A Privilege to Die

On Collaborations: Volume One, writers Steve Pretty, Olly Blackman and Luke Christie have between them penned the outfit's most dynamic material to date. Mm Mm (feat. Angélique Kidjo and Roundhouse Choir) merges Beninese grooves with wah pedal trumpet textures, and the rousing call-and-response betweenKidjo’s soaring vocal and the exhilarating choir adds a richness and depth to the composition. On Snowfire, innovative Norwegian pianist Bugge Wesseltoft brings a euro/nu-jazz feel to the album, while Dennis 'Funkybone' Rollins adds his trademark virtuoso trombone to the carnival-flavoured Ricochet.

12 lessons about disruption, transformation and how these forces are shaping a very different future for everyone

How Technology Is Changing The World: Learn disruption, transformation, prototyping, collaboration, moonshots & more

An astonishing and at times outright comic memoir that marks the brilliant debut of a writer raised in a creative, bohemian household characterized by extreme privilege tinged with neglect.

How Technology Is Changing The World: Learn disruption, transformation, prototyping, collaboration, moonshots & more

2015 collection. Big Beat makes a long overdue foray back into the copious vaults of maverick pop personage Gary S Paxton, this time focusing on late 60s production pop. The workaholic engineer/arranger/producer left a tremendous cache of such material in his vault, all bearing his unique and idiosyncratic trademark of quality. Happy Lovin' Time celebrates this overlooked aspect of Paxton's capabilities, with a remarkable selection of his production work in the genre between 1966 and 1970. Most tracks employ the same crack session team that appeared on Paxton-engineered hits by the Association, Tommy Roe and others and some feature familiar names. Among Paxton's collaborators was popmeister Curt Boettcher, who is showcased on here on two rare demos. Paxton also produced the influential vocal quartet the Four Freshmen, dragging them into the 60s with records such as the groovy 'Nowhere To Go. ' The producer's secret weapon in the later 1960s was writer Kenny Johnson, who contributed a wealth of strong material to visiting acts including the Canadian groups the Jay Bees, New Wing and Privilege, as well as his own recordings under such various guises as the Bogart Cult, Homogenized Dirt and Bakersfield Poppy Pickers. Detailed liner notes by compiler Alec Palao explain the manner in which much of the contents came to be recorded, and overall, Happy Lovin' Time is a fun-filled, eminently listenable package that will delight any fan of 60s sunshine pop.