Hip-Hop News

Really cool dubbed out electronics meet Haitian folk rhythms. This is a precursor to a new album next year and follows from their Vodou Alé album released in 2020.

Wganda Kenya was ahead of its time, anticipating current contemporary Afro-Latin-funk trends in a prescient way that has inspired a legion of fans across the globe. As part of that legacy, "Africa 5.000" (1975) has a legendary reputation as one of Discos Fuentes' best hard-to-find Afro Caribbean funk records and is a highly prized collector's piece. This LP features several classic dance floor gems as well as some lesser-known nuggets and a non-album bonus cut, plus informative notes. "Africa 5.000" (1975) has a legendary reputation as one of Colombia's best hard-to-find Afro-funk records and is a highly prized collector's piece today. The epic 'La torta' ('The Cake') kicks things off with a lively Colombian interpretation of Haitian compas. The tune is still remembered as a big picó (amplified sound system) hit at the verbenas (outdoor dance parties). 'Fiebre de lepra' ('Leprosy Fever') was also released as a 45 single and is certainly one of Wganda Kenya's wilder tracks. Funky wah-wah guitar, makossa style bass, manic organ, and feverishly insane vocals (from Wilson "Saoko" Manyoma and Joe Arroyo) indicate that Fruko and his pals were having a ball goofing around in the studio. If for no other reason, "Africa 5.000" is sought after for being the album containing Fruko and Javier García's outrageously funky and off-kilter 'Tifit hayed', which has become a tropical dance floor favorite in recent years. Again the "kitchen sink" approach is employed, including massive Latin bass lines, tasty Farfisa organ stabs, a bluesy, jazzy piano solo, and plenty of humorous vocal sound effects (including animal noises and lip burbling). However, it's the stomping break beats and cowbell counterpoint that has kept dance floors busy. Side B leaps out of the speakers with the heavy, strutting 'El caterete', which was the flip side to the 'Fiebre de lepra' single and is based on the 1970 song 'Cateretê' by Brazilian singer/songwriter Marku Ribas. Like its sibling Fuentes studio band Afrosound, Wganda Kenya was ahead of its time, anticipating current contemporary Afro-Latin-funk trends in a prescient way that has inspired a legion of fans across the globe, and this reissue of "Africa 5.000" will only serve to further cement the band's growing reputation amongst today's diggers of tropical psychedelia. First time reissue.

Nine-piece West Africa-via-Melbourne ensemble Ausecuma Beats and improvised collective Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange, also known as Z*F*E*X, reveal a new collaborative EP out August 19 via Music in Exile.

Call it a match made somewhere in musical heaven, the minds behind Ausecuma Beats, comprised of members from Senegal, Mali, Cuba and Guinea, found they melded easily with Z*F*E*X following weeks of recording and sharing material remotely together.

Z*F*E*X themselves, an ensemble comprised of drummer Zeke ‘Ziggy’ Zeitgeist, keyboardist and producer Lewis Moody, bassist Matthew Hayes, and a rotating cast of guests, are prolific musicians themselves with weighty credentials spread across their base locations of Australia, the United Kingdom, and Europe.

Thus, from a backyard shed in Dandenong North, Australia, some of West Africa’s finest would record simple percussive tracks, which then surfed the airwaves via studios in Melbourne, Berlin and London, to finally land back on listeners doorsteps as a forthcoming collaborative EP, Deep Heat/Tropical Storm.

Starring two guest vocalists who are some of the most invigorating in their respective scenes - Latin America via Berlin star Gotopo, and Melbourne’s own Rara Zulu - the EP’s beginnings in percussive exploration are transformed into a must-have record of all bangers.

Expect the duelling minds of two highly respected acts to reveal a combined EP of complex compositions that remain wholly accessible thanks to addictive harmonies and melodies. Emotionally thrilling, and easy to love, listen and dance to.

A strong, strong showing from Duca Bianco after a period of relative dormancy, teaming up with Manchester's Talking Drums for a musical culture clash with maximum impact. The four tracks see a wide palate of influences being mixed up, from the cheeky Afrobeat shuffle of 'Monkey Key' to the 80s electropop of 'Voice Of Omicron' and the Nico-esque vocal delivery on Balearic groover 'Dolce Julia'. This is an EP with lots of surprises, tons of originality and musical confidence brimming over its edges.

The unstoppable, irresistible rhythms and melodies of Antibalas have influenced scores of artists across rock, hip hop, afrobeat and beyond.

Born in a Brooklyn warehouse in 1997, 12 piece ensemble Antibalas is credited with introducing Afrobeat to a wider global audience, influencing countless musicians and developing a live show that is the stuff of legend. Members of Antibalas served as musical directors and the house band in the Broadway hit FELA! and penned original music for the show. Members have also recently collaborated/performed with Iron and Wine, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Mark Ronson, TV on the Radio and The Roots.

On the heels of the hit musical FELA!, Antibalas ended up reuniting with former member and producer Gabriel Roth, who was at the helm for their first three albums. This self-titled album was their first on Daptone Records.

Chemistry and the depth of connection formed when two people bond intuitively is the crucial foundation of a successful creative partnership. For Raz Olsher & Afla Sackey, this intimate connection fuels a dynamic and effortless musical relationship that has resulted in a stunning debut LP.

Originally from Tel Aviv, Raz has been based in London for most of his adult life. An awardwinning, multi-platinum producer, his repertoire includes a broad range of solo electronic music productions while also lending his refined ear to composing and producing for other artists including Basement Jaxx, Sam Lee’s Mercury-nominated album and Lamar, among many more. Afla’s Ghanaian heritage permeates into everything he does, invoking the deep ancestral roots of his homeland. His background as a session musician for artists such as Ginger Baker, Sun Ra, Oren Marshall, Osibisa, Ibibio Sound Machine and later, as a dancer, embodies his lineage.

It was inevitable, then, that their connection would lead to a full-length collection of their music. From funk-fueled open ‘Survive’, to its politically astute title track The Cycle condenses Raz & Afla’s magical chemistry into a collection of music that is authentic, compelling and contagious in its enthusiastic energy. You’ll hear ancestral funk on ‘This Cycle’, contemporary highlife with ‘Check Yourself’, cosmic Afro-electronica on ‘Mofanya’ and jaunty grooves on ‘Shall Prevail’, simply pure good vibrations across the eight-track LP, which marks the start of the next phase of Raz & Afla.

This is the twosome expressing themselves to the world; vulnerable, truthful and exposed, it’s a personal statement that will resonate with listeners all over the world. Through the universal language of music they communicate sincerely, with music that has pure intention. Dance wildly, pay close attention to the lyrics and let the spirit of Raz & Afla transport you away from everyday life into another dimension of rhythm and sound…

Wah Wah 45s are proud to present a new set of remixes, as well as originals released on vinyl for the very first time, from Afrobeat supergroupEparapo. Having come togetherduring the unprecedented events of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, and despite being a project born from the privations of lockdown, their music is ultimately an expression of hope, resilience & resurgence.

The word "eparapo" means "join forces" in Yoruba, the language of Afrobeat. It's also the title of a track by the late, greatTony Allen- drummer for Afrobeat legendFela Kutiand lifelong friend and mentor of our very own "Afrobeat Ambassador",Dele Sosimi. Not only did Tony help to invent Afrobeat, he always looked for ways to push the boundaries, never content with recreating what had gone before but constantly expanding and developing the genre. This project hopes to pay homage to his legacy, and that of Fela Kuti himself. Its aim is to innovate, fuse and diversify while still retaining the essence of the music.

The force behind Eparapo is bassist, composer & producerSuman Joshi.He has been a member of Dele Sosimi's Afrobeat Orchestra for nearly a decade and has performed on stage with the likes of Tony Allen, Seun Kuti, Ginger Baker & Laura Mvula. He is also bassist with UK jazz ensemble Collocutor and fusion project Cubafrobeat.

Featured vocalist on both original tracks, and remixes, is the aforementioned Dele Sosimi - keyboard player and musical director for Fela's Egypt 80 as well as Wah Wah 45s recording artist on both his solo material and the recent collaboration with house music producer, Medlar.

The rest of the group comprises of bandleader ofAfrik Bawantuand percussionist for Ibibio Sound Machine and Keleketla,Afla Sackey; highly rated UK jazz vocalistSahra Gure; saxophonist, composer, producer and bandleader of the renowned forward thinking jazz outfit Collocutor,Tamar Obsorn; keyboard player, producer and front man for Lokkhi Terra and Cubafrobeat,Kishon Khan; one of the UK's finest and most in demand trumpeters,Graeme Flowers, who has played with Quincy Jones, Gregory Porter and many more; trombonist for Bellowhead and mainstay of Dele's Afrobeat Orchestra,Justin Thurgur; and finally drummer for Steamdown and Sons of Kemet, as well as the man behind the Nache project,Eddie Wakili Hick.

From London To Lagoswas inspired by a talk given by writerRoberto Savianoat the Hay Book Festival in 2016, just before the Brexit referendum. In it he described the UK as the "most corrupt country in the world". This was a reminder of how the leaders of so-called developed countries, conveniently suffering from colonial amnesia, still point disparagingly at the rest of the world and talk of "endemic corruption" and "Banana Republics". All the while the ill-gotten gains of organised crime syndicates, corrupt multinationals and military juntas across the globe are funnelled through financial centres such as London. Same trouble, different methods, greater scale. Of course the best way to divert the population from all this is to find distractions such as populist leaders who declare their countries "world beating" and scapegoats such as refugees, immigrants and other members of the underclasses. It has always been thus but it doesn't always have to be so.

This track was once more recorded remotely during lockdown and features an all star lineup of world class musicians from the UK Afrobeat and jazz scenes. Members of the Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra, Keleketla, Sons of Kemet and beyond have come together to create this powerhouse of a band. They encapsulate the meaning of "eparapo" and "join forces'' to fight a common enemy in the shape of corrupt and divisive ideologies.

Its remix comes fromWheelUP- the moniker of West London broken beat revivalist Danny Wheeler, who here delivers something of a smoother straight up Afro flavoured house workout that's sure to be heard across dance floors and festivals this summer. The Tru Thoughts signed artist adds gliding synths and tight drums that ride the original's hypnotic melody perfectly and make for a future club classic.

Black Lives Matterwas obviously inspired by the movement of the same name and was the first track to be released by Eparapo in late 2020. Dele's voice tell the story slave ships leaving West Africa in the fifteenth century, the brutal conditions that were experienced on board, and the continued suffering of the African diaspora today. As always, half of the artist's income for this song will be donated to the NAACP - a civil rights organisation in the United States, created for the advancement of black people by means of following judicial policies.


The remix here comes from Birmingham based producer signed to Jalapeno Records,Sam Redmore. Sam's love for breaks and beats comes into play well here, subtly chopping up the original to create a bass worrying version that still sends that very important message of justice and equality - Black Lives Matter!

a 01: From London to Lagos (WheelUP Remix) feat. Dele Sosimi

[c] 03: Black Lives Matter (Sam Redmore Remix) [feat. Dele Sosimi]

Afro-Finnish band Maajo return with their third album, "Water of Life," a fluid celebration of various influences. Supported by two preceding singles, "Better Days" and "Unelmissani," the album is the group's first release with the Brooklyn, NY-based tastemaker label Wonderwheel Recordings. Maajo's signature Afro-Balearic sound meets late eighties new age and fusion, with touches of modern soul. The addition of two band members, Waina and Gilbert K, as well as featuring artists Issiaka Dembele and Ismaila Sané, has rooted the album's stories in a diverse range of backgrounds, featuring vocals in no less than six different languages.

Gilbert K's drum grooves pay tribute to the late Tony Allen's legendary heritage and the percussion experiments on a more melodic and atmospheric tip. Cold synth pads and 303 squeaks blend with warm guitars, fretless bass, and Issiaka Dembele's sublime kora harps and balafon mallets. "Water of Life" shows a band at its maturation point, reaching the cross-cultural coalescence of Finnish-African sound that's ready for the dancefloor or home-listening.

The three vocalists take centre-stage on the album: Waina hails from Zambia and sings in Nyanja, English and Finnish; a renowned musician in Zambia for over two decades who now calls Finland home, Waina wrote a song that reached the finals of the 2020 Afrimusic contest. Gilbert K primarily sings in his native Mauritian Creole while comprising part of the percussion line. He made his way to Finland by way of South Africa and China, eventually winning the Voice of Finland show. Gilbert K has played with such legends as Tony Allen, Andy Summers, Diana King, and Suzanne Vega. Ismaila Sané is from the Casamance region of Southern Senegal and sings in Wolof (a widely-spoken language in West Africa) on "Ndekete," and in Jola (a smaller language in Casamance) on "Èwàn".

Maajo is a sonic, linguistic, and cultural melting pot that has come together in Tampere, Finland, like a tropical breeze from the cold north. Their musical explorations lead from equatorial soundscapes to the woods and moods of their native Scandinavia. African influences, electronic beats and organic rhythms, ethereality and the sounds of nature all make up the patchwork sound of Maajo.

Not only is Maajo's music a way of travelling to faraway places, the songs themselves have travelled all over the globe. Maajo has evolved from a sample-based electronic music project to a full-sized band, including African vocalists and musicians. The group has put out two full-length albums and three EP's on Queen Nanny records, in addition to a release on German label Permanent Vacation. Maajo has received the remix treatment from artists such as Luke Vibert and Call Super, and has toured festivals and clubs internationally. The band has built a dedicated international following having been championed by the likes of Gilles Peterson (Worldwide FM), Tom Ravenscroft (BBC Radio 6), and Tim Sweeney (Beats In Space), while they've been featured by KEXP (Song of the Day), Resident Advisor, Ransom Note, and Pan-African Music.

"Water of Life" is out on Wonderwheel Recordings October 14th, 2022, both digitally and as an exclusive, limited-run 2xLP.




d 04: Better Days (Kumba) feat. Waina & Gilbert K

The last, outstanding release of the London based experimental duo (Tom Relleen and Valentina Magaletti), accomplished just before Tom’s passing in August 2020, is the distillate of two years of new creative enhancement.

Mostly recorded at Tom’s “Bunker” – as he called his house in London – during the days off from live performances and challenging collaborations throughout the world, Intimate Immensity collects ten intense tracks that outline a breath-taking epiphanic journey revisiting the multifaceted worlds explored by the band in seven years of non-stop and mostly live activity.

The wonderful blue artwork especially created by the acclaimed artists Icinori is a perfect match with the gist of Tomaga’s aesthetics of intimacy that is well expressed by a few lines in the gatefold:

“I just found an interesting book by Gaston Bachelard called The Poetics of Space, with chapters on ‘house as universe’, nests, shells, ‘intimate immensity’, ‘the phenomenology of roundness’... I think it ties in with our feelings about bunkers and the urge to partition the universe to create our own spaces, vs cleansing or colonising the everyday to make it empty of anyone else's taste. I think Tomaga tracks with their individual micro worlds are a bit like that…" – in this way Relleen introduces us into Tomaga’s pulsing universe where space and meaning, articulated by sound, acquire breath and character as an expressive place where you can feel at home.

It is a quite similar aesthetics that could be perceived through Derek Jarman’s quotation from Blue (1993) used in the video of Intimate Immensity realised by Noriko Okaku together with some of Tom’s favourite stones collected from different places throughout his life.

Blue protects white from innocence Blue drags black with it Blue is darkness made visible Blue protects white from innocence Blue drags black with it Blue is darkness made visible.

The dialogical richness of musical influences, that has always been a peculiarity of all Tomaga’s performances, finds its peak here. The sonic spectrum is really wide, ranging from modern composers such as Laurie Spiegel and Pauline Anna Strom who has recently passed away, to the British refined dance aesthetics of Muslimgauze and Ossia.

The somewhat deceitful approachability of the ten tracks, their crystal clear and elegant surface, is in fact the outcome of the deep process of transformation that has personally and musically involved the duo during the last two years.

The Bongo Hop is back with his third effort, La Ñapa, an 8 track mini album/EP featuring Angolan legend Paulo Flores, Colombian singer Nidia Gongora, Danish hip hop crew Dafuniks, Voilaaa & more…
With those new tracks, B-sides and remixes all bearing his trademark -infectious afro-caribbean grooves, warm brass, suprising and genre-bending sound ventures - he’ll take you on a ride from Cali to Luanda, via the dunes of Bechar and the clubs of Detroit and Port au Prince.

MoBlack Records are proud to present the third edition of their successful "MoBlack Gold" series.
All Killer, no filler!

Bird Moves is the jazz offspring of the German band Noetics. Originally founded as a classical formation devoted to jazz, the members quickly explored its related styles. Without genre restrictions Bird Moves are mixing Jazz with anything from Funk to Dub and had their debut release on Agogo Records.

For this single they recorded two amazing new songs. "Easebound" is a groovy-breezy laid-back tune while late night cruising, slowing down or just daydreaming. On the flip you'll get an afro-tingled mid-tempo track named "Kakra Kakra".

This double-sider is pressed on limited black and orange recycled wax.

The mysterious afro-soul of the Shaolin Afronauts first echoed across the dancefloors of Australia in early 2008, captivating audiences with a highly evolved and unique approach to avant-garde soul music matched with an improvisational pedigree that immediately set them apart from their peers. In the almostfifteen years since the ensemble's debut they have released three albums on Freestyle Records and toured across Australia and around the world.

After an extended hiatus punctuated by rare live performances, The Shaolin Afronauts return with'The Fundamental Nature of Being', an epicfive album release that expands the sonic vision of the ensemble to towering new heights of burning afro-funk alongside esoteric and ethereal new sonic excursions. This expanded musical journey further explores the wide spectrum of the band's musical identity – with each of thefive parts designed as both standalone records, while also offering a singular listening journey across the band's expansive musical world.

The 5-part project was recorded over justfive days, drawing upon the band's rich influence of 1970s West, East and South African music, jazz, psych-rock & soul, while also exploring the transatlantic sonic intersection between the 1960s electronic avant-garde & spiritual jazz. Free and partially directed improvisation remains a central component of the compositions, with the musical works acting as frameworks for a collective musical enterprise that has developed over the ensemble's nearfifteen years together.

The vast project is available as a strictly limited 5 LP box-set, with a deluxe booklet of extended liner notes

Insanely rare South African underground dance classic repressed for the first time exclusively to Selected Works. First time commercially available on vinyl, only ever a promo release. Fusing Kwaito, vocal house and rave elements into one LP! Genre: Dance / House & Techno

DJ Black Low burst on the international scene last year with Uwami, a collection of his early, downright avantgarde amapiano work. The young producer and DJ makes electronic music that sounds like nothing else: glitchy and fierce while smooth and soulful, all under the rubric of South Africa's most-exported dance music movement to date. Now comes Uwami II, which features the rest of the tracks from the acclaimed debut plus a new song "Gijima." The Pretoria, South Africa-based artist has more work in the pipeline as we present these inimitable songs for the first time on vinyl. The song "Gijima" is a previously unreleased track Black Low chose to include in this collection as cremates more work at a furious pace. "This is essential listening from a 20 year-old star." - Resident Advisor Best Tracks of 2021 "Uwami keeps an adventurous spirit at its core and pushes far beyond genre conventions in the process." - The Vinyl Factory "A producer with a fully realized voice." - Bandcamp Best Albums of Winter 2021 "The hard hitting beats of the electronic percussions make the songs seem like they're out of this planet." - AfroPop Worldwide

Jeder Song hat die Kraft, Erinnerungen wachzurufen und das Gefühl von Heimat durch Musik nutzbar zu machen: von der psychedelisch-funklastigen Single 'Something's Going On' bis zur kongregativen Energie des neuen Tracks 'We Give Thanks' verschmilzt 'Could We Be More' die Afro-Londoner Synergie, die so natürlich die Wärme und Identität von Kokoroko untermauert. Die Mehrfach-Preisträger Kokoroko sind auf soulige, bläserlastige Sounds mit westafrikanischen Wurzeln und Londoner Einflüssen spezialisiert. Sie spielten bereits auf vielen europäischen Festivals (von Glastonbury über Meltdown bis Elbjazz und Jazz á la Villette) und freuen sich darauf, ihre Reichweite in 2022 und darüber hinaus weiter auszubauen. Die Band trat in mehreren BBC-Fernsehshows auf, ihre beiden Boiler Room-Sets wurden zusammen fast eine halbe Million Mal angehört.

- 'This female-led, multicultural collective of under 30s is a vital example of not only jazz's new form but the shape of things to come.' - The Guardian
- 'Drawing influence from West African highlife and jazz, wellmarinated in enough polyrhythm seasoning to induce fires on the dance floors they play.' - OkayAfrica
- 'Afrobeat, jazz, soul and ’70s psych-leaning funk - luminescent!' - Cool Hunting

If someone would have told me years ago, when I started the label, that one day I would be releasing music by Ernesto Djédjé, the king of Ziglibithy himself, I would have personally driven them to the closest psychiatric institute such is the magnitude of the artist and his iconic tune “Zighlibitiens”.

The star of Ernesto Djédjé started rising in the late 60s, when he became the guitar player and leader of Ivoiro Star, founded by Amédée Pierre, star of Dopé, the leading musical style at the time. Annoyed by the “congolisation” of the Ivorian music that was taking place within the band, Ernesto left the group and emigrated to Paris in 1968 to record his first few singles arranged by Manu Dibango and influenced by Soul, Rhythm & Blues and Jerk. Those recordings reflect the musical mood at that time which was dictated by two musical trends within the Ivoirian scene: Traditional music, embodied amongst others by Amédée Pierre on one hand and imported music from the States, Cameroon and Zaïre on the other. And while the first trend was generally neglected, the youth fully embraced the second and as a result bands such as „Les Black Devils“, „Djinn-Music“, „Bozambo”, “Jimmy Hyacinthe”, shot to stardom overnight by recording mainly funk and disco music. It is within this context that Ernesto would draw the inspiration for a future formula.

Returning to Côte d‘Ivoire in 1974 Ernesto began looking for like minded musicians to form the mighty “Ziglibithiens”. Diabo Steck (drums), Bamba Yang (keyboards & Guitar), Léon Sina (Guitar) and Assalé Best (chef d´orchestre and Saxophon) would become the core of the group and together with Ernesto they began thinking of ways of combining the rhythms and chants of the Bété people and fuse them with Makossa, Funk and Disco and create a musical style that was both Ivorian and International. He called his experiment Ziglibithy and his first two albums, immortalised at the EMI studios in 1977 in Lagos and released on the Badmos label, took West Africa by storm turning Ernesto Djédjé into an icon overnight and one of the legends of African music.
Ernesto Djédjé died in mysterious circumstances on June 9th, 1983 - at the age of 35 - shocking the whole Ivorian nation. And although the end came abruptly, it didn’t come soon enough, and Ernesto had time - within 5 albums - to cement his legacy as one of the most innovative artists the Ivory Coast ever produced.

The song Zighlibitiens, brought to Colombia by an aeronautical mechanic in the early 1980, would become a huge hit on the Caribbean Coast. Renamed “El Tigre” by locals soundsystem operators - certainly due to the Badmos logo - that particular song would reach legendary status in Barranquilla and Cartagena. Setting fire to uncountable local parties, it has become one of the most sought-after Album in that part of the world. And so, while Ziglibithy has mostly disappeared from the airwaves of its country of birth, on the other side of the Atlantic, its fire continues to shine bright.

Passionate about building bridges between past and present electronic music influences, Frappé is back with a fifth EP named “Afrodisiaque” . Keeping in mind that contemporary electronic dance music finds its origins in the sound of African and Afro-American communities, this new record is the missing link between world famous artists of the “Afro House” genre and the French productions of the early 00s. Offering 5 tracks for as many artists.

Whilst the continents contribution to the global funk, boogie and disco canon has been well documented for decades, the strong presence of rock and psychedelia in 1970's African music has been a more slowly evolving story over the years.

Pockets of young Africans, turned on by Hendrix, the Doors, Santana and more, started to add heavy guitar riffs to rumbling, ever present funk, and built an afro psych scene that is still turning up gems to this day.

With Lagos an epicenter for the emergent scene, in 1972, local headquartered label Afrodisia was born near to the eye of the storm, and provides many of the tracks on this latest attempt to capture a bit of afro-psych magick.

Iconic Lagos twins The Lijadu Sisters' 'Bayi L'ense' (1977) opens proceedings in LP defining style : the Yoruba vocals, pattering percussion and cooly strutting funk bassline are eventually joined by soaring, scything fuzz guitar, and we're off on a six and half minute head journey.

From there, tempo's and moods shift throughout. The Oriental Brothers International free-wheeling 'Tax Drive' is underpinned by tight playing and insistent grooves; Saxon Lee and the Shadows International combine James Brown style brass with what sounds like long, improv'd hammond sections across the near 10 minutes of 'Mind Your Business'.

Gears are quickly shifted as Warhead Constriction get straight up heavy on Graceful Bird, and Aura easily integrate early synth work outs on Ariya (at about the same time Kraftwerk were starting to hit wider audiences, 1976). Celestin Nyam's 'Mbembe' takes no prisoners, as free jazz sax workouts, horns, hammonds AND squalling Hendrix style guitar riffs all make welcome appearances, before Christie Azumah And The Uppers International, again combine deep funk with hammonds, choppy guitars and insistent vocals on 'Aja Wondo'.

150 copies only

The great return of Flexi’s sublabel “Incognito Trax”, dedicated to mysterious vibes, unexpected remixes and strictly party tracks.

Enjoy these 4 dancefloor gems, printed in super limited vinyl only copies.

Eine Neuauflage der Kultplatte des Orchestre 'Les Volcans' Du Benin von 1980.

Taken from Skinshape’s ‘Arrogance Is The Death Of Men’ album. For fans of Khruangbin, El Michels Affair, Tame Impala and Bonobo. ‘Arrogance Is The Death Of Men’ is the title track of Skinshape’s sixth album. The laidback song features Skinshape aka Will Dorey on vocals. Poignant lyrics intertwine with fine musicianship on this dreamy track. It is backed by the aptly named ‘The Eastern Connection’ fusing world sounds with tight drums from Ivan Kormanak. An instrumental track, is has classic Skinshape running through it.

Taken from Skinshape’s ‘Arrogance Is The Death Of Men’ album. For fans of Khruangbin, El Michels Affair, Tame Impala and Bonobo. Gentle guitars underpin Dorey’s vocals on this laid back song that brings hope to us all. Slide guitar towards the track’s close and multi layered backing gives the track a Californian sunshine feel. Returning to the sounds of ‘I Didn’t Know’ and his ‘Filoxiny’ album ‘Another Day’ is already a fan’s favourite. The b-side is a flute driven dreamy affair with Dorey’s vocals once more punctuated by guitar and a subtle but catchy drum beat. This double header 7” closes the book on Skinshape’s ‘Arrogance Is The Death Of Men’ album preparing the world for album number seven later this year.

Endlich präsentieren Compost den lang ersehnten Pablo Fierro Remix für “Bara” von Mr Raoul K & Manoo (ein Black Coffee Favorit!!) zusammen mit einer Dub Version und einem superben Collabo Afro House Track von Pablo Fierro und Mr Raoul K. Ein fettes Package mit Global Club Torpedos!

2022 repress

Official LP reissue of 'Peace & Harmony' by Nigerian funk royalty Harry Mosco, Originally released in 1979. Incl the big tracks ''Sexy Dancer'', ''Step On'' and ''Do It Together''

Isle Of Jura digs deep going back 40 years for the reissue of Harry's 1979 album which is something of an undiscovered gem that touches upon Disco, Funk, Boogie, Soul and Dub. Harry passed away in 2012 and we’ve worked closely with his son on the reissue.

Harry Mosco is best known as the founder of legendary 1970s Nigerian Afro-Funk band The Funkees. Originating as an Army band after the Nigerian Civil War they lead the wave of upbeat music produced by young artists in Nigeria in response to the darkness of the recently concluded civil conflict. Following a notable hit single ‘Akula Owu Onyeara’ the band split in 1977 and Harry pursued a solo career.

‘Peace & Harmony’ was Harry’s third LP continuing the rich vein of form found in previous albums ‘Country Boy’ and ‘Funkees’ (For You Specially). He was a visionary who wrote, arranged and produced each song on the LP assisted by Mark Lusari on engineering duties (P.I.L, Jah Wobble & Prince I), whose Reggae and Dub influence can be felt on title track ‘Peace & Harmony’ and ‘Peaceful Dub’. The LP contains two certified floorfillers of Studio 54 era Disco Funk in the shape of ‘Sexy Dancer’ & ‘Step On’ and two slow jams, the soulful ballad ‘She’s Gone’ and horn lead album closer ‘Do It Together’. Mr Funkees was printed on the cover to help record buyers make the connection between Mosco and his former band

ULTRA RARE album reissue for the first time Worldwide.

Fantastic Proto-Zouk from Georges and Pierre-Edouard Decimus

NSI (New sound From the Islands) is a concept launched by the Decimus family, and the album was released at the end of 1981, at the same time as Kassav's Album "N'4" with the singer Jocelyn Moka.

Under exclusive license George Decimus

Strut present the first box set release to bring together the 1970s recordings of The Pyramids, led by Idris Ackamoor. As students at Antioch College, Ohio, alto saxophonist Idris Ackamoor, flautist Margaux Simmons and bass player Kimathi Asante created three lasting monuments in sound - Lalibela, King of Kings, and Birth / Speed / Merging, a trio of albums produced without any label backing or distribution between 1972 and 1976. Their music is unique among the varied canon of avant-garde and experimental music of 1970s America: high intensity African-styled percussion topped with songs, chants, and horns, laced with African instruments and arranged into long, flowing suites that surge and

Our Albarika Stores 7-inch series returns with one of the masterpieces of lo-fi Afro-funk: 'It's A Vanity' by Gabo Brown and Orchestre Poly-Rythmo.

Originally released in the early '70s, it is a fine example of the way that Benin's premier group could perfectly nail a James Brown-style groove and then twist it to make it uniquely their own thing.

'It's A Vanity' is one of the masterpieces of low-fi Afro-Funk, and has been widely sought after (and become extremely valuable) since it was comped in 2008. We've paired it with the first reissue of 'Nougbo Vehou (La Verité Blesse)' - licensed directly from bandleader Clement Melomé's family - for a must-have double-sider!

Repress 22.11.22 !

A STUNNING RHYTHMIC FUSION OF LATIN AND JAZZ WITH A UNIQUE SPIRITUAL PULSE.

If ever a record called be called a lost masterpiece then this record more than deserves that epithet. First released on an obscure French label in the 1970's it might have sunk further into obscurity and left no trace of it's passing but somehow a handful of copies turned up in various Jazz shops in London where it was snapped up by DJ Paul Murphy who was then playing to the embryonic jazz dance scene, based at the very first Jazz Room club: The Horseshoe in London's Tottenham Court Road, a decaying, seedy, sticky carpeted old West End ballroom that had seen better days. This and a select few records in a similar vein were being played to an appreciative audience who demanded tough raw percussive rhythms overlaid with some furious jazzy soloing and whenever this record hit the turntable it left even the most demanding groover sated.

It's a really fantastic collection from this barely known reedman and his excellent band which also features a guest appearance by American Legend Horace Parlan who is best known for his Afro-Cuban session "Headin' South" on Blue Note Records.

Superbly produced by drummer Peter Schmidlin, who has conjured up a spiritual modal mixdown of Afro-Cuban & Jazz extended percussive workouts that are uncompromising in their groove and which manage to sound both timeless and modern. The record is being re-released with the original striking artwork, guaranteed to be a talking point.

In response to the current political and ecological turmoil, the famous Malian quintet BKO appeals to the magical spirit of the djinn with Djine Bora (the appearance of the genie). An explosive and mystical third album, embodied by a music of resistance, the fruit of their unique experimentation with Mandingo music and their extraordinary history

The three letters B.K.O. are the code for Bamako airport. It is in the Malian capital that the group has been rehearsing since 2012. In the same year that Mali declared a state of emergency, no one could have imagined that these musicians would be responsible for three albums and over 450 concerts in 25 different countries. BKO fights, does not fail, unifies and looks like no one else.

In this album, the band delivers an abrasive music where tradition is tinged with rock, polyphonies, distortions and shrill breaks. They invoke ancestral spiritualities by marrying for the first time in Mali
two diametrically opposed traditions.

In the course of the ten tracks of Djine Bora, BKO propels the traditions within a powerful and hybrid universe, just like Bamako. In this bewitching atmosphere, crackling concrete and ritual ceremonies
meet. The group has released one of its most accomplished albums, tinged with trance, enigmatic melodies (Ntiaro's Peulh prayer) and unifying messages (Maya, Bamako, Toumaro).

Handpicked by MoBlack, here are eight tracks that lended the dynamic vision and artistic stimulation for what is now a bastion of Afro House. Collected from the label's artists, friends and inspirations of past and present, "House of Mo'" comprises musical snapshots from Mimmo Falcone's journey as a DJ, producer and label head. Reverberating rhythms and grooves attached to memories made on and off dancefloors, these sonic wonders are part and parcel of the House the label built, go-to jams that speak of the spirit that binds its growing family.

Tread lightly, listen hard, and feel at home.

REPRESS!!

Sprung up from his much-fêted clubnight of the same name, Bradley Zero has enlisted fellow Peckham local Al Dobson Jr to inaugurate Rhythm Section International with this: Rye Lane Volume 1, an 11 track mini-LP stuffed to the rafters with summery goodness. The importance of location on Rye Lane Volume 1 appears both tantamount and inconsequential: many of the titles on offer dot specific points of reference on the map (Peru, Grenada, Cameroon, Columbia, Peckham's Rye Lane), but Dobson Jr does his best to melt these heterogeneous influences down into something definably his own.

Elliptical funkiness and nimble calypso grooves bob and weave through the melodic, soft-tone jazz stylings, all underpinned by a steady bump. This melange of warm styles mirrors the Peckham streets upon which it was cooked up, teaming with raw energy but quietly confident enough not to shout too loud about it. Tempos shift up and down at will as Dobson Jr shuffles through his strong pack at speed, maxing out the replay value.

With it being almost impossible to define the sound of Rhythm Section in one record, Rye Lane Volume 1 perfectly fits the role of inaugural release by the way in which the album encapsulates the sum of Rhythm Section's influences into one coherent blend of experimental, percussive led jams. This selection of tracks, carefully curated from over 200 never released works, is a concise statement from the Peckham based label as it confidently steps out from it's humble suburban origins into the international arena.

It's been getting a heap of love from across the board, too: DJs as diverse as Horse Meat Disco's Severino, Lefto, Midland, PAN's Bill Kouligas, Anthony Naples and Gilles Peterson have been affording regular play to Al Dobson Jr. joints on offer; but we'll leave the final word to Eglo head honcho Alex Nut: "SO SO SO SO GOOOOD! Al Dob is ridonculazZz for sure. (insert lazer gun sound here"). You can't say fairer than that.

Born in a Gambian griot family, kora virtuoso and afro-fusion pioneer Jally Kebba Susso has been active in the UK music
scene for twenty years. While based in London, he has tirelessly, through both personal and collective endeavours, built a
singular musical identity by working hard on making the timeless Mandinka kora, an instrument he's been playing since
his youth, sound like never before, combining the ancient West African strings with forward-thinking aesthetics and myriad
of musicians and producers from the thriving London music scene such as Onipa, Dark Sky and Kay Suzuki.
Jally Kebba Susso has already released two albums as a solo musician ("Malaye Warr", 2012 and "Banjul - London",
2017), as well as a member of the successful afro-fusion band Afriquoi, whose latest EP has garnered a very wide
support, culminating in several million streams and performances on some of UK's biggest festival stages (Boomtown,
Glastonbury).
Freedom! A heartfelt shout expressing the newfound joy of an African musician whose working conditions, despite his
long-standing roots in the London music scene, have sometimes been precarious.
A newfound freedom to be able to look ahead and fully persue one's need of self-actualisation. Hence this new EP, written
with the help of Jally's accomplished band members (Yuval Juba Wetzler, Nim Sadot and Oli Arlotto) and produced
by Tom Excell (Onipa, Nubiyan Twist), whose 4 tracks all deal with topics (identity, homesickness, family, social justice)
which are dear to Jally's heart as a Gambian native and West African musician settled in Europe.
A pleasant atmospheric opener, "Wulu Doula" rides on a classic Afrobeat groove, while Jally reminds us how we are only
what we become, no matter where we come from and who we inherit from.
"Justice" is a stomping mandinka funk hit, in which "freedom, equal rights and justice" are claimed by Jally for all fellow
artists and musicians from the West African diaspora working in Europe.
Clearly anchored in Gambian music tropes and reminiscent of the pioneering mandinka fusion of Ifang Bondi, "Fakoly"
tells the story of Jally's family lineage, as a member of the 74th Susso generation. As Jally puts it, "being a griot is a way
of life".
Homesickness can be a bitter feeling. But you can turn it around. That is exactly what Jally achieves with "Banjul", a
cheerful, funky tribute to the Gambian capital, in which Jally grew up, learning words of wisdom from his elders.

Kalita are proud to unveil the first ever compilationvfocussing on the phenomenon of 'Burger Highlife', avcrossover of West African melodies with synthesizers, discovand boogie that took over Ghanaian airwaves during the 1980's and beyond. Highlighting key recordings fromvgenre-defining artists including Thomas Frempong andvGeorge Darko, as well as more obscure sought-after tracksvby elusive bands such as Aban and Uncle Joe's Afri-Beat,vKalita come to the rescue of audiophiles, DJs andvmusic-lovers alike with 'Borga Revolution!' Spread over avdouble-LP housed in a gatefold sleeve. Accompanied by av16-page booklet featuring extensive interview-based liner notes on each artist and never-before-seen archival photos.

LIMITED EDITION

The ultra-rare holy grail masterpiece by Elcados originally released by EMI-Nigeria in 1973 and recorded by Kayode Salami. It’s their debut album, a real gem played in an extraordinary inspired moment. A top shelf heavyweight Afro-Psych Funk-Rock. Leader of the band the great guitarist Frank Martins. Includes the dreamy ‘Ku Mai Da Hankan’; For Djs ‘Chokoi And Oreje’ and ‘I Was Stunned Into Speechlessness’.

Atangana Records is back with two afro disco groove tracks from the second album of the mythical Senegalese band Touré Kunda. The tracks "Manso" & “Touty Yolle” were originally released in 1980. The remastered track "Manso" is remixed on B1 by the duo Deni Shain & Mister Francky and B2 with the remixes add part.

When Deni struck gold: "It was a warm Sunday in Guadeloupe when I went back for some for digging, after looking through 800 vinyls, I was swayed by the album E'mma Africa from Toure Kunda. Listening to it sent me back to my youth, when I used to play the K7 over and over again.As I replayed the LP, these two songs stood out and I could instantly picture the potential & the remix I could do with Mister Francky."

DJ-Kicks starts off its 25th year with a selector who’s been doing just that for even longer than we’ve been going. A true giant of the underground dance world, we proudly present the original ‘Jazz Potato’ himself: Mr. Scruff!

Jeder Song hat die Kraft, Erinnerungen wachzurufen und das Gefühl von Heimat durch Musik nutzbar zu machen: von der psychedelisch-funklastigen Single 'Something's Going On' bis zur kongregativen Energie des neuen Tracks 'We Give Thanks' verschmilzt 'Could We Be More' die Afro-Londoner Synergie, die so natürlich die Wärme und Identität von Kokoroko untermauert. Die Mehrfach-Preisträger Kokoroko sind auf soulige, bläserlastige Sounds mit westafrikanischen Wurzeln und Londoner Einflüssen spezialisiert. Sie spielten bereits auf vielen europäischen Festivals (von Glastonbury über Meltdown bis Elbjazz und Jazz á la Villette) und freuen sich darauf, ihre Reichweite in 2022 und darüber hinaus weiter auszubauen. Die Band trat in mehreren BBC-Fernsehshows auf, ihre beiden Boiler Room-Sets wurden zusammen fast eine halbe Million Mal angehört.

- 'This female-led, multicultural collective of under 30s is a vital example of not only jazz's new form but the shape of things to come.' - The Guardian
- 'Drawing influence from West African highlife and jazz, wellmarinated in enough polyrhythm seasoning to induce fires on the dance floors they play.' - OkayAfrica
- 'Afrobeat, jazz, soul and ’70s psych-leaning funk - luminescent!' - Cool Hunting

This compilation collects a number of 7" singles produced by Audio Productions Ltd. in Kenya's capital Nairobi in the first half of the 1980s and released on the Wendo, Lulus, Mlima and APL imprints. The bands featured on this release are the New Gatanga Boys, Ruwengo Bros Band, Banana Hill Band and Les Victoria 'C' Kings from Kenya, Les Moto Moto and Orch Les Volcano from Tanzania (the latter being led here by Charles Ray Kasembe after the death of the legendary Mbaraka Mwinshehe). The closing track is by Orch Zaituken Band, whose name is a contraction of the countries its members came from: Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. The group is emblematic of the Kenyan capital's role as a magnet for East African musicians seeking to earn a living by recording and playing live in the 1970s and 1980s.

No Wahala Sounds are proud to bring you this latest collection of rare 45s from the golden era of benga and rumba, which have never been released outside Kenya before.

It's hard to believe it's taken this long for a proper retrospective of legendary Los Angeles collective CVE. "We Represent Billions" is a crucial portrait of one of the West Coast's most low-key influential crews - a hydra-like collective of rappers, producers, designers and engineers who were key members of the Good Life Cafe's open mic scene, going on to inspire artists like Jurassic 5, Kendrick Lamar amongst many other. Initially called Chillin Villain Posse before morphing into Chillin Villain Empire in the late 1980s, they eventually centered around the core trio of Riddlore, NgaFsh and Tray-Loc. The crew were years ahead of their time, self-producing music without samples and pioneering a stream of consciousness lyrics that still sound fresh and innovative. CVE were self-sufficient and motivated from the beginning, named "Chillin Villains" because that's how they were perceived by white America. This social motivation was channeled into their groundbreaking performances at Good Life Cafe, the South Central session that evolved into Project Blowed and later on came to influence LA club night 'Low End Theory'. It was chronicled by Ava Duvernay, herself an MC in short-lived duo Figures of Speech, in her "This is the Life" documentary, where she interviewed CVE alongside Jurassic 5, Freestyle Fellowship, Abstract Rude and Busdriver. On "We Represent Billions", we're treated to a snapshot of the CVE sound from 1993-2003, their most prolific era. The retrospective collects music from the handful of albums the crew released on their own Afterlife Recordz label (mostly as limited edition CD-R's) plus many previously unreleased tracks and highlights their untethered eccentric creativity and sheer breadth of influence. Whether twisting twitchy West Coast electro on 'All Over Da Globe' or free associating over horror synths and foley sounds on 'Made in Chillz Ville' there's a sense that their music was just too future for its time. Assembled from heaving industrial samples and graced by back-and-forth tongue twisting flows, 'Thugs and Clips' is as eerie and hard-hitting as anything 2Pac's "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory" full-length. Fuzzed-out and unsettling, 'Calistylics' welds an ambient synth loop and bone-rattling percussion to Tricky-esque percussion, while the flickering closer 'Unicycle' is a cross between Dr. Dre's icy G-gunk pressure and Three 6 Mafia's pitch black lo-fi funk. In many ways, 2022 is the perfect time to rediscover this music: an urgent, creative fusion of spine-tingling pre-grime electronic minimalism and mind bending wordplay that still sounds completely idiosyncratic and utterly alien. Tracks: 1 All Over Da Globe 2 Thugs and Clips 3 C.V. Vault 4 Made in Chillz Ville 5 Bring It On 6 Calistylics 7 No Feelins 8 Let's Get It On 9 Today Was A Fucked Up Day 10 Untitled (Freestyle) 11 Unicycle