Pop & Rock News

Gill Scott Heron, Live from the Village Gate, New York, 1976.
New York's WRVR-FM captured a treasured broadcast by Gil-Scott Heron. A highly-revered artist whose work has remained headily influential over many respected hip hop contemporaries. His appearance alongside Brian Jackson and the Midnight Band at the Village gate in 1976 has since garnered widespread affection and admiration amongst collectors, fans and critics alike. This landmarkappearance was primarily aimed at promoting Arista's imminent release of their 1976 LP It's Your World. This monumental performance comprised of only six songs in comparison with the ten of It's Your World, but the energy and spirit of that performance evoked acute political and spiritual awareness, rampaging through global and local injustices with humility and conscience firmly intact. Live On Vinyl's retrospective spotlight captures Heron's on-stage persona and energy exposing an explosive chapter in the life and career of a lyrical legend. Featuring the complete WRVR-FM broadcast, fully re-mastered.

Claudja Barry's cult "Love for the sake of love" gets Mike Maurro's magic remix treatment for the 7th release on Brookside Records. This is no ordinary edit or reworking though, Mike got his hands on the actual physical master tapes and turned in a refreshed, original mix of this sleazed out downtempo monster. Well known by underground Disco aficionados by it's inclusion on DJ Harvey's earth shattering and legendary "Sarcastic Study Masters" mix CD from 2001 this mid 70's Tom Moulton mixed number came out on Salsoul and caused quite a stir. This new mix really breathes new life into this stone cold classic, Mike utilises lots of alternative takes, vocal vamps and instrumentation from the original sessions giving us a version that's never been heard before! A completely new, original mix. If that doesn't get all you Disco fiends excited then something is seriously wrong!

On the B-side Mike takes Claudia's "Sweet Dynamite" into a new realm too, again using the master tapes to full effect to create a new, refreshed version of one of her more popular jams, A raucous, slamming club cut. Also released in 1976 and mixed again by Tom Moulton, Mike Maurro's version extends everything in just the right way! His rearrangements and remixes are always respectfully executed and it's clear that Mike understands and feels the tracks he works on. Again, another cult Disco cut reworked beautifully for 2016, essential stuff for all lovers of this kind of music, this release is simply unmissable. The record comes in a full colour picture sleeve and these remixes are exclusive to this release and are fully, 100% legit, licensed and sanctioned by all relevant rights holders.

Simply put, another set of essential mixes from a modern day master! File under - *Essential Disco*

Balearica brings the quality yet again with another stunning selection of unearthed eclectic gems. First up is one of the the all-time Balearic/Cosmic classics, the highly sought-after 'I Love You Dancer' from French disco group Voyage, a wonderfully funky floor-filling paean to 'fancy dancers and sweet romancers' - total killer! Followed by the dreamy instrumental version of Italian crooner Vasco Rossi's 'Una Splendida Giornata', a beautiful sweeping slo-mo chugger. Another instrumental opens the B-side, this time Fonda Rae's in-demand dub of 'Heobah' with its relentless tripped-out synth groove. And lastly we have Michael Cretu's little-known Cosmic delight 'Flying To Heaven', a glorious slice of laid-back pop paradise hidden away on the B-side of a super-rare 1978 Italian 12'. Essential collection for lovers of the Balearic sound.

Another great collection of sought-after Balearic goodies all loud-pressed on 12' vinyl. First up is the highly in-demand instrumental version of 'Un Fe Divers Rien De Plus' by French one-hit wonders Le Club, a bassy synth-disco gem that hit big across the pond at clubs such as Paradise Garage as well as on the Med. Followed by 'Africa, Brasil Te Ama', a little-known disco-funk gem plucked from a 1980 LP by Spanish-based Brazilian Jayme Marques. Flip over for 'B-Cause', the seminal deep house cut from 1987 by Jump St. Man. Only ever released on a compilation LP, this Johnathan Mann-production is a truly beautiful haunting piece of house history with a slow tempo, rolling undulated synths provided by Marshall Jefferson and a cool atmosphere that fit perfectly into the Balearic ethos. Lastly is the hypnotic dirty slow-burning groove of the rare long version of pop queen Kim Carnes' 1981 hit 'Draw Of The Cards'. A superb diverse compilation - don't miss!

Favorite Recordings proudly presents this new official single reissue of I Love You by Karriem: A very rare soulful mid-tempo disco killer, originally released in 1979 on Pashlo Records.
Pashlo Records was based in Oakland and owned by producer and musician Leroy Smith, who is also known for his Ocampo Records' imprint, where he produced and recorded the very first songs from Darondo. The label had quite a short life between the middle 70s and early 80s, producing only singles from mostly unknown and forgotten artists.
Amongst them was this brilliant and obscure release by Karriem, very hard to find in its original version. Unearthed again in Charles Maurice's collection, and officially licensed to Leroy Smith, it's today reissued on vinyl for the first time, presented by Favorite Recordings in a deluxe version, housed in a classic tip-on jacket.

More of Magnetic Soul's expert disco dub treatment !
Hand stamped white label - very limited
Support from: Dave Jarvis, Bill Brewster, Ash Beedle, Fingerman, LTJ Experience & more...

Dab Hand's 3rd vinyl release from Magnetic Soul brings together another carefully selected batch of rich and exotic soul and disco cuts lovingly restructured and adapted for discerning DJ and club plays yet showing the deep love for the authentic roots and history of current underground dance trends.

'Come Into My Life' sets us off on a typical MS vibe with tight groove, drifting hypnotic keys backed up with sexy dreamy soul vocals. 'Save My People' slows it down slightly with a deeper building vocal harmony and sax-riff vibe. 'Stratisfied' takes a tripped out jazz-funk direction to new levels with beefed up bass and glistening spatial sounds. 'Disco Train' finishes up with a fantastic, hypnotic AOR disco chugger... all aboard for whistle blast - Toot Toot!

"Fixfixfix. Upupup. Hoga Nord notches up that ocdmode again: Fixin' up. Sounding, looking...Sharper! Let's stomp things forward together with this wide-hole 7-inch vinyl single. Behind the alias Osynlige Mann you'll find Timo Lundgren - one of the architects behind Gothenburgs legendary band URAN. This superb ruffneck selection of Osynlige Manns material lurks off with timeless style. A-side Snake Eye takes us on a pleasantly spooky journey: Moody and dark. With a fresh beat and a haunting Carpentervibe. B-side Electrodes.. the title speaks for it self. Nervebending energy. You won't be able to escape the electrodes. A bangin' tune reaching for the highest high. Music for people chasing the climax of the night!"

It takes a lot of swag to wear a hat as big as the hat that I.G. wears on the cover of Bomp. But I.G., a.k.a. Bobby I.G., a.k.a. I.G. New Yorker, had swag by the bucket load. That hat tells you everything you need to know about I.G. and, indeed, about Bomp - it's a big funky slice of Nigerian cowboy disco magic. I.G. was a player in the thriving Enugu boogie scene, a scene, in the east of the country, that also produced Goddy Oku and William Onyeabor. With Mr Mighty Flames, Willie N'For on bass, Austin Onwurah on drums and all the bells and whistles of the Godiac Studios close at hand, a Nigerian disco classic was inevitable. 'Disco Bomp' and 'Disco Power' are straight-ahead floor-fillers. 'Funk ina Ghatto' has a slower, dirtier groove. 'World of Misery' takes a slight calypso reggae detour, before 'Take Me Home' brings it on home, with an unabashed plea for 'loving' and some delightfully wonky synth lines from another Mighty Flame, Frankie Song. Bomp was I.G.'s only album. It's a startling one-off disco boogie classic that was clear in its ambition and perfect in its execution. A bit like the hat, really.

It takes a lot of swag to wear a hat as big as the hat that I.G. wears on the cover of Bomp. But I.G., a.k.a. Bobby I.G., a.k.a. I.G. New Yorker, had swag by the bucket load. That hat tells you everything you need to know about I.G. and, indeed, about Bomp - it's a big funky slice of Nigerian cowboy disco magic. I.G. was a player in the thriving Enugu boogie scene, a scene, in the east of the country, that also produced Goddy Oku and William Onyeabor. With Mr Mighty Flames, Willie N'For on bass, Austin Onwurah on drums and all the bells and whistles of the Godiac Studios close at hand, a Nigerian disco classic was inevitable. 'Disco Bomp' and 'Disco Power' are straight-ahead floor-fillers. 'Funk ina Ghatto' has a slower, dirtier groove. 'World of Misery' takes a slight calypso reggae detour, before 'Take Me Home' brings it on home, with an unabashed plea for 'loving' and some delightfully wonky synth lines from another Mighty Flame, Frankie Song. Bomp was I.G.'s only album. It's a startling one-off disco boogie classic that was clear in its ambition and perfect in its execution. A bit like the hat, really.

It's 1981 and Nigeria is booming. Oil was still bringing in the big petro-bucks and a new civilian government brought hope that the dark days of military dictatorships were over. A new album by a baby-voiced, permed, lipstick-wearing vocalist is riding high in the charts, capturing the mood of the nation perfectly. The singer was Oby Onyioha, the university educated daughter of the Godian prophet, His Holiness Ogbaja Kama Onu Kama Onyioha. The album was I Want To Feel Your Love, a collection of slick, up-tempo disco tracks, produced by the 'Quincy Jones of Nigeria', Lemmy Jackson. Handsomely packaged, sumptuously produced, it was as sophisticated and glossy as anything coming out of the west. The album also marked a cultural shift in Nigeria too. Oby Onyioha was a smart, modern woman exhorting her Nigerian sisters to 'Enjoy Your Life.' She wasn't sitting around waiting for a man to call. 'I Want To Feel Your Love', she sang. And 'I'll Put It Right Again,' not some dominant boyfriend. Bright, brash and living for the moment, I Want To Feel Your Love is the soundtrack of a Nigeria confident and ready to take its place in the world.

It's 1981 and Nigeria is booming. Oil was still bringing in the big petro-bucks and a new civilian government brought hope that the dark days of military dictatorships were over. A new album by a baby-voiced, permed, lipstick-wearing vocalist is riding high in the charts, capturing the mood of the nation perfectly. The singer was Oby Onyioha, the university educated daughter of the Godian prophet, His Holiness Ogbaja Kama Onu Kama Onyioha. The album was I Want To Feel Your Love, a collection of slick, up-tempo disco tracks, produced by the 'Quincy Jones of Nigeria', Lemmy Jackson. Handsomely packaged, sumptuously produced, it was as sophisticated and glossy as anything coming out of the west. The album also marked a cultural shift in Nigeria too. Oby Onyioha was a smart, modern woman exhorting her Nigerian sisters to 'Enjoy Your Life.' She wasn't sitting around waiting for a man to call. 'I Want To Feel Your Love', she sang. And 'I'll Put It Right Again,' not some dominant boyfriend. Bright, brash and living for the moment, I Want To Feel Your Love is the soundtrack of a Nigeria confident and ready to take its place in the world.

Recorded in the USA, E Je Ka Jo is the only record released by Nigerian brother and sister act, Xtasy. It is also a stone cold, boogie classic and remains one of the most sought-after records of its type in the world. E Je Ka Jo means 'Let's Dance' and in 1983, Roy and Stella Bruce were whisked away to LA to record their certifiable dancefloor classic. Their brother, entertainment mogul Ben Murray Bruce, owned the label and called in favours with the America's finest session players, including songwriter Greg Wright and bass player Keni Burke. Wright produced the album and wrote all the songs. He'd worked with Diana Ross, Thelma Houston and Bobby Womack and added a slick international sheen to each track. The sound is smooth, sophisticated and sexy and one that would be welcomed on dance floors anywhere in the world. Strangely, E Je Ka Jo was only ever released in Nigeria. An international release was stymied, but that only served to cement the albums status as a modern soul boogie classic. Thirty years later, that injustice has finally been rectified.

Recorded in the USA, E Je Ka Jo is the only record released by Nigerian brother and sister act, Xtasy. It is also a stone cold, boogie classic and remains one of the most sought-after records of its type in the world. E Je Ka Jo means 'Let's Dance' and in 1983, Roy and Stella Bruce were whisked away to LA to record their certifiable dancefloor classic. Their brother, entertainment mogul Ben Murray Bruce, owned the label and called in favours with the America's finest session players, including songwriter Greg Wright and bass player Keni Burke. Wright produced the album and wrote all the songs. He'd worked with Diana Ross, Thelma Houston and Bobby Womack and added a slick international sheen to each track. The sound is smooth, sophisticated and sexy and one that would be welcomed on dance floors anywhere in the world. Strangely, E Je Ka Jo was only ever released in Nigeria. An international release was stymied, but that only served to cement the albums status as a modern soul boogie classic. Thirty years later, that injustice has finally been rectified.

Hoga Nord Rekords first release was Pistol Disco. That was, of course, no coincidence. This time the armed disco-duo (Berlin-based producer Alexander Palmestal (Iberia, Myth) and Gothenburg-based Mikael Enqvist) returns with a tropical and quite chilled out seven inch-revenge. First track Goo will manipulate you like a Hare Krishna recruitee would - if he or she had groove and swagger. B-side Pool has an organic baseline combined with a dreamlike landscape that will drag you up to a place where KLF:s golden era echoes inside yer head like an appealing Conny PlankOCD!

Groove Line Records follows up the Change remix 12' from the summer with the latest instalment of our officially licensed disco remix 12's. Next up are two exceptional disco remixes of The Salsoul Orchestra classics, Tale of Three Cities' and Tangerine', by Mike Maurro, whose recent The Mike Maurro Peak Hour Remixes box set has cemented the New York producer's reputation as one of the most respected disco remixers on the scene right now.Side A features Tale of Three Cities' (Mike Maurro Disco Remix), one of The Salsoul Orchestra's funkiest cuts, written by bass player Ron Baker for their debut LP. Maurro extends the arrangement to nine minutes, concentrating on the driving beat and rhythm section for the intro, subtly adding the guitar and keyboard parts before the first orchestral bridge at 1m36. Stripping back much of the orchestral elements throughout the mix he gives more space to the deftly executed solo guitar and keyboard passages and gives special attention to Vincent Montana's vibes, taking the dancer on a beautiful journey through the Salsoul sound concluding with an instrumental, ethereal outro.

Side AA features Tangerine' (Mike Maurro Disco Remix), Vincent Montana's skillfully rearranged version of the lilting Jimmy Dorsey pop standard which was the group's biggest pop hit, also from their debut LP. Adding a further 6 minutes to the original version, again Maurro respectfully gives the orchestration more room to breathe over the propulsive rhythm section, gaining patient momentum throughout while exposing the best instrumental elements of the original and sprinkling just the right amount of The Sweethearts of Sigma's vocal refrains on top. Both mixes were initially released on Groove Line's 3CD 40th Anniversary Salsoul Orchestra Anthology as exclusive tracks.

All Groove Line Records releases are fully licensed and cut at Half Speed by Matt Colton at Alchemy (Mastering Engineer of the Year 2013). All vinyl is heavy weight 180g manufactured by Optimal Media in Germany, one of the world's finest pressing plants. Groove Line Records cut no corners when making sure that each and every one of our releases has the highest quality performance possible.

Groove Line Records' deluxe 12' release of The Salsoul Orchestra Tale of Three Cities (Mike Maurro Disco Remix)' backed with Tangerine (Mike Maurro Disco Remix)' is an essential purchase for any serious Disco, Funk, Soul or Dance vinyl collector who demands the very best in quality vinyl pressings.

A fabulous UK Boogie track produced by the great ERIC MATTHEW during 1986 This special limited reissue (only 300 copies)

AV1 builds a bridge between electro pop and club culture. Alix challenges the codes and references between old-house, 90's dance and new-wave and offers unapologetic dance music that takes the shape of hymns to nocturnal hedonism, to urban encounters and to the maze of inspiration, all while embracing humor and a sense of second degree.

The LP leads off with Friday Night in my Room, somewhere between a jazz-house piano and a playful and stubborn electro, in an extended club version, followed by a hypnotic deep house remix from Garance (Ayeko), soaked with exotic percussions. On the B side, Christian Stark (The Cruzaders / Los Cruzeiros) offers a deep sensual anthem with his "Flowers" remix and Se-Te-Ve (Plak/Gravitation) takes "You In The Dark" into his tribal house radicalism.

AV 1 is released on collective.ch, an independent Swiss electronic label, developed by Sylvain Ehringer (Xewin) and Alix Vesper.

The second release on the Excursions imprint, following on from 'A Soviet Disco Excursion Vol 1', this time a trilogy of treats from French duo DJ Soulist and Fulgeance, aka Souleance. These guys have been busily producing a series of delectable releases for a decade now. Crafted primarily with the dancefloor in mind, Souleance weave together an assortment of grooves and genres to magnificent effect - disco, funk and beyond.

'A Raw Excursion' proceeds to give you what you need, with something for all the family amidst this three-track EP. Setting it off, the heavily progged-out thump of 'The Ramble', a solid mid-tempo floor-quaker, flipping the unmistakable weight of Jimmy Page and Bob Plant. This is followed by the 'C'est La Fête' edit of 'A Little More' - a cheeky flip of a classic late-seventies slow jam by Miss Brenda Russell, famously sampled by Big Pun. This one tried and tested over the past few years to crush a lot of dances, now available on wax for the first time for all you players out there.

Finally, we have 'Gypsy' - the most uptempo cut of the set, this is peak-time fire. So much so, you should maybe have some water at hand. An electro-disco tinged take of a chart-topping early '90s house anthem, this concludes the sophomore release on Excursions, and guarantees this one will stay in the record bag for a long time.

Jungle Juice is a paean to the redemptive powers of boogie - a slab of New York ghetto grooves getting its freak on in the jungles of Africa. Joe Kemfa promises a magical party and that's what you get - from the straight-ahead party grooves of 'Jungle Magic Music' to the more slinky and sinuous 'Jungle Juice.' Hailing from Warra in Nigeria's Delta region, Joe Kemfa made his name with The Junkers and the Don Bruce Band. He recorded a few singles with Larry Ifedioranma from Ofo The Rock Company before disappearing to Europe. He returned in 1978 with two Germans in tow and, together with Cameroonian drummer Ali Ringo, they formed Aura, Joe's backing band on Jungle Juice. The best tracks are the freakiest. 'I Got To Make It' bemoans the cost of living, before becoming a stoned plea to the Lenleys, Joe's very own Lijadu Sisters, to boogie it on a Saturday night. Freaky and funky, Jungle Juice is the sound of James Brown and Parliament jamming after a night on some nasty Delta home brew. One listen and you'll want to get your hands on some Jungle Juice too

CD Version

For the past four decades, a growing cult of soul music collectors have sought two obscure LPs and a handful of extremely rare 45s released on the vanity record label LAD Productions, Inc. between the late seventies and the mid eighties by the mysterious South Side Chicago singer/song writer Larry Dixon. Larry's raw songs capture the transition from R&B to boogie-down as disco was rapidly becoming extinct. They also perfectly illustrate Larry's ability to overcome his environment and discrimination, transcended by his determination to write and produce music. With the support of his faithful musicians, Larry's success was only hindered by lack of airplay and promotion, but his talent shines through. This is the story of Larry Dixon, his label LAD Productions, Inc., and his friends and family throughout four decades of music in Chicago's toughest neighborhoods.
Jerome Derradji is proud to reactivate Past Due Records - the boogie funk division of Still Music to release this fantastic archive - what many consider to be the Holy Grail - of Chicago Funk, Boogie and Soul: 'Star Time' will be released in a limited 500 copies 10 X 7" Box Set, a limited 500 copies 4 LP Box Set, DCD and Digitally - all faithfully reproducing the vision of LAD Productions, Inc. It features each and every Larry Dixon's releases from 1971 to 1987, including the ultra rare 'I'am So In Love' LP recorded live at the Copherbox Club in 1980 and the ultra rare boogie funk 'Can't Price Love' LP, each carefully re-mastered from the original tapes and a lot more!
Many unreleased songs (some mixed by Jerome Derradji) are also featured. Each format includes a unique booklet with the story of Larry Dixon and his friends, written by Jacob Arnold, along with numerous pictures and documents previously never published. Artwork is by Al Kent from Million Dollar Disco.



















[] 3A4 | Star Time

Few artists have created a body of work as rich and varied as Prince. During the '80s, he emerged as one of the most singular talents of the rock & roll era, capable of seamlessly tying together pop, funk, folk, and rock. Not only did he release a series of ground breaking albums, he toured frequently, produced albums and wrote songs for many other artists, and recorded hundreds of songs that still lie unreleased in his vaults. With each album he released, Prince has shown remarkable stylistic growth and musical diversity, constantly experimenting with different sounds, textures, and genres. Occasionally, his music can be maddeningly inconsistent because of this eclecticism, but his experiments frequently succeed, no other contemporary artist can blend so many diverse styles into a cohesive whole.

Few artists have created a body of work as rich and varied as Prince. During the '80s, he emerged as one of the most singular talents of the rock & roll era, capable of seamlessly tying together pop, funk, folk, and rock. Not only did he release a series of ground breaking albums, he toured frequently, produced albums and wrote songs for many other artists, and recorded hundreds of songs that still lie unreleased in his vaults. With each album he released, Prince has shown remarkable stylistic growth and musical diversity, constantly experimenting with different sounds, textures, and genres. Occasionally, his music can be maddeningly inconsistent because of this eclecticism, but his experiments frequently succeed, no other contemporary artist can blend so many diverse styles into a cohesive whole.

KDMS, the duo made up of London singer/songwriter Kathy Diamond and Silesian producer Max Skiba, return with a brilliant sophomore album of club anthems and torch songs, synthetic beats and live instruments. "The New Old Normal", out 9th December, follows their debut album "Kinky Dramas & Magic Stories" on Gomma.

On "The New Old Normal" Max Skiba (who follows last year's massive "Shanghouse" on Prins Thomas' Internasjonal imprint) presents his most mature and developed tunes, whist UK artist Kathy Diamond's vocals (known for her work with Maurice Fulton on Permanent Vacation records) reference the late 70s disco icon, adding charm and emotion throughout. Despite the album's overall pop sensibility, this is a set of eleven intricate tracks, touching upon multiple genres and quite often blending them all together: from breezy yacht rock, Paisley Park funk, Hall & Oates' blue-eyed soul to Kompakt-style house music. It's T-Rex glam and disco glitter, complemented with a techno cover of Kate Bush' "Babooshka".

On "The New Old Normal", Max and Kathy are accompanied by several high-profile guests, including the unmistakable Kurt Maloo of Double. Cover art comes courtesy of Filip Pagowski, the international graphic designer known for his work with Comme De Garcons and most recently for his artwork for Drake. Combining hypnotic rhythms with addictive pop melodies that carry clever lyrics - "The New Old Normal" is a rare achievement in today's formulaic world of club-inspired pop music.

Planeta Mix Records presents a CD with 22 songs with the best of Electro Latino and Reggaeton. UNMIXED DJ'S FRIENDLY

Soul Jazz Records' are releasing Tee Mac's 'Night Illusion', a lost classic Nigerian Afro soul meets disco boogie funk album originally released in Nigeria in 1980 as a private-press release of 1000 copies on the enigmatic artists' own label. Impossibly hard to find, the record remains practically unknown outside of Nigeria. Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger and features on Soul Jazz Records' recent collection Nigeria Soul Fever - Afro Funk Disco and Boogie alongside Joni Haastrup, Christy Essien and others, as well as on a recent compilation 'Nepa Oh Nepa' (released on Hot Casa earlier this year). The timelessness of this soulful, ground-breaking funk jazz lost masterpiece 'Night Illusion' leads to comparisons with James Mason's legendary lost classic album Rhythm of Life, with his unique individualism and intensity hinting at the boogie funk of groups such as Mass Production and Slave so loved by artists such as Moodyman and Theo Parrish. While Fela Kuti is now a cultural icon of Nigerian music throughout the world, the recent crossover success of William Onyeabor shows just how much undiscovered Nigerian music remains waiting to be explored outside of the country.
Tee Mac was born in Lagos, the son of a Nigerian princess and a Swiss diplomat. He picked up the flute at age 7 and ten years later was studying classical musical in Switzerland under his uncle the composer J.J. Direndirger. Returning to Lagos, Nigeria in 1970 he formed the heavyweight afro rock group Tee Mac and Afro Collection (which included Johnny Haastrup on keyboards and The Lijadu Sisters on vocals). This band was famously joined by the legendary Cream drummer Ginger Baker who came to Nigeria to play with them in 1971 (captured in the film Ginger Baker in Africa).
At age 24, Tee Mac moved to Germany where he co-wrote and recorded the European disco group Silver Convention (whose 'Fly Robin Fly' became number one in the USA charts). This enabled him to return to Nigeria where he formed his own label SKJ Records to release his self-financed album Night Illusion, as well as buying two nightclubs and also investing in a number of mineral mining companies!
Tee Mac continues to live in Lagos today and travels the world as a composer - one of whose pieces is The City of Mer Kailash (2009), a two-hour ballet featuring over 60 dancers and a 100+ piece orchestra.
Soul Jazz Records are releasing this lost classic Nigerian album as a strictly limited-edition 1000 copies worldwide exact-replica artwork reproduction LP (+ sleevenotes + free download), CD and digital album.

Sweet Addiction is Yuksek's great studio comeback. Its 5 elegant tracks signal his return as a main player. The maxi, which prefigures a 3rd album, features the Greek singer Monika (Make It Easy) and the duo Her (on the1st single, Sweet Addiction). Yuksek's characteristic sound, midway between post-disco, house and pop, shines through on its various tracks. Even more than on his last album, Living on the Edge of Time, Yuksek shows his talent as a singer. His new melodies are sunnier than before; his beats and production more subtle. Airy, but still conveying a touch of hedonism in its most club-friendly sounds, this EP is a foretaste of a sparkling new opus. Bio : At the start of the 2000s, Yuksek released a series of maxis and then two albums: Away from the Sea (2009) and Living on the Edge of Time (2011).Those records laid the foundations of a sound that uncompromisingly combined pop, disco and electro. Then in 2013, he set up his own label: Partyfine. It is now home to artists such as Clarens, Weekend Affair, Get A Room!, Jean Tonique, Juveniles,TEPR and Villa.

By the mid 1970's in Nigeria, the Biafran War was a distant memory and the music scene in the eastern city of Aba was booming again. Bands like The Funkees, The Wings and The Apostles grabbed the headlines, but the more interesting stuff was coming from smaller groups like the Friimen. The Friimen, or the Friimen Muzik Company to use their official name, were influenced as much by pre-Saturday Night Fever Bee Gees as Jimi Hendrix and James Brown. In Beni Tudumey they had the best keyboardist in the city, and in Dan Igbaji, Charlie Eze and Ken Okogbue its tightest rhythm section. Throw in Gbemi Saka Toju channeling his inner Barry Gibb and you had a band quite unlike any other in the country. The result is We Can Get it On, a hybrid of West Coast ballads and dancefloor chuggers. One moment they are thanking God for making the mountains ('The Creator'), the next salaciously suggesting it's time to make the mountains move ('We Can Get It On'). Some of the songs simply state the obvious ('Music Makes You Move'.) However, it's the track, 'Salt Sweet Style', that sums up the Friimen best: We have the salt. We have the sweet. We have the style.' It's all present and accounted for on We Can Get It On.