Browse by Label: ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)

Artist:	SHANTEL
Title:	Bucovina Club
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	AY 001CD

Bucovina Club is a 2003 release, distributed in the US for the first time. Stefan Hantel, aka Shantel from Frankfurt/Main has firmly established himself as an all-around electronica producer with his previous albums Higher Than The Funk (K7!) and Great Delay. With Bucovina Club, Shantel presents sounds from Eastern Europe -- the brass bands of Macedonia and the gypsy swing of the Wallachei -- to the Frankfurt dancefloor. The tracklist features artists such as Goran Bregovic, Taraf De Haidouks, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Kocani Orkestar, and Boban Markovic Orkestar, established names in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, some of whom have actually played the now-defunct Bucovina Club.

Artist:	OMFO
Title:	Trans Balkan Express
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	AY 002CD

2002 release. With flutes and stringed instruments, Jamaican dub techniques, laptop producing, kosmonautic lyricism and electronic sound engineering, Trans Balkan Express mixes the musical spice of the Southeastern European provinces with the club culture of the West. German Popov, aka Our Man From Odessa (O.M.F.O.) travels from Amsterdam via Berlin to the hinterlands of the EU, the Karpates, the Black Sea, right into the front garden of Asia. The result is an album featuring music located somewhere in-between space and a Balkan wedding, happily ignoring musical boundaries of any kind. Trans Balkan Express is where modernism dances with tradition, and where the "old" Europe flows into the "new."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Rio Baile Funk: Favela Booty Beats
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	AY 003CD

Courtesy of Berlin-based DJ and journalist Daniel Haaksman, Baile Funk is a reflection of Brazil's melting pot society, combining a mixture of funk, Miami bass, electro, rap, hip-hop, freestyle, bastard pop and MPB (Musica Popular Brasil). With bouncing-booty beats and Portugese raps, this is Brazil's contribution to world-wide Bass culture, paying homage to big fuck-off speakers set up by competing sound systems. In Rio some simple and spare elements do it all: A few rolling beats, one or two MCs, and the use of some minimal sampling or electronic sounds are enough to revitalise this exciting feeling that first appeared in the mid '80s. Haaksman has selected the finest funk tunes of recent years, including hits like MC Serghino's Pocotopocoto, Bonde Do Tiagro's O Baile Todo or MCs Naldinho & Beth's Tapinha. These songs were so big, they were sung in Rio´s soccer arenas. Plus, there's the underground anthems such as the Rick Rubin/Russell Simmons tribute Popozuda Rock n´Roll by De Falla. The 12" presents some of the highlights featured on this release.

Artist:	BOOM PAM
Title:	Boom Pam
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	AY 005CD

This debut from Boom Pam is filled with magical surf guitars from Tel Aviv kicked by tuba and drums on an ecstatic Mediterranean spicy Balkan trip! Forget the daily headlines and immerse yourself in Tel Aviv's vibrant music scene. If there's a sound you can't find here in this offbeat Mediterranean metropolis, it probably doesn't exist. The music brewed up by the Boom Pam four is the acoustic equivalent of a high-energy drink. They already have a cult following in the Middle East, and now they have wowed European audiences in their gigs with Shantel at his Bucovina Club in Berlin, Frankfurt and Zurich. This CD, released worldwide exclusively on the Essay label, marks their recording debut. It is hard to categorize their music. So maybe we should invent a new category for Middle Eastern surf rock with a pinch of Balkan, a touch of irreverence and a lot of groove. Along with their two surf guitars, minimalist percussion and distinctive tuba comes a unique blend of Mediterranean, Balkan and Greek styles, sweetened with Jewish melodies and fattened up with cinematic circus music. The musicians are fed up with the klezmer cliche that still tends to be associated with Jewish music. "Nobody listens to klezmer," they say in unison. "Klezmer is the stuff that's sold in airport shops as 'the music of Israel.' Well, there is usually some klezmer in it, but that really isn't what's happening here -- that's what's popular outside Israel, but it isn't what's happening here. And there's a lot happening here."

Artist:	SHANTEL
Title:	Bucovina Vol. 2 EP
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	AY 005EP

We've cut the waiting time for the next Bucovina Club anthology. The Bucovina Vol. 2 EP opens a window on the work of Shantel, the mastermind behind the Bucovina Club. Track 1: Shantel Feat. Mahala Rai Banda: 'Bucogeasca Dub' - The Kings of Mahala (Mahala = Gypsy district) got together with Shantel to produce their first CD (currently at number 3 in the world music charts). In the summer of 2004 Shantel and the Mahala Rai Banda wowed critics and audiences all over Europe with the Electric Gypsyland Tour. Here's a taste of Bucogeasca Dub that heats up the dancefloor to fever pitch. Track 2: Jewish Monkey's Feat. Boom Pam: Koshernostra Mix. This is a new version of the legendary dancefloor burner Bucovina by the Tel Aviv Jewish Monkeys and Boom Pam, remixed by Shantel. All we re going to say about the Jewish Monkeys right now is: watch this space. You'll be hearing a lot more from them soon, as well as from Boom Pam, who have just cut their first CD in the studio with Shantel and whose gigs have already taken Berlin, Frankfurt and Cologne by storm. Track 3: Balkan Beat Box: Bulgarian Chicks. So who wouldn't want to get to know these Chicks and the white-hot Balkan Beat Box? The New York project by Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat combines the organic with the electronic, and couples sexy vocals with a beat that has set dancefloors vibrating from Jerusalem to every Bucovina Club in Europe. At the Transmusicales Festival in Rennes this number was on constant play from six in the morning, to the roar of an ecstatic crowd."

Artist:	SHANTEL
Title:	Bucovina Club Vol. 2
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	AY 006CD

The follow-up to the critically-acclaimed debut album Bucovina Club. This dynamite collection curated by the renowned German DJ/producer Shantel (Stefan Hantel) sees him forsaking his old trip-hop stylings for the manic music of the Balkans. Serving as a sort of imaginary soundtrack to Frankfurt's amazing, vodka-fueled, gypsy-rave all-nighter club, the now-defunct Bucovina, Shantel's eclectic mix of clubsounds, future funk, Roma ballads, Balkan brass and freestyle electronica are now legendary across the dancefloors of Europe. Digital teams up with analog, beat embraces melody, tango goes lyrical -- and it ain't over til the samovar sings. Shantel's former life as a producer of downtempo and electronica has taught him to fly in the face of convention by treating local Eastern European and Balkan music in the same way as hiphop and all kinds of club music, making them just as much an integral part of today's youth and pop culture. There's nothing clichéd about this new wave of music -- and not a bobble-hatted world music purist in sight. On Bucovina Club Vol. 2, five of the fifteen tracks are exclusive original recordings and five are exclusive mixes. Shantel's own tracks feature stars of the gypsy and Balkan music scene: Boban Markoviç and his son Marko, Jony Iliev, Vesna Petkovic, and the all-star line-up Bucovina Club Orkestar. The exclusive remixes feature Mahala Raï Banda, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Sandy Lopic Orkestar and French-Romanian actress Rona Hartner (of Tony Gatlif's movie Gadjo Dilo). The other tracks present a host of famous artists and some newcomers such as: Dr. Nelle Karajlic, Balkan Beat Box, Slonovski Bal and Goran Bregovic. Bucovina Club Vol. 2 is pure naked euphoria, placing a direct and visceral punch that really gets people moving. The parties take up where the ecstatic raves of the house and techno generation left off.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Rio Baile Funk: Favela Booty Beats Vol.2
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	AY 006EP

"Baile Funk is music from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Bouncing booty beats with Portuguese raps that make 50 Cent look like a wimp. Baile Funk is a reflection of Brazil's melting pot society, merging a mixture of funk, Miami bass, electro, rap, hip-hop, freestyle and bastard pop. Baile Funk is definitely the latest craze. After the huge success of the now deleted first Baile Funk 12" here's No. 2. Two tracks are drawn from our Rio Baile Funk - Favela Booty Beats CD compilation which was put together by Daniel Haaksman. Two others are taken from our CD compilation Senor Coconut presents coconutfm. On coconutfm Senor Coconut, the alter ego of German Electronica wizard Uwe Schmidt (aka Atom Heart) presents what he discovered during his long stay in Chile and various other Latin American countries: alternative Latin American styles which are mostly still unknown to the West even though they are very popular to the local crowds. For this EP he selected two Baile Funk floor fillers: Vanessinha Pikachu is the creator of the popular 'Dança do Pikachu' dance style and Malha Funk brings here a vibrant homage to James Brown."

Artist:	SENOR COCONUT
Title:	Coconut FM
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	AY 007CD

Subtitled: Legendary Latin Club Tunes. On Coconut FM, your host is Señor Coconut, the alter-ego of the legendary German electronica wizard Uwe Schmidt (aka Atom Heart, Atom, etc.). Released by Germany's Essay Recordings, the label behind the popular Rio Baile Funk: Favela Booty Beats and Bucovina Club compilations -- Señor Coconut takes you through a tour of Latin America's alternative electronic music. Welcome to the Cocovina Club: congas and Casios? Puerto Rican rap and Spanglish splutter? Booty beats and Spanish guitars?! This must be Coconut FM. No, not Chilean microhouse, or Mexican psychotrance... we're talking genres like funk carioca (baile funk), cumbia, reggaeton, and oddball fusions of them all. Señor Coconut has explored these alternative dancefloor sounds -- music you might call Latin mutant disco -- and has pulled together a collection of songs from all over Latin America, from the Caribbean to the Southern Cone. All these genres share a common ground: they're all music of the people -- of the favela, the barrio, the villa. Funk Carioca is Rio's version of Miami bass, a furious fusion of electro beats and Portuguese rapping, shot through with rave, shameless samples, and bonkers sound effects. Six hot tracks from Vanessinha & Alessandra, Malha Funk, Os Carrascos, DJ Alexandre, Bonde Neurose, and Vanessinha Picatchu. Funky, fast, cheap and out of control -- it's adrenaline for the airwaves. Reggaeton -- the bastard child of Jamaican reggae, American hip-hop, and Panamanian and Puerto Rican barrio culture -- is one of the fastest-growing styles around. Tracks range from Tego Calderon's lazy "Cambumbo" to Peter Rap's electro-funk flavored "Punta." Also, Don Atom himself, aided by the Chilean rapper Tea Time, melts down reggaeton in a vat of acid techno. Cumbia -- originally a Colombian genre, took root in working-class villas and morphed into cumbia villera. It may sound the most traditionally "Latin" of any of the music here, but tradition, as Coconut FM proves, is a twisted path indeed. Gladys weighs in with kooky circus antics, and Los Pibes Chorros takes cumbia into gangsta territory with their boyz-in-da-villa anthem, "Llegamos Los Pibes Chorros." Whatever the case, wherever you come from, prepare to be surprised. If you're a Latin music aficionado, this record will give you a cross section of styles you won't likely hear in any one place. Coconut FM's signal picks up an urgent, strident cheekiness you probably haven't heard since rave's earliest days.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Rio Baile Funk: More Favela Booty Beats
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	AY 009CD

After the wildly successful international bombast of Rio Baile Funk: Favela Booty Beats, here comes another round of mutant hip-hop, raw grooves and mad breaks that will transport you to another imaginary party with big speakers in some hot and hidden Rio slum. It's been a while since the DJs from the black music balls in Rio started cutting and pasting Miami bass beats, African drumming, samba, Bahia carnival tunes and incredible sampling from Front 242 to Dire Straits. Blended with lyrics about crime, love, guns, faith and everything else, this is music that didn't need TV or radio to become popular. More Favela Booty Beats illustrates the changes that have occurred in Rio favelas ever since the first edition grabbed global dancefloor attention. One of the first tracks on this CD, "Rap de Caxias," by MC MDY, gives a good introduction: over some beats that sound like a cross between musical heritage of Miami, Rio and Salvador, he names the stars of the funk carioca and the favelas they belong to with celebratory abandon, from Rocinha to Vidigal to Jacarezinho. Then, Mr. Catra, the James Brown of the booty beats, represents with two of his strongest tracks: the overtly sexual "Vem Nha Nha" and the claim for loyalty "Cabelo Voa." If he had a women's counterpart, it would be Deize Tigrona, who comes in collaboration with Edu K, with a new version of "Sex-O-Matic," remixed by DJs Mavi and Sany, two of Rio's best kept funk secrets. Mr. K delivers AGAIN on this mix with "Hot Mama," another track from his album Frenétiko, which gets an insane remix by Bonde Do Rolê, whose reckless crossover of booty beats and rock will draw everyone's attention. There's MC Sabrina, the young diva who provides beautifully-sung vocals on her track, and MC Cula with country and western and Brazilian folk music samples, praising the joys of having sex in the horse-riding position. It's the Kama Sutra with beats! And there's still more music to keep you busy: "Vascão 2000," by Dennis DJ is a curious reworking of a football team hymn with mutant Miami bass beats, and the rhythm-fuelled "Jiu Jitsu," "Catita" and "Dança do Dedinho" with gunshots making the breaks will bring to life the REAL Rio. All these tracks paint a vivid and colorful picture of what is like to be inside this big, exciting, and often paradoxical party called Funk Carioca. And now get that booty started!

Artist:	VA
Title:	More Favela Booty Beats EP
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	AY 009EP

2009 repress. The Rio dance craze gets a fresh treatment by Daniel Haaksman. Baile Funk is music from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Bouncing booty beats with Portuguese raps that make 50 Cent look like a wimp. Baile Funk is a reflection of Brazil's melting pot society, merging a mixture of funk, Miami bass, electro, rap, hip-hop, freestyle and bastard pop. From Black Orpheus to City of God, the idea of life in a Rio de Janeiro favela has changed substantially, and so has its soundtrack. Now, it's time for booty beats, the mutant hip hop that you've probably heard somewhere -- the raw groove with mad breaks and shouty lyrics that you can never understand, steering you towards an imaginary party with big speakers in some hot and hidden Rio slum. It's been a while since the DJs from the black music balls in Rio started cutting-and-pasting with Miami bass beats, African drumming, samba, Bahia carnival tunes and pop music -- incredible sampling that veers from Front 242 to Dire Straits. Then the MCs, most of them raised in the favelas, came in with rhymes about their everyday life -- meaning sex (fun on a low budget), crime, love, guns, faith and anything else. Put all this together and you have funk carioca. Here's the 12" taste of the album: VA - Rio Baile Funk: More Favela Booty Beats.

Artist:	AMSTERDAM KLEZMER BAND
Title:	Remixed
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	AY 010CD

The Amsterdam Klezmer Band started as a trio that mostly played in the bars and on the streets of Amsterdam. Since forming in 1996, they have evolved into a pack of seven musicians who perform with the heritage of klezmer music, the intensity of a punk band and the inspiration of all kinds of Gypsy and Balkan dance music. Now popular guests at numerous international festivals, dance events and pop clubs, the DJs who love them finally pay them tribute with Remixed! -- thirteen original and electrifying remixed Balkan & klezmer tracks from well-known European DJs Shantel (Bucovina Club), DJ Yuri Gurzhy (Russendisko), Stefan Schmid (Zuco 103) and many more. Along with 6 remixes out of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band repertoire you will also find 7 brand new and original tracks especially recorded for this album! The idea arose after releasing nine albums to look for new ways of displaying their musical taste. After some shared club dates with DJs and creative experiments with drum computers and samplers they decided to invite some exciting DJs and producers to work on their material. The Amsterdam Klezmer Band is an energetic and poetic stage act whose refreshing approach to klezmer and Balkan music transcends the traditional aspects of this music resulting in a very lively mix of Eastern-European sound. The band endeavors to breathe new life into this traditional music with passionate performances, spectacular live shows and a good dose of street credibility. The remix artists on this album give the Amsterdam Klezmer Band a vigorous treatment that will induce frenetic, uncontrollable movement. Klez dance!

Artist:	SHANTEL
Title:	Disko Partizani Remixes
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	AY 010EP

Shantel's "Disko Partizani" is a worldwide anthem of the Balkan pop movement. The video has over 1 million clicks on YouTube and MySpace, and is in heavy club rotation in France, Italy, Austria, Greece, Turkey and the Netherlands. Featuring exclusive and strictly limited remixes by Yamaha vs. Electrico, Marcus Darius and Tricky Cris, and Dublex Inc.. "Disko Partizani" is a place where electro, house, freestyle, hip-hop and dub-heads shake hands, drink vodka and rock out.

Artist:	SENOR COCONUT
Title:	Yellow Fever!
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	AY 011CD

This is the latest installment in the vaunted legacy of Señor Coconut (Atom Heart, Uwe Schmidt), the world's only German/Chilean "electrolatino" interpreter of pop standards. This time out, Coconut -- famous for his laptop-mambo and acid-merengue covers of Kraftwerk, Sade and Michael Jackson -- is back with a proper Latin big band, fronted by the inimitable Venezuelan singer Argenis Brito, to pay homage to Kraftwerk's Eastern counterparts in the annals of techno-pop pioneers, Yellow Magic Orchestra. Making the orchestra that much more magical, all three of YMO's members -- Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi, and Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto -- make guest appearances on the album. And rounding out the barmy, mixed-up social club, the album features a host of distinguished collaborators from all corners of the electronic-music world -- including Towa Tei, Burnt Friedman, Mouse On Mars, Akufen, Schneider TM and Nouvelle Vague's Marina -- in a series of playful, cryptic interludes that aim to crack open, once and for all, the mystery of Señor Coconut. Active from 1978 to 1983, YMO was, in many ways, Japan's answer to Kraftwerk, exploring the ways that pop songcraft could be rewired for a new era of circuitry. What distinguished them in their early years from their button-pushing, synthpop contemporaries around the globe was their intense, questing musicality -- YMO shrunk entire musical worlds to fit their motherboards. Depending on the selection, in YMO you can hear disco, jazz, funk, balladry, show tunes? You get the idea. "Yellow Magic" features a piano solo ripped straight from the Afro-Cuban tradition; "Pure Jam" sounds like a breakdancer's remake of Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles. It probably goes without saying that the same "globalizing" questions Schmidt explored in his Kraftwerk versions were in many ways already answered in YMO's own recordings, which combined Japanese technological advances with Japanese worldly curiosity, filtered through that country's geographical and cultural distance from the West. Is it any surprise, then, that in listening to Señor Coconut's mambofied versions, and then going back to the originals, it turns out that there was a sultry Latin streak running through YMO's chips all along? YMO's relentless sonic inquisitiveness -- which led all three members on to distinguished solo careers and powerhouse collaborations in pop, neo-classical, experimental music and soundtracks -- provides ample material for Schmidt and his collaborators. Once again, Coconut has convened a talented ensemble of Latin jazz players on vibraphone, marimba, double bass, horns and percussion, and Argenis Brito is back on the mic, crooning as only he can.

Artist:	OMFO
Title:	We Are The Shepherds
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	AY 012CD

O.M.F.O. -- Our Man From Odessa -- is the master of crossover par excellence. Born in the port of Odessa (Ukraine), German Popov emigrated to Amsterdam in 1989. As an explorer, German Popov loves to travel around Central Asia making live recordings of everything from the traditional songs and melodies of the steppes to the modern restaurant bands of Tashkent with their tinny keyboard sound. So welcome to electronic Walachia, where folk meets Kraftwerk and where bizarre instruments and electronic sounds combine to create a whole new musical dimension. With his ideas and his musicians he bravely goes where no human ear has dared to go before. Futurism meets folklore imaginaire: ladies and gentlemen, we are floating in Eastern European space. His first album on the Essay Recordings label, Trans Balkan Express put him in the international spotlight and none other than Borat, (the controversial Kazakhstani journalist character invented and portrayed by British-Jewish comedian Sacha Baron Cohen) has chosen two tracks from the album -- "Money Boney" and "Magic Mamaliga" -- for the soundtrack to his latest film. Produced by Atom TM and O.M.F.O

Artist:	OMFO
Title:	Baghdub EP
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	AY 012EP

Featuring 4 tracks from OMFO's Omnipresence album (remixed for vinyl use) with a very special remix by Viennese super-heroes Makossa & Megablast. Years of travelling Central Asia far and wide -- making hundreds of recordings, delving into ancient musical cultures, learning to play strange and unfamiliar instruments -- have culminated in this experimental electro-acoustic masterpiece. An unprecedented combination of sound and instruments takes you on a journey through time and space.

Artist:	SHANTEL & OZ ALMOG
Title:	Kosher Nostra: Jewish Gangsters Greatest Hits
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	AY 013CD

Shantel presents Kosher Nostra, an unparalleled journey back in time to the music clubs, vaudeville theaters and gambling casinos in the U.S.A. The sound can be described as a wild mix of swing, jazz, twist, Charleston and the adorable charm of Yiddish songs and ballads. The idea of Jewish gangsters in America is not something that is deeply engrained in the popular imagination. Yet nobody who looks into the history of the American mafia can deny the extent to which such figures as Meyer Lansky, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, Dutch Schultz or Louis "Lepke" Buchalter shaped the machinations of the underworld, along with the classic Sicilian godfathers. The artist Oz Almog, who is also a curator at the Jewish Museum in Vienna, addressed the issue in a high-profile exhibition featuring his own paintings together with police photographs, crime-scene sketches, newspaper articles and the biographies of the gangsters themselves. Shantel, who actually wrote his undergraduate thesis at Frankfurt University on the topic of organized crime, has thoroughly researched the Kosher Nostra and its influence on American musical culture, going to great and sometimes quite adventurous lengths to put together this anthology charting the hidden history of organized crime in America. The myth of Kosher Nostra seems to be closely interwoven with the musical history of the USA in a rich and fascinating tapestry of diverse musical genres: in such hot-spots as New York, Chicago, Detroit and later Las Vegas, the music of Eastern European Jews fused with African-American jazz to create a new sound. The tracks on this anthology represent a parallel society made up of various ethnic scenes, all with their own media and an open-minded curiosity for new and exotic input from the WASP community on the one hand and the predominantly Catholic Irish and Italian communities on the other. This development of an aesthetic approach that crossed all ethnic boundaries spawned a music, film and musical industry in 1920s/1930s America that quickly spread, with an impact that was felt even in Europe. In the course of his research, Shantel unearthed some extremely rare gems: who knew, for instance, that Connie Francis had once recorded an entire album of Yiddish songs, or that Tom Jones had sung the praises of "his" Yiddish Mama? This unparalleled journey back in time to the music clubs, vaudeville theaters and gambling casinos of the 1920s to 1960s bears compelling witness to this enormously diverse and truly remarkable fusion of styles. The anthology is accompanied by an informative and detailed essay in a 60-page fully-illustrated booklet, giving an introduction to the theme of Kosher Nostra and introducing each of the artists featured. Other artists include: The Andrews Sisters, Chubby Checker, Solomon Schwartz Et Son Orchestra, The Bagelmann Sisters With Abe Ellstein Orchester, Leonid Utjossow, Al Jolson, Barry Sisters, Molly Picon, Aaron Lebedeff & Alexander Olshanetzky, Sophie Tucker, Yiddish Swing Orchestra, The Gilt Edged Four, Cleo Brown, Wilmoth Houdini and Roza Eskenazy.

Artist:	JEWRHYTHMICS
Title:	Misirlou
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	AY 013EP

Most people today know "Misirlou" as Dick Dale's signature piece, extremely popular back when issued in 1961 and then again when used in Pulp Fiction in 1994. But this song is an old folk song with obscure origins. Long before Dick Dale made it popular in the West the song was already a hit with the Turkish, Greek or Jewish population of Asia Minor. Let's not forget that Dick Dale's daddy was a Lebanese immigrant to the US. Now this is the glorious return of this tune revamped by the mysterious Disco outfit Jewrhythmics. This is the first single that announces the release of their first album. A fabulous cast of international producers were called to play with the track.

Artist:	BINDER & KRIEGLSTEIN
Title:	Alles Verloren
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	AY 014CD

This is the debut album by Austrian artist Binder & Krieglstein on Essay after two previous albums on Austria's own Zeiger Records. For a while, the most hyped line-ups and projects on the Austrian music scene had names such as Kruder & Dorfmeister, Dzihan & Kamien, Pulsinger & Tunakan. These were simply the names of the movers and shakers who put the Vienna Sound on the music map in the '90s and came to represent a whole new pop/electronic image. So when the name Binder & Krieglstein appeared, it was bound to make you think that this was just another similar act jumping on the bandwagon. Far from it: the very name itself encapsulates the wit and self-irony of Rainer Binder-Krieglstein from Graz. It may sound like a duo, but there's only one person behind it. "Punky lo-fi with attitude, trashy electronic sounds and a generous smattering of humor," is how the Austrian radio station FM4 described his debut album International. Samples, loops and sounds all held together by the drumming and musical vision of Binder-Krieglstein. Anything goes: electronic, brass band or pop. Pure eclecticism? A streetwise lust for life, more like. Minimalism to the max. An urge to capture atmospheres, attitudes and moods and serve them up in distilled form to a surprised and delighted audience. Binder & Krieglstein leaves room for everything from quirky folk guitar and idiosyncratic double bass to moody downtempo grooves, swinging jazz textures and straight tech-house beats. The new album produced by Shantel for Essay Recordings, has the title Alles Verloren, which, in German, means "all is lost." But don't be fooled into thinking it's all gloom and doom. Binder & Krieglstein combine local German pop with various influences from hip-hop and reggae to polka, creating a unique style with lyrics in German and English. Listeners might be reminded a little of Manu Chao or Beck.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Auf Der Anderen Seite/The Edge of Heaven OST
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	AY 016CD

This is the soundtrack to the German-Turkish film, Yasamin Kiyisinda (trans. The Edge of Heaven), directed by Fatih Akin and scored by Shantel. Linked by death, the fragile lives of six people connect on emotional journeys toward forgiveness and reconciliation. The music for this drama is like a soundtrack to a road movie. Accompanying the film's protagonists, the music oscillates between traditional tracks from Istanbul and the Black Sea (home of the much too short-lived singer/songwriter Kazim Koyuncu, who wrote the main track) and European club and dub sounds. Acclaimed Bucovina Club mastermind Shantel followed these diverse cultural traces to compose a haunting, atmospheric score chock full of exclusive, unreleased tracks in which he fuses each different influence in his unique style. Featured artists include Shantel, Sezen Aksu, Kazim Koyuncu, Sevval Sam, Nese Kara Böcek, Selim Sesler, Ahmet Kaya, John Bullard, Yusuf Kaba, Mackali Hasan Tunc, The Rootsman, Binder & Krieglstein, Birol Topaloglu, Rona Hartner and DJ Click.

Artist:	BOOM PAM
Title:	Puerto Rican Nights
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	AY 018CD

Tel Aviv's Boom Pam returns with a second album for Essay Recordings. Puerto Rican Nights is made up entirely of cover versions of the beloved tunes they've been playing live throughout the years, and which are now officially being released for the first time. As the band explains, "Our mix really describes Tel Aviv... a place where people from all over the world meet. This sound is a sharp cocktail of all the different styles that collide here. And we try to bring them all together." Their music is a prolific dialogue between East and West, with an almost hypnotizing virtuosity and eloquence that moves you. Each member of the band differs from the other and plays an equally important part within the exchange of their artistic personalities. Whether it's their great version of "Shayeret Harochvim" with Maor Cohen (originally a song by Israeli folk pioneers Dudaim), which they turn into a country/surf/Israeli rock version, their theatrical version of "Marylyn Jones," a song from an Israeli Hassidic comedy, with the charismatic singer Dror Romem, or sticking tight to the groove of Tomer Yosef's "Ani Rotze Lazuz" ("I Want To Move"), Boom Pam hold onto their roots, while pulling up others deep from the Balkan underground. There are three great tunes which Uri found on his parents' old cassettes from their days in a Balkan dance group: the first is the dramatic opener "Ushest," and the second is "Krai Dunavsko," in which they flow freely from Greek music to dirty rock 'n' roll, and the third is "Chervoné Coralé." They also bring Dick Dale to life with their speedy version of "The Wedge," drawing new connections between American surf guitar and the glissando sound of Arabic quarter tones. "Longa Sultaniyegah" is an old Turkish song which Uzi learned from his brother. "Ay Carmela" appears in two shiny versions, one instrumental and the other with singer Italo Gonzales. The song was part of the soundtrack to the Israeli movie Comrade, and the section starring the band is included as a bonus video, along with the video for "Dalida." The instrumental version of the song "Boom Pam" is also here, since it has become their personal trademark. Boom Pam are: Uzi Feinerman (guitars, banjo, harmonica & vocals), Yuval "Tuby" Zolotov (tuba), Uri Brauner Kinrot (guitars, saxophone & vocals), Dudu Kohav (drums & percussion).

Artist:	AMSTERDAM KLEZMER BAND
Title:	Zaraza
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	AY 019CD

This is the second release on Essay Recordings by the Amsterdam Klezmer Band, an energetic and poetic stage act that has charmed international audiences with their refreshing approach to klezmer and Balkan music that transcends the traditional, resulting in a very lively mix of Eastern-European sound. The Amsterdam Klezmer bug is spreading, hence the title of Amsterdam Klezmer Band's latest release Zaraza. In Slavic languages, zaraza means "infectious" or "contagious," in Polish, it is the word for "epidemic." Zaraza is indeed an infectious album from an extremely virulent and passionate band. The album contains 15 brand new tracks -- all original compositions rooted in the klezmer tradition and infused with Romanian, Turkish, Serbian, Russian and Macedonian sounds -- showcased in their purest form, with virtuoso and provocative performances by Jasper de Beer (double bass, guitar banjo, backing vocals), Job Chajes (alto saxophone, vocals), Alec Kopyt (vocals, percussion), Gijs Levelt (trumpet), Joop van der Linden (trombone, percussion), Janfie van Strien (clarinet, backing vocals), and Theo van Tol (accordion). Since its foundation in 1996, the band has evolved rapidly, becoming world-famous on countless festival tours for bringing the Amsterdam streets and pubs to the world at large. Nowadays, only part of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band repertory consists of traditionals of Balkan or klezmer origin. Most of the AKB repertory has been created by the band members themselves, who all without exception contribute musically to an ever-growing melting-pot of infectious Balkan/Gypsy/klezmer cross-over grooves. Passionate performances, spectacular live shows and a good dose of street credibility form the ingredients of their crazy cocktail.

Artist:	AHILEA
Title:	Café Svetlana
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	AY 020CD

This is the debut full-length release by Macedonian producer and DJ Ahilea (Ahilea Durcovski), a key mastermind behind the incredible Viennese neo-electro-Balkan scene. Before you're too baffled, don't forget: Vienna is, after all, the gateway to the Balkans. Ahilea has brought together a fantastic group of musicians for a wild ride along the Autoput. So fasten your seatbelts and brace yourselves for a new and visionary take on Balkan music. This man is so hot that he gets daily requests for new tracks from DJs the world over. The REAL Café Svetlana is the stuff of legend -- it was frequented by the great anarchist, poet and prominent Munich bohemian Erich Mühsam. Today, tucked away in a little side-street in Vienna, it can only be found by those who are humming the right tune as they turn the right corner... and when they do, they enter a whole new world. Mühsam's description of the Café Svetlana is as follows: "...it is the haunt of many painters, writers and budding geniuses of every kind, as well as many foreign artists, Russians, Hungarians and Balkan Slavs; in short, the kind of people the locals call 'shlaviner.'" The sound of Café Svetlana recognizes the multi-ethnicity and culture of the Balkans. But instead of flying the nationalistic flag, this is music to be savoured with a glass of slivo, palinka, raki or tsuika, and with an open mind and respect for the musicians. Every style comes into its own here: Greek rebetiko, Turkish and Macedonian belly-dancing, Serbian and Croatian folk dances, Roma songs, Albanian-Epirotic clarinet sounds, thunderous brass and the mournful yet cliché-free lament of the fiddle. All with a touch of fresh beats & grooves, bass lines, and finely-chiselled loops from the master of the mixing deck. This is nu-pop music from the Balkans to take you from the bar to the dancefloor and all the way back home.

Artist:	ROTFRONT
Title:	Emigrantski Raggamuffin
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	AY 021CD

This is the debut full-length release by Berlin's ultimate party collective, Rotfront. Founded in 2003 and the brainchild of expat Ukrainian musician Yuriy Gurzhy, Rotfront is the resident band at Berlin's Kaffee Burger, which is also the birthplace and home of the legendary DJ crew, RussenDisko. Rotfront, with its high-octane brew of musical references, has taken the baton from all the other collectives that have come out of Berlin to take the world by storm with their Eastern European sounds (polka, klezmer) and smoldering southern rhythms (ska, cumbia). Yuriy Gurzhy joined forces with Hungarian musician Simon Wahorn, initiator of the Hungaro Groover Soundsystem, to create the entirety of the "Emigrantski Raggamuffin Kollektiv," Rotfront. A Ukrainian, two Hungarians, an American, an Australian and five Germans mix ska, reggae, dancehall and cumbia sounds with klezmer, Berlin's own in-your-face brand of hip-hop, Eastern European turbopolka, Mediterranean melodies and rock riffs. Russian, Hungarian, German and English lyrics tell of life in Berlin and the adventures of immigrants in the city. Guitarists and vocalists Yuriy Gurzhy and Simon Wahorn were joined by accordionist Daniel Kahn (of Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird), bombastic brass/woodwind trio Max Bakshish (clarinet and saxophone), Dan Freeman (saxophone) and Anke Luchs (trombone) with drummer Jan Pfennig (a legend in Berlin's drum'n'bass scene with a band called Human Sampler), fabulous female vocalist Dorka Gryllus (a Hungarian actress), and while he is the youngest band member, Mad Milian is a name to watch out for in the Berlin hip-hop scene. Whether there are 7, 12 or 15 musicians on stage at any one time, nobody is going to be alone on the dancefloor for long. Includes a Emigrantski Republik passport booklet.

Artist:	OMFO
Title:	Omnipresence
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	AY 022CD

This is the third full-length release by German Popov aka Our Man From Odessa aka OMFO for Essay Recordings. Omnipresence is the magnum opus by explorer and discoverer, OMFO. Years of travelling far and wide, making hundreds of recordings, delving into ancient musical cultures, and learning to play strange and unfamiliar instruments, have culminated in this experimental electroacoustic masterpiece. An unprecedented combination of sound and instruments takes us on a journey through time and space, captivating the imagination from the very first moment. Collaborating with artists and musicians from around Eurasia is his greatest passion; traditional cultures and their connection with cosmic metaphysical forces, his greatest inspiration. OMFO wants to introduce Western audiences to what he regards as the "intrinsic modernism of the Orient." This includes extending the listener's experience of music beyond the boundaries of mere entertainment and taking it into the realms of ritual. His "Primitive Equations" project with DJ Goldfinger -- a series of events featuring the music and art of indigenous people -- uses "field recordings" accompanied by video projections of related images. In October 2007, thanks to the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia, OMFO was able to visit Tajikistan, where he had the opportunity to work directly with musicians from the remote Pamir mountain region of Badakhshan. This led to a series of multimedia events throughout Europe and Central Asia: "Falak: The Heavenly Music On Stage." It is from this wealth of experience that OMFO has drawn the inspiration for Omnipresence. In his quest to resolve the issue of traditional cultures and their role in the age of technology, this record is a catalyst for the fusion of these two seemingly irreconcilable concepts. At the same time, OMFO continues to work in the field of film music, mainly creating soundtracks for the video installations and performances of leading Kazakhstan artist, Almagul Menlibayeva, whose work will be shown at the Venice Biennale this year. This is true music from Omfostan.

Artist:	SHANTEL
Title:	Planet Paprika
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	AY 023LP

After more than 250 internationally-acclaimed and celebrated live shows throughout 2008 -- from Glastonbury to Roskilde, from Southside to the Hurricane Festival, from east coast to west coast -- renowned German DJ/producer Stefan Hantel aka Shantel and his band of gypsies, the Bucovina Club Orkestar present Planet Paprika -- a chronicle of their slow takeover of the planet via international musical mind-melding. Gathering a host of awards and chart positions along the way, culminating in platinum status in Turkey, Shantel has perfected a Byzantine flurry of brass sounds, disco, Balkan beats and belly-dancing -- a music without frontiers -- a cultural temporary autonomous zone where integration isn't something to be debated at length, but where it actually becomes reality. Planet Paprika has its own set of values: the pursuit of genuinely European pop music where north meets south and east meets west, and they are all equal in the mind of the musician. Limited edition of 1,500 copies worldwide, pressed on 180 gram vinyl. LP jacket printed on 350 gram cardboard, with an insert featuring a high quality photo print.

Artist:	BINDER & KRIEGLSTEIN
Title:	New Weird Austria
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	AY 026CD

On his fourth album, New Weird Austria, Binder & Krieglstein takes the path less traveled and presents his own personal take on Austrian folk music. Stylistically, he wanders between the worlds of electronic and folk music, bringing together a motley array of guest vocalists on diverse tracks without ever blending them. Folk music and punk are kindred souls: it is the rough-and-ready aspect of both that Binder & Krieglstein distills into something quite unique. In its more extreme forms, the punk dance form, pogo, is not so very far removed from folk dance, and stamping feet are just what electronic music calls for. Folk music and pop just go together -- or, rather, what we have here is the irresistible transition of folk music into pop music. The 12 tracks on New Weird Austria meander wildly yet precisely between influences from electronica, ska, hip-hop and house on the one hand, and polka, landler and traditional Styrian on the other, while still leaving plenty of room for guest performances by Austro-pop legends Wilfried, Didi Bruckmayr, Mieze Medusa, artist Karl Grünling, Molto Mosso, Heimo Mitterer (Portnoy), Steirischer Jägerchor, Christian Fuchs and Suzy On The Rocks (both from Vienna's thriving electro-underground band Bunny Lake). Partner and singer Makki of the Binder & Krieglstein live-band feature with several songs, too. Rainer Binder-Krieglstein launched his successful solo career after a stint as drummer with such bands as Fetish 69, Toxic Lounge and Sans Secours and has since gone on to explore any number of stylistic directions.

Artist:	AMSTERDAM KLEZMER BAND
Title:	Katla
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	AY 028CD

This is the ninth album by Amsterdam Klezmer Band. The story started in 1996. A few boys from Amsterdam with a Jewish background got inspired by the catchy sounds of klezmer and Balkan music and started busking. Since that time, the band has evolved into a seven-strong line-up, representing one of the finest among the klezmer and Balkan music scene in Europe. The Amsterdam Klezmer Band is blessed with an enthusiastic following in the Netherlands, the whole of Europe and even in Brazil. Their refreshing approach to klezmer and Balkan music transcends the traditional aspects of this music and results in a very lively mix of Eastern-European sound. Their strength lies in their ability to appeal to a remarkably broad audience across all age groups; they play clubs or theaters, festivals, parties, weddings or formal functions and can both fire up a crowd and create pure listening pleasure with the vibrancy of their playing. Popular Amsterdam Klezmer Band tunes are being covered and Amsterdam Klezmer Band remixes are found in many clubs from Berlin to Sydney. Now, the unmistakable Amsterdam Klezmer Band sound is optimally encapsulated once again in 14 brand-new tracks which are all original compositions written by the band members themselves. Sirba, turbo-polka and booty-shaking cocek, oompah and motley rhythms, all with the characteristic and inimitable Amsterdam Klezmer Band virtuosity, are to be found on this album. Also, of course, no Amsterdam Klezmer Band album is complete without front men Alec Kopyt (a cult singer from Odessa, who's a renowned specialist of prison songs) and Job Chajes, singing and rapping their way through this new treasure trove of highly-infectious and original Amsterdam klezmer-style repertoire. Katla is the name of the biggest volcano in Iceland. This title possibly implies this new album's explosive, joyful character. Other members include: Jasper de Beer (double bass, guitar banjo, backing vocals), Gijs Levelt (trumpet, backing vocals), Joop van der Linden (trombone, percussion), Janfie van Strien (clarinet, backing vocals), Theo van Tol (accordion, davul), Midou Akhrif (darbuka), and Bokkie Vink (cymbalon).

Artist:	BABA ZULA
Title:	Gecekondu
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	AY 029CD

Essay Recordings welcomes the return of Turkish psychedelic rockers BaBa ZuLa. For their latest masterpiece, they have brought on board some truly inspirational artists such as Asian Dub Foundation co-founder Dr. Das, nu-jazz mastermind Bugge Wesseltoft and other magnificent guest musicians including Titi Robin, Alcalica, Serra Yilma and Dem Yildiz. On Gecekondu, BaBa ZuLa founder Murat Ertel (wooden spoons, percussion, machines and toys) and Levent Akmann (saz and other stringed instruments, vocals, oscillator, Theremin) are accompanied by members of their touring band Cosar Kamci (percussion, darbuka) and Elene Hristova (vocals). This Istanbul-based group is the face of modern Turkish music, blending the sounds of electric saz, wooden spoons, percussion, and ancient shamanistic tradition, and mixing them up with '60s psychedelia, electronica and dub. The result is a contemporary, urban psychedelic folk sound that is both rooted in tradition and also boasts a uniquely contemporary Turkish underground sound. Gecekondu takes its name from the Turkish word for a neighborhood constructed without planning permission -- a kind of squatters' district that has become part and parcel of Istanbul's urban fabric. Millions of people now live semi-legally in such areas on the outskirts of the city, with the authorities turning a blind eye. They built their "gecekondus" -- literally "overnight constructions" -- under cover of darkness and, by the break of dawn, they had become part of the city map. These little-regarded neighborhoods, which have grown successively, are often seen as lacking all aesthetic beauty. For the most part, they are left to their own devices, and have their own specific problems and unique form of chaos.

Artist:	ROTFRONT
Title:	VisaFree
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	AY 030CD

This is the second full-length album by Emigrantski Raggamuffin Collective, Rotfront, produced and recorded by Kraans De Lutin (known for his work with Culcha Candela, Flo Mega, Tiger HiFi, Irie Revoltes) in the Phlexton Studios in January/February 2011. Each track embraces a different subject, with winking statements ranging from the oppression of minorities in Eastern Europe to single mothers and ex-wives of notorious secret agents, to smoking in space or wild weddings in the multi-cultural suburbs of Berlin and of course, some hilarious stories from Rotfront's tour diary. How to describe the sound of VisaFree? Imagine Naftule Brandwein jamming with Nirvana, while Lee "Scratch" Perry works the controls, mixing the session, making some songs sound like disco and others like heavy metal. These are sounds as full of sweat and emotion as good sex, as strong and crystal-clear as Bulgarian home-brewed liquor, and as refreshing and full of color as Berlin itself. The immigrant choir sings in their different languages and several genres are proudly displayed equally. VisaFree reflects the biographies of the band members, presenting hip-shaking music with lyrics defying boredom, prejudice and discrimination against foreigners. Rotfront wishes not only to entertain -- the band's multinational line-up demonstrates how exciting and successful a cultural interchange can be and how profoundly ugly racism is. This is global pop, which is open to diversity where narrow labels such as "world music" do not apply. A Ukrainian, two Hungarians, an Australian and five Germans mix ska, reggae, dancehall and cumbia sounds with klezmer, Berlin's own in-your-face brand of hip-hop, Eastern European turbo-polka, Mediterranean melodies and rock riffs. Guitarists and vocalists Yuriy Gurzhy and Simon Wahorn were joined by bombastic brass/woodwind trio Max Bakshish (clarinet and saxophone), Dan Freeman (saxophone) and Anke Luchs (trombone) with drummer Jan Pfennig (a legend on the Berlin drum'n'bass scene, with a band called Human Sampler), fabulous female vocalist Dorka Gryllus and Mad Milian, who is a name to watch out for on the Berlin hip-hop scene.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Goya 1
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	GOYA 001CD

Edition Goya, a new subsidiary imprint in collaboration with Essay Recordings presents the first volume of a regular compilation series celebrating the impending opening of a spectacular new club for adults in the heart of Berlin called "Goya." Thousands of guests will be treated to a stunning 15-meter high hall incorporating two galleries. Goya will be the fusion of the biggest cocktail bar in the world and THE premier dance location with 2,300 shareholders already signed on, among them many well-known faces and musicians like Pat Appleton from De Phaz; African singer Lokua Kanza; German jazz-trumpeter Till Brönner; Canadian-Mexican singer Lhasa; the Nighthawkes, Quatro Nuevo, DJ Shantel and Yello. The initiator of Goya is renowned musician and DJ Peter Glueckstein, whose concept of Goya is avant-garde and out front, putting music first. During the club nights there will always be two DJs working together, spinning well-produced music. Every three months the label will publish a compilation reflecting a constantly evolving melange of global beats, jazz, soul, tango, flamenco, hip hop, baile funk, Balkan beats, salsa, Cuban folk, Indian pop and tango crossover. The soundtrack to Vol.1 features timeless, rare and unknown tracks and mixes by Angelique Kidjo paying tribute to Gershwin; Lokua Kanza singing in German; and the original composer of the Sesame Street melody Ingfried Hoffmann delivering the sounds of Brazil. Shantel has a double feature as an artist and remixer and Sarah Vaughan gets the tango treatment by Gotan Project and so much more.

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Artist:	VA
Title:	Goya 2
Label:	ESSAY RECORDINGS (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	GOYA 002CD