier are heading next: a sound that’s relaxed yet precise, underground yet expansive, glowing from the inside out; a re-imagined dancefloor Flying Mojito Bros.+1 that are 'Living It Up' if you like. 

If you're lucky enough to be in NZ this October, catch them at their gigs supporting the release of the album.

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: Woven Together | Flamingo Pier


Artist: Flamingo Pier
Title: Woven Together
Release date: 9th October, 2026
Label : Flamingo Pier
Catalog Number : TBC
Format: Vinyl LP / Digital / Bandcamp


Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Posted by Gerry Hectic | File under : , , ,

Credit(s) where credit(s) due, to get into this 'Beautiful Place' of eight tracks, you have to fly into jazz-hip-hop heritage from Seattle, Buenos Aires and Colombia!



I've said it before, DFRA on Trusted Rhythm Records with 'Give Me' (see review HERE) or on MATE as a DFRA Experience (see review HERE) you know that  when it comes to blending soul, jazz and classic house, you know that Diego Ruiz (aka DFRA) has got more than one finger on the buttons; especially as he's joined here with Nick Weaver.  

Making the move from 'A Quiet Storm' (see review HERE) he's landed in a beautiful place with Nick Weaver that's moves you like Gil Scot-Heron with Roy Hargrove on a Bill Evans mets ATCQ hill top surveying all that they an see.

Seattle-born hip hop artist Nick Weaver and Colombian jazz and house producer DFRA are set to release their debut collaborative album, 'Beautiful Place', digitally on October 2, followed by a limited run vinyl release. The eight-track project is fully live-instrumented by DFRA's band, and produced and mixed by DFRA, out now under Silver Walker Recordings.

The album traces one person's search for peace inside a city that rarely offers it, with vocals from Weaver that are full of observations on finding your place amid the chaos of Buenos Aires. Weaver and DFRA first crossed paths in the city, striking up a friendship that led to early collaborations on DFRA's house projects before turning to create their first joint album, Beautiful Place.

Lead single 'Beautiful Place' and second single 'Credits' are out now, with the full album following October 2 on all streaming services.


PS. don't mention Seahawks.




Artist: DFRA & Nick Weaver
Title: Beautiful Place LP
Release date: 2nd October, 2026
Label : Silver Walker Recordings
Catalog Number:  TBC
Format:  Digital / Bandcamp

Tuesday, 29 September 2026

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Get ready to press that 'Big Red Button' as Dicky Continental and Ioan Omar get ready to explode on this new single with a killer dub!



You'll recall Dicky Continental (aka Rich Thair) turned up on Ramrock Records on the remix of The Secret Garden's 'Weekend Away' (see review HERE) that got elevated by the vocals of Ioan Omar.

Well, they're back together on this single/EP (with Vocal, Dub and Instrumental versions) and will be on the forthcoming Dicky Continental album ‘Queer The Pitch' recorded at Bunty’s Studio, Swansea.

Ramrock Red Records head-honcho, Jo Wallace, has made the executive decision to put the dub first – and I for one am not surprised - slo-mo, beats, rockers dubstep: brilliant!

The track is a soulful head nodder, built around Rich’s live drums and warm melodic textures, featuring the skilful flow of Ioan Omar, a young Swansea based, Welsh/Jamaican MC. There are also some cheeky vocal inclusions from a 1980s pirate radio show found on a dusty C.90. 
 
We're told, by Dicky and Ioan, that ‘Big Red Button’ was written pretty much in the studio on the day of recording, 
"Ioan was initially struggling with writer’s block so when we started recording, he really settled into the moment and that’s where the inspiration came from. ‘Big Red Button’ is about the moment of recording in the studio, when you press the big red record button and speak your mind.  I was recording the drums with Wal, Swansea based producer and bass player, and he loved the track. So, he jumped in on bass and laid down the bass line in one live take. As I was putting the instrumental track together, I was thinking about some of the great footage of Marvin Gaye jamming with his band and Wal evoked the spirit of those jams which I loved. Wal sadly passed away in 2025 - he was a brilliant session musician, working with numerous artists over the past 40 years, including being Gary Numan’s bass player for years." 

‘Big Red Button’ is dedicated to Andrew ‘Wal’ Coughlan [RIP].

Come and join the listening party for 'Queer The Pitch' Bandcamp vinyl launch HERE October 1, 2026 at 7:00 PM GMT+1 [NB. the 'white' cover for 'Queer The Pitch' is digital and the painting is the vinyl cover]



Artist: Dicky Continental ft. Ioan Omar
Title: Big Red Button (Dub, Vocal, Instrumental)
Release date: 12th October, 2026
Label: Ramrock Red Records
Cat. No: RRR104
Format: Digital / Bandcamp
Posted by Gerry Hectic | File under : , , , , , , ,

Just recovered from your summer holidays/break?  Refreshed?  Perfect, jump back in with some 'Astro Danza' moves out of Brooklyn's Razor-N-Tape via Dennis Liber.


Those with good memories will recall that Dennis teamed up with his mate Lex (Athens) on one of our favourite label's Rocksteady Disco (see HERE) who happen to be big mates of Razor-N-Tape head-honcho JKriv (see HERE) and now he's got his own solo Carrib-tropical-disco-house EP with a list of International friends.

The four (+ an extended title track version) are describes as "different shades of  paradise. From the hypnotic nighttime energy of the title track, to the tropical joy of ‘Être Heureux’ (featuring Chäm with typically twangy guitar and a standout remix from French producer Anoraak), and the dreamy celebration of feminine freedom in ‘Femme Papillon’ (featuring Chäm and Shoao), the ‘Astro Danza EP’ is the cosmic and sensual sound of endless summer!"

Also, check out the label's compilation 'Family Affair Vol. 4' (see HERE) where Dennis teamed up with Yasmin Kademian and that's the winning bond on the title track; especially the extended 7 minute version (Ed. you know we like a long one on YATM).

Perfect for fans of DJ GUTS/David Walters/Heavenly Sweetness/Pura Vida and more including Dennis Liber: get ya Astro Danza space dancing shoes on!



Artist: Dennis Liber 
Title: Astro Danza EP 
Release date: 2nd October, 2026
Label: Razor-N-Tape
Cat. No: RNT138
Format: 12" vinyl / Bandcamp / Digital 


Monday, 28 September 2026

Rainer Trüby is a big name in house, soul and jazz as founder of the famous Root Down club and compiler of countless compilations - but can't miss out on a 30th anniversary with this monster!


Rainer Trüby, he of Compost Records' Glücklich VI (see review HERE) and many a compilation more, a huge record collection (particularly MPS label; stay tuned for news of a new album on that label by - Ed Motta!), founder of the Root Down club and member of both A Forest Mighty Black and the Trüby Trio, it's fair to say, Mr Trüby knows his 'Root Down' stuff!

Now, depending on your point of view, there may be an element for mates rates for the inclusion of Da Lata's cover version of the absolute classic 'Jungle Kitten' (and if you've read this far, you deserve to get yourself an earful of the Manfredo Fest original which may still be available as the Bluebird 12" of 1979) but that apart/included, what a great 10 tracks we have to celebrate 30 years of Root Down.

Folks and tracks we know, Jazzanova with 'No Use' (the Crackazat remix and featuring Clara Hill - see 'Inbetween - Remixes' review HERE) and Felipe Gordon (see HERE) with 'Let's Get, Get Together' and Trüby own project with Carrado Bucci, Trüccy (did you see what they did there! - 'Closer' was the Hectic track of choice at the time:) with Laroye's Afro Balearic mix of 'Kenyatta'.

And it's not only Laroye who knows a remix, there's a DeejayKul meets Soultechnic Rework, 
and one of the many highlights on the album, The Soul Session's cover of 'A Horse With No Name' as remixed by Trüby and Marlow plus an Osunlade remix of a Colfo collab (as Rawb Boss) and Jimpster (he of Freerange Records - see their 30 year birthday series HERE).

I think that's enough name drops for you to get the idea that this is quality and more than worth a 'Root Down' over the past 30 years.

P.S. Think I'll have to dig out the 12" white label of 'Root Down' by Peter Kruder (2000)

P.P.S. Wonder if DJs Miche and Chris Wheatley picked up anything from their recent visit to Rainer's massive 22k strong collection? 

Artist : Various Artists
Title : Root Down 30: Compiled By Rainer Trüby
Release Date : 2nd October, 2026
Catalog Number : TBC
Label : Daybreakers
Format : 2xLP / CD / Digital

Posted by Gerry Hectic | File under : , , ,

Omar is always brilliant.. and here's a double CD to proove it and celebrate his birthday at the end of summer as 'Brighter The Days' lights up our lives!



This Deluxe Edition of 'Brighter The Days' with singles, instrumentals, dubs and remixes, has been a while in the offering as Omar is now in his 41st year as a recording artist!


Following on from singles 'Can We Go Out' single (see review HERE), 'Lovey Dovey' (see review HERE), 'Research' and the title track itself (see review HERE) with the original album having sold out, this expanded double CD pairs the album with a whole second disc of 'bonus tracks' that have never been available on CD before.

Here's the exclusive bits that you'll get on CD 2:
 
• 'Lovey Dovey' ft Eric Roberson & Raheem DeVaughn) (Kenny Dope Remix & Kenny Dope Remix Instrumental)
• The three Joe Claussell versions (hot from remix work with Emanuele Cisi - see review HERE - and BBE favourite, Audrey Powne - see review HERE) of 'There's Much Love In The World'; remix, radio edit and World Afriqua Dub 
• 'Brighter The Days' (DJ Spinna remix + instrumental)
• 'Love Is Like' ft India.Arie (Illa J remxi + instrumental)
• 'I've Been Waiting' Maestro & Supa D Remix
• 'Can We Go Out?' (Zed Bias Remix)
• 'Omar isn't just for Christmas but 'That Time Again' (featuring  Charlene Hamilton) is his first ever Christmas single, very much in the Stevie/Donny lineage (not Windwood or Osmond).

Not only is Omar 'The Man' he's been recognised as such as Omar Christopher Lye-Fook, MBE (2012) and has been a mainstay of UK soul/neo-soul and was such leader of Gilles Peterson's Talkin' Loud golden period; little wonder the all want to work with him.  On CD1 itself there's Uk Modfather Paul Weller, Giggs, India.Arie, Ledisi, Eric Roberson, Raheem DeVaughn, Jeru The Damaja, Ronnie Foster, Don-e, Scratch Professer, Tony Remy and Honey Larochelle along for the ride. 

Since the original ablum release, Omar has toured the UK, sold out two US tours and played everywhere from NPR's Tiny Desk to Later… With Jools Holland and New York's Summer Stage.

Always essential, always Omar.

PS. Great cover photo.

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: https://orcd.co/omardeluxecd


Artist: Omar
Title: Brighter The Days (Deluxe Edition)
Release date: 2nd Ocotober, 2026
Label :  BBE Music / IMPRESS!VE Collective
Catalog Number  BBE801 
Format: CD (x2) / Digital / Bandcamp  

Friday, 25 September 2026

30 years is a long-time and in Freerange Records timezone they're celebrating with 30 tracks from 30 artists on 5 EPs - and VOLUME FOUR is now here!


Quatro already and this is one for the drive home as we head to the conclusion of thirty years of Freerange and their celebration with the artists and musical values that have defined the label's journey. 

To recap, 30 Years Of Freerange brings together 30 exclusive tracks from 30 artists, released across five EPs before culminating in a beautifully curated box set; also check out Vol. 3 HERE, Vol. 2 HERE and Vol. 1 HERE. 

Volume 4 balances established label favourites with fresh collaborations and future classics, once again exploring the rich spectrum of house music that has become synonymous with the Freerange sound: timeless grooves, musical depth and soul in abundance.

Longtime friends of the label Dam Swindle (last seen on their 'House Of House' compilation, see review HERE) open the collection with ‘I Met Her Last Summer’, a beautifully understated slice of sun-drenched house that radiates warmth and effortless musicality. Euphoric chords, classic disco groove and tension-building arrangement combine to create one of those deceptively simple records that feels instantly familiar whilst revealing new details with every listen. 

Next up French house stalwart Rocco Rodamaal who teams up with the unmistakable voice of Oliver Night (not to be confused with Oliver Knight) for ‘Body & Soul’. Rooted in deep and soulful house traditions, the track blends Rocco’s trademark musicality with an irresistible vocal performance that celebrates the healing power of dance music. Timeless, heartfelt and impossible not to move to. Andy Ash steps up next with ‘Bailey’ delivering a masterclass in rolling, deep house. Built around a looping filtered vocal hook, souring synths and crunchy drums, it's the kind of track that quietly works its magic on the dancefloor, balancing emotional depth with subtle groove.

Flipping over, Black Loops brings the raw, stripped-back funk he's become renowned for on ‘Body Frequencies’. Swinging drums, creative sampling and rolling low-end pressure make this an irresistible club workout, perfectly capturing his distinctive blend of classic house influences and modern production finesse. 

Next comes a meeting of minds as Italian producer L.D.F. joins forces with Ron Trent protege Trinidadian Deep for ‘African Dream’. Combining percussion-heavy rhythms, rich synth textures and deep spiritual energy, the pair craft a mesmerizing journey that draws equally from Afro-house traditions and classic deep house sensibilities, unfolding patiently with a sense of purpose and emotion.

Closing the EP is something special. Trumpeter, producer and Jimpster collaborator Greg Paulus teams up with Parisian DJ and producer Krol on ‘Waitin’.  Impossible to pigeonhole and all the better for it, ‘Waitin’ transcends genres by melding raw house beats, live trumpet, Greg’s own vocals and a hooky piano part to form something totally fresh and unique.  A freaky, late-night meditation where live instrumentation, subtle electronics and rolling groove exist in perfect harmony, bringing Vol. 4 to a suitably maverick and satisfying close.

This series has to be the best of the year and in 5 volumes, Freerange has captured not only what is great about Freerange Records but what's good about music!  One Vol. to go so stay tuned.

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: Music | Freerange Records

Artist: Various Artists
Release: Thirty Years Of Freerange Vol.4
Release Date: 25th September, 2026
Label: Freerange Records
Catalog Number: FR319
Format:   Vinyl / Digital / BANDCAMP