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Eko, or Eko Roosevelt, is a Cameroonian composer, pianist & vocalist. He was born in Kribi in 1946, the son of a local Tribal Chief. Eko developed his love for music at church, later pursuing his growing passionwith music studies abroad, first in Dakar and then in Paris. After concluding his studies in France he went on to a recording career and between 1975 - 1982 released a number of full-length LPs, 7" singles and albums on cassette, before returning to Kribi to take over the role of Tribal Chief from his father, a role he holds to this day.

While the name "Eko" may not be immediately familiar to all, his music will be well known to many, from the DJs to the dancers, the heads to the home listeners. Evergreen classics like “Kilimandjaro My Home”, have remained a mainstay in the record bags & USB crates of disco jocks since its release in the late 70s, while numerous of his other crossover Afro-disco gems have been bootlegged, edited and remixed by a seemingly endless number of both greater & lesser-known producers who have all paid tribute to his work. Eko Roosevelt’s position in the ranks of Cameroon’s great musicians cannot be overstated. As a composer, songwriter, pianist and singer he has influenced generations of musicians both in Cameroon and France and further abroad, while he has written & arranged for many of the Cameroonian musical community.

Here Canopy, with the benediction of Eko himself, officially reissues two of his works that have not been rereleased since their first outings. Stylistically the two songs straddle the line between Afro-disco, funk and pop, with a slightly Balearic, almost AOR sensibility.

“Phone Me Tonight” is taken from a 7” record that has barely resurfaced since it was self-released in 1981 on the “Eko Music’ imprint. The song is an uplifting opus that demonstrates Eko’s deftness for creating catchy songs that succeed in their songwriting prowess and melody crafting, both on and off the dance floor. It is a stripped back composition that employs the key elements to great effect. The groovy bass line is underpinned by a tight Afro-disco beat as Eko’s unmistakeable voice draws us in and with a masterful use of repetition and hooks, creates a song that feels familiar from the outset, while being brand new to almost all listeners. As the song develops, the synth lines lift the song higher and higher, culminating in a euphoric transcendence perfect for elevating the mood of any dancefloor.

“Take Me As I am Now”, is sourced from Eko’s first album, “Nalandi” which originally came out in 1975 on Dragon Phenix. Here we have another fine example of Eko’s ability to hone compositions that blend thelines between pop song writing and more loopy dance floor orientated structures. The vocal hook repeats throughout the song, with only minor variations, making the song feel comfortingly familiar from its early bars. An instantly appealing bass line sets the stage for the sleek guitars and taut horn arrangements. The end result is a feel-good balance of melody and groove that makes for a timeless feel with a positive message!"

La Ruka is a prominent artist from Colombia's Pacific Coast. She blends hip-hop, salsa, Afro-Colombian roots and urban Latin genres in her music even though she is now based in Barcelona. Her live shows are always high on energy and tunes of hers like 'No Quiero Marido' and 'Todo Es Plata' are some of many standouts from the last 20 years. Her lyrics often focus on Afro-descendent women and life in Buenaventura and this new EP is another injection of Latin rhythms direct to your soul. Each one is sun kissed and percussive with irresistible production from the likes of JMoney, Village cuts and Lanzapro.

There's iconic. Then there's *iconic*.

A MASSIVE speaker-smashing release, decades overdue. It's been bootlegged - shamefully so, many times over the years - but finally we present the first ever officially licensed reissue of this truly special Afro-disco-not-disco LP from 1979. A favourite of Harvey, Antal, Young Marco and, er, every great DJ to ever play deep records ever, basically. It's not hard to see - or, indeed, *feel* why.

Gem after gem of relentless, irresistibly funky gold, it's an incredibly revelatory album with endlessly complex drum patterns and basslines to dive into, throughout. Truly, this is uniquely FIRE music, unlike anything else you've ever heard, based on Gwo ka music from the gorgeous islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. A thrilling synthesis of primal, hypnotic drums - the most tribal of percussive elements high in the mix throughout - with the loping synth pyrotechnics of, amongst a whole host of other greats, Wally Badarou and bass power of disco funk don Sauveur Mallia (Arpadys, Spatial & Co.)

Originally released on the seminal French label Barclay, you'd be hard pressed to even find an original copy in nice condition anywhere, let alone for a reasonable price, so it's high time an officially licensed, remastered reissue came around. It's just the latest in a long line of Be With reissues where the music sounds like the - drop-dead dazzling - cover. This here is a true drum attack. BUY ON SIGHT!

Tumblack was a short-lived project, produced and arranged by electronic wizard Yves Hayat and it can certainly be regarded as one of the first examples of Zouk, mixing powerful disco-funk arrangements with Gwo ka, traditional music from Guadeloupe. Gwo ka is an Antillean Creole term for "big drum". You can say that again! It refers to both a family of hand drums and the music played with them, which is a major part of Guadeloupean folk music.Whilst the first side is credited to the exceptional Tumblack band, the flip is given over to "Tumblack & Friends". These weren't just any old friends. Oh no, they were the absolute cream of the French scene (think Arpadys, Voyage, Le Club, Giant, CCPP, Synthesis, Swing Family) such as Sauveur Mallia, Wally Badarou, Marc Chantereau on percussion, Slim Pezin on guitar and Jean-Paul Batailley and Pierre Alain-Dahan handling drum duties.

The urgent, frantic "Fracas" gets things moving straight away with a cavalcade of drums and percussive funk before giving way to the stratospheric "Invocation", one of the album's many, many highlights. It's effectively one long heavenly drum break, a really hard, raw, tribal drum workout without a whole lot else going on - and all the better for it! One to make you sweat, no question. Up next, "Jubilé" is announced with a bellowing accapella voice, chanting the titular name before the heaviest of kicks smashes out your system and lulls you into an absolute state of bliss for nearly 6 minutes. Whoooooosh! Rounding out the sensational A-Side, "Vaudou" is a scratchy, funky patterned drum workout which - yep, yet again - absolutely slays your neck muscles, making them snap and contract in extraordinary fashion. TURN IT UP!

Ushering in the B-Side, the brief, fidgety, African chant-funk of "Parlement" segues seamlessly, beautifully into "Waka", an overwhelmingly rich gem of percussive funk. You do not want this to end, once it hits its stride. For maximum heavenly drum pleasure, you'd need to go a long way than the moment "Waka" feels like it's fading out before it kick-drum-blend into the mighty "Caraïba (Intro)". It's just staggeringly good. It's a minute-long layered drum prelude to the gigantic track which follows. Indeed, "Caraïba" is arguably the best loved and most well-known cut off the LP. And with good reason...featuring that Mallia bass, warm Rhodes and clavs, synth magic, memorably alto sax lines and, of course, tribal chanting.

Another mighty super-ahead-of-its-time classic, the bouncing bass heavy synth funk of "Chunga Funk" deploys Mallia and Wally Badarou (on Mini Moog) exceptionally well. I mean, come on, that bassline is just ridiculous. Try not to move to this one. This extraordinary record closes out with the more traditional Gwo ka sounds of "Bateau La Passé", the tribal chorus making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Tumblack really is a gorgeous late-70s disco-not-disco essential. It's an absolute MONSTER that will completely blow you away; and, yes, it's as compelling and trance-inducing as the cover. The audio for Tumblack has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring it sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The cover of Tumblack is so iconic and we sought special permission from original artist Hélène Majera to recreate this at Be With HQ. It absolutely zings off the print and serves as the perfect finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

"The ironically titled Crime Pays was a comment on the success of Colón’s carefully cultivated bad guy image that he sustained until the mid-1970s. The anthology compiles nine key cuts from his first four albums. First time the album is available on vinyl in decades, pressed on 180G black vinyl. All tracks showcase the genius of the Colon/Lavoe partnership in a variety of genres. "

Repress!

For number 93 in the Brazil45 series, we present two favourites from the Harmony Cats. A female vocal quintet (who later became a trio) from São Paulo. They formed in 1976 and were most prolific in the disco period.

'Harmony Cats' Theme' from 1976 is probably the group best known track outside of Brazil. Owing a lot to Rhythm Heritage's version of 'Barretta's Theme (Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow)’ it's wonderfully spacey breakbeat and percussive production with lush, floaty vocals makes it a real crossover classic record.

'Seja Como Nos (De Pe No Chao)' is instantly recognisable. Tucked away on the b-side of their 1979 single 'Tem Dinheiro Nisso' on Young Records, it is a beast of a cover version of The Jacksons' classic ' Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)'. Nothing subtle or sophisticated here. Just a song of pure disco joy, enhanced with awesome Brazilian production and the Cats' trademark vocal arrangements. A get-of-jail-free card for any DJ that finds themselves stuck with an empty dance-floor, but also one that will put smiles on the faces of the more discerning leftfield club crowds.

- Next installment in BRAZIL45 Series.
- Features cover of The Jacksons ‘Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)’.
- 2 tracks of pure disco joy.

Fom the Sleevenotes by Paul Murphy: Jazz Room Records:

"I took a trip to the If Music Store, 2nd Floor, above the paint shop and that got me hooked on the sound of COPA SALVO.

"You NEED this!" said Jean-Claude. "They're an amazing and unique Jazzy Combo from Japan!" But at the time I was stuck in some dead end Gulag job getting things together for the launch of a record label idea I'd been working on and the bobs were just not in abundance. Especially in the part of the wallet marked "Japanese Vinyl Import Department". But he gave it a spin and I was pretty much hooked from that day on.

Things soon looked up though and the next sighting of COPA SALVO was on the BBE Records release: A Journey Into Deep Jazz Vol. 3 (Compiled by that very same Jean-Claude!) which featured COPA SALVO - Hasta La Victria Siempre, a pounding piano driven homage to Fidel which incidentally is one of the featured numbers of the album that is soon to be released on Jazz Room Records.

I kept looking for more COPA SALVO as I was really intrigued by the sound they produced and, over a period of time I managed to obtain nearly all of their sparse catalogue. Once Jazz Room Records had started to get established and the release of the Colin Curtis Presents: indigo jam unit compilation had been a success I thought "Time for COPA SALVO to make their Jazz Room debut!"

This Jazz Room Records Compilation will feature their unique and highly original compositions which are an energetic meltdown of Funk, J-Jazz, Afro-Cuban, Boogaloo and range from the Heavy Latin Jazz Vibes of Bolivia 67 to the Kung Fu '70's sound of Tong King Rock with a journey that takes in an Eastern Folktale and a Jump Up Life along the way."

Vocal/Guiro : Tadahiro Masuda

Piano : Eri Konishi

Bass : Hironori Kobayashi

Percussion : Yo Sato

Percussion : Pyon Nakajima

Timbales/Drum : Peach Iwasaki

Following their mesmerizing debut Tradition, CHO CO PA CO CHO CO QUIN QUIN return with Correspondances—a 7-inch release that drifts effortlessly between organic textures and delicate electronic landscapes. Expanding on their signature blend of dreamy synth work and nylon-stringed warmth, the trio refines their approach with a more mature, immersive sound that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking.

The A-side, “Adan no Umibe” (Adan’s Seashore), opens with a soft, relaxed vocal delivery reminiscent of Haruomi Hosono’s solo work, floating over a gentle groove of nylon guitars and spacious synths. It captures the essence of a quiet shore, where melodies ebb and flow like waves against the sand, infused with the scent of Okinawa.

The title track, “Correspondances,” embraces an airy, ambient minimalism. Whispered vocals glide over sparse beats, floating basslines, and interwoven birdsong—blurring the lines between nature and sound.

Closing the record, “Koe o Kikasete” (Hear Me Your Voice) introduces a subtle rhythmic pulse, with its soft vocal refrain weaving through a beautiful chord progression, layered with nylon guitar and delicate electronic textures. The birdsong theme resurfaces here, echoing the lyrics and enhancing the immersive, weightless atmosphere.

While rooted in the warmth of vintage Japanese pop experimentalism, Correspondances carries CHO CO PA CO CHO CO QUIN QUIN’s sound into new, refined territory.

This is a record of quiet yet deeply expressive beauty—an invitation to pause, listen, and drift.

Harmonies is the new long player from underground super-producer Lord Echo. Hotly anticipated for the last few years by his growing entourage of fans, many were frustrated by his descent into obscurity in the industrial backwaters of New Zealand where he lived alone and went completely insane trying to complete the record.

The new album solidifies his already distinctive mutations of reggae and rock steady with disco, African soul, techno and spiritual jazz. In other words, the Lord has returned from the wilderness with a bounty for his followers. Eat of the bread of life and enjoy access to his crazy World of Sound.

After their first album, AGO, released in 2023, and two successful European tours, the group's second album, SÉ NAM (‘understand me' in Mina), will be released on June 13, 2025.


Feminist and ecological themes, sung in the scales of Togolese voodoo tradition, are still at the heart of the group's discourse.


Recorded once again at the legendary OTODI studio in Lomé, the new tracks benefit from a more contemporary production by Peter Solo (Vaudou Game) that retains the lively character of the original recording, but gives even greater scope to groove and rhythm.


An immemorial trance, which through the use of their magical 'gazé tuyaux', a DIY bass based on PVC pipes, evokes original house and techno and will seduce dance-floors around the world.

CINEMATIC VOYAGE THROUGH COSMIC RITUAL AND ETERNAL SOUND - a work that exists outside time—equally at home in the temples of antiquity and the neon-lit voids of speculative futures, merging ceremonial percussion, interstellar synthwaves, and wordless incantations into a 31-minute ritual for the infinite. Born from a three-year metamorphosis between studio and stage and rooted in a Takhmira (a Zar ritual poem), Ninety Nine Eyes channels the archetypal quest—a search for the “land where light is seated.” Its soundscapes evoke the grandeur of forgotten civilizations and the hum of celestial machinery: droning mizmar lines and drowning tombak and duff rhythms dissolve into maximalist synth storms; choirs of phantom voices rise like starlight through the static of ages. - Sound: Structured like a Sufi Hadra, the LP’s undulating peaks pull at old ways of communing with the divine - Part I builds tension, a breath before the storm, while Part II erupts into unfettered synth-drenched trance, gates flung open - only the listener can close the circle through their own interpretation.- For fans of Vangelis’ Blade Runner, Jon Hassell’s Fourth World, Alice Coltrane’s spiritual jazz, Autechre’s glitch rituals, and Pauline Oliveros’ deep listening.- Production: Mixed by VII, mastered by Heba Kadry (Björk, Ryuichi Sakamoto).- Artwork: Features a portrait of Yunis by Cairo underground photographer Kafrawy and hand-sewn costume design by Alaa Eideh, with graphic design by Giovanni Murolo (Countersubject). EU Tour spring 25

J.E. Movement's groundbreaking ‘Ma Dea Luv’,

Toward the end of the 1980s South Africa's recording industry was booming. Searching for a sound that could cross over to all in the country's segregated society while also eyeing international success, a new duo emerged that quickly rendered its 'bubblegum' predecessors obsolete. Drawing on international trends and crafting lyrics for local ears, J.E. MOVEMENT — a duo made up of James Nyingwa and Elliot Faku — exploded onto the local scene with their debut album, 'Ma Dea Luv'. The future had arrived.

A talented bassist and composer, Nyingwa was at the time employed as an in-house producer at TRS Studios in Plein Street in downtown Johannesburg, run by two Greek immigrants, George Vardas and Chris Ghelakis. Together they formed a close bond as friends and musical partners at what would become CSR Records, recording original hits with acts like the NEW AGE KIDS and SIDNEY, while also cashing in on cover versions as BLACK BOX.

The six tracks on J.E. Movement’s 1988 debut give firm nods to UK Street Soul, New Jack Swing and Stock Aitken Waterman's 'Hit Factory' sound and infuse them with an African rhythmic flair and homegrown lyrical sentiment. Though not expressly political, the title track was received by many as a play on words referencing then-jailed and banned Nelson Mandela (coming after the similarly styled 'I'm Winning My Dear Love' by Yvonne Chaka Chaka in 1986 and 'We Miss You Manelow' by Chicco in 1987), giving it an added potency for those in the know. 'Jack I'm Sorry' was an underground hit in the townships, while 'Marco', 'Friends', 'Funkytown' and the eponymous closer are similarly bass and drum-driven, with hiphop-styled vocals.

Pellegrino & Zodyaco, with their new single 'Malìa', continue the aesthetic and sonic journey of the project led by the Neapolitan producer, with a mixture of Neapolitan disco-funk and fusion steeped in Latin flavour that already explored the innermost corners of the soul with 'Quimere'. This new work captures the frenzy and vibrant character of Naples, with its rarefied atmospheres and infectious groove that evoke the beating heart of the city and take us on a journey through the wonder of life in search of the Mediterranean essence.

The 'Malìa' is enchanting, it’s that mysterious force that hides deep inside, transforming itself into a vortex of emotions through the fusion of involving rhythms and reflections on inner battles, on the importance of finding the 'light' to overcome conflicts and difficulties that hinder the ability to choose, a dreamlike mirage that opens a window on human vulnerability, a hymn to authenticity, to self-acceptance.

The celebration of dance in the Caribbean Escapade version is also an exhortation to escape from everyday life; it takes us into a sonic imagery that plays with the Neapolitan musical tradition and the freshness of Caribbean and Latin sounds. This summer single becomes an ode to the vital energy of dance music: there is no more time for hesitation, one must let oneself be carried away by the enthralling embrace of 'Malìa', like a call to awareness and the search for authenticity in life. Malìa becomes the guiding thread, the mystery that urges us to go beyond the confines of everyday life, to explore and celebrate the complexity of existence.

Analog Africa doesn't do anything other than special releases really, but this one tracing the label's origins back to Zimbabwe over 20 years ago is a real standout. A carefully curated collection of 25 tracks with a fine booklet proving plenty of extra context, it captures the birth of the country's modern music scene and brims with the creative sound explosion of the 70s and 80s. Before genres were fully defined, artists blended rock, rumba, soul and traditional rhythms in bold, experimental ways that still stand up and get diggers and dancers excited in 2025. Included are never-before-released tracks from Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver Mtukudzi and more and they all add up to rich and dynamic snapshot of Zimbabwe's peerless musical evolution during what was a transformative era.

"Trésor Magnétique" ist eine Zusammenstellung unveröffentlichter Tracks und vernachlässigter Schätze aus dem Vermächtnis des legendären, kamerunisch-französischen Musikers/Schriftstellers Francis Bebey. Sorgfältig digitalisiert in den Abbey Road Studios, strahlen sie eine Klarheit und Dringlichkeit aus, die den Jahrzehnten seit ihrer Entstehung bis zur Jetztzeit trotzt. "Trésor Magnétique" ist keine verstaubte Retrospektive, sondern ein lebendiger, atmender Dialog mit der Gegenwart und der perfekte Einstieg in eine umfangreiche Diskografie, die sich fliessend zwischen tanzbarem Afro-Funk, folkloristischen Gesängen, politisch aufgeladenen Kommentaren und schimmernden elektronischen Erkundungen bewegt. Francis Bebey war seiner Zeit nicht nur voraus – er prägte seine eigene Zeit. Wir entdecken hier nicht nur verlorene Artefakte, sondern werden mit Ideen konfrontiert, die heute noch radikal und relevant sind.

Turkish band islandman release the ‘Bahar’ EP + Bonus tracks for the first time on Vinyl for Record Store Day 2025.

The A side consists of four sublime tracks including ‘Sattava’, ‘Sad Walk’ and ‘Self-Hypnosis’ & title track ‘Bahar’ which is

a firm fan & listener favourite which has racked up over 3 million streams.

The B Side includes 3 tracks never before released on vinyl tracks from the Turkish Trio. Kicking off with "Yorgunum Kaptan” A rework of Cem Karaca’s composition recorded in ’84, which lyrics were initially driven from the poem written by Nazım Hikmet in 1957. This fresh take on the original is an ode to the pioneer and a homage because of being the inspiration for the band from the beginning.

Next up is Nara Nara Nara (islandman Remix) by NaraBara, the Jazz-Fusion band from Mongolia. This is the most recent chugging islandman remix.

Closing off the EP is the fantastic Future Days (Hey! Douglas Remix) which was released in 2018, but still sounds so fresh today.

Joel “Pibo” Márquez is a renowned Venezuelan percussionist, who specializes in salsa and Latin jazz. He has been part of projects of artists such as Chico Free-man, Arturo Sandoval, David Valentin, Dominic Miller, Cheick Tidiani Seck, Juanes, Alfredo De La Fe, Guayacán Orquesta and Aterciopelados. 5to Aniversario

This album draws inspiration from the sounds of 1970s New York salsa and en- gages with the contemporary language of Colombian salsa. Featuring a four-trombone arrangement, it showcases solo performances and musical inter-ludes. The album also includes collaborations with prominent figures in today's salsa scene, such as Ray Bayona, Eliazar Medina, Marcial Istúriz, and Wason Bra-zobán, among others.

The Magic Movement proudly presents Bosquemar's new EP "Manco"
The title track is a remarkable showcase of Bosquemar’s distinctive sound, combining field recordings as the main ingredient, acoustic instruments, electronic rhythms, and dub influences. Rodrigo Gallardo, a key figure in the South American downtempo scene and ex-member of the renowned band Matanza, adds his well known vocal presence to the track. His contribution infuses Manco with authenticity and depth, creating a rich, multi-layered listening experience.
On his new EP, Bosquemar invites listeners on a profound sonic journey, transcending typical boho aesthetics to explore deeper psychedelic territories. This single reflects his mastery of folktronica, blending traditional and electronic elements to craft a transformative sound that resonates deeply with the listener.
With Manco, The Magic Movement continues its tradition of curating innovative music that pushes the boundaries of organic and electronic fusion. By merging traditional instruments with modern production techniques, the label showcases the soulful depth and creative vision that define its releases.

This album takes you back to Colombia of the 50s and 60s. In those days, the tropical music of the Caribbean and Pacific coasts took over the country's mainland music scene by storm. One of the key figures during this period was Edmundo Arias. Together with Lucho Bermúdez and Pacho Galán, Arias is seen as one of the ‘big three’ composers of Colombian tropical music.

He was a rather introverted person who avoided being in the spotlight at all cost, leading to his work being less known than his contemporaries. With this album we hope to highlight the amazing legacy Edmundo Arias has left us. Think of big bands with sharp dressed musicians playing the finest cumbias, porros and other tropical sounds in fancy ballrooms on a hot evening in Medellin or Bogota.

Liner notes:

Edmundo Dante Arias Valencia was born in Tuluá, Valle del Cauca, on the 5th of November 1925. He came from a family of musicians. His father, Joaquín Arias Cardoza was a band leader and composer who taught his children to play music. Arias learned to play many instruments such as the guitar, bass, bandola (pear shaped string instrument related to the mandolin), tiple (12 string guitar), clarinet and saxophone. He proved to be a very talented musician and together with his father and his older brother Ricaurte he formed the ‘Trio Arias’. The family lived in different cities across Colombia depending on where they found work. When his father died unexpectedly in 1948, Edmundo and Ricaurte had to support their family working as musicians. In 1951, Arias decided to move to Medellín, in those days the heart of the Colombian music industry and the city where the most important record companies and the best musicians were based. It didn’t take long before Arias made a name for himself as a musician, composer, arranger and band leader for Colombia’s leading labels at the time; Zeida, Ondina, Silver and Sonolux. For the latter, he would eventually become the artistic director. Over the years, he wrote hundreds of songs, recorded many albums with his own orchestras or with the Orquesta Sonolux and collaborated with a countless number of musicians, often uncredited.

Together with Lucho Bermúdez and Pacho Galán, Edmundo Arias is seen as one of the ‘big three’ composers of the tropical music of Colombia. But despite the fact that Arias was renowned, very little is known about his personal life. He was a humble man who preferred to work in the background and avoided being in the spotlight at all cost. He declined interviews and kept away from public life. On some live performances of the orchestra that carried his name, Arias asked one of his musicians to pretend to be him, so that he wouldn’t have to come on stage. You might think that Arias was shy or anti-social, but this was not the case. Most people he worked with described him as a very jovial, good humoured person and enjoyed working with him.

His invisibility in public life belied how present he was behind the scenes. If he wasn’t working on his own productions, he was regularly collaborating with other musicians. Arias had his hand in the work of many of his colleagues and was a mentor for young artists. Some even say that in those days all the musicians in Medellín had worked with Arias in one way or the other. He had a strict working regime: composing, arranging and recording at night while sleeping during the day. He was also very productive. The story goes that on one occasion, he wrote arrangements for a 16 piece band in just a few minutes while the band was recording another song. His hard work and productiveness resulted in hundreds of compositions and many records that carry his name.

Edmundo Arias’ career ran over 6 decades until his death on the 29th of January 1993. Over the years, he left us a huge legacy. The songs on this record are a selection of his work during the 50s and 60s. Many see this period as the absolute highlight of his career. We picked out the songs we consider to be the most outstanding recordings from this period. The title of this compilation Guepa Je! is Colombian slang often used in cumbia to express joy or to celebrate. A free translation would result into something like ‘yeah’, ’let’s go’ or ‘groovy’. I guess this title says enough. Enjoy the music. Guepa Je!

The Rising Wave marks the debut collaboration between singer-songwriter Marlene Ribeiro (of psychedelic band GNOD) and electronic producer Shackleton under the name Light Space Modulator. The album will be released via AD 93.

Beijing-based artist/producer Howie Lee interprets Tibetan Buddhist chants on his new album 'At The Drolma Wesel-Ling Monastery', the follow up to 2021's critically acclaimed 'Birdy Island'.

Recorded over two weeks at Drolma Wesel-Ling Monastery in the mountains of north-eastern Tibet, Beijing-based multi-disciplinary artist/producer, Howie Lee combines Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist singing with Kode9-channeling bass/footwork science, glitched-out hyper-rhythms and sampled Chinese-Tibetan instrumentation for his latest album on Mais Um.

Invited to contribute and interpret chant recordings from the sound archive of monastery founder and master, Tuga Rinpoche's self-built recording studio, Howie Lee connects parallels in electronic music, deep meditation and devotional chanting to present eight reconstructed, IDM-warpedVajrayanamantras, journaling the beginnings of his journey into buddhism, and to continue Lee's career-long threading of ancient, cross-generational practice, modern Chinese history and experimental club-futurism.

Die Maxi-Single-Box von DJ Schwede enthält die Maxi-Singles „Love is Strange“, „Music Box Dancer“ und „Your Love. Von hypnotischen Beats bis hin zu mitreißenden Melodien bietet jede Maxi-Single eine einzigartige Perspektive auf DJ Schwedes künstlerisches Talent und seine Fähigkeit, das Publikum auf die Tanzfläche zu bringen. Diese Box ist ein Must-have für Liebhaber elektronischer Musik, die die Vielfalt und den innovativen Stil eines der führenden DJs und Produzenten der Szene erleben möchten.

180 G. BLACK VINYL WITH LINER NOTES IN CREOLE, FRENCH, ENGLISH

Originally released in 1979, "Spiritual Sound" lives up to its name, a soaring, triumphant album, six tracks of spirit magic from Guadeloupe.

Telluric, intense, terribly alive, the gwoka drums of Guadeloupe carry the identity of a painful and fervent island. Marked forever by the crime of slavery, Guadeloupe's créolité cherishes the ka drums and their natural environment: the low-pitched boula drum with male goatskin, the high-pitched soloist makè drum with female goatskin, the chacha, ti bwa, triangle, calabash and other percussion instruments that surround them, and the voices - the fiery, proud, timbred, urgent voices of the gwoka.



This album is also a legend for its voices: in his then dazzling youth, singer Lukuber Séjor was one of the first gwoka artists to largely feminize the chorus of répondè, who converse with his text delivered in a straight and powerful voice.

And everything here sets new standards. In 1979, Mizik Filamonik - Spiritual Sound proclaimed a spiritual patriotism of ferocious intensity. The album by Lukuber Séjor - whose spelling alone is a battle - sets out to give Guadeloupe the intangible weapons of self-respect and self-knowledge, through a singular practice of traditional music.

The genesis of gwoka music is less straightforward than one might imagine... The drums performed the servile task of accompanying the work of slaves in the fields and during the “corvées” imposed by the administration, before being freely practiced by the common people after the abolition of 1848. At the heart of the conviviality of the Guadeloupeans furthest from the cities - geographically and socially - the gwoka drums come out for carnival, funeral wakes and neighborhood celebrations, but also during strikes, fits of anger and armed vigils of the riots and revolts that have punctuated the island's history. For generations, governors of the colony and then the prefects of the overseas department of Guadeloupe have been viewing the gwoka as a potential for turbulence and a threat to public order.

But as the Beatlesmania, “chanson engagée” and rock revolutions unfolded in Europe, young people turned to the drums of mizik a vié nèg (“bad negro music”, in Creole), which Guadeloupeans had learned to despise by following the “assimilation” process advocated by the school system and most of the political class. At the end of the sixties, in a Guadeloupe mourning the deadly repression of the May 1967 social movement, they played traditional music, refusing to wrap it up in tourist prettiness and madras folk costumes. Instinctively, they played a rough and contemporary gwoka, led by the incendiary Guy Konkèt. This was the era of decisive 45 rpm records such as Robert Loyson's Kann a la richès, which brought to light the fieriest words of union rallies.

At his home in Sainte-Anne, Lukuber Séjor played with flautist Olivier Vamur and his brother Claude Vamur, who cobbled together a drum kit from tin crockery and became, a few years later, the most influential drummer in Kassav'.

These were the years of the Bumidom program, when young Guadeloupeans were encouraged to emigrate to mainland France. At the age of twenty, Lukuber Séjor embarked on the liner Irpinia, disembarking at Le Havre and taking the train to the Gare Saint-Lazare - the route taken by thousands of young West Indians who went on to study or looked for work, all the while trying to maintain a link with their homeland. In this case, it's at the Antony university residence, where Lukuber played the drum and participated in a thousand gwoka updates and aggiornamentos, while exile reinforced the need for a spiritual link with the native land.

In 1978, Guy Konkèt played at the Salle Wagram, a historic event for West Indian music. After serving as répondè - i.e. backing vocalist - on one of his home-recorded albums, Lukuber joined his live band. Little by little, he became one of the key artists on a circuit parallel to French show business. At a student party in Caen, he met a young woman from Martinique who, at the time, was more motivated by her ambitions as a visual artist than by her vocation as a musician. Her name was Jocelyne Béroard and, a few years before she plunged into the Kassav' adventure and became the greatest West Indian singer of her generation, she designed the cover of Lukuber Séjor's LP.

This ambition was obvious and imposed its will. A more or less regular band was formed, with Roger Raspail, Rudy Mompière and Éric Danquin on ka drums, Claude Vamur on ti bwa, Olivier Vamur and Françoise Lancréot on flutes and Annick Noël on keyboards. Lukuber Séjor is set on wanting to extend the gwoka palette to other instruments, as the jazz-rock revolution opens a thousand new doors. Annick Noël will play a wide range of timbres and textures on electric piano and synthesizer. Another novelty: the répondè are two men and two women, Roger Raspail, Olivier Vamur, Françoise Lancréot and Maryann Mathéus ...

Mizik Filamonik - Spiritual Sound is a self-production in which the singer and leader sank all his savings, allowing him no more than a single day in the studio. The first side is more of a musical manifesto, with the first two tracks, Éritage and Penn é plézi, being instrumentals. The third, Son, forcefully celebrates the need for Guadeloupeans to connect with the gwoka. In fact, Jocelyne Béroard's cover shows a tambouyé in the shadow of a cloudy sky, against which a radiant sun is rising and whose light will soon flood the entire landscape. The silhouette and face of this man strongly evoke the immense Vélo, master of the ka, rejected at the time on the fringes of society.

The second side of the LP is surprising. Formally, three tracks are explicitly linked like the three parts of a triptych. Primyé voyaj evokes the appalling tribulation of Africans deported as slaves to Guadeloupe; dézyèm voyaj speaks of the Bumidom program and the economic, political and social forces driving young Guadeloupeans towards the mirage of prosperity in France; twazyèm voyaj closes the cycle with the emigrants' return from Europe after years away from their island...

This gwoka, obsessed with the need to save Guadeloupe spiritually, appeals far beyond the politicized audience. Mizik Filamonik - Spiritual Sound instantly became a classic, although Lukuber Séjor never really made a career for himself as a musician.

After all, the album was released in 1980, with no promotional resources in France or Guadeloupe - and therefore no concerts. The thirty-two-year-old author, composer and performer made his own third trip back to Guadeloupe. He set up a small woodworking business, which he lost in Hurricane Hugo in 1989. His other activity, teaching in a medical-educational institute, became the core of his professional life. He continued to be an active campaigner - a campaigner for the Creole language, a campaigner for the reawakening of identity, a campaigner for special education, a campaigner for a thousand causes that he ignited with his generous and perceptive enthusiasm, such as the defense of breadfruit fries...

The echoes of his 1979 album have not died down. Of course, the use of Penn é plézi as the theme tune for Radio Guadeloupe's funeral notices from 1980 to 1992 kept him in the collective memory, but he continues to sing and compose sporadically, as with his all-female

vocal group Vwapoulouéka... Still convinced that music is a means of liberating the spirit, he continues the journey of a young man eager to deploy the power of Creole music and language.

Bertrand Dicale

Matir Gaan is a collaboration between young Bengali migrant, Mohammed After Hussain and Italian electronic artist, Andrea Rusconi (aka Paq). The resulting album delightfully combines the ancient folk songs of Md After's homeland with Paq's cosmic synth exotica.

Mohammed After Hussain escaped Bangladesh in 2015 and arrived in Italy in 2017 after a long and dangerous journey across the Mediterranean from the violence he found in Libya. In Italy he found safety and hospitality as an asylum seeker in Rimini's Associazione Ardea, where Andrea is involved with 'Ardea Recordings' - a project aiming to create an archive of songs, stories and sounds by some of the people who spent some time with Ardea's refugee programme.

Md After was invited to sing and play the folk and village songs he knew on the harmonium and pakhawaj (two headed drum) while Andrea immersed himself in the songs providing a bed of warm Crumar synth and Veena drones to create a finished album of totally uniquela renditions of the mystic Baul folk songs known so well by people across the Bangla speaking regions of India.

The Bauls are a famous group of wandering minstrels from the region of Bengal whose culture is derived from the teachings of the early Sufi mystics and Hindu Fakhirs. The Baul devotees are considered to be mad, or possessed, with the love of God. While transcending religion the Baul compositions celebrate celestial and earthly love and expound the key philosophy of “Deha tatta” or truth in the body, epitomised by the aphorism “whatever is in the universe is in the body”. They reach for divinity here in this world and they seek to access it through music and dance. They seek spirituality in the music, they live fo r the music, wandering from village to village offering ecstatic sound waves in exchange for sustenance. Their presence remains an important part of village life in Bangladesh, and this is why Md After knows the songs despite the fact he would not consider himself part of the Baul ascetic tradition.

We hope you'll enjoy this wonderfully psychedelic album, with its unique interpretations of these ancient mystic songs from the earth.

Comes with a printed inner sleeve featuring sleeve notes and lyric translations by Brian P. Heilman

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From an artist in their seventies, you probably wouldn’t expect to hear an album like this. But Brazilian drumming legend Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti has been experimenting and innovating for the last half a century. As one third of cult Rio jazz-funk trio Azymuth, Mamão was at the root of the group’s ‘samba doido’ (crazy samba) philosophy, which warped the traditional samba compass with jazz influences and space age electronics. Even with his lesser known jovem guardua group The Youngsters, Mamão was experimenting with tapes and delays to create unique, ahead-of-its-time sounds, way back in the sixties. More recently Mamão recorded an album with hip-hop royalty Madlib under the shared moniker ‘Jackson Conti’.

With his first album in over twenty years, and the first to be released on vinyl since his 1984 classic The Human Factor, Mamão shares his zany carioca character across eleven tracks of rootsy electronic samba and tripped out jazz, beats and dance music. Featuring Alex Malheiros and Kiko Continentino on a number of tracks, the Azymuth lifeblood runs deep, but venturing into the modern discotheque (as Mamão would call it), Poison Fruit also experiments with sounds more commonly associated with house and techno, with the help of London based producer Daniel Maunick (aka Dokta Venom).

Take a bite of Mamão’s psychoactive Papaya and join the maestro on a weird and wonderful stroll through the Brazilian jungle.

United by a love for the music of Mamão and Azymuth, the CD and digital edition also feature the previously released remixes and dubs from some of today’s most forward-thinking producers with a penchant for percussion, including IG Culture, the 22a crew, Max Graef and Glenn Astro.

Mouth Music, a Scottish-inspired musical project with core members Martin Swan and Talitha Mackenzie, mixed Gaelic vocals (including the traditional ‘mouth music’ techniques of sung rhythms) with African percussion and dance sounds. The self-titled debut album was originally released on the Triple Earth record label in 1990 on CD and in limited quantities on vinyl. The Gaelic technological music is now more widely available through this Forest Jams re-issue.

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A blistering collection of ska tunes from Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd's legendary Studio One Records, Jamaica's foundation label of reggae music. Featuring classic cuts from the originators of Ska - The Skatalites, The Wailers, Lee Perry - alongside a heavy dose of superb rarities from the might vaults of 13 Brentford Road - pure Ska Fever !

Soul Jazz Records new Studio One Ska Fever returns back to the early 1960s when Ska was the soundtrack to Jamaica's Independence and Sir Coxsone ruled the land and The Skatalites and Studio One were creating history on a daily basis with an endless stream of blistering, scorching classic tunes.

This album includes an incredible line-up of only the finest artists in reggae music, including Roland Alphonso, The Gaylads, The Ethiopians, Don Drummond, Jackie Opel and many more. An all-star cast from Studio One, as Chris Blackwell famously noted, the 'University of Reggae'.

The accompanying booklet contains extensive sleeve-notes from Studio One historian Rob Chapman (author of Never Grow Old and Downbeat Special), with information on musicians, tracks, label scans and more. Soul Jazz Records' Studio One Ska Fever is released in
CD- jewel case, 24-page booklet with card slipcase, as well as a heavyweight double-vinyl edition in deluxe strong gatefold sleeve (with full sleeve notes).

" In 2022, Guts brought together his musical family for his ‘Estrellas’ album. An ambitious project that brought together musicians from: Franc, Cuba and various African countries. For a journey that was as rich artistically as it was humanly. The list of superlatives was almost endless, "Formidable", "incredible", "unforgettable" and "magical" all thrown into the pot, during these magical moments in the Dakar studio. From the seventeen tracks heard on the original album, three have been entrusted to the expert and inventive hands of four producers, who have come up with new interpretations bringing Africa and the Caribbean together for a modern dancefloor.

‘Por Que Ou Ka Fe Sa’ (Poirier Remix)
From his studio in Montreal, Canadian Poirier has opted for a strong groove and relentless bass drum to keep out intruders, putting vocalists David Walters and Brenda Navarrete in a rhythmic cocoon. Accompanied in a slightly moody bassline that adds some driving muscle to the track. The hooky guitar line eventually gives way to the saxophone that emerges from the mix to parade around the front line. The original electric piano is replaced by a synth pad that loops and spins driving the track to its conclusion.

‘Por Que Ou Ka Fe Sa’ (David Walters Remix)
Before recording this track, David Walters and Brenda Navarette didn't even know each other. So in the magic of the moment that brought them together is a genuine and sincere artistic bond. It is no longer Guts but David who is at the musical helm, and before they too can savour the connection between the two artists, the dancers will have to pass through an overheated corridor where a Caribbean rhythm resonates with percussion. Digital and woodwind swirl and clash until the vocal encounter with the artists. It's a moment of respite that's as suspended as it is life-saving, because the exit is also via the famous corridor.

‘San Lazaro’ (Bosq Remix)
On Bosq’s mix, he’s opted to maintain things focused on the dancefloor, keeping the percussion persistent for the unleashed bodies of the dancers to smile. It's once again the walking bass line rises to the forefront of the groove, softening the shocks of the relentless kick drum. Roberto Valdes's timeless piano has disappeared, while guitars float and add to the atmosphere. The track is no longer awash in cigar smoke. Under Akemis's powerful vocals the low ceiling has disappeared, and the open roof is more a brass-lit spectacle. That doesn't make things any less overheated though, this one is sweaty until the end.

‘Medewui’ (Captain Planet Remix)
Captain Planet brings the dancer’s attention to the Afrobeat flavored jam that rocked the original, highlighting the Pat Kalla & Assane Mboup duet. Despite the track remaining mid tempo, laying back is no longer the order of the day as this mix really develops. The drums are more present jolting along with the organ in the first half. Once all the storytellers have taken their microphones, the rhythmic beats are doubled and the track is carried towards a frenzy of Afro-Latin dancing. Fired up by the brass and percussion, it’s this almost switch up that takes hold of the second part of the tune, with some righteous authority and relentless piano and trumpet."

Two tracks from Celia's awesome, sought after, second self-titled LP from 1972. 'Na Boca Do Sol' was written and arranged by Arthur Verocai and Vitor Martins, the original of which appeared on Verocai's self-titled LP. Fuzz guitar, drums, strings and Celias vocal combine to create an epic. 'A Hora é Essa' is the first track from the LP, a brilliant samba-funk workout, with strings and piano.
Also originally released as a 7' in 1972 on Continental, which is very difficult to get hold of now.

'Deixa Rodar' is an essential midtempo disco/boogie jam taken from Hanna's 'Deixa Rodar' LP from 1979. A tip off from our good friend Mark 'GV' Taylor, played at the first of our 'Braziloid' sessions on Brighton sea front.

'To Parado Na Tua' is another killer midtempo disco/boogie cut, produced by the legendary Lincoln Olivetti and Robson Jorge, released in 1984. Taken from the sought after and now fairly pricey 'Festa Funk' LP on RGE.

Follow-up album to cult-classic debut, Mantra Moderne.

‘Melodi’ is the second album from captivating duo Kit Sebastian (aka Kit Martin and Merve Erdem). Those familiar with the band's cult classic 2019 debut record 'Mantra Moderne' will instantly recognise their unique sound that blurs boundaries of world music, jazz and psychedelia. Not to be content replicating the same album, sonically the feel of ‘Melodi’ is a maturation. It is more diverse and provides glimpses into many different worlds from the Italian Riviera to the mountains of the Caucasus, the beaches of Bahia to the city streets of Istanbul and Paris. This joyous merging of soundscapes evokes a borderless planet with music as an international language, belonging everywhere and nowhere.

‘Melodi’ is imbued with Kit Sebastian's love of vintage records and world cinema, but it is not a retro homage. It celebrates its influences but is very much a modern record, being simultaneously brand new and retro. This is a credit to the duo's craft as musicians and songwriters, presenting their influences as a circular interaction between the present and the past rather than a linear one.

The music was written during the first UK lockdown and recorded that summer, a time of opening up that only briefly existed. In a world with a slower pace than before the Covid crisis, the band were able to spend more time experimenting in the studio. The album’s range of instrumentation has expanded from the previous record to include zithers, harpsichords, congas, bongos, bulbul tarang, and a mock-up choir on top of the synthesizers, balalaikas, organs, and saxophones. Session musicians and friends were also booked to introduce trumpet and string sections giving the album an added depth and orchestral texture. Despite the added complexity, the album was recorded using the same techniques employed for the previous album with various tape machines, bouncing back between cassette and ¼” tape for practicality and sonic abstraction. To pierce through this abstraction, the vocals are intentionally more expressive. Merve took cues from the Turkish singers of her youth, adding a slightly more melancholic, darker and more reflective style than 'Mantra Moderne’. Rooted in observations from everyday life, they speak often about the worlds and thoughts that arise from the end of the night.

Like with many of the best albums, the record seems over all too soon and has you instantly wanting to play it again. On each listen you decide on a track that you think is your favourite from the album only for it to be replaced with a different one on the next listen. The songs and production have hidden depths that seem to evolve and morph the more you devour them. Moments of pure pop, moments to fall in love, moments to contemplate. This journey is rich in musical vitamins and nourishment, but like all the best things still leaves you wanting more.

A compilation of Hearn Gadbois' tracks, published here and there along the years (1983- 2020). Most of them are home recordings with very little or no diffusion, so this release tries to shed some light on these amazing compositions. A sound related to Hassell's 4th world, but developed in a very personal way (he even designs & makes some of his instruments) that feels different and goes far beyond. Using mostly acoustic instruments, Hearn combines a love of traditional trance/ecstatic rhythms with the sensibilities of an outsider artist, creating a music that is both archaic and post-modern. A really original and rare work, difficult to classify or explain... In Hearn's own words, included in the liner notes:
"The pieces compiled here tend to fall, with some overlap, into a few broad categories as near as I can tell: Mystery Psychedelic Crime Jazz (Tuba City, Flesh of the Spirit), Ayahuasca Hut Bachelor Pad Music (Night, Take the Waters, Wood), or Party Music that just fell from the sky or bubbled up through a crack in the earth (Flown Home, What the Goatherd Heard)"

As a percussionist, composer for dance and film, instrument designer/ builder, session musician and teacher, Gadbois worked with Meredith Monk, Sussan Deyhim, Gabrielle Roth, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, Suzanne Vega, The Master Musicians of Jajouka, and Wim Wenders, to name but a few.

Info: The highly anticipated ROAD RASA from JAWARI is a genre-defying journey led by the Tommy Khosla’s evocative sitar playing, seamlessly blending classical Indian influences with jazz, electronic, cinematic textures and poetry. Drawing inspiration from the expansive sounds of artists like Ananda Shankar and Kikagaku Moyo, the album weaves intricate rhythms and ethereal melodies into an immersive experience. Celebrated by Jazz News and featured on NTS, ROAD RASA has earned critical acclaim for its innovative soundscapes. The vinyl edition features stunning artwork by ceramic artist Nehal Aamir, reflecting the album’s conceptual depth and transcendence, and is in a limited run of 500 numbered records.




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West Africa's most iconic dance-band are back. A decade on from their last album and almost half a century since their formation, Senegal's Orchestra Baobab return with a timeless set of classic, swaying tunes fusing Afro-Cuban rhythms and African tradition in the group's trademark style.

The third internatonal release by the legendary Malian singer and guitarist is many fan's favourite. 'The Source' established Ali Farka Touré on the internatonal stage and paved the way for his legendary collaboraton with Ry Cooder on the GRAMMY award winning album 'Talking Timbuktu'.
Available for the frst tme on vinyl, the album has been re-mixed from the original master tapes and includes a previously unreleased track from the same sessions.
The album is presented in a gatefold sleeve containing double 180g vinyl and large format 28 page booklet with lyrics.
'The Source' features Farka Touré's frst recordings with his home town band Group Asco, with vocalist Afel Bocoum and percussionists Hamma Sankare (calabash) and Oumar Touré (congas). Touré's trademark acoustc and electric guitar (as well his njarka violin) playing are highlighted on some of his best loved and most sophistcated compositons.
The father of the desert blues unleashes a set of driving small group performances, intmate love songs, mesmerising guitar solos and two unique duets with the great American bluesman Taj Mahal.

A limited reissue of Cheikh Lô's classic debut album Né La Thiass. Produced by Youssou N'Dour in Dakar in 1995. Cheikh ranks the album as his favourite release.
Available for the frst tme on vinyl, with new artwork and mastered from the original cassete mixes. Includes 2 bonus fully artworked postcards.
180g heavyweight. 16 page colour booklet. Download code included. Cheikh will be touring internatonally throughout 2018.

The efect on frst hearing is positvely spine-tngling - and it
gets beter with every play.'
THE TIMES

Re-Issue, originally released in 1986. Limited edition! It also includes a secret insert!

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"Alèmayèhu Eshèté is no less than one of the great voices of the heyday of modern Ethiopian music, the swinging sixties which, in this country, went on until the fall of the Emperor Haile Sellassie 1 in 1974. On a par with Tlahoun Gèssèssè, Bzunèsh Bèqèlè or Mahmoud Ahmed, Alèmayèhu is a star at the top level of the constellation that once lit up the wild nights in the capital."

70s Nigerian psychedelic soul rock to be filed next to Shuggie Otis’ Inspiration Information. Some albums are more than the sum of their parts. This is one of them. Nothing quite explains the luscious layers of sounds. The wholesome feeling that exudes from the first note to the last. Shuggie Otis meets Grotto/Ofege is what comes to mind.

The band was a ragtag band of teenage musicians who hung around Federal Palace Hotel in classy Victoria Island, listening to the resident band, led by the incomparable Yom Yem with Papa Doe and Gboyega Adelaja on keys. Frank who had some experience stringing around studios in Lagos, approached the George Veira (Vocals, Guitar), Nadi brothers (Clifford and Gerrard) with the idea of making a record. Odion Iruoje had enjoyed massive success with Ofege and Frank knew he might be open to the idea of producing the band. “It happened very fast, as Georges had songs already written or half completed. We started jamming with a few gigs at Surulere Night Club, which was run by Tee Mac at the time. Odion heard the material and did not need any convincing. We Then we went into the studio to lay the vocals, drums and guitars. The keys and further production was done in London.

“My routine at the time was to finish records in London, at Abbey Road Studios. It was the best way to get the sound I wanted and allowed my use London based musicians which brought a special flavour. I liked to lay the rhythm tracks and vocals at our Wharf road studio in Lagos. That was the core of the work”. Mr Odion Iruoje

(Resident A&R exec/Producer, EMI Nigeria)

Protecting the past by projecting it into the future, preserving identities, encouraging conversations across generations, and above all, safeguarding the island of Procida's vast intangible cultural heritage from extinction. Not the romantic and visionary notion of an island anchored to its roots, but a determined path aimed at revitalizing the ritual celebrations of the Procida community.

Global pointing Brazilian jazz trio releases their new album Agôra, that sparkles with electric funk and Herbie-esque eclecticism. It features a myriad of guest vocalists and musicians including Brazilians Xênia França and Zé Leônidas, Jembaa Groove's Ghanaian singer Eric Owusu and South African artists Bongani Givethanks & Mpho Nkuzo

Re-wiring the concept of 'fusion' for 2023, Agôra is Brazilian trio Caixa Cubo's resurgent new record with the title referring to 'now', based upon the intuitive and fluid nature of the trio's method, and this inspired recording. With shoots to black music culture, from Brazil to Brooklyn, Ghana and South Africa, Agôra is the group's ninth album yet is their first where they've invited guests, mainly singers, onto each track and follows their last, Angela from 2020, released on Heavenly Records, which won a BBC 6 Music Album of the Year (Huey Morgan's selection) granting them much deserved international recognition.

The core musical elements of Caixa Cubo are Henrique Gomide (keys), João Fideles (drums) and Noa Stroeter (bass), all from São Paulo, Brazil and where they met as teenagers and would continue their friendship and musical bond at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands. Now all in their mid thirties, João and Noa live back in the city where it all started but Henrique has settled in Cologne, Germany where the recording of Agôra took place, over the course of 3 days, at the home cum studio of Chris 'Dusty' Doepke, their friend and owner of the label they signed to, Jazz & Milk.

In line with all their creations where flow and energy provide the magic, allowing what the moment provides, the album shines not only for its virtuosity but for its minimalism, the depth of space, and for the first time, the ability to figure in and outside of the jazz fold, as the trio decided, for the first time, to bring in singers and add a new aesthetic to their sound.

"Agôra is a wake-up call to reality, a reminder that the infinite possibilities of technological progress should not disconnect us from the earth, from eye-to-eye relationships, and from moments lived in person" the band are keen to point out. "And that we must not be consumed by greed, for all we truly possess.... is the NOW."

Turning hope and metaphor into music, the debut single Sábado, an electrified future- jazz-fizz reflects perfectly the spontaneity that permeated the entire recording of the album. "When we got to the studio, we had no idea what we were going to record. We started playing a groove, kind of inspired by Gilberto Gil's 80s albums, and our drummer João started singing this funny song 'Sábado Barrigudão' (Big Belly Saturday) alongside the bass groove and that was that". Inspired by their city of birth, São Paulo, it features long time collaborator and vocalist Zé Leônidas, with cuicas, tamborim, agogo and shakers providing the most obvious Brazilian affect from the album.

Dreams is the band's first foray into R'n'B melding the group's simple and sporadic instrumentation of drums, keys and bass into a Jill Scott inspired song that could have been born in Brooklyn yet sung by Brazilian singer and Grammy nominated Xênia França and Zé Leônidas in both English and Portuguese. Xênia recently performed online for hip-to-it website Colors and it's her latest collaboration with Caixa Cubo, having first met in 2009 for a series of live performances.

South African artists Bongani Givethanks & Mpho Nkuzo come to the record with a wholly different approach on Ndiyakhangela, providing spoken word and vocal refrains on top of an Afro-Brazilian percussion jam with a delivery and verse in Xhosa, Zula and Ndebele. Asase is the album opener and features vocals of Eric Owusu who is part of highlife pioneer Pat Thomas's live band and most recently, co-leader of Jembaa Groove, an Afro-soul band from Berlin. It's a synth wig out with djembe grooves and offers a brand new take on Afro-soul-jazz.

Other contributions come from Cologne based jazz singer Rebekka Ziegler (Oblique Sunshine), São Paulo based guitarist Eduardo Camargo (Caio & Eric) and trumpet player Matthias Schriefl on Kismeti, a gorgeous and rolling number that ebbs and flows, exemplifying the group's effortless ability to craft a sound energised by a belief in one-self and the idea of having faith without the need to look at each other for verification.

As drummer and percussionist João Fideles perfectly surmised upon arriving for the recording session, "What drums do you have? Whatever you have, I'll use it". Agôra is testament to nearly 20 years of camaraderie, friendship and most importantly, trust.

Death Is Not The End's 333 series continues with this killer slice of digi roots out of late 90s NY, also a big Jah Shaka selection at the time.

Take It Easy was produced by Ricky "Mad Man" Myrie - a reggae/dancehall producer active since the early 90s, and who was also providing writing and production on breakthrough albums for VP from Sean Paul, Capleton & others at this time. Featuring a sharp and poignant vocal from Gumbae Culture, it was recorded at the legendary Philip Smart's Long Island-based HC&F Studio, under the engineering guidance of Smart's brother-in-law and long time studio partner, Michel McDonald. The record's haunting xylophone licks, razor sharp snares and menacing subs perfectly combine throughout the vocal cut, and really come to the fore on the version for a raw and stripped back masterclass in digital dubwise.

We invite you to take a journey through the music of the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Colombia, where traditional rhythms blend with contemporary sounds.

Mangle Rojo is a compilation album of 8 songs, released on vinyl of 12 inches, with some of the most popular rhythms of Colombian folklore, like Cumbia, Currulao, Bullerengue and, Puya, played by renowned artists like Nelda Piña, Inés Granja, Sixto Silgado Paíto, Emilsen Pacheco and Francisco Torres.

Side A consists of four songs from the Pacific Coast, and side B has four songs from the Caribbean region. In this record take part bands and also collaborations between independent musicians. Six of the songs were composed for the album.

Independent record label Bánfora Records produced Mangle Rojo, with support from the Ministry of Culture of Colombia

"Back in stock due to popular demand, the 11th release in our signature Brazil 45’s series came in the form of João Bosco - O Ronco Da Cuica and Antonio Adolfo E A Brazuca – Transamazônica. Two jewels from Brazil’s rich musical heritage.

On the A side, prolific guitarist João Bosco’s MPB masterpiece ‘O Ronco Da Cuica’. Originally appearing on his 1976 ‘Galos de Briga’ LP released on RCA Brazil, it had yet to have had an official 7” release. It’s an intoxicating blend of passionate vocals, feverish cuica and deftly picked acoustic guitar.

On the flip, Antonio Adolfo E A Brazuca’s track ‘Transamazonica’ is an all-time classic Brazilian jazz fusion gem. Taken from the hard-to-find 1971 self-titled LP on Odeon Brazil, it again had never been released on 7”. Adolfo was the founder of Trio 3-D and later played with Elis Regina."

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Mong Tong's latest album, "Tao Fire 道火", not only continues the idea behind their previous work, "Indies 印", but also incorporates more local elements such as gamelan music, phin guitar, tabla drums, and Taiwan sisomi.

While sampling more sounds from the street of Southeast Asia, including weddings, funerals, and traditional celebrations, Mong Tong again explores different folk sounds around Austronesia. Different to their last Guruguru Brain release "Mystery 秘神", "Tao Fire 道火" will take us to a land that is both familiar and fresh. Feel the hot, the crowd, humidity, and ecstasy. This time, welcome to Mong Tong's subtropical world.

A mysterious release, not only for its unique expressive style but also because it isn't even known when it was initially recorded let alone its release date. According to non profit Studio Piccolo owner Vincent Bruley, it could have been recorded during the 70s and eventually released in the early 90s, sometime throughout Nilton Castro's time in Paris making music for contemporary dance classes (often led by his wife). This album was originally intended for accompanying dancers in classes with an emphasis on rhythm and coordination. Given Nilton's background and expertise in percussion, the focal point of this album is to present an array of Afro Brasilian rhythms performed by himself with additional moments of choir, flute and keys/metallophone. Effortless due to Nilton's prowess and unburdened by typical financial pressures (often behind the release of a record), the result feels like charmingly unadulterated and pure expression throughout the entire album. But what really takes the listener to places of unheard-of bliss is “Ondes (Les Vagues)” a track that has plagued the curiosity of diggers and collectors for a while now. With its harmony crescendos elegantly coming and going as per the title, overlayed on Nilton's subtle percussive patterns, an aural landscape of illusory beauty - listening is believing. Remastered and officially re-issued with its original artwork.

Have you ever been to Miyazaki? It’s a prefecture on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, facing the Pacific. Palm trees. Humid subtropical climate. This is the home of Maple Fyshh, a musical artist whose late-80s/early-90s recordings have been collected and reissued here. Liberated by the advent of 4-track cassette home recording technology, inspired by a love of 60s pop oddball production mavens like Phil Spector and Joe Meek, as well as American hot rod and surf music, these Maple Fyssh songs glow with an outsider’s love of the transformative power of newly-available sound technology, allowing him to pull his inspirations across decades and oceans to his 1990s Miyazaki home studio. The tracks here are a d.i.y. dream-pop wonderland, compiling songs from his first LP “Mariko” and second LP “Dokitto Station!!”, both self-produced, both released in 1995. The A-side of this release features tracks from the concept album “Mariko”, a masterpiece of daydream pop introspection, recorded in 1994-95, inspired by a poem submitted to a manga magazine. The B-side features tracks from “Dokitto Station!!”, slightly earlier recordings that draw inspiration from a range of 60s pop including girl groups, surf music and acid folk. All the music here demonstrates Maple Fyshh’s deep understanding and appreciation 60s pop moves, and also his mastery of the limited technology at his disposal.

Remastered in 2024, the sound of Miyazaki has been reborn for a new audience. Available on Vinyl LP and download, with a DL card, English/Japanese lyrics and entertaining and informative English/Japanese liner notes by the artist.

12" + 7" !

Mind Maze is, amazingly, Trees Speak’s fifth album to be released on Soul Jazz Records in the space of little over two years– an output matched only by the intensity of their music created during this short time.

The first pressing only of the album comes with a bonus seven-inch single containing two tracks that are not available on vinyl anywhere else.
As with all their previous releases, ‘Mind Maze’ is a mind-boggling tightrope walk across an array of musical influences that seamlessly create the unique present-day world of Trees Speak.

The band’s sound is characterized by a combination of German krautrock motoric-beat rhythms, angular New York post-punk attitude, 60s spy soundtracks, psych, rock, jazz, and 70s synthesizers and vocoders. There is also a cosmic spatial awareness to their sound; both personal inner space and galactic outer space, as well as a wilful pushing of sonic boundaries.

Trees Speak are a musical duo based in Tucson, Arizona, composed of Daniel Martin Diaz and Damian Diaz. Their music is heavily influenced by the cosmic magic of the natural desert landscapes of Arizona, creating a unique and captivating sound that is both experimental and innovative.

Here you will find the myriad sounds of 1970s German electronic music (everything from Can to Cluster, Popul Vuh to Tangerine Dream); 1980s New York post-punk and synthcore (from No Wave to Suicide); John Barry’s 1960s movies, John Carpenter’s 1970s horror. You will also hear the influences of French and Italian progressive rock (Magma, Goblin) as well as cosmic, new age and experimental space soundscapes …. an almost endless list of diverse influences that ebb and flow like an ocean of sound, in the process creating a truly unique soundscape that Trees Speak have made wholly their own.

The name Trees Speak reflects their interest in the concept of using future technologies to store information and data in trees and plants, with the idea that trees communicate collectively. This interest in nature and technology, combined with their passion for experimentation, has led Trees Speak to create a truly one-of-a-kind listening experience that is both unique and engaging.

If you ever wanted to hear Can, Neu!, Destroy All Monsters, Pere Ubu, electric eels, John Cage, Liquid Liquid, Tangerine Dream, Suicide, Laurie Spiegel, Art Ensemble of Chicago, John Barry, Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Company, Sun Ra, Stockhausen, John Carpenter, Electro-Acoustic and Musique Concrete and Mars in one band - then this is it! Trees Speak are a band that defies categorization and offer an eclectic listening experience, both exciting and memorable.

The two bonus tracks (‘Seraphim’ and ‘Orpheus’) included with the album give us a further window into the complex mind maze of the group - two stunning acoustic tracks that explore a distinct early 70s sound of Yes, Argent and other progressive rock accolytes.

“We kick the label off with our inaugural release from label head Drum Dance; an eclectic four-tracker opening with ‘Zani!’, an outernational cosmic head-nodder meets Chicago footwork influenced ode to the great Zani Diabaté. Low-slung Latin flavoured boogie number ‘Body Heat’ switches up the tempo but keeps those limbs moving with its percussive four-to-the-floor beat, steamy disco vocals and jazzy keys. 80s jazz Balearic goes to Kingston for a bass-heavy dub makeover on ‘Venus Dub 2’.

Signing things off is ‘Adan On Dòt Soley’, a personal dedication to the beautiful country of Gwadloup. A common farewell in the local tongue, it translates poetically as “until another sun”. The track begins with off-kilter spaced-out synths and emerges into a dubby percussive jam featuring the gorgeous keys of Andy Wileman. Field recordings capturing glimpses of birds singing, waves lapping and the sound of gwo ka on the beach close things out, until another sun.”



Full sleeve artwork printed on reverse board
Mastered and cut by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven Mastering
Pressed and printed by The Vinyl Factory

Free, Dancing . . . is the first release by a new trio with percussionist and producer Carlos Niño, luminary multi-instrumentalist Idris Ackamoor (of The Pyramids) and wizard guitarist, producer Nate Mercereau. They have been playing concerts together in California since June 2022, sharing a unique vibrant sound, findings and energetics... Including download code for the full album.

Artwork by Nep Sidhu.

Anonymous British funk studio outfit Ultrafunk was spearheaded by Blues & Soul magazine proprietor John Abbey, who ran a fashionable record shop and label called Contempo in London’s West End during the 1970s; he conceived of the group as the UK counterpart to US studio bands like Mfsb. Arranger Gerry Shury, who had worked with Barry White and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, drafted guitarist Chris Rae and bassist Frank McDonald (who often composed library music together) and future Rubettes drummer John Richardson to form the group, in situ. A lack of band photos, suggestive song titles and a predilection for American cover tunes led many to believe the band was US-based. Their self-titled debut LP is where the myth all begins, with a number of truly atmospheric and cinematic hard funk instrumentals, given added textural depth through full orchestration, including covers of Bill Withers’ “Use Me” and Stevie Wonder’s “Living In The City.” Though not quite as compelling as the better-known follow-up set, Meat Heat, there is still plenty to savour on Ultrafunk, making this debut companion disc a must-have for all true funk aficionados.

'Matriarchy' is a rebirth for the celebrated, multi- faceted artist, as girli further explores her sound and takes the reins with full creative control, truly cementing her place as a cult figure and ambassador for the next gen of LGBTQIA+ music.

girli's passions have always migrated beyond music and she continues to use her platform to ignite conversations around feminism, sexuality, identity and mental health, opening up topics that most have always shied away from. Representation matters more so now than ever, and girli is ready to rewrite the rules.

Cuban virtuoso pianist Roberto Fonseca, former member of the Buena Vista Social Club, announces his new album "La Gran Diversión". A voyage into Cuba's roaring twenties, an invitation to party and dance, in a subtle blend of traditions drawn from his training with the greats, his incomparable talent, and wild modernity. "Together we'll laugh, cry and enjoy the mystery and magic of the rhythms and melodies I bring from my roots."

Classic South African house / Kwaito album on vinyl for the first time.

Originally released on CD in 1995, this album which is associated with the birth of South African street music genre – ‘Kwaito’ and dance/dress style ‘Pantsula’ is now remastered for vinyl from the original tapes – resulting in the best sounding version of the recording to date.


Regarded as one of the earliest full length Kwaito albums, ‘Sigiya Ngengoma’ was released just one year into South Africa’s new democracy in 1995. Characterised by ‘mid-tempo’ beats, heavy bass hooks, adapted breakdancing and vocals in informal Zulu and other South African languages; ‘Sigiya Ngengoma’ would form a critical part of the South African street music movement that now has its own fashion, crews and dance style.

It helped post-democratic South Africa define its own musical identity and would pave the way for other Kwaito releases that ultimately led to the emergence of Amapiano years later.

This batch of releases is what Deeper Knowledge Records is really all about - showcasing and making available fantastic music that has been rarefied, but with no correlation to its quality. That is to say, music that we feel is every bit as great as well known, much-loved and canonized classics, but just never reached the ears of as many folks, only due to its unavailability. And the music made by the close-knit foursome of Trevor Byfield and Clive Matthews as artists, and Norman "Fox Fire" Vassell and the late Clinton "Percival" Williams as producers, is just that. Starting in the late '70s and into the early '80s, this foursome cut some of the best and heaviest roots reggae tunes of the era. We will be issuing eight great singles from these folks. Trevor Byfield's "Tell Me That You Love Me" is one of the most dread love songs that we've heard, and the flip is one of the most truly psychedelic, heavy and unique Tubby's dubs ever mixed. In fact, the crew liked this rhythm for this song so much that they cut three tunes on it!

For 20 years the Tuareg culture and music has fascinated the world. Their quasi-sacred poetic songs inspire western songwriters like KURT VILE or JOSÉ GONZALEZ, while the virtuosity of their guitar playing fascinates guitar heroes like JIMMY PAGE, and finally the spirituality and meditative hypnotism impresses electronic music producers like FOUR TET.With two albums, IMARHAN has become an emblem of the new Tuareg generation, breathing new life into “Assouf”, the desert blues.

While most of current Tuareg productions are exiled to the United States, the group, led by Sadam, is part of their culture and their city, the capital of the Tuareg people, with an open door to the desert. By building their own studio in Tamanrasset Aboogi, Imarhan become the spokesmen of the young Tuareg lost generation (forgotten by Algerian, Nigerian and Malian governments).With their new album Aboogi, Imarhan manipulate the rights and ancestry of the Tuareg. By inviting the legendary Mohamed At Itlale aka Japonais (who has since, sadly, passed away) and the genius musician Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, IMARHAN follows the heritage of TINARIWEN, the godfathers of Assouf. When they recorded with GRUFF RHYS of the SUPER FURRY ANIMALS, their brilliant and universal songwriting takes on every sense of the word. Finally, by inviting the Sudanese singer Sulafa Elyas, we understand that IMARHAN is open to all of Africa, defenders of the Tuaregs but above all spokesperson for the new African generation.

To hear the quintessential synthesized sounds of "El Hombre Orquesta" aka Ricardo Suntaxi is analogous to studying the detailed schematics of your favorite electronic contraption. For the initiated, it's a peek under the proverbial hood, an invitation into the engine of a sound and color that has played a part in powering and defining a treasure trove of modern Latin American sound-system music.

An original instrumental music project led by composer and Oud player Aly Eissa. Featuring his diverse musical influences, Eissa’s compositions create versatile and twisted meditative atmospheres throughout the musical experience.

Aly Eissa is a composer and Oud player based in Cairo, Egypt. He was mentored by legendary composer Abdo Dagher and Oud virtuoso Hazem Shahin. Eissa’s style is deeply-rooted in the Egyptian classical and folk traditions, and influenced by various western genres. Since 2012, Eissa has been regularly performing his compositions with an ensemble for live audiences in Cairo, offering a meditative musical experience with a twist.

One of Eissa’s musical approaches is the experimenting approach through a unique trio formation including the Belgian synthesizer player Jonas Cambien and the Egyptian percussion player Ayman Mabrouk. In this trio, Eissa is trying to explore a different sound and space in the originally composed Arabic music.

Limited translucent yellow vinyl LP

'Afro-cuban : that term which sets the world on fire, from rumba to boléro, mambo to cha-cha- cha, before salsa, that 70's spicy sauce, took over from the others. But to speak truly, since the mists of times (of slavery), both Africa and Cuba aim to vamp that umbilical cord. The most recent example, CubAfrica, a record born from the reunion of a master from Africa and this very living institution from Cuba, during a show around Albi (in the south of France) where they were both headlining in spring 1996. Manu Dibango's sax melted perfectly with the rural music of Eliadès Ochoa and his Cuarteto Patria, here's the beginning of an idea.

Kylies #1 Album "Tension" mit dem viralen Hit "Padam Padam", gilt als ihre unwiderstehlichste Veröffentlichung seit Dekaden.

"Extension (The Extended Mixes)" enthält nun erweiterte Versionen von allen 11 Album-Tracks.

"Extension" erscheint als limitierte Deluxe-Doppel-LP in clear Vinyl mit pink-grünem Splatter im Gatefold Sleeve. PADAM PADAM!

Grupo Rebolu has been a mainstay in the extensive Colombian community of New York City for well over a decade, bringing the quintessential sounds of their home country to countless live shows and events throughout the five boroughs. Musically steeped in the folkloric traditions of the Afro-Caribbean discourse, the band has consistently combined first class musicianship with the echoes of their upbringing. Throughout their four self-produced albums, they have incorporated some of Colombia's most cherished traditions —gaita,cumbia, andbullerenguebeing just a few of the disciplines that Rebolu has infused with the modern songwriting and compositions of band leader Ronald Polo. As a natural step in the band's continued musical evolution, Rebolu has connected with Names You Can Trust for a one-off recording to deliver two original songs and productions that seamlessly fit the preferred format and the label's catalog, while further incorporating the group's sound into the wider NY musical spectrum. Whether it's champeta gone disco, or bullerengue gone reggae, this handy double-sided single packs a fresh take on the roots and traditions of Rebolu's musical lineage.