New Grooves — All Formats  

A wonderful tribute to Tony Allen's landmark Black Voices album – re-presented here with the full original record, plus a host of bonus cuts too! The core record is amazing – a set that really re-introduced Allen to the world, after falling into a bit of obscurity in the 80s years after he broke with Fela Kuti – the start of a rich new chapter in his career that's continued to burn strongly for the past decade or so! The album still holds up wonderfully – as Allen's still swinging hard, in a heavy afro funk groove that sounds a lot like his 70s work – with great electric keyboards, tight guitars, and some very nice flanged-out vocals. The drumming is nice and tight – but with a freer edge that mixes elements from the older work with a dubby spacey approach that recalls rhythms of groups like Can or Cymande! Titles include "Asiko", "Get Together", "Black Voices", "The Same Blood", and "Ariya Psyche (Juju mix)". CD also features 5 more tracks – titled Black Voices Revisited – including different versions of "Asiko" and "The Same Blood" – plus "Ariya", "Get Together (with Mudbone Cooper)", and "Black Voices (with Clip Payne)".

The title track to Fanga's great Natural Juice album is served up here in a sweet extended version – one that spins out with all the skittish percussion, scratchy guitar, and snakey keyboards of a 70s Afro Funk number! The keyboard work is almost moogy at times, but never too thin – just nicely spooky – and the vocals are chanted strongly at the start, then drop out for plenty of long instrumental jamming! "I Didn't Know" is another great groove with a really Fela-like feel, and some especially nice horns – and the bonus beats on the single are both nice percussive breaks!

Brilliant work from Jimi Tenor and his Kabu Kabu group – an incredibly righteous set that's easily the best we've heard so far from the soulful ensemble! In addition to the spiritual jazz vibe of before, the group's also picked up some influences from African soul and jazz too – not just standard Afro Funk, but also some Ethiopian and Egyptian elements too – folded into Tenor's music like some mad meeting between Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, and Mulatu! Jimi's at the lead, handling tenor, flute, and a host of weird instruments – and the ensemble is heavy on percussion and horns, including some great trumpet work from Jukka Eskola of the Five Corners Quintet. Despite the monochromatic cover image, the album's got a really rich sound – a deeply soulful, deeply spiritual vibe that's totally wonderful – served up on titles that include "Grind", "Mogadishu Ave", "Mega Roots", "Aligned Planets", "Mystery Spot", "Floating Orange", "Fast Legs", "Higher Styx", and "Magical World".

Brilliant work from two of the most dynamic artists of the past few decades – coming together here in a really boundary-pushing set of music! Tony Allen got his start with Fela, but has moved on to do some mindblowing work on his own in recent years – music that really moves far beyond the strict roots of Afro Funk – and Jimi Tenor was once known for colder dance-styled work, but has moved strongly into soul, funk, and spiritual jazz – a rich sound that deepens the feel of this session! The rhythms have some of the quality of Allen's recent work, but they're also pushed out a lot more by Tenor's complicated jazz leanings – really mixed up beautifully, and mixed with some righteous vocals from Allonymous, Mariamu Morris, and Jimi himself. Instrumentation is live, and features great drums from Tony – plus killer keyboards, guitar, trumpet, and percussion – on titles that include "Against The Wall", "Selfish Gene", "Path To Wisdom", "Mama England", "Cella's Walk", "Three Continents", "Got My Egusi", and "Darker Side Of Night".

A mix of contemporary club and Afrobeat – served up in a sweet limited edition single! "More Heavy" starts with a bouncing beat, but gets more Afro Funk as things move on – adding in percussion and horns with a nice 70s vibe – then mixing things up even more with some excellent vocal chorus bits too! "Dem Know" has a snapping snare-heavy groove that almost feels like a classic break – lifted and reworked – but then also moves into some excellent vocals that echo Fela's sort of righteousness!

There's plenty of Afro Funk combos working today, but these guys are one of the greatest – a totally hip French ensemble with a really amazing sound! Fanga has a groove that's really a cut above – a way of pulling together all the best elements of the 70s generation of Afro Funk, and sifting them out with a new sense of power – a boldness that grabs you right from the get-go, and which makes the album way more than just a simple copycat of Fela modes! The percussion is especially great – nicely gritty on the bottom, and played with a sharp sense of focus – and the keyboards also stand out too, with a haunting quality that spooks things up nicely and unsettles some of the best tunes. The group also have plenty of space in their egos for outside help from others – and the album features key guest work from Tony Allen and Segun Damisa. Titles include "Crache La Doleur", "Noble Tree", "Natural Juice (Ashanti mix)", "I Didn't Know", "Kononi", "Iba", "Bolli", and "Ni I Matoro".

Brilliant work from Jimi Tenor and his Kabu Kabu group – an incredibly righteous set that's easily the best we've heard so far from the soulful ensemble! In addition to the spiritual jazz vibe of before, the group's also picked up some influences from African soul and jazz too – not just standard Afro Funk, but also some Ethiopian and Egyptian elements too – folded into Tenor's music like some mad meeting between Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, and Mulatu! Jimi's at the lead, handling tenor, flute, and a host of weird instruments – and the ensemble is heavy on percussion and horns, including some great trumpet work from Jukka Eskola of the Five Corners Quintet. Despite the monochromatic cover image, the album's got a really rich sound – a deeply soulful, deeply spiritual vibe that's totally wonderful – served up on titles that include "Grind", "Mogadishu Ave", "Mega Roots", "Aligned Planets", "Mystery Spot", "Floating Orange", "Fast Legs", "Higher Styx", and "Magical World".