Mr Bongo | Transmission Towers - Roller Skater 23 (Official Video) @MrBongoRecords | Uploaded 7 months ago | Updated 16 hours ago
Buy: https://bfan.link/transmission-one
Across the river Mersey, a broadcast beams out of Transmission Towers. Signalling the arrival of a new transcendent machine soul duo and their forthcoming debut album Transmission One, the grooves of ‘Roller Skater 23’ reverberate into the atmosphere. Laced up, strapped in, this is a cosmic cruiser to soundtrack your ride on the interstellar airwaves.
Transmission Towers, operated by Mark Kyriacou and Eleanor Mante, brings together two artists who collaborated over 10 years ago and stayed friends ever since. This new project, which also marks the first release on Luke Una’s new É Soul Cultura label, orbits a synthesised world won over by soul. Giving a first taste of what’s to come on their forthcoming album, the lead single is an outer planetary excursion taking in off-kilter E soul, tripped-out astral punk and sonic Afrofuturism.
Machines melding with emotions, Mark programming the synthesisers and drum machines as Eleanor lays down the lyrical radiance. Galactic keys, hyperspace basslines and celestial strings, it’s the kind of otherworldly energy that transports your mind to another dimension.
Amplifying this first transmission as far as it can possibly reach, Crooked Man aka Parrot has been brought in on mix down duties. Combined with a heavyweight mastering by Joker, ‘Roller Skater 23’ is destined to command dancefloors and capture minds wherever it is received.
Transmission Towers - (instagram.com/transmission_towers)
Video Director - Mark James (instagram.com/markjamesworks)
Exec Producer - Luke Una (instagram.com/lukeunabomber)
Buy: https://bfan.link/transmission-one
Across the river Mersey, a broadcast beams out of Transmission Towers. Signalling the arrival of a new transcendent machine soul duo and their forthcoming debut album Transmission One, the grooves of ‘Roller Skater 23’ reverberate into the atmosphere. Laced up, strapped in, this is a cosmic cruiser to soundtrack your ride on the interstellar airwaves.
Transmission Towers, operated by Mark Kyriacou and Eleanor Mante, brings together two artists who collaborated over 10 years ago and stayed friends ever since. This new project, which also marks the first release on Luke Una’s new É Soul Cultura label, orbits a synthesised world won over by soul. Giving a first taste of what’s to come on their forthcoming album, the lead single is an outer planetary excursion taking in off-kilter E soul, tripped-out astral punk and sonic Afrofuturism.
Machines melding with emotions, Mark programming the synthesisers and drum machines as Eleanor lays down the lyrical radiance. Galactic keys, hyperspace basslines and celestial strings, it’s the kind of otherworldly energy that transports your mind to another dimension.
Amplifying this first transmission as far as it can possibly reach, Crooked Man aka Parrot has been brought in on mix down duties. Combined with a heavyweight mastering by Joker, ‘Roller Skater 23’ is destined to command dancefloors and capture minds wherever it is received.
Transmission Towers - (instagram.com/transmission_towers)
Video Director - Mark James (instagram.com/markjamesworks)
Exec Producer - Luke Una (instagram.com/lukeunabomber)
![Idrissa Soumaoro et LEclipse De LI.J.A. - Le Tioko-Tioko [Full Album]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TUggmVNinUU/hqdefault.jpg "Idrissa Soumaoro et LEclipse De LI.J.A. - Le Tioko-Tioko [Full Album]
ORDER Vinyl / CD / Digi: https://mrbongo.bandcamp.com/album/le-tioko-tioko
00:00 - Fama Allah
08:59 - Djama
13:51 - Beni Inikanko
18:11 - Nissodia
26:32 - Ben
31:25 - Bimoko
Idrissa Soumaoro, L’Eclipse De L’I.J.A.’s sought-after album ‘Le Tioko-Tioko’ was originally released in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1978 and has been a long-time favourite at Mr Bongo. Two tracks from the album were featured on our 2017 compilation ‘The Original Sound Of Mali’ (MRBLP135), and we subsequently released the track ‘Nissodia’ on its own 12” (MRB12053) in 2020, complete with a blistering dancefloor re-edit by Mike D of The Beastie Boys.
‘Le Tioko-Tioko is one of the rarest vinyl albums from the already scarce Malian vinyl discography, partly as the album was never released commercially, only independently distributed via the Malian Association for the Blind in Bamako. Though recorded at Radio Mali under the aegis of master engineer Boubacar Traoré; the album was originally released in East Germany. The tapes had been taken by some Malian students to East Berlin as part of a student exchange program. It was then manufactured and released on the East German state-owned label Eterna with only a few boxes of records being shipped back to Bamako.
A true masterpiece, this legendary LP offers some devastating songs such as ‘Djama’ (society), ‘Nissodia’ (joy of optimism), and ‘Fama Allah’ (an ode to god). Hypnotic organ riffs and breakbeats convey an unknown funk quality in Malian music, it now stands as a loving tribute to an unsung Malian golden age. Sadly, like many of the other now desired and prized vinyl rarities, at the time of release, it almost immediately disappeared without a trace due to a lack of promotion, and distribution. So, it feels fitting to share this gem of a record again, and hopefully it with reach the wider audience it deserved over 45 years ago.
Many thanks to Florent Mazzoleni for contributing sections of these notes.
Follow Mr Bongo: https://www.instagram.com/mrbongoworldwide/
Visit The Website - http://www.mrbongo.com/
Bandcamp - https://mrbongo.bandcamp.com/")
![SOYUZ (СОЮЗ) - Business Partners (Партнеры по бизнесу) ft. Inturist [Remastered]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TW9HtPOlR-k/hqdefault.jpg "SOYUZ (СОЮЗ) - Business Partners (Партнеры по бизнесу) ft. Inturist [Remastered]
ORDER: https://gruppasoyuz.bandcamp.com/album/ii-remastered
SOYUZ (СОЮЗ) stole our hearts back in 2022 when we released their album Force Of The Wind to critical acclaim. Here we proudly present the predecessor to that LP, the band’s sophomore long player from 2019 that was previously only available digitally. It captures a pivotal evolving period in the bands career, the recordings giving a snapshot of what would become their sound on Force Of The Wind, yet with echoes of avant-psychedelic-pop footprints from yesteryears.
Produced at a time when band leader Alex Chumak had moved from Minsk to Kyiv, torn between the need to try something new and the homesickness it brought about. Travelling back to Minsk almost weekly, Alex joined fellow band members Mikita Arlou and Stanislav Murashko to lay down II at Studio 42. The album captures these transient feelings, contextualised through the broad scope of influences the band were nourished by. From MPB to Ethio-Jazz and the Italian library soundtracks of Piero Piccioni and Piero Umiliani, the album shines with touches of joy from across the globe.
The opening track Verocai is a tribute to the Brazilian maestro and Mirouze, whilst being named after a French favourite of the band, Jean-Pierre Mirouze, pays clear homage to Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges. A ghostly sample and invisible connection to music made miles away in a different era that has influenced and become part of the band’s lives. This is further reinforced in the albums enchanting closer, the aptly titled Nascimento, another nod to the great Brazilian musician and singer.
The beginnings of the cinematic, soul-laden jazz SOYUZ are now known for, are on display across the likes of ‘Lyric’ and Motive I. The latter an orchestrated jazz instrumental with sensuous string sections, all of which were recorded on the warmth of a Studer reel-to-reel and waltzing Rhodes keys.
SOYUZ’s wide-ranging palate is further demonstrated in tracks like ‘Business Partners’ with its Krauty, kosmische, new wave production featuring Inturist, and the oh-too-short Anatolian-influenced interlude Corrida. Elsewhere, Tezeta and ‘ES-2 Jazz’ hint at the psychedelic haze of soul-funk, with the former featuring verses from Serbian rapper Petar Martic.
For this new physical and digital release, the whole album was mixed from scratch by Ryan Power before Joker worked his magic on the remaster. More excellence is to come from SOYUZ, but in the meantime, we are thrilled to present this essential recording from the band’s foundational years, mixed to a level that does it the justice it deserves.
Follow Mr Bongo: instgram.com/mrbongoworldwide/
Visit The Website - http://www.mrbongo.com/
Bandcamp - https://mrbongo.bandcamp.com/")
