Cappo & Remulak: Slum Village

We need all the reasons to be happy at the moment; after a year of misery and uncertainty, being able to celebrate the good things in life is more important than ever. One of those celebratory moments is the arrival of Village Live’s fifth birthday and their decision to release a special label compilation to mark the occasion. Featuring a stack of brand new material, from some of the artists who have helped to build the label into the success story it is today, Village Live is Five stands as the perfect testament to Doug and Joey’s ongoing legacy and achievements. The label kicked things off back in 2015 with a collaborative single from Remulak and Cappo, so it makes sense that for the new compilation the duo have reunited to deliver more of the magic they stumbled upon many moons ago. You can watch the video for the track above and then head over to the Village Live shop to reserve your vinyl pre-order.

Ella Mae Sueref: Take Some Time

Blissful bit of soulful, jazzy nourishment here,  as Village Live release their latest Live & Direct single. This time it’s Ella Mae Sueref in the cut, as she teams up with Pawcut for Take Some Time. The track is also available to stream from the usual spots.

DIRTYTHREE: Moon Groove

Village Live continue their Live & Direct single series, with this laid-back gem from Russian-based producer, DIRTYTHREE. Streams and downloads are available now, plus there is an ongoing Spotify playlist which features all the current singles in the series.

Aver: An Ode To Joey Deez (Stream)

For those of you unaware, Joey Deez was one of the co-founders of Village Live Records, alongside Doug Barclay (Remulak). He sadly passed away a few months back, which brought a lot of sorrow to the many people within the scene who were glad to call him a friend. As well as being a hip hop fiend and vinyl junkie, Joey was also a staple part of the Brighton skate and graff scenes, and so when his death was announced, the streets were inundated with tributes. Now Aver is back with his own tribute, an album he has made which draws on a lot of the inane conversations the two of them had over the years, and some of the newly discovered breaks they would send to each other. There are also bits of new music which Aver was working on during lockdown, with fellow Village Live affiliate, Doron Segal. It serves as both a personal memorial for those who knew Joey, as well as an introduction to those who might not have had the pleasure of making his acquaintance over the years. You can listen to the album in all its glory below, and then head to Bandcamp to check out details of the vinyl release, which includes images of the AROE tribute (as above), plus a huge piece that was painted at Brighton’s legendary Black Rock. All proceeds from the vinyl sale will be going to Joey’s family.

Aver & MOVE 78: Middling

New music from Aver and MOVE 78, the Berlin jazz band, with whom the Village Live producer has collaborated with in the past. Last year they released Housecat together and now they’re back with Middling, which is due for a 7″ release on 30 October. In the meantime, you can stream it now in all the usual places.

Kuartz: Vapour Rays

Village Live continue their Live & Direct series with this newly polished gem from Kuartz. The Manchester producer is no stranger to the label, having already released a number of solid projects through them, and Vapour Rays carries on the same tradition. It’s also available to stream and download at the usual spots.

Remulak & Type Raw: Mad Skillz

A new venture here from Village Live, as they unveil the first single in their Live & Direct series. Mad Skillz is a co-produced joint featuring the unwavering talents of label co-founder, Remulak, and Norwegian production don, Type.Raw, resulting in a paradigm of that sample-flecked dusty boom bap sound. The track is available to stream now from all the usual spots and if you’re on Spotify, you can follow the Live & Direct playlist, which will feature the singles as and when they drop.

Funkonami: Star View + LP Snippets

Funkonami is back with the third and final chapter of his Deep Into trilogy. Deep Into Space takes the series into new areas (and galaxies), while maintaining the same levels set with his earlier works. Star View is the lead single from the album, which is due for release on 13 November via Village Live. Vinyl pre-orders went live on Friday, so head to the store to get yours. You can also hear some snippets from the rest of the album below, skilfully mixed as always by Evil Ed. The album is dedicated to the memory of Joey Deez.

AVER: Breakfast In Dystopia (Stream)

More new music emanating from the Village Live camp, as AVER returns with his latest project. The Natural Curriculum producer has delivered four brand new tracks, which serve as a pretty perfect accompaniment for the current shit-storm raging outside, thanks to the dystopian vein which runs through it. Unnerving sound effects and dub style reverb, punctuate big drums that sound like they just stumbled out of the Endtroducing era, and that’s just the first track. You can hear Breakfast In Dystopia in its full glory below, with downloads and physicals also available.

Voodoo Black: Sitting At The Table (Stream)

Fresh out today is the debut album from Manchester crew, Voodoo Black. I say crew, but the supergroup argument could also be valid, as they are made up of four already well established artists from the city. Consisting of MCs Sparkz, Ellis Meade and Dubbul O, as well as Cutterz on production, Voodoo Black have been making music together for years now, but this is their first full-length and it stands as the debut they deserve. Jazz is the dominant influence on the album and from the riffs of the titular opening track, to the punchy Jehst-assisted, Abracadamting, it’s the perfect backdrop for the lyrical styles on display, from four MCs who all possess a competency that puts them up there with the best the UK has to offer. As well as Jehst, there are some other choice features, including fellow Manny artist, LayFullStop, RLD favourite, Leaf Dog and street soul revivalist, EVABEE. You can hear the album for yourself below and there is also a new video for the title track, courtesy of Ellis Meade. Sitting At The Table is out now on Village Live.