"HOLLYWOOD RECORDS is proud to announce its exciting new affiliation with the
London based trend setting label ACID JAZZ. We will be bringing you the Acid
Jazz catalogue past and present so you too can experience this retro-chic
musical movement.
LABEL HISTORY: In 1988, London based club dweller, Eddie Pillar felt that there
was a definite musical void. Eddie wanted his love of alternative groove
realized. In a direct response to the booming acid-house scene in London, Eddie
launched his modern day soul label, Acid Jazz. The music encompasses styles old
and new by meshing elements of jazz, funk, rock, soul, and reggae. It is a
re-working of classic sounds and techniques into contemporary settings with
style and attitude. The catalogue includes early Brand New Heavies records, the
neo-mod grooves of Coururoy and Mother Earth, The James Taylor Quartet,
Vibraphonic, the ever popular compilation series, "Totally Wired" and many more
soulful sounds.
RETAIL: The Acid Jazz collection will be launched as label at retail. Extensive
plans are underway which encompass co-op advertising, catalogue positioning and
label geared display merchandise.
MARKETING: Acid Jazz is as much of a lifestyle as it is a musical trend. We plan
on plugging in to numerous clubs, trend stores and other lifestyle outlets
across the country to profile the catalogue with cross promotions, in-store play
and consumer advertising.
PRESS: The Acid Jazz label has received extensive press coverage overseas and
some has spilled over to the states as well. We will plug into all regional and
national outlets to present this catalogue with a special emphasis on urban and
trend/fashion publications.
RADIO: The Acid Jazz collection will be worked at various formats of radio
including college, New Adult Contemporary and AC, public outlets and urban
radio."
Then the press release goes on to detail 4 upcoming releases:
THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES "Original Flava": Rare out-takes, oldies, and unreleased
tracks from the old line-up makes "Original Flava" special. This release
showcases the grittier side of the Heavies and includes the original version of
the group's smash single, "Never Stop".
COURDUROY "Out Of Here": South London four piece Corduroy deliver a loose
configuration of jazz and funk with a swinging 60's edge. Effortlessly cool,
Courduroy's retro-pop sound will draw you in and funk your soul.
VIBRAPHONIC "2": Gracefully sweet grooves run rampant on the second release from
Vibraphonic. Rooted in a more traditional acid jazz style, Vibraphonic weave a
silky, layered, soul sound.
MOTHER EARTH "The People Tree": With influences ranging from Sly and the Family
Stone and Curtis Mayfield to The Who, Mother Earth take the best of 70's rock
and soul and give it a 90's spin."
The press release also unveils a new logo for Hollywood Records (I haven't seen
it before): a definitely "retro" design of a slab of vinyl and "Hollywood" in a
50's-ish font. Hmmmm....
I also got a bulletin from Polygram Records (who handle Hollywood's
distribution) and it says these four releases will be out on October 17th.
This whole 'retro' attitude in marketing this music sort of irks me (even though
that is what a lot of this music is). Many will never realize that what we
sometimes call 'acid jazz' is also music that is forward thinking and
innovative. And, of course, no mention of the release of the Emperor's New
Clothes LP, the best Acid Jazz release in a long time, in my opinion.
This deal will be interesting to watch the progress of. We'll see what
happens...
PEACE
Michael Donaldson
EIGHTH DIMENSION RECORDS / SOUL POWER MAGAZINE