Egon and Madlib with Ethiopian funk legend Ayalew Mesfin: Short Film Via Vice’s Noisey

Watch Egon and Madlib investigate Ethiopia’s 70s music scene with Ayalew Mesfin in this short film via Noisey

Earlier this year, Now-Again partnered with Vinyl Me, Please to issue Ethiopian funk legend Ayalew Mesfin’s Hasabe (My Worries) album; around the release of the album Egon traveled with Madlib to Denver to produce a special Madlib Medicine Show event around the release of the album, and Mesfin performed live.

Vice’s Noisey documented the proceedings and caught up with Egon, Madlib and Mesfin as they met, discussed and celebrated music. Watch it below.

Ayalew Mesfin is among the legends of the 1970s Ethiopian musical scene – his music is some of the funkiest to arise from this unconquerable East African nation. Ayalew was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of the country in 1974. Now, over 40 years later, his triumphant return – and the first time that his music has been presented in album form – gives us a chance to discover a rare & beautiful moment in music history. MORE

Posted in NewsNov. 29, 2018

Bubbha Thomas & The Lightmen – Creative Music: The Complete Works Box Set

Bubbha Thomas – Revolutionary, spiritual jazz bandleader, drummer, and activist from Houston.

ON SALE NOW BUBBHA THOMAS & THE LIGHTMEN – CREATIVE MUSIC: THE COMPLETE WORKS BOX SET

Limited Quantity. Expected ship date – November 28th.

This is the definitive box set of Thomas’s four classic albums with his Lightmen band, each mastered from the original tapes, expanded with bonus tracks and alternate mixes.

Bubbha Thomas had toured America with R&B revues, served as a session musician for Peacock and Back Beat Records, and played straight ahead jazz with legends before the political and social upheaval of the late 1960s led him to a path first charted by Coltrane. His first set of self-issued albums predated the deep-set, maverick jazz issued by the likes of Tribe and Strata East and were a harbinger of best of the 1970s jazz underground. Over the course of the decade, he contributed to a collective voice of resistance to the musical and cultural status quo that is just beginning to be understood.

Each album comes with booklet, a download card for WAV files, and footage of live performances included. Album details below. MORE

Posted in NewsNov. 25, 2018

David Axelrod’s “Earth Rot,” The Definitive Reissue, Out Now

David Axelrod’s personal copy of the Earth Rot LP.

Legendary composer/Arranger/Producer David Axelrod’s essential trilogy on Capitol Records – Song of Innocence (1968), Songs of Experience (1969), and Earth Rot (1970) – officially reissued on Now-Again. Earth Rot – expanded with never-before-issued instrumentals – is out now.

OUT NOW » DAVID AXELROD – SONG OF INNOCENCE
OUT NOW » DAVID AXELROD – SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
GUARANTEED IN STOCK » DAVID AXELROD – EARTH ROT

Earth Rot (1970) set Axelrod up for his final stage as an architect of jazz fusion and ensured that his productions would help future architects of hip hop. This reissue is a gatefold 2/LP containing a bonus second album with Earth Rot’s instrumentals, never before released. Axelrod himself requested the release of the instrumentals before his death; it was this request that started the process that led to the issue of his Capitol Trilogy on Now-Again, with his family and Estate’s participation and approval.

MORE

Posted in NewsNov. 23, 2018

David Axelrod speaks about “Songs of Experience” in 1969

A rare audio interview from 1969, recently surfaced, captures David Axelrod reflecting on his then-new album, the landmark Songs of Experience.

In 1969, David Axelrod was interviewed for Voices of Vista, a United States Peace Corps initiative that was pressed to vinyl and distributed to radio stations and recruitment centers. He spoke about the song “A Divine Image” and his album Songs of Innocence, and wondered about the music he would create in the future.

This video was edited by Bennett Piscitelli, with thanks to Kristof Indeherberge.

Legendary Composer/Arranger/Producer David Axelrod’s essential trilogy on Capitol Records – Song of Innocence (1968), Songs of Experience (1969), and Earth Rot (1970) – officially reissued this year on Now-Again. Earth Rot will see release on Black Friday Record Store Day.

PRE SALE »» DAVID AXELROD – EARTH ROT
ON SALE NOW »» DAVID AXELROD – SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
ON SALE NOW »» | DAVID AXELROD – SONG OF INNOCENCE

Posted in NewsNov. 1, 2018

David Axelrod speaks about “Song of Innocence” in 1969

A rare audio interview from 1969, recently surfaced, captures David Axelrod reflecting on his then-new album, the landmark Song of Innocence.

In 1969, David Axelrod was interviewed for Voices of Vista, a United States Peace Corps initiative that was pressed to vinyl and distributed to radio stations and recruitment centers. He spoke about William Blake and his album Song of Innocence, and displayed his famous testiness when he was asked to recite a Blake poem from memory.

This video was edited by Bennett Piscitelli, with thanks to Kristof Indeherberge.

Legendary Composer/Arranger/Producer David Axelrod’s essential trilogy on Capitol Records – Song of Innocence (1968), Songs of Experience (1969), and Earth Rot (1970) – officially reissued this year on Now-Again. Earth Rot will see release on Black Friday Record Store Day.

PRE SALE »» DAVID AXELROD – EARTH ROT
ON SALE NOW »» DAVID AXELROD – SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
ON SALE NOW »» | DAVID AXELROD – SONG OF INNOCENCE

Posted in NewsSep. 19, 2018