Örtmek – Örtmek 01 [ORTMEK01]

March 11, 2018March 8, 2018 hipodromedisco, funk, ortmek, psychedelic, turkishLeave a comment

Three expansive edits of Turkish funk and psychedelia, each dubbed out through tape delays and spring reverbs, as well as carefully EQ-ed and mastered for an enhanced sonic experience. Side A kicks off with the low slung funk of ‘Ayçiçegi’, featuring an infectious bassline which weaves between subtle flashes of spring reverb, whispered vocals, each underpinned by pounding drums. Side B begins with ‘Biz Burdayiz’ , a relentless drum loop and singular vocal hit looped around and manipulated with tape delays, and the record closes with ‘Günesi Kesin’, a tense funk break which builds before reversing inside of itself.

Eko – Funky Disco Music [ASVN052]

February 25, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrica seven records, african, album, disco, eko, eko roosevelt louis, funk, outernational, riccioLeave a comment

Eko Roosevelt Louis has had a music career spanning over forty years, born the grandson of a Kribi tribal chief, his musical persuasion beginning humbly with his village’s local church before his formal education at the Senegal conservatoire and Paris’ École Normale de Musique. EKO made a number of jazz funk and disco records in the mid seventies during a stint recording and touring in and around France before returning to Cameroon to take over his grandfather’s tribal chieftaincy, a role he still holds today. Alongside this position of office EKO has continued to work with music, performing, teaching and even leading Cameroon’s national orchestra. The tracks selected for this reissue are all taken from EKO’s third album, Funky Disco Music which was recorded in Paris and released on his own Dragon Phenix imprint. Sung in a combination of English and EKO’s native tongue we’ve lined up a real excursion in feel good afro-jazz, funk and soul made purely for dancing feet and boogying butts.

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.

Basa Basa – Homowo [VV-001]

February 17, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, album, basa basa, disco, funk, outernational, re-release, reissue, vintage voodooLeave a comment

One of Ghana’s most sought-after LPs emerges from obscurity as a high quality reissue on the new Vintage Voudou label from the Netherlands. First released in Nigeria in 1979, this LP (also known as Basa Basa Experience – Together We Win) is a unique collaboration with Themba ‘T-fire’ Matebese, who propelled Basa Basa’s sound, inspired by Ghanaian traditional music, soul and afrobeat, into another dimension, adding disco elements, synthesizers and the production aesthetics of the next decade. The new Amsterdam based label Vintage Voudou focuses on re-releasing a carefully picked selection of rare tropical music on vinyl, paying special attention to sound quality and print work.

VA – Quare Groove Vol. 1 [ACQG12X1X2]

February 11, 2018February 8, 2018 hipodromeall city records, barry warner, compilation, disco, funk, micro-disney, natural wild, soul, stano, sunshineLeave a comment

All City spent years putting together this superb compilation, which shines a light on Ireland’s previously unheralded underground and alternative music scenes of the ’70s and ’80s. It’s packed with obscure and lesser-known gems covering a myriad of related styles, from the jazz-funk inspired soul smoothness of Pumphouse Gang’s “Welcome Back Into My Life” and dub-fuelled, post-punk synth-pop brilliance of Natural Wild’s 1985 cut “Hot & Sexable (Mega Mix)”, to the slow and intoxicating, delay-laden throb of Stano’s “White Fields (In Isis)” and the Stiff Records-ish cacophony of Micro-Disney’s “Leper”. In other words, it’s a great example of a compilation that not only tells a previously untold story, but also includes some genuinely must-have tracks.

VA – RDY #43 (Ron Hardy Edits) [RDY043]

January 26, 2018September 29, 2025 hipodromecappuccino, chicago, deep cuts, disco house, edits, funk, jive junior, kleeer, man friday, ron hardyLeave a comment

Cappuccino – Hell dance with me, Man Friday & Jive Junior – Picking up sounds, Kleeer – Taste The Music.

Pasteur Lappe – We, The People [ASVN027]

January 14, 2018February 15, 2018 hipodromeafrica seven records, african, album, disco, funk, outernational, pasteur lappe, re-release, reissueLeave a comment

Following the extremely well received re-press of Pasteur Lappe’s second album “Na Man Pass Man”, Africa Seven are heading back to the beginning with Pasteur. It is a another fine repress. The debut album “We, The People”. The story begins in the 60’s with a charming 19 year old Nicolas “Pasteur” Lappe becoming a sensation on Radio Adele in Douala, Cameroun. He goes on to become the editor of the Douala Gazette newspaper and become friends with other African music stars such as Tala AM, J Moboule and Fela Kuti. He also works tirelessly promoting new and upcoming local Cameroonian talent. After moving to Paris, a stint in journalism school and publishing a book of poems “Chansons Negres” he finally settles into a new life of music in Paris. Pasteur’s first album was recorded in 1979 with the backing band and production collective called the Zulu Gang, which include Douglas Mbida (who went on to release several top flight albums himself) and Jacob Desvariaux (who went on to form Kassav). The album is full of diverse sounds, from driving funk, sweeping disco grooves, syrupy ballads, reggae, Jackson-five-esque pop to finger-lickin’ soul. At its core though is the custom “Sekele” groove… a movement to encompass the dance, grooves and vibes from his native Douala. The nostalgic poet, with Africa at his essence Pasteur Lappe.

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.

Amadou Balaké – In Conclusion (Ben Gomori Edits) [STEDIT002]

January 14, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, amadou balaké, ben gomori, disco, edits, funk, outernational, sterns editsLeave a comment

Sterns Edits returns after the sell-out success of its debut edition with another two catalogue reworks from Ben Gomori. This time he turns his attention to Burkina Faso’s much-loved taxi-driver- turned-singer, Amadou Balake´.

Arp Frique – Nos Magia [RHSTOREJAMS011]

December 31, 2017January 30, 2020 hipodromeafrican, americo brito, arp frique, cape verde, disco, funk, niels nieuborg, orlando julius, rush hour, rush hour store jamsLeave a comment

Arp Frique is Niels Nieuborg from the city of Rotterdam, who has been actively involved in the Dutch live music scene for years, working with Cape Verdean & Surinamese musicians especially. After all these years, he finally presents his own true musical output. “Nos Magia” is a classic sounding, but unheard Cape Verdean funana song featuring the old skool Americo Brito on vocals. The b-side holds two collaborations with afro-beat protagonist Orlando Julius.

Grotto – Wait… No Hurry [LIVST004]

December 10, 2017January 10, 2025 hipodromeafrican, album, disco, funk, grotto, odion livingstone, re-release, reissue, temitope kogbe, uchenna ikkoneLeave a comment

First official reissue of Nigerian Boogie Disco Grail LP produced by Grotto for EMI Nigeria and originally released in 1978. Contains dance classic’Bad city Girl’. Liner notes by Nigerian Music expert Uchenna Ikkone, include previously unpublished photos and extensive interviews by Temitope Kogbe. It contains more examples of disco-era dancefloor heat, with the band utilizing Moog synthesizers alongside their usual instrumentation. While naturally rooted in Afro-funk, the set contains some of the earliest examples of Afro-boogie while also touching on jazz-funk, psychedelic funk and undulating Afrobeat/Afro-disco fusion.

VA – Africa Airways Four: Disco Funk Touchdown 1976-1983 [ASVN040]

November 28, 2017August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrica seven records, african, charly kingson, compilation, disco, eko, funk, jake sollo, kemayo, manu dibango, outernational, pierre didy tchakounte, tala a.m.Leave a comment

To date, each volume in Africa Seven’s thrilling Africa Airways compilation series has been little less than essential. It goes without saying that this fourth installment is also exceptionally good. Whereas previous volumes have focused on Afro-funk and “Afro-psych” (think Sly Stone, Nigerian style), this set drills down into African disco-funk released between 1976 and ’83. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the solo-laden, slap bass-boasting bounce of Tala AM’s “Get Up Tchamassi” and Charly Kingson’s squelchy, synth-laden Blaxploitation number “Nimele Bolo”, to the righteous, piano-driven thrills of Kemayo and K-System’s brilliant “Biram” and the superior boogie business of Jake Sollo’s “Tinini Yasana”.

VA – RDY #42 (Ron Hardy Edits) [RDY042]

November 22, 2017September 29, 2025 hipodromechicago, deep cuts, disco, edits, funk, mass production, ron hardy, willie hutchLeave a comment

More edits from Ron Hardy. Mass production – Welcome to Our World (Of Merry Music), Cosmic Lady, Willie Hutch – Foxy Lady.

VA – Pantsula! The Rise Of Electronic Dance Music In South Africa, 1988-90 [RHMC003]

November 12, 2017August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, antal, ayobayo band, chaka, compilation, disco, dj okapi, funk, jazino, jivaro, kakappa, music team, outernational, rush hour, s.y.b., scotch band, spirro, the hard workersLeave a comment

Late 80s South African dance floor winners only. Selected by DJ Okapi and Antal, the compilation holds tracks by Jivaro, The Hard Workers, Ayobayo Band, S.Y.B. & many more. This is the sharp electronic music that fuelled the local Pantsula dances during the 80s and 90s . A must have for fans of Bubblegum and Kwaito music. The 12 tracks selected for Pantsula! come from a very unique, very different time and place. They represent the birth of electronic dance music in South Africa, through the songs of one particular independent label from the time: Music Team. The sound represents the culmination of the bubblegum era, when South Africa’s disco artists outgrew their American influences and forged an increasingly electronic and ‘local’ pop sound. Evolving over time since long before the 80s, the distinctly South African subculture of Pantsula is more closely associated with an attitude, a style and a signature dance, rather than any specific sound. In the late 1980s and early 90s, Pantsula was also the name given to a new type of dance music taking over the streets of South Africa, influenced by earlier bubblegum and the rise of Shangaan Disco, but with a far broader appeal and a harder, purely electronic sound.

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!

Henry Keen – 70’s Baby [MJR002]

October 29, 2017October 27, 2017 hipodromealbum, experimental, funk, henry keen, jazz, maddjazz recordingsLeave a comment

Debuting under his given name for Maddjazz Recordings’ second offering, is DJ, producer and synth enthusiast Henry Keen. Henry’s music was discovered after a long night of online digging, and after several exchanges, it was apparent that Henry was making music that defined exactly what Maddjazz is striving to achieve; honest music that’s free of form and not constrained by any genre or tempo. 70’s Baby is a raw and honest record. A collection of uptempo grooves written in various locations around hectic inner London. It’s spirit is born out of the freedom of the CDR sessions at the now defunct club Plastic People, where many of Henry’s productions were first shared, and where tempo and genre were irrelevant. It references Henry’s love for the instrumentation, recording techniques and sounds of the 1970s, the decade of his birth. Featuring a tasteful blend of worldly and otherworldly sounds, It owes itself to modern and ancient dance themes alike.

Funkadelic – Reworked By Detroiters [SEW3158]

October 29, 2017October 27, 2017 hipodromealbum, alton miller, amp fiddler, andres, anthony shake shakir, bmg, claude young, detroit, disco, ectomorph, funk, funkadelic, gay marvine, kenny dixon jr., marcellus pittman, moodymann, mophono, recloose, t. dance, the dirtbombs, the fantasy, tom thump, underground resistanceLeave a comment

Funkadelic have created an enduring legacy, and the power of their impact is visceral in Detroit. Their records not only played with genre, but possessed a diabolical sense of humour that led to music domination by the late 70s with Parliament, Funkadelic, Parlet, Bootsy’s Rubber Band and the Brides Of Funkenstein all releasing albums the same year for two years in a row. The music itself is beyond stereotype, but equally huge is that they were a black band not allowing themselves to be limited by anyone else’s notions of who they could be, having a massive impact on the next generation of Detroit music, Detroit Techno. But more than just Techno, it is a freedom of thinking that extends beyond boxes, so we included all sorts of today’s generation of Detroit musicians and producers to show the wide range of music that was Funkadelic and how these ideas are still contemporary, they endure and inspire.

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.

VA – Da’asa: The Haunting Sounds Of Yemenite Israeli Funk 1973-1984 [FTNLP003]

October 15, 2017October 17, 2017 hipodromeaharon amram, arabic, compilation, david dor, folk, fortuna records, funk, israeli, jazz, lehakat tzliley ha'oud, outernational, the amranim, tsvia abarbanel, yehezkel matariLeave a comment

Fortuna Records deliver a stellar compilation of real-life magic created by immigrants from Yemen, in Tel Aviv, from the mid seventies to the early eighties. Ranging from extremely rare to previously unreleased, these tracks are a result of a unique scene which blended funk, soul, jazz & disco with traditional Yemenite rhythms & sounds. It cannot get more obscure than this.

Itadi K. Bonney – Inye [HC052]

October 15, 2017August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, album, funk, hot casa records, itadi k. bonney, outernationalLeave a comment

Afro funk and Political Soul from Togo. Recorded in the beginning of the 80’s and self-produced by Itadi in 1983 , this obscure album contained deep soul and controversial rare grooves backed by the 5 band members called the “Afro Funk Band de Lomé”. Itadi’s music is unique, in his second album, he kept the same recipe: a mixture of soul, reggae, hi-life and Funk, with heavy lyrics which sounds like slogans and caused him big trouble after its release. He was obliged to escape the country to USA. A real definition of a revolutionary musician.