NEW RELEASES - WALT WEISKOPF - OVERDRIVE; ECCENTRIC SOUL; BAGAR AKA TRICKY D - EQUANIMITY

WALT WEISKOPF - OVERDRIVE

Bold, soulful sounds from tenorist Walt Weiskopf – a player who not only really knows his place as a soloist, but who also comes across as a great leader on a date like this! The whole group's got a focus that comes through right away – Walt's bold horn in the lead, but fused with these strong piano lines from Peter Zak, guitar from Yotam Silberstein, and vibes from Behn Gillece – instruments that really pull together a lot of sound and tones when used this well, creating a sense of force that really drives the album along. All tunes are originals by Weiskopf, save one – and the whole thing's got this unified vision from the start to the finish – a really great step forward for Walt. Titles include "Like Mike", "The Path Is Narrow", "Night Vision", "Waltz For Dad", "Four Horsemen", "Midwinter Night's Dream", and "No Biz". ~ Dusty Groove, Inc.

ECCENTRIC SOUL – THE WAY OUT RECORDING CO (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

Great work from a label that was way out in the Cleveland scene of the 60s – but which bristles with some of the best energy of Detroit and Chicago at the time! The tiny imprint never cracked the big time, but not for lack of quality – as the cuts here have a sharp blend of deep soul vocals and tight arrangements – of the sort that we've always loved in the best smaller Chicago indies of the late 60s – particularly the kind of labels that were operating in the shadows of Chess and Brunswick. A core group of artists recorded most of this music – and make for a very unified feel throughout – especially given that even some of the numbers with solo singers still really maintain a group soul sort of vibe. And the overall quality of the package takes us back to the earliest days of projects like this from the Numero Group – right down to the very detailed story of the label's unique place in 60s soul music. Titles include "There's No You" by The Occasions, "Demanding Man" and "Two Can Make It" by The Sensations, "She Didn't Know" by Sammy Jones, "Ain't That A Heartache" and "Baby Don't Go" by Norman Scott, "You're Not Loving A Beginner" by Jesse Fisher, "How long Will It Last" by The Soul Notes, "Why" by The Springers, and "Party At Lester's" by Lou Ragland & His Bandmasters. 2CD set – with 40 tracks and a great booklet!  ~ Dusty Groove

BAGAR AKA TRICKY D - EQUANIMITY

Dean Bagar aka Tricky D was born and raised in Croatia where he trod the boards as a visual artist as well as playing a leading role in The Punk / New-wave scene of the early eighties. By late eighties moves to London where he discovered the power of Reggae Sound systems. The worsening political troubles and escalation of violence in Croatia left him a refugee in Berlin, but he still found the spirit to immerse himself in the blossoming “Daisy Age” and this is where he began his DJ / production journey. There he got involved in cult underground club “Eimer” and became an underground break-beat activist, and spearheaded one of the first German Drum´n´Bass live bands, Elektronauten, and still found time to open "Tricky Tunes" record shop and after spending some time in Jamaica where together with his friend Mez he did a recording session with local vocalists, decided to start his own “Tricky Tunes” label as well. In 2000 he released together with General Electrick and Dj Deckart a couple of singles and an album under the name “Fab Factory” where they explored and pushed the limits of 2step garage. All the while he honed his craft as a DJ and producer. He became a member of a visual-audio project “Digital Tattoo”. Since 2006 he has travelled often to Colombia, where after regular collaborations with local talents, he went on to produce and manage the Los Transatlanticos project, released on BBE in 2012. On his debut as Tricky D the artist, he presents us with "Equanimity" introducing a different side of his musical productions, a fusion of downbeats, soul, dub, deep dubstepy / future garage beats and cinematic ambient layers, with a twist of Balkan Funk here… and there of tango … and cumbia. A beautiful adventure in music, mirroring those of his life. On the album Bagar features vocal talents from both sides of The Atlantic hemispheres … European and South American.