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.

Wolf Muller & Niklas Wandt – Instrumentalmusik Von Der Mitte Der Welt [GBR013]

February 17, 2018August 23, 2018 hipodromealbum, disco, experimental, growing bin records, jan schulte, niklas wandt, outernational, wolf mullerLeave a comment

Growing Bin burst into 2018 with a bang, crash and symbol splash, uniting a premier pair of per-cussion obsessives for a supernatural mission into the heart of the rhythm. Dressed in the pitch black of Dusseldorf stands Wolf Muller, master of the tropical drums and seven time Salon Des Amateur breakdance champion. Repping Cologne and Berlin is Niklas Wandt, Germany’s funkiest drummer and a mixed musical artist as adept in experimental jazz as demen- ted Euro dance. Standing toe to toe in a no holds barred, no drum unstruck groove contest, these two titans will make you swing your pants like a Crash Bandicoot victory dance…so stretch out and step in to ‘Instrumentalmusik von der Mitte der World’.

Giuseppe Leonardi – TBC [SC007]

February 17, 2018June 29, 2021 hipodromeambient, experimental, giuseppe leonardi, music from memory, outernational, second circleLeave a comment

Returning with another debut release, Second Circle’s eighth record to date comes this time from young Viennese musician Giuseppe Leonardi. Performed on an array of synthesizers and experimenting with spoken word and vocals from various local singers, Giuseppe’s ‘TBC’ EP take us on a dance through the catacombs and out through the jungle floor with ritualistic rhythm and haunting song… Whilst at other moments Giuseppe’s horizontal ambient pieces leave us gazing out on the shores of a distant half-remembered planet.

Elektro-Dschungel – Kebab Und Andere Traume [ED001]

February 11, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromealbum, edition dschungel, elektro-dschungel, experimental, new wave, outernational, psychedelic, re-release, reissue, turkishLeave a comment

The Official 30th anniversary vinyl reissue of Elektro-Dschungel – Kebab Und Andere Träume album from 1987. A divere blend of New Wave, Turkish Pop and Oriental-Rock, Funk & Soul, Hip-Hop but also Disco in a exotic way.

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´.

Tapan – Europe LP [MTLP002]

December 31, 2017February 3, 2020 hipodromealbum, arabic, jazz, malka tuti, outernational, tapanLeave a comment

This 2XLP album, Europa, is dedicated to and inspired by events in 2015 & 2016, which saw the spectre of global crisis come knocking at Europe’s doorstep. During this time, more than a million migrants and refugees fled their homes in the Middle East, Northern Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and other conflict ravaged areas in search of a better life. For many, hopes of a future for themselves and their families lay in continental Europe. One of the most well- trodden paths on this journey was the Balkan route, a trail leading through Turkey, Greece, and the former Yugoslavia. This route was not without its dangers, and the dreams of thousands upon thousands were dashed by impassible security fences and discordant EU politics, as one by one they were turned away at borders, or worse, forcibly returned to their countries of origin. Europa was recorded during long jam sessions in Belgrade as the media spotlight started to dim. The city became the purgatorial destination for a large number of migrants, whose journeys had been cut short. This double LP reflects the atmosphere of disillusionment and uncertainty about the future, which descended on the Serbian capital. Dark and melancholic saxophone playing on top of heavy kicks and Mediterranean percussions dominate the epic 17 minutes title track. The collaboration with Jerusalem in My heart continues the melancholic atmosphere, adding to it JIMH signature delayed baglama sounds, to create a 12 minute emotional journey, tearing away abstract concepts of ‘longing’ and ‘home’ with ever growing tension and magnitude. Genre-less, illusive and not easy to categorize, Tapan’s debut album on Malka Tuti is an original soundtrack of a fragment in time and space, capturing a moment and transcending it musically for the rest of the world to experience.

Piero Umiliani aka M. Zalla – Africa / Continente Nero [RED312-13]

December 31, 2017December 29, 2017 hipodromeafrican, album, dagored, experimental, m. zalla, outernational, piero umiliani, re-release, reissueLeave a comment

Along with Moggi, Rovi or Tusco, M Zalla was one of Piero Umiliani’s most revered monikers from his early period. Starting off in the early 70s, the legendary Italian electronic wizard began to release weird and wonderful shapes of kinetic electronics, often inspired by the anthropology of Africa, the Mother continent. Africa itself is one of his works from ’72, released just before the iconic Problemi D’Oggi, and it has clearly inspired whole generations of different sorts of musicians. It’s polyrhythmic waves of euphoria rarely tire of cease to provoke wonder, and this whole piece of work is a treasure chest that will simply not stop giving. For some, it’s a source for samples and inspiration, while for others it’s the perfect tool to add life to DJ sets, whether at the beginning, in between tracks, or at the end.

Ozo – Anambra [ISLE004]

December 20, 2017December 19, 2017 hipodromeafrican, disco, isle of jura recods, outernational, ozoLeave a comment

Isle Of Jura go back to 1976 to resurrect ‘Anambra’, the jewel in the crown of Dub, Soul & Funk outfit Ozo. ‘Anambra’ is something of a classic, a unique song that’s slow, ritualistic and spiritual, mixing African & Nyabinghi drumming with a Buddhist Sanskrit mantra ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’. An alternate version ‘Anambra River’ appears for the first time on the same 12”.

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 – 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!

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.

C Cat Trance – Screaming Ghosts [ERC036/MT009]

October 22, 2017August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, arabic, c cat trance, emotional rescue, emotional response recordings, john rees lewis, malka tuti, outernationalLeave a comment

Emotional Rescue and Malka Tuti join forces to bring a collection of the music of C Cat Trance. Drawing on the rhythms and melodies of Africa and the Middle East to produce a World Beat across some 6 EP and 4 LPs, here drawn together on a special double LP compilation. From the legendary Shake The Mind to the percussive, ethnic meets club inspired songs like Sudaniyya or the previously unreleased Some Day Soon, the album highlights a project that stood out from the post-punk haze with striking scales and time signatures to develop a unique sound. Formed by world music fan and multi-instrumentalist John Rees Lewis upon leaving post post-funk pioneers Medium Medium, the group retained the intensity of the former, but in a considerable new direction. Teaming up with fellow ex-band member Nigel Kingston Stone, together they formed the backbone of the band around a continual stream of guest players. Exotic, dense, tribal rhythms propel a mixture of club, pop and world music, creating an atmospheric fusion that can be heard across the 12 pieces. The alt-industrial feel of She Steals Cars and Screaming With You is countered by avant-percussive Dalbouka and I Looked At You or the Balearic vibes of Take Me To The Beach and They Made Them Up.

Okay Temiz / Johnny Dyani- Witchdoctor’s Son [MM110]

October 22, 2017August 30, 2023 hipodromealbum, jazz, johnny dyani, matsuli music, okay temiz, outernational, re-release, reissue, turkish, yonca recordsLeave a comment

Matsuli Music is releasing another forgotten gem of the South African jazz diaspora – the 1976 Istanbul session featuring Johnny Dyani and Okay Temiz fusing deep roots and new routes, integrating folklore and rhythm within an experimental, avant-garde vision of love and life. Available for the first time since Yonca Records originally released only 1000 copies in Turkey, this album has remained an elusive and sought after landmark in South African exile Johnny Dyani’s discography. The recording captures a complex, funky and musically together exploration of folk themes, jazz messages and popular directions. After many years together discovering both South African and Turkish sources, Temiz and Dyani were intimately versed in each other’s traditions. Side one features material arranged by Temiz, and the second has material arranged and composed by Dyani – including a stunning arrangement of Don Cherry’s Elhamdulilhah Marimba with Dyani on piano and voice.

Continue reading “Okay Temiz / Johnny Dyani- Witchdoctor’s Son [MM110]” →

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.

Jo Tongo – African Funk Experimentals: 1968-1982 & 2017 [ASVN048]

October 15, 2017August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrica seven records, african, album, funk, jazz, jo tongo, joseph ekambi tongo mpondo, mpondo, outernationalLeave a comment

Africa Seven is on fire recently, and this new compilation of rare and untapped material from Cameroon’s Joseph Ekambi Tongo Mpondo has to be the pick of the lot. The talented multi-instrumentalist was famously studying medicine in Paris throughout he 60s, but it’s clear that down the music path was the only sensible option for this man. African Funk Experimentals brings together some of his most obscure material from the years 1968-1982…and some new gear from 2017! Aside from the absolutely killer artwork featuring on the sleeve, this is a ten-track masterpiece, reaching all corners of the afrobeat heritage, while still retaining something very personal and symbolic of Cameroon’s often underrated influence on African funk and boogie.

Mekine U Teksi – Postanatolische Hybride: Die Steppenroboter LP [TFGC013]

August 24, 2017August 30, 2023 hipodromealbum, arabic, disco, house, irfan derin, mekine u teksi, murat goktas, outernational, themes for great citiesLeave a comment

Themes From Great Cities’ latest chunk of inspired, hard-to-define goodness comes from Mekine U Teksi, a fresh outfit formed by Murat Goktas and Irfan Derin. Dedicated to legendary, currently closed Dusseldorf venue Salon Des Amateurs, the mini-album – the duo’s debut release – is shot through not only with the arpeggio-driven pulse of vintage ’80s new wave, but also the chugging attitude of psychedelic nu-disco and the exotic, intoxicating melodies of traditional Arabic music. Of course, there are other influences that make their presence felt throughout – krautrock, dark Italo-disco, punk funk and dub disco – but these merely serve to enhance the duo’s core sound, which is rarely less than enthralling.