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CD
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EM 1108CD
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Sweet post-punk, with a heartfelt reggae/funk influence, analog dub effects and lovely femme-vox. A unique slice of late '70s/early-'80s goodness, starring Brenda Ray, whose previous release on EM Records, Walatta (EM 1071CD/LP) has been embraced by a large number of listeners. Recorded in Northwest England, D'Ya Hear Me! is warm-hearted, open, fresh and slyly experimental. With an independent spirit and a true D.I.Y. soul, these 13 tracks, originally released in various formats by Ray aka Brenda Kenny aka Natalie Sand aka Polly Rith'm and her musical friends under the moniker(s) Naffi/Naffi Sandwich, were recorded in a simple homemade studio, making full use of the creative options opened up through the full use of simple means -- although the warm, full audio belies any notions of primitivism. Far from media-crazed London, Naffi created a musical world free from lust for the spotlight, focusing solely on the music, and the results are fittingly pure. D'Ya Hear Me! is a wide-ranging release, with lovely vocal tracks, warm dubs and pleasingly odd instrumentals, all knitted together with a special trans-Atlantic rhythmic sense. Two songs of special interest here are "Moonbeams" and the Young Marble Giants-esque "Everyday Just Another Dream," which are early versions of "Starlight" and "Another Dream" from Walatta. Also noteworthy are several previously-unissued longer versions of some songs. Liner notes written by Brenda Ray. Includes rare photos.
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LP
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EM 1108LP
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2013 repress. Sweet post-punk, with a heartfelt reggae/funk influence, analog dub effects and lovely femme-vox. A unique slice of late '70s/early-'80s goodness, starring Brenda Ray, whose previous release on EM Records, Walatta (EM 1071CD/LP) has been embraced by a large number of listeners. Recorded in Northwest England, D'Ya Hear Me! is warm-hearted, open, fresh and slyly experimental. With an independent spirit and a true D.I.Y. soul, these 13 tracks, originally released in various formats by Ray aka Brenda Kenny aka Natalie Sand aka Polly Rith'm and her musical friends under the moniker(s) Naffi/Naffi Sandwich, were recorded in a simple homemade studio, making full use of the creative options opened up through the full use of simple means -- although the warm, full audio belies any notions of primitivism. Far from media-crazed London, Naffi created a musical world free from lust for the spotlight, focusing solely on the music, and the results are fittingly pure. D'Ya Hear Me! is a wide-ranging release, with lovely vocal tracks, warm dubs and pleasingly odd instrumentals, all knitted together with a special trans-Atlantic rhythmic sense. Two songs of special interest here are "Moonbeams" and the Young Marble Giants-esque "Everyday Just Another Dream," which are early versions of "Starlight" and "Another Dream" from Walatta. Also noteworthy are several previously-unissued longer versions of some songs. Comes with an insert with (Japanese & English) liner notes written by Brenda Ray, plus rare photos.
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EM 1071CD
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2012 repress. Certainly the most unusual reggae album ever made. Augustus Pablo, King Tubby, Asha Puthli with Ornette Coleman, Lonnie Liston Smith and Pharoah Sanders -- very disturbing slices of psycho-dub/doo-wop/jazz-fusion/exotica music. Her breathy Chordettes meets Susan Cadgan vocals, multi-tracked whisperings about inter-galactic Bluebeat starlights over what sounds like a modulated cut of heavy rhythm. Brenda Ray will be familiar to observers of the Liverpool scene as part of the NAFFI organization through the '80s, also famed as Brenda & The Beachballs. Over the past years, together with cohort Sir Freddie Viadukt (aka The Minister of Noise), she has been aiding and abetting the reggae producer Roy Cousins, once of The Royals, in his program of remastering and reissuing selections from his Tamoki Wambesi imprint. Cousins suggested she record an album using original roots reggae tracks from original tapes. The whole album was overdubbed, played, recorded and mixed between 1995-2005 at NAFFI Studios. Everything was done by herself except the final mix-down with Sir Freddie. The cover photo has Brenda in a pose somewhere between Pharoah Sanders' Thembi and Augustus Pablo's East of the River Nile with a melodica pointed towards the water.
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