For the first edition of Tribe’s Picks of 2018, we asked one of the shop’s gurus Alex T to reflect on the past year, forecast the year ahead and provide his usual set of current hits from the shelves of 28 Kirkgate.
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“The last 7 months at Tribe has absolutely flown by and we’ve become really settled on Kirkgate with our good pals at Art Official. We’re really pleased with the stock we currently have in the racks which has been slowly refined and improved since last summer, it’s always nice to hear that people are pleasantly surprised by the range and quality of music we sell given how small the shop is, and that’s exactly what we we’re aiming for – quality over quantity!
“2018 has seen many amazing releases arrive so far with the typical winter rush meaning there is a LOT of new music to consume, but that just means the quality of stock over the coming months will be even higher. Looking forward into the year we’re going to (eventually) get the second hand records out and available; the backlog of new stock means we’ve been inundated by fresh orders but we’ve only got a few more boxes of stuff to go before it’ll be ready.
“We also want to start pushing more events in the shops doing in-store parties and collaborating with crews like Equaliser to host workshops. Again, there are a few more finer details that need to be finalised before we can start pushing that, but we’re not far off so keep an eye out for news. We don’t have any more parties planned for Tribe as of yet since we’re all super busy with our own individual events, but we’re working on something exciting for Dimensions Festival which we can’t wait to reveal, more details on that as soon as we can tell.”
Now, here are Alex’s current faves from the shop:
Sonar Base – Sonar Bases 4 – 10 [Deeptrax]
Frank de Groot made his name in the 90s pumping out wicked records on the seminal Dutch techno label Djax-Up-Beats with a fair few of his electro EP’s becoming extremely sought after on the 2nd hand market. One such record was under his Sonar Bass alias on which some of his finest space electro can be found. Deeptrax have kindly reissued the LP with additional remastering, giving the pressing a wonderful punch to the tracks.
Jeff Resnick – SAC -School Of American Craftsmen [Outernational Sounds]
This is a wicked jazz reissue of Jeff Resnicks coveted 1978 promotional recording for the School for American Craftsmen, at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Five tracks of soul jazz and modal fusion lie on the a-side while on the b-side, Resnick’s multi-tracking synthesizers on his home set-up, set an engrossing blend of reflective abstraction, grooving electro and spiritualised fourth-world tropicalism. Great for the dancefloor and home listening!
A Drummer From Detroit – Drums #2 [Fit Sound]
It’s been 6 years since Andrés released an EP under his ‘A Drummer From Detroit’ alias, a production name which he uses to channel his deeper rhythmic house excursions. Drums #2 picks up exactly where the first release left off with Andrés’ signature use of vocal samples floating beautifully over shuffling drum patterns and some fantastic warm basslines, taking a more measured and subtle approach than his usual style. Detroit house at it’s finest!
Benoit B – Japonaiserie [Berceuse Heroique]
The output on Berceuse Heroique has been nothing short of spectacular recently, with must buy EPs coming from Heap, Hodge, Zov Zov and Black Merlin (we have all of them in stock!). My personal favourite is a wonderfully varied EP from Benoit B, which invokes sounds from the Far East as the title of the release would imply. Inside you can find broken beat ambience at a range of tempos with plenty of soothing melodies and futuristic flourishes, this a truly phenomenal release from a label in top form – essential!
Gantz – Dying On Acid EP [Deep Medi]
Turkish dubstep producer Gantz has been at the forefront of the small but committed group of artists bearing the dubstep torch in 2018. This EP however is one of the more experimental trips on the Deep Medi label as he delves into a world of field recordings, jazz samples, guest vocalists and dusty shuffling beats. The only instrumental – ‘Dying on Acid’ is a real trip through melancholy samples, off kilter beats and mournful synths. The vocalists all perform their lyrics with aplomb – Rider Shafique and D£DW8 both spit over more conventional Deep Medi beats that contain experimental flourishes, but the most intriguing vocal track is ‘Fugazi’ which features Elif Dikec on vocals. It is a very pensive workout, featuring percussion that almost makes no sense whilst a harp sample roots the track to a very loose structure.
Alex and shop owner Si Scott will be playing with the one and only DJ Stingray and electro producer extraordinaire Carl Finlow at Wire on 10th February.