{"title":"Smiling C","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"kevin-mccormick-david-horridge-light-patterns-lp-1","title":"Kevin McCormick \u0026 David Horridge - Light Patterns","description":"\u003cem\u003eOriginally released in 1982; \u003c\/em\u003e2025 edition with new cover art! Guitarists Kevin McCormick and David Horridge collaborated on this wordless, dream-like album back in 1982, using only guitars and the occasional fretless bass to express themselves. The obvious comparisons to Woo and Durutti Column, two minimalist UK guitar groups of the same era, are evident, but the beauty and originality Horridge and McCormick crafted puts Light Patterns into a category of its own. Rather than being another long lost 80’s private press record to have “that one song” among an album of fillers, Light Patterns is a stunning listen from start to finish.","brand":"Smiling C","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46037915107482,"sku":null,"price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0471\/5036\/6874\/files\/web1.jpg?v=1754939550"},{"product_id":"shams-dinn-shams-dinn-شمس-دين-lp","title":"Shams Dinn - شمس دين","description":"Shams Dinn (Ben Bouchta Mohammed) was born in Oudja, Morocco in the ‘60s. His father died before he was born, and he was raised by his grandfather, a Sufi ascetic who awoke a spiritual path within Shams that he has felt connected with his entire life. When he was around 10 years old, he immigrated to Lyon, France with his mother. He grew up enthralled by the burgeoning underground hip hop scene, martial arts, graffiti, and breakdancing. He started as a dancer, laying down cardboard and breaking to artists like Kurtis Blow and Melle Mel with his friends. In his later teens, he began experimenting with rhyme, he wanted to share his culture through song, and would flow in Arabic. He seemed to have a natural talent for the craft, but his friends, doubting that France would ever accept an Arabic rapper, bet him that he wouldn’t be able to go to Paris and find a record deal.\r\n\r\nWith 500 Francs in his pocket, he went to Paris in search of an avenue to record. Not knowing anyone, he wandered over to Montmartre, where he’d heard of suave night clubs that the best DJs and MCs would be. He witnessed patrons entering through a back door of a venue, and quickly followed them in. Sidney, who had a TV show on French television called Hip Hop, was the DJ that night. He saw Shams dancing, and commented that he had moves. He handed Shams the mic, and Shams began flowing in Arabic, the crowd loved it. Shams’ rap career blossomed as he would join freestyle events around town, where the audience would throw chairs at you if you didn’t deliver. He used the name “Shams Dinn” because of it’s spiritual meaning “Sun Of Faith”, and also, when spoken quickly, it sounds like “James Dean”. He had few instrumental demos like Toutes Ces Femmes and Vieille France that he would spit verses over, but it wasn’t until he linked up with Jemel Dif that he had an opportunity to record his first single.\r\n\r\nDif worked at the same restaurant as Shams, and ran a record label called Hamedi that was an outlet for Arabic artists. Together, they got in the studio and captured “Hedi Bled Noum” (roughly, “You’re asleep, wake up”), which became a hit song in Europe in ‘87. Shams whirled around the continent, playing at fashionable clubs in Germany, Turkey and France. The record was number one at a big radiostation that broadcasted to the cities along the northern Mediterranean sea. Off of the momentum of the single, he formed another group called the Couscous Clan (satirizing the Ku Klux Klan), and continued rapping working on a debut solo album at the end of the ‘80s. He completed seven songs for his album with his producer Jean Soullier, but due to the Gulf War, the big companies didn’t want to market Arabic music. The label he was working with asked Shams to re-record in French, but the idea was too radical for him. The album was shelved and remained unreleased.\r\n\r\nWith a chance to dig through Shams’ archives, we’ve assembled and eponymous debut LP. Presented is a remastered version of Hedi Bled Noum from the original tapes, songs from his solo album, and a handful of unreleased demos. Limited Smiling C edition comes with a sticker and an inner sleeve containing photos and an interview with Shams. Repress is in an inverted sleeve with generic inner. ","brand":"Smiling C","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46448788373658,"sku":null,"price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0471\/5036\/6874\/files\/sc01_repress_sleeve_web_high.jpg?v=1756248499"},{"product_id":"various-a-totally-new-sound-lp","title":"Various - A Totally New Sound","description":"Aset was a feminine goddess of ancient Egypt. She had the magical prowess to cure the sick and bring her husband back from the dead. Over 5,000 years later, a collective of individuals deeply involved in community improvement initiatives and the struggle for justice and equality would gather in the Washington, DC metropolitan area to form a social movement of their own. They named themselves after Aset, the ‘Goddess Of The Immortals’, and their power was diffused through song. They had a unique approach as a record label to incorporate local D.C. youth and give them a space to develop their musical talents.\r\n\r\nThis compilation explores the back-catalog of Aset, anthologizing three distinct projects that they were focusing on from 1986-1988. Aset’s first release was a debut album from Latonya, the niece of one of the Aset members. She was eleven at the time of recording and sang about divorce, dancing, and love. She was set to be the poster child of Aset with a follow-up LP planned, but ultimately, the recording process became too demanding for Latonya and her parents. Moving forward, Aset split their creative energy into two follow-up groups, Treo \u0026amp; Whax. Treo was a trio of high school gals in harmony singing about relationships. Their song ‘Demands Decrease Desire’ discusses the strain we put on our significant others that pushes them away, and the group touched on a romantic-electro sound through their two releases. Whax was Aset’s male counterpart to Treo, they were meant to represent the sillier side of Aset. The group was led by two high school boys who recorded a lone 7” called “Can I Take You Home?”, and we were fortunate to receive an unreleased extended mix of this song that adds a dubby delayed breakdown.\r\n\r\nFar from commercial, “A Totally New Sound” is a collection of the songs from these three acts that demonstrate how Aset crafted an electro-soul sound that is absolutely their own. All the projects were guided and produced by the label director, Mba Mbulu. He maintains Aset to this day as an online university, one of the first-ever free internet colleges. Mba continues the spirit of Aset as a political writer.\r\n\r\nAlbum remastered and restored as a single LP pressed at 33rpm. It comes with a Smiling C logo sticker, and an inner sleeve displaying Aset archival material, and an interview with Mba Mbulu.","brand":"Smiling C","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46450943033498,"sku":null,"price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0471\/5036\/6874\/files\/a4274413610_10.jpg?v=1756313306"},{"product_id":"kumasi-i-know-you-feel-it-2lp","title":"Kumasi - I Know You Feel It","description":"Kumasi was a South African supergroup. The member’s work as musicians in South Africa dates back to the early ‘70s, recording with various projects around the Johannesburg area. A couple of years before Kumasi got together, Jabu Sibumbe (bass) and Lloyd Lelosa (keys) were playing with The Movers, co-writing albums of traditional, disco and jazz-funk music, and Ray Phiri (guitar, vocals) and Isaac Mtshali (drums) were core members of The Cannibals, who led a similar path through musical trends of the time. Both groups created a sound that was matched by few, and their back-catalogs remain to be a testament to the high caliber of their musicianship.\r\n\r\nThe four wanted to collaborate on a new project, however, The Cannibals were under contract to Gallo Records, a South African major label, which prevented them from recording releases under a different name. This meant Kumasi had to record anonymously to avoid breaking their agreements. Nazir Osman, a local music lover and candy salesman, was passionate about their music as The Movers \u0026amp; The Cannibals and offered to produce the hidden supergroup on his label, Kongas. They fused together, creating a unique blend of disco funk with emotive off-kilter vocals and a special South African tinge. Listening to the album, it’s apparent that the musicality displayed could be linked to its mysterious members. A further piece of the puzzle can be revealed listening to Stimela, one of South Africa’s most beloved groups; the group that Kumasi inevitably morphed into.\r\n\r\nKumasi reached heights of musicianship few artists from South Africa did. Their combination of interesting key changes and an unrelenting rhythm section set them apart as a legendary group in the South African ‘80s cannon.\r\n\r\nThis release presents a collection of six of their best songs. Five songs were pulled from their incredibly rare full-length LP “I Know You Feel It”, and we added their version of the South African classic, ‘Picnic’ to complete the anthology.\r\n\r\nRemastered and Restored on 2x12\" pressed at 45rpm. Comes with a protea flower sticker on the sleeve. ","brand":"Smiling C","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46450992185498,"sku":null,"price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0471\/5036\/6874\/files\/a2441792683_10.jpg?v=1756314326"},{"product_id":"f-j-thats-the-way-lp","title":"F.J. - That's The Way","description":"\u003cp\u003eFritz Bootle, Jr. (F.J.) story began in Freeport on the Grand Bahama Island. While legendary balearic acts were honing in on a sun-soaked sound at Compass Point Studios on the nearby island of New Providence, you could ferry over to Freeport, to witness an equally flourishing scene of soca, reggae, and disco music. If you were lucky, you might’ve caught a live show from F.J. at one of the various clubs around town. During the early ‘90s, regulations on drug traffickers were quite loose which meant discotheques were in full swing and the island attracted a bevy of pleasure-seeking tourists. In addition to the clubs, fish fry’s at the beach were popular places for locals to grab a beer and some snapper to hear the DJs play new selections from neighboring islands. It was a lively time on the island, and F.J.’s music was meant to reflect the relaxed attitude that came with the archipelago lifestyle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eF.J. was fortunate to have married the daughter of local producer, Frank Penn, who had a studio and label in Freeport called G.B.I. Recordings that he’d run since the ‘60s. F.J. was given full access to use the resources of the studio and fine tune his compositions. He’d go to the studio after work, spending hours experimenting on ways to combine his various influences such as Bob Marley, Teddy Riley, and George Duke. His earliest songs infused digital reggae with soul and RnB, creating a unique blend of genres that bears no exact comparison with other music that was coming out locally at the time. He became enthralled by his creations, and would lie in bed at night with eyes closed, waiting for more melodies to come to him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFooling around with Cubase, drum programming, and bass sequencers, he created his first single, Fool’s Love. It was a hit song on the island, and you might’ve caught the homemade video for it if you tuned into BET back in the early ‘90s. He went on to produce a full album called “Life On Music” in ‘94 that was released on cassette, and he continued producing through the ‘90s, until he eventually moved to the US.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough the music was made fairly recently, Hurricanes have decimated the islands many times over since the ‘90s, and few original copies remain of “Fool’s Love” or “Life On Music”. “That’s The Way” is the retrospective selection of what recordings were left from his releases and material we found on lost F.J. test pressings during our digging trip to the Bahamas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRemastered and restored as a 12\" extended EP pressed at 33rpm. The outer sleeve has a heart sticker and comes with an inner sleeve featuring stills from F.J.'s provocative \"Fool's Love\" video.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Smiling C","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46451013681306,"sku":null,"price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0471\/5036\/6874\/files\/a2023526083_10.jpg?v=1756314897"},{"product_id":"various-america-dream-reserve-2lp-2023-edition","title":"Various - America Dream Reserve","description":"\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn hour-long Casio-powered journey through lo-fi Americana, proto-disco, synth-washed lounge, and early drum machine-laden pop ballads. All 16 tracks here are absolute winners and perfectly encapsulate why we cherish private press. Highly recommended!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\r\n\r\nAmerica Dream Reserve is a place for kindred souls. An hour-long journey into the world of lo-fi drumcomputer folk, disco-pop-lounge, haunting ballads, obscure vanity pressings, and synthesized string ensembles. A collaborative compilation between Charles Bals, creator of the inimitable Club Meduse, and Smiling C.\r\n\r\n2023 Repressed 'Standard Edition'","brand":"Smiling C","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46451020595354,"sku":null,"price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0471\/5036\/6874\/files\/Captured_ecran2024-07-17a22.47.01_1.webp?v=1756315195"},{"product_id":"various-neon-castles-lp","title":"Various - Neon Castle","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNeon Castle hones in on a fleeting sub-genre of early to mid-’80s folk-rock. For a brief moment, glistening slide guitar, fretless bass, and satin sounds floating over drum machines intertwined with ethereal female voices, conjuring a sound at once familiar and otherworldly—pop structures laced with strange visions. Some songs sway with the warmth of open ranch-land—originating from the same myths Fleetwood Mac devoted themselves to; others are shrouded with candlelit mysticism, crafted with the very staff Kate Bush might have wielded. Together, these pieces reveal a singular tapestry.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCompiled by Charles Bals—now in his third collaboration with Smiling C—Neon Castle affirms his rare gift for storytelling through sound. Each track unfolds like a scene from an imagined film: castles glowing with noble gas, kingdoms awash in purple haze, white horses roaming free, hair cascading to the waist. The collection sketches a realm both new and 'upon a time', a world where fantasy takes shape through music. With Neon Castle, attentive listening becomes narrative.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/club.insheepsclothinghifi.com\/account\/orders\/5953712029850\/return_labels\/132714d0315b8682e5c987998ce3ea3e\/print\"\u003ePreviews\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA1 Judie Tzuke - Shoot From The Heart\u003cbr\u003eA2 Sally Townes - Neon Castles\u003cbr\u003eA3 Suse Millemann - Patterns\u003cbr\u003eA4 Tessa Stivar - Thin Air\u003cbr\u003eA5 Skyway - Romeo\u003cbr\u003eB1 Karen Ghee - Get Free\u003cbr\u003eB2 Amy Levin - Good To You\u003cbr\u003eB3 Rainbow Boogie Band - Once In A Lifetime Touch\u003cbr\u003eB4 Susan Smith - Flight\u003cbr\u003eB5 Susan Smith - Right Before My Eyes\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Smiling C","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46640870523034,"sku":null,"price":33.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0471\/5036\/6874\/files\/SC17cover.png?v=1759809327"},{"product_id":"dj-mad-a-dr-stevie-the-ambient-guru-the-mad-vibe-e-p-12","title":"DJ Mad A \u0026 Dr. Stevie The Ambient Guru - The Mad Vibe E.P.","description":"DJ Mad A (Adam Embleton) \u0026amp; Dr. Stevie The Ambient Guru (Stevie Hewitt) originally met when Adam picked up the Saturday shift at 'Record Mart', a record store run by Stevie back in the late 80's. They quickly bonded over shared tastes and enthusiasm for the growing dance club culture in England.\r\n\r\nBalearic Beat had arrived from Ibiza, and Middlesbrough, England clubs were pushing boundaries, encouraging DJs to experiment with the dancefloor. Stevie was a regular selector at venues like Club Havana and Flixx, where he blended house, electro \u0026amp; techno for the loaded English youth. Adam had signed to Island Records at 17, the first signee for their newly appointed A\u0026amp;R rep Darcus Beese. Darcus \u0026amp; Adam’s collaborations in the Island studio are where the early 'Mad A' production techniques were cultivated.\r\n\r\nWith Adam behind the programming and Stevie on effected guitar, the two assembled a few songs that were a frantic blend of abstract electro and house. They printed a white label tiny pressing of The Mad Vibe, four tracks to “send out waves that shock”, with the intention of adding them to their explorative DJ sets. The E.P. sold out fast locally and Levitating Pharaohs (Full Frontal Spacehead Ambient Mix), dripping with psychedelic sweat, became a local cult favorite, catching the attention of labels like Mo’Wax and local Drum’n’bass DJs.\r\n\r\nAs the ‘90's rolled on, the two continued to DJ as residents at clubs like Corner House, Brody's, Arena \u0026amp; Dickens. We’re happy to be able to make these four chaotic workouts available again.\r\n\r\nThe release comes with a pharaoh's head sticker. Remastered and restored on 12\", pressed at 45rpm.\r\n\r\n\"Play The Trax. Feel The Vibes. Mad as.....\" ","brand":"Smiling C","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46640881336474,"sku":null,"price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0471\/5036\/6874\/files\/a0593765383_10.jpg?v=1759810807"},{"product_id":"karya-muz-ze-skla-12","title":"Karya - Muž Ze Skla","description":"Muž Ze Skla seems to be one of the few house records of its style coming from Czechoslovakia during the ‘90s, and with good reason. Labels like the government-run Supraphon dominated the electronic music industry during the communist party rule through the '70s \u0026amp; '80s, controlling the styles of music that artists were allowed to release. In 1990, Czechoslovakia had its first free elections in nearly 45 years. What came of it was the installation of a new democratic party, and new opportunities for artists like Jindřich Parma to release the music they wanted to.\r\n\r\nJindřich started a label with his brother, Eddie Parma, Jr. (who strangely was featured as a head collaborator on Nigerian album Call Me Up by Al Diamond), called Parma Productions in ‘91 to release hip hop and house music. Until then, Jindřich was working prolifically as a session musician from the ‘70s onward, notedly featuring as a trumpet player for jazz-funk group Mahagon, and keyboardist on recordings for a Czechoslovakian drummer, Vítězslav Vávra. He created the first Czech house record with his group Hipodrom.\r\n\r\nFollowing Hipodrom, Karya was Jindřich’s studio creation to represent a dreamier style of deep house. When Jindřich began the project, he recorded under the pseudonym Enrico Marino, and the Karya that’s heard is an anonymous female voice. Maybe it’s only a coincidence that Jindřich chose an Italian-sounding alias, but sonically, the single shares moments with Italian dream house classics. After the single, Karya became the stage name for Jana Feriová who Jindřich continued to produce through the ‘90s.\r\n\r\nThe original 7\" for Muž Ze Skla was delicately holding itself as a soon-to-be invisible relic of Czechoslovakian history. This reissue is a remastered version of the original single, pressed on 12” at 45rpm, archived for future years to come. The sleeve comes with a \"man of glass\" sticker. ","brand":"Smiling C","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46640886841498,"sku":null,"price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0471\/5036\/6874\/files\/a0690713400_10.jpg?v=1759811618"}],"url":"https:\/\/club.insheepsclothinghifi.com\/collections\/smiling-c-1.oembed","provider":"In Sheeps Clothing HiFi","version":"1.0","type":"link"}