Freeness

Mark de Clive-Lowe

Anyone at least a little familiar with this site and its history will know that among other things we have a heavy interest in the genre that is (was) dubbed ‘broken beat’. From that now seemingly dormant scene there is perhaps one man that, since the mid-noughties, has continued to forge a lead all of his own, building an impressive CV that has seen him relentlessly tour (both as a musician and a DJ), promote, collaborate and release eight albums over a productive sixteen year stint.

With his ninth album ‘CHURCH’ now in the bag and due to be issued later on May 27th via Mashibeats/Ropeadope (on digital, CD and 2 LP vinyl!), Mark de Clive-Lowe is now back on the promotion trail to ensure he maximises the returns on an album that promises to put the producer firmly back in the spotlight as a present-day pioneer. In celebrating the recent milestone of acquiring 20,000 fans on Facebook, the producer, beat-maker and virtuoso keyboardist has decided to compile a 2GB collection of his previously recorded work and release it free via the BitTorrent platform. Comprising of early albums such as his debut ‘Six Degrees’, the trailblazing ‘Tide’s Arising’ and the super rare Japanese outing ‘Journey 2 The Light’, as well as EPs, remixes and rarities, the package serves as a perfect introduction to the man and his music and a reminder to more seasoned followers of the quality and depth of his back catalogue.

Available for only 24 hours, the file should be off air by 17:00 BST tonight, so whether you want to download everything or simply plug a few gaps in your current MDCL collection, we urge you to visit this site NOW.

If you still need a little persuading, you’ll find five of our favourite picks from de Clive-Lowe’s early discography below. If you’re a fan of electronic soul, then there’s a whole heap of treasure to discover!

Ten50 Records

In the past, the first day of May was marked as a day of rebirth so today seems a more than fitting time for former broken beat protagonists Mark Force, Kaidi Tatham and Matt Lord to launch a brand new label, TEN50 Records into the fore. At one point all three played an active role in the pioneering West London collective Bugz in the Attic, until the group ultimately went on hiatus half a decade ago. Since then, each member has gone on to forge their own individual music careers, Mr Tatham perhaps being the most active up until now. Today’s announcement promises lots more productions from the trio’s production alias Blakai as well as solo tracks from each of the respective artists.

Back in the day, the broken beat scene was a thriving community of producers that seemingly collaborated and released music under various monikers at will. The legendary weekly Sunday CO-OP club sessions, started at the now defunct Velvet Rooms and later established at the London institution Plastic People, were often the testing ground for many a track made in the studio the previous week, and often the sheer amount of music that was cut to dub plate meant that many of the tunes you heard in DJ sets never officially saw the light of day . The new label TEN50 Records appears to have been created as a conduit to bring some of these unreleased projects back to life and following the apparent resurrection of the man like Domu to today’s underground scene, it’s creation certainly heralds another step in the right direction for these fresh-thinking artists to bring us some brand new heat.

As with the launch of any new imprint in these times, TEN50 Records has to hit the ground running in this digital age and as such they are offering up their first release, an electronic reissue of the classic Blakai track ‘Afrospace’, to download for free in exchange for a Facebook Like on the label’s new page. A staple in many DJ sets at the time, the Bembe Segue vocal-led cut caused havoc in many a dance and now given a fresh housier update alongside the original Blakai rub and Thy Lord remix it’s primed and ready to kick off a new era.

VISIT TEN50 RECORDS FACEBOOK FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

The first unreleased music to exit from the label’s schedule also drops today and it’s the long-awaited 12-track debut from former Basement Jaxx vocalist Blu James (remember ‘Red Alert’?). A superb slice of future soul, broken beat and boogie masterminded by Daz-I -Kue and featuring further production credits from Blakai, Dego (2000Black), Simbad (Raw Fusion, Defected) and QB Smith (Warm Days), it’s more than worthy of a cursory listen. Check out clips of three of the tracks below then head on over to the TEN50 website to grab the full project. Trust us, you’re unlikely to be disappointed.

 

Low Leaf

Just before we shut up shop for the weekend, we think there’s enough time to drop one last new discovery for this week. Seemingly set free this past Monday by the awesome Oregon outfit Fresh Selects via their Bandcamp, this tasty morsel from Los Angelena Low Leaf just oozed into our headphones after one of our end of day jaunts on the web (at this point we should probably show our Late Pass to security). Apparently an outtake from a forthcoming album ‘AKASHAALAY’ (due April 29th through Fresh Selects) and featuring a production credit from none other than King Britt (Oba Funke, Scuba, Sylk130 to name but a few aliases), it seems the vocalist / multi-instrumentalist caught our attention fairly easily. An excellent slice of experimental soul, which simmers and smolders throughout its four minute length, ‘A Light Within’ is just the right kind of beat-orientated goodness we love to add to our daily diet. The fact that it’s a free download too is kind of a no-brainer.

As we look forward to the new album dropping next month, preview and download the beat below and if like us, you need a little more to Low Leaf in your life then a good place to start is right here.

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