Solos Records

PRESS ARCHIVE

20NOV2009: ROCHE: "SPACE BLUE PT.1"

The Bay Area's Roche was being as straightforward as possible when naming his new song "Space Blue Pt. 1." Released on Solos, the label he co-founded, Roche's cosmically soulful offering is equal parts Kraftwerk and Dilla with a sampled R&B bassline thrown in the mix for good measure. .. read more

03OCT2009:BOOKWORMS "AFRICAN RHYTHMS"

The opening drums of "African Rhythms" might say London, but Bookworms calls the streets of San Francisco home. Oddly enough, the track is a re-imagining—not a remix—of a song by experimental noiseniks (and fellow San Franciscans) Mi Ami. But where Mi Ami concocted a wild brew of tribal percussion and post-punk squall, Bookworms dabbles in U.K. funky house and colors the tune with enough echoed chants and drifting synths to soundtrack a wonderfully spaced-out tropical dance party.

OCT2009: BOOKWORMS "AFRICAN RHYTHMS"

His bumpy yet hypnotic re-imagining of Mi Ami’s African Rhythms is currently smacking up the real and virtual worlds and his dense, unreleased dubs have rumbled their way onto the playlist of Ms Mary Ann Hobbs more than once over the past year. With our current wave of hot beat producers, you’d be forgiven for thinking Mr Worms is yet another fresh-faced talent jostling for position in the Bass Music marketplace….not so. He’s been doing this for a minute.... read more

03JUL2008: SOLOS IN STEREO II CD

FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS
What's your dish? Just name it, and Bay-Area label Solos will put it out. They prove this on their new compilation record Solos in Stereo II, featuring the seven artists signed on Solos, as well as many guest spots. The way the album starts out, you'd think... read more

09JUN2008: CB RADIO: "MUEVETE" (SOLOS IN STEREO II CD)

Bay Area-based Solos Records will soon unleash the second installment of its Solos in Stereo compilation, which will showcase the label's main core of artists, as well as a few guests. Residents on the imprint include eclectic producer Jovian, sampling master.read more

01JUN2008: ROCHE: "DASHING" (SOLOS IN STEREO II CD)

Berkeley's Roche is a futuristic MC with a taste for the past. Using an MPC 2000 and a Casio CT-607, the rapper crafts robotic beats and rhymes with bass fuzzier than cashmere and sound effects that chew through cheap speakers... read more

01JUN2008:

ROCHE ft PUGSLEE ATOMZ: ONLY WHEN I DREAM (SOLOS IN STEREO II CD)
Bit of a different vibe on this one; I love the piano work on this one. Sounds so simple but it's damn hypnotic. This is from the forthcoming Solos Records compilation, Solos In Stereo II, which drops in July. Definitely be on the lookout for it... read more

01JUN2008:

SOLOS IN STEREO II CD
San Francisco imprint Solos Records are due to release their second complilation showcasing artists on their roster. We’ve previously mentioned the upcoming ‘Solos In Stereo II’ in a post here and having just copped the full album we’re happy to report... read more

07MAR2008:

It’s supposed to be a story of a girl who’s been possessed but I don’t understand a word of it so what do I know. It got a nice feeling to it anyways... read more

27FEB2007:

YAO: PLANTAIN IS PUBLIC (CD)
With an eclectic, densely-layered soundscape featuring everything from re-mixed 70s-era funk guitar over 90s beats to ominous and weird Kool Keith-style sounds, Oakland-based DJ Yao is very much a product of his generation—in the very best of ways... read more

27FEB2007:

DJ ENSO
While Enso and I have a couple things in common (a penchant for slip-on shoes and Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin) the present disconnect between my life and life reflected in "High Spirits" is comical. While plenty of you are likely "up in the club / hold[ing] your drinks high" this evening (it's currently Saturday night), I'm sitting at home in a pair of slippers sipping chocolate soy milk. That doesn't keep me from knowing a hot party track when I hear one. Slip "High Spirits" into your party playlist and you'll have 'em eating out of your hand at the next mixer.

SOLOS IN STEREO (Solos/US/CD)
"A coalition of artists headquartered in the Bay Area, Solos Records messes with a wide variety of sounds; they're rooted in hiphop but unafraid to embrace more abstract electronic action..."
READ FULL REVIEW

JAN/FEB2005:

SOLOS IN STEREO (Solos/US/CD)
"An eclectic sampler of downtempo and hip-hop from this new SF label and collective. Standouts are Roche's Pharcyde remix, DJ Yao and Enso & Louis. For fans of Krush or Daedalus and the LA underground beatheads. Look for more in '05."

FLASHMAG HIPHOP MAGAZIN (GERMANY)
SOLOS IN STEREO - 2005 COMPILATION
(translated from original German)
"It's rare for an artist to succeed as well at evoking visual scenarios with music, as this new album from Solos Records. To describe the production as varied is an understatement, as these beats and samples range from fantastic to fanatic to form a multi-faceted whole. Influenced by classic hip-hop, trip-hop, electro and ambiant collage, these 14 tracks form audio fireworks. High-quality MC inserts alternate with soulful vocals. In addition, a relatively abstract valley of intrumental pieces bring together some unexpected, though nevertheless successful samples. You could file this album somewhere between RJD2 and Automator, but somehow it's still in its own sphere. From start to finish, it's obvious that much heart and attention to detail have been put into this project. Some individual passages become a bit overloaded, perhaps intentionally forcing the listener out of his normal comfort zone. Whether the listener wants this or not, is a good question. For this reason, some traditional hip-hop fans will perhaps not be fully satisfied with these musical developments. However, free spirits and lovers of the rather abstract sound should not doubt the outstanding creative variety here."