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Honest Jon's
Browse the latest digital releases on Honest Jon's
Review: Chicago eight-piece Hypnotic Brass Ensemble return with their first album in the best part of 10 years. Maturing with age, experience and decoration, they're even more rich, measured and magic than ever before. Our souls are arrested from the moment the slow spell-binding arpeggio of "Lead The Way" ignites the smouldering journey and the dreamy drama doesn't let up until the final whirling synth echoes of the finale track "Royalty". Highlights include the yearning trumpets and pensive plucks of "Midnight", the insistency and pace of "Heaven & Earth" and the playful swooning signature switches on "Now". Once again, a truly singular trip from the Cochrane brothers. Essential.
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HJRLP 74
10 Nov 17
Experimental/Electronic
10 Nov 17
Experimental/Electronic
Played by: DIONIGI
Review: Shackleton's material for London's Honest Jon's Records has been among the artist's very best and, importantly, most daring work. That's also because the imprint, manned by the enigmatic Mark Ainley, allows its artists to offer their most explorative sides, a quality heard throughout the plethora of its releases. Sam Shack is joined by Vengeance Tenfold, whose vocals first appeared on the man's material via the sublime Music For The Quiet Hour, a definitive release for the British producer. This new Shackleton sound is different, however, focusing more the balance between polyrhythms and the movement of the vocals. The results are prophetic to say the least: darkness, dread, dub, and something inherently bizarre about the whole affair. A Shackleton classic.
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HJP 84
19 Jan 17
Experimental/Electronic
19 Jan 17
Experimental/Electronic
Played by: Erdbeerschnitzel
Review: Disclosure is Kassem Mosse's follow up to this 2014 debut long player, Workshop 19. Apart from further cementing the relationship with Honest Jons, it also sees him further pushing his already skewed house sound to the outer limits. "Drift Model" and "Phonenica Wireless" both sound like he took a hammer to the offbeat style on his previous album, while "Stepping on Salt" is just a series of malfunctioning computer blips and bleeps. Mosse finally ventures onto the dance floor with the rickety, haunted minimalism of "Galaxy Series 7", but it's only a temporary divergence and his sense of adventure returns for the broken down rhythm and broken drums of "Collapsing Dual Core".
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HJRLP 73
14 Oct 16
Techno
14 Oct 16
Techno
Review: You can count on Honest Jon's to provide the more provocative electronic release around, but we weren't expecting this new EP at all. A collaboration between Shackleton and Ernesto Tomasini was simply too much to envisage: the former is one of the few true pioneers of UK dance music and the latter is an ex-Cabaret dancer who delves in post-industrialism. There are four segments and, thanks to Tomasini's voice, Shackleton's music is transformed and teleported onto new territories, sounding something like a space dance from a long, long time ago. HJ themselves describe this as Shackleton's 'most hallucinatory music to date' and that may well be, but what is certain is that it's very much different from all the other gear he's put out. Recommended.
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HJP 81
22 Jul 16
Ambient/Drone
22 Jul 16
Ambient/Drone
Played by: Ploy
Review: After an initial appearance on remix duties for the Honest Jon's label back in 2015, Leipzig beat specialist Kassem Mosse is back on the singular London imprint with a new EP, this time grounded in his more traditional techno roots - the side of his that we love the most and what won us over with his first, and now foundational, EP's for his native Workshop. "Chilazon 1" is a trippy techno work that bounces off the walls with utter ease, and it's the sort of bleep-heavy techno that we're loving at the moment; "Chilazon 2" is less structured and more textural, a decomposing mass of drums and static that blend together to make a solid and palpable groove. "Lanthanum" takes the same distorted approach but this time Mosse escalates the panic with a whirling echo of cascading chords and dubwise drums. A must.
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HJP 82
15 Jul 16
Techno
15 Jul 16
Techno
Played by: AWITW
Review: Laurel Halo is back, presenting her unique take on electronic music once again on her first full length since 2012's Quarantine on Hyperdub. Unlike her previous efforts there are no vocals on this album, marking a definite change in direction. There's undeniably a much dirtier analogue aesthetic smeared across the tracks of this album. "Situation" and "Drift" for instance are are tough UK bass influenced workouts with an attitude, while "Nebenwirkungen" and "Nah" take on a more claustrophobic and paranoid aesthetic, in all their freeform and self-liberating glory. Overall the album's withdrawn and at times uncompromising stance is what makes it so compelling.
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HJPCD 78
25 Sep 15
Balearic/Downtempo
25 Sep 15
Balearic/Downtempo
Review: For the latest Trio album, Van Oswald substitutes Vladislav Delay with Tony Allen. The afro-beat legend's influence looms large throughout, and that's a good thing. This is most audible on "04.4" and "05.5", where jazzy, rainy-day chords are underpinned by crashing snares and subtle, rhythmic shuffles. On other occasions, like "06.6", Allen's tight playing threatens to overpower Van Oswald's nuanced sound scapes, but despite its fluid nature, the trio is nothing if not cohesive in its restraint. Elsewhere, Van Oswald and Loderbauer take control, and "01.1" and "02.2", droning textures take precedence. It's be interesting to hear who Van Oswald puts behind the drums next, but on Sounding Lines, Allen's presence is a welcome one.
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HJRCD 72
12 Jun 15
Techno
12 Jun 15
Techno
Review: London's legendary Honest Jons Records has lined up a rather special release schedule for the new year, and this first release by Crying Lion is just a taster of what's to come from the Ladbroke Grove massive. Recorded in a church in Glasgow by several members of Trembling Bells, this LP contains all elements of the mystical and magical, gliding across nine songs of medieval folk chanting peppered with a dash of electro-acoustic wonder. It's music for true outsiders and an album guaranteed to transport you into a distant world, a different sort of atmosphere. It's also a fine addition to the label's stellar catalogue. There's plenty more to come from both the imprint and artists. A must have, don't miss it.
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HJRLP 110
23 Jan 15
Soundtracks
23 Jan 15
Soundtracks
Various
Review: The mighty Honest Jon's Records brings in the new year with an exquisite and highly awaited set of long-lost gems from the most obscure Iranian recordings dating back to the beginning of the twentieth century. Much like the gorgeous "To Scratch Your Heart" release from a few years back, this stunning collection of ethnic music is easily some of the most tasteful compilations you will ever set your ears on. "Painstakingly restored from 78s at Abbey Road", the music moves from one mystical dimension to another, giving us a detailed snapshot of what was going on back then in cities like Tehran. Trumpets, clarinets, enchanting voices, improvisational strings and a significant swell of nostalgia wrap this winner of a compilation up into what will most likely be one of the most important chronologies of music available today.
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HJRCD 69
24 Jan 14
Soundtracks
24 Jan 14
Soundtracks
Review: Released with the minimum of fanfare, Dismantle represents Rabih Beaini's first substantial release as Morphosis since last year's Tepco Report 12", and comes in the form of a five track release for Honest Jon's. The first part comprises two Morphosis productions obviously aimed at more adventurous DJs, with the title track (in collaboration with Donato Dozzy) comprising subtly rattling percussion and organic tones unfolding over a steady rhythmic pulse, while "Tamrat Version" comes across as more full bodied, with thicker organ textures tied up with pulsing synths. The second part meanwhile is something entirely different, comprising a live score to Carl Theodor Dreyer's Vampyr recorded in Romania; free of rhythm and utilising some outlandish modular sequencing, it's the producer at his most immersive.
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HJP 7
28 Jun 13
Techno
28 Jun 13
Techno
Review: For their next trick, classic cult label Honest Jon's serve up a collection of field recordings of the Mijikenda tribes, made in different spots in and around Mukunguni village, coastal Kenya. There's 14 in total, and it proves a fascinating listen: first track, the creepily percussive "Ndema" is played to sound like a bat, with shrill frequencies intended to heal the village sick, the chant of "Dena" is haunting, "Matatizo" is fantastic acapella pop, while elsewhere multi drums are utilised to chase away "Pepo Mlume", the devil who poisons the imagination. Essential listening.
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HJRCD 68
05 Apr 13
Soundtracks
05 Apr 13
Soundtracks
Review: Inhabiting a space populated by deranged jazz and dub (techno) at its most freaky, Fetch is a slowburning release. "Jam" starts with detached sax solos and rough off beats leading into a tense bassline, with the arrangement evolving over 14 minutes. "Dark" is more succinct, but the mood is similar, as the players conjure up a live take on dance floor techno. "Club" is another rhythm-heavy affair, with a loose, live arrangement set to grinding metal drums, while the trio go back to the freeform approach of "Jam" on "Yangissa". On this occasion, the sounds are more organic and the arrangement even more liquid, with waves of effects seeping out over the unhurried drums.
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HJRCD 67
18 Jun 12
Techno
18 Jun 12
Techno
Played by: Ennio Styles
Review: When your dad is a well-regarded jazz trumpeter, it's perhaps inevitable that you'll follow in his footsteps. A decade ago, the eight sons of Sun Ra Arkestra member Phlip Cohran did just that, forming The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Here they hook up with their inspirational dad for a first collaborative album for Honest Jon's. In typical fashion, they've taken his influences and playing style as the starting point. So, alongside their usual rousing marching funk, we get treated to a string of more experimental compositions. It's these - particularly the emotional strings and cinematic builds of "Ancestral", or the 15-minute space-brass opus "Zincali" - that really stand out.
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HJRCD 65
11 Jun 12
Funk
11 Jun 12
Funk
Played by: Bantam Lions, In Flagranti, Juno Recommends Experimental, Dominik Eulberg, Phiorio (Metroline Limited), Tom Trago, Jaws
Review: "It's like painting with buttons and sliders... Melting and dripping, seeping yourself liquid into the machinery." So said Darren Cunningham when discussing the creation of R.I.P, his long awaited follow up to Splazsh. It's a compelling image that works in practice too. R.I.P creates microcosmic sound worlds within each track: "Holy Water" for instance tumbles in on itself in a melange of shimmering sinewave droplets, while the pitchshifted waves of "Tree Of Knowledge" seem to inhale and exhale like a living being, crumpling inwards on itself to repeat the same motion ad infinitum. And although it uses much the same, occasionally abrasive sonic building blocks as Cunningham's been developing for many years, the pastoral tones of "Uriel's Black Harp" and the Alva Noto styles of "Jardin" make R.I.P a surprisingly graceful album. It may not be techno as many will know it, but Cunningham has never made techno in the traditional sense anyway - and it's clear on listening to R.I.P that he's only just beginning to realise the musical forms that have been swarming inside his brain for years.
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HJRCD 60
20 Apr 12
Experimental/Electronic
20 Apr 12
Experimental/Electronic
Review: For the uninitiated, Rocket Juice & The Moon is Honest Jon's latest unlikely supergroup - a collaborative hoedown between Blur's Damn Albarn, Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist Flea and legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen. This debut album, featuring additional contributions from Eryka Badu, Manifest and others, showcases their loose, jazz-inflected approach to music making. With Allen's distinctive drumming and Flea's dextrous, funk-fused bass playing to the fore, there's a definitive post-punk-meets-afrobeat-in-dub kinda feel. With soulful vocals and smart hip-hop raps peppering the loose, Afro-centric late night mix, it's an adventurous but oddly comforting set. Most importantly, it's rarely less than riotously entertaining.
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HJRCD 63B
23 Mar 12
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
23 Mar 12
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Various
Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer - "Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer Meet Shangaan Electro" - (9:14)
Review: Shangaan Shake is the complete document of the remixes Honest Jon's commissioned to pit leftfield Western artists against the Shangaan electro of South Africa. It's an all-star cast, from house heroes to dubstep tinkerers. Mark Ernestus turns out an elegant slice of dub techno, while DJ Rashad and RP Boo throw down a sweaty slice of footwork action, and Peverelist plies a typically complex rhythm at a slower, seductive tempo. Out of all the remixers, Theo Parrish is the one unafraid to maintain the original BPM, which leaves his remix stark against the multitude of other tracks. Essential.
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HJRCD 58
24 Feb 12
Deep House
24 Feb 12
Deep House
Various
Review: Shangaan Shake is the complete document of the remixes Honest Jon's commissioned to pit leftfield Western artists against the Shangaan electro of South Africa. It's an all-star cast, from house heroes to dubstep tinkerers. Mark Ernestus turns out an elegant slice of dub techno, while DJ Rashad and RP Boo throw down a sweaty slice of footwork action, and Peverelist plies a typically complex rhythm at a slower, seductive tempo. Out of all the remixers, Theo Parrish is the one unafraid to maintain the original BPM, which leaves his remix stark against the multitude of other tracks. Essential.
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132742 8604895
24 Feb 12
Footwork/Juke
24 Feb 12
Footwork/Juke
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HJP 64
25 Nov 11
Experimental/Electronic
25 Nov 11
Experimental/Electronic
Review: Coming completely out of nowhere, this collaborative album between two of dubstep's most revered producers is not only one of this year's best examples of the genre, but some of the best dubstep to emerge since the demise of Shackleton and Appleblim's Skull Disco label in 2008. In a landscape increasingly dominated by the sounds of genre hopping post-dubstep, this album is a timely reminder of the dark spaces dubstep once inhabited; "Jellybones" for instance utilises eastern percussion manipulated to increasing degrees of mind-warping confusion, whilst "Levitation" weaves furious rhythms around radiophonic weirdness, while closer "Monks On The Rum" is a gripping exercise in tension, contrasting cut-glass percussion with a hesitant bass. But for all the structural complexity of these tracks, for example in "Rooms Within a Room", which weaves a brooding string intro and sampled choir around traditional dubstep atmospheres, the pair have never sounded so focused. Essential.
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HJRCD/LP59
18 Nov 11
Experimental/Electronic
18 Nov 11
Experimental/Electronic
Review: Coming completely out of nowhere, this collaborative album between two of dubstep's most revered producers is not only one of this year's best examples of the genre, but some of the best dubstep to emerge since the demise of Shackleton and Appleblim's Skull Disco label in 2008. In a landscape increasingly dominated by the sounds of genre hopping post-dubstep, this album is a timely reminder of the dark spaces dubstep once inhabited; "Jellybones" for instance utilises eastern percussion manipulated to increasing degrees of mind-warping confusion, whilst "Levitation" weaves furious rhythms around radiophonic weirdness, while closer "Monks On The Rum" is a gripping exercise in tension, contrasting cut-glass percussion with a hesitant bass. But for all the structural complexity of these tracks, for example in "Rooms Within a Room", which weaves a brooding string intro and sampled choir around traditional dubstep atmospheres, the pair have never sounded so focused. Essential.
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131839 8345654
18 Nov 11
Deep Dubstep
18 Nov 11
Deep Dubstep
