Lee "Scratch" Perry
Disco Devil Vol. 4 (6 More Classic Discomixes From The Black Ark Studio 1977-9)

Step into the hazy musical minds of Glenn Echo and Daniel Meinecke on Partly Cloudy, their debut full-length on MotorCity Wine Recordings. Mr. Echo, repping the Sol Power family out of Washington, DC, reached back to his 90s downtempo, acid jazz, and golden era beat-making roots to create 11 psychedelic, breakbeat-and-space-echo-infused tracks that serve as the perfect dreamy backdrop for Mr. Meinecke’s commanding and virtuosic New Orleans gospel funk.Mr. Meinecke, an accomplished jazz keyboardist based in New Orleans (by way of Detroit), composed a dense, trippy, soundscape using nearly all the tools in his arsenal: Hohner D6 Clavinet, Moog Sub 37, Moog DFAM, Moog Mother 32, Dave Smith Prophet '08, Nord C1 Combo Organ, and Nord Stage 2.Woven together with Glenn Echo’s production, arranging, and engineering, the end result is a rich tapestry of heady sounds with one foot firmly planted in the now and the other harkening back to the days of early Nightmares on Wax, Thievery Corporation, AIR, Ninja Tune, and the Native Tongues sound. Housed in a beautiful LP package with artwork by the legendary Michal Rafaj, printed on reverse cardboard to display proudly at your turntable while you spin it on those partly cloudy days.

Dub action from Osaka, Japan.

Originally released in 1980, this album is the final work to emerge from the Black Ark studio, before its permanent destruction. It concludes a series of such LP masterworks as Super Ape, War In A Babylon, Police And Thieves, and The Return Of The Super Ape. Enthrallingly, it crosses the soundworld of Roast Fish Collie Weed And Cornbread with new hybrids — like the irresistible eleven-minute opener, rolling and delirious, a kind of reggae prophesy of Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing, but musically richer, and more glazed, randy and visionary.