Der britische Singer-Songwriter Bakar ist zurück mit seinem mit Spannung erwarteten zweiten Album "Halo", dem Nachfolger seines Debüts "Nobody's Home" aus dem Jahr 2022. Das Album enthält den britischen Top-20-Hit und die Gold-Single "Hell n Back" (über 60 Mio. Streams in Großbritannien) und die neue Single "Alive!", die am 21. Juni mit einem kultigen Video unter der Regie von Rubberband veröffentlicht wurde.
Die Trackliste für Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Awesome Mix Vol. 3 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) besteht aus 17 Songs und wird am 5. Mai auf CD und 12” 2-LP Vinyl erhältlich sein.
Im Film spielen Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel als Groot und Bradley Cooper als Rocket, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter und Maria Bakalova mit. James Gunn ist der Regisseur und hat auch das Drehbuch geschrieben. Kevin Feige ist Produzent, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nikolas Korda, Sara Smith und Simon Hatt fungieren als ausführende Produzenten.
Five years after the release of ‘Luyando’, Zimbabwe’s most celebrated music export returns with their long-awaited follow-up album ‘Tusona: Tracings in the Sand’. The six musicians from Victoria Falls are refining their unique sound: infectious Afro grooves deeply connected to Zimbabwe’s cultural DNA. ‘Tusana’ is their most danceable album to date, a DIY production recorded in Zimbabwe. It features horns by Ghanaian highlife outfit Santrofi.
Every Sunday, there is a gathering in the sweltering heat on grounds of an old local beer hall in the Chinotimba township in Mosi-o-Tunya (Victoria Falls). Entertainment is provided by various traditional groups including the Luvale Makisi masquerade. It is a day full of singing, drumming, dancing and storytelling. Mokoomba’s lead vocalist Mathias Muzaza can often be found here singing with a voice both soaring and vulnerable. In the course of the afternoon the other band members - guitarist Trustworth Samende, bass player Abundance Mutori, keyboard player Phathisani Moyo, percussionist Miti Mugande and drummer Ndaba Coster Moyo - often join in with singing. The drum driven song “Bakalubale” featured on their new album invites you to this gathering.
Mokoomba recorded ‘Tusona: Tracings in the Sand’, the follow-up album to ‘Luyando’ (2017, Outhere), in Zimbabwe during the pandemic. Instead of working with outside producers like Manou Gallo or Steve Dyer as they have in the past, this album was entirely recorded in a DIY fashion by Mokoomba. The collective from Zimbabwe put in all the experiences made over the previous years and have forged their music into a unique Zimbabwean sound. On popular demand from their fans in Zimbabwe they have even re-recorded three songs from their last more acoustic album ‘Luyando’ turning them into dancehall bangers (featured on the CD and digital versions of the album). In short, this album is more Mokoomba than any of the ones before.
On the album Mokoomba are singing about love, loss, courage in a changing society. The first single “Nzara Hapana” means “no money” in Shona. The song talks about a man who wants to ensure the future of his wife and family and is trying to protect them against the greed of his relatives. The danceable up-tempo song “Nyansola” praises the goddess of harvest and asks her for rain. “Makisi” is sung in Luvale. It celebrates the beauty of the initiation ceremony for which the whole community comes together. “Manina” is a song about losing a loved one. It was written during the pandemic and features the young singer Ulethu from Harare. Mokoomba sing in many different local languages. Their songs are in Tonga, Luvale, Shona, Nyanja and even Lingala used in “Makolo” when they team up with Congolese singer Desolo B. (The album also features horns by Nobert Wonkyi Arthur (trumpet), Bernard Gyamfi (trombone) and Emmanuel Arthur (sax) from Ghanaian highlife outfit Santrofi.)
The title of the album is a nod towards their immense respect for tradition. ‘Tusona’ refers to an ancient system of signs and symbols, drawn in the sand and used for instruction during initiation ceremonies by the Luvale in Southern Africa. Another important part of the Mukanda initiation ceremony is the incredible Makisi masquerade. Since 2008 the Makisi dances are on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage. The Makisi are masked characters, representing the spirit of deceased ancestors. During the yearly initiation ceremony the Makisi return to the living world to teach the young children to become responsible adults among the Lubale people of Southern Africa. In the last decade the interest - especially among the young people – has faded and the Makisi dances have nearly died out.
“Our inspiration comes from these gatherings”, Trustworth Samende explains, “from listening to and playing pure traditional music with everyone in the township. We then add influences from music that we listened to in our homes growing up and the sounds we experience travelling around the world.” It is the connection with the cultures around them that gives Mokoomba’s music its spiritual power. When you hear Mathias Muzaza singing and you watch closely, you will see the music carrying him away to a different sphere, a place where he is singing with the ancestors. Only a split second later though Trust Samende’s sparkling guitar riffs kick in, blending Congolese influences from neighbouring Kasai with Zamrock and Mbira inspired Chimurenga music, making you want to hit the dancefloor. It is this unique blend of local musical styles with contemporary dance music that is at the heart of Mokoomba’s music. The strong reference to tradition is also reflected in the cover illustration by young Zimbabwean visual artist Lomedy Mhako.
It has been nearly 10 years since this young energetic band from Zimbabwe has exploded onto the international music scene. Since then they have shared their music with fans all over the world: Mokoomba have performed in over 40 countries, rocking audiences in places like Roskilde festival (Denmark), WOMAD festival (UK), Sziget festival (Hungary), SXSW (USA), Apollo Theatre (New York) to name but a few.
Like anywhere in the world Africa’s musical output has become more and more producer based. Mokoomba are the living proof that Africa’s great guitar band heritage is well alive and ready to set any dancefloor on fire. Most important though is that deep below the surface of Mokoomba’s sound - flowing like the Zambezi River - you can still hear the heartbeat and the rhythm of a community connected by its music. Like ‘Tusona’, it is a source of rejuvenation, resilience and strength in these changing times. May the tracings in the sand not fade.
Abubakar Baker Shariff-Farr (born 12th February 1994) is better known as Bakar, a British singer/songwriter/model. Known for his experimental indie rock style he made his professional solo debut with the mixtape 'Badkid' in May 2018, subsequently releasing the extended play 'Will You Be My Yellow?' in September 2019. 'Nobody's Home' is a 14 song full length album released via Black Butter Recordings. Standard black vinyl and standard CD. Ads, features, interviews and reviews across all press. Specialist radio support with spot plays, sessions and ad campaign. Strong streaming support across all platforms. Online/social media activity.
Die Trackliste für Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Awesome Mix Vol. 3 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) besteht aus 17 Songs und wird am 5. Mai auf CD und 12” 2-LP Vinyl erhältlich sein.
Im Film spielen Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel als Groot und Bradley Cooper als Rocket, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter und Maria Bakalova
mit. James Gunn ist der Regisseur und hat auch das Drehbuch geschrieben. Kevin Feige ist Produzent, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nikolas Korda, Sara Smith und Simon Hatt fungieren als ausführende Produzenten.
Die Trackliste für Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Awesome Mix Vol. 3 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) besteht aus 17 Songs und wird am 5. Mai auf CD und 12” 2-LP Vinyl erhältlich sein.
Im Film spielen Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel als Groot und Bradley Cooper als Rocket, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter und Maria Bakalova
mit. James Gunn ist der Regisseur und hat auch das Drehbuch geschrieben. Kevin Feige ist Produzent, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nikolas Korda, Sara Smith und Simon Hatt fungieren als ausführende Produzenten.
Last year's 'Will We Ever Dance Again' 12" was a big one for Coyote who now follow it up and impress once more. First up they do so on 'Baka Re-Rub' by paying their respects to the iconic Jon da Silva remix of The FADS track. It's steamy, tropical, full of loose drum energy and jangling synths that lightened up any club. On the flip you find 'No Entry' which is a big house anthem plenty of classic tops, uplifting arpeggios and pianos, and dramatic strings next to big acid lines. It's an all out, hands in the air gem that brings the good times.
Purple Vinyl in PicCover
"Since it's inception, the various artist compilation series SATURATED! has proven to be the epitome of curation in this small niche scene called bass music or whatever.
Each volume is carefully hand picked and is a picture in sound of the music at that point in time but overall has proven to be timeless.
The arrangement works in such ways that each tune flows perfectly into the next one and actually (given that you have two vinyls like a real dj), you could mix seamlessly from the first through the last track.
Saturate Records has become a hotspot for those seeking fresh sounds from well known and emerging artists within the scene.
Channeling the quintessential stylings of low-end driven beats from across the globe, they have been leading the way in all things bass heavy, broken-beat, experimental, glitch, hip-hop, psychedelic and trap for years now. Having featured releases from names like heRobust and G Jones early on in their careers, SATURATE! continues to help push the new school, hip-hop influenced sound forward with their fingers firmly on the pulse of future freshness.
A weird, wonky and wonderful journey through the raw attitude of the blistering beat driven electronic music scene.
Bongo Joe presents brand new sounds from the cutting-edge of the 21st century Istanbul underground by powerhouse Turkish trio Lalalar. Riding a wave of fierce energy and acclaim generated by their show-stopping festival performances at Le Guess Who and Trans Musicales, they now unleash their hotly-anticipated debut album, "Bi Cinnete Bakar". The brainchild of three of Turkey's most active and innovative alternative artists - Ali Güçlü Simsek, Barlas Tan Özemek and Kaan Düzarat - the album is a thrilling mix of punk energy, dark electronics and Turkish instrumentation and samples.
"This limited release is a collaboration between Monkey Timers DISKO KLUBB and a Japanese record label from Amsterdam trusted by fans & artists around the world, Sound Of Vast.
Monkey Timers are gaining support in Japan and abroad as a DJ / production unit that is pioneering the next phase of the Japanese new house and disco dub music scene. They will be releasing their long-awaited full-length album ‘KLUBB LONELY’ in collaboration with DISKO KLUBB and Sound Of Vast as a 2LP set limited to 500 copies worldwide.
The album will be packed with collaborations with vocalists / producers / musicians from Japan and abroad including a cover of Dusty Springfield's ‘That's The Kind Of Love I've Got for You’ featuring Lisa Tomlins, who is known for her vocals on Lord Echo and Recloose albums. Also featuring are Berlin-based Mr. Ties; Keith Sano, a promising talent from Okayama who is gaining international attention; MIRRROR, an up-and-coming Japanese-American hip-hop unit; DJ Sammo Hung Kam-Bo (Omoide Baka Yarou ATeam); Marimba player Mami Tsunodou, who is a supporting member of cero, KIRINJI, etc. and many more.
Mixed and mastered by Justin Van Der Volgen (MY RULES). The cover design was done by C.E designer Sk8Thing. "
Bézier returns to Dark Entries with Valencia, a six track rumination on memory, geography, and transmutation. Multi-instrumentalist Robert Yang’s Bézier project has appeared on Dark Entries many times over the last decade, most recently with the 2018 LP Parler Musique. Says Yang, “What started as a project to investigate the love of the sound and scenery while living in San Francisco quickly developed into a passionate search for interlocking melodies and driving rhythms.”
On Valencia, Bézier invokes twinned places. The Valencia Street of San Francisco is channeled, which was the center of the city’s vibrant new wave scene in the 1980s.
But also echoed is Valencia, Spain, and La Ruta del Bakalao aka La Ruta Destroy, the Spanish clubbing scene throughout the 80s and 90s famed for its aggressive and synthetic sounds. Valencia is a darker record for Yang, exploring themes of submission and catharsis with nods to SF’s gay leather bars of the 70s and 80s. The high BPM salvos of “Valencia” and “Scrupulous” capture the frantic energy of Bakalao and Valencian wave acts like Última Emoción. Elsewhere Yang mines the dreamy space disco and Hi-NRG sounds they’re known for, like on the brooding “Past the Marshes” or the anthemic “Reservoir”, which features their partner Len.Leo on vocals. Bézier deftly navigates past and present, light and dark, pain and pleasure, the stasis of memory and the flux of time.
Valencia was mastered by Alex Michalski, with EQ for vinyl done by George Horn. Gwenaël Rattke designed the sleeve, which features an 80’s punk zine-esque geometric grid pattern mirroring San Francisco street maps. Also included is a 5x7 postcard with notes.
Even in trying times, “there is no love without electricity.” Electricity is the fourth and most progressive album from Ibibio Sound Machine, and like all good Afrofuturist stories, it begins with an existential crisis. “It’s darker than anything we’ve done previously,” says Eno Williams, the group’s singer. “That’s because it grew out of the turbulence of the past year. It inhabits an edgier world.”
Electricity was produced by the Grammy Award and Mercury Prize nominated British synthpop group Hot Chip, a collaboration born out of mutual admiration watching each other on festival stages, as well as a shared love of Francis Bebey and Giorgio Moroder. The fruits of their labor reveal a gleaming, supercharged, Afrofuturist blinder. Electricity is the first album Ibibio Sound Machine have made with external producers since the group’s formation in London in 2013 by Williams and saxophonist Max Grunhard. True, 2017’s Uyai featured mixdown guests including Dan Leavers, aka Danalogue, the keyboard jedi in future-jazz trio The Comet Is Coming, but Hot Chip and Ibibio Sound Machine worked together more deeply throughout the process, collaborating fully. Along the way, the team conjured a kaleidoscope of delights that include resonances of Jonzun Crew, Grace Jones, William Onyeabor, Tom Tom Club, Kae Tempest, Keith LeBlanc, The J.B.’s, Jon Hassell’s “Fourth World,” and Bootsy Collins.
The hook of opener “Protection From Evil” has Williams wielding a massive synth line from Hot Chip’s Al Doyle like a spiritual shield against unspecified, malign forces unspecified because Williams is speaking in tongues. Her lyrics are onomatopoeic: their meaning is defined in her energetic delivery. As Electricity takes off, so do Williams’ words towards a brighter future, alternating between English and Ibibio, sometimes within verses, and propelled by Joseph Amoako’s unabating afrobeat. She digs into this sentiment further on single “All That You Want,” coolly assuring her romantic interest while also requesting reciprocity. Meanwhile, Scott Baylis’ playful Juno synth guides the listener’s feet along the dancefloor.
Electricity is a deep and seamless realization of Williams’ and Grunhard’s ambitious founding manifesto to combine the singularly rhythmic character of the Ibibio language which Williams spoke growing up in Nigeria with a range of traditional West African music and more modern electronic sounds. While the band enjoys veering further into electronic territory with the help of mutuals like Hot Chip, Grunhard emphasizes, “For us, it’s not just a matter of embracing new technology. What’s key is to keep the music grounded in African roots.” Ibibio Sound Machine best exemplify this on Electricity’s “Freedom.” That track was inspired by the water-drumming rhythms of Cameroon’s Baka women, which in turn fueled its lyrics, which in turn prompted Hot Chip and Ibibio Sound Machine to layer joyfully kinetic electronic counterparts on top in the studio. As the track culminates with the mantra of “rage, hope, cope, soul,” it’s clear that Ibibio Sound Machine have channelled, harnessed, and distilled these words as guiding principles, both for the album and for the turbulent world that awaits it.
Abubakar Baker Shariff-Farr (born 12th February 1994) is better known as Bakar, a British singer/songwriter/model. Known for his experimental indie rock style he made his professional solo debut with the mixtape 'Badkid' in May 2018, subsequently releasing the extended play 'Will You Be My Yellow?' in September 2019. 'Nobody's Home' is a 14 song full length album released via Black Butter Recordings. Standard black vinyl and standard CD. Ads, features, interviews and reviews across all press. Specialist radio support with spot plays, sessions and ad campaign. Strong streaming support across all platforms. Online/social media activity.
– 90 tracks from the soundtrack to Yakuza 0
– Six 180g colour-in-colour vinyl (Limited Edition, exclusive to Laced Records)
– Deluxe 3mm spined disc sleeves
– Rigid board slip case
SEGA and Laced Records have formed a pact to present the music of Yakuza 0 (Ryū ga Gotoku Zero: Chikai No Basho) on vinyl.
The 6LP box set features 90 tracks including fan-favourite karaoke numbers "24-hour Cinderella" and "Bakamitai." All music has been specially remastered for vinyl and will be pressed onto audiophile-quality, heavyweight 180g LPs.
The second volume of music from the hit Fox TV show ‘Bob’s Burgers’. The Emmywinning, top-rated show was named one of the 60 Greatest TV Cartoons of All Time
by TV Guide.
In addition to the show’s cast, the album features high-profile guests including Adam
Driver, Tiffany Haddish, Jenny Slate, Daveed Diggs, Max Greenfield, Toddrick Hall,
Aparna Nancherla and Matt Berninger (of the National).
The ‘Bob’s Burgers’ audience is wide-ranging: strong performance with 15-25 year
olds, median viewing age of 37, 35 share among males 35-54 and a 16 share of
females in the same group.
Campaign will include promotion from the cast and show production team.
‘The Bob’s Burgers Music Album Vol. 2’ includes nearly every single musical morsel
from Seasons 7 through 9.
This 90-song smorgasbord will feature the Belcher family - Bob (H. Jon Benjamin),
Linda (John Roberts), Tina (Dan Mintz), Gene (Eugene Mirman) and Louise (Kristen
Schaal) - as well as the show’s numerous recurring and special guests.
For fans of the show, enjoying the music of Bob’s Burgers on its own is both an
irresistible to-go bag and ultimately a world unto itself. Lose yourself in the strangely
epic disco celebration ‘Hot Pants Rain Dance’, sing along with the musical theatre
gem ‘The Wedding Is My Warzone’, or do whatever you’re gonna do to ‘Sexy Little
Tiger’ but don’t miss ‘The Bob’s Burgers Music Album Vol. 2’.
This route is not direct. The time of embarkation is summer 1989, our point of departure, Club Barraca, Valencia, the epicentre of La Ruta Del Bakalao. Passengers on this journey are Martyn Walsh, bass player and songwriter of Manchester band Inspiral Carpets and Sean Johnston, the band's booking agent and aspiring DJ. Our passengers will travel via separate routes, Martyn will sign to Mute Records and become the author of numerous top 40 hits and perform a myriad of worldwide shows. Sean will become a successful underground dance music producer as the Hardway Bros and DJ partner to the late Andrew Weatherall as A Love from Outer Space. Pulled back together by the gravitational waves of Weatherall's untimely demise earlier this year, this is the music of their journey ,¡La Ruta!
Ed Banger Records presents "Born a loser" , MYD's first album. Featuring Mac de Marco, Juan Wauters & Bakar.
14 songs, Double Vinyl edition. Includes " The Sun ", " Together we stand ", " Moving Men " & "Born a loser".
A stunning new production by the Rhythm And Sound ace, drawn from his recording sessions with some of Senegal’s greatest musicians — a griot clan of Sabar drummers from Kaolack in Senegal, led by Bakane Seck, with guest players and vocalists, including many mainstays of the bands of Baaba Maal, Youssou N’Dour and company.
Jeri-Jeri’s style of Mbalax is swingeingly masterful — heady and hard-grooving, with highly complex, fiercely succinct poly-rhythms — an ancient-futuristic music, mesmeric but sharp as nails, super-charged with drama. Featuring the lovelorn vocals of guest Mbene Diatta Seck, Sabar traditions are fused with furious Afro-Cubanismo, hard funk-rock, and shards of high-life.
Ernestus’ nasty, hypnotic, stripped dub — an Mbalax first — edges in the bass, profiles the talmbat and tungun drums, and scoops the semantics out of the singing.
10"
Do you know the moment when you catch the plague? Right. He also didn't know. Until it got to him. Out of nowhere, it took over his mind, his body, his soul. Nobody saw it coming. Make sure to have some garlic when you are around him. This plague is highly contagious.
You don't know what you don't know.
After being blown away by a few tunes - probably just as you will be after listening to this - Samy Ben Redjeb travelled to the infamous capital city of Somalia in November of 2016, making Analog Africa the first music label to set foot in Mogadishu.
On his arrival in Somalia Samy began rifling through piles of cassettes and listening to reel-to-reel tapes in the dusty archives of Radio Mogadishu, looking for music that ‘swam against the current’.
The stars were aligned: an uncovered and unmarked pile
of discarded recordings was discovered in a cluttered corner of the building. Colonel Abshir - the senior employee and protector of Radio Mogadishu’s archives - clarified that the pile consisted mostly of music nobody had manage to identify, or music he described as being ‘mainly instrumental and strange music’.
At the words ‘strange music’ Samy was hooked, the return flight to Tunisia was cancelled. The pile turned out to be a cornucopia of different sounds: radio jingles, background music and interludes for radio programmes, television shows and theatre plays. There were also a good number of disco tunes, some had been stripped of their lyrics, the interesting parts had been recorded multiple times then cut, taped together and spliced into a long groovy instrumental loop.
Like everywhere in Africa during the 1970s, both men and women sported huge afros, bell-bottom trousers and platform shoes.
James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and The Temptations’ funk were the talk of the town. In 1977, Iftin Band were invited to perform at the Festac festival in Lagos where they represented Somalia at the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture.
Not only did they come back with an award but they also returned with Afrobeat. While Fela Kuti’s ‘Shakara’ had taken over the continent and was spreading like wildfire throughout Latin America, it was the track ‘Lady’ that would become the hit in Mogadishu.
When the Tramp Records crew read the internet-sweeping spam/story of Nigerian Astronaut and Air Force pilot Abacha Tunde, they knew that they had to spring into action to help this unfortunate fella out. Dr. Bakare Tunde, the cousin of Abacha Tunde explained the situation as follows: "My cousin was the first African in space when he made a secret flight to the Skylab Space Station in 1979, shortly before it crashed to Earth. 19 years later he was on his second spaceflight, this time to a secret Moon Base located on the far side of the Moon. In 1999 his crew members returned to earth, but his place was taken up by return cargo. There have been occasional supply flights to keep him going since that time. Although he is in good humor, he wants to come home, now, after 20 years in space."
After this hilarious story the idea of a compilation album was born - and "Trip To The Moon" is the result. The goal to raise three million dollars to cover the cost of Abacha Tunde's return flight may never be achieved. Nevertheless, a 41 year experience in the music business is the basis for a fantabulous track listing of 11 amazing and highly underrated Rare Grooves about the Moon!
The Swinging Astronauts open the set, followed by La La Wilson's equally great rhythm & blues rocker "The Moon Man Is Back". With The Moon-Dawgs, this album makes a slight turn into the 1960s garage rock era while Hase Cäsar (backed by none other than the famous Ingfried Hoffmann and his orchestra!) contributes one of two songs of german origin. Now it's time for some funk: Rev. Jamel & Bob Johnson's "Walking On The Moon (Men Are Starving)" criticizes the US government for spending millions of dollars for their space program instead of supporting their own people. "Mars in 75" is deepfunk at its best although some may lament the lack of production. Sidney Ownen's breakbeat-laden "Sputnik" is sought after in collector's circles and needs no justification as to why it is included on this album. Ernest & D.L. Rocco's "Moon Child" is our personal favourite, closely followed by the hypnotic groove of "Mondgesicht" by legendary german saxophonist Ambros Seelos. Scott Cunningham's name should ring a bell as he was featured on several Tramp compilations over the past few years. Finally, the album closes with a psychedelic folk track titled "Voyage To The Moon".
Tramp Records is absolutely convinced that this album will surely be the best way to shorten the wait for Abacha until a rescue space mission finally brings our African soul brother back home.
Key selling points:
- deluxe gatefold LP with detailed liner notes and unseen photographs
- the vinyl LP comes with a full album download code
- most of the songs appear on a 12" album for the very first-time
As part of their 20th Anniversary celebrations, Strut present the first new volume in their pioneering 'Nigeria 70' series for over 8 years, bringing together rare highlife, Afro-funk and juju from the '70s and early '80s. Compiled by collector and DJ Duncan Brooker, this new selection of tracks is receiving its first international release outside of Nigeria.
The compilation returns to a fertile heyday in Nigerian music when established styles like highlife and juju became infused with elements of Western jazz, soul and funk and musicians brought a proud new message post-independence. Brooker places the spotlight particularly on some of the incredible Ukwuani musicians from the Delta State region as guitarist Rogana Ottah and Steady Arobby's International Brothers Band forged their own fluid brand of highlife and soulman Don Bruce drew on the US R&B greats for a series of great albums and explosive stage shows at his residency at Hilton Hotel in Abuja.
Elsewhere, the album explores the close connection between Nigeria and Benin's music, most famously through Sir Victor Uwaifo, appearing here with a killer mid'80s ekassa jam, as well as highlife hitmaker Osayamore Joseph on 'Obonogbozu' (Joseph made headlines in Nigeria for very different reasons in 2017, surviving a one month kidnapping ordeal).
Other tracks include 'Sickness' a 1979 lament on how all countries share troubles by Prince Nico Mbarga, the Nigerian / Camerounian star behind the smash hit 'Sweet Mother'; reggae singer Felixson Ngasia switches to funk and disco for a heavy workout with potent lyrics around black identity; another major highlife great Etubom Rex Williams unleashes a punchy psych funk gem with 'Psychedelic Shoes' and Africa 70 member Pax Nicholas vocals a simmering Afrobeat groove from Jacob Lee's Saxon Lee & The Shadows International Band.
'Nigeria 70: No Wahala' iis released on 29th March 2019 on CD, 2LP and digital. All tracks have been restored by See Why Audio and mastered by The Carvery. The package features comprehensive sleeve notes including exclusive interviews with some of the original artists.
The Afro National Band Was Formed In Freetown, Sierra Leone In 1972. Their Inspirational Leader, Sulay Abu Bakarr Accompanied By His Wife Patricia And Ayo Roy Macauley Split From The Sabanoh Jazz Band To Form Their New Group. They Skillfully Merged Highlife And Jazz Sounds With A Deep Knowledge Of West African Sounds. Growing To Become One Of The Premiere Bands To Emerge From Sierra Leone They Not Only Defined The Sound Of The Country For A Generation But Also Crafted Some Of The Country's Most Popular And Memorable Songs (for Example Sonjo Which Is Included On This Collection).
The Band Toured Extensively Throughout Africa And Europe In The 70s (working With The Giant Of Sierra Leone Music Akie Deen In The Process). Towards The End Of The 70s The Band Departed Sierra Leone, Sulay And His Wife Moving To Maryland In The Us And Other Members Moving To London.
Our Collection Focuses On Possibly Not The Best Known Songs Of The Band But The Tracks Which Have The Rhythms To Move The Dance Floor. We Open With The Foot Tapping "jokenge" And Its Driving Shuffle Beat, Swirling Organ And Percussive Guitar Lines. "push Am Forward" Takes A Afro-psychadelic Turn With Its Hypnotic Rhythms And Driving Distorted Guitar. "mr Who You Be" Is A Cover Of The Fela Kuti Track, Doing It Fine Justice. "gowa" Highlights The Vocal Prowess Of The Band, As Dose The Ever Popular "sonjo" (the Version Featured Here Is A Rare Alternate Recording).
"money Palava" Opens Up Side Two With Its Infectious Highlife Beat And Hooky Vocals. "money Nor Bataya" Highlights The Bands First Use Of Synthesizers. "mother In Law" Sweeps Up Back To Free Town 1973 With Its Clever Vocal. "set My Soul On Fire" Is A Bonus Track Which Brings In The International Flavour Of The Band.
The Afro National Band Continues In Various Guises To This Day, With Sulay And Patricia Acting As The Proud And Talismanic Figures For A Whole Generation Of Sierra Leonean Music.
Adryiano with a solid versatile four track EP on Baka Gaijin.
