Penrose Records is proud to introduce the newest members of the family, the Inland Empireʼs own Vicky Tafoya and the Big Beat. Born in Santa Ana and currently residing in Colton, Vicky started singing a capella doo wop in the late 80s for the So. Cal. Doo Wop Society and went on to co-found the Big Beat in 2001. Their debut single on Penrose is a moody minor chord ballad featuring a reverb laden guitar solo and beautiful girl group harmonies behind Vickyʼs effortless yet haunting vocal about two people longing to be together… Forever.
Available November 20th. Pre-order via the US Daptone Shop (shipping worldwide) Pre-order via the UK-based shop (shipping within Europe, only)
We are very excited to announce the reissue of Black Unity Trio – Al Fatihah on vinyl. PRE-ORDER NOW!
As the next installment in our OHWax vinyl series, we present what was, quite possibly, the first ever independently-released free-jazz record. Originating in Oberlin, Ohio as the Black Unity Quartet, and ultimately becoming the Trio (Abdul Wadud, Yusuf Mumin, and Hasan Al Hut), the group recorded Al-Fatihah on December 24, 1968 at Agency Recording Studio (which was located upstairs in the building housing the legendary Agora Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio).
We have spared no expense in making this reissue – cut all analog and remastered from the original 1968 master tapes! Our friend Grammy-Award recipient Paul Blakemore’s restoration and remastering work cleaned random ticks from the original source, as well as greatly improved the balance to bring out some of the instrument subtleties which were barely, if at all audible, in the original pressing. The deluxe gatefold packaging features extended liner notes written by Ras Moshe Burnett.
On this limited-edition pressing, we also used Gotta Groove’s proprietary GrooveCoated stamper plating technology — This involves an additional electroforming step in the creation of the metal stampers used to press the grooves into the records. GrooveCoated stampers have a lubricious surface which helps high frequencies in particular to be held more intact during the course of manufacturing, verses traditional stampers.
Here is a sneak peak of the lacquer cutting session that took place on September 21, 2020 at Well Made Music – cut by Clint Holley and Dave Polster.
Pre-orderthe album now for arrival by its November 27, 2020 street date.
Album #5 in just as many years! But this one is quite unlike the others. Made in the midst of a pandemic with an onslaught of in-your-face racism, police brutality, death, homelessness, poverty, inequality, injustice and life as we know it changing forever all hitting with brute force at the same time, A Funky Bad Time was made under stress in a way the prior four albums weren’t. But just because times are bad, doesn’t mean they can’t be funky. In fact, the badder, the funkier. So funky you gotta spell BADD with two Ds! 12 slices of cold blooded instrumental funk (+ 1 Bandcamp-only digital bonus track) from Jay Mumford (aka J-Zone) and Pablo Martin – with guest musicians Horn Diapersen (fka Ike “Time Wolf” Parker who played alongside Jay in Ben Pirani’s band) on bass and percussionist Bruce Martin (who joins the Du-Rites live and plays alongside Pablo in Tom Tom Club).
Available as part of RSD Drop #3, Saturday 24th October 2020.
Dig on track after track of superior sounds: the fuzz-fueled freak-outs of the Mystery Lights; the swirling, mind-altering melodies of Michael Rault; the troglodytic tune-smithery of the Ar-Kaics; the anglophilic grooves of Benny Trokan, and the Fame-Beats; the Link Wray-inspired madness of the Buzz Brothers; the soul-tinged savagery of the Jay Vons; as well as tracks from newcomers, Steady Sun and Eric McEntee; and beyond! Some of the tracks will be available for the first time on vinyl! This is one helluva compilation, folks. Don’t sleep on it – Wick is watching!
Soul Step Records are so fired up to share that they are welcoming back to Soul Step for a second release is Cincinnati’s own COASTAL CLUB. After a strong demand for the 45 single release of “Shake You / Make its By” they get to share on vinyl the newest release from Coastal Club, “ ~ i get nervous sometimes ~”
~ i get nervous sometimes ~ is the best sunny indie pop that Ohio could produce! This album is for fans of Hippo Campus, COIN, and Bombay Cycle Club. It’s hard to imagine these sun-soaked indie pop jams are from the Midwest! Coastal Club will continue to hit your ears with hook after hook after hook. This is an album of delicious ear-worms that will stay in your head all day long. Put this album on your turntable and watch your life get bright and sunny real quick.
The Queen City quartet of indie surf rockers was formed in 2017 by a group of friends looking to blend indie rock and pop with the surf music of the 60’s and 70’s. While based in landlocked Ohio, there is a longing for the coast found in their romantic, beachy melodies. Coastal Club has tirelessly played and continued to hone in on their unique sound. With the release of “ ~ i get nervous sometimes ~” we are presented with SIX brand new Coastal Club tracks and the vinyl specifically carries the tracks from their previous self-titled EP. Just as a special treat for the vinyl fans out there.
Soul Step Records will be releasing “~ i get nervous sometimes ~” by Coastal Club to Soul Step Record Subscribers on Saturday, September 5th. The general public sale will begin on Monday, September 7th.
There will be a limited to 100 Lipstick Red vinyl variant in addition to the standard black vinyl. Soul Step Records highly encourages fans to sign up to be a Soul Step Subscriber for free, as many of our limited edition vinyl sell out very quickly.
There had been a few reunion gigs since 2014 featuring original members from various mid-2000s lineups including Roger Chandler (2001-2004) and Scott Eberhardt (2006-2008) but different times and priorities demanded a different configuration. That new lineup finally solidified when Sciflyer’s head space cadet Steven Kennedy’s longtime friends Sophia Campbell on bass joined in 2016 and Sonya Trejo on drums (2018) …both former members of LSD & The Search for God.
Now with a new female rhythm section and new album The Illusion of Unlimited Choice, Sciflyer is stronger than ever. Sonically, still very pretty. Prettier in fact, and with depth and resonance not previously expressed. Definitely heavier and harder too. We’re in new territory here: A Spacemen 3 / Loop-doing-Telescopes-style pop reimagined by The Meat Puppets place, with Jim Reid singing in a lower register. The trademark hazy vocals are more present than ever and are still haunting. I like this record more each time I listen to it. I’m very grateful to Dan Sostrom, Clairecords for sending Steven to Darla.
Steven Kennedy jokes that Sciflyer couldn’t get arrested in the SF Bay Area back in their mid-2000’s heyday, but with a decade plus in the rear view, the recent shoegaze revival no one saw coming and the exponential growth of social media, that has changed. Apparently some had actually been listening to their two Clairecords releases (2003 and 2005) and liking them… a lot. And so their reputation and legend grew while they were out of commission.
Keeping in the same spirit of his original motion picture soundtracks, Peter McGennis steps out with a twelve piece band marking his first record as “Pete & The Amusements” who perform and appear in his rock opera “Laff In The Dark.” Teaming up again with master musicians like saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis and Kofi Burbridge, McGennis takes you on a fun, multigenre ride paying tribute to a beloved Canadian amusement park that played prominently in his youth before its demise.
Tha God Fahim is a U.S. rapper and producer currently working out of Atlanta, GA. Also known as the Dump Gawd and the 100 Tape Legend, Fahim has consistently put out project after project since first coming onto the underground scene in 2015 with his tape Shadows Over Nazereth.
His album TGIF is available for the first time on vinyl in a limited edition of 300 copies.