Afrobeat Vinyl LP 1175 Items

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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What We Did On Our Holidays

Fairport Convention

LP | 1969 | EU | Reissue (Proper)

Release: 1969 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2024 | Original (Cpl-Music)

Orkestar Kriminal

Originali

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Ochre & The Collected Eps

Blood And Sun

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Sound Pollution)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Music Is The Most Beautiful Language In The World

LP | 2020 | Original (Play Loud! Productions)

Release: 2020 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (By Norse Music)

Sowulo

Wurdiz

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 1988 | EU | Reissue (World Circuit)

Ali Farka Toure

Green

Release: 1988 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Wienerworld)

Gipsy Kings

Renaissance

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Look Over The Wall, See The Sky

John Francis Flynn

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (River Lea)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Red Hot + Fela 10th Anniversary Red And Yellow Colored Vinyl Edition

Fela Kuti

2LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Knitting Factory)

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 1978 | UK | Reissue (Diggers Factory / Soul Makossa)

Manu Dibango

Sun Explosion

Release: 1978 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Music On Vinyl)

Astrud Gilberto

Gilberto With Turrentine

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Innovative Leisure)

Dada Joaozinho

Tds Bem Global

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Proper)

Lindisfarne

Fog On The Tyne

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2018 | UK | Reissue (Hive Mind)

Maalem Mahmoud Gania

Colours Of The Night

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Proper)

Release: 2018 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2023 Repress.
Hive Mind Records are proud to present the 2023 repress of Colours of the Night, the final studio recordings of deep, hypnotic Gnawa trance music from the late, great Maalem Mahmoud Gania.

The landmark recordings saw their first release outside of Morocco in September 2017 as a double LP through Hive Mind Records, however the album soon sold out and has since been commanding high prices on the collectors market. We are delighted to once again work with the Gania family to bring you this repress. Colours of the Night is his first solo recording to receive a vinyl release.

Maalem Mahmoud Gania was one of Morocco's most famous Gnawa musicians. Gnawa is a musical and spiritual tradition originating in sub-Saharan Africa that has survived as a subculture within Moroccan society for centuries. The roots of the blues can be heard in its hypnotic rhythms.

Born in 1951 and brought up in the coastal city of Essaouira, Mahmoud was raised in one of the country's great Gnawa families. A well-respected singer and master guimbri player renowned for his command of the Gnawa songbook, he became one of Morocco's most prolific recording musicians. From the 1970s until his death in 2015 he released numerous albums for a variety of local labels including Tichkaphone, La Voix El Maaraf and Sonya Disques, as well as recording with Western musicians such as Pharoah Sanders, Peter Brotzmann, and most recently James Holden and Floating Points. The original recordings have been remastered for vinyl by Julian Tardo at Church Road Studios, and the sleeve features the beautiful portrait photography of Nicolas Diop.'

Players:
Maalem Mahmoud Gania: guimbri & lead vocal
Chorus and qraqebs: Karima El Filali, Asmae Hamzaoui, Chaimae Lofti, Hamza Gania, Ahmed Elbnoua, Mehdi Mnouer, Abdellah Malibo and Soufiane Aghmam.

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Fairport Convention

Liege & Lief

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Fire, Passion, Ecstasy Clear Vinyl Edition

Stimela

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

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Sundazed)

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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Dotti Holmberg

Some Times Happy Times

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | US | Original (Broken Clover)

Fulu Kolektiv

Lualaba

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Folk N' Roll)

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Fulu Kolektiv, is a sister initiative to the Fulu Miziki based in the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Kolektiv was cemented during the Covid pandemic. Fulu’s artists have always been used to working outdoors, but when the pandemic hit everyone, things changed. We found ourselves with very limited access to open spaces, so the whole collective decided to look for an alternative way of making music (ie: turning into computers) and have managed to put together this music being released on this album (Lualaba). This Kolektiv is not only formed with band members of Fulu Miziki, but it’s open to everyone who has healing music and values the environment. For most of us, this was just a ‘’waoouuu’ moment when we discovered this unlimited way of making music from a computer. Many of us never knew about this music software and the amount of sounds you can get out of it. We took this opportunity to bring you these sounds. We hope you enjoy and love them, and you’ll listen to them with a fresh ear and that you experience the same effect we had when we discovered them. We are all inspired by the traditional Congolese music heritage. Congolese churches are loud and electric with their own energy, and we wanted to transmit these traditional vibes by our new/modern ways of producing music. There is a mixture of diverse sounds, and there is an ancestorial sentiment to the album. The deep songs of exorcism nuance from El Mopepe brings this vibe to life.

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Jaimee Harris

Boomerang Town

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Doug Paisley)

Doug Paisley

Starter Home

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Peermusic)

Bluem

Notte

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Roforofo Fight Colored Vinyl Edition

Fela Kuti

2LP | 1972 | UK | Reissue (Knitting Factory)

Release: 1972 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Pape Nziengui Et Son Groupe

Kadi Yombo

2LP | 2022 | US | Original (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

LP | 2018 | EU | Original (World Circuit)

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Kadi Yombo, published in 1989, is the most successful album in the quest for a fusion between tradition and modernity in Bwiti harp music of the Tsogho people of Gabon. Combining beating rattles with a layer of synthesizers, Papé Nziengui blends in a contrapuntal dialogue characteristic of harp playing: male song in appeal and female choir in response, male voice of the musical arc and rhythms of female worship. But above all it's Tsogho ritual music and modern studio orchestration. The result is an initiatory itinerary of 10 musical pieces which are all milestones likely to be simultaneously listened to, danced, meditated on, and soon acclaimed. In the years since, Nziengui has traveled he world from Lagos to Paris, from Tokyo to Cordoba, from Brussels to Mexico City to become a true icon, the emblem of Gabonese music. Like Bob Dylan, "electrifying" folk and Bob Marley mixing rock with reggae, some purists have criticized Nziengui for having distorted the music of harp by imposing a cross with modern instruments. They even went so far as to claim that Nziengui was just an average harpist covering his shortcomings with stunts that were only good for impressing neophytes; like playing a harp placed upside down behind his back or playing two or three harps simultaneously. Sincere convictions or venomous defamations, in any case, Nziengui never gave in to such attacks, imposing himself on the contrary to pay homage to the elders (Yves Mouenga, Jean Honoré Miabé, Vickoss Ekondo) while instructing the maximum of young people. He is thus the promoter of many young talents, the most prominent of which is certainly his nephew Jean Pierre Mingongué. In a conservative society where the sacred is confused with secrecy, exposing the mysteries of Bwiti in broad daylight can be punished by exclusion or even execution. Papé Nziengui has always claimed that he faces such risks because he never felt enslaved to a community that governs his life, that regulates his conduct, that has a right of censorship over his activities. Like Ravi Shankar, the famous sitarist, Papé Nziengui is a man of rupture but also of openness, a transmitter of culture. As proof, he has established himself in Libreville, Gabo's capital, as the main harpist for sessions and concerts, accompanying the greatest national artists (Akendengué, Rompavè, Annie-Flore Batchiellilys, Les Champs sur la Lowé, etc.) as well as foreign artists (Papa Wemba, Manu Dibango, Kassav', Toups Bebey, etc.). In 1988, he was the first harpist to release an album in the form of a cassette produced by the French Cultural Center (Papé Nziengui, Chants et Musiques Tsogho). At the same time, he created his own group (Bovenga), combining traditional music instruments (musical bow, drums, various percussion instruments, etc.) in the framework of a true national orchestra, which gave the first concert and the first tours of a traditional music that was both modern and dynamic, thus "democratizing" the harp, to the dismay of certain purists. On the other hand, in modern music, dominated by the logic of profit or even commercialism, artistic creation must often be adjusted for a specific audience based on reason rather than heart. But instead of allowing himself to be distorted, Papé Nziengui has always tried to produce music that is not a caricature, worthy in its expression as in its content, of the sacredness and transcendence of the music of the Origins. This is what makes Nziengui-not only the musician, but the man-someone whose age hasn't altered any of his freshness or authenticity.

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Orchestra Baobab

Tribute To Ndiouga Dieng

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 1977 | US | Reissue (Now-Again)

Ngozi Family

99% Confusion

Roots Radics & Mikie Brooks

Release: 1977 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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A late period hard-rock, proto-punk entry in Zambian guitarist and bandleader Paul Ngozi’s extensive catalog. Featuring drummer Chrissy Zebby Tembo. LP includes oversized 8 page booklet detailing Ngozi’s arc, rare photographs, discography and annotations. Released under license from the Estate of Paul Nyirongo. “Zambia's Zamrock movement that exploded in the 1970s ... provided young musicians access to European and American music, and created a unique sound. At its root, Zamrock melded fuzz-toned psychedelia, chugging garage rock and roiling funk with a broad mix of African cadences and beats.... enlivening a scene that included bands like Musi O Tunya, Amanaz and the Ngozi Family.” - The New York Times Zamrock was a bona-fide rock scene, with albums released through independent labels based in Zambia. This music scene was complete, encompassing the genres of rock, acid folk, fusion, Afro-beat, South African jazz and traditional Zambian melodies. It quickly became a uniquely Zambian movement, befitting of its name. WITCH, Paul Ngozi and Amanaz sound nothing like other rock music from the African continent or elsewhere.

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One Love

LP | 2024 | UK | Original (Burning Sounds)

Release: 2024 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Preorder shipping from 2024-08-30

The Boy From Haeundae Beach

Christian Ki Dall

2LP | 2022 | DK | Original (Crunchy Frog)

LP | 2024 | UK | Original (Burning Sounds)

Release: 2022 / DK – Original

Genre: Hip Hop, Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Used Vinyl

Medium: Sealed, Cover: Sealed

Still sealed. tiny wear

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Purpleman

Confessions

Release: 2024 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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From The Dark Side Of The Alps

Herbert Pixner Projekt

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Three Saints)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orchestra

LP | 2024 | Original

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Rebirth On Wax)

Kwamé Fényan Ba

Douvan Douvan

2LP | 2024 | UK | Original (Burning Sounds)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Music producer, keyboardist and professional dancer based in France.
Coming from a Senegalese bloodline and growing up in Martinique (West indies), Fényan is deeply rooted in Black music. Epitome of a childhood in the West indies. A Caribbean Tale about Kreyol langage, about legacy and resilience, about turning victimhood into proactivity.
Douvan Douvan can be translated by "avant garde" in Kreyol. It is a story about People growing up and facing themselves, and their elders in order to move forward in their enlightenment.
It is your story

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Phil Pratt

Star Wars Dub

Release: 2024 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Helene Blum & Harald Haugaard Band

Den Store Sommer

LP | 2024 | Original

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2024 | US | Original (Wonderwheel)

Dandara & Chakib Bouzidi

Dandara & Chakib

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Future Pasts Red Vinyl Edition

Konkolo Orchestra

LP | 2024 | UK | Original (Rocafort)

Release: 2024 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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NEW Colored Vinyl: Solid RED
Konkolo Orchestra is a Zürich/Switzerland based project initiated by multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer Alexis Malefakis. With strong jazzy afrobeat and highlife references, Konkolo Orchestra pays homage to musical innovators such as Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Tony Oladipo Allen, Ebo Taylor and many more.
This first album continues the warm, vibrant, percussive motif of the hugely popular "Blue G." single of 2022. For those who like their music to inspire journey and movement, this album is the equivalent of gatecrashing a wedding party where even granny can get her groove on.
Malefakis is hardly rewriting the afrobeat textbook here, but his production charms the listener with a confident mastery of the genre. His compositions have a distinct personality and a tight structure, and are peppered with a talented array of guest vocalists: Nongoma (South Africa), Sir Frank Karikari (Ghana) and Kitio Batola (Congo); alongside Eric Owusu (Ghana) on percussion. The uplifting lyrics and joyful melodies are held together by a powerhouse horn section bearing all the swinging hallmarks of a highlife fanfare.
Deeply funky and syncopated, Malefakis has produced a motivational winter warmer for both feet and spirit.

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Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2024 | EU | Original (X-Ray Production)

La Yegros

Haz

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Sledgehammer Dub In The Street Of Jamaica

Niney The Observer

LP | 2024 | UK | Original (Burning Sounds)

Release: 2024 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | Original (Muziekpublique)

Las Lloronas

Out Of The Blue

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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El Habitante De La Tarde Roja

Juanito Makande

LP | 2019 | Original

Release: 2019 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2018 | Original (Celtic Collections)

Sharon Shannon

Sacred Earth

Release: 2018 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2015 | EU | Reissue (Secret)

Dillinger Verses Trinity

Clash

Release: 2015 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Sorcerers White Vinyl Edition

The Sorcerers

LP | 2015 | UK | Reissue (ATA)

Meets Kelly Ranks At Channel One

Release: 2015 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Michael Palmer

LP | 2024 | US | Original (Burning Sounds)

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Five Day Week Straw People

LP | 2018 | EU | Reissue (Morgan Blue Town)

Release: 2018 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Gearbox)

Ana Silvera

Oracles

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Elis)

iZem

In Ze Early Morning

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Ajabu!)

Edgar Luizga Valente

Aie

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Lettre Ouverte Aux... Open Letter To...

Lounès Matoub

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Elmir)

Monsters And Fantastic Creatures

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP Ltd Ed. + 28page booklet "Love, kindness and sincerity characterized his life and his work. He was a man, a rebel and a poet, all at the same time. He served art through his poetic and musical virtuosity, and through his art, he served the struggle of his people for survival: Imi d-lule? d aqbayli, isem-iw imen?i (in Kabyle since since he was born Kabyle: "They call me struggle"). After many brushes with death, he always came back with more vigorous, courageous and sensitive to the world. He was a legend in his lifetime and people thought he was immortal. However, on June 25, 1998, during his final battle, Lounès Matoub was assassinated. But he died with dignity, standing straight, heroic, weapon in hand." (Nadia Matoub)In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of his assassination, Elmir offers the very first vinyl edition of the reference album Lettre ouverte aux...; enriched with a 28-page booklet including biographical elements, the transcription of the poems and their analysis, as well as archival photos and facsimiles that suggest to the listener a complete immersion in one of the poet's masterpieces. An emblematic album that testifies to the immense talent of Matoub Lounes, his sensitivity and his commitment to the Berber cause. An essential document that invites you to (re)discover the work of one of the greatest figures of Kabyle music.

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Violons Barbares

2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Violons Barbares)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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A Moi La Liberte - Early Electronic Rai Algerie 1983/ 90

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Born Bad)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Before becoming an international musical phenomenon, raï was first and foremost the expression of a social behaviour, of a way of being. It bothers, excites, seduces, but leaves no one indifferent! Delving into the deepest recesses of raï, this compilation serves as a tribute to its roaring years, but also as a rejuvenation of the genre in its sulphurous, subterranean version. It seemed like a good idea to dig into nearly untraceable cassettes, thus confirming it's in the oldest of Oranese pots that the very best of raï is to be found. Just 50 years ago, no one would have believed even a bit in a genre seemingly bound to forever turn round and round in its native Oran, laying low in one of its many coastal road clubs. In these underground venues, singers - backed up by a minimalist orchestration for lack of space - would move their audience to laughs and tears, sobbing in a beer or chuckling down (dry) whisky. Either way, the public would unfailingly be moved by their defying tunes, sounding like a challenge to the established, self-righteous order of things - complete with trumpets, electric guitars, accordions and an array of percussions. Through the pre and post-independence years, from 1950 to 1970, raï urbanised itself, with a generation growing up between asphalt and concrete to the sound of traditional flute, but also and mostly listening to twist, French variété and rock music. Their names were Boutaïba S'ghir, Messaoud Bellemou, Groupe El Azhar, Younès Benfissa or Zergui, and they passed on their collection of songs to the incoming "Chebs" -breathing a second youth into them. Oran, the capital of West-Algeria, will be at the heart of this rejuvenation. Raï's success was overwhelming, so much so that in 1985 - when it appeared at the Youth Festival in Alger and when Oran held its first raï festival - the Algerian authorities hastened to nationalise the genre, all the while calling for its "normalisation" (that is, the "purification" of its lyrics), and to declare it "an integral part...

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Harvey Averne's Coco Records

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Charly)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Essiebons Special 1973-1984

2LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

30,39 €* 31,99 € -5%

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Dick Essilfie-Bondzie was all ready for his 90th birthday party when the Covid pandemic hit. The legendary producer, businessman and founder of Ghana’s mighty Essiebons label had invited all his family and friends to the event and it was the disappointment at having to postpone that prompted Analog Africa founder Samy Ben Redjeb to propose a new compilation celebrating his contributions to the world of West African music.

For most of the 1970s Essilfie-Bondzie’s Dix and Essiebons labels were synonymous with the best in modern highlife, and his roster was a who’s-who of highlife legends. C.K. Mann, Gyedu Blay Ambolley, Kofi Papa Yankson, Ernest Honny, Rob ‘Roy’ Raindorf and Ebo Taylor all released some of their greatest music under the Essiebons banner.

Yet Essilfie-Bondzie had been destined for a very different career. Born in Apam and raised in Accra, he was sent to business school in London at the age of 20, and returned to the security of a government job in Ghana. But his passion for music, inspired by the sounds of Accra’s highlife scene, had never left him, and in 1967 he figured out a way of combining music and business by opening West Africa’s first record pressing plant.

The venture, a partnership with the Philips label, was a huge success, attracting business from all over the continent. By the early 1970s Essilfie-Bondzie had left his government job to concentrate on his labels, and by the mid-seventies he was on a hot streak injecting album after album of restless highlife into the bloodstream of the Ghanaian music scene.

Essiebons Special features a selection of obscure workouts from some of the label’s heaviest hitters. But in the course of digitising his vast archive of master tapes, Essilfie-Bondzie found a number of Afrobeat and Instrumental maszterpieces tracks from the label’s mid-70s golden age that, for one reason or another, had never been released. Those songs are included here for the first time.

Sadly Essilfie-Bondzie passed away before the compilation was finished. But his legacy lives on in the extraordinary music that he gave to the world in his lifetime.

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Edo Funk Explosion Volume 1

2LP+Book | 2021 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

30,39 €* 31,99 € -5%

Ebo Taylor And The Pelikans

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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It was in Benin City, in the heart of Nigeria, that a new hybrid of
intoxicating highlife music known as Edo Funk was born.
It first emerged in the late 1970s when a group of musicians began
to experiment with different ways of integrating elements from their
native Edo culture and fusing them with new sound effects coming
from West Africa ́s night-clubs. Unlike the rather polished 1980 ́s
Nigerian disco productions coming out of the international
metropolis of Lagos Edo Funk was raw and reduced to its bare
minimum.

Someone was needed to channel this energy into a distinctive sound
and Sir Victor Uwaifo appeared like a mad professor with his Joromi
studio. Uwaifo took the skeletal structure of Edo music and
relentless began fusing them with synthesizers, electric guitars and
80 ́s effect racks which resulted in some of the most outstanding Edo
recordings ever made. An explosive spiced up brew with an odd
psychedelic note dubbed "Edo Funk".

That's the sound you'll be discovering in the first volume of the
Edo Funk Explosion series which focusses on the genre’s greatest
originators; Osayomore Joseph, Akaba Man, and Sir Victor Uwaifo:

Osayomore Joseph was one of the first musicians to bring the sound
of the flute into the horn-dominated world of highlife, and his
skills as a performer made him a fixture on the Lagos scene. When he
returned to settle in Benin City in the mid 1970s – at the
invitation of the royal family – he devoted himself to the
modernisation and electrification of Edo music, using funk and Afro-
beat as the building blocks for songs that weren’t afraid to call
out government corruption or confront the dark legacy of Nigeria’s
colonial past.

Akaba Man was the philosopher king of Edo funk. Less overtly
political than Osayomore Joseph and less psychedelic than Victor
Uwaifo, he found the perfect medium for his message in the trance-
like grooves of Edo funk. With pulsating rhythms awash in cosmic
synth-fields and lyrics that express a deep personal vision, he
found great success at the dawn of the 1980s as one of Benin City’s
most persuasive ambassadors of funky highlife.

Victor Uwaifo was already a star in Nigeria when he built the
legendary Joromi studios in his hometown of Benin City in 1978.
Using his unique guitar style as the mediating force between West-
African highlife and the traditional rhythms and melodies of Edo
music, he had scored several hits in the early seventies, but once
he had his own sixteen-track facility he was able to pursue his
obsession with the synesthetic possibilities of pure sound, adding
squelchy synths, swirling organs and studio effects to hypnotic
basslines and raw grooves. Between his own records and his
production for other musicians, he quickly established himself as
the godfather of Edo funk.

What unites these diverse musicians is their ability to strip funk
down to its primal essence and use it as the foundation for their
own excursions inward to the heart of Edo culture and outward to the
furthest limits of sonic alchemy. The twelve tracks on Edo Funk
Explosion Volume 1 pulse with raw inspiration, mixing highlife
horns, driving rhythms, day-glo keyboards and tripped-out guitars
into a funk experience unlike any other.
Double LP pressed on 140g virgin vinyl comes with a full color 20-pages booklet

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Ebo Taylor & The Pelikans

LP | 1976 | EU | Reissue (Comet)

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Fat Possum)

Release: 1976 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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A Ghanaian funk LP from the afrofunk master. one of Ebo Taylor's rarest and most sought-after! Ebo Taylor and The Pelikans is being reissued on vinyl by Comet Records, pressed on high quality vinyl, with label designs and artwork as per the original release. Originally released by Ghanian Abookyi label in 1976, Ebo Taylor and The Pelikans is one of Taylor’s most elusive releases, and marked the first time he sang on the seminal Ghana Funk anthem “Come Along”. The album saw the legendary musician, producer, composer and arranger joining forces with 12-piece Cape Coast Ghanian band ‘The Pelikans’ led by Bessa Simmona with rhythm guitarist Fifi Orleans Lindsay. Put simply, there has never been a musician and artist quite like Ebo Taylor. As an artist, arranger, musician and producer he’s a combination of James Brown, Nile Rodgers and Quincy Jones: He not only created some of the greatest funk songs ever recorded but as much if not more than that, his genius as an arranger gave the signature sound to high life and afrobeat that was made famous by his one-time London roommate (from when they were both music students, in The early 1960s) Fela. And his funky guitar brought a percussive sound to the rhythm section that didn't exist before.

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Joanna Sternberg

I've Got Me

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Muzikawi)

Jorga Mesfin

The Kind Ones

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Muzikawi)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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This is Mulatu Astatke’s protege and Ethiopian saxophonist and composer Jorga Mesfin’s debut album. It’s a long foray into Ethio-jazz that takes this courageous syncretism further by fusing spiritual experimentation with bits from all kinds of situations in Ethiopian music, jazz music, and specifically Ethiopian jazz music that precedes it.

Jorga Mesfin is widely regarded as one of the most talented contemporary musicians and composers in Ethiopia. He started his professional career at the young age of 17 and has since collaborated with numerous renowned artists, including Tsegaye Gebremedhin, Carolyn Beard Withlow, The Last Poets, Vijay Iyer, Wayna Wondossen, Kirk Whalum, Takana Miyamoto, Gizze Reggae band, Dionne Farris, Aster Aweke, Mahmoud Ahmed, and Mulatu Astatke. Additionally, Mesfin was a resident at Astatke's legendary African Jazz Village in Addis Ababa every Thursday.

Jorga Mesfin is the founder of the Ethio-jazz group called Wudasse. He composed the music for the epic Ethiopian film "Teza" directed by Haile Gerima. His work on the film earned him the Best Music Award at the 22nd Carthage Film Festival and Best Composition at the 5th Dubai International Film Festival.

Muzikawi is an Ethiopian record label, music publisher, studio, artist management, and event organiser with offices in Addis Ababa and Stockholm. We understand and honour the culture of Ethiopia.

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Dawit Yifru

LP | 2023 | US | Original (Color Red)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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"Ethiopia’s music company Muzikawi, will on 30 March reissue the self-titled solo instrumental album of Ethio-jazz composer Dawit Yifru, which offers an exceptional occasion to rediscover one of the most important eras in Ethiopia’s music history. The 11 track album features a compilation of songs that were restored and remastered from cassettes released throughout the 1970s. With Ethiopian Chickchika music, Twist, Congolese Rumba, and Waltz music styles converging, the songs reflect the dynamic musical crossroads that were present at the time in the Horn of Africa country. However, it is the inclusion of the violin instrument, which was uncommon at the time, that presents Dawit Yifru as a visionary composer amongst his mates at the time. “These elements have come together to create Ethio-jazz music at its most bold, spiritual and syncretic,” Muzikawi founder Teshome Wondimu said. “With this compilation, Dawit Yifru offers a bright window into the past of Ethiopia’s music scene which is so rich, deep and sophisticated, with a gentle, beautiful story to tell – and we see ourselves as the messengers who are bringing the world this story and sound.” This compilation is the first release of the Muzikawi’s Archive & Research project, which seeks to re-record and re-issue some of Ethiopia’s most celebrated music that never made it outside the country and in the process bring fame and recognition to musicians whose music was never available on the international market. “ Every country has its stars, its loved singers, but there are of course titans of their era and Dawit Yifru is one of the few, ” Wondimu said. “ The reason many will be experiencing his works for the first time is because in the 1970s, the Ethiopian music ‘industry’ thrived only at the capital Addis Ababa with little recording infrastructure in comparison to its neighbours like Kenya and Uganda, where cult record labels and producers captured the countries’ sound and made the recordings available internationally and for the masses.” “Therefore, our Archive & Research project is a guaranteed way to keep these great works of music alive and circulating. Overall, this compilation is an absolutely brilliant and must own recording from one of the most original sounding Ethiopian composers you’ll ever hear. Hopefully this release will open the door for the world to discover more incredible music and culture from Ethiopia.” Dawit Yifru remains a household name in Ethiopia due to his commitment to collaborating with a diverse range of musicians and sharing his musical skills not just to his peers but also with the new generation of musicians. Dawit Yifru will be available on all digital platforms and for purchase on vinyl. "

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Euforquestra

Fire

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | UK | Original (Acid Jazz)

T.P. Orchestre Poly

Rythmo

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Music On Vinyl)

Release: 2022 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The latest instalment from Acid Jazz’s Albarika Store series, ‘Afro Funk’ compiles the very best of the legendary T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo’s funk cuts.

Formed in 1968 by leader Clément Mélomé, T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo became the leading group in Benin and the cornerstone of the Albarika Store label and legacy.

This collection brings together highlights from their extensive career, including tracks as ‘Gbeti Ma Djro’, ‘Segla’ and the collectable ‘It’s A Vanity’: wall-to-wall some of the finest Afro-Funk ever made.

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Culture

Culture Dub

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (RCA)

Buddy Guy

The Blues Don't Lie

Basket Of Light Colored Vinyl Edition

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Blues Don’t Lie is the amazing new album from Buddy Guy, and is the legend’s 34th studio album, and the follow up to 2018’s Grammy winning album The Blues Is Alive and Well. Produced by songwriter/drummer Tom Hambridge, The Blues Don’t Lie features guests including Mavis Staples, Elvis Costello, James Taylor, Jason Isbell, and more.

The album will be released exactly 65 years to the day that Buddy Guy arrive in Chicago on a train from Baton Rouge, Louisiana in September of 1957, with just the clothes on his back an his guitar. His life would never be the same, and he was born again in the blues. The Blues Don’t Lie tells the story of his lifelong journey.

Reflecting on this body of work, Buddy says “I promised them all: B.B., Muddy, Sonny Boy as long as I’m alive I’m going to keep the blues alive.” He has indeed proven that again, and proclaims, “I can’t wait for world to hear my new album cause The Blues Don’t Lie.”

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Pentangle

LP | 2019 | EU | Reissue (Music On Vinyl)

Release: 2019 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Basket of Light is the most progressive release by the British folk-rock group Pentangle. Traditional English folk songs are reinterpreted with a mix of jazz, pop and rock influences. The album opener “Light Flight” has become their signature song, which was also the theme song from BBC1’s first colour drama series Take Three Girls. With Basket Of Light, Pentangle proved they could release a progressive, ground-breaking work without keyboards, much studio trickery or even electric instruments. The original Pentangle was active in the late 1960s and early 1970s. During the recordings of Basket Of Light, line-up included Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Terry Cox, Danny Thompson and Jacqui McShee. Basket Of Light is available as a limited edition on yellow & orange marbled vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve.

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Antal Presents Beyond Space & Time Volume 2

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Beyond Space And Time)

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Chapter Two)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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Regular Edition WITHOUT the 7".

Rainbow Disco Club and Rush Hour, a long-standing friendship that transcends continents! House, disco, new wave, Caribbean, rare groove, leftfield.. Antal compiles the second release on "Beyond Space And Time", loaded with personal choice cuts.

Internationally recognised and much-loved festival from Japan, Rainbow Disco Club’s offshoot project "Beyond Space And Time" record label presents their sophomore release! Following the work by DJ Nobu, their second compilation has been compiled by none other than Antal. Also known as the festival's headliner and the man behind Amsterdam record shop/label Rush Hour, all 11 tracks are selected by Antal in a 2 x 12-inch + bonus 7-inch format. From local Dutch newcomers to '80s Japanese cult music, rare grooves to danceable house music, and rare Caribbean soul, this compilation is a portrait of music enthusiast Antal Heitlager’s enormous collection and 30-year DJ career, a work of art that can be enjoyed by all music fans!

An afro electronics track recommended by South African collector DJ Okapi, who co-produced the masterpiece compilation "Pantsula!: Rise Of Electronic Dance Music In South Africa: 1988-90" released in 2017, which brought Kwaito back onto the map. A-1

Improvisation Organic Deep House track by New Zealand’s newcomer. A-2

A rare breezin' boogie by Larry Heard’s alias Trio Zero from 1989. Highly sought after by all collectors as a cult Balearic track. Previously unreleased version. B-1

From the 2015 album by L.A. funk maker DAM-FUNK on the prestigious Stones Throw label. LO-FI beats and synthetic breakdowns that are reminiscent of early Rush Hour works and ‘90s house. B-2

The debut single of Japanese idol unit, Shohjo-Tai. Haruomi Hosono also produced some of their tracks later on in their career. Japanese new wave disco from 1984. C-1

The soundtrack from the Japanese manga "Touring Express". RDC fans will recognize this track from the final hours of the festival. A nostalgic oriental disco from 1985. C-2

80s Silky Mellow Soul by Connecticut jazz vocalist Dianne Mower who also contributed to the re-press of the prestigious Numero Group. D-1

The original version is a masterpiece from 1983 by Zouk singer Jocelyn Mocka of French Guadeloupe. This edit still very much emphasizes an emotional mid-tempo Caribbean soul, nicely reconstructed by Rush Hour's Bonnefooi. D-2

The first 500 copies will include a limited 7-inch bonus disc featuring a Dutch artist.
Modal jazz track from the Han Litz Group led by Han Litz, a jazz flute player representing the local Amsterdam scene. A-1

A freestyle percussion jam track inspired by Brazilian and Klaus Weiss music. Los Calxunxos Tuyos, derived from the band Zuco 103 formed by students of the Rotterdam Conservatory. B-1

A mysterious electronic pop floating, between the dance floor and easy listening by Rush Hour's Kamma. B-2

A total of 11 tracks from all types of genres and generations, a true masterpiece and representation of Rainbow Disco Club’s vision “Beyond Space And Time”. Bringing you the love from Amsterdam to the world!

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Lass

Bumayé

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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This World Is Full Of Injustice Record Store Day 2022 Black Vinyl Edition

The Elcados

LP | 1973 | EU | Reissue (Afrodelic)

Black Children Sledge Funk Group

Release: 1973 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The ultra-rare masterpiece by Elcados originally released by EMI-Nigeria in 1973 and recorded by Kayode Salami. A top shelf heavyweight Afro-Psych Funk-Rock. A real gem. Featuring 'Ku Mai Da Hankan’

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Love Is Fair Record Store Day 2022 Black Vinyl Edition

LP | 1976 | EU | Reissue (Afrodelic)

Release: 1976 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Nigerian classic Black Children Sledge Funk Group 1976’s debut album full of positive vibrations and feel-good grooves! A sunny blend of Reggae and Afro-Funk with a lot of percussions, psychedelic and rhythmic guitar and organ. In the mid-seventies in Nigeria everybody loved them. Pride of 70’s Africa Repressed for the first time.

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Africa Funk Roots Chapter One

2LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Cosmic Disco Machine)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2021 | UK | Original (Partisan)

Femi Kuti / Made Kuti

Legacy +

Release: 2021 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Dancing Devils Of Djibouti

Groupe RTD

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Ostinato)

Kollington Ayinla And His Fuji '78 Organisation

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The first ever international album from Djibouti and Ostinato's first studio recorded album. This ain't a compilation or reissue!

A stunning collision of Indian Bollywood, Jamaican dub and reggae, sleek horns inspired by Harlem’s jazz era, Somali funk, and the haunting and joyous synthesizer melodies of the Red Sea by Groupe RTD, one of East Africa’s best kept secrets.

Recorded in three days -- as per the strict limit set by Djibouti's national radio authorities -- with a state-of-the-art mobile recording studio replete with the very best audio interfaces and carefully positioned microphones around a less than soundproof room to achieve a vibrant, professional sound while maintaining the analog warmth of decades prior.

A portion of Bandcamp sales will be donated in equal parts to:

• The Djiboutian Embassy in Germany to purchase masks and other essential supplies for Djibouti.

• Amref Health Africa Covid-19 Fund (amref.org/donations/covid19/)

-------------

More than one news report refers to Djibouti as “a place where nothing ever happened” that “would not register significantly in the global consciousness except for its strategic location in East Africa."

These deeply ill-informed observations could not be further from the truth.

While the music of Somalia is widely celebrated, its neighbor, the Republic of Djibouti, formerly known as French Somaliland, is home to an equally deep reservoir of its own unique Somali music.

The small but culturally grand country on the mouth of Red Sea remains one of the few places in the world where music is still entirely the domain of the state. Since independence in 1977, one-party rule brought most music under its wing, with almost every band a national enterprise.

No foreign entities have been permitted to work with Djibouti’s rich roster of music — until now.

In 2016, Ostinato Records met with senior officials of Radiodiffusion-Télévision Djibouti (rtd), a.k.a. the national radio, to discuss a vision for lifting the shroud on Djiboutian music as the young country of less than a million people increasingly opens up to the world. Three years later, in 2019, Ostinato became the first label granted full authorization to access the national radio’s archives, one of the largest and best preserved in Africa, home to thousands of reels of Somali and Afar music.

But just next door, in RTD’s recording studio, a world class band entirely unknown outside the country, whose songs are a living embodiment of the archives, lay in waiting. Composed of sensational new, young talent backed by old masters, the band — Groupe RTD — is the national ceremony outfit. By day, they perform for presidential and national events and welcome foreign dignitaries.

By night, when no longer on official duty, Groupe RTD is clearly one of East Africa’s best kept secrets.

Helmed by Mohamed Abdi Alto, possibly the most unheralded saxophone virtuoso in all of Africa, a Djiboutian national treasure, and the horn maestro on track 8 of our Grammy-nominated Sweet As Broken Dates compilation, and mentored by Abdirazak Hagi Sufi, originally from Mogadishu and composer of track 9 on the same compilation, Groupe RTD is the finest expression of Djibouti’s cosmopolitan music style.

Situated on the Bab El Mandeb (Gate of Tears) strait, a historic corridor of global trade connecting the Suez Canal and the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean, Djibouti is blessed with influences from East Asia, the Arabian peninsula, India, and even more distant sounds.

Djiboutian music, particularly the addictive brand wielded by Groupe RTD, is, by their own admission, the juncture where Indian Bollywood vocal styles, offbeat licks of Jamaican dub and reggae, sleek horns inspired by Harlem’s jazz era, Somali funk and the haunting and joyous synthesizer melodies of the Red Sea collide.

Sax player Mohamed Abdi Alto — so talented that they added “Alto” to his legal name — honed his trade from a steady diet of John Coltrane and Charlie Parker. Abdirazak’s guitar style draws heavily from his love affair with Jamaican music. Young singers Asma Omar, who won a youth talent contest to join the band, and Hassan Omar Houssein are fluent in the classic hits of Bollywood and Indian music. Synth player Moussa Aden Ainan brings a distinctly dexterous Somali touch, reminiscent of the exceptional keys work of Somalia’s Iftin and Waaberi Band. Their sound is kept afloat by measured Tadjouran rhythms, courtesy of drummer Omar Farah Houssein and dumbek player Salem Mohamed Ahmed’s perfect interplay.

But recording this album was Ostinato’s biggest challenge yet. A web of bureaucracy and strict rules had to be navigated. Djibouti’s authorities gave us only three days to record the entire set, with no extension. Up for the task and eager to deliver, the musicians promptly tore down the “no smoking or chewing khat” sign in RTD’s recording studio and began a heated, three-day, khat-fueled devilish feast of music amid a smokey haze, unleashing the very reason the band was founded: to strut Djibouti’s majestic music on the world stage when the opportunity arrived.

The recording equipment in the radio had not been upgraded in decades and technical neglect meant we had to devise a novel approach to ensure the highest quality recording possible. With the help of Djibouti’s head of customs, we flew in a state-of-the-art mobile recording studio replete with the very best audio interfaces and carefully positioned microphones around a less than soundproof room to achieve a vibrant, professional sound while maintaining the analog warmth of decades prior.

This game-changing setup, a far cry from the old days of field recordings, is Ostinato’s vision for the future: to capture the contemporary sounds of Africa and the world flawlessly, in any environment or circumstance.

We proudly present Ostinato’s premier studio recorded album and the first ever international album to emerge from Djibouti — Groupe RTD: The Dancing Devils of Djibouti.

This album, if listened to at an inappropriate volume, should firmly register Djibouti in the global consciousness, shifting its image from a strategic outpost of geopolitical games to cultural powerhouse.

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Blessing

LP | 1988 | UK | Reissue (Soul Jazz)

12" | 1982 | US | Reissue (Smiling C)

Release: 1988 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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This is the first in Soul Jazz Records’ new series of one-off pressings of limited-edition 1000 copies vinyl-only releases of Afro-funk/Afro-beat exact-replica, super-rare albums that were previously only ever released in Nigeria. The series starts with Kollington Ayinla’s celebrated 1978 album ‘Blessing,’ a rare lost classic of Nigerian Fuji music, featuring Ayinla’s sharp political lyrics together with his new band Fuji ’78. ‘Blessing’ blends the heavily percussive style of Fuji music with a stunning array of modern instruments, including synthesizers, Bata drums and guitars, to create one of the most forward-thinking and heavily danceable sounds ever to come out of Nigeria – a highly successful mixture of profound Fuji rhythms and Fela Kuti-style Afrobeat. Kollington Ayinla ranks alongside his friend and competitor Ayinde Barrister as the two most important artists to dominate Fuji music from its inception in the 1970s through to the 1990s by which time it had grown to become one of the most popular dance genres in Nigeria. At the start of the 1980s Ayinla started his own record company, Kollington Records, to release his music and remains to this day an extremely prolific artist, having recorded over 50 albums, most of which have never been released outside of Nigeria.

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Kumasi

I Know You Feel It

LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

Release: 1982 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Much anticipated re-release of South African disco funk outfit Kumasi's catalogue! Incl the known tunes Picnic (Moger) & Anomakoliwa. Strong from start to finish! TIP!
Kumasi was a group comprised of Ray Phiri, Jabu Sibumbe, Isaac Mtshali and Lloyd Lelosa. Sometime between their formation as The Cannibals (*needing reissues*) and the almighty group Stimela, Kumasi released one album and a couple of singles. The artists had contracts under Gallo and couldn't reveal that they were linked to the music in any way, leading Kumasi to have only a brief mysterious run in the early 80s.
But the secrets out! This release presents a collection of five songs from their incredibly rare full length LP, and adds to that their version of the South African classic, ‘Picnic’. Pressed as a 2x12” compilation, sounding incredible! Kumasi brings a unique blend of disco funk with that special South African tinge.
Ray Phiri died in 2017 - this album goes out in dedication.

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Orchestre Abass

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

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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In 1972, Orchestre Abass released two incredible singles on Polydor. These records - featuring Samarin Banza, Haka Dunia and other afrofunk masterpieces - were powerful enough to knock any music head out, but it wasn’t until the discovery of some unreleased material by the band that the seeds for this project were planted.

All the music was licensed directly from the various composers of these songs. The vinyl is pressed on 180 High Quality Virgin Vinyl and the gatefold contains previously unseen pictures and a detailed biography of the might band.

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Vaudou Game

Otodi

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Togo Soul 70: Selected Rare Togolese Recordings From 1971 To 1981

2LP | 2016 | EU | Original (Hot Casa)

LP | 2014 | US | Original (Other Music)

Release: 2016 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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TOGO SOUL 70 project, is the collaboration between Julien Lebrun, label Manager and Liz Gomis, journalist and director. Two friends that are combining their skills to relate the process of pressing a compilation of rare grooves in Africa

From the original quest, searching for vinyls and right holders in adventurous conditions (sometimes) to the contract final signature, we'll travel throughout Togo to witness the post-colonial story of the country by the prism of its soundtrack

More than a digging session, we'll highlight togolese culture through music. Music that you'll be able to listen in May 2016 on the double vinyl compilation TOGO SOUL 70 (Hot Casa Records gatefold)

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Xylouris White

Goats

Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Ngozi Family

Release: 2014 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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George Xylouris is a legendary Cretan folk musician, Jim White (Dirty Three) is an icon of underground music; produced by Guy Picciotto of Fugazi, Goats brings together these varied and inspired personalities to create something undeniably fresh and new. The beginning of what looks to be an ongoing collaboration, and one of the most expressive and personal of either musician’s long career. For fans of international folk and world sounds, guitar music, improv and avant garde, and much more.

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My Ancestors

LP | 2012 | US | Reissue (Mississippi)

Release: 2012 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Edo Funk Explosion Vol. 1

2LP | 2021 | DE | Original (Analog Africa)

Release: 2021 / DE – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Used Vinyl

Medium: Sealed, Cover: Sealed

Future Pasts Black Vinyl Edition

Konkolo Orchestra

LP | 2024 | WW | Original (Rocafort)

Release: 2024 / WW – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Preorder shipping from 2024-08-09

Future Pasts Blue Vinyl Edition

Konkolo Orchestra

LP | 2024 | WW | Original (Rocafort)

Release: 2024 / WW – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Heavier Yet (Lays The Crownless Head) Black Vinyl Edition

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Record Kicks)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Preorder shipping from 2024-10-04

LP | 2024 | US | Original (Empire)

Black Sherif

The Villain I Never Was

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Nanga Boko)

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Preorder shipping from 2024-08-23

The Villain I Never Was is the debut studio album from Ghanaian singer and rapper, Black Sherif. Originally released on October 6, 2022, the 14-track album was supported by five singles, “Second Sermon (Remix),” “Soja,” “45,” “Konongo Zongo,” & the smash hit, “Kwaku The Traveller,” which debuted at number 2 on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart. Since the release of The Villain I Never Was, Black Sherif’s career has seen considerable growth and accolades, such as Artist of the Year (Ghana Music Awards UK 2022), West African Artist of the Year (The Headies 2023), & Best International Flow (bet Hip-Hop Awards 2023). Now for the first time, fans are able to enjoy this momentous album on vinyl. First pressing limited to 500 copies worldwide.

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Ometh

Njitna!

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (No Format)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Nanga Boko Records is very proud to present you "Njitna !" ("I'm Coming" in Bamoun
vernacular langage of Cameroun), the official compilation of the finest early recordings (1979/1980) of the Cameroonian composer & musician Théodore Mounta, known on scene as "Ometh".
Deluxe hand-numbered edition, limited to 500, includes a bonus track never released on vinyl before!
Each record comes with an insert that includes exclusive pictures and very detailed biographies in both English and French languages and an HQ Digital Download Card.
Approved by the artist himself, 100 % legit, all 8 tracks are under exclusive license of Nanga Boko Records.

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Lucas Santtana

O Paraíso

LP | 2003 | US | Reissue (Worthy)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Used Vinyl

Medium: Near Mint, Cover: Near Mint

White vinyl.

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Mulatu Astatke

Mulatu Of Ethiopia

Release: 2003 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Used Vinyl

Medium: VG+, Cover: Near Mint

LP | 1987 | EU | Reissue (Canopy)

Myke Moul

Oppressor