A1. Renowned producer, Bodeler, showcases his mastery in the minimal genre with his first contribution to the MBK collection. Combining intricate rhythms with subtle variations, he crafts a hypnotic sonic journey that expresses his signature techie groove while still capturing the essence of minimalism.
A2. Franco Cinelli, another accomplished Argentinian DJ and producer, lends his unique touch to Bodeler’s minimal masterpiece in an exceptional remix. Cinelli’s interpretation provides us with an immersive experience, with every beat and sound thoughtfully placed to convey a distinct musical narrative. With this submission, Side A displays the seamless synergy between two influential figures in the global minimal scene.
B1. Flip to the B-side and you will find an incredibly soulful composition from Nicola Brusegan and Camilo Gil. These two join forces to create a sublime deep house track that transcends boundaries, featuring a familiar sample of an iconic hip hop group from Brooklyn’s past. Lush chords, pulsating basslines, and ethereal textures create the ideal dance floor tune.
B2. ’Take A Groove’ is paired with a remix that has quickly worked its way through clubs around the world. Jorge Caiado shares his perspective of dance floor atmospheres, demonstrating his ability to craft a remix that stands as an artistic statement in its own right. When the acid hits, you’ll know why this track is creating such a buzz!
Suche:group a d
- A1: Saylo
- A2: Can't Take The Hood To Heaven
- A3: Attack Of The Dreadlocks (Feat Rae Khalil)
- A4: Lynn's Lullaby (Interlude)
- A5: Brownskin Cinnamon
- A6: Grey Seas (Feat Reaper Mook)
- A7: Cowboy Leather (Feat Pink Siifu)
- A8: Overseas Sam
- B1: Bullets From A Butterfly
- B2: Pearly Gates Playlist
- B3: Things Grandma Told Me
- B4: Bygones
- B5: Lagonda (Feat Goya Gumbani)
- B6: The Card Players (Feat Jayellz)
- B7: When I Met Rose
Cassette[10,88 €]
Forest Green Vinyl
Seafood Sam is a futuristic artifact. If that description might sound confusing at first, it matches the eclectic dualities found in true originals. With his effortless cool and timeless style, the North Long Beach native defies convention and exact comparison. He's a virtuosic rapper, a stop-you-in-your tracks singer, and a symphonic producer. Welcome to the lavish life of a laid-back transcontinental man of mystery, rolling in old school Cadillacs, eating caviar with a blade in his pocket, and making plays in vintage Pelle Pelle gear. A blaxploitation icon for the Instagram age, blessed with the bars of a `90s legend and 23rd century swagger. Seafood Sam is a true hero of modernity. On his full-length album debut for up-and-coming label drink sum wtr (Kari Faux, Deem Spencer, Aja Monet) debut, Standing on Giant Shoulders, Sam splits the difference between Snoop Dogg and D' Angelo, Curren$y and David Ruffin. The songs reveal a forward-thinking sensibility rooted in ancestral soul. He creates spiritual hymns for the streets that tap into universal ideals and irrepressible groove. In an era plagued by short-term thinking, his ambitions reveal a crate-digging depth of music history and a meticulous ear for detail. The giant shoulders in the album's title refer to James Brown, Bobby Brown, and Miles Davis - the holy trinity who inspired Sam's process. From the Godfather of Soul, Sam took a perfectionist's rigor and focus. The example of Bobby Brown lent an unshakeable confidence and self-belief. While the constant artistic left turns of the trumpeter that birthed Ccool offered an aspirational archetype. The story starts in the glory days of Long Beach hip-hop. As a young child, the G-Funk era soundtracked rides in Sam's father's car. Some of his earliest memories are trying to memorize Snoop's verse on "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang." Beyond gangsta rap, the LBC has historically doubled as a capital of lowrider soul and carwash oldies. At any intersection, you could hear Dogg Food or Brenton Wood, Warren G or Barbara Lynn. This too was absorbed via osmosis. It also just so happened that the art of performance was always in Sam's blood. So at family functions, he and his sister supplied entertainment by singing karaoke renditions of The Isley Brothers. While his Harlem Shake remains a thing of local lore. Long Beach is a culturally diverse mecca of skate parks and gang life, street fashion and tricky dance moves. This is the place that raised Sam on a diet of Wu-Tang and Nelly Furtado, Lil Bow Wow and Allen Iverson. He was the middle ground between his two older brothers: one who gangbanged, the other who graduated with a master's degree from UC-Santa Barbara. But it wasn't until the end of high school that Sam started to take rap seriously. Alongside long-time collaborators like Huey Briss and Reaper Mook, Sam's name began to make waves on the northside of the city, but he was partially distracted by a modeling career that paid the bills and took him all to way to walk in Paris' fashion week. The first turning point arrived with 2018's "Ramsey," a self-produced, slick-talk anthem with over 10,000,000 streams across all platforms. With each subsequent release, Sam showcased his peerless consistency, building buzz both online and in the city streets. Spin hailed his "smooth and unhurried cadences and understated lyricism_ that sounds like nothing else in Long Beach." Clash raved about Sam's "evolution as an artist, cruising through nostalgic production with slick, witty rhymes." The culmination arrives with Standing on Giant Shoulders. It's the evidence of a master, a young sensei in the model of Quincy Jones. All rhymes, singing, production, and arrangements were handled by Sam - with an assist from his close Long Beach kinsman Tom Kendall from the group Soular System. It's hard-edged and lyrical enough for disciples of Larry June and Roc Marciano, but orchestral and melodic enough for fans of Anderson .Paak and H.E.R.
The discography of the phantom Gruppo Sound exceeds over thirty titles published in an undefined time frame between the Eighties and the Nineties. However, there is very little information about this curious pseudonym. it is possible to find a library music album by Gruppo Sound inside the Canopo, Deneb, Flower, Monosound Records and Teams catalogues, all managed by Flipper Music publishing group, but both the creators and the musicians have never been the same. Gruppo Sound is only a collective name, maybe to identify a certain number of 'new' productions characterized by an electronic background And, not by chance, the author of “New York City” is a single artist, the multi-instrumentalist Gabriele Ducros. Son of the prolific composer Remigio Ducros, he first followed his footsteps in the field of music libraries and soundtracks and then become the author of many tracks for television commercials of a certain relevance, winning some international awards.
“Some of these tracks may have been associated with a pornographic film. Others were, however, made as brief comments for a theatrical show, perhaps never made”, remembers Gabriele Ducros. What unites the thirteen pieces is the same musical language, which derives from a widespread funk and jazz matrix. Both genres are thus declined through a different approach and taste, in line with the fusion trends of the time, when the early synthesizers were used by few artists. A handful of electric guitar notes for a 'urban' mood, the acoustic ones from a dreamy morning awakening. Electronic keyboards to arouse a sense of nostalgia in the listener, while flute and saxophone always punctuate different atmospheres. A computer melody, a theme for children and a sophisticated ode to the fusion sound of the Big Apple, perhaps true source of ispiration of the work. “New York City” is not a concept album, but one of the best cross-sections of Gabriele Ducros' great creativity.
One of the most interesting publishing events of the 1980s were special British editions of Italian, French or German productions containing PWL remixes. Behind PWL name were producers associated with the hit trio Stock/Aitken/Waterman, which promoted a number of great artists, including Dead Of Alive, Banarama and Kylie Minogue to name a few. PWL’s remixes for London Boys and Blue System became evergreens.
And since the group of artists associated with DISCO NOSTALGIC included those who sounded like Blue System, the label decided to refer to the events of 1989 and prepared an EP with remixes inspired by the mixture of German and British euro disco.
- A1: Evil Goddess Eris
- A2: In A Dream
- A3: Sagittarius Knight
- A4: Go To Athena !
- A5: Take Flight, Pegasus !
- A6: Grand Master Ares
- B1: Three Arias
- B2: Another Field
- B3: Guidance From The Guardian Constellation
- B4: Athena's Theme
- C1: Crisis―Coming Threat
- C2: Night Before The Battle
- C3: The Great Gold Knights
- C4: The Seventh Sense
- D1: Ikki's Theme
- D2: New Threat Of War
- D3: Group Of Assassins
- D4: Clash ! Sanctuary
- D5: Tranquility
- D6: Cosmo Of Friendship
The Knights of the Zodiac, always on the attack...
Saint Seiya, also known as the Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese animated series created by Masami Kurumada in 1986. It tells the story of the Knights of Bronze who fight to protect the goddess Athena. The series was a huge success and spawned an extensive franchise, with TV series, films, video games, figurines and toys.
Main Title (The Taking Of The Pelham One Two Three) (Edit) by David Shire b/w One Way Glass (Edit) by Manfred Mann Chapter Three | Galaxy Sound Company, Solo 500 — SOLO500-502 | I am excited to share a sneak peek test pressing of the third & latest entry in @galaxy_sound_company’s Solo 500 series, which digs deep in the jazz-funk crates for killer breaks ya need in yo bag.
Side A is an edit of the jazz-funk intro track “Main Title” from the original soundtrack of 1974 gritty subway hijack film The Taking Of The Pelham One Two Three. The soundtrack with its funk, jazzy score has been a well that hip-hop artists have repeatedly drawn from. Most notably, “Krazy Kings Too” by Company Flow, “Suprize Packidge” by Mix Master Mike, & “I’m Set” by Goodie Mob.
Side B is a subtle edit of “One Way Glass” by Manfred Mann Chapter Three, which is taken from their self-titled 1969 LP. Manfred Mann Chapter Three were a British experimental jazz rock band, 1969 to 1970, founded by South African keyboard player Manfred Mann & long-time partner Mike Hugg, both former members of the group Manfred Mann. The track was sampled by many, most notably by The Prodigy for their 2009 track “Stand Up” & on “Headbanger” by Krafty Kuts in 2011.
- A1: A Certain Ratio – Shack Up
- A2: 23 Skidoo – Coup
- A3: Gang Of Four – To Hell With Poverty
- B1: The Human League – Being Boiled
- B2: The Slits – In The Beginning There Was Rhythm
- B3: This Heat – 24 Track Loop
- C1: Throbbing Gristle – 20 Jazz Funk Greats
- C2: The Pop Group – She Is Beyond Good And Evil
- D1: Cabaret Voltaire – Sluggin For Jesus
- D2: 23 Skidoo – Vegas El Bandito
- D3: A Certain Ratio – Knife Slits Water
Unavailable for over 20 years, In The Beginning There Was Rhythm was Soul Jazz Records first foray into post-punk and punk-funk in the UK and captures the groundbreaking and seminal groups that crossed the divide of punk and dance music for the first time.
" In the Beginning is essential missing-link history – and body-rockin' fun" The Guardian
" In the Beginning doesn't have a single limp tune. It'll amaze new listeners and give old ones some hard-to-find tracks. Buy it." Pitchfork
"There's no denying that In the Beginning There Was Rhythm is a great gateway into this expansive, fruitful, trailblazing era." All Music
First released in 2001, this album is fully remastered, remade and presented once more in its entirety and features A Certain Ratio, Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, The Human League, The Pop Group, Gang of Four, The Slits, 23 Skidoo and This Heat.
This album comes as a limited-edition one-off pressing double coloured vinyl (red and blue) complete with two bespoke inner bags containing extensive sleevenotes and original photography.
As Muzik magazine noted on its initial release 'In The Beginning' is a choice selection from the fertile post-punk period when bands thought nothing of combining politics and philosophy with imported dance rhythms and edgy industrial angst.
The bands featured come (mostly) from the then bleak post-industrial North of England - Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds as well as Bristol and London, and yet all show a fascination with black American rhythms and an experimentation in sound that was completely unique at the time.
The title of the album comes from The Slits track of the same name.
This album is produced with all the original photos and full extensive sleevenotes.
In spring,
Again.
But it's true this time.
In Spring is the second record by Tara Clerkin Trio, a Bristol-based group who appeared to emerge from below the radar of near-all in early 2020 and in the presence of one of the most captivating records of that year. This latest 23 minute, four song collection, recorded in various stages and locations over the last twelve months, does nothing to detract from those first impressions, refining the woozy and shimmering oddness of their debut into an avant-pop sensibility that is increasingly their own.
If the group did arrive fully formed, what that form was did feel supple and hard to grasp. They were, in a sense, essentially new sounding, or at least ghosts between the established lines, and with this new record have doubled-down on their inherently Delphian instinct. At its heart, In Spring is a record of subtle contrasts, experimental yet familiar in its intimacy, obviously modern though tied to certain lineages, and driven by a pop logic which is also free-form and seemingly improvised. Their approach to sound is perhaps the guiding principle here, less concerned with genre as it is texture and feeling, drawing from jazz, folk, modern composition, trip hop and downtempo electronica, yet evading all of those categorisations. Tara Clerkin Trio are too generous of heart to be ripping up any rulebook, they simply seem oblivious to its need.
Their geography does provide some context. Bristol's progressive sonic heritage inescapably bleeds into these four tracks, the enclave of open-minded artists around Planet Records in the mid 90s perhaps the closest point of comparison. There's that same magpie spirit which is both futuregazing and aware of its past, though is mostly set on finding its own path. This is in essence what defines Tara Clerkin Trio, feeling their way through freedom of instinct and curiosity, forging their own desire lines. Not so much taking the road less trodden, just walked at their own winding pace.
"Done before,
And I'll do it again"
Ringing in my head
While I try
To feel
Minds At Large comprise of Zak and Hoj from Watford, North London who were active between 1992 – 1997, releasing on their label Choicest Music. Most of their releases were white label only releases, some handwritten, others stickered. Each release was a limited pressing and since they debuted over 30 years ago, they have become hugely popular and collectable.
Here is out first release with the group – 4 tracks of hardcore/early jungle.
Only 350 pressed on an incredible marbled vinyl.
Sleep Now Forever is the second and final album released by Sorrow, the post-Strawberry Switchblade group fronted by singer Rose McDowall. Originally released in 1999 and long since deleted it is a cornucopia of pastoral, elegiac folk music, swirling atmospherics, hymnal compositions and above it all the alternating towering and fragile vocal performances of McDowall. Recorded in the late 90s with fellow band member and co-songwriter Robert Lee, Sleep Now Forever is the definitive statement by the now defunct group and Rose McDowall’s most complete long-form work to date.
Released through the group’s own Piski Disk Records, Sleep Now Forever was distributed by World Serpent which struggled through the early 2000s with financial woes, eventually folding due to bankruptcy in 2004. Due to the company’s troubles, Sleep Now Forever was never distributed widely and was a victim of the company’s failure. Released on CD only, original copies are now rare and only traded on second hand channels. Remastered by Mikey Young for a limited vinyl release, Sleep Now Forever will be released on April 20th on double vinyl format, with one side an exclusive etching by Glasgow artist Holly Allan.
Despite its rarity, Sleep Now Forever enjoys a firm cult following. The album’s textures are expansive, lush, deliciously detailed and celestial. Recorded in home study Velvet Hole by Rose McDowall and then-husband Robert Lee, the album enlists an array of players from the underground Neo-folk / industrial scene: Nigel McKernaghan (Uilleann pipes, Whistles), Susan Franknel (Bassoon), John Contreras (Cello) and Lawrence Frankel (Oboe, Cor Anglais). The eleven songs here revolve around McDowall’s instantly recognisable voice. Brought up singing in the Catholic Church, McDowall’s vocals are impeccable and angelic, particularly on tracks like Turn Off The Light where her experiences with religion are canted over soaring oboe and guitar backing. By far the most evolved and realised version of Sorrow’s vision, it feels somewhat criminal that music this beautiful could be lost to time until now.
McDowall’s lyrics throughout Sleep Now Forever deal frankly with mental health, depression, altered states, death and redemption. Wave upon wave of harmony drench each song, McDowal’s vocal multi-tracked and imperious. Opener Soldier benefits from Robert Lee’s use of the studio as instrument, summoning forth a lilting group performance of sparkling guitar and percussion that recalls the Velvet Underground. Mikey Love’s master treats the compositions to brand new frequency dynamics and space. Harmonium and string drones form the counter to McDowall’s vocal on Love Dies, a slow, lurching lament that feels transcendent. On Haunting, the arrangement is orchestral and aching, bleeding into Fear Becomes You, with chord and harmony structure that recalls the baroque sixties pop of West Coast Pop Experimental Art Band or the 60s psychedelic folk movement. A towering, beautiful statement, this elegy for times lost and moonlit-illumination is finally resurfacing from the darkness.
Northern California psychedelic sorcerers Carlton Melton are brain surfers, mind trippers, … “psychlists,” if you prefer. The band will take your head for a ride, occasionally rushing at superluminal speeds through a wormhole or gliding softly on a gentle breeze in a leafy glade. Sometimes your brain needs to rage, and sometimes it needs to repose. For a decade and a half, the band has yo-yo’ed, almost schizophrenically, between these two modes: walloping space jams with furious guitar solos in one hemisphere of the brain and ethereal, feather-light splashdowns in the other. Not to mention a track here and there that builds from the latter into the former. But with two new releases in 2023, the band has evolved. Whether psych rock or ambient trance, their sound remains driving, organic, and flowing. With the addition of Anthony Taibi (White Manna, DDT), however, the group’s metal freak-outs are Hawkwindier and their droning kraut trances are Spacemen 3-er. In January, the quartet released the playfully spacey Resemble Ensemble, recorded in Taibi’s home studio 3D Light. October now sees the band Turn To Earth, a work with scents of Autumn, a season of death and transition. The cover art evokes a vine-covered, electric crucifix. The sound is, well, earthy but also gritty and striving towards change. The album was recorded in Fall 2022 and now harvested in Fall 2023. Phil Becker (Terry Gross, Pins Of Light) contributed drums and percussion to a few tracks on Turn To Earth, recording the album at El Studio in San Francisco.
With Becker at the helm, the synths have become more prominent (“Cosmicity,” “Roboflow,” “Migration”) and the tone heavier on the doom (“Cloudstorming,” “Unlock The Land,” title track): several moments could even serve as background music for epic dark fantasy films like Conan the Barbarian, Fire and Ice, or Heavy Metal. As exquisite as Turn To Earth is, Melton are best appreciated as a live act: their recordings as well as their gigs are largely improvised – not so much composed as birthed. And yet their most recent tour ended abruptly and perilously. The group had to cancel its final three shows once members were admitted to Arnhem hospital in the Netherlands. Five years later, reinforcements have strengthened the band and restocked its arsenal of great tracks. After the rockus interruptus of that 2018 tour and the tantric tease of the intervening Covid lockdown, Melton have some unfinished business. An October 2023 tour is poised to set the freshly minted quartet back onto the stages of Europe and within the cerebral folds of its fans. Turn To Earth, sure … but keep your head in outer space. Carlton Melton is: andy duvall – drums/gtr; clint golden – bass; rich millman – gtr/synth; and anthony taibi – synth/gtr.
Tape Reworks, Vol. 2is the fourth project by Langham Research Centre released onNonclassical. Following the success of theirTape Works, Vol. 1and subsequentTapeReworks, Vol. 1(which featured remixes by Jim O'Rourke and Group A), this EP presentstwo remixes of tracks fromTape Works, Vol. 2:'Movable Fields', remixed by Kara-LisCoverdale, and 'Nachholbedürfnis', remixed by Beatriz Ferreyra. Kara-Lis Coverdale's 'Movable Fields' is an icy soundscape, gently moving at a glacial pace, evoking the feel of a field recording from a strange planet. 'Movable Fields' draws from elements of twoTape Works, Vol. 2tracks, 'Accarezzo' and 'Terminal Voltage Traces'. Ferreyra's remix of 'Nachholbedürfnis' is a dadaist cacophony of bleeps and lo-fi scratchy samples, darting chaotically throughout the track in true GRM fashion. The original album utilizedrecordings made in specific locations, particularly brutalist buildings, as an audiomanifestation of modernism.
The King of Miami's Cuban music scene, the late Ray Fernandez, is featured here fronting his enormously talented family band on an album that first brought him into the spotlight.
Heavily influenced by deep funk and Latin music, their psych-tinged creations also incorporated many other kaleidoscopic sound infusions, including soul, calypso, Afro-Cuban and salsa. Fronted by Ray Fernandez, his band included his very talented wife and two sons and proved to be a highly influential group on Miami's Latin music scene in the late 70's. What also made them stand out was their versatility; this group could easily shift from Cuban funk to Reggae in a blink. Their instrumentation was also different to the 'norm', and where a lot of similar sounds were saxophone-led, this band used a bass clarinet. Instead of bongos, Ray and His Court played with the unique Osi drums from Africa.
Sampled heavily by DJs worldwide (including DJ Shadow) On High presents a must have piece of music for any serious Latin, funk, or rare groove collector. Remastered and pressed on audiophile virgin vinyl for your listening pleasure.
The fifth Planet Tapes projects us into a completely efficient mechanism that propagates rapidly and causes spectacular consequences.
A1 written by Graham Sims and Simon Button better known as Connective Zone. After releasing music in the 90s and early 2000s, one of their old works is about to see the light of day, almost 20 years after their last appearance on vinyl.
A2 created by R.E.S.S, a South American boy part of the "Orbe" collective and passionate about parties with small groups of people. Official debut on vinyl but his first solo EP won't be long in coming.
B1 composed by the bond of two childhood friends (Existencia Pasajera & Dismal) who followed separate musical paths and reunited years later in the Valdivia electronic music scene.
B2 belongs to Yu, an emerging Italian artist who already boasts numerous releases, all starting in 2023. His sudden rise is in the eyes but above all, in the ears of everyone.
In 2020, L'Osmose began its artistic collaboration by combining 70's psychedelia with catchy rhythms.
Blending auto-tune, electric guitars, percussion, and analog synthesizers, their music is a reflection of their incessant experimentation and their desire to explore new sonic avenues.
After several radio appearances (couleur3, Worldwide FM, Radiovostok), and opening acts for international artists (Chilla, Yin-yin, OBF, old Farka Touré, Arp Frique), the Geneva sextet has built a certain reputation within the Swiss cultural scene.
Spotted by L'Éclair in 2022, the group continues its rise by recording, with their help, a promising first album which they will sign on the Stone Pixels Records label.
While waiting for the release of this project, immerse yourself in the raw, sincere and captivating energy that their performances emit.
To be released on Ransom Note Records and marking the debut album of Wave Arising project , "(The) Rooted Sky" is an invitation to an initiatory journey where intuitions are channeled into grooves and otherworldly sonic landscapes . A sound where intense rhythms meet circular expansions .
From various improvisations, the experienced & avant-garde musician Sebastian Vaughan decided to take a fresh look and avoid the use of sampling third parties by crafting compositions. An approach to music as a spiritual path driven all the way long by psychedelic dubby vibes , acidic frequencies & hypnotic repetitions coming from his sound-system culture heritage .
While the tracks "It Comes and Goes" , "Ronde Cinétique" , "Electric Shrine" and "Golden Black" draw contemporary almost cinematic ambiences with vibrant and spacious feelings , "Monin Yiri" , "Sound Loves Dance" & "Grow with the Flow" represent a series of energetic deconstructed leftfields , with the omnipresence of a singular tribalism that emphases the african side of Wave Arising .
On its own "Music without chains" is , as the title underlines , a joyful jam free from any boxes or attempts at confinement .
Finally "Subconscience" arrives like a probe , a dreamlike piece full of endless reverbs from Kynsie's voice ; generating mysterious environments and resonating directly with "Soul Whispers" .
Taking on the challenge of fusion , "(The) Rooted Sky" asks the listener to open up through a collection of progressive tracks reflecting the core of Wave Arising’s spirit : Music & Body as a portal . Through this consciously chosen wide range of dynamics , the producer shows his musical ability to create an unique sonic palette yet staying true to his own personality .
Regarding the cover, the outside is a minimalist yet symbolic photograph of the duo’s hands. As for the interior, Wave Arising is very grateful to welcome primitive artworks by the talented artist Rapoon , one of the founder members of the legendary group Zoviet*France . Continuing with this global vision of intertwined arts, the videos accompanying this record are created by Wave Arising .
Ultimately , the recurrent animistic vibes of "(The) Rooted Sky" give to the album a spiritual ethos directly driven by the book of Nature reminding us that, we are all connected to the Source .
Whatever the "Source" means for each one . . .
In 1967, Disperú commissioned trumpeter Toño Reyes to form a band and record an album with a series of songs that reflected the latest tropical music trends, in his own inimitable style. “Mister Boogaloo” combines the influences received from the likes of Mexican drummer Leo Acosta and the emerging Nuyorican boogaloo scene. First time reissue, including its original striking psychedelic artwork and remastered sound. In the few years that the Disperú record label was operative, it managed to open its doors to emerging artists, who were often ignored by the major labels but would go on to leave their mark on Peruvian popular music. In 1967, Disperú commissioned trumpeter Toño Reyes to form a band he called Toño y sus Sicodélicos. During the recording sessions for this album they performed a series of songs that reflected the latest tropical music trends, in his inimitable style. Instrumentals such as 'Mr. Boogaloo', 'El Guayacol', 'La Anticuchera', 'La Peinadora' and 'La Fiesta es Mañana' are versions that follow the lines traced by the Mexican composer and drummer Leo Acosta. In the early sixties, based in Los Angeles, Acosta played with the orchestras of Harry James, Sammy Davis Jr, Tony Bennett, Herb Alpert, and Dámaso Pérez Prado. Mid-decade, Acosta turned to the novel sounds of boogaloo, which immediately caught the attention of young South Americans. The song 'Borinque Bella' is another cover version, originally recorded by The TNT Band, based in New York. Another noteworthy influence on the album is the blind Venezuelan organist Tulio Enrique León, who performed cumbias and guarachas enhanced by his Hammond organ, as is the case of 'Chin chin'. Songs in vogue at the time complete the album. The best known is perhaps 'Es la Lluvia que cae', popularized in Spanish in 1967 by Los Iracundos. ‘Tequila' and 'No te bote', by The Champs and
Sonora Matancera, respectively, were also classics on Lima's radio stations. 'Las hojas secas', by the Mexicans Los Zignos, was so popular that it was even covered by Peruvian rock groups such as Los Steivos and Los 007. The success reaped by Toño y sus Sicodélicos took them straight to another record company, and the group’s records were also re-released in neighboring countries, always with striking psychedelic cover illustrations. First time reissue!
- A1: Sungu Lubuka - Petelo Vicka Et Son Nzazi
- A2: Mfuur Ma - Groupe Minzoto Ya Zaïre
- A3: M.b.t's Sound - M.b.t's
- A4: Musique Tshiluba - Abeti Et Les Redoutables
- B1: Lalia - Trio Bydoli
- B2: Adeito - Tabu Ley Et L'orchestre Afrisa
- B3: Ngantsie Soul - Les Bantous De La Capitale
- C1: Nganga - Les Frères Soki Et L'orchestre Bella-Bella
- C2: Tembe Na Tembe Ya Nini - Orchestre Celi Bitshou
- C3: Lolo Soulfire - Lolo Et L'orchestre O.k. Jazz
- D1: Femme Ne Pleure Pas - Zaiko Langa Langa
- D2: Kiwita Kumunani - Orchestre O.k. Jazz
- D3: Fiancée Laya - G.o. Malebo
- D4: Ah! Congo - Orchestre National Du Congo
The making of Congo Funk!, our long-awaited journey to the musical heart of the African continent, took the Analog Africa Team on two journeys to Kinshasa and one to Brazzaville. Selected meticulously from around 2000 songs and boiled down to 14, this compilation aims to showcase the many facets of the funky, hypnotic and schizophrenic tunes emanating from the two Congolese capitals nestled on the banks of the Congo River.
On its south shore, the city of Kinshasa – capital of Democratic Republic of the Congo, the country formerly known as Zaïre – is often seen as Africa’s musical Mecca, the city that spawned such immortal bands as African Jazz, O.K. Jazz and African Fiesta, and the place to which aspiring musicians from throughout the continent would go to make a name for themselves.
But the city of Brazzaville on the north shore of the river – capital of the Congo Republic – played an equally important role in spreading Congolese sounds continentally. In addition to producing legendary bands such as Les Bantous de la Capital, it was the powerful transmitters of Radio Brazzaville that allowed the unmistakable groove of Congolese Rumba to be heard as far away as Nairobi, Yaoundé, Luanda and Lusaka thus turning the electric guitar into the continent’s most important instrument!
Although the musical landscape of these cities had been defined by a core group of bands in the late 1950s, the modernisation of Congolese music has been steadily evolving until the events surrounding the Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman boxing match marked a turning point. The promoter of that event known as “Rumble In The Jungle” was none other than the notorious Don King who needed 10 millions dollars to get Ali and Foreman into a boxing ring. The only candidate willing to put this kind of cash on the table was Mobutu Sese Seko, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mobutu - the megalomaniac dictator who got to power with the support of the United States and Belgium in exchange for unlimited and affordable access to the riches of the country - had a soft spot for music and it doesn’t come as a surprise that he agreed to a three-day live music festival being organised prior to the “Rumble”. Zaïre 74 - as the festival was dubbed - was meant to hype the boxing match and many stars were invited.
Although a myriads of artists flocked in for the occasion, it was the performance of James Brown on Zairian soil that caused havoc among the younger generation, inspiring hundreds of would-be musicians to take up their electric guitars and reverbs cranked to the max in search of a new sound in which hyperactive Rumba was blended with elements of psych and funk. While the results were very different from the popular music of the three Musketeers - as Tabu Ley, Franco and Verckys were known - they weren’t a complete break with tradition.
These new sounds emerged at a time when the Congolese record industry – previously dominated by European major labels – was experiencing a period of decline due to rising production costs and needed a radical change. The void was filled by dozens of entrepreneurs willing to take chances on smaller scale releases. It was the beginning of a golden age for Congolese independent record labels, and the best of them – Cover N°1, Mondenge, Editions Moninga, Super Contact – preserved the work of some of the region’s finest artists, while launching a generation of younger musicians into the spotlight.
The movement was greatly helped by legendary radio shows but it was the dynamic productions of Télé-Zaïre that set the dynamite on fire. Legend has it that TV shows were so huge that president Mobutu himself ordered RTV du Zaïre to put on daily concerts since it halted criminal activities for the duration of the evening.
Congo Funk! is the story of these sounds and labels, but most of all it is the story of two cities, separated by water but united by an indestructible groove. The fourteen songs on this double LP showcase the many facets of the Congolese capitals, and highlight the bands and artists, famous and obscure, who pushed Rumba to new heights and ultimately influenced the musical landscape of the entire continent and beyond.
Reunion's major musical genre, Maloya, becomes "gazé" (crazy) through the sounds composed by Grèn Sémé for this new EP.
A gassed maloya that combines direct inspiration from the purest line of this traditional réunionese music with the highly contemporary evolution that is the Grèn Sémé group's signature.
Composed during the studio sessions for their latest album, "Zamroza", the first three tracks on this new EP reveal the sunny side of the Creole band.
You can taste their love of lyrics and their thirst for discovery. And the right mix of compositions. Inspired by the tradition of the greatest song/percussion pieces in the island's history, Grèn Sémé offers three anthems that lend themselves perfectly to the remix exercise.
Deluxe bonus: the 3 Remixes of Voilaaa + La Dame + Guiss Guiss Bou bess
Voilaaa and the fabulous Bruno Patchworks take on "Siko" to create a Cape Verdean ballroom hit.
funana with its heady melodies, it's ultra danceable!
La Dame, producer and DJ from Belgium, remixes the eponymous track into an effective batida for the dancefloor, DJs and dancers alike.
Guiss Guiss Bou Bess take remixing a step further, adding Senegalese sabars and the vocals of group leader Mara Seck to Carlo de Sacco's Alkol.




















