The Putbacks
The Putbacks

Hailing from Melbourne, but with a sound stretching from 60s and 70s afrobeat and exotica to Fela Kuti-esque repetition, the proto-garage rhythmic fury of The Monks and the grooves of Os Mutantes, there’s an enticing lost world exoticism to the music of Bananagun. It’s the sort of stuff that could’ve come from a dusty record crate of hidden gems; yet as the punchy, colourfully vibrant pair of singles Do Yeah and Out of Reach have proven over the past 12 months, the band are no revivalists. On debut album The True Story of Bananagun, they make a giant leap forward with their outward-looking blend of global tropicalia.The True Story of Bananagun marks Bananagun’s first full foray into writing and recording as a complete band, having originally germinated in the bedroom ideas and demos of guitarist, vocalist and flautist Nick van Bakel. The multi-instrumentalist grew up on skate videos, absorbing the hip-hop beats that soundtracked them - taking on touchstones like Self Core label founder Mr. Dibbs and other early 90’s turntablists.That love of the groove underpins Bananagun - even if the rhythms now traverse far beyond those fledgling influences. "We didn't want to do what everyone else was doing,” the band’s founder says. “We wanted it to be vibrant, colourful and have depth like the jungle. Like an ode to nature."Van Bakel was joined first by cousin Jimi Gregg on drums – the pair’s shared love of the Jungle Book apparently made him a natural fit – and the rest of the group are friends first and foremost, put together as a band because of a shared emphasis on keeping things fun. Jack Crook (guitar/vocals), Charlotte Tobin (djembe/percussion) and Josh Dans (bass) complete the five-piece and between them there’s a freshness and playful spontaneity to The True Story of Bananagun, borne out of late night practice jams and hangs at producer John Lee’s Phaedra Studios.Bananagun are first and foremost a band enthused with the joy of living and The True Story of Bananagun is a ebullient listen; van Bakel - as the main songwriter - is keen not to let any lyrical themes overpower that. There’s more to this record than blissed out grooves and tripped out fuzz though: The Master is about learning to be your own master and resisting the urge to compare yourself to others; She Now addresses gender identity and extolls the importance of people being able to identify how they feel. Then there’s closing track Taking The Present For Granted, which perhaps sums up the band’s ethos on life, trying to take in the world around you and appreciating the here and now.The True Story of Bananagun then is perhaps a tale of finding beauty in even these most turbulent of times.

This minor funk group hailed from Florida and was led by Rodney Mathews. Their classic floor-filler "Evil Vibrations," was sampled by De La Soul on "A Rollerskating Jam Named Saturday." From the original 1978 liner notes: “The birth of The Mighty Ryeders took place in April of 1977 (A.D). Within a month after those first breaths, this gifted eight member group began setting the stage to be best or among the best recording and entertainment group of their time. With this concept, and a wholesome amount of musical talent, this album of songs was created. The Mighty Ryeders album displays a wide range of creative songs. Their variety is a spice of life, which expands the spectrum of funk, disco, soul, pop and some easy listening tunes. This album song ideas and sophisticated arrangements, generates more creativity and excitement than anyone had ever imagined. Hardly anyone ever listening to The Mighty Ryeders live or on record will ever be deprived of a beautiful musical and entertaining experience. This talented eight member group’s tunes add superb spices to make you want to boogie down, dance in the streets, sing out aloud, or just lend an (listen) ear to their creative sound. The Mighty Ryeders talent brings a new beginning to the world of music, their style adds a stroke of genius to a developing wave that will sweep the country of music lovers for future generations to come. This power-pac sounding album will stimulate their listeners to the point of playing these tunes again, again, and again.”

“Dark, downtempo, synth-heavy pop” – Noisey“Mind Full extends and expands on the band’s future soul and alt R&B sound incorporating elements of synthesizers and new jack R&B” – Complex“Mind Full sees Leisure Centre really flesh out and cement their electronic-driven R&B, at times channelling names like Kaytranada by injecting soulful vocal lines with bouncy, percussion-driven productions that give the album this punchy drive” – Pilerats“Leisure Centre… ply future soul that deliberately tests listener expectations where some of the elder statesmen and women of the scene stick with saccharine soul” – Mikey Cahill (Herald Sun) source: Hopestreet Recordings

Hopestreet Recordings: ...Zretro are a Naarm based duo made up of vocalist Zima and producer 2nd Thought. Their self-titled debut LP blends 90s R&B vocals with golden era hiphop production and elements of Kwaito and Afrobeats. Zima’s voice is honey sweet, 2nd Thought beats sound fresh out of an MPC and their album is tied together by the elastic bass guitar contributions of jazzy house don Horatio Luna. Raw, simple production lets the beats and vocals dominate with only minimal instrumental accompaniment.