Apron Vinyl & CDs

Review: .Crown is the long-awaited reunion of Kyle Hall and Steven Julien (Funkineven), two soulful visionaries who bridge the gap between Detroit and London. The LP showcases their unique blend of raw and organic beats, cosmic synths, and expressive vocals. From the hypnotic opener 'Page 1' to the understated late night deepness of 'Page 4' and the evocative blunted beats of closer 'Page 5' (Reggie B SciFonk Mix), Crown is a journey through the diverse and dynamic realms of electronic music. Fans of Hall's previous work and Julien's Funkinevil project will not be disappointed by this masterful collaboration that celebrates the essence of soul.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record ever so slightly warped, otherwise in excellent condition***


.Crown is the long-awaited reunion of Kyle Hall and Steven Julien (Funkineven), two soulful visionaries who bridge the gap between Detroit and London. The LP showcases their unique blend of raw and organic beats, cosmic synths, and expressive vocals. From the hypnotic opener 'Page 1' to the understated late night deepness of 'Page 4' and the evocative blunted beats of closer 'Page 5' (Reggie B SciFonk Mix), Crown is a journey through the diverse and dynamic realms of electronic music. Fans of Hall's previous work and Julien's Funkinevil project will not be disappointed by this masterful collaboration that celebrates the essence of soul.

Review: Funkineven's Apron label has long since had its own unique sound world where nostalgic keys, crunchy melodies and raw, lo-fi beats all coalesce into something both futuristic yet familiar. The latest to step up with a whole album of such sounds is Jarren, the LA artist who can do it all. His debut record is a late-night love affair that follows up his 2020 EP Mina with plenty of romantic beats. The sundown sounds have a real sense of swagger and the keys glow like the neons of a distant metropolis. There are strutting pool party jams like 'Zaiah', boogie bombs like Deja-Vu' and low slung Cali-tinged joints like 'Whittier Blvd.' It's a gorgeous collection.

Review: Given that Steven Julien made his debut as Funkineven on Eglo way back in 2009, this debut album has been a long time coming. Since those days the London producer has shuffled between sumptuous, synth-heavy experimental boogie, rasping techno and bolshy analogue house jams. All of these styles get a look in on Fallen, alongside bumpin' deep house, smooth jazz-funk, soulful broken beat, stripped-back electro, spacey US garage, and bizarre electronic wig-outs. That many of these styles are fused, chopped-up and played around with throughout makes Fallen hard to pin down, but also hugely entertaining.

Review: We don't half love a bit of Steven Julien, the artist formally known as Funkineven. And this new EP arrives just at the right time as the days brighten, the sun heats up and cruising day-time funk, house and boogie blends are all you want to pump out of your retro 3 series with the top down. 'Time' has distinctly 80s flavours with its bright chords and beats, 'Ultra' is more heavy with a contemporary rap/trap edge and 'Up' is a raw house cut with swinging kicks. 'Wraap't' is another crunchy and loved-up 80s street soul sound then 'Lil'bit' and 'Ballad' close out with more neon pads and retro-future melodic sparkle.

Review: The enigmatic J. Quaid has turned the heads of those that know with fine deep house outings on labels like Couch Acid and Hot Shit Sounds as well as Apron. Now he returns to Apron and comes good on that early promise with a full length album of analogue jams. They fizz with retro-future synths and hardware drum grooves. The machines bring dusty edges and cosmic rays of light. Some, like 'Irememberufromtomorrow' bring electro beats and some like 'The Lovers' are scuffed up broken beats with heartfelt moods. Throughout the many different rhythms and tempos this remains a standout album.

Review: If you're unfamiliar with the Ratgrave name, you're not alone: this this bustling, future funk LP marks the first time collaborators Max Graef and Julius Conrad have released anything under the alias. The set was apparently recorded at different times, and in different places, over a three-year period. Musically, it draws much inspiration from intergalactic jazz-funk, P-funk and otherworldly '80s boogie, but also feels instinctively loose, carefree and improvised. The result is a set of lo-fi cuts that sound like they were recorded straight to tape during improvisational jam sessions, but were probably far more polished and thought-out than you might expect. Either way, it's the kind of LP that gets better with each successive listen.

Review: Space Ghost has most recently been spotted dropping excellent albums "Aquarium Nightclub" and "Endless Light" on Tartelet, but now he's made a swerve for Funkineven's Apron Records to drop this sultry collection of jams that match bittersweet keys with rubbery bass and plenty of crooked funk that calls to mind broken beat and boogie as much as house music. From the swanging funk of "Prayer For U" to the slow jam New Jack Swing of "Mystery Angel", this is an album that champions some great eras of black music very much in the vein of Apron overall, but still says its own thing. Soulful at every turn and finished with an '80s digital veneer so slick you could trip on it.

Review: Now more than 45 releases deep into their journey, Apron Records have teamed up with Patta Soundsystem to work on their first various artists release. To celebrate this monumental milestone, both camps have collaborated to create a clothing capsule to accompany the release. Better Together is the slogan that runs throughout the entire collaboration, stressing how unity makes us stronger as individuals. A diverse array of offerings are featured here: experimentally minded offerings by Ashtrejinkins and Brassfoot, System Olympia does slo-mo electro, while sublime deep house comes courtesy of Shamos and Shy One, and label chief Steven Julien provides some emotive broken beats.

Review: Brazilian DJ and producer Pedro Zopelar's sound is a perfect fit for Apron. It's proudly analogue and rough around the edges, with lo-bitrate synth feels that at once take you back to the 80s while also somehow surging into the cosmos. This sunny record takes in slick electro, stylish boogie a la Dam Funk and brisling beat tracks that are flashed with acid and twanging slap bass. There is an irrepressible sense of late night funk to 'Cruisin', body popping breaks on 'Cidade Jovem' and on standout track 'Back In Tha Game' you glide on tinny cowbells and rickety beats that you hope will never end.