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In 2014 Young Marco travelled to the islands of Indonesia, visiting several islands within the archipelago including Bali.
The voyage was on invitation by Island of the Gods Records; allowing Marco to im- merse himself in the Indigenous culture that still exists in Indonesia. For Marco it was also a look back to his Indonesian roots, with his late grandfather born and raised in Indonesia.

The brief was to capture the spirit, ambience and atmosphere of the islands as part of the labels ‘Island Explorer’ album series.
The project embodies the ‘east meets west’ approach the label has become known for in regards to cultures colliding. A respectful collaboration between local musicians who have played to their gods, unchanged in thousands of years alongside Marco’s contem- porary expression. They are connected only through the universal language of sound and a mutual willingness to collaborate and experiment.
A number of sessions were arranged- recording gamelan, gong and bamboo musicians from nearby temples. Island instruments and organic sounds meeting Marcos drum machines and synthesizers in a number of improvised jam sessions.

Field recordings were also gathered from Jungles, ocean, wildlife- capturing both the ambient and chaotic side of life in Indonesia.
These sounds and recordings were taken back into Marco’s Amsterdam studio and re interpreted into the Bahasa allbum - a sonic expression that captures the mood and atmosphere of the islands through the eyes and ears of Young Marco.

Almost 5 years after the trip the project is now available!

Tappa Zukie's super rare reggae dub-disco cut 'Freak' is now repackaged and repressed in an authentically designed sleeve. The original sounds as relevant as ever, landing in an era of revived disco interest and a renewed passion for the rare and the collectable. Huge tip!!
The 'Freak' refrain still exudes as much attitude as it originally did with the heavily swung and grooved bass and soaring strings still intact. The exclusive B-side features the Stars' in-house band, Musical Intimidator, performing their own cosmic, dub-heavy version of the original layered with oscillating synthoid stabs, organ workouts and heavy hitting stabs of guitar. It's a real gem that properly steals the show!

Benefitting from a slicker remastering and a tighter sounding mix, the whole package is a delightful reminder of the influence and diverse roots of such a genuinely revered rarity, and is sure to fire up the passions of many-a-collector and Deejay upon it's reissue.

"For you will find, as women have found through the ages, that changing the world requires a lot of free time. Requires a lot of mobility. Requires money, and, as Virginia Woolf put it so well, 'a room of one's own,' preferably one with a key and a lock. Which means that women must be prepared to think for themselves, which means, undoubtedly, trouble with boyfriends, lovers, and husbands, which means all kinds of heartache and misery, and times when you will wonder if independence, freedom of thought, or your own work is worth it all. We must believe that it is. For the world is not good enough; we must make it better."

(cite. Alice Walker: In Search Of Our Mother's Garden, 1983)

In 2018 we introduced our first Mothers' Garden compilation on International Womens' Day. This compilation looked to shine a light on the often under-acknowledged musical contribution from female African artists. In 2019 we are back with Volume 2 presenting yet again some of Africa's most recognised female artists alongside some lesser known artists. Whilst the roster might have changed slightly, the quality of music is as funky as before and the message stays the same.

First up is the wonderful Theodora Ifudu. Another Nigerian star who made it both in music and TV, Theodora produced two studio albums with all the glitz and glamour you would expect from a New York film school graduate. "This Time Around" is the title track from her 1983 album and provides a dose of irresistible disco vocals over the top an effortless groove. Next up is fellow Nigerian Oby Onyioha with her offering "Enjoy Your Life". This laidback disco number sees Oby repeat her infectious mantra, "Enjoy Your Life" with a backing provided by well-arranged strings and horns. Nana Love comes steaming in next with her fast-paced number "Talking About Music". Love is an accomplished singer, songwriter and bandleader and was produced by her husband Reindorf Oppong. The lesser known Joy Nwosu follows with an afrobeat number from the Afrodisia records vault. Finishing the A-side is none other than Mother Africa, Miriam Makeba. Whilst on the first Mothers' Garden we showcased her song "Xica Da Silva", this time round we present one her most well known numbers "Malaika".

The late 1980s in the rainbow nation was a time when disco was mutating into what was becoming known as Bubblegum: pop music aimed at the black population of South Africa.

Bubblegum was a response to Western styles like disco and the fast spreading house music which originally came from the black ghettos of Chicago and New York. When the second Summer of Love took over the UK in 1988, first house, and other electronic music styles conquered South Africa as well. DIY - do it yourself - a motto that had already appeared in the punk movement, lifted the young local scene to the next level. With a minimal set up - keyboards, some drum machines and samplers it was suddenly possible to make music without having to rent expensive studios.

1 of 3 12" in a compilation of tracks from The ON label which was active in South Africa between 1987-1992, an era following the end of the apartheid regime and defining the new sound of Young Black South Africa in the early 90s

Tough, mid-tempo Ghanaian funk & Highlife grooves from Ebo Taylor Junior, son of the mighty Ebo Taylor..
Originally released in 1978... These tracks are super tough and raw! GREAT recordings.., so groovy.

Wah Wah 45s are very proud to announce the release of Kalba, the first album from Ghanaian xylophone master Isaac Birituro and Leeds-based producer and singer- songwriter Sonny Johns AKA The Rail Abandon. The boundary crossing duo were introduced to the world via the first two singles released in early 2019, Yesu Yan Yan and Für Svenja, and the reactions to the project have been overwhelmingly warm.

There are many differences between Isaac and Sonny, but a powerful similarity -- which gives Kalba its element of relatability -- is that desire to hear the usual done unusually and play with the shared influence of the music from afar. Named after the town in North Ghana where Isaac resides, the album is a combination of differences; a magnifying glass over the Venn diagram of our lives, the unfathomable meeting of parallel lines.

“It was clear to me that, though he played a traditional instrument in a traditional way, Isaac was influenced by the Western tinged music that filled the streets of Accra - in fact his father, Edmund, introduced him with “He plays the modern way!” Partly dismissive, mostly proud,” said Sonny. “And as this Viking sat before him played the guitar, it sounded too much like the stringed instruments of Mali for it to be just a coincidence.”

There are so many stories behind each track on this album, but the common denominators are clearly the importance of community, of preserving and presenting local cultures, the ardent desire to contribute to changing the world around us, and, of course, the love and power of music created from a genuine place.

Alien Transistor and Tokyo-based label Afterhours release a vinyl-version of tenniscoats' masterpiece "music exists". It consists of 4 LPs, which will be released over the year, full of intimate, wonderful, psychedelic folk-music. With the fourth LP, there will be a strictly limited box available, either for putting in your already purchased other 3 records, or as the whole glorious 4-LP-package.

Tenniscoats have devoted followers allover the world, but their releases were always hard to find outside of Japan. Except for their album "Tokinouta", which saw a very limited run on vinyl, and the seminal "Two Sunsets", their collaboration with the Pastels (and a small handfull of 7"s ), there were never any vinyl-releases, and also the CDs were hard to get for any-one, who doesn't speak or read japanese.

So, this is the chance to dive deep into the beautiful, unique world of the tenniscoats and their opus magnum "music exists".

The Tenniscoats are a duo that have enjoyed a long career in the music scene of their home country of Japan. They have collaborated with unique artists from different backgrounds (Tape, Pastels, Pastacas and Jad Fair), while maintaining their own laid back approach and sound. Their songs are built primarily from guitar and vocals with lyrical themes focusing on everyday life. It could be their expansion on simplicity that has captivated music lovers of all ages throughout their existence.

While the aforementioned collaborations produced bold and sensitive experiences and results, it has taken Tenniscoats five years to release an entire studio album of their own. The wait has not been in vain, as four discs will be released consecutively beginning with 'Music Exists - disc 1'. Music Exists saw a previously limited release on the Tenniscoats' own majikick label.

'We started recording around January of 2013 with just the two of us in our 10 tatami-room in Tokyo we were using as a private studio. Arrangements were produced without computers by overdubbing on an analog console with mixing assistance provided by Saya. As we sent selected songs to be mastered by Yasushi Utsunomia, we were able to see the tracks grown into a full length album.'

What turned into a huge 4 disc project began in earnest three years ago. Tenniscoats wrote and recorded themselves using an analog console, a microphone, and what few instruments they had. As the project developed, they were surprised to find that they had amassed several albums' worth of material.

'We tried throwing up the ideas we had in the beginning and not put too much of our strength into playing in order to develop the ideas of each song. Utsunomia, who did the mastering was the first person to ever hear the material for this album outside of the band. We sent songs to him carefully choosing an order that we felt would not make him bored. Thanks to his distinctive way of mastering, we were inspired to go further and further into the process.'

2016 marks the Tenniscoats' 20th anniversary together. You could consider 'Music Exists' as a sort of compilation of material stemming from these years spent together. With their unique combination of melodies, unexaggerated arrangements, and detailed mastering, Alien Transistor are extremely delighted to make this recording available to the public!

Der nigerianische Musiker Fela Kuti gilt als Begründer des Afrobeat. Das Label Knitting Factory legt nun verschiedene Werke aus dem Backcatalogue als neue Vinyl-Edition vor. Diese entstammen ursprünglich dem von Brian Eno zusammengestellten Set "Vinyl Box 3/Compiled by Brian Eno" und waren einzeln nicht erhältlich. Schwarzes Vinyl / 180g. Das 1971 aufgenommene Album "Shakara" begründet das Genre des Afrobeat und experimentiert mit dem Einsatz musikalischer Mittel: Erstmals mit zwei Gitarristen, die ihre Riffs parallel anlegen, werden Überlagerungseffekte geschaffen, die der Musik einen starken Drive und eine hypnotische Wirkung verleihen. Über weite Passagen instrumental angelegt, ist "Shakara" von einem kurzen Text in Yoruba durchzogen.

Fela Kuti (1938-1997) was a Nigerian musician,
producer, arranger, political radical, outlaw and the
originator of Afrobeat. A titanic musical and sociopolitical voice, Fela’s legacy spans decades and
genres, touching on jazz, pop, funk, hip-hop, rock and
beyond.

 ‘Shakara’ is the sixth in the series of celebratory Fela
50th Anniversary reissues. Like its predecessors in the
series, this version will be on colour vinyl and the LP
will be wrapped in a gold foil obi strip with a brief essay
on the album and Fela’s global impact on music. Like
Fela’s other early 70s releases, he used each side of
his LPs to create a deep groove that pulls the listener
in and follows with metaphoric lyrics that call out and
critique the corrupt hangover of colonialism.

 The album is the sound of Afrobeat's maturation as a
global music. Fela’s Pidgin English lyrics extend his
music’s audience beyond Yoruba speakers and make
his words understandable across the Anglophone
world.

 In ‘Lady’, Fela highlights the adoption of European
social habits to the detriment of African culture.
‘Shakara’ is a mainly instrumental track, with a brief
lyric, sung in Yoruba, warning against boasters and
braggarts. The song pacing is festive and typically up
tempo, with boisterous horn arrangements, with strong
solos from Fela on keyboards and the fearsome Igo
Chico on tenor saxophone.

 This 50th Anniversary edition is pressed on pink vinyl,
with a gold foil obi strip, and is packaged with a bonus
yellow 7” featuring covers of ‘Lady’ and ‘Shakara’ by
London band Ezra Collective.

ODD OKODDO is a Kenyan/German duo formed by Olith Ratego and Sven Kacirek. This vinyl single marks their first outing, announcing the album "Auma" which will be ripe and ready in autumn 2019. Olith Ratego performs his immaculate vocals in the musical style called "dodo", which originates from the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya, high in pitch and soulfully expressive. He himself refers to his music as "dodo blues". As a skilled luthier, Olith Ratego designs and builds his string instruments himself, first of all the five-stringed Okoddo which lends its name to the project. Sven Kacirek is a multi-instrumentalist commuting between Germany and Kenya for many years now. He plays the marimba, percussions and piano, next to producing this project. He has closely collaborated with various international musicians, among them Nils Frahm, Shabaka Hutchings, F.S. Blumm and Marc Ribot. "Okitwoye" is one song of the first ODD OKODDO album "Auma“, it comes in a multi-layered, ambiguous rhythm between three and four. The remix on the B side amplifies the essence of the song. Peter Power is a part of the Voodoohop collective from Brazil and his releases on Multi Culti or Polychrome Sounds fuel the rather slow, organically hypnotic dancefloors. He premiered this remix at the Heliodora festival in Brazil, at sunrise next to a giant waterfall, and it was just perfect.

With the fifth release and the first 7inch on the quality imprint, Notes On A Journey turns its attention to Brazil with E´ A Vida Que Diz / Enquanto Houver the long lost single from Celso Rubinstein.

To celebrate the 90th anniversary of Luc Ferrari's birth Transversales Disques is very glad to announce the release of Photophonie, unpublished archives, spanning 1973-1992, revelatory collection of commercial, commission and secret music by electroacoustic music
pioneer Luc Ferrari.

With the fifth release and the first 7inch on the quality imprint, Notes On A Journey turns its attention to Brazil. Finally, one might think, since it’s an open secret that the guys behind the label all have a soft spot for music from the leading coffee exporter in the world. So, when Brazilian DJ, record collector and digger extraordinaire Junior Santos brought this Celso Rubinstein 7-inch EP (called «Compacto» in Brazil) to the Berlin label’s attention he hadn’t to do a lot of persuading to have NOAJ reintroduce this beautiful piece of music to fans around the world some 36 years after its first appearance.

Born in Brazil to a family of Holocaust survivors, Celso Rubinstein’s career as a singer allowed him to take residency in several countries including Spain, Portugal, Israel and Britain. He performed as an artist in numerous clubs and supported other artists as backing vocalist. In 1982 he booked studio time at Chico Batera’s studio in Rio De Janeiro to record two songs for an intentional debut album.

Music collective Africa Express announce the release of a brand new studio album titled EGOLI, coming on the newly created Africa Express Records imprint.

Hailed as the most revolutionary force in popular music for two decades, Africa Express was founded in 2006 and brings together musicians from different cultures, genres and generations to break boundaries and offer a new perspective on Africa and its music.

Each record and event is unique, based upon on-the-spot collaboration and filled with unique moments of magic; the collective have hosted trips and concerts in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Mali and UK to date.

Africa Express travelled to South Africa in January of last year to complete an electronic album in just 7 days, a week of discovery, collaboration and music-making. The result is EGOLI - 18 tracks capturing the fresh, joyous sounds of Afro Futurism, straight out of Johannesburg.

Featured artists include Damon Albarn, Blue May, Gruff Rhys, Georgia, Ghetts, Mr Jukes, Nick Zinner, Remi Kabaka, Otim Alpha and Poté as well as emerging and established stars of the buzzing South African music scene including BCUC, Blk Jks, Dominowe, Faka, Infamous Boiz, DJ Spoko, Mahotella Queens, Moonchild Sanelly, Muzi, Morena Leraba, Nonku Phiri, Radio 123, Sibot, Sho Madjozi, Zola 7, Zolani Mahola (Freshly Ground) and Maskandi guitar legend Phuzekhemisi.

Lance Ferguson's Rare Groove Spectrum collection of newly recorded versions of classic funk, soul, jazz and latin vinyl rarities found fans everywhere when released earlier in 2019. The extended reworking of Earth Wind & Fires' 'Brazilian Rhyme' was selected for Jazz FM's A playlist and stayed there for months.

Lance has always enjoyed imaginatively taking a classic rare groove and re-recording in it a different genre, and it has to be said that his latin-ised version of the great jazz organist Jimmy Smith's '8 Counts for Rita' is a concept no one saw coming. Kept back from the Rare Groove Spectrum album, we proudly present it here in all it's swinging, samba-fied glory!

Spanish DJ & remixer Flow Lab Kid (Sergio Cáliz López) is also along term Ferguson fan , and he delved back over 12 years to Lance's very first 'Black Feeling' album and did own 'Blessed' remix of The Blessing Song (which was originally and amusingly credited to the fictitous group The Shirley Eubanks Ensemble) but was in fact a version of jazz violinist Michael White's spiritual jazz track from his 1972 album Pneuma on Impulse Records.

Finally, there is a straight down the line funk version of the Blackbyrds Theme that also didn't make it onto the Rare Groove Spectrum album, although it was always planned that it would see the light of day and what a great way to round off Lance Ferguson's Rare Groove Spectrum - remixes and rarities.

In an era of boundless self promotion, anonymity is a rare and precious thing. Listening to Trevor Jackson's NTS show one night we heard a glorious piece of music by something called Elite Beat. A quick search found 10 years worth of recorded material but not a single photo or youtube clip. They had made a record with Niger born guitarist Mdou Moctar but were based in Portland, Oregon. More questions than answers but we knew we had just heard one helluva cosmic link up!

We still don't know what they look like but we can tell you Elite Beat is a 6 piece ensemble now in their 12th year as a musical collective. Their sound is non prescribed rhythm music with an emphasis on live playing, free form expression and dubbing techniques. Players who have absorbed the plethora of global grooves from dub, Ethiopoques and Tuareg guitar music (probably the odd Dead bootleg too). They aren't retromaniacs or here to revive a genre. Just some cats from Oregon talking that universal language, fueled by laugher and a vision of the eternal.

"By The Light Of The Pyramids" and "Postcards From Gortupal" are their latest and greatest offerings, birthed out of live sessions.

*The vinyl versions are shorter edits of the original / digital to preserve sound quality.

For Against Fascism Trax 006, Auntie Flo takes us to Brazil, a country that is dealing with having a bona fide fascist president, with an EP recorded in Rio De Janeiro. I’m going to shut up and let Afonso Marcondes from Sao Paolo take it from here -

In a world in which culture policies (incl. music) win nationalist tones, Brazil has lessons to give with the catastrophic failed experience of the last government and the teletubbies talk on Culture from the current one.

As one sometimes feel as if one is on a time-warp from time to time, most often taken there by music, songs like March of The Berimbau here, could easy make for the perfect soundtrack for the political history of Brazil, country in which Auntie Flo got his inspiration and recorded this tracks.

From the military regime that gave Brazil bossa nova in the 60’s, the tropicália sounds of the 70’s to the pop rock era of the 80’s all the way from the rave scene of the 90’s to todays Bahia Bass, music in Brazil has always been instrumental in helping shape the political scene.

One thing about the Brazilian music ’scene’ is that rarely it lends itself to extreme political views, via lyrics or otherwise, after all, carnaval must be kept a happy time! The number of different cultures living in peace, side by side in Brazil has strenghten the country disapproval of hate talk in music since I can remember growing up in the interior of São Paulo state.

As per wiki: Fascism is a form of radical ultranationalism, characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition… Children bedtime reading if you follow the past 15 years in Brazilian politics and the rise and fall of Brazil’s Labour Party, together with its disastrous polices on culture and synergy with de definition above; including the views of a important cultural Party branch that continuously 'preached' that Authors should need no rights over their works. That couldn’t bit music in Brazil.

Fast forward to the first 5 months of government of an unfortunate retired army officer, whose every word sounds like Trump, and whose views on culture is to extinguish the Culture Ministry and cut low the state incentives to the sector, that, so far, is not bitting music in Brasil.

Hope that Auntie Flo’s music inspired everyone as the place where it was made and recorded inspired music in Brazil, as a beacon of light against any hate talk darkness.

Music From Memory follow up on their 2016 compilation 'Phantoms Of Dreamland' and delve further into the archives of British musician Michal Turtle. MFM 029 'Return To Jeka' brings together eight unreleased tracks recorded between 1983-1985 in London, and further highlights a very interesting period of material Michal recorded following the release of his only album 'Music From The Living Room' (1983).

Part One Of A Three Volume Compilation Project By Tunisian Collective Arabstazy, Establishing A Picture Of The Contemporary Electronic Music Scene In The Arab World. This Musical Journey Stands For The Diversity Of This Scene, And Deconstructs The Occidental Perceptions That Sees The Arab World As A Culturally United And Homogeneous Entity. It Is A Manifesto For The Burgeoning Wave Of Post-revolution Futurism.
Arabstazy Is A Multidisciplinary Artistic Platform With Bases In Tunis, Paris And Berlin. It Is Dedicated To The Research Of The Connection Between Heritage, Identity, Culture And Digital Arts. Founded As A Collective By Tunisian Electronic Musician Mettani, It Has Since Then Relentlessly Questioned The Meaning And Relevance Of The Supposed Arabic Unity. Following The Arab Spring Events That Brought A Major Change To The Maghrebi Cultural And Artistic Ecosystem, The Collective Explores How The Arab World Is Perceived And Perceives Itself, And Lays The Foundations Of What Could Be Part Of A New Wave Of North African And Middle Eastern Futurism.

Arabstazy's Vision Is To Create An Autonomous And Singular Form Of Mindset, That Is Aware Of Its Representations. An Identity Quest Immersing Its Roots Into The Future, While Highlighting And Transmuting Its Traditions. This Mindset Is To Evolve Into A New Artistic Language, That Would Have Been Released From The Colonialist And Orientalist Perspectives. A Process That Will Eventually Focus On The Interactions And Connections Rather Than Shape Or Style. With This Objective In Mind, The Idea Of A Musical Compilation Emerged. It Would Be The Assessment Of How Diverse, Shattered And Intricate The Arab World Actually Is. Paradoxically, It Would Be The Cement Of An Independent Arabic Underground Electronic Scene. A Scene That Doesn't Need Common Aesthetics Nor Similar Codes To Build A Sense Of Belonging, Because That Belonging Eventually Relies On The Similarities Found In The Constant Struggle From Which The Creative Process Arise. In The Frame Of Political, Social And Religious Dictatorships, This Is A Creative Process That Is Born Under Frustration.

Following This Artistic Direction, The Collective Gathered Tracks From Various Artists That Connected In Their Own Way To The Concept Of Frustration Constrained Creation. With No Imposed Genre And The Strong Will To Build A Mosaic Heterogeneous Project, The Compilation Eventually Featured Tracks Ranging From Indie To Idm To Club Music To Abstract Noise. This Is Quite An Unsettling Tracklisting For Those Who Were Expecting The Usual Oriental Electronic Bland Cliche´. This Process Eventually Echoed With The Work Of Parisian Label Infine´. Infine´ Defines Itself As A Space Of Diversity, Away From Any Kind Of Genre Or Ethnic Compartmentalization. Since A Dozen Years, It Has Developed These Values Through Several Projects, Including The Compilation Series « Explorer ». Through This Compilation, They Discovered One Of Their Latest Revelations, Deena Abdelwahed. She Herself Led To The Encounter With The Arabstazy Collective, And The Label Found Much Sense In Supporting The Under Frustration Project, In Professional, Political And Spiritual Ways.The First Volume Pays Special Attention To Tunisia And Egypt, With A Touch Of Paris & Berlin. Alexandrian Band the Triangle, Releasing Their Very First Track, Dramatically Opens The First Side With A Song Evoking War Refugees That Have No Choice But To Abandon Their Homes And Risk Their Lives On Makeshift Boats. ismael, Member Of The Kairo Is Koming Collective, Comes Right After With A Cranky, Cracked Batch Of Grimly Forward Club Music. He Is Immediately Followed By shinigami San, Founder Of The Tunisian Collective World Full Of Bass, With A Metaphorical Experimentation Depicting How A Fragile Melody Can Arise Despite Of Being Crushed By A Brutal Rhythm. Then Comes Mettani, Founder Of The Arabstazy Collective, Showcasing Esoteric And Syncretic Aesthetics, Blending Sacred Church Choirs And Muslim Awakening Call Into Industrial Grooves. Paris-based Artist terra Aziz Closes This First Side With An Very Introspective And Esoteric Track Evoking Iranian Leper Kids. Second Side Starts With muudra, A Moniker For An Artist Who Keeps Himself Anonymous And Connects To Kurdish Culture. His Track's Hypnotic, Mantra-like Beats, Combined With Cinematic Soundscapes, Reflects On The Hemshin Tribes Vibes. Then Comes deena Abdelwahed, With A Very Early Work She Composed While She Was Touring With The Arabstazy Collective. tropikal Camel, Berlin-based Composer And Mc Born And Raised In Jerusalem, Then Seizes The Scene With An Apocalyptic Track Picturing A Hopeless Prophet Whose Heart Is Made Of Smoke. Relief Comes With Beirut-based Egyptian Artist aya Metwalli, Who Offers A Touching Song About Love And Mourning. This First Volume Ends With A Poetic And Abstract Soundwork By Tunisian Artist mash, Releasing Her Very First Piece, Closing The Record Like It Opened. The Spectrum Of The Questions That This Peculiar Theme Arise Is Broad: Personal, Political, Sexual, Religious, Familial, Societal... From Ways To Free Ourselves From This Frustration, To Ways To Accept It As It Is. We Have To Deal With A Lot Of Mutual Misunderstandings, Binary Shortcuts And Manichaean Attitudes That Have Long Proven Unsuccessful To Overcome These Situations.Amongst All Who Experience Frustration, Some Will Cope Through Artistic Expression. We Decided To Relate To This Frustration As A Great Source Of Inspiration. Arabstazy Chose To Give All The Benefits Of This Project To The Lebanese Ngo Basmeh & Zeitooneh, And Most Specifically To Their Yearly Art Event - "seen" - Which Highlights Unseen Artists And Breaks Stereotypes About Refugees.

For the 11th release AM collaborates with Rio de Janeiro based label Outra, to shine a light on a lesser known era of the rich Brazilian music history. The record compiles six slightly edited or 'fixed' late 80's / early 90's Brazilian pop songs that touch all basic elements of old school hip hop, new beat and electro: drum computers, heavy use of funky (guitar) samples, rapping and scratching, except for that last track which is a sexy melancholic Portugese tune that felt so good to end with. As usual in a white discobag hand-stamped with a little drawing by Frank Koedood.

Africa Seven is taking its first trip to Germany... Well Germany via Cameroon. Charlie Kingue Soppo is better known as Charly Kingson, cousin of Manu Dibango and a Cameroonian emigrant in the 1970s. Charly first headed to Paris and then found his way to Munich in 1978. He recorded two albums in his career, "Born In Africa" in Munich in 1978 and "Dance To The Music" two years later in New York.

For this outing we focus on his debut "Born In Africa". It was recorded in Union Studios in Munich with some of the city's finest (and surprisingly funky) session musicians of the day.

The LP opens up with "Nimele Bolo" a trademark Africa Seven sound if ever there was one… early growling analog synths, big stabby brass and afro rhythms. Add in Charlys vocals and it is easy to see why this track was a highlight of our recent African Airways 04 Funk compilation. Next it is time for smooth ballad, "Makakane Masu" and its smooth jazz overtones. Next "Manyaka" the suspenseful string section, octaving keys and percussive horns drive the wah wah guitar and Charlys brooding song.

On the flip side we open up with the rolling bass and swinging brass of lead track "Born In Africa". This track was a single and it's the perfect microcosm of the album elements in one track. It even manages to name check all the big afro musicians of the time. "Nanga Boko" and its big smiles all around for the good time synth-boogie funk. We close off the LP with "Reviens-Moi" a pensive ballad about Charly's forlorn love. He wants her back of course.

After Charly moved on from recording in the 1980s he stayed in Germany, performing in a series of local jazz and funk bands. We tracked him down in 2016 and we really pleased to be re-releasing his debut long player at Africa Seven. It sounds just as relevant (if not more so) in 2018 as it did 40 years ago in 1978.

The fourth vinyl release from Banana Hill comes from Kenyan producer Jinku, with the deeply personal 'Vagabond' EP. Through sound textures and patterns, the waning lights of a relationship are exemplified through tension, discordant sound layers and African polyrhythms examining the damage caused through infidelity and repercussions faced for one's own actions.

Vagabond's remixes come from El Buho and Sooma, both purveyors of polyrhythmic multicultural music. El Buho's remix of A2 brings his Latin American music rhythms warping and twisting Loa Myst's vocal around accordion stabs and a constantly bouncing bass. Sooma's remix of A1 leans towards her house roots, layering complex polyrhythms, creating a hypnotic groove, majestically tied to a hypnotic tribal call.

Music With Soul strikes again with a Double Sider Dancefloor Stormer!! You are not even 30 seconds in and you are already asking yourself what the hell you are hearing. That is precisely the effect the label wants to induce with their releases. Welcome to the Music With Soul congregation.

Budabeats Records celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2018, on this occasion label bosses Dj Gandharva & Von Yodi picked 11 previously unheard tracks from artists of the Budabeats family and created a compilation that perfectly represents the imprint's musical approach: no restrictions in terms of genre or style, the only thing that matters is the quality of the music.

Shades Of Budabeats features African- influenced jazz and funk (Dokkerman & the Turkeying Fellaz, The Mabon Dawud Republic), head-nodding hip-hop beats (Abase, Tom Caruana), straight dancefloor friendly pieces (BeTe aka Suhov, Umoja, M.W.D, Chilum Trio & Auto Reverse) and also, laidback grooves (Freakin' Disco & Crookram).

All kinds of good vibes that will feed your soul and make your body move !

In the early eighties, Edmond Mondésir, professor of philosophy and Léon Bertide, trade unionist, founded the Bèlènou group. They were actors of the great agricultural strike of 1974, which resulted in the death of two workers (Ilmany and Marie-Louise) and left many wounded. Activists of the patriotic movement Asé Pléré An Nou Lité (Stop crying, Fight), they were part of the identity and the cultural affirmation la revendication identitaire et culturelle of the time. Like the Guadeloupean musician Gérard Lockel and his work on the Gwo Ka, they put the Bèlè, in its traditional form, back in the spotlight during Swaré Bèlè (Bèlè nights).Minimalist and spiritual, a true rural ancestral art from Martinique, the Bèlè combines dance and music from responsorial monodies, which is a choir that responds to the lead singer (Respondè / La vwa dèyè), on codified drum rhythms and ti-bwa (2 sticks that hit the back of the drum or a piece of bamboo). It comes in a series of collective choreographies, working up into the trance. The texts are simple, short and tell the story of everyday life and struggle. While preserving the emotion and the drum’s central place, the fundamental contribution of Bèlènou is to keep the traditional form of Bèlè while adding a modern instrumentation: bass, guitar, saxophone, drums...
Emosyon Tambou-a (Emotion of the Drum) was released in 1990. This third opus of the band expands the musical spectrum in harmonies, arrangements and influences to create a contemporary music anchored in the Bèlè matrix, while keeping the beat, the energy and ancestral roots of music. Bèlènou adapts some classic rhythms: Bélya, Gran Bèlè, Bèlè Pitjé or Ting-Bang rewritten here for an orchestra.With the appearance of long couplets and a complex harmonization of the choruses, Bèlènou's music brings a form of modernity, it opens notably to jazz territory as well as to other forms of music and grooves. Also, Bèlènou leaves the musicians with space for improvisation: not only on the saxophone or the guitar, but also with the drums (cleverly adaptating traditional rhythms to the drums).

The texts sung in Creole are of a social nature, appealing to the solidarity and self-denial of the people (Bélya pou péyi-a, Tout pèp-la sanblé), to the struggle for political emancipation towards a new democracy (Wi ny ké rivé, Ni dé jou, Démokrasi); land protection (Sové tè-a); finally, to the vitality of the Bèlè culture ... (Emosyon Tambou-a, Dansé Ting-Bang)...Culture participates, according to the expression of Aimé Césaire, as "Miraculous Weapons". Bèlènou sings a project of a new and united society. A precursor group, experimental in the its early years, Bèlènou reconciles with talent tradition, modernity and cultural identity.

Lovely crafted tip-on sleeve. Remastered. 700 copies

"The past 5 years we have taken our music all over the world: Europe, Asia, Africa besides our homeland Denmark, and even though we cannot speak with many of the people we meet, our music is a universal language that transcends borders. The meetings we have had (and continue to have) all over inspire us to create new music. But of course we are the composers of the music, so this is our representation of those meetings.

Our 3rd album is called AFROTROPISM. Tropism is a biological phenomenon that indicates growth of a plant in response to the environment; so when you see a plant turning for the sunlight, this is tropism. In other words, this is not so much about the plant's roots but more about how it reacts when it touches the air, feels sunlight or rain - in other words the outside world. So AFROTROPISM refers to the fact that we are drawn towards the African traditions, but we are "growing" our own music.

On our first two albums we have recorded extensively with African musicians, and AFROTROPISM is centered around The KutiMangoes (TKM) as a band. We are developing our artistic direction by going more in depth with how we can mix our inspirations with our own musical heritage. Our musical mission is (and has always been) to mix cultures and create our own sound.

With our background in jazz music, TKM counts virtuoso instrumentalists with a heartfelt intent and sound innovators with our horns, effect pedals, synthesizers, drums and percussion from all over the world. AFROTROPISM is a further and deeper development of our trademark bold sound that experiments with synthesizers, soundscapes and a bit of electronic effects without losing it's focus on groove, melody, atmosphere and musicianship."

The KutiMangoes, July 2019


About each track:

STRETCH TOWARDS THE SUN
This track opens up with a synthesizer groove that is inspired by the polyrhythmic grooves played by the balafon (a predecessor of the piano) from West Africa. Our rolling sequence could not be played on the balafon because of the key changes, but the basic idea comes from that instrument. Quick and light, we wanted to write a song where you can feel the sun coming out and feel the energy it's rays give. The combination of the programmed groove, the horn-arrangement, the huge percussion section and the live instruments makes for a sound that we have not heard before, and it illustrates what this album is all about (and what the track's title refers to): that we stretch towards the things that give us energy – and that although our roots are in Denmark, when we encounter a musical tradition as rich as in West Africa, it changes us and our music.

A SNAKE IS JUST A STRING
The first time we saw Mali-bluesman extraordinaire Vieux Farka Touré on stage was just after we had played at a huge festival in Burkina Faso, and we almost literally caught on fire. Their groove was so strong and insistent that we were mesmerized, and it inspired us to come up with the opening guitar part of this song. Basically a bluesy tune with some unusual chord changes and a crazy synthesizer solo by Johannes Buhl Andresen reminiscent of that fuzzy guitar-sound we love so much in the Mali blues. The title is an homage to the Nigerian writer Chinua Acheba, who in his masterpiece novel "Things Fall Apart" tells that in the village during the night, to ward off the fear of darkness, people would call dangerous animals by a different name: don't be afraid, a snake is just a string.

KEEP YOU SAFE
It is a basic human necessity to have a place where you can feel safe. But there are far too many people in our world that fear for their safety, their livelihood, their children, their relatives – and this is surely not a feeling that helps us to flourish as humans. With this song we are saying that we all need to make it a priority to help our fellow humans to feel safe. And of course, if our song can offer a feeling of safety and comfort for a short time to those who listen, we are truly thankful.

MONEY IS THE CURSE
This track is directly inspired by Fela Kuti's ability to create music that is both physical and political. Dance music with a serious message about our times. For the solo part we wanted a more melancholy, pensive feel (than the full-on baritone-trombone melody) and also wanted to experiment with some choppy, stuttering effects to make the horns sound desperate. Money is the curse because it can become the objective of our life; money is the curse because it changes the relationships we have with our fellow humans. Money is the curse.

THORNS TO FRUIT
This melody is inspired by the scales and developments of a traditional Bambara folk-song. We love the way these melodies constantly evolve with small developments and changes. We felt like an accompaniment that is really dry, sparse and earthy would fit well and then made a contrasting solo part. As a group we are interested in how to develop our improvisations together and create sonic landscapes that evoke a distinctive atmosphere – so here, we have no soloist, but a collection of synthesizer parts, saxophone lines and guitar-sounds that together create a dreamy and lush ambience.

SAND TO SOIL
We started out with a short ngoni riff played by our good friend and master musician Aboubacar Konaté. We then sampled it, built soundscapes and our own both meditative and pumping groove around it. We created a melody with both melancholy and joy, with afterthought and impulse and then the brilliant Aske Drasbæk added an emotive and blistering saxophone solo. The title refers to the contrasts in our humanism. As part of our human nature, we have a dark side that drives us (and each other) towards destruction – making the fertile soil into barren sand. The title is an encouragement to emphasize the opposite movement in our nature: to create life and help it flourish. We keep ourselves human by insisting that we must never forget this side of our nature no matter how tough, tiresome or trying it might be. Let's keep our focus on the light, the warmth, the positive energy – that can turn the cold stone into fertile ground.

Aura Safari are: Alessandro Deledda, Andrea Moretti, Lorenzo Lavoratori, Daniele Melloni and Nicholas Iammatteo.

The band started with the meeting of a musician and a group of DJ's / producers coming from different musical backgrounds and generations. Aura Safari is the union of various musical eras and influences such as Jazz Fusion, 80's Boogie, World Music, Italo House, Balearic Beats and Jazz Funk.

Years spent in the local scene of Perugia (Italy) attending Umbria Jazz Festival every summer and winter nights at the legendary Red Zone Club have shaped the sound of Aura Safari.

The LP is an example of their true love of music across a vast spectrum.

Second release for LCT, straight up fire. Might have heard this one being played in the clubs and festivals - All about the B side here!

Mind Records and Spooky are proud to announce the official reissue of "Tapas", an indescribable and beautiful album by Sueño Sueño, a mysterious German duo from Mainz.

Little is known about this album, which was originally released on
cassette only in 1983 by Eduardo Van Kasteren (member of Van Kaye & Ignit) on his label Ding Dong Records.

What we do know is the arousing curiosity it triggers as it unfolds, it feels like a fantasy summer holiday in a dark metallic wintery world, as if somehow Mainz had become a Balearic island. Some comparisons can be made - Naffi Sandwich, Swamp Children, Maximum Joy, Young Marble Giants - but these, all lack the unique ice cold synthetic Latin sound of an imaginary German 80s tapas bar where "Sueno Sueno" all work.

"Frisina meets Toco" is the result of the artistic union of two main Schema Records' characters, Gerardo Frisina and Toco, spontaneously born from many listening sessions of Brazilian music LP's. The music contained in this 12" record stands in the middle between Rio and Bahia, merging together the Brazilian rhythmic culture and groove (Toco) with the modern sound of clubbing latin jazz (Frisina), and it's also enriched by the presence of the young pianist and composer Vitor Araújo and his peculiar signature style, particularly apparent in the instrumental version of the song "Craque".

This latest Rocafort EP is an exciting, international jazz affair stretching across time and continents. Consisting of musicians from Mexico, Serbia, Catalonia and Turkey, the Gökhan Sürer Quartet delivers a new perspective on the oriental jazz genre. Gökhan Sürer is a young Turkish pianist, composer and arranger whose musical education reaches from Istanbul, to NYC and currently Barcelona.

CHIMERA is like the soundtrack to a modern mythological journey across all sides of the Mediterranean and beyond. Anatolian magic is woven throughout the four titles, most of them filled with an elegant urgency and tension in the rhythmic composition with the intension of giving a modern jazz twist to Turkish and Armenian melodies along with elements of rock, funk and reggae.

This is possibly Rocafort's most 'mature' release to date, in the sense that, as with most jazz, it requires intense listening in order to get the most out of the musical journey and detail in the composition.

Limited to 300 copies!

'Ambolley' fuses Highlife, disco and boogie sonics and features the anthemic club cut, 'Highlife'.. One of Gyedu's best!

It's the music of the space that extends between oceans and mountain slopes. It's the music of the space that is much bigger and much more adventurous than the four walls of a club look like. It's the latest record on Acker, and it orbits around a song from Il Civetto. The band from Berlin is a wonderfully multicultural bunch. Their sound is reminiscent of Gypsy, Folk or Swing, but at the same time it doesn't really fit any of these labels. Liberté Ana is a perfect example. Monolink turns this track into a groovy Downbeat tune that vibrates much higher than its low BPM count - the perfect soundtrack for laid-back afternoons or afterhours. PopHop does what he does best: Party. However, between the catchy bassline and the tight percussions of his remix there's still a lot of space for the soul of Liberté Ana. Umami goes even further and creates an ecstatic banger that has everything it takes to be played during the prime time on the dance floor.

The next volume of Wonderwheel's long running Turntables on the Hudson series, curated by Nickodemus, heads down to the Caribbean encompassing diverse music made for the dancefloor. TOTC touches on the culturally rich shores of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica, Belize, Mexico, Colombia and the USA and beyond with Island inspired vibes.

This double 7" taken with our favorite cuts from the compilation features tracks from DJ Jigoe, Captain Planet feat Chico Mann, Corrado Bucci, and Poirier. On the A side, Afro Cuban artist and recent US & UK Press Darling DJ Jigue gives us the stripped down, Cuban house stomper that is "RIVE", while on the B side Italian producer Corrado Bucci teams up with the classic Columbian group Los Corraleros de Majaguel for a brand new modern take on their Cumbia classic "La Cuidad De Eterna Primavera". On the C side, Captain Planet & Chico Mann's tropical AfroLatin dancefloor smash "Aguacero" finally sees vinyl release, while on the D side, Montreal producer Poirier delivers a jumping Haitian/Creole tune "Pale Mal" with Fwonte on vocals to round out the compilation.

Brownswood are celebrating 10 years with a compilation of 10 cover versions — one for each year of its existence. Sourced from Brownswood artists past and present, it's testament to the independent label's diverse, multifarious legacy.

Brownswood 10 Versions is the first in a series of releases and events to mark a decade of releasing music for the independent label. A limited edition, vinyl-only release, it collects together versions from Brownswood artists — past and present — that re-make and re-imagine tracks.

Brownswood Recordings was born at a time which, in a strange way, was perfectly primed for independent record labels. Picture the scene — it's 2006, and record sales continue to plummet to new, dispiriting lows. The veterans of the music industry grapple to comprehend the new, depressing reality facing them. With such little money to be made, only the most dedicated — driven by sincere passion, ill-thought-out optimism and, frankly, a plain disregard for economic reality — would choose to start a record label.
It's into this environment which Brownswood emerged. Founded by Gilles Peterson, it followed his departure from iconic label Talkin' Loud, a subsidiary of major label Mercury, which championed artists ranging from Roni Size and 4hero to Omar. By 2006, however, Gilles felt increasingly stifled. As purse strings tightened in the major label world, he sought an outlet where he could freely support the varied, divergent musical currents which continued to pique his interest.

Starting with little fanfare, the label started slowly. Its first signings were as eclectic as you'd expect: Ben Westbeech's bass-weighted soul music, Soil & Pimp' Sessions' third album of (in their words) death jazz', followed by the delicate meditations of Elan Mehler's jazz quartet. Since then, the label's sonic trajectory has remained just as tough to pin down — from Mercury-nominated Ghostpoet's debut to Mala's re-configuring dubstep with Cuban sound system culture, it affirmed its place as a platform for artists to grow or do something different.

This collection of covers is the perfect vehicle for the ever restless, open-ended musical policy of the label. With a solid grounding in jazz, there's Emanative's beefed up Sun Ra stargazing (in a previously unreleased mix), Daymé Arocena's take on a Patrick Forge-discovered, latter-day Dingwalls classic and Soil & Pimp' Sessions' explosive version of Art Blakey.

Elsewhere, there's British-Kenyan outfit Owiny Sigoma Band's previously unreleased cover of Can's Vitamin C', reworking hazy krautrock with their nyatiti master Joseph Nyamungu. Mala's 'Cunumicita', meanwhile, sees the dubstep talisman re-framing one of Peru's traditional touchstones.

Fiestas is an ultra catchy foxtrot by the Colombian clarinet player and ar-ranger Ricaurte Arias. This American-style swing spiced up with a layer of Colombian sauce is an irresistible ear worm that takes the concept of smoothness to another level. Definitely the foxiest of all foxes.

The legendary composer and band leader Pacho Galan’s take on Estambul is another example of how American swing and Colombian music can blend into a unique musical melting pot. The song starts with hard tambor breaks and maracas kicking in badly. The playful horns driven by the cumbia rhythm make it impossible not to dance on this tune.

Latin orchestra meets Greek bouzouki!!! A true hybrid musical dream, emerging and blending the sound from the migrant communities of 60’s New York. Greek bouzouki wizard Yannis Tatassopoulos injects his electrifying playing into the Latin beats of Roger ‘King’ Mozian. Together these dukes of sound generate a tornado! Non-conventional and ultra refined crossover madness from the Space-Age. Mambo Gitano!

The career of Patience Africa Spanned over 40 years. After almost a decade of success on a major label with her Zulu Disco sound, and a few years in the early 80s experimenting with a more soulful sound, the funky synths of the 80's would force her to stay relevant in the quick changing times. It would be in 1987 that she would sign to the independent Ream Music which with the help of their tight knit in house production team had released hits for upcoming disco artists Makwerhu, Ntombi Ndaba, Sunset, Athena, Percy Kay and more. The label's success in the traditional market made Patience a perfect fit and could have been their first crossover artist.

With the help of owner's Danny Antill and Clive Risko they would cut a 4 track EP that like many others of the time ended up being lost in to the hyper saturated market of the emerging Bubblegum demand. Two tracks would be written by Patience, including the title "Wozani La" Musically these were more aligned with her sound of the 70's accompanied by a purely digital production, but it's the two songs written by label boss Danny Antill that appear on this release. These two songs are unlike anything heard at the time. Embracing full commitment to the digital studio and some extensive and risky experimenting the trio managed to slide heavy house bordering electro pop and a haunting swing beat groove alongside the compositions of Patience to complete this EP for both markets. Although the album had great potential, poor promotion and low sales led Patience to feel cheated and after not earning a cent for the record left the label and took her first break from music since the early 70's. She would later return to her original sound recording up to til 2006 when she released what would be her final album before her death the following year. Still loved by her fans and those who knew her, she is remembered through the Patience Africa Foundation. Founded by her son Mangaliso in 2017 to help create a better South Africa in our lifetime.

History of Heat is an eroto-intellectual retelling of a love story. It is the scholarship of heat, and the sources of its production in the body: desire, exaltation, anticipation, fear, rage and mourning . It is a fable circulating through the nerves, pumped and distributed by its own mythologies. Through different chapters, we follow the heroine of our story from the initial desire to love, the sensual pull which oscillates between the grotesque and sacred longing of the flesh (‘L’Enfer en pleine lumière’ translates to ‘Hell in plain sight’)...to the sudden ghostlike appearance of the Other (Apparition) as a projection of the dream. We enter into the spiritual, the seeing visions and the blindness of love. ‘Animal’ speaks of instinct, the smell of the beloved, already the deconstruction of the divine back into the realm of the physical. The title track ‘History of heat’ sings the hesitation of love, the precipice of openness and the invitation of the contract: Dance with me... (This is where the metaphoric marriage is forged). In ‘Perfection’, the pressure which keeps the relationship on the pedestal of the absolute stunts and paralyses love. Unrealistic expectations of the self and the other person creates the push and pull of the not wanting what one wants and the fear to get what one has been asking for. ‘Tiny engine’ speaks of mechanical attachment, attachment to the lover as habit, as a second nature, and the call to the other person as a magnet. In ‘Ditectrice’, the madness and the folly of separation spawns war and confusion. It is the violent refusal to live without the other... the pleading with god. ‘Feed him’ follows with resignation and exhaustion. Love has become the beast of burden who eats away at itself insatiably. ‘War text’ brings forth the devastation, the peace treaty and finally the metaphysical Divorce. In ‘Guttermoon’, the vita contemplativa begins, the blood starts to cool, the scene is a ghost town. ‘Wrong god’ similarly winds down as an ode to remorse and mourning. Finally, ‘Cinema Verité’ closes out the album with a mistrust of ‘reality’: the heroine becomes a philosopher, she becomes an artist... did the relationship ever exist or was it a projection “In front of a movie screen” ?

History of Heat is an experimental narrative and cinematic pastiche of all original and self recorded material. A chaotic mix of sounds both analog and digitally produced recalls a warlike interpersonal breakdown. The mood established by the lyrical content of the piece is meant to be demanding, enclosing the listener within a unique and compelling cocoon of otherworldly sound. the Album is framed within a discursive love story which reflects larger relational problematics and interpersonal traumas. looped vocals act as incantations woven in and out of lyrical singing and spoken word. The instrumentals embrace chaos and intensity. Improvised violin and broken down beats compliment and balance the melancholic overtones which flutter above off the grid rhythms in this charged ficto-personal account.