Friday, December 30, 2011

Now there's a collection!

Giovanni Garcia posted up this outstanding photo of his complete Kolour LTD collection he has framed and hanging up on his wall! They look really great, now if we can just get him to put them in order...

Noodleman on new James Johnston mix


My man James Johnston of No Matter What Records has whipped up a new podcast mix for the crew over at Freakin' that features "Starlight" from The Noodleman! A fantastic mix that also features tracks from James, Suzanne Kraft, Tornado Wallace, The Tortoise, and more.

Be sure to check it and all the other mixes out over on Freakin's PodOmatic page by clicking here!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Playing some records...


The other night I was playing some records over at my buddy's house and I posted up this picture on my Facebook that I had taken when I just happened to be playing two Kolour LTD records. Looks like I was mixing in a little Dave Alison into the Eddie C cut I was playing at the time. We had a fun time playing some jams on the radio and goofing off in general.

Not sure why I am posting this, but why not? he he... Ya just gotta love the look of colored vinyl spinning around on a platter... I know I do.

New Orlando B chart on Juno

Orlando B has a brand spanking new chart up over at Juno Records that includes his "The Harlem Connection" EP out now on vinyl from Kolour sub label Undertones. He describes the chart: "Here's a round up of deep house and techno that you should check." He also adds an amazing quote from Jimmy Saville that goes: "Now then, now then, now then, vinyl is for life, not just for Christmas." That's pretty cool and I agree!

To check out Orlando's chart, please click here!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Eddie C charts 2 Kolour EPs on Juno

Eddie C's "Last Minute Gift Idea" vinyl chart over Juno Records includes two Kolour releases! First up is the "The Story So Far" EP on Kolour LTD that features his tracks "Rising" and an special bonus track "Burnin' Love" that is only available on this vinyl only release. Next up is the "Starlight" EP from The Noodleman on Kolour Recordings which is out now on vinyl with a digital release coming soon!

Be sure to check out those and all his other selections by clicking here!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Trujillo charts 3 releases on Juno!

The always astounding Trujillo has a new chart up on Juno Records that includes three Kolour related releases! First up is the latest offering from the LTD releases with "The Story So Far" that features tracks from Alex Agore, Eddie C, and Fantastic Man. Then we have the "Starlight" EP from The Noodleman on Kolour and the "She Took The Tortoise Home" EP from The Tortoise on Undertones! We're psyched on the support and hope you'll go check out this amazing chart!

To check out, simply click right here!

Quell charts "The Story So Far" on Juno


Be sure to check out Quell's new "Winter Blessing Chart No. 2" for December for Juno Records that features the new "The Story So Far" EP from Kolour LTD that features Fantastic Man, Alex Agore, and Eddie C.

Great stack of EPs for you to skim through from Soft Rocks, Tony Lionni, C Edits and more. Check it out by clicking here.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Deymare charts Orlando B on Juno


Deymare has a new December chart up over on Juno Records that includes the latest Undertones release, "The Harlem Connection" EP from the one and only Orlando B! A well rounded chart of proper Deep House EPs on labels such as Boe, Future Vision, Local Talk, and more.

To check it out, please click here!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Exclusive Interview: Alex Agore

Kolour LTD has a brand new EP out now that features some tracks from some of our out of print, vinyl only Kolour LTD series. Tracks that we always get a lot of requests to re-issue and so we thought we would pick of few to put out on EP called "The Story So Far".

One of the tracks is from my man Alex Agore and I caught up with Alex to get some insight from him on this release and much, much more. Enjoy this Kolour Blog Exclusive Interview with Alex Agore!




I love your new “Beatz, Loops, and Bullshit” series that you have been posting up on Soundcloud. I know you’re a big hip hop fan, are you into hip hop and down tempo as much as you are into house?


Yes I am! I grew up listening to Hip Hop as much as I listened to House or Techno. It always played a role in my life. I enjoy making some beats from time to time. Good to get a timeout from the straight bass drum.

Did you get into music production through any style of music or just your love for music in general?

I always wanted to have my own record. When I started collecting vinyl in like 1990 I thought, “Damn… one day you need to have your own.” But it was more like an abstract dream. I didn’t make any moves in the 90s other than collecting vinyl, though I tried messing with Amiga Trackers, but failed big time. And then one day a friend showed me that silly Playstation 2 program “Music 2000”. So I started messing with it. Spent whole nights making “house” or break beat tunes with like 5 seconds sample time, LOL.

That was fun and I realized, “Ok, I need to check out some real shit” because in the end it was jus a really limited program. So then I checked out some music programs and realized, “Wow, so many possibilities!” I’m a slow learner though, so it took me ages to come up with something that wasn’t sounding totally crappy. And the main goal was always to make house music one day. But man, it was a slow painful process to get where I am now. I always thought my music wasn’t good enough. I still do think that sometimes. Anyway.. I always wanted to make bumpy garage tracks, but then had too much respect, and fear, so ended up doing something else. But it’s all good now. Eventually it all made sense and I enjoy where I am now.


Can you enjoy music the same as before you started producing or do you find yourself constantly critiquing the song you’re listening to (good and bad)?


Yes that happens automatically, but only with House music really. I don’t really care much for the technical side of things I’m more judging the “song” writing. The melody. The use of a vocal etc. Worst thing for me still is listening to my own music though. I always think, “Damn, it sucks what do people hear. Why they even bother listening to this”, LOL. It does get better with time. I don’t stress it anymore. Back in 2006 when I uploaded a track to Myspace or whatever and someone made a comment saying, “Eh, its not that great”… I was ready to give up. I doubted for days. Couldnt make any music then for weeks. But it got better, confidence grows. I still don’t like my own music that much, but at least I don’t care anymore what other people say.

It’s kind of bizarre what is and what isn’t being categorized as “Deep House” these days, what are your thoughts on the current “Deep” house sound?

Well to be honest, 80% of that so called deep house ain’t even house to me, so I don’t bother listening to it. People forgot where house music came from really. Just cuz there’s a Rhodes and an open hat and it’s like 118 BPM doesn’t mean it’s house. I can’t associate with it. So I keep my distance. To me, House is music that speaks to my soul and creates feelings, atmospheres, and moods. But most of today’s music is just boring. People spent AGES on the sound design, but forget the catchy elements. Theres nothing that makes you remember that certain tune in 1 or 2 years.

I don’t even like the term “Deep” because it doesn’t mean anything anymore these days. People think stretching a pad sound over 7 mins and put a reverbed vocal sample on it makes shit deep, but that’s just not what it means. To me eat least. But you can’t blame people really. A lot of the Producers are very young and just don’t know it any different. They grew up with this Euro deep house stuff and that’s all they know. So it’s all good. Times changed. People do what they have to do.



Are you burnt out on some of your tracks being referred to as “90’s” or “throwback” rather than just what they are?


Yeah, I am kinda… to be honest. Sure the music I make now is sounding a certain way that maybe makes people say, “Oh that sounds old school”, but I don’t do it to get that label. It’s just the music I wanna make. In the end that sound was always there and strong in the underground. People just forgot about it. Labels forgot about it. So now a few people put it back on the map and other people come up with BS labels like retro house. I don’t know why people need all these words all the time to describe things. Its House music. We already got the best term for it. HOUSE MUSIC!

This new release of ours features some out of print gems from the Kolour LTD back catalog that we've received so many inquiries about. Of all the tracks on the original “Promised You Love” EP are you pleased the Tornado Wallace remix was included or would you have preferred another track from that EP?

No, I’m fine with whatever your guys did decide simply because you were one of the very few people I actually really enjoyed working with. It was no BS and straight and honest. Especially props to Justin for the way he was dealing with me.

Both EP’s you’ve done for us on Kolour LTD and Undertones have a unique vibe to them, do you find yourself experimenting with styles to not lock yourself into a specific sound?

Well yes and no. I went through some kind of transformation in the past years you know. I started doing very sample based house music simply because it was, back then, the easiest way of transforming my ideas into music and I had basically no equipment. Not even monitor speakers or a Keyboard. I was just happy to get some shit done. I didn’t know anything about chords or the technical side of things. Since I’m a hip hop kid at heart, this sample approach was never a problem for a long time. Then I felt ready to make the next step and I got some equipment and started to learn. Studied chords. Checked out my fav records over and over again to get a feeling for what I wanna do and then I kept trying and trying.

So the Kolour/Undertones releases show exactly the ending of phase 1 and the begin of phase 2. The first EP was my last word on this whole disco/house/rhodeschords/sample thing because it was all said and done for me. And the 2nd EP was my first try on coming up with original house music that I always wanted to do. So I’m glad you guys helped me to end one phase and start another. Now I can do what I always wanted to do. And yeah, maybe that locks me into a specific sound, but that’s all right with me. I leave the experiments for the kids.



Can you tell us some of your all time favorite producers?


Well the almighty Kerri Chandler of course. Especially his early 90s productions. But he’s still going strong and he’s definitely a main influence. His drums are on another level. Even 20 years ago. Then there’s Eddie Perez because the way he played the keys was, and is, just untouchable. Listen to any random Mentalinstrum/Smack tune from the 90’s and you can hear these chords and damn it always gets me. I miss shit like that these days. Mike Delgado too. He’s another wizard and another strong influence. Of course there’s much more. All the UK Garage Stuff, Jeremy Sylvester, Tuff Jam etc. Todd Edwards too. On the Hip Hop side of things it’s definitely Dilla and Pete Rock.

Who are some of the producers making music these days that you’re feeling?

I know that’s a predictable answer now, but definitely my friend James Johnston. He’s always trying different things and develops on all levels very fast. Its great to watch and hear and I always look forward to see what he came up with next. Then you have Inner Sense who’s EP on Mliu was probably my fave record of the year. A true House head! I don’t know that many new things to be honest, but there are people like Deymare, Lady Blacktronika, Mike Huckaby and a few others that I always give a listen.

How did you and James Johnston get together to start No Matter What Records?

Well, we started No Matter What simply because we were tired of the way certain labels were dealing with us. Like really tired. Then one day we were just talking and suddenly No Matter What was born. It gives us control about what we release and why. Not being dependant on other people is a great feeling. And since 001 and 002 worked out very well, it all was worth it in the end.

Do you ever worry that owning a label will make music more about business then art or is it just an extension of your creativity?

Oh no, I don’t worry about that at all right now. What we do is still basically totally underground. I mean its like 350-400 records. Whats that these days? There’s no money to make unless you plan on having a DJ or live gig career which I dont. So it’s all just for fun and for the love of music. When dealing with other people though certain things and attitudes do annoy me a lot. I don’t want to get trapped in all these politics and BS that surrounds house music sometimes, so I need my time outs and get back to what’s important, the music!




What would be your dream record to put out on your label?

Nothing special really because that dream record is every record we release. Simply because its us doing what we want and what we love. Nothing could be better.

What can we look forward to from Alex Agore?

Good question. Well as I don’t plan my career or anything like that, I just go with the flow. I let things happen. If there’s a time with no releases it won’t bother me. And if I can release a lot of music then it won’t make me think I’m the shit. So I just take it day by day, step by step. What you can look forward too is more No Matter What releases. And maybe one day some instrumental hip hop cassette project. I’d love to do that one day. But as I said, I let things happen and only God knows what’s next.

For more info on Alex Agore, please visit:

Facebook
Twitter
Soundcloud
Google+
YouTube
No Matter What Blog
No Matter What Facebook



KLRLTD 009 - "The Story So Far" available now!




Interview by Glen. (C) KOLOUR RECORDINGS. Do not steal this article without giving full credit and a link! Thanks!

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Friday, December 9, 2011

The Noodleman on new Sleazy Beats mix!

Kris Percy of the wonderful Sleazy Beats Recordings has posted up a brand new mix called "Spy VS. Fly" that includes "Starlight" from The Noodleman! It's an amazing mix and it also features tracks from Luminodisco, Tornado Wallace, Suzanne Kraft, Move D, and more.

The entire track list is posted on their Soundcloud page, check it out by clicking here.

Kris Percy - Spy vs. Fly (08-12-11) by Kris Percy

Thursday, December 8, 2011

3 Kolour releases on Juno's Best of 2011

Juno Records releases it's top 20 Deep House releases of 2011 and we're mighty proud to have three out of the top 20 releases with The Tortoise EP on Undertones and both the Norm De Plume and the "I Love You, But I've Chosen Disco part 1" EP on Kolour LTD. We sincerely appreciate everyone's support in 2011 and keep those pants on because 2012 is officially underway!

Check out the full chart by clicking here!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

KLRLTD 009 The Story So Far out now!

Kolour LTD009, "The Story So Far", is now available from the fine folks at Juno, Chemical, & Picadilly. As mentioned before, this one contains 3 of our most in-demand cuts from previous Kolour LTD releases and have been long since out of print. We had them all re-mastered and stuck them on a pearly white platter (along with a fantastic unreleased bonus cut from Eddie C) and are releasing them altogether .. one last time. If you missed any of these before - now's your chance!



Trujillo charts The Tortoise on Juno

The amazing Trujillo has charted the Genius Of Time remix of "Last Night" from The Tortoise on Juno! You can find the track on the "She Took The Tortoise Home EP" and we're psyched he's supporting it on his chart! Lots of good stuff on there from Trujillo, Matthew Kyle, OOFT!, and more.

To check it out, click here!

Monday, December 5, 2011

DJs: Most Charted - Deep House for Dec 2011


Juno has posted up their DJs: Most Charted - Deep House chart for December 2011 and the "I Love You, But I Have Chosen Disco" Part 1 has made the list! Massive thanks to all of you who supported the release! Lots of amazing releases on there for you to check out.

To give it a look, click here!

The Noodleman on new WOLF mix

The Medlar remix for "Starlight" from Noodleman from Kolour is on a brand new mix from Wolf that you can listen to and download now from their Soundcloud page.

I love the mix description, "Once in a full moon I throw some records together and record a mix. Today is one of those days. 2 decks, no FX. Nuff new WOLF bits and some tracks that have been working for us up in the rave." Fantastic mix, be sure to check it out!


WOLF 'Bonetract' Mix by Matt_Wolf_Music

Saturday, December 3, 2011

FIO on Juno Best of 2011 Chart


We're thrilled that "Go Easy On Me Girl" from Francis Inferno Orchestra was included on Juno Download's Deep House Best Of 2011 chart. It was in the #7 spot out of 20 and we want to say a big thanks to everyone who supported the release! Lots of great releases this year, it's an honor to included!

To check out the full list, click here!

New Mike W chart for Juno!

Our very own Mike W has a new vinyl chart up over at Juno for the month of December! Mike describes the chart, "Tis the season for proper quality tunes. As 2011 draws to a close - we're reminded what a banner year this has been for music. From the consistent quality of deepness to the all out disco explosion .. we're proud to have been a part of the movement." To check out Mike's new chart that includes releases from Fina, Wolf, Sleazy, 4 Lux, and more... simply click here!


"Have you ever had a whitehead on your eyeball, Mary?"

Friday, December 2, 2011

No Regular Play support The Tortoise on new podcast

No Regular Play have a new mix they have put together for the the site Data Transmission. The podcast mix includes the Genius Of Time remix of "Last Night" from The Tortoise that you can find on the "She Took The Tortoise Home" EP. Their mix includes artists like Toro Y Moi, Canyons, DJ T, and more. They also give the site a quick interview for you to read as well.

To check it out, click here!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Juno's Most Charted chart for Dec

The Francis Inferno Orchestra's "Go Easy On Me Girl" from the "Sing To Me" EP was # 1 in October for their November chart and held up so well through the month of November to be #3 on Juno Download's most charted Deep House for December! Cheers for the support!

Sccucci Manucci charts The Noodleman on Juno

Our pals over at Sccucci Manucci have a stellar new vinyl chart up over at Juno Records that includes the "Starlight" EP from The Noodleman on Kolour Recordings! One of my favorite things about this chart is that it not only includes 12" singles, but a 7" and a 10"! Now that's a vinyl chart! It includes releases from Wolf, Hudd Traxx, Future Boogie, Sccucci, and more.

To check it out, please click here!