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Marc Rapson is a man of many dimensions. From rocking BBC's Maida Vale and Later with Jools Holland as part of Ben Westbeech's touring band, to releasing stellar re-edits of Marvin Gaye and Sarah Vaughan to the acclaim of Gilles Peterson, Marc has spent the last decade quietly building a following amongst those in the know. Dark vs Light seamlessly blends crunchy, low swung Hip Hop beats with Marc's jazz inflected Fender Rhodes and synth sounds. Not one to be confined to a singular style, Marc also fires up the sampler for tracks such as 'Click Loud', combining surgical chop skills with live instrumentation. Dark vs Light is the product of a mind that grew up on Ahmad Jamal as much as A Tribe Called Quest: the jazz pianist with a passion for raw beats. This first time on double vinyl complete edition includes all tracks from the now out of print EP along side additional bonus cuts from the original sessions featuring MC Replife as well as a dope cover of a classic Roy Ayers track. A great way to help celebrate Futuristica’s 15th year!

The mysterious afro-soul of The Shaolin Afronauts first echoed across the dance floors of Australia in late 2008. Heavily inspired by the sounds of 1970's West Africa, Ethiopia and the pioneering avant-garde jazz artists of the same period, The Shaolin Afronauts draw on the this highly innovative and sometimes volatile era in music, using it as inspiration to create music with the same fire and intensity. Though there is something refreshing and original about the Afronauts, their music could be described as somewhere in between the heavy Afrobeat of Fela Kuti and the Ethio-Jazz of Mulatu Astatke. The key to the Shaolin Afronauts unique sound is the line-up, which comprises of a three piece horn section, 5 piece rhythm section and three percussionists, and this polyrhythmic approach layers the groups sound with a mesmerizing and hypnotic texture.

Kicking off with Journey Through Time (also released as the A side of the limited edition 12 inch vinyl single: FSR091) the multiple layers of percussion and rhythms indeed unleash an unstoppable groove, which is nicely balanced against the albums slower, more introspective moments, such as Rise With The Blind which along with haunting, mellow Scarab prove that contemporary afrobeat rooted music doesn't always have to be an unrelenting, uptempo assault on the senses and can provide moments of sheer beauty and reflection.

This added element of subtlety sets The Shaolin Afronauts music apart from much of the recent crop of other bands with similar influences, That said, these guys are still a collective capable of burning some stone cold classic and killer grooves, The Shaolin Afronauts are the band to watch out for in 2011!

"Year Of The Funky" is the second album from Bei Bei () & Shawn Lee. After their debut collaborative album "Into The Wind" (Ubiquity Records, 2010), the Chinese guzheng virtuoso / composer and the prolific multi-instrumentalist / producer join forces again on 12 new tracks. "Year Of The Funky" marries a unique blend of ancient tradition with studio trickery. Eschewing all notions of superficial "Asian/Fusion", this uplifting, genre-bending, and sophisticated sound brings together both East & West with musical aplomb. The new album continues as a logical progression from "Into The Wind". It ventures into both new tempos & moods while deftly connecting the past, the future and what lies beyond.


About Bei Bei

The Guzheng is over 2000 years old and belongs to the Asian long zither family. It was used in both folk and court music in the ancient China. Falling in love with the 5 foot tall x 1 foot wide 21-stringed Chinese instrument at first sight, Bei Bei began playing at the age of seven and received her professional musical training at the Central University of Nationalities in Beijing, China and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in Hong Kong. She also studied Jazz music and improvisation at Fullerton College in California. Bei Bei roots her art in classical music and expands into other styles, combining new with old into creative new expressions, especially in her collaborations with musicians from different genres such as funk, jazz, alternative, electronica, hip-hop, and dance. She is a multi-award winner of many national and international awards. In 2011, she and her music were included in the American college textbook "World Music" by Michael Bakan. In 2015, she was featured as one of The Most Fascinating People of Los Angeles by LA Weekly Magazine. As a studio musician, she recorded for Sci-fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica" and award-winning video game original score "Revelation" (). As a composer, she composed music and performed for the China Central TV documentary series "Dun Huang", Chinese movie "Copycat", and for Canon web promo video "Tiger's Heart" . She released her debut album "Quiet Your Mind And Listen" in 2006 and her collaborative album "Heart of China" (Universal Music), with Richard Horowtiz, in 2008. Her last collaborative album "Into The Wind" with Shawn Lee was released through Ubiquity Records in 2010. As an educator and author, she has published two books "Gu Zheng Sessions Vol.1" and "Bei Bei's Easiest Guzheng Course Book 1" with accompaniment CD and videos. She is the director of Lotus Bud Guzheng Academy in Orange County California and business owner of The Guzheng Shop.


About Shawn Lee

Shawn Lee is one of the most prolific musicians of his generation. A multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer songwriter, composer and Radio DJ who has released 35 albums as an artist to date. He has played, produced and written on hundreds of records. He has worked with a diverse range of artists including Jeff Buckley, Kelis, Saint Etienne, Money Mark, Amy Winehouse, Jonathan Jeremiah, Darondo, Adrian Younge, Tony Joe White, Robbie Williams, Incognito and Princess Superstar to name just a few. Lee's music has been used extensively in both film & TV - "Monuments Men", "20 feet from stardom", "House of cards", "Orange is the new black", "Blacklist", "Vice Principals", "Oceans 13", "Eastbound & Down", "Ugly Betty", "Nip Tuck", "CSI," "Confessions of a shopaholic", Cinemaxx, Jaguar, BMW, Barclays, Clarks shoes, Head & shoulders and many many more. He has also created bespoke music for Hermann Miller, Ace Hotels and Wallpaper magazine. As a composer, he has scored two documentary films "Elevate" and "Under the sun". Lee also created the original soundtrack for the feature films "Save Angel Hope", "Live Evil," "12 Dare's" and composed the original scores for video games "Zombie Playground" and "Rockstar's Bully" which was nominated for best score twice - winning once. Shawn Lee is an American and has lived in London England for over 20 years with his wife and his two daughters.

IDER (Megan Markwick and Lily Somerville) release their first ever physical record - a limited edition (300) white label vinyl release of their first two singles released on Glassnote records alongside two exclusive remixes that have never been heard before.

Debut 7 track album from NORVIS JR, released on NEW MATH RECORDS TEXAS. BRAINFEEDER style disjoined hip hop soul as
featured on GILES PETERSON's BROWNSWOOD BUBBLERS V4, it's wonky with 8 bit technique yet soulful a la BILAL, FLYING
LOTUS, TOKIMONSTER, or RED ASTAIRE's WILDCOOKIE. Pic sleeve.

We're proud to present the first solo album by Elektro Hafiz, an incredible blend of Turkish psychedelia, funk and grooves.

Elektro Hafiz is a musician, born and raised in Istanbul, who has recently moved to Cologne, Germany. Already well known in Turkey, he can look back on 20 years as a professional musician. With his former band 'Fairuz Derin Bulut' he created and released three albums, which represent a milestone in the Anatolian psychedelic rock music of the 2nd generation in Turkey.

Elektro Hafiz has shown and proven openness to various and sometimes contradicting music styles by mixing eastern instruments like the electric saz, darbuka and finger cymbals with different genres. He loves to play with contrasts and create new compositions from there.

This open and experimental approach is still his trademark, as well as his charming provocative style that is complemented by a healthy dose of humour. His diverse compositions are heavily influenced by his Anatolian roots, which are reflected in his instrument of choice, the electric saz, in most of his pieces. A further ingenious characteristic of him is using the electric guitar as a rock instrument while at the same time applying the Anatolian harmony system (scale).

'Elektro Hafiz", his first solo album, showcases a more open and progressive format to his main base influence - the anatolian psychedelic music. On this album he played a lot of different instruments by himself and also invited artists from different countries such as Kenya, France, Turkey, Switzerland, Austria and Germany to contribute for this production.

There are nine songs on this album. Except for one cover song, all lyrics and the music are written by Elektro Hafiz.

All songs will be additionally released as dub / remix versions done by different producers and DJs on a separate album, which is released at the same time, separately.

Legendary master drummer Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti teams up with Brazilian producer grassmass on two experimental funk monsters of the highest order that perfectly illustrate the Azymuth founding member’s constant desire to push his signature sound towards the future.
Recife born/São Paulo based bass player, producer and founder of experimental label UIVO Records Rodrigo Coelho aka grassmass is not only a long time collaborator with influential names like Naná Vasconcelos, Arto Lindsay and Ivan Conti “Mamão”, but also hosts projects with some of today's brazilian edgiest talents Negro Leo and Thiago Nassif. Advanced Brazilian music on Rush Hour's sister label New Dawn.

Los Dandy's were a Peruvian cumbia band formed in the 70s by the great Héctor Farfán (Los Beta 5, Los Destellos) featuring the superb vocals of the legendary Oswaldo Guajiro' Ortega (Los Guajiros, Los Destellos) on most of their songs.

This is their rare album from 1985, originally released on the tiny Bambú label.

A great mix of cumbias, guarachas and tropical rhythms with cool Atari-styled electronic effects, reverb drenched electric guitars, infectious vocals and incredible lyrics.

New cover design, remastered sound, insert with photos and liner notes.

Deluxe 3LP mit 34 neu gemasterten Tracks und einem 60-seitigen Buch mit ausführlichen Linernotes, Interviews, bisher ungesehenen Archivphotos und den Texten (samt Übersetzung) in einem ,Tip On"-Schuber und drei ,Tip On"-Sleeves. Linernotes von Kevin ,Sipreano" Howes. Bisher fast nicht an die Öffentlichkeit gedrungen, kaum dokumentiert, aber im Kern ungeheuer revolutionär, nehmen die Aufnahmen verschiedenster Gemeinden amerikanischer Ureinwohner endlich in Form von ,Native North America (Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966-1985" den Platz ein, den sie verdienen. Eine Anthologie von Musik, die einst fast ausgestorben, aber nun für alle zu hören, ist ohne Frage eins der ambitioniertesten Projekte in der 12-järhigen Geschichte von Light In The Attic. ,Native Norht America (Vol. 1)" versammelt Musik der eingeborenen Völker Kanadas und der nördlichen USA, die in den turbulenten Jahrzehnten zwischen 1966 und 1985 aufgenommen wurde. Die Musik spiegelt die Zusammenführung globaler Popkultur und die Neuerweckung der eingeborenen Spiritualität und Ausdruckskraft wider. Der größte Teil dieses Materials war über Jahrzehnte lang durch fehlende Distributionskanäle und wenig Präsenz in den Massenmedien in Vergessenheit geraten - bis jetzt! Hier versammelt sich Garage Rock vom Polarkreis aus der Nunavik Region des nördlichen Quebec, melancholischer Yup'ik Folk aus Alaska und flüsternder Country Blues aus dem Wagmatcook First Nation Reservat in Nova Scotia. Man vernimmt Echos von NEIL YOUNG, VELVET UNDERGROUND, LEONARD COHEN, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL, JOHNNY CASH und anderen in den Songs, die jedoch mit eingeborenem Bewusstsein, Erzählkultur, Poesie, Geschichte und Zeremonie angereichert werden. Die Compilation ist gewidmet dem legendären Métis Singer/Songwriter und Dichter WILLIE DUNN, der auf der Anthologie auftritt, während der Zusammenstellung des Albums jedoch verstarb. ,Native North America (Vol. 1)" ist nur der Anfang; eine Zusammenstellung von Folk, Rock und Country aus den südlichen 48 Staaten der USA und Mexiko wird momentan in der Light In The Attic Goldmine ausgegraben.

9ms is the duo of Simon Popp and Florian König.
On their wide ranging debut album ‚Pleats' the tech-savvy drummers offer grooves from the dubbier realms of World Music and Krautrock - some meditative and light, some thick as wall and steady as a clock.
The album was recorded live in a large wooden hall in the Bavarian Alps with only three microphones. Using various infrared and magnetic field sensors, Popp and König were able to translate their movements into control voltage, which they then used to trigger and tweak synthesizers and a myriad of effects. A way for two humans to become one with their mystic machinery.

Caedmon’s legendary debut from 1978, originally released as a private pressing, one of the most sought-after progressive folk-rock albums from the UK.


Information about UPC 'GUESS156' ...
16,99 £ is the sum for the 7"-Vinyl and the 12"-Vinyl.

Tracklist about the 12"-Vinyl - produced by Richard Falk (Galactic Ramble) - "One of the defining acid folk albums" :
A1. Ten Maidens Fair
A2. Maker Man
A3. Death Of A Fox
A4. Sea Song
A5. Aslan
B1. Living in The Sunshine
B2. Storm
B3. Columba’s Song
B4. Smile On Your Face
B5. Caedmon’s Hymn


... And the regular Text :

Caedmon - a five piece student band in the 70s - recorded this album to mark their farewell concert in early 1978, before they went their separate ways after university. They had literally no idea of the myths, rumours, and tales that would embellish (and sometimes distort) the musical arc traced by this album in the decades to come
The album contains twelve songs. Ten were written by the band. One was based on an ancient text by 7th century poet Caedmon. And the final track was a traditional gospel song, a regular much loved closer to their live set. Angela Naylor’s lead vocals are supported by close harmony male vocals throughout. Acoustic guitars, mandolin and cello jostle with electric guitar, keyboards, percussion and bass. The resultant blend can only be described as eclectic, conjuring a slightly bizarre mix of folk ballad, bossa-nova, and psychedelic jazz and funk. Little did they know that this would be described as acid-folk in years to come. Unusual time signatures, tight arrangements, improbable instrumentation, oblique and poetic stories tackling spirituality, distorted fuzz guitar, and the odd recorder solo all combine to create something that was of its era, and yet simultaneously wildly out of synch with it.

1978 was the era of punk. Frustrated by the record company stranglehold on the market, bands were recording and releasing their own material on their own labels. Caedmon adopted this approach (if not the musical genre!) and recorded their farewell to fans in Barclay Towers Studio in Edinburgh, an attic flat, patronised by the Rezillos and others. Essentially each song was recorded ‘live' in two or three takes on a four track tape machine, with occasional overdubs.
Handling their own duplication and distribution, the pressing of 500 swiftly disappeared, but not before a last minute emergency rescue operation was necessitated. During the pressing, a call from the pressing plant informed the band that they had too much music recorded to fit on a 33rpm 12" vinyl. A quick decision resulted in 2 tracks being moved across to a 45rpm 7" single. The album, with its slightly less than commonplace contents, sold for £2.50 to friends and fans.

They were never a mainstream band. They were unsigned, boasted a small fan-base (mostly in Scotland), only occasionally played south of the border (notably at a disastrous gig at the Greenbelt Festival in 1977), enjoyed some success at the Edinburgh Fringe. And that was about it until....
Their niche fame came twenty years later. Both a re-release of the original album on CD by Kissing Spell records, and a burgeoning world-wide vinyl collectors market made possible by the internet, led to a sometimes feverish demand for copies of the original vinyl of 1978. At its height, you could pay £1,500 for a reasonable quality copy of the original album (including 7" single and lyric sheet insert).

A number of unlicensed re-releases followed on CD and on vinyl, being this Guerssen edition the first licensed reissue of the 1978 album since the Kissing Spell CD.

Recorded live and released in 1987 in Montevideo, Uruguay. this album is the most professional record of the duo that Eduardo Mateo and Fernando Cabrera formed for a period of a few months. These two great composers, performers and arrangers from different generations, premiered with the duo several beautiful new songs, in addition to concocting together renewed versions of some of the classic tunes from each one's repertoire.
It is an intimate and acoustic work. Cabrera's guitar appears many times backed by the tasty and peculiar percussion of Mateo, and there are also grooves with precious arrangements of two guitars. The duo of Mateo and Cabrera was a milestone for the careers of both.

500 copies

Uruguayan groove and multicultural sophistication - 40th anniversary special edition, 500 copies, including 20 page booklet

With a unique mix of music roots and cosmopolitan sounds Jaime Roos would become one of the most successful and significant artists of Uruguayan music.
Aquello, his third album, recorded in France in 1980 with an impressive cast of international musicians, reflects Europe’s multicultural landscape during the late seventies. Psychedelic folk, afro-candombe, murga, rock, new tango and jazz-fusion are combined in a surprising way in a one-off album that exudes strangeness and sophistication.

Wandering mystic Jackson Bailey aka Tapes returns to Good Morning Tapes on a vinyl edition of his ’Silence Please’ suite, as found on a rare cassette edition in 2018.
After ticking off musical trips to Japan, the Caribbean, and Nebraska, we return to Tapes’ Indian sojourn for a hypnotic reminder of his omnivorous tastes, rolling out four cuts of balmy tabla and new age arp ragas that take on a new life on vinyl. It’s kinda mad how he applies a Midas touch to everything in earshot, always getting down to the quintessence of whatever style he picks, but always with a sort of necessary, raw vivacity that knits all his work together.
DJs, early morning dancers and Yoga enthusiasts will be in their element; the awning drones and rippling tabla of ‘Part 1’aligns the chakras for a supple session taking in something like Charanjit Singh-meets-Steve Reich in the phasing loll and harmonious choral motifs of its Part 2, before he brings the crunchy drums forward in Part 3 primed to get Goan sand tramplers going, and really pushes out to the stars in the supremely heady 7 minutes of Raagini Ni, with its lushly coruscating, just intonation tuned arps allowed to bleed into the
red.

Nice Turkish disco / psychedelic / funk album, all sounds are from the orig 1970s and 1980s. Funky tunes with moog organ, bass guitar and electric saz, clapping riffs, wah guitar, clarinet, darbuka and double drums !

Arsivplak has long delved into the weirdest, most wonderful forms of psychedelia from Turkey throughout the last few decades. Metin Alatlı, Tayfun, Halit Kakınç, Ruacan as a producer, Arşivplak also reimagined Turkish folklore through a classic synthesizer on the sublime "Volga Nehri (Turkish Disco Folk)" in 2012, "Moog Edits" in 2015 and the new edit album after 4 years.. Whether it’s the moog organ or the electric-saz there are no casual players with each instrument taking decades to master and the label showcase these shared characteristics between funk-jazz and traditional Turkish disco-folk music." Here you go "Mirror". Enjoy..!!

Third album by Turkish psychedelic singer Edip Akbayram, originally released in 1982.
This later 3rd album really ramps up the silly synthesizers. You'll hear whooshy 80s Rolands, vocals run through a harmonizer, and tons of totally tubular bass popping, and it all makes it darned easy to hear just where the western intros and breaks stop.

Ever wish Knight Rider's Kitt could drive to Istanbul Take a ride on cheesy synthesizers with Edip at the wheel!

Classic CARIBBEAN DISCO-FUNK / MODERN SOUL from 1979 by Trinidad Soul Diva NADIE LA FOND. Produced by RICHARD 'NAPPY' MAYERS.

First ever vinyl reissue of this sought-after 12'.

Der in Kamerun geborene- und in Nigeria aufgewachsene, innovative Multi-Instrumentalist, Komponist, Produzent und Ingenieur "Nkono Teles" war einer von wenigen Musikern, auf die westafrikanische Künstler und Produzenten immer wieder zurückgreifen würden wenn sie einen "modernistischen" Afro-Pop-Sound wollten.

Als Pionier der Elektronik i. d. afrikanischen Musik mit Synthesizern, Drum Machines, Gitarreneffekten und Computerprogrammierung war 'Nkono Teles' ebenso zu Hause wie mit traditionellen Instrumenten.

'Teles, einer der produktivsten Produzenten Westafrikas in den 1980er Jahren, kann auf mehr als 150 Produktionen zurückblicken, welche die Arbeit von mehr als 100 Künstlern & Gruppen umfassen. Von seinen 3 LPs ist „Party Beats“ mit Abstand die innovativste und charakteristischste Version.

Er spielt alle Instrumente und war stets immer der Erste, der zugab, dass das Singen nicht seine Stärke war, daher die Verwendung eines elfstimmigen Chorabschnitts! Die hier verwendeten rohen elektronischen Effekte waren schon immer bei Break- und Hip-Hop-Produzenten sowie DJs gefragt. Originalkopien von Party Beats wechseln regelmäßig den Besitzer für bis zu 700 US-Dollar.

Rebel Up Records, Makkum Records and Red Wig Records are proud to present the 2nd full length album "Putoo Katare Yire" by Ghanaian artist Ayuune Sule.

- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- FIRST PRESSING OF 750 NUMBERED COPIES ON
ORANGE VINYL

Fronted by ace drummer Sly Dunbar and his venerable sideman, bassist Robbie Shakespeare, The Revolutionaries were a conglomeration of many of reggae's finest studio musicians. At the time of recording Black Ash Dub, the group were in their prime, boasting a stellar line-up that included the fanes Riddim Twins
alongside such luminaries as Ansel Collins on organ, Bingy Bunny on guitar, Gladstone Anderson on piano.

The LP provides ample evidence of their talents, harnessed by leading producer Jah Thomas, with revered dub masters, Prince Jammy and Scientist, mixing the
killer selection.

Originally released in 1980 and featuring 2 major club hits in Marijuana' and Cocaine', Black Ash Dub is today widely heralded as one of the finest dub collections of the era and considered an essential addition to the collections of all serious fans of the genre.

Available in a limited first pressing on 'Trojan' orange vinyl!

Tam Tam Tam Reimagined is the second album to come from Gilles Peterson's Sonzeira project. Overseen by the legendary DJ and record collector, this second album picks up where the first one left off. Where Brasil Bam Bam Bam brought together the allstars of Brazilian music, this album focuses on a key moment in the country's history; a record made at a crucial moment serves as the jumping off point for an openended project of musical reimagining.

Peterson's fascination with Brazilian music goes way back. Since his early days as a club DJ and pirate radio host, records from Brazil have taken prime position in his record bag. Be it the endless rhythmic possibilities - from batacuda to samba and bossa nova - or simply the sheer excitement channelled through much of it, the music has always spoken to him. Of all those records released in Brazil, however, the search for one in particular has taken on a real significance over the past couple of years: José Prates' Tam Tam Tam . An accompaniment to a stage production financed by the Brazil Culture Ministry, it was created to promote the country's culture to the world. Hearing the album - including its prototype of 'Mas Que Nada' that became a Sergio Mendes mega anthem - through Ed Motta during the making of the last Sonzeira album, it sparked a long hunt to get his hands on a copy (including a plea live on Channel 4 news).

With a mint copy successfully procured - not long after Jonny Trunk's reissue championed by Record Collector mag - it was taken as a starting point for creating something new. Working with production associates Will Horrocks from UK bassmeddling duo LV and Rob Gallagher from 2 Banks of 4 - along with appearances from drumming prodigy Moses Boyd and Kassin from Rio's Orquestra Imperial - they picked out phrases and snippets to build songs and tracks around.

Released in 1957, Tam Tam Tam celebrates a distinctly AfroBrazilian culture that was later suppressed following a coup in the early 1960s that led to a military dictatorship. From sparkling recreations of the atmospheric original to reverbladen dub, the album takes a magpielike approach to reinterpreting the most exciting aspects of Prates' postcard of Brazil to the world. Tam Tam Tam Reimagined forms another part of the Sonzeira project's aim to take apart and reassemble the pieces of what makes Brazil's music so unique.

Following the critically acclaimed compilation Togo Soul 70, here comes a 12inch including a side of edits and revisited versions of original funky tracks by Yta Jourias and Roger Damawuzan and a side of rare and unreleased Togolese soul tracks from Napo De Mi Amor and Sewavi Jacintho. Bosq (Ubiquity/FaniaRecords) and DJ Pushin Wood (Loft Party, Holland) deliver a hot
funky and soulful versions specially oriented for the dancefloors and the disco fans. And before the awaited release of Togo Soul 70 Vol.2 (July 2019), you can find on the B side,
two tremendous soul tracks by Napo de Mi Amor ('The voice of Lomé') and the tremendous artist Sewavi Jacyntho also known as Frejus Jacyntho signed on the famous SID label in
Abidjan. Soulful Music for the dancefloor and the connoisseur!

Blue Note is pleased to announce the release of legendary Nigerian drummer Tony Allen's new EP: A Tribute to Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. The 4 titles featured exclusively in the EP provide a preview of his forthcoming album for Blue Note on which Tony Allen pays tribute to his longstanding idol, American jazz drummer Art Blakey. The EP's four titles and the other tracks that make up the album were recorded over three days in Paris at the Midilive studios, the former facility of the Vogue label. The sessions were done in live conditions that saw Tony Allen and his 8-piece band together in the same room, with the sound channeled through 12 separate mikes onto 2" tape via a Sony MCI-JH24 analogue multi-track recorder.

Tony Allen and Art Blakey have so much in common that this project came into being almost naturally. For one thing, growing up in Lagos, if Tony hadn't listened to Art Blakey's recordings he might never have taken up drumming: Blakey's type of kit was much rarer than the traditional Nigerian percussion instruments played during that period. Another quality shared by the two musicians is the fact that both Art and Tony were sidemen before they were leaders of their own groups: Art Blakey founded his Jazz Messengers after playing alongside Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon or Thelonious Monk, and Tony Allen also only moved on to leading his own ensembles after playing in other bands, notably the Africa 70 orchestra founded by Fela Anikulapo Kuti. And both Allen and Blakey contributed to the birth of a brand-new music style: bebop and then hard bop in the case of Art Blakey, and the afro-beat style of Allen. Paris is also a link where the two musicians converge: Art Blakey recorded some of his best albums there (his live recordings at the Club St. Germain and the Théâtre des Champs Elysées for example), while Paris has been home to Tony Allen for some twenty years, and he still lives there with his family.

But perhaps the most significant link between Blakey and Allen is Africa. Many consider Art Blakey to be the most African of the jazz drummers, and he made many long visits to that continent where he earned a new name — Blakey became known as Buhaina, an African resonance that would become part of his approach to drumming. Blakey was an inspired metronome, a musician with no interest in idle chitchat who avoided special effects in order to concentrate on the profound dynamics of rhythm. But he could create alchemy with his groups. You could say the same of Tony Allen, whose powerful sense of rhythm goes hand in hand with a taste for economy that resembles the "sublime elegance" found in the art of the haiku: behind the Nigerian's "stripped to the essentials" approach, there lies the will to encourage each musician to raise his playing to exceptional levels.

Here, in the company of some of the finest instrumentalists in France (supervised by Vincent Taurelle of the A.L.B.E.R.T. trio, whose production credits include Tony's previous album Film of Life), Tony Allen handsomely comes full circle with his Tribute To Art Blakey, a fine demonstration of the bond between Africa and America.

;Damir Imamović is a Bosnian sevdah master singer and instrumentalist. Described by The Huffingdon Post as ‘the king of sevdah music’ he has become a well-known representative of the new generation of traditional musicians in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the region. Imamović is both a brilliant and charismatic performer and a tireless innovator who continues to find original ways to connect sevdah’s rich past with an expanding and invigorated future. He also regularly composes for other artists, theatre and film. Limited Vinyl Release

A musical journey around the globe with music from OiVa Voi (London), Arthur Lee (Memphis), Manolis Hiotis(Athens), BaBa Zula (Istanbul), Manau (Paris), dunkelbunt (Vienna), Axel Krygier & Tremor (BuenosAires), Watcha Clan (Marseille) ... on a limited edition double vinyl (incl. CD album) - only 150 copies available for distribution! Many songs are available for the first
(and maybe last) time on vinyl!

Marika "Politissa" Frantzeskopoulou was a Greek singer from Constantinople, reknowned for her precise, fluid and graceful performances and depth of feeling. Backed by some of the best musicians of the era on lyra, violin, oud, kanonaki and guitar, Marika’s repertoire and techniques drew from Byzantine and Ottoman musical traditions. She possessed an ability to devastate her audience through her expressions of grief, exile, and tragic love, running the gamut of cafe aman, torch songs, lilting and fragile odes to heartache, heavy Piraeus style rebetika, and ecstatic Near-Eastern climaxes, all with a visceral sense of atmosphere, emotion, and fatalism. Marika’s voice is complimented beautifully by her backing musicians, creating a pulsing acoustic foundation over which her voice soars with clarity and purpose.

LP version includes a 12 page color booklet with rare photographs, full lyrics, and extensive notes (Bandcamp version includes booklet in PDF format). Produced in collaboration with Tony Klein (Greek Rhapsody, Mortika) and Stavros Kourousis (From Tambouras to Bouzouki) and co-released by Olvido Records (A. Kostis, Alexis Zoumbas).

Recorded between Lausanne and Brussels during summer 2019, this new series of songs by Meril Wubslin dig deeper in this tribal, rustic and minimal tendency that they had in the two previous albums. It is the desire to search for sounds, to manipulate matter : sound matter, rhythmic matter, to knead it to its hottest point, that guided the work of composition. All vintage guitars were recorded without amps. Tambourines and other maracas were approached as a drum kit. But the harmonies and melodies are still present and sometimes event enhanced by the occasional participation of a choir of female voices or a minimal synth line. Always with this desire to use French, their mother tongue, while trying to avoid the trap of ‘variété française’.

“With this new album, we wanted to try something slightly different with the sound. Explore new ways to record our instruments and voices. Thus we decided to put away our amplifiers that we used for rockier moods. And we tried the acoustic option. We were surprised by the wide range of possibilities, much more direct and much more emotional actually. About the texts, we still insist with this open way of writing, a mixture between abstract and concrete which offers several understandings. With this liberty in the structure, we avoid the predominance of the message, to go towards a more sensitive and open meaning.”
Christian Garcia-Gaucher

Ooh, aah, ooh I didn’t say the giants should be tied up I didn’t say the giants should be tied up I didn’t say the giants should be tied up I didn’t say the giants should be tied up I didn’t say the giants should be tied up I didn’t say the giants should be tied up

All sounds recorded during the creation of the films “Coming of Age” (2015) and “Initiation” (2016). Featuring Mosaku and Retabile Lehselo. Day 1 and Day 2 recorded during ceremonies on January 25 and 26, 2014 in the village of Dreihoek in the Ha Sekake District of Southern Lesotho. Additional footage recorded in the summer and autumn of 2013 in Dreihoek and the surrounding mountain pastures.

With no touring in 2020, and possibly this year, Woods
decided to take a deep dive into their archives and put
together the first volume of their much discussed archival
series, Reflections. Featuring rare and unreleased
recordings from 2009 - 2013, including a ghost town desert
jam off the side of the highway, their first live performance
in Big Sur, the first recorded version of “Bend Beyond”
and some shelved diamonds in the rough that were finished
up during quarantine. Their hope is that it plays like a “lost
record” from an extremely strange and fruitful period in
Woods history.

Color Vinyl With no touring in 2020, and possibly this year, Woods
decided to take a deep dive into their archives and put
together the first volume of their much discussed archival
series, Reflections. Featuring rare and unreleased
recordings from 2009 - 2013, including a ghost town desert
jam off the side of the highway, their first live performance
in Big Sur, the first recorded version of “Bend Beyond”
and some shelved diamonds in the rough that were finished
up during quarantine. Their hope is that it plays like a “lost
record” from an extremely strange and fruitful period in
Woods history.

As long-time fans of this sublime four-track compacto 7" by the illustrious Brazilian duo Luli Lucinha e O Bando, we have floated the idea of re-issuing this beauty for several years now. So finally, the time feels right to release this beloved gem back into the world.

Originally issued on Som Livre ‎Records in Brazil in 1972, this rarity has long been lost to only but the most hardened Brazilian record collectors and those lucky few who own an original copy. The four genre-defying compositions blend elements of psychedelic rock, MPB and folk, and are glued together by the synergy of Luli and Lucinha's vocals and the outstanding arrangements by Zé Rodrix. Whether it be the lost Brazilian-psych anthem of 'Flor Lilás’, or the tripped out folk-funk of 'Dourado Da Manhã’, the EP oozes magic and brilliance. The record also features the Brazilian percussionist, Alyrio Lima, who later became a member of the iconic Weather Report.

Luli (Heloisa Orosco Borges da Fonseca) and Lucinha's (Lucia Helena Carvalho e Silva) records have become extremely sought-after in recent years. Their inclusion on John Gómez's superb 2017 'Outro Tempo' compilation helped spread the gospel about their beautiful folky, MPB, private press albums from the late '70s and '80s. Prior to their musical partnership back in 1965, Luli released a heavenly Bossa Nova 7" nugget entailed 'Baleiro' and a self-titled solo album on Philips Records, which are now also highly-prized by collectors.

Here at Mr Bongo we feel Luli and Lucinha's names should be more widely recognised and break out of their cult artist status. They should be rated up there amongst some of the progressive, left-field greats of Brazilian music of their era. Sadly Luli passed away in 2018, but left behind an inspiring musical legacy for us all to savour.

Two deep sought after sultry late eighties South African house-inspired nuggets finally brought back to light.

Released in 1982, the album "Waka Juju" marks a return to Afrosound. We hear titles like "Douala Serenade" or "Ma Marie", a tribute to his wife."Waka juju" is an ode to juju, the traditional Yoruba music that has become Nigeria's most popular style.For the first time on a crystal clear record!

Music in Exile announce their forthcoming remix EP, featuring reworkings of Music Yared by Melbourne cult hero, Mikey Young (Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, The Green Child). SINDAYO - MIKEY YOUNG REMIXES features remixes of an original track from Music Yared’s self titled debut EP, released last year through Music in Exile. In addition to today’s announcement, we’re delighted to also share the first single, Sindayo (Mikey Young’s Masinko Remix - Radio Edit), out March 26 via Music in Exile.

Mikey Young’s legacy is well known throughout the Australian music scene, most notably as part of garage punk band Eddy Current Suppression Ring, and synth-driven outfit, Total Control. However, the talents of Young extend well beyond the performance setting to the world of engineering and mastering with his name appearing in the liner notes of an incredible number of releases, becoming something of a trademark of quality. In this release, Young showcases his skill and nuance, creating a remix where tradition and sonic exploration co-exist.

Anbessa Gebrehiwot and Haftu Reda are masterful players of krar and masinko, traditional string instruments from Eritrea and Ethiopia. Now based in Melbourne, Australia, the pair collaborate with multi-instrumentalist Dale Gorfinkel to create an innovative ensemble sound that celebrates their East African culture. The band's seemingly endless repertoire ranges from modern takes on folk songs to new, original compositions with Anbessa’s strong vocal presence a perfect match to Haftu’s sweet lyrical modesty.

Music Yared’s compositions are inspired by traditional Etheopian and Eritrean folk songs and they sing about love, distance, separation and culture. Their songs also feature virtuosic mastery of traditional instruments - the krar, (a 5 string lyre style instrument), and the masinko (a single string violin-like instrument that is played using a bow.) Although inspired by tradition, Music Yared’s compositions embrace the notion that music is always developing and changing with the times. Taking influence from traditional folk songs, Music Yared finds newness and originality through their personal approach to their lyrics, their treatment of rhythm, and the creation of new beats. This change and openness to new sounds is also apparent in their instrumentation, as they pair their traditional instruments with drums, as well as samples of bass lines and percussion.

Given their openness to new musical approaches and experimentation, it only seems fitting for the songs of Music Yared to be remixed, allowing further exploration of their inherent musical attitudes towards change and development. The first single from the EP, Sindayo (Mikey Young’s Masinko Remix - Radio Edit) traverses new sonic territory, pairing the traditional character of Music Yared with contrasting ideas from different sonic landscapes. Beginning with a musical acknowledgement to the original song, Young’s remix then changes direction into a new sonic world; synth pads and melodies swell and intertwine, samples interject, whilst grooving electronic beats underpin a new approach to texture and song structure.

Recorded by Dale Gorfinkel in Thornbury. Mixed and mastered by John Lee at Phaedra Studios.
Remixed & additional production by Mikey Young in Rye.

From Tumaco, in the deep pacific coast of Colombia, Plu con Pla carries forward essential styles such as Bunde and Currulao, which were created by the African diaspora in response to the realities of life in this coastal jungle territory. The musical language of the South Pacific region is traditionally interpreted with a marimba handmade from the wood of the Chontaduro palm tree and resonating tubes of Guadua (similar to bamboo), a large, two-sided bass drum called the bombo, two slender, high-pitched drums called cununos, and cylindrical shaker called a guasá, along with powerful call and response vocals. Plu con Pla brings a mastery of this language and repertoire together with an urgency of exploration and growth, incorporating hard-hitting urban styles such as Hip Hop and Reggae into their expression, and bringing Bass, Drum Set, Keys, and more into the mix. True to their roots, collective process and social justice consciousness is central to both their music and their actions, with lyrics that address hard themes such as racism and civil war, and a continuing commitment to teaching, leading workshops and accompanying the peace process in Colombia.

We are happy to introduce you to a one hour mix of Brasilian Favela Funk Music.
Craig Ouar, french DJ based in Brasil put together an eclectic selection of the styles you would get to hear at the parties called “Baile Funk”. From the late 80’s « Volt Mix », to the « charm » style, the classic « funk paredao » or the « corredor » (corridor). That style was all about the DJ re-enacting Moses’ partition of the Red Sea : dividing the crowd in two and leaving both sides called A and B fight or dance together …

The genre was super inspired by the american Freestyle and Miami bass era, tons of similar samples were used, and played live on MPC by the Brasilian MC’s.
The vast majority of the records you find in Brazil were pressed as live recording and mastering was very optional…

Let’s dive into one hour of ruff classics and deep Braz’Funks records!



Pic by Allan Weber

Artwork by Charlotte Saysset