Now-Again Records is a Los Angeles–based music imprint that specializes in

reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or Single (music), single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New aud ...

s and compilations of funk, soul, and psychedelic rock from the 1960s to the 1980s. Founded in 2002 by Eothen "Egon" Alapatt as a subsidiary of

Stones Throw Records Stones Throw Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. Under the direction of founder Peanut Butter Wolf, Stones Throw has released music ranging from hip hop to experimental psychedelic rock. '' LA Weekl ...

, the organization has since grown into an

independent label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

with a vast global

catalog Catalog or catalogue may refer to: *Cataloging **'emmy on the 'og **in science and technology ***Library catalog, a catalog of books and other media ****Union catalog, a combined library catalog describing the collections of a number of libraries ...

and its own roster of contemporary artists.

History

Now-Again was founded in 2002 by Eothen Alapatt, then-General Manager of

. The

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

was originally founded to reissue American funk and soul music following the success of Stones Throw's first anthology, ''The Funky 16 Corners'', which had been compiled by Egon the year prior. These efforts included releasing music by artists like the L.A. Carnival, Ebony Rhythm Band,

Kashmere Stage Band Kashmere Stage Band (KSB) was an elite performing unit of the student band at Kashmere High School from the late 1960s until 1978. History Kashmere High School is located in a predominantly black neighborhood known as Kashmere Gardens in Houston, T ...

, and Amnesty. In the late 2000s, Now-Again embraced a global perspective and began also reissuing music and compiling anthologies featuring the 1970s-era musical scenes of countries like India (

Atomic Forest Atomic Forest was an Indian psychedelic and hard rock band from Mumbai, active in the early-1970s. They recorded a single album, ''Obsession '77''. Background Atomic Forest only recorded one album, which was not released until after the band h ...

), Indonesia, Zambia (

WITCH Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

, Ngozi Family,

Amanaz Amanaz was a Zamrock band founded in 1973 in Kitwe, Zambia. The group released their only album, the acclaimed ''Africa'', in 1975. Amanaz drew influences from American and British rock of the late 1960s–early 1970s, especially the music of ...

), Zimbabwe, Ethiopia (Ayalew Mesfin), Nigeria, and Iran ( Kourosh Yaghmaei). Their compilations are complemented by independent research. Music from the Now-Again catalog is often sampled, in part due to their straightforward

sample clearance In sound and music, sampling is the reuse of a portion (or sample) of a sound recording in another recording. Samples may comprise elements such as rhythm, melody, speech, sounds or entire bars of music, and may be layered, Equalization (audio), ...

procedure and curated libraries.

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

has sampled the Now-Again catalog; songs by

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

and

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

have also sampled their reissues. Now-Again incorporated in 2010 and is partners with music retailer Rappcats and label

Madlib Invazion Otis Jackson Jr. (born October 24, 1973), known professionally as Madlib, is an American DJ, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. He is widely known for his collaborations with MF DOOM (as Madvillain), J Dilla (as Jaylib), and Fr ...

. Alapatt left Stones Throw in 2011 to focus on Now-Again, among other ventures.

Roster

Contemporary performers

The Gaslamp Killer William Benjamin Bensussen (born November 7, 1982), better known by his stage name The Gaslamp Killer, is an American alternative hip hop producer and DJ based in Los Angeles, California. Career He grew up in San Diego, California, where he beca ...

and

Melvin Van Peebles Melvin Van Peebles (born Melvin Peebles; August 21, 1932 – September 21, 2021) was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. He worked as an active filmmaker into the 2000s. His feature film debut, ''The Story of a Three-Day Pass'' ( ...

have also released music on Now-Again in collaboration with Heliocentrics. Hip hop and electronic artists

Cook Classics William Lobban-Bean (born September 30, 1983), also known as Cook Classics, is an American music producer, songwriter and engineer. He is currently based in Los Angeles. Discography Singles Full discography References {{DEFAULTSORT:Classi ...

Cut Chemist Lucas MacFadden (born October 4, 1972), better known as Cut Chemist, is an American DJ and record producer. He is a former member of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli. He has collaborated with DJ Shadow on a number of projects. Early life Cut Chemist grad ...

J Rocc The Beat Junkies is an American hip hop crew of DJs specializing in turntablism. Established in 1992 in Orange County, California by J. Rocc. As of 2014, The Beat Junkie Crew also host their own record pool, clothing line and radio station. Th ...

Kenny Dope Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez (born July 5, 1970), also sometimes known as K-Dope, is an American record producer and disc jockey. He is one half of the classic house music Masters at Work musical production team with Little Louie Vega; and also releas ...

Koushik Koushik Ghosh (known professionally simply as Koushik) is a Bengali-Canadian electronic musician from Dundas, Ontario.Brown, MarisaKoushik Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2011-06-11 Koushik is signed to Stones Throw Records and has released a collect ...

, Maker, Oh No, and

Percee P John Percy Simon (born July 9, 1969), better known by his stage name Percee P, is an American rapper from The South Bronx, New York City. ''Unkut'' described him as the "legendary lyricist of the subterranean". Career In 2007, Percee P released ...

have all released remix albums on the label.

Reissue performers

This list is likely incomplete.

Catalog

Compilations

American regional music anthologies * ''South Dallas Pop Fest 1970'' (2003) * ''Midwest Funk: Funk 45s From Tornado Alley'' (2005) * ''Cold Heat: Heavy Funk Rarities, 1968-1974 Vol 1.'' (2005) * ''Texas Funk: Black Gold From The Lone Star State, 1968-1975'' (2006) * ''Carolina Funk: First in Funk, 1968-1977'' (2008) * ''Florida Funk: Funk 45s From The Alligator State, 1968-1975'' (2008) * ''Spiritual Jazz: Esoteric, Modal + Deep Jazz from the Underground, 1968-77'' (2009) * ''Forge Your Own Chains: Heavy Psychedelic Ballads and Dirges, 1968-1974'' (2009) * ''California Funk: Rare Funk 45s From the Golden State'' (2010) * ''True Soul: Deep Sounds from the Left of Stax'' Vols. 1-2 (2011) * ''Original Raw Soul III'' (2011) * '' Soul Cal: Funky Disco & Modern Soul, 1971–82'' (2012) * ''Soul 7'' (2012) * ''Enjoy The Experience: Homemade Records, 1958-1992'' (2012; with Sinecure Books) * ''Loving on the Flip Side: Sweet Funk and Beat-Heavy Ballads, 1969-1977'' (2012) * ''Function Underground: The Black and Brown American Rock Sound, 1969-1974'' (2016) * ''LAMP Records – It Glowed Like The Sun: The Story of Naptown’s Motown, 1969-1972'' (2019) Global music anthologies * ''Black Man's Cry: The Inspiration of Fela Kuti'' (2009) * ''Those Shocking Shaking Days: Indonesian Hard, Psychedelic, Progressive Rock and Funk, 1970-1978'' (2010) * ''Kouroush Yaghmel –'' ''Back from the Brink: Pre-Revolution Psychedelic Rock from Iran, 1973-1979'' (2011) * Christophe Lemaire and Now-Again Present: ''Where Are You From? Global Psychedelic Rock, Funk, and Rare Grooves'' (2011'')'' * Christophe Lemaire and Now-Again Present: ''Can’t You Hear Me – African Nuggets & Garage Rock from Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe'' (2016) * ''Wake Up You! The Rise and Fall of Nigerian Rock, 1972-1977'' Vols. 1 & 2 (2016) * ''Power to the People! A Survey of Zimbabwe's 70s Revolution Rock Scene'' (2016) * ''Welcome to Zamrock! How Zambia's Liberation Led to a Rock Revolution, 1921-1977'' Vols. 1 & 2 (2016) Label compilations * ''Now-Again on Wax'' (2005) * ''Science Class: Heavy Funk + Raw Disco Soul'' (2008) (promotional release with Soul-Cal) * ''Now-Again Re:Sounds Vol. 1'' (2008) * ''Art Class: Masterpieces from the Soul-Cal & Now-Again Catalogs'' (2008) (promotional release with Soul-Cal)

References

{{Authority control Reissue record labels Record labels based in California World music record labels American independent record labels