Keni Burke
Risin' To The Top / You're The Best

Spacek is the man.

Since it was first reissued a few years ago, Steve Monite's Only You album has gone from being a stupidly rare Nigerian boogie "holy grail", to an easy-to-access "must have" for anyone with even a passing interest in African disco and electrofunk. If you've yet to acquire a copy, we'd recommend picking up a copy of this officially licensed Soundway repress. It contains two different takes on the now anthemic 'Only You' - an infectious Lagos boogie delight - plus the pleasingly dubbed-out, piano-heavy electrofunk gem 'Things Fall Apart (Disco Jam)' (the original mix is also included at the end of side B), the slick and sweet 'Welcome My Love' and the more downtempo 'I Had a Dream'.

Kelly Finnigan, the lead singer of Bay Area-based indie-soul auteurs Monophonics, has announced his debut solo album ‘The Tales People Tell,’ out April 26 on Colemine Records. Over the course of the album’s 10 new, original songs, Kelly channels a multitude of influences that reflect a lifetime immersed in the music and culture of soul, R&B, and hip­hop - it’s the story of an outsider that followed an unorthodox route, always guided by his own creative north star.Kelly guided the songs on ‘The Tales People Tell’ from their conception all the way to the record pressing plant over the course of two years. He wrote and produced each track on the record and plays 10 instruments throughout, while enlisting the help of friends and legends like drummer James Gadson (Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Beck), members of Monophonics, and Kelly’s own father, prominent sideman/keyboardist Mike Finnigan (Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Etta James). The result is a timeless collection underscored by a sense of community, a family affair of a record that’s at once raw and gritty, tender and emotive, lush and symphonic.LP is packaged in high quality Stoughton Tip-On gatefold jacket, LP stored in Mobile Fidelity anti-static innsersleeve, includes a download card, and a lyric sheet insert. Pressed at Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland, OH.

The enigmatic J. Quaid has turned the heads of those that know with fine deep house outings on labels like Couch Acid and Hot Shit Sounds as well as Apron. Now he returns to Apron and comes good on that early promise with a full length album of analogue jams. They fizz with retro-future synths and hardware drum grooves. The machines bring dusty edges and cosmic rays of light. Some, like 'Irememberufromtomorrow' bring electro beats and some like 'The Lovers' are scuffed up broken beats with heartfelt moods. Throughout the many different rhythms and tempos this remains a standout album.

Prolific multi-instrumentalist, producer, DJ, band leader, and 22a label founder and boss, Tenderlonious returns with a batch of new and old studio productions.'Hard Rain' follows hot-on-the-heels from the acclaimed Ruby Rushton album 'Ironside', but whereas contemporary urban jazz was the focus there, Tender's solo record marks a return to another of the multifaceted artist's skills: dope house and beat music that oozes futuristic funk.This sparse but perfectly-populated masterpiece takes inspiration from J Dilla and echoes elements of vintage Blaze, Larry Heard and Carl Craig. Warm and soulful, but also spacious and clean, Tender extracts maximum flavour out of just a few ingredients.