Afrobeat Vinyl 495 Items

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Desde Tokio Special Edition

Afro Urbanity

LP | 2023 | JP | Original (Ns Records Japan)

58,99 €*

12" | 2020 | EU | Original (Nyami Nyam)

Release: 2023 / JP – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Creative Afro-Cuban jazz unit Afro Urbanity's album is now available on LP!

This is the latest work from the unit that has been talked about for its highly experimental arrangements and unique vocal work that mixes Afro-Cuban with jazz, funk, R&B, neo-soul, and electronica!

While respecting the Afro-Cuban sound that has its roots in black culture, the group incorporates various genres and brings together super musicians of various generations, from veterans who are very active in the Cuban, Latin, and jazz scenes in Japan to up-and-coming young artists. Afro Urbanity is highly acclaimed in Japan and abroad, and has finally released a vinyl release of selected popular songs from their last two albums! With the theme of "From Tokyo to the World," the album features the Chaka String Quartet led by violinist Sayaka, a brass section (Risaburo Matsuki Tp, Tomohisa Ishikawa Tb, Yuta Ishii Sax), and other guests who have a connection with the band, and is full of catchy and mixed elements.

The result is a pleasant work that incorporates plenty of catchy and mixed elements.

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Forward Kwenda

Chawapiwa Deluxe Edition

47,99 €*

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Forward Kwenda was born in the Buhera area of Manicaland, Zimbabwe. This area is known for its fierce resistance to colonial rulers and respect for Shona tradition. Forward Kwenda has always played Mbira, for the spirits, the ancestors, the land of Zimbabwe and the world around it. An undisputed master of this eminently spiritual instrument, he has developed a complex and unique melodic technique that has led him to perform and teach in the United States, Europe and Japan.
The EP Chawapiwa is the result of a collaboration with two of his students: Yann Dubois and Shiho Manabe.
The B-Side of this 12” is a remix and a loving tribute to Zimbabwe by Dj Oil, a french producer and dj, and a true veteran of the underground music and party scene in his native Marseille, Lionel Corsini, aka DJ Oil released his well-received solo debut as recently as 2012 (Black Notes for French label Discograph) but is probably better known as one part of The Troublemakers, who had the (probably unique?) distinction of being signed to both the legendary ‘90s house label Guidance and the most famous of all jazz labels, Blue Note.
The cover artwork is taken from Georgina Maxim's work: "Letters I wasn't supposed to read". Presented as textile sculptures like a diary made from second-hand clothes, the pieces bear the history and memory of the ghost corps that once wore them. Georgina Maxim lives and works in Zimbabwe where she founded the artistic collective, Village Unhu.
The visual adaptation and screen-printing was done by Vivien Le Jeune Durhin from PPP studio, Paris. This is a screenprinted limited edition release of 100 copies.

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The Soul Of Congo - Treasures Of The Ngoma Label

3LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Planet Ilunga)

45,99 €*

Square One Transparent With Pink Splatter Vinyl Edition

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Soul of Congo is a compilation that spans the years from 1948 to 1963 as the Belgian Congo emerged from colonial subjugation into the first flower of Independence. Singers and players came to Congo’s capital Léopoldville, from all over Central Africa — from the streets of Brazzaville on the opposite shore of the Congo river to the vast plateau of Mbanza Congo in Angola, from the mineral rich areas of Lubumbashi (Elizabethville) in the Deep South to the lively docks of Kisangani (Stanleyville) in the northeast, from the rocky wastes of Mbandaka (Coquilhatville) in the West to the majestic forests of Bukavu (Costermansville) in the East.

Léopoldville became a cauldron of musical syncretism between the African rhythms that arrived with these musicians and the European, Caribbean and Cuban tunes that were popular in the big city. The new sounds were recorded for one of the big five Congo labels: Opika, Loningisa, Esengo, Olympia or Ngoma. None of the other Congolese labels better showcased the energy, variety & spirit of this era than the Ngoma label. The label was founded by the Greek Nicolas Jéronimidis in 1948. After his early death in 1951, it was further developed by Nikis Cavvadias and Alexandros Jéronimidis. During its existence, from 1948 until 1971, Ngoma made over 4500 recordings, creating a crucial cultural legacy. Now with Unesco declaring Congolese Rumba as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity as of December 2021, it is fitting they are restored to the ears of the world.

As the Ngoma label flourished, so too did the first big stars of this new sound: Manuel d’Oliveira from San Salvador, Antoine Kolosoy “Wendo’’ from Bandundu and Léon Bukasa from Katanga. The three of them are heavily featured in the Ngoma catalogue and in this compilation. Ngoma also provided a way for female singers, such as Martha Badibala, to rise to fame and inspire other women to dream of a life beyond taking care of the kids and husband. Futhermore, the label was keen to record traditional folkloric music, such as the songs by likembe player Antoine Mundanda. It also looked for fresh talent as far away as Brussels where they recorded Camerounian heartthrob Charles Lembe fronting a fierce quartet on some flashy adapted Cuban Guaracha rhythms. Instrumentalists like Antoine Kasongo (clarinet), Albino Kalombo (sax) and Tino Baroza (guitar) also made their mark through the Ngoma recordings.

Ngoma is also known for releasing Adou Elenga’s hit “Ata Ndele,” that criticized the white colonists. It led to his imprisonment and the song being quickly deleted from the catalogue after its release in 1954 (long sought after, a rare original copy has been found for this compilation). Angolan Paul Mwanga, too, was unstinting in his criticism of the colonials, and he was also active with authors’ rights associations. Frank Lassan was a singer who brought the romantic style of French crooners to Congolese popular culture, while guitar wizard Manoka De Saïo or “Maitre Colon Gentil” were flamboyant popular figures in the nightclub scene, captured on disc. Guitar prodigies like Antoine Nedule “Papa Noel” or Mose Se Sengo “Fan Fan” cut their teeth as teenagers in studio bands. The band names changed rapidly — Beguen Band, Jazz Mango, Jazz Venus, Dynamic Jazz, Affeinta Jazz, Mysterieux Jazz, Orchstre Novelty, Rumbanella Bande, Vedette Jazz, La Palma, Negrita Jazz — all of them are heard here.

Dedicated record collectors came together to make this compilation possible. From the USA, Belgium, Japan, Germany, France, Morocco, and The Netherlands, these generous fans of the music have pooled their collections for the compilation, assembled and annotated by Alastair Johnston who runs the Muzikifan website from California. He dedicates this release to Flemming Harrev from the reference website afrodisc.com who passed away in 2020. Legendary but unheard songs were tracked down, some emerging from dead stock in a forgotten Tanzanian record store. Experts who have made previous compilations were solicited for their advice and recommendations; liner notes, graduate theses, African periodicals, blogs and documents by authorities such as Jean-Pierre Nimy Nzonga, Sylvain Konko, Gary Stewart, Manda Tchebwa, and Michel Lonoh were scoured for clues.

There are 69 songs on the 3CD set and 42 on the 3LP set. Two of the LPs are distilled from the 3CD set, while the third “bonus” LP" has a different selection of songs by Léon Bukasa and others. While this is unusual, we felt there was so much great material, the vinyl collectors would enjoy an extra album of out-takes from the shortlist that was originally over four hours in length.

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Lack Of Afro

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Bastion Music Group)

44,99 €*

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2019 | Reissue (Real Gone Music)

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Norma Tanega

Walkin' My Cat Named Dog

42,99 €*

Release: 2019 / Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Preorder shipping from 2024-10-11

3LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Music On Vinyl)

Lee Perry & Friends

Open The Gate

41,99 €*

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Ragnar Johnson & Jessica Mayer

Spirit Cry Flutes And Bamboo Jews Harps From Papua

2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Ideologic Organ)

41,99 €*

At The Bonnie Beecher's Apartment

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The third part of Ideologic Organ Music's trilogy together with Dr. Ragnar Johnson and Jessica Mayer's anthropological field recordings of sacred flute music from the island of Papua New Guinea in the 1970s. A book titled "A Papua New Guinea Journey" consisting of Dr. Johnson's field notes from the entire research period will be published simultaneously with this music release. "The recording of a male initiation ceremony with sacred flutes, bullroarers and 'crying baby' leaves was only possible after fifteen months residence during anthropological research. From the same Ommura villages in the Eastern Highlands there are bamboo jews harps, yam fertility flutes and singing. Nama ('bird') sacred flutes were recorded in a Gahuku Gama village in the town of Goroka. There are Mo-mo bamboo resonating tubes and singing from the Finisterre Range of Madang. From the Ramu Coast region of Madang there are: Waudang flutes, garamut slit gongs and singing from Manam Island, Maner flutes from Awar village and Siam and Guna flutes and garamuts from Nubia Sissimungum Village. These previously unreleased recordings were made in 1976 and 1979." -Ragnar Johnson, London 2021

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Bob Dylan

2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Culture Factory)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2020 | UK | Original (Forever Living Originals)

Sault

Untitled (Black Is)

Release: 2020 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

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Preorder shipping from 2024-11-11

“We present our first ‘Untitled’ album to mark a moment in time where we as Black People, and of Black Origin are fighting for our lives. RIP George Floyd and all those who have suffered from police brutality and systemic racism. Change is happening… We are focused.”

Pressed at Optimal.

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Leve Leve Sao Tome & Principe Sounds

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

World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The two Portuguese-speaking African islands of Sao Tomé & Principe, located in the Gulf of Guinea, created an unique music called Puxa : a refined mixture of various musical components from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. A blend of Semba, Merengue, Kompas, Soukouss, Coladeira patterns, often pushing forward with a voodoo-like energy, solid bass lines, delicate melodies and backing harmonies of the rich Sao Tomean melodic traditions. Very first compilation focusing on the golden age of these island’s sounds, the 16 tracks selected will surely set fire on all dance floors !

Léve-Léve is the first ever compilation devoted to music from São Tome and Principe, two small islands situated off the coast of Gabon in central Africa. The album unravels a story of liberation where the music of Africa, Europe and the Americas unify with a carefree spirit personified by a phrase the islanders use all the time: “léve, léve” (“take it easy”). With echoes of Angolan semba and merengue, of Brazilian afoxê, of coladeira from Cape Verde and dance music from the Caribbean, it is a sound fiercely proud of its island heritage, sung in local dialects and using distinctive local rhythms.

On this record you can hear the cultural and social history of São Tome and Principe, and how live music represented its beating heart. Once known as the “Chocolate Islands” (remarkably, these two tiny islands were the largest cocoa producers in the world, though now this title acts as a reminder of its colonial past), through the years leading up to independence from Portugal, music would be a fundamental voice of liberation and conviviality. Os Úntués were one of the first groups to make an impression, releasing a couple of 7 inches in Angola – the litmus test of success for any of the islands’ groups. They united unique rhythms and dances like socopé, puita and dança-congo – borne from the islands’ largely slave-descendant population – with the sound of pop music beamed in on the radio from Europe, even adding in a little bit of soukous and Brazilian instrumentation. Their main rivals were Conjunto Mindelo, who fused São Toméan rhythms with rebita, an Angolan style, to create high energy puxa, a truly original island rhythm.

From the mid-1970s, coinciding with independence from Portugal in 1975, the islands’ groups featured an even stronger African influence and nowhere was that more apparent than with Africa Negra. They would listen to the latest records from Gabon, Zaire and Cameroon, taking inspiration and trying out phrasing from the greats of Central African guitar playing, developing a devoted fan base off the islands, as well as on. A score of other bands would follow a similar musical path, with a few getting their dues overseas in Angola, Cape Verde, Portugal and across Africa.

Os Leonenses (led by the iconic Pedro Lima), Conjunto Sangazuza, Sum Alvarinho and Conjunto Ecuador were just some of the other bands that formed a lively home-grown music scene that lit up the islands’ bars and open-air shows from the 1950s through to the mid-90s. Regardless of class or age, they were responsible for keeping the population entertained come the weekend, with Sunday matinee shows the highlight of the week, the music not stopping from midday until midnight.

As a Portuguese island colony that was for many years populated with slaves brought from Africa, São Tome and Principe has much in common with other Lusophone countries and boasts a richly complex and idiosyncratic musical DNA. Whilst the musical tapestries of Angola and Cape Verde are well known, São Tome and Principe’s secrets were assigned to the islanders themselves. Until now.

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William Onyeabor

3LP | 2013 | US | Original (Luaka Bop)

Havana Meets Kingston Part 2

Release: 2013 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Damon Albarn & Four Tet dig this gentleman, so you should dig this forgotten master of african synth-craze, too!

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Mista Savona Pres. V.A.

2LP | 2017 | EU | Reissue (Baco)

39,99 €*

Release: 2017 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Brownswood)

IzangoMa

Ngo Ma

World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The fifteen-piece kaleidoscopic ensemble IzangoMa might only be releasing its debut offering on the esteemed UK-based label Brownswood Recording this coming Northern Hemisphere Spring, but the collective’s roots stretch back to the meeting of Sibusile Xaba (vox/keys) and Ashley Kgabo (synths/snare drum/drum machine) in 2016. The album is the logical next step in a journey. Sibusile Xaba reveals a side to his virtuosic talent at cardinal opposites with the familiar folk sound the largesse knew him for. Kings rejoice in laughter on album opener “Agenda Re-member”, while the music cascades carefree over frequencies expressing joy and positive living. In this world, IzangoMa’s world, the moon sings sweet melodies and the children rejoice in laughter. Worries are but a distraction, and joy is the ultimate quest. It’s a declaration of love in its highest, lucid, uninhibited form.

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William Onyeabor

3LP | 2013 | US | Reissue (Luaka Bop)

Release: 2013 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Music On Vinyl)

Cesaria Evora

Club Sodade

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Piconema: East African Hits On The Colombian Coast

2LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Rocafort)

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

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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This compilation takes us on a journey to the Colombian coast where the passion for African music burns bright.It's impossible to understand this love affair without first looking to San Basilio de Palenque - the first free town in colonial Latin America, established in 1691 as a place of refuge and autonomy for black slaves. It's a place where pride in African heritage and culture could be kept alive, just 50 km away from Cartagena de Indias.
The Afro Caribbeans' connection to their roots gave rise to the "picós" - artisanal, high-powered sound systems akin to those found in Jamaica. These music aficionados have a keen ear for African melodies, leading to a vibrant collector's scene that brought Afro sounds to the streets of Barranquilla, Cartagena, and Santa Marta. This compilation showcases the best of Kenyan Benga music - a unique style with a distinct guitar-picking method that draws from traditional instruments like the nyatiti and orutu. Learn everything about the history and stories behind these African tracks, from the carefully guarded "exclusives" to the piconema - the practice of renaming songs in Spanish based on their lyrics or the reaction of the dancefloor.
The project has been led by Spanish vinyl collector Joan Pujol aka Golfo De Guinea surrounded by a team of passionate music lovers including Don Alirio, a musicologist from Barranquilla who offered a coastal perspective, and George Ouma, a Kenyan DJ, collector, and Benga advocate who helped with track selection and securing rights. The result is a compilation that captures the joy and energy of sub-Saharan polyrhythm, bringing together a vibrant mix of genres that are sure to move your feet. So sit back, turn up the volume, and let yourself be transported to the vibrant streets of the Colombian coast and the shores of Lake Victoria.

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Hamza El Din

Al Oud

2LP | 2017 | Original (World Circuit)

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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Ruben Gonzalez

Introducing…

37,99 €*

Release: 2017 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Strolling Bones)

Buxton

A Family Light

37,99 €*

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (BBE Africa)

Remi Kabaka

Son Of Africa

36,99 €*

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2010 | US | Reissue (VP)

Culture

Two Sevens Clash

36,99 €*

Release: 2010 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Banana In Your Fruit Basket: Red Hot Blues 1931-36

Bo Carter

LP | 2013 | Reissue (Yazoo Record Company)

36,99 €*

Release: 2013 / Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Welcome To Zamrock Volume 2

2LP | 2017 | US | Reissue (Now-Again)

35,99 €*

2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Little Runaway)

Release: 2017 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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By the mid-1970s, the Southern African nation known as the Republic of Zambia had fallen on hard times. Though the country’s first president Kenneth Kaunda had thrown off the yoke of British colonialism, the new federation found itself under his self-imposed, autocratic rule. Conflict loomed on all sides of this landlocked nation. Kaunda protected Zambia from war, but his country descended into isolation and poverty. This is the environment in which the ’70s rock revolution that has come to be known as Zamrock flourished. Fuzz guitars were commonplace, as were driving rhythms as influenced by James Brown’s funk as Jimi Hendrix’s rock predominated. Musical themes, mainly sung in the country’s constitutional language, English, were often bleak. In present day Zambia, Zamrock markers were few. Only a small number of the original Zamrock godfathers that remained in the country survived through the late ’90s. Aids decimated this country, and uncontrollable inflation forced the Zambian rockers that could afford to flee into something resembling exile. This was not a likely scene to survive - but it did. Welcome To Zamrock!, presented in two volumes, is an overview of its most beloved ensembles, and a trace of its arc from its ascension, to its fall, to its resurgence.

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Gerry Cinnamon

Live At Hampden Park

35,99 €*

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Music On Vinyl)

Reggae Collected

35,99 €*

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Mick-Roving Commission- Thomas

Where Only Memory Can Find You

LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Coolin' By Sound)

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Mogadisco - Dancing In Mogadishu (Somalia '72-91)

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

Issue No. 1 - Benga Music (A Signature Genre From Kenya)

Release: 2019 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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After being blown away by a few tunes – probably just as you will be after listening to this – Samy Ben Redjeb travelled to the infamous capital city of Somalia in November of 2016, making Analog Africa the frst music label to set foot in Mogadishu. On his arrival in Somalia Samy questioned the need for a vehicle full of armed chaperones casually toting Kalashnikovs, deemed necessary to accompany him to the radio station archive every morning, but then began ri?ing through piles of cassettes and listening to reel-to-reel tapes in the dusty archives of Radio Mogadishu, looking for music that ‘swam against the current’. The stars were aligned: an uncovered and unmarked pile of discarded recordings was discovered in a cluttered corner of the building. Colonel Abshir - the senior employee and protector of Radio Mogadishu’s archives - clarifed that the pile consisted mostly of music nobody had manage to identify, or music he described as being ‘mainly instrumental and strange music’. At the words ‘strange music’ Samy was hooked, the return ?ight to Tunisia was cancelled. The pile turned out to be a cornucopia of different sounds: radio jingles, background music and interludes for radio programmes, television shows and theatre plays. There were also a good number of disco tunes, some had been stripped of their lyrics, the interesting parts had been recorded multiple times then cut, taped together and spliced into a long groovy instrumental loop. Over the next three weeks, often in watermelon-, grapefruit-juice and shisha-fuelled night-time sessions behind the fortifed walls of Radio Mogadishu, Samy and the archive staff put together Mogadisco: Dancing Mogadishu - Somalia 1972–1991. Like everywhere in Africa during the 1970s, both men and women sported huge afros, bell-bottom trousers and platform shoes. James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and The Temptations’ funk were the talk of the town.In 1977, Iftin Band were invited to perform at the Festac festival in Lagos where they represented Somalia at the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture. Not only did they come back with an award, but they also returned with Afrobeat. While Fela Kuti’s ‘Shakara’ had taken over the continent and was spreading like wildfre throughout Latin America, it was the track ‘Lady’ that would become the hit in Mogadishu. At the same time Bob Marley was busy kick-starting reggae-mania in Somalia, which became such a phenomenon that even the police and military bands began playing it. Some say that it was adopted so quickly because of the strong similarities with the traditional beat from the western region of Somalia, called Dhaanto. But then suddenly the trousers got tighter as the disco tsunami hit the country. Michael Jackson appeared with a new sound that would revolutionise Somalia’s live music scene. You couldn’t walk the streets of Mogadishu without seeing kids trying to moonwalk. ‘Somalia had several nightclubs and although most use DJs to play records, some hotels like Jubba, Al-Uruba and Al Jazeera showcased live bands such as Iftin and Shareero’ – so ran a quote from a 1981 article about the explosion of Mogadishu’s live music scene. The venues mentioned in that article were the luxury hotels that had been built to cover the growing demands of the tourist industry. The state-of-the-art hotel Al-Uruba, with its oriental ornaments and white plastered walls, was a wonder of modern architecture. All of Mogadishu’s top bands performed there at some point or another, and many of the songs presented in this compilation were created in such venues. Mogadisco was not Analog Africa’s easiest project. Tracking down the musicians – often in exile in the diaspora – to interview them and gather anecdotes of golden-era Mogadishu has been an undertaking that took three years. Tales of Dur-Dur Band’s kidnapping, movie soundtracks recorded in the basements of hotels, musicians getting electrocuted on stage, others jumping from one band to another under dramatic circumstances, and soul singers competing against each other, are all stories included in the massive booklet that accompanies the compilation - adorned with no less then 50 pictures from the `70s and ‚80s. As Colonel Abshir Hashi Ali, chief don at the Radio Mogadishu archive – someone who once wrestled a bomber wielding an unpinned hand-grenade to the ?oor – put it: ‘I have dedicated my life to this place. I’m doing this so it can get to the next generation; so that the culture, the heritage and the songs of Somalia don’t disappear.’

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FLEE

LP | 2017 | EU | Original (FLEE)

The Invasive Dance Beat Of Cameroon 1976-1984

Release: 2017 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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6 rare and almost forgotten benga tracks from Kenya including edits by Nik Weston, Jaakko Eino Kalevi and Africaine 808!

Inculding a 16 page printed silkscreen magazine!

FLEE is a collective of dedicated afro-diggers, driven by the enthusiasm to find and preserve semi-forgotten genres. For their first release they focused on an old Kenyan music genre called “Benga”. The record will be completed by a printed silkscreen magazine retracing the history of the genre, which will feature original archive pictures, great authors from the region, such as Emmanuel Mwenda, as well as the writer and singer of the eclectic Kenyan Band, Yellow Light Machine, Ondiso Madete. This vinyl compiles six rare and for some unreleased benga tracks, edited by contemporary artists (Nik Weston aka Mukat, Jaakko Eino Kalevi and Africaine 808), with the aim of approaching this genre with an innovative perspective, transcending simple nostalgia.

Only 200 copies of this first issue!

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Pop Makossa

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

LP | 2011 | EU | Original (Pure Pleasure)

Release: 2017 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Duster Bennett

Smiling Like I'm Happy

Release: 2011 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Nordic Notes)

Aysay

Su Akar

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Ajabu!)

Pedro Rosa

Midnight Alvora

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Where Water Meets Water Black Vinyl Edition

Sainkho Namtchylak

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Ponderosa)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2010 | EU | Reissue (Music On Vinyl)

Lee Perry

Revelation

Release: 2010 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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London Ko Blue Vinyl Edition

Fatoumata Diawara

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (3eme Bureau / Wagram)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Little Butterfly)

Santiago Moraes

Hogar

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (We Are Busy Bodies)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Moraes has an uncanny ability and acute gaze for building warm and endearing stories and characters in the old school tradition of Robert Artl and his "aguafuertes". His songs, both powerful and melancholic, are felt portraits of people who have crossed his path at various times in his life. 'Hogar' is his third album as a solo artist, and it includes a variety of genres: ballads and candombe, blues and milonga, like a mix between Bob Dylan and Tom Waits with Eduardo Mateo and Alfredo Zitarrosa. In 'Hogar', Santiago Moraes reaffirms the identity that he had previously explored in his previous works, but now it is revitalized by the participation of the musicians from Transeúntes, as well as several guests from both banks of the river, such as the Nautilus band and Uruguayan guest musicians that give the final touch to a more than interesting production. Hogar is made up of nine songs in which Moraes returns to his lyrical debt to Javier Martínez (in Los Espiritus he had quoted Manal in "Perro viejo", one of the best songs of his career) and manages to mix it with popular sounds that look towards Uruguay, the land of his parents.

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Joe Mcleod

Dancer And The Bear

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | UK | Original (Strolling Bones)

Taxicab Verses

Is What You Make It

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | Original (Want Some)

The Mighty Cavaliers

Mapendo

Square One Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The Mapendo album of the Mighty Cavaliers, up to today, has been shrouded in mystery. If you look at the original cover of this very rare Kenyan funk-infused album all you will find are the names of the engineer and the producer, as EMI Kenya omitted the names of the musicians and the songwriters. Digging deeper a rather sinister story of deceit develops whereby Mapendo becomes symbolic for all what was wrong about the Kenyan record industry in the 1970s, and the music industry in Africa as a whole. As this maltreatment of artists proved endemic throughout the continent, although little talked about.

One of the three surviving members of the Mighty Cavaliers, bass player Bonnie Wanda - who started his career in 1971 with Gloria Africana - vividly remembers participating in the recording of the two albums the band made in 1976 and 1977 - Fisherman and Mapendo - and how they, especially on the last album, got short-changed by shrewd record label executives. In the 1960s it was mostly Indian and European record bosses that called the shots and usually gave musicians the chance of a one-off payment for their session time and recorded songs or wait for - hopefully - a generous royalty check. In most cases records didn't sell more than a thousand copies with an occasional hit selling in the tens of thousands, so musicians were reluctant to register themselves with the Music Copyright Society of Kenya. Although without doing so one couldn't receive royalties.

'For two years the Mighty Cavaliers performed five nights a week at the Starlight Club for five hour sets.

The re-release of Mapendo, the first of the German Want Some Records label, is another exciting puzzle piece in the tapestry of groovy Kenyan music. It proves that there are still great gems out there to be re-discovered for audiences worldwide.

Text written by Michiel van Oosterhout

This Album is dedicated to the musicians
Bonnie Wanda, Rashid Salim, Vuli Yeni, Juma Waweru Njuguna and Athmani 'guitar boy'."

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Lack Of Afro

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Bastion Music Group)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Sao Vicente Di Longe Orange & Black Marbled Vinyl Edition

Cesaria Evora

2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Music On Vinyl)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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180 gram audiophile vinyl
Includes 4-page booklet with photos and lyrics
Featuring "Tiempo Y Silencio", "Crepuscular Solidão", and "Nutridinha" a.o.
For the first time available on vinyl
Limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on orange and black marbled vinyl

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LP | 2023 | US | Original (Mississippi)

Canto A Lo Divino

No Food Without Taste If By Hunger Colored

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Canto A Lo Divino is the unique musical expression of the Chilean peasant world - a conversation with the divine nourished by Biblical and other sacred texts. It is communal music, played in packed rooms throughout the night on the 25-string guitarron, its ancient melodies transmitted through the 10-line decima form originating in Spain and found across the Caribbean, South America, and even into the Mississippi Delta.Rooted in the remote Central Valley of Chile at the skirt of the mountains and following the slopes of the major rivers, the Canto tradition has persisted for centuries in the voices of hundreds of men and women who sing of saints, divine images, and angelitos (very young children who have died). The verses are also centered around daily life in the valley - labor and drought, family, animals, and plants. There are countless entonaciones (melodies) that define this region, its communities, and its unique worldview.Mississippi Records is privileged to work with the Museo Campesino En Movimiento and their archive of hundreds of hours of intimate field recordings of the Canto - music rarely, if ever, heard outside of the region.Artwork is provided by another inhabitant of Chile's Central Valley, a baker called Frederico Lohse, who brought divine visions from the Cantos to life, painted on reused flour bags.Canto A Lo Divino celebrates the complexity and solemn, stunning beauty of this nocturnal, communal form of musical devotion.Double vinyl LP comes housed in deluxe gatefold jacket with 8 pages of lyric translations and liner notes about the Canto tradition by researcher Danilo Petrovich.

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The Good Samaritans

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Put your dancing shoes and be ready to kill the dancefloor, the intoxicating highlife music known as Edo Funk from Benin City, Nigeria is back. Following the planetary success of our „Edo Funk Explosion Vol.1“ project we have now unearthed „No Food Without Taste If By Hunger“ by „The Good Samaritans“, one of the most obscure Nigerian album ever recorded. Originally released in 1982, the bands first album is full of bouncy basslines, raw trance-like grooves and tripped-out psychedelic guitars, a funk experience unlike any other.

„The Good Samaritans“ is Philosopher Okundaye’s own Edo-Funk project, under which name he produced four albums, all recorded at Phonodisk Studio in Ijebu-Igbo east of Lagos with a 24 track. Okundaye who played many instruments, engaged the right musicians for each project and mixed the whole thing himself, is known as the composer of a large part of Benin City’s celebrated hits in the 80s. His name keeps popping up but somehow his role in the scene remains a bit hazy, giving the character an image of something like the gray eminence of Edo funk.

Due to its private pressing in a probably very small edition, „No Food Without Taste If By Hunger“ is very difficult to find. With this reissue limited to 2000 copies - newly mastered by Nick Robbins and approved by Philosopher Okundaye himself - „The Good Samaritans“ make a welcome and long-overdue return to turntables around the world in a beautiful Silk-Screen printed cover and an orange colored vinyl pressed on 180g high quality vinyl. This is funk stripped down to its primal essence, driving rhythms mixed with highlife horns, sweet keyboards and psychedelic guitar riffs, pushing the limits of dance moves towards cosmic dancefloors.

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Angola Soundtrack Volume 2

2LP | 2013 | EU | Reissue (Analog Africa)

LP | 2023 | Original (Grandpop)

Release: 2013 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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In 2010, against all odds, Angola Soundtrack Vol.1 was awarded the German Record Critics' Prize in the category "Black music". This victory was all the sweeter for its triumph over the predicted winner, Aloe Blacc's multi platinium record, "Good Things". Many were surprised that the award was handed to a compilation that covered obscure music, but it didn't surprise the team behind Analog Africa who believed such award should have come much earlier. Since discovering the music of Angola 15 years ago, styles such Kazucuta, Rebita and Semba have become an addiction for Samy Ben Redjeb, the compiler, who proclaimed a serious warning in the first edition liner notes:

"Listening to these tracks may cause addiction and provoke heavy rotation!"

Angola Soundtrack Vol.2 - Hypnosis, Distortions & other Sonic Innovations 1969-1978 - The unique blend of incomparable musicianship, passionate delivery and regional rhythms that make these tracks so combustible are no accident. An exceptional set of circumstances existed in the history of Angola before Independence that created the giant leap in the style and standard of bands and recordings of the time.

When Portuguese repressive measures prevented the small Turmas, street musician groups, from being able to perform in Carnaval celebrations in 1961, a Portuguese civil servant, entrepreneur and Angolan music fan named Luis Montês was already in a position to capitalise on Luanda's need for a live music scene. His self-designed "Kutonocas", Sunday afternoon live music festivals, delighted a Luandan population hungry for a communication between the city and musseques (townships). It also forced groups to adapt to a different style of playing that would accommodate large stages and broader audiences. They equipped themselves with electric guitars, and fed on the musical influences from Cape Verde, Congo and the Dominican Republic, while staying patriotically true to their own musical legacy and unique rhythms.

The intimacy of those participating in this musical revolution meant they playfully and professionally wanted to trump each other's style; communication between the groups was frequent as everyone studied each other's records and concerts and players were under a lot of pressure to outdo each other due to the limited recording and performing opportunities. Development of skill and ingenuity was a must, as well as addressing the highly politicised climate. The optimism of Independence can be heard in these recordings; a common goal between the audience and musicians.

Upon reading the characteristically generous liner notes of this new Analog Africa release, you will be given more hints of the crucial melting pot that allowed this short period to have such an outstanding productivity. Featuring 44 pages acquired in coordination with the National Library of Luanda and the art magazine "Note E Dia", Analog Africa head honcho Samy Ben Redjeb has managed to collect newspaper clips, extremely rare pictures of the bands on stage and printed interviews from the 70s.

The stunning pages of passionate photography and artistic design also include interviews with many of the original artists and their families, biographies of the three labels that made it all possible, and of Luis Montês, who was the pulse of the live music scene in Luanda. This compilation is a dedication to the short lived recording industry in Angola, a brief moment of history between 1969 and 1978 in which three recording companies produced approximately 800 records, mostly singles. They are rare jewels, each song with a significant story and feel behind it. You will hear exciting music blazed with the anticipation of emancipation, tracks fuelled with a sense of unity, community, importance and immediacy.

This addictive, outlawed music from Angola shakes and grooves with the smoothness of staccato machine gun fire. Do yourself a favor and submerge yourself into some of the most addictive music created by mankind!

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Tuomo & Markus

Game Changing

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Maria Del Mar Bonet

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orchestra

Del Ebro Al Danubio

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orchestra

Balkan Reunion

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orchestra

Avo Kanto

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Sonic)

Matt Andersen

Big Bottle Of Joy

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (BFD)

Mickey Hussain Hart

In The Groove

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Fallen Sparks)

Matisyahu

Light

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

Leon Keita

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Jah Thomas Presents: The Highest Grade

2LP | 2023 | US | Original (Burning Sounds)

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | US | Original (Verve)

Peter One

Come Back To Me

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Down On Deptford Broadway

Skinny Lister

LP | 2015 | EU | Reissue (Xtra Mile)

Release: 2015 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Sunset Blvd)

Gene Clark & Carla Olsen

So Rebellious A Lover

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Look Over The Wall See The Sky

John Francis Flynn

LP | 2023 | Original (River Lea)

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Music Is The Most Beautiful Language In The World

LP | 2020 | Original (Play Loud! Productions)

Release: 2020 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Wienerworld)

Gipsy Kings

Renaissance

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

Astrud Gilberto

Gilberto With Turrentine

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Innovative Leisure)

Dada Joaozinho

Tds Bem Global

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Proper)

Lindisfarne

Fog On The Tyne

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

Jaimee Harris

Boomerang Town

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | Original (Muziekpublique)

Las Lloronas

Out Of The Blue

Release: 2023 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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El Habitante De La Tarde Roja

Juanito Makande

LP | 2019 | Original

Release: 2019 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2015 | EU | Reissue (Secret)

Dillinger Verses Trinity

Clash

Release: 2015 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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2LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Elis)

iZem

In Ze Early Morning

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Ajabu!)

Edgar Luizga Valente

Aie

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

Lounès Matoub

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Elmir)

Monsters And Fantastic Creatures

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Violons Barbares

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

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Born Bad)

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

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Fela Kuti

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

30,39 €* 31,99 € -5%

Release: 2023 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Fat Possum)

Joanna Sternberg

I've Got Me

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Muzikawi)

Jorga Mesfin

The Kind Ones

LP | 2023 | EU | Original (Muzikawi)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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

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

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

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Dawit Yifru

LP | 2023 | US | Original (Color Red)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Euforquestra

Fire

Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Basket Of Light Colored Vinyl Edition

Pentangle

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

The Dancing Devils Of Djibouti

Release: 2019 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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Groupe RTD

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Ostinato)

2LP | 2023 | Original (Pure Rec)

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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