Afrobeat 1305 Items

Rim And Kasa / Rim And The Belivers

Release: 2011 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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With the mighty new From Africa With Fury: Rise, Seun Anikulapo Kuti picks up the mantle as undisputed champion and true prince of the Afrobeat movement.

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Too Tough / I'm Not Going To Let You Go

2LP | 2015 | EU | Original (BBE)

Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense

Release: 2015 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Following hot on the heels of our well-received reissue of his first album, Rim Arrives, we now present the two other key records that have made this a cult figure for lovers of both African music and ‘disco’ in its widest sense. Too Tough, a superb three track EP from 1982, on Sum-Sum Records, was credited to Rim and Kasa, whilst he issued the cracking 12” I’m Not Going To Let You Go as Rim And The Believers for Harmony Records the following year.
Too Tough kicks off with Shine The Ladies, an epic Afro-disco jam in call and response format, with the female lead vocals (Ms. Anita Berry) prompting a series of replies from the backing vocalists, setting the scene for a series of exciting solos set against a backdrop of punchy horns and swirling synths; tenor sax, guitar, drums (introduced with chants of ‘Play me some drums!’) and vibes all take a turn before the track fades out, clocking in just short of nine minutes. Next up is Love Me For Real, reminiscent of August Darnell with its girlie vocals and Latin flavour, ending with a mad swirl of synths and Rim’s own vocals. And lastly, I’m A Songwriter is cosmic Afro-reggae, bringing to mind Roy Ayers in his Fela phase, given a mad punk-funk twist … this one has to be heard to be believed!
The mood changes with I’m Not Going To Let You Go, which eschews the female chorus for an altogether mellower, instrumental ride, veering from out-there cosmic synth vibes to loungey jazz piano. It’s original flip, Peace of Mind, raw Afro-boogie track with a male vocal, is also included.
Those of you who had been searching in vain for Rim’s oeuvre for some years now having had it handed to you on a platter (well, two platters, actually), will be pleased to know that there is yet more material from the man Rim Kwaku Obeng to come from us at BBE …watch out for the digital-only release of four previously unreleased cuts from this legend of Afro-disco, taken from a long-lost acetate!

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Fela Kuti

LP | 1986 | UK | Reissue (Knitting Factory)

Release: 1986 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Soweto To Harlem Record Store Day 2024 Black Vinyl Edition

Hal Singer Jazz Quartet

LP | 1976 | EU | Reissue (Afrodelic)

Estrellas Remixes EP GUTS x HHV Exclusive Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 1976 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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When the U.S. State Department announced in the mid-1970s that they were sponsoring a South African tour for the Oklahoma-born, Paris-based saxophonist Hal Singer, producer Rashid Vally took note. Even though his nascent record label As-Shams/The Sun (established in 1974) was making waves on the local scene, the idea of commissioning a recording from an international artist was a ballsy idea. With a discography that stretched back to the 1950s, Hal Singer was already somewhat of a legacy artist by 1976. Vally was well-versed on Singer’s accomplishments and specifically enamoured by his composition “Blue Stompin’,” which appeared on a Prestige album from 1959 that had struck a chord in South Africa. With his irresistible charm, Vally managed to coax Singer into a studio in Johannesburg, South Africa, to record a new version of “Blue Stompin’” with South African sax star Kippie Moeketsi, which became the title track of a 1977 album by Moeketsi. The recording session also yielded an album’s worth of new material by Hal Singer and his quartet that took its name from a track inspired by Singer’s trip to South Africa entitled “Soweto to Harlem.” Released in 1976 and only available in South Africa, Soweto to Harlem captures a laid-back, cheeky and nostalgic rhythm and blues set from the Hal Singer Quartet that is unlikely to have emerged for a different target market. With her irresistible charm, Vally was able to convince Singer to enter a Johannesburg studio. The recording session produced this album of new material by Hal Singer and his quartet named after a song inspired by Singer's trip to South Africa, entitled "Soweto to Harlem." Released in 1976 and available only in South Africa, "Soweto to Harlem" captures a laid-back, unabashed and nostalgic rhythm and blues of Hal Singer's quartet that would hardly have been born for a different market. Cinedelic’s 2024 edition of this rare album is sourced from the original tape masters and presents it on vinyl internationally for the very first time. The reissue follows Singer’s passing at the 100 in August 2020 as we contemplate and celebrate his extraordinary contribution to jazz in the United States and beyond.

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Guts

2x12" | 2024 | EU | Original (Heavenly Sweetness)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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Limited to 1000 copies worldwide, only available with GUTS and HHV.

In 2022, Guts brought together his musical family for his ‘Estrellas’ album. An ambitious project that brought together musicians from: Franc, Cuba and various African countries. For a journey that was as rich artistically as it was humanly. The list of superlatives was almost endless, "Formidable", "incredible", "unforgettable" and "magical" all thrown into the pot, during these magical moments in the Dakar studio. From the seventeen tracks heard on the original album, three have been entrusted to the expert and inventive hands of four producers, who have come up with new interpretations bringing Africa and the Caribbean together for a modern dancefloor.

‘Por Que Ou Ka Fe Sa’ (Poirier Remix)

From his studio in Montreal, Canadian Poirier has opted for a strong groove and relentless bass drum to keep out intruders, putting vocalists David Walters and Brenda Navarrete in a rhythmic cocoon. Accompanied in a slightly moody bassline that adds some driving muscle to the track. The hooky guitar line eventually gives way to the saxophone that emerges from the mix to parade around the front line. The original electric piano is replaced by a synth pad that loops and spins driving the track to its conclusion.

‘Por Que Ou Ka Fe Sa’ (David Walters Remix)

Before recording this track, David Walters and Brenda Navarette didn't even know each other. So in the magic of the moment that brought them together is a genuine and sincere artistic bond. It is no longer Guts but David who is at the musical helm, and before they too can savour the connection between the two artists, the dancers will have to pass through an overheated corridor where a Caribbean rhythm resonates with percussion. Digital and woodwind swirl and clash until the vocal encounter with the artists. It's a moment of respite that's as suspended as it is life-saving, because the exit is also via the famous corridor.

‘San Lazaro’ (Bosq Remix)

On Bosq’s mix, he’s opted to maintain things focused on the dancefloor, keeping the percussion persistent for the unleashed bodies of the dancers to smile. It's once again the walking bass line rises to the forefront of the groove, softening the shocks of the relentless kick drum. Roberto Valdes's timeless piano has disappeared, while guitars float and add to the atmosphere. The track is no longer awash in cigar smoke. Under Akemis's powerful vocals the low ceiling has disappeared, and the open roof is more a brass-lit spectacle. That doesn't make things any less overheated though, this one is sweaty until the end.

‘Medewui’ (Captain Planet Remix)

Captain Planet brings the dancer’s attention to the Afrobeat flavored jam that rocked the original, highlighting the Pat Kalla & Assane Mboup duet. Despite the track remaining mid tempo, laying back is no longer the order of the day as this mix really develops. The drums are more present jolting along with the organ in the first half. Once all the storytellers have taken their microphones, the rhythmic beats are doubled and the track is carried towards a frenzy of Afro-Latin dancing. Fired up by the brass and percussion, it’s this almost switch up that takes hold of the second part of the tune, with some righteous authority and relentless piano and trumpet.

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Hazmat Modine

LP | 2013 | Original

Release: 2013 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2024 | UK | Original (180g)

Ajate

Dala Toni

Django Reinhardt / Stephane Grappelli

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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Minor Swing Le Quintette A Cordes 1937

LP | 2024 | Original (Adf Bayard Musique)

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Bibi Tanga & The Selenites

The Same Tree

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Inlassable)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2021 | Original (Gaphals)

Henning

Galileo

Release: 2021 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2019 | US | Original (Glass Mountain)

Tori Sparks

Wait No More

Release: 2019 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2017 | US | Original (Glass Mountain)

Tori Sparks

La Huerta

Release: 2017 / US – 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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Malan (Super Mama DJombo)

Fidju Di Lion

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Archieball)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2019 | EU | Original (Roll Call)

River Whyless

Kindness, A Rebel

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Silver Knife)

Amanda Shires

To The Sunset

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (By Norse Music)

Sowulo

Mann

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Backseat)

Michael Moravek

Dream

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Soundway)

Rex Omar

Where The Old Gods Play Act 1

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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Dun Ringill

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (The Sign)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2015 | EU | Original (Al Dente)

The Moonfires

Black Sugar

A Guide To Afrokraut III Limited Edition

Release: 2015 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Band Leader Alex Puddu is behind the project the Moonfires. The Album is released on 300 copies limited edition on Alex Puddu's own label Al Dente. The Album Black sugar is written, Arranged and Produced By Alex Puddu Recorded during the summer 2014 in Copenhagen Recorded at Redrum Studio Mixed and Masterd in N.Y.C Astoria Queens Soundworks recording by Kamilo Kratc Album photo by Maiken Kildegaard Artwork by Leo Scherfig

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David Nesselhauf

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Legere)

2LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Nedjma)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Dritter Teil und Abschluss der »Afrokraut«-Trilogie des Hamburger Musikers und Songwriters als Vinyl-LP auf Legere Recordings.

Als Bassist glänzt David Nesselhauf bei hochkarätigen Hamburger Groove-Institutionen wie Diazpora, den Hamburg Spinners oder The Angels Of Libra. Mit »Afrokraut« (2016) und »Afrokraut II - The Lowbrow Manifesto« (2018) widmete sich das Multitalent dem kurzen Abschnitt der Musikgeschichte in dem Krautrock-Acts wie Can die funkigen Afrobetas entdeckten. Experimentierfreudigkeit war entscheidend für den immersiven Produktionsprozess dieses Albums, das sowohl Elemente aus Funk, Afrobeat und Krautrock als auch spacige Drones, frühe Elektronische Musik und Field Recordings umfasst. Inspiriert von dem unvollendeten Manuskript »History Deletes Itself« des verstorbenen Science-Fiction-Autors Joseph Sabiers beschloss Nesselhauf, eine Art B-Movie-Soundtrack zur Originalhandlung zu produzieren. Diese zwölf Tracks des Studioprojekts strotzen vor ungezähmter Entdeckungslust, kreativer Energie und herausragender Qualität und Originalität!

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Idriss D

Bled El Fen

24,64 €* 28,99 € -15%

Moonrakers Band Blue Vinyl Edtion

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie, Electronic & Dance

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A very bold statement from Idriss himself, this record sees the Franco-Algerian dj and producer infuse his personal history into what he loves the most and share it with the rest of the world. First track Tsakhbira works as the perfect opener for the album with a melodic ambient-like mood and Arabic chants, with second track Beld el fen following in the same vein with traditional instruments interspersed with synth stabs and eerie atmos. Chazil’s upbeat rhythm spices up the vibe, a mix of ethereal singalongs and bouncy percussions. Mohamed is the first foray into Electronic territory, a downtempo piece featuring French vocals and plenty of analog industrial clanks that lead into subsequent Hey Galbi, an exquisite melodic house number with acid synth melodies and piano keys. Electro (Leila Moon Remix) delves into more experimental landscapes, with darker tones, blurred vocals and pulsating beats, while Elf Leila is quintessential Electroclash Arabic music, blending these two genres together, with a syncopated super catchy bassline. Closing track Harramt is a whirlwind of snare rolls, 303 arpeggios and nods to North African heritage sounds.

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Moonrakers Band

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Afrodelic)

24,69 €* 25,99 € -5%

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Fire, Passion, Ecstasy Clear Vinyl Edition

Stimela

LP | 1984 | US | Reissue (Tidal Waves Music)

24,79 €* 30,99 € -20%

LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Soundway)

Release: 1984 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Rare South African Afro-Fusion from 1984 First vinyl reissue Since 1990 First ever release outside of the African Continent Comes With Double-Sided Insert 180g Clear vinyl limited to 100 copies / Stimela were a popular and successful South African Afro-fusion outfit led by guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer and arranger Ray Phiri. The band was formed under the name ‘The Cannibals’ during the 1970s when Phiri got together with drummer Isaac Mtshali, keyboard player Thabo Lloyd Lelosa and bass player Jabu Sibumbe. They initially started out as instrumentalists, but later evolved to Afro-fusion when they joined forces with vocalist Jacob “Mparanyana” Radebe in 1975. The story of ‘The Cannibals’ ends when Radebe died in 1978 but the ‘Stimela’ story was only just beginning.

In 1979, after a life-changing experience in Mozambique (where they were stranded for three months) the bandmembers had to sell all their belongings to take a train home. This trip was a watershed moment as it was here where they conceived the new name for the band: The Zulu word for “locomotive-train” Stimela.

Stimela would soon become little short of an institution in their home country of South Africa. With soulful tunes and gripping lyrics, the band has recorded platinum-winning albums such as Fire, Passion and Ecstasy, Shadows, Fear and Pain & Look Listen and Decide. In addition to recording their own material, the group supplied instrumental accompaniment on albums by a lengthy list of legendary artists. Stimela would go on to gain global fame after being featured on Paul Simon’s iconic 1986 ‘Graceland’ album and the mega tour that followed.

Ray Phiri would enter into many successful collaborations with major acts and artists such as Harari, Joan Baez, Willie Nelson and Manu Dibango. In 2017 he was diagnosed with lung cancer and died at the age of 70. Phiri has received many awards in recognition for his contribution in the music industry, one of these is the Order of Ikhamanga awarded to him by the South African president. This was to honor his sterling contribution to the South African music industry and the successful use of arts as an instrument of social transformation.

Stimela is the tale of a South African band who have battled their way through dark days to take their rightful place in the forefront of the South African apartheid-era music invasion. One of their most memorable tracks “Whispers in the Deep” was even restricted from being broadcasted by the old South African Broadcasting Corporation.

On the album we are presenting you today (Fire, Passion and Ecstasy from 1984) the unique sounds of Ray Phiri’s Stimela are fully showcased. Expect infectious hypnotic build-up grooves, cinematic lowdown jazz-funk, Afro-soul, delightful reggae, gospel influences and funky synth-boogie sounds…all with a touch of early eighties new wave and hints of Island disco mixed with sensual bubblegum pop. It comes as no surprise that the album has now become a sought-after item due to its addictive and original-sounding nature, a must-have for any self-respecting record digger!

These recordings completely encapsulate Stimela’s fusion style. They managed to craft a modern South African sound that continues to influence SA musicians to this day. Never in a rush, yet always with a sense of purpose and direction – like the steam train after which they took their name.

Tidal Waves Music now proudly presents the first reissue of this fantastic Afro-fusion classic since 1990 (originally released in 1984 on Gallo Records) & this is also the first time the album is getting a release outside of the African continent. This rare record (original copies tend to go for large amounts on the secondary market) is now finally back available as a limited 180g vinyl edition (limited to 500 copies) complete with the original artwork. Also included is a double-sided insert containing rare pictures of the band.

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Nkono Teles

Love Vibration

Alo Transparent Green Vinyl Edition

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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Ajate

LP | 2020 | UK | Original (180g)

Onom Agemo, Ahmed AG Kaedy

Release: 2020 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Three years after their critically acclaimed and sold out Abrada LP the great and joyful Japanese afro groovers Ajate are back with their much awaited brand new album Alo!

Ajate is a Japanese band who plays a unique blend of afro-groove dance music mixed with Japanese traditional festival music called "Ohayashi". Formed in 2011 by the band-leader John Imaeda, Ajate consists of 10 Japanese musicians.

Another unique feature of the band is the use of hand-made bamboo instruments as well as traditional Japanese percussion. The "Jahte" is a bamboo-made xylophone or balafon with a piezo pick-up mic attached to each key, connected to a pre-amplifier to obtain a loud sound and to add some touch of dirty distortion to its warm and natural acoustic sonority. The "Piechiku" is also a bamboo-made string instrument inspired by the west-African "Ngoni" or Moroccan "Guembri" instruments. The Piechiku uses strings of the Japanese traditional "Shamisen". This instrument is also played through a pre-amplifier and John sometimes adds some wah-wah effect to it. All these bamboo instruments are designed, made and named by John Imaeda himself.

On Alo you will also be amazed by the exceptional sound of the Japanese Shinofue flute, which was not on the previous Abrada LP.

Now, add to this unique sound some well-crafted Japanese female and male singing and you get a killer mix of Afro-Funk flavored grooves with traditional Japanese music!

Since the release in 2017 of their Abrada LP on the 180g label Ajate has toured Europe twice and has played a memorable concert at the world famous Trans Musicales festival in France in 2018, which has been followed by another great KEXP Live session.

Here is some music you will not be able to hear anywhere else, by one of the most joyful Japanese band to hear on record and to listen live!

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Tartit

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Agogo)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Born Bad)

Star Feminine Band

In Paris

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Mambo Productions)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Star Feminine Band: a 2020 debut, first journey and a 2022 return!Though not exactly a world music label, Born Bad took up the challenge and released Star Féminine Band's debut album in late 2020. Heaps of acclaims and praise and the whole shebang, then boom: the tour that was to materialize, live, all of the band and its entourage's hopes got cancelled due to Covid. After a long delay, the band finally managed to get to Europe, performing on the Transmusicales Festival, as well as for TV stations like Arte, TV5 and BBC to much acclaim. "Once they played, Born Bad and the band clearly had a "mission accomplished" feeling - that all the energy put into this was worth it, starting with the critics who abounded at the Transmusicales to weigh the phenomenon. They left convinced, just like the audience, enthralled by the direct, live formula. The sequel to the adventures of these new ambassadors for Unicef? They persist and sign with a feverish and energetic soundtrack in which nabo, peulh and waama are enlivened with drum lines and spiced up with more "modern" sounds, spreading words of tolerance and kindness. Simple and direct, they speak of their reality, of the ills of young women who don't always have a choice. Often out of school and destined to selling peanuts, bananas or gari on the roadside, most of the girls around there don't have a future. Forced marriage, precocious pregnancies_ "These kids are heroines!", continues Born Bads JB who, by welcoming them in a record studio, allowed for the formula to be sharpened into a sort of garage band with an afro twist. Thanks to the English lessons that their manager Jérémie Verdier has been providing every Sunday night for two years over videoconference, the girls even experimented with English lyrics in "We Are Star Feminine Band" and "Woman Stand Up". In Paris is the happy outcome of that challenge.Vinyl LP in printed under sleeve with French + UK linernotes + Download code * Digipak CD includes 12 pages booklet with French + UK linern...

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Tchavolo Schmitt

Miri Chterna

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Afrotronic Orlando Voorn Remixes

Eddy De Clercq & Friends

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Egoli)

LP | 2022 | US | Original (Mississippi)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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" These six remixes by legendary producer Orlando Voorn are inspired by Amapiano from South Africa, mesmerizing beats and grooves from North Africa, Dub Step, Deep House and future Techno. "

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Los Golden Boys

Cumbia De Juventud

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Outre National)

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Heavy cumbia guitar rock from 1960s Colombia.Formed in 1961 by the legendary brothers Pedro Jairo and Guillermo Leon Garces, LOS GOLDEN BOYS rose quickly to the top of the Colombian "musica tripical" scene by combining popular rock influences with cumbia, gaita, porro and other local styles. The band recorded several hit singles and albums for the Dsco Fuentes label until the tragic death of brilliant electric guitarist Pedro Jairo in 1972 laid the original LOS GOLDEN BOYS to rest. Cumbia De Juventud is a newly remastered collection of 12 of the heaviest sogs from their golden era!

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Cheb Hasni

Volume 3

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Outre National)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Raï is the music of a youth hungover from Algeria's recent independence. It became a space for a liberated, transgressive dialogue that told the social truths of its time -- an up-front yet poetic voice that covers the taboos and frustrations of daily life, expressing emotion without detour. This voice is heard at weddings, cabarets, in the nightclubs of the Oranese coast, and casually on the street... With the boom of the audio cassette, an avalanche of raï tapes were produced in Oran and diffused all over the world. Both women and men sang and listened to the new sound, as raï is intimately tied to parties, alcohol and the night. With the spontaneous improvisation of its singers as the main part of each song, raï keeps reinventing itself. In this style, Cheb Hasni, along with Cheb Nasro, incarnates a second generation of musicians. With the "love raï", or sentimental raï, Hasni sings about love, passion and its setbacks -- moving away from the bittersweet daily chronicles of the first chebs and chebates. Having recorded nearly 150 cassettes, Cheb Hasni remains one of the most prolific and talented raï singers of his generation. Almost thirty years after his death, this three-volume compilation of rare tracks from his cassette releases on the Oriental Music Production label is a tribute to the lasting legacy of Cheb Hasni -- ya raï!

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Cheb Hasni

Volume 2

12" | 2022 | EU | Original (Awesome Soundwave)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Digital Afrika

Heart Of Drums

Lova Lova & Atelier Kamikazi

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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With obvious intent Nui and Simon set out to create an album that encompasses all of their influences and experiences as musicians and journeymen in the world of African inspired rhythm and sound and have arrived at a work that is at once global, innovative and deeply funky. It’s been an incredible journey that has taken them from the wilds of the northern hinterlands of New South Wales in Australia to the dreamy secret gardens of Marrakesh, from the onsite recordings of Afro-Cuban choirs of Havana, to the Gnawa street sounds of Moroccan medinas. Nui and Simon have traversed the globe to create these recordings and have collected diverse and international group of artists to collaborate with in the making of Heart of Drums. Artists such as Cazeaux Oslo, who is an African-American Mc and vocalist hailing from California. Olugbade Okunade , Nigerian trumpeter and vocalist , was formerly a member of the Femi Kuti Positive Force band. Members of Clave y Guaguanco, One of Cuba’s foremost folkloric groups, who have been around since the 60’s. Lalita Yagnik, Portuguese Speaking Indian, vocalist and martial artist. Radouan Naim, Traditional Moroccan vocalist and instrumentalist. And Close Counters, Australian Up and coming Electronic duo. Digital Afrika is made up of two main protagonists: Zhonu ‘Nui” Moon (Future Roots) An African-Australian producer, percussionist and Dj that has performed and recorded all over the world. With a strong focus on African music,He has worked with the likes of Femi Kuti , Mulatu Astake and Tony Allen. And Simon Durrington (Si Fixion ) who is an Australian based producer, keys player and DJ. With extensive experience of working with Melanesian , Indian and world musicians. Drawing on these influences, Si weaves these styles together seamlessly with his unique high quality electronic production. This album ‘Heart of Drums’ is a synergy of lush analog electronica and fiery African percussion, vocals and instrumentation. With occasional reinvented throwbacks to the Disco and Funk era as well as forward thinking Afro-futuristic Record bag essentials, Heart of Drums really brings the party! These are constructed dance floor motivators for any environment. The artwork for this record deserves special mention as the mask was handcrafted by the interesting and talented artist Ju Mu Monster. Based in Berlin, the studied fashion designer creates colourful, wildly dancing image-worlds, in which beings from diverse cultures are combined with shamanism and spiritual worlds. Her enchanting works of art include murals and canvases as well as magical masks. All tracks produced and arranged by Zhonu (Nui) Moon & Simon Durrington

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Mokili Na Poche

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Seismographic)

LP | 1989 | EU | Reissue (Kalita)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop, Organic Grooves

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Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo - a group of street children gathered around the artist Lova Lova to form the Atelier Kamikazi and record the album "Mokili na poche" in cooperation with Oyo Projects. They are "shégués", sons of soldiers, orphans or accused of being "child sorcerers". They talk in a funny and provocative tone about the difficulties encountered in their daily lives, about rivalry, politics, sexuality, and survival. These kids know they are fucked - and they fuck back. Comes with bilingual (English/French) printed info inner sleeve.

Seismographic Records is a label for global hybrid music, run by Martin Georgi (Quiet Elegance Records). «Seismo» deals with connections of local and international sounds, of cultures and epochs far apart. It wants to break through the boundaries of Western music history and focus on the unheard. On currents that have so far been excluded from algorithms and streaming services due to their lack of market relevance. This is about the localization of new trend-setting centers in the Global South. In this way «Seismo» wants to make visible the potential of a decolonized music development. Music takes on the function of a seismograph. It is a sensitive instrument to register social transformations.

The focus of the label is on the production of vinyls and their distribution on the global market. The pressing makes the projects materially tangible. The productions are preceded by a close collaboration with artists, researchers, designers, and journalists in order to explore the cultural and historical contexts of musical trends and to make them audiovisually accessible. Texts, graphics, and videos are used to illustrate the background and contextualize the music. Seismographic Records also collaborates with cultural institutions in order to provide a platform for the projects in the form of exhibitions, concerts, radio broadcasts and to anchor them in cultural discourse.

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Jivaro

Saturday Fever

Afro-Jazz-Folk Collection Volume 1

Release: 1989 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Kalita are excited to unveil the first ever album reissue of one of - if not the - strongest South African kwaito/bubblegum albums in existence, Jivaro's 1989 masterpiece 'Saturday Fever'.

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Super Biton De Segou

2LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Deviation & Mieruba)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Deviation Records is pleased to present you their latest and exiting collaboration with the Mieruba Label Team. The Super Biton has existed since the 60s, like Ségou, its orchestra, the Super Biton has always remained behind what was done in Bamako and in the big cities of Africa. The Ségou orchestra developed and incorporated amplified instruments that mingle with brass, in particular electric guitars, symbols of modernity at the time. It opens up to Cuban music, and congas and bongos complement the sound of the orchestra. The group drew a unique sound from it, a perfect balance between tradition and the modern. There are about fifteen artits on stage, singers, guitarists, drummer and percussionists. The Super Biton has for years been the best known and most sought-after orchestra of Mali outside the country's borders, the Super Biton transcends the only Bambara heritage with its repertoire. Ségou is a crossroads between Bambara, Fulani, Mandingo and Somono cultures and Biton has drawn on all these traditions to create a repertoire extremely rich in rhythms and words. Some musicians completed their training in Cuba. They play "bambara jazz", incorporating a lot of brass instruments such as saxophone, trumpet, clarinet. The compositions are modern and sophisticated. Mieruba Art Center is a place dedicated to the transmission and safeguarding of Malian musical heritage through musical exchange between the older and newer generation - Artist residences, music lessons, rehearsals, Workshops, Masterclasses - and so on. Just as happy former musicians of Mali, the members of Super Biton give lessons on site. It is also the office of the Mieruba-ML label in the same place where Deviation Records is collaborating for the second time on the album - After the « Lost Maestros Collection » - with the support of La Manufacture de Vinyles. Phil of Deviation Records tells: "I am very enthusiastic at the idea of offering you these two volumes of the History of the Super Biton of Ségou, Clique of Super Heroes of sound, a source of inspiration for generations of musicians, DJs and also griots and storytellers of great renown! This double LP compiles the first Chapter of the rich Afro-Jazz-Folk Collection whose tapes have been remastered by Monsieur Jonin and cut at the MB Mastering Studio in Aubervilliers .The gatefold artwork is conceived by Ewwanuelle Collage and formatted by Bertrand Tondeur, Graphic designer of Les Mouches. All that’sleft to say is that i hope that you enjoy listening to the final result !"

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The Lost Maestros Collection

2LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Deviation)

Ephat Mujuru & The Spirtit Of The People

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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To reveal to the world all the musical riches of Mali, and more particularly the music of the Mandé region, cradle of the great griot families, is the highly laudable purpose of this LP The Lost Maestros Collection. To perpetuate and transmit this ancestral musical history, The Lost Maestros Collection brings together 8 wonders of Mali who have each in their own way managed to develop this tradition towards more modern and electrified countries and associates pioneers of Mandingo music and actors of the young post generation. The Lost Maestros Collection is the result of the collaboration between Deviation Records, newly created by Phil Margueron and the independent Malian label Mieruba, which has been working since 2010 to ensure that this golden age of Mande music does not fall into oblivion. Aware that these nuggets are not eternal, Mieruba, based in Ségou on the banks of the Niger river and capital of the former Bambara kingdom, undertook for eight years the preservation of this musical heritage by putting these 16 pieces on tapes at the Kôré studio de Ségou as well as at the famous Bogolan studio in Bamako.

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Mbavaira

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

Hailu Mergia & The Walias Band

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Ephat Mujuru Exemplifies A Unique Generation Of Traditional Musicians In Zimbabwe. Born Under An Oppressive Colonial Regime In Southern Rhodesia, His Generation Witnessed The Brutality Of The 1970s Liberation Struggle, And Then The Dawn Of Independent Zimbabwe, A Time In Which African Music Culture_long Stigmatized By Rhodesian Educators And Religious Authorities_experienced A Thrilling Renaissance. Under The Tutelage Of His Grandfather, Who Was A Respected Spirit Medium And Mbira Master, Ephat Showed An Early Talent For The Rigors Of Mbiratraining, Playing His First Possession Ceremony When He Was Just Ten Years Old. By Then, Guerilla War Was Engulfing The Country And His Grandfather Muchatera Tragically Became A Victim Of The Violence, A Devastating Blow To The Young Musician. In The Midst Of The Liberation Struggle, Mbira Musicbecame Political. Eventually, The Rhodesians Were Defeated, But Rather Than Return To The Past, The Nation Of Zimbabwe Was Born And A New Future Unfolded. Ephat Threw Himself Into The Spirit Of Independence, Singing Of Brotherhood, Healing, And Unity: Crucial Themes During A Time When The Nation's Two Dominant Ethnic Groups, The Shona And The Ndebele, Were Struggling To Reconcile Differences. Ephat's Band Would Eventually Follow The Popular Trend And Add Electric Instruments. But Before That, He And Spirit Of The People Released Two Allacoustic Albums, And They May Well Be The Most Exciting And Beautiful Recordings He Made In His Career. Mbavaira, The Second Of These Albums, Was Released In 1983. As The Independence Years Moved On, There Would Be Fewer And Fewer Commercial Mbira Releases. But For The Moment, Ephat Had The Required Stature And Reputation. Also, With The Energy And Drive We Hear In These Recordings, And The Unmistakable Lead Vocals By His Uncle Mude_truly One Of The Greatest Mbira Singers Of The 20th Century_the Album Could Easily Rivalthe Pop Music Of Its Day. Within A Few Years After The Release Of Mbavaira, It And Albums Like It Became Harder To Find In Zimba...

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Tezeta

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

LP | 1976 | UK | Reissue (Matsuli Music)

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Unknown recording outside Ethiopia which documents Mergia Hailu & The Walias legendary early period. Beautifully-rendered instrumentals of classic Ethiopian standards, "Tezeta"is the follow-up reissue of the hugely popular seminal Ethiopian instrumentals LP "Tche Belew" (atfa012). It was a Cassette-only release in 1975 on the band's in-house label, to fund their record store. From their genesis as members of the Venus club in-house band in the early 70s, Hailu Mergia and the Walias Band were at the forefront of the musical revolution during an era where modern instruments and foreign styles superseded the traditional fare to become the staple sound of Ethiopia. No one would argue that the Walias were the trailblazing powerhouse of modern Ethiopian music. They were the first band to form independently without affiliation to a theatre house, a club or a hotel; unprecedented and risky as they had to raise all funding for expenses by themselves including buying equipment. They were the first to release full instrumental albums, considered to be commercially unviable at the time. They opened their own recording studio, with band members Melake Gebre and Mahmoud Aman doubling as technical buffs during sessions. They were also the first independent band to tour abroad. In short, they were the pioneers every band tried to emulate; some more successfully than others. Odds are, any Ethiopian over the age of 35 who had access to TV or radio by the early 90s, will instantly recognize the sound of Walias. What is not a given is, how many would actually identify the band itself. Barely a day went by without hearing the Walias either in the background on radio or as an accompaniment to various programs on TV. This Tezeta album, the band's second recording, released in 1975, is one of those that have been impossible to find for nearly three decades. Sourced by Awesome Tapes From Africa and expertly remastered by Jessica Thompson, its unique and funky renditions of standards and popular songs of the day are so quintessentially Walias, flavorful and evocative. Hailu's melodic organ, unashamedly front and center in every track, makes even the complex pieces accessible. Profoundly engaging; it's an immersive trip down memory lane for those of us getting reacquainted with it, while also an enthralling and gratifying experience for fresh ears.

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Harari (The Beaters)

Rufaro

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

Release: 1976 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Top reissue of their in demand 1976 LP by the super group. Includes the long jam ''Oya Kai'', keeps on going.. Also holds their known tune ''Musikana'', killer groove. Alec Khaoli, Selby Ntuli and Sipho Mabuse with their first album as Harari made a great debut channeling a raw energie following up their LP as the beaters. The Beaters – Harari was released in 1975. After changing their name, Harari went into the studio late in 1976 to record their follow-up, Rufaro / Happiness. In 1976 they were voted South Africa’s top instrumental group and were in high demand at concert venues across the country. Comprising former schoolmates guitarist and singer Selby Ntuli, bassist Alec Khaoli, lead guitarist Monty Ndimande and drummer Sipho Mabuse, the group had come a long way from playing American-styled instrumental soul in the late sixties to delivering two Afro-rock masterpieces. Before these two albums the Beaters had been disciples of ‘Soweto Soul’ – an explosion of township bands drawing on American soul and inspired by the assertive image of Stax and Motown’s Black artists. The Beaters supported Percy Sledge on his 1970 South African tour (and later Timmy Thomas, Brook Benton and Wilson Pickett). But their watershed moment was their three month tour of Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) where they were inspired by the strengthening independence struggle and musicians such as Thomas Mapfumo who were turning to African influences. On their return, the neat Nehru jackets that had been the band’s earliest stage wear were replaced by dashikis and Afros. “In Harari we rediscovered our African-ness, the infectious rhythms and music of the continent. We came back home inspired! We were overhauling ourselves into dashiki-clad musicians who were Black Power saluting and so on.” Sipho Hotstix Mabuse, talking of the band’s time spent on tour in the (then) Rhodesian township from where they took their name. As well as expressing confident African politics, Alec Khaoli recalled, they pioneered by demonstrating that such messages could also be carried by “...happy music. During apartheid times we made people laugh and dance when things weren’t looking good.” The two albums capture the band on the cusp of this transition. One the first album Harari, Inhlupeko Iphelile, Push It On and Thiba Kamoo immediately signal the new Afro-centric fusion of rock, funk and indigenous influences. Amercian soul pop is not forgotten with Love, Love, Love and, helped along by Kippie Moeketsi and Pat Matshikiza a bump-jive workout What’s Happening concludes the album. The second album Rufaro pushes the African identity and fusion further, with key tracks Oya Kai (Where are you going?), Musikana and Uzulu whilst the more pop-styled Rufaro and Afro-Gas point to where Harari were headed to in years to come. The popularity and sales generated by these two classic albums saw them signed by Gallo and release just two more albums with the original line-up before the untimely death of Selby Ntuli in 1978. Whilst they went on to greater success, even landing a song in the US Billboard Disco Hot 100 in 1982, it was never the same again. “Harari’s music still speaks directly to one of my goals as a younger artist: to express myself as an African without pretending that I don’t have all these other musical elements – classical, jazz, house – inside me.” (Thandi Ntuli, niece of Selby Ntuli).

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DJ Black Low

Uwami

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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In many ways, DJ Black Low's debut album, Uwami, shows the signs of an artist's first offering in any musical genre. Showcasing fluency in a broad range of styles and stuffing a number of ideas to the record's brim is the 20 year-old producer's attempt to both introduce himself to a wide listenership and stamp a recognizable sound in their minds. In other ways, somewhat out of the young South African producer's control, Uwami goes against the grain. The album comes at a time when South African electronic music is being fundamentally disrupted. Amapiano, the electronic music movement which first gained popularity with a small, core group of followers, now dominates the mainstream. Well-known and pervasive, amapiano borrows from a diverse palette of musical styles which are popular in South Africa's largely Black townshipsjazz, kwaito, dibacardi, deep and afro house among them. Instead of pandering to the seemingly insatiable local appetite and growing global penchant for amapiano though, on Uwami DJ Black Low seeks out the limits of the sound du jour and tries to stretch them. On his solo productions, he uses the samples and compositional norms that make amapiano hits the bedrock on which to experiment and improvise. With collaborators, DJ Black Low improvises within the boundaries of listener-friendly grooves. The sound he creates has foundations of what could easily have progressed into captivating amapiano songs on their own. But he uses improvised but structured electronic percussion and distortion sounds to drive the tracks in a particular direction. What remains is something like a deconstructed amapiano. For a young producer living in the townships of the greater Pitori area of South Africa's Gauteng province, there were few avenues available for Radebe to pursue a career in music. His trajectory shows the vulnerability of this pursuit. "I had started producing in 2013 and it so happened that I lost my equipment in 2014. I couldn't afford to buy equipment. In 2017, a friend of mine who had been making music found a job and decided to quit music. He gave me his equipment and I was able to start producing again. That's when I started getting back to it. I tried to pick up where I had left off, with hip hop and commercial house but I found that amapiano was the popular music. I liked it, so I started producing it."

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Teno Afrika

Amapiano Selections

Streams Today.......Rivers Tomorrow

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The past five years have seen amapiano, South Africa's electronic music movement born in the townships of the country's Gauteng province, evolve from an underground sound to a nationwide mainstream staple. Even with its commercial success though, amapiano's DIY ethos has continued to disrupt music creation and distribution in the country. Most amapiano commercial successes today began their careers on cracked versions of production software like FL Studio, distributed their work through file sharing platforms like datafilehost and marketed it using social media pages they controlled and influenced. Amapiano Selections, the debut album by DJ and producer Teno Afrika, gives listeners outside the movement's online release economy an insight into the high-burn nature of amapiano that has spawned a distinct typology under its larger umbrella. Twenty-one-year-old Lutendo Raduvha has spent the bulk of his life moving between different townships on the outskirts of Johannesburg and Pretoria in the Gauteng province. The palette of amapiano styles on the album reflect these influences. But at first, South Africa's youngest electronic music movement lived underground with a small, loyal following. "Amapiano is a genre that I chose because I have a passion for it," says Teno "I started following amapiano in 2016 because I wanted to explore how it's produced. It was not taken seriously in our country." Interestingly, Teno Africa only gives vocals prominence on the closing track "Chants of Africa." As a way of making their music recognizable and relatable for broadcast, amapiano producers have sometimes overly relied on vocals in the form of singing, catch-phrases and party refrains for the purpose. "It was my decision not to use vocals on this project," says Teno "The reason is I wanted people to feel my instrumentals and style because this is my first album." On his closing track the young producer gives a glimpse of the considered approach to music which buoys anticipation for greater things from his future releases.

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Caiphus Semenya

LP | 1984 | EU | Reissue (Be With)

LP | 1982 | EU | Reissue (Be With)

Release: 1984 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Caiphus Semenya, AKA Mr Letta Mbulu, is a South African legend and Streams Today.......Rivers Tomorrow, his second solo LP, is perfect. A ten out-of ten album if ever we heard one. It’s also incredibly rare, especially in good condition, so Be With is delighted to present this reissue. Now a revered composer, musician, and arranger, Caiphus left apartheid South Africa in the 60s for self-imposed exile in Southern California together with his wife, Letta Mbulu. Settling in Los Angeles he started working with the likes of Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba and other exiled and semi-exiled South african artists, as well as, of course, his wife Letta. Caiphus also found himself working with and composing for a broad range of jazz and pop artists, including Lou Rawls, Nina Simone and Cannonball Adderley. His facility with both jazz and African forms served him well. His LA stay also the beginning of an ongoing collaboration with Quincy Jones, the fruits of which can be tasted in Caiphus’s African compositions for the scores to Roots and Spielberg’s adaptation of The Color Purple. Originally released in 1984, Streams Today.......Rivers Tomorrow is not just a musical masterpiece, it is also the soundtrack to the life of many South Africans - both then and now. Fusing the US-heavy sounds of boogie, disco and funk with Afrobeat and traditional African elements, it’s truly a spectacular listen. Jabu Nkosi handles keyboards on the album, with synths by Caiphus and Craig Harris. Sipho Gumede is on bass and Condry Ziqubu is on guitars. The Afro-Cuban grooves of “Mamase” open the record. Continuing where Listen To The Wind left off, this is another horn-heavy call-and-response ode to a positive life.

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Caiphus Semenya

Listen To The Wind

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

Release: 1982 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Caiphus Semenya, AKA Mr Letta Mbulu, is a South African legend, and Listen To The Wind, his iconic debut album, is simply a superb modern-soul/boogie album. It’s also incredibly rare, especially in good condition, so Be With is delighted to present this reissue. Now a revered composer, musician, and arranger, Caiphus left apartheid South Africa in the 60s for self-imposed exile in Southern California together with his wife, Letta Mbulu. Settling in Los Angeles he started working with the likes of Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba and other exiled and semi-exiled South african artists, as well as, of course, his wife Letta. Caiphus also found himself working with and composing for a broad range of jazz and pop artists, including Lou Rawls, Nina Simone and Cannonball Adderley. His facility with both jazz and African forms served him well. His LA stay was also the beginning of an ongoing collaboration with Quincy Jones, the fruits of which can be tasted in Caiphus’s African compositions for the scores to Roots and Spielberg’s adaptation of The Color Purple. Given his decades of work behind the scenes, it’s no surprise that it took until 1982 for Caiphus to get around to putting out the first album of his own. But all that experience shows.

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Penny Penny

Yogo Yogo

LP | 2020 | EU | Original (Les Disques Bongo Joe)

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The rags-to-riches chronicle of Penny Penny's life would be remarkable if he had only released his smash debut Shaka Bundu and packed houses for a few years. But the inimitable South African singer and dancer known for his trademark top ponytail and emphatic anthems was no one-hit wonder. In the aftermath of Shaka Bundu's nationwide explosion, far beyond his country the album resonated with ever bigger audiences. He performed up and down the continent, building fanbases in more than a dozen countries. So his sophomore album Yogo Yogo - released in 1996 - solidified Penny Penny's standing in pop music nationally and provided new energy to his pan-African stadium-filling adventures."I was very busy between Shaka Bundu and Yogo Yogo. Shows every week, local and outside the country. There was no relaxing from 1995 until 1999."The album also reflects the era in which it emerged. If Shaka Bundu arrived triumphantly amid newfound political freedom in South Africa with the end of Apartheid and Nelson Mandela's election, Yogo Yogo was a next level expression for the maturing artist. He wanted to get a message out. Composed with Joe Shirimani, who also produced the album, the sound and compositional style echoes the earlier recording but the topical nature of the lyrics became more deliberate, more didactic. In the song "Ingani" Penny proclaims, we are all one people even though we may speak different languages, we are all NguniâÇ"a larger historical grouping that includes many of the ethnic groups in modern South Africa. "Kulani Kulani," which means grow up, urges young people to say no to drugs and yes to education. Ama Owners, referring to the public transport drivers involved in violent rumbles, asks the nation's drivers to relax because we need them for our safe arrival. Penny's success as a Xitsonga artist should not be under-estimated in the context of popular music at the time in South Africa. "When I started with my own style and image, first time in Shangaan we had artist like me," Pen...

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L'Eclair

Noshtta

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Afro Power Selected By DJ Mauri

LP | 2020 | EU | Original (Use Vinyl)

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Segun Bucknor's Revolution

Son Of January 15

LP | 1972 | EU | Reissue (Jet)

2LP | 2019 | EU | Original (Running Back)

Release: 1972 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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For fans of Fela Kuti, Ofege, Assagai, Soft Machine, Miles Davis
Reissue of one of the politically and musically most explosive albums from the afro beat genre
A massive collection of neverending grooves and haunting melodies

Segun Bucknor was one of the most important figures in the Nigerian music scene of the 70s, despite having only a brief career with his afrobeat unit which in 1972 released this superb album of which originals usually not turn up at any price. A reissue like this on JET RECORDS therefore is long overdue to enable every woman and man with a fondness for African popular music of the 70s to take a closer listen to this gem and fall in love immediately. What do we get to listen here?

Well, the album consists of four lengthy tracks with long instrumental sections that generate a swallowing atmosphere of sheer simmering heat and awakes the primal desire to dance within each and every listener. The first tune Sorrow sorrow sorrow showcases the talents of the bands brass players with a very prominent lead trumpet and saxophones duelling with each other. In jumps the organ as lead instrument for another long part and despite grooving on repetitive rhythm figures created by bass guitar, drums and percussions with brass instruments and organ adding more intensity to it the solo eruptions and duels in combination with Segun Bucknors commanding soulful vocal delivery really brand their progressions, lines and hooks into the listeners mind.

Gbomojo then combines the dark side of the early 60s post bop jazz with a relaxed, yet fidgety beat that draws influences from both, funk and rocksteady. The brass section creates haunting melodies with a goosebump factor. Then the organ freaks out and embarks on a leading part for a moment. More electric jazz comes to the surface as an important influence for Segun Bucknor, who stated Ray Charles as one of his heroes. Well, one of quite some more as it seems. The ongoing groove of the tune and especially the ticking of a special percussion instrument which is very prominent in the arrangement make this a rather hypnotizing affair. This tune is an all out instrumental but trumpet and saxophone take over the lead vocal duties here. Is this what John Coltrane might have emerged into if he was still alive in 1972? Back to his roots but with more of a groovy approach? Who knows? Segun Bucknor did it.
The title track that centers around the assassination of the popular Nigerian prime minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa on January 15th 1966 is again a prime example of haunting afro beat that quite obviously differs from the American funk music of the day. The tune is based on a dense polyrhythmical groove network which builds the fruitful soil for the leading brass section to grow a forest of captivating melodies with more of these commanding vocals thrown in, telling about the political situation in Nigeria around those days and how the people overcame the dark period of time.

Too much darkness and tragedy might spoil the fun in some way so the closing track with nearly eleven minutes of length titled La La La comes as a more enlightened groover with happier lyrics and hot blooded rhythmical base upon which fascinating melodies lead a good life. Again the brass instruments get their solo parts but this is more of a dance track. Again the arrangements are a dense plait of instrumental lines, harmonies, vocals and rhythm figures. It is an utter joy to try to follow each instrument individually in this dense sound.

All in all this album really gets you in case you have an affinity for jazz, for funky grooves, for long tracks and for a simmering atmosphere. A classic that still got lost in time to be rediscovered by a new generation of music lovers nearly 50 years after the initial release. Haunting!

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Mim Suleiman

Si Bure

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 1983 | EU | Reissue (Beaumonde)

Surprise

Believe Me

LP | 1990 | EU | Reissue (Beaumonde)

Release: 1983 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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In Gabon, 1983, Frédéric Gassita decided to form the band "Surprise" with his longtime friend Jean-Jean Gateau, having a strong inspiration from the US funk that invaded the radio waves of Gabon: Earth, Wind & Fire, the Commodores, Maze by Frankie Beverly ....
The Guitarist Célestin Assélé Bongo joined the band and provided them the necessary means to record an album. Florence Nang Ekomye, a talented self-taught jazz singer, is immediately recruited, being the voice of Surprise.
Recorded in 1985, benefiting from the unique recording conditions of Studio N'Koussou in Libreville: probably one of the handful studios in the planet to use a Digital 48 Tracks recorder at the time; The result is a sensational production, the use of synthesizers is slamming and the charm of Florence’s voice make the recording quite unique.
Totally unknown until recently, Surprise, primarily an early work from the great composer Frédéric Gassita, still sounds fresh and crisp and we hope it will now get the attention it did not get upon release.

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Bèlènou

Emosyon Tambou-A

LP | 2019 | EU | Original (Vampisoul)

Release: 1990 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Minimalist and spiritual, a true rural ancestral art from Martinique, the Bèlè combines dance and music from responsorial monodies, on codified drum rhythms and ti-bwa working up into the trance. The texts are simple, short and tell the story of everyday life and struggle. While preserving the emotion and the drum’s central place, the fundamental contribution of Bèlènou is to keep the traditional form of Bèlè while adding a modern instrumentation: bass, guitar, saxophone, drums...
Emosyon Tambou-a (Emotion of the Drum) was released in 1990. This third opus of the band expands the musical spectrum in harmonies, arrangements and influences to create a contemporary music anchored in the Bèlè matrix, while keeping the beat, the energy and ancestral roots of music.
A precursor group, experimental in the its early years, Bèlènou reconciles with talent tradition, modernity and cultural identity.

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Peru Negro

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Attarazat Addahabia & Faradjallah

Al Hadaoui

LP | 2019 | EU | Original (Habibi Funk)

Rebujo Colored Vinyl Edition

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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8 page vinyl size booklet & mp3 download coupon! Habibi Funk is back with another album from Casablanca. Completely unreleased album which was recorded in Morocco in 1973 by three generation family band. A unique blend of Gnawa, Funk and Rock. Traditional Moroccan music meets electronic guitars and dense layers of percussion by a band that used to run in the same circles as Fadoul (And actually wrote one of his songs).

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Dona Onete

LP | 2019 | EU | Original (Mais Um Discos)

A Life In The Limelight: Lagos Disco & Itsekiri Highlife, 1976 - 1981

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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On the eve of her 80th birthday, Dona Onete - "the grande dame of Amazonian song" - returns with Rebujo, a love letter to her hometown of Belém, situated deep in the Amazon. Rebujo brims with two music styles born in Belém: carimbós, influenced by African grooves, and bangues, a ska-type rhythm, plus there's a cumbia, brega ('romantic' music) and samba. Since the release of her 2017 album Banzeiro, Onete has become a superstar in Brazil - she composed and sung the theme song for one of Brazil's biggest soap operas (A Força do Querer), been awarded the Brazilian Ordem do Mérito Cultural in recognition for her contribution to Brazilian culture + her video for 'No Meio do Pitiu' has an impressive 9.2m views on Youtube Outside of Brazil she's performed at Roskilde, Womad (UK, NZ & AUS), Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Festival and TFF Rudolstadt and is a global spokesperson for indigenous cultures.

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Julie Coker

LP | 2019 | EU | Original (Kalita)

Love And Ka Dance Record Store Day 2019 Edition

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Kalita are honoured to release the first ever compilation focusing on the musical career of Julie Coker, the queen of Nigerian television. Here we collate seven of Julie's most sought-after Afro disco and hauntingly-beautiful Itsekiri highlife recordings, accompanied by extensive interview-based liner notes and never-beforeseen photos.

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Kassav

2LP | 1979 | EU | Reissue (Heavenly Sweetness)

K.O.G. & The Zongo Brigade

Release: 1979 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Unavailable for years, the reissue of Kassav' legendary first album released for the RSD. Founding album of the modernization of Guadeloupe music, it will give birth a few years later to the global zouk phenomenon. This version gathers for the first time the original version as the American version of the album (4 different tracks).

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Wahala Wahala

2LP | 2019 | EU | Original (Pura Vida Sounds)

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Philophon)

Bitteschön, Philophon!

LP | 2018 | US | Original (Sahel Sounds)

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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"Bitteschön, Philophon!" presents a "best of" selection taken from the so far fifteen 7" releases by the Berlin-based label Philophon. Greats as Jimi Tenor, Alemayehu Eshete and Hailu Mergia as well as new discoveries such as Guy One, Alogte Oho and Y-Bayani echo on "Bitteschön" the wide spectrum of the Philophon catalogue.
Philophon puts its emphasis on authentic local styles - from heavy grooving Ethio-Jazz coming out of Addis Abeba to cheerful Frafra-Gospel, as it is celebrated in Bolgatanga/Northern Ghana. Most recordings took place where the music is located - and that's the recipe for Philophon's productions: go to the source and dive into the real.

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Tallawit Timbouctou

Hali Diallo

LP | 1975 | UK | Reissue (Be With)

Release: 2018 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Tallawit Timbouctou are champions of takamba, a hypnotic traditional music from
Northern Mali. Built around the tehardent, the four stringed lute and pre-cursor to
the American banjo, takamba's droning distortion comes from signature handmade
mics and blown out amplifiers. Accompanied by percussion pounded out onto an
overturned calabash with mind boggling time signatures, the combined effect is
trance inducing. This is the music that long ruled the North of Mali, performed at
festivities, blasting out of dusty boomboxes, and beaming out from village radio
stations. Its origin is shrouded in mystery, and though purportedly dating back to the
Songhai Empire of the 15th century, takamba's heyday was in the 1980s, with the
introduction of amplification. Musicians found a lucrative circuit, performing in
elegant weddings, creating cassettes on demand, and writing songs for their wealthy
patrons. Today takamba has fallen out of popular fashion with the youth, but
continues to thrive in a small network of die-hard traditionalists. Band leader Aghaly
Ag Amoumine is one of the remaining renowned takamba musicians. Descended
from a long line of praise singers, he spent decades traveling across the Sahel,
performing in remote nomad camps and crowded West African capitals. His
compositions continue to circulate today and have become part of the folk
repertoire. His group Tallawit Timbouctou, based in the city of the same name,
continues in the family tradition, and has featured both his brother and nephew as
accompanying members. Recorded at home in Timbouctou, "Hali Diallo" is a
relentless and nonstop recording, true to the form of takamba. Tracks blend
seamlessly into one another, instruments are tuned mid-song, and Aghaly only
pauses singing long enough for the occasional shout-out or dedication. Unfiltered
and direct as it's meant to be heard, Tallawit Timbouctou is a shining example of one
of the last great takamba bands.

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Buari

Release: 1975 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2022 repress

A surefire Afro-Funk classic, long treasured by collectors across the globe, the fantastic self-titled LP from Ghanaian singing/percussion sensation Sidiku Buari nevertheless remains a criminally hard-to find gem. We're honoured to present the first ever officially licensed vinyl reissue of this undoubted masterpiece. Limited to just 500 copies.

Originally released on RCA in 1975, this is, quite simply, a ridiculous record. This super-rare album boasts an all-star cast of top funk instrumentalists playing alongside Buari as he blends heavy African rhythms with American soul-funk grooves. The arrangements and the playing are incredibly tight and the album is stacked with killer tracks including "Advice From Father" (sampled brilliantly by Kenny Dope) and "Ku Ka Maria", with its intense, neck-snapping breaks and funky drumming from legend Bernard 'Pretty' Purdie. Purdie is in the pocket for the entirety of this stunning LP - the drumming is just straight out of hand, so varied yet so precise.

It's not hard to fathom why these tracks have always been huge on the b-boy/breaking scene. Other standouts include the wonderful disco-tinged afro monsters "Karam Bani" and "Iro Le Pa" plus the cool laidback groove of "Them Yebtheyet".

With access to the original analogue tape transfers, Simon Francis' stellar mastering elevates the sound throughout and, as ever, it has been pressed at a reassuringly weighty 180g.

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

3LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Soundway)

LP | 2018 | EU | Original (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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Deke Tom Dollard

Na You

LP | 1972 | EU | Reissue (Strut)

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Mindblowing Afro-Soul music from Ivory Coast served up by Deke Tom Dollard, an obscure artist who only recorded two albums in 1979 and 1981 but who created an original funky fusion with Bété langage. A Selection of four amazing tracks recorded in Abidjan on two different records label called War Records and As Records.
The music here is a mixture of Funk with heavy basslines, traditional percussions, funky guitar riffs, nice horns section and lyrics in Beté. The song “Demonde” is inspired by harmonies of the famous “Dance to the Drummer Beat” by Herman Kelly.
Those two rare records were found by Afrobrazilero (aka Djamel Hammadi) and never appeared on the vinyl market. It's almost impossible to have infos about this singer and composer neither the musicians involved in the recording sessions. Most of the traces of the recording session were lost by the labels we licensed the tracks with.
Unique, pressed on a deluxe vinyl, remastered by The Carvery, this very Funky album is a must have for all the Afro Funk lovers!

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Mulatu Astatke

Mulatu Of Ethiopia

International Dance Record

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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Harmonious Thelonious

LP | 2016 | EU | Original (Italic)

LP | 1974 | EU | Reissue (Hot Casa)

Release: 2016 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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Brighter than the sun of Africa and hotter than the desert wind Scirocco: Harmonious Thelonious returns with his fourth album. It comes with the enticing title “International Dance Record” and as always, much of it revolves around the vertical component of music: Harmony. The Düsseldorf producer has been exploring the infinite possibilities of electronic music production under pseudonyms like Antonelli Electr. since the late 1990s. He has produced contemporary voodoo art as part of the trio The Durian Brothers. Yet the new album is not a standard procedure. Rather, he shifts the harmonies of African music and juxtaposes them by a whole tone, generating simple harmonic changes with a magical effect. His unusual tonal game runs through half of his album, yet is not its major theme. That, rather, is hypnosis. All of his new tracks run through without detailed arrangements, have heavily infectious melodic passages and create a repetitive pull of mythical power.

Overall, his music today is airier and more receptive than anything he has presented to the world to date as Harmonious Thelonious. The brute force beats his previous albums “Talking”, “Listen” and “Santos” have been replaced by simple rhythm box grooves. They are repeatedly joined by short highlife guitar themes, bright flute melodies and feathery keyboard hooks. Africa is also only partially a reference for this unclassifiable and cheerful dance sound, which is entitled “International Dance Record” for good reasons. Because this time the priority is on immediate movement and pieces like “Talking About” or the remake of “Muziek”, still crude on his 2012 EP “Ting Tong”, both nod to House without directly being that. A longplayer between worlds that creates its very own – and despite all its exoticism, somehow remains absolutely grounded.

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Keni Okulolo

Talkin' Bass

LP | 1974 | EU | Reissue (Hot Casa)

Release: 1974 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Reissue of an ultra-rare Afro-Funk album by KENI OKULOLO.

First and rare album from the famous bass player and band leader of MONOMONO Nigerian band. 3 amazing tracks recorded in 1974 at EMI studio, taken from his ultra-rare and so hard to find Talkin' bass experience masterpiece album plus an extra track that we decided with the artist to include here. His funky gem “Funky People” was produced during the famous “Mixed Grill” sessions in Lagos.

Fully Licenced with one of a few living Nigerian musicians with roots in both traditional village music and funky West-African popular genres, five times voted Nigeria's best bassist by the Nigerian Association of Music journalists. The original album is so hard to find and cost more than thousand euros, so don’t hesitate to listen to this remastered Afro-Soul gem.

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Ezy & Isaac

Soul Rock

LP | 2015 | US | Original (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

Release: 1974 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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This Incredible afro-soul album was recorded in Italy in 1974 by the two Nigerians Ezy Hart and Isaac Olashugba. Ezy is known for his vocals while Isaac for playing saxophone. They are ex-members of Fela Kuti’s band, The Koola Lobitos and The Don Ezekiel Combination. After doing amazing collaborations together, recording a few Christian-Funk albums, and touring West Africa, these two finally settled in Italy. The Funky Fella, a group of 12 top Italian musicians such as Maestro Leoni from Rifi records, produced three albums with Ezy and Isaac. The first one is called Soul Rock and is considered as a Soul masterpiece. It contains the bomb track called “Bawagbe” ; This track is very tuff, hypnotic afro-soul groove with ruff Yoruba chants, smacking congas, afro horns, funky breaks and a wicked percussion breakdown of rattling cowbells. It`s a very unique collectors’ item for the afro-funk lovers and more. Hot Casa Records also included a bonus track called “I’m Ready For you”, coming from the rare funky 7inch released in 1976.

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Ata Kak

Obaa Sima

2LP | 1987 | US | Reissue (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

Release: 2015 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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A 1994 tape by Ghanaian musician Ata Kak called Obaa Sima is being reissued by Awesome Tapes From Africa.

The release is the culmination of a 13-year story for Awesome Tapes From Africa founder Brian Shimkovitz, who bought a cassette copy of Obaa Sima from a roadside stall in Cape Coast, Ghana, in 2002. The tape was the subject of the first post on his Awesome Tapes From Africa blog in 2006—the blog spawned a full record label in 2011.

Shimkovitz began searching for Ata Kat and says "Google and endless phone calls provided no leads." It was eventually discovered the musician, real name Yaw Atta-Owusu, had recorded Obaa Sima in Toronto before moving back to Ghana in 2006.

The restoration of the tape proved challenging. Only about 50 copies of the original tape were produced, and Atta-Owusu's master DAT had disintegrated, so the second-hand copy purchased by Shimkovitz was used as the source for the reissue.

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Dur-Dur Band

Volume 5

24 Hours In A Disco 1978-82

Release: 1987 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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4th strike on Awesome Tapes From Africa, another stunner! The classic Somali band's 1987 recording captures some of the incredible sounds happening in Mogadishu during that era.

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Kiki Gyan

2LP | 2012 | UK | Original (Soundway)

Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate

Release: 2012 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Soundway Records present ’24 Hours in A Disco 1978 - 82’, 7 cuts of relentless disco grooves from the sublimely gifted Kiki Gyan. Hailed as Africa’s answer to Stevie Wonder, Ghanaian multi-instrumentalist Kiki Gyan was a musical wunderkind who by 1975 had risen from the lowly status of high school dropout to being ranked eighth in a poll of the greatest keyboardists in the world (occupying the rarefied air of the top ten with heavyweights like Steve Winwood, Billy Preston, and Stevie Wonder) as well as becoming an in-demand session player in the top recording studios of London - all before his twenty-first birthday.

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In The Heart Of The Moon

2LP | 2012 | EU | Original (World Circuit)

You Can't Get Enough Of That Stuff

Release: 2012 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Originally released in 2005, now on vinyl!

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Hokum Boys (Crumb Cover)

LP | 1975 | US | Reissue (Yazoo)

Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate

Release: 1975 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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180 gram vinyl!

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Ali And Toumani

2LP | 2010 | EU | Original (World Circuit)

Release: 2010 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2024 | Original (Zouk (Heavenly Sweetness))

Kassav'

Yelele Reissue

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Preorder shipping from 2024-06-28

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Elmir)

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)

Freedom Train Record Store Day 2024 Edition

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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Feso Trombone

LP | 1984 | EU | Reissue (Lantern)

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Prado)

Release: 1984 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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A necessary groundbreaking album, originally released on Belgian label Antler in 1984. Fesobi Olawaiye debut is finally been re-issued, showcasing the incredible talent of the African musician, a longtime Fela Kuti associate in the legendary Afrika 70. Ander the moniker Feso Trombone he just prove an authentically brilliance, moving forward the afro-beat dogma while providing incredible white funk harmonies and contagious rare groove. Remastered from the original tapes!

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Akagera

Traverse

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Soulbeats)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Akagera trio released their debut album Serpente in 2019. The subtle blend of African music and jazz laid the foundations for a new sound driven by an unconventional ensemble of instruments.

Their new album, Traverse, is the soundtrack to the imaginary travel diary of three intrepid musicians forced to put a hold on their adventures. Over a period of three years, they took time out from improvisation sessions to collectively compose a repertoire reflecting the diversity of their backgrounds and influences: classical and contemporary music for Benoit, mixed music from South America and the Caribbean for Stéphane, and African rhythms and Brazilian grooves for David, all to the backdrop of their shared passion for jazz.

David Georgelet: drums Benoit Lavollée: vibraphone, marimba Stéphane Montigny: bass trombone

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Cheikh Ibra Fam

Peace In Africa

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Reggae & Dancehall

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LP | 2020 | EU | Original (Ajabu!)

Ian Lasserre

Atimo

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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London Afrobeat Collective

Esengo

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Canopy)

2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Deviation)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Taking inspiration from afrobeat father Fela Kuti as well as artists including Ebo Taylor, Parliament, Funkadelic and Havana d’Primera, London Afrobeat Collective’s music has won them admirers across the UK Europe and beyond. This eight-strong multi-cultural collective from England, Italy, France, Congo, Argentina, and New Zealand, combine traditional afrobeat and hi life with funk, jazz & Latin, to deliver party music born of their truly global DNA. A regular on the touring circuit and celebrated for their raucous energy, heavy dance grooves and conscious lyrics.

On the 14th February, they are set to release their fourth album ‘Esengo’ via Canopy Records.

‘Esengo’, produced by Sonny Johns (Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela, Ali Farka Toure), showcases London Afrobeat Collective’s love and respect for the traditions of afrobeat. With acclaimed Congolese singer Juanita Euka on vocals once more, ‘Esengo’ channels the spirit of Fela Kuti but with a willingness to create original music that crosses genres.

Lead single and album opener ‘Topesa Esengo Na Motema’, finds the band in a lighter yet spirited mood, celebrating the joy of living, reconnecting, and getting back on the road once more, while the groove-heavy ‘My Way’ is a refreshing blast of tight percussion and powerhouse vocals from Euka. Elsewhere, ‘Freedom’ perfectly captures the raw, soulful energy of their raucous live performances, while the blaring horns of ‘El Ritmo De Londres’ and easy, loose rhythms of ‘De Kinshasa À Sona Bata’ showcase London Afrobeat Collective at their rousing finest.

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Super Biton De Segou

Afro-Jazz-Folk Volume 2

...Weil Sie Wien Nicht Kennen

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Introducing the 2nd Volume of Super Biton of Segou’s Afro.Jazz.Folk collection, led by Malian conductor Amadou Bah, also known as “The Armstrong Malian”. Deviation Records is thrilled to present this collaboration with The Mieruba Label Team, showcasing the diverse musical roots of 1970s Mali, combining Afro-Latin percussion, Mandingo songs, jazzy brass, and funky guitar. The album also features the captivating ArtCollage of Emma Margo incorporating visuals of Segou, Mieruba Art Center, and Françoise Huguier. The graphic design is conceived by Les Mouches Graphic Design, with a selective varnish made from traditional Bogolan fabric of the Segou area. The audio was remastered by Raphael Jonin and cut by MB Mastering Studio in Aubervilliers. Get ready for a full sensory experience!

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Esrap Gasmac Gilmore

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Springstoff)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Easy Star)

Loving Paupers

Ladders

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | UK | Original (O-Tone Music)

Cristina Branco

Mäe

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Mario Castro & Samba S.A.

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Mr Bongo)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Soundway)

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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Live At Third Man Records

Old Crow Medicine Show

LP | 2023 | US | Original (Third Man)

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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At The Party / Do It To Me

Hector Rivera

7" | 2023 | UK | Original (Demon)

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Elmir)

Ettab

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Four Flies)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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A descendant of the Hausa (a people from the Sahel) born in Riyadh in 1947, Ettab was a celebrated singer, actress and activist - and perhaps the only female artist of Saudi origin of her time to claim an international career. This album, produced in Lebanon in 1992 by brothers Mahmoud and Ahmed Moussa for the label Relax-In, is a perfect introduction to her work. Resolutely modern in its pop arrangements with a finesse worthy of Curtis Mayfield, it takes Eastern classical music to new horizons. Ettab's undeniably beautiful voice is characterized by its original accent, which she refused to hide despite her exile to Egypt in 1980. After 15 albums and a few film appearances, Ettab devoted her time to defending the women's rights in the music world until her death in 2007 in Cairo. She is now a leading female icon in the Arab world, especially in her native Saudi Arabia. A masterpiece of Arabic music, essential to any fan of the genre, her work should be urgently (re)discovered.

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Psyche

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Fais & Ris)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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A unique combination of psychedelia, groove and afrobeat, the music of Psyché goes back to the roots of our future; it evokes visions of a mythical past, blending centuries-old music traditions and mixing them with modern genres. Like a warm Mediterranean breeze, it travels across lands, seas and eras, distilling essential rhythms and cosmic pulsations.

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Les Yeux D'la Tete

Liberte Cherie

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2015 | EU | Reissue (Relapse)

Myrkur

25,19 €* 27,99 € -10%

Release: 2015 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Amandla HHV Exclusive Tangerine Vinyl Edition

Andre & Josi

LP | 1979 | US | Reissue (Tidal Waves Music)

25,59 €* 31,99 € -20%