Based in Leeds, UK, ATA Records was set up in 2014 and is led by Neil Innes. Based out of ATA studios, a disused garage on the outskirts of town, ATA studios is an Aladdin's cave of vintage 1960s recording equipment. Recording exclusively to 2? tape and adopting mid-century recording techniques has resulted in their distinctive sound.
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ATACD 012CD
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$14.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2018. Led by saxophonist Rob Mitchell, Abstract Orchestra have been a consistent presence on the UK music scene, touring constantly in promotion of their debut LP Dilla and follow up 45 New Day featuring Illa J, steadily building a loyal and supportive fanbase. Inspired by the legendary live performances of The Roots with Jay-Z and the 40-piece orchestral arrangements by Miguel Atwood Ferguson of the work of J Dilla, classic arranging techniques underpin modern loop-based structures, breathing new life into familiar material. The band itself is based on the classic jazz big band instrumentation of saxes, trumpets and trombones and features the cream of the north of England's jazz scene who collectively have played with Jamiroquai, Corinne Bailey Rae, Mark Ronson, Martha Reeves, John Legend & the Roots, Roots Manuva, and Amy Winehouse. Madvillain Vol. 1 takes the template of their debut LP Dilla and applies the same approach to the collaboration of MF Doom and Madlib, aka "Madvillain" and their albums Madvillainy and Madvillain 2. Sampling the likes of Sun Ra, Bill Evans, Freddie Hubbard, George Duke, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder gave the albums a jazz oriented feel and ethos which in turn lend themselves perfectly to the deconstruction and re-imagining of Abstract Orchestra. As with their debut, all the tracks were recorded live in the studio with very few overdubs. Abstract Orchestra's Madvillain Vol 1 explores the jazz, TV soundtrack and film score aspect of the original work, combining it with classic big band writing and a focus on improvisation. There is a strong influence of Quincy Jones, Lalo Schifrin and David Shire on the album, and the arranger Rob Mitchell crafts his own sound that inhabits the space between Madlib's production and Quincy Jones' writing.
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ATA 012LP
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$29.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
LP version. Originally released in 2018. Led by saxophonist Rob Mitchell, Abstract Orchestra have been a consistent presence on the UK music scene, touring constantly in promotion of their debut LP Dilla and follow up 45 New Day featuring Illa J, steadily building a loyal and supportive fanbase. Inspired by the legendary live performances of The Roots with Jay-Z and the 40-piece orchestral arrangements by Miguel Atwood Ferguson of the work of J Dilla, classic arranging techniques underpin modern loop-based structures, breathing new life into familiar material. The band itself is based on the classic jazz big band instrumentation of saxes, trumpets and trombones and features the cream of the north of England's jazz scene who collectively have played with Jamiroquai, Corinne Bailey Rae, Mark Ronson, Martha Reeves, John Legend & the Roots, Roots Manuva, and Amy Winehouse. Madvillain Vol. 1 takes the template of their debut LP Dilla and applies the same approach to the collaboration of MF Doom and Madlib, aka "Madvillain" and their albums Madvillainy and Madvillain 2. Sampling the likes of Sun Ra, Bill Evans, Freddie Hubbard, George Duke, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder gave the albums a jazz oriented feel and ethos which in turn lend themselves perfectly to the deconstruction and re-imagining of Abstract Orchestra. As with their debut, all the tracks were recorded live in the studio with very few overdubs. Abstract Orchestra's Madvillain Vol 1 explores the jazz, TV soundtrack and film score aspect of the original work, combining it with classic big band writing and a focus on improvisation. There is a strong influence of Quincy Jones, Lalo Schifrin and David Shire on the album, and the arranger Rob Mitchell crafts his own sound that inhabits the space between Madlib's production and Quincy Jones' writing.
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ATA 029LP
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$28.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2023. Trying to put the enigmatic producer Ghostlife into words is no easy feat, for a start very few people have ever met him. Best way to describe Ghostlife is Kyser Soze with a keyboard, minus all the criminal bits, an anonymous tactician with an ear for a woozy beat. He may indeed have been the source of the above tall tales, writer of his own fiction if you will. It is perhaps then fitting that he should be pulled towards another artist who spent much of his career sowing the seeds of doubt in regard to his own identity, the much-lamented MF Doom. Respected rapper Doom not only hid his face from the public but was also well known for releasing music under a raft of different monikers adding further mystery to a canon of work that had reached a legendary status before his untimely death in 2020, and after. In this instance it is Doom's collaborations with Madlib, resulting in the 2004 ground-breaking album Madvillainy, that got Ghostlife's remix reflex twitching. He decided to further ramp up the subterfuge (this is dream within a dream stuff) and remix some choice cuts from Abstract Orchestra's interpretation of the record. For those who don't know, Abstract Orchestra, led by saxophonist Rob Mitchell, are based on the classic jazz big band instrumentation of saxes, trumpets and trombones and features the cream of the north's jazz scene. When you dig into Madvillainy you will note many of the samples (Sun Ra, Bill Evans, and Freddie Hubbard amongst others) lent a jazz-oriented feel to the record, an ethos that, in turn, lent itself perfectly to the deconstruction and re-imagining by Abstract. Ghostlife wanted peel back the next layer of this onion and, inspired by Kaytranada's organic synthesis of the hip hop aesthetic among slightly higher BPMs, Ghostlife began to pick tracks from Abstract's Madvillain 1 and 2 to play around with. This was all done above board of course. He made contact with Rob who was so intrigued by what Ghostlife sketched out that handed over the original stems with his blessing. All in all Ghostlife remixed ten tracks, including "Raid," "Fancy Clown," "Curls," and "Figaro," and has forgone the big arrangements. Rather he has coaxed out hooks, and sampled small sections, dipping into Abstract Orchestra's work with the steady precision of a watchmaker to create something new and exciting.
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ATA 031LP
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$29.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2023. The funky, atmospheric, evocative and sometimes downright weird output of companies such as DeWolfe, Cavendish, Burton, and the ubiquitous KPM have always been a guiding inspiration for ATA Records, as evidenced in the spooky soundtrack vision of The Sorcerers, the big band brass of The Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra and even in the soul-jazz of The Lewis Express and Outer Worlds Jazz Ensemble. It only seemed natural for the team at ATA Records to scratch their own library itch and so The Library Archive Vol. 1 was born in 2019. Recorded over a series of sessions in the Aladdin's Cave of vintage recording equipment that is ATA studios, it featured many of the ATA stable of performers. Released in 2021, The Library Archive Vol. 2 still had the golden age of European Library music squarely in its sights, but this time the focus was drawn more to the off-kilter soul organ sound of Italian quartet I Marc 4. These two volumes garnered praise from Library aficionado Shawn Lee and the Don of British Library Music himself, Alan Hawkshaw. And so to The Library Archive Vol. 3: taking heavy inspiration from Jungle Obsession 9 by Roger Roger, and The Feed-back, as well as Blaxploitation era composers such as Willie Hutch and Melvin Van Peebles, and the masterful and ingenious Roy Budd, The Library Archive Vol. 3 draws deeply from the well of library greatness. Each track has been lovingly crafted with a keen ear for authenticity and the same eye for detail shown on The Library Archive Vol. 1 & 2, recorded on the same instruments and equipment and with the same techniques as the music that inspired it, with a focus throughout on stripped-back rhythm sections topped by flute, vibes and vintage synths. With three volumes now out and another currently in R&D, The Library Archive will stand as a testament to the love the ATA producers and artists have for the original composers and performers.
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ATA 001LP
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$26.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2023. This album is proof you can make a tripped out, psyche folk, pop record, that sounds like something unearthed by Andy Votel or Johnny Trunk, in a draughty garage in deepest, darkest Leeds in 2010. It shows that drive, inspiration and an unquenchable desire to create something original, can produce an album, with virtually no money and no backing, but still sounds just as good as anything that came out of a studio in the late '60s. Love Of The Brave's self-titled slice of swirling Brit-folk is a labor of belief, the believers in this case being ATA Records label boss, and bassist, Neil Innes and his band mate, vocalist Fuzzy Jones. This was the music being made at ATA Records studio before they were even really a label, now, of course, well respected for their funk, jazz and library music output. Inspired by the work of artists as diverse as: Pentangle, Rotary Connection, Richie Havens, the Kinks, David Bowie, and Joni Mitchell, they embarked on a brutal nine months of recording. Some of the pool of players included on this album became ATA regulars, playing extensively on the some of the label's most recent recordings. These include drummer Joost Hendrickx (the Sorcerers), guitarist Chris Dawkins, and Tony Burkill (Work Money Death) on sax. The unswerving strive for perfection in the studio has become synonymous with ATA, and Love Of The Brave is where it all started, the first project recorded in the studio.
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ATA 026LP
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$28.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2022. Over many backbreaking and expensive months in 2020, the beating heart of ATA records was stripped, monolithic bits of kit were pulled from dusty corners and into the light to learn their fate: resettlement in the new ATA or sold off, to pay for the studio's rejuvenation. Tough decisions were made but the end product was worth the sacrifice. ATA now has natural light, some very swish carpeting, new soundproofing and even a sofa, surprisingly tasteful, in the, now, spacious, control room. No more sitting on rickety stools and balancing a coffee on your knee. Once the studio began to take shape again and Neil Innes was finally able to take a breath he began rooting through the label's archives, pulling out reels that had been propping up tables, holding open doors and generally lurking in nooks and crannies for years. It didn't take long for Neil to realize how special some of these snippets of the past were, especially some of the vocal outings with his former Love of the Brave band mate Fuzzy Jones. As he wandered down memory lane he started to pair some of these rediscovered treasures with tracks by more recent artists, such as The Magnificent Tape Band and The Sorcerers, and the compilation began to take shape. Studio favorites The Mandatory Eight make another appearance, as do Ivan Von Engleberger's Asteroid. There is finally an opportunity to own "Bang Bang Boogaloo" by The Joe Tatton Trio on vinyl, a stone cold mover that only came out on 7". Also included is a track by long-time ATA collaborator Chris Dawkins, an artist Neil is effusive about. In this particular case Chris is recording under the name Earl Dawkins, a conscious move to separate his jazz output from his other work. As ATA studio moved into its next phase it seemed only fitting to celebrate the music birthed from the early days of its first incarnation. Old music to celebrate a new dawn. Also featuring The Harmony Society and The Disarrays.
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ATA 036LP
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$29.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2024. Work Money Death's People Of The Fast Flowing River. Featuring Tony Burkill (tenor sax), Neil Innes (double bass, piano), Sam Hobbs (drums), Richard Ormrod (piano, harmonium, Wurlitzer, flute, alto flute, baritone sax, contrabass clarinet, tenor horn, euphonium), Danny Templeman (percussion), Sam Bell (congas), Johnny Enright (trombone, tuba), Olivia Cuttill (trumpet), Tom Sharpe (trumpet, flugelhorn), and James Hobbis (tuba).
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ATACD 022CD
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$14.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2021. A transcendental journey that takes in meditative musical mantras, sprawling tenor sax improvisation and mesmeric percussion, the new album by Work Money Death seeks to reinterpret the sound of artists such as Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane over two tracks: the brooding tension of "Dusk" and the sanguine and uplifting "Dawn." Titled The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises, this LP was conceived and recorded by Tony Burkill and bassist Neil Innes during the spring/summer of 2020. Originally conceived as a large-scale group performance of a single extended piece, "The space in which the uncontrollable unknown resides, can be the place from which creation arises" was written by Tony and Neil through a series of extended improvisations similar to the extended meditation sessions that both musicians practice. These sessions enabled a state of flow through which Tony's compositional approach to improvisation yielded meaningful melodic fragments that would be returned to and developed in a way similar to someone returning to the mantra. Due to restrictions in the UK in the spring/summer of 2020 a different approach to the recording of the album had to be undertaken. Instead of the group recording at the same time in the studio, each musician would arrive and record their part separately as one continuous performance, reacting to the performances of each previous musician in an organic and constantly evolving way. It was in the midst of this process that the title was chosen, as a reflection of the understanding that from this new unknown way of working new creative avenues can be explored and should be embraced. "Dusk" begins with tanpura, harmonium, hypnotic percussion and bass onto which Tony Burkill (sax) and Adam Fairhall (piano) interweave improvisational ideas around Tony's recurring main theme until the piece melts into a fierce collective improvisation that resolves itself into the final minutes. "Dawn" begins with Tony's tenor sax saluting the coming of a new day before the rest of the band embark on a groove reminiscent of Pharoah Sanders gentler moments, played with a hopefulness that contrasts the chaos of the ending of "Dusk". Bells, drums, bamboo xylophones and woodblocks underpin the theme before Adam's piano solo builds into a launchpad for Tony's sax as French horn, flute and bass clarinet can be heard in the distance.
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ATA 022LP
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$29.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
LP version. Originally released in 2021. A transcendental journey that takes in meditative musical mantras, sprawling tenor sax improvisation and mesmeric percussion, the new album by Work Money Death seeks to reinterpret the sound of artists such as Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane over two tracks: the brooding tension of "Dusk" and the sanguine and uplifting "Dawn." Titled The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises, this LP was conceived and recorded by Tony Burkill and bassist Neil Innes during the spring/summer of 2020. Originally conceived as a large-scale group performance of a single extended piece, "The space in which the uncontrollable unknown resides, can be the place from which creation arises" was written by Tony and Neil through a series of extended improvisations similar to the extended meditation sessions that both musicians practice. These sessions enabled a state of flow through which Tony's compositional approach to improvisation yielded meaningful melodic fragments that would be returned to and developed in a way similar to someone returning to the mantra. Due to restrictions in the UK in the spring/summer of 2020 a different approach to the recording of the album had to be undertaken. Instead of the group recording at the same time in the studio, each musician would arrive and record their part separately as one continuous performance, reacting to the performances of each previous musician in an organic and constantly evolving way. It was in the midst of this process that the title was chosen, as a reflection of the understanding that from this new unknown way of working new creative avenues can be explored and should be embraced. "Dusk" begins with tanpura, harmonium, hypnotic percussion and bass onto which Tony Burkill (sax) and Adam Fairhall (piano) interweave improvisational ideas around Tony's recurring main theme until the piece melts into a fierce collective improvisation that resolves itself into the final minutes. "Dawn" begins with Tony's tenor sax saluting the coming of a new day before the rest of the band embark on a groove reminiscent of Pharoah Sanders gentler moments, played with a hopefulness that contrasts the chaos of the ending of "Dusk". Bells, drums, bamboo xylophones and woodblocks underpin the theme before Adam's piano solo builds into a launchpad for Tony's sax as French horn, flute and bass clarinet can be heard in the distance.
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ATA 028LP
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$29.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2022. Taking a short sabbatical from their journey into the spiritual stratosphere and beyond, Work Money Death landed on terra firma just long enough to record a follow up to the critically acclaimed The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises. Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction explores many of the meditative motifs that mold this unique group in their quest for the perfect sound and space. Those who are familiar with Work Money Death will know their output is as much an adventure for the listener as it was for the musicians. Recorded, as always, at ATA studios, a temple purpose built for the worship of all things analogue, Thought, Action, Reaction, Interactions is a salute to the now sadly deceased master of the spiritual sound Pharoah Sanders, and in particular the spontaneity of his recording process. Each of the four tracks on Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction were recorded in one take with no rehearsal and while the players may have known where they were starting off none of them were sure where they would end. As much as it is entertainment, and have no doubt this LP is an unctuous, spirit-smoothing joy from beginning to end, this is an experiment of making music in the moment. Spontaneous and spiritual in its truest sense, Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction is a work of innovation and unsurpassed beauty. Following in the same vein as previous Work Money Death releases, ATA studio boss Neil Innes conceived the album with tenor sax player Tony Burkill, a vehicle for the latter's improvisational chops, bolstered by sterling personnel. A stalwart of the Leeds music scene for the best part of three decades, Tony had maintained a low profile nationally, choosing to favor continued study and development on the instrument over attainment of success or recognition within the music industry. Also featured on the record are; Sam Hobbs (drums), Neil Innes (double bass), Gareth Wilkins (harp), Chris Dawkins (guitar), and K.O.G. (Kweku of Ghana) (vocals).
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ATACD 016CD
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$14.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2019. Primarily based in Leeds, The Lewis Express is comprised of many of the musicians that have graced previous ATA releases: George Cooper (Abstract Orchestra), Neil Innes (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill), Sam Hobbs (Dread Supreme, Tony Burkill, Matthew Bourne), and Pete Williams (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill).
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ATACD 011CD
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$14.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2018. Primarily based in Leeds, The Lewis Express is comprised of many of the musicians that have graced previous ATA releases: George Cooper (Abstract Orchestra), Neil Innes (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill), Sam Hobbs (Dread Supreme, Tony Burkill, Matthew Bourne), and Pete Williams (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill). Recorded over an intense two-day session by the band, The Lewis Express is a nod to the classic soul jazz recordings of The Young Holt Trio/Young Holt Unlimited and Ramsey Lewis, from who this group take their name. As with many of the classic Ramsey Lewis cuts this album was recorded live, capturing the rich inter-relationship between the players and leaving in some of that chunky room noise, lending the album a sound that's as thick as a steak and raw as a carrot. Pinned to the floor by Neil Innes' heavy work on the double bass and Chris Dawkins' guitar there is some fantastic slow stabbing piano. The overall feel is something funky but slightly sinister. ATA Records has a solid history of putting out releases with a cinematic feel, conjuring up the sort of imagery that coincides with the black and white spy thrillers of the 1960s. The final track, "Straight Seven Strut," is the only vocal track of the album. The staccato swing and French words lend it some of the qualities of '60s yé-yé music but with a far jazzier backbone, spiced with percussive handclaps.
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ATACD 010CD
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$14.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2018. The Magnificent Tape Band are the alter egos of ATA Records founders Neil Innes and Pete Williams, who were the creative driving force behind the debut album by The Sorcerers, for which they wrote and produced all the tracks as well as contributing bass and guitar performances. Sheffield born, Rachel Modest developed her unique vocal ability within the churches and gospel choirs of her local community. Now based in Leeds she has developed a powerful and soulful vocal style that takes inspiration from artists such as Madeleine Bell, Dee Dee Warwick, Dusty Springfield, and at times delivers a performance that resembles the falsetto of The Delfonics' William Hart. Taking inspiration from the more abstract end of the soul spectrum that has been a richly tapped vein for hip-hop producers, The Magnificent Tape Band aim to create an evocative tapestry of sound that pulls together psychedelic soul with British library music to create a distinctly dramatic sounding record. Recorded on original '60s equipment, using vintage instruments, The Subtle Art Of Distraction immediately brings to mind the more experimental psychedelic soul records of the late-'60s/early seventies by incorporating driving clavinet, loping drums and swirling organ and Mellotron alongside Rachel Modest's ethereal vocals. Recorded in a disused garage on the outskirts of Leeds, The Subtle Art Of Distraction uses an array of vintage equipment to create a dark musical landscape that underpins Rachel Modests powerful vocal delivery.
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ATA 018LP
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$29.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2020. The Sorcerers began working on a new album during the winter of 2018 and it was during the writing sessions for this album that the concept for the LP began to take shape. The name for the album was taken from the title of a National Geographic article read by bassist Neil Innes and was used as the starting point for the entire concept. The library music scene of the '60s and '70s has always been an intrinsic part of the sound of ATA Records and so it made perfect sense to envisage the album as a soundtrack, given the cinematic quality of The Sorcerers music. Each track was written with a particular scene in mind and the music was then shaped in the studio to best reflect the essence of that scene. Drums, bass and percussion provide the solid foundation onto which flutes, bass clarinets, xylophones, and vibraphones add the atmospheric and melodic counterpoint, deftly weaving between one another to conjure up images of the unforgiving environment of the dense jungle, unknown eyes watching the protagonists of the imagined film as they make their way towards their ultimate goal, their pursuit by unseen assailants, the arcane mysticism of undiscovered cargo cultists and the ancient ruins of long passed civilizations.
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7"
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ATA 032EP
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$17.50
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RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2024. ATA Records present the latest 7" single, "Kaunas Baltic Connect" featuring The Sorcerers and "Baby, I Don't Care." The funky, atmospheric, evocative and sometimes downright weird output of companies such as DeWolfe, Cavendish, Burton, and the ubiquitous KPM have always been a guiding inspiration for ATA Records, as evidenced in the spooky soundtrack vision of The Sorcerers, the big band brass of The Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra and even in the soul-jazz of The Lewis Express & Outer Worlds Jazz Ensemble. The ever-expanding Library Archive series are an honest and forthright homage to the golden age of library recording, and this new release is no exception! "Kaunas Baltic Connect" featuring The Sorcerers harks back to the dynamic, brooding menace of Poliziotteschi and Euro-crime movies -- popping toms punctuate a martial-sounding '60s beat, with an insistent and recurring piano motif. The Sorcerers influences are layered throughout, from the spectral synth chords lurking in the background and Farfisa organ melody, to the eventual entry of the Sorcerers horns in all their full glory -- flute and baritone saxophone to the fore. Fans of Ennio Morricone's score to Pontecorvo's Battle of Algiers will also find a lot to enjoy here. "Baby, I Don't Care" is reminiscent of shamelessly groovy releases from The Lewis Express, featuring a joyful slice of Hammond organ blues dancing away over the funkiest drums this side of Clyde Stubblefield -- replete with congas and bongos from ATA Studios stalwart, Danny Templeman. This has all the hallmarks of a new club favorite -- definitely one for the DJs -- or cue it up at your next house party.
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ATA 002LP
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$29.50
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RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2019. Taking influences from Ethiopiques Ethiojazz as well as the soundtracks to the European horror films of the '60s and '70s, The Sorcerers seamlessly blend these disparate elements into one cohesive package. Based in ATA Records' home of Leeds, The Sorcerers are made up of the cream of the city's jazz and world scene. Forming the backbone of the ATA Records house band they incorporate bass clarinets, flutes, and vibraphone alongside bass, guitar organ and drums, providing Ellingtonian textures on top of a solid rhythmic foundation. After featuring on the Funk, Soul & Afro Rarities: An Introduction to ATA Records compilation, they set to work recording a full-length LP at the studios of record label ATA Records. Initially inspired by the work of Ethiopian composer Mulatu Astatke, the Sorcerers have deftly incorporated a wide breadth of musical influences from the creepy metallic textures and quietly insistent rhythm section of "Pinch Of The Death Nerve" through to the Moondogesque melodies of the Viking of 5th street and the KPM inspired orchestration of closing track night of the sorcerer. The LP also includes an alternate version of "Cave Of Brahma," a heavily Mulatu influenced track that featured on the ATA Records compilation. The album has a dark undercurrent that weaves throughout all eight tracks, underpinning the album with an unsettling and evocative theme. Support comes from Jazzman Gerald, Jimi Tenor, Shawn Lee, Nightmares On Wax, and Mulatu Astatke himself.
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7"
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ATA 030EP
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$17.50
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RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2025
Originally released in 2023. ATA Records present this double A-side from The Sorcerers featuring, on the flip, the first release by The Outer Worlds Jazz Ensemble. "Exit Athens" marks the start of a new era for The Sorcerers. Continuing their investigations of Ethio-Jazz and '60s and '70s European library music, the group is now formed around Joost Hendrickx (Kefaya, Shatner's Bassoon, Abstract Orchestra), Richard Ormrod (saxes, flute, and keys) and ATA label head, bassist Neil Innes. "Exit Athens" features a driving funk engine room combined with exotic percussion, vintage keyboards, and the classic Addis Ababa combination of vibes, flute and oh-so-solid horns. Channeling the maximal, saturated aesthetic of '70s exploitation thrillers, The Sorcerers hope this sound will have you on the edge of your seat throughout! On the AA side, "Beg, Borrow, Play" marks the debut of The Outer Worlds Jazz Ensemble. The Outer Worlds series was conceived to feature visiting soloists who have made a beeline to ATA in search of a specific setting for their material. "Beg, Borrow, Play" kicks this off with ATA veteran Chip Wickham on baritone sax, and a slice of jazz exotica that owes as much to New Orleans Street Beat as to the Eastern moods of artists like Yusef Lateef and Ahmed Abdul-Malik. The result is loose and limber, with horns reminiscent of classic Art Ensemble of Chicago, and will appeal to fans of contemporary Afro-Futurist fusions as much as to devotees of the more esoteric side of '60s Blue Note, or early Hi-Life.
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ATA 039LP
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$29.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/14/2025
ATA Records present their latest recording of The Lewis Express with Doo Ha! Featuring flautist Chip Wickham and recorded live to two-inch analog tape at All Things Analogue Studios, Leeds, UK, this album is a living, breathing tribute to the golden age of soul-jazz -- the electric alchemy of smoky clubs, Sunday afternoons at the record store, and the spiritual communion of groove and grit. Drawing inspiration from luminaries like Ramsey Lewis, Les McCann, and Galt MacDermot, ATA sought to channel the unmistakable energy of soul -- the kind of jazz that hits your feet and hips first. The core of the group is the rhythm section -- ATA luminaries Sam Hobbs on drums and label owner Neil Innes on bass, augmented by Sam Bell on congas and John Ellis on piano and Wurlitzer. It would be invidious to pick out any one of these, when the group sound is so unified, so well-educated in every aspect, and so tight (in the best possible way -- through an elastic, dynamic thread of sheer groove). Chip Wickham's flutes (in the usual concert pitch and the lower, huskier alto model) add melodic phrasing and tone shapes from whispers to wails, coming mighty close at times to the soul tones of the beloved vocals that defined the era. The album features seven shades of soul-jazz, from the downhome strut of "Walk On," through the New Orleans, prayer meeting influenced "Run Tell That" and the cooler, more detached soundtrack hipness of "Cold Catch," to the joyous "Sliced, Diced and Fried Twice" -- a reminder that music shares so much language and emotion with food, and the term soul applies to both. "The Saint And The Stranger" is yet another take on the more cinematic soul sound, with nods to the policier soundtracks of Cinevox, whilst "Snick Snack" gratifies our appetite for yet more hot, greasy blues. Finally, "How Long Before You're Gone" rounds out the album with a groove that wouldn't be out of place on a Nina Simone playlist, a reminder that there has always been more to soul-jazz than late nights and fried chicken. Doo Ha! is a reminder that music has always been about feel, not files. A testament to ATA's belief that sound -- real sound -- should be lived in, worn-in, and passed down like a well-loved record from one hand to the next.
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