Hip-Hop Vinyl New Releases - News

The return of our adventurous Pirates who go diggin' for some more Buried Treasure.Vol 3 see's 2 tasty funk / soul classics get the cutlass treatment. Limited Edition so don't sleep with the fishes.

More of Magnetic Soul's expert disco dub treatment !
Hand stamped white label - very limited
Support from: Dave Jarvis, Bill Brewster, Ash Beedle, Fingerman, LTJ Experience & more...

Dab Hand's 3rd vinyl release from Magnetic Soul brings together another carefully selected batch of rich and exotic soul and disco cuts lovingly restructured and adapted for discerning DJ and club plays yet showing the deep love for the authentic roots and history of current underground dance trends.

'Come Into My Life' sets us off on a typical MS vibe with tight groove, drifting hypnotic keys backed up with sexy dreamy soul vocals. 'Save My People' slows it down slightly with a deeper building vocal harmony and sax-riff vibe. 'Stratisfied' takes a tripped out jazz-funk direction to new levels with beefed up bass and glistening spatial sounds. 'Disco Train' finishes up with a fantastic, hypnotic AOR disco chugger... all aboard for whistle blast - Toot Toot!

SOL DISCOS is honored to introduce its 3rd reissue, with these two songs from Frank Eddie: "Love Has Never Passed Me By" & "Forever". While the original record's been known by a handful connoisseurs, very few people are actually proud owners of it. Originally released on the private INSYNC label by Mr Eddie himself, most of the 1000 pressed copies where abandoned in some random houses he used to live in, in South Miami, Florida.

Frank Eddie's music life started with piano at the age of 13, when he was living in Yonkers, New York in the early 60's. At this time Soul music was everywhere around and Frank quickly switched to guitar, which has remained his instrument since then. Influenced by Soul as well as Rock Music, Frank met with drummer/singer William Hopkins after settling in Florida. They created a band together, and played music with talented Jazz students from the University Of Miami (Curtis & Carmen Lundy for instance). At the time, they would also jam with people that would later become famous: Steve Morse (Deep Purple), Jazz steel-band player Othello Molineaux, or Jaco Pastorius to name a few. Surrounded by such a creative musical environment, Frank & William co-wrote the two songs you have on this record. They gathered the personnel and recorded within a four days' time.

After a couple of unsuccessful meetings with majors, and partly discouraged by the way music business was conducted, Frank decided to self-release a single record. He then worked on his own to sell it locally, without actually meeting the audience it deserved. According to the singer, "The black radio stations would not play it because I did not give them cocaine or money, and the disco clubs had their own list to promote".

Several decades later, SOL Discos' A&R and DJ, Waxist, got introduced to Frank Eddie's beautiful music through "Independant Movement" radio show of Mark Gurney in UK. After months of researches and with the help of US digger Josh Goldman, he's been able to establish contact with Frank and to get his approval for officially reissuing his music.

Today, Frank Eddie is still active by playing American Rhythm & Blues and Jazz in Cuba, as well as supporting the Cuban musicians, bringing instruments to the Caribbean Nation.

Soul Jazz Records' new journey into the mighty vaults of Clement Dodd's Studio One steps once more into the fertile musical environment of Jamaican music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, from the sweet harmony vocals of seminal 1960s Rocksteady right up to the nascent birth of Reggae and Roots music at the start of the 1970s. Sleevenotes to this album are by Steve Barrow, author of 'Rough Guide to Reggae' as well as Soul Jazz Records' own 'Reggae Soundsystem Cover Art' books.
While Ska at the start of the 1960s had taken American Rhythm and Blues as its main influence, Rocksteady focused on the emergence of American Soul music - with Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, John Holt & The Paragons, Carlton & The Shoes showing a particular fascination with the close harmonies of Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions and other US Soul acts. Here The Heptones even feature with a cover of Bob Dylan's 'I Shall Be Released'.
The influence of Soul music on Jamaican Rocksteady and Reggae is almost palpable, so much so that one wonders
how much more successful singers like Delroy Wilson, Alton Ellis, Slim Smith and John Holt would have been had they been born in Chicago, Detroit or Memphis. Artists such as Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson and Owen Gray defined the era - a slowed down beat as Jamaican political and social heat slowly increased when the 1960s progressed into the start of the 1970s - and the music evolved further from Rocksteady into Roots Reggae.
This album is released on heavyweight gatefold sleeve double vinyl (plus download code), CD with slipcase and digital album (ex-North America).

One of the best acts in the land is finally releasing its first official live music. This limited edition, etched vinyl, features three live songs from The Budos Band's 2015 Halloween engagement at the Grey Eagle, in Asheville, NC. Get ready to move!

It takes a lot of swag to wear a hat as big as the hat that I.G. wears on the cover of Bomp. But I.G., a.k.a. Bobby I.G., a.k.a. I.G. New Yorker, had swag by the bucket load. That hat tells you everything you need to know about I.G. and, indeed, about Bomp - it's a big funky slice of Nigerian cowboy disco magic. I.G. was a player in the thriving Enugu boogie scene, a scene, in the east of the country, that also produced Goddy Oku and William Onyeabor. With Mr Mighty Flames, Willie N'For on bass, Austin Onwurah on drums and all the bells and whistles of the Godiac Studios close at hand, a Nigerian disco classic was inevitable. 'Disco Bomp' and 'Disco Power' are straight-ahead floor-fillers. 'Funk ina Ghatto' has a slower, dirtier groove. 'World of Misery' takes a slight calypso reggae detour, before 'Take Me Home' brings it on home, with an unabashed plea for 'loving' and some delightfully wonky synth lines from another Mighty Flame, Frankie Song. Bomp was I.G.'s only album. It's a startling one-off disco boogie classic that was clear in its ambition and perfect in its execution. A bit like the hat, really.

It takes a lot of swag to wear a hat as big as the hat that I.G. wears on the cover of Bomp. But I.G., a.k.a. Bobby I.G., a.k.a. I.G. New Yorker, had swag by the bucket load. That hat tells you everything you need to know about I.G. and, indeed, about Bomp - it's a big funky slice of Nigerian cowboy disco magic. I.G. was a player in the thriving Enugu boogie scene, a scene, in the east of the country, that also produced Goddy Oku and William Onyeabor. With Mr Mighty Flames, Willie N'For on bass, Austin Onwurah on drums and all the bells and whistles of the Godiac Studios close at hand, a Nigerian disco classic was inevitable. 'Disco Bomp' and 'Disco Power' are straight-ahead floor-fillers. 'Funk ina Ghatto' has a slower, dirtier groove. 'World of Misery' takes a slight calypso reggae detour, before 'Take Me Home' brings it on home, with an unabashed plea for 'loving' and some delightfully wonky synth lines from another Mighty Flame, Frankie Song. Bomp was I.G.'s only album. It's a startling one-off disco boogie classic that was clear in its ambition and perfect in its execution. A bit like the hat, really.

In 1974, a brash young designer called Augustus Kerry Taylor had an idea. He'd gather together the hottest musicians in Ghana and record an album of the heaviest and funkiest sounds coming out of America. And this time, he wouldn't just design the cover, like he'd done with Fela Kuti, he'd even release it on his new label, Emporium, as well. Local Accra legends Joe Wellington, Jagger Botchway, Leslie Addy, Officer Toro, Oko Ringo, Soldier and Steve answered the call. They were christened the Kelenkye Band and gelled immediately. Moving World, is a funky, disparate album that exudes a rare warmth, enthusiasm and togetherness. 'Moving World' and 'Brotherhood of Man' are hard, grinding funk. 'Jungle Music' has a more soulful groove. There's also a bit of reggae, 'Dracula Dance', and old-skool highlife, 'Wale Tobite'. Accra's leading DJ, Charlie Sam, declared his mind 'well and truly boggled.' The Kelenkye Band never recorded another album. Augustus Kerry Taylor shut down Emporium and went back to designing album covers. But in Moving World they delivered a perfect moment of funk alchemy that has rightly become the Holy Grail of 70's Ghanian groove.

In 1974, a brash young designer called Augustus Kerry Taylor had an idea. He'd gather together the hottest musicians in Ghana and record an album of the heaviest and funkiest sounds coming out of America. And this time, he wouldn't just design the cover, like he'd done with Fela Kuti, he'd even release it on his new label, Emporium, as well. Local Accra legends Joe Wellington, Jagger Botchway, Leslie Addy, Officer Toro, Oko Ringo, Soldier and Steve answered the call. They were christened the Kelenkye Band and gelled immediately. Moving World, is a funky, disparate album that exudes a rare warmth, enthusiasm and togetherness. 'Moving World' and 'Brotherhood of Man' are hard, grinding funk. 'Jungle Music' has a more soulful groove. There's also a bit of reggae, 'Dracula Dance', and old-skool highlife, 'Wale Tobite'. Accra's leading DJ, Charlie Sam, declared his mind 'well and truly boggled.' The Kelenkye Band never recorded another album. Augustus Kerry Taylor shut down Emporium and went back to designing album covers. But in Moving World they delivered a perfect moment of funk alchemy that has rightly become the Holy Grail of 70's Ghanian groove.

It's 1981 and Nigeria is booming. Oil was still bringing in the big petro-bucks and a new civilian government brought hope that the dark days of military dictatorships were over. A new album by a baby-voiced, permed, lipstick-wearing vocalist is riding high in the charts, capturing the mood of the nation perfectly. The singer was Oby Onyioha, the university educated daughter of the Godian prophet, His Holiness Ogbaja Kama Onu Kama Onyioha. The album was I Want To Feel Your Love, a collection of slick, up-tempo disco tracks, produced by the 'Quincy Jones of Nigeria', Lemmy Jackson. Handsomely packaged, sumptuously produced, it was as sophisticated and glossy as anything coming out of the west. The album also marked a cultural shift in Nigeria too. Oby Onyioha was a smart, modern woman exhorting her Nigerian sisters to 'Enjoy Your Life.' She wasn't sitting around waiting for a man to call. 'I Want To Feel Your Love', she sang. And 'I'll Put It Right Again,' not some dominant boyfriend. Bright, brash and living for the moment, I Want To Feel Your Love is the soundtrack of a Nigeria confident and ready to take its place in the world.

It's 1981 and Nigeria is booming. Oil was still bringing in the big petro-bucks and a new civilian government brought hope that the dark days of military dictatorships were over. A new album by a baby-voiced, permed, lipstick-wearing vocalist is riding high in the charts, capturing the mood of the nation perfectly. The singer was Oby Onyioha, the university educated daughter of the Godian prophet, His Holiness Ogbaja Kama Onu Kama Onyioha. The album was I Want To Feel Your Love, a collection of slick, up-tempo disco tracks, produced by the 'Quincy Jones of Nigeria', Lemmy Jackson. Handsomely packaged, sumptuously produced, it was as sophisticated and glossy as anything coming out of the west. The album also marked a cultural shift in Nigeria too. Oby Onyioha was a smart, modern woman exhorting her Nigerian sisters to 'Enjoy Your Life.' She wasn't sitting around waiting for a man to call. 'I Want To Feel Your Love', she sang. And 'I'll Put It Right Again,' not some dominant boyfriend. Bright, brash and living for the moment, I Want To Feel Your Love is the soundtrack of a Nigeria confident and ready to take its place in the world.

Recorded in the USA, E Je Ka Jo is the only record released by Nigerian brother and sister act, Xtasy. It is also a stone cold, boogie classic and remains one of the most sought-after records of its type in the world. E Je Ka Jo means 'Let's Dance' and in 1983, Roy and Stella Bruce were whisked away to LA to record their certifiable dancefloor classic. Their brother, entertainment mogul Ben Murray Bruce, owned the label and called in favours with the America's finest session players, including songwriter Greg Wright and bass player Keni Burke. Wright produced the album and wrote all the songs. He'd worked with Diana Ross, Thelma Houston and Bobby Womack and added a slick international sheen to each track. The sound is smooth, sophisticated and sexy and one that would be welcomed on dance floors anywhere in the world. Strangely, E Je Ka Jo was only ever released in Nigeria. An international release was stymied, but that only served to cement the albums status as a modern soul boogie classic. Thirty years later, that injustice has finally been rectified.

Recorded in the USA, E Je Ka Jo is the only record released by Nigerian brother and sister act, Xtasy. It is also a stone cold, boogie classic and remains one of the most sought-after records of its type in the world. E Je Ka Jo means 'Let's Dance' and in 1983, Roy and Stella Bruce were whisked away to LA to record their certifiable dancefloor classic. Their brother, entertainment mogul Ben Murray Bruce, owned the label and called in favours with the America's finest session players, including songwriter Greg Wright and bass player Keni Burke. Wright produced the album and wrote all the songs. He'd worked with Diana Ross, Thelma Houston and Bobby Womack and added a slick international sheen to each track. The sound is smooth, sophisticated and sexy and one that would be welcomed on dance floors anywhere in the world. Strangely, E Je Ka Jo was only ever released in Nigeria. An international release was stymied, but that only served to cement the albums status as a modern soul boogie classic. Thirty years later, that injustice has finally been rectified.

DJ Sotofet has rearranged two Finnish jazz funk classics from mid 70's that came out in original form on Jazzpuu in 2001.

The brand new album from James Blake- Exclusively launched on Annie Macs Radio 1 Show on 5/5/16. Physical releaswe date of the CD will be next week- SELL AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE. The LP format will not come till later in the project at the end of July. More details to follow on this format

RECORD STORE DAY 2015 RELEASE! RSD CONDITIONS APPLY - ONLY FOR SALE TO REGISTERED SHOPS AND NO ONLINE PRE ORDERS!

Classic Arthur Russell 7" from the depths of West End's vaults. Timely re mastered from the original tapes...

This is a different version to the Soul Jazz 12" released in 2003 with more moog bleeps and a slower tempo and has never been commercially available on vinyl (track run time 2:45). It also includes the uptempo freakout rare as hens teeth 'Instrumental Mix'. Original 7"s going for up to £200 on discogs and only 12 people in the world showing they own a copy. This release never got passed promo stage at West End in 1980.

12 tracks of horn-led funk from one of the great unsung bands of the late 1960s. The Pazant Brothers, Ed and Al are jazz and funk royalty having played with Kool & The Gang, Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers and Lionel Hampton.

Their recordings for GWP were made under the auspices of producer Ed Bland. They are highly sought after by producers and DJs, and represent the very best of their recorded work. This is the first time that this work has been available on LP.

Includes sought-after singles 'Skunk Juice', 'Juicy Lucy' and 'Chicken Scratch', as well as a previously unreleased version of 'High Heel Sneakers' and two vocal tracks with Betty Barney recorded live at MOMA which have never been on vinyl before.

Regular weight black vinyl.

EXTRA LIMITED REPRESS

MEGA LIMITED REPRESS !

Following up Tonight's The Night was a difficult thing to do for New Jersey girl-group The Shirelles, but they did it the very same year with great The Shirelles Sing To Trumpets And Strings. Featuring further songwriting from Luther Dixon - who had previously written for Elvis, and more, and wrote the great "16 Candles" by The Crests - The Shirelles Sing... includes his all-time classic "Mama Said" which marched to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. More amazing girl-group from The Shirelles reissued on 180 gram vinyl with download code and a bonus track.

Groove Line Records follows up the Change remix 12' from the summer with the latest instalment of our officially licensed disco remix 12's. Next up are two exceptional disco remixes of The Salsoul Orchestra classics, Tale of Three Cities' and Tangerine', by Mike Maurro, whose recent The Mike Maurro Peak Hour Remixes box set has cemented the New York producer's reputation as one of the most respected disco remixers on the scene right now.Side A features Tale of Three Cities' (Mike Maurro Disco Remix), one of The Salsoul Orchestra's funkiest cuts, written by bass player Ron Baker for their debut LP. Maurro extends the arrangement to nine minutes, concentrating on the driving beat and rhythm section for the intro, subtly adding the guitar and keyboard parts before the first orchestral bridge at 1m36. Stripping back much of the orchestral elements throughout the mix he gives more space to the deftly executed solo guitar and keyboard passages and gives special attention to Vincent Montana's vibes, taking the dancer on a beautiful journey through the Salsoul sound concluding with an instrumental, ethereal outro.

Side AA features Tangerine' (Mike Maurro Disco Remix), Vincent Montana's skillfully rearranged version of the lilting Jimmy Dorsey pop standard which was the group's biggest pop hit, also from their debut LP. Adding a further 6 minutes to the original version, again Maurro respectfully gives the orchestration more room to breathe over the propulsive rhythm section, gaining patient momentum throughout while exposing the best instrumental elements of the original and sprinkling just the right amount of The Sweethearts of Sigma's vocal refrains on top. Both mixes were initially released on Groove Line's 3CD 40th Anniversary Salsoul Orchestra Anthology as exclusive tracks.

All Groove Line Records releases are fully licensed and cut at Half Speed by Matt Colton at Alchemy (Mastering Engineer of the Year 2013). All vinyl is heavy weight 180g manufactured by Optimal Media in Germany, one of the world's finest pressing plants. Groove Line Records cut no corners when making sure that each and every one of our releases has the highest quality performance possible.

Groove Line Records' deluxe 12' release of The Salsoul Orchestra Tale of Three Cities (Mike Maurro Disco Remix)' backed with Tangerine (Mike Maurro Disco Remix)' is an essential purchase for any serious Disco, Funk, Soul or Dance vinyl collector who demands the very best in quality vinyl pressings.

Football, cycling, the Olympic, tennis... summer days bring us many of the great sporting events of the year, and, for the last four years, it's also when Guts and Mambo release their annual production of Beach Diggin'. 180g, Gatefold..TIP!
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For the fourth edition, the duo left behind their perennial favorite, Trinidad and Tobago, and headed for Jamaica and Brazil, trekked across South America to Peru, navigated across the Pacific to Japan, down to Australia, and then set sail for South Africa, went overland up to Tunisia, and finally put down their bags in France.
Along their perambulations around the globe, they handpicked a number of rare and often unique pearls that they found, at times in damaged shells, at others barely surviving in abused, large record collections. Guts and Mambo patiently selected these tracks with the intent of creating a vinyl barrier reef, an atoll of sound safe from the rising tide of noise pollution that the music industry spews forth every summer.

The 2016 edition once again treats listeners to an incredible diversity of styles and ambiences, ranging from jazz-funk to samba-rock, disco, soul, and reggae. This in a year that football fans will remember as that of the Euro Cup in France, and music fans, when Bowie, Maurice White, Bernie Worrel, and Prince all left us too soon to search for eternal inspiration in the great musical beyond.
To discover and to share.

Because in the end, the geographic origin matters little. Even if the golden triangle of Brazil, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago remains the largest supplier, Beach Diggin' is above all a way of being, a way of living the moment and life in general to the fullest. Permanent coolitude on the BPM, fast or slow, an epicureanism that is equally at ease whether its produced with a sense of Amazonian luxuriousness or the sparse comfort of a deserted beach, a reserve of a few degrees of heat to put on the turntable when it gets cold outside.
So, it's not surprising that tracks from Eastern Europe, North Africa, or the US have quickly received their stamp of approval. In this third compilation, just as in the previous two, the rule remains: Beach Diggin' is a state of mind...

Outta Sight's Second Visit To Station Road, Wigan, Another Uniquely Themed Set Featuring Classic Oldies From The Playlists Of Founding Northern Soul Jocks Russ Winstanley, Richard Searling, And Crew At The Legendary Wigan Casino

Fixing Clocks are neighbors and allies Thomas Shiner (Doc Delay) and Zachary Martin. Much like the guts of a timepiece, the concentric moving parts of melody and thump are at the heart of these two synergisitic soundscapes. It's an ode to the beautifully strange and twisted compositions of psychedelic lore, yet completely original and with their own candid charm.

Grill by Gbubemi Amas is as smooth as the red cardigan artfully slung around his shoulders on the cover. Whether he is running through the scales on a cover version of 'Fire and Rain', or trying on his calypso highlife moves on 'Ereyon', you know Amas is a man with a smooth line for every occasion. He is also a man with impeccable enunciation. Listen to 'Slow Down'. It features one of the most cultured sound checks you will ever hear in your life - Willy, keep the bass a little bit tighter'. That Amas is now a theatre producer and writer in Cardiff in Wales will come as no surprise. 'Slow Down' is a stone cold class, and an undoubted highlight, just as it was on the excellent Comb & Razor compilation, Brand New Wayo. 'Children' is a bright dancefloor filler. So is 'For You'. And 'Listen' showcases Amas's disco ball cassanova moves. Articulate, cultured and classy, Grill is proof that in 80s Nigeria was producing a class of boogie funk that was as sophisticated as anywhere in the world.

CD Version

Jungle Juice is a paean to the redemptive powers of boogie - a slab of New York ghetto grooves getting its freak on in the jungles of Africa. Joe Kemfa promises a magical party and that's what you get - from the straight-ahead party grooves of 'Jungle Magic Music' to the more slinky and sinuous 'Jungle Juice.' Hailing from Warra in Nigeria's Delta region, Joe Kemfa made his name with The Junkers and the Don Bruce Band. He recorded a few singles with Larry Ifedioranma from Ofo The Rock Company before disappearing to Europe. He returned in 1978 with two Germans in tow and, together with Cameroonian drummer Ali Ringo, they formed Aura, Joe's backing band on Jungle Juice. The best tracks are the freakiest. 'I Got To Make It' bemoans the cost of living, before becoming a stoned plea to the Lenleys, Joe's very own Lijadu Sisters, to boogie it on a Saturday night. Freaky and funky, Jungle Juice is the sound of James Brown and Parliament jamming after a night on some nasty Delta home brew. One listen and you'll want to get your hands on some Jungle Juice too

CD Version

For the past four decades, a growing cult of soul music collectors have sought two obscure LPs and a handful of extremely rare 45s released on the vanity record label LAD Productions, Inc. between the late seventies and the mid eighties by the mysterious South Side Chicago singer/song writer Larry Dixon. Larry's raw songs capture the transition from R&B to boogie-down as disco was rapidly becoming extinct. They also perfectly illustrate Larry's ability to overcome his environment and discrimination, transcended by his determination to write and produce music. With the support of his faithful musicians, Larry's success was only hindered by lack of airplay and promotion, but his talent shines through. This is the story of Larry Dixon, his label LAD Productions, Inc., and his friends and family throughout four decades of music in Chicago's toughest neighborhoods.
Jerome Derradji is proud to reactivate Past Due Records - the boogie funk division of Still Music to release this fantastic archive - what many consider to be the Holy Grail - of Chicago Funk, Boogie and Soul: 'Star Time' will be released in a limited 500 copies 10 X 7" Box Set, a limited 500 copies 4 LP Box Set, DCD and Digitally - all faithfully reproducing the vision of LAD Productions, Inc. It features each and every Larry Dixon's releases from 1971 to 1987, including the ultra rare 'I'am So In Love' LP recorded live at the Copherbox Club in 1980 and the ultra rare boogie funk 'Can't Price Love' LP, each carefully re-mastered from the original tapes and a lot more!
Many unreleased songs (some mixed by Jerome Derradji) are also featured. Each format includes a unique booklet with the story of Larry Dixon and his friends, written by Jacob Arnold, along with numerous pictures and documents previously never published. Artwork is by Al Kent from Million Dollar Disco.



















[] 3A4 | Star Time

The Mighty Flames were a crack bunch of Cameroonian musicians, drawn to Nigeria by the heavy funk sounds booming across the border like musical moths. For a short time in the late sentries they 'owned' Port Harcourt, destroying dancefloors with an incendiary sound that burned so heavily that it was phosphorescent. Metalik Funk Band is the band at their most deadly. Willy 'Pazz' Nfor is on bass, Nfrackie 'Jazz' Song on synth, Didi Lead on lead guitar, Emma 'Wah Wah' Baloka on rhythm and Stormy 'Booga' Jimmy on percussion. There is not a single dud track. 'Music Is The Answer' is a psychedelic head spin. 'Funky Child' is an irresistible call to the dancefloor. And I guarantee you'll need a good lie down after listening to 'Search Out! Watch Out!'. Sadly, things did not end well for the Mighty Flames. Their manager was a tyrant and when they tried to escape to Lagos with all the band's gear he promptly had then arrested. Metallik Funk Band was their last album, but what a way to go out: with an incendiary batch of Afro Funk monsters that need to be in every funk lover's collection.

CD Version

Pat Thomas and Ebo Taylor are the Jagger and Richards of Nigerian Highlife. Drawn together by a mutual love of the genre - and an equally intense desire to stop it becoming moribund and bereft of ideas - Ghana's two most progressive musicians added a western twist to this traditional form of African music and gave it relevance again. It was by no means a continuous process. Pat Thomas and Ebo Taylor first came together in 1966. Over the decades they'd venture off to play in different bands and even different countries. Periodically they'd get back together and implement the new ideas and skills they'd developed. In 1980, they met up in London and recorded Sweeter Than Honey, Calypso Mahuno. Composed and arranged by Taylor, burnished by Pat Thomas's honeyed vocals, the album is a mix of highlife, calypso, funk, jazz, soul and pop. From the title track to 'Ma Huno', the album's undisputed highlight, the ambition - and musicianship - is breathtaking. Sweeter Than Honey, Calypso Mahuno is arguably the purest example of this extraordinary musical partnership. And what Highlife, unshackled, can be.

CD Version

There was a time in the 1970s when the best band in the Nigeria was actually from Cameroon. Rock Town Express, formed out of the ashes of Wrinkar Experience by Yaoundé boys Edjo'o Jacques Racine and Ginger Forcha, hit it hard, hit it loud and hit it funky. Racine and Forcha had been recruited from Cameroon by Dan Ian and after only six months, left them stranded in Nigeria's troubled east. Their first album as Rock Town Express was released on Ginger Baker's ARC label in 1974. This, their second eponymous album, features a more subdued sepia toned cover but rocks even harder. The horror of the Biafran War weighs heavily on Rock Town Express. The guitars wail, the horns parp and the synths swirls in a maelstrom of pain and anger. 'Peaceful Solution' implores people to live in peace and harmony. 'Spaceville Rape' bemoans the wanton destruction that comes with war. And 'Nobody's Man' is the defiant cry of an ex-soldier determined to make his own way in the world. Rock Town Express is an angry and dark transmission from Nigeria's east that the war may have been over, but the scars were still yet to heal.

CD Version

CD Version

Limited to 500 copies only! Emma Ogosi has worn a lot of different hats in his career: former air force officer, guitarist with Benin-based Pogo Limited, and husband and manager of Nigerian reggae superstar, Evi-Edna Ogholi. In 1981, he donned a sequined cowboy hat and released Nobody Knows. Nobody Knows is arguably the Nigeria's best - and perhaps only - Disco Country album. Country music has always been influential in the country and Ogosi managed to channel Jim Reeves via the bright lights of Lagos' burgeoning disco scene to produce an album of sparkling mournfulness. The album starts brightly with 'You And I' and ends with 'Orindo,' a horn-driven dance floor filler. 'Nobody Knows' and 'A Lonely Child' venture into 'you done me wrong' territory. And you can imagine Kenny Rogers covering 'Give A Little', albeit wearing flares and platforms and a moustache instead of a beard. Overall, though, Nobody Knows is as disco as the sharp suit and gull-wing collar Emma is wearing on the cover. But don't be fooled - there are rhinestones on that there glitter ball