Afrobeat Vinyl 894 Items

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Muzikawi)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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El Khat"s 3rd album mute belies its title as it careens out of the speakers with a raucous intensity. Formed in the garages and warehouses of Jaffa and now based in Berlin, the group"s ever-expanding vision makes a defiant stand against complacency, conflict and division. Skittering drums and brass, a jagged organ, hypnotic Yemeni melodies and one-of-a-kind DIYpercussion and string instruments, all meld together in an infectious, heady soundscape.Sometimes wildly raw, sometimes lush and enveloping.Always uncompromised and adventurous.

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Dawit Yifru

28,49 €* 29,99 € -5%

Over Fields And Mountains White Blossom Vinyl Edition

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Branko Mataja

LP | 2022 | US | Original (Numero Group)

LP | 2024 | US | Original (SMC)

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Recalling Ennio Morricone spaghetti westerns, the electrified belly dance music of Omar Khorshid, and '90s bedroom psychedelia at once, the music of Branko Mataja is from its own epoch. Snatched from the streets of Belgrade as a teenager,Mataja spent World War 2 in a German work camp, escaping the insanity of postwar Europe to settle in North Hollywoodto live out the American Dream to its fullest. Crafting handmade music on homemade guitars throughout the 1970s,Mataja taught himself to play in order to pay homage to his ancestral home of Yugoslavia, a place he would never returnto except through these guitar meditations.

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Aswad

Live In London

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Look Over The Wall See The Sky

John Francis Flynn

LP | 2023 | Original (River Lea)

31,99 €*

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | Original (Compass)

Alison Brown

On Banjo

20,99 €*

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Five Day Week Straw People

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

Release: 2018 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Austin City Limits Live At The Moody Theater

Watchhouse

2LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Yep Roc)

33,99 €*

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Tusona: Tracings In The Sand

Mokoomba

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Out Here)

Long Shot Translucent Magenta Vinyl Edition

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Five years after the release of their last album "Luyando", Zimbabwe"s most celebrated music export returns with their long-awaited album "Tusona: Tracings in the Sand". The six musicians from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe have come up with their most danceable album to date: The DIY production is recorded in Zimbabwe and sees them refining their unique sound: Infectious Afro grooves deeply connected to Zimbabwe"s cultural DNA.

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The Pioneers

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

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Real Gone Music)

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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Hamza El Din

Al Oud

38,99 €*

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Jazzaggression)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Limited clear vinyl LP pressing. It's fair to say that what Ravi Shankar did for the sitar, Hamza el Din did for the oud (the short-necked Arabian lute): bringing a little-known instrument to the attention of the West and popularizing it. Indeed, he ended up playing oud with everybody from the Grateful Dead to the Kronos Quartet to his one-time roommate Sandy Bull. But El Din's gifts went beyond that of an oud virtuoso; he was also an accomplished singer and composer, and you will hear all of those talents on full display on this seminal album, released on Vanguard in 1965 soon after his star-making appearance at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival that attracted the attention of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Meditative, mesmerizing, and haunting, Al Oud features nine original compositions based on Nubian folk traditions; at first it's the exotic sound of the oud that draws you in, but it's the rhythmic pulse of the music and the expressive quality of El Din's voice that keeps you riveted. Our first-ever American LP reissue of this classic record comes in a clear vinyl pressing limited to 900 copies, complete with original artwork featuring liner notes by Jamal Mohammed Ahmed, at the time Sudan's Ambassador to the United Nations. A richly rewarding listen.

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Kuja Orchestra

Seasons In Rhythm

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Afro7)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Reggae & Dancehall

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New Library Series, sealed Obi strip, 180g vinyl & insert, digital download. “Helsinki funk legends Kuja Orchestra is back with a new line-up and new set of tight grooves. Latin, soul, blues and disco-funk melt with African and oriental influences.”

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The Scorpios

Let's Go

Rogamar Turquoise Vinyl Edition

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Everyone’s favourite Sudanese collective from London is back with another full album! Traditional meets today and everything in-between - future classic!

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Cesaria Evora

2LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Music On Vinyl)

38,99 €*

Fela Kuti, Moblack, Emmanuel Jal & Henrik Schwarz

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on turquoise coloured vinyl.

Three years after the Grammy Award-winning album Voz D'Amor, Cape Verdean superstar Cesaria Evora returned with Rogamar, the tenth studio album by the "Queen of Morna". Together with her talented Cape Verdean songwriting team, Cesaria Evora presents 17 tracks in total, including 2 bonus tracks that were specially included for this release ("Nos Maestro" & "Mae Africa (Version Cap-Vert))". It also includes a performance with Ismaël Lô on "Africa Nossa", as well as the popular song "Um Pincelada".

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International Thief Thief (I.T.T.) (Armonica & Moblack Mix) / Chagu 2024 Repress

12" | 2020 | EU | Reissue (Defected)

LP | 2024 | UK | Original (Mooncrest)

Release: 2020 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2024 Repress

These are the words of legendary Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti, words that remain as true as ever over two decades since his untimely death. A pioneer of the Nigerian revolution, his fight against police oppression remains an ongoing conversation in the country. Now, Defected pays tribute to the vital work of Fela with a special 12” release, as Armonica and MoBlack revisit Fela Kuti’s ‘International Thief Thief (I T. T.)’ as the fight against systemic corruption continues to be a pressing issue in Nigeria. The A-Side features Armonica & MoBlack’s flawlessly executed and ever respectful remix of the record where Fela called out and directly attacked former Nigerian president General Obasanjo and Moshood Abjola, the CEO of Nigeria’s biggest national telecommunications conglomerate I.T.T and Decca Records. Their homage to Fela brings a powerful and culturally relevant piece of music to the forefront of dance culture in 2020.

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Jackson C. Frank

Mystery

Release: 2024 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Excelsior)

Togo All Stars

Spirits

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

The 4th Street Orchestra

Leggo! Ah-Fi-We-Dis

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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12" | 2022 | EU | Original (Heavenly Sweetness)

David Walters

Bow Down EP Remixes

18,99 €*

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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David Walters is an explorer. Not just one of those who show off on the screen. Like his Grandfather, David has not hesitated to cross seas or oceans to fulfil his desires fit. His mother's father left the Caribbean island of St Kitts for New York and started a family in London with a woman he met on the boat. David, on the other hand, travelled from his home in Marseille to Sheffield, London and Manchester to record this EP and to give a new twist to his career by musically extending the link that binds him to his grandfather, and more generally to his ancestors. "In Africa and its diasporas, as in the world for those who know how to see them, the elders are always at our side", he says in a soft voice.
"Music comes first".

It was on Guts' advice that David Walters changed his working habits. He and the French producer/beatmaker and DJ know each other well. "He offered to accompany me artistically on my new album, to be my third eye, or my third ear," says David. "He is someone I respect for his work, his discretion and his questioning, his desire to never repeat himself" he explains. "We often exchange ideas. We don't necessarily always agree, but whatever we think of each other, it's the music that comes first.” So when Guts told him about Tom Excell, David went for it. He headed for Sheffield where Excell, the producer, guitarist and percussionist had his own studio. The contact was direct. "We took the instruments and played like children", remembers David, still under the spell of the encounter. "Tom is part of the new English scene that combines jazz, soul, hip-hop and world grooves. He’s associated, as a musician, producer and remixer with Nubiyan Twist, Onipa, K.O.G., Me & My Friends and so many others. He has the freshness of the English sound. I like his approach. Over there, people have grown up with The Beatles, The Specials, Depeche Mode, The Clash or Apache Indian playing in the background in supermarkets. They have a different musical culture, a different musical culture that is part of the décor regardless of the genre, and that's a game changer," David says excitedly. "If people like it, they make room for you right away. I'm a fan".

"More personal and more open"
In three sessions at Tom Excell and David built these 4 tracks. “No One” which opens this E.P., was the first to be finalised. As always with David, everything is played - the Rhodes as well as the percussion, the bass as well as the drums - before being sampled. Even the electronic rhythms are sampled on the hi-hat or cymbal. Hence this organic sound. ”No One is a word of advice, an incitement to trust yourself, to listen to no one but your own instinct. This is something the singer already defended more than fifteen years ago on “Awa” the song that gave its name to his first album. "No One” is now more peaceful and serene than “Awa” was," he says. “Bow Down”, initiated with the Lyon-based producer Patchworks, is reinvented here in a lighter version. ‘It's a nod to New Orleans and the Afro-descendants, those men and women who kept their heads up despite slavery and mistreatment," says David, who recorded and produced the Nola is Calling project (2019) in a colonial house in New Orleans he transformed into a studio. The expression "Bow Down" is both a tribute to the Amerindians who came to the aid of African slaves and an affirmation of strength and resilience. Hurricane Kathrina is still on everyone's mind. As David explains, “Yemaja is the Cuban goddess of the sea. In Africa, she is called Yemoja”. There is no doubt that the sea is David's element. “The sea acts on me like a sort of great "reset". It's a place where you can also lose yourself," he says. “Baby Love”, the last track, echoes “Baby Go” from the album
Nocturne (2021), an opus recorded with cellist Vincent Segal, kora master Ballaké Sissoko and percussionist Roger Raspail. "In the end, these four tracks (+ a disco edit of “No One” by the American producer Captain Planet) are put together like a rebus, to tell a story that makes sense to me: Nobody is going to fall apart, thanks to Yemaja", David sums up with a warmth and smile in his voice.
David Walters is a true explorer, and doesn't intend to stop there. Future sessions are already scheduled in Tom Excell's studio in order to finalise a full length album which is due to be released early in 2023.

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Orchestre Massako

The 'Imâra (The Dance Of The Stars)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The last time I found myself on the phone with Jean-Christian Mboumba Mackaya known as Mack-Joss - founder of the Mighty Orchestra Massako - I could hear gun-shots in the background. Libreville was upside down following the re-election of president Ali Bongo in August 2016. By the time I was ready to go ahead with this project, Mack-Joss’s phone number had been disconnected, and shortly afterwards I found out that the baobab of Gabonese music had fallen.

An adept of folk rhythms, Mack-Joss’s career as a musician began when he was just 17 of age and he quickly established himself as a staple of Libreville’s nightlife scene, singing in various local bands. By 1966 he had released “Le Boucher”, his first hit which swept the African airwaves and earned him the respect of Franco, the legendary master of Congolese Rumba. Franc ´s encouragement helped transform him from a Gabonese singer into an ascendent figure of pan-African culture. Between 1968 and 1970 Mack-Joss and his Negro-Tropical immortalised a good number of singles recorded in a makeshift open-air recording studios and in 1971 Gabon armed forces decided to form their own band. Mack-Joss was recruited to become the band leader and this was the birth of Orchestre Massako which became Gabon’s national orchestra.

At the end of the 1970´s funds were made available to bring recording equipment over from France. Studio Mobile Massako was born and Mack-Joss’s songwriting ability provided hit after hit. The master tapes with the recordings were sent to Paris for mixing and Mack-Joss would personally make the journey to France, carrying the reels in his hand luggage. The vinyl records were then pressed in France and shipped back to Gabon, and to other distributors throughout the continent. About a dozen long play records were recorded between 1978 and 1986 and most were released on Mass Pro, Mack-Joss´s own label. A few of these recordings featured a singer from Guinée Conakry by the name of Amara Touré who had joined Orchestre Massako as a singer in 1980 and had become an important ingredient in the band’s success. His specific voice, impossible not to recognise, left no one unmoved (ask those who listened to the compilation AALP078).

Mack-Joss’s retirement in 1996 marked the end of Orchestre Massako. With a four decades spanned career, his contribution to Gabonese culture cannot be overstated and continues to inspire the respect and devotion of people who knew him.

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Tariqua 'Alawiya

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Via Parigi)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Glitterbeat)

Park Jiha

The Gleam

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Outre-National)

Hocine Chaoui

Ouechesma

LP | 2024 | Original (Nettwerk)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Chaoui is a genre of Berber music that originated in the Aurès region of Algeria. It is a mixture of Saharan and Atlas mountain music marked with dancing rhythms and is part of the oral living tradition of the Aurès region. The first recordings on magnetic tape date back to the 1930s when Aissa Jermouni’s music was introduced and published internationally. Over the years, Chaoui has given birth to various sub-genres. The genre was popularized in the 1930s and 1940s, and still generates a strong following of fans across the country and especially in the Aurès region in the 2000s. In its most frequent instrumental configuration, a chaoui music group includes a zorna, a gasba flute, a bendir and one or more singers.

Originally, Chaoui musicians were shepherds who lived in the Aurès mountains, and they sang their own localized poetry of personal and regional topics. But also, joyful themes such as local or religious festivals or in the context of Chaoui weddings.

Hocine Chaoui is one of the genre’s most famous and respected musicians and poets. ,Hocine modernized his sound with drum machines, incorporating intense and modern production techniques with phased gesba flute, reverbed out vocals, taking the genre to its logical new phase. This LP is a reissue of one of the most “in demand” of the genre’s cassettes originally released by Oriental Music Production, a cassette label dedicated to the some of the best regional releases during the heyday of the 80’s and 90’s golden era of rai and local Algerian music cassettes. These releases were only ever released on cassette and now command a premium on the collector’s market.

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Hollow Coves

Blessings

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Africamore - The Afro-Funk Side Of Italy

2LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Four Flies)

33,99 €*

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Music On Vinyl)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Continuing Four Flies' dedication to delving into lesser-explored periods of Italian music, Africamore takes us on a captivating journey into the intersection of Afro-funk and the Italian soundscape during the six years between 1973 and 1978 - a time when disco was looming on the horizon and the nightclub market was rapidly expanding.

Before reaching Italian shores, the infectious sound originating from African and Afro-Caribbean roots traversed both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, landing on New York dancefloors, where DJ Dave Mancuso discovered "Soul Makossa" by Manu Dibango. In 1973, from Mancuso's Loft parties, the song's hypnotic groove spread to the rest of the globe, including in Italy, where it sparked a wave of imitations and variations.

Tribal influences thus found their way into Italian soul-funk and early-disco productions released between 1973 and 1978 – from psychedelic-tinged tunes like Jean Paul & Angelique's "Africa Sound"to the Afrobeat-inspired club banger "Kumbayero" by composer/producer Albert Verrecchia (aka Weyman Corporation); and from groundbreaking Afro-cosmic songs like Chrisma's "Amore", co-written by Vangelis and featuring the rhythms of Ghanaian-British Afro-rock band Osibisa, to mind-blowing floor-fillers like Beryl Cunningham's "Why O", a re-write of Nat King Cole's "Calypso Blues" arranged by Paolo Ormi, with percussion breaks that sound pretty much like what would later become known as techno.

Combining feel-good vibes with driving rhythms, world-style percussion, and even synths, all these productions pushed the boundaries of dance music at a time when disco had not yet taken over. In doing so, they sowed many of the seeds of the later Italian cosmic scene and its unique mixture of African elements, disco-funk and electronic music.

This was a brief but nuanced period in Italian music history, one that deserves to be rediscovered, with love.

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Junior Murvin

Bad Man Possee

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

DJ Black Low

Uwami

Rob Record Store Day 2022 Red Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Rob

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Mr Bongo)

24,99 €*

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Hot Casa)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Accra-born pianist and frontman, ROB, only released a few albums in small quantities, yet two of them are among the most sought-after records from 70’s Africa. This was the first.

So what do we know? After learning his craft in Benin and playing with the likes of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, ROB returned to Accra to write his own material and find a sound. Hooked on the driving funk and raw soul of stars such as James Brown and Otis Redding, he would often imitate his heroes on his father’s piano during school holidays.

The title track sets the pace with a JBs-like rhythm, ROB almost shamanic with his sparse yet commanding vocal. The organ and wahwah guitar spin us out before those imperious horns bring us back in.

And what better way to close this set than with ‘More’, swept up in a call and response between Rob and his backing singers as a ‘Blow Your Head’ synth flares and the brass blasts. Good times guaranteed.

As the man himself says, “Funky music is in my blood. What you hear is the coming out of my mind.” No one sounds like Rob, because there is no one like Rob.

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Vaudou Game

Noussin

12" | 2020 | EU | Original (Secousse)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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African, funky, sarcastic, bewitching, green, ecstatic: these words collide to describe Vaudou Game and all of them are true. Noussin is the fourth album of the french Afro Funk band. Forced into lockdown, like much of the planet, Peter Solo and his Vaudou Game had no choice but to retreat into the studio. A reunion to once again invoke the spiritual forces of the Voodoo Deities. A reunion that was Initially imagined for an EP…yet these spiritual forces behind that imagination yearned for something more, and as we all know, these forces are impossible to push away once they have decided to stay. Under the strain enforced by the current socioeconomic climate, as much as by the environmental peril that faces us all today - they diverted the course of the groove towards daring new vibrations. Without extinguishing or diminishing its highly communicative power, they released Vaudou Game from its origins of pure Afro-Funk to gradually engage into compositions which crystallized themselves into tones resembling more rock than funk. On this fourth album, with an entirely revisited line-up, Peter Solo separates for the first time in his career from his brassy guard, leaving saxophone, trumpet and trombone outside to invite an arsenal of keyboards to define, with him, this new voodoo sound. A sound, as usual, built on vintage and precise analogical material - grime even on the white side of the tape, a blunt instrument used to blanket anything that strived to shine too much in the mix. Graced with tapered guitars stringing out rhythmic bumps or withdrawing a few beats to indulge in infectious solos, this album is boisterously alive with vintage 70's Funk, infused with a few digressions into other ethers of the funk timeline, nicking different sounds and frequencies to render the black and white keys of an inspired keyboard to reach new euphoric levels of melodic acidity. Tearing off the enigmatic mask to reveal his true face: on a few titles, Peter Solo ventures outside of his sacred voodoo range to reconnect with his London years, these titles feature small nods to the time he spent in “The Smoke” where the incantations of British music culture were written within him. Noussin which means “Stay strong” in Mina, a dialect spoken in the south-west of Togo. Noussin, a message of hope as much as a call to come together to weather the turmoil and to come out better on the other side. Don’t let them grind you down…Noussin!

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Orchestre Les Mangelepa

Nyako Konya

Anywhere Trouble Feat. Cristina Violle

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Nairobi, Kenya, 1978. In the Phonogram Ltd. music studio, the popular Congolese Rumba band Les Mangelepa is finishing a session. Things are going well: they have recorded all the music they planned and still have an hour to kill before giving back the studio keys. How about improvising one last song on the spot?
And this is how “Nyako Konya” was born. An incredible 9 minutes hypnotic jam, that’ll eventually become one of their biggest tunes, earning them a Gold record and international acclaim throughout Africa.
Meticulously restored and remastered by French engineer Nicolas Thelliez, the original version is featured here together with remixes by three talented producers: French House/Disco producer extraordinaire Yuksek and his wall of sound skills, Netherlands’ Afro lovers and world famous studio maverick Umoja delivering a space dub Lee Scratch Perry style, and last but not least, the trademarked syncopated stabs from Brooklyn’s Uproot Andy.

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Franck Biyong

12" | 2020 | EU | Original (Hot Casa)

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

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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After a few other successful projects, Franck Biyong, French-Cameroonian Afrobeat composer, guitar player and singer is back on Hot Casa with a hot futuristic Afro-Brazilian club anthem.
The similarities and filiations between traditional West-African drumming and Afro-Brazilian religious musical rites are many: under colonial rule African people and African slaves outwardly practiced Christianity but secretly prayed to their own God, Gods, or Ancestor spirits. So we aimed at keeping the gritty urban menacing sound and poetry of Afrobeat with the percussive mass rumble of Batucada and poignant beauty of Carioca. We then got in touch with Cristina Violle, the first lady of “Samba de Roda” in Paris who graced us with a startling inspired and heartfelt melody. The first completed version of the song then briefly went on alternative radio, we also made plans to release a vinyl version, but for one way or another we shelved the project, without thinking we would get back to it again…until a few months ago.
We went back to the studio last summer and started ironing the song again from scratch. That same initial spirit and energy caught hold of us again from the day we started and we worked relentlessly to create a balanced but experimental track, showcasing rootsy sound, pop instrumentation, tight world beat drumming, song structure, jazzy horns, spacey synthesizers, choral-like vocal harmonies with call and response figurative vocals.
We now proudly present this brand new record; Like our predecessors years ago, we subconsciously did our best to keep alive a longtime tradition of cultural tradition of African Artistic Renaissance, pushing further musical themes of contemporary African sound. To be continued…

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Vaudou Game

Otodi

Tout L'Afrique Danse Volume 10

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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Soul Kids,The

LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Hot Casa)

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Subliminal Sounds)

Ixtahuele

Call Of The Islands

36,99 €*

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Original Sufferhead Green Vinyl Edition

Fela Kuti

LP | 2024 | Original (Knitting Factory)

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Dudu Tassa & Jonny Greenwood

Jarak Qaribak

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (World Circuit)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

Ernesto DJedje

Roi Du Ziglibithy

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Wah Wah)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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If someone would have told me years ago, when I started the label, that one day I would be releasing music by Ernesto Djédjé, the king of Ziglibithy himself, I would have personally driven them to the closest psychiatric institute such is the magnitude of the artist and his iconic tune “Zighlibitiens”.

The star of Ernesto Djédjé started rising in the late 60s, when he became the guitar player and leader of Ivoiro Star, founded by Amédée Pierre, star of Dopé, the leading musical style at the time. Annoyed by the “congolisation” of the Ivorian music that was taking place within the band, Ernesto left the group and emigrated to Paris in 1968 to record his first few singles arranged by Manu Dibango and influenced by Soul, Rhythm & Blues and Jerk. Those recordings reflect the musical mood at that time which was dictated by two musical trends within the Ivoirian scene: Traditional music, embodied amongst others by Amédée Pierre on one hand and imported music from the States, Cameroon and Zaïre on the other. And while the first trend was generally neglected, the youth fully embraced the second and as a result bands such as „Les Black Devils“, „Djinn-Music“, „Bozambo”, “Jimmy Hyacinthe”, shot to stardom overnight by recording mainly funk and disco music. It is within this context that Ernesto would draw the inspiration for a future formula.

Returning to Côte d‘Ivoire in 1974 Ernesto began looking for like minded musicians to form the mighty “Ziglibithiens”. Diabo Steck (drums), Bamba Yang (keyboards & Guitar), Léon Sina (Guitar) and Assalé Best (chef d´orchestre and Saxophon) would become the core of the group and together with Ernesto they began thinking of ways of combining the rhythms and chants of the Bété people and fuse them with Makossa, Funk and Disco and create a musical style that was both Ivorian and International. He called his experiment Ziglibithy and his first two albums, immortalised at the EMI studios in 1977 in Lagos and released on the Badmos label, took West Africa by storm turning Ernesto Djédjé into an icon overnight and one of the legends of African music. Ernesto Djédjé died in mysterious circumstances on June 9th, 1983 - at the age of 35 - shocking the whole Ivorian nation. And although the end came abruptly, it didn’t come soon enough, and Ernesto had time - within 5 albums - to cement his legacy as one of the most innovative artists the Ivory Coast ever produced.

The song Zighlibitiens, brought to Colombia by an aeronautical mechanic in the early 1980, would become a huge hit on the Caribbean Coast. Renamed “El Tigre” by locals soundsystem operators - certainly due to the Badmos logo - that particular song would reach legendary status in Barranquilla and Cartagena. Setting fire to uncountable local parties, it has become one of the most sought-after Album in that part of the world. And so, while Ziglibithy has mostly disappeared from the airwaves of its country of birth, on the other side of the Atlantic, its fire continues to shine bright.

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Bazali Bam

Action

20,99 €*

2LP | 2024 | Original (Decca)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Extremely rare, under the radar afro-psychedelic LP from South Africa. This mysterious band was produced by African funk master, composer, guitarist and producer Almon Sandisa Memela, who was active since the mid 1950s, first as a musician and guitar teacher and then also as a producer. He is famous for his 1970s Afro funk works Funky Africa and the very sought after Broken Shoes.

Action features a cool mixture of incipient afro-funk and garage pop/psych, with one of its songs having been compiled on the famous Next Stop... Soweto compilation series that helped ignite the current fever for African music.

Riyl: Ofege, Blo, Aktion, The Apostles, Sjob Movement, Soweto and the likes.

First ever vinyl reissue, reproducing the original sleeve artwork and with remastered sound. 500 copies only.

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Salif Keita

Anthology

39,99 €*

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Topsy Turvy)

Exotic Roosters

Wachi Wara

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Movers - Volume 1 1970-1976

The Movers

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Irfan (Le Label))

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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It’s a special, but also a strange sensation to be releasing an album of one of your early musical heroes. I first discovered The Movers on my very first “record safari” in 1996. My destination was Bulawayo, in southern Zimbabwe, and to get there I had to travel via Jo’burg. While in town I stopped at a store called Kohinoor, in search of Mbaqanga – also known as Township Jive – and found a few tapes which I listened to non-stop on the bus that carried me to the land of Chimurenga Music. One of these cassettes included the songs “Hot Coffee” and “Phukeng Special” which instantly became part of my daily life. Twenty-five years later I’m still grooving to them.

What I didn‘t know at that time was that The Movers were hugely successful during the 1970s; so when it came time to release some of their music, I though it was going to be “a walk in the park” to track down information about them and write their biography. I was in for a rude awakening. Despite their legendary status, there was almost no information available on band or any of its members.

Fortunately Nicky Blumenfeld from Kaya Radio came to the rescue. A few days after I reached out to her, she had managed to get the phone number of Kenneth Siphayi, who is considered to be the founder of the band, as well as vocalist Blondie Makhene and saxophonist Lulu Masilela. Although we left no stone unturned, we were unable to find any of the four original members who seem to have passed away in total anonymity.

The story of The Movers began in 1967 when two unknown musicians – the brothers Norman and Oupa Hlongwane – approached Kenneth Siphayi a stylish and wealthy businessman from the Alexandra township to ask if he could buy them musical instruments. In return he would receive a cut from future life shows and record deals. Kenneth, ended up doing much more, becoming their manager, setting them up in a rehearsal space, and introducing them to an organist who would prove to be the missing link in the band’s skeletal sound. He also gave them their name: The Movers … because, as he said, their music was going to move you, whether you liked it or not.

The band exploded onto the country’s racially-segregated music scene at the dawn of the 1970s with a sound that applied the rolling organ grooves and elastic rhythms of American soul to songs that came straight from the heart of the townships. Rumours of the band started to spread throughout the country and soon the record labels were sending their talent scouts to the Alexandra township to hear it for themselves.

The Movers finally signed to Teal Records in 1969, and their first album, Crying Guitar, went on to sell 500,000 copies within the first three months, launching them into the front rank of South African bands. In their first year they went from local sensations to being the first band of black South Africans to have their music cross over to the country’s white radio stations,

Although the first record was entirely instrumental, The Movers started working with different singers soon after – scoring an early hit with 14 year old vocal prodigy Blondie Makhene – and enriched their sonic palette with horns, extra percussion and various keyboards. Their stylistic range also expanded, incorporating elements of Marabi, Mbaqanga, jazz, funk, and reggae into their soul-steeped sound. But the essence of their music came from the almost telepathic connection of its founding members: the simmering organ of Sankie Chounyane, the laid-back guitar lines of Oupa Hlongwane, the energetic bass grooves of Norman Hlongwane and the simmering rhythms of drummer of Sam Thabo.

The band reached their apex in the mid-1970s, and their hit ‘Soweto Inn’, sung by Sophie Thapedi, became inseparable from the student revolts that signalled a new resistance to the apartheid government. In 1976, however, their manager was forced out, and their producer started to play a more active role in the band’s direction. By the end of the decade there were no original members left. But at their height The Movers were titans of South African soul who left a legacy of over a dozen albums and countless singles of pure groove. On The Movers 1970–76, Analog Africa presents 14 of the finest tracks from the band’s undisputed peak.

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La Rue Ketanou

Ouvert A Double Tour

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (RCA)

Buddy Guy

The Blues Don't Lie

Lee Dodou & The Polyversal Souls

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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

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

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Basa Basa

7" | 2018 | EU | Original (Philophon)

10,99 €*

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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As the lead singer of George Darko's legendary Burger-Highlife hit-band, Lee Dodou became the number one voice of 80's Highlife. Born in Kumasi, the epicenter of Ghanaian Highlife, he came to Berlin in the late 70's - by then the uprising epicenter of Burger-Highlife - to work as a back-up-singer for Pat Thomas. After joining and leaving Georg Darko and running his own band "Kantata", he stopped releasing music in the early 90's. Now, Philophon is proud to present new recordings of his soulful genius to the world of 2018.
Basa Basa is a song in the classic "concert party" style, as it was played in the glorious 60's. After a firey horn introduction Lee takes over in that funny and entertaining manner typical for "concert party" music. Buzz Duncker joins Lee's phrases with some gentle clarinet. Highlife at its best!
Sahara Akwantuo is anything but a classic: it's the start of a kind of philophonic Highlife, labeled as Kraut-Life. Ghanaian love of life meets German romantic melancholy. Happy rhythms meet mysterious synth landscapes. Eternal summertime and mangos are meeting a wet winter world and roast apples. Kraut-Life at its best!

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

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

Niger EP 2 Green Vinyl Edition

Release: 2013 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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

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

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

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Mdou Moctar

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Matador)

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (No Format)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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"In 2021, we started the Mdou Moctar mixtape series. These releases compiled field recordings, cell phone voice memos, interview clips, conversations captured in the tour van, and blown-out board recordings from shows all over the world. As a continuation of those mixtapes, we present the Niger EPs, which examine the roots of the Mdou Moctar band. Early Mdou recordings were contained on cassettes, though the humble tape was soon replaced by the quick and easy facilityof cell phone technology. Long bus rides are common in West Africa. On one of these rides, you might be seated next to a stranger and ask "what are you listening to?", then a song exchange would begin over Bluetooth. This is a very real way artists found their music distributed far from home. In that vein, the Niger EP series features solely recordings taped in Mdou Moctar"s home country of Niger. Volume 1 begins the series with a mix of recordings from 2017- 2020, documenting the band at weddings, picnics, rehearsals, and even impromptu house concerts. A must have for any Mdou Moctar fan!" - Mdou Moctar bassist Mikey Coltun

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Lucas Santtana

O Paraíso

Vibro Success Intercontinental Orchestra

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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With this new solar album, Brazilian singer-songwriter Lucas Santtana wishes to re-enchant our life on earth.For his ninth album "O Paraíso" (Paradise), the free heir of the Brazilian tropicália intends to redefine our idea of Paradise. "It is in front of us, we must open our eyes and learn to contemplate it in depth," he explains. The Earth is a living organism also called "biosphere", a unique planet in the solar system where all the conditions are gathered to welcome life. Lucas places life at the heart of his songs and celebrates the collective forces that resist to preserve it. His guitar-vocal songs with bossa nova sounds are mixed with organic sounding percussions, enriched with electronic orchestrations and textures. The Brazilian composer gets closer to his French audience by collaborating with Flavia Coelho, Flore Benguigui (from the band L"Impératrice) or the saxophonist Laurent Bardaine, and by even trying his hand at French on one of his tracks. It"s a festive new album, which helps us better understand where we live and with whom we share this heavenly home.

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Drunkard

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Dig This Way)

LP | 2018 | EU | Original (Afrosynth)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Vibro Success Intercontinental Orchestra was an extraordinary group from the Central African Republic, founded by the sax player Rodolphe 'Beckers' Bekpa, also known as Master Békers, in the late 60's. The band achieved surprising domestic success after Beckers introduced the first drums to the Congolese Rumba rhythm. His innovation proved to be wildly popular so they were hired as the resident band of “ciel d’Afrique au Km5”, a night club in Bangui. The club was renowned as the temple of the Olympic Réal football team's fans and that visibility propelled them into becoming the official national orchestra. 1970 marked beginning of the band's international fame . Their fame spread beyond national borders until they became so popular that invitations began to arrive from nearby countries like Cameroon and Chad, the former of which the band would then tour that same year. The success of their performances prompted a further tour in 1972. According to Rodolphe Bépka, the audience enthusiasm Vibro encountered was bewildering. "We filled the old military stadium in Yaoundé in 1970, in 1972 the new Amadou Haïdjo stadium ... We are running with great success in the cities.” Their popularity was also growing in Chad, where they would tour several times through the early and mid 70's.

Towards the end of 1976, Vibro Success decided to take their music global and introduce Central African music to listeners worldwide. It worked. The turning point came in Nigeria. There the group achieved extraordinary success, with live performances followed by contracts with local labels like Scottie and Ben/Clover resulting in hit releases. Most of their LP's were originally released on this later label, Ben Limited, owned by Ben Okonkwo.

Ben, also known as Clover Sounds, brought a great number of the biggest bands from the country to market, bands like The Apostles, Akwassa,The Doves, Aktion, The Visitors, Mansion, Folk 77 and many others. Nearly all those groups started their recording careers in the label's studios based in the commercial heart of Aba, Abia State, one of Southeastern Nigeria’s largest cities. Aba at that time was a flourishing city, an important crossroads of people and culture with an intensive and active and cutting edge live music and nightlife.

But after that golden era the group began to lose its popularity. In the 1980's they returned to Bangui and resumed their old-time gigs in dance halls there - only to realize that their music didn't have the appeal it used to. Making matters worse, the domestic economic downturn accelerated, forcing the orchestra to slowly end its activities . Vibro Succès Intercontinental Orchestra disappeared at the end of the 80s and most of its members died in the 90s. We discovered this LP during our first trip to Nigeria in 2016. While traveling in the east to meet up with a musician, we stopped for a night in a village. As often happens in Nigeria, information has a way of traveling fast. The news that a couple of white guys looking for records had arrived in the village the day before spread like light. When we awoke, we found a couple of elderly music lovers in the hall of our hotel with a little pile of records for sale. The nice cover of the “Drunkard” album was right on top! At first we thought it was just another really good soukous album made by Vibro Success but after we heard “Drunkard” - we knew we had stumbled onto something very special. That was the “easy” part. Soon after, we had the idea of reissuing this LP and that was a bit harder. There were no credits on the cover and not much information about Vibro Succès. We started to ask to our friends to ask around, see if somebody knew them or the producer. That's when sadly we discovered that Ben Okonkwo had passed. So with no leads to follow and seemingly without any possibility of making progress on the matter, we "gave up" and returned to Italy. A couple years later, in the summer of 2019, we found ourselves again in Aba. This time we had the chance to meet Nnamdi Okonkwo, the eldest son of the late Ben Okonkwo. After Nnamdi's mother and family agreed, he was glad to cooperate with us for the re-release of this special album. One of the foundational beliefs of Dig This Way Records is to work hard and try to do everything possible to bring back this rare, unknown music to market, allow people to enjoy these beautiful, vibrant vibes!

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Ntombi Ndaba & Survival

Tomorrow

LP | 2024 | Original (Nettwerk)

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Wild Rivers

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Funeral Gongs Ceremonies In Ratanakiri, Cambodia

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Sub Rosa)

18,99 €*

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 & Damian Marley

Dey / Dey (Instrumental) Transparent Vinyl Edition

7" | 2024 | EU | Original (Record Kicks)

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Music On Vinyl)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Transparent Vinyl.Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 Unveil Dynamic Collaboration with Damian Marley in Latest Single `Dey', to be released on a limited edition 7" clear vinyl on September 6th. A Historic Moment for African Unity and Art between Seun Kuti and Damian Marley.Grammy-nominated Nigerian musician Seun Kuti has once again set the music scene ablaze with the announcement of his electrifying new single, `Dey' featuring reggae icon Damian Marley that will be available on all major streaming platforms on June 26th on independent Milan label Record Kicks. The single will also be released on a limited edition 7" vinyl, featuring the instrumental version on side B, to be released on September 6th.This much-anticipated collaboration combines the raw energy of Afrobeat with the rhythmic vibes of reggae, creating a musical masterpiece that is sure to captivate audiences worldwide. `Dey' is the first single from the much-awaited new album by Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, `Heavier Yet (Lays The Crownless Head)' that will hit the streets on October 6th.Produced by a collaborative dream team of top-tier producers that includes pop/rock superstar Lenny Kravitz (executive producer) and Fela Kuti's original engineer Sodi Marciszewer (artistic producer), `Dey' delivers a timeless fusion of sounds that pays homage to the rich musical traditions of both Nigeria and Jamaica while pushing the boundaries of contemporary music.Seun Kuti expressed his deep sentiment about the new single `Dey' featuring Damian Marley, emphasizing its special significance. He described the song as one that wrote itself, highlighting its spontaneous creation. He sees it as a historic moment for African unity, art, and brotherhood, emphasizing the significance of collaborating with Damian Marley, marking the first time Kuti and Marley have been on a record together, symbolizing the rebuilding of a bridge."The song depicts African unity and African art" Seun Says. "We are two performers, both from the dynasty of Africa, with a huge continental divide, sing...

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Yellowman

King Yellowman

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Tony Allen Experiments - Afrobeat Makers Volume 3

Nu Guinea

LP | 2016 | EU | Reissue (Comet)

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Far Out)

Release: 2016 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Comet is pleased to announce the third volume of the Afrobeat Makers Series: Nu Guinea - The Tony Allen Experiments.
By re-working the original magic drum patterns from the Afrobeat master Tony Allen, Nu Guinea created a compilation of tracks which is charged by a voluminous electronic jazz-Psyche funk imprint.
For this release, Comet Records teamed up with Early Sounds Recordings, the berlin label, also home to duo Berliners Nu Guinea.
The Naples formed, Berlin-based duo, is a project that arose out of jam sessions, melting synthesizers with instruments, containing a handmade sound that is not aiming for perfection but genuineness. It can be understood as a steadily shaping form, always open for collaborations with other musicians.
They've previously collaborated with singer Wayne Snow (fellow berliner artist on Comet) for the vocal edit of Nu-World, also delivered a remix for Wayne Snow’ ʻRosie Epʼ both recently released on Tartelet Records.

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Tunico

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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L'orchestre National Mauritanien

Ahl Nana

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Radio Martiko)

34,99 €*

LP | 2018 | EU | Original (World Circuit)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Lost recordings that defined the modern sound of the Sahara.

This album contains the first recordings of modern music from the Sahara and mark the birth of the genre that is known in the West as ‘Desert Blues’ or ‘Desert Rock’. Ahl Nana changed the folk music of the Sahara to modern, cosmopolitan music by using Western instruments like the electric guitar. They paved the way for artists like Ali Farka Touré, Tinariwen, Mdou Moctar or Bombino. Although the group is still active today, they only recorded 2 LPs and a handful of singles. All these recordings took place in 1971 at the Boussiphone studios in Casablanca. The records were never distributed and therefore remained unknown for almost 50 years, until Radio Martiko discovered a batch of unsold factory stock a few years ago. On this album, you will find a selection of these revolutionary recordings.

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Orchestra Baobab

Tribute To Ndiouga Dieng

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Navigator)

Rachel Sermanni

Dreamer Awake

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2024 | Original (Want Some)

The Mighty Cavaliers

Fisherman

33,99 €*

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

Release: 2024 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The journey continues. Now, the second Want Some Record release will be the first album of The Mighty Cavaliers from Kenya. It's a bit unusual that it is not coming in the original order of release, but that's how I got my hands on both records.
Anyway, this record is another masterpiece of Kenyan funk-influenced music at its best. The songwriting is not from just one musician; every musician contributed songs and music, which makes it very special. You can hear the different musical influences, and every track has its own personality.
'Fisherman' was released twice before, in 1976 and 1978. Now, it's time to spread this wonderful music to the world again in a very limited edition of only 500 pieces, with a brand new cover design.

A1: Dunia Ina Mambo
A2: Fisherman
A4: Amina
B1: Trying To Get You
B2: Maggie Mama
B3: Look At Me
B4: Wazazi Walisema

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Lass

Bumayé

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Hallelujah Chicken Run Band

Take One

LP | 2020 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

Mr. Manager (Expanded Edition)

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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Zazou Bikaye

LP | 2020 | EU | Original (Crammed)

19,99 €*

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Roots Radics & Mikie Brooks

One Love

LP | 2024 | UK | Original (Burning Sounds)

Release: 2024 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Les Disques Bongo Joe)

Africa Negra

Antologia Volume 1

Meridian Brothers & El Grupo Renacimiento

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Continuing our work on Sao Tomé and Principe with curator DJ Tom B., we are pleased to announce the release of an anthology of the group África Negra.

This first volume includes 12 of their key tracks, remastered for the occasion and selected only from those officially released on different media. The album is accompanied by a booklet with the original covers and interviews with the band members still with us. A second volume containing only unreleased material, digitized from the studio tapes by their tour manager, and filled with period photos, is expected soon.

Formed in the early 1970s by Horacio, a butcher by trade, and his guitarist friend Emidio Pontes, África Negra is the best known of the great São Tomé and Principe bands. The catchy melodies in the local Forro language, provided by lead singer João Seria, and subtly harmonized by the enchanting backing vocals of the rest of the band, quickly ensured their influence outside the archipelago. Their incomparable blend of Puxa and Rumba rhythms and subtle melodies made them the most regular touring band from Sao Tome.

Their first album (Aninha) was released in 1981, followed by three more in 1983. They contain an incredible collection of timeless hits and have achieved high ratings on the second-hand market. Then came the excellent San Lena in 1986, which was unfortunately only released on cassette, but for which we were able to digitize the original tape. In 1990 their last album in vinyl format (Paga me uma cerveja) was released, the rarest. Three CDs and five cassettes followed in the 1990s. Like most São Tomean bands, they recorded their compositions at Radio Nacional STP, the only studio on the island at the time, whose cramped premises forced the big bands to do sessions outside in the courtyard, at night, facing the ocean and in front of their fans.

Reformed around João Seria, the band has recorded three albums since 2012, and has been touring again for a few years, offering, always with the same energy, their frenzied rhythms, their graceful harmonies, their poetry full of social metaphors, and their typical dance steps.

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Meridian Brothers & El Grupo Renacimiento Colored Vinyl Edition

LP | 2024 | US | Original (Ansonia)

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Les Couleurs Du Son)

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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[ENG]NEW VINYL EDITION IN A BEAUTIFUL TRANSPARENT GREEN COLOR!"Meridian Brothers & El Grupo Renacimiento" is an effort from Meridian Brothers to excavate the forgotten sounds of fantastical 1970s salsa dura group El Grupo Renacimiento. The group identifies as "B-class" salsa whose music touches on themes of human suffering in the urban city landscape, such as police brutality, social marginalization, and addiction. Meridian Brothers has worked together with El Grupo Renacimiento at the classic Isaac Newton studios in Bogotá, Colombia to capture this "Fantasy Salsa Dura" music. Although the group came out of myth, its members have been created in spirit. Embodied by Meridian Brothers and depicted in the graphic creations of illustrators Glenda Torrado and Mateo Rivano, the members of El Grupo Renacimiento have now come to life.

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Naissam Jalal

Healing Rituals

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Idris Ackamoor And The Pyramids

Shaman!

2LP | 2020 | EU | Original (Strut)

12" | 2024 | EU | Original (Canopy)

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Opolopo X Alafia

Axxanxxan / Axxiove

20,99 €*

Funky Baby Love / Karukera C'est Comme Ça

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Canopy & Opolopo collaborate on a new transmission, resulting in an alchemical amalgam to elevate dancefloors from Mos Eisley to Jades-GS-z13-O.

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Paul Fathy / Corail'

7" | 2022 | EU | Original (Favorite)

13,99 €*

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Favorite Recordings proudly present a new series of 7" reissues with a simple concept: each side dedicated to one French funky track coming with its original artwork. You just have to flip it! Starting with "Funky Baby Love" by Paul Fathy, it could not get funkier! The French boogie track originally compiled by Charles Maurice on French Disco Boogie Sounds Vol. 3, is your perfect tool for the dancefloor. It brings together all the ingredients of a great production with irresistible disco strings, a catchy chorus supported by beautiful backing vocals and its final climax will bring the dancers to a point of no return. On the other side, you get an exclusive reissue of West-Indies band Corail', with their song "Karukera C'est Comme Ça" taken from their eponymous album. This under-the-radar, zouky and funky track will surprise every listener with its appealing arrangement and lyrics: "Ça va danser / Sur l'île aux oiseaux". Soon, you won't be able to get it out of your head. The bass is groovin', the rhythmic guitar is infectious and digital keyboards are on point: we're pretty much sure this one will become sooner or later a banger of its own.

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Township Jive & Kwela Jazz Volume 2

LP | 2013 | EU | Original (Ubuntu Publishing)

19,99 €*

12" | 2018 | EU | Original (Secousse)

Release: 2013 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Soul Safari presents volume Two of the Township Jive & Kwela Jazz compilation, featuring 18 rare gems from South Africa, recorded between 1930 and 1962. All titles on this compilation have been carefully handpicked from the ILAM Archives (the International Library of African Music), in Grahamstown, South Africa.

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Jule Henri Malaki

Makiyaj / Tes Idees

12,99 €*

Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Following the success of the Retro-Zouk mixtapes series (4 volumes / 15k plays on Soundcloud), Secousse Radio proudly presents its first official vinyl reissue of a long lost Zouk banger.
Originally released in 1993-1994, those two tracks have been road-tested in various clubs and parties for months and the feedback is clear: it’s dancefloor devastation business.
Their author is Jules Henri Malaki, an established and self-produced artist from Guadeloupe, a French overseas island in the Southern Caribbean Sea.
As the popularity of Zouk music keeps growing every day in Europe, America and Asia, just whisper the name “Makiyaj” to any of the best DJs from the current tropical diggers scene and watch their eyes scintillate… This secret weapon shall not remain secret very long.

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Wagadu Grooves - The Hypnotic Sound Of Camara 1987-2016

2LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Hot Mule)

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

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Soninke collective consciousness finds its origins in a founding myth, a blood pact: the legend of Biida and the decadence of the empire of Ghana or Wagadu (evoked by Léopold Sédar Senghor as a land of plenty in his poem Le Kaya Magan). From the 3rd century AD, gathered in the region of Sahel, on the edge of the Sahara desert, the Soninko ruled over their kingdom and its capital Kumbi Saleh. According to folklore, they were blessed with abundant rain and nuggets of gold could be picked directly from the ground. They owed this prosperity to a providential but cruel protector: the Wagadu Biida, a seven-headed serpent who lived at the bottom of the Kumbi well. Every year, as a reward for his favours, the Biida demanded an offering: the life of the most beautiful virgin woman in the community. Sacrifices took place for generations, until the 13th century AD, when fate chose Siya Yatabéré, Maamadi Sehedunxote's sweetheart... Centuries later in 1977, Gaye Mody Camara, a young Soninke raised in Mali's Kayes region, settled in France to found his own empire. Initially selling wax, kola nuts and other goods in his Parisian outlets, he rapidly started distributing cassette tapes and eventually producing a multitude of recordings for his own label: Camara Production. Crossing paths and collaborating over the next four decades with legendary artists, griots and industry moguls like Boncana Maïga, Jean-Philippe Rykiel, Ganda Fadiga, Diaby Doua or Ibrahima Sylla, Camara became one of the great independent music producers of his generation, and a pilar of the Parisian Soninke diaspora. Released in close collaboration with Gaye Camara and with the assistance of Daouda N'diaye, one of A.P.S' (Association pour la Promotion de la langue et de la culture Soninké) historical members, this selection of songs and accompanying notes aim to shed a light on an intricate culture and its modern music, injustifiably unknown outside of West Africa and the various Soninko diasporas around the world. From Malian Zouk to Mauritanian Reggae and other psychedelic groovers originally released on cassettes or digitally, we have given the utmost attention to bringing this music to a new format. It has been carefully remastered and pressed on a couple of 180g vinyls, with riso printed liner notes.

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Teno Afrika

Amapiano Selections

Chouk Bwa /The Ångströmers

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Somanti

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Les Disques Bongo Joe)

2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Noah Gundersen)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Following on from 2020"s debut album "Vodou Alé" and two EPs last year, the collaboration between Haitian seven-piece Chouk Bwa and Belgian production duo, The Ångströmers return with their second album "Somanti". Full of Afro-Caribbean voodoo polyrhythms and bass-weight dub electronics, the group count the likes of Gilles Peterson, Gideon Coe, Trevor Jackson, Worldwide FM as fans.

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Noah Gundersen

If This Is The End

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey & His Inter-Reformers Band

Eyi Yato Remixes

12" | 2024 | UK | Original (Sol Power Sound)

15,99 €*

Bahta Gebre-Heywet / Alemayetu Eshete

Release: 2024 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Reggae & Dancehall

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Sol Power Sound is back in a big way with a reissue and remix EP from the legendary Nigerian Ju-Ju king, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey. The double A-side EP features 'Eyi Yato' a tune from 1981 that captures Chief Commander and his band at their absolute funkiest, with a driving drum and bass groove, wah-wah guitar, and signature call-and-response vocals. Remixers include the legendary dub producer Mad Professor, the disco don Eddie C, and the Sol Power All-Stars themselves.

The Sol Power All-Stars keep things organic with chugging drums, heavy analog synth bass and sequences, as well as Daniel Meinecke’s additional keys and solos. The Canadian disco don Eddie C goes a little electro and a little acid with his analog bass-heavy flip. Like a good dub should, Mad Professor’s version accentuates the drum and bass groove and drenches everything in vintage sounding Mad Professor delay, reverb, and filtered dub-sauce, live and direct from his classic mixing desk. Alongside an extended edit of the original, the Eyi Yato EP is sure to find a permanent spot in DJ record bags around the world.

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Tessassategn Eko / Ayalqem Tedenqo

7" | 2016 | UK | Original (Mr Bongo)

12,99 €*

Vamos A Bailar Un Son Special Edition

Release: 2016 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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‘Tèssassatègn Eko’ is a catchy, soulful Ethiopian jam. Originally released on
Amha AE 690 A in 1973. Arranged by the prolific Girma Beyene.

‘Ayalqem Tèdènqo’ see’s Eshèté’s third appearance in the Africa 45’s series. Released originally on Amha AE 290 A in 1971. A shuffling drum/percussion groove with soulful piano and bass, catchy vocal hook and guitar solo.

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Eliades Ochoa

2LP | 2022 | EU | Original (World Circuit)

18,99 €*

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Music From Saharan Whatsapp

LP | 2022 | US | Original (Sahel Sounds)

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Jammin' Colors)

Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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In 2020, Sahel Sounds hosted a project called Music from Saharan WhatsApp. This series consisted of ephemeral digital EPs, documenting live performances by some of the most exciting acts in the Sahel playing music, including Nigerién techno, wedding rock, Woodabe guitar, WZN, traditional music, Mandingue music, and more. Responding to an open call from our network of artists, musicians recorded a handful of tracks on their cellphone and sent them over the popular mobile app WhatsApp. Each session was hosted for a month on Bandcamp and sold on a sliding scale, with all profits wired directly to the musicians. After a month, the EP would disappear, replaced by another one. Now, some of the label's favorite tracks from this series are collected for the first time outside of Bandcamp as the Music from Saharan WhatsApp compilation LP. This LP features tracks by established Sahel Sounds artists such as Etran de L'Aïr, Hama, Alkibar Jr, Amaria Hamadaler (of Les Filles de Illighadad), and artists new to the label like Bounaly and Andal Sukabe.

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Black Lives

People Of Earth

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2024 | US | Original (Sahel Sounds)

Tidiane Thiam

Africa Yontii

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Elis)

iZem

In Ze Early Morning

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Les Soeurs Doga & Viktor Marek

Bayiri / Mashallah

7" | 2024 | EU | Original (Fun In The Church)

12,99 €*

La Grande Cantatrice Malienne Volume 3

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Haoua and Azera Doga, also known as Les Soeurs Doga, are twin sisters from Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou. The power duo, which has long been a household name in its home country, has been active since the early 2000s and surprises with its ability to switch seamlessly between traditional idioms, which are mostly sung in their mother tongue Mooré, and modern, almost rap-like songs. And in doing so, they address the most pressing problems of their country, such as terrorism, poverty or hunger, while at the same time transforming them into rousing call-and-response anthems that are 100% positive. Or, as the Burkinabe press put it: "A strong spiritual message coupled with festive optimism". We are delighted to be able to present these outstanding artists in Germany once again.

They will be accompanied by their Hamburg friend, beatmaker and sampling wizard Viktor Marek. The globetrotting producer and DJ is the manager of the infamous Golden Pudel Club in St. Pauli and is known for his involvement in projects such as The Kings of Dubrock, 8 Doogymoto and his dubstep/folk project Sufi Dub Brothers, which he runs together with Pakistani sitar virtuoso Ashraf Sharif Khan. A first taste of his collaboration with the mighty Doga Sisters appeared last year on his solo album "Mr. Subtitle".

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Nahawa Doumbia

LP | 2011 | US | Reissue (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

Release: 2011 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2018 | US | Original (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

Asnakech Worku

Asnakech

24,99 €*

LP | 2018 | UK | Reissue (Mr Bongo)

Release: 2018 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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- Backed by Hailu Mergia - Legendary singer/instrumentalist at her mid-1970s prime -
Double LP carefully extracted from cassette and remastered by ATFA family engineer
Jessica Thompson There is perhaps no woman more cherished in modern Ethiopian
history than Asnakech Worku. As a musician, actress, dancer and cultural icon, Asnakech
inspired and challenged society for decades, until her death in 2011. From her beginnings
as Ethiopia's first theater actress in 1952 to her climb to become one of the most famous
actresses at the National Theater to her days as a club owner-turned-master musician,
Asnakech's inimitable confidence and charm made her a household name. She earned
endless accolades across the artistic spectrum. She made seminal recordings of
unforgettable original compositions, as well as legendary renditions of traditional songs,
that became national staples. With a singular sense of style, glamour and sex appeal that
sometimes stunned mainstream society, Asnakech wore clothes no one else wore and
said things no one else said. Staid notions of how women should dress and behave didn't
apply to her. Battling a mentality that until the early 1950s had men wearing dresses to
play female roles in the theater, Asnakech became a national treasure on her own terms.
Her family wasn't pleased with Asnakech becoming an azmari_an itinerant praise
musician who sings, often in bars, for tips_and didn't bother her, especially after Emperor
Haile Selassie I began to emphasize theater and music in society, officially legitimizing her
career. Asnakech became an internationally-celebrated performer of Ethiopia's ancient
harp, the krar, making her one of the most visible female musicians of the 20th century.
All this while leaving controversy, broken hearts and a changed cultural landscape in her
wake. In 1975, keyboardist and bandleader Hailu Mergia got a call from the owner of
Misratch Music Shop to do a recording with Asnakech and he went for it. This recording
is a nearly-forgotten artifact of the remarkable icon's singular legacy, remastered and
available outside Ethiopia for the first time. It also provides a rare glimpse into Mergia's
work as a arranger-sideman in the Addis Ababa music scene. This trio recording
featuring Mergia on organ and Temare Harege on drums using only brushes is starkly
minimal but deeply evocative. The minimalist arrangements ensure the focus is on
Asnakech's incisive_and occasionally romantic_lyrics and her virtuosic krar performance.

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Gyedu Blay Ambolley

Simigwa

All My Friends Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2018 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Legendary Ghanain album – with one of the music iconic covers ever! – that fuses Highlife, afrobeat, folk and funk. Ambolleys debut solo album originally released in 1975, written and produced with Ebo Taylor. Ambolley grew up during the peak of Highlife in Ghana and was a key figure in its fusion with soul and funk influences from the USA. He played in many bands including Houghas Extraordinaires, Meridians Of Tema, Ghana Broadcasting Band and the Uhuru Dance Band, for which he was recruited by his friend, Ebo Taylor. The group went to Nigeria in 1973 to play with Fela at his legendary Shrine spot. ‘Simigwa’ was a chance for Ambolley to release his own productions and to experiment to a certain extent. A main inspiration for this album was the work of the mighty Mr. James Brown, something that is evident from the rhythm section, horns, vocal stabs and percussion breaks throughout the record. Official Mr Bongo reissue, replica original artwork. Licensed from Essiebons.

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Aoife O'Donovan

LP | 2024 | US | Original (Yep Roc)

Release: 2024 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Red Hot)

Solar: Sun Ra In Brasil

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2016 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

Space Echo

34,99 €*

Lloyd Charmers & Byron Lee & The Dragonaires

Release: 2016 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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In the spring of 1968 a cargo ship was preparing to leave the port of Baltimore with an important shipment of musical instruments. Its final destination was Rio De Janeiro, where the EMSE Exhibition (Exposição Mundial Do Son Eletrônico) was going to be held. It was the first expo of its kind to take place in the Southern Hemisphere and many of the leading companies in the field of electronic music were involved. Rhodes, Moog, Farfisa, Hammond and Korg, just to name a few, were all eager to present their newest synthesisers and other gadgets to a growing and promising South American market, spearheaded by Brazil and Colombia.

The ship with the goods set sail on the 20th of March on a calm morning and mysteriously disappeared from the radar on the very same day. One can only imagine the surprise of the villagers of Cachaço, on the Sao Nicolau island of Cabo Verde, when a few months later they woke up and found a ship stranded in their fields, in the middle of nowhere, 8 km from any coastline.

After consulting with the village elders, the locals had decided to open the containers to see what was inside – however gossip as scintillating as this travels fast and colonial police had already arrived and secured the area. Portuguese scientists and physicians were ordered to the scene and after weeks of thorough studies and research, it was concluded that the ship had fallen from the sky. One of the less plausible theories was that it might have fallen from a Russian military air carrier. The locals joked that again the government had wasted their tax money on a useless exercise, as a simple look at the crater generated by the impact could explain the phenomena. “No need for Portuguese rocket scientists to explain this!” they laughed.

What the villagers didn’t know, was that traces of cosmic particles were discovered on the boat. The bow of the ship showed traces of extreme heat, very similar to traces found on meteors, suggesting that the ship had penetrated the hemisphere at high speed. That theory also didn't make sense as such an impact would have reduced the ship to dust. Mystery permeated the event.

Finally, a team of welders arrived to open the containers and the whole village waited impatiently. The atmosphere, which had been filled with joy and excitement, quickly gave way to astonishment. Hundreds of boxes conjured, all containing keyboards and other instruments which they had never seen before: and all useless in an area devoid of electricity. Disappointment was palpable. The goods were temporarily stored in the local church and the women of the village had insisted a solution be found before Sunday mass.

It is said that charismatic anti-colonial leader Amílcar Cabral had ordered for the instruments to be distributed equally in places that had access to electricity, which placed them mainly in schools. This distribution was best thing that could have happened - keyboards found fertile grounds in the hands of curious children, born with an innate sense of rhythm who picked up the ready-to-use instruments. This in turn facilitated the modernisation of local rhythms such as Mornas, Coladeras and the highly danceable music style called Funaná, which had been banned by the Portuguese colonial rulers until 1975 due to its sensuality!

The observation was made that the children who came into contact with the instruments found on the ship inherited prodigious capabilities to understand music and learn instruments. One of them was the musical genius Paulino Vieira, who by the end of the 70s would become the country´s most important music arranger. 8 out of the 15 songs presented in this compilation had been recorded with the backing of the band Voz de Cabo Verde, lead by Paulino Vieira, the mastermind behind the creation and promulgation of what is known today as “The Cosmic Sound of Cabo Verde”.

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Reggae Charm

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Music On Vinyl)

27,54 €* 28,99 € -5%

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

Cristina Branco

Mäe

24,99 €*

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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12" | 2023 | EU | Original (Aweh)

Esa & Kamazu

Shukuma

17,99 €*

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou Dahomey

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

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Aweh is back to present Shukuma, the highly anticipated collaboration between label head Esa and South African Kwaito legend Kamazu from Soweto. This record, created between 2020 and 2022, is a testament to the power of musical synergy and South African cultural aweh-ness.

As part of Shukuma, the title track and the EP also lies the future Kwaito classic, Muntu. This dance floor banger not only showcases the creative prowess of Esa and Kamazu but also features a collaboration with Dirty Bungalow, adding a unique touch to the overall EP. Muntu has already been featured in the esteemed podcast series, The Invisible Hand.

To further enhance the experience, Esa has collaborated with talented artists Floating B_strd and Sanoy to create an exquisite art piece that perfectly captures the essence of Shukuma. The final artwork will be revealed on the official release day, adding an element of surprise and anticipation. This is a Kwaai Collab you don't want to miss.

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Gbeti Ma DJro / Angelina II

7" | 2021 | EU | Original (Acid Jazz / Albarika Store)

14,99 €*

Live At Basins Nightclub 1987

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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More dancefloor dynamite from Benin's almighty Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou Dahomey, this time in the form of 'Gbeti Ma Djro'. Confusingly described on the centre label of the 1971 original issue as ’Soul’, this is in fact a prime slice of Afro-psych-funk complete with wails and grunts over fierce drums and picked guitar. 'Angelina II’ is a much warmer affair that rides a shuffling mid-tempo pachanga groove. Both tracks were transferred, restored and mastered from the original 1/4 inch tape.

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Desmond Dekker

LP | 2024 | UK | Original (Burning Sounds)

Release: 2024 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Wegene (My Countryman) Metallic Grey Vinyl Edition

Ayalew Mesfin

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