Antonio L. Newton: Novaphonia

Today we go back a bit and visit an obscure release, 1987’s Novaphonia by Antonio L. Newton. This much sought-after private pressed record is finally available for the first time on vinyl since its release. Antonio L. Newton aka Tony Newton was a multi-instrumentalist and guitar whiz that started off his career at the tender age of thirteen. Rubbing shoulders and playing gigs with legends like John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, and others, Newton was discovered by Hank Cosby from Motown and would go on to be the touring bassist and music director for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. “The Baby Funk Brother” toured and recorded with many Motown legends on the label (and is featured on mega-hits), as well as other record labels like Stax and Invictus-Hotwax. He’d also go on to be a member of bands such as The New Tony Williams Lifetime and G-Force.

This is his second solo record, after 1978’s Mysticism & Romance. Novaphonia is indeed a treat. Tony Newton plays every instrument on the record which includes: synthesizers, the electric bass, and the drum machine. It’s a bouillabaisse of sounds, and Newton scientifically lays it down if we may quote three emcees from NYC. An absolute array of experimental sounds from jazz, to psychedelic, funk, rock, fusion, soul, R & B, and more. He combined his whole body of past work into one record and his lens for the future. It’s cosmic, it’s spacey, and we have a hunch that this would be one of the most unusual records music-wise in your collection. If there was a space movie that needed a soundtrack in the 1980s, this was severely overlooked as the clear winner.

Tidal Waves Music is reissuing this for the very first time on vinyl ever, 24 years after its first release. They’re pressing it on 180g limited edition vinyl with 500 pieces pressed as well as a few different colorways and it will be available on April 16th. Put on your space helmet and blast off with this one. Captain Tony L. Newton is in the house, or should we say rocket? Listen to a track from the record below, and pre-order after the stream.