With their Caravan Girl digital EP out today on Mute, Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory (a.k.a. Goldfrapp) look to the road for a few North American show dates beginning with a performance at Radio City Music Hall on September 12.

Caravan Girl, named for the track off the group’s Seventh Tree release from earlier this year, features the original cut of the song, as well as a live choral version, an acoustic rendition of “Monster Live,” and a remix of “Little Bird” by Animal Collective.

In other release news, Goldfrapp will release an iTunes Original album on August 12, which was recorded live in New York and includes new versions of tracks that span the band’s entire discography. Commentary and anecdotes from the bandmembers complete the package.

Catch them on the road at one of these dates:

09/12 New York, NY: Radio City Music Hall
09/14 Toronto, ON: Danforth Music Hall
09/16 Vancouver, BC: Commodore Ballroom
09/17 Seattle, WA: Showbox SoDo
09/20 San Francisco, CA: Treasure Island Festival
09/21 Los Angeles, CA: Orpheum

Caravan Girl
01 Caravan Girl
02 Caravan Girl (Live Choral Version)
03 Monster Love (Live Acoustic Version)
04 Little Bird (Animal Collective Remix)

iTunes Originals
01 iTunes Original
02 “It Was the First Song Will and I Wrote Together”
03 Lovely Head
04 “It’s Quite An Unusual Song”
05 Paper Bag (iTunes Original Version)
06 “It Was Recorded Outdoors”
07 Deer Stop
08 “We Like the Slow-y’s”
09 Black Cherry
10 “I Never Get Tired of Doing It”
11 Strict Machine (iTunes Original Version)
12 “It’s Got a Certain Quality About It”
13 Forever
14 “It’s another one we really like playing live”
15 You Never Know (iTunes Original Version)
16 “I Think I Was Going out with a Guy at the time”
17 Satin Chic (LP)
18 “Keep telling people it’s a HillBilly Version”
19 Ooh La La (iTunes Original Version)
20 “It was a message to Me Really”
21 Eat Yourself (iTunes Original Version)
22 “Sentiment of the song is this idea of traveling”
23 Road to Somewhere (iTunes Original Version)
24 “I was inspired by a friend of mine who lives in Spain”
25 Little Bird (iTunes Original Version)

The U.K.’s Strut Records has launched a startling new collaborative artist series titled Inspiration Information, which brings together eclectic underground reggae, funk, dance, and African superstars.

After issuing pioneering funk, disco, and Afrobeat compilations between 1999-2003, such as Club Africa and Disco Not Disco, Strut went dormant. The label was reactivated in 2008 and is now part of the !K7 label group. This year Strut released its Funky Nassau: The Compass Point Story and Disco Italia compilations, and for its latest project, has united Sly & Robbie, Amp Fiddler, Mulatu, Ashley Beedle, and more for a series of one-off collaborations.

After linking the various artists together in the studio, the creative synergy was strong enough that some sessions were completed in a matter of days. According to officials at Strut, “The focus [is] on spontaneity and a true fusion of styles rather than the marketing-led restrictions of a traditional artist album. Each album can take any form that the artists choose, from three-minute song structures to more extended freeform pieces.” Each album focuses on capturing the vibe at each session and getting material out to the public as quickly as possible.

The announced albums include:

Sly & Robbie and Amp Fiddler (Out September 2008)
The series’ first release features J Dilla’s mentor, Detroit soul maverick Amp Fiddler, in session with reggae legends Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare (a.k.a. Sly & Robbie). “I’ve been a fan of their productions,” says Fiddler. “Their work with Grace Jones–her ‘The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game’–that’s an old Detroit Motown track!” Recorded at Anchor studios in Jamaica, the album features “Sticky” Thompson on percussion and Dalton Browne on guitar, and is mixed by Island Records studio regular Godwin Logie.

Horace Andy and Ashley Beedle (January 2009)
Massive Attack guest vocalist and original Studio One legend Horace Andy collaborates with Ashley Beedle (X-Press 2/Ballistic Brothers) on an album that blends roots and club styles. “When I talked through the album with Horace,” Beedle recalls, “he said, ‘It’s all about the drums.’ I have about five rhythms on the go at the moment–there’s one with a Nyabinghi percussion bass and another which heads more into dubstep territory.”

Mulatu Astatke and The Heliocentrics (February 2009)
1970s Ethiopian jazz-funk vibesman and percussionist Mulatu Astatke presents his first studio album in over 20 years. United with The Heliocentrics (Stones Throw Records), who are responsible for backing DJ Shadow and laying down beats for Madlib and Yesterday’s New Quintet, this album should produce some exceptional, international funk creations!

Rodney Smith will return this fall with his fourth studio full-length under the Roots Manuva moniker.

Slime and Reason finds the Stockwell, London-based rapper drawing inspiration from the music of his past, namely with old Channel One and Studio One cuts. “Lord knows what they were drinking, smoking, or eating, or what they were doing or what was on their mind, but to me, that was a special period in music,” Smith remarks.

With that in mind, he’ll deliver an album of analog synths, electro-funk, sharp lyrics and one track with a horn section that was laid out by drum and bass stalwart Shy-FX. Pick it up September 30 on Ninja Tune.

Slime and Reason
01 2 Much 2 Soon
02 A Man’s Talk
03 Again & Again
04 Buff Nuff
05 C.R.U.F.F.
06 Do 4 Self
07 Do Nah Bodda Mi
08 I’m A New Man
09 It’s Me Oh Lord
10 Kick Up Ya Foot
11 Let The Spirit
12 The Show Must Go On
13 The Struggle
14 Well Alright