Diggers Factory has put together a selection of our favourites for June! ?
We've got a varied selection for you this June.
We're kicking off June in style with the collector's project “Cold Water” by Medhane, who raps about what he does and how he does it. Many of his songs are about forward momentum: taking big steps forward, chasing the truth, setting your own pace. “Cold Water” feels like setting long-laid plans in motion.
Next, let's explore the Beatles' very first studio recording as a professional recording attempt. “The Decca Tapes” is a true testament to the band's early days and features all 15 songs from the Decca recording of 1 January ‘62.
Let's go back to a mix of Brazilian music and jazz with “Big Band Bossa Nova”, released in 1962 and produced by the American trumpeter, arranger, composer and jazz producer Quincy Jones.
Let's discover the reissue of this reggae classic, “Why you so craven”, Israel Vibration's key album. This project is a must-have reissued today in its original version, with the tapes remastered for greater listening comfort and clarity.
Finally, let's explore the energy of Parisian electronic music producer Vicent, with his debut EP “Find Yourself”, offering a plunge into a techno universe subtly infused with Japanese influences.
Rediscover Serge Gainsbourg with a unique INA compilation. This previously unreleased “à la Radio” is made up of two public recordings on which he is undoubtedly the star of the evening.
⬇️ We'll let you discover it all ⬇️
??And always find over 100 more vinyl records in the expanded selection! ??
Medhane - Cold Water
When you know who Medhane's closest friends are (Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE), you quickly understand the musical climate of the “Cold Water” album. Infused with lo-fi hip-hop vibes, his dense, concise flow lends depth to the album. The Brooklyn rapper recounts a path made of wounds and opens up a path to healing. His Mick Jenckins-esque tracks, sometimes also reminiscent of Isaiah Rashad, emphasize the low bass that matches the tone of his rap, and are sprinkled with touches of jazz piano and diffuse strings, giving the whole thing body. It's a progression through cold waters at first, in the turmoil of a dark life from which Medhane learns his lessons, to sunnier tracks like Don't Fuck Around, with its accumulation of backing vocals, trumpets and beats. And to top it all off, guest appearances from KeiyaA, Maxo, Navy Blue and JadaSea make this already accomplished album even better. With its clear listening and simple message, this album deserves to be recognised for its brilliance.
The Beatles - The Decca Tapes 
This edition features the famous “Decca Tapes” recorded by the Beatles with Pete Best on drums before the arrival of Ringo Starr and their signing to Parlophone, in a complete 15-track vinyl version. It includes three previously unreleased Lennon/McCartney tracks, ‘Like dreamers do’, ‘Hello little girl’ and ‘Love of the loved’, which the band later rejected. The band's voices and style are already clearly recognisable, with excellent sound and a slight echo that sounds good. Harrison sings 5 of the 15 songs, as many as Lennon and McCartney.
Big Band Bossa Nova - Quincy Jones
“Big Band Bossa Nova” is quite a poem, given that Bossa Nova was certainly the pretext found by Quincy Jones in 1962 to give free rein to his imagination and his science of arrangements. When Brazilian music and Bossa Nova collide with Big Band jazz, the result is a Quincy Jones classic. Purists and other fans of the ‘Soul Bossa Nova’ genre, which was used as a theme song in the Austin Powers films, for example, will not have missed it. That's a bit of a limitation of this project, because Bossa Nova essentially needs confined spaces, modesty and restraint to express itself. By speeding up the rhythms, whereas Bossa Nova had originally slowed down those of the Samba, the tone is outrageously Jazz (and compatible with the tastes of a Western audience). With his Big Band (Paul Gonsalves, Jim Hall, Roland Kirk, Phil Woods, Clark Terry...), Quincy Jones visited the genre, deliberately distorting it without degrading it, because Quincy Jones is an excellent arranger.
Israel Vibration - Why You So Craven
Recorded in 1982 at Tuff Gong studio for the vocals, mixed at Channel One by Scientist and Henry ‘Junjo’ Lawes and accompanied by an exceptional band, the Hi-Times Band, a group formed by Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith and including himself, Anthony Creary, Christopher Meredith, Errol Nelson, Fazal Prendergast, Noel ‘Scully’ Simms, Tony ‘Asher’ Brissett, this album is considered by many to be their key album.
Vicent - Find Yourself
Vicent, an electronic music producer, unveils his debut EP titled “Find Yourself”, offering a deep dive into a techno universe subtly infused with Japanese influences. This innovative project features four mesmerizing original tracks, complemented by remixes from BXTR, Swooh, and Iannis Rezgui. Notably, a unique ambient piece crafted exclusively from sounds recorded in Japan is included. For enthusiasts of authentic soundscapes, a limited edition vinyl release is also available.
Serge Gainsbourg - À la Radio
Provocations, excesses but also delicacy and modesty...
Serge Gainsbourg was above all this delicious mixture.
In 1964 and 1966, when
Serge Gainsbourg took part in two public radio recordings, he was undoubtedly the star of the evening. In his own words, this was the end of his ‘blue period’, a mix of left-bank chanson, jazz influences and exotic rhythms. Alone at the piano or accompanied by a guitar and double bass,
Gainsbourg took on the roles of disappointed lover and disillusioned cynic with mastery.
When
Serge Gainsbourg timidly replied to Juliette Gréco in 1959, he had just been spotted. Invited to the famous ‘Club d'Essai’ in 1958 and to the Discoparade programme in 1961 and 1962,
Gainsbourg sang his first songs, already deliciously naughty, accompanying himself on the piano.