LTE Distribution Portal

From the archives there is a new single from Robin Auld & Z-Astaire. A Remixed and Remastered and Pepped up version of a track from his Ocean Motion album originally billed as Leon, now Oh Leon .  (c) Songwrights Publishers   It is scheduled, for release on 16th July 2024 through Mountain Records. Here a press release from the artist. Written by Robin in 1980 as a comment on the apartheid policies of the Nationalist party governing South Africa, "Leon" first appeared on Auld's debut album "At the corner" and was played by maverick radio presenter Chris Prior.  After the formation of the band Z-Astaire,  the song was re-visited for the bands 2nd album "Ocean Motion". Produced by Kevin Shirley and released by independent Cape Town label Mountain Records, the album produced several top ten hits including the enduring No 1 radio hit "All of woman".  Now the song, with some mix and master updates, will be re-released digitally as "Oh Leon

 The album Maghreb Jazz Guitar by guitar specialist Jan Wouter Oostenrijk will be re-issued on the 26th of July 2024. Here is the release text from the artist management. (c) Songwrights Publishers Re-release of the album Maghreb Jazz Guitar (2006), that won a RadioIndy golden artist award in the USA in 2008  The album can be seen as one of first in the development of the Maghreb Jazz music style. Extraordinarily gifted, classically trained Dutch guitarist Jan Wouter Oostenrijk has put together an interesting band of North African musicians to create a group that’s able to navigate the crosscurrents between guitar-led jazz and Moroccan Maghreb music.    The more openly energetic moments on the album come on the original numbers, such as the spidery Weather Report-like fusion of “I Blaed I Musiqya” (inspired, according to the liner notes, by a Sudanese dalib rhythm), or the jumpy traditional Moroccan sounding “Barud,” where the band’s indigenous rhythms provide a propulsive fou

On the 30th of June 2024 we will be making available a pretty varied compilation of composer, Michael Blake's works under the title The Silence of Patterns.   Here is the press release from his label.   (c) Songwrights Publishers                                  https://promo.theorchard.com/wohTCJRPZ8HC2CmTq78APress Release Michael Blake – The Silence of Patterns (CD MBED 003) This album provides an overview of some of Michael Blake’s most popular works from the 1980s onward, mostly in live recordings. Several pieces have been used in films – notably Gautango from the 2006 cellphone movie SMS Sugar Man.  Many of the pieces are from the composer’s African Journal, started in the 1970s and written for piano, percussion, guitar, string quartet, and other ensembles.  These pieces draw on, or are influenced by, mbira or thumb piano music, one string uhadi bow music, kora, panpipe and xylophone music from several parts of Africa. The final track on the album, is provided by Rural Arias,

  On the 4th of April 2024 we reissue Robin Auld's debut album for Mountain Records. Titled Z-Astaire, the name that was subsequently taken on by his backing band. (c) Songwrights Publishers             First issued in 1984 this mini-album contained only songs written by Auld and the album established him as a pop songwriter in his home country of South Africa (SA). Recorded in Cape Town by producer Kevin Shirley, Z-Astaire was the first album to feature the line-up of Robin Auld on lead vocals and guitar, Murray Anderson on keyboards, Michael Bush on drums and Robert Hack on bass.    The band went on to have multiple top ten hits produced by Shirley for Mountain Records in mid eighties South Africa.  The first album has a variety of influences, from the west coast rock of "Going Down" and "Baby you been good", to the art rock sound of "Violent stairs" and  "Cleaning up my act"  which became a live staple. The latter will be the pl

Mountain Records will Open up your eyes on the 8th of March  2024. Here a short press release - This is Jan Wouter's first solo album, a creative adventure where the road to a new style of his music unfolds. It is a beautiful atmospheric guitar album with influences of North African Rai music and western pop music and jazz.   (c) Songwrights Publishers The album was developed in the late 90's, Jan Wouter not only played guitar, sung and composed the songs, he also did the programming and production on one of the first old Atari computers with midi and Cubase music software.    About Jan Wouter Oostenrijk He is a virtuoso guitar player. Jan Wouter Oostenrijk (JWO) completed his professional Jazz guitar studies at the conservatory of Amsterdam (1995) and got an award for his contribution to the Dutch live music with Moroccan formation Railand.    Over the past 25 years he has proven, not only with the Sharqi Blues album, but also with his other albums, to be one of

A new single is all set for release on the Mountain Records label. Here is the press release from the band. ------ McCully Workshop - Tully and Mike McCully, Rupert Mellor, Richard Black and Gordon Mackay - are excited to announce their new single ‘ All the Gingerbread Men’ . The track is a classic McCully Workshop rock song, featuring energetic guitars, rich melodic layering and a powerful chorus. Lyrically it draws from fantasy imagery and tells the story of a king in a castle, a wizard and an enchanted army of blood-thirsty gingerbread men. “The song came to me in a dream, and when I woke up all I could remember was the line 'all the gingerbread men in the water’” says Tully (lead vocals and bass). “For me it felt allegorical about people who are rich and famous being envied by those who are not. So it became this sort of dark fairy tale about jealousy and revenge.” There is some moral ambiguity though, and it’s not entirely clear who is right or wrong. “For me the