Omar ‎– For Pleasure

The release last autumn of Reel People's first full studio album in 10 years was, it's fair to say, a moment. Retroflection stylishly recreated soul, disco and boogie classics behind the collective's formation nearly 20 years ago and exposed its rarefied DNA like never before. Now band leader Oli Lazarus widens the collective, inviting the world's finest producers and remixers to add their funky splices to the Retroflection blueprint. Retroflection Remixed, featuring Mousse T., Osunlade, DJ Spinna, John Morales, Atjazz, Terry Hunter, Sebb Junior, Scott Diaz, Da Brownie, Tall Black Guy, Matt Cooper's OUTSIDE, BusCrates and Art Of Tones, is a majestic rebooting of the soulful flow that swept us away in 2018.

Bill Nelson - The Dreamshire Chronicles (2012) {2CD Set, Sonoluxe CD024}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 812 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 292 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 63 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2012 Sonoluxe / Bill Nelson | CD024
Rock / Alternative / Ambient / Experimental / Modern Instrumental / Guitar

'The Dreamshire Chronicles' is a double album, written and recorded in a sort of waking trance. I wasn't quite sure, when I began work on the project, what the concept of 'Dreamshire' might mean. Now, with hindsight, it seems to be about a haunted realm filled with beautiful ghosts. It's a place built on memory and fantasy, sometimes brightly lit, sometimes pale and flickering, shadowy. The two discs feature solid arrangements, but with nebulous overtones, big walls of sound that are also fragile and delicately transparent. 'Dreamshire' exists in a time and space somewhere between twilight and dawn.

With the supremely funky rhythm section of Marcus Miller (bass), Lenny Castro (percussion) and Omar Hakim (drums) propelling his piano most of the way – the other ringers on a few tracks aren't bad either – you would think that Joe Sample couldn't miss on this solo outing, Spellbound. Indeed, his distinctive piano cannot be mistaken for anyone else's, free of the usual mainstream influences and always a pleasure to groove to. And yet there is something too comfortable, too settled, too automatic about the musicmaking here, as if the grooves are being smothered by a warm, snuggly electric blanket.

Best known for his dynamite soprano, Najee proved his versatility with this disc by using alto and tenor, and even throwing in some tender flute work on the mellow "My Old Friend." He is a strong improvisator, but you could classify Tokyo Blue as R&B just as easily as jazz due to the funk grooves.