One day early in the global lockdown, Frédéric Blais scribbled four words on a Post-It note and pinned it up in his studio. When he headed to a studio in the mountains north of Montreal to start work on his fifth album as Fred Everything, those words went with him. They would not only provide inspiration during two weeks of isolated music-making, but ultimately provide the subsequent album with its title: Love, Care, Kindness and Hope.

Those sentiments – a positive mantra during a period of personal and collective vulnerability and isolation – resonate throughout the album, a gorgeously warm and beautiful affair that counts as Blais’s most personal, musically expansive, mature and sonically detailed set to date.

While each of the tracks began as a rough sketch laid down during Blais’ retreat, they evolved considerably over the months that followed. Blais reached out to a handful of carefully selected guest vocalists and collaborators, including Stereo MC’s, Robert Owens, Sapele, James Alexander Bright, Wayne Tennant, string arranger Pete Whitfield and multi-instrumentalist Finn Peters. He also lent his voice to several tracks, a first in a career that stretches back to the 1990s.

The results are magical, with Blais not only offering subtle variations on his own trademark deep house sound, but also nods to complimentary music styles and classic electronic albums from the late ‘90s and early 2000s.

Naturally, much focus will fall on the album’s high-profile guests, whose contributions work perfectly with Blais’ cultured dancefloor electronica and soul-soaked broken house grooves. Robert Owens – “the voice of house” himself – expertly delivers lyrics full of compassion and reassurance on recent single ‘Never’, Sapele infuses ‘A Long Time Coming’ with lashings of soulful spirituality, and UK hip-hop/soul legends Stereo MC’s make their presence felt on the subtly Latin-infused dub house excellence of ‘Soul Love’.

Then there’s ‘Breathe’, where UK singer-songwriter James Alexander Bright and backing vocalist Wayne Tennant rise above punchy broken house beats, Blais’ trademark square-wave bass and Pete Whitfield’s swelling strings on ‘Breathe’. By the time kaleidoscopic, sun-down breakbeat brilliance of ‘A Good Day’ arrives to draw proceedings to a close, you’ll be overflowing with Blais’ “love, care, kindness and hope” – just as he intended. More

After spending some time on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, Fred wrote his 2018 album Long Way Home. Barbarella was one of the songs on the album. It was inspired by a morning set he did at Barbarellas, the infamous outdoor venue in Tisno. The kitsch disco vibes are also a wink to the cult B-movie of the same name. But it was the 7am in Tisno mix, featured on the alternate version of the album No Way Home that made the song popular.

While there was no plan to release it as a single, Fred had the idea to contact I:Cube, one of his all-time favourite producers, to see If he would be interested in remixing it. The process took a little while but thanks to confinement, with more available time in the studio, the I:Cube Parisian Sleeze Version was born. Taking only a few elements from the original, he completely rearranged the track into a modern disco classic as only the Cube can do. This is one of those cuts that gets better every time you hear it.

On the B-side, Fred’s Slow Down 2021 Version expands on the Balearic vibe at a slower tempo. Sounding a little bit like Sade on acid, with added samples from the 1968 Jane Fonda movie. More

Madhouse Records returns with a new EP from Fred Everything, entitled ‘L’Art de la Retenue’ and featuring three originals from the Quebecois artist. Montreal, Canada based Fred Everything is a stable in the contemporary deep house scene, with a back catalogue boasting material on the likes of 2020 Vision, Freerange, Local Talk and Drumpoet Community as well as helming his own Lazy Days Recordings for the past decade and a half. Here Fred joins the roster of Madhouse Records with his latest collection of soul infused house cuts. ‘Paradiso Petrudo’ leads, laying down a raw, swinging drum groove, crunchy bass stabs and a circling filtered chord sequence throughout while the latter stages ease in an airy resonant synth line and hazy atmospheric vocal chants. Opening the b-side is ‘Lesson In Humility’, stripping things back to shuffled organic drums and cinematic strings alongside an amalgamation of bumpy bass hits, synth shots and bright piano chords. Last up is ‘Imagination & Determination’, taking things even deeper courtesy of hazy stab melodies, soaring vocal chants and fluttering strings atop a robust drum groove. More

A1 - Alone (Together)
A2 – Phoenix
B1 - Alone (Together) [po-lar-i-ty Remix]
B2 - Alone (Together) [Tool]

Fred Everything isn’t a name one tends to throw around willy-nilly. Fred’s contributions to the world of dance music can’t be measured and his ability to continually roll out quality music is unmatched in his field. A dear label brother to us here at ARCo. We’re always overjoyed to have the rare opportunity to release his solo creations to the world.

'Alone (Together)' is electronic but rather organic and reflects the origins of Fred’s work. Sounding super-classic Fred weaves his arrangements in and out and throws drop after drop into the mix. 'Phoenix' is a little flipped in style, although still retaining the classic sound Fred has become known for, the beautiful cascading chord sequence takes you away and makes for a gorgeous listening experience.

Things just got real, po-lar-i-ty stepped in for remix detail! Yes, Osunlade & Burlie Mac in their newly found togetherness have flipped the script completely here, as they inject even more class to this already gleaming release. Their version bounces freely around a vocal loop, glissando harp flourishes, and swept lush chords.

Really classy deep-house gear to get your ears around More

He is back with yet another classic! Winter Tones is one of them nasty, jacky house grooves, topped with emotional synths and a hook which is pushing the inner-soul. Fred Everything manages again to provide a timeless EP of this music we call love. On top the incomparable Tuff City Kids also known as Gerd Janson and Lauer delivered two raw underground remixes just the way we love them. Enjoy and keep on jacking! More

Atjazz Record Company is pleased to welcome back prolific artist and dapper gent Fred Everything. From Canada to the UK, this skillful and ever-present producer brings over 20 years of talent and experience to bear on this exciting new release. We delve into the offering firstly with the titular track: O. A soft and muted start slowly builds up into a fizzy melodic vibe that is undercut with a tasty bass riff. As the track drives on, the harmonies continue to build until they crescendo with a dreamy high-end hook juxtaposed with stippled sour characters. Then Mr ARCo. himself, Atjazz, enters the fray with the Galaxy Aart Remix. Staccato rhythms and active bass notes combine with engaging pops of synth to further illustrate Atjazz's mastering of his craft. We follow this with Her, a meaty beats and bass orgy that effortlessly builds into a shimmering and crystalline cut. This track perfectly showcases Fred's commitment to quality legitimate music and you will not be disappointed! We conclude with the shorter and sharper Devil In The Dub remix where only the lightest of tweaks and touches is applied, but this brings a fresh and compelling sound to an already impressive track. More

When it comes to breathing new life into classic cuts Joseph Caserta is as good as it gets, proven many times on his imprint BridgeBoots.

Making punchy and jackin' house, sounding like it's been dipped in some secret sauce is another trick of his.

The first track on his Local Talk debut, Hip Hop, comes in two flavours with the special sauce added on top.
Both the Rap Mix and the Haus Dub got swinging drums and a meaty, stabby chord that keeps the energy tight.

On the flip, 'g'Head' is a punchy and bumpy house jacker that takes a hold of you and doesn't let go. More

Hot on the heels of their releases on Nu Groove and Refuge Recordings Acid Jerks are back once again with another EP of jackin' traxx.

It's their first for Local Talk and we are, of course both proud and honoured to release "Hifi Shades Of Grey" on limited 12" vinyl.
The Acid Jerks sound is tried and tested to perfection by now and their fans won't be disappointed listening to this EP for sure.

First up is 'Shades Of Grey', a proper builder with its haunting strings, setting the tone perfectly.
Then we have 'Wheels Of Fortune', a track with that raw Chicago vibe. Warehouse soul anyone?

Both 'Rise Up' and 'Ace Of Spade' are tracks infused with that and equal parts of old-school and bounce.

Acid Jerks makes music that is impossible to ignore, it's a fact. More

French producer Timothee Milton debuts on Local Talk with an EP that fumes of soulfulness in every direction.
Written by Angela Johnson, the original is a big vocal deep house jam that got some hints of the 90s Jersey sound..but not too retro ;).

To give the package an extra edge we enlisted deep house connoisseur Hugo LX and boogie-house maestro Art Of Tones for the remixes, and our boys really delivered the goods.
Hugo's mix is a classy as it gets, supa bumpy deep house where everything little production detail is delivered with good taste.
The Art Of Tones remix is equally strong but goes for a more uplifting approach and puts the funk, boogie and soul front & centre.

Big !
More

French producer, musician and DJ, Thomas Arroyo aka Laroye has over the last couple of years been dropping musical releases in all the right places, Atjazz Record Company, Vision Recordings and Freerange Records to name a few, Local Talk are extremely proud to present 'Let It Go' to the world.

From his studio in Brighton where he resides nowadays, Laroye has produced four highly musical compositions that will appeal to a wide audience of house heads as well as the jazz, soul, and funk communities.
The EP offers everything from vocal soul /boogie jams like 'Beauty in motion' and 'Grateful' to the deep vocal house of 'Let it go' and the jazz-funk with a strong rare groove feel on 'People out there'.

Just 100% quality all the way. More

Now, this release is really special. Warsaw's finest producer, envee (yes spelled in lower case) has been around the block since the early 2000s and is arguably Poland's #1 producer of underground dance music...with soul.
With a sound that often leans towards the UK underground, we thought that we should enlist one of envee's (and our) fave producers to remix his new Local Talk release; Manchester’s finest Zed Bias.

We asked Zed to give us that deep, soulful 2-Step rub but with a slight jazz edge and boy did he deliver.
Not only did he remix one of the tracks, he got so inspired and remixed both tracks...don!
It's proper UK deep UK 2-step / garage that will work in any (!) decent club. Yup it's that good.

We of course need to mention the original mixes from envee himself.
Sum Luv is a warm and melodic hip hop / soul jam with a slight Dilla(ish) backbeat. A proper tune!
Styrax sounds like a killer jazz-funk banger straight out the Bugz In The Attic playbook with jazzy Rhodes, breakbeats, big strings, and a bad bassline. West London meets Wars aw...bam!! More

"We've now been at this since 2010 and over the years we've really tried to deliver the kind of house music (and beyond) that we would play, listen and dance to ourselves.

We really tried to avoid the dangerous traps of following trends which in the long run can water down labels to just a music portal instead of a music brand with character.
Basically, we aim to deliver our own musical personality via artists and producers that we love and respect. To sum things up, we are proud to present Local Talk - 13 Years Later.

On this 13 Years Later compilation we reached out to some of our friends on the house scene and as always, we try and aim for a wide spectrum of styles.
You'll hear everything from classic house, deep house and soulful house to Detroit(ish) and Jazz(ish) from some of our fave producers.

We sincerely hope you will enjoy this selection of dance MUSIC as much as we do and that there's something for everyone on our compilation." More

Local Talk are proud to present a live recording with Soulphiction & Netzer from 2018, recorded live just a month before the official release of 'Bizzness' the first of several releases Soulphiction and Local Talk released together.

Bizzness is by many considered a classic and had all the trade marks of a Soulphiction tune with its dusty soul and funk-infused house ingredients.
This live version really shows the vision and forward thinking of Michel Baumann using his Soulphiction moniker.

Also included on this release is a - as far as we know it - unreleased track called Dileila Emergency Dub.
A track built around a heady deep house theme that captures the sweaty, back-in-the-day feel we all love to hear in a track.

________________________________________
All tracks by Michel Baumann
Performed Live with 'Netzer' on 12.5.2018 at Jazzclub BIX / Stuttgart

Netzer are:
Oli Rubow - Drums & Live drum FX
Markus Bodenseh - Bass
Markus Birkle - Guitar

More

Coflo & Lee Wilson returns to Local Talk with a follow up to their single 'Fool For You'. Their new release 'Rainbows' is showcasing a duo that yet again brings some superb soulful house music that can not fail to ignite a floor.

Coflo's warming, musically expansive house sound frequently offers nods to several genres but he manages to tie them all together brilliantly. Combined with Lee's vocals the duo is a force to be reckoned with.

The Backside Mix is a thrusting, bass-heavy bump channeling Yoruba's grandmaster Osunalde mixed with something Henrik Schwarz would produce in his prime.
It's definitely made for the late after-hours in a club when there's sweat on the walls.

It's followed on the flip by the original mix which is an organic-sounding version without losing sight of the style and sophistication that are the hallmarks of Coflo's production.

Yet another unique, masterful track, all crisp and mixed with muscular Motor City futurism More

From the collective brain of Craig Smith & Saleem Andrew McGroarty comes a new 'live' outfit called Sound Signals.

Together with keyboardist Stevie Christie, bass-man Cameron Bradley and percussionist Paulo Riddle they served up a deep, warm and jazzy basement house workout...
With vintage keys (courtesy of Stevie) and a stellar production this is equally a Jazz-Funk tune as much as a house jam...just take your pick!

In order to increase the musical value we got something special on side B.
Here Craig teams up with his Scottish soul brother Ricky Reid for a remix under their Soul Renegades moniker with a big-stringed late night house fanfare.
It kinda reminds us of those tasteful and melodic deep house productions coming out of Italy in the mid/late 90's...think Don Carlos :) More

It's been a while since Local Talk presented a 12" with two artists doing one side each but it's time again.

Italian powerhouse Nico Lahs glides smoothly between labels like Delusions Of Grandeur, Adeen and Rawax, working with house royalty Chez Damier and keeps delivering top quality music.
His contribution to this split 12" is the track 'Everything Is Good', one of those moments when everything (!) works just perfectly.
A straight forward track that embraces loops and repetition with hints of HNNY's golden days.

On the flip Local Talk's very own Tooli moves through a series of moods and grooves with the 'That Cowbell Track', a cut which eases you deeper and deeper into the dance, with clever rhythmic programming.
A dub that focuses on the cowbell is also added for your pleasure, because you can't have enough cowbell, can you ? More

Lee Gomez aka Wipe The Needle has made music in many complimentary styles.
His debut on Local Talk featured Alex Littmore's soulful vocals and took us on journey that goes beyond the house genre.

This time his bruk roots are heavily featured, sprinkled with a touch of soul, jazz and boogie to create an impressive collection of songs.
Fans of Bugz In The Attic and bustling West London broken beat mixed with grit, this one's is for you... More

From the very beginning in 2011 the concept was simple and crystal clear.
Mad Mats & Tooli's new label Local Talk had two main focus points.
First, the actual music was to be inspired around those magical 4/4 house rhythms...and beyond.
Second, the logo! The idea was that a simple and direct visual point together with a strong dance MUSIC message would make the label stand out among other labels in their northern neck of the woods.
In Scandinavia, the main theme is electronic 4/4 rhythms (techno, tech-house etc) and with Local Talk being more inspired by black dance music this has made them the black sheep in the hometown of Stockholm.

To set the musical direction straight from the very start they released Bassfort's 'Moon Shadow' which got instant attraction from both house heads and the more open-minded clubbing community.
With its warm, melodic chords, infectious piano theme and big strings it's always been the label's fave jam from their now +150(ish) releases.
When they decided to choose a track that would define the label for their 10-year anniversary, the choice was simple.

Mats & Tooli thought long and hard about who they wanted to interpret 'Moon Shadow' and after months of discussing options they decided that the only one they could trust to give the track a quality boost was NYC legend Joe Claussell.
Back in the late 90's, Mats used to book Joe for his legendary Raw Fusion parties in Stockholm so the connection and mutual respect were already in place. The result is a +11 minute long musical house journey that builds and builds until those characteristic piano chords make an entrance and transform the dynamics into a rainbow of sounds. Epic is not a word big enough to explain this grand musical production !

But the goodness does not end there, we're only halfway in on this anniversary release. The blood brothers Javi & Luis aka Kyodai (and 2/3 of Bassfort) made their own mix on the B side track from the original release, Moonlight.
As schooled jazz musicians they diverted from the electronic soundscape and went for a live jazz-funk production.
The final product is a warm and musical version with live drums, bass, piano, strings and even vocals from the brothers themselves.
The track almost comes across as something 4 Hero would put out back in the day.

All we can say, enjoy the dance! More

Shaka is back on Local Talk with a follow-up to "The Riverwalk EP" released back in 2020.

The Bird's Eye View continues on the same deep, soulful and uplifting house tip with waves of ear-pleasing music.
There's a genuine swing to the opening track Short Circuit that is infectious and Shaka really gets to work on those keys.
It brings back memories of those golden years of house music when every track Strictly Rhythm classic was a classic...

The Birds Eye View offers a deeper and jazzier spin on the lush and spiritual house music Shaka flirts with.
If delightfully playful house music is your secret crush then look no further. More

House head, soul man and jazz aficionado Envee is back on Local Talk with 'Gotta Work' featuring Nick Sincklair on vocals.
Packed to the rafters with high quality deep and soulful house, Gotta Work has a both the US garage style with an edge and the uplifting sound of a modern track. Trev, a producer bringing some of the freshest sounds in broken beat in recent times delivers two versions, both with ultra-deep bass and wonky time signatures.
Trev can do no wrong. More

Warm, jazzy peak-time House business from Parrreeeeee !
Like Dimitri jamming with Glenn Underground, annnnddd featuring a rare appearance from 90's darlings of the deep PLAYIN 4 THE CITY !! More

BIIIIGGGG Rib-tickling delights from RSL !! A 90's style cut n'paste homage flipped with a dubwise beauty.
LIMITED ! More

Luke Fono makes quite an entrance on Local Talk with 4Real, featuring vocalist BB. James.

The song features a garage swing in its unstoppable rhythm and melting-wax chords, it's almost impossible not to smile and sing along when a track brings this kind of vocal melody and positive vibe expertly pieced-together.
You definitely can hear its soulfulness bleed through the track, an impressive achievement and well worth a listen.

Local Talk favourite Crackazat makes a welcome return and delivers a remix that includes all his trademarks, a bouncy groove, stabs and jazzy melodies worthy of a keyboard wizard.
It's effortlessly musical and delicate at the same time. More

Super accomplished future-retro sample house classics from Laroye. Shades of KDJ / MCDE here and another tip top Local Talk release ! More