Manhattan-born and Los Angeles-based, Cook Classics presents a series of songs that combine live instrumentation, modern and vintage synths, programmed beats and live drums. Rich and layered, many of these tracks have a hip-hop backbone – built from samples within the Now-Again catalog – upon which Cook adds pop-music elements. It’s no wonder that Cook’s music has been synched in ads by Pepsi and has been heard in major movies, television and awards shows.
The Heliocentrics have been playing together for over a decade and their collective drive is to find an individual voice. Back at Now-Again after creating amazing albums with the likes of Mulatu Astatke and Madlib with their new 13 Degrees of Reality, the Heliocentrics have returned to develop this epic visi withn of psychedelic funk, while exploring the possibilities created by their myriad influences – Latin, African, and more. Thus, the electro-Latin fusion of “Descarga Electronica” sits next to weeping strings piled atop “Collateral Damage’s” chunky rhythms, which nearly misses the undulating swing of “Wrecking Ball,” a dirge as irresistibly funky as it is devastating. 13 Degrees of Reality is one of the most distinctive musical statements you’ll hear all year.
Download: Heliocentrics – 13 Degrees of Reality.
Free stream/download: Gaslamp Killer Vs. Heliocentrics!
You might have already caught the stream at Rolling Stone or the download at our future web-retailer Rappcats… you might have even read Gaslamp Killer’s words about why this mix is so important to him, personally, on his Tumblr…. but, if you didn’t, you can now feast your ears on what happens when a psychedelic DJ like GLK gets a second stab at the catalog of the Heliocentrics. Of course it’s mayhem, but you already knew that. And it’s a damn good listen all of the way through.
We’ve been talking about making a limited amount of these available on vinyl and we’re pretty damn sure we’re going to do so. More info to come soon.
Download: Helios X GLK via Rappcats
Buy: Heliocentrics 13 Degrees of Reality on Rappcats.
Heliocentrics 13 Degrees of Reality album available NOW via Now-Again Deluxe; CD/LP; Itunes. Free MP3 – “Wrecking Ball” – available for download below. Gaslamp Killer Vs. Heliocentrics mix coming soon!
We mentioned it, well, very recently in this forum: over three years in the making, the UK collective Heliocentrics’ sophomore album for Now-Again, 13 Degrees of Reality, is out NOW.
As promised, we’re giving away one freebie from the album – the stalking, smashing, psych-funk dronefest that is “Wrecking Ball.” If you like what you hear – and we’re sure that fans of Jake Ferguson and Malcolm Catto’s dense production will – then you’ll love the album. And if you can’t make up your mind to buy it just yet – well, after you hear Gaslamp Killer’s mix, which will premiere on rollingstone.com and rappcats.com very soon, we think you will.
Download: Heliocentrics “Wrecking Ball”
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Buy: Heliocentrics 13 Degrees of Reality on Rappcats.
Now-Again and Urban Outfitters present: Zamrock Live! in Los Angeles; WITCH’s Emmanuel “Jagari” Chanda is coming from Zambia to Los Angeles to perform his band’s world-psych-rock classics in America for the first time!
We here at Now-Again have championed the 70s rock scene that originated in Zambia – Zamrock – for years now, releasing anthologies of the giants of the scene: WITCH, Rikki Ililonga, Musi-O-Tunya, Paul Ngozi and Chrissy Zebby Tembo. As we ramp up our undertakings to document the lost gems from this isolated yet genius movement in 2013 – we’ve already mentioned the Paul Ngozi and the Ngozi Family and Musi-O-Tunya Give Love To Your Children albums – we are proud to partner up with Urban Outfitters to bring WITCH’s lead singer and bandleader Emmanuel “Jagari” Chanda – the only member of the ensemble still living – to Los Angeles to perform the band’s world-psych-rock music. While Zamrock Live! has been making the festival circuit in Europe, this is the first time it will be performed in America: at Bazaaaaar, May 3rd, Hollywood, at Space 15 Twenty.
Space is limited so RSVP quick and show up early. They’ll hit the stage at 8.