Space Patrol (Raumpatrouille)  b/w Piccicato In Heaven (ORION 2016)

SPACE PATROL (“Raumpatrouille – Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion”) was the first German science fiction television series. Its seven episodes were broadcast by ARD TV, the first episode being aired on September 17th of 1966. Being a huge success with audience ratings up to 56%, the series acquired a distinct cult status in Germany and worldwide.

Peter Thomas composed and recorded the original score, which has become a soundtrack classic and collector’s item among rare groove afficionados since its original release on Philips. The music, floating between avantgarde jazz, big band beat and spaced-out psychedelia, set a new benchmark in the history of film music and science fiction scores and became one of Thomas’ best known works. The title theme is the first known piece of music in pop history to feature a vocoder, a device that until then had exclusively been used for voice encoding in military warfare. Peter Thomas borrowed a device from the Siemens factory to process his voice for the recording of the countdown.

The composer remembers: “When producing the score, I had complete creative freedom. No one had ever been into space, so no one would dare to tell me how the music should sound like.”

Now, 50 years on, The Mighty Mocambos teamed up with the legendary musical mastermind a recorded an up to date, truly global and funky 2016 version in tribute of the original theme. “Space Patrol (Raumpatrouille)” is the only official recording of the track released for this anniversary and authorized by Peter Thomas, who even plays on it himself. To give this 50 years version a new twist, the specially formed Mocambo Astronautic Sound Orchestra adds steel band orchestration to the massive brass and funky rhythm section.

The Turning Point (feat. Ishtar)  b/w Version

Mocambo proudly presents its first 45 with the unmistakable E (aka Eric Cooke, E da Boss, or the ‘E’ of Myron and E). ‘The Turning Point’ is a dramatic piece of soul with dope drums and a cinematic orchestration, which sees E and his female duet partner Ishtar ‘breaking up’ through the song. The flipside features the instrumental version. This is a vinyl only release, available in ltd. quantities.

Paris Breakdown b/w Milano Drive / Pigalle Theme

Funk from the heart of Paris: Pigalle Connection is an allstar group led by Hammond wizard Guillaume Metenier (Soul Sugar), featuring musical contributions by Shawn Lee, Dr. Lonnie Smith and members of the Mighty Mocambos. Inspired as much by b-girls and b-boys as crimesploitation scores, their debut 45 brings tough and street-savy funk breaks with a magnificient French touch. The title track ‘Paris Breakdown’ is a percussive tour-de-force with epic breakdance chorus. The flip side’s ‘Milano Drive’ is a slick uptempo car chase soundtrack, ‘Pigalle Theme’ a sleazy mid-tempo blaxploitation funk with snapping drumbeat.

Where Do We Go From Here b/w B-Boy Suite In B-Flat Minor

Hot on the heels of their smashing album ‘Showdown’, the Mighty Mocambos bring a vinyl 45 exclusive that shows yet another side of the band’s musical versatility. For the heartrending ‘Where Do We Go From Here’, no other than soul legend Lee Fields takes over the vocal spot, confirming that he is “the coolest motherfucker to ever sing words into a microphone”. On the flip side, the Mocambos are back on the dancefloor with a breakdance DJ-edit of ‘Locked And Loaded’ and ‘The Showdown’, aptly named ‘B-Boy Suite In B-Flat Minor’. Both cuts are onyl available on this format.

Don’t Get Crazy b/w Caught On The Wrong Foot

The Snitch from London play raw funk that recreates the feel of obscure bands on small private labels in the early 1970s. Their first album ‘The Dirty Job’, recorded with primitive analogue equipment, became part of Warner/Chappell’s library music catalogue, available only for usage in TV and film. While you might have heard several tunes in programmes, trailers or films, the material has never been commercially released. Two brilliant cuts are now availabe on 45 for the first time in a limited run of DJ promo copies. The Snitch’s funk is rough and dirty, fueled with heavy breaks and frantic horns like you’d only find them on a 300$ funk 45. Get your copy while they are still a bit cheaper.

Weisser Sand b/w Sexsong

Mocambo is proud to present the official 45 release of the holy grail of European rare grooves.
With arguably the funkiest vocal delivery in German language and its killer 60-second wahwah-ladden drumbreak, Su Kramer’s “Weisser Sand” has gained legendary status among DJs and deep funk collectors.

Recorded for the pop-opera TRIP by Austrian television in Vienna in 1971, the song appeared in a dance-scene in the very musical-like TV film about a hippie guru. German label Telefunken released a promotional record of the soundtrack in very limited numbers for radio and TV stations only.
The song has since appeared on several bootlegs and compilations, using a mediocre recording off a vinyl copy and overcompressed CD mastering.

We dug a little deeper. After unsuccessful research of the original master tape at both Austrian TV archives and Telefunken, Su Kramer herself got us in touch with Peter Müller, sound supervisor and recording director of the original sessions. Not only could he give us interesting background information, he also unearthed an original tape that included an alternative version with different vocals and mix.
The musicians on the recording were, according to Peter Müller: Karl Ratzer, guitar, Richard Schönherz, keyboards, and most likely  Manuel Rigoni  on drums and George Dogette on bass. The horn section probably consisted of players from the ORF bigband. The music was written by Austrian jazz icon Fatty George, who was also in charge of the production. Silke Schwinger wrote the lyrics.

For this release, all songs were taken from best analogue source possible and carefully remastered by Michael Schütz to represent the sound of the original master in full dynamics on superior 45 format.
Included on this release is the original version of “Weisser Sand”, the never-heard-before alternative version, and the semi-instrumental “Sexsong”, from the TRIP soundtrack.

The 7inch-single release comes with a replique print of the original album artwork. The first copies are made in sand-white vinyl and handsigned by Su Kramer.

Laura Seija & The Hawkmen ‘Keep On Working’ – Keep On Working EP (Greystone Records) from Greystone Records on Vimeo.

It’s The Music Part 1 b/w Part 2

The stunning collabo between the Mighty Mocambos and hiphop-legend Afrika Bambaataa goes into the 2nd round. For the joy of all b-girls and b-boys, the Godfather of Hip-Hop and today’s best heavy funk band present their banging new anthem. ‘It’s The Music’ brings the sound of early hiphop livebands into present time, with the Mocambos showcasing their skills on a discofied breakdance beat, only topped by the vocal authorities of the Amen-Ra Of Universal Hip-Hop Culture and fellow Zulu Nation members Charlie Funk (aka Afrika Islam), Hektek and Deejay Snoop, the latter providing a trademark talkbox feature. The flip side contains an exclusive instrumental ready to smash dancefloors on its own.

Who You Do b/w Rollin’

Armed with a voice “you just need to hear” (BBC London) and an irresistible blend of snaps, claps, and golden trumpet peals, Tara Priya combines vintage soul, poetic lyrics, and a dash of pop to provide relief from today’s Auto-Tune avalanche. Sweet and sour, lovely and lovelorn, her story is as distinctive as her sound. “Sass’n’soul, little bitta Go-Go”, says the San-Francisco-native about her music.

Things moved fast ever since Tara’s first album on Japanese P-Vine Records was released in 2012 and made #2 on itunes charts. Tara moved to London recently and recorded new material with award-winning producer Steve Booker (responsible for Duffy’s worldwide smash hit ‘Mercy’ and well-known for his work with John Newman, Lisa Marie Presley, Jamie Cullom, among others). “Who You Do” not only shows expertise in production that we haven’t heard a while, the post-break-up song also gives way for Tara’s distinctive voice and attitude. Both “Who You Do” and the second A-side “Rollin’ (off her first album) now see their first, well-deserved limited edition vinyl release. The video for “Who You Do” has already passed the million mark on youtube, so get your copy quick. Ltd. edition.

“Fantastic, timeless” – City Beat

“The epitome of ‘sassy’ … Tara was a hit down at this year’s SWSW- and with tunes as good as this, there’s no wonder. ‘Who You Do’ is one of the most empowered post-break up songs we’ve heard of late and we’ve not got it out of our heads. With over 800,000 hits racked up on YouTube it would seem we’re not the only ones to dig it…” – Huffington Post

“Tara Priya rises above with this refreshing soulful sound. The music reflects the retro Motown sounds of the 60?s, while still being current and relative. Her powerful voice and catchy tunes will leave you wanting more.” – MostlyJunkFood.com

“Punchy, sass-laden retro soul” – Time Out Tokyo

“A voice you need to hear!” – BBC London

“Summer pop hit!” – Time Magazine

“While Tara has attracted much attention as a talent following in the footsteps of Amy Winehouse, Adele, and Duffy, she’s an extremely catchy songwriter with a smoky voice–full of soul without being overly bright–that’s all her own. Her debut release has an exquisite sweetness and is a mix of good ‘ole vintage soul and modern pop” – MSN Entertainment (Japan)

“This lady has soul! Tara Priya describes this track as ‘retro’ – which kind of explains its familiar sound – yet it still holds its own as regards to being unique.” – BBC 6Music