Afrobeat Vinyl 642 Items

Release: 2021 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Ghanaian Afro-Rock From Producer/Composer JJ Whitefield, Inspired By His Karl Hector & The Malcouns And Whitefield Brothers Projects JJ Whitefield, who in the early ‘90s revived the gritty, analogue Funk sounds of the ‘60s and ‘70s with his Poets Of Rhythm, has been working with Now-Again Records for over decade, releasing a flock of acclaimed projects with Karl Hector & The Malcouns, Whitefield Brothers, Rodinia and the Original Raw Soul anthology. He first started exploring African rhythms with the Whitefield Brothers in the late ‘90s, continuing in the ‘00s with Karl Hector & The Malcouns. He’s been instrumental in launching Ghanaian Afro Beat/Funk legend Ebo Taylor´s international career, decades after the maestro recorded the landmark albums that have inspired thousands. Whitefield recorded two new studio albums with Taylor and toured in his band between 2009 and 2013, where he met Taylor’s son Henry and percussionist/Singer Eric Owusu. The trio now front the Johnny! band and find inspiration not only in Ghana’s hypnotic grooves, but also the full frontal fuzz guitar assault heard on the legion of 70s Zambian Zamrock albums reissued by Now-Again. Indeed, Whitefield credits his tours with Zamrock godfathers Rikki Ililonga and WITCH’s Jagari Chanda as instrumental in creating the Johnny’s sonic backdrop. The band is rounded out by Turkish drummer Bernd Oezsevim (Woima Collective, Rodinia) and Indonesian bassist/multi instrumentalist Tomi Simatupang (Whitefield Brothers). This is what was oft-called “Afro Rock” at the core, with the possibilities to stretch out into swinging highlife, sweet soul or psychedelia . The results, point at a new direction for the music inspired by the Great Continent. One that takes a direction once mocked as derivative and asserts its importance on the globe’s current musical stage.

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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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The Dancing Devils Of Djibouti

Groupe RTD

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Ostinato)

LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

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/)

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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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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

The Invasive Dance Beat Of Cameroon 1976-1984

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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Pop Makossa

2LP | 2017 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

Release: 2017 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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An explosive
compilation highlighting the era when funk and disco sounds
began to infiltrate Cameroon's Makossa style. The beat that
holds everything together originate's from the Sawa people's
rhythms. When these rhythms collided with merengue, high-life,
Congolese rumba, and, later, funk and disco, modern Makossa was
born. Makossa, the beat that long before football, managed to
unify the whole of Cameroon. Some of the greatest Makossa hits
incorporated the electrifying guitars and tight grooves of
funk, while others were laced with cosmic synth flourishes.
However, most of this music's vibe came down to the bass, and
'Pop Makossa' demonstrates why many Cameroonian bass players
are among the most revered in the world.

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

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

2LP | 2023 | Original (Pure Rec)

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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Kate Rusby

30 : Happy Returns

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2019 | Original (Goodlovelies)

Good Lovelies

Evergreen

Release: 2019 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2018 | Original (Goodlovelies)

Good Lovelies

Shapeshifters

Release: 2018 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2015 | Original (Galileo Music Communication)

Otros Aires

4 Big Man Dancing

Release: 2015 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Anna Setton

O Futuro Ã© Mais Bonito

LP | 2023 | Original

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Good Lovelies)

Good Lovelies

Under The Mistletoe

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Tewedije Limut (Let Me Die Loved) White Vinyl Edition

LP | 2020 | Original (Now-Again)

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Modern Harmonic)

Release: 2020 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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"Let Me Die Loved Is Now Available
In A Limited Edition White Vinyl Pressing
Ayalew Mesfin stands aside the likes of Mulatu Astake, Mahmoud Ahmed, Hailu Mergia and
Alemayehu Eshete as a legend of 1970s Ethiopia. Mesfin’s music is some of the funkiest to
arise from this unconquerable East African nation.
Mesfin’s recording career, captured in nearly two dozen 7” singles and numerous reel-to-reel
tapes, shows the strata of the most fertile decade in Ethiopia’s 20th century recording industry,
when records were pressed constantly by both independent upstarts and corporate behemoths,
even if they were only distributed within the confines of this East African nation.
Though Mesfin was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of Ethiopia in
1974, he has returned almost 50 years later with this triumphant set albums – the first time
that his music has been presented in this form.
These albums give us a chance to discover a rare and beautiful moment in music history, in
anthologies built from Mesfin’s uber-rare 7” single releases and from previously unreleased
recordings taken from master tapes.
Tewedije Limut gives us a chance to discover a rare & beautiful moment in music history, in an
anthology built from his uber-rare 7” single releases. Contains an oversized 11” x 11” 16 page
book that tells the story of modern Ethiopian music and Mesfin’s role within it."

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Chaino

Temptation

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The first ever LP release of this previously reel only exotica gem!

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Wegene (My Countryman) Metallic Grey Vinyl Edition

LP | 2023 | US | Original (Now-Again)

Victor Chukwu / Uncle Victor Chuks & The Black Irokos

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Wegene IS NOW Available IN A Limited Edition Metallic Grey Pressing Ayalew Mesfin stands aside the likes of Mulatu Astake, Mahmoud Ahmed, Hailu Mergia and Alemayehu Eshete as a legend of 1970s Ethiopia. Mesfin’s music is some of the funkiest to arise from this unconquerable East African nation. Mesfin’s recording career, captured in nearly two dozen 7” singles and numerous reel-to-reel tapes, shows the strata of the most fertile decade in Ethiopia’s 20th century recording industry, when records were pressed constantly by both independent upstarts and corporate behemoths, even if they were only distributed within the confines of this East African nation. Though Mesfin was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of Ethiopia in 1974, he has returned almost 50 years later with this triumphant set albums – the first time that his music has been presented in this form. These albums give us a chance to discover a rare and beautiful moment in music history, in anthologies built from Mesfin’s uber-rare 7” single releases and from previously unreleased recordings taken from master tapes. Wegene gives us a chance to discover a rare & beautiful moment in music history, in an anthology built from his uber-rare 7” single releases. Contains an oversized 11” x 11” 16 page book that tells the story of modern Ethiopian music and Mesfin’s role within it.

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Akalaka / The Power

2LP | 2020 | UK | Original (BBE)

Release: 2020 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | Original (Muziekpublique)

Las Lloronas

Out Of The Blue

29,44 €* 30,99 € -5%

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Justin Rutledge

Something Easy

LP | 2023 | US | Original (New West)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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"Justin Rutledge could easily rest on his reputation. Eleven albums in, he’s accumulated a daunting body of work upon which one could easily coast. Instead, on ""Something Easy"", Justin Rutledge did the opposite. He made things exceedingly difficult for himself and decided to write, record and produce the album by himself at home. With one, then later two, bouncing baby boys underfoot, to boot.

The results speak for themselves. ""Something Easy"" is a serene, stately thing of beauty, a gently paced record that really rewards the patient listener with meticulous detail and unexpected instrumental happenings. It’s anything but Rutledge settling into a rut. It will surprise you.

That Rutledge can still catch us off guard should not come as a surprise. The man is very good at what he does. Accolades have piled up since he released his first album, ""No Never Alone"", via Six Shooter Records and Slowdive/Mojave 3 main man Neil Halstead’s Shady Lane Records in 2004. He’s won a Juno Award for Roots Album of the Year in 2014 for the album ""Valleyheart"" – which also landed him a Canadian Folk Music Award – and has since been nominated for three more Junos. He’s been longlisted twice for the critic-voted Polaris Music Prize.

“All of these songs are about youth, and I hadn’t realized that,” he says. “And it’s interesting because I feel that, as a new dad, there’s this transition that’s happening where suddenly I’m realizing I’m in my 40s. And what’s happening is that our wild-and-free years are suddenly over there, and our ‘middle-aged’ years are now right here. I feel like I’m at this apex where I’m thinking a lot about my youth, But I’m not lamenting anything. I’m not old, I’m just shocked at how suddenly this new phase of life has begun.”"

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Esther Rose

Safe To Run

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Mae Carinhosa Blue & Red Marbled Vinyl Edition

Cesaria Evora

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2016 | EU | Reissue (Yep Roc)

Watchhouse

Blindfaller

Release: 2016 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Parlophone Label Group)

Carminho

Portuguesa

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Woman Capture Man Gold Vinyl Edition

Ethiopians

Rhythm Revolution Colored Vinyl Edition

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Limited to 1000 individually numbered copies on 180g.

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Ferry DJimmy

LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Acid Jazz)

I Hate My Village Red Vinyl Edtion

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Acid Jazz presents one of Afrobeat’s most mysterious and rare records by a former schoolteacher, boxer, Jacques Chirac's bodyguard, and Beninese musical visionary: Ferry Djimmy - Rhythm Revolution.

The album was originally recorded in the mid-1970s in support of Benin’s revolutionary leader Mathieu Kérékou. Rumour has it that less than two hundred copies survived a late-‘70s fire.

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I Hate My Village

LP | 2019 | EU | Original (Master Music)

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Muddy Waters: The Montreux Years

Muddy Waters

2LP | 2021 | EU | Original (BMG)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2021 | US | Original (Capitol)

Devon Gilfillian

What's Going On

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Apala - Apala Groups In Nigeria 1967-70

2LP | 2020 | UK | Original (Soul Jazz)

LP | 2019 | EU | Original (Black Sweat)

Release: 2020 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Soul Jazz Records new ‘Apala: Apala Groups in Nigeria 1964-69’ is the first ever collection of Apala music ever to be released outside of Nigeria.
The album focusses on a wide selection of recordings made in Nigeria in the 1960s, a time when Apala music was at the height of its popularity. Apala is a deeply rhythmical, hypnotic and powerful musical style that combines the striking nasal-style vocals and traditions of Islamic music, the Agidigbo (thumb piano), and the equally powerful drumming and percussion rhythms and techniques of the Yoruba of Nigeria.
The most significant figure in Apala music is undoubtedly Haruna Ishola who features throughout this album. Ishola holds an almost mythological status in his role as populariser of Apala music in Nigeria. Ishola’s singing was believed to be so powerful that, without proper restraint, it could kill the recipient of his music.
Apala is a popular music that also functioned as a form of cultural resistance – Apala music involved no western instrumentation and is sung in the Yoruba language, its aesthetic an implicit cultural rejection of the British Empire’s colonial rule over Nigeria which lasted from 1901 until independence in 1960.
Apala music was popular and widely accepted in Nigeria due to its philosophical and profound lyrical content alongside the complex rhythmic patterns of this heavily percussive style, which highlighted many of the percussion instruments of south-west Nigeria.
Apala is one of a number of popular urban styles of music that came out of Nigeria in the 20th century and sits alongside the more well-known (in the West) styles of Fuji, Highlife, Juju and Afrobeat. Of these modern forms Apala remains perhaps the most ‘roots’ style (sometimes described as ‘neo-traditional’) due to the authenticity of its sound. It has similar Islamic roots to other neo-traditional styles of Nigeria – including Waka and Sakara – examples of which are also included on this collection contextualising the music of Apala.
These recordings were originally made and released locally by Decca and EMI Records as well as a variety of independent labels in Nigeria and have never been released outside of the country before. Soul Jazz Records are releasing this album as a deluxe double gatefold vinyl (+ download code), CD, slipcase and booklet, both containing full text and photography.

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Cucoma Combo

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Cucoma Combo. Above all, the new boiling energy of pan-rhythmic music, the awakening dance of joy, the experimental space for ambitious arrangements and free-improvised parts of colorful horns. From Black Africa to South America, we travel on paths of Congolese soukuss and Amazonian carimbò, between accents of Colombian cumbia, kalimba vibes and tribal voices. We find seeded traces of space-funk and afrobeat, with amazing acid keyboards and an enchanting female voice. The power of rhythm and in general the whole project are leaded leaded by Marco Zanotti, a multifaceted drummer and fine poly-percussionist, expert of the African and South American sound universe. With his Classica Orchestra Afrobeat, he proudly took part in outstanding collaborations with Seun Kuti, Sekouba Bambino and Baba Sissoko, as well as a prestigious participation in the Glastonbury Fest.

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Nigeria Soul Power 70 - Afro-Funk, Afro-Rock, Afro-Disco

2LP | 2019 | UK | Original (Soul Jazz)

Grant Phabao Afrofunk Arkestra

Release: 2019 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Soul Jazz Records’ Nigeria Soul Power 70 album showcases the influence of funk, rock and disco on Nigerian music during the 1970s. Originally released as a now-long-out-of-print collectors’ 7” RSD box, this fully expanded album release now also includes extra tracks from Sonny Okosuns, Wings, Chief Kollington Ayinla and more.
While for many people the fusion of funk and jazz music with Nigerian rhythms and aesthetics began with Fela Kuti and his afro-beat sound, in fact this can be traced further back to the phenomena of the 1960s Nigerian artists and house bands in nightclubs and hotels who interpreted US soul and pop music with a local flavour and none more so than Geraldo Pino, the ‘African James Brown’ who features heavily in this collection. Other similarly inspired Nigerian funk and soul artists featured here included Tony Grey and his Ozimba Messengers and Don Bruce and The Angels.
Nigeria Soul Power 70 includes a number of tracks from the group Wings originally known as BAF (Biafran Air Force) Wings, an army band formed during the Biafran civil war in Nigeria. The groups’ heavy mixture of funk, rock and African styles was popular among many Nigerian groups at the time.
Beneath the shadow of the few Nigerian artists who signed international recording deals in the 1970s – Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Chief Ebenezer Obey – lies of vast wealth of largely undiscovered musical transmutation and cultural cross-pollination, and included here are heavy afro-funk/rock and disco tracks from artists such as the legendary Sonny Okosuns as well as rare cuts from little-known outside of Nigeria - groups such as Colomach and MFB. Most of these obscure artists signed to major labels in Nigeria in the commercial slipstream that opened up as Philips, Decca and EMI tried to emulate the international success of the big three international Nigerian artists.
Finally featured here is Kollington Ayinla, one of the co-founders of Nigerian Fuji music, who gives us perhaps the heaviest of all tracks on this album. Ayinla is the great moderniser of the Fuji sound and in the late 1970s began adding Bata drums and synthesizers to his authentic music to create a powerful and heavy new fusion of traditional and modernist aesthetics, embracing both new technology and experimentation while rooted firmly in Nigerian historical lineage.

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LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Paris DJs)

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Limited edition of 250 copies only!
Only one copy per customer!
Access to groovy, funkin', rockin', psychedelic, revolutionary (etc.) African music as we've grown to like it at Paris DJs was not for everyone before the internet age. For Paris DJs co-founder Loik, it began in the early 80s when he met with a former Fela Kuti horn player, who introduced him to Afrobeat. When Loik arrived at Radio Nova in 1986 (he was radio programmer there between 1987 and 1997), he then discovered marvels of African Music (other than Fela), through the radio's vast record collection, which soon led to the word-famous "La Sono Mondiale" concept.
At the same time, Grant Phabao, in his late teens, discovered Congolese music through friends from Zaire. He gets access to Afrobeat in the mid-90s with a Fela Kuti CD gathering the "Zombie" and "He Miss Road" albums, which long-time friend Djouls brought back from his diggin' sessions in Paris. Many friends ripped and burned that CD, for sure. Then the legendary Daktaris album happened on Desco Records in 1998, followed by the beginning of the Antibalas, the Comet Records & Strut Records compilations in 2000, and soon after Soundway Records… the rest is history but that's roughly how African Music started for us at Paris DJs.
At this point we met online with Calumbinho on the Soulseek P2P network. Such a mind-bending experience… The man was sharing hundreds of full albums, all sorted by country, and had music from every corner of 1960s/70s/80s Africa! We asked for advice, he listed 50 records to begin with! All those records, digital files, influences & experience gathered together gave birth in 2006 to a series of mixes on the Paris DJs podcast, "African Mashed Potato Popcorn", blending old and new African music from all over the world. It was an instant smash, DJs from all over the world reaching out asking us to keep on focusing on this amazing music coming from Africa (or inspired by music from Africa).
Around that time, the Paris DJs crew met with musicians from Antibalas (Martín Perna, Duke Amayo / USA), and from the Poets Of Rhythm/Karl Hector bands (Ben Abarbanel-Wolff, Jan Whitefield / Germany). They had all played with Fela Kuti's guitar player Oghene Kologbo by then. The German guys had even started a band with him, the Afrobeat Academy, releasing an album together in 2007. Little did we know that from this point on, Kologbo and African music would grow to become a very important part of our lives.
We started collaborating with Samy Ben Redjeb from Analog Africa, Miles Cleret from Soundway or Quantic from Tru Thoughts, among many others very influential record collectors, for some exclusive mixes of rare afro/latin music on the Paris DJs podcast. In 2009 we co-organized the first Ebo Taylor show in Europe, with German musicians from the Afrobeat Academy/Whitefield Brothers/Jimi Tenor crew backing him along with Kologbo. Soon we helped open the Superfly Record Store and got our hands (and ears) on many rare, original African Records. Loik started recording Kologbo's second solo album "Africa Is The Future" (featuring Tony Allen and Pat Thomas!), Grant Phabao was producing his first afrofunk tunes, and all this new music was damn funky…
Phabao went on a trip to Benin and Ghana, where he ended up hooking up with Ben Abarbanel-Wolff, who was recording with Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas there. After a two-year period during which Grant Phabao and Djouls partnered with famous Irish-born, Paris-based producer Doctor L, and released with Cameroonian artist Franck Biyong no less than 16 digital albums and conceptual compilations, the Paris DJs label was born in 2012, with the addition of poster artist Ben Hito to the gang.
Five compilations in the "Tropical Grooves & Afrofunk International" series were released, with artists from all over the world, featuring the first tracks from the Grant Phabao Afrofunk Arkestra project, with Grant Phabao at the controls and many guests from the now global African music scene adding their own, original touch. Most of those were compiled in the "Massive Hits From the Grant Phabao Factory" LP in 2015.
It was a long read, many years of learning and sharing back, but we wanted to tell how African music slowly but surely infiltrated its way into Paris DJs' daily life, which led to the Kologbo LP being released at the end of 2017, and to this Grant Phabao Afrofunk LP to be released june 2018, featuring 20 guests among which Tony Allen, Oghene Kologbo, Sandra Nkaké, RacecaR, members of Antibalas, The Breakestra, Brownout, Fela Kuti's Egypt 80, Jungle Fire, Les Frères Smith, Ebo Taylor's Afrobeat Academy, Osemako… coming from Paris, Berlin, Lagos, Washington, Austin or Los Angeles!

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Yoruba! Songs & Rhythms For The Yoruba Gods In Nigeria

2LP | 2018 | UK | Original (Soul Jazz)

The Source (Special Edition)

Release: 2018 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Soul Jazz Records’ latest album ‘Yoruba! Songs and Rhythms for the Yoruba Gods in Nigeria’ is newly recorded in Lagos, Nigeria. The album is co-produced by Soul Jazz Records label head Stuart Baker and Laolu Akins (founding member of the legendary 1970s Nigerian Afro-Funk/Rock group Blo). Yoruba! features an array of local master drummers led by Olatunji Samson Sotimirin and singers (featuring the lead vocals of Janet Olufanmilayo Abe) performing heavyweight Afro-rhythms, with talking drums, Bata and Dundun drums and a mass of percussion in these deep spiritual and sacred songs used to honour and worship the traditional and ancient Yoruba gods in Nigeria, West Africa.
The enormous impact of Yoruba and West African music and culture is worldwide – from the first Afro-centric explorations of African-American jazz musicians in the 1950s such as Art Blakey, Randy Weston and Dizzy Gillespie, the explosion of Nu Yorican Latin music in New York City starting in the 1960s – Mambo, Boogaloo, Latin funk and soul - through to the sacred and powerful Afro-derived music of the religions of Santería in Cuba, Candomblé in Brazil and Voodoo in Haiti, which all came into existence on account of the Atlantic slave trade which began over 400 years ago. On a wider scale West African music remains the primary root of all African-American musical forms – from New Orleans jazz to Bronx rap, gospel, soul and more.
This album features songs honouring the Nigerian gods of the Yoruba traditional religion – Yemoja, Obatala, Ogun, Sango and others – as well as a selection of instrumental cuts focussing on the Bata and Dundun drums. The album comes complete with extensive text and photography included in the 40-page outsize booklet/gatefold double vinyl + inners showing the influence of Yoruba culture throughout the world and the social and historical context for the music contained here.

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Ali Farka Toure

2LP | 2017 | EU | Original (World Circuit)

2LP | 2015 | EU | Original (World Circuit)

Release: 2017 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The third international release by the legendary Malian singer and guitarist is many fan’s favourite. ‘The Source’ established Ali Farka Touré on the international stage and paved the way for his legendary collaboration with Ry Cooder on the GRAMMY award winning album ‘Talking Timbuktu’.
Available for the first time on vinyl, the album has been re-mixed from the original master tapes and includes a previously unreleased track from the same sessions. The album is presented in a gatefold sleeve containing double 180g vinyl and large format 28 page booklet with lyrics.
‘The Source’ features Farka Touré’s first recordings with his home town band Group Asco, with vocalist Afel Bocoum and percussionists Hamma Sankare (calabash)
and Oumar Touré (congas). Touré’s trademark acoustic and electric guitar (as well his njarka violin) playing are highlighted on some of his best loved and most sophisticated compositions.
The father of the desert blues unleashes a set of driving small group performances, intimate love songs, mesmerising guitar solos and two unique duets with the great American bluesman Taj Mahal.

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Orchestra Baobab

Pirates Choice

LP | 2018 | US | Reissue (Now-Again)

Release: 2015 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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An Afrobeat and Worldmusic classic first time on vinyl.

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Mike Nyoni & Born Free

My Own Thing

2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Pure)

Release: 2018 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Anthology of Zamrock musician Mike Nyoni’s funky, psych-rock and folkloric 1970s recordings Zambian guitarist and singer/songwriter Mike Nyoni’s music is Zamrock only because he came of age during the countryís rock revolution. He preferred wah-wah to fuzz guitar, James Brown to Jimi Hendrix. His 70s recordings - often politically charged, and ranging from despondent to exuberant - are amongst the funkiest on the African continent. He was also one of the only Zamrock musicians to see his music contemporaneously issued in Europe. This anthology collates works from his three 70s LPs - his first, with the Born Free band, and his two solo albums Kawalala and I Can’t Understand You - and presents a singular Zambian musician on par with celebrated artists Rikki Ililonga, Keith Mlevhu and Paul Ngozi.

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Kate Rusby

Light Years

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Upsetters

Double Seven

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Catalpas)

Alpacas Collective

Big Words

Pat Kalla & Le Super Mojo

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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A year on from their debut album Seven Wisdoms of Plutonia, global groove collective Alpacas Collective once again invite you on an enchanting musical trip for the second collection of Alpacas tunes! From of the adventurous spaces of Plutonia, from where Alpacas Collective emerged, this gang of fanatic music lovers continue their exploration of new places with new friends on second album Big Words.

Big Words takes the listener on a journey of discovery through a world of afrobeat, deep funk, hindustani raga mixed with psycho-dub and creole rap. Studio magic is once again conjured up by percussionist, composer and producer Frederik Kühn, with the creative contributions and improvisations of befriended artists, doing their signature tricks.

Thanks to these new collective collaborations, this record breathes creative freedom and the pure joy of creating together; But it also is a musical form of resistance, against the downgrading of morality and consciousness, against one-sided thinking, against the curtailment of liberty and justice, against the destruction of the environment.

On title track "Big Words" the collective pays homage to the late great Fela Kuti, with a political afrobeat song, dissing politicians’ hollow speech. While on "Movéfèzè" - creole for villains - rapper Nèg Madnick denounces the rich plantation owners who have poisoned his beautiful Caribbean island Martinique with toxic pesticides.

"Boyoma" has an irresistible African funk-groove helped by multi-talented West-African griot Zouratié Koné on his sparkling ngoni, and "What Could I Do" is propelled by joyful horns, pumping organs and jazzy flutes.

Both "Bhimpalasi" and "Gunkali" see Joël on his bewitching sitar, giving the album a spiritual Indian touch without forgetting the hips, heart and belly. And the mesmerizing "Surrounded" sounds like the soundtrack for a musical and cinematographic wandering from the East to the West, the ever expanding journey of Alpacas Collective…

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Belle Terre

2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Pura Vida Sounds)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Heavenly Sweetness)

Souleance

Beautiful

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

Caspar Van Meel

Satiea Time Remembered

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Fourth Street Orchestra

Ah Who Seh? Go-Deh!

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Other Power)

KMRU

Stupor

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Nairobi-born Berlin-based sound artist Joseph Kamaru, aka Kmru, shares his new work Stupor on the new Helsinki-based label Other Power. Commissioned by the Helsinki curatorial and commissioning agency Publics, Stupor is comprised of three original long form tracks; “crp-12”, “Even a Tear”, and the title track “Stupor”. The tracks on the album are speculative notes to social architectures and environments the artist has traversed.

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The 4th Street Orchestra

Leggo! Ah-Fi-We-Dis

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Topshelf)

Mid-Air Thief

Gongjoong Doduk

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Alogte Oho & His Sounds Of Joy

O Yinne!

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Philophon)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Real World)

Onipa

Off The Grid

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Piasreal World)

Bokanté

History

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Distino Di Belita Blue Vinyl Edition

Cesaria Evora

Long Shot Translucent Magenta Vinyl Edition

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
SLEEVE PRINTED ON HEAVY CARDBOARD WITH
SOFT TOUCH LAMINATE FINISH

INCLUDES INSERT WITH LINER NOTES
THE COMPLETE ALBUM AVAILABLE ON VINYL FOR

THE FIRST TIME

FEATURING HER CLASSIC SONGS “NOVA SINTRA”
AND “DISTINO DI BILITA”

LIMITED EDITION OF 1000 INDIVIDUALLY
NUMBERED COPIES ON BLUE COLOURED VINYL

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The Pioneers

Les Sympathetics De Porto Novo Benin

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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180 gram audiophile vinyl
Including “Long Shot (Kick De Bucket)", "Samfie Man", and "Black Bud" a.o.
Produced by the legendary Leslie Kong
Limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on translucent magenta coloured vinyl

The Pioneers,became one of the first Jamaican acts to achieve international success with their UK hit, “Long Shot (Kick De Bucket)”. The success of the single was swiftly followed by what became one of Trojan's biggest selling long players of all time, the aptly titled Long Shot. Showcasing a dozen of the group's best-known works to date for one of reggae's earliest and most successful producers Leslie Kong, the LP features a number of Jamaican hits, including “Samfie Man” and “Black Bud”, as well as the best-selling title track.
The Sixties were a golden age for Jamaican vocal trios. During the latter half of this incredibly creative decade, a multitude of harmony groups made their mark on the island's music scene, but of these only a relative few possessed the talent and determination to endure beyond the rock steady era.

One trio that not only succeeded, but blossomed following the onset of reggae, is The Pioneers, who in 1969 became one of the first Jamaican acts to achieve international success with their UK hit, “Long Shot (Kick De Bucket)”. The success of the single was swiftly followed by what became one of Trojan's biggest selling long players of all time, the aptly titled Long Shot. Showcasing a dozen of the group's best-known works to date for one of reggae's earliest and most successful producers Leslie Kong, the LP features a number of Jamaican hits, including “Samfie Man” and “Black Bud”, as well as the best-selling title track.

Long Shot is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on translucent magenta coloured vinyl.

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Les Sympathetics De Porto Novo Benin Volume 2

LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Acid Jazz)

2LP | 2021 | UK | Original (Partisan)

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Over the past few years Acid Jazz has been reissuing rare and exciting records from the legendary Benin label ‘Albarika Store’. Next in the series is ‘Les Sympathics de Porto Novo Benin (Vol. 2)’, the second album from another of Porto Novo’s premier groups of the 1970s, founded by Herman Laleye – former leader of other Benin greats ‘Black Dragons de Porto Novo’.

The heavy rhythm secton of the Laleye brothers (Herman on bass and Marc on drums) supports the vocals of Gangbo Bonheur (with backing from Herman and Jean-Louis Avognon), alongside Armand Pognon's blues-edged guitar and Camille Zanou's hypnotic organ. Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, Les Sympathics steer clear of straight Afro Beat, Afro-Funk or Afro latin incursions, to create something truly unique in the Beninese musical canon.

Reissued in full for the very first time on high quality vinyl, with an incredible reproduction of the original sleeve. A must have for African music enthusiasts.

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Femi Kuti / Made Kuti

Legacy +

Release: 2021 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Republicafrobeat Vol.6 - Afrobeat Ibérico

LP | 2023 | Original

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Helene Blum & Harald Haugaard Band

Strommen

LP | 2020 | Original (Pile House)

Release: 2020 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Soundway)

Ayo Manuel

1983-90

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Aya)

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Soundway Records presents Ayo Manuel ‘1983-1990’, a collection of selected works by one of Nigeria’s DIY pioneers. This mini compilation selects the stand-out cuts from his two albums Love Candidate and Party Time, showcasing the evolution of Ayo’s music. Side A is led by Song Of Love (Instrumental) - mid-tempo, synth-heavy music toeing the line between lo-fi crunch and sophisticated charm. This is followed closely by afro-disco melters Don’t Stop and the aptly titled Fun Time. Both with strong American, disco-funk leanings but full of Nigerian flavour, they come signed, sealed and delivered for any discerning dancefloor. Sojourn (Ajo) lights up side-B, a coming-of-age journey that sets the tone for the rest of the album. With slick US production, but with its feet firmly planted in Yoruba culture, we find a more developed artist combining talking drums with distinct ’90s production, that deliver a unique blend of afro-pop. Gboro Mi Ro echoes the influence of Nigeria’s biggest musical export, Fela Kuti, but still retains its own particular character. Do Goodfollows in the footsteps of its predecessors but with added drama and depth.

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Humazapas

Sara Mama

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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For fans of: Maya Andina, Atahualpa Yupanqui, Luzmila Carpio, Renata Flores, Nicola Cruz, Illapu, Bolivia Manta, Polibio Mayorga, Mala Fama, EVHA, Cruzloma.The concept of "getting back to your roots" rarely has such a literal meaning, or at the same time such an ancestral meaning, as in the case of the Ecuadorian group Humazapas. Usually in the music industry this concept is used when an artist returns to a past sound, going back to that moment of newness, exploration and ingenuity, perhaps. But not Humazapas. These natives of the Kichwa communities of the Ecuadorian Andes, who have been working on this project for a decade, see "getting back to your roots" as a profound connection with their cultures, language, dance, the rituals that connect them to their deities and, of course, music. Humazapas was formed in 2010, when twelve teenagers from the Kichwa communities of Turuku, San Pedro, Jatun Topo and Anrabí decided to salvage the sounds and ritual dances of the Kichwa communes at the foot of the Tayta Imbabura and Mama Cutakachi volcanoes. The group explores an ancestral exercise translated into the fusion of native musics and contemporary structures, proposing the continuity of the art of the ancestral peoples and nationalities of Ecuador in future generations. Like a sound document, it also ties in dance and the audiovisual arts to translate an experience through the journey of a seed that is born from the earth, sprouts from it and whose fruit has fed, and will continue to feed, generations for centuries. After over a decade of research and interest in returning to ancestral knowledge, the group made up of eight musicians and four dancers, weaving in their discourse the cosmovision of community life with people, nature and the world of the deities, finally release their debut record Sara Mama, which translates as "Mother Corn" in English. Corn is one of the sacred grains that conceals knowledge in its crop and the magic of the rituals of raising, nurturing and celebrating life, from preparing th...

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Vol. 5

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The fifth volume of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah"s five-part Volume Series.After the recent celebrated release of the first three parts in his Volume Series, Etsako Super Star and Godfather of Afemai Music Alhaji Waziri Oshomah returns with Vol. 5.Along with the other four volumes of the series, Vol. 5 is now available-for the very first time!-as part of a complete set (in a box): Vol 1 - 5 (1978 - 1985).

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Vol. 4

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The fourth volume of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah"s five-part Volume Series.This release follows World Spirituality Classics 3: The Muslim Highlife of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah (September 23, 2022), which received killer reviews from Uncut (8/10), MOJO, and Pitchfork (7.2), calling it "therapy, worship, ecstasy."Along with the other four volumes of the series, Vol. 4 is now available-for the very first time!-as part of a complete set (in a box): Vol 1 - 5 (1978 - 1985).

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Vol. 3

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Vol. 2

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The second volume of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah"s five-part Volume Series.On the heels of his already critically acclaimed (yes, already!) retrospective, World Spirituality Classics 3: The Muslim Highlife of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah, Alhaji Waziri Oshomah - the Oyoyo King, the Godfather of Afemai Music, the Etsako Super Star, Mr. Please Please Please, Mr. Dynamite - returns with Vol. 2.Along with the other four volumes of the series, Vol. 2 is now available-for the very first time!-as part of a complete set (in a box): Vol 1 - 5 (1978 - 1985).

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Vol. 1

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Mouthwatering)

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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World Wide We

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Far Cry Records)

Milk Carton Kids

I Only See The Moon

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Wagram)

Oriental Rare Groove

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Wagram)

Brazilian Rare Groove

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Wagram)

African Rare Groove

Zenzile: The Reimagination Of Miriam Makeba

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Rare Groove CollectionExplore the fusion of world music with soul, funk and disco through the Rare Groove Collection.With this new volume, discover unique groove tracks straight from Jamaica!Fully remastered original versions African RARE GROOVEA journey at the heart of Nigerian afrobeat from Orlando Julius to the ethnojazz of Alemayèhu Eshèté passing by the High-life of the Ghanaian Ebo Taylor...

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Somi

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

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Six Shooter)

William Prince

Stand In The Joy

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Wagram)

African Vibes

Say What You Like Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Between electronic music and traditional African music, dive into the heart of this subtle mix thanks to the leading artists of the genre!Bonobo - Vaudou Game - Bonga -Guts - Fatoumata Diawara - Philippe Cohen Solal - Manu Dibango -Anschorsong

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Doug Paisley

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Yep Roc)

Tommy Mclain

I Ran Down Every Dream

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Homemaker Blueberry Pie Vinyl Edition

Jill Barber

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Jill Barber

Homemaker

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Agogo)

Two Tribes Volume 2

LP | 2021 | UK | Original (Social Joy)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Not long after the release of Two Tribes Vol. 1, we realized that our journey had only just begun and lots of stories still had to be told. Motivated by lots of positive responses, we soon put to work researching and compiling music for what would become "Two Tribes Volume Two". We put our emphasis on expanding to other European regions as well as including different countries than on Vol. 1 and we also wanted to give it a bit of a different musical twist. The result are 14 tracks covering what we consider a broad and diverse spectrum but still clinging to our initial idea of building a musical bridge between the continents of Africa and Europe. The immense cultural diversity of both is represented by newcomers alongside more well known names, both of which have a strong connection to the rich musical traditions of Africa. On board are African artists living in diaspora on equal footing with Europeans that incorporate their high affinity to the African continent into their music. Exciting outernational collaborations round off the selection for Vol. 2! Includes tracks by Onipa (Strut Records), Guts, Wanubalé, David Nesselhauf (Kryptox Records) and many more

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Burkina Azza

Wari Bo

Hallelujah Chicken Run Band

Release: 2021 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Social Joy records is very pleased to present Burkina Azza's debut Album Wari bo - a musical tale that covers every aspect of Burkina Azza's values and world view. The album takes us to the very soul of Burkina Faso, giving us a taste of the deep connection of the artists to the beauty and culture of this country. The Burkinabe collective, from Nayerina in the Djibasso region, was born from a lineage of Balafonist and Percussionist musicians called "The Griots", often referred to as a "living archive of the people's traditions". Wari bo was Produced in January 2020 on the brink of the coronavirus pandemic in Ouagadougou, after Label owner Guilhem Monin discovered an outstanding street performance via the African Drumming Facebook group. Two years later, this release is the result of a friendship and love of music that connects two continents and travels across borders, space and time.

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Take One

LP | 2020 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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In 1972, the country of Rhodesia – as Zimbabwe was then known – was in the middle of a long-simmering struggle for independence from British colonial rule. In the hotels and nightclubs of the capital, bands could make a living playing a mix of Afro-Rock, Cha-Cha-Cha and Congolese Rumba. But as the desire for independence grew stronger, a number of Zimbabwean musicians began to look to their own culture for inspiration. They began to emulate the staccato sound and looping melodies of the mbira (thumb piano) on their electric guitars, and to replicate the insistent shaker rhythms on the hi-hat; they also started to sing in the Shona language and to add overtly political messages to their lyrics (safe in the knowledge that the predominantly white minority government wouldn’t understand them). From this collision of electric instruments and indigenous traditions, a new style of Zimbabwean popular music – later known as Chimurenga, from the Shona word for ‘struggle’ – was born. And there were few bands more essential to the development of this music than the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band.

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Mot Aykerim (You Can't Cheat Death)

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Now-Again)

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Ayalew Mesfin stands aside the likes of Mulatu Astake, Mahmoud Ahmed, Hailu Mergia and Alemayehu Eshete as a legend of 1970s Ethiopia. Mesfin’s music is some of the funkiest to arise from this unconquerable East African nation. Mesfin’s recording career, captured in nearly two dozen 7” singles and numerous reel-to-reel tapes, shows the strata of the most fertile decade in Ethiopia’s 20th century recording industry, when records were pressed constantly by both independent upstarts and corporate behemoths, even if they were only distributed within the confines of this East African nation. Though Mesfin was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of Ethiopia in 1974, he has returned almost 50 years later with this triumphant set albums – the first time that his music has been presented in this form. These albums give us a chance to discover a rare and beautiful moment in music history, in anthologies built from Mesfin’s uber-rare 7” single releases and from previously unreleased recordings taken from master tapes. Mot Aykerim gives us a chance to discover a rare & beautiful moment in music history, in an anthology built from his uber-rare 7” single releases. Contains an oversized 11” x 11” 16 page book that tells the story of modern Ethiopian music and Mesfin’s role within it.

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Che Belew (March Forward)

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Now-Again)

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Ayalew Mesfin stands aside the likes of Mulatu Astake, Mahmoud Ahmed, Hailu Mergia and Alemayehu Eshete as a legend of 1970s Ethiopia. Mesfin’s music is some of the funkiest to arise from this unconquerable East African nation. Mesfin’s recording career, captured in nearly two dozen 7” singles and numerous reel-to-reel tapes, shows the strata of the most fertile decade in Ethiopia’s 20th century recording industry, when records were pressed constantly by both independent upstarts and corporate behemoths, even if they were only distributed within the confines of this East African nation. Though Mesfin was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of Ethiopia in 1974, he has returned almost 50 years later with this triumphant set albums – the first time that his music has been presented in this form. These albums give us a chance to discover a rare and beautiful moment in music history, in anthologies built from Mesfin’s uber-rare 7” single releases and from previously unreleased recordings taken from master tapes. Che Belew gives us a chance to discover a rare & beautiful moment in music history, in an anthology built from his uber-rare 7” single releases.

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Good Aderegechegn (Blindsided By Love)

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Now-Again)

Undying Thirst Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Ayalew Mesfin stands aside the likes of Mulatu Astake, Mahmoud Ahmed, Hailu Mergia and Alemayehu Eshete as a legend of 1970s Ethiopia. Mesfin’s music is some of the funkiest to arise from this unconquerable East African nation. Mesfin’s recording career, captured in nearly two dozen 7” singles and numerous reel-to-reel tapes, shows the strata of the most fertile decade in Ethiopia’s 20th century recording industry, when records were pressed constantly by both independent upstarts and corporate behemoths, even if they were only distributed within the confines of this East African nation. Though Mesfin was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of Ethiopia in 1974, he has returned almost 50 years later with this triumphant set albums – the first time that his music has been presented in this form. These albums give us a chance to discover a rare and beautiful moment in music history, in anthologies built from Mesfin’s uber-rare 7” single releases and from previously unreleased recordings taken from master tapes. Good Aderegechegn gives us a chance to discover a rare & beautiful moment in music history, in an anthology built from his uber-rare 7” single releases. Contains an oversized 11” x 11” 16 page book that tells the story of modern Ethiopian music and Mesfin’s role within it.

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Black Market Brass

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Colemine)

Night Dreamer Direct To Disc Sessions

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Black Market Brass’ sophomore record, Undying Thirst, is a noxious brew of diesel and bleach; a special long-player full of wasteoid rippers for skullduggerous hover-bike gangs peddling fugazi relics and snake oil tinctures. Hellacious guitars, nitrous-charged percussion, a brass section harsher than paint-thinner, and a special batch of short-circuited electronics and synthesizers will leave your head buzzing into the 31st century. Blasting Undying Thirst from your home speaker system is like going over a waterfall in a rusted out oil barrel, long after the sun has boiled the falls dry.

LP is packaged in high quality Stoughton Tip-On gatefold jacket, LP stored in an anti-static innsersleeve, and includes a download card. Pressed at Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland, OH.

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Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Night Dreamer)

LP | 2019 | EU | Original (BBE)

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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“It’s a paradox, in a way, like you’d have in a dream – something that’s both light and heavy,” Wayne Shorter muses, speaking to Nat Hentoff for the liner notes of Night Dreamer, his 1964 album and first for Blue Note as a leader.

Night Dreamer takes its name from this album, and retains something of the essence of what he was trying to convey.

Working with Artone Studio, and located above Record Industry pressing plant in Haarlem, Netherlands, Night Dreamer specialises in direct-to-disc recordings – the process by which music is cut onto acetate from single-take live performances, without interference: Neumann microphone to Neumann lathe. From there, it is simply ‘walked downstairs to the pressing plant.

For musicians recording at Artone, the process speaks to Shorter’s paradox. The levity of liberation vs. the weight of expectation; trust in raw musicianship vs. vulnerability of exposure. It is in such alchemical moments of contrast that the essence of expression can emerge.

Every Night Dreamer release is produced using a wide range of vintage mastering and recording equipment assembled and painstakingly restored over seven years. With one of just four remaining RCA 76D mixing desks – the same model used at Sun Studios – alongside Westrex Capitol cutting amps, designed specifically for Capitol studios to record the likes of The Beatles and The Beach Boys, it brings together state-of-the-art, often bespoke gear that has never been bettered.

Shorter captured Night Dreamer in a single day, an art not lost on today’s musicians, who, although afforded a surfeit of choice, are as wedded to the idea of collaboration as those of previous generations. The methods are timeless, and the impulse is as contemporary as ever.

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Lumingu Puati (Zorro)

Mosese

The Alan Lorber Orchestra

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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In the late Congolese musician Lumingu Zorro, protégé of Kinshasa’s legendary 60s band leader Dr Nico, recorded Mosese, his only pre-2000 solo album, for the Tabansi label- and this is it.CHAMPETA STORM WARNING! The first-ever reissue of one of West Africa’s best-kept rumba-soukous secrets- as well as being one of the most in-demand titles on Colombia’s booming Champeta sound system scene, where a rare record is protected as fiercely as on the Northern Soul or Jamaican sound system scenes, the label scratched off, the record hidden from view when not on the turntable.Possibly one of the strongest and most consistent Congo dancefloor albums ever recorded perfectly balanced between voices, horns, guitars and percussion.Which is why original copies of this all-time rumba rarity almost never reach the open market, being traded between Colombia’s champeta picoteros (sound system selectors) instead.In Kinshasa they say ‘Miziki ezelaki eleng ndeko’- ‘Sweet music, brother!’. Roger that

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The Lotus Palace

LP | 2019 | US | Original (Modern Harmonic)

2LP | 2019 | EU | Original (Jazz Village)

Release: 2019 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Orchestrated by legendary producer Alan Lorber, this talented cast of musicians weave their way through Eastern-influenced and psychedelic interpretations of pop gems and some way-out-there originals, in an album touted as the first in the fusion of raga and jazz.\n \nBrimming with the sounds of sitar, tabla, and Gamelan percussion, this eccentric blend of Eastern and Western music includes four\noriginally unissued bonus tracks!\n \nPackaged in a gorgeous replica of the original gatefold jacket, featuring the original notes and a fresh set of notes from Alan Lorber himself! Exquisitely mastered from the original stereo masters, cut by Kevin Gray for a stunning and enveloping classic stereo sound with delightful stereo separation. Pressed on gold vinyl at Third Man in Detroit!

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Ahmad Jamal

Ballades

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Kings Left Behind Black Vinyl Edition

Ikebe Shakedown

LP | 2019 | US | Original (Colemine)

Ondigui & Bota Tabansi International

Release: 2019 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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

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Ewondo Rythm

LP | 2019 | EU | Original (BBE Music)

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Afrotunes: Best Of Juju Volume 2 - Oba Mimo Olorun Ayo

Ojo Balingo

2LP | 2019 | EU | Original (BBE Africa)

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2016 | EU | Original (Paris DJs)

Etienne De La Sayette

Maputo Queens

Songs From East Africa 1952-7

Release: 2016 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Composer/arranger/producer Etienne de la Sayette is a frenetic globe-trotter and a relentless collector of musical instruments. Founder and headhunter of, among others, the Frix and Baeshi Bang groups, co-founder/saxophonist for Parisian Ethio-Jazz band Akalé Wubé, Etienne might mostly be a live musician, he manages nonetheless to find the time for audio production, remixes and synch music. 'Maputo Queens' is his first solo album, a deep afrojazz masterpiece for thoughful moods and after-hours atmospheres, with some masterful blends of spices from all over the globe.

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Something Is Wrong

2LP | 2010 | UK | Original (Honest Jon's)