Rich, deep, percussive soulful folk album from master Togolese singer, Akofa Akoussah. The album moves through uptempo afro-folk-funk on ‘Tango’ to deep ballads of ‘Ramer Sans Rame’ and ‘I Tcho Tchass’ and lighter moments on ‘G Blem Di’ and ‘Mitso Aseye’. Akofa’s exceptional songs and soaring vocals are decorated with percussion, guitar lines, subtle backing vocals and horns to create a unique, rich sonic. The album was recorded for release by French label Sonafric in 1976.
Since 2019 the collective of Parisian partygoers, Pardonnez-Nous, have decided to launch their own label. Just like their parties, their goal is to shine a light on dancing music. Constantly looking for new tracks to enlighten the dancefloors, their outings are in line with the vision of deejaying defended by its founders. Finding forgotten pieces that are the geneses of dance music and mixing them with more contemporary sounds. Re-editions, edits, remixes or original productions the label doesn’t just stick to one style but aspires to represent all the music of partying. For its 1st release, the label strike hard and unearthed a quite surprising hidden track by one of the most famous band from the French Islands. La Compagnie Créole: born in 1975, this mythical band known by all the francophones will be remembered by future generations, thanks to all those super hits spread over the course of 23 albums, mixing music from the Antilles, Guyane and popular tunes from the French metropole. A.I.É, was written by Daniel Vangarde in 1987 and in 1988 Larry Levan, produced a remix of this track for the soundtrack of the film Sweet Lies. A mix not released, which remained relatively unknown up to this point. ‘Pardonnez-Nous’ (Excuse us), but here it is.
Lungile Masitha was the short-lived studio name for renowned SA artist Sello ‘Chicco’ Twala, who played with such iconic bands as Harari and Umoja. However, in the mid 80’s his name was under license to one of the major labels and in an effort for self-expression recorded under the name ‘Lungile Masitha’, here he linked up with long term friend Jimmy Mngwandi to co-write and arrange the two tracks ‘Vuyani’ & ‘Makoti’, both sung in his native Tsongan tongue. Vuyani is an upbeat tune that matches Chicco’s unique vocal style with percolating drums and distorted choruses to incredible effect, while Makoti is a mellower blend of floating keys and choruses sung by local kids in an effort to expose “emerging talent”.
Thandi Zulu known as T.Z. Junior was a young girl from Soweto. Original copies of T.Z Junior’s bubblegum-boogie cut “Sugar My Love” are hard to come by outside of the artist’s home country of South Africa. It’s been that way since the single was first released on Roy B Records in 1985, hence this tidy reissue from the on-point Jam Wax label.
South African disco release. The title track ‘Dance’, written by Belgian composer Frank Degrijse, was released by Night Force and became a hit throughout Europe in 1980. In South Africa the song was released with permission at a slower tempo (the original 45rpm was ‘officially’ slowed down to 33rpm). Added to this are four tracks by Music Team’s in-house production team the Tom Cats – including dub reworkings of recent Afrosynth releases ‘Burnin Beat’ and ‘Searchin’, here released as ‘Hot Stuff’ and ‘Search For Love’ respectively. Synth-heavy oddities ‘You Are My Fire’ and ‘Shake Shake’ make up the rest of the tracklist.
Habibi Funk co-founder Jannis Stuertz first came across “the Holy Grail of Sudanese funk”, Saif Abu Bakr and The Scorpions “Jazz, Jazz, Jazz”, while browsing eBay listings a few years back. His interest piqued, he took a trip to Sudan to track down the musicians who had made a ridiculously rare LP that was changing hands for thousands of pounds online. Some four years later, his wish to reissue the set has finally come through. It was originally recorded in Kuwait in 1980 and brilliantly joins the dots between American funk, soul and rhythm and blues, traditional Sudanese vocals and rhythmic arrangements, and even a dash of Congolese soukkous. It’s the first full album Habibi Funk has reissued, and with good reason: it’s near perfect from start to finish.
Heat in two flavors! Check out the Zaïrian electronic dance floor banger ‘Nakombe Nga’ by Les Choc Stars. Comes with the dope, unheard Belgium new beat version on the flip… Co-curated with renowned record fiend John Gomez.
Shane Cooper is a bassist, composer and producer from Cape Town, South Africa. He is part of the new wave of young voices in the South African jazz scene. A prolific sideman and award-winning acoustic jazz artist, he also involved in South Africa’s leftfield electronic dance scene under the alias Card On Spokes.
The unseen forces emitting out around ever being natures forces of destiny. Belief itself is God. AURA’s journey could be best described as a spiritual call to connect man and music. Each new day brought in new and more difficult problems. In the hardest of times Aura lost their original lead guitarist. Green-Bird real name Dannie Stewart – a Jamaican, humble, handsome, and talented to the bones. He was too nice to die. He was drowned in a river within the historical city of Benin. All friendly hearts cried and cried, a memory too sad to recollect. Aura’s journey sorrowly went along. Full of accedents, and frustration. We nearly crash-landed. Thanks to Sheila, for her love and courage. Uzo, a true frendship that inspired every-body in Aura. He solved so many problems. Gratitude is the only word of our choice. The Lawsons and the Shotade family also have their very noble thanks; they were nice and helpful. Many more thanks to the numerous friends and heart-felt appriciations to Mr. J. H. Booth – Decca’s new Director for his kindness and the entire staff that made this great 8 track maiden stereo album possible. A solid belief in ourselves has pushed this group to this point; Aura making an ”Astral Trip”. This is an album which is a sincere sweet fruit of determination, soulful enough to turn you loose into true life experiences of good music. All I owe you is love and appreciation.
Mr Bongo’s latest full-length reissue is something of a gem: the near impossible-to-find 1976 debut album from the Super Elcados. It first appeared on EMI Nigeria, though in recent years original copies have become more rare than the hen’s teeth and a coherent government policy on Brexit. Listening to this fine re-mastered reissue, it’s easy to see why the album is so beloved by African soul, funk and disco collectors. While it does boast a clutch of tracks that wear their Afrobeat influence with pride, the majority of the album is far more funk and soul-fired in tone. Throughout, the playing and production is spot on, with plenty of killer percussion breaks dotted throughout for good measure. Nigerian fire!
Songs about the unity of Sudan, peace between Muslims and Christians and the fate of war orphans, backed by grooves equally taking influence from Arabic sounds, American funk as well as neighboring Ethiopia. Habibi Funk serves up an album of previously unreleased material by veteran performer Kamal Keila. The music contained on the album comes from two reel-to-reel tapes of session recordings made by Keila and his band for Sudanese radio in 1992, though many of the songs and arrangements date back to the 1970s. During his ’70s peak, Keila was often described locally as “Sudan’s answer to James Brown or Fela Kuti”. Although the influence of both is present on both tracks, you’ll also hear Sudanese blues, fifties-style R&B, hazy funk influenced by the Ethiopian music scene and sweet, horn-heavy, breakbeat-powered sing-alongs.
The Switzerland based group Alma Negra are offering a Afro- and Latin influenced Disco EP tailor made for Lumberjacks in Hell. With all the instruments played live, this EP Sounds like and entire village celebrating the uplifting Alma Negra Signature Sound.
James Stewart is the host, resident DJ and co-promoter of monthly night ”Black Atlantic Club” at Le Sucre in Lyon. Borrowing the term ”Black Atlantic” from renowned scholar Paul Gilroy’s 1993 book, Stewart presents ”black music” as a transnational, incredibly diverse cultural exchange. An avid lecturer on the subject and founder of the Blog Afrosouldescarga, he merges an intellectual approach with the musical and creative side of things: as an active conga player and percussionist, member of Voilaaa Sound System and showhost at Radio Nova. This EP is the work of of a mature and thoughtful musician, combining different musical influences at a high level of production.
Continuing Ostinato’s series of Cape Verde 45s showcasing diasporan bands that are staples in Europe’s Cape Verdean communities, Ostinato Records presents timeless dance music for the summer by Conjunto Jovens Africanos, founded by Ze Orlando, a respected producer originally from São Tomé. Formed and originally based in Lisbon, the band fused raw Funaná rhythms from the Cape Verdean island of Santiago with syncopated electric guitars, raucous synthesizers, relentless percussion, and addictive vocals that kept their compatriots on their feet across little known Krioulu nightclubs in Europe’s major cities. First released in 1984, Conjuntos Jovens Africanos’ ”Nhu Jhon” and ”Volta Pa Terra” are stellar representations of modernized Funaná’s endless energy.
Grammy-nominated Ostinato Records presents ”Abu Obaida Hassan & His Tambour: The Shaigiya Sound of Sudan” in a gatefold LP packaging with vintage photos and authentic Sudanese designs. A complex blend of Arab melodies, Nubian rhythms, and signature Sudanese call and response by a legend of Shaigiya music from nothern Sudan.
The world of Bestiole is like a giant disco ball, where she likes to dance all around and meet some friends to share some music : Roger Thornhill gave classic disco perfection, Hysteric sent a letter from the far east, or maybe from Italy, Turbo Boom-Boom chewed a funky bubblegum song to make a housy rolling track and Baerlz reworked a boogie track, just what it needed to have the righteous construction for the dancefloor.
Msic From Memory took a deep dive into the archives of obscure British multi-instrumentalist Mike Turtle, resurfacing with a fine double-album of largely previously unheard cuts. Two years on they’ve taken another stroll through Turtle’s well-stocked vault, resulting in another essential collection of quirky cuts. Check, for example, the psychedelic patchwork “Reincarnation”, where backwards drums do battle with exotic Indian samples, or the delay-laden, lo-fi synth-pop pulse of “Uiko’s Return to Jeka”, which boasts strange spoken word vocals from Turtle and South African style juju guitar solos. You’ll find these kinds of imaginative experiments throughout; tracks that really shouldn’t work, but instead entertain, excite and inspire in equal measure.
The Colorful World of Arp Frique is the exotic and super funky debut album of Niels Nieuborg. After his surprising, very well received debut release on Rush Hour, Arp Frique continues collaborating with Orlando Julius, Ed Motta, Americo Brito, Ronald Snijders and more. On this surprise debut album, he continues the same approach, delivering a scintillating set of tracks that gleefully join the dots between Afro-disco, jazz-funk, boogie, Caribbean reggae-disco, bossa-soul and the kind of up-tempo, synth-laden madness that defies easy categorization. Throughout, the presence of live drums, vocals and instrumentation gives the album a loose and fluid feel, as if what we’re listening to is not a fresh album, but rather a long lost African rarity from the turn of the ’80s.
Afro-Soul music from Ivory Coast served up by Deke Tom Dollard, an obscure artist who only recorded two albums in 1979 and 1981 but who created an original funky fusion with Bété langage. A selection of four amazing tracks recorded in Abidjan on two different records label called War Records and As Records. The music here is a mixture of Funk with heavy basslines, traditional percussions, funky guitar riffs, nice horns section and lyrics in Beté. The song ‘Demonde’ is inspired by harmonies of the famous ‘Dance to the Drummer Beat’ by Herman Kelly. Those two rare records were found by Afrobrazilero (aka Djamel Hammadi) and never appeared on the vinyl market. It’s almost impossible to have info about this singer and composer neither the musicians involved in the recording sessions and most of the traces of the recording session were lost by the labels.
One of the most pivotal figures in the history of Malian music is Sorry Bamba. His work spans five decades and his music bridges the gap between Mali’s cultural traditions and new the music which arose from the musical cross overs which occurred in Mali’s post-Colonial period. Bamba was born in 1938 in Mopti. This is dissected by both the Niger and Bani rivers and known for its rich cultural diversity. Bamba’s father was a distinguished veteran of Emperor Samory Toure’s military and a nobleman in Malian society; however, this meant young Sorry was forbidden to make music, as under the nation’s caste system, music was an art form reserved for the Griots. At the age of 10, Sorry’s parents died and in traumatic times that followed the young teen found solace in music. He first taught himself to play am African six-holed flute. As he progressed he began to absorbed the rich tapestry of music of his surroundings; traditional Malian music, highlife from Ghana, local accordion master Toumani Toure, European singers and musicians. In 1957 Sorry formed his first band, Group Goumbe, named after a popular Ivory Coast dance style. In 1960 Mali gained independence from France, Bamba and his group benefited from a new openness toward local music on the state-run radio network Radio Mali. Sorry then went on to form two award-winning, further collectives Bani Jazz and later the Kanaga Orchestra. They fused Latin jazz, Western R&B, Psychedelic and funk, and traditional Malian styles made them a favourite in Mali and beyond.
The Hipodrome Of Music 