Afrobeat Vinyl 143 Items

Tough, mid-tempo Ghanaian funk & Highlife grooves from Ebo Taylor Junior, son of the mighty Ebo Taylor.
Originally released in 1978; now extremely difficult and expensive to find in its original form.
Today Ebo Taylor Jnr plays keys in his fathers band that continues to tour when he is able to.
Official Mr Bongo reissue. Licensed from Ebo Taylor Jnr.

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

‘The highlife hep cat of Nigerian jazz trumpet’. Thus spake Louis Armstrong upon hearing
Zeal Onyia’s inimitable tone, rhythm and sheer breath-power. One of the founders of West
African highlife in both Ghana and Nigeria, Zeal played Ellington-style swing and dance with
Bobby Benson in the 40s, classic highlife with ET Mensah in the 50s and provided stiff
competition for Fela Kuti’s first band as a small-jazz combo leader in the early 60s. After
studying classical music in Germany for most of the 70s, he returned triumphantly to Lagos
in 1979, where he promptly recorded these six memorable tunes with the Tabansi Studio
Band. From the village-party vibe of ‘Zeal Anata’ to the instrumental workout ‘Egwu Olili’,
every one of the tracks is a winner. This LP remains one of the most in-demand old-school
Igbo-highlife sessions of all time, both in Nigeria and elsewhere, the original vinyl being
devilishly hard to find in ANY condition, let alone playable! As part of its ongoing Tabansi
Gold reissue series, BBE Music brings you the first ever reissue of this historic record, from
the original source, on heavyweight vinyl, complete with original sleeve artwork.
In Nigeria, the Igbo people call this style ‘Agadi-Akwukwo’- ‘old-school’. And they have as
much love and respect for it today as they did all those decades ago.

Two great songs from the Cranes band of Uganda 1974, the harmonics in Tony Senkebejje’s vocal perfomance is another level! Both sides guaranteed to get your dancefloor moving, you can forget about finding the original of this, loud pressing done by Frank The Carvery, comes in green custom silk pressed Afro7 bag. This is a pre-order, ships mid-may.

Hard-to-obtain, vintage highlife from three true giants of the sound; Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas & Uhuru Yenzu. Originally released in 1982.
In 'Hitsville Re-Visited', the mighty trio add a dose of uptempo funk into traditional highlife grooves.
The legendary Ebo Taylor was involved in many funk and highlife records to emerge from Ghana in the 70's and 80's. He worked with bands such as Apagya Show Band, C.K. Mann as well as Pat Thomas, on this, and several other records.
Taylor recorded another album with Uhuru Yenzu in 1980 – 'Conflict' – which is also available on Mr Bongo.
Pat Thomas career began in 1969 with the ‘Broadway Dance Band’, leaving a year later to join the ‘Uhuru Dance Band’. He then played with Ebo Taylor’s ‘Blue Monks’ and finally formed the ‘Sweet Beans’ in 1973 where he really made his name.
Thomas and Taylor's careers span more than 50 years now and they both still tour to play around the world.
Licensed from Essiebons. Official Mr Bongo reissue.

Propriété Privée is the pinnacle of Congolese musician Sammy Massamba’s style: a successful fusion of African and American music heritage, halfway between Franco and Otis Redding, Fela and Wilson Picket, King Sunny Ade and Aretha Franklin.
Home made in Paris, self-released in 1987, with only 1000 copies hand distributed, the 4 tracks EP features the nastiest funk, boogie, soukous, rumba and electro pop soundclash the Eighties could offer.
Carefully restored, remastered and repackaged in total respect with its original release. The vinyl lacquer reissue was even made by its original author, the legendary André ‘Dédé’ Perriat. Sammy Massamba’s life story is printed together with photos and liner notes on the inner sleeve of the 12". He still lives in France and is available for interviews, showcases, live shows and any sign of the gratitude he deserves.

A great mix of Zouk, Afro-Funk and Boogie from the Ivory Coast, 1983. Cool synths, electric guitar, Afro-Caribbean rhythms...
Four long tracks, including the massive afro-disco-boogie “Africa Mawa” plus two cool afro/Zouk tracks and a deep ballad with psych guitar.
Featuring Congolese musician Denis Bibi Den’s Thsibayi and his band The Best, “Sensible” was recorded at Abidjan, Ivory Coast, after Denis Tshibayi was requested to play live there. M. Sacko helped with the production / edition and the album was originally released first as a tiny private pressing in the Ivory Coast and later in France on the Tangent label. During that time, Denis Thsibayi also recorded for Earthworks/Rough Trade and in the following decades he recorded with Adrian Sherwood (On-U Sound Records), Alpha Blondy, etc.

Two sizzling South African boogie tracks from Kabasa’s Tata Sibeko. A killer producer, arranger and bass wizard, Tata channels the gloomy current affairs landscape of 1985 into a glimmering Afro-synth nugget. As South African pop embraced 1980s synth sounds, Maxi Singles on 12-inch vinyl became a new canvas of expression with wider grooves for fat beats and extended mixes that suited dancefloors.
The supergroups of the 1970s fragmented into solo recording artists with the likes of Harari’s Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse releasing his seminal “Burnout” single in 1984. Former Kabasa frontman Tata Sibeko dropped “It’s A Mess” in 1985, addressing the world’s Cold War climate with an appeal to “learn to love each other” and “save ourselves from catastrophe.” The B-side “Afro Breakdance” marked the evolution of Tata’s Afro-global sensibilities from “Afro Funkin’” that had appeared five years earlier on Kabasa’s self-titled debut in 1980. Tata Sibeko (RIP) passed away in 2017 after approving the restoration and reissue of this single. This release is dedicated to his kindness, charm and creative zeal.

Official, remastered reissue of this disco tinged, afro funk treasure and the first time the ‘Karam Bani’ single has been cut to 12” – maximising every ounce of highlife soul from Sidiku Buari’s productions.

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.

Dig this way records is proud to present its first official reissue: a marvelous Nigerian disco boogie album by Peter Abdul - Get Down With Me.
Impossible to find on the original EMI press is now finally back into the market for everybody to enjoy it and make the hips move!
Originally released in 1984 it’s an outstanding experimentation of Nigerian disco boogie - heavily influenced by western artists –
played by talented musician that follows with their monster cosmic sounds the tiny and strong voice of Peter Abdul in his only officially released LP.
The luck of this work came from the collaboration with Nkono Teles at keyboards ; Sole at bass guitar; Ganiyu Bello , Emmanuel Akoko Jr. and Tolu Gayas as backup vocalists –
arranged and produced by Odion Iruoje and assisted by some good engineers like Bayo Aro, Monday Oki and Edward Jatto. All together they created this insane disco- boogie LP.
For the 2018 reissue, the audio was carefully restored by Colin Young - Liner notes that come with a interview and some unseen and raw original pictures of Peter Abdul back in the days-
these photos are printed separately on tick quality paper insert (from a small studio of Milano called Legno).
As Peter Abdul said:
“Music to me it's a pure natural instinct, a natural gift which i grew to love so much” -
I was lucky and pleased to collaborate with great artists like Nkono Teles, a Cameroon born multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Nigeria;
Ganiyu Bello, who came for a visit from London and joined me as a backup vocalist along with Emmanuel Akoko Jr.;
and Tolu Gay – the woman vocalist and romantic flavor on “Baby I Love You”.
Some great musicians played on the tracks, interested in making music with a talented teenager with a tiny voice – but one that sang to the beat and with a good sense of tonality.
It was like a great adventure, and from that symbiosis, “Get Down With Me” was born.
And fun: people started calling me the Michael Jackson of Nigeria at live shows, especially at the University of Ibadan, the Alfa Club and others.
So many pretty girls wanting to win my heart.

2022 repress

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

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

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

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

Charly Kingson, (ps. for Charlie Kingue Soppo) is a legend of afro-funk who managed to shake the entire continent up with his infamous 1978 LP, Born In Africa. Often forgotten when conversations turn to Afro-dance, and the likes of Tony Allen or Fela Kuti, he has been an incredible source of inspiration to many musicians exploring the funkier side of jazz-dance, and this album itself goes way beyond any traditional notion of tropical discotheque. "Born In African" itself is a funky groover for the dancefloor and here is the original 1982 Remix, made by Dutch legendary percussionist Eddie Conard available again, featuring “Nimele Bolo” on the flip-side. Released in 1982 on Ariola/Fleet, but also pressed on the original Fleet label. The latter (remarkably with identical catalog-number) never saw daylight. But, we got them all! All in all, this hard to find 12” (at Discogs copies on the Ariola/Fleet label go for around 250 euro) was recently re-discovered, and now you can finally enjoy it again.

Official Mr Bongo reissue of the ultra-rare album by ‘Super Elcados’. A fusion of heavyweight Nigerian funk, soul & disco, originally released by EMI Nigeria in 1976.
The ‘Super Elcados’ (and ’Elcados’ on other recordings) recorded three albums in the mid and late-70’s, this is their first. It was followed by ‘This World Is Full Of Injustice’ and ‘What Ever You Need’.
Licensed from Geoffrey Johnson (Elcados), courtesy of PMG, with special thanks to Dave Hill for his help!

Rare and in High demand Afro digital Soul EP, recorded in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) in 1981.
Originally from Martinique, Clem Marise Voltine aka Mac Gregor moved to Abidjan in 1979 searching for, what she called, her “negritude quest”. She sang about her love for her adoptive city until her death in April 2004 at CHU of Abidjan, Trechville Hospital.
A visionary composer, poet and singer, mixing Creole, French and Nouchi, she made a brilliant musical bridge between the West-Indies and Ivory Coast, backed by a soulful group of top Ivorian musicians such as the great Houon Pierre.
This unique and must have record is a pure dancefloor killer and will definitely be the next Afro Tropical Hit of the next decade!
Fully Licensed in Abidjan, remastered at Carvery Studio on a 12inch vinyl (45 RPM).

One of the most pivotal figures in the history of Malian music is Sorry Bamba. His work spans five decades and his music bridges the gap between Mali's cultural traditions and new the music which arose from the musical cross overs which occurred in Mali's post-Colonial period. Bamba was born in 1938 in Mopti. This is dissected by both the Niger and Bani rivers and known for its rich cultural diversity. Bamba's father was a distinguished veteran of Emperor Samory Toure's military and a nobleman in Malian society, however, this meant young Sorry was forbidden to make music, as under the nation's caste system, music was an art form reserved for the Griots.

At the age of 10, Sorry's parents died and in traumatic times that followed the young teen found solace in music. He first taught himself to play am African six-holed flute. As he progressed he began to absorbed the rich tapestry of music of his surroundings, traditional Malian music, highlife from Ghana, local accordion master Toumani Toure, European singers and musicians. In 1957 Sorry formed his first band, Group Goumbe, named after a popular Ivory Coast dance style. In 1960 Mali gained independence from France, Bamba and his group benefited from a new openness toward local music on the state-run radio network Radio Mali. Sorry then went on to form two award-winning, further collectives Bani Jazz and later the Kanaga Orchestra. They fused Latin jazz, Western R&B, Psychedelic and funk, and traditional Malian styles made them a favourite in Mali and beyond.

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

A very rare LP originally released in 1983 has made its way to Soundway and been mastered with the utmost care.
The only known recorded album by the band, it also features the track “Fella’s Doing It In Lagos” which was included on and inspired the name for Soundway’s hit compilation in 2016.
Band members: Austing D. Ilukhor, Charles Chiagoro, Geofrey Ochiagha, Hawly Adeyefa Jnr, Klesye Edward Doja, Shola Damole, Stanley Ifejoku.

After Sweet Sweet Dreams album, Jamwax is very proud to finally release D'Hardest on its original maxi 12'' format.
“D'Hardest” was recorded at K.H. studios in Trinidad in 1980 and another version/mix was released on the Wake Up album. This song is everything, thanks to Winston Bailey aka Shadow and all his team.

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

Official reissue of one of the hardest to find albums by the Afro Soul maestro, a pure Afro Funk spiritual grail from 1978!
Born in 1943 in Ikole-Ekiti in Ondo State, Nigeria, Orlando Julius Ekemode (“Orlando was really a nickname, taken from the Nigerian actor, Orlando Martins“) had started in music from an early age, becoming the school drummer and learning flute, bugle and other instruments at St Peters Anglican School in Ikole-Ekiti. Nigerian musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, he is credited as one of the first musicians to fuse US R&B into traditional highlife music, creating his own influential Afrobeat sound during the mid-‘60s.
From his time playing in the USA during the 1970s onwards, he is credited with bringing African music to a broader audience and famously co-composed the song “Going Back To My Roots” with Lamont Dozier. In 1978, Orlando Julius Ekemode decided to produce himself this amazing session, originally recorded between Maryland and West Virginia (USA) and released in limited quantity in Nigeria by the obscure label Jungle Records. 6 stunning Afro-Funk monster tracks, recorded by 8 musicians based in Oakland.
Fully licensed with the artist and remastered by The Carvery. Essential!

The Apostles were disciples of a heavy kind of psychedelic soul/rock fusion. After The Funkees left for London, they stepped into the breach to become the champions of East Nigeria’s flourishing post-war music scene. Based in Aba, and led by guitarist and charismatic chancer Walton Arungwa, they laid down a couple of singles with the city’s newly-formed BEN label. EMI liked what they heard and in 1976 whisked the band to Lagos to record The Apostles with the legendary Emmanual Odenusi at the controls. A heavy mix of wailing guitar, swirling organ and James Brown-style vocals, it became a fixture in every east Nigerian home. ‘Never Too Late’ sets the stage with a scorching lead break that most believe was played by guitar-slinger-for-hire, Felix ‘Feladay’ Odey. Drummer Joel Madubuike and bass player Henry Tandu lay down the rock solid groove for Benji Davidson’s righteous organ lines in ‘Inflation’ and ‘Highway to Success.’ And each is invested with an urgency from battle-hardened vocals of Chyke Fussion, a vetran of the Biafra war. Don’t be fooled by the angelic white outfits worn on the cover of The Apostles. These guys were BAD. And ‘Never Too Late’ could well be the best Afro Rock song ever recorded.

By the mid 1970s in Nigeria, the Biafran War was a distant memory and the music scene in the eastern city of Aba was booming again. Bands such as The Funkees, The Wings and The Apostles grabbed the headlines, but the more interesting stuff was coming from smaller groups like the Friimen. The Friimen, or the Friimen Musik Company to use their official name, were influenced as much by pre-'Saturday Night Fever' Bee Gees as Jimi Hendrix and James Brown. Their album 'We Can Get it On' is a hybrid of West Coast ballads and dancefloor chuggers.

Two tasty tunes from Ghana in the seventies! Worth every single penny!

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

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

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

Essential garage Zamrock/soul/funk: the first official reissue of the celebrated band’s one and only album. The musical style that became known as Zamrock came to embody the economic despair that followed the 1973-1974 oil crisis, which flung Zambia into recession and exacerbated a wide range of social tensions. Much of Zamrock also captured the controversy of wider politics in Africa and the world. Perhaps the finest example of this is Black Power by The Peace. - The Guardian. The Boyfriends, from Kitwe’s Chamboli Mine Township, supplied the founding members for Zamrock’s most famous band, Witch, and kick started one of Zamrock’s best bands, Peace. Their sole Zamrock entry, Black Power, recorded at Malachite Film Studio circa 1973/4 and issued circa 1975, sounds like nothing else in the Zamrock canon: a lost message drifiting from the flower power era, imbued with a fiery Zambian voice.

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

Afro-Soul Holy Grail by the “Soul Brother from Benin“, featuring the famous “Vis à Vis” band from Ghana and recorded in Kumasi in 1979.

This epic Afrobeat album contains just one eponymous track clocking in at just over 25 minutes in length, and beginning with a mysterious and psychedelic musical interplay between Fela on organ and Tony Allen on drums. As the song takes on a righteously funky groove, Fela evokes the chaos of Lagos, the multitude of regional dialects, the gnarly traffic jams, the absence of a policeman to take charge, as a metaphor for the larger problems of post-colonial Nigeria.

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

Nice repress on 180 gram wax!

C.K. Mann made his name as a virtuous guitar player in Ghana when he played with Moses Kweku Oppong in the Kakaikus Guitar Band in the early 60s. He then became the leader of the band Ocean’s Strings until 1966. In 1968, he enjoyed a hit with the single ‘Edina Benya’. Mann was known for blending authentic African music with European influences. He was inspired by Latin American music and created a style all of his own. He became known as the ‘King of Highlife‘ in Ghana in the 70's, when he released the record ‘Nimpa Rebre’ featuring vocals from Pat Thomas and Kofi Yankwon. Funky Highlife came out of the Essiebons label run by Dick Essilfe Bondzie. According to Dick, this album could have been a massive hit in Ghana but the vinyl factories ran out of stock because of Ghana’s economic downturn, so the demand for the record could not be met. The album is a fusion of highlife and soul. The best-known track ‘Asafo beesuon’ is a multi-layered, drum heavy, funk medley and is over 13 minutes long.

180 gram vinyl!

High on everyones afro-jazz wishlist!