Sacred Rhythm US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Joaquin Joe Claussell never misses when he serves up his streamy, drawn out and spiritual remixes. Now back on his own Sacred Rhythms label he goes mega long on his 13 minute rework of 'The Mofocongoietric.' Rich with percussion, skyward synths and steamy grooves, it's a fulsome cut that is utterly enthralling. On the flip he is slightly more stripped back, with cosmic overtones next to the tribal dub sounds of his 'Ban Ban Eya' rework.

Review: Sacred Rhythm head honcho Joe Claussell must be one of the most relentless artists out there. Each new weekly seemingly brings more of his spiritually intense reworks and this time out he is doing his thang to two tracks by The Bayaya Citizens. His take on 'The Mofocongoietric' is arresting thanks to its taught synths and off-grid keys all colouring in a prickly, percussive groove. 'Ban Ban Eya' (Joaquin Joe Claussell Cosmic Arts dubness) is just as intense and busy with those rapturous synths extending up the heavens and last of all original tune 'The Healers' brings some afro grooves to the EP.

Review: Tribal, physical, psychedelic: Joe Claussell's Bolla project is one of his finest creative accomplishments for many fans, and his album Afrikan Basement: Makussa is the gift that keeps on giving. Having previously leaked limited 12"s, Joe's label Sacred Rhythm does it again with another super-limited, one-sided press. Hooky, insistent and far-out for the full 10 minutes, this is shaman material right here. Do not sleep.

Review: Joe Clausell began this project in 2005 and still it keeps giving. An evocative fusion of afrofunk and disco inspiration, most of us assumed his decade's work had culminated last year with the album Makussa. We were wrong; this year he's delivered a series of heavily requested extensions, this beautiful slice of string-surged disco being the most recent. The extra two minutes are exactly what the DJ needs for a much roomier groove that allows the salubrious elements to really strut; the shimmering guitar, the strident strings, the insatiable afro-infused drums. Just when we thought the original couldn't be topped... We were wrong. Again!

Review: The Carlos Sanchez Movement is a project started by Carlos a few years ago after a visit to Cosmic Arts. Sacred Rhythm Music got an early preview of the project and were keen to support it from the off and now it comes to fruition with this stunning new EP of jazz tinged and cosmic house. The lead insult his 'Wisdom' with an epic vocal performed by the global jazz singing sensation Gregory Porter along with some perfectly sunny synth designs and timeles house drums. Next to the instrumental are and two other classy compositions Feat Ledisi and Kenny Lattimore to make this a glorious house EP that brims with rare musicality.

Review: Two of the finest words in the dictionary - unofficial and edit. Throw in the two nouns - Joe and Claussell - and you've got a stupendously hot prospect on your hands. Lavish grooves, rich instrumentation, precision curation and grooves so uplifting you need lead shoes to keep you attached to the earth. As with 2014's inaugural collection, once again we're treated to the full spiritual spectrum from his epic take on Barbara Mason & Bunny Sigler's already beautiful "Locked In This Position" to a cathedral level take on The Fifth Dimension's "Aquarius", this really is a special (not to mention highly limited) 12".

Review: Joaquin Joe Claussell's Unofficial Edits & Overdubs Special Extended Versions series rolls on with a fourth of six parts. It's proven a real gold mine so far, with endless amounts of gospel tinged house and super spiritual grooves getting all who hear it to a high state of consciousness. There are plenty of jazzy overtones to the opener here, 'Come Sunday', which is laden with afro percussion and big horns. It's a steel drum affair on Pheeroan Aklaff 's 'L' that is brilliantly tropical, then there's trident funk from The Kay-gees and a lush bit of fusion from the ever excellent Leroy Hutson.

Review: Joaquin 'Joe' Clausell's latest round of spiritual and percussive dancefloor workouts were apparently "randomly selected" from the vaults of DJ tools and work-in-progress tracks tucked away under the floorboards at Sacred Rhythm HQ. Naturally there's nothing genuinely "half-finished" here, just a quartet of cuts worthy of your attention. He begins with "Elegua", a West African style workout that boasts call-and-response group vocals and a loose, languid tribal rhythm track, before moving towards heavy Afro-house territory via the deep, dark analogue bass, machine beats and densely layered percussion of "Makussa PT Three". Over on side B, "Di Mayo" layers sharp, spacey synths and lashings of special effects to a dubbed-out Afro-house rhythm, while the gloriously colourful "Afrofunkjazz" lives up to its title.

Review: Another new week means another selection from Joe Claussell's impossibly steamy and intense reworks. The super limited Manifestations: Long Versions EP 2 collects another three such tunes on one coloured vinyl. First is a dreamy and sun kissed tune from Mental Remedy that is all breathy vocals and noodling solos, then The Bayara Citizens offer a high speed salsa dance that transports you to the south of the Med and beyond. Another one from Mental Remedy cloys out with more afro rhythms and organic, wooden percussive sounds.

Review: Joaquin 'Joe' Clausell's Manifestation project started life as a CD featuring early and work-in-progress versions of some of the New York based DJ/producer's most inspiring and intriguing tracks. Since then, he's delivered a couple of coloured vinyl EPs featuring extended takes on these tracks. There's much to enjoy on this third (and likely final) chapter in the series. First up is a near 12-minute version of Mental Remedy's spiritual house gem 'Noi', where expansive, improvised piano solos twinkle away atop a lo-fi drum machine rhythm and starry synthesizer chords. It's followed by the kalimba and Marimba-heavy delights of The Bayara Citizens' blissful 'Kulimba', while side two boasts the weighty, dense, sweaty and insanely percussive 'Under The Influence' mix of Residue's 'Eno'.

Review: There is something of an irony to the name Joaquin Joe Claussell has given this new Manifestations series on his own Sacred Rhythm label. Why? Well he is a master of long form remixes, tunes that go on for ten-minutes plus and take you on involving trips that at least seem never-ending. Anyway, Long Versions EP 1 it is, and a fine one it is too. There are jubilant carnival house sounds packed with percussion from Mental Remedy, Kalimba showcases that take you deep into a tropical jungle from The Bayara Citizens and more airy, heady deep house from Alejate and afro-drumming excellence on a second tune from The Bayara Citizens.

Review: Joe Claussell's mythical Sacred Rhythm has to be without a doubt one of the best and most reliable house labels around, and having a listen back through its catalogue immediately made us think that this dude was doing outsider house before the term house had even been coined - that's right, hear this! Residual Three is Joe stepping up under different monikers, first as Teenage Music with the loose, vocal-driven house amalgam that is "The Bargain", followed by "Freedum" on his Forest Elektrik name - a bouncy, synth-heavy dance experimentation - and a completely distorted, near beatless jam under the same name, entitled "Circuitry Haywire". Dopeness embodied.