Various Artists
"We Are Five"

Rewind to 2009... We had just started Nang Records; we needed a motto and a call-to-arms mission statement. The best we could come up with was, "We are doing it for the love, that’s for sure". Although we may have made that up on the spot, looking back now we think we were bang on. Being an independent record label is the sweetest of labours. We gave up trying to break even years ago. It is hard to believe we started 5 years ago (and a bit), it just seems like yesterday. Lots of ups, a few downs, a few "ones-that-got-away", plenty of laughter, some great new buddies and of course, lots of great tunes.
Big problems, big problems. How do you encompass 5 years of Nang and over 600 tracks into one single compilation? - So many favorites, so many touchstones to points in our history. In the end the formula was somewhere along these lines: Take a few tracks which have that distinctive Nang vibe and flavour, take a few tracks which the fans liked (and bought) and then take a few pivotal tracks in our timeline.
Our first ever release was from an insanely talented Russian band called D-Pulse. Downtempo jazz-funk-disco. We opened with it back then and it stands the test of time proudly 5 years later. One of those pivotal moments in Nang's history was hearing "Lazy Summer" from Slovenian producer Sare Havlicek. The first listen to those lush grooves and slumbering synth-funk was a moon-landing "where-were-you-when-it-happened" moment for us (it was Yamacraw Beach, Nassau for us when his demo popped into our inbox). Talking of lazy grooves and ponderous sounds there is nothing quite like Irishman Lasertom and his slo-mo build-up of burbling grooves.
Bottin's "Tinpong" project provided 2011 with a fine highlight. His "New Religion" cover may not have much in common with the Duran Duran original but the Marcus Marr mix just oozes a sweeping, additive funk. Big buddies of Nang are the West Country based Situation, our favourite tune from them is the ever so large and chunky "Barcelona". All present and correct. No Logo (made up of DJ Lord Pete Gooding and Chill Lord Steve Afterlife) are next up with their saucy French-accented vocal stomper "Party Animal". They are joined by Argentinean pal "Toomy Disco" in the remix, hitting the spot with his bass-guitar driven reworking. We are not sure why such a disproportionate amount of our artists seem to hail from Slovenia but we are sure glad to know them. Camera-maestro Ichisan and DJ pal Nakova team up with another Nang favourite Lusty Zanibar for their synth-happy romp "Pionir". Whilst (of course) not forgetting that jangly, catchy guitar riff.
We take a trip over to Siberia next with Sportloto. We love his sweeping key-pads, chord changes the way he makes synthesizers sound so lush. “Will I” pairs his keys with the sultry vocal of UK based songstress Michelle Bee. Next up Italian analog synthesizer fan Brioski, pairs up with the Stafford based Dr-Doolittle-of-the-synthesizer, Andy Meecham. He talks to the synths and they talk for him: big burbles, big oscillators and filters galore for the galactic sounding "Radio Anatomy". It’s off to Sheffield for our next track with our really- cool chums, Hiem. The steel city duo pair up with Roots Manuva for the lifestyle commentary "DJ Culture". Our man James Bright from Manchester layers it up with multiple helpings of expansive groove.
To conclude the tail end of the album label head honcho Loudery dusts down the analog synths with Simple Minds legends Mick Macneil and Derek Forbes, covering the demo version of their 1984 "Book of Brilliant Things". We like to round things off with a smile. So it's all aboard the Wizz-Air jet to Ljubljana for a jaunty, tongue-in-cheek cover version of Queen's "Football Fight".
As well as the sparklers above you didn't think we could get away with proceedings without a few remixes did you? – Of course not. First up we are off to Sheffield with the pairing of Human League singer Phil Oakey and Hiem. Their "2AM" cracker gets a blippy house re-rub from scene stalwart Si Begg. Italian DJ legend Daniele Baldelli and DJ Rocca get their "Real Like the Music" vocal house groover remixed by London based office-dropper-inner Pete Herbert. Big grooves abound. Slovenian italo disco meister Sare Havlicek is next up with the lead single from his second Nang album "Vibe on You". Once again James Bright helps us out of a tight spot with a big rumbling disco house version. A celebration of all things Nang would not be complete without (another) remix from our first ever release "More" from D-Pulse. Slovenian Ichisan steps up to the plate with his trademark Adriatic disco-house shiner.
So there you have it. We plan to keep putting out music we adore. We are scheduled up to 150 releases and there are plenty of nifty projects in the works. Here's to the next 5 years.
Your ever watchful crew: Rich, Euge, Will, Fil, Harriet & Captain Nang (Loudery) November 2014.

01) D-Pulse - More (Original)
Written & Produced by Klim Suhanov, Anton Kochnev, Semen Perevoshikov, Pavel Shoutov.
More Originaly perfomed by Dsh-Dsh! Lyrics by Zhenya Borzyh.
Published by Dharma Songs
(P) 2009 Nang Records
(C) 2009 Nang Records
www.nangrecords.com
02) Sare Havlicek - White Russian (Lazy Summer) (Loveunlimited Version)
Written and Produced by Sare Havlicek.
Vocals by Robi Pikl & Tnisha Johnson
Published by Dharma Songs
(P) 2011 Nang Records
www.nangrecords.com
03) Lasertom - Call
Written, arranged and produced by Simon Cullen.
Vocals by Sorca McGrath
Published by Dharma Songs
(P) and (C) 2013 Nang Records
www.nangrecords.com
04) New Religion (Marcus Marr Remix)
Produced by Bottin in Venice Italy
Written by Le Bon, Taylor, Taylor, Taylor and Rhodes.
Tinpong are BotTIN and Joy FremPONG.
Synthesizers, guitar and trumpet by Bottin
All vocals by Joy Frempong
Electric bass and mouthharp by Ropie
Published by EMI Music
Mastered By Inline Mastering
(P) and (C) 2010 Nang Records
www.nangrecords.com
05) Situation - Barcelona (Psychemagik Remix)
Written & Produced by Ben Vacara and Stephen Wilson
Vocals by Lauren Rimell
Published by Dharma Songs
(P) & (C) Nang Records 2012
www.nangrecords.com
06) No Logo - Party Animal (Toomy Disco Remix)
Written and Produced by Steve Miller and Pete Gooding
Vocal by Marion Benoist
Published by Copyright Control
(P) and (C) 2011 Nang Records
www.nangrecords.com
www.petegooding.com
07) Ichisan & Nakova - Pionir (Lusty Zanzibar remix)
Written and Produced by Igor Skafar & Jure Plestenjak.
Published by Dharma Songs
(P) and (C) 2009 Nang Records
www.nangrecords.com
08) Sportloto - Will I (ft. Miss Bee) (Vocal Version)
Will I Written by Andrey Rublev, Michelle Bee and Loudery
Published by Dharma Songs.
Produced by Andrey Rublev
Vocals by Michelle Bee
(P) and (C) 2011 Nang Records
09) Brioski - Radio Anatomy (Emperor Machine Stretched Version)
Written & Produced by Claudio Brioschi
Published by Dharma Songs
(P) and (C) 2011 Nang Records
www.nangrecords.com
10) Lindstrom - Paaskelyd (Bottin's Skogkatt Track)
Written & Produced by Hans-Peter Lindstrom
Published by Copyright Control.
Licenced Courtesy of Bearfunk.
11) Hiem And Roots Manuva - DJ Culture (James Bright Remix)
Written by Hiem and Roots Manuva
Produced by Hiem in Sheffield
Published by Dharma Songs and Copyright Control
(P) & (C) 2013 Nang Records
12) Daniele Baldelli & DJ Rocca - Complotto Geometrico (Andy Weatherall Remix)
Written by Luca Roccatagliati & Daniele Baldelli
Produced by Luca Roccatagliati and Daniele Baldelli
Published by Expanded Music Srl
Courtesy of P Playground
Tahamene Park published by Dharma Songs.
Recorded at MarsLife Studio, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
(P) & (C) 2012 Nang Records
www.nangrecords.com
13) Loudery, Derek Forbes & Mick MacNeil - Wan (Dub)
Written by Gaynor, McNeil, Kerr, Forbes, Burchill. Published by Copyright Control
Produced by Loudery, Derek Forbes: Bass, Mick MacNeil: Keyboards
(P) and © 2013 Nang Records
14) Sare Havlicek & Ichisan - Football Fight
Written and Produced by Queen / Brian May
Published by Copyright Control
(P) and © 2011 Nang Records