Remembering Conny Plank on his birthday

Remembering iconic producer Conny Plank – who passed away in 1987 at the age of 47 – with a documentary and more.

Remembering Link Wray on his birthday

Raising a glass to the amazing Link Wray on his birthday with a couple of vintage rippers you may have missed. 

Whaddya mean you don't know The Fancy Five

Check out Theo Kruijt's creepy instrumental "Timbuktu" from lesser-known Nederbeat crew The Fancy Five outta Hilversum.

Scott B, Alun Piggins, Darryl Gould @ Lola, Friday

You can catch ace song craftsmen Scott Bradshaw, Alun Piggins & Darryl Gould tonight at Lola in Kensington Market at 8 pm.

That time Mick & Keef appeared on Rootsman's Rockers TV

Yep, that's a bearded Mick Jagger (right) with Keith Richards being interviewed by Rootsman Earl Chin for Rockers TV. 

UK's Far Out label reissuing Azymuth's Brazilian fusion LP Outubro on vinyl

Azymuth's 1980 jazz-fusion classic Outubro is being reissued again on black vinyl by the UK Far Out label on June 5th.

Here's the scoop...

A landmark recording from Azymuth's prime era, Outubro (named for the Milton Nascimento-composed meditation on "October") is to be reissued on classic black vinyl. First released on Milestone in 1980, the album could stake a claim to be the group's most danceable, home to the insatiable grooves of 'Dear Limmertz' led by the bass bump of Alex Malheiros, Jose Roberto Bertrami's vocoder-enhanced samba jazz gem 'Un Amigo' and UK club classic 'Maracanã' featuring drummer Ivan "Mamao" Conti.

Re-mastered from the original two-inch tapes, this issue provides the optimum means to enjoy Azymuth's expressionist fusion of samba rhythm, jazz progression, funk attitude and ethereal electronics.

Today is Bandcamp Friday so what better time to pre-order the LP ahead of its June 5th shipping date right here: https://azymuth.bandcamp.com/album/outubro. Check out a couple of tracks from Outubro below followed by Azymuth's performance at Lee's Palace in Toronto on June 26, 2025. 

One For The Weekend: Oliver James

Check out the swingin' new Oliver James northern soul-style floorfiller "1-2-3" coming soon on a Colemine 45.  

Oliver James - "1-2-3" b/w "Nothing Is Forever"

out via Colemine Records on June 12th

Tennessee's Oliver James, a time-capsule of classic R&B sound. 

Raised in a family of musicians and a man who has been performing live since he was a child, Oliver comes to his love of soul music in a most honest and authentic way. Growing up listening to gospel, blues, and R&B from the classic early Stax era, his influences as a musician, songwriter, and producer are clear. After a stint working as a songwriter for Rick Hall, Mr. James is now set to start his own career.

The A-side of Oliver's new single features his first new recording since "One and Only" b/w "But For The Love" was released by Colemine back in 2022. '1-2-3' is an upbeat northern soul swinger which originally appeared on Colemine's limited-run Soul Slabs Volume 4 for Record Store Day 2025. Nick DeVan and guitarist Vincent John (Eraserhood Sound) co-wrote the track; they finalized the instrumentals but were stumped on the lyrics. That's when James was called in, and he used his time working at a church to shape the lyrics that eventually became this number.  

The B-side was a collaborative effort with Nashville's gritty-funk ensemble The Gripsweats. It's an earnest song with lyrics inspired by James & DeVan's commiseration. "I'm no stranger to love that I used to know'," laments James; his favourite line of the song. Cushioned by lush string arrangements written by Oliver and Andrew Muller, 'Nothing Is Forever' is a melancholy and heartfelt foil to the A. 

Oliver Jones' new single "1-2-3" b/w "Nothing Is Forever" with The Gripsweats (out June 12) is now available for pre-order via Bandcamp right here or right here: https://colemine.lnk.to/clmn239. Check out "1-2-3" below. 

Grab some Gripsweats' 45s directly from Colemine Records right here. Look out for Andrew Muller's DJ nights in Nashville!