Agent Sentimental b/w Postcard From Bangladesh

The Vicious Seeds from St. Petersburg have been putting out 45s with their blend of raw cinematic grooves and deep funk instrumentals for a while, here they introduce us to vibraphonist Pavel Chizhik, who adds his midas touch to the group’s well seasoned rhythm section. Reminiscent of early CTI recordings and – of course – Roy Ayers, the band delivers their own version of summer jazz dope beats, with sample-friendly drumbreaks, funky basslines, psych guitars and lush vibes. With communication to the group largely cut off or heavily censored, we leave it to the music to do the talking and spread the band’s message. “Make records, not war”.

Eine schöne Welt b/w Versuche zu versteh’n

Mocambo Records is proud to present an official reissue of this uberrare piece of German psychedelic soul! Susan Avilés’ epic ‘Eine schöne Welt’ from 1970 is one of the toughest 45s to get hold of. With its dope wah-drumbreak-intro, lush orchestration and powerful vocal performance, the tune has deservedly turned from an obscure sleeper into one of the most wanted European rare grooves. On the flip side is the orchestral folk soul ‘Versuche zu versteh’n’ – an uptempo number with breakbeat drumming hidden behind a wall of sound that has become an obscure b-boy favourite.

Originally recorded for Abi Ofarim’s PROM Production and released by Philips with high hopes to establish Susan as a new star of an upcoming scene of young singers, ‘Eine Schöne Welt’ and the two follow up singles failed to chart – despite (or maybe due to) the extravagant production, socioconscious lyrics and the unique mix of psychedelic soul, bigband funk, chanson, folk & schlager.

Little is known about Susan Avilés. Born to a German mother, schlager lyricist Utta de Avilés, and a Spanish father in 1945, she started performing at an early age and released a few singles in the 1960s under the name Suzie Marcus. She had been romantically involved with Abi Ofarim at the time of the recordings in the early 1970s. After they parted ways, she had a brief stint with Donna Summer and Tony Gregory in the group Family Child, spent the rest of the 1970s in relative obscurity, returned with two chanson albums in the early 1980s and then vanished from the scene completely. Susan Avilés passed away in 2016, but we could get in touch with her husband Oliver Avilés-Lehnert, who encouraged us to do a re-release of these songs to ensure her legacy and bring these lost treasures back to the light of the day.

The record comes in a picture sleeve with original photos from the era – a picture showing Susan holding a copy of her own single and a shot for an autograph card to support the original release.  Artwork & label design: Lasse Singlemann. The original recordings have been carefully remastered for this limited vinyl run by Michael Schütz. All audio and photography licensed from the family estate of Susan Avilés.

The Scarab’s Quest b/w The Hornet’s Nest

Sci-Fi and library funk specialists Eleven76 return with an otherworldly breakdance double-sider. Their debut album ‘Space Voyage’ for Warner’s music library covered extra-terrestrial spheres and found its way into many films, TV programmes and documentaries. The scarce promo vinyl copies on Mocambo Records are already priced collector’s items among DJs. This 45s contains two hot slices of insect-themed outernational grooves with tropical and arabian flavours. Vintage synthesizers and hot tape-recorded drums continue to lead Eleven76’s mystique travels through unknown funk territories, all while frenzied percussion-heavy break beats keep b-girls and b-boys moving on the floor.

Live At JAM PDM!

German funk stalwarts The Mighty Mocambos unleash another sample of their explosive live energy, a 7″ of two brand new tunes recorded straight to 8-track tapeduring JAM PDM! Breakdance Battle at Fabrik Potsdam on February 1st 2020.
“Arabesque Breakin’ Suite” on side A is an original instrumental medley written for the occasion and delivers the raw, heavyweight sound that has made The Mighty Mocambos a staple of b-boy battles the world over. Side B is a cover of the Axel F Theme from Beverly Hills Cop, taking the tune from 80s synth-heavy electro-pop to soulful, tropical-flavored b-boy funk.
In these peculiar times without concerts, these live recordings are a real labor of love that capture the special vibes of a Mighty Mocambos performance while remaining suitable for DJ-use and enjoyable to the dedicated listener.
The 45 comes in a beautiful picture sleeve – a reproduction of the tape box used for the recording with a b/w photo from the event.

Casino & Church b/w Vendetta James

Led by French B3 Hammond maestro Guillaume Metenier and featuring an all-star lineup of musicians from the extended Mocambo fam, Pigalle Connection connect the dots between instrumental funk, b-boy breaks and cinematic soundscapes. After their celebrated and battle proven 45 “Paris Breakdown”, this fantasy funk supergroup is finally back with a new double delight on 7 inch wax. “Casino & Church” / “Vendetta James” is a nod to Peter Thomas and Ennio Morricone, two massively influential score composers who both sadly passed away in 2020.

A-side “Casino & Church” is a blistering blend of afro-boogie, breakbeat funk, blaxploitation and eurocinema, led by hypnotic percussion and an infectious guitar.

Flip to the B-side for “Vendetta James”, where Mediterranean funk meets Italo Western and b-boy breaks in a sequence of hazy atmospheres and alluring moods.

Recorded live to 8-track tape with vintage equipment and instruments, both sides of Pigalle Connection’s new 45 showcase the band’s unique sound and deep appreciation for great film scores and heavy funk.

Live At Groove City

After having completed the first run of shows for their recent album “2066” through UK, France and Germany, the Mighty Mocambos did an intimate performance at world-renowned Groove City Record Store in their hometown Hamburg.
Not content with just playing stripped down versions of existing material, the band wanted to step up a notch from the “tiny desk” type concert idea and decided to record unreleased tunes for a vinyl single capturing the live energy and crowd atmosphere with analog studio techniques. After having warmed up with a couple of songs from “2066”, a cheerful crowd in the packed shop witnessed the band tracking magic takes of unheard songs directly to tape.
“St. Pauli Second Line”, an instrumental live favourite with simple but irresistant swamp funk ostinatoes turned into a frenetic call and response chant workout midway of the song. Singer Nichola Richards’ tune “Keep It Movin’”, a mainstay of the band’s live repertoire for years, was cut with great energy, finally finding its way onto wax. “Something’s Missing” is a brand new tune with a raw sister funk vibe – written and arranged for the occasion, rehearsed once and performed live for the first time in the version you hear on this record.

While many live recordings a are mere mix of crowd noise and neglectable renditions of well-worn tunes that are unusable for DJs and hardly appealing to the dedicated listener, THE MIGHTY MOCAMBOS – Live At Groove City au contraire is a treat for turntableists and a testimony of the spark that a well-attuned live band can light up, combining the vibes of a concert with the no-nonsense analog sound of their well-loved studio recordings.

Superstrada b/w Concrete Stardust

Funk 45 champions The Mighty Mocambos deliver another colourful record in their favorite format. Both break-heavy psychedelic soul score theme Superstrada and battle proven b-boy jam Concrete Stardust are from the much celebrated album “2066”. By popular demand, here they come in exclusive DJ-friendly uncut/extended versions. A hard-hitting double-sider set to be a resident in your 45 case.

The Mystic Parade b/w Grand Theft

Little is known about the ensemble that is Sun Atlas. It’s not certain whether you’d find them in Los Angeles, New York, Addis Ababa, Marrakesh or in outer space. Maybe non, maybe all of the above. Their only proof of existence is banned on this 45. Their razor-sharp mixture of afrobeat, ethiojazz, surf, cinematic soul, crime jazz & funk/hiphop breaks speaks for itself. Only on vinyl.

Solar Flame / Ulysses 3000 b/w Star Equalizer / Cosmogony

Original library synth funk sci-fi soundtracks. This promo EP from the vaults of Warner Chappell’s production music archive offers four more tracks from Eleven76’s mystique Space Voyage recordings. Originally intended for film synchronisation usage as part of Warner’s music library, their unique mélange of analog synthesizers, breakheavy drumming, trippy fx and euphoric-melancholic instrumental fantasies has gained them a cult following among witty beatmakers, DJs, cratediggers, tape recording freaks and space age afficionados.

Produced by Paul Elliott, director of The Library Music Film, this promotional vinyl 45 was made to support the library album SPACE VOYAGE and to make the music available outside of film usage. Limited quantities available as most of the pressing is used as giveaway for clients in film, TV and advertising.