Emotional Rescue Schallplatten & CDs

Review: The great thing about Emotional Rescue's deep dive into reggae and lovers rock is that the tracks they decide to press up are the ear-snagging curveballs that present something just a little bit to the left of purist, trad reggae. That's the case once again with 101 Band's 'Crazy Kind Of Feeling' - a curio from Haile Maskel released via his own, LA-based label Opulence (Sound). It's a hybrid kind of sound, sitting somewhere between boogie, island funk and roots, and it goes down very smoothly indeed. On this reissue, you get treated to the original 7" mix plus an alternative 'Dub Take 2' version which stretches out over an extended run time on the B-side.

Review: REPRESS ALERT! Stuart Leath's Emotional Rescue label is returning to the dance in a big way this Spring, with a couple of killer reissues of long forgotten Caribbean disco jams. This first one is, predictably, essential, with former Blue Beat chanteuse Lauren Aitken's 1978 disco-reggae killer "Sexy Boogie" being the centre of attention. Curiously, it was only a B-side first time around, but rightly deserves greater exposure. Aitken is in fine form singing over an undulating disco-reggae groove peppered with sweet guitars and twinkling pianos. Soft Rocks man Piers Harrison gets his scalpel out on the flip, turning original A-side "Hoochie Coochie Man" into a yearning dub disco chugger that largely dispenses with Aitken's vocals.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: With two massive reissues from Suns of Arqa and Jaki Whitren under their belts, the fledging label Emotional Rescue have come up with the goods once again, with this remastered reissue of incredibly rare 70s psyche-funk from Bob Chance. Two versions are included: the original 7" version, driven along by a razor-sharp guitar riff and sweetly lamenting lyrics, topped off with weird cosmic synths and galloping rhythm. However, the real gem is the edit entitled "Wild It's Broken" which sharpens the focus of the guitar and adds some serious kick to the drums to create a beefy counterpart to the new age original.

Review: To close the 3 EP reissue series of Neville King and Lee Laing's King & City label, the all female group Charisma are presented with their summer infused Lovers cut, Everything Is Fine.

Three Lewisham friends, Angela Richardson on lead vocals, with Geselle and Janie backing, were active from 1982 to 1990, but are really remembered for the early recordings made with Neville King. Their debut, Everything Is Fine rides the Lovers sound at its peak. Written with One Blood's Lloyd Robinson, with the rest of band of Robinson brothers providing the rhythm section, this is pure South London sound system music.

Recorded again at TMC (Tooting Music Centre) Recording Studios - working alongside the likes of Dillinger, Tradition and New Musik - Everything Is Fine rides a beautiful soul reggae rhythm as Trevor (Drums) and Lloyd (Bass) Robinson set the foundations, while One Blood provide the Dub mix.

A true love's lament, a song of hope, serenity and pure vibes. Label head Chuggy slides behind the mixing desk for an extended Discomix that stretches, loops and dubs the vocal and dub back forth, to close a glimpse at this uniquely British phenomenon, taking reggae closer to it's heart and soul.

Review: a white Mellotron M 400." So starts Klaus Hoffmann of his 40 years love affair with the Mellotron. Moving from Prog-Rock guitarist to Cosmic Disco warrior in a space of a few years, the birth of Cosmic Hoffmann would lead to a number of classic Kosmiche albums through-out the 1980s. Before this though came Space-Disco. Initially recorded in 1978 after endless late night sessions exploring the new realms of this free form electronic music, the first incarnation was recorded live to tape for a failed film project. An uplifting spaced-out synth journey, it was the later reworked version that would go on to become the lost cult classic. With added disco syncopation taking the track into interstellar spheres, it appeared only as a flipside of Cosmic Hoffmann's first and last single, "Weltraumboogie", in 1982. Unfortunately the release did not make much impression at the time but has become highly sought-after for the more leftfield DJ and music lovers in the years since. Now fully licensed and remastered, the inclusion of the unreleased 1978 Original will be only add to the collectors dream.

Review: Emotional Rescue return to the music of cult British group Furniture, shining a light on this unique band's extended 12" mixes and alternate takes. In the 80s tradition, these versions shrug off commercial concerns for something more exciting - long run times and space to tease FX and processes that a radio-friendly single wouldn't allow. "I Can't Crack (Broken Mix)" is an epic crescendo, while the instrumental mix of "Throw Away The Script" locks into a scratchy percussive workout anchored by a moody bassline. The sprightly piano lines and cascading sax on "Dancing The Hard Bargain" are a delight to lose yourself in, while "Bullet" strikes a somber but stirring tone to close the EP out.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: With just one 7" release to their name in the form of the 1981 release, Jive Baby On A Saturday Night, the cult of The Jellies was possibly accidentally assured with the long lost song being rediscovered by collectors and championed by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore no less. Picked up and reissued by the stellar Trunk Records in 2010, the B-side cut, however, was sadly overlooked. Now Emotional Rescue are proud to license The Conversation and remaster it especially for this rerelease. Based around a simple drum and bass rhythm, interspersed with crowd noise, playful female vocal yelps and sprinkled with dub effects thrown in to the mix and you wouldn't probably think too much would be going for a track that the band put together in the last two hours of their studio time after Jive Baby had been completed. However, what you get is a killer gem of pop-punk-dub oddness that gets your head nodding to its infectious, repetitive rhythm laden with effects. With just this one (perfect) track available for license it seemed only right to hand it over to the in-house production team, Apophenia, to do their increasingly trademark dubbed out reworking, this time in the form of a true, but respectful "Version" for the flip. With both members of The Jellies sadly now living overseas this piece of early '80s British dub as it were, can now be fully treasured for posterity while also, proving a nice little smokers delight.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent working condition***


Elaine Kibaro is a French singer who grew up in Tunisia before enjoying a reasonably productive career in the late 70s and through the 80s. Emotional Rescue caught on to her fine contributions to the disco world via the Pour L'Amour collection, and now they offer up a pair of alternative cuts that add to the overall legacy of her career peak. "Fajrann" is a re-vocalled version of Kibaro's biggest hit "Aurore" sung in Arabic, speaking to her Tunisian roots, while "Ne Doute Pas" appears in its instrumental form for those who want the punchy Linn Drum beats and dazzling synth lines in all their glory.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Torn sleeve, otherwise in excellent working condition***


Having just reissued the wonderful "Jumpcut" album from overlooked mid '80s dreamers Man Jumping, Emotional Rescue offer up some tasteful remixes to build on the rediscovered delights of the original material. Who better than label regulars Khidja to bring their innate instinct for outernational funk to the table. Taking the ranging, mystical idea mood of the originals, the Romanian duo lead in with a laid back, subtly dubbed out island chiller on "Walk On, Bye". Be prepared for a switch up though, as "Down The Locale" weaves in some nimble piano work around a more pronounced rhythm section.

Review: There are seemingly no limits to the music Emotional Rescue will put out. This time they look back to the post punk scene of Bristol in the early 80s. Mouth was a short-lived outfit that put out just a couple of releases, but each one blazed a trail though leftfield percussive sounds, wave, weird jazz and electronics. Andy Guy and Rob Merrill were the main members with the likes of Nellie Hooper also in the band's orbit. This record is packed with tribal drumming and floating horns, broken dubs and avant-jazz but all with a proudly DIY attitude. It's packed with heady moments and wild steppers that havent aged a bit and still sound future.

Review: Emotional Rescue certainly laid a claim for the most esoteric of reissue endeavours last year, and they are maintaining this approach in 2013. This release sees the label dig further into the cassette archives of Kevin Harrison, focusing specifically on the Neo project the Coventry musician did in cahoots with fellow electronic explorer Peter Every from Neophyte Records. As you can tell from the primitive drum heavy tone of the music, Neo surfaced in 1985 with the 8 track cassette release Global Network. This twelve presents five of those tracks, all of which echo the pulsing electronic rhythms of the Fly EP, Emotional Rescue's previous Harrison reissue, and will find as much favour with those who sleep on the left side of disco as fans of cold wave.

Review: Emotional Rescue takes a look towards the danceflor sounds of Britain underground 80s electronic synth-pop scene for their next release. From Dallas' infamous ecstacy fueled Starck club to the Le Palace in Paris, it was such music that while not gaining wider pop recognition, become classics of their time and the secret fids for today's DJs.
With the synthesized sounds of Gary Numan, The Human League, Depeche Mode, New Order and Yazoo sweeping the pop charts between1980 and 1985, there were many electronic groups that never reached such heady heights. Up and down the country, clubs were mixing these revolutionary hits with an array of underground and experimental electronic dance tracks that never made it up to the surface of popular culture. While industrial groups like Chris & Cosey and Cabaret Voltaire developed from experimental tones towards a more pop and club orientated vision, a myriad of independent labels appeared to release literally hundreds of synth dominated groups vying for the spotlight. Long lost labels like Ink, Survival and Illuminated today offer many lost treasures and in one of these you'll fid the duo of Pink And Black and their one (miss) hit wonder. Rob Stroud and Michelle Yee-Chong worked with limited budget, rudimentary studios and temperamental equipment to create a piece of synth-pop history. While Sometimes I Wish was clearly aimed at the flor with it's nonchalant vocals, driving rhythms and uplifting lines, it was Miss Fortune - hastily recorded in leftover studio minutes that showed a true glimpse of (leftfild) genius. Wispy vocals, snap break beat and DX bassline all meet here in an unreleased extended form and show why it has become a secret play for the likes of Joe Hart (World Unknown), Veronica Vasicka (Minimal Wave) and Josh Coen (Dark Entries).

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


Emotional Rescue once more on the hard to find party curio tip, this time tapping up the work of one Ken Ramm whose 1984 burner "Spark The Universe" was previously fetching handsome prices online, and with good reason. The funk is loose and limber on the track, not least when it comes to the bassline and psyched-out worldly percussion. The dub mix pushes out into trippier territory, and then Emotional bossman Chuggy takes the reins on the flip for his own Disco mix of the original. Whichever version you plump for, you're onto a winner.

Review: Emotional Rescue once more on the hard to find party curio tip, this time tapping up the work of one Ken Ramm whose 1984 burner "Spark The Universe" was previously fetching handsome prices online, and with good reason. The funk is loose and limber on the track, not least when it comes to the bassline and psyched-out worldly percussion. The dub mix pushes out into trippier territory, and then Emotional bossman Chuggy takes the reins on the flip for his own Disco mix of the original. Whichever version you plump for, you're onto a winner.

Review: Ramuntcho Matta has been spotlighted by Emotional Rescue before, when they reissued his 1986 album Ecoute... back in 2016. The veteran French artist has plenty of work to explore, but it certainly helps having the curatorial instincts of a label like Emotional Rescue to guide you, and so they return to the very same year and another startling work, 24 Hrs. The A side of this album deals in shorter pieces rich in expressive instrumental conversations, as tabla, trumpet and guitar retort with a flowing, open-ended impetus. You can hear Matta's links to Don Cherry coming through in this spiritually charged style, but it's 'Sunset' on the B side which takes things further across 20 transcendental minutes of unbound musical mastery.

Review: Paul Robinson had a rich and varied life in soundsystem music, from working with the Freedom Sounds label in Kingston to forming lovers rock outfit One Blood. Of his few solo releases under his own name, this early 80s treat was geared towards the smooth sound of Brit funk, with a crisp boogie groove down low and a cool mood on top. "Come On Sister" is the perfect easy going party starter, which sports a tasteful dubbing out on the instrumental version that bolsters this Emotional Rescue re-release. Always ones to draft in a choice remixer, the B side here goes to Bruno who teases out the original groove for an extended trip before the vocals kick in.

Review: The always excellent Emotional Rescue comes to save us all once more with another of its perfectly escapist releases. This particular 7" comes from Silver Leaf, a short-lived mid-80s project out of Cincinnati, Ohio with a mysterious vocalist. The band was discovered by crate diggers on both sides of the Atlantic and now rightfully get brought to our attention with two brilliantly unique tunes. 'Hey!' is lush, synth driven psychedelic disco soul with a spoken word vocal and bendy chords all brimming with sunshine. 'Can We Rebuilt Our City?' then gets fully heartbroken and horizontal.

Review: Independent radio institution NTS has a lot to answer for. Not least introducing its legions of loyal listeners across the world to the mighty (or, perhaps more appropriately, curious Staalfagel). The result of some serious crate digging, as per usual for the platform, the Swedish post punk and New Wave outfit - Erik Fritjofsson, Petter Brundell and Micke Kjell - reflect how broad the digital station's music policy can be, and how important it is for things to be rediscovered and saved from obscurity.
Forming in 1980, the three piece only released two full length records in their time, alongside a handful of singles and EPs. Utan Rymddrakt Pa Uranus is among the most enigmatic and delightful, here presented in two parts with an edit by Gary The Tall. As early adopters of synths and drum machines, the cosmic dance-pop sound here might be rudimentary today, but also has this real sense of adventure and breaking new ground about it.

Review: REPRESS ALERT! Spearheaded by Stuart Leath, Emotional Rescue is a label committed to unearthing forgotten gems and giving them the exposure they richly deserve, with all releases officially licensed by the artist and remastered in full. This 12" sees two classic tracks by the world music collective Suns of Arqa take pride of place. Incorporating elements of raga and dub, "Brujo Magic" is a much more straightforward dancefloor number than its description would suggest, with its rolling bassline and vocoder effects fusing irresistibly with its psyche-rock styles. On the B-Side, "Ananta Snake Dance" combines traditional Indian percussion and harmonium with conventional drumming to create something completely unique. A strong start to what will no doubt be an indispensable label.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged & record ever so slightly warped, otherwise in excellent condition***


Emotional Rescue continue to mine hidden corners of esoteric music to bring your rarified delights in a freshly mastered form. This time the label has turned to cult Spanish label Auxilio De Ciento, who have been quietly picked up by more tuned in heads for their excellent new wave, synth pop and industrial wares. La Caida De La Casa Usher present the most abrasive material on here, but largely it's a relaxed affair. You can lose yourself in the bubbling synthesizer goodness of Bene Gesserit and Danny Alias, or trip out to the pattering drums of Zazou, Nodland, Lema.

Review: In 2011 Jaki Whitren & John Cartwright's original International Times LP saw a release on Emotional Rescue after originally hitting the shelves in 1982. The pair are now part of a remix EP by Misericord and one-time Internasjonal producer Al Usher, who supplies two remixes and a dub, while a spacey Aphophenia dub to the track "Times" has been added for extra measure. Usher's first rework of "Stay Cool" sounds like a 2013 meeting between a purple-clad Prince and a young Diana Ross, while the Dub version sees Prince's funk make way for Giorgio Moroder sound design. On the flip is an acoustic-leaning and inspirational "This Time", which could easily soundtrack a mesmeric highway-driving scene from Thelma & Louise.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged, but otherwise in excellent condition***






Emotional Rescue continues to trawl through the bulging back catalogue of Noel Williams' Miami-based Konduko label, which the celebrated producer first launched to showcase his productions as King Sporty. 'Street Talk' hails from 1983 and saw Williams join forces with a hastily arranged group of backing musicians dubbed the Extras to craft a canny chunk of electrofunk rich in spacey synths, wild guitar solos and sweet female backing vocals. This edition pairs the original mix with the even more spaced-out dub on the A-side, with Rune Lindbaek delivering a brand new 'Discomix' on the flip. The Norwegian's version is even more spaced-out and cosmic, drenching the original's rapped vocal phrases and synth sounds and delicious amounts of reverb and delay.

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