Now-Again Records

Announcing: Enjoy The Experience

Selections from the Sinecure Books publication Enjoy The Experience: psych, funk, folk, jazz, lounge, boogie and straight-up-weirdness from American private press albums. Release date: May 21st.

Enjoy The Experience: Homemade Records 1958-1992 is the inaugural offering from Sinecure Books, the publishing company that Now-Again’s Egon co-founded with Johan Kugelberg. Packaged as a hardcover, and weighing in at 512 pages, it is the most comprehensive overview of the American “private press” movement from the latter half of the 20th Century that could possibly be assembled. We’re pleased to be distributing a 2CD/2LP anthology of psych, funk, folk, jazz, lounge, disco, boogie and just-plain-weirdness culled from the the book’s selections.

Take note: this is not a novelty freak show. Contained in this anthology are examples of some of the most highly regarded rock, soul, jazz, funk and singer/songwriter albums from the 60s through the early 80s. From the awkward-yet-talented to the genius-yet-bizarre, one thing unites all musicians presented here: they sincerely hoped to become stars, they committed themselves to record, and they left themselves vulnerable to an industry not understanding of nuance, not appreciative of character. While Enjoy The Experience the book details a forceful American cultural experience that stands in juxtaposition to the mainstream even as its creators attempted to infiltrate it, Enjoy The Experience the album shows the breadth of American creativity in a compelling, start-to-finish listen. Not all of it is easy to digest, but this music is essential to the 20th century American experience.

We will be updating this post with more information about the anthology, downloads and the book in coming weeks.

Forthcoming: 4th Coming

It’s not like we’re not busy enough as it is – but the music of Los Angeles soul/funk outfit 4th Coming is so damn good that, a few years ago, we decided a retrospective was absolutely necessary. We’re thrilled to tell you that 4th Coming principal Hank Porter was at the Now-Again offices today to sign on the dotted line and authorize us to delve deep into the Coming’s eight singles and compile an anthology.

As a celebration, we’re offering a free download of their all-too-tough “Cruising Central Avenue,” mistakenly called “Crusing Down Sunset” on our California Funk, below.

Download: 4th Coming “Cruising Central Avenue.”

Update: Apple And The Three Oranges “Free And Easy” Soul/Funk Anthology Out NOW (grab a free MP3!)

Free And Easy: the complete recordings of LA soul/funk maverick Edward “Apple” Nelson out NOW. Download a free MP3 now!

It’s been almost three years since funk drummer/soul singer/all-around enigma Edward “Apple” Nelson first came by our offices to sign the papers that authorized a career-wise introspective. In the intervening years, the L.A. Weekly ran a cover story on Nelson, we sourced the only remaining photos that existed from Nelson’s Los Angeles heyday from the collectors DJ Shadow and Mike Vegh; we found the cleanest copies of Nelson’s 45s that we could; we even found an uncharted 45 that even the deepest collectors didn’t know of.

This anthology is now stores in a deluxe CD and 2LP package, and of course is available on Rappcats, Itunes, Emusic or your favorite DSP. But as a reminder – our Now-Again Deluxe subscribers were able to feast their ears on Apple’s exuberant soul and funk music since December.

You can download Nelson’s masterpiece, “I’ll Give You A Ring (When I Come, If I Come),” below.

Download: “I’ll Give You A Ring (When I Come, If I Come)”
Buy: Apple and The Three Oranges Free and Easy on Rappcats
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