OrderingOrdering ProblemsFAQContact Us (Customers)Contact Us (Suppliers)Gift certificatesAbout JunoManage accountMy ChartsJuno Download PlayerFeedbackPrivacy PolicyTerms and ConditionsJuno Marketing and PR departmentArtist / Label Profile SubmissionPromote your label / releasesHow do I download via Dropbox?
Filter
Honest Jon's
Browse the latest digital releases on Honest Jon's
Various
Played by: George Kelly, Shadow Dancer, ASHLEY BEEDLE, Hot Toddy, Juno Recommends Techno, Juno Recommends Broken Beat Nu Jazz, In Flagranti, Mike Absolom, Juno Recommends Dub, Barrio Jazz Gang, ALEX MAYER, GSD
Review: The perception may still linger that Tony Allen's influence on modern electronic music is limited to Afrobeat or broken beat, but as this remix compilation attests, his influence looms large in other, unexpected places. On Chop Up, for example, Carl Craig finally delivers his response to his evergreen 2004 version of Beanfield's "Tides", with hypnotic chants, rolling drums and brassy breakdowns dominating his take on Allen's "Kilode". Equally, Mark Ernestus is inspired to push Allen legacy into the realms of low-slung house, with "Moyege" transformed into a languid, dubby disco rhythm. However, it's not just the more cerebral end of electronic music that has been seduced by Allen's genius: US star Diplo also contributes to Chop Up, with a squelchy, party take on "Fuju Ouija", while other unexpected contributors like Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Salah Ragab keep the mood upbeat: the former drops an irresistible swaggering version of "Sankofa' and the latter brings a flavour of Notting Hill Carnival to "Ole", as celebratory brass competes with sunny day ivory tinkling. In spite of these joyful renditions of Allen's legacy, the version that we keep returning to is Moritz Van Oswald's take on "Ole". It's fascinating to hear that Allen's tumbling, rambunctious drums informed the Basic Channel member's work in the same way as King Tubby, but even more fascinating is what van Oswald does with Allen's drumming. Transforming them into solemn but understated marching beats, he uses them to underpin the most atmospheric, woozy dub chords this side of "M6".
from $1.89
HJRCD 34
16 Sep 11
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
16 Sep 11
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Review: The original version of "Deadman" is a tense, dense affair that skirts on the edges of dance floor accessibility, but is chiefly concerned with setting a tone rather than delivering instantaneous gratification. Admittedly, there are pummelling tribal drums and rolling percussion at the heart of the arrangement, but they act as a facilitator for the eerie textures and the almost detached-sounding vocal intoning "everyone starts from point one, no one Honest Jon's have recruited Roger Robinson and Kevin Martin to contribute a remix as King Midas Sound and their "death dub" version certainly lives up to its title. Dispensing entirely with the already tenuous dance floor link, the duo conjure up foggy textures that sound more malignant than anything the current wave of dub techno producers could muster, and use them as the basis for an eerie, childlike vocal - like the creepy kid from "The Sixth Sense" movie on qualudes. Finally, the crackle remix provides some light relief, with tiny, chiming bells tinkling through an abstract take characterised by soft-focus edges.
from $1.89
HJP 52
18 Feb 11
Experimental/Electronic
18 Feb 11
Experimental/Electronic
Review: The ever awesome Honest Jon's decision to reissue its back catalogue in digital format gives you a chance to delve back into the amazing album of Chaabi music from the Abdel Hadi Halo & The El Gusto Orchestra of Algiers. The Damon Albarn fronted excursion by Team Honest Jons into Algiers in 2007 has been compared to a film of certain famous Cuban musicians several times over, but the focus should certainly be on the music. Comprised of six lengthy tracks of gripping rhythmic music that sways effortlessly between classical and popular styles, the 19 minutes that make up "Mal Djifni" prove a real highlight, sounding like it could go on forever. This has to be heard to be believed.
from $1.89
HJRCD 32
28 May 10
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
28 May 10
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Review: Darren Cunningham's 2008 debut Hazyville was a wonderful journey though a myriad of disparate influences, from Detroit techno to glitchy electronica and dubstep. Here we see the Werk Discs chief revisit some of those influences but also tread new ground with his follow up LP, Splazsh. It's a startling journey: every track on here is worth listening to, digesting, and listening to again. "Lost" is one of the more tender moments on the album, with a female vocal draped over a rolling synth line and metallic snare. "Bubble Butts & Equation" would be the perfect theme song should the world come to as sudden and messy end, while "Always Human" has the squelchy leftfield techno sound of Anthony Shake Shakir. "Maze" is one of the album's true highlights, a stunningly simple piece that shows how beautiful electronic music can be when stripped back to its bare bones, while the broken beat of "Purrple Splazsh" once again shows Cunningham's deft touch with sampling. Even the weird, experimental tracks toward the end are deliciously rich and textured, including the superbly titled "Supreme Cunnilingus". With so many ideas crammed into 14 songs it's a wonder Cunningham has ended up with such a perfect little album, but on Splazsh that is not the case. This could only have been made in 2010 and that, above all else, it what makes Splazsh so special. One for the ages.
from $1.89
HJRCD 49
28 May 10
Techno
28 May 10
Techno
Review: Torsten Profrock?s T++ project has continually spread its wings since conception in 2005. Championed by fans of techno, dubstep, experimental and drum & bass alike, his latest EP for Honest Jons (and rumoured to be his last under this monkier) showcases the amalgamation of styles and sounds that has earnt the German such a far reaching fanbase.
If it does prove to be the final T++ release ever, then the alias will have left us with the most expressive and energetic of his works. Adding a real sense of personality, Profrock unearthed a handful of samples of the singer and ndingidi player Ssekinomu, recorded in East Africa in the 1930s and 40s in the label?s vaults for this release. Skilfully, the producer works these snippets into the complex rhythm structures, giving his music a human touch that has never been seen before. Profrock looks to the radical fringe of UK garage for the snapping 2 step vibe in these rhythms that remain central to all four tracks on the EP. This results in a clutch of tracks that take on an immensely tribal and subconsciously innate feel. They morph new structures from the forms of 2 step, techno and drum & bass around which Profrock wraps twisted FX and weighty sub bass to create one whole, throbbing organism.
So with quite possibly his final release, T++ leaves us, rather fittingly, with a record that sounds at once both ancient and modern. It has a totally unique tone, like a form of tribal language that can only speak to and be understood by today?s culture through these sub-heavy, atmospheric sounds.
If it does prove to be the final T++ release ever, then the alias will have left us with the most expressive and energetic of his works. Adding a real sense of personality, Profrock unearthed a handful of samples of the singer and ndingidi player Ssekinomu, recorded in East Africa in the 1930s and 40s in the label?s vaults for this release. Skilfully, the producer works these snippets into the complex rhythm structures, giving his music a human touch that has never been seen before. Profrock looks to the radical fringe of UK garage for the snapping 2 step vibe in these rhythms that remain central to all four tracks on the EP. This results in a clutch of tracks that take on an immensely tribal and subconsciously innate feel. They morph new structures from the forms of 2 step, techno and drum & bass around which Profrock wraps twisted FX and weighty sub bass to create one whole, throbbing organism.
So with quite possibly his final release, T++ leaves us, rather fittingly, with a record that sounds at once both ancient and modern. It has a totally unique tone, like a form of tribal language that can only speak to and be understood by today?s culture through these sub-heavy, atmospheric sounds.
from $1.89
HJP 49
16 Apr 10
Dirty Dubstep/Trap/Grime
16 Apr 10
Dirty Dubstep/Trap/Grime
