mister T. - Big Day (Cold Busted)

As Greece's vibrant scene for funky hip hop and jazzy breakbeats continues to flourish, the Cold Busted label is there on the lookout. This time they've snatched up another high-quality release from the enigmatic Athens-based DJ and producer named mister T. The album Big Day features twelve rhythm-ready tracks, all full of bounce and swing, and many featuring talented vocalists to further spice up the mix. The album opens with "A True Story", transporting a head-nodding boom-bap vibe into a smokey speakeasy jazz club from a foregone era. The diversity of mister T.'s set is shown in Big Day's many other highlights, including the speedy breakbeat -- with scratches and horns! -- of "Yo", the cheeky nu-disco funk of "This Is Not A House Track", and the slinky strut, whispered vocals, and gritty organ riffs of "Move Like Us". The vocal tracks also excel … "Everybody Is Going To Be There", featuring Lucy Lune Gillespie, and other album cuts with Katie Rose Summerfield and JoGoldie, create a classic funk feel while remaining in the contemporary 'beats n' breaks' zone for modern floors. It's prime time for mister T. … Big Day feels like a huge discovery.

Ursula 1000 - "Hot!"
Kid Loco - "This is what I call party music. Super top class."
Fort Knox Five - "Yet another solid release from mister T … not a dud in the bunch! We'll probably play them all."
Mark Farina - "Good stuff!"
Rich Medina - "This is cool."
All Good Funk Alliance - "Nice jazzy nu-funk jams here … loving 'A True Story' and 'Yo' the most."
Sunshine Jones (Dubtribe) - "Nice to hear breaks like this again."
Tim "Love" Lee (Tummy Touch) - "I love it."
Quincy Jointz (Timewarp Music) - "mister T is unstoppable. Another great EP from this dope artist."
Stereo 77 (Plimsoll Records) - "Very nice! Another winner from the Cold Busted camp."
DJ Wash (Funk the System) - "Cool and groovy tracks!"
Double-D (Funky Fresh Radio Show) - "Yeah ... rockin' funky fresh ... great!"
DJ Nartak (Nightflight / Klassik Lounge) - "Cool as ice, hot like salsa. A great mix of styles."
DJ Doubles (Freestyle Fusion) - "Yummy … nice vibes. Perfect for a nightly drive into funkytown."
SimonG (Deep South Audio) - "Smooth, slinky, and ready to slide the early morning crew in to the next dimension."
DJ Tomas (ForwardEver) - "Quality beats and breaks with clean production and lots of flair. Each track stands out on its own – beefy and stout productions for party-rocking."
Diesler (A LIttle Something Radio) - "I pity the fool who doesn't dig this release!"

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, iTunes, and the Cold Busted Bandcamp Shop.

Hardkiss - Delusions of Grandeur (Remastered 20th Anniversary Edition) (Hardkiss Music)

"I made absolutely sure that none of us would ever return to normality again."
- Scott Hardkiss

Hardkiss are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Delusions of Grandeur. The out-of-print album will be released digitally for the first time on May 25th, 2015. A commemorative 20th Anniversary double CD includes a 32 page booklet written by Terry Matthews of 5Magazine. This and other special offers including vinyl and The Hardkiss Vault '91 - '99 are available exclusively via a PledgeMusic campaign.

"Hardkiss’s music defies musical barriers, time and space with off-the-teabags loved-out majesty and manages to suspend the listener in a bottomless pool of fragrant intoxicants and rabbit aphrodisiac heart rhythms."
- Kris Needs, Melody Maker

Nick Warren - "Still sounding as wonderful as they did the first time I heard them. Brilliant music like this never ages."
Tensnake - "Great classics."
Darin Epsilon - "'Raincry' is still sounding great to this day."
Anthony Pappa - "Amazing and classic … it's always been one of my favorite releases."
Larry Tee - "A tasty selection!"
Chris Fortier - "A classic of classics … still as stunning as ever."
Christian Martin (Christian Martin) - "'Out Of Body Experience (Burning Spear)' is so sick."
Hardway Bros (A Love From Outer Space) - "Love love love!"
Chrissy Murderbot (Planet Mu / Loose Squares) - "I remember buying this when it came out. Hyped for the remasters!"
Öona Dahl (Hallucienda) - "'3 Nudes Having Sax On Acid' is still amazing to play in a set! Timeless, all of it."
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) - "Sometimes you look back on classic records with rose colored spectacles. This is not one of those times … these tracks are just as spiritual, emotional and dance-able as I remember."
Generic People (Cut For Life) - "An absolute stone cold classic that has stood the test of time."
Andy Wilson (Ibiza Sonica FM / Balearica) - "I have cherished copies of these on vinyl and played them to death, especially at beach and jungle parties in Thailand in the early '90s. It's so great to get nice new digital versions to play again."
Dr. Best (Radio Z, Germany) - "I love my crackling vinyl copy from back in the days, but now it shines in remastered sound quality … nice."

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, and iTunes.

Machines For Dreams - Premonition (Dimentique)

Bristol's Dimentique imprint is known for its eclectic A&R policy, reaching across genres to discover new producers and talent that tangentially fit the label's philosophy. This is evidenced by the latest signing, the one man indie project Machines For Dreams. Helmed by Australian-based Lachlan Morris, Machines For Dreams blends the guitars and rawness of lo-fi indie rock with the -- yes -- machines of electronic music. This debut single, "Premonition", is a somewhat plaintive composition utilizing 808 drums to underpin Morris's guitar and vocal contributions alongside electronic embellishments. Dimentique has also enlisted Austrian producer Espada (Colourful Recordings / Escapism Musique) to create a magical transformation of "Premonition", emphasizing the 'Dreams' in the original band's name with a floaty deep house remix that has no shortage of gorgeous moments. Gentle piano melodies and wisps of vocal tip-toe over a solid rhythm and bass track, combining into a late night excursion for ethereal dance floors.

Scheibosan (Shanti Roots / Kraak Records) - "The Espada remix is nice and dreamy."
DJ SaF (Expanded / DC10) - "That Espada remix is really DEEP!"
Distant People (Foliage / Seamless) - "I like this remix … laid back and full of emotion."
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) - "The Espada Rework is gorgeous."
Beppe Gioia (Garage Family / Unified) - "This is deep!"
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle / Strange Days) - "Lovely stuff … full support."
DJ Doubles (Freestyle Fusion) - "Great original track … I love that intricate rawness. And what a stunningly deep peak time remix … top class!"
DJ Di Costa (MoodyLushious Influences) - "The original version is one real fine piece of trip-hop flavored electronica. At the same time, Espada's rework is really good with its more deep feeling."
Corbin Dooley (Electric Feel Radio Show) - "The rework has a nice, melodic dance vibe, but I'm enjoying the original the best."
Jero Nougues (Deep Essence Radio Show) - "The Espada Rework sounds nice … driving synths and pumping bass through a catchy groove."
DJ Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - "A sophisticated deep house destination for the remix."
Darrell Stout (Next Level / Beatmatrix) - "Beautifully haunting."
NoWay DJ (Sub-Zero Radio Show) - "Good tune, I like how it mixes the organic with the electronic."
Kris Jones (Freshdrops) - "Wow … this is a really cool combination of original and rework! Personally as a DJ, I am more inclined to the Espada rework, but I really enjoy the original as well."
Taigo Onez (Essence Radio Show) - "This is very nice … top quality from Machines For Dreams!"

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, and iTunes.

All Good Funk Alliance - Varied Funk (Super Hi-Fi Recordings)

The All Good Funk Alliance drop a new EP featuring four different styles of funky business for their Super Hi-Fi label. Made up of Frank Cueto and Rusty Belicek, the All Good Funk Alliance has opened up for James Brown, DJ'ed all around the world, and consistently appeared on the Breakspoll Top 50 list. In other words, these guys are no strangers to the funk.

Varied Funk kicks off with “Make It Go-Go” featuring Big Tony of Trouble Funk, the classic Washington, DC, combo famous for popularizing its city's celebrated 'go-go' sound. The track has that classic go-go flavor, but its been updated for the 21st century. "Make It Go-Go" is full of clanking percussion, horn blasts, and funky synths, making for a dope mid-tempo jam. “Do Work”, featuring vocalist Mustafa Akbar of dancehall funk band Nappy Riddem, follows with a Motown vibe, but freshly tinted for today in a Mayer Hawthorne-meets-Mark Ronson way. It provides for an extremely catchy sing-a-long number. In classic AFGA style, “Funk This Jam” features Soul Suit in another funky, mid-tempo track that feels like something that would have made it onto the duo's Funk Weapons imprint back in the day. It's got call and response vocals and insane breakdowns. Finally, “On-Off Boogie” delivers a nu-disco funk jam with some squawky talk box, funky beats, and really intricate synth work. It leans more towards AGFA's “boogie funk” style and rounds out this EP perfectly.

Kid Loco - "Great stuff."
Gavin Hardkiss (Hawke) - "It's so good. I take some AGFA and Trouble Funk with me wherever I go."
Ursula 1000 - "Bumpin'!"
Fort Knox Five - "Every track on this release is pure funky dance floor gold. Props to AGFA for representing DC with their future go-go bomb … let the party begin!"
Alkalino - "Some real nu-funk here. I'm playing this!"
Renegades Of Jazz (Agogo Records / Mojo Club) - "Stellar release!"
Flash Atkins - "I love this … plenty of future funk right here. It won't be leaving the box!"
BMD (XLNT / Tru:Funk) - "Excellent work from the funk masters. Top tunes!"
Quincy Jointz (Timewarp Music) - "This is a great comeback. All tunes are damn groovy."
DJ Doubles (Freestyle Fusion) - "Awww … wicked! I will be dropping these all summer long … high rollers!"
Nutritious (SpinSpinNYC) - "AGFA are like the modern day P-Funk. 'Do Work' is solid gold certified hit classic."
Corbin Dooley (Electric Feel Radio Show) - "Top notch jams from the DC funk heroes!"
DJ Tomas (ForwardEver) - "AGFA never disappoint. This is another locked-in release that covers the funk spectrum top to bottom and is as good as it gets. It's great to hear their production continue to evolve."

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, and iTunes.