Colemine US Vinyl & CDs

Review: This wonderful record marks Salvator Dragatto's debut full-length on Colemine Records and it was produced by Joey Reina with members of The Rugged Nuggets contributing to sounds which pay homage to Andre Kertesz, Robert Frank and Jean-Luc Godard. Inspired by parallels between film processing and music recording, Dragatto embraces imperfections like tape hiss and dusty EQ pots to create a rich, noir-inspired soundscape while blending drama, allure and sentimentality. Thoughts of You is a timeless reflection of love and obsession and will appeal to fans of the 60s and 70s French Noir scene, black-and-white photography and groups like Massive Attack.

Review: This wonderful record marks Salvator Dragatto's debut full-length on Colemine Records and it was produced by Joey Reina with members of The Rugged Nuggets contributing to sounds which pay homage to Andre Kertesz, Robert Frank and Jean-Luc Godard. Inspired by parallels between film processing and music recording, Dragatto embraces imperfections like tape hiss and dusty EQ pots to create a rich, noir-inspired soundscape while blending drama, allure and sentimentality. Thoughts of You is a timeless reflection of love and obsession and will appeal to fans of the 60s and 70s French Noir scene, black-and-white photography and groups like Massive Attack.

Review: Frollen Music Library is a high-quality sample library and production house specialising in live ensemble recordings and analogue production techniques. It has a creative process rooted in a love for 60s and 70s music, the foundational sounds for hip-hop sampling, so offers producers easy-to-use sample packs. Created by long-time collaborators Darvid Thor, Henry Jenkins and Hudson Whitlock who are members of Melbourne's soul scene, Frollen Music Library is a rich sound source for productions and compositions in film and television and a go-to resource for fans of artists like David Axelrod and Ennio Morricone. It also works as an evocative mental trip when listened to from back to front.

Review: After two years, Steve Okonski returns under his surnamed solo alias Okonski, providing a sequel to the debut record Magnolia (2023), with another rapt jazz album for splayed-fingered piano. Long known as a contributor to the hip-hop and soul group Durand Jones & The Indications, Okonski's solo works are only somewhat grazed by soul music by comparison; they prefer to bask in pleromae of muted sound, recalling the evangelic solo spirituals of Julius Eastman, except for the fact that they are set against boughing bass movements and room-reverb beats, whose rhythms are sporadically upset by the drummer. Described as "a little more nature-based" compared to Magnolia's streets-of-NY feel, this one has an unpredictable naturalism about it.

Review: Steve Okonski, known since 2022 under the shortening Okonski, is a scholar of the hard and soft knocks of American soul, having served so far as the in-house pianist for the brilliant hip-hop and soul quintet Durand Jones & The Indications. Three years on from his dazzling debut solo record Magnolia, this entrancing follow-up hears Okonski team up again with his fellow Durand Jones collaborators Aaron Frazer and Michael Isvara. This is a properly twilled, blissful, piano-led jazz opus, best defined in the auctorial fells of 'October', the seasonal builds of 'Summer Storm' and/or the yearning love objects 'Dahlia' and 'Penny'.

Review: Colemine Records is reissuing Orgone's 2008 classic Bacano on vinyl for the first time, here exclusively for Black Friday RSD 2024. Known for their raw, organic California soul, Orgone's music grabs you by the collar and pulls you to the dance floor. The band's journey began in the San Fernando Valley, where two friends, united by their love for gritty 60s and 70s soul, drew inspiration from the vibrant music scene in Los Angeles during the late 90s. This collaboration ignited a movement, and Orgone has since become a key player in delivering timeless funk for music lovers.

Review: A nine-piece instrumental combo hailing from San Diego, California, The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble deliver a heady brew of jazz, funk and global rhythms on their latest offering. Recorded in their homebase of Lemon Grove, the album sees them expanding their sonic palette, drawing on library music, spiritual jazz and exotica. Tracks like 'Makin' Moves' and 'The Grifter' showcase the band's signature funk-driven energy, their tight grooves and soaring horns recalling the classic sounds of Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower of Power. But there's a more introspective side on display too, with tracks like 'Mother Earth' and 'Freddie' evoking the spirits of Freddie Hubbard and Phil Ranelin, their introspective melodies and atmospheric textures adding a layer of depth and complexity. 'Corporatocracy' is a standout, its extended tabla solo and modal funk groove demonstrating the band's willingness to experiment with unconventional sounds and structures. This adventurous spirit is a hallmark of The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, a band consistently pushing the boundaries of their sound while remaining firmly rooted in the traditions of jazz and funk.

Review: The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, a soul and funk nonnet from San Diego, have long blessed the Colemine modern funk sceptre with crumbled parfaits of funk topped with crumbly analog psychedelia and Afrobeat. With their new album, they ravage fresher sonic territories. Recorded between 2021 and 2024 in Lemon Grove, California, Gemini centres on their already-laid breakbeat-heavy funk-soul-jazz foundation, heard in tracks like 'Makin' Moves' and 'The Grifter', but they also draw influence from library music, spiritually-inclined jazz and exotica adjacents. Personifying the astrological Gemini - curiosity, versatility - 'Corporatocracy' stands out as special, welding an extended tabla solo to a wordless critique of the world's most egregious mega-firms.