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Awaken arrives ten years since the release of their first album, and Agrimonia have evolved notably over that period of time. Their sound has always been dense, immersive, ambitious even, and on Awaken, Agrimonia have evolved their prog-infused form of expansive metal into something energetic, dynamic and powerful. 

On Awaken, Agrimonia are digging deep into their subconscious, trying to get an elevated state of mind, to connect the mind with sound and to find the combination of notes and melodies that evolves into a feeling or mood. Agrimonia channel the bittersweetness of life, and breathe air into thoughts, that cannot easily be put into words.
 
About Awaken the band comment "We are thrilled to see the release of our fourth album "Awaken". We are very proud of the outcome and feel that the album is our most dynamic and vital yet, and contains more of everything that is Agrimonia.'...they continue...'Awaken is the soundtrack to our existence, and I hope other people can feel that way too'.
 
Awaken was produced by the band then mixed and mastered by Henrik Udd, who also worked on the previous recording Rites of Separation, then under the Studio Fredman banner but now under his own name, Henrik Udd Recording Studios.

For fiends of: Cursed, HIs Hero is Gone, Tragedy.

Formed in 2008 in South Florida, Centuries current lineup now includes members based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Nashville, Tennessee, and in the UK from Manchester.

Since their 2013 debut Taedium Vitae (Southern Lord), the group have refined their sound into something more focused, and intense, and The Lights Of This Earth Are Blinding surges with ten new tracks of the band's harrowing, metallic, punk/crust-influenced hardcore, delivered with a calculated, very deliberate approach.
 
The album was recorded in February 2017 by Kris Hilbert at Legitimate Business (Catharsis, Torch Runner, The Body), mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Integrity, Black Breath, Halshug), and completed with artwork by Phil Trona.  
 
About the new album the band remark..."The Lights Of This Earth Are Blinding is a dark album that carries a theme of constant self-doubt.  It follows how we choose to accept our loses and the reaction to life, as well as the journey we take to make peace with the demons we've made.' The new track 'Bygones' is streaming below.

Art pop meets Mongolian throat singing, Blade Runner meets Walter Carlos (Clockwork Orange), Tom Dissevelt and Kid Baltan (Bowie's favourite band) meet Tame Impala.

The fifth album from Marsmobil has been hailed by many as their best yet. With closer ties to Minx' (2006) than the last two albums, Fairytales Of The Supersurvivor' returns to Marsmobil's signature strength of wondrously brilliant songs ( And The Fishes In The Ocean', Shadows Of The Inner Light') that blend off-the-wall cinemascope sounds with dazzling beats and punchy, powerful hooks to create uniquely distinctive art pop anthems.
As always with Marsmobil, Roberto Di Gioia writes, plays, sings and programs everything himself. Here, as on Minx', he's brought in support from a fabulous singer - the very wonderful Amber Lin, who contributes vocals on four songs. All the cover illustrations are also by Di Gioia.

Multi-instrumentalist Roberto Di Gioia needs little introduction. The curious can explore his biography, discography and extensive lists of projects and collaborations as musician and songwriter (see below) for an impression of the hugely diverse achievements of this multi-talent and brilliant musician.
As a topical heads-up, Roberto Di Gioia is also the founder of the German jazz supergroup Web Web and released the album Oracle' in September 2017. The second Web Web album will follow in early 2018, hard on the heels of the fifth Marsmobil release. Di Gioia also wrote and produced Teufelswerk' for DJ Hell and contributed virtually all the songs on Hell's latest album, Zukunftsmusik'.

Avant Garde, Repetitive, Minimal, Stoner Rock, Religious.

A french trio called France, using drums, bass and amplified hurdy-gurdy. They perform only live, in the middle of the audience - turned in to face each other - full on smoke machines and strobes. And they play only one 'song' for the duration of their hour-long set. And it's the most transfixing live experience of intense physical and mental focus. The distorted hurdy gurdy plugs France's sound into the country's history of folk music and popular festivities, of communal trance and immersive pleasure. The rhythmic basis is pretty much the same throughout the whole live. One doesn't need to actually be tripping balls for the auditory illusions to start coming thick and fast. Those who've stayed for the whole duration of their performances know they've shared something. However disparate the phantom forms each might have discerned in the midst of the howls and groans. Gigs like this you leave feeling you're not quite the same person who went in, even though you'd be hard-pressed to pinpoint precisely what has changed. One certainty remains at least, that there is still a France we can believe in. David McKenna (The Quietus). The Release: Initially released as a 50 copies CD-r in 2009, swiss Mental Groove has teamed with french Standard-Infi to reissue this classic live performance onto glorious vinyl edition. The 45 minutes are radically sliced onto the two sides. The recording is raw and the mastering is fat. The first two pressings made in 2014 and 2015 were distributed confidentially and during the numerous live performances of the band. They are long time sold out and sought after.

There were several groups within the Detroit music scene that shared the name of 'The Holidays'. From the 1950's through to the late 1960's our version of The Holidays who took their name from a group members car, a 1954 Oldsmobile 'Holiday', would record for the Star-x, Markie, Master and Holiday record Labels. Founding member James Holiday would also briefly pursue a solo career with releases on the Markie, Syco and Blue Rock labels respectively.
In 1969 James joined by his brother Jack, a baritone saxophonist and the former leader of the band within influential Detroit DJ 'Frantic' Ernie Durham's legendary Gold Room at the 20 Grand Theatre. The brothers together, with Maurice White and former Contours member Joe Billingslea formed 'The New Holidays' who recorded the 'Popcorn' Wylie produced song Maybe So, Maybe No' (Soul Hawk 1008). This current in demand 45 featured If I Only Knew' on the flipside, an excellent cover version of a previous Jimmy (Soul) Clark recording If I Only Knew Then (What I Know Now)' This was recorded at a later session to Maybe So, Maybe No' and featured a slightly different line up with Joe Billingslea making way for a youthful Elliot Smith.
By 1972 The Holidays found themselves without a label, so they formed their own, Marathon Records. Their initial release was the excellent double sider I'm So Glad (That I Met You)/Too Many Times' (Marathon 257). Both songs were written by James Holland and Sylvester Potts another former member of the Motown group 'The Contours' and were recorded under the artist name of 'The Fabulous Holidays.
Into 1973 and their next release was the soulful ballad Getting Kind Of Serious' (Marathon 18475) a Fritz Hale and Fredrick Charles Hawkins composition backed with an instrumental version. Followed by Ego Tripping' (Marathon 18475) an upbeat funky little mover backed with the ballad Lazy Day' written by James Holland, Anthony Hawkins and Fritz Hale.'
During 1975 The Holidays resumed their acquaintance with former record store owner Ronald Holmes a collaboration which led to the release of another excellent double sider This Is Love b/w The Love We Share' on the Rob-Ron (RR-75) label. The Love We Share' was recorded twice. Firstly as the issued 45 version under the shortened title of The Love We Share' and as an unissued longer version under the title of (Been Together Too Long) The Love We Share' with slightly different lyrics. During 1976 a further Holland/Holmes collaboration saw the release of the message song Procrastinate (Why Do We)' (Ron-Hol 76). After this release Ronald Holmes and the Holidays parted company.
During late 1976 into 1977 the Holland brothers wrote and produced two further songs which they recorded with Charles Hawkins (a founding member of the Psychedelic Rock and Funk Band, 'Black Merda') The up tempo dance track You Make Me Weak' and the less frenetic Lost Love' although never issued at the time both songs can be found on the recently released Soul Junction cd album Getting Kind Of Soulful' (SJCD5012). A later discovery of a alternative take of You Make Me Weak' (Take 2) is now available on vinyl for the first time backed with their uptempo dancer I'm So Glad (That I Met You)' The Motorcity continues to yield its long lost legacy.

Comet presents the reissue of Black Voices (1999), featuring remastered versions and Ariya (Psyche Juju Mix)' as bonus track, which was not part of the original release.

Tony Allen completely rewrote the books on what was possible within the AfroBeat genre with his stunning 1999 album, Black Voices. When one considers exactly "what" is going on throughout Black Voices, it is quite mind boggling, as it is almost impossible to associate a minimalist, electronic feel with the massive walls of sound which Allen was known to create.

Yet these walls of sound are still very present, yet they gain an entirely new feel due to the presence of the producer, Doctor L. He takes the mesmerizing rhythms that Allen creates and he spins them into a stunningly modern sound. While Doctor L's production work throughout Black Voices is truly fantastic, it is clear that the genius behind the album lies within the mind of Tony Allen. With the absolutely mesmerizing, funky grooves that Allen creates, it comes a little surprise that the vocal collaborations are handled by members of one of the funkiest bands in history: Parliament-Funkadelic.

For almost two decades, Black Voices has remained a stunning example of the fantastic results that can occur when seemingly unrelated genres clash.

We are very excited to present the new collabo release between Cosmic Compostions and Jitwam's selftitled album " ".

Born in Assam, Gauhati, in Northeast India, but currently based in New York's storied borough of Brooklyn, Jitwam spent his formative years in New Zealand and Australia, before living in monasteries in Thailand, orphanages in South Africa, and washed out apartments in London. Of everywhere and nowhere, his music draws influence from a litany of iconoclasts including, but not limited to RD Burman, Moondog, The Velvet Underground, Yayoi Kusama, Jay Electronica, Jay Dilla, Moodymann, Leon Thomas, Madlib and Asha Bhosle.

Across " (selftitled)", he utilizes knowledge acquired through years spent digging through dusty crates, and talents honed as a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and vocalist. A series of stumbling, jazz/soul-rooted beat sculptures, each buried beneath a haze of fuzzy psychedelia, broken microphone blues, and articulated through a freestyled process he describes as "first thought, best thought", " (selftitled)" solidifies Jitwam's spot as a major emerging talent.

Recalling the fourth world dreamscapes explored by oddball songwriters like Connan Mockasin, Clarence Clarity, Jai Paul, Silicon, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, it represents a time of transition and remembrance for Jitwam, while still fulfilling the core qualities he looks for in song. In his words, "Music is a refuge. A shelter from the storm. A place you can go to close your eyes."

Since he first shared his music with IZWID Records boss Kutmah at a Brainfeeder afterparty in London, Jitwam has released through Leaving Records, Cosmic Compositions, and The Jazz Diaries (the label he co-runs with Casey Van Reyk and Nigel Mphisa). He's also written with Inkswel (BBE) and Paul White (R&S), featured on Moodymann's K7! "DJ-Kicks" compilation and been championed by Gilles Peterson, Alexander Nut, Andrew Jervis (Bandcamp), and Funkineven. Mainly mixed and mastered by Matthewdavid at Stones Throw studios in Los Angeles, " (selftitled)" will be available on vinyl and digital formats.

The legendary Finnish pianist/composer Olli Ahvenlahti returns with his first new jazz album in 31 years! The new album "Thinking, Whistling" will be released 8 Dec by Helsinki's We Jazz Records.

The new record finds Ahvenlahti teaming up with the Jaska Lukkarinen Trio, one of the most highly-regarded ensembles in Finnish jazz. From funk-influenced acoustic jazz to heartfelt ballads, the band are delightfully in a world of their own, drawing from Ahvenlahti's effortless pianism and the trios natural swing.

As Ahvenlahti sums it up: "For me, jazz music has always been about three things: melody, harmony and rhythm."

Olli Ahvenlahti is one of the living legends in the Finnish jazz scene. His debut album was released in 1975 by the famed Love Records. DJs are likely to know him from such highly-regarded rare groove classics as "Grandma's Rockin' Chair" and "Countenance". The new album "Thinking, Whistling" presents Ahvenlahti's knack for writing catchy jazz music with a solid groove base, plus his more introspective side through the heartfelt ballads found on the new record.

Yuji Ohno is a Japanese jazz musician born in 1941. He's principally known for his musical scoring of Japanese anime-television series, of which Lupin III and the feature film The Castle of Cagliostro are his most well known works. Ohno is also well-known as a member of a jazz trio with bassist Miroslav Vitous and drummer Lenny White. The tracks collected here for Lupin The Third: TV Special are oozing with seventies cool, exemplified by opener 'Theme From Lupin III': the snares shuffle, the pianos tease and the upright bass walks with all the swagger of a French master thief. Great funky tunes from the Japanese jazz master!

It's impossible to talk about this album without acknowledging the spectre of death that hangs over it - not only is it the third entry in Strata-East Records' Dolphy Series, a collection of archival recordings from some of the label's close associates honoring the recently deceased multi-instrumentalist, but it is actually dedicated to two members of the band, Wynton Kelly and Kenny Dorham, who died in between the recording sessions and its release. The point is driven home even further by the fact that the album begins with a tribute from Payne to the fallen Martin Luther King, Jr., a piece that acts as a de facto solo for Dorham - his playing all rosy elegance and regal warmth - before shifting into the lighter (though equally coolly-paced) "I Know Love," a showcase for Payne's sax. While not the most somber jazz track ever recorded, this opening suite is a low-key and mournful way to open the affair, but thankfully the album really picks off and shows these musicians more in their element the rest of the way.

"Girl, You Got a Home" is a funky piece, beginning very soulfully with some tight interplay among the rhythm section of Kelly, bassist Wilbur Ware and drummer Albert Heath. Ware is in especially fine form on this track, tying together the disparate passages of the piece by grounding the more ponderous moments in a deep funk, while Kelly's playing is especially ear catching in the way he stabs at his piano like it's an organ. After the first two tracks take up nearly twenty minutes, the four-minute "Slide Hampton" feels almost impossibly brief, a feeling that's enhanced by its quick, jittery, and infectious rhythm, driven by some really dexterous work from Kelly. The final track, "Flying Fish," may be the album's highlight, a Caribbean-inspired composition that casts the rhythm section as flighty ground for both Payne and Dorham to vamp on. The track is oddly danceable for something released on Strata-East, maybe the most fun moment ever for the label, and relentlessly uptempo. Though this release may be in part defined by the deaths that preceded it, it's clear that the recording process was actually a lot of fun for everybody, as their enthusiasm and energy jumps right out of the speakers. This is one of the first Strata East records I really got into and is still one of my favorites, a must-hear for any fans of the flightier moments of Dorham or Kelly's career, and a fitting tribute for both master musicians.

For a year, friends and producers Jean-Gabriel Becker and Susumu Muka have been meeting for collaborative recording sessions at Sounds And Sons studio in Shoreditch.

Susumu Mukai, originally from Kanagawa, Japan, has been involved in diverse projects such as Zongamin, Stalactite and Off World as producer and multi-instrumentalist. Mukai is also a member of bands including Fimber Bravo, Vanishing Twin and Floating Points. Jean-Gabriel Becker, originally from Paris, France, has been writing music under various names and in numerous projects, from Jeanga And George and Economy Wolf to Lux Prima to name only a few. He also composes extensively for films and television under his own name. The sessions for Eyes, their first EP together, unfolded as a musical dialogue between the duo - open-ended, discovering the sounds as they revealed themselves in an organic way. Although some influences can be heard, from acidhouse to krautrock, to jazz and psychedelia, the otherness of Eyes EP refuses to be categorised easily.

"Good Morning Midnight" is the second studio album of French MC Biga*Ranx. Driven by the unstoppable flow of the artist, this album drags us into his special universe navigating between Reggae Digital, Hip Hop and Bass Music. As he says so well, Biga*Ranx wanted to "invent his own music". This album has 20 surprising songs from the artistic melting pot of Biga*Ranx. The proof is with the title Cumbia "Buck A Shot" which transports us directly to Colombia, or "Bad To The Bone" with Reggae-Trap influences. However the Reggae soul is still present on the entire record, as evidenced by "Boogie Man Skank" or "Confession". For the composition he used different talented beat-makers like the English of Vibronics or the Danish producers of Maffi. The French scene is also well represented by Manudigital, Tom Fire, Atili Bandalero or Barbés.D. Biga*Ranx loves to sing life simply, always in a personal approach. He approaches the themes of his generation by adding a touch of positivism and fighting spirit, approaching the original message of reggae.

Discrepant is proud and excited to present a magical live recording from the legend that is Pierre Bastien, showcasing his mecanoid orchestra at its intricate best during a performance at Studio M, the historical studio-concert hall of Radio-Television of Vojvodina, Serbia.Around 1986, French composer and multi-instrumentalist Pierre Bastien started creating and building his own orchestra called Mecanium: an ensemble of musical automatons constructed from meccano parts and activated by electro-motors, that "play" on acoustic instruments from all over the world. On this record the Mecanium plays amplified Meccano parts, drums, reeds, rubber bands, paper, nails and flutes whilst Pierre plays kundi, rubber band, prepared trumpet, video loops, nail violin and râbab. Recorded live at Studio M, Novi Sad, October 8, 2016.

This time Y-Bayani has support from the great voice of Baby Naa. Baby Naa was just hanging out at the studio in Accra/Ghana when the recordings of Rehwe Mie Enyim took place. The crew was waiting desperately for a singer to back up Y-Bayani. After an hour of waiting the producer, knowing that she sings at church every Sunday, asked Baby Naa to do the missing part. Then something occurred that nobody was expecting and finally everybody was happy that the original singer hadn't made it.

Rehwe Mie Enyim is a unique example of how roots-reggae can sound today. Maybe it will be the very last recorded real roots-reggae song in human history

On Mi Sumolo the Band of Enlightment, Reason and Love gives us a light and cheerful instrumental every DJ must have for his late night wedding set or any other high-class party.

For more than 30 years music has been the most important thing in my life - this is a clear and true to the heart statement by Soulsurfer, DJ and drummer for the Hanover-based outfit named SUPERSOUL. And yes, SUPERSOUL are a real band. A band in love with analogue instruments and mastering their craft. A rat pack of five groove fanatics accumulating enough years, wisdom and experience to tell truly authentic stories within their songs - songs which are taking the bands audience on a journey into the 60s and 70s sound of Black America. SUPERSOUL are playing Funk 'n' Soul on a hot, steamy, energetic and passionate tip, performing self-written songs with stories told in the bands mothertongue - German ! With Arne Busch as vocalist and band leader SUPERSOUL is built around a true force. His vision and expression of Soul is phrased like the emphasis of a preacherman's gospel whilst fat and funky grooves are masterly crafted and carefully layered by Margot Gontarski and drummer Lars Heindorf a.k.a. Soulsurfer, glazed with wah-wah-heavy licks played by guitar wizard Toni. Their experienced interplay on the latest SUPERSOUL album is polished with loads of analogue engineering magic at Studio Nord Bremen and perfectly complemented by solos and arrangements of Lutz 'Hammond' Krajenski and seven other guest musicians making and appearance on this longplay piece.
It's not big of a surprise that these musicians, all of them rich in experience due to their contributions to other bands and projects, met in Hanover, Germany's secret capital of Funk. But it is quite a surprise that it took that long for an album to appear on the record store circuit that amalgamates German lyrics and urban Funk in a previously unheard manner like SUPERSOUL does.
And for those who come across this longplay piece whilst being on their next dig we go along the lines of the words by the famous man Miles Davis as - We suggest to you to play this record at the highest possible volume in order to appreciate the sound of SUPERSOUL .

The mighty one-man-band with the most notoriously misspelled airport pick-up signs in music history returns to his beloved hometown imprint Musique Risquée with a scorching three-track can of shake-ass. Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts is never one to shy away from fresh contrasts in his works, and we have no exceptions here - all manner of dark-to-light, flacid-to-hard, and identifiable-to-WTF moments, sounds, and vibes abound. Lead-off piece 'Histories Vraies' brilliantly soundtracks the inevitable future moment when a season-premiere costumed viewing party for Game Of Thrones unknowingly gets their punch spiked with moon rocks and teleported right to the middle of Panoramabar at peak time. A2 jam 'Far Is The Field' counterattacks with the next level fusion of Sun Ra Arkestra-esque transmissions wrapped around a Humpty Dance-on-steroids Bassline, twisting and shifting away from the hands on the clock with beautiful ease - 'I am Music..' indeed. Finally, B-side long-burner 'Whatever's Inside' rocks a sultry belly dancer's theme song at an FM and modular synth Bazaar on Uranus, with G & the CD's patented sharp percussion fills ensuring that the resulting melted faces and hearts will still be set in motion by the all-important collective flexing of the Gluteus maximus.

Like a message in a bottle, carried round by the ocean streams for decades, Henrik Rylander's album 'Fran En Obestamd Plats I Rummet' has floated around in the space of Swedish underground music. Hoga Nord pulls the cork and unfolds the message that is a piece of music that was ahead of its time, sounding 'now' 20 years after its first release in the late nineties. This album is a well-kept secret even for the most initiated music lovers in Sweden! The music, influenced by Flying Saucer Attack and other reverb/distortion drenched acts from the early nineties, Harmonia and some of Kraftwerks earlier works and minimalism, still sounds fresh!

Rylander, a member of legendary acts such as Union Carbide Productions and The Skull Defekts, has been pushing the envelope for electronic music, varying between ambient and noise. Rylander's solo works could be described as sophisticated music and 'Fran En Obestamd Plats I Rummet' combines the sophisticated sides with his band oriented works that holds another kind of tension.

This record is the first release on the sub label 'Hoga Nord Arkiv' on which releases from the past, that hasn't got as much attention they deserve gets re-released in an appropriate context.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band's 2017 stereo mix as a 1-LP 180-gram black vinyl. Produced by Giles Martin for this year's universally heralded 'Sgt. Pepper' Anniversary Edition releases, the album's new stereo mix was sourced directly from the original four-track session tapes and guided by the original, Beatles-preferred mono mix produced by Giles' father, George Martin. Praised by fans and music critics around the world, The Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper' Anniversary Edition is 2017's most celebrated historical music release and an ideal gift for Beatle People here, there, and everywhere.

It's no exaggeration to say that Geraldo Pino and his band the Heartbeats kickstarted the whole soul/funk/afrobeat scene in West Africa. Mixing highlife, funk and jazz, and using the latest equipment, they laid waste to all before them. In 1966 Fela Kuti was a jobbing musician, eeking out a living with highlife bands. When Gerlado Pino came to town, it changed his life. Pino tore up the scene,' he recalls in an interview with Carlos Moore. I knew I had to get my shit together. And fast!'. Produced by Odion Iruoje and engineered by Emmanual Odenusi, Let's Have A Party is Geraldo Pino's masterpiece. It's slick and heavy, tough and uncompromising, with musicianship that will blow your mind. It's all killer, no filler, with 'Heavy Heavy Heavy' and 'Let Them Talk' bonafide, nailed on funk classics. The Heartbeats are exactly that, a tight and efficient engine that keeps the groove moving. This is US-style funk, with an emphasis on extended percussion workouts and organ wigouts. You can't listen to 'Power To The People' without being impressed - or compelled to dance. The extended call out to each Heartbeat in 'Let's Have a Party' is well deserved. If my house caught on fire, this is the one album I'd rescue. After one listen, I reckon you'd do the same. - Peter Moore

Acid Jazz are pleased to announce details of the definitive Leroy Hutson compilation - Anthology : 1972-1984 on 20th October. Erstwhile Impression, Leroy Hutson's catalogue has become increasingly coveted over the years and this compilation collects his Curtom recordings together with two newly discovered tracks including Positive Forces which is available as an instant grat track when pre-ordering the album.

Native of Newark New Jersey, Leroy Hutson grew up In a part of the world that spawned many of Soul's all-time groups, amongst them, The Parliaments and the Manhattens. Smitten by the music he was to join a local quartet, The Nu-Tones and despite never recording the youthful Hutson experienced the thrill of being a singer. On splitting up, Hutson found himself studying in Washington DC and once more in the company of supremely talented artists including Carla Thomas and future collaborator Don Hathaway. Various recordings came and went with little chart success before, along with Hathaway he became central to a group of singer, songwriters and players under the tutelage of Curtis Mayfield at his Curtom label a relationship that initiated Hathaway's chart topping career when the pair co wrote the all-time classic and million seller The Ghetto.

Early 1971 saw Hutson replace Mayfield in the Impressions as he left to concentrate on his solo career, the transition was seamless and although relatively brief saw the band in the pop and R&B charts. His debut on the Billboard chart as a solo artist arrived with Love Oh Love, the first of a dozen Curtom singles he recorded during an exciting and turbulent decade for black American music.

The seven albums Hutson released on Curtom between 1973 and 1979 are a legacy that remain highly respected, almost revered amongst soul cognoscenti, an untold influence on an entire generation of musicians throughout the eighties. The demise of Curtom in the early eighties saw Hutson relocate to Elektra, where in 1982 he released Paradise - highly acclaimed and much loved for a time it looked like that release may spell the end but some twenty-seven years later, the newly monikered 'Lee' Huston unveiled Soothe You Groove You.

Since 2004, Moreno Visini aka The Spy from Cairo, has been sending out dub-based electronic music that has created quite a worldwide following. On his 3rd studio album, he switches his signature instrument, the classical Arabic Oud, to an electronic Oud which reflects a transition in his sound to a more cosmic & electronic dancefloor experience. Written, produced, performed & mixed himself, the album features some of his Brooklyn Gypsies bandmates Fatima Gozlar, Takuya Nakamura & Ilker Ciraci as well as Maalem and Ben Hassan Jaafer.

After the release of his brand new album, "Nothing New Under The Sun" - Wonderwheel has cut a VERY limited edition dub 7" with two of our favorite deep cuts off the album. Echocentric!

Having been endorsed by Andrew Weatherall on his June 2017 NTS radio show, the band were inspired to release this four-track vinyl EP on their own label Big Shanty Records.

A heady mix of influences colour The Spellbinder Project sound, with elements of jazz, post punk, psych and funk in the blend. These tracks were produced by Malcom Catto, head instigator of the Heliocentrics and collaborator with DJ Shadow, together with Mike Burnham, who has worked extensively with Little Barrie.

The core band of Sean Pereira Summers (guitar), Michael Levison (bass) and Michael Rathbone (drums) are joined live by Lascelle Gordon from Vibration Black Finger on percussion and Chris Williams from Led Bib on saxophone.

Luiz Mendes Jr or "Junior Mendes" was a ubiquitous figure in the
Brazilian Soul / Funk scene of the 70s and early 80s, contributing to
compositions for bands such as Banda Black Rio , Tim Maia, Sandra de
Sá and many more. This, his only solo album has remained off the map
(unless your a collector of rare Brazilian vinyl). Despite his huge
contribution to Brazilian music the LP has remained unissued until
now, 35 years after its recording.

Debuting under his given name for Maddjazz Recordings' second offering, is DJ, producer and synth enthusiast Henry Keen.

Henry's music was discovered after a long night of online digging, and after several exchanges, it was apparent that Henry was making music that defined exactly what Maddjazz is striving to achieve; honest music that's free of form and not constrained by any genre or tempo.

Henry has been making music as Soundspecies alongside brother Olly since 1998 and the duo are also members of London-based experimental Gnawa band, Electric Jalaba. He also produces solo under the alias, The Room Below, initially reworking close friend Paul White's 'Rapping With' album but more recently exploring dance floor territories with releases on UK imprint 'Don't Be Afraid'.

70's Baby is a raw and honest record. A collection of uptempo grooves written in various locations around hectic inner London. It's spirit is born out of the freedom of the CDR sessions at the now defunct club Plastic People, where many of Henry's productions were first shared, and where tempo and genre were irrelevant. It references Henry's love for the instrumentation, recording techniques and sounds of the 1970s, the decade of his birth. Featuring a tasteful blend of worldly and otherworldly sounds, It owes itself to modern and ancient dance themes alike.

We are so pleased and honored to be presenting this mini LP to the world!

Keyboardist Eddie Russ hailed from Pittsburg and played with many of the greats including Sarah Vaughn, Benny Golson, Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie. Eddie is somewhat of an enigma, but he has always been held in high regard in the UK, and he finally was able to perform here in London at the Jazz café in the early 90's a few years before his untimely demise.

His debut album 'Fresh Out' was recorded for the Jazz Masters label and includes the jazz dance classic 'The Lope Song', he also contributed heavily to Sonny Stitt's 'Tornado' album on that label. His band The Mixed Bag also made an album for the Detroit Tribe label. In 1976 he signed to John Richbourg's Sound Stage 7 label and made two great jazz funk albums which were released on the Nashville's Monument label and like his debut were produced by Bob Crawford.

From this first album 'See The Light' the title track is a great take on the Earth Wind And Fire song, 'Poko Nose' is a great funky groove oriented track, but it is the magical 'Zaius' that has become an all time jazz funk classic, a track that has maintained its popularity over the past 40 years.

The Monument albums include some great musicians including Marcus Belgrave and Larry Nozero, and on the Take A Look At Yourself' album Motown's Eddie Willis, a very young Kenny Garrett and the funk group Quazar.

Dungeon Acid, bred in Gothenburg's (Sweden) obscure music scene during the eighties and nineties, releases his second 7inch on Hoga Nord Rekords. Dog Acid and Sex Beat focuses on those remote corners where Jean-Louis Huhta have rooted his musicality. With legendary bands like Cortex, Anti Cimex and The Skull Defekts on his resume, Huhta is most definitely one of the most interesting artists in Sweden!
The music on this 7inch breathes sex, concrete and dark seas. The tracks differ in instrumentation but they expresses the same feeling: uncomplicated and straightforward components, perfectly balanced In relation to each other, shutting down unnecessary body function, aiming for your lower back. Spastic curling synthesisers rests upon soundwaves heavier than the swell against the Norwegian North Atlantic coast.
Dungeon Acid is the miner of your record crate - hard at work finding the nuggets in punk, rock and electro to develop the strict techno.

A wild solo project from Rita Lee - done after the breakup of Os Mutantes, and offered up almost as some sort of commentary on mainstream rock in the 70s! There's a much more straightforward approach to the music here - a sometimes-glammy sound that's echoed by the band's space-style costumes and makeup - but there's also some weirdly old-style rock instrumentation too, almost like the way that an artist like Gary Glitter could fold the 50s and 70s together in his music, and come across making something very weird and new. Here, the keyboards are almost stronger than the guitars - and Rita herself plays moog, melotron, organ, and piano - on titles that include "Tem Uma Cidade", "Menino Bonito", "Mame Natureza", and "Eclipse Do Cometa".

Tom Ware is a Grammy nominated engineer, producer and musician from Omaha Nebraska. Throughout the 70s and 80s Tom was the drummer for many bands, including Norman & The Rockwells, Toy boat Toy boat Toy boat, and Hit N Run. Because of his love for electronics, mechanics, and machines of any kind, he was always the only one who truly knew how pa systems worked. Tom got an entry level job at a Rainbow Studios and would work at the recording studio during the day, play evening gigs till 2 in the morning, then go back to the studio and work on new ideas all night. During these teeth cutting sessions, Tom worked by himself, following his instincts and creating sounds he loved to listen to.

His reckless abandon approach and thrill to learn was a high octane fuel that resulted in his first solo self-titled album. The album's 10 songs were recorded and mixed between August & December of 1983 and self-released in early 1984. The album would be re-released in 1985 by independent Krautrock/Kosmische Musik label Sky Records in Germany and re-titled 'The Fourth Circle'. Some of the instruments used on the LP were a Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, & Pro One, Simmons SDSV electronic drums, Roland TR-606 drum machine, & Hammond B3 organ. While recording this album Tom was influenced by new wave sounds of Yellow Magic Orchestra, the Berlin and Düsseldorf schools of pulsing synth music and the celestial realms of Jean Michel Jarre. All songs have been mastered and lacquer cut by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each LP is housed in a replica cover with computer graphics by Lars Erickson and photos by Ken Mayer and includes a postcard with liner notes by Tom Ware.

French psych duo The Limiñanas today released their new single 'Istanbul Is Sleepy' through Because Music. Featuring Anton Newcombe (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) and produced at his Berlin studio, the single is taken from their 'Istanbul Is Sleepy' EP out 17th November. The band, who are set to release a new album early next year, will play their debut London show at Oslo on 5th October. Directed by Jean Luc Moly, the moody, Sixties-inspired video to 'Istanbul Is Sleepy' premiered on Brooklyn Vegan: link here

Reflecting on the single and their collaboration with Newcombe, Lionel explained, "'Istanbul Is Sleepy' is like the classic dream where you become the hero, the Captain Blood or Midnight Sultan(). The one who rescues and seduces Maureen O'Hara or Ava Gardner. Anton is singing and playing guitar on the track. He was inspired, in particular, by The Cult during their 'Rain' period. Last year, Mojo magazine asked us to record a cover for a special Kinks tribute. We chose 'Two Sisters'. Marie and I were thinking for the vocal part it would be great to approach Anton Newcombe, having opened for The Brian Jonestown Massacre at Le Trianon in Paris. The work began like that. We had an album to record and we decided to finish it with him. During the Christmas week we took our demos, flew to Berlin and recorded at Anton's studio. Six days later we had a finished album".

One of France's most beloved treasures, The Limiñanas are Marie (drums/vocals) and Lionel (guitar, bass, keyboards and vocals). Hailing from Perpignan, the duo straddles the boundary between psych, shoegaze, and yé-yé. With hazy, reverb-laden hooks, combined at times with noisy distortion, and fronted by effortlessly cool vocals, reminiscent of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot, the band is at once timeless and quintessentially French.

Grammy® Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Green Day will release Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band on 17th November. The playlist includes 20 hits spanning the band's prolific 21 years as a band, plus a brand new song called Back In The USA' and a new duet with award-winning Country Music superstar Miranda Lambert on Ordinary World.' Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong previously collaborated with Lambert at the 56th annual Grammy® Awards in 2014 for a live duet in tribute of the late Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers.

On 22nd March, God miraculously came down to the Ed Sullivan Theatre to introduce Green Day as God's Favorite Band' on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. When God speaks people listen, and he granted Green Day the title: Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band. The collection chronicles the sonic journey of one of the most essential and dynamic rock bands in recent history. Formed in 1986 in Berkeley, CA, Green Day achieved breakout success with 1994's Dookie which has sold over 10 million copies to date in the U.S. alone. Widely credited with popularizing and reviving mainstream interest in punk rock, Green Day would go on to release Insomniac (1995), Nimrod (1997), and Warning (2000). In 2004, Green Day released the rock opera American Idiot which captured the nation's attention and sold more than six million copies in the U.S. Mojo declared It's exhilarating stuff, the kind of record that sets new parameters as to what is possible from a punk rock'n'roll band in the 21st century.' In 2010, a stage adaptation of American Idiot debuted on Broadway. The band went on to release the critically acclaimed 21st Century Breakdown (2009) and the album trilogy Green Day ¡Uno!, Green Day ¡Dos!, and Green Day ¡Tré (2012).

Green Day is one of the world's best-selling bands of all time, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. The group has won five Grammy Awards. On April 18, 2015, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a part of the 2015 class in what was their first year of eligibility for induction. Green Day's 12th studio album Revolution Radio was released on 7th October, 2016 and debuted at No. 1 on the UK Official Album Chart. Upon its release, People proclaimed: The punk vets still have a tattooed finger on the national pulse.'

The Doors had one of the most extraordinary debut years in music history in 1967, releasing a string of hit singles and two platinum albums, beginning in January with the band's self-titled debut, followed by Strange Days in September. The latter peaked at #3 on the Billboard album chart and featured classics like Love Me Two Times,' When The Music's Over,' and the title track Strange Days.'

STRANGE DAYS (50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION) was produced by the album's original engineer Bruce Botnick. It includes the original stereo mix of the album on CD for the first time in a decade, with sound that's been remastered for the first time in 30 years. The second disc features the album's original mono mix, which has been remastered for this set and is making its CD debut. Accompanying the set are liner notes by music journalist David Fricke, as well as a selection of rare and previously unseen photographs.

Having a larger budget for Strange Days allowed the band to spend more time experimenting in the studio. They used an eight-track recorder for the first time, which resulted in some memorable overdubs like Krieger's double-tracked guitar on When The Music's Over.' Surprisingly, the trippy keyboard sound heard on the album's title track is actually one of the earliest appearances of a Moog synthesizer in a rock song.

Strange Days mixed new songs written on the road with some written before the band's 1967 debut. In fact, the band performed Strange Days' during its 1966 residency at the London Fog in L.A., while My Eyes Have Seen You' dates back to 1965. Another early track is Moonlight Drive,' which was one of the very first songs that the band practiced together, and where the band heard Krieger's haunting bottleneck guitar playing for the first time. It's also the song Morrison sang to Manzarek at Venice Beach in 1965 when the two former UCLA film students reconnected and decided to start the Doors.

Betino's Records proudly presents its third release: an EP by the very sharp collective The Big Hustle. The band founded in 2014 by bass player and composer Sébastien Levanneur, brings
together 70's old school funk with the hippest actual sound with influences spanning from Steely Dan to Snarky Puppy, from Mandrill to Lettuce and from Herbie Hancock (Manchild era) to Soulive.
With mighty horn players, a rock and funky rhythm section, and percussions added to it, The Big Hustle's music has a very large variety of sound landscapes. Still, the music never loses the groove and always stays close to the funk.
The A side opens with "Afrorever", a tribute to African culture and music. The guest of honor on this song is legendary Malian musician Cheick Tidiane Seck, longtime partner of Salif Keita, and collaborator of Joe Zawinul, Carlos Santana and Damon Albarn to name a few. After Cheick's introduction, the songs jumps into a typical afrobeat vibe featuring a tight and powerful horn section, suddenly breaks into an electro funk groove and ends in a furious percussive party.
Second track on the A side is "Faure is the Magic Number". It is dedicated to Thomas Faure (co-composer of the track) and François Faure (both featured on this song on tenor sax and keyboards respectively). This piece displays the band's ability to blend jazz-funk groove with a heavy hip-hop beat. Kind of DJ Premier meets Steely Dan.
The B side starts with "Afrorever (Sun's Up Mix)". Through this mix, one can acknowledge instantly Olivier Portal's touch. From the very first chords, he conveys us into his realm blending warm and melancholy keyboards with an old school deep-house rhythm pattern.
The fourth track is called 1, 2, 1, 2'. It is a purely improvised moment in the studio while the band was sound checking before recording with special guest rapper Raashan Ahmad. Nicolas Gueguen had the good idea to press the R button and what you hear is basically what happened afterwards.

Enjoy!

After two hip-hop albums (Got To Get Down in 2016 and Impact in 2017), the unpredictable Afro Latin Vintage Orchestra comes back to its fundamentals with a new instrumental album:
MORPHEUS which repositions the band in the spirit of their previous spatial, almost cosmic albums Last Odyssey (2012) and Pulsion (2015), both released on Ubiquity Records and acclaimed by spiritual and fusion jazz lovers, library music fans, as well as rare grooves diggers (ALVO's first 4 vinyl albums now being out of stock).
Each new ALVO new release is a millesimal which evolved and learned from its predecessors.
Masta Conga, who's still leading the herd, has for main purpose to explore the musical space-time, gaining ground on never before revealed tracks, followed by his now faithful team of atypical and
farseeing musicians.
Compared to Miles Davis and his On The Corner by Wax Poetics, the band dives again in this realm of psychedelia and beyond', in particular with the contribution of Indian musicians. Twirling
around violins, superimposed patchy keyboards and effects, just as if their conductor wasn't already sufficiently influenced by Pierre Boulez and others such as Hiroshi Murakami... The result is however more uncluttered and loaded with multiple vibes than its predecessor Pulsion, which already carried the ceremonial characteristics of cult movie soundtracks. Tracks Moksha',
Air' and Morpheus' are the perfect demonstration, and far beyond their names. Simple grooves, lunar, but terribly efficient, emphasized by a mix that puts focus on these fiddly contributions of ethnic instruments, on percussions and horns on a drip of delay, reverbs and other space-echoes.
On the other side, the very rhythmic Descarga Uno', Descarga Dos' and Super Dopamine' show that the Parisian crew hasn't lost its good habit to look around latin, ternary, and syncopated
rhythms, in the ALVO only style! A new millésime, a Grand Cru maybe, but for sure to taste and appreciate in all weathers including space ones.

- This four LP box set features some of the best studio recordings by Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, the ten-piece band that Bill
put together after leaving the Rolling Stones in 1992. Whilst the band features guest appearances by all-star musicians (including
Mick Taylor, Eric Clapton, Chris Rea, George Harrison,Gary Brooker and Peter Frampton on these recordings), it has an all-
star core line-up that features Georgie Fame, Beverley Skeete, Albert Lee, Terry Taylor and Bill Wyman himself of course.
- For this compilation, Bill Wyman has chosen forty three tracks that showcase the fantastic lead vocals of both Beverley
Skeete, perhaps the UK's busiest session singer, and Georgie Fame, a star (and legend) in his own right since 1964 of course.
- Each singer has two LPs: Georgie's features his renditions of songs by the likes of J.J. Cale, Mose Allison, Dan Hicks, and Bill
Wyman & Terry Taylor, while Beverley's features her take on songs by Nellie Lutcher, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, J.B. Lenoir and
The Rascals.
- This box set marks the first appearance of any Rhythm Kings recordings on vinyl. The four LPs are housed in an attractive rigid
outer slipcase and the inner sleeves feature all themusician credits.

2023 Repress

This the first time this title has been available on vinyl . At the risk of further labouring a rather obvious point, with Thank God for Mental Illness, their third collection of absolutely stunning music in 1996, the Brian Jonestown Massacre parallels the prolific and effortless brilliance of the Rolling Stones at their fevered late-1960s peak, the sheer scope of their achievements is stunning — rarely are bands quite so productive, or quite so consistently amazing. Thank God is the BJM's down-and-dirty country-blues outing, all 12-odd tracks supposedly recorded on a single July day at a cost of just $17.36 .The Brian Jonestown Massacre is a psychedelic rock band originally from San Francisco, California, led by guitarist/singer Anton Newcombe. Since 1995 The Brian Jonestown Massacre has released numerous albums, first for Bomp! Records, the label which gave them their start, and later for TVT and Tee Pee. BJM has been essential in the development of the modern U.S. garage scene, and many LA and SF musicians got their start playing with Newcombe, including Peter Hayes of The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.Originally Newcombe was heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones' psychedelic phase - the name comes from Stones guitarist Brian Jones combined with a reference to cult leader Jim Jones, but his work in the 2000s has expanded into aesthetic dimensions approximating the UK Shoegazing genre of the 1990s and incorporating influences from world music, especially Middle Eastern and Brazilian music.

Pittsburgh-born Phillip Ballou's earliest years were spent in the gospel field, after he moved to New York City in the '70s, he teamed up with Bennie Diggs and Arthur Freeman, founding members of The New York Community Choir and singer Arnold McCuller to form the group Revelation. The quartet recorded for RSO Records, scoring some R&B success in the US with tracks like Get Ready For This' and You To Me Are Everything,' touring the Bee Gees among others. Phillip also sang on albums by NYCC recorded for RCA Records and continued with Revelation until 1982.Frequently hired for sessions in and around New York, Phillip teamed up with UK soul music journalist David Nathan (who he'd met in 1974 during Nathan's first US visit) and John Simmons, formerly a member of The Reflections, another New York vocal group to write a series of songs for his own proposed solo record deal. Although a contract did not materialize, one of the songs - Ain't Nothing Like The Love' - got some interest from famed Philadelphia producer Thom Bell who presented it to The O'Jays. Ultimately, the tune was turned down by Kenny Gamble and John Simmons, by then musical director for Stephanie Mills, recorded his own version for a small independent label in 1981.Phillip continued his own musical journey, touring and recording with James Taylor and Todd Rundgren. In addition, Phillip's name graced recordings by George Benson, Billy Ocean, Kashif, Nona Hendryx, Jonathan Butler, Teddy Pendergrass and Melba Moore, in 1981, he began recording with Luther Vandross and became a part of Luther's touring band for many years, as well as singing on productions by Luther on Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and others, continuing his association with him until Luther's 2003 stroke. Phillip returned to his gospel roots in 2004 as Minister of Music at a Brooklyn church and passed away in March 2005, aged 55. Thanks to renewed interest in the John Simmons' 1981 recording on YouTube, David Nathan has uncovered several tracks from the 1978 and 1979 he did with Phillip and John including Phillip Ballou's original version of Ain't Nothing Like The Love,' gaining its first ever worldwide release as a 7' single on Nefer Records in association with Super Disco Edits

This instalment follows on from our acclaimed 'Volume One' - Lauren Laverne's 'Compilation Of The Week', supported by the likes of Disclosure, Jeremy Underground, Horsemeat Disco, Hunee and Laurent Garnier. 'Volume Two' picks up where the last one left off — with a touch more soul and disco — records we've been spinning in our DJ sets and on the radio show of the same name, that inspired this series.

We opened a new record shop in the centre of Brighton late in 2016 - 13 years after the mighty London store closed it's door. Now situated on the ground floor of our Gloucester Yard home the shop is open every Saturday to sell records that we love, some of which you'll hear on the radio shows, and on this album.

It's been a resounding success and we've been able to host sunny instore events and Facebook Live broadcasts with guests including Nick The Record, Dimensions Festival family Debora Ipekel, Flamingods, Slugabed, The Physics House Band and Remi Kolawole & Sensible J.

In 2017 and beyond, we will be releasing more of our official reissues including lesser-known essentials from Brazil, such as Gal Costa's 'India', Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti, Burnier & Cartier alongside 1980's Mexican psychedelia from Luis Perez. We've been digging deep, and will share another edition of our 'The Original Sound of...' series, this time across the border from Mali to neighbouring Burkina Faso. As ever, you'll hear these first, on our radio shows.

There will be more 'Mr Bongo Presents' events - we brought Alain Mion & Cortex to the Jazz Cafe in London in 2017 - and we've highly anticipated slots at Bestival and Lost Village festivals, plus a return to RAPPCATS in Los Angeles, more guest shows on Worldwide FM and NTS Radio and, of course, the continuation
of our own radio shows.

Compiled by David 'Mr Bongo' Buttle and Gareth Stephens,
plus a few personal favourites from Gary Johnson, Ville Marttila and Graham Luckhurst.

Franco Battiato is often heralded as Italy's answer to Brian Eno. A quizzical composer/lyricist, Battiato turned pop music upside down in the early '70s with three classic LPs - Fetus, Pollution and Sulle Corde Di Aries - that formed a confluence of avant-folk sensibilities and analog electronics.

Pollution from 1972 is the captivating follow-up to Fetus. Like its predecessor, the album features Baroque textures, motorik rhythms, weird tape effects and Battiato's perfectly oblique vocals. Upon hearing Pollution, Frank Zappa joyfully proclaimed it "genius."

While Battiato's core group of collaborators remains largely the same as on his debut, this phenomenal band (joined by an eighteen-year-old Roberto Cacciapaglia on keys) appears even more in the foreground on Pollution. Out of the Ash Ra Tempel-like riffs and urgent guitar strumming emerge hypnotic grooves and cinematic flourishes, suggesting a futuristic meeting point between Stereolab and Ennio Morricone.

Dedicated to the Centro Internazionale Studi Magnetici, Pollution touches on themes of environmental catastrophe. Futurist allusions seep in through eccentric lyrics (at times sung backwards) about hydraulics, magnetic fields, etc., yet listeners don't need to speak the artist's language to grasp his melancholy vision. With Pollution, Battiato solidifies not only his cult figure status, but also many of his forward-thinking ideas on rock 'n' roll.

Superior Viaduct is honored to present the first-time domestic release of Pollution on vinyl. Reproducing the original gatefold jacket, this reissue is part of an archival series that chronicles Franco Battiato's masterful body of work from 1971 to 1978.

Professor Rhythm is the production moniker of South African music man Thami Mdluli. Throughout the 1980's, Mdluli was member of chart-topping groups Taboo and CJB, playing bubblegum pop to stadiums. Mdluli became an in-demand producer for influential artists (like Sox and Sensations, among many others) and in-house producer for important record companies like Eric Frisch and Tusk. During the early '80s, Mdluli projects usually featured an instrumental dance track. These hot instrumentals became rather popular. Fans demanded to hear more of these backing tracks without vocals, he says, so Mdluli began to make solo instrumental albums in 1985 as Professor Rhythm. He got the name before the recordings began, from fans, and positive momentum from audiences and other musicians drove him to invest himself in a full-on solo project. It was the era just before the end of apartheid and house music hadn't taken over yet. There wasn't instrumental electronic music yet in South Afric a. As the '80s came to a close, that was about to change. Professor Rhythm productions mirror the evolution of dance music in South Africa. They grew out of the bubblegum mold - which itself stems from band's channeling influences like Kool & the Gang and the Commodores - into something based on music for the club. His early instrumental recordings First Time Around and Professor 3 mostly distilled R&B, mbaqanga and bubblegum grooves into vocal-less pieces for the dance floor. Musically, these were a success and commercially the albums all went gold. There were countless bubblegum albums flooding the marketplace, with nearly disposable vocalists backed by mostly similar-sounding rhythm tracks. Most of the lyrical content was light and apolitical. But the keyboards used formed the musical basis for what would come next. By the time Professor 4 and this recording Bafana Bafana - the name references South Africa's national soccer team - were released in the mid-1990s, k waito had fully emerged. Access to instruments and freedom of expression helped its rise in influence among youth. According to Mdluli, "Once Mandela was released from prison and people felt more free to express themselves and move around town, kwaito was becoming the thing." Lyrically, kwaito championed the local township lingo while adapting "international music," house music, into the local context. "International Music," as house music and early kwaito were interchangeably known, in many ways reflects the sounds coming from America. But South Africans made it their own. Today, the largest part of the music industry is occupied by house music and its relatives.

Soundway Records presents the debut solo album from the ever-energetc Diron Animal, lead singer of the band Throes + The Shine. Born and raised in the ghetos of Cazenga in the Angolan capital of Luanda, the Portugal-based artst is known for his incredible stage presence and unique fashion sense. Infuenced by traditonal African music, Diron brings modern electronic producton and multlingual vocals to his album, which explores the realites of growing up in harsh conditons. The impact of such a life on himself and his local community is thematcally apparent: pessimism, greed, and ambiton feature - and yet the overarching message is that of opportunity, hope and channelling one's struggles into creatvity. Spell-binding rhythms, bass hooks and original lyrics abound, spanning Portuguese, Kimbundu and English. Lead single Don't Stop', out 7 July, is a fast-paced funked up anthem with a contagious saxophone rif, to be followed by an equally mesmerising video to boot.