Ondeno – Mayolye [ROC021]

February 25, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, afrobeat, disco, funk, jean ondeno, mukatsuku records, nik weston, ondeno, outernational, rocafort recordsLeave a comment

20 year old Jean Ondeno from Gabon is one of many African singers who found joy in the Parisian Afro-disco scene of the late 70s. Blessed with the voice of Africa’s sweetest angel, Ondeno caught the ear of the French radio presenter Alphonse Marie Toukas who in turn introduced him to producer Philippe Brejean. Together they released 4 tracks, of which ‘Mayolye’ has become a sought-after dance floor rarity over the decades. For this special 12 inch release, Rocafort Records have grouped the original version alongside a Nik Weston Official Mukatsuku edit.

Hamad Kalkaba – Hamad Kalkaba & The Golden Sounds 1974-1975 [AALP084]

January 14, 2018February 15, 2018 hipodromeafrican, afrobeat, analog africa, funk, hamad kalkaba, jazz, outernational, the golden soundLeave a comment

These days, Hanad Kalkaba is a retired Army colonel and track and field athletics administrator in his native Cameroon. Yet back in the mid 1970s, he was a musician with dreams of potential super-stardom, trying to update traditional Cameroonian “Gandjal” music for the funk generation. To that end, he recorded a small number of singles and EPs alongside his backing band, the Golden Sounds. It’s those thoroughly obscure and overlooked releases that make up Hanad Kalkaba & The Golden Sounds, a retrospective of his pioneering work. Sitting somewhere between Afro-beat, Afro-funk and Afro-jazz, with a distinctively Cameroonian rhythmic swing, the music showcased on the album is undeniably special.

Biosis Now / Afro Train – Independent Bahamas V’s Ivory Coast Afro Funk [MUKAT053]

November 12, 2017August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrobeat, afron train, biosis now, caribbean, disco, edits, funk, mukatsuku records, nik weston, outernationalLeave a comment

Few years ago label manager Nik played in France and the promoter pulled out a Biosis now 45 that he never knew existed up till then and was generally thought to be a long album track only. An extensive search revealed nothing online including popsike/discogs/ebay except a tropical seller who’d just bought a huge caribbean collection with the record included saying he’d never seen it before either and he was keeping it…Failing to secure a copy themselves the label licensed it instead and created their own 45 edit which retains all the funk & soul of the elongated album version into a 7 inch friendly format. On the flipside and 1973 Tumba Safari from Afro Train get’s a funky afrobeat re touch for peak time club play that would save you several hundred pounds on an original if you could actually find a copy!

Kologbo – Africa Is The Future [PARISDJS091]

October 22, 2017August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, afrobeat, afrobeat academy, album, antibalas, ayo, funk, jazz, joseph cotton, kologbo, les freres smith, newen afrobeat, oghene kologbo, outernational, paris djs, pat thomas, tony allenLeave a comment

Guitar legend Oghene Kologbo was born in Warri, Nigeria in 1957. His father was the well known highlife musician Joe King Kologbo. When Kologbo was a teenager, he began performing with the revolutionary Afrobeat master Fela Kuti. He played the hypnotic tenor guitar lines, but often recorded bass and rhythm guitar too. Kologbo was Fela’s personal assistant and “tape recorder”. That is, it was his job to remember the melodies Fela would sing to him late at night, then teach them to the band at rehearsal the next day. In 1978, after a show at the Berlin Jazz Festival, Kologbo left the band (along with Tony Allen and a few others) and stayed in Berlin. “Africa Is The Future” is a true collective effort, with many guests gathering forces on the project: Tony Allen, playing drums on 5 tracks out of 8 (Nigeria/France), singer Pat Thomas (Ghana), deejay Joseph Cotton (Jamaica), singer Ayo (Nigeria/Germany), horn players from the Afrobeat Academy (Germany) or from Les Frères Smith (France), members of Antibalas (USA), Newen Afrobeat (Chile), etc. This is afrobeat from the 21st century at its purest, blending the originators and the descendants together.

Les Yeux Orange – Togosava [G+003]

August 5, 2017August 29, 2023 hipodromeafrican, afrobeat, disco, good plus, les yeux orangeLeave a comment

Parisian party starters Les Yeux Orange continue to develop their Good Plus body of work with three more obscure digs. A predominant Afro theme presides throughout as we’re massaged by the kwaito smoothness of “Avidiyo” where synth marimbas ignite instant Balearic feels, Yanga Mbiwaa struts with much more of direct Nigerian disco funk feel with its big sing-along chorus and strong sense of drive. Finally “Autoradio” provides a more contemporary almost Italo-like take on Afrofunk with some expert trippiness buried deep in the synths and arrangement.

VA – Pop Makossa: The Invasive Dance Beat Of Cameroon 1976-1984 [AACD083]

July 15, 2017August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, afrobeat, analog africa, bernard nton, bill loko, clement djimogne, compilation, disco, dream stars, eko, emmanuel kahe, funk, jeanette kemogne, makossa, olinga gaston, outernational, pasteur lappe, pat ndoyeLeave a comment

VARIOUS - Pop Makossa: The Invasive Dance Beat Of Cameroon 1976-1984

Now Analog Africa returns to put the record straight. Pop-Makossa shines a light on a glorious but largely overlooked period in the story of Cameroonian makossa, when local musicians began to replace funk and highlife influences with the rubbery bass of classic disco and the sparkling synth flourishes and drum machines of electrofunk. The resultant compilation, which apparently took eight years to produce, is packed full of brilliant cuts, from the heavily-electronic jauntiness of Pasteur Lappe’s “Sanaga Calypso” and horn-totin’ Highlife-disco of Emmaniel Kahe and Jeanette Kemogne’s “Ye Medjuie”, to the dense, organ-laden wig out that is Clement Djimogne’s “Africa”.

The Pop Makossa adventure started in 2009, when Analog Africa founder Samy Ben Redjeb first travelled to Cameroon to make an initial assessment of the country’s musical situation. He returned with enough tracks for an explosive compilation highlighting the period when funk and disco sounds began to infiltrate the Makossa style popular throughout Cameroon.

Perdu / Afrobot – 04AM [04AM]

July 14, 2017November 24, 2021 hipodromeafrican, afrobeat, afrobot, afrobotic musicology, am, disco, edits, minimal 421, new beat, perdu, roeland otten, the soweto acesLeave a comment

PERDU/AFROBOT - 04 AM

The 04AM A-side contains two South-African 80’s Bubblegum tracks, revamped by young DJ and producer Perdu. He provided the tracks with delicate intros and rearranged them with new percussion, synths and deeper basslines. On the flip Afrobot delivers two kind of New Beat cuts, making the originals more abstract by some heavy chopping, reducing the amount of samples used, and adding disco breaks to the track Jungle.

Loud-E – The Brasserie Heroique Edits Part 4 [BH040]

July 9, 2017August 29, 2023 hipodromeafrobeat, berceuse heroique, disco, edits, loud-eLeave a comment

Berceuse Heroique pluck four percivals from Dutch disco DJ supremo, Loud-E’s Loudiefied [2008] album of edits, plonking them on one fine 12” for DJ use and exercise. You get four choice picks, a symphonic strut, a belting Afro-psych bit, some electrified rutting gear and a killer slow-mo stroke to close.

Alessandro Alessandroni – Afro Discoteca [FLIESDJ001]

April 17, 2017December 13, 2023 hipodromeafrobeat, alessandro alessandroni, disco, four flies records, funk, jazz, outernational, soundtrackLeave a comment

ALESSANDRONI, Alessandro - Afro Discoteca (Soundtrack)

Four Flies Records is back in full force, this time with an EP that looks at the more sophisticated and modern dancefloor… The Italian label embarked on another journey of rediscovery, a specialty they seem to master. The destination of this trip was a dusty vault in Africa, where a famous Italian musician moved years ago… The Italian film and TV industry provided in the 60s and 70s countless opportunity for talented musicians to compose and produce a rich variety of music: soundtracks, library music, experimental music – an infinite amount of recordings that still represents a paradise for the most curious and passionate diggers. So here we have the proof that there’s still lot to discover. Alessandro Alessandroni is one of those pioneers, a maestro that built the legend of Italian soundtracks and library music along with Ennio Morricone, Piero Umiliani and many others. His vault testifies how prolific had been those times, with hundreds of tapes and obscure recordings from that period. Among the many, a dusty tape bearing the hand-written label “Afro Discoteca” captured the attention of Four Flies. The music contained in the tape had never been released until now.

Big Mean Sound Machine – Blank Slate 014 [BS014]

July 31, 2016August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, afrobeat, big mean sound machine, blank slate, caribbean, funk, house, jazz, mirko, outernational, rene audiardLeave a comment

Big Mean Sound Machine is a twelve-piece Afrobeat band native to Ithaca, New York. They tour 150 days a year and have a large and dedicated following up and down the East coast. Still, it is a crime that Big Mean Sound Machine is not well known elsewhere. The band’s tremendous sound combines a big band aesthetic while channeling a global sense of musicality. Their shows leave fans drenched in sweat from dancing as audiences absorb the West African, Caribbean, Jazz and Funk traditions that Big Mean Sound Machine carries forward.

Xoa – Aiye Le [SHAKE003]

July 3, 2016August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, afrobeat, dan shake, deep house, dele sosimi, fela kuti, outernational, shake, xoaLeave a comment

XOA is an exciting new project fusing sounds from the golden era of 70s Afrobeat with contemporary electronica and modern production. The debut release Aiye Le, features the vocals of former Fela Kuti musical director and afrobeat royalty Dele Sosimi. Label boss Dan Shake steps up for the remix on the B side, bringing his signature Detroit house aesthetic.

William Onyeabor – World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who is William Onyeabor [9900791]

November 3, 2013August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, afrobeat, album, disco, funk, luaka bop, outernational, william onyeaborLeave a comment

In the early 21st century, a shadowy figure rose from the dust that settled atop forgotten record collections throughout Africa, leaving behind a trail of clues in what seemed like a wild good chase, but in October 2013, Luaka Bop will unmask a phantom: the great William Onyeabor. 13 tracks from Nigerian electro-funk originator, a mystery man of epic proportions, and an elusive master of synth & good vibes.

Analog Players Society – Coule’Ba [DSCVRY004]

June 9, 2013August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrobeat, amon, analog players society, discovery recordings, funk, missia saran diabate, outernationalLeave a comment

Discovery Recordings is proud to release Coule’Ba by Analog Players Society, a collective melting pot of musicians lead by Amon. Coule’Ba draws from West African influences and features the incredible Missia Saran Diabate of Guinea on lead vocals.

VA ‎– Supafrico Vol VI: The Sound Of Funky Africa [SF006]

June 9, 2013August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrobeat, black soul, bongi makeba, disco, funk, his african percussionists, outernational, shina williams, supafricoLeave a comment

Camp Supafrico return with the sixth edition of their highly acclaimed ‘Sound of Funky Africa’ series. Digging even deeper into the Afro-funk vaults, side A features the über-rare 1984 Shina Williams and His African Percussionists ‘Agboju Logun’. Grooving along for a massive eleven and a half minutes, this super-heavy Nigerian disco cut splices raw sounding horns with choirs and chants. Flip over for ‘Don’t Do It’ from Bongi Makeba, a mesmerising afro-funk workout with her powerful voice weaving in and out of the grooving bass and spaced-out sax. Last up is the sought-after ‘Mangous Ye’ from Black Soul. Originally the B-side of a 1976 release on tiny but top-quality NYC label Beam Junction, this Tom Moulton mixed slice of high-octane percussion-soaked afro-disco hit big on Italy’s Cosmic scene as well as the clubs of New York.

Mark Ernestus meets Ben Zabo – Démocratie [GBEP006]

May 19, 2013August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, afrobeat, ben zabo, dub, funk, glitterbeat records, harmonious thelonious, mark ernestus, outernationalLeave a comment

Cover art - Mark Ernestus meets Ben Zabo: Wari Wo Dubwise

The debut release by Glitterbeat Records is a limited edition 12 inch with two dubbed-up remixes by electronic music explorer, Mark Ernestus. The tracks are pulled from Glitterbeat artist, Ben Zabos self-titled and highly touted, 2012 debut album of frenetic, Malian Afro-rock.

Owiny Sigoma Band – Wires [BROWNSWOOD063]

April 27, 2011August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrobeat, brownswood, detroit, house, outernational, owiny sigoma band, theo parrishLeave a comment

Track artwork

Raw Theo Parrish remix on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood.

Culoe de Song – Webaba [IV30]

October 29, 2010November 18, 2017 hipodromeafrobeat, busi mhlongo, culeo de song, house, ineervisionsLeave a comment

The new EP from Culeo de Song features Busi Mhlongo, an award-winning South African singer who sadly passed away earlier this year. Innervisions is proud to present the next big release by this young producer.