Super Elcados – Togetherness Is Always A Good Venture: Tambourine Party Vol. 2 [MRBLP163]

July 15, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, afrobeat, album, disco, funk, jazz, mr bongo, outernational, re-release, reissue, super elcadosLeave a comment

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!

Kamal Keila – Muslims & Christians [HABIBI008]

July 7, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, album, arabic, funk, habibi funk, jazz, kamal keila, outernationalLeave a comment

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.

Alma Negra – Sedowa EP [LIH033]

July 7, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, alma negra, disco, lumberjacks in hell, outernationalLeave a comment

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.

Conjunto Jovens Africanos – Nhu Djon / Volta Pa Terra [OST4502]

June 23, 2018June 21, 2018 hipodromeafrican, cape verde, conjunto jovens africanos, disco, funk, ostinato records, outernational, ze orlandoLeave a comment

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.

Örtmek – Örtmek 02 [ORTMEK02]

June 16, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromedisco, edits, funk, ortmek, outernational, psychedelic, turkishLeave a comment

Örtmek comes back round, presenting another vinyl only pressing of three invaluable edits of vintage Turkish funk, rock and disco delicacies. Following the raw, percussive experiments of the first release. Opening track ‘Özil Dans’ rains down crashing cymbals and freak-out-worthy wah guitars, maintaining an irresistible and authentic groove that doesn’t falter for five minutes of Eurasian hypnosis. ‘Dokuz Sekiz’ weaves traditional string elements alongside bursts of wild chanting. Finally, ‘Mozart’in Davul’ stitches a frantic, dense rhythm from the fuzz and feedback of an unknown slab of Turkish psychedelia.

Abu Obaida Hassan – Abu Obaida Hassan & His Tambour: The Shaigiya Sound of Sudan [OSTLP004]

June 3, 2018May 25, 2018 hipodromeabu bbaida hassan, african, album, ostinato records, outernationalLeave a comment

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.

VA – BEST 003: Need Some Friends EP [BEST003]

May 26, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, baerlz, disco, hysteric, la bestiole records, outernational, roger thornhil, turbo boom boomLeave a comment

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.

Michal Turtle – Return To Jeka [MFM029]

May 13, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, album, experimental, jazz, michal turtle, music from memory, outernationalLeave a comment

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.

VA – Hunchin’ All Night [RHMC001]

April 29, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrobeat, compilation, disco, house, hun choi, hunee, outernational, rush hourLeave a comment

Hunee presents a collection of his favorite dance floor cuts from the 70ties till modern times. Going from afro to disco to techno, ”Hunchin’ All Night” holds a wide spectrum of songs, tracks by the wonderful Boncana Maïga, Pat Thomas, Black Beat Niks, Kenny Larkin, Larry Heard, Mappa Mundi and many more. Hunee, aka Hun Choi, is a Korean Berliner who has been drawn in music since a very young age. After working in record stores and studying musicology he resided in Amsterdam, where he released his debut album Hunch Music. As a DJ he has always followed ‘a hunch’, which gave him wings to communicate the music he loves with crowds all over the world. With Hunchin’ All Night, Hunee expresses his relationship with the dance floor.

Arp Frique – Welcome To The Colorful World of Arp Frique [CW001]

April 29, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, afrobeat, album, americo brito, arp frique, cape verde, colorful world, disco, ed motta, humphrey campbell, niels nieuborg, orlando julius, outernational, ronald snijders, rush hourLeave a comment

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.

Deke Tom Dollard – Na You [HC54]

March 25, 2018August 30, 2023 hipodromea&s records, african, afrobeat, afrobrazilero, deke tom dollard, djamel hammadi, funk, hot casa records, outernational, war recordsLeave a comment

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.

Sorry Bamba Du Mali – Sorry Bamba Du Mali [SON8203]

March 11, 2018March 8, 2018 hipodromeafrican, album, outernational, songhoi records, sorry bamba, sory bamba du maliLeave a comment

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.

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.

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.