Search "Bacao Rhythm Steel Band" 589 Items

Vibro Success Intercontinental Orchestra

Release: 1985 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Much is made of Detroit techno progenitors proximity to the auto plants. Similarly, overlooked electronic pioneer Jeff Phelps was raised just blocks from a Western Pennsylvania steel mill_close enough to smell the sulphur and hear the roaring blast furnace. When Tascam released their ground breaking Portastudio in 1984_allowing multi tracking on the far more financially inclusive cassette tape_Phelps purchased one immediately, and quickly added a Roland SH-101 monophonic synthesizer, Fender Rhodes suitcase piano, Roland drum machine, and a basic Radio Shack stereo mic. Those basic tools were employed on his first commercial productions for his own Engineered For Sound label: 1985's "Magnetic Eyes" LP and Antoinette's "Now You're Gone" 45. These DIY sketches generated few profits, and Phelps kept his day job in the energy business.Jeff Phelps eventually found his way back into performance and recording, starting with The Next Level Band near the end of the decade. Houston gourmands might have caught them at the opening of Texas's first Cheesecake Factory. "Magnetic Eyes" has already had a few lives, between TomLab's 2010 replica pressing and inclusion on Dante Carfagna's genre-defying Personal Space compilation. This 2021 edition features the heretofore un-re-released second mix, completed after discovering flaws in the initial 1985 pressing. Enjoy this technically perfect, artist-approved version of a visionary techno-adjacent masterwork.

Go to Item

Drunkard

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

Klaus Weiss Rhythm And Sounds

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

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!

Go to Item

Sound Inventions (Selected Sound)

LP | 1979 | EU | Reissue (Be With)

Steve Lacy / Andrea Centazzo / Kent Carter

Release: 1979 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

The second Be With foray into the archives of revered German library institution Selected Sound is one of our favourites, Sound Inventions from Klaus Weiss Rhythm And Sounds, originally released in 1979. From the notoriously strong mind of Niagara drummer / library-funk overlord Klaus Weiss, Sound Inventions is loaded with tripped out studio funk-freakery, mad samples and swaggering abstract funk grooves. From dramatic deep disco with dark Italo/Moroder leanings to heavy German funk breaks, this is absolutely sensational. Absolute synth-and-string-drenched magic. Born in 1942 in Gevelsberg, Germany, Klaus Weiss began his career as a jazz drummer at sixteen (with a group called the Jazzopators) before working with the internationally successful 60s groups the Klaus Doldinger Quartet and the Erwin Lehn Big Band. In 1965 he formed his own trio, the first of many groups to bear his name, and as his renown as a bandleader grew over the next decade it naturally lead to working in production music. About as cult as it gets when it comes to library music legends (German or otherwise), he produced essential records on German library labels Coloursound, Selected Sound and Sonoton.

Go to Item

Trio Live

LP | 1977 | EU | Reissue (Ictus)

LP | 1974 | EU | Reissue (Speakers Corner)

Release: 1977 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Originally issued in 1977, Trio Live was recorded in 1976, only a handful of days after Steve Lacy and Andrea Centazzo’s Clangs was laid to tape, presumably capturing another moment on the same two-week tour that had rendered the recordings for its brilliant predecessor. This time, the pair - Lacy and Centazzo - is joined by the American bassist, Kent Carter, a sinfully under-appreciated artist who had worked extensively in Steve Lacy's group, played on the two Jazz Composer's Orchestra LPs, and toured in the bands of Don Cherry, Alan Silva, Mal Waldron, Bobby Bradford, Max Roach, Roswell Rudd, Derek Bailey, John Stevens, Trevor Watts, Steve McCall and many others. The previous year, he had also delivered the stellar LP, Kent Carter Solo With Claude Bernard, as Ictus’ second LP, allowing Trio Live to be understood as a narrowing of an already tight circle, despite its slightly expanded ensemble.

Arguably best defining the first two entries in the Ictus reissue series - Clangs and Drops - is a sense of rigorous and artistry. While no less present across the length Trio Live, what takes the forward charge throughout its five tracks is a sense of joy and pure pleasure in playing together. The sounds and structural interventions are locked in and tight, feeling at ease and intuitively responsive in the ways that players with a history of collaboration are only able to produce.

From swinging and chugging to stepped back and sparse combinations of rhythm and tone - moving from the lingering sensibilities of straight-ahead jazz to radically out hard blow fire - Trio Live is a cornucopia of brilliant artistry and improvised music.

Go to Item

Charlie Mingus

Oh Yeah

LP | 1987 | EU | Reissue (Sharp Flat)

Release: 1974 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Commenting on this album in 1962, Billboard magazine wrote: »He seems to be everywhere, everywhere that is but on his usual instrument«. Charles Mingus, one of the most impressive musicians in the history of jazz, doesn’t play a single note on the bass for a change, but leads the band from his (blues-)piano – the instrument that he always used for composing. He hits the keys, he sings the blues, he shouts and he encourages – apparently Mingus really found the need to express himself loudly in this album. (Doug Watkins stood in for him on the contrabass.) "Oh Yeah" is definitely Mingus’s most powerful and passionate album. He calls on two hot, intensive saxophonists – Roland Kirk and Booker Ervin – as well as Jimmy Knepper on the trombone. Kirk is the main soloist, but all three wind-players deliver expressive improvisations, carrying out a non-stop dialogue with one another, and pushing one other to achieve maximum energy. The music is wild and ecstatic, but it’s not free jazz, remaining – as it does – grounded in blues and gospel. "Hog Callin’ Blues" is an enthralling shuffle with a wealth of riffs, "Devil Woman" a clever slow blues with inventive wind figures. "Ecclusiastics", with its constant change of rhythm and expression alternating between gospel and blues has the most complex form. Blues has always been a part of a black church service, said Mingus. "Eat That Chicken" (a homage to Fats Waller and his favourite food) even plays around with an old-time, Dixie feeling. Humour is never far away. Even in the atomic bomb song (this too, a sort of churchy blues) one hears the words: »Don’t let ’em drop it! Stop it! Be-bop it!«

This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid.

Recording: November 1961 at Atlantic Studios, New York City, by Tom Dowd and Phil Iehle Production: Nesuhi Ertegun

Go to Item

Mashabe Band

Mandela

Fortune / Harper / Cowell / Workman / Hart

Release: 1987 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Important document from Zambia, 1987. A deep treasure this one. Despite notable forays into the global sounds of rock and disco, the local heart and soul of Zambian popular music in the 20th century lies in the Kalindula sound. With it’s ceremonial tribal roots on homespun guitars, traditional double bass and percussion, Kalindula evolved into a modern, electric sound over the course of the Zamrock years in the 1970s and lived it’s golden age as Zambia’s most popular groove in the 1980s. There to document the prodigious outpouring of creativity was Zambia Music Parlour, the independent outfit that had launched the likes of Witch, Ngozi Family and Amanaz a decade earlier. One of the label’s principal Kalindula talents was the Mashabe Band, led by songwriter James Chisenga. Deeply Afrocentric with a name that refers to mystical spirits, the Mashabe Band often performed in traditional dress with body paint. Of the band’s three albums and numerous singles issued by Zmpl, Mandela from 1987, named to honour the political prisoner who would go on to lead South Africa’s first democratic administration in 1994, is the group’s most compelling point of entry and an excellent primer for the Kalindula style as a whole. Restored from the master tape vault of the Zambia Music Parlour label, Sharp-Flat presents an essential slice of Zambian music history from a period ripe for investigation and rediscovery. Complex African rhythms with crisp electric amplification and tribal roots presentation, the Mashabe Band formula is mesmerising and infectious.

Go to Item

Great Friends

2LP | 1987 | UK | Reissue (Pure Pleasure)

43,99 €*

Genesis Clear Vinyl Edition

Release: 1987 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Recorded in 1986 in Paris and originally released only in France, "Great Friends" mines the John Coltrane spiritual legacy with fervent incantatory playing and an ecstatic charge. Not that alto saxophonist Fortune and tenor man Harper necessarily speak with Trane’s voice, but the intensity of their playing and their use of certain scales and modes produce a Tranelike atmosphere. Drummer Hart (who organized this band at the request of a Japanese promoter), bassist Workman and pianist Cowell form a hard-hitting team alongside the horns. Things begin with “Cal Massey”, a tribute penned by Cowell. Harper sets the spiritual vibe in motion with a big-toned, take-no-prisoners solo. The Texas tenor man has the heaviest low-register sound in the business. On Workman’s “East Harlem Nostalgia”, he chomps into the low notes as a prelude to wailing runs into the upper register. Harper’s up tempo “Insight” is the album’s tour de force, with rippling solos and torrid exchanges between the saxophonists. Fortune’s searing tone is well suited to the exuberant joyride of this performance. The rhythm section can be compared to the McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones triumvirate that backed Trane. Equally heavyweight and agile, it is relentless in its conviction and spiritual attitude. Great Friends is hot. Owen Cordle/Jazz Times

Go to Item

Harari

LP | 1977 | US | Reissue (Tidal Waves Music)

27,99 €*

Magma Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 1977 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Harari was formed in the late sixties and originally known as The Beaters, the South African group consisting of guitarists Selby Ntuli & Monty ‘Saitana’ Ndimande, bassist Alec Khaoli and drummer Sipho Mabuse decided to change their name to Harari during a tour through Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1976. The name is taken from a township outside Salisbury (which is now the capital, Harare). With their afro-rock/funk/fusion style they achieved huge successes back home and in the neighbouring states, and they were the first local black pop/rock band to appear on South African TV.

The Beaters/Harari had been disciples of ‘Soweto Soul’ – an explosion of township bands drawing on American soul and inspired by the assertive image of Stax and Motown’s Black artists. They supported Percy Sledge on his 1970 South African tour (and later Timmy Thomas, Brook Benton and Wilson Pickett). But their watershed moment was a three-month tour of Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) where they were inspired by the strengthening independence struggle and musicians such as Thomas Mapfumo who were turning to African influences. On their return, the neat Nehru jackets that had been the band’s earliest stage wear were replaced by dashikis and Afros. In the process, they created a sound that was labelled all too simply as ‘Afro-rock’ but was really a fusion of funk- and rock-inspired rhythms with African roots.

In 1976 Harari were also voted South Africa’s top instrumental group and were in high demand at concert venues across the country (they were the first Black band to headline their own show at Johannesburg’s Colosseum Theatre). Harari released several albums and their South African based label (Gallo), even got them a two-album deal with the US major label A&M. Their single, 'Party', entered the American Disco Hot 100 in 1982. After the untimely death of Selby Ntuli in 1978 they would go on to record more albums with a new line-up but it was never the same again. By 1984 the group disbanded, and Harari’s members launched successful solo careers.

Harari was a band that was deeply rooted in pan-African politics, the parallel cross-influences of the Black Panther Movement and Black Consciousness. African American soul music and Soweto Soul contributed to the way Harari became purveyors of all the styles we know today as Afro-soul, Afro-pop and Afro-jazz. The Beaters/Harari left behind a body of work that fused traditional African sounds with rock, funk, jazz, soul and psychedelia into a unique and coherent sound. It shows their ability to capture the many genres flying around South Africa during a time of intense political and cultural shifts.

The album we are presenting you today (Genesis from 1977) comes swinging right out the gate with a set of six monster anthems, explosive up-tempo jams, gorgeous vocal harmonies and chants, Afro-centric fusions of rock, funk and indigenous influences. The album is packed with mesmerizing drum-grooves, psychedelic improvisations and catchy Afrobeat rhythms. This is a quintessential Harari record that every serious collector or fan needs to have in his collection.

Originally released in 1977 on Gallo Records South Africa (and later repressed in 1982 on the same label), Tidal Waves Music now proudly presents the first official reissue of this rare album (original copies tend to go for Large amounts on the secondary market…that is if you’re lucky enough to come across one). This is also the First time ‘Genesis’ is being released outside of the African continent. This unique record comes as a deluxe 180g vinyl edition (strictly limited to 500 copies) with obi strip and featuring the original artwork.

Go to Item

Black Flower

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Sdban Ultra)

LP | 1977 | US | Reissue (Tidal Waves Music)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Five-piece hybrid jazz outfit Black Flower are set to release new album 'Magma' on the 28th January via the groove-obsessed Belgian label, Sdban Ultra.

Piloted by Brussels-based saxophonist/flutist/composer Nathan Daems (Echoes of Zoo, Dijf Sanders), the quintet is a vibrant, hypnotic mix of Ethio jazz, afrobeat, psychedelia and oriental influences, inspired by Mulatu Astatke, Fela Kuti and varied western musical traditions.

Black Flower is a band at the peak of their creative powers. Having received glowing praise for the 2019 album 'Future Flora' from Mojo, Songlines, BBC Radio 6 Music's Gilles Peterson, BBC Radio 3's Music Planet, Worldwide FM and Jazz FM among others, forthcoming album 'Magma' sees Black Flower embrace new synth and organ sounds from the band's most recent recruit, Karel Cuelenaere. His influence can be heard from the outset - his keys adding a swirling, mischievousness to album opener and title track 'Magma'. Elsewhere, the shuffling drum patterns and flighty, flute-propelled 'O Fogo' are rich in texture and flow.

Driving rhythms and Eastern influenced melodies serve as a rich source of pleasure that, like magma, become real and solid when finding its way to the surface. It's the perfect metaphor for this album's creational process. The pulsating, trance-inducing 'Deep Dive Down' continues the joyous process while singer-songwriter Meskerem Mees (winner of The Montreux Jazz Talent Award 2021) adds, her clear-as-spring-water vocals to the celestial 'Morning in the Jungle'.

With the much-trusted Frederik Segers on production and London-based visual virtuoso Raimund Wong (Total Refreshment Centre) on artwork duties, it all adds up to the psychedelic and exploratory identity of the band and are key elements that helped 'Magma' in its ascension from deep down up to the surface. A creative process solidified into vinyl, just as magma into rock.

Fellow musicians and spiritual henchmen are Jon Birdsong (dEUS, Beck, Calexico) on cornet, Simon Segers (Absynthe Minded, De Beren Gieren, Mdciii) at the drums, Filip Vandebril (Lady Linn, The Valerie Solanas) at the bass and Karel Cuelenaere (John Ghost) on keys.

Go to Item

Harari

Genesis

Release: 1977 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Go to Item

Wamono Groove: Shakuhachi & Koto Jazz Funk '76 Black Vinyl Edition

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (180g)

Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Following the already classic Wamono A to Z trilogy, 180g presents an exceptional collection of jazz funk / rare groove tunes recorded in the mid-seventies at the Nippon Columbia studios by three giants of Japanese music: arranger Kiyoshi Yamaya, koto legend Toshiko Yonekawa and shakuhachi master Kifu Mitsuhashi.

Born in 1932 in Tokyo, Kiyoshi Yamaya started his musical career in 1953 when he played in various jazz bands in town. In 1957, Yamaya joined Nobuo Hara’s famous jazz big band Sharps & Flats as a baritone saxophone player and started composing, arranging, and recording for them and other big bands. He became a key jazz figure in Japan in the sixties together with Norio Maeda and Keitaro Miho, both jazz pianists, composers and arrangers, by forming the Modern Jazz Three Association – which aimed at improving the level of Japanese jazz composition and arrangement. In the mid-seventies, his Contemporary Sound Orchestra explored jazz funk fusions with traditional Japanese melodies and instruments such as the shakuhachi, koto, biwa, and shamisen. These works were recorded for a series of panoramic Japanese albums released domestically on Denon and Nippon Columbia, from which the tracks on this compilation are taken from.

Toshiko Yonekawa, born 1913 in the city of Himeji, not so far from Osaka, is the eldest daughter of koto and shamisen master Kin’o Yonekawa. She started studying both instruments with her talented father from the age of 3, played in her first concert at 8, and was only 12 years old when she first appeared on national radio. Her unique style of koto playing is widely recognized due to the extreme accuracy of the intonation and rhythm, as well as the unequaled beauty of the instrument’s sonority. After a life decorated with awards and prizes, Toshiko Yonekawa was named a Living National Treasure in 1996.

Born in Tokyo in 1950, Kifu Mitsuhashi is a great master of Koto style shakuhachi. After completing the NHK Hōgaku Training Program in 1972, Mitsuhashi became a member of Pro Musica Nipponia, a group of leading composers and top-ranking musicians devoted to performing a wide-ranging repertoire of classical and contemporary compositions from both Japan and the West – in which all music is performed by traditional Japanese musical instruments. Mitsuhashi has toured the world for hundreds of recitals, also as a soloist, and has performed his art with the greatest ensembles such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2020, Kifu Mitsuhashi was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun.

Go to Item

Unreleased Tracks

LP | 2021 | JP | Original (P-Vine)

31,99 €*

LP | 2019 | EU | Reissue (Sonorama)

Release: 2021 / JP – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

"Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign" is a sweet funk group from Minneapolis that was evolved from four musicians who were friends and all left high school together to play in a band back in early 1970's. In 1973, they released their first and most successful album for MCA under the production of Wayne Henderson who is well known as trombone player of Crusaders. After the release, the band returned to their hometown and started recording in Chitown records studios in 1974~75 but the master tape had not been published by some reasons and forgotten for decades. These unheard treasures recorded in the middle of their career will be finally unveiled for the first time. You'll find how these lost tracks are superb and not any less gripping than their 2nd album released after these recording. You can listen to the single from UK disco label Super Disco Edits which will be released as an advance single of this album. For fans of sweet soul / psych funk.

Go to Item

Kapingbdi

Born In The Night

Release: 2019 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (City Slang)

Fazer

Plex

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Plex Crystal Clear Vinyl Edition

Fazer

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (City Slang)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

2LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Les Disques Bongo Joe)

L'Eclair

Confusions

Mangle Rojo Afro Colombian Sounds From The Pacific And Caribbean Coasts

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

A band as kinetic as L’Eclair cannot stay idle. So when the pandemic hit, they stayed true to form and began recording a new album. With their former records usually recorded in a few days, live to tape, they took a decidedly different approach with this LP. Recorded in four sessions spread out over nine months, the group and their trusted engineer (and manager) Benoit Erard were able to spend more time, energy, and consideration on the production. This new approach gave them the ability to reflect and revise, allowing them to focus more on composition, arrangements and structures. The result is their fourth album Confusions: a sprawling hour-long, 12 track record- their most diverse, concise, and focused effort to date.

Confusions finds L’Eclair finding themselves, having distilled their mastery of groove and rhythm down to a science. Club vibes, psych grooves, rhythmic trances, and ambient comedowns are all present in equal measure, while maintaining a cohesive and consistent flavor throughout. Confusions is both expertly crafted and joyfully spontaneous, danceable yet ethereal, emotive yet cerebral. The shifting moods and melodies imbue the album with a depth that demands repeat listens.

Their influences are on full display here, with nods to CAN, Piero Umiliani, and Tangerine Dream- seamlessly blended with the unique sound L’Eclair has established over the years. New influences are also apparent, such as the house grooves of 80’s Madchester and Aphex twin, as well as the textures and ambience of Boards of Canada. As with past L’Eclair releases, Confusions is sure to attract some fans of hip-hop, recalling the likes of producers Madlib, MF doom, and Dilla. The ever-present dub and house influences bubble up here and there but despite the many inspirations behind Confusions, the sound is pure L’Eclair.

Go to Item

Los Alegres Del Telembi

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Bánfora)

Tape | 2021 | US | Original (Drag City)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

We invite you to take a journey through the music of the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Colombia, where traditional rhythms blend with contemporary sounds. Mangle Rojo is a compilation album of 8 songs, released on vinyl of 12 inches, with some of the most popular rhythms of Colombian folklore, like Cumbia, Currulao, Bullerengue and, Puya, played by renowned artists like Nelda Piña, Inés Granja, Sixto Silgado Paíto, Emilsen Pacheco and Francisco Torres. Side A consists of four songs from the Pacific Coast, and side B has four songs from the Caribbean region. In this record take part bands and also collaborations between independent musicians. Six of the songs were composed for the album. Independent record label Bánfora Records produced Mangle Rojo, with support from the Ministry of Culture of Colombia

Go to Item

Bitchin Bajas

Switched On Ra

14,99 €*

El Trio (Lapouble, Lew, Cevasco)

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

It's almost four years since their last opus - two years since the most-recent run of live shows! Now, Bitchin Bajas return from whatever kind of rare ether they occupy when they're at home, bearing the riches of the whole cosmos in their hands. And strictly OG as well - on cassette only! Switched On Ra is the outcome of a typical Bajas exercise: pouring some out for the pioneers that came before (as they've done with Bitchitronics and their participation in the annual Chicago performance of "In C" over the years). It's a nice way to get a flow - they play a little of themselves, then some for the pioneers, then a little more for the band. Before long, they're playing with the inspirations twined, as they can only come from within. For Switched On Ra, this meant a deep delve into the song-book of one of their soul-predecessors, Sun Ra, whose music is literally written in the Bajas DNA. Digging into this music sounded wild on paper: the drone synth group taking on the Arkestra harmonies and Ra's loose grooves? The trick was to get that sense of rhythm to translate across the spectrum from Ra to Bajas, in a way that worked for them both. Their rearrangements of the tunes went good - up and down the EQ band, they were finding the round sounds and jagged edges that brought Ra's music into their own thing. Then at the last minute, there was another twist - why not pay tribute to the Queen herself, and think of the arrangements with a Wendy Carlos vibe? A little side homage? After all, Switched on Bach was visionary, bringing analog synths from the outside all the way into the mainstream in the late 60s - and this take on Ra is meant to take him to new ears everywhere. Sun Ra of course was his own kind of original keyboard visionary, using electric keyboards in the late 40s and 50s to fill a role in jazz that had traditionally been played on acoustic piano only. Once he'd done so, he took his writing in directions inspired by the electricity, places no one had thought to go before then. Doing what he did on the keys was a stand for individuality that became the background radiation of his journey through the cosmos; the search for a place beyond earthly dominance, for all the people who desperately wanted the fuck OUT. Bitchin Bajas have been content to dominate in a microtonal world, usually without a single chord to be found anywhere. But here, they step up righteously, their vibe triangulated as they bring Ra's music forward with some Wendy C style, making an unexpected space for all to thrive. There's a real feeling of joy as these collected signals bounce off the tape and through the speakers into your space. To get this unique colloid exactly right, Bitchin Bajas used nineteen different keyboards. They abstained from deploying their arsenal of reed and woodwind instruments: everything had to be on the keys. This meant Yamahas, Rolands, Korgs, Casios, a MicroMoog and of course their trusty Ace Tone organ. They even broke out the Crumar Ds-2, to have some of Ra's chosen tone in the mix. Then Jayve Montgomery added an EWI as a solo voice on a few tunes, just to get some air-blown signal (and a natural shout out to EWI master Marshall Allen) in there, after all. It felt like somewhere in the universe, Ra was decreeing it. Switched On Ra is an effervescent celebration of music throughout time and space.

Go to Item

Todo En Su Medida Y Armoniosamente

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Vampisoul)

17,09 €* 17,99 € -5%

Andrea Motis / Wdr Big Band

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Mega Rare 1974 Jazz Funk Rock Album Recorded By Argentina's Top Jazzmen Pocho Lapouble, Ricardo Lew And Adalberto Cevasco (Also Members Of Quinteplus, Jorge Lopez Ruiz's Band And Gato Barbieri's Group Among Many Others).Includes The Irresistible Fast-Paced Funk Rock Track 'Se Acabó El Recreo' And The Ethereal 'Todo En Su Medida Y Armoniosamente' And 'Haceme Shaft', Featuring Patricia Clark On Vocals And Unexpected Moog Arrangements.First Time Reissue, With Remastered Sound And Original Artwork. -Info: Those Into World Jazz Will Be Aware Of The Amazing Modal, Big Band And Post-Bop Jazz Recordings Released In Argentina In The '60s. The Body Of Work Produced By The Likes Of Chivo Borraro, Jorge López Ruiz Or Enrique Villegas Would Be Able To Rival The Recordings Of Their American Counterparts.The Following Decade Would See A Great Openness To The Exploration, With A Jazz Language, Of Other Musical Genres, With A Certain Preponderance Of Rhythm. The Members Of El Trio Are Part Of A Jazz Generation With A Greater Propensity To Experiment With Electricity And With What Could Be Considered An Avant La Page Exercise Of What Soon Afterwards Would Be Called Jazz Rock -It Is Music Composed And Played, In The Faraway Buenos Aires, At The Same Time Miles Davis Adventured Into New Fields, With Such Records As "In A Silent Way" Or "Bitches' Brew"."Todo En Su Medida Y Armoniosamente" Reflects That Same Spirit Of Experimentation And Fusion Of Diverse Influences With An Eye On Both Rock And Local Folklore. It's Not Surprising That The Protagonists Of This Recording -Pocho Lapouble (Drums), Ricardo Lew (Guitar) And Adalberto Cevasco (Bass) - Had Accompanied Gato Barbieri Himself In His Project "Latinoamérica" Shortly Before The Release Of This Album Where The Presence Of Rhythms From The Southern Hemisphere Infused The Avant-Garde Jazz Of The Argentine Saxophonist. Drummer Pocho Lapouble Had Also Created Quinteplus, Which In 1972 Released A Single Studio Lp Inspired By Those Same Premises Of Fusi...

Go to Item

Colors & Shadows

2LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Jazzline)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

2LP | 2001 | EU | Reissue (Comet)

Psyco On Da Bus

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Satelite K)

Release: 2001 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Comet Records is so thrilled to present Psyco on Da Bus 20th Anniversary, for the occasion it will be reissued as a Double Vinyl LP and newly remastered.

Recorded in just few weeks in the US during Tony Allen's Black Voices album tour in Spring 2000, on Doctor L’s G3 in different places as hotels rooms, local studios (Nyc, Toronto) and the tour bus. Doctor L and the members of Tony Allen & Afrobeat 2000 band get the idea of making a collective album alltogether, co-writing both songs and music a nd creating a new spectrum that reflects their different musical backgrounds. Doctor L, Tony Allen, Jean-Phi Dary, Cesar Anot, Jeff Kellner are the “psyco bus” members. Completed later in Paris with guests artists like Smadj, Dom Farkas and Eric Guathier, Psyco On Da Bus project fill the gap between the 70's and the new millenium, blending afrobeat rhythms, gospel & soul vocals, jazz & funk licks with wicked electronics and astonishing production.

From the futuristic funk of “Afropusherman” to the eastern sounds of “Many Questions” or the killer floor filler “Push your mind Breakbeat” , from the underrated spiritual suite “Time To Take A Rest”, hybrid fusion of free jazz, poetry, rare groove and nu-beats, to the outstanding “Never Satisfied”. Last but not least the artwork was created and produced by the talented french graphist designer, filmmaker Edouard Salier. Tony told about his collaboration with Doctor L on this project in 2001: “Younger people are coming into Afrobeat right now. And I personally don't want to be past, I want to be future. Young people like hip-hop, and techno, which is what I must think about. It's the direction I want to take. It's an experiment I've wanted to try. That's why I wanted Doctor L to produce the album.”

Go to Item

The Excitements

Keepin' On

Joshie Jo Armstead / Carla Thomas

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

The Catalan Rhythm'n'Blues and Soul band The Excitements arrives with his fourth studio album;

Keeping 'on' (Satelite K 2021). An album with 14 songs full of classic melodies that join the

sounds of old school soul and rhythm ‘n’ blues and lyrics that speak to us both about social

issues and interpersonal relationships. The incorporation of the French singer of Somali origin

Kissia San stands out. This new voice has allowed them to broaden her spectrum without losing

the strength that has characterized them during all these years. Collaboration in the songwriting

process by James Graham; member of Hannah Williams and the Affirmations (British band with

which they shared their last tour) has opened them to new musical structures and the

production of Neil Sugarman; head of Daptone Records; with Marc Tena; has managed to give an

extra solidity to the sound of the band.

Go to Item

I Got The Vibes / I'll Never Stop Loving You

LP | 1973 | EU | Reissue (Outta Sight)

17,99 €*

Lo Bueno, Lo Malo, Lo Feo Y Los Alaracosos Chapillacs

Release: 1973 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Led by maverick composer Abigail Moura, Orquestra Afro-Brasileira were one of the most influential yet overlooked groups in Brazilian music history. Operating for almost thirty years until 1970, they released just two albums - the first of which, Obaluayê, has recently been reissued by Night Dreamer Records - and left behind a legacy of Afro-Brazilian consciousness that continues to resonate today.

Combining Yoruba spirituality, folk tales, Candomblé chants and West African percussion with the instrumentation of the big band jazz tradition in the United States, the Orquestra placed Afro- Brazilian heritage in a new and vital context. Weaving emancipatory narratives into complex poly- rhythms and powerful, syncopated horn lines, the group educated and enlightened all those who saw them perform.

For Abigail’s protégé and percussionist on the group’s 1968 album Carlos Negreiros, the message of the group’s music had a profound impact: “I became aware of what it is to be black,” he says, “discovering the extraordinary potential of the Afro-Brazilian culture in the making of the national ethos.”

Now the last remaining member of the original Orquestra, Carlos was tracked down by producer Mario Caldato Jr. - whose credits include Beastie Boys, Marcelo D2 and Seu Jorge among others - to oversee the first new album of Orquestra Afro-Brasileira material since 1968.

“I was overwhelmed with the percussive rhythms, beautiful deep vocals and combined energy,” Caldato Jr. explains. “It felt like the most authentic Brazilian roots music I had ever heard. It was raw and dynamic, a pure organic sound and energy. It was a spiritual experience.”

Alongside arranger Caio Cezar, Carlos assembled his Orquestra to record five tracks at Berna Ceppas’ Estudio Maravilha 8 studio in Rio De Janeiro. With percussion, horns and vocals cut in single takes over three days, the session captured the intuitive, pure and natural spirit of the group in full flow.

Following the success of the initial session, five additional tracks were recorded at the iconic Estudio CIA dos Tecnicos in Copacabana to complete the album. Mixed by Caldato Jr., 80 Anos is a contemporary incarnation of Abigail Moura’s vision, bristling with the flair of the original recordings.

“This is an important continuation of the Orquestra Afro Brasileira sound and movement that is still strong and relevant today,” Caldato Jr. says.

80 Anos celebrates 80 years since the formation of the group, bringing its trailblazing legacy into the spotlight for a new generation of musicians and listeners alike.

Go to Item

Los Chapillacs

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Vampisoul)

16 Rayos Colored Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Highlights:Long-Awaited Second Album By The Rising Stars Of Neo Cumbia And Psychedelic Chicha In Peru, Arequipa's Very Own Los Chapillacs, Featuring The Late Lucho Carrillo, Lead Singer Of The Legendary Band Los Diablos Rojos, Daniel F (Leusemia) And Laurita Pacheco.A Mix Of Many Different Music Genres And Styles From Peru And Beyond. From The Expected Cumbia And Chicha (With And Without The Psych Element) To Chacalon Influences, Popular Afroperuvian Rhythms And A Touch Of Rock With A Certain Sense Of Humor That Even Welcomes '80s Hair Metal Guitars And A Touch Of Deep Ballad Vocals...Jungle-Tinged Electric Guitars Firing Up The Party!Description:Long-Awaited Second Album By The Rising Stars Of Neo Cumbia And Psychedelic Chicha In Peru, Arequipa's Very Own Los Chapillacs."Lo Bueno, Lo Malo, Lo Feo Y Los Alaracosos Chapillacs" Comprises Many Different Music Genres And Styles From Peru And Beyond. From The Expected Cumbia And Chicha (With And Without The Psych Element) To Chacalon Influences, Popular Afroperuvian Rhythms And A Touch Of Rock With A Certain Sense Of Humor That Even Welcomes '80s Hair Metalguitars And A Touch Of Deep Ballad Vocals...A Number Of Guest Top Artists Are Featured In This New Album: Daniel F From Punk Band Leusemia; Harp Virtuoso Laurita Pacheco On 'Cada Noche Me Pierdo'; The Late Lucho Carrillo (Cumbia All Star, Los Diablos Rojos) On "Fiesta De Mostros"; And Also0 Rony Carbajal (Xdinero) And Arequipa's Folk Artist Filiberto Barrios.Jungle-Tinged Electric Guitars Firing Up The Party!

Go to Item

Orquesta Akokan

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Daptone)

16 Rayos Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Orquesta Akokán is ready to unleash 16 Rayos on the world's dance floors, via Daptone Records. Recorded in Havana’s famed Egrem Studios, the group displays a cohesion forged by an intense performing and touring cycle. The musical conversation that began in the Areito studios three years earlier blossomed into an easy, intimate dialogue between good friends - allowing full, fearless musical expression and risk-taking outside of their comfort zones.

Building upon Perez Prado’s dissonant, near avant-garde vision of the mambo, and highlighting the Lucumí subtext of Cuban rhythms and styles, the band continues to explore, develop and expand the island’s rich rhythmic palette and repertoire - pushing the conventions of what is considered “mambo” - and drawing deeply from folkloric and religious traditions seldom heard in popular music. 16 Rayos is here to shine its musical rays on us, warm our hearts, and irresistibly move our bodies.

Go to Item

Orquesta Akokan

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Daptone)

LP | 2021 | UK | Original (Athens Of The North)

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Go to Item

The Coast To Coast Band

Coast To Coast

Karl Hector Presents: Johnny!

Release: 2021 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Our second LP this month is an unreleased magical modern soul LP from the band Coast To Coast, the full story below by band leader Mark Beiner...

I met Ben iverson in 1976 when I was 17 years old. I was a junior at Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens. At that time, I took a part time job as a Produce Clerk at Walbaum's Supermarket on Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights, Queens, where I met Ben Iverson who was the "Frozen Food Manager." In between the music, this job was steady income, and he and his Wife, Diane, started a family and raised two Daughters, Tonia and Cytherea, whom I am still in contact with today.

Back then, I remember going to work early just to talk to him about his musical background and his time spent in the 50's and 60's with the Ohio Doo Wop Group, "The Hornets", or better known as, "Ben Iverson and The Hornets." However, Ben was somewhat quiet and at a loss for words when I questioned him with regard to "Ben Iverson and the Nue Dey Express", as well as his short career as Manager and Songwriter for Brooklyn's own, "Crown Heights Affair" in the early 70's.

Between the 50's and 60's, "Ben Iverson and The Hornets" shared billing at music events with recording artists such as, The Drifter's, Bill Haley and The Comets, Pat Boone, Etta James, Mary Wells, Nancy Wilson, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Lloyd Price and Al Green. Many of these names got their start in the 50's, which Ben met at music concert events hosted by Radio Disc Jockey, Alan Freed. Alan was truly the first Concert Promoter for Doo Wop, Rhythm & Blues, and early Rock & Roll.

In 1978 after Ben and I discussed getting together and composing music, I started writing poetry and expressing in writing my break up with my college girl friend, Paula Vasta. Paula's middle name was Marie, so in kidding around, I would call her "Paula Marie." Ben thought my lyrics were "powerful" and wanted to put them in music. Thus our first recorded 45 rpm record called "Paula Marie", backed with "I Want You Dear." This launched our musical partnership and within a year, the Coast to Coast Band was formed. Ben and I went on to writing two albums worth of material, which in turn gave us a lot of time and presence on stage at our live gigs.

The regular Coast to Coast Band members consisted of Ben Iverson on Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitarist and Co-Executive Producer, Joe Crowley, who is known today as "New York Congressman Joe Crowley." Carl (Woody Wood) Morton on Bass Guitar, Jimmy Johnson on Keyboards. Woody and Jimmy used to hang and play rap in its early days with "Run Dmc" in St. Albans, Queens. Lead Guitarist, Lou Jimenez, currently owns his own recording studio, Music Labs in Elmont, Long Island. On Drums, Eddie Byam, on Alto Sax, Jay Cohen, who in the 70's used to record for "Gary U.S. Bonds." Gary Pevols on Trumpet. On Bone, Scott Burrows, Trumpet player, Steve Becker, whom we lost to Testicular Cancer at the age of 25, along side Neil Levine, Stan Stockley, Tom Russo and additional members that came and went that we used for live gigs and studio recordings.

In addition, special recognition goes out to our Producer, Recording Engineer and Multi-sound Recording Studio, Owner, Dave Weiner and staff. Dave and I launched Multi-Sound Records under the Multi-Sound label in 1980.

Last, of course myself, Mark Beiner, where I served as Executive Producer, Songwriter, Business/Marketing Manager, and background vocals.

Unfortunately, Ben Iverson passed away on March 21, 2008, and cannot be here to share this with us, but his music and voice still lives on!

Go to Item

Johnny!

LP | 2021 | Original (Now-Again)

26,09 €* 28,99 € -10%

Release: 2021 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

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

Go to Item

Fats Sadi

Ensadinado / Night Lady

7" | UK (Wallen Bink)

17,99 €*

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Hubro)

Release: UK

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Recorded in 1966, Fats Sadi’s ‘Ensadinado’ was his second recording as leader, his first album had been an early Blue Note 10”. Essentially comprising the Clarke-Boland rhythm section, with Sadi on vibes, Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums, this 45 features the two standout tracks from this rare Saba LP, which remains unissued on vinyl since its release in 1966. ‘Ensadinado’ finds the quartet playing a latin oriented title penned by Jimmy Woode. Boland’s ‘Night Lady’, a standard for the band and the highlight from this collectable album, has a hard, swinging percussive groove driven by the irrepressible pulse of Kenny Clarke.

Go to Item

Finland

Rainy Omen

24,29 €* 26,99 € -10%

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Zoe's Shanghai)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Although The Band Finland Has Existed Since 2010, "Rainy Omen" Is Their First Release. Finland Consists Of Five Musicians Who Have Made Their Indisputable Mark On The Norwegian Music Scene In The Last Decade, And Who Have Individually Been Involved In Countless Other Bands And Recordings. The Band Project Has Come About More As A Result Of Excess Enthusiasm Than Of Necessity - And Musical Enthusiasm Is, In Fact, What Characterises This Debut Release. The Members Of Finland Are Guitarist Ivar Grydeland (Huntsville), Drummer Pål Hausken (In The Country, Ida Jenshus), Keyboard Wizard Morten Qvenild (In The Country, Spacemonkey, Susanna & The Magical Orchestra), And The Superb Bass Player Jo Berger Myhre (Splashgirl, Nils Petter Molvær, Mariam The Believer). In Finland They Are Investigating A More Rock-Oriented, Spontaneous And Extrovert Type Of Music Than In Many Of The Other Bands They Play In. Their Music Encompasses An Encyclopaedic Number Of Genres And Sources Of Inspiration, And Their Debut Album Serves As Documentation Of The Point Where Different Musical Paths And Dialogues Intersect In The Band At This Particular Time. Elements Of Instrumental Film Music, Post-, Prog-, Noise And Freedom Rock, And Airy Americana Are All Included In The Appealing And Well-Composed Musical Melting Pot That Constitutes "Rainy Omen". Finland As A Rock Band Cannot Be Described With Superficial Metaphors Or By Listing Their Sources Of Inspiration, But Even On Their Debut Album They Already Have Their Own Distinctive Sound. Finland: Pål Hausken: Drums, Percussion, Vocals Morten Qvenild: Piano, Electronics, Programming, Vocals Jo Berger Myhre: Bass Guitar, Baryton Guitar, Electric Guitar, Vocalsivar Grydeland: Electric Guitar, Banjo, Pedal Steel Guitar, Lapsteel, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

Go to Item

Zoe's Shanghai

Lava Love

Madremonte Red Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Lava Love is the new album by Zoe’s Shanghai. Led by singer Zoé Renié Harris, the band has made a splash into the crowded neo-soul scene with their debut EP A Mirage (Meant To Last Forever) released in 2019 - a deeply evocative sound and Zoe’s extraordinary voice gained them immediately the spotlight as ones to watch (“a worthy torchbearer for heady and hearty soul music”- Earmilk). Following a successful string of EPs and singles, the Barcelona & Paris-based four-piece band is now ready to share with the world their first full-length album. Lava Love was recorded in an old stable in the French region of Auvergne - known for its mountain ranges and dormant volcanoes, this region could not have been a more apt setting. Lava and love portray in fact a dynamic flow of memory and meaning pouring out of Zoe’s Shanghai’s heart. In and out of the metaphor, Lava and love can be powerful, frightening, beautiful, dangerous and at the same time are essential elements that create fertile change and growth. Through the 11 songs, the band evoke memories and pose questions - inner dialogues, life stories, encounters and relationships – the album depicts a kaleidoscope of moods and feelings, prompting the listener to open to the conversation: while each song presents a microcosm on its own, the album manifests itself in the shared musical experience - immersive music to listen to and enjoy with your loved ones. Produced with Oli Barton-Wood (Nubiyan Twist, Joe Armon-Jones, Nilufer Yanya), the sound of Lava Love brings together hypnotic melodies, groovy rhythms and thoughtful lyrics - fusing the essence of multiple music styles and forging Zoe’s Shanghai unique contemporary soul. The album follows the critically acclaimed EP ‘A Mirage’, which garnered the support of Gilles Peterson & Huey Morgan (bbc 6 Music), Jamz Supernova (bbc Radio 1Xtra), Worldwide FM and Earmilk to name a few.

Go to Item

Jaguar

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Elpalmas Music)

Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Jaguar mine the sounds of the Colombian Caribbean and global dance sub cultureson a debut album that veers between psychedelic salsa, taut cumbia-disco and zouk party jams.

Rave culture never hit Colombia in the 90s – an internal civil war and a music industry fixated on blandness and payola made sure of that – but if it had then Jaguar would have been one of its leading lights. On their debut album this Colombian duo excavate the sound of their country’s dance floors, uniting the classy, brassy sounds of cumbia, porro and salsa with the earthier DIY vibrations coming from Afro-Colombian street parties on the coast, melodies and guitar lines learnt from imported African vinyl filtered through drum machines and hand-painted picó sound systems with the bass so high it threatens to knock you over.

The twosome mark out their stall on album opener “Bailalo Tu También” (“You Dance It, Too”), urging all to come and dance on a tune that references champeta (the #1 sound of Afro-Colombian block parties), zouk and calypso, as well as doffing a cap to disco and Brit funk, uniting the underground dance cultures of Colombia, the Caribbean, New York and London in one fell swoop. The cumbia card comes out on “Contra La Corriente” (“Against The Tide”), which with its subtle influences of global bass and minimal post-disco gives this classic rhythm even more thrust. “Ten Presente” (“Keep In Mind”) represents another side step, a salsa orchestra stripped down to just vocals, percussion, killer horn section and raspy charango, with the groove never in doubt.

Yet, if 90s rave culture represented a response to the darkness of the 80s, then something similar is at play here, the image of the Caribbean as a warm, happy and danceable place coming in contrast with the poverty that is the reality for many living there, and this dark underbelly is not ignored by Jaguar. “Is it possible that the people united could become invincible?” they ask on “Guadalupe”, offering a message of hope that one day the inequality, poverty and neglect that is everyday life for many people in Colombia will be diminished by getting behind the same cause. Driven by an 80s-inspired zouk beat, they dream of there one day being a united people with the strength to fight back against the authorities. “¿Será posible, será posible?” they sing, “Could it be possible, could it be possible?” This dichotomy of emotions crops up again on “Siguele El Paso” (“Keep Up”), a pure Caribbean groove that is impossibly infectious with lyrics that speak of keeping those hips moving but can’t help but mention reality, the protagonist of the song dodging bullets and nefarious forces while still keeping their rhythm on the dance floor. It’s a perfect encapsulation of Jaguar’s modus operandi, this is music to make you dance, but it remains grounded, in Colombian and Caribbean musical idioms as well as the hard times that many Colombians are living through. It’s a rhythmic elixir, but with bite; rum straight from the bottle.

Jaguar are two Colombians based in Europe, Paulo and Raúl. Since the 90s their paths crossed, their names mentioned by mutual friends, but it would not be until 2017 that they finally got to know each other. Quickly they established a musical rapport, forming a band with some friends that fell apart just as quickly, but they knew that wasn’t the end, and they continued working on songs, finding their musical language; a path that led them to Madremonte and a sound that imbibes cumbia, salsa, bolero, rock, zouk and champeta, music from across Colombia, from the Caribbean, its Pacific Coast and high into the Andes, all the while transposing these sounds to the dance floor.

Go to Item

Flight 17

LP | 1978 | UK | Reissue (Pure Pleasure)

Bob Mintzer / Wdr Big Band

Release: 1978 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Horace Tapscott's Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra (P.A.P.A.) was one of the most transformative, forward-thinking and straight-up heavy big bands to have played jazz in the 1960s and 1970s. If P.A.P.A. doesn't have the interstellar rep of that other famous Arkestra, and if the name Tapscott doesn't ring bells like Monk or Tyner, there's a reason why: in an industry dominated by record labels, a band that doesn't record doesn't count. And the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra didn't record for nearly twenty years. But recording success was never their concern -- they weren't about that. First formed as the Underground Musicians Association in the early 1960s, Tapscott always wanted his group to be a community project. From their base in Watts, Ugma got down at the grassroots. The group was renamed the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in 1971, and soon after they established a monthly residency at the Immanuel United Church of Christ which ran for over a decade, while still playing all over LA and beyond. But they never released a note of music. It was the intervention of fan Tom Albach that finally got them on wax. Determined that their work should be documented, Albach founded Nimbus Records specifically to release the music of Tapscott, the Arkestra, and the individuals that comprised it. The first recording sessions in early 1978 yielded enough material for two albums, and the first release was "Flight 17". The album commences with the magnificent title track. It is effectively in three parts. It begins with unaccompanied pianos. Then the ensemble embark on a dense, circular and mechanical movement, a platform for horns and pianos to swoop and dive. We return to Earth with a beautiful solitary flute. The second track, the piano-centric, "Breeze" is different to "Flight 17" in intensity and also brevity but it is quietly as daring as the title track. It concludes with a moving lush wash from the full Arkestra, which sound almost like strings only more substantial. These first two tracks take full advantage of the texture of the unusual mix of the various instruments. Next though, it’s a significant change with "Horacio", which is an exuberant Latin infused jingle. It’s unlike anything else on the album. I like to think it was named after the conductor’s Cuban alter-ego! "Clarisse" gracefully switches between slow blues and bop and is bookended with a grand vaguely East Asian theme. The busy bass line introduces "Maui". As with the previous track, it moves between a number of contrasting melody lines and rhythms but there’s still space for a tuneful sax solo. This is a must-have album. I think the first two tracks on their own make this essential release.

Go to Item

Soundscapes

2LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Jazzline)

15,99 €*

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

7" | 1981 | EU | Reissue (Paint A Picture)

Reflex

Funny Situation

13,29 €* 13,99 € -5%

Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign

Release: 1981 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Paint A Picture are incredibly pleased to announce news of their first release: a fully remastered, licensed reissue of rediscovered British 7” Funny Situation recorded by Reflex - a band put together by drummer David Humphrey (Public Image Ltd., Sparks, Mike Oldfield) and privately released on his Star Records back in 1981. With the original record now changing hands for in excess of £200 and just in time for a 40th anniversary release the reissue - remastered and cut by Frank Merritt at The Carvery - will include updated original artwork whilst also containing an insert providing further details and context on the release. Recorded a few months after seminal Britfunk tune "Southern Freeez" at the very same Vine Yard Studios and with the same engineer Simon Sullivan - the release unfortunately suffered from a lack of marketing and proper distribution but almost forty years later the record is now receiving the attention it deserves and with a price tag to match. The A side presents a beautiful mesh of funk and soul styles with influence from other Britfunk bands of the time but with a more overt jazz and rock feel fusing a tight rhythm section with smooth vocals and climaxing in a guitar and saxophone duel. The instrumental Version Two provides a fresh approach with the addition of dub FX and Indian percussion with the use of a tabla added to the mix.

Go to Item

69 Cents / That Is Why

7" | 2021 | EU | Original (Super Disco Edits)

12,99 €*

Forgive You / Come Closer

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

The Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign hailed from Indianapolis and consisted of quite a few members. With its early inception they were called Ebony Rhythm Band with some singles on Lamp records in 1969. Over the years with many band member changes and falling outs The Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign was formed around 72/73. The new band acquired a recording contract with Universal City, a subsidiary of major label MCA. The group released one self entitled Lp in 1973. The group had some success but didn't acquire any further recording time with MCA. Band members Lester Johnson, Michael Woods and Pamela Tanner plus a few others went on to record a Billboard hit with "How's your wife and my child" on Carl Davis Innovation ll record label in 1975. An LP deal was negotiated which led to their 1976 Lp "Watchin' you, watchin' me" for Chi Sound records in 1976. Super Disco Edits in conversation with Trombone player Michael Woods discovered an earlier Lp that was recorded and funded by the band during 1973/74 Michael had kept the studio reels and some 47 years later we finally helped him get them baked and transferred. The A side later got released on the "Watchin you watchin me" LP but in 1976 they changed the song into a more disco funk polished version, the discovery of these 1973 reels captures a much more raw funk workout, which we feel is superior than the latter. Flip over the single to what is a beautiful sweet soul ballad written and sung by Pam Tanner. The sparse nature of the production tenderness of Pams vocals has already caught the attention of some of the Firme lowrider kats on the West Coast.

Go to Item

Mali Hayes

7" | 2021 | EU | Original (Band On The Wall)

CD | 2021 | EU | Original (Sounds Of Subterrania)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Mali Hayes has been simmering to the surface for a while now. Emerging from a Manchester jazz community that's enjoying its own renaissance away from the much-reported on London scene, the vocalist and songwriter's bittersweet neo-soul sound is trans-Atlantic â€“ think initial progenitors such as Erkyah Badu, D'Angelo and Jill Scott â€“ but is rooted in Manchester's mixed communities and the different walks of life she encounters.
Forgive You / Come Closer â€“ owes itself to Gilles Peterson and Brownswood Music's Future Bubblers programme, when Hayes met producers Cult Architect and Medikul while part of the mentorship scheme. Airplay from Gemma Bradley, Victoria Jane & Mo Ayoub on Radio 1, Jamz Supernova & Gilles Peterson on BBC Radio 6, Victoria Jane on BBC Introducing, Jamz Supernova on Selector Radio. Features in Clash Magazines 'Next Wave' playlist and Spotify's 'Rhythm & Groove by DJ Taro' playlist.
The two tracks come out as part of a new series of 7" releases from Manchester institution Band on the Wall and their new label Band on the Wall Recordings. Based out of the iconic music venue, charity and cultural hub, the label builds on a successful compilation released to raise funds during the Covid-19 pandemic

Go to Item

Ipek Yolu

Tropical Anatolia

11,99 €* 15,99 € -25%

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Sounds Of Subterrania)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Ipek Yolu is the Turkish name for the Silk Road which connected the East and the West. This band does not deal in silk but they connect flavors, smells and sounds from different corners of the globe, connecting the world.
The band merges bass-heavy electro-tinged cumbia grooves, saz riffs and surf guitar into a multicultural melting pot of South American rhythms, Anatolian folk music and 60s psychedelic rock. A unique universe of sound that bridges the tropical jungles and the dusty deserts in a kaleidoscopic blend of music. Ipek Yolu has used 2020 to write their debut album Tropical Anatolia and are ready to hit the venues and festivals.
The members of Ipek Yolu first got together for an improvised jam session during the Aarhus Roots & Hybrid Festival in 2018. The show was set up as a special one-time-only show merging members from the bands Hudna & Junglelyd. The show ended up lasting for almost three hours. It didn’t take them long to discover they were onto something special. If you know any of these bands mentioned you know you’re in for a body-shaking party, characterised by musical curiosity and improvisation.
The three members of Ipek Yolu have all been part of the Danish music scene for several years. The band leader, Orhan Özgür Turan, is a well-known and respected saz player all over Denmark, and has made a name for himself through his efforts in the Anatolian Folk band Hudna. In 2018 he won an award as Global Roots Artist of the year at The Danish World Music Awards. Olaf Brinch and Lasse Aagaard have worked together for many years making high energy cumbia with their band Junglelyd and Afrobeat with their band African Connection. Olaf is also an integral part of the Danish band AddisAbabaBand. In addition, Olaf and Lasse have toured and recorded with great musicians such as CC Yoyo, former drummer of Fela Kuti, in both Ghana and Denmark. All of the past experiences collided to create Ipek Yolu.

Go to Item

Ipek Yolu

Tropical Anatolia

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Apollo Sound)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Go to Item

Son Yambu

Tremendo Ambiente

7" | 2021 | EU | Original (Philophon)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

London based band Son Yambu are back with their second album full of original son Cubano, continuing the Buena Vista legacy that put Cuban music back on the world map in 1997. Featuring a new line up of the very best of Cuba's musical diaspora, 'Tremendo Ambiente'reflectsthe evolving nature of the music whilst at the same time paying homage to its roots. Recorded in London, 'Tremendo Ambiente' features Son Yambu's traditional 'sonora' sound of two trumpets.Made up entirely of original songs, the album features a varied collection of Cuban and Caribbean rhythms.

Go to Item

Guy One

So La Ma La

12,99 €*

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

After his international debut #1 in 2018, the north Ghanaian Kologo (a two stringed proto-banjo) master Guy One is back with his brand new band, consisting of Kumasi's finest young talents, plus Florence Adooni and Tenni Akagam as his choir voices.
So La Ma La has a straight forward Highlife rhythm which melts together with some funky articulated afrobeat-a-like bass line. To Kale Na'nabala is instead in the traditional Kete rhythm, a bouncy poly-rhythm in 12/8. But both songs are mostly defined through Guy One's Kologo lines and his soulful interpretation of the typical north-ghanaian vocal style.

Go to Item

Expansions HHV Exclusive Edition Smoke Purpage Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

HHV exclusive edition limited to 200 copies.

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, the mysterious steel pan outt hailing from Hamburg, Germany have amassed a cult following around the globe. With a slew of classic 7"s and two critically acclaimed full length albums, they set a high bar for themselves, one they clearly intend on pushing even higher with this new offering. On their third album, aptly titled Expansions, Brsb are back with more of the same, but more of the same with them is inherently different. Covering songs that span genres and range from mega hits to album cuts, they make them their own with their unique approach to the traditional steel pans of Trinidad and Tobago. Part of the allure of a new record from Bacao is nding out what covers they chose. However, die hard fans are also waiting to hear the original numbers like the stellar album opener "Tough Victory". Its airtight rhythm section, brass arrangements, and layers of steel pan melodies make the term "cover band" a shoe that could never t Bacao. Within the next three songs they go from Jazz (Galt MacDermot), to Hip Hop (Slum Village / J Dilla), to a dance ‑oor classic (Grace Jones) taking them all on with their signature style, expanding on the originals. An easy crowd favorite is their gritty, gully, and neck snapping cover of the Timbaland produced Jay-Z club hit "Dirt Off Your Shoulder". The infamous crushing Bacao drums start the show and the moment they start playing the top line on the pans, all bets are off. Sure to become a dance ‑oor ller is their bottom heavy ,four on the ‑oor version version of Sylvester's classic "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight". They venture into some gutbucket funk with Ike Turner's "Getting Nasty" and bring the steel pans to Minnie Riperton's Jazz classic "Les Fleurs". Digging deeper in the modern canon and paying tribute to a tribute, they cover Erykah Badu's homage to the late great J Dilla, "The Healer". This is the type of thing to make Spice Adams jump on his kitchen counter and scream. From the second the beat drops they give the original Madlib production a run for its money, shaking subwoofers with the eerie tremolo bass while the pans play E. Badu's vocal melodies. By the time the album is through Bacao has taken the listener on a journey that spans a myriad of energies, tempos, and moods while somehow managing to keep it all under one umbrella. For all that, these songs are alive, and they will be taken out of the context of this album and sewn into the fabric of DJ sets around the globe for many years to come. Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band is breathing renewed life into the originals and continuing to push the boundaries of steel pan music, or, as the title suggests, expanding on it.

Go to Item

Expansions Colored Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, the mysterious steel pan outt hailing from Hamburg, Germany have amassed a cult following around the globe. With a slew of classic 7"s and two critically acclaimed full length albums, they set a high bar for themselves, one they clearly intend on pushing even higher with this new offering. On their third album, aptly titled Expansions, Brsb are back with more of the same, but more of the same with them is inherently different. Covering songs that span genres and range from mega hits to album cuts, they make them their own with their unique approach to the traditional steel pans of Trinidad and Tobago. Part of the allure of a new record from Bacao is nding out what covers they chose. However, die hard fans are also waiting to hear the original numbers like the stellar album opener "Tough Victory". Its airtight rhythm section, brass arrangements, and layers of steel pan melodies make the term "cover band" a shoe that could never t Bacao. Within the next three songs they go from Jazz (Galt MacDermot), to Hip Hop (Slum Village / J Dilla), to a dance ‑oor classic (Grace Jones) taking them all on with their signature style, expanding on the originals. An easy crowd favorite is their gritty, gully, and neck snapping cover of the Timbaland produced Jay-Z club hit "Dirt Off Your Shoulder". The infamous crushing Bacao drums start the show and the moment they start playing the top line on the pans, all bets are off. Sure to become a dance ‑oor ller is their bottom heavy ,four on the ‑oor version version of Sylvester's classic "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight". They venture into some gutbucket funk with Ike Turner's "Getting Nasty" and bring the steel pans to Minnie Riperton's Jazz classic "Les Fleurs". Digging deeper in the modern canon and paying tribute to a tribute, they cover Erykah Badu's homage to the late great J Dilla, "The Healer". This is the type of thing to make Spice Adams jump on his kitchen counter and scream. From the second the beat drops they give the original Madlib production a run for its money, shaking subwoofers with the eerie tremolo bass while the pans play E. Badu's vocal melodies. By the time the album is through Bacao has taken the listener on a journey that spans a myriad of energies, tempos, and moods while somehow managing to keep it all under one umbrella. For all that, these songs are alive, and they will be taken out of the context of this album and sewn into the fabric of DJ sets around the globe for many years to come. Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band is breathing renewed life into the originals and continuing to push the boundaries of steel pan music, or, as the title suggests, expanding on it.

Go to Item

Expansions Black Vinyl Edition

LP | 1976 | UK | Reissue (Matsuli Music)

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Go to Item

Harari (The Beaters)

Rufaro

Trujillo, Peru 1971 - 1974

Release: 1976 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Top reissue of their in demand 1976 LP by the super group. Includes the long jam ''Oya Kai'', keeps on going.. Also holds their known tune ''Musikana'', killer groove. Alec Khaoli, Selby Ntuli and Sipho Mabuse with their first album as Harari made a great debut channeling a raw energie following up their LP as the beaters. The Beaters – Harari was released in 1975. After changing their name, Harari went into the studio late in 1976 to record their follow-up, Rufaro / Happiness. In 1976 they were voted South Africa’s top instrumental group and were in high demand at concert venues across the country. Comprising former schoolmates guitarist and singer Selby Ntuli, bassist Alec Khaoli, lead guitarist Monty Ndimande and drummer Sipho Mabuse, the group had come a long way from playing American-styled instrumental soul in the late sixties to delivering two Afro-rock masterpieces. Before these two albums the Beaters had been disciples of ‘Soweto Soul’ – an explosion of township bands drawing on American soul and inspired by the assertive image of Stax and Motown’s Black artists. The Beaters supported Percy Sledge on his 1970 South African tour (and later Timmy Thomas, Brook Benton and Wilson Pickett). But their watershed moment was their three month tour of Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) where they were inspired by the strengthening independence struggle and musicians such as Thomas Mapfumo who were turning to African influences. On their return, the neat Nehru jackets that had been the band’s earliest stage wear were replaced by dashikis and Afros. “In Harari we rediscovered our African-ness, the infectious rhythms and music of the continent. We came back home inspired! We were overhauling ourselves into dashiki-clad musicians who were Black Power saluting and so on.” Sipho Hotstix Mabuse, talking of the band’s time spent on tour in the (then) Rhodesian township from where they took their name. As well as expressing confident African politics, Alec Khaoli recalled, they pioneered by demonstrating that such messages could also be carried by “...happy music. During apartheid times we made people laugh and dance when things weren’t looking good.” The two albums capture the band on the cusp of this transition. One the first album Harari, Inhlupeko Iphelile, Push It On and Thiba Kamoo immediately signal the new Afro-centric fusion of rock, funk and indigenous influences. Amercian soul pop is not forgotten with Love, Love, Love and, helped along by Kippie Moeketsi and Pat Matshikiza a bump-jive workout What’s Happening concludes the album. The second album Rufaro pushes the African identity and fusion further, with key tracks Oya Kai (Where are you going?), Musikana and Uzulu whilst the more pop-styled Rufaro and Afro-Gas point to where Harari were headed to in years to come. The popularity and sales generated by these two classic albums saw them signed by Gallo and release just two more albums with the original line-up before the untimely death of Selby Ntuli in 1978. Whilst they went on to greater success, even landing a song in the US Billboard Disco Hot 100 in 1982, it was never the same again. “Harari’s music still speaks directly to one of my goals as a younger artist: to express myself as an African without pretending that I don’t have all these other musical elements – classical, jazz, house – inside me.” (Thandi Ntuli, niece of Selby Ntuli).

Go to Item

Manzanita Y Su Conjunto

LP | 2021 | Original (Analog Africa)

7" | 2021 | EU | Original (Jalapeno)

Release: 2021 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

I was in Lima, hanging out with collector-extraordinaire Victor Zela, who had spent the previous few years pouring his passion for Peruvian Cumbia into the blog „la cumbia de mis viejos“, a trove of incredible music. But after the birth of his first child, his priorities shifted and he decided to part with some of his rarest LPs. I was one of the lucky few given an early chance to examine his treasures, and when I picked up the album Manzaneando com Manzanita, Victor said: “Take it! its one of the best LPs ever recorded in Perú … easily in the top five”. That was all the encouragement I needed … two years later many of the songs from that masterpiece have made it onto Manzanita y su Conjunto, a compilation of electrifying Cumbia sides from Manzanita’s golden era.

Berardo Hernández – better known as Manzanita – first surfaced during the psychedelic Cumbia craze. At the head of the scene were the magnificent Los Destellos, whose leader, Enrique Delgado, was such a six-string wizard that other guitarists found it impossible to escape his shadow. But when Manzanita arrived, his electric criollo style sent shockwaves through Lima’s music scene and posed a serious threat to Delgado’s dominance as king of the Peruvian guitar.

Manzanita had come to Lima from the coastal city of Trujillo, five hundred miles up the coast – a place where Spanish, African and indigenous populations had been living and making music together for centuries – and came of age at a time when the first wave of psychedelic rock from the US and UK was starting to sweep the airwaves. But the sounds of Cream and Hendrix disappeared from the radio just as quickly in 1968 when Juan Velasco seized control of the country in a military coup. The new regime, which favoured local traditions over cultural ‘imports’ from the north, was a blessing in disguise for the Peruvian music scene.

Record labels flourished as new bands, raised on a hybrid diet of electric guitars and Cuban rhythms, rushed in to fill the vacuum created by the lack of imported rock. A new genre, known as Peruvian cumbia, was born and Manzanita quickly became one of its most original voices.

Starting in 1969, Manzanita y su Conjunto released a steady stream of singles that used Cuban guaracha rhythms as the foundation for dazzling electric guitar lines. After countless 45s and several years on the touring circuit, the band signed to Virrey, an important Peruvian label, and recorded two LPs acknowledged as masterpieces among aficionados of tropical music. Most of the songs on Analog Africa’s new compilation Manzanita y su Conjunto are drawn from those legendary sessions of 1973 and 74.

Although he scored a few more hits in the later 70s, his dissatisfaction with the music industry caused him to withdraw from the scene for several years; and when he finally retired for good, the golden age of Peruvian cumbia was a distant memory. But when Manzanita was at the top of his game he had few equals. Victor Zela was right: this is some of the best music ever recorded in Perú.

Go to Item

The Allergies

Move On Baby

16,99 €*

Lowell Graham Conducts National Symphonic Winds

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Time to bust out those shades as we have two brand new blasts of sonic sunshine from Bristol beatmakers, The Allergies. 'Move On Baby' finds the duo on career-best form. With their sampling savvy hitting new heights, as vintage rhythm 'n' blues vocals ride highly re-energised Latin loops, and some seriously funky drums. Totally their signature sound â€“ Tough beats, catchy hooks and horns, and feel-good dancefloor vibes â€“ But turned up to 11. It's got "Sound of the Summer" written all over it, weather permitting. Also shining bright is B-side banger, 'Are You Ready'. This stomping soul sensation features LA rap legend, Andy Cooper [Ugly Duckling] and the powerful pipes of Miss Marietta Smith. The peak-time powder keg is set to detonate on this one. And the call-to-arms manifesto gives you the full Allergies' band stage show experience in one beefed up jukebox single.

Go to Item

Winds O War And Peace 180g Vinyl, 45rpm Edition

2LP | 2021 | US | Original (Analogue Productions)

47,87 €* 75,99 € -37%

Florian Pellissier Quintet

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

On "Winds Of War And Peace", conductor Lowell Graham takes the National Symphonic Winds ensemble through a program of stirring orchestrations and marches. "Liberty Fanfare" was composed for the centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty in 1986. The fanfare set the stage for one of the most spectacular celebrations in America's history. Samuel Barber's "Commando March" composed in 1943, represents Barber's first band work. Written in a quadruple meter, this work utilizes the constant contrast of dotted and triplet rhythms. Roger Nixon's "Festival Fanfare March" was recognized for superb composition by the American Bandmasters Association in 1973. It is a work that's technical, bright in color and effervescent in spirit. The album also includes "Victory at Sea", "El Camino Real", "A Santa Cecilla" and "Symphonic Dance No. 3". Although the 33 1/3 reissue of this recording by Analogue Productions was outstanding, our 45 RPM version raises the quality bar even higher. With wider grooves, you'll hear sound that reveals more depth and space to the orchestra as a whole, as well as individual instruments. This disc sports more detail, more human presence, more of what we as audiophiles, listen for. Graham, a native of Greeley, Colorado, has earned recognition as one of America's most talented young conductors. He graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees. He was also the first person to be awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Catholic University of America. Graham has led orchestras and bands on record and in performance throughout the world. He is the current conductor and commander of the United States Air Force Tactical Air Command Band.

Go to Item

Rio

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Hot Casa)

24,29 €* 26,99 € -10%

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

A fantastic 5th album of the sensational french Jazz band from pianist Florian Pelissier, recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio (New Jersey, Usa), mixed by Jordan Kouby at Question de Son (Paris) and mastered by Frank Merritt at The Carvery (London, UK). Hard Bop 2021 at his best, available as Deluxe Tip-On Vinyl LP! Florian Pellissiers tells the story: "How did we get here? In this tropical daze, contemplating the surrounding landscape, the luxuriance of nature, with the ocean and her ballet of gentle waves, caressing the sand - timidly gaining a few inches with each passing adagio. The temperature, as if perfectly adjusted to the most precise degree by an artful yet mercurial hand knowing full well that it could, with idle ease, sway the fragile quality of this luscious and suave atmosphere... However, just a few months before, the course had been set for New Jersey. More specifically; to Rudy Van Gelder's studio: one of jazz’s greatest unstitutions. This pilgrimage was to both celebrate and crown the twentieth anniversary of the Quintet. An unchanging line-up that yielded four albums, with this fifth recording intended to be our artistic culmination before moving onto something else. New adventures, on different roads perhaps. Van Gelder's studio, long revered to be a chapel for the artists who passed through it with it’s exceptional acoustics, was the place to be. Its woodwork seemingly encrusted with thousands of hours of Blue Note recordings, still pulsating with years of incantations from past sessions…now we too were going to make our own mark. By lighting the voodoo fire there, we would submerge the place in a collective trance. Dark and dense. Did we seek to summon voodoo? Of course not. It is the Loa of music who decides whether or not they will be present. Yet this record, or more, the one that I originally dreamt of, was so raw. The one I initially visualized to be messy, rich and spiritual actually clashed with the creative reality of the moment. The energy, the dynamics of the group were, at that time, not parallel with those tempestuous qualities so when we pushed, something resisted. We strived to sink into darkness - yet reality lead us back again and again towards an ever more sensitive space of grace and elegance. We arrived wanting to take out the machete, but finesse, in the end, called out to us. Obviously, the sessions saw new trails emerge, basked in a serendipitous and welcoming light. Rather than battling, we instead turned our compass towards the calmer latitudes of Capricorn and Cancer. It was then the Quintet embarked for tropical promenades in the newfound tranquillity of this legendary studio. So how did we get there? By not upsetting the creative forces that willed the powers of voodoo against taking our souls, at least this time anyway. From afar, my faithful creative daemons came galloping out, like gazelles, from the groove and gracefully forged a rhythm machine, encased with futuristic vibes that I myself then layered with synthesizers. At once intoxicated by all these sultry elements and ful filled by our orchestral solstice – I thought of Rio. And this one’s to my Rio."

Go to Item

7" | 2021 | US | Original (Big Crown)

Dirt Off Your Shoulder

Mildred Rosner w/ Mendelsohn's Orchestra) / Slim Gaillard And His Flat-Foot-Floogie Boys

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, The Kings Of "Wait, What Is This!!!" Are Back With Another Two-Sider That Has A Little Something For Everyone. Both Of These Songs Are Pulled From Their Forthcoming Full Length Album Expansions.The A Side Is A Gritty, Gully, And Neck Snapping Cover Of The Timbaland Produced Jay-Z Club Hit "Dirt Off Your Shoulder". The Signature Crushing Bacao Drums Start The Show And The Moment They Start Playing The Top Line On The Steel Pans All Bets Are Off. They Push The Tune To New Heights And Places Adding Brass Arrangements And Working Around The Original Riff Never Losing The Groove. The Way They Walk The Line Between The Original And Making It Their Own Will Woo Hip Hop Heads And Funk Enthusiasts Alike.The B Side Finds Brsb Taking It Straight To The Discoteque And Ushering Everyone To The Floor As They Cover Sylvester's Underground Classic "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight". While Bacao Have Laid Down A Few Four On The Floor Numbers On Previous Albums This Is The First One Making Its Way To A 7" And We Are Sure It Will Get Their Music Into A New Sector Of DJs Playboxes.

Go to Item

Gefilte Fish / Matzoh Balls

7" | 2021 | UK | Original (JWM)

22,99 €*

Da Real EP Jerome Sydenham Remix

Release: 2021 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Here’s a special melt in the mouth treat for lovers of old-time home cooking, and foot-tapping rhythms that we all know they just don’t make ‘em like this anymore!

The very first 7” single from JWM recordings, who brought you ‘Music is the Most Beautiful Language in the World’, the much-loved compilation of Yiddisher Jazz in London’s East End 1920s to 1950s. On the menu is Gefilte Fish and Matzoh Balls, a double ‘A’ side recipe of two classic dishes that have graced the Jewish luncheon or dinner table for generations.

Ours are the tastiest sounding Matzoh Balls - dumplings made of eggs and matzoh meal (ground unleavened bread) - that we’ve ever heard. A mesmerising musical soup concocted in New York in 1939 by the one and only Slim Gaillard and His Flat-Foot-Floogie Boys. Slim was a hugely popular and influential figure on the jazz circuit for over half a century. He’d riff and scat in his own made-up language ‘voute-o-rooney’ – a hip scatological word play that would be celebrated in Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’. Gaillard’s own background has always been a mystery – an African-American who even claimed Jewish ancestry, hence his love for Jewish food (his repertoire also included the ditty ‘Dunkin’ Bagels’). In his Matzoh Balls, we discover that Slim likes his balls with a kick: “now you put a little horseradish on it, and it knocks you right out...” For the record, accompanying Slim and his guitar on Matzoh Balls were Al Killian (trumpet), Kenneth Hollon (tenor saxophone), Loumell Morgan (piano), William Smith (string bass) and Hubert Pettaway (drums).

Playwright and song writer Isadore Lillian’s Gefilte Fish passionately declares a love affair with this slightly sweet but savoury ancient dish – patties made up of a poached mixture of ground deboned white fish. Served boiled or fried. Yiddish singer Mildred Rosner is backed by Mendelsohn’s Orchestra to deliver the finest ever version of Gefilte Fish on the market. The band put down a roaring and infectious dance tune – they’ve clearly played a Jewish wedding or two. Mildred Rosner’s delivery on her only known record is an utter joy, and listen out for the punky call and response of the tune’s title. All together now Gefilte Fish!

It’s the first ever re-issue of the original 78rpm 10” that was issued for the speciality American Jewish market in 1947 by The Sun Recording Corp. of New York. The Bronx-based label’s motto was “the brightest thing on records” - and it pre-dated a rather more famous Sun label - Sam Phillips’ Sun of Memphis, Tennessee.

We’ve packaged our food-themed single in a glorious card cover with a tasteful tactile matt finish, designed by Will Bankhead. The image on the front shows just how many of us may remember what those portions of boiled Gefilte Fish topped with sliced carrots looked like, laid out for hours on the buffet tables of those functions of yesteryear...

As a special treat for this individually numbered special edition of just 200 copies, we’ve included an illustrated double-sided flyer complete with recipes to make your very own Gefilte Fish and Matzoh Balls to eat while you listen...

JWM Recording’s Gefilte Fish c/w Matzoh Balls Is compiled by Alan Dein and Howard Williams, the very same team behind ‘Music is the Most Beautiful Language in the World’:

Go to Item

Fenyan & Kosmo Kint

12" | 2021 | EU | Original (Toy Tonics)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Electronic & Dance

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

This next Toy Tonics EP takes one more step into a futuristic sound that connects Broken Beat, House & Neo Soul. The EP was produced by Fényan. France based dancer and producer (originally from Martinique) who hooked up with Kosmo Kint. Soul singer raised in New York and since one year part of The Toy Tonics crew in Berlin. Fenyan & Kosmo Kint met shortly after Kosmo Kint’s first release on Toy Tonics (the „Get lost“ EP with french producer Mangabey). Together they created three magic sparkling pieces of music. A unique sound inspired by the UK Jazz sound and the broken beat scene. A great further step in the evolution of uptempo Neo Soul dancemusic. Fényan’s rhythms are special. The groove is unique. This music makes you dance differently. No wonder as Fenyan (his real name is Kwame) is a professional dancer. He is travelling around the world teaching dancing with his own dance company and is a judge on international dance battles. Besides dancing he has ben producing beats since the age of 19 on his MPC. Influencd by the great names of deep jazz and fusion, but also inspired by the music from his origin Martinqiue: Zouk, Biguine, Bélè… you can feel this in the programming of his beats. Besides the MPC Fenyan tried many instruments, but mainly it’s the keybaords and the trumpet what he feels well with intuitivly. Kosmo Kint lives in Berlin since three years. He came from NYC where he was singing in Soul bands, hanging out with musicians and also writing songs for other artists. he is one of the many artists that moved from the big apple to Berlin recently. He joined the Toy Tonics crew almost 2 years ago to work on new styles between House and Soul.

Go to Item

Angola Soundtrack Volume 2

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

32,99 €*

Evolution - Bring Back The Ofege Beat Clear Vinyl Edition

Release: 2013 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

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!

Go to Item

Melvin Ukachi (Ofege)

LP | 1981 | US | Reissue (Tidal Waves Music)

Jackie Mclean & Michael Carvin / Chris Mcgregor's Brotherhood Of Breath

Release: 1981 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Melvin Ukachi needs little introduction, the Lagos (Nigeria) based vocalist and bandleader is a living legend. Melvin is known for his fantastic solo albums, his vocals for the afrobeat star-groups M.F.B. and Ozzobia…but his biggest legacy is without a doubt him being the singer and bandleader of Ofege.

Melvin formed Ofege in the early 1970s (when he and the other band members were all still a bunch of teenagers). Due to their vibrant combo of sweet harmonies, hooks & fuzz, Ofege would become one of the most legendary Nigerian groups of all time, with expressive sales and national stardom to follow. At the turn of the century (and because of tracks appearing on various compilations) Ofege would receive international acknowledgment for being the first of their kind and THE ultimate West-African psychedelic funk band!

Melvin Ukachi recorded four milestone albums with Ofege: ‘Try and Love’ (1973) ‘The Last of The Origins’ (1976), ‘Higher Plane Breeze’ (1977) and ‘How Do You Feel’ (1978). When the Ofege story came to an end, Melvin recorded two astonishing solo albums: ‘Evolution-Bring Back The Ofege Beat’ (1981) and ‘I am Ok’ (1985). Both of his solo recordings have now become much sought-after holy grails for collectors and fans alike.

On the album, we are presenting you today (Evolution-Bring Back The Ofege Beat) the listener is treated to the trademark Ofege sound (as the title of the record obviously suggests). Next to the rootsy and raw Ofege sound, we’re shown a perfect glimpse of the late '70s afrobeat works combining soul, jazzy rhythms, William Onyeabor style synths & fluid boogie-danceability

Expect some serious ‘all-star’ guest musicians as well…featured on the album are Chyke Madu (The Funkees) on drums, Berkley Jones (Ofege) on guitar…and many other local legends. To top things off the tracks were recorded and mixed at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London…all slickly engineered by Rafiu Ayoade (The Apostles) and produced by the president of sound himself Odion Iruoje (known for his work with Manu Dibango, Fela Kuti…and many others).

‘Evolution-Bring Back The Ofege Beat’ was released on EMI Nigeria in 1981 and is a total Afro-psych-funk classic that begs for a special place in your record collection. It’s tight, funky and Melvin’s soulful vocals are to die for. This record is a monster!

Tidal Waves Music now proudly presents the first-ever reissue (supervised by Melvin Ukachi himself) of this amazing Nigerian Afrobeat album. This Rare classic (original copies tend to go for large amounts on the secondary market) is now finally back available as a limited 180g vinyl edition (500 copies, 300 black, 200 clear) complete with the original artwork made at Grafikad (who were responsible for designing landmark sleeves for renowned artists such as Fela Kuti).

Go to Item

Melodies Record Club 001 Four Tet Selects

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Melodies Record Club)

18,99 €*

LP | 1975 | EU | Reissue (Matsuli Music)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

We’re excited to be launching a new release series: “Melodies Record Club", a string of DJ and artist curated mini compilations in loud 12″ format. The first instalment was put together by Four Tet, selecting two big peak-time Jazz tracks he used to spin regularly at Plastic People. On one side, we’ve got all time jazz greats Jackie McLean and Michael Carvin’s De I Comahlee Ah, taken from their seminal album Antiquity recorded in Denmark back in 1975. A year and a half ago, we visited Steeplechase, the original label in the outskirts of Copenhagen. They informed us that at the time, the track was cut short as it didn’t fit on the full LP. They were kind enough to provide us with the tape of the full original recording, allowing us to release for the first time the full extended version capturing twelve and a half minutes of studio magic. Speaking with Michael back in November, he told us that every song on that album was recorded without any overdubs. They had taken their shoes off and organised the studio in such a way that they could move from instrument to instrument during the take (!!) On the flip, we have Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath - MRA. Back in 70s London, the Brotherhood had brought together musicians who had sought refuge from South Africa’s apartheid regime and the best of a new generation of British jazz musicians. Music journalist Richard Williams, who had originally reviewed the band in the 1970s tell us: “They made music that appealed in equal measure to the head, the heart and the feet, taking the jazz legacy of Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus and adding to it the fantastic dance rhythms and gorgeous harmonies of the townships and untethered collective improvisations of the new free music". Four Tet’s instalment is out early May in 12″ format and digitally (stream & download), first press comes with a folded A2 insert with words from and about the artists. Graphic design by Studio ChoqueLeGoff

Go to Item

The Beaters

Harari

Evolution - Bring Back The Ofege Beat Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 1975 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Excellent reissue of this amazing LP by the South African super group. Check the tunes ''Harari'' and 'Thiba Kamoo'', super groovy arrangements and tight cohesion between Alec Khaoli on bass guitar and Sipho Mabuse on drums, laced with the soaring vocals and guitar play by Selby Ntuli. Tip! The Beaters – Harari was released in 1975. After changing their name, Harari went into the studio late in 1976 to record their follow-up, Rufaro / Happiness. In 1976 they were voted South Africa’s top instrumental group and were in high demand at concert venues across the country. Comprising former schoolmates guitarist and singer Selby Ntuli, bassist Alec Khaoli, lead guitarist Monty Ndimande and drummer Sipho Mabuse, the group had come a long way from playing American-styled instrumental soul in the late sixties to delivering two Afro-rock masterpieces. Before these two albums the Beaters had been disciples of ‘Soweto Soul’ – an explosion of township bands drawing on American soul and inspired by the assertive image of Stax and Motown’s Black artists. The Beaters supported Percy Sledge on his 1970 South African tour (and later Timmy Thomas, Brook Benton and Wilson Pickett). But their watershed moment was their three month tour of Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) where they were inspired by the strengthening independence struggle and musicians such as Thomas Mapfumo who were turning to African influences. On their return, the neat Nehru jackets that had been the band’s earliest stage wear were replaced by dashikis and Afros. “In Harari we rediscovered our African-ness, the infectious rhythms and music of the continent. We came back home inspired! We were overhauling ourselves into dashiki-clad musicians who were Black Power saluting and so on.” Sipho Hotstix Mabuse, talking of the band’s time spent on tour in the (then) Rhodesian township from where they took their name. As well as expressing confident African politics, Alec Khaoli recalled, they pioneered by demonstrating that such messages could also be carried by “...happy music. During apartheid times we made people laugh and dance when things weren’t looking good.” The two albums capture the band on the cusp of this transition. One the first album Harari, Inhlupeko Iphelile, Push It On and Thiba Kamoo immediately signal the new Afro-centric fusion of rock, funk and indigenous influences. Amercian soul pop is not forgotten with Love, Love, Love and, helped along by Kippie Moeketsi and Pat Matshikiza a bump-jive workout What’s Happening concludes the album. The second album Rufaro pushes the African identity and fusion further, with key tracks Oya Kai (Where are you going?), Musikana and Uzulu whilst the more pop-styled Rufaro and Afro-Gas point to where Harari were headed to in years to come. The popularity and sales generated by these two classic albums saw them signed by Gallo and release just two more albums with the original line-up before the untimely death of Selby Ntuli in 1978. Whilst they went on to greater success, even landing a song in the US Billboard Disco Hot 100 in 1982, it was never the same again. “Harari’s music still speaks directly to one of my goals as a younger artist: to express myself as an African without pretending that I don’t have all these other musical elements – classical, jazz, house – inside me.” (Thandi Ntuli, niece of Selby Ntuli).

Go to Item

Melvin Ukachi (Ofege)

LP | 1981 | US | Reissue (Tidal Waves Music)

Release: 1981 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Go to Item

Dear Sunny Transculent Yellow Vinyl Edition

Bye Bye Baby / Scent Of Early Summer

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Big Crown Records is proud to present Dear Sunny... a compilation of Sunny & The Sunliners covers by Big Crown artists. Since the first time we heard "Should I Take You Home" by Sunny & The Sunliners, we have been avid fans. That record, which we were introduced to on MF Classy Chris' now legendary mixtape, The Time Is Right, set a lot of things in motion. It started of course with tracking down copies and collecting all of Sunny's records for our personal collections. That quickly turned into the desire to reissue some of his vast catalog on our label for the rest of the world to hear. We got in touch with Sunny and his son David and brought the idea to them. It took a lot of phone calls, a visit to their home in San Antonio, and three more years of calls and emails to convince them that our New York record label was a good place for them to entrust their music. After getting to know each other well enough Dave said, "You have been calling us non-stop for more than three years, you Must mean what you are saying" and with that, we signed a deal to do a reissue project on Big Crown. We then flew out to San Antonio again, this time with a scanner and a videographer. We sat down with Sunny to interview him, went through his vast collection of photos, and talked about his life and career. Sunny was even kind enough to let us film him performing acoustic versions of a few songs. We used all of that material for our 2017 compilation, Mr Brown Eyed Soul. That release is our highlight reel of Sunny's Soul tunes. Looking back at the response to that compilation, it is safe to say that we achieved our goal of connecting a whole new audience to Sunny's incredible music. We also made his rarest records readily available to collectors at a price that wouldn't empty their pockets. The concept for Dear SunnyâÇÝ came to us right after we signed the deal. We wanted our artists to cover his music as a tribute to him. Three years later we released the digital album on Sept 4th to coincide with Sunny's 77th birthday. The response has been nothing but love and now we are ready to press this up on vinyl with the addition of Liam Bailey's scorching cover of "Give Me Time". Everyone here stepped up to fill very big shoes doing these covers. Bobby Oroza teamed up with Cold Diamond & Mink and made a smashing version of "Should I Take You Home". The Shacks took on the anthemic "Smile Now, Cry Later" while Holy Hive covers "If I Could See You Now" building off the uptempo dance floor energy of the original. Paul & The Tall Trees bring a crooning vibe to "Rain Makes Me Blue" and Brainstory turned "Runaway" into a haunting ballad reminiscent of early Lee Hazelwood productions. Some of these turn out to be covers of covers. Bacao Rhythm & Steel B and takes on the funk collector's holy grail from Sunny, his cover of War's "Get Down" while 79.5 take Sunny's version of "My Dream" and change the vibe from a floating love song to theme music for the brokenhearted. Mr. Lee Fields does "The One Who's Hurting Is You" and the latest addition to the Big Crown Roster, Lizette and Quevin, do a rendition of the song that brought Sunny to Dick Clark's American Bandstand in 1963 and catapulted him to fame; his cover of Little Willie John's "Talk To Me". So as the letter begins, "Dear Sunny.." we hope that you enjoy this homage Sir. Thank you for all the music you have given all of us, it has been a pleasure to work with you and to get a chance to know you and your family. We will keep calling Dave every other week trying to get you in the studio with Leon to record some new material until it happens or you flat out tell us no...but all jokes aside, thank you Sunny. This was all really a dream come true for us. We hope everyone enjoys this homage to t he living legend, San Antonio's finest, Mr. Brown Eyed Soul, Sunny Ozuna as much as we do.

Go to Item

Makoto Kubota

7" | 1996 | JP | Original (Solid)

7" | 2021 | US | Original (Colemine)

Release: 1996 / JP – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Following the debut solo album “Wait and see”, a classic acid-folk record, this is an authentic reissue of a single album released after returning to the US.

A funky groove “Bye Bye Baby” with a motif of southern American roots music is performed by Shigeru Suzuki, Hiroshi Sato and others. The B-side features “Hatsuatsu Natsu no Kaori (Scent of Early Summer)”, which was later featured on “Yuyake Band”. It is an exotic number with a beautiful steel guitar tone that directly conveys the longing for Hawaiian music. Nowadays, his works are becoming popular not only in Japan but also abroad. This is a limited edition pressing, so don’t miss out on this one.

Go to Item

The Winston Brothers

Winston Theme

10,99 €*

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Worldwax)

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

The Winston Brothers Are Taking Colemine Back To Its Roots. Heavy Drums, Breakbeats, Nasty Funk, And All Instrumental. The Debut 45 From This German Based Funk Powerhouse Is Just A Tease For What's To Come From Their Forthcoming Lp. Very Much Coming From The Boom Bap Side Of Things And Sharing Production Credits For Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, That Makes Sense. This Is A 45 Tailor Made For DJs So Grab Doubles.

Go to Item

Grupo Renacer

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Obsolete)

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

In 1990 at a small recording studio located in the infamous Bazurto market in Cartagena de Indias Colombia, Mariano Perez aka the “bionic accordionist” and Champeta godfather Hernan Hernandez teamed up to create the band Grupo Renacer. These recording sessions would prove to be extremely fruitful culminating in the bands first self-titled album Grupo Renacer - Vol. 1 Ushering a new sound by blending local folkloric rhythms from Colombia’s Caribbean Coast along with strong musical influences and styles from the Greater Caribbean region and Africa the result was a blistering set that included songs like “Rastafara” “Las Amargadas” and the local hit “La Bolsa”. Capitalizing on their success Mariano Perez went on to record a follow-up album Grupo Renacer Vol 2. Songs like “El Colera” and “Uhey Le La” would further cement Mariano Perez and Hernan Hernandez as legends in the local “pico” aka soundsystem subculture scene that had taken hold of Cartagena and Barranquilla respectively. While both original albums remain elusive and under the radar, Worldwaxrecords has decided to compile in one single album the songs that we feel best represent the work and achievements of Grupo Renacer and the vital role this band has had in shaping Champeta soundsystem culture not only in Colombia but all around the world. Ironically the word Renacer in Spanish means “rebirth” or to be “reborn.” We hope that with this timely release we can commemorate the arrival of a new year and the beginning of a new dawn. ( By Sanjay Agarwal)

Go to Item

Jilala

North East Ska Jazz Orchestra

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

First time these tracks appear on vinyl – Pressed on 180 Gram Black Vinyl
Recorded by Brion Gysin & Paul Bowles in Morocco 1965
Limited Edition of 300 Copies

Until Now, Jilala has been a much sought-after phantom in relation to their better-known musical and spiritual contemporaries, The Master Musicians of Jajouka. Culled from three and a half hours of 1965 recordings by writers/artists/poets Brion Gysin and Paul Bowles, the first batch of Jilala recordings were released on a 1965 LP that was scarce even upon its initial release. The second batch of recordings, which this LP has drawn from, came in the form of a CD by Baraka Foundation in 1998, which is also now long out of print.

The Jilala brotherhood -- like the better-known Jajouka culture -- has pre-Islamic roots in Sufi mysticism that span across northern Africa from Morocco to India. Jilala shares the kinds of small, portable instruments historically favored by nomadic cultures. Even among the more ardent aficionados of “world music” these recordings have seldom been heard.

In the original liner notes Ira Cohen provides a breakdown of the Jilala ensemble: 'The instruments used are the shebaba, a long transversal cane flute, which leads the way; the bendir, a handheld drum resembling a tambourine without cymbals; and the karkabat which is a double castanet made of metal. On this record, there are usually three flutes, six drums and one pair of castanets.' In conjunction with the qraqaba - an iron analog to the wooden castanets featured heavily in the Flamenco music of the Roma people that also flourished over the centuries mere miles to the north in southern Spain.

These bendir drums provide a range very similar to that covered in contemporary popular music by the bass drum, snare, and cymbals that make up a standard drum kit. The Trance-inducing grooves were major influences on such bands as Led Zeppelin, Agitation Free, Can and the Rolling Stones. The collective rhythms are often reminiscent of early hip-hop.

Go to Item

Stompin' & Rollin'

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Brixton)

Yebolala Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Vinyl Lp Release Of The Debut Album Of Italian Maestros North East Ska*Jazz Orchestra, Originally Released In Cd Format In 2015.Nesjo Delivers In This First Album, Stompin' & Rollin', 10 Remakes Of Jazz And Swing Classics Performed In The Jamaican Style Of The 60's. From Original Ska To Rocksteady And Reggae, The Young Big Band From Triveneto (North East Italy) Conveys In This Work Energetic Enthusiasm For Jamaican Music, Stylishly Enriched By The Coolness Of The Dance Music Of The Golden Era Of Swing. Stompin' & Rollin' Features Two Outstanding Collaborations: Mr. T-Bone (Africa Unite, Bluebeaters) And Olly Riva (Shandon, Olly Riva & The Soul Rockets) Who Join Forces With The Voices Of Freddy Frenzy, Rosa Mussin And Michela Grena, The Ten-Piece Brass Section And The Sound Rhythm Base Of This Young Big Band. The Album Was Recorded At Studio Jork In Koper (Slovenia) In March 2015 And Mixed And Mastered In The Volcano Lounge, Sherman Oaks (California) By Brian Dixon (Ex The Aggrolites).

Go to Item

Nebeyu Hamdi

12" | 2020 | EU | Original (Sheba Sound)

LP | 2020 | EU | Original (Funkiwala)

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

This is a recent recording straight out of Ethiopia, courtesy of the Sheba Sound crew.

Sheba Sound tour the Ethiopian hinterlands, capturing the mesmerising sounds of local talented musicians, using state of the art pop-up recording studios.

The process was captured in the highly acclaimed, award-winning documentary: Roaring Abyss, by Joaquin PiÃ±ero:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roaring-Abyss-Quino-PiÃ±ero/dp/B08329VLRL

The hugely anticipated next release from the Sheba Sound archives, under license to NuAfrique (My45) features crazy, untapped talent of Nebeyu Hamdi, with the Sabat Bet Gurage Band, based in Welkite, western Ethiopia.

The original recordings from 2013 receive ethio-funk bassline overdubbing treatment from Addis Abeba's inspired masenko-bass man of the moment, 'Bubu' Teklemariam.

The full package receives ultimate mixing treatment at The Yard Studio by master dub producer Nick Manasseh (Roots Garden).

The B-side of this EP release features 3 exclusive ethio-dub cuts. Manasseh's inspiration of deep masenko bass and tribal drum rhythms is evident through his dub treatment of the originals. Playing the tracks back through his mixing desk like it was an instrument, the results are completely unique pulsating, punctuated Ethio-dub rhythm tracks.

Watch out Shaka â€“ the Ethiopians are bringing their own dub cuts to town!
Interactive acoustic map of Ethiopia: http://shebasound.com/
Info & DJ bookings, contact: jonbanes@gmail.com

Go to Item

Lokkhi Terra

Cubangla

22,99 €*

LP+CD | 2019 | Original (No Wahala Sounds)

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Funkiwala Records presents Cubangla - the sixth album by London fusionistas LoKkhi TeRra. Following on from their hugely successful collaboration with UK afro-beat ambassador Dele Sosimi on 2018's "Cubafrobeat"(mixing afrobeat and Cuban Rumba/Timba), this album sees them return to their Bangla-Afro- Latin-Jazz-Roots. 8 tracks of 21st century London groove â€“ from Sufi Samba to Baul Blues to Bengali folk-Son to Bangla Roots Reggae to London Descargas - recorded in between tours, sessions and collaborations â€“ a true celebration of traditions taking on new forms as they travel and co-exist. In these divided times, their collective musical journey has never been so relevant.
Background Kishon Khan's Lokkhi Terra have been blending the musical traditions that surround them in London, for many years now. "Stunning Headliners... A majestic multi-cultural blend of sounds... effortlessly builds bridges between rolling Indian raga rhythms, Afro-Cuban grooves, Acid Jazz/funk and free flowing improvisation" (Timeout London).

The band is composed of musicians who take seriously the different languages of the different genres they mix. Each in their own right play with calibre purist outfits. Members have collaborated with the likes of Hugh Masekela, Tony Allen, Ibrahim Ferrer, Johnny Clarke, Orlando Poleo, Africa Express, Jazz Jamaica, Ska Cubano, Giles Peterson's Havana Cultura, Kyle Eastwood, Bellowhead, Akram Khan to name a very few. The tracks on this album were gigged for a number of years before being recorded, with the exception of the last 2 tracks which were recorded in 2015 just before performing at Womad and Songlines Encounters. With Cubangla the band has come round full circle â€“ a journey that started a decade ago with their debut No Visa Required (2010). An urban London view on the musical world.
Songlines Review
"Acclaimed groovesters Lokkhi Terra continue their creative roll, returning to their Bangla-Afro-Latin-Jazz roots after a wildly successful colaboration with Afrobeat keyboardist Dele Sosimi. Featuring a who's who of London based players from, variously, Bangladesh, Brasil, Cuba, Spain and Nepal, Cubangla offers more sparkling genre crossing. Its eight tracks veer from fresh takes on traditional Bengali folk tunes to unlikely but sophisticated pairing including Baul blues, Sufi Samba and Cubangla funk. Keys player and main man Kishon Khan â€“ here on piano, Fender Rhodes, microKORG and (on root-reggae remake "Bhandari Revisited") wah-wah harmonium â€“ has written and/or arranged a clutch of tunes that respect tradition while forging new pathways. "Badaam"jumps off the Cuban standard "El Manisero" into a suhg conversatio between Cuban sonero Javier Camilo and Bangladeshi songbirds Sohini Alam and Aanon Siddiqua.
The albums title-track is a glorious descarga jam riffing on themes Cuban and Bengali, stoked by piano, percussion, trumpet and Jalal Ahmed's snaking Bansuri (flute). An upbeat variation on a legendary Sufi song, "Lal Mere" finds Alam and Siddiqua in powerful form and Khan deploying a fiery Rhodes solo. Originally performed at a Songlines Encounters festival, "Kon Kole Revisited" features the rough-hewn voice of the late Baul musician Rob Fakir, his lyrics celebrating Bengali philosopher Lalon and his attitude of religious tolerance. Deep, laced with joy and a masterly lightness of touch, Cubangla rewards repeated listening"
John Armstrong review
Despite Latin and Afro-Cuban music's longstanding popularity in the UK, there have been relatively few UK based artists who have pushed the limits of convention, adding novel elements whilst remaining (more or less) 'en clave' . Alex Wilson is one, and another is the formidably talented pianist, keyboardist, arranger and producer Kishon Khan with his band Lokkhi Terra. Kishon can play straight afrobeat, timba and Afro-Cuban descarga with the best, but his musical curiosity leads him in other directions, too- most specifically, to Bangladeshi music. To these ears, Lokkhi Terra's third (fourth?) outing, Cubangla, is their crowning glory to date. Lazy reviewers will call this a 'fusion' album: i don't know about you, but I find the term 'fusion' as meaningless as the term 'world music': all modern music is a fusion of something or other. This is Afro-Cubano-Bangladeshi music, please don't call it 'fusion'.
Khan's real arranging achievements here can be heard immediately in one of the shortest tracks, 'Bhromor' - described as a 'son cubangla'. The melancholy traditional Bangla song is subjected to the strict conventions of the Eastern Cuban son format, but nevertheless finds space and time for the strong improvisational elements in Bangla singing, a space that the singer Aneira Khan fills to perfection. The rest of the album is equally arresting, with a couple of instrumental descargas and more of that beautiful Bangla melody and vocal impro rising above the Afro-Cuban bedrock. Almost thirty musicians and singers...studios in London, Dhaka, Brooklyn..this must have been a helluva logistical feat (well done Kishon!), as well as being one of the outstanding albums of the year so far for me."
Jazzwise Review
London-based collective Lokkhi Terra have been blending sounds from around the globe since 2010. They describe their music as Bangla-Afro-Latin-Jazz, but even that doesn't do justice to the range of traditions that find their way onto Cubangla, which weaves in everything from funk grooves and Afrobeat hornlines to bluesy guitar and the music of the Bauls, a group of musician-mystics from Bengal. Lots of bands mix African and Latin sounds with jazz and it's these Indian influences that really set Lokkhi Terra apart. Among the highlights is 'Bhromor', a traditional Bengali song about the love between Radha and Krishna that drifts over lilting Cuban guitar, fluttering tabla and delicate flutes. 'Lal Mere' sets a traditional Sufi song to breezy samba percussion and 'Badaam' has an easy-going reggae feel with both Spanish and Bengali vocals. Remarkably, the blend of styles always sounds natural, never forced or cluttered, which is testament to the ingenuity of the arrangements and the standard of the playing. Flautist Finn Peters and trumpeter Graeme Flowers are on particularly good form.
John Warr Review (AfroBase)
"Tracks like Como with its Cachao phrasing, hats off to Graeme Flowers and Justin Thurgur for some stunning solos, the Spanish/Bangla tinges, not forgetting your inspiring piano work and arrangements. Love the percussion throughout and especially on Cubangla, the beautiful Banzuri flute solos from Jalal Ahmed, the joyous vocals on Kalare, and not forgetting the very radio friendly Bandari although I really want to play Como!
This album is a true high point in the work of Lokkhi Terra and its worldly mix of influences. I hope I get to see the band play this live whenever that is."

Go to Item

Orchestre Shika Shika

Hit After Hit

Burgundy Mist / Percy St.

Release: 2019 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

A selection of uptempo guitar-driven singles recorded by Congolese supergroup Shika Shika who formed in Kenya in 1981. While Shika Shika were only around for three years, during that short time they recorded four albums and over 80 singles on at least 16 labels. Members of the band had followed the trail of many Congolese musicians who headed to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi which was the man East African hub for recording and also offered plenty of opportunities for playing live. Bandmembers include main songwriter and singer Jimmy Monimambo, singers Lovy Longomba and Moreno Batamba and guitarist Siama Matuzungidi. As was typical in Kenya at the time, all songs were recorded with 45rpm singles in mind, and so the tracks were originally split into Parts 1 & 2 on either side of the disc.

Released in October 2018 and received airplay from Gideon Coe on BBC 6music, BBC Radio 3 Late Junction, DJ Ritu on SOAS Radio, Roger Hill on PMS BBC Radio Merseyside, Steve Barker On The Wire on BBC Radio Lancashire, and DJs Zoe Baxter and Debbie Golt on Resonance FM. Tracks were played by London-based DJ collective Village Cuts at their African music nights. A track featured on Rhythm Passport's monthly downloadable compilation in November 2018. Positively reviewed by David Hutcheon in Mojo magazine in March 2019.

Go to Item

Fantasy 15

7" | 2021 | EU | Original (Eraserhood Sound)

OST The Black Stone Affair

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

For Fans Of Khruangbin, El Michels Affair, William Onyeabor.Fantasy 15 Is A Band Of Mortal Fighters Striving To Prevent An Evil & Merciless Digital Government From Destroying The Entiregalaxy...Armed With Analog Synthesizers And A Never Ending Supply Of Primordial Rhythms Reminiscent Of Nigerian Funk, Brazilian Tropicalia And New York City New Wave, The Rebel Group Works Diligently Day And Night To Save All Of Humanity From The Horrors Of Robotic Automation. When They Are Not Busy Saving The World, Fantasy 15 Serve As The House Band For Philadelphia-Based "Synth & Soul" Record Label Eraserhood Sound. The Group Are Proud To Beam Their Latest 45 "Burgundy Mist B/W Percy St." Into Earth's Atmosphere In Early 2021.Lead Single "Burgundy Mist" Is A Lush, Tropical Slow Jam Featuring A Sophisticated Rhythm Section, Electrifying Guitars, And Euphoric Flutes. Flip Side "Percy St." Features A Hypnotic Groove, Bolts Of Analog Synthesizer, And Angelic Vocal Harmonies. This 45 Proves To Be Another Masterful Slice Of Intergalactic Synth Funk From Fantasy 15.

Go to Item

Whatatido Archive Group

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Record Kicks)

The Soul Vegetable Orchestra

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Soundtracks

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

For the first time ever, Record Kicks is pleased to announce the release of the long lost soundtrack by Whatitdo Archive Group to the Italian Cinematic Masterpiece "The Black Stone Affair'' on beautiful gatefold vinyl, CD and digital format on April 09 2021. Long thought to be lost alongside the movie itself by the production studio, the soundtrack's master reels were recently recovered and its audio meticulously restored and remastered by J.J. Golden in Ventura, CA.

The movie itself was understood to be unusual for its time: a globetrotting adventure/western-noir written and directed by aspiring visionary, Stefano Paradisi. Unfortunately for Paradisi, the tragic loss of his masterpiece during a fire also meant the end of his short lived career in movies. People who worked on the film have been cited as saying this film was very ambitious, set to be a turning point in Paradisi’s carrier putting him on the map alongside the likes of Sergio Leone and Antonioni.

While the movie never saw the light of day, the soundtrack by obscure band Whatitdo Archive Group has thankfully been recovered. The music itself is staggering to hear, each track evoking all the senses almost all at once. "The Black Stone Affair (Main Theme)" sets the story with its dizzying bassline

underneath a Morricone-esque harpsichord melody eventually all digressing into a psych-freakout of guitars swirling over what is the overarching motif groove of this iconic soundtrack.

We then get taken into the giallo-steeped melody of "Blood Chief". What can only be the theme of the antagonist, this cut offers crunchy drum breaks, reverb-drenched bongos and a sinister baritone guitar line that seems to be indicative of its character. "Ethiopian Airlines" transports the movie into exotic lands with its afro-centric rhythms and mysterious horn melody. The search is on for the elusive Black Stone, an artifact so coveted it had been hidden for decades for its fatal power of seduction. For fans of KPM and De Wolfe Music, "Il Furto Di Africo" definitely delivers a similar 'library' flavor popular at the time. Our ears are treated to an ambiguous sense of center. What were Whatitdo Archive Group thinking? There almost seems to be two key centers at once and a slithering flute line blending between both. We can only imagine that the Black Stone was successfully stolen from the small Italian village of Africo with this track.

What movie really is complete without a lounge-y Bossa number? "Italian Love Triangle" delivers that sun-soaked Mediterranean romance. Our cunning female lead, Lola, decides the only way she can acquire the Black Stone is to pit the trio of characters against each other with an erotic love triangle she carefully crafts to exploit the vulnerability of Blood Chief and Beaumont Jenkins. "Last Train to Budapest" finds our two male leads in a gun-wielding, high-stakes train chase through the dizzying mountains of Bosnia racing to Hungary's capital city. The music brilliantly calls upon the soundtrack's multiple melodic motifs to all collide into a single stressful heart-racing track sure to put a knot in your stomach. Probably the most unusual song appearing in this soundtrack is the French infused "L'amour au Centre de la Terre", an obvious yet tasteful homage to the composers' musical hero, Alain Goraguer. A lilting monologue is recited by who seems to be Lola, the tragic female lead in "The Black Stone Affair". Her passage speaks of the entangled romance she shares with the other two male leads and her plan to acquire the elusive Black Stone for herself. It's every man (and woman) for themselves! Paranoia and deceit has crept into the minds and motives of our conniving trio. No one can be trusted and false alliances are crumbling from within.

"The Black Stone Affair (Reprise)" evokes the characters' gut-wrenching feeling with its ever-rising key center. "Farewell Lola" is the saddening funeral dirge and exit of the aforementioned Lola. Sworn enemies Beaumont and Blood Chief stand silently outside the church and watch as Lola's casket is lowered into her untimely grave. This is merely an armistice between the remaining opponents, only to resume after paying their respects to their former 'lover'. A gory fight leaves Blood Chief standing. Beaumont is nowhere to be seen and only a cloud of dust slowly settles into the landscape as the mournful guitar and harmonica of "Beaumont's Lament" plays quietly in the distance. All is not lost. Triumphantly, Beaumont Jenkins stands tall, throws one last devastating blow to Blood Chief leaving him incapacitated. "The Return of Beaumont Jenkins" plays loudly in the face of Blood Chief desperately reaching for the stone only to realize it's a false! Our new hero, Beaumont Jenkins, sustained by Alessandro Alessandroni Jr.'s cinematic whistle, rides away victoriously into the night sky... the Black Stone hidden cleverly in his hat. End credits.

Steeped in obscurity, a cult following of crate-diggers and musical oddity collectors has been brewing over the mysterious releases of the Whatitdo Archive Group. Surfacing in 2009 from the high deserts of Reno, NV, USA, this recording collective focuses solely on curating, performing and preserving esoteric soundtrack, library and deep-groove collections. The personnel of the group consist of three musicians; each of them avid composers, recording engineers and obsessive record collectors. Alexander Korostinsky, Mark Sexton and Aaron Chiazza met in college and have been working together on producing music for over 10 years. (Both Korostinsky and Sexton also happen to write and perform in

critically-acclaimed soul group “The Sextones”). In 2015 they quietly released a small batch of lo-fi deep-groove demos recorded exclusively to cassette in an old garage. This became their first full length offering, Shit’s Dope, and it began to quickly spread across the internet piquing the interest of record collectors and DJs all over the world—a record Fleamarket Funk describes as “Falling in between some Headhunters and Lunar Funk 45s” and becoming a bestseller on Bandcamp of that year.

During this time, the Whatitdo Archive Group also began what is often hailed as a vital turning point in Reno music history; by hosting their famous “Whatitdo Wednesday” residency at a local venue. These packed performances drew the attention of not only live music-goers, but also the most accomplished jazz musicians in the area, often joining them on stage. Eventually, these shows stumbled into the arena of obscure performance art, where the band would facetiously distribute written and multiple choice tests during their performance for the audience to participate in.

After their residency came to a bittersweet end, the Whatitdo Archive Group refocused their attention on the wonderful world of 1970’s soul-jazz, where they wrote and recorded what would be their follow up 7” release, Crocker Way / Steve’s Romp. This limited edition 45rpm became a hot ticket item for UK record collectors who had been previous fans of WAG’s older lo-fi work. Crocker Way was also a featured track on BBC Radio 6. Shortly after producing Crocker Way / Steve’s Romp, the group again started production on their crown jewel of a record, a concept album that had been tossed around for several years beforehand but never executed. As band member Mark Sexton explains “We wanted to create an album that encompassed everything we love and admire about old Italian soundtrack scores, and bring that energy back into the spotlight”. The group spent 9 months of research, digging through their personal collections of dusty LP’s scrutinizing the work of Piccioni, Torossi, Roubaix, Alessandroni and of course Morricone, recording, mixing and working with over 24 skilled musicians. The Whatitdo Archive Group finally completed what would be their finest work to date, The Black Stone Affair. Recorded entirely in Korostinsky’s home studio, this record is a labor of love, dedication, appreciation and respect for the golden age of Italian Soundtrack and Library music.

Go to Item

Ajax Tow

LP | 2021 | EU | Original (Stereophonk)

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

Release: 2021 / EU – Original

Genre: Hip Hop, Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

When Ajax Tow travels in his Pop Western landscapes, you can be sure there’s always a perfect 70’s road trip soundtrack. Italians cowboys meeting the legendary Miriam Makeba in Rennes suburbs... For his 3rd album The Soul Vegetable Orchestra, Ajax Tow is bringing us on a ten tracks sonic adventure, where many inspirations and references collide. The succession of tracks inspires many feels and moods from sipping a good old bourbon, dance in the kitchen, or gallops though the plains of Napoli. We can found the influence of Danger Mouse paying hommage to the late Ennio Morricone (Roma, 2011), a cinematic side of Shawn Lee and Misha Panfilov, from music library à la JeanClaude Vannier to the Band Voilaa, a little glimpse of pimped Ninja tune, a reworked organic Mo’Wax vibe, all mixed up and spiced up with a Tricky style. This album is also the result of a collaboration with Dan Voisin (Modul-Club, Eighty…) at the production and drums with Rennes city scene musicians who gives a hand on this album: Romain Baousson (Coupe Colonel, Bikini Machine…) on drums, Sax Machine and Racecar (Saxtoys Records) on horns and vocals, Dj Marrrtin (Funky Bijou, Lord Paramour) on beatmaking, Medline (My Bags) on Flûte. As a special guest, the late and legendary Miriam Makeba appears on “Magic Miriam”. “Feel it” is definitely setting a west coast on the LP with a Jurassic 5 inspiration, accompanied by a spicy rhythm, MC Racecar (Sax Machine) flows and lyrics brings even more energy to the track. On “Movie” and “Silence”. Ajax Tow give us a nice taste of his favorite psychedelic blends, romantic and intimate at the same time, where we found back Fuzz guitar with 60’s Eric Clapton style (Cream era) and Pink Floyd synths Flavors. The cinematic style and first notes of “So What” reminds Air first EP and the beautiful bass of “Melody Nelson”. For the dessert, “Smallville” is a kind of wedding cake with 70’s loops sprinkling that brings us to Phillipe Sarde’s La Grande Bouffe soundtrack, but with a more contemporary feeling.

Go to Item

Nahawa Doumbia

Kanawa

Hallelujah Chicken Run Band

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Nahawa Doumbia's new album Kanawa concisely captures this current moment in Malian history. The singer, whose storied career spans more than four decades, reflects on the immigration crisis from the Malian perspective in the title of her new album Kanawa. Across eight songs recorded in Bamako with a band including traditional and modern instruments, Doumbia merges her early work that relied on a spare expression of her trademark didadi rhythm with the bombastic range of contemporary Malian pop. The beautifully complex musical accompaniment that results is courtesy of the large ensemble she pulled together with producer and arranger (and day one collaborator) N'gou Bagayoko. The band features two highly expressive Malian string instruments, the ngoni and the slightly smaller kamalé ngoni, as well as a variety of percussion, drum programming, karignan (a metal scraper) and acoustic and electric guitars. Doumbia's daughter, a celebrated singer with her own group and busy concert schedule, Doussou Bagayoko sings on "Adjorobena," a song about patience, tolerance and living in peace. Doumbia weaves together a roadmap of her psyche when it comes to the good and bad life has to offer. She talks about marriage and women leaving home to join another through the metaphor of a tree in the garden; she includes gunshot samples in the song "Foliwilen" to honor the bravery of hunters, soldiers and other courageous people; she uses a bird in "Djougoh" to talk about lazy people; and, in "Ndiagneko" she advises people to ignore critics, just do you. Mali has gone through an intense period of regional strife and terrorist incidents over the last ten years and Doumbia roots the album in tragic local concerns with deep global implications. "The meaning of Kanawa is so simple. We see our children trying to cross the ocean all the time. I said that many of our children die in the ocean and some of them die while crossing the Sahara. But I ask them why do they leave their country? They said that they leave because of the family situation or problems like poverty and unemployment. I ask them to stay and work in their country. I call on the UN and African leaders so that we can coordinate our efforts to find a solution, to create jobs for them so that young people stop leaving. That's why I chose it as the title of my album so that everybody can learn from it and also so that there is a reduction in the number of people emigrating. So that some will hear the message and stay home and grow the land. Leaving is not the only solution. My message is to help the youth find jobs."

Go to Item

Take One

LP | 2020 | EU | Original (Analog Africa)

27,99 €*

Lee Fields & The Expressions

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

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.

Go to Item

Big Crown Vaults Volume 1 Colored Vinyl Edition

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Big Crown)

Lee Fields & The Expressions

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

We are always sitting on a handful of unreleased songs that didn't make their way to albums. Listening back to these gems we decided to launch a new series entitled Big Crown Vaults and the first volume features the music of Lee Fields & the Expressions. These tunes were cut during the Special Night & It Rains Love sessions. Listening to these tracks you can imagine how difficult some of these decisions were in the first place to leave them off the albums. An absolute standout is "Regenerate," a song that finds Lee in the country soul realm, a style that Mr Fields, a North Carolina native, flourishes in. A drum break starts the song and then drops into a chorus where El Michels, Paul & Big Bill Schalda belt out the earworm chorus. Lee sings an encouraging tune about finding your way out of a low point in a relationship while The Expressions lay down an airtight groove. "Thinking About You" takes it back to the dance floors with what will surely be a hit at Soul parties around the globe. An uptempo drum break opens the song and Lee launches into a tale about the unbreakable bond with his significant other and how they keep each strong through moments of hardship and pain. People who have seen Lee perform live in the last decade might have been lucky enough to hear his rendition of Little Carl Carlton's "Two Timer". For those of you who haven't heard it, Big Crown Vaults has got you covered. A faithful version of the song showcases Lee's gorgeous voice and the Expres- sion's unwavering groove. Another treat on here is the fuzzed out funk banger "Do You Know" where Fields uses his platform to address some of our societal woes in a "Make The World" style. A deeper from the vaults number is "Out To Get You", an instrumental that Lee never laid down vocals to. Even as just a rhythm track it stands as a testament to The Expressions musical prowess, the band that created 5 studio albums with Lee Fields which will go down in history as stone classics.

Go to Item

Big Crown Vaults Volume 1 Black Vinyl Edition

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Big Crown)

Nebeyu Hamdi & The Sabat Bet Cultural Gurage Band

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Go to Item

Yebolala Red Vinyl Edition

12" | 2020 | EU | Original (Nu Afrique / Sheba Sound)

Spencer Zahn / Jacob Bergson / Austin Tufts

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Sheba Sound tour the Ethiopian hinterlands, capturing the mesmerising sounds of local talented musicians, using state of the art pop-up recording studios. The hugely anticipated next release from the Sheba Sound archives, under licence to Nu Afrique features crazy, untapped talent of Nebeyu Hamdi, from the Sabat Bet Cultural Gurage Band, based in Welkite, western Ethiopia. The original recordings from 2013 receive ethio-funk bassline overdubbing treatment from Addis Abeba’s inspired masenko bass-man of the moment, ‘Bubu’ Teklemariam.

The full package receives ultimate mixing treatment at The Yard Studio by master dub producer Nick Manasseh (Roots Garden).

The B-side of this EP release features 3 exclusive ethio-dub cuts. Manasseh’s inspiration of deep masenko bass and tribal drum rhythms is evident through his dub treatment of the originals. Playing the tracks back through his mixing desk like it was an instrument, the results are completely unique pulsating, punctuated Ethio-dub rhythm tracks.

Watch out Shaka – the Ethiopians are bringing their own dub cuts to town!

Go to Item

The Harvest

7" | 2020 | EU | Original (Pique-Nique)

10,79 €* 11,99 € -10%

Cicatriz Red Vinyl Edition

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Pique-nique Recordings is proud to present 'The Harvest', the debut recording from trio Spencer Zahn, Austin Tufts, and Jacob Bergson. Recorded over a weekend in Montreal, the three musicians approached the session without any preconceived ideas of what they wanted to create. The result is a fully-realized record from three skilled players responding to one another live in the studio, effortlessly gliding through ambient post-rock and jazz. Tufts’ driving rhythms, Bergson’s soaring synthesizers, and Zahn’s melodic bass on ‘Mile X’ provide a beautiful opener, whilst the grounded and utterly beautiful ‘The Harvest’ creates a moment of all-encompassing stillness. This release is part of an ongoing series that aims to capture the New York City jazz scene in its current, always evolving form. "In October 2018, Jacob Bergson and I travelled from NYC to one of my favorite cities in the world, Montreal. The idea was to spend a week with my long-time friend and favorite drummer, Austin Tufts, who had recently built a studio for his band, Braids, on the edge of Mile-Ex. At the beginning of each day, we would prompt each other with a short idea or phrase and build on it together until an arrangement began to emerge. As the three of us fell into roles that we each play naturally, the music started to take shape. Forms and energy-arch were outlined by Austin’s drumming, space and ambiance were created by Jacob’s piano and modular synthesizer, while I focused on harmony and bass motion." Spencer Zahn

Go to Item

Kamixlo

LP | 2020 | Original (Pan)

Little Barrie & Malcolm Catto

Release: 2020 / Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Kamixlo Has Experienced A Lot Of Loss In The Last Two-And-A-Half Years. His Long-Awaited Debut Lp, Cicatriz, Is Named After The Spanish Word For "Scar", Taking Its Intense And Energetic Tone From The Tough Times In The Brixton-Based Producer's Life. An Extremely Personal Album That Follows 11 Songs With Titles Like "Sick", "Poison" And "Destruction", It Pitches Soft And Hard Sonics Against Each Other To Create An Urgent And Exciting Tension As The Track Listing Hurtles Through Its Own Emotional Rollercoaster. It Runs From The Lurching Drone And Monstrously Distorted Vocal Samples Of Opener "The Coldest Hello (Live From The Russian Spiral)" To The Bright And Melodic Kosmiche-Reggaeton Closer Of "Azucar" ('Sugar'), Produced With Swedish Cloud Rap Producer Woesum.Only Just Past His Mid-20s, Kamixlo Has Been Making A Name For Himself With His Dembow And Bass-Influenced Dance Deconstructions, Releasing Three Eps Since 2015, As Well As Running The Recently Defunct Bala Club Party And Label, Named After Japanese Pro Wrestling Group Bullet Club. The Night Was An Inclusive Operation That Established Its Own Unique Style Of Cross-Genre Post Club Music For The Margins, While Allowing Kamixlo The Space To Develop His Soundâç"One That Was Imbued With Its Own Pop Immediacy, As Well As Smatterings Of Emo, Electro And Hardcore.British-Chilean Kamixlo's Cicatriz Is Rife With Surprising References. These Include The Thumping Industrial Of "The Burning Hammer Bop" - Taking Its Title From One Of The Most Dangerous Professional Wrestling Moves Ever Invented - And The Growling Sub Bass Of "Dkd Lethal" - Named After DJ Lethal Of Famous Nu Metal Band Limp Bizkit. Meanwhile, Long-Time Collaborator, Producer And Endless Party Founder Felix Lee Appears On The Scrambled Rhythm And Cut-Up Sampling Of "Demonic Y". As The Saying Goes, There's No Pleasure Without Pain, No Resurrection Without Destruction, And Cicatriz Is All These Things At Once.The Album Is Mastered By Beau Thomas, Featuring Artwork By Daniel Swan.

Go to Item

Quatermass Seven

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Madlib Invazion)

Ruben Rada & Eduardo Mateo

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Little Barrie And Malcolm Catto Team Up For Seven Tracks Of Breaks And Sci-Fi Fuzz For Maverick Producer Madlib's Label

Quatermass Seven, the meeting of minds between guitarist Barrie Cadogan, bassist Lewis Wharton and drummer Malcolm Catto represents a re-birth of sorts for Little Barrie, with these their first recordings since 2017’s Death Express and the untimely passing of their gifted drummer and friend Virgil Howe. As Lewis explains, the sessions played a part in the healing process, a way to re-connect through music without any intentions to necessarily come away with a finished record. “It was good to get in the studio again after such a long break especially as we didn’t go in with any agenda or expectations,” he explains. There was no preconceptions that we would make a new Little Barrie record, it was just an opportunity to work on some things Barrie had written for fun with zero pressure.” With most tracks recorded live with minimal overdubs, and produced by Malcolm at his Quatermass studios, The Heliocentrics’ main man brings new flavour to the band’s rhythm section by blending his power behind the drum kit and his expansive skills behind the mixing desk to take Little Barrie’s music forward into new territories. Recorded on Catto’s treasure trove of analogue gear, and mastered onto ¼” tape, the overall effect is guitar, bass and drums finding a sweet spot where genres collide, delivering a record that takes the influences of the past and pushes them towards somewhere more contemporary. “I definitely hear in Barrie’s songs a lot of common musical ground’” explains Malcolm. “It felt like a great thing to do, work with Malcolm while we’re figuring out what we wanna do,” Barrie concludes, “let’s just go in and do some playing and see what happens, and we came out with more than we ever intended.” Quatermass Seven delivers a dark, deep and expansive set of grooves, layered with frazzled and flawless guitar and flowing melodies, as well as pointing toward a future of exciting new musical opportunities. “Still here, so fine, just a little darker state of mind” sings Cadogan on ‘Steel Drum’, words which sum up hope in times of uncertainty, whilst unintentionally offering a perfect description of Quartermass Seven.

Go to Item

Botija De Mi Pais

LP | 1987 | EU | Reissue (Little Butterfly)

35,99 €*

Hoodoo Man Blues 45rpm, 200g Vinyl Edition

Release: 1987 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Recorded between 1985 and 1987, this album brings together the two founders and leading performers of candombe-beat, Ruben Rada and Eduardo Mateo. They hadn´t collaborated in a project since 1969. Both artists had reached their creative prime, with Mateo having released “Cuerpo y Alma” and Rada, “La yapla mata” (which included the classic song ‘Tengo un candombe para Gardel’). 140 gram vinyl with OBI & Insert This initiative sprang from the artists themselves. But when it was time to create, they rarely got together in the studio, preferring to work on their own. Once finished, the album failed to make an impact, since neither of them promoted it. This revival brings that semi-hidden treasure to light. It includes two tracks of the artists strictly performing a duet, the only recordings of Mateo and Rada working alongside each other and no one else. It also contains two additional tracks where you can relish Rada accompanied by Mateo’s guitar and Mateo backed by Rada’s percussion. It includes a track where Mateo commands the instruments (as in Mateo solo bien se lame) and another with Rada’s solo on vocals and percussion. There are instances when Rada’s band of that moment and “super-group” (with Osvaldo Nolé on keyboards, Ricardo Lew on electric guitar, Urbano on the bass and Osvaldo Fattoruso on drums), makes an appearance. Sometimes, Urbano comes forth as lead singer, completing the triad of singers of “El Kinto”. All excellent songs. This album is exceptional and one-of-a-kind, an overflow of talent, musicality, swing, imagination, rhythm, spark, and transcendence. Guilherme de Alencar Pinto

Go to Item

Junior Wells

2LP | 2020 | US | Original (Analogue Productions)

69,99 €*

2LP | 2020 | EU | Reissue (Music On Vinyl)

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

"Hoodoo Man Blues" is not only Junior Wells' initial LP appearance, it is damn near the first LP by a Chicago blues band. This is the album that started the collector blues label trend of the late '60s. Chess and a few other labels had reissued 45's by Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Elmore James, etc., but virtually no one had tried to capture the Chicago blues sound, free of the juke-box/airplay promotional mediums limitations of the 45. This album features the smoking guitar of the legendary Buddy Guy along with a crack rhythm section.

Go to Item

James Brown

Collected

35,99 €*

Lyman Woodard Organization

Release: 2020 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

In a career spanning over 50 years James Brown became known as a progenitor of funk music and influencing the development of many other genres. All his hit songs, hidden gems and collaborations are now bundled on 'Collected'. It contains 29 songs, including music from his early days with the Famous Flames, the J.B.'s and a wide collection of tracks from his solo career. Brown began his career as a gospel singer and joined a rhythm and blues vocal group, the Famous Flames, as the lead singer in the 1950s. Later on he formed his own band and released successful singles as 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag', 'I Got You (I Feel Good)' and 'It's a Man's Man's Man's World'. While developing the funk to a new level he created the J.B.'s, with which he scored hits like 'Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine' and 'The Payback'. Brown was inducted into 1st class of the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. During the years he gained different honorific nicknames including 'Godfather of Soul', 'Mr. Dynamite', and 'Soul Brother No.1'. James Brown Collected includes an insert with liner notes, photo's and credits. The release is available as a pressing on 'Stone Cold' black vinyl.

Go to Item

Don't Stop The Groove

LP | 1979 | UK | Reissue (Pure Pleasure)

Come To Find 45rpm, 200g Vinyl Edition

Release: 1979 / UK – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

When Cobb's Corner nightclub owner Henry Normile was murdered, followed by the in-street shooting and death of Eddie Jefferson, the heart of the Detroit jazz scene was ripped apart. Through the advent of the Labor Day Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festivals starting in 1980, things picked back up measurably, but the club scene has never been the same. This live recording of the Lyman Woodard Organization, which was taped the day before Normile was killed in his next door apartment, more than any other album or event exemplified the never say die spirit of Motor City jazz. It also was a hallmark for a unique style of the music, an urban rhythm & blues infused contemporary jazz that stood tall for both listeners and dancers during the tail-end of the disco movement. Woodard was in his prime, determined that his idea was singular, and went beyond soul-jazz into a realm where only he could claim ownership. With guitarist Robert Lowe and saxophonist Allan Barnes, who would both go on to national acclaim as leaders, the Organization was a powerhouse in live performance not to be denied, and for sure a solid sending crowd pleaser. A much better recording than his studio cult classic "Saturday Night Special", this live set laid the groundwork for the continuation of Woodard's career for decades to come, and showed his fellow Detroiter's that better days lay ahead. Where the title track is happy and a bit more commercial than the rest with its slinky, straight, fingerpopping, sublime beat and seductive vocal line, "Disco Tease" prances along in a hard rock vein with conga accents from Lorenzo Brown and chicken scratch, dramatic guitar chords from Lowe. "Down Lowe" is a concrete, fatback groove from the guitarist, while "Djarum" turns the wick down in a slow, sexy nightshade visage, with Kerry Campbell's soprano sax expanding the horn section with Woodard's organ in stretched out phrases. The appropriately titled "Theme In Search Of A Sports Spectacular" is the killer track, as trumpeter Marcus Belgrave joins the band in an Olympic sprint, an irresistible melody that is catchy, infectious, memorable, and anthematic as any warrior clarion call to battle in the athletic arena. This driven, tenacious, forceful piece of music still stands the test of time for its ferocious attitude and champion-like strut. This recording documents not only the darkest days, but the bright hope a financially strapped Detroit offers to the rest of the world, and the determination Woodard always exemplified.

Go to Item

Doug Macleod

2LP | 2020 | US | Original (Analogue Productions)

69,99 €*

It's Hard To Get In The Showbiz

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Spend any time around Doug MacLeod and the stories from his years of road time with the likes of Big Joe Turner and Pee Wee Crayton start to flow as easily as a brook tickled by a breeze. And you know you're getting to the good part, the climax if you will, when Doug's eyes start to twinkle, his grin grows broader and out of his mouth pop the words »Come to find ...«. MacLeod was a widely acknowledged electric blues guitarist for many years, and the leader of his own band, yielding a number of U.S. and European tours and several albums to his credit. Doug disbanded the group to focus all his energies on his first love, acoustic blues. "Come To Find" is the debut fruit of that effort. And now it's made even more remarkable, with this 45 RPM 200-gram reissue by Analogue Productions. The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately.The pressing sounds spectacular. You're holding a hefty 200-gram masterpiece from our own Quality Record Pressings, our state-of-the-art LP pressing plant. And the gatefold jacket is hard-core, old-school style — thick cardboard, tip-on, with additional photos and liner notes inside. Sweet. "Come To Find" is the sound of a consummate bluesman touching the core of his art in a program featuring ten originals by Doug. He is beautifully supported in this intimate setting by harmonica ace Charlie Musselwhite and the Mighty Flyer rhythm section, Jimi Bott and Bill Stuve. This is the album that deserves a place of honor in the music collections of even casual blues fans. And for those who love blues already, this is one of the best-sounding, most original works you'll ever hear.

Go to Item

Upstairs

LP | 1980 | EU | Reissue (The Outer Edge)

On The Way To Eden White Vinyl Edition

Release: 1980 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Upstairs, a band from Frankfurt, Germany was active from 1977 to 1983. Though considering themselves mainly a rock group, the band incorporated elements of funk, jazz rock and disco into their music. On their rare and privately released debut album “It’s Hard To Get In The Showbiz” from 1980 they created something that could be called Germany’s definite answer to AOR, yet still with an edgy and unique krautrock flavor. The album starts with "Wontcha Try," a track where core songwriter, guitarist and lead singer Helmer Sauer is telling the story about being dismissed from his job: "They tried to tell me in a fucking gentle way, that the time had come to kick me…". Sauer serves more personal, hard-edged lyrics on the album as well. On "Happy Hooker," for example, he tells the story of a working girl in the red light milieu: "The job is as hard that you really can never imagine, she serves for the money, degradin' herself in a way - if you'd know how she's feelin' you wouldn't laugh at all". An empathetic view on the subject of prostitution rarely heard at that time. But aside from the profound lyrics and songwriting, the album has a lot to offer on the groovy side of things. With catchy bass lines, rhythm guitar, Fender Rhodes, Moog synthesizer, Clavinet and swift crisp drumming "It's Hard To Get In The Showbiz" is one of the best examples of late 70s flavored funky rock from Germany. Additional to the aforementioned "Wontcha Try" another DJ delight should be "Make Your Steps On Better Lines" which showcases a superb synth line and disco funk flavors. We also get the slick mellow latinesque AOR grooves of "Get On A Plane" as well as the now-classic "You're Just Yourself", which marks the most soulful track of the LP. As followers of our label are already well aware, "You're Just Yourself" was featured on the compilation, "Boogie On The Mainline – A Collection Of Rare Disco, Funk And Boogie From Germany 1980-1987" from 2018. The band mainly performed locally and never really had ambitions to release their music on a bigger label. Too bad that Upstairs only released this one album. Of course, the highly sought-after original pressing is almost impossible to find nowadays. Therefore, we are proud to finally make this record available again after 40 years for a reasonable, regular LP price. Only 300 copies of the carefully re-mastered repress have been produced, and included is a printed lyrics insert identical to the original. As this is already the 10th release on our label we want to thank you for your support! Stay tuned for more hidden gems unearthed by The Artless Cuckoo.

Go to Item

Eden Rose

LP | 1970 | EU | Reissue (Guerssen)

Captured Spirits Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 1970 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves, Rock & Indie

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Limited to 200 copies on white vinyl!

Proto-progressive, groovy instrumental psychedelia, recorded in France in 1969 by this pre-Sandrose band and released on the tiny Katema label. Swirling Hammond grooves by keyboard virtuoso Henri Garella, top guitar playing by Jean-Pierre Alacen and a tight, funky rhythm section create one of the best early prog/psych French albums ever. First reissued on Guerssen back in 2016 and out of print for many years, here's a repress in hard cardboard sleeve + OBI - resealable outer sleeve.

Go to Item

Mammal Hands

2LP | 2020 | UK | Original (Gondwana)

Window Of The Mind Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2020 / UK – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

"The semi-classical drums/sax/piano trio Mammal Hands mutate into a high-volume rave act" The Guardian

Mammal Hands are pleased to announce the release of their highly anticipated fourth album 'Captured Spirits', released 11thSeptember via Manchester tastemaker record label, Gondwana Records.

Consisting of saxophonist Jordan Smart, pianist Nick Smart and drummer and tabla player Jesse Barrett, the trio have forged a growing reputation for their hypnotic fusion of jazz and electronica and have recieved glowing recommendations from the likes of The Guardian and Gilles Peterson. Drawing on their love of electronic, contemporary classical, world, folk and jazz music, Mammal Hands take in influences including Pharoah Sanders,Gétachèw Mekurya, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Sirishkumar Manji.

Forming in Norwich in 2012, brothers Nick and Jordan along with Jesse, developed their distinctive and polished sound with their meteoric live shows and release of three critically acclaimed albums: 'Animalia' (2014), 'Floa' (2016) and 'Shadow Work (2017). Landmark live performances have included shows at The Roundhouse London, the main stage at Field Day Festival, La Cigale Paris, Montreal Jazz Festival, Hamburg Elb Jazz, Athens Technopolis and Unit Tokyo.

Teaming up once again with trusted producer George Atkins (Wiley, The Courteeners) at 80 Hertz Studios in Manchester, 'Captured Spirits' explores themes including existence and displacement. "The name has multiple readings but was first inspired by something Jordan was reading about past experiences of ancestors being caught and coded into our DNA and having an effect on who you are today. This ties in with themes that we have touched on before relative to identity and the collective unconscious ('Shadow Work'). It also toys with the idea of feeling contained/trapped and the need to break out of something and also the idea of people being spirits that are "captured" in a body",says Nick.

Opening with the melodic rhythmic patterns of 'Ithaca', the tempo picks up with the mesmerising 'Chaser', as heavy percussion and Nick's frenetic keys draw the listener deep into Mammal Hand's distinctive soundsphere. North Indian influences dictate the meditative 'Versus Shapes' with Jesse's transcendental tabla playing taking centre stage while the dark and moody 'Spiral Stair' relies on a multitude of colliding and intersecting shapes and sounds.

All three members of the band contribute equally to the writing process: one that favours the creation of a powerful group dynamic over individual solos. "I think with this record, there was a strong and renewed sense of collective enjoyment and appreciation for the process and each other's contributions. After a long period of touring and a slow build up to the actual recording sessions we were able to mull over ideas for long periods, build on lessons from the past and pull our playing connection to an even deeper place. Realising each other's visions for the whole and clearly understanding how they intersect", says Jesse.

That vision is also realised by longtime collaborator and artist Daniel Halsall who designed the artwork for 'Captured Spirits'. His strong instinctive feel for the band's visual world is a key component to understanding the music. "Our work with Dan over such a long period of time now has become integral to the bands aesthetic and he always seems to grasp the themes and ideas that we send for each album and distills them into something striking and engaging that really complements the music. This is really important with instrumental music, as we need to be able to convey our ideas without being too literal or definitive and give the listeners space for imagination and to take their own journey when they listen to the music and look at the artwork", says Jordan.

Elsewhere across 'Captured Spirits', 'Riddle' and 'Rhizome' are rich in texture and heavy on groove and both compositions showcase a complex, emotional range and demonstrate three like-minded musicians with a dazzling understanding of jazz, electronica and cinematic rhythms. "Music has the capacity to fill so many spaces in our lives, as I think fundamentally it is a more direct form of communication than even language. In this way it can be refuge, it can be social, it can be revelatory, it can be memory, it can be what we need at a given point in time", says Jordan.

The high intensity of the trio's live shows is recreated with the spiritual jazz-influenced 'Into Sparks' as Jordan's sax exhibits an unrestrained energy and freedom but it's left to 'Little One' to bring down the curtain on arguably their most accomplished album to date, a soothing, breezy gift to Jesse's new daughter.

Gondwana Records is an independent record label founded by Matthew Halsall in 2008. The label has gone on to release music by, Allysha Joy, GoGo Penguin, Hania Rani, Matthew Halsall, Phil France, Portico Quartet and Sunda Arc.

Go to Item

Billy Brooks

LP | 1974 | EU | Reissue (Wewantsounds)

31,99 €*

LP | 1972 | EU | Reissue (Speakers Corner)

Release: 1974 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

2022 restock; LP version. Wewantsounds reissue of Billy Brooks's much sought-after album Windows of the Mind, released in 1974 on Ray Charles's Crossover Records. The album was co-produced by Charles and features such heavy players as Herman Riley, Calvin Keys, and Larry Gales. There's not a huge amount of information to be found about trumpet player Billy Brooks. A solid session musician who'd been around since the '50s, he played with the likes of Lionel Hampton, Cal Tjader, and of course Ray Charles, who signed him to his sub label Crossover Records in the early '70s to release Windows of the Mind. Interestingly, Brooks also appears on Bea Benjamin's 1976 cult classic African Songbird produced by Dollard Brand. Windows of the Mind released in 1974 remains Brooks' only solo album. Windows of the Mind was recorded in Los Angeles and co-produced by Ray Charles. It is a skillful, brass-led mix of jazz and funk performed by such cult players as bassist Larry Gales (Thelonious Monk), drummer Clarence Johnston (Freddie Roach, James Moody), saxophonist Herman Riley (Side Effect, Pleasure, Earth Wind & Fire, Letta Mbulu), guitarists Jef Lee (Roy Ayers, Sylvia Striplin) and cult player Calvin Keys of Black Jazz Records fame. From the groove of "Rockin Julius", "Shetter Cheeze", and "Black Flag" to the mid-tempo jazz mood of "Cooling It" and "C.P. Time" and the cinematic brass pyrotechnics of "The Speech Maker", "Windows of the Mind" is a superb funked-up big band jazz album. Windows of the Mind did reasonably well among the jazz circles when it came out but its fate would change fifteen years later when, in 1990, A Tribe Called Quest heavily sampled its closing track "Fourty Days" for their own "Luck of Lucien" featured on the group's debut album People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm (1990). The album revolutionized hip-hop and "Luck of Lucien" became one of the album's highlights, thus cementing the reputation of Billy Brooks original LP among DJs and collectors. Original LPs now change hands for a few hundred dollars. Wewantsounds now make this landmark album available again in partnership with The Ray Charles Foundation. Newly remastered audio; comes with original artwork.

Go to Item

Buddy Guy & Junior Wells

Play The Blues

LP | 1978 | EU | Reissue (Rebirth On Wax)

Release: 1972 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

The blues is perhaps one of the most private things from which a human being can suffer. However, to play the blues, and thus to express a man’s innermost feelings and state of mind, is probably the most important task of black music. With Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, we have two disciples from the world of the blues who express their highly personal blues with profound instrumental proficiency. The enormously talented, self-taught guitarist Buddy Guy was ranked 23rd in Rolling Stones magazine’s list “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”, and several times he was awarded one of the coveted Grammy awards. Junior Wells entered Muddy Waters’ 'academy' at the tender age of 18 and played the blues harp with enormous passion and virtuosity. In this recording, the musicians condense their rock playing over a bone-dry bass line to create a mantra-like funky style ("A Man Of Many Words"), passing on with fleet-footed steps to a slender chirping sound on the mandolin with a 12-bar blues construction and creating an earthy groove ("T-Bone Shuffle"). Then the duo works perseveringly on an unrelenting chord ("A Poor Man’s Plea"), only to return to two numbers that pulsate forcefully with a snappy and jagged offbeat ("This Old Fool"). The handpicked band, among them being co-producer Eric Clapton who is eternalized on the rhythm and bottleneck guitar, and the voodoo rocker Dr. John who occasionally contributes his magic on the keyboard, make this album a truly collectible sound experience.

This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid.

Recording: October 1970 at Criteria Studios, Miami (fl), by Ron Albert and April 1972 at Intermedia Studios, Boston (ma), by Richard Oulleppe Production: Ahmet Ertegun, Eric Clapton, Michael Cuscuna, Tom Dowd

Go to Item

Les Ya Toupas Du Zaire

Les Ya Toupas Du Zaïre

22,99 €*

All Rise Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 1978 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Les Ya Toupas is a band formed in 1976 by Bopol Mansiamina (Bass - Success Mode, 4 Stars ..), Manuaku Waku (aka Grand Zaiko Wawa) and Ray Lema (Piano, Organ and Guitar) Between 1976 and 1978, they recorded several 7inches including the famous title “Je ne bois pas beaucoup” (1976) compiled on the series of Sofrito (Tropical Discotheque ) in 2011. In 1978, they recorded this unique and unclassifiable instrumental album, Les Ya Toupas du Zaïre, produced by Gérard Akueson (founder of Akue Records and Abeti's producer). The LP is composed of minimalist Afro Jazz rhythms and Deep Funk grooves that are close at times to a tropical trance, all played by musicians who used to offer more classic Rumba rhythms. It is their only album before the departure in 1979 of Ray Lema for the United States and then France. Ray Lema's departure follows a violent disagreement which opposed him to the dictator Mobutu then in place in Zaïre. Let's not forget that the album was released in 1978 and can be seen as their last musicial project.

Go to Item

Gregory Porter

2LP | 2020 | EU | Original (Blue Note)

38,99 €*

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

All Rise Limited Deluxe Hardcoverbook Edition

Gregory Porter

CD+Book | 2020 | EU | Original (Blue Note)

All Rise Limited Digisleeve Edition

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

CD sized hardback book with 32 pages and glued-in wallet for CD on inside back page

Go to Item

Gregory Porter

CD | 2020 | EU | Original (Blue Note)

13,99 €*

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

This is the limited Digisleeve edition that contains 13 tracks.

Go to Item

Black Fire - Soul Love Now: The Black Fire Records Story 1975-1993

2LP | 2020 | EU | Original (Strut)

LP | 2020 | EU | Original (Jakarta)

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

Strut present the first ever compilation bringing together classics and rarities from the seminal spiritual jazz and conscious soul label Black Fire, covering 1975 to 1993. Formed by DJ and record producer Jimmy Gray in Richmond, Virginia, and following in the footsteps of other influential black-owned independent labels like Strata-East and Tribe, the foundation of Black Fire coincided with saxophonist James "Plunky" Branch returning to the city from New York to form Oneness Of Juju. The band's 'African Rhythms' album in 1975 was the perfect fusion of jazz, deep African polyrhythms and empowering lyrics and bassist Muzi Branch, a trained artist, created the first of many Black Fire hand-illustrated sleeves for the label's debut release.

Go to Item

J. Lamotta

Brand New Choice

17,99 €*

The Dancing Devils Of Djibouti

Release: 2020 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

J.Lamotta has gone from strength to strength since her 2019 sophomore album “Suzume” (1,2 mio. Spotify-Streams), garnering support from the international music community and touring across Europe and Asia, incl. the iconic Blue Note Tokyo. Now she’s back with her brand new EP entitled “Brand New Choice” moving on from the organic sound of the very successful retro band album “Suzume”, the new EP shows fresh flavors in her music and contains contributions from a variety of producers. Its futuristic R&B sound is achieved through extensive use of synths and up-to-date rhythms and makes it Lamotta’s most contemporary release so far.

The EP’s 1st single “Can't Refuse” already marks that new direction the artist J.Lamotta is going for: while soulful R&B vocal harmonies remain, hard hitting hiphop-drums drive the song forward bringing a new energy to her music accompanied by lyrics reflecting on relationships and sexuality and a music video with J.Lamotta's signature aesthetic at the forefront, “Can’t Refuse” gives an exciting and impressive first taste of the whole “Brand New Choice” EP and what to expect from it.

And while the singer/producer’s previous releases already focused on lyrics and personal delivery “Brand New Choice” follows a similar path but goes even deeper and gets more personal than ever - revealing a liberal, independent and robust thinker using her music to express not only the artist J.Lamotta but the Rotem Alagem too.

The 2nd single “Hope So” - which is also the opener of the EP and will drop on June 12th accompanied by another video shot in Tel Aviv - makes that pretty clear. Dealing with the end of the past, sharing its tears over hard hitting drums and warm synths while honoring the late great Aaliyah and keeping up with that current zeitgeist is what sparks the whole spirit of “Brand New Choice” and the 2020 version of J.Lamotta.

The very tasteful artwork just like the whole visual conception of the record comes from J.Lamotta’s befriended and also Berlin based designer Gabriella Achandinha.

Go to Item

Groupe RTD

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Ostinato)

Boogie Legs Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

Add to Cart Coming Soon Sold out Currently not available Not Enough Coins

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.

Go to Item

Jake Sollo

LP | 1980 | US | Reissue (Tidal Waves Music)