Repro
Hightech Lowlife

Move-your-feet-funk

The second Be With foray into the archives of revered German library institution Selected Sound is Sound Inventions from Klaus Weiss Rhythm And Sounds, originally released in 1979.From the notoriously strong mind of Niagara drummer / library-funk overlord Klaus Weiss, Sound Inventions is loaded with tripped out studio funk-freakery, mad samples and swaggering abstract funk grooves. From dramatic deep disco with dark Italo/Moroder leanings to heavy German funk breaks, this is absolutely sensational. Absolute synth-and-string-drenched magic.Born in 1942 in Gevelsberg, Germany, Klaus Weiss began his career as a jazz drummer at sixteen (with a group called the Jazzopators) before working with the internationally successful 60s groups the Klaus Doldinger Quartet and the Erwin Lehn Big Band. In 1965 he formed his own trio, the first of many groups to bear his name, and as his renown as a bandleader grew over the next decade it naturally lead to working in production music.About as cult as it gets when it comes to library music legends (German or otherwise), he produced essential records on German library labels Coloursound, Selected Sound and Sonoton, as well as making two essential entries in the Conroy catalogue. Collections of music in the trademark Klaus Weiss sound of electronics unsurprisingly built on top of sometimes funky, sometimes frenetic, but always hard-hitting drums.Sound Inventions is one of those library records with a hefty track list, 22 in total, but they’re all pretty stunning. That’s not something you can often say and picking out the highlights is almost impossible. If pushed, we’d steer you towards the tough teutonic funk of “Drumcrazy”, the by turns juddering and sweeping majesty of the title track “Sound Inventions”, the aquatic serenity of “Glide”, the elegant strut of “Greenwich Street”, the muted, eerie cosmic-funk of “Air Space”, the squelchy acid-clavs of “Rhythm Function”, the calming, melodic “Waves”, the stuttering proto-Timbaland sensation that is “Rainbows” and the percussive funk-fuelled workout of “A Few Cuts”. Phew. Heavy indeed!Founded in the late 60s by German composer and musician Klaus Netzle, Selected Sound began as a production music company specialising in jazz, orchestral and electronic recordings. You can’t miss those early LPs in their iconic glossy metallic copper sleeves with minimal German typography. Serious, classy stuff.This re-issue of Sound Inventions has been mastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis from audio from the original tapes. Richard Robinson has handled reproducing the glossy metallic (iconic) original Selected Sound sleeve.

Clear Arabic influence, but anything but stereotypical. Sonic timbres, and new wave sensibilities. ______________________________PressRandom Numbers is proud to present the latest release of fellow Italian Steve Pepe, real name Manuel Cascone. After some brilliant EPs on Hivern Disc, Macadam Mambo and inside Out Records, we are honoured to have him over for the album that has already enchanted us."Arabia per Delfina" opens the dance with a languid sound, which slithers in slowly but persistently. Protagonist is a solitary synth whose bright and sensual frequencies rise from the darkness, lighting up the room like the sultry moon in the summer nights.The Arabic influence is clear, supported both by the title and the sonic timbre: anything but stereotypical, is reinterpreted by Steve Pepe through his New Wave sensibility.What follows, “Sospesissimo”, softens the initial intensity slightly through its wobbly and playful groove. Here the guitar strings seem to move in slow motion, conveying a slight feeling of dizziness. Elements from jazz and downtempo music are expertly arranged into a bizarre and synaesthetic choreography of gestures.The percussions hinted in “Sospesissimo” become more insistent, almost unruly, in “El Pelusa”, which pushes us effortlessly towards a frenetic and liberating dance.This cornucopia of Latin-infused sounds marks the contours of an iconic character, Diego Armando Maradona, AKA Mano de Dios, and culminates in a carnivalesque explosion of euphoria."Carpenter" enhances the peak reached by its predecessor with a more reserved and introspective verve, but no less fascinating. As a composition with oneiric nuances, deep volumes and chiaroscuro, "Carpenter" demonstrates the double-edged nature of this album and, consequently, the wide emotional spectrum that Steve Pepe manages to convey in his productions.Almost sneaking up on us is “Verso”, with its classical violins and the fearless cacophony challenging the harmony of the track. Fearless is also Steve’s voice, which channels the intensity and excitement of a journey that’s about to begin, but whose destination is yet unknown.A slight hint of existentialism comes into play just before we approach the next track, "ZimaNeta", which marks the end of this sonic journey.Here it is again, that very same languidness grasped in the opening. If “Arabia for Delfina” lets us glimpse the moon, “Zimaneta” goes straight for the entire Milky Way with its multitude of glimmering dots. In this spacey exploration made of a thousand colors, all the musical elements encountered along the way are revealed once again for a final farewell.

Droney noise experiments

Synth pop and disco - hey ho let´s go!