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‘Dancing Time: The Best of Eastern Nigeria’s Afro Rock Exponents 1973 – 77’ by The Funkees is the latest title on Soundway to mine the rich musical output of 60s and 70s Nigeria. For the 5 year period this compilation spans The Funkees output crackled with dance floor fire.

Having featured on three of Soundway’s most popular titles, across the definitive Nigeria Special compilation series, we felt The Funkees output deserved closer inspection. Presented here (on CD, download & double gatefold LP) are 18 slices of funky Afro-rock grooves hand picked by Soundway’s Miles Cleret from a selection of the bands 45s and 2 long players.

In the early 1970s The Funkees were the number-one east Nigerian band and the only outfit to seriously challenge the popular Lagos based rock combos MonoMono and BLO.

It wasn't long before promoters in the UK came calling and The Funkees packed up their instruments and moved to London where they quickly established a fierce reputation on the live circuit.

Here they recorded two seminal albums before finally breaking up in 1977 amidst some controversy. This collection features for the first time all of their Nigerian 45s alongside the best of their UK album material and is accompanied by a full interview with original member Sonny Akpan, who still lives in the capital.

An extremely rare and in-demand record from the disco-funk group has been unearthed and restored. The Movers enjoyed huge success in the 1970s, releasing album after album of ground-breaking sounds, including fusions of South African marabi jazz, funk, disco and jive. The line up of the band shifted throughout its existence - however this particular album produced by David Thekwane features musicians Jabu Sibumbe, L Rhikoti, Lloyd Lelosa and Sankie Chounyane.

Sleeve Records & Dig This Way teamed back to bring to light the history and the tracks of this iconic early 70' Psychedelic Afro-funk East Nigeria group.
The Hygrades's album will include all 4 rare 45"s united in a single LP with an insert of their story told by a true Uchenna narrator.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ATA Records are proud to announce the follow up to the critically acclaimed debut album fromThe Sorcerers. Conceived as a soundtrack to an imagined lost European exploitation film,'In Searchof The Lost City ofThe Monkey God'covers a wide range of influences: Ethiopiques Ethio-Jazz rubs up against European library music of the 60s and 70s. The Sorcerers seamlessly blend these disparate elements into one cohesive sound.

Based in ATA Records' home of Leeds, The Sorcerers form the backbone of the ATA Records house band including drummer Joost Hendrickx (Kefaya, Shatner's Bassoon, Abstract Orchestra) and ATA label heads Neil Innes (Bass & Guitar) and Pete Williams (Woodwinds & Percussion). Bass clarinets, flutes, and esoteric percussion that sit alongside bass, guitar and drums are essential to The Sorcerers sound providing cinematic textures on top of a solid rhythmic foundation.

The Sorcerers began working on the new album during the winter of 2018 and it was during the writing sessions for this album that the concept for the LP began to take shape. The name for the album was taken from the title of a National Geographic article read by Bassist Neil Innes and was used as the starting point for the entire concept. The library music scene of the 60s and 70s has always been an intrinsic part of the sound of ATA Records and so it made perfect sense to envisage the album as a soundtrack, given the cinematic quality of The Sorcerers music.

Each track was written with a particular scene in mind and the music was then shaped in the studio to best reflect the essence of that scene. Drums, Bass and Percussion provide the solid foundation onto which Flutes, Bass Clarinets, Xylophones and Vibraphones add the atmospheric and melodic counterpoint, deftly weaving between one another to conjure up images of the unforgiving environment of the dense jungle, unknown eyes watching the protagonists of the imagined film as they make their way towards their ultimate goal, their pursuit by unseen assailants, the arcane mysticism of undiscovered cargo cultists and the ancient ruins of long passed civilisations.

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

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).

For over forty years, the Apostles of Aba have stood as the jewel in the crown of the music scene in Eastern Nigeria. Since their formation in 1973, the band has turned out memorable performances in a variety of styles including rock, soul, funk, pop and
reggae. Even today, the Apostles continue to thrill audiences in their hometown of Aba with dazzling shows. Cultures of Soul is proud to present one of the Apostles’ more obscure—yet relentlessly funky recordings in a full-color custom reverse board jacket. Banko
Woman, originally released on the eponymous LP on Love Day Records in 1977. Straddling the world realms of afro-funk and disco, the track has long been a coveted dance floor filler amongst DJs, and for the first time is available for a wider audience. On the B-side is “Faith, Luck & Music,” also from the original Banko Woman album.

Introducing "The Mesmerizers," a mysterious trio of maestros whose debut 7" record transports you to a bygone era of exotic enchantment. Unearthed from the depths of a forgotten studio and given new life, these captivating compositions beckon you into a timeless realm where the boundaries of sound and imagination blur.Within the sultry grooves of this vinyl treasure, The Mesmerizers weave a spellbinding tapestry of exotica, echoing the seductive rhythms and lush melodies reminiscent of a golden age that refuses to be tethered to any specific moment.

Reissue of the debuit album from The Sorcerers. Recently championed by Ethio-Jazz legend Mulatu Astatke on his Addis Abbaba radio show, The Sorcerers take influences from Ethiopiques Ethio-jazz as well as the soundtracks to the european horror films of the 60's and 70's and the british library music of the same era & blend them into one cohesive package. Made up of various stalwarts of the vibrant Leeds Jazz/World scene they were originally formed to contribute some tracks to the compilation "Funk, Soul & Afro Rarities: An Introduction To ATA Records" released in 2014 on Here & Now Records. After receiving a favourable response to their contributed tracks and garnering support from the likes of Strut records founder Quinton Scott and Radio 3's Nick Luscombe (Late Junction) they decided to develop their sound further before recording their debut album.

Limited Edition. Red Vinyl.

Sealed copy.
Cover as new with slightly dented corners.

The ultra-rare masterpiece by Elcados originally released by EMI-Nigeria in 1973 and recorded by Kayode Salami. A top shelf heavyweight Afro-Psych Funk-Rock. A real gem. Featuring 'Ku Mai Da Hankan’

This deep soul-jazz double-sider, recorded on October 3rd 1972, was released as a seven-inch single on Motella, one of the many labels of the Mavuthela Music division of Gallo Africa (now Gallo Record Company). Mavuthela was founded by the talent scout and producer Rupert Bopape in 1964. This recording of 'The Toreadors', a one-off session group, was produced by Ray Nkwe who worked as an independent producer for several different companies and was responsible for organising many African jazz-oriented sessions in the 1970s and early 80s.

The Bees are a textbook case of the chew and spit cycle that was the late 80’s South African music industry. Although their unknown story is likely unique, it is just as likely that it is no different to that of many other young artists who dreamed of getting their music heard at the time. By 1988, the independent record label was no longer as uncommon as it had been at the beginning of the decade. As the 80s went on, more seasoned A&R reps and Producers that had gained experience and connections from their work under major labels would be trying to cash in on a market they helped create. Without the need of big rooms or expensive recording equipment, the digital advancements allowed many Producers to open or work in smaller studios and promote unknown artists under their own imprints. They would then have their catalogs marketed and distributed by the same major labels they had been working for just years prior. This would open up the possibility of a new era of stars as potential talent no longer had to be pitched to major labels in hopes of them taking a chance on a new signee over their already established artists. With the market growing and a struggle to keep up with the demand for new sounds this agreement would allow the major labels to put new emerging artists or groups on their catalog with little investment and high reward if it happened to be a hit. ON Records was just one of the independent players at the time. Ronnie Robot had just signed the unlikely trio The Bees in hopes of adding a hit group to his label roster that consisted of solo acts. Despite the debut’s fresh house inspired sound, it failed to catch on was outsold by the bubblegum disco the label was known for. Over the years unsold back stock and promos would build up with the distributor. Luckily this allowed sealed copies from the label’s catalog to survive into the 90s when the distributor’s stock was unloaded and picked up by legendary Johannesburg jazz shop Kohinoor. Here sealed copies of the Bees first attempt sat under appreciated for over 20 years before becoming a hot title after they started circulating online and became club staples. This is how the first album of an unknown group with no success was able to become a collectors item and earn a reissue over 25 years later. With their first record behind them The Bees were ready move forward and get back into the studio. A suggestion from producers had the trio change camps and go work with the newly formed Creative Sound Recordings, the label that promised “Music for the Future” and ended up being an essential studio in the early years of Kwaito. They would work with producer Chris Ghelakis and guitarist George Vardas, while a young Marvin Moses sat behind the desk. Musically the sophomore album was as good as a follow up as you could get. Building on the first album, Mashonisa delivers catchy melodies backed by heavy drum programming that would score points with any Pantsula. The Black Box inspired “ Never Give Up” was one of two tracks chosen to be pressed as the promo for the album, hoping to trick listeners with their catchy version of the hit( A year later the label would release their first volume of Black Box covers sang by neo soul diva BB, it would be a great seller). The label printed up an unknown amount of these in a last attempt to push the release in Shabeens and on Radio. The cheaper route of flooding the market with promo copies would only pay off 25 years later when unplayed copies started being rediscovered and had survived the years in a quantity that original run of the full album could not. Once again it was clear that with no mainstream appeal, the quality of the music on its own was not enough to garner any success at the time. The album flopped worse than their first and failed to make it past it’s initial run, making it one of the harder titles to get from the CSR catalog. Mashonisa would be the last attempt from the Bees. They would disappear from the scene as quickly as they appeared. Of the three members it is only known that lead Singer Solomon Phiri continued in music fronting a wave dance group before he mysteriously vanished in 1993, never to be heard from again. Through a combination of luck and circumstance the group, which is unknown in South Africa to even the most plugged in musicians, producers and radio hosts of the time, managed to finally get some of the recognition they deserved 30 years later. Unfortunately this small blip of fame would happen with none of the band members present to give their side of the story, or even aware of how their two albums became popular enough to be printed on different continents in a new millennia. The Bees suffered the same fate as countless other artists of the time, who thanks to emerging independent labels and willing producers were given an opportunity to have a short career, only to be replaced by the meat grinder of the music industry when they failed to produce a hit.

Limited to 100 copies, exclusively for HHV. The Apostles were a renowned Nigerian funk/soul group from the city of Aba (an epicenter for music during the 70s & 80s) and disciples of the heavy psychedelic soul/rock fusion style...for over forty years, they have stood as the jewel in the crown of the Afrobeat genre in Eastern Nigeria and champions of its flourish ing post-war music scene. Since their formation in 1973, the band has turned out memorable perf ormances in a variety of styles including rock, soul, funk, pop and reggae. The Apostles amassed a large following, enjoyed an immense success throughout Nigeria and went on to release multiple albums. Although most of their songs are sung in English, a few of their songs are also sung in Igbo. The Apostles became superstars on the strength of several hit singles and have been preaching a particular blend of funky psychedelic soul/rock fusion for over 40 years. The LP we are presenting you here
Black Is Beautiful (1977) is one of the most enjoyable albums of the Afrobeat era: proud, assured, relaxed and extremely powerful. Black Is Beautiful contains a heavy mix of wailing guitars, swirling funky organ sounds and James Brown-style vocals. It is one of their best albums (also one that became a fixture in many East Nigerian homes) and an essential Afro-Funk record to add to your collection. Today we are proud to present to you the first ever vinyl reissue of this rare Nigerian album originally released on EMI Nigeria in 1977. This reissue is now available as a deluxe 180g vinyl edition featuring the original artwork

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

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

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

Band Leader Alex Puddu is behind the project the Moonfires. The Album is released on 300 copies limited edition on Alex Puddu's own label Al Dente. The Album Black sugar is written, Arranged and Produced By Alex Puddu Recorded during the summer 2014 in Copenhagen Recorded at Redrum Studio Mixed and Masterd in N.Y.C Astoria Queens Soundworks recording by Kamilo Kratc Album photo by Maiken Kildegaard Artwork by Leo Scherfig

Band Leader Alex Puddu is behind the project the Moonfires. The Album is released on 300 copies limited edition on Alex Puddu's own label Al Dente. The Album Black sugar is written, Arranged and Produced By Alex Puddu Recorded during the summer 2014 in Copenhagen Recorded at Redrum Studio Mixed and Masterd in N.Y.C Astoria Queens Soundworks recording by Kamilo Kratc Album photo by Maiken Kildegaard Artwork by Leo Scherfig

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

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

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

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