Afrobeat 1301 Items

Fela Soul Purple Vinyl Edition

Release: 1984 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Comet Records presents from Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen, N.E.P.A Reissue LP Vinyl remastered and coming in an heavy Deluxe Tip-On Jacket. In 1979, Tony Allen decided to leave Fela Kuti & Africa 70 and moved to London in 1982. Originally Released in 1984 on Earthworks Records, this reissue holds an extra track previously unreleased on vinyl called “Olokun”. N.E.P.A (Never Expect Power Always) is a searing critique of the Nigerian Electric Power Authority, an organisation that governed the use of electricity in Nigeria. It starts out with the title track, with a definite Afro-beat punch. Electro-claps stand as part of the percussion line, adding to a more modern look at what Afro-beat was becoming. This is followed by an even further modernized piece of Afro-beat, as the title track is given a dub mix. “When One Road Close” has a similar pace, and is similarly followed by a dub remix, complete with the necessary space-effects reverb. And to make this reissue extra special the track “Olokun” was never released on vinyl before. Blending the nascent rise of electronica into Afrobeat production, it’s tighter than any Fela album and became a definitive project in shaping Allen’s future sound. Whether it’s the electro beats or the punchier, multilayered arrangement, it instantly stands out in Allen’s vast and expansive discography

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Fela Kuti Vs. De La Soul

LP | 2015 | US (Fela Soul)

31,99 €*

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Now-Again)

Release: 2015 / US

Genre: Hip Hop, Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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The classic is back! Limited edition for Record Store Day 2015! Gummy Soul's Amerigo Gazaway mashes up Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti with acapellas from De La Soul to killer effect! A fantasic journey into the "world of afrobeat rhythms, funky horn riffs & classic hip-hop gems". Bonus track added, now on colored vinyl in a full color picture sleeve!

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Ngozi Family

45,000 Volts

LP | 2020 | Original (Now-Again)

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Hold on! Ngozi Family! We are a Zambian band, with a heavy sound! Archival reissue of Paul Ngozi’s hard-edged, proto-punk, mid-1970s Zamrock masterwork. Featuring Chrissy Zebby Tembo. First official reissue.

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Witch

Introduction

Release: 2020 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Idris Ackamoor And The Pyramids

Shaman!

2LP | 2020 | EU | Original (Strut)

Fela Kuti & The Africa 70

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Influential jazz collective Idris Ackamoor and The Pyramids retu rn with an epic new opus, 'Shaman!', released on 7th August featuring a fresh line-up including original 1970s Pyramids member Dr. Margaux Simmons on flute, Bobby Cobb on guitar, longterm associate Sandra Poindexter on violin, Ruben Ramos on bass, Gioele Pagliaccia on drums and Jack Yglesias on percussion. The band transitions from the political and social commentaries of 2018's acclaimed 'An Angel Fell' into more introspective themes. "I wanted to use this album to touch on some of the issues that we all face as individuals in the inner space of our souls and our conscience," explains Ackamoor. "The album unfolds over four Acts with personal musical statements about love and loss, mort ality, the afterlife, family and salvation."

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Yellow Fever

LP | 1976 | UK | Reissue (Knitting Factory)

Release: 1976 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2019 | EU | Original (Knitting Factory)

Fela Kuti & Roy Ayers

Music Of Many Colours

Kings Left Behind Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Music of Many Colours is a joint album between Roy Ayers and Fela Kuti, recorded after a three week tour of Nigeria’s major cities in 1979, during which Roy Ayers performed as the opening act for Fela’s band. The two artists decided to record the album as a round-up to the tour.

Roy Ayers describes the experience saying, “I met Fela Kuti in Nigeria in 1979, and we fell into a great relationship, good personal and music vibes, and we recorded that album together. Fela also came to USA in the eighties and we performed at NYC's Madison Square Garden. Amazingly energetic, Fela Kuti had a very original concept that was called Afro Beat – a genre with a very unique identity and exceptional music. One of Fela Kuti's most impressive qualities was that he was undeniably a brilliant show man, as a musician and as a huge dancer as well. His African concept was truly original… The tour was about two black men together coming together, one from Africa and other from USA, a very exciting collaboration."

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Ikebe Shakedown

LP | 2019 | US | Original (Colemine)

LP | 2019 | EU | Original (Mr Bongo)

Release: 2019 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Ten years ago, Ikebe Shakedown began pushing the boundaries of instrumental music. Each new track and live set has sent them deeper into combining the primal elements of ’70s soul, raw psychedelic style, and cinematic Western soundtracks with powerful grooves and soaring melodies. Now, with their new release, Kings Left Behind (Colemine Records), the band is giving listeners more mystery and majesty than ever before. The album features the entire group collaborating to produce tracks that deliver punches right to the gut, even as dreamy guitars and lush horn melodies and string arrangements capture the imagination.

The album was recorded by Ikebe's bassist, Vince Chiarito, at Hive Mind Recording. Opened with Ikebe's saxophonist, Mike Buckley, and another collaborator in 2017, Hive Mind has become a home base for the band, leading to more experimentation with the textures and sounds of a genre they define as Instrumental Soul.

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Akofa Akoussah

2LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Hot Casa)

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Rich, deep, percussive soulful folk album from master Togolese singer, Akofa Akoussah. The album moves through uptempo afro-folk-funk on ‘Tango’ to deep ballads of ‘Ramer Sans Rame’ and ‘I Tcho Tchass’ and lighter moments on ‘G Blem Di’ and ‘Mitso Aseye’. Akofas exceptional songs and soaring vocals are decorated with percussion, guitar lines, subtle backing vocals and horns to create a unique, rich sonic. The album was recorded for release by French label Sonafric in 1976. Produced by Gérard Akueson; founder & owner of African record label, ‘Akue’, based in Paris.
Music was truly in the blood of Julie Akofa Akoussah. She began singing at the age of three, inspired and led by her mother and older sister and became principal soloist in her school choir, St. Peter & Paul Choir of our Immaculate Conception Parish of Nyékonakpoé, at the age of 8. From there her career blossomed, and singing often took precedence over her studies. In order to master her art she spent time studying and working closely with local groups including Mélo Togo, Rocka Mambo, Rio Romamcero, Ok Fiesta, Eryco Jazz, Afro Cubano, Los Muchacho, Elégance Jazz and Togo Star amongst others. In her own words: ”Luck opened the door in January 1966 where I had the honour of being selected to share the stage with Bella Below – one of the best voices of
Africa – at the 1st ‘Negro Arts Festival’ in Dakar. On my return, I was approached by Ambroise Ouyi, the highly respected singer & poet, and we wrote ‘Tu Ne M'Écris Plus’, my very first opus.“
The popularity of her work led to an increased exposure for Togolese music outside of the country, in neighbouring Ghana and Benin most notably. During her career she collaborated and performed with greats including Manou Djibango, Queen Pelagie, Abeti Massikini, Aycha Koné and Myriam Makeba. Akoussah was also dedicated to, and widely recognised for, her work for social causes, championing and nurturing young musical talent, and the fight against AIDS. She was president of the National Union of Artists Musicians of Togo (UNAM) before sadly passing away in April 2007 after a long illness, at the age of 57.

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Vaudou Game

Otodi

29,99 €*

3LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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No one had been through those doors in years. Unchanged, seemingly untouched, just a Guard watching over it, one wondered whether the place would ever see the light of day again. Built in the 70s by Scotch, there were only twenty such places in the entire world. Twenty studios, all identical. Most had undergone a digital makeover in the 80s, but not this one; situated in Lomé, this studio had stayed true to its original form. Silent and uninhabited but waiting for one thing, and one thing only: for the sacred fire to be lit once again. That of the Togolese Recording Office, is studio OTODI for those in the know. Through thick layers of dust, the console was vibrating still, impatient to be turned on and spurt out the sound so unique to analog. That sound is what Peter Solo and his band Vaudou Game came to seek out.
The original vibrations of Lomé’s sound, resonating within the studio space, an undercurrent pulsing within the walls, the floor, and the entire atmosphere. A presence at once electrical and mystical sourced through the amps that had never really gone cold, despite the deep sleep that they had been forced into. In taking over the studio’s 3000 square feet, enough to house a full orchestra, Vaudou Game had the space necessary to conjure the spirits of voodoo, those very spirits who watch over men and nature, and with whom Peter converses every day.
For the most authentic of frequencies to fully imbibe this third album, Peter Solo entrusted the rhythmic section to a Togolese bass and drum duo, putting the groove in the expert hands of those versed in feeling and a type of musicianship that you can’t learn in any school. This was also a way to put OTODI on the path of a more heavily hued funk sound, the backbone of which maintains flexibility and agility when moving over to highlife, straightens out when enhanced with frequent guest Roger Damawuzan’s James Brown type screams, and softens when making the way for strings. Snaking and undulating when a chorus of Togolese women takes over, guiding it towards a slow, hypnotic trance. Up until now, Vaudou Game had maintained their connection to Togo from their base in France. This time, recording the entire album in Lomé at OTODI with local musicians, Peter Solo drew the voodoo fluid directly from the source, once again using only Togolese scales to make his guitar sing, his strings acting as channels between listeners and deities…

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Dur-Dur Band

Dur Dur of Somalia

36,99 €*

LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Afrosynth)

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Analog Africa are proud to present the 27th release of their Analog Africa Series. A fantastic, hypnotic and funky compilation from the Dur-Dur Band of Somalia that comes out on a Triple LP.

When Analog Africa founder Samy Ben Redjeb arrived in Mogadishu in November of 2016, he was informed by his host that he would have to be accompanied at all times by an armed escort while in the country. The next morning, a neighbour and former security guard put on a military uniform, borrowed an AK-47 from somewhere and escorted him to Via Roma, an historical street in the heart of Hamar-Weyne, the city’s oldest district. Although previous Analog Africa releases have demonstrated a willingness to go more than the extra air-mile to track down the stories behind the music, the trip to Mogadishu was a musical journey of a different kind. It was the culmination of an odyssey that had started many years earlier.

In 2007 John Beadle, a Milwaukee-based musicologist and owner of the much loved Likembe blog, uploaded a cassette he had been handed twenty years earlier by a Somalian student. The post was titled ‘Mystery Somali Funk’ and it was, in Samy’s own words, “some of the deepest funk ever recorded.” The cassette seemed to credit these dense, sonorous tunes to the legendary Iftin Band. But initial contact with Iftin’s lead singer suggested that the ‘mystery funk’ may have actually been the work of their chief rival, Dur-Dur, a young band from the 80s.

Back then, Mogadishu had been a very different place. On the bustling Via Roma, people from all corners of society would gather at the Bar Novecento and Cafe Cappucino, watch movies at the famous Supercinema, and eat at the numerous pasta hang-outs or the traditional restaurants that served Bariis Maraq, a somali Beef Stew mixed with delicious spiced rice. The same street was also home to Iftinphone and Shankarphone, two of the city’s best known music shop. Located opposite each other, they were the centre of Somalia’s burgeoning cassette distribution network. Both shops, run by members of the legendary Iftin Band, would become first-hand witnesses to the meteoric rise of Dur- Dur, a rise that climaxed in April of 1987 with the release of Volume 2, their second album.

The first single ‘Diinleya’ had taken Somalian airwaves by storm in a way rarely seen before or since. The next single, ‘Dab,’ had an even greater impact, and the two hits had turned them into the hottest band in town. In addition to their main gig as house band at the legendary Jubba Hotel, Dur-Dur had also been asked to perform the music for the play “Jascyl Laba Ruux Mid Ha Too Rido” (May one of us fall in love) at Mogadishu’s national theatre. The play was so successful that the management had been forced to extend the run by a month, throwing the theatre’s already packed schedule into complete disarray, and each night, as soon as the play had finished, Dur-Dur had to pack their instruments into a Volkswagen T1 tour bus that would shuttle them across town in time for their hotel performance.

The secrets to Dur-Dur’s rapid success is inextricably linked to the vision of Isse Dahir, founder and keyboard player of the band. Isse´s plan was to locate some of the most forward-thinking musicians of Mogadishu´s buzzing scene and lure them into Dur-Dur. Ujeeri, the band’s mercurial bass player was recruited from Somali Jazz and drummer extraordinaire Handal previously played in Bakaka Band. These two formed the backbone of Dur-Dur and would become one of Somalia’s most extraordinary rhythm sections.

Isse also added his two younger brothers to the line-up: Abukar Dahir Qassin was brought in to play lead guitar, and Ahmed Dahir Qassin was hired as a permanent sound engineer, a first in Somalia and one of the reasons that Dur-Dur became known as the best-sounding band in the country.

On their first two albums, Volume 1 and Volume 2, three different singers traded lead-vocal duties back and forth. Shimaali, formerly of Bakaka Band, handled the Daantho songs, a Somalian rhythm from the northern part of the country that bears a striking resemblance to reggae, Sahra Dawo, a young female singer, had been recruited from Somalia’s national orchestra, the Waaberi Band. Their third singer, the legendary Baastow, whose nickname came from the italian word ‘pasta’ due to the spaghetti-like shape of his body, had also been a vocalist with the Waaberi Band, and had been brought into Dur-Dur due to his deep knowledge of traditional Somali music, particularly Saar, a type of music intended to summon the spirits during religious rituals. These traditional elements of Dur-Dur’s repertoire sometimes put them at odds with the manager of the Jubba Hotel who once told Baastow “I am not going to risk having Italian tourists possessed by Somali spirits. Stick to disco and reggae.”

Yet from the very beginning, Dur-Dur’s doctrine was the fusion of traditional Somali music with whatever rhythms would make people dance: Funk, Reggae, Soul, Disco and New Wave were mixed effortlessly with Banaadiri beats, Daantho and spiritual Saar music. The concoction was explosive and when they stormed the Mogadishu music scene in 1986 with their very first hit single, ‘Yabaal,’ featuring vocals from Sahra Dawo, it was clear that a new meteorite had crash-landed in Somalia. As Abdulahi Ahmed, author of Somali Folk Dances explains: “Yabaal is a traditional song, but the way it was played and recorded was like nothing else we had heard before, it was new to us.” ‘Yabaal’ was one of the songs that resurfaced on the Likembe blog, and it became the symbolic starting point of this project.

It initially seemed that Dur-Dur’s music had only been preserved as a series of murky tape dubs and YouTube videos, but after Samy arrived in Mogadishu he eventually got to the heart of Mogadishu’s tape-copying network – an analogue forerunner of the internet file-sharing that helped to keep the flame of this music alive through the darkest days of Somalia’s civil strife – and ended up finding some of the band’s fabled master tapes, long thought to have disappeared.

This triple LP / double CD reissue of the band’s first two albums – the first installment in a three-part series dedicated to Dur-Dur Band – represents the first fruit of Analog Africa’s long labours to bring this extraordinary music to the wider world. Remastered from the best available audio sources, these songs have never sounded better. Some thirty years after they first made such a splash in the Mogadishu scene, they have been freed from the wobble and tape-hiss of second and third generation cassette dubs, to reveal a glorious mix of polychromatic organs, nightclub-ready rhythms and hauntingly soulful vocals.

In addition to two previously unreleased tracks, the music is accompanied by extensive liner notes, featuring interviews with original band members, documenting a forgotten chapter of Somalia’s cultural history. Before the upheaval in the 1990s that turned Somalia into a war-zone, Mogadishu, the white pearl of the Indian Ocean, had been one of the jewels of eastern Africa, a modern paradise of culture and commerce. In the music of the Dur-Dur band – now widely available outside of Somalia – we can still catch a fleeting glimpse of that golden age.
Listen & Enjoy!

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Ntombi Ndaba & Survival

Tomorrow

19,99 €*

12" | 2018 | EU | Original (Soundway)

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Incl. her in demand tune "Tomorrow" . Six-track anthology of South African singer Ntombi Ndaba, featuring 2 songs from 3 of her solo albums, Mina Ngiljaji (1988), Mama Nature (1989) and Why Me (1991).
Ntombi Ndaba first rose to fame in 1985 with Ntombi & Survival, becoming one of the most popular singers of the bubblegum era. After setting up the independent label Anneko with her producer A.T. ‘Rubber’ Khoza in 1988, she went solo. Following Khoza’s death in the early 1990s, Ndaba never recorded again.

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The Mauskovic Dance Band

Down In The Basement

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Soundway Records presents the debut EP from The Mauskovic Dance Band – a heady, tropical blend of cumbia, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and space disco, resulting in a vibrant hypnotic groove destined for bustling dancefloors.
The Mauskovic Dance Band is the brainchild of the Amsterdam-based producer and musician, Nicola Mauskovic. A seasoned drummer, he finds himself constantly in demand – as part of Turkish psychedelic outfit Altin Gün, a recent tour with the revival of Zambian legends W.I.T.C.H., and a worldwide tour with psych-pop artist Jacco Gardner, with whom he then went on to form the dance-oriented duo Bruxas (released on Dekmantel). Throughout this hectic schedule Nic still found time to begin studio experiments that would eventually lead to several 7” singles, released on Swiss label Bongo Joe Records in 2017 under the name “The Mauskovic Dance Band”.
Following this, he tapped long-time collaborators Donnie Mauskovic (vocals, keys, effects), Em Nix Mauskovic (guitar, synth, percussion), and Mano Mauskovic (bass) to make the jump from record to stage. Soon they caught the ear of fabled underground Cumbia producer Juan Hundred, who left his home on a Caribbean island to join the band on drums.
With each band member of varying heritage, the group draws inspiration from diverse genres: primarily Afro-Colombian styles such as champeta, palenque, cumbia and the picó soundsystem culture, as well as the Afro-Disco and No-Wave scenes in their current base of Amsterdam. The city’s hotbed of underground producers has also brought an electronic edge to the band, with vintage drum machines and synthesisers effortlessly melding with Afro-Latin rhythms and slick guitar riffs to create a contemporary sound rich with cultural influence.
Having toured extensively through Europe in 2017 as a staple of festival stages and clubs, The Mauskovic Dance Band continues to build exciting momentum – with appearances at Eurosonic Noorderslag 2018 and an extensive tour of the Netherlands coinciding with the launch of the EP.

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Gumba Fire: Bubblegum Soul & Synth Boogie In 1980s South Africa

3LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Soundway)

12" | 1982 | EU | Reissue (Hot Casa)

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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In 1980s black South Africa a local form of pop music evolved as the disco boom died down and slowly mutated. It was often ubiquitously described as Bubblegum - usually stripped-down and lo-fi with a predominance of synths, keyboards and drum-machines and overlaid with the kind of deeply soulful trademark vocals and harmonies that South African music is famous for.
Compilers Miles Cleret (Soundway) and DJ Okapi (Afrosynth Records) present a selection of 18 rare, handpicked 1980s cuts that highlight the period that nestles in between the ‘70s (where American-influenced jazz, funk and soul bumped shoulders with local Mbaqanga) and the ‘90s when Kwaito and eventually house-music ruled the dancefloors of urban South Africa.
Alongside French-Caribbean Zouk this kind of music has slowly been making its way into the DJ sets of many of the most open minded selectors around the world. This compilation is in many ways a sister release to the hugely popular compilation of Nigerian boogie and disco that Soundway released in late 2016 : “Doing it In Lagos: Boogie, Pop & Disco in 1980s Nigeria”.
The album takes its name from the band Ashiko’s track of the same name Gumba Fire that features on the compilation. The term is derived from gumba gumba, the term given to the booming speakers of the old spacegram radios that
broadcast music into South Africa’s townships and villages. The phrase later evolved into Gumba Fire to refer to a hot party. Put this record on and feel the heat!

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Boncana Maiga

Koyma Hondo

2LP | 2017 | Original (World Circuit)

Release: 1982 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Afro-Funk side of the Latin Soul maestro!
Born in Gao (Mali), Boncana Maïga is one of the most talented and popular producer of West-African music since the 60's. He studied flute and Latin arrangements in Cuba during the 60's and founded the famous “Les Maravillas du Mali” in 1968.
He became orchestra leader for the national Ivorian TV in Abidjan in the mid-seventies, and toured all over the world with the famous Africando band. During his recording sessions in NYC at the beginning of the 80's with a lot of “Latin musicians” from Puerto Rico, Venezuela or Colombia, Boncana Maïga also recorded few rare Funky tracks with heavy breaks!
With the artist, we decided to reissue four rare tracks from 1978 to 1982 dedicated to dancefloor, including a really rare soundtrack for the oil company of Ivory Coast called “Petroci”.
In 2018, he'll be back on tour with “Les Maravillas du Mali”, still have a weekly TV show on TV5 Monde and with this reissue will continue to warm your Afro-Funk parties!
Fully licensed, 12inch vinyl (45 RPM) including interview. Remastered by The Carvery!

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Ruben Gonzalez

Introducing…

Release: 2017 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 1972 | EU | Reissue (Strut)

Mulatu Astatke

Mulatu Of Ethiopia

12" | 2017 | EU | Original (Favorite)

Release: 1972 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Strut present the first official reissue of a landmark album in the field of African music, Mulatu Astatke’s ‘Mulatu Of Ethiopia’ from 1972. Recorded in New York, the album arrived at a time when Astatke had begun to master the delicate fusion of styles needed to create Ethio jazz.

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Voilaaa

African Music

11,99 €*

Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids

Release: 2017 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Voilaaa is one of the many projects led and produced by Bruno “Patchworks” Hovart, who’s proven over the past 15 years, his place amongst the finest producers of groove music in all genres.
This time exploring the wide spectrum of the African and Tropical Disco scene, he received a massive international support for Voilaaa’s first album, On te l’avait dit, released late 2015 on Favorite Recordings.
With a second effort already planned for spring 2017, Voilaaa has not finished to feed international dancefloors with heavy Afro-Disco vibes.
Here comes the first single from Voilaaa’s upcoming second efforts, made of 3 new killer tunes featuring Lass, Sir Jean, and Pat Kalla.

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Tinoge Ya Ta'a Ba, Part 1 & 2

7" | 2017 | EU | Original (Philophon)

11,99 €*

Fela Kuti & The Africa 70

Release: 2017 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2016 was the year for Idris Ackamoor & the Pyramids: their album "We Be All Africans" (produced by Philophon and released on Strut Rec.) vaulted them among the global top acts of the current Spiritual Jazz renaissance. The strengh of the group is its deep connection to Africa: not just that their music is inspired by the spirit of Africa, they actually founded themselves on an extended trip to the Motherland in 1972.

On that trip Idris Ackamoor visited the tiny town Bolgatanga in Northern Ghana to play with local Frafra musicians - an experiance which changed his life. Now, after 45 years, Idris dives once more into the magical music of the Frafra people by teaming up with master musician Guy One, the no. 1 Kologo artist of the vital music scene of Bolgatanga. On "Tinoge Ya Ta'a Ba" Guy One sings about the power of unity - a unity you hear clearly on this Afro-Euro-American cooperation: a driving rhythm, a eulogizing saxophone, a gripping voice and in total a journey into another dimension.

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International Thief Thief (I.T.T.)

LP | 1979 | UK | Reissue (Knitting Factory)

Release: 1979 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Fela Kuti & The Africa 70

Upside Down

LP | 1976 | UK | Reissue (Knitting Factory)

Release: 1976 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Nigeria Soul Fever! - Afro Funk, Disco and Boogie: West African Disco Mayem!

3LP | UK (Soul Jazz)

34,99 €*

LP | 2014 | US | Reissue (Now-Again)

Release: UK

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Soul Jazz Records’ new Nigeria Soul Fever is their first release to explore the vast wealth of Nigerian music recorded in the 1970s. The new album comes with introductory sleeve-notes by Bill Brewster (author of Last Night A DJ Saved My Life).
Packed-full with Afro-Funk, Disco and Boogie all from Nigeria, this triple album/double CD set brings together a stunning collection of diverse West African sounds. Whilst a small handful of the artists featured (Joni Haastrup, Tee Mac, Christy Essien) have seen the light of day outside Africa, this is essentially a collection of killer tracks by an array of artists completely unknown outside of Nigeria. Artists such as Don Bruce & The Angels, Akin Richards & The Executives, Angela Starr, Jimmy Sherry & The Music Agents. It’s no surprise that these records are extremely rare and expensive to buy individually so this album will save you going broke trying to find them.
These recordings were made at a time when Nigeria’s trade restrictions banned imported records. Whilst new musical trends (such as American soul, funk, disco etc) entered and influenced the country, the local music scene remained just that – local. Consequently, these recordings remain practically unknown to anyone outside of the country.

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Ngozi Family

Day Of Judgment

Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder

Release: 2014 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2023 repress
Proto-punk and garage Zamrock: the celebrated guitarist Paul Ngozi’s essential debut album. Featuring Chrissy Zebby Tembo.

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Talking Timbuktu

2LP | 1993 | EU | Reissue (World Circuit)

Release: 1993 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Psychedelic Sanza 1982-1984

Francis Bebey

2LP | 2014 | EU | Original (Born Bad)

LP+CD | 2013 | EU | Original (Glitterbeat)

Release: 2014 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Special compilation from Parisian re-issue kings, Born Bad, of the late Cameroonian master musician, Francis Bebey. This is the material we were hoping would follow the excellent comp from last year. Amazing 'universal' music currently only available on expensive originals. Double album with printed innersleeve.

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Tamikrest

Chatma

Release: 2013 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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180g vinyl!

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Kenya Special: Selected East African Recordings From The 1970s & '80s

3LP+7" | 2013 | UK | Original (Soundway)

Orile To Berlin Orange Vinyl Edition

Release: 2013 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Soundway Records present Kenya Special: Selected East African Recordings from the 1970s & ‘80s - a treasure-trove of rare and unusual recordings from East Africa. Spread out over two CDs and one triple LP, Kenya Special is accompanied by detailed liner notes, original artwork and photographs.

It follows on from Soundway’s much acclaimed African ‘Special’ series that to date has focused on the highlife and afrobeat output from 1970s Nigeria and Ghana. Kenya Special is a collection of 32 recordings (most of which were only ever released on small-run 45rpm 7" singles) that stand out as being different or unique as well as some classic genre standards. From Kikuyu language ‘liquid soul’, Luo benga and Swahili afrobeat to genre-bending Congolese and Tanzanian tracks recorded in Nairobi, Kenya Special sees Soundway yet again taking the less trodden path. Many of the tracks featured here are peppered with innovation and experimentation highlighting how diverse the music scene in Kenya was at the time.

In 1970s Kenya the two threads of rumba and benga loosely dominated the music scene. Benga quickly became Kenya’s unique contribution to afro-pop; spreading like wildfire through the interior countryside with it’s fast, 4/4 machine-gun beat and intricate electric guitar layers. The Congolese take on Afro-Cuban rumba was introduced by touring bands many of whom settled in East Africa - influencing bands from Kenya and Tanzania to come up with their own take on this popular style. Alongside these styles were small ensembles and hotel-sponsored bands, playing a blend of music that often included rock ‘n’ roll riffs, elements of ‘afro’ music (influenced by West African musicians like Fela Kuti), and multiple other combinations from South African and Zambian guitar styles to disco, funk and Swahili coastal rhythms like chakacha.

Painstakingly compiled, assembled and researched over two years by a team of five people from five countries (Kenya included), Kenya Special is a collection that looks beyond the mainstream and brings new life and recognition to some little known gems and forgotten classics of Kenya’s past.

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Rah & The Ruffcats

LP | 2024 | Original (Sonar Kollektiv)

LP | 1980 | Reissue (Chrysalis)

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Berlin based Ruffcats are something of an institution. This eight-piece outfit made up of some of the country"s most revered session musicians, pool all of their diverse influences and come together as "The Ruffcats" to create a unique take on the music they love. Rapturous Apollo Helios, better known as RAH, has been making a name for himself as one of Berlins" most outstanding rappers, songwriters and vocalists. Originally hailing from Lagos, Nigeria, RAH"s music has always been influenced by his environment as well as a rich history of black music from hip hop to soul and, of course, Afrobeat.

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Selecter

Too Much Pressure

29,99 €*

Release: 1980 / Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2024 | Original (Culture Factory)

Bob Marley

Trenchtown Rockers

36,99 €*

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Sledgehammer Dub In The Street Of Jamaica

Niney The Observer

LP | 2024 | UK | Original (Burning Sounds)

30,99 €*

Release: 2024 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Radio Martiko)

Ansambl Mileta Petrovica

Veseli Romi

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orchestra

Nova Era

LP | 2021 | Original

Release: 2021 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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12" | 2024 | UK | Reissue (Soundway)

Oluko Imo

Oduduwa

18,99 €*

The Sorcerers White Vinyl Edition

Release: 2024 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Reissue of the 80s 12” single from Trinidadian musician Oluko Imo (Black Truth Rhythm Band), featuring Fela Kuti and Femi Kuti. Recorded between Lagos and New York in 1988, the tracks sit at the fault line of the Trinidad-Yoruba connection, blending calypso heritage with the Afrobeat and jazz of Nigeria. On the A-side, title track ‘Oduduwa’ is a brooding slice of peak-era Transatlantic Afrobeat, blending a heartfelt plea for social justice and equality with a haunting piano line, shuffling drums and ethereal sax solo. The song takes its name from Oduduwa, the founder of the Ife Empire, who is also seen as a divine Orisha (deity) in Yoruba culture, one that is often evoked by musicians and activists in Trinidad as a signifier of Yoruba heritage on the island. On the flip, ‘Eyes Are Getting Red (Were Oju Le)’ is a long-lost slice of low slung Afrobeat featuring both Fela and Femi Kuti. Classic Nigerian horns and keys combine with Oluko Imo’s Caribbean-influenced guitar and Fela’s virtuoso sax solo, bridging the musical gap between Lagos and Port of Spain.

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The Sorcerers

LP | 2015 | UK | Reissue (ATA)

30,99 €*

LP | 1982 | EU | Reissue (Sabura)

Release: 2015 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Reissue of the debuit album from The Sorcerers. Recently championed by Ethio-Jazz legend Mulatu Astatke on his Addis Abbaba radio show, The Sorcerers take influences from Ethiopiques Ethio-jazz as well as the soundtracks to the european horror films of the 60's and 70's and the british library music of the same era & blend them into one cohesive package. Made up of various stalwarts of the vibrant Leeds Jazz/World scene they were originally formed to contribute some tracks to the compilation "Funk, Soul & Afro Rarities: An Introduction To ATA Records" released in 2014 on Here & Now Records. After receiving a favourable response to their contributed tracks and garnering support from the likes of Strut records founder Quinton Scott and Radio 3's Nick Luscombe (Late Junction) they decided to develop their sound further before recording their debut album.

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Mendes & Mendes

29,99 €*

Marry Waterson & Adrian Crowley

Release: 1982 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Brothers Gerard Mendes (also known as Boy Ge Mendes) and Jean-Claude Mendes display the intriguing combination of Creole Portuguese-African polyrhythms, American boogie, and Brazilian samba; the duo became massive stars among the Cabo Verde diaspora.

This LP includes the killer boogie anthem “Mitamiyo”

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Cuckoo Storm Limited Edition

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (One Little Independent)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Elmir)

Fadela

Mahlali Noum

LP | 1989 | EU | Reissue (Kalita)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Fadela is an internationally renowned artist from Oran (Algeria) who began her musical career in the 1980s alongside Boutaiba S'ghir, Khaled and avant-garde producer Rachid Baba Ahmed. With her powerful, haunting voice, Fadela has brought a new dimension to raï music, skilfully blending traditional sounds with modern influences. Her songs are infused with emotion and passion, telling stories of love, pain and resilience. Over the years, she has released several successful albums, reaching millions of people around the world and making her an icon of raï music. Today, Fadéla continues to perform, enchanting audiences with her unique voice and infectious energy. Her exceptional career and musical heritage make her one of the greatest raï artists of all time. Elmir is delighted to present the first vinyl edition and reissued CD of the album Mahlali Noum, originally released in 2006.

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Papa Yankson

Party Time

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (3eme Bureau / Wagram)

Release: 1989 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Kalita are proud to present the first ever reissue of Papa Yankson"s highly sought-after 1989 disco-infused highlife masterpiece "Party Time"! Showcasing the late Ghanaian superstar at his very best, "Party Time" encapsulates the blending of deep, rhythmic West African melodies with synthesizers and electronic styles that had exploded during the decade. Now, thirty-five years after initial release, and with original copies having reached grail status on the second-hand collector"s scene, Kalita brings this phenomenal record back to life, with extensive liner notes detailing Papa Yankson"s musical career.

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Roberto Fonseca

La Gran Diversión

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Soundway)

Rex Omar

Dubben Meets Made In Brasil

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Modern highlife luminary Rex Omar has been a force within the Ghanaian music scene for over 30 years. Now Soundway presents five of his premier cuts remastered for a new self-titled EP. Over his career Rex Omar has evolved the genre, pushing boundaries and dazzling listeners. A definitive piece of his repertoire comes via his Dangerous album: while it was selfproduced and recorded in London circa 1997, upon CD release it saw success mainly within his homeland of Ghana. An irresistible blend of street-soul-come-highlife, with elements of bouncing 90s RnB/hip-hop, it was developed with help from Ibibio Sound Machine’s Kari Bannerman and prolific Jamaican producer Bill Campbell. From this album rising London producer and DJ Aroop Roy revisits the four-to-the-floor excursion ‘Dada’, repurposing for today’s dancefloor with the addition of fizzing synth chords and stabs. While Omar regularly raps on his earlier works, on ‘Kele Ngele’ (taken from his 2004 album Ajala) we hear a yearning melodic vocal over a more laid back RnB beat. This rounds out the new Rex Omar EP for the discerning listener to experience the full breadth of his inventive output.

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Grilos Cantam Para Anamaria / One Two-Two

7" | 2023 | EU | Original (Matasuna)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | Original (Want Some)

The Mighty Cavaliers

Mapendo

33,99 €*

Work Of Art Tri-Color Vinyl Edition

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Mapendo album of the Mighty Cavaliers, up to today, has been shrouded in mystery. If you look at the original cover of this very rare Kenyan funk-infused album all you will find are the names of the engineer and the producer, as EMI Kenya omitted the names of the musicians and the songwriters. Digging deeper a rather sinister story of deceit develops whereby Mapendo becomes symbolic for all what was wrong about the Kenyan record industry in the 1970s, and the music industry in Africa as a whole. As this maltreatment of artists proved endemic throughout the continent, although little talked about.

One of the three surviving members of the Mighty Cavaliers, bass player Bonnie Wanda - who started his career in 1971 with Gloria Africana - vividly remembers participating in the recording of the two albums the band made in 1976 and 1977 - Fisherman and Mapendo - and how they, especially on the last album, got short-changed by shrewd record label executives. In the 1960s it was mostly Indian and European record bosses that called the shots and usually gave musicians the chance of a one-off payment for their session time and recorded songs or wait for - hopefully - a generous royalty check. In most cases records didn't sell more than a thousand copies with an occasional hit selling in the tens of thousands, so musicians were reluctant to register themselves with the Music Copyright Society of Kenya. Although without doing so one couldn't receive royalties.

'For two years the Mighty Cavaliers performed five nights a week at the Starlight Club for five hour sets.

The re-release of Mapendo, the first of the German Want Some Records label, is another exciting puzzle piece in the tapestry of groovy Kenyan music. It proves that there are still great gems out there to be re-discovered for audiences worldwide.

Text written by Michiel van Oosterhout

This Album is dedicated to the musicians
Bonnie Wanda, Rashid Salim, Vuli Yeni, Juma Waweru Njuguna and Athmani 'guitar boy'."

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Asake

LP | 2023 | US | Original (Empire)

10" | 2023 | Original (Wise)

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Pop

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Work of Art is the second album from Nigerian-born singer-songwriter and global superstar, Asake. Building on the sounds from his explosive debut, Mr. Money With The Vibe (which became Billboard’s highest-charting debut album from a Nigerian artist), the 14-track Work Of Art showcases Asake’s winning formula of fusing traditional and contemporary African music into something equally unique and celebratory. The release also marked Asake’s second straight debut on the Billboard 200, and clocked in Spotify chart debuts at number 2 on the Global Albums chart and number 5 on the US Top Albums chart. With standout singles such as “Amapiano,” “2:30,” “Basquiat,” & “Sunshine,” the album highlights Asake’s innate ability to cut through to global audiences, making him one of 2023’s most intriguing artists to watch. Pressed on Green/White/Green Tri-Color Stripe Vinyl.

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In Crowd

Mango Walk

17,99 €*

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Basa Bongo / Black Pepper

Yoruba Singers

7" | 2023 | UK | Original (Soundway)

14,99 €*

LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Soundway)

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Guyana folk music reinterpreted and infused with Afroroots and culture, reissued on vinyl for the first time. A year after their debut album ‘Ojinga’s Own’, the Yoruba Singers from Guyana released the singles ‘Black Pepper’ and ‘Basa Bongo’. These two songs were recorded in Barbados and released on the Green Shrimp label and became extremely popular throughout the Caribbean and South America. The music also became an integral part of the very beginnings of what was later to become the Champeta Criolla sound in the Caribbean coast of Colombia.

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Yoruba Singers

Ojinga's Own

12" | 2019 | UK | Reissue (Brownswood)

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The 1974 debut album Ojinga’s Own and single Basa Bongo/Black Pepper by Guyanese Afro-Folk band The Yoruba Singers has been remastered for vinyl and digital. The Yoruba Singers formed in Georgetown, Guyana in 1971. Despite their name they were not from Nigeria, but identified strongly with the area from which so many of the African diaspora in Guyana and neighbouring regions were originally descended. The group started adapting Guyanese traditional folk music as well as writing their own - blending a mixture of protest, social commentary, blues, and genres inspired by the times. Beginning with about 12 people sharing vocal duties, most of the early repertoire was inspired by folk songs that started life on plantations or in religious settings accompanied by a few sparse musical instruments. Integral to the Yoruba Singers’ sound are echoes of Obeah traditions which are very closely related to the Santería religion of Cuba and the Orisha and Shango traditions of Trinidad and Tobago. Calypso and steelband culture from nearby Trinidad and Tobago was to some extent part of the musical DNA of the group, but they were naturally also influenced by the massive volume of rocksteady and roots-reggae coming from Jamaica.

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Kokoroko

Release: 2019 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Square One Transparent With Pink Splatter Vinyl Edition

Lack Of Afro

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Bastion Music Group)

44,99 €*

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 1988 | EU | Reissue (Pa Flipe)

Odissey

Pa Flipe

21,59 €* 26,99 € -20%

12" | 2023 | UK | Original (Soundway)

Release: 1988 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Reissue of the 1988 zouk album Pa Flipé by Odissey.

Odissey is a group formed by the Adams brothers (Pascal and Richie), born in Paris to a mother from Guadeloupe and a father from Martinique. At the time, Pascal was a DJ and radio presenter and Richard was a guitarist, both being trained singers. They had been making demo's for some time when one day they met Jolème Narayadou who was a well-known producer in the country, specialized in charming music who wanted to produce something other than slow and bolero (very popular music at the time). The three ventured in the studio and this resulted in the album Pa flipé (which is a Creole expression which means don't be afraid).

The tune Marie Hélène was a hit and is one of the great successes of Zouk in Martinique. The song is about a man in love with an Indian girl and takes place in Martinique, a small island in the French West Indies which saw the birth of Aimé Césaire but also Jean-Philippe Marthély, Jocelyne Béroard, Jean-Claude Naimro from the Kassav group, the legendary band which was born in Guadeloupe and which has toured the world multiple times.

Check the stand out songs : "Viré Love" & "Songe"

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Pigeon

Backslider

7" | 2020 | UK | Reissue (Lyskestrekk)

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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Following up on their acclaimed debut EP Yagana in 2022, the 5-piece band return with a brand new offering: Backslider. Dressed as if they would be equally comfortable starring in a modern spaghetti western as they are cutting slick silhouettes on a festival stage - are Guinean singer Falle Nioke, Graham Godfrey on drums, Steve Pringle on keys, Tom Dream on guitar and Josh Ludlow on bass.´As Pigeon develop and hone their sound further, Afrodisco remains at the core while jazz and no-wave make way for new elements of electro, rock and synth pop. The introduction of sequencers and drum machines sprinkles a little more structure into the mix, however the recording process still very much embodies the DIY spirit of band members that enjoy jamming together. With previous support from Gilles Peterson, Elton John, Iggy Pop, Bandcamp, NPR, Uncut and many more, the new Pigeon will undoubtedly fly off the shelves.

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Flammer Dance Band

Mer / Holder Rytme

13,99 €*

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Habibi Funk)

Release: 2020 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Flammer Dance Band back with two new hip-shaking garage funk tunes! 2023 Repress edition in different sleeve artwork colourway Another essential from Lyskestrekk Records.

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Ahmed Ben Ali

Subhana

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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LP | 2024 | Original (Real Gone Music)

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Israel Vibration

Strength Of My Life

32,99 €*

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2018 | EU | Reissue (Afrosynth)

Ntombi Ndaba & Survival

Tomorrow 2024 Repress

19,99 €*

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Elmir)

Release: 2018 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Farid El Atarche

The Early Years

Trésors De La Chanson Judéo-Arabbe

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Singer, actor and musician Farid El Atrache, born on October 19, 1910 in Soueïda, Syria, and died on December 26, 1974 in Beirut, Lebanon, is considered the greatest singer of the Arab world. A virtuoso of the oud, his timeless work, rich in hundreds of compositions, is recognized the world over. The present selection is devoted to the master's early works recorded in the 1930s-1940s.

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Lili Boniche

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Elmir)

LP | 2018 | Reissue (Chrysalis)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Algerian singer and musician Lili Boniche was born in Algiers on March 14, 1921, and died on March 6, 2008. He was famous for his contribution to Judeo-Arabic music, and particularly associated with chaâbi, a musical genre popular in Algeria that blends Arab, Berber and French influences.

Born Eliaou Élie Boniche, and he grew up in a Sephardic Jewish family and became interested in music at an early age. His musical career really took off in the 1940s and 1950s, when he recorded numerous hits that helped popularize the Judeo-Arabic repertoire. His unique style blended elements of Arabic music, jazz and tango, creating a captivating musical fusion. He is widely recognized for his mastery of the lute and his distinctive voice. His lyrics were often poetic, reflecting the everyday life, love and culture of his time.

Lili Boniche left an indelible mark on the North African music scene. His legacy lives on in his recordings, which continue to be listened to and enjoyed by music lovers the world over.

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The Specials

More Specials

Release: 2018 / Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Buh)

Perkutao

Mis Ancestros

33,99 €*

Fred Locks Meets The Creators

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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If, among the Afro-Peruvian music groups that have emerged in recent years, there is one that has dared to take the sound to new dimensions, it is Perkutao. Heirs to the best Afro-Peruvian tradition, they have been able to integrate Afro-Cuban elements and various contemporary popular styles, which they play with amazing with speed and precision. "Mis ancestros", is their debut album for Buh Records.Perkutao is an Afro-Peruvian percussion ensemble founded in 2005, directed by Percy Chinchilla, musician, percussionist, zapateador and teacher of young generations of percussionists. "Mis Ancestros" (My ancestors) is their first record under the production of Manongo Mujica and is the fourth title of the collection "Perspectivas de la Música Afroperuana" (Perspectives on Afro-Peruvian Music). Chinchilla shares the artistic direction of Perkutao with William Nicasio 'Makarito', another outstanding percussionist. Both grew up in the famous Callejón del Buque, in the district of La Victoria, a spot preferred by bohemians and known by local music partying -jaranas criollas. Both were also formed in Perú Negro, an emblematic Afro-Peruvian ensemble, and both carry in their blood the cult of percussion and Afro tradition. Chinchilla comes from a family of Afro-Peruvian musicians including Caitro Soto and Ronaldo Campos. And Makarito is the son of Macario Nicasio and grandson of El Niño, legendary Cuban percussionist in charge of introducing congas and bongo to Afro-Peruvian rhythms. Perkutao arose precisely from the merging of these traditions, Afro-Peruvian, Afro-Cuban and Caribbean music, and have become one of the most sought-after percussion ensembles due to the intensity of their sound and their powerful performances that include stage movements and surprising acrobatic skills. In addition to Chinchilla and Makarito, the ensemble is completed by Edu Campos, Andree Liendo and Víctor Sánchez Pitín."I follow in the footsteps of my ancestors, to the beat of the cajita, the quijada and the cajón, to the...

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Love And Harmony

LP | 2024 | UK | Original (Burning Sounds)

Release: 2024 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2024 | Original (Diamond West)

The Mesmerizers

Far From The West

LP | 2024 | UK | Original (180g)

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Introducing "The Mesmerizers," a mysterious trio of maestros whose debut 7" record transports you to a bygone era of exotic enchantment. Unearthed from the depths of a forgotten studio and given new life, these captivating compositions beckon you into a timeless realm where the boundaries of sound and imagination blur.Within the sultry grooves of this vinyl treasure, The Mesmerizers weave a spellbinding tapestry of exotica, echoing the seductive rhythms and lush melodies reminiscent of a golden age that refuses to be tethered to any specific moment.

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Ajate

Dala Toni

LP | 2024 | Original (Blue Shine)

Release: 2024 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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● Tokyo based band and Afrobayashi pioneers Ajate are back with their third album: experience the explosive encounter of Afro groove and Japanese traditional Ohayashi music!

During a stay in West Africa in the late 2000’s, Japanese musician Junichiro "John" Imaeda was taken aback by the similarities he felt between the Afrobeat that resonated in the streets of Accra, and the sounds of the "Ohayashi”, the music played during ancestral Japanese festivals, in which John had participated since his childhood.

On his return to the archipelago in 2009, Imaeda created Ajate, a collective of ten passionate musicians. Together they started crafting music that moves from one world to another, with intertwined roots. The drums, flutes and bells are joined by curious instruments handmade by John himself with the essential material of the Japanese countryside: bamboo. The “Jaate”, an amplified xylophone-balafon equipped with piezoelectric sensors on each of its keys, or the “Piechiku”, a bamboo version of the Malian “Ngoni” or the Gnawa “Guembri”, equipped with shamisen strings and connected to an arsenal of guitar pedals, give Ajate an absolutely unique sound. Powerful and catchy Japanese female and male vocals bring the final touch to an incredible groove where Afrobeat and Ohayashi music are woven together so seamlessly that Ajate has managed to capture a truly distinct fusion. The band sings about the power of human connections, the force of being and living all together, the joy of sharing, and the beauty of life. Ajate’s music is a magnificent example of the way sounds are able to migrate in contemporary music.

The band’s explosive live performances have taken Ajate to the most prestigious stages in Japan, such as the Sukiyaki Meets The World and Fuji & Sun festivals. The release on French label 180g of their “Abrada” and “Alo” albums, in 2017 and 2020 respectively, opened the doors to Europe, with memorable shows at the Transmusicales de Rennes festival - followed by a session on KEXP (Seattle, USA) - at Jazz a Vienne, and at WOMAD UK, among many others. With their brand new album “Dala Toni”, Ajate prove once again that they are at the forefront of global music "made in Japan".

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Arash Sarkechik

Bazaari

32,99 €*

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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12" | 2024 | EU | Original (Batov)

Liraz

Enerjy

Azerbaijani Gitara, Volume 2

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Singer, actress and cultural conduit for peace, Liraz releases a new collection of four songs, primed with an intensity and a raw musical revolt, energising the Middle Eastern musical landscape, sung in Farsi and driven by her deep desire for positive energy and much needed global harmony and light.

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Rahman Mammadli

LP | 2024 | CH | Original (Les Disques Bongo Joe)

Aggravators & Revolutionaries

Release: 2024 / CH – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Introducing "Azerbaijani Gitara vol. 2" by Rahman Mammadli, the eagerly awaited sequel to Bongo Joe"s acclaimed debut featuring Rüstam Quliyev. Born from the vibrant streets of Baku, Azerbaijani gitara culture has evolved into a mesmerizing fusion of indigenous traditions and global influences. From the oil boom era to Soviet rule, musicians have embraced the electric guitar as a symbol of cultural expression.Rahman Mammadli, a legend in his own right, revolutionized the sound with his innovative techniques and impassioned performances. Drawing inspiration from mugham music, Mammadli"s compositions resonate with soul-stirring melodies and electrifying solos.

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Guerrilla Dub

LP | 1978 | UK | Reissue (Burning Sounds)

30,99 €*

Release: 1978 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Si Algún Día Has De Caer / Papeles Rotos"

Mampön

7" | 2024 | UK | Original (Rocafort)

10,99 €*

Release: 2024 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Mampön are back! unleashing their Afrobeat enchantment on a new 45 release.

Crafted for the dancefloor, "Si Algún Dia Has De Caer" combines party beats with Spanish lyrics. Hectór Rodriguez, the band's guitarist and lead singer, creates a deep connection between celebration and introspection on an enchanting vocal-rhodes introduction before the rhythm takes you for a dance.

On the B-side, Mampön maintains the Afrobeat tradition as more than just dance music—it's a protest, a resistance. "Papeles Rotos" portrays people as slaves with rights on wet, torn paper, urging listeners to forge their path regardless of the cost.

Mampön emerges as a true soft power, destined for every dance floor, spreading Afrobeat magic.

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CD | 2024 | EU | Original (Hot Casa)

Togo Soul 2

18,99 €*

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Bela Fleck Productions - Thirt)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Hot Casa Records present Togo Soul 2: Selected Rare Togolese Recordings from 1974 to 1989 .

A treasure-trove of rare and unusual recordings mostly recorded in Lomé during the 70’s and 80’s . A fusion of traditional voodoo chants, raw soul and even Electro Funk . Finding these tracks and their rights holders hasn’t become any easier even after few trips all over this west African country bordered by Ghana , Benin & Burkina Faso. After 8 years, We , at Hot Casa Records with the kind help of Roger Damawuzan decided to select thirteen tracks, a snapshot of some hundreds of rare and often forgotten tapes from the most prolific, professional and exciting phase of the country’s recording history included international stars like Akofa Akoussah, Gregoire Lawani to Roger Damawuzan compared as the James Brown from Lomé to forgotten tapes and brilliant songs in Mina, Kabyié and Fon language.

Many of the tracks featured here are peppered with innovation and experimentation highlighting how diverse, the music scene in Togo was at the time even if the political context influenced their creation. Many of the original albums these tracks are taken from high prices online due to their rarity and so it’s with great pleasure that we present a selection here that evokes a golden boomtime in Togolese music history. Includes biographies and rare photos Remastered by Frank Merritt at The Carvery

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Bela Fleck

Rhapsody In Blue

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Preorder shipping from 2024-05-03

LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Soundway)

Nkono Teles

Love Vibration

LP | 2023 | US | Original (New West)

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Soundway releases a storming compilation of Cameroonian-born, Nigerian-based super producer Nkono Teles’ solo work. The pioneer of West African electronic music was known for being tapped by over 100 other musicians to produce or arrange their music, from King Sunny Adé, Guy Lobe, even Steve Monite’s album “Only You” and more. Having already appeared on Soundway’s best-selling compilation “Doing It In Lagos”, here more of Nkono’s limited solo work is carefully remastered and reissued on vinyl for the first time. One of a small handful of pioneers of the Nigerian electronic music scene in the 1980s (alongside the likes of Jake Sollo & William Onyeabor), Teles was known for being tapped by over 100 musicians to feature on, produce or arrange their music. The list of ‘80s Nigerian records that his sound and style embellished is seemingly endless: Steve Monite (he arranged and produced the music on the Only You album recently re-issued by Soundway), Dizzy K, Peter Abdul, Odion Iruoje, Steve Black, Rick Asikpo, Feladey, Charly Boy, Majek Fashek & Sonny Okosuns, to name just a few, all engaged his enigmatic production and keyboard services throughout the 1980s. He became known as the first person in Nigeria to push the use of the drum machine into popular music and created a unique and original boogie-funk sound combining these new beats with guitars and an array of new and affordable synthesiser sounds that started appearing in the early 1980s

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Esther Rose

Safe To Run

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (BBE Africa)

Remi Kabaka

Son Of Africa

35,99 €*

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | US | Original (Luaka Bop)

Alhaji Waziri Oshomah

Vol. 1

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The first volume of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah"s five-part Volume Series.On the heels of his already critically acclaimed (yes, already!) retrospective, World Spirituality Classics 3: The Muslim Highlife of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah, Alhaji Waziri Oshomah - the Oyoyo King, the Godfather of Afemai Music, the Etsako Super Star, Mr. Please Please Please, Mr. Dynamite - returns with Vol. 1.Along with the other four volumes of the series, Vol. 1 is now available-for the very first time!-as part of a complete set (in a box): Vol 1 - 5 (1978 - 1985).

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Afromagic Volume 1 - Hypnotic Grooves & Ecstatic Moves 1976-1981

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Everland)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Helen Nkume & Here Young Timers Band

Helen Nkune & Here Young Timers Band

LP | 1978 | UK | Reissue (Dig This Way)

Release: 1978 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Wagram)

Oriental Rare Groove

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Rare Groove CollectionExplore the fusion of world music with soul, funk and disco through the Rare Groove Collection.With this new volume, discover unique groove tracks straight from Jamaica!Fully remastered original versions Oriental RARE GROOVEA trip to the oriental peninsula following the steps of the Lebanese disco of Elias Rahbani, cradled by the Morrocan Soul of Ouiness or trained by the Lybian melodies of Ahmed Fakroun...

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Wagram)

Brazilian Rare Groove

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Easy Star)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Rare Groove CollectionExplore the fusion of world music with soul, funk and disco through the Rare Groove Collection.With this new volume, discover unique groove tracks straight from Jamaica!Fully remastered original versionsBrazilian RARE GROOVEDiscover the wonders of Brazilian music from 60s, 70s & 80s. A wave of modernity invades the country and Soul, Funk & Disco influences merge with traditional genres such as Bossa Nova, Samba or Batucada. This union led to a colorful and cheerful groove symbolizing the transformation of Brazil.

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Easy Star All-Stars

Ziggy Stardub

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Zenzile: The Reimagination Of Miriam Makeba

Somi

2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Salon Africana)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Sunset Blvd)

Gene Clark & Carla Olsen

So Rebellious A Lover

31,99 €*

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 1960 | EU | Reissue (20th Century Masterworks)

Joan Baez

Debut Album

Release: 1960 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Far Out)

Tunico

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | US | Original (Orchestra Gold)

Orchestra Gold

Medicine

33,99 €*

LP | 2016 | EU | Reissue (Yep Roc)

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Behind Oakland CA-based ensemble Orchestra GOLD’s original sound is a decade-long story of knowledge, respect, and collaboration between Mariam Diakite of Mali and Erich Huffaker of Oakland. Blending the traditions of Mali and American Rock/Funk with a retro feel, OG represents a world of powerful cross-cultural experience. The group transcends borders and boundaries to be a force of healing within the community. OG offers a kaleidoscope of magical sound deeply rooted in the past while boldly blazing towards the genre-bending future: African Psychedelic Rock. OG’s vibrant sound is spearheaded by the dynamic Mariam Diakite, whose raw, hypnotic vocals deliver heartfelt and thought-provoking lyrics in the highly symbolic Bambara language. While paying homage to Malian musical traditions, this fierce new sound thrives with heavy swinging rhythms, a funky fresh brass section, and cosmic guitar licks. With the January 2023 release of their third album, Medicine, this profoundly spiritual and danceinducing ensemble continues their pursuit of spreading healing and community through the universal gift of music.

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Watchhouse

Blindfaller

Release: 2016 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 1969 | EU | Reissue (Music On Vinyl)

Ethiopians

Reggae Power

Release: 1969 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (World Circuit)

Ali Farka Toure

Voyageur

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Passarinho Lim.Ed. / Orange

Joao Selva

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Underdog)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Gutifunk)

Ogun Afrobeat

Unite

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Officehome)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Unite is Ogun Afrobeat’s new album, where the band keeps on expanding its musical horizons without losing touch with the roots of Afrobeat and Nigerian music. In this album Ogun’s music goes East, with Ethiopian and Middle Eastern influences, and West, to America, focusing on the African diaspora in the Caribbean. You can also feel the presence of Afro-American music: jazz, funk, R&B. The result of blending these ingredients is a party where you can't stop dancing. Unite features some very special guests, from Nigerian Afrobeat legend Dele Sosimi to the renowned Spanish woodwind player Javier Paxariño, from Ethiopian singer Sara Habasha and Iranian multi-instrumentalist Kaveh Sarvarian to Cuban singers Alejandro Gutierrez and Carla Vicens.

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Roforofo Jazz

Running The Way

Say What You Like Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The unbreathable air saturated with moisture, the soggy soil that swallows every step like a starving death, the hostile nature and, finally, the remote swamp. The one they invested in composing Fire Eater. The one they left a few traces in. Tracks that can talk. Six men heavily armed with instruments, a seventh fastest, only weighted by a microphone. They left the inhospitable vegetation, leaving behind a succession of footprints. As we try to follow them, the afrobeat that made it easy to spot them now dissipates into a floating mist. So, we have to connect the radars and try to capture the vintage waves of equipment that emit more than one point but several. Be attentive to jazz solos and funk scarifications, as much as to what could chant and tap on the times of these tight rhythms. Because their blending has become a personal style as much as hybrid, and it is to avoid being watched by asphyxiation that they left the stagnant waters. Escaped from the car sound systems or plastered on the walls announcing their many concerts, it is in the city that they are now detected. Infiltrating them is a daunting task. A track where you have to avoid the vigilance of the electric and venomous keyboards, escape the copper flames and the guitar shears. Enter the choking groove to finally enjoy a purely instrumental passage, sneak in and dance. Progress outside the Afro mangrove, Running The Way nevertheless retains many cables still connected. The bottom of the jeans still ‘Roforofo’. ‘Muddy’ in Yoruba. Just 2 years after the first EP Fire Eater released in 2021, Radio Nova’s crush (title Helelyos enthroned 3 months in playlist), the Roforofo Jazz returns with the LP Running The Way, 8 tracks even more ambitious, with careful production, marking a clear progression in its quest for an increasingly more personal sound and writing. Putting the listener immediately in the tone of his atypical afro jazz rap fury, Love In Time and its sharp rhythmic appeal to the power of the music, in an ultra-energetic piece yet smelling with jazz via well-felt keyboard surges. Side To Side is a rearrangement of a piece by Togolese artist Bella Bello and Manu Dibango, yet glancing towards Motown and resonating like a anthem to life and directions to take to counter the negativity of our modern societies. Then on Stand Up in a more deepfunk US style like Breakestra or The Greyboy Allstars, MC Days (aka RacecaR) switches between fast flows and downtempo in an injunction to all fight for what we believe in. An epic piece concluded with a nod to Master Hendrix… Gas punctuates the A side with a light but saving rhythmic lull, coming closer to a nu-soul atmosphere and punctuated with an explosive refrain in which rap, rock and jazz clash, tending to prove as Days chants that by being more realistic our differences can only fade…Title Shawarma has nothing to do with a Kebab sandwich, although…! Life unfolds like a menu, in which everything is not always to our liking but which teaches us to accept judicious and juicy mixes, and combinations. The result is a joint with an oriental touch, almost ethio, a rhythm that perfectly matches the hip-hop flow and the Roforofo Jazz style.The Big Hustle is a UFO. Articulated around a 20 bars loop that gives it a communicative energy, punctuated by a bass line reminiscent of Fela Kuti’s Colonial Mentality, this title sounds like a highway for frantic breakbeat dancers; epic! From Here To Benin brings us back to the group’s Afro-inspired origins, while injecting a slight dose of well-felt pop music. A piece that encourages travel to learn to share, universally. And finally, Mode For DD, a cover of the instrumental title of the obscure jazz funk of The Awakening, with added voice of Days telling the meaning of life and its mysteries, our beliefs and certainties, as human beings as well as artists.

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Doug Paisley

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Outside Music)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Hailu Mergia & Dahlak Band

Wede Harer Guzo

Tape | 2022 | US | Original (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

13,99 €*

LP | 1975 | Reissue (Knitting Factor)

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Hailu Mergia & DahlakBand's Wede Harer Guzois the third release onAwesome Tapes FromAfrica for Ethiopiankeyboard and accordionmaestro. In the yearssince Shemonmuanaye,Mergia has revamped histouring career, playingfestivals and clubsworldwide, including arecent tour supportingBeirut. By 1978, AddisAbaba's nightlife wasfacing challenges. Theruling Derg regime imposed curfews, banning citizens from thestreets after midnight until 6:00 am. But that didn't stop some peoplefrom dancing and partying through the night. Bands would play fromevening until daybreak and people would stay at the clubs untilcurfew was lifted in the morning.One key denizen of Addis' musical golden age, Hailu Mergia, waspreparing a follow-up to his seminal Tche Belew LP with the famedWalias Band. It was the band's only full-length record and it had beena success. But his Hilton house band colleagues were a bit tied uprecording cassettes with different vocalists. Still Mergia, amidstrecording and gigs with the Walias, was also eager to make anotherrecording of his instrumental-focused arrangements. So he went tothe nearby Ghion Hotel, another upmarket outpost with a popularnightclub. Dahlak Band was the house band at Ghion at the time.Together they made this tape Wede Harer Guzo right there in theclub during the band's afternoon rehearsal meetings, with sessionslasting three days.Dahlak Band catered to a slightly more youthful, local audience, whileMergia's main gig with the Walias at Addis' swankiest hotel had amixed audience that included wealthy Ethiopians, foreign diplomatsand older folks from abroad. Therefore, their sets featured lighter fareduring dinnertime and a less rollicking selection of jazz and r&b.Meanwhile, Dahlak was known more for the mainly soul and Amharicjams they served up for hours two nights a week to a younger crowd.Mergia released Wede Harer Guzo ("Journey to Harer," a city ineastern Ethiopia) with Sheba Music Shop, which was located in...

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Fela Kuti

He Miss Road

Release: 1975 / Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 1983 | EU | Reissue (Afrosynth)

Starlight

Erkin Cavus & Reentko Dirks

Release: 1983 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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South African production duo of Emil Zoghby and John Galanakis were responsible for a string of high-quality disco singles in the early 80s, typically cover versions of international hits — Klein & MBO’s ‘The Big Apple’, Sly & the Family Stone’s ‘Family Affair’ & David Joseph’s ‘You Can’t Hide (Your Love From Me)’ — backed with their own compositions. When Starlight hit the market with an album in 1983, it featured only one cover, the local hit ‘Picnic’, along with five of the duo’s original compositions, including their similarly styled response, ‘Picnicing’, which replaces the original’s sax with spaced-out synth stabs. Then there’s ‘Jah Jah Love’, an ecstatic disco sermon of dancefloor dynamite weighing in at over eight and a half minutes. Other tracks on this landmark album — ‘Let’s Go Dancing (Boogie Boogie)’, ‘Keep On Moving’ and an eponymous instrumental — offer a similar fusion of classic disco with newer Italo and proto-house influences: machine music with a human touch! Remastered from the original master tapes and reissued for the first time, Starlight will be available on vinyl and digital platforms from early 2023 (40 years after its initial release) via Afrosynth Records.

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Istanbul 1900

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Traumton)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Sublime Frequencies)

Baba Commandant

Sonbonbela

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Sublime Frequencies is honored to release the third LP from Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band. Sonbonbela was recorded in the beginning of 2022 in the Republic of Burkina Faso. The group continue to hone their trademark fusion of Mandingue and afro-beat styles. The Mandingo Band are a hit machine, sculpting seven new tracks of near Beefheart/Magic Band dynamics, Fela inspired groovers dusted out in the Sahel zone, rather than the humidity and sweat of Lagos, creating one of the most original and propulsive musical statements to come from the contemporary West African cultural juggernaut. As with previous releases, the band features the legendary guitar pyrotechnics of Issouf Diabate, truly one of the greatest West African (or Earth for that matter) guitarists of the last forty years. The band is completed by a near bottomless barrel of artistry from the Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso musical talent pool. On bass guitar, Wendeyida Ouedraogo, on drums Abbas Kabore, and on percussion and balafon, Nickie Dembele. Leading the charge again is the captain himself, Mamadou Sanou on the Doso Ngoni featuring one of the most distinctive voices of the modern era. The opposite of the banal trends of auto-tune that have pervaded most of West African popular music, Baba’s voice still impresses with its gravel and grit, showcasing a range that is ancient and defiant in equal measure. This LP is a non-stop hit parade of afro-beat bangers destined to light dance floors and living rooms ablaze!!! This album is dedicated to the memory of Massimbo Taragna, the bass player extraordinaire who was an integral part of the Mandingo Band’s trance stun musical power. He passed away in early 2022. RIP

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Wagram)

Trace Afrobeat