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BBE Music

BBE Music

Founded in 1996 by Peter Adarkwah, Barely Breaking Even (BBE Music) started life as a London club night, taking its name from the eponymous Disco record by the Universal Robot Band.

The label grew from the vibrant early 90's club scene with its first release, Stop & Listen compiled by Dr Bob Jones in 1996, opening the door to iconic series' such as All Back To Mine & Late Nite Tales.

A tonne of releases followed, ranging from Disco to Funk, Jazz to House. In the year 2000, the label celebrated Masters at Work's 10th Anniversary with a mighty box set that featured near 80 tracks.

A year later BBE Music spawned the Beat Generation Series of artist albums, notably introducing J Dilla (Welcome 2 Detroit) & a young Will.I.Am's first solo outing, alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff, Madlib & DJ Spinna, all of whom contributed to this seminal set of long players.

A quarter of a century and well over 500 titles later, having worked with Mark Ronson, Roy Ayers, Questlove, Hugh Masekela, DJ Premier, Dimitri from Paris, Joey Negro, Kon, RZA, Laurent Garnier, Black Coffee, DJ Shadow, David Rodigan and John Morales among many others, BBE Music looks to the future, celebrating its rich heritage while continuing to release a bounty of fresh titles.

The label’s most recent projects include an expansive reissue series from pioneering Nigerian label Tabansi, new imprint ‘Batakari’ in association with Boddhi Satva and the critically acclaimed ‘J Jazz’ Japanese Jazz multi-album project, not to mention the recent landmark 500th label release: a brand new version of 'Barely Breaking Even', featuring Leroy Burgess, Patrick Adams and Louie Vega.

In 2021 BBE Music is celebrating its 25th anniversary. To mark this milestone, the label is offering up some special projects, from the 20th Anniversary edition of J Dilla’s ‘Welcome 2 Detroit’, through David Bowie tribute album ‘Modern Love’, to a special new ‘Worldwide’ compilation from old friend Gilles Peterson. BBE Music will also be looking to the future with more exciting original artist projects, plus merch collaborations events and more...
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Summertime / Sunshine Girl
Sunshine Girl - (4:13) 50 BPM
Summertime - (3:34) 100 BPM
Summertime (NuAcid Funk Part 1) - (5:02) 90 BPM
Summertime (NuAcid Funk Part 2) - (4:58) 60 BPM
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BBE 790SDG
24 May 24
Funk
Sugar Honey Iced Tea! (Explicit)
The Afro-American Conundrum (Where Does That Leave Us?) - (1:27) 88 BPM
Dream Boy - (2:42) 88 BPM
Tonight (feat Kamaal) - (5:55) 124 BPM
Every Party Must Come To An End (feat Kamaal) - (4:14) 124 BPM
Running Out Of Time - (7:18) 122 BPM
Carlos Sanchez Interlude - (1:36) 72 BPM
Hello? (feat Aden) - (5:08) 73 BPM
Ha Ya! (Eternal Life) (feat Natalie Greffel) - (7:40) 116 BPM
Circles I (Prelude) - (1:53) 106 BPM
Circles II (feat Toribio) - (6:26) 106 BPM
There's Space For Us All - (9:52) 124 BPM
Water (feat New Past) - (8:49) 67 BPM
 from $1.89
BBE763ADG
17 May 24
Hip Hop/R&B
What's The T? (Delfonic Edit)
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BBE 535SDG4
29 Mar 24
Disco/Nu-Disco
Ha Ya! (Eternal Life)
Ha Ya! (Eternal Life) (feat Natalie Greffel) - (7:40) 116 BPM
Ha Ya! (Eternal Life) (feat Natalie Greffel - Shannon Harris' A Love 4 Joy Journey mix) - (9:10) 58 BPM Hot
Ha Ya! (Eternal Life) (instrumental) - (7:41) 116 BPM
Review: Brandon Weems and Craig Handfield are a pair of DJ/producers from New York, who've been putting on their Coloring Lessons parties since 2018 and have since launched a label of the same name. Here, though, they come to BBE Music with a cut that, with its fusion of Afro, jazz and soul elements, could perhaps only have come from the city that birthed Body & Soul. If the laidback, rolling beats of the Original aren't quite doing it for you then maybe Shannon Harris' A Love For Joy Journey Mix, with its fat funk bassline, spoken word intro and "party!" chants will, while an Instrumental Mix completes the package.
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BBE 763SDG 2
23 Feb 24
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Feed The Fire (Atjazz & Musclecars Remixes)
Feed The Fire - (4:01) 100 BPM
Feed The Fire (Atjazz remix) - (5:26) 115 BPM Hot
Feed The Fire (Musclecars Dream dub) - (9:05) 124 BPM
Feed The Fire (Atjazz Deeper remix) - (6:32) 115 BPM
Feed The Fire (instrumental) - (4:01) 100 BPM
Feed The Fire (Atjazz remix instrumental) - (5:26) 115 BPM
Feed The Fire (Musclecars Dream dub instrumental) - (9:05) 124 BPM
Feed The Fire (Atjazz Deeper remix instrumental) - (6:32) 115 BPM
 from $1.89
BBE 753SDGC
02 Feb 24
Deep House
Joy (Hallelujah)
Joy (Hallelujah) (extended version) - (5:43) 123 BPM Hot
Joy (Hallelujah) (extended instrumental) - (5:42) 123 BPM
Joy (Hallelujah) (radio version) - (3:57) 123 BPM
Joy (Hallelujah) (radio instrumental version) - (3:57) 123 BPM
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BBE 762SDG
26 Jan 24
Funky/Club House
Running Out Of Time
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BBE 763SDG
19 Jan 24
Deep House
BBE Staff Selections 2023 (Explicit)
Various
Illa J - "Get Down" (feat Amp Fiddler) - (2:50) 73 BPM
Tony Kofi & Alina Bzhezhinska - "Altera Vita (For Pharoah Sanders)" - (5:34) 160 BPM
Dizzy Gillespie - "Summertime" - (3:46) 100 BPM
Kirk Degiorgio - "Beersheba" - (3:40) 95 BPM
Jazzanova - "Beyond The Dream" (Musclecars' radio version) - (3:55) 62 BPM
Astrud Gilberto - "Take It Easy My Brother Charlie" - (3:22) 96 BPM
Forest - "Fly Away" - (3:42) 101 BPM
Rahaan & The Ones - "We Are The Ones" - (5:18) 64 BPM
Johnny Pate - "Brother On The Run (Opening)" - (4:52) 139 BPM
Remi Kabaka - "Kabaka" - (3:19) 64 BPM
Boddhi Satva & Coreon Du - "I Don't Want Your Love" (Ancestral Soul mix) - (3:26) 100 BPM
Sam Yeboah - "Maame" - (5:09) 105 BPM
Black Ivory - "Spinning Around" - (3:52) 129 BPM
The Soulmates - "People We Got To Do Better" - (3:18) 136 BPM
Nana Budjei - "Asamando" - (4:44) 123 BPM
Kris Tidjan - "Lords Of War" - (6:46) 81 BPM
Black Ivory - "Don't Turn Around" - (3:22) 68 BPM
Julius Brockington - "Forty-Nine Reasons" - (7:49) 103 BPM
Larry Young - "Sunshine Fly Away" - (8:38) 105 BPM
Ihsan Al-Munzer - "Yassmin" - (4:28) 103 BPM
Tyrone Washington - "Submission" - (4:33) 98 BPM
Julius Brockington - "Do Your Thing" - (9:05) 93 BPM
Illa J - "Relapse" (instrumental) - (2:40) 89 BPM
Soul Liberation - "Touch Me Again" (remastered) - (4:20) 53 BPM
Benny Johnson - "Visions Of Paradise" - (3:39) 101 BPM
Kantata - "It's High Time Now" - (5:31) 57 BPM
Eric Agyemang & Kokroko Band - "Nananom" - (3:10) 136 BPM
A.K. Yeboah - "Nde Yen Da" (feat K.K's No. 2 Band) - (7:15) 131 BPM
Mr Cee - "Nye Wonko" - (6:15) 118 BPM
Thomas Frempong - "Mada Meho So" - (6:33) 119 BPM
Sam Yeboah - "Konkonsani" - (5:06) 111 BPM
Boddhi Satva & Dino D'Santiago - "Moda Boddhi" (Ancestral Kindred Soul mix) - (3:40) 100 BPM
MF Robots - "The Love It Takes" (Atjazz Galaxy Aart dub) - (6:21) 118 BPM
Jazzanova - "Saturday Night Special" (DJ Amir & Re.decay remix extended version) - (5:05) 59 BPM
Roy Ayers - "Liquid Love" (feat Sylvia Cox) - (4:46) 83 BPM
Dizzy Gillespie - "Olinga" - (7:39) 157 BPM Hot
Isao Suzuki - "Make Trip" (feat Masahiko Togashi, Hideo Ichikawa & Akira Shiomoto) - (9:31) 129 BPM
Tatsuya Nakamura - "Wow" - (7:49) 124 BPM
Iman Houssein - "House Of Light" - (2:59) 61 BPM
Jazzanova - "Creative Musicians" (feat Sean Haefeli - Waajeed remix) - (6:09) 63 BPM
Boddhi Satva & Raheem DeVaughn - "Finesse Me" (Ancestral Soul mix) - (4:56) 115 BPM
Will & James Ragar - "Oregon" - (5:19) 141 BPM
 from $1.89
BBE 780CDG
08 Dec 23
Jazz
Belly Dance
Rabab - (5:01) 151 BPM
Dance Of Nada - (4:14) 115 BPM Hot
Greenfield - (5:03) 91 BPM
Yassmin - (4:28) 103 BPM
I Love You Lebanon - (5:32) 100 BPM
Back To My Love - (3:43) 97 BPM
I Write Your Name - (3:46) 92 BPM
Fog El Makhel - (3:03) 119 BPM
Hawel Ya Ghanam - (4:27) 125 BPM
 from $1.89
BBE 527ADG
06 Oct 23
International
Mami Wata - Joaquin Joe Claussell Sacred Rhythm & Cosmic Arts Remixes
Mami Wata (Joaquin's House Dance dub Reprise) - (5:50) 125 BPM
Mami Wata (Joaquin's Deep dub) - (6:04) 120 BPM
Mami Wata (Joaquin's Cosmic Arts Future instrumental Slow dub) - (9:26) 105 BPM Hot
Mami Wata - (9:21) 105 BPM
Review: A masterful meeting of minds here, as spiritual house legend Joaquin 'Joe' Clausell offers his interpretations of former Gil Scott-Heron collaborator Brian Jackson's 'Mami Wata', a fine, sun-soaked cover of a traditional African song. Jackson's original version, which blends West African percussion with jazz-funk style Clavinet lines, flute solos and nods towards South American dance music, is reworked three times by Clausell. He first delivers an extra-percussive, superbly spiritual 'House Dance Dub Reprise', before opting for a more musically rich, expansive and sun-kissed feel on the accurately titled 'Deep Dub'. Arguably best of all, though, is his pitched-down 'Cosmic Arts Instrumental Slow Dub', which is closer in feel to Jackson's original while adding extra layers of spacey synth sounds and a genuinely deep and weighty bassline.
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BBE 681SDG3
18 Aug 23
Deep House
Modal Forces/Percussive Forces
Kiriath-Arba - (2:58) 68 BPM
Shinar - (2:33) 96 BPM
Beersheba - (3:40) 95 BPM
Khmunu - (3:01) 106 BPM Hot
Beth-El - (2:22) 100 BPM
Mittani - (2:36) 105 BPM
Amurru - (2:51) 85 BPM
Shechem - (1:48) 112 BPM
Cincinnati Sunrise - (1:48) 54 BPM
Chicago Shift - (1:46) 102 BPM
The Oakland Feel - (1:26) 59 BPM
Pittsburgh Patrol - (1:30) 90 BPM
Watts Awakening - (1:48) 57 BPM
Dayton Daydreams - (1:41) 104 BPM
Harlem Homerun - (1:32) 110 BPM
Baltimore Beatdown - (1:32) 106 BPM
Review: Kirk Degiorgio has long been one of the deep house lover's favourite techno artists, infusing his productions with a jazzy, soulful musicality that 20 million 'warehouse bangers' could only dream of. Seldom has that been more the case, though, than on this new 16-track offering, which finds him in straight-up jazz mode. With most of the tracks coming in under the two-minute mark, it's really a collection of sketches rather than an album proper: the idea, we're told, was to pay tribute to European 'library music' (tracks made as soundbeds for film and TV) of the 1970s, and in that task he's succeeded admirably. Still, we would't mind hearing some extended versions, because what's here is absolutely glorious
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BBE 722ADG
19 May 23
Jazz
The Jazz Room Vol 2 Compiled By Paul Murphy
Various
Eternal Buzz Brass Band - "Sounds Good" - (6:42) 147 BPM
Cesar's Salad - "Manteca" - (6:49) 109 BPM
Chip Wickham - "Rebel No. 23" (7" edit) - (4:04) 112 BPM
The Stance Brothers - "Roll Call" - (3:56) 123 BPM
Cruisic - "Jazz Carnival" - (4:41) 90 BPM
Daniel Crawford - "Water No Get Enemy" - (5:42) 92 BPM
Los Po-Boy-Citos - "Fried Neckbones & Some Home Fries" - (4:51) 114 BPM
Raul Monsalve Y Los Forajidos - "Black & Decker" - (4:59) 136 BPM
Clare Fischer - "African Flutes" - (8:11) 123 BPM
Cheick Tidiane Seck - "Niger Mambo" - (8:00) 148 BPM
Florian Pellissier Quintet - "The Hipster" - (5:31) 95 BPM
Take Vibe - "Golden Brown" - (3:13) 103 BPM Hot
Fast 3 - "Don't You Want Me?" - (8:28) 129 BPM
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BBE 678CDG
05 May 23
Jazz
Once Again We Are The Children Of The Sun
Paul Hillery / Various
Will & James Ragar - "As The Day Grows Tired" - (2:34) 84 BPM
Forest - "Crazy Days" - (5:14) 106 BPM Hot
Cunningham Corner - "Free & Easy" - (5:10) 81 BPM
Wendy Grace - "More Than Hope" - (4:18) 139 BPM
Bengt Liedman - "Tight Tonight" - (4:32) 55 BPM
Corill - "Soul Shadow" - (4:35) 105 BPM
Varela - "Come & Take Me By The Hand" - (6:11) 124 BPM
Just Us - "Just A Thought" - (4:52) 114 BPM
Mike Baumann & Thom Huntington - "Time" - (4:51) 140 BPM
Darrell John - "Write Your Lucky Number" - (4:06) 154 BPM
The Freeze Band - "Going Back In Time" - (5:52) 100 BPM
Godspeed - "Ice Cold" - (3:08) 125 BPM
William Eaton Ensemble - "Kayenta Crossing" - (5:07) 135 BPM
Orion - "Moonshine" - (4:44) 124 BPM
The Greg Foat Group - "Milk & Honey" (feat Kat Barnard) - (5:07) 77 BPM
Aria Rostami - "Golden Hour" - (4:09) 98 BPM
Bugatti & Musker - "Fate" (Demo) - (3:26) 56 BPM
Garth Fletcher - "Peace Train" - (4:14) 108 BPM
Mark Capanni - "If Life Was A Ferris Wheel" - (3:22) 88 BPM
Played by: Faze Action
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BBE 708CDG
31 Mar 23
Soul
Fire (We Are The Horsemen Remix)
Fire (We Are The Horsemen remix) - (6:03) 106 BPM
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BBE 716SDG 3
31 Mar 23
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Approach
Make Trip - (9:31) 129 BPM
Otari - (7:05) 121 BPM
Mysterious - (4:26) 115 BPM Hot
Long Straight Road - (4:16) 148 BPM
Tornado - (8:50) 138 BPM
 from $1.89
BBE 710ADG
10 Mar 23
Jazz
Beersheba
Beersheba - (3:40) 95 BPM
Played by: BRENDON P
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BBE 722SDG
10 Mar 23
Jazz
Lords Of War
Lords Of War (extended version) - (8:45) 80 BPM Hot
Lords Of War (edit) - (3:56) 80 BPM
Lords Of War - (6:46) 81 BPM
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BBE 726SDG
03 Mar 23
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
The United Chair
In The Back Of The Churchyard - (6:18) 108 BPM
Jaded Jackie - (3:22) 110 BPM
Gettin' Into It - (4:37) 114 BPM
Balt./Wash. Exp. - (5:28) 146 BPM
Love World - (7:15) 94 BPM
Lost Tribe - (3:57) 125 BPM
Forty-Nine Reasons - (7:49) 103 BPM Hot
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BBE 707ADG
17 Feb 23
Funk
Brother On The Run (The Original Soundtrack)
Brother On The Run (Opening) - (4:52) 139 BPM
Brother (Title - feat Adam Wade) - (2:02) 116 BPM Hot
Auto Chase - (5:20) 145 BPM
Maude's Intro - (1:53) 111 BPM
En Route To Maude's - (1:06) 131 BPM
Soulful Brother On The Run (feat Adam Wade) - (2:37) 150 BPM
Lady Leaving Store - (2:38) 120 BPM
Ms Johnston's Sex Scene - (4:39) 103 BPM
Car Bumps - (0:44) 131 BPM
Maude Reminisces - (1:14) 156 BPM
Untitled - (1:40) 158 BPM
Brother On The Run (Closing Theme) - (2:14) 142 BPM
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BBE 703ADG
17 Feb 23
Soul
Visions Of Paradise
Visions Of Paradise - (3:39) 101 BPM
Absolutely, Positively, Baby - (4:28) 61 BPM
Baby I Love You - (2:49) 104 BPM Hot
Stop Me - (3:55) 133 BPM
Give It Up - (4:53) 117 BPM
Second To None - (3:21) 92 BPM
Won't You Stay - (3:34) 156 BPM
It's Yours Baby - (2:42) 105 BPM
Please Come Back - (5:41) 118 BPM
I Just Got To Know - (2:37) 139 BPM
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BBE 706ADG
17 Feb 23
Soul
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