Global Grooves — In Stock — LPs  

Incredible work from the obscure African Music Machine – a southern funk combo led by bassist Louis Villery – a legendary batch of funky singles, finally brought together as a full album! The band has a very unique sound that involves a lot of rolling bubbling basslines, spacey organ... read more

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They're not kidding with the name of this group – because the set's a masterpiece of 70s Afro Funk – totally great all the way through! The combo has African origins, but they're recording here in London – which makes for a really wonderful criss-crossing of cultural modes –... read more

A long-awaited full length set – one that finally brings together all of the amazing Tony Allen reworks done by the Honest Jon's label! These "chop up" tracks were originally issued over a range of limited 12" singles, and they're really amazing stuff – not just remixes... read more

A really wonderful document of of the Takamba style of music in Northern Mali and Niger – passionate, energetic and hypnotically performed by Ali Ag Amoumine! Ali's home is in Timbouctou, a couple hundred kilometers upriver from the Takamba region, and it was here that this excellent... read more

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Hypnotic Fuji music from Alhaji (Chief) Sikiru Ayinde Barrister and his Supreme Fuji Commanders! The rawly and heavily percussive sound is makes a strong sensory impact – with nicely recorded, echoey vocals out front of that thundering, though impressively rhythmic backdrop. The album... read more

Lots of earthy percussion here – especially on the leadoff 12" mix of "Alegria" – a flurry of bumping basslines and heady rhythms, peppered here and there with these echoes of older African grooves – almost drifting into the mix as if they're coming from a radio in... read more

Not what you might expect when shopping for African music – unique electronic sounds from Cameroon musician Francis Bebey – as heavy on keyboards as other 70s work is on guitar! There's still plenty of acoustic elements in the mix though, too – lots of earthy percussion at the... read more

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Rhythmic early 60s global grooves from John Berberian – a master of the oud with a great group of players on these oft intense takes traditional Turkish, Armenian and Arabic songs! The melodies and rhythms are pretty impressive – the percussion is particularly heavy and groovy! The... read more

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One of the rarer Ethiopian recordings we've heard from the 70s – and one of the most compelling, too! The sounds here are just as haunting as more familiar Ethiopian music, but also have a nicely unbridled feel too – almost a bit rough at times, especially in the way the rhythms unfurl... read more

Wow! The one-and-only album by Trinidadian combo Black Truth Rhythm Band – a completely incredible one at that – hypnotic Caribbean funky soul, jazz and wildly impressive musicianship all around by this group led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Oluko Imo. The record was made in... read more

An incredible early experimental album from Art Blakey – one of the first to feature him in expanded percussion format! Side one of the album features the extended "Drum Suite" – a set of 3 tracks ("The Sacrifice", "Cubano Chant", and "Oscalypso")... read more

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The best album so far from this up-and-coming Colombian group – a great mix of rootsy elements and more electronic production – served up in the forward-reaching style we've come to love in recent projects from the Soundway label! Bomba Estereo are easily one of the most contemporary... read more

A landmark New York session from Dollar Brand – recorded in the late 70s, with a larger group than usual! Brand spins out some really magical African-tinged jazz grooves – stretching forth in his usual modal mode, but augmented by a great set of horn parts that includes work by Don... read more

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Rare Afro Rock from Nigeria – a really cool fusion of African funk and dexterous guitar – served up with plenty of hypnotic touches! Although we've dug their tracks on compilations over the years, we've never been lucky enough to hear a full album by Colomach – and are blown away... read more

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A massive set from Nigeria's CS Crew – and a set that definitely lives up to its title! The bass is super-heavy on these grooves – way more so than on other Afro Funk records of the time, and in ways that easily match, if not beat, the early best by Fatback Band and Kool & The Gang... read more

Great grooves from Debo Band – a contemporary combo, but one who's steeped in older Ethiopian modes – particularly the best 70s sounds inspired by artists like Mulatu, Mohammad Ahmed, and Tilahun Gessesse! The album may well be the funkiest set ever issued by Sub Pop – and has a... read more

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Afro grooves galore – all taken to rich new territory in the hands of a few contemporary mixers! The set's based around a core track – "Prudence", sung and played by Cheick Hamala Diabate – with great work on ngoni in the lead – a hip stringed instrument that... read more

While we have more or less dismissed a lot of the Celluloid world music productions from the 80s in the past, we look back now and realize that was pretty much just purist snobbery. This Laswell produced album of funky afro grooves doesn't have the same hard African funk that we dig so much about... read more

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A sparkling live performance from this West African group of the 70s – an ensemble who hail from Guinea-Bissau, but share most of the best elements of Mali music from the time! The guitar work on these tunes is wonderfully deft – sometimes so quick-fingered and locked in with the... read more

A sparkling live performance from this West African group of the 70s – an ensemble who hail from Guinea-Bissau, but share most of the best elements of Mali music from the time! The guitar work on these tunes is wonderfully deft – sometimes so quick-fingered and locked in with the... read more

An early recording by Malian singer Na Hawa Doumbia – made in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in 1982 – which finds her backed by guitar, keyboards and raw drums that starkly frame her voice in a great way! It's that voice that really carries this recording – it's piercing, emotional and... read more

Somali sounds from the late 80s – a wonderful set of grooves from the Dur Dur Band – originally issued only on cassette, and lovingly restored here on some more enduring formats! The style is pretty darn funky – maybe some of the latest Afro Funk grooves we've heard from the... read more

An extremely righteous bit of soul jazz – originally issued in a very small pressing by Folkway Records, at a time when the label was doing some great underground recordings! The sound is loose and free – spiritually building in a manner that recalls the work of Ahmed Abdul Malik, Phil... read more

Monumental Afro Soul from El Rego Et Ses Commandos – El Rego's best recordings from the late 60s to early 70s – a beautifully done compilation put together by Daptone and Frank Gossner, the deep digging West African music expert behind Voodoo Funk! Theophile Do-Rego is a legend in his... read more

Incredible work from one of the most important Ethiopian artists of the 70s – a smoking set of vintage recordings from Alemayehu Eshete – some of them plenty darn funky too! As you'd guess from his picture on the cover, guitar is Eshete's main instrument – used in these twangy... read more

A lively bit of soca from Explainer – bubbling, jumpy, and a good version of the music that escapes many of the cliches that crept in later in the 80s. Titles include "Rasta Chick", "Not Tonite", "Heroes", "Getting Down", and "Panorama".... read more

A bold step forward for Fanga – and a set that's easily the group's greatest record ever! This time around, Fanga are teamed with guembri player Maalem Abdalla Guinea – a musician who seems to have unlocked some rich new energy in the group – and a sound that takes them past... read more

A killer array of funky grooves from Fela Kuti – served up in a 6LP box set, with records chosen by Ginger Baker! Baker's a key choice to work on the set – given his famous recordings with Fela, heard here on the album's leadoff record – Fela & Ginger Baker Live! Next up is... read more

The great K Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas self-titled set from 1976 – trailblazing work that helped cement Frimpong's legend! The singer is backed on it by the group Vis-a-Vis, as he would be on the equally great and similarly titled album from the following year, appearing as his... read more

Here's a group who definitely live up to their name – a damn funky 70s act from Nigeria, with a tight, righteous groove that's completely outta sight! The Funkees have an approach that's a lot more compact than Fela, and a lot more soulful than some of their more tripped-out contemporaries... read more

A beautiful set of solo piano work by Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou – pulled from one of the CDs in the Ethiopiques series of compilations, and probably the most delicately melodic material in the series! Pianist-composer Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou has an extraordinary personal history – she is a... read more

Surprisingly great after all these years – maybe more so, given that the buzz on these guys finally died down – and has kept this one out of heavy rotation in coffee shops and cafes!... read more

Fierce funky grooves from the legendary Nico Gomez – a set cooked up in Europe, but heavy with influences from the other side of the Atlantic – from Havana all the way up to New York! There's definitely a Latin groove to the record – one that's similar to other Gomez productions... read more

Beautiful Persian pop from Faegheh Atashin, aka Googoosh (alternately, Gougoush)– and like some of the best, adventurous pop music from around the world at the the time, it's steeped in myriad styles – from emotionally string-laden to funky and danceable! Googoosh is a genuine... read more

The coolest grooves we've ever heard from percussionist Henri Guedon – a really wonderful blend of Latin, Caribbean, and jazz-based influences – all filtered into a very special sound! There's plenty of percussion at the core, but there's also some sweet keyboards too – used... read more

A rocketing bit of South African funky soul – and of the few great records released on Ahmad Jamal's short-lived Jamal label! The session's a lot hipper than some of the South African work that was issued in the US around the same time – and the feel here is almost more in a London... read more

Some of the funkiest, clubbiest work we've ever heard from the African scene of the 70s – great grooves that would be right at home on the New York dancefloors of the time! The style here is definitely drawn from disco, yet is a lot more funk-based too – more in the farther reaches of... read more

Funky funky solo work from Joni Haastrup – an artist who's also known for his work in Monomono, and who sounds equally great on his own! Joni's got this tight approach that wraps together Nigerian grooves of the 70s scene, and some bolder soul star energy that would be right at home in the... read more

A lost classic, and a landmark blending of jazz and world music! The core of the group is that quintet of West Indian alto player Joe Harriott – one of the leading lights of the British jazz scene of the 60s, and a dedicated modernist who was as important to England as Ornette Coleman was to... read more

An amazing, career-spanning compilation of pioneering psych and earlier material, mixed with more traditional elements of Korean music by Shin Joong Hyun – including his own numbers, great songs with his combos over the years and tunes he wrote for others to sing – from the late 50s to... read more

Way different than any other Indian film music you might have heard before – hardly the festive jams of Bollywood classics – and instead, a fresh funky electro mode that's mighty nice! If it weren't for the lyrics, some of these tracks might well have come from the New York street... read more

A fuzzy, freaky little set – and one that shows the Zambian scene really moving into some heady sounds for the second half of the 70s! The set's a standout effort from singer Rikki Ililonga – an artist who's now much more of a fully-fledged rocker than in previous years – singing... read more

The sound of Zambia, circa 1975 – a heady brew of psychedelic styles and deeper African roots – served up in the unique blend of modes that would come to be known as Zamrock! The album's got a dark feel right from the start – one of those records where it feels like something's a... read more

Titles include "Into Yami", "Hamb Uyogana", "Icala", "Ungazi Ngabo", "Wangithanda Ungaqondanga", and "Ungenwe Yini".... read more

Weird album that came out in the early 70s, when Stax was getting their hands into so many other styles of music besides southern soul and funk. Margaret Singana's the lead vocalist of this group that plays in a sort of Afro Pop/Afro Funk style, and she lays down the lyrics on tracks like "The... read more

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A pretty compelling little quartet – a jazz combo from Zimbabwe, and one who play with a lot of spiritual jazz overtones – yet also throw in some occasional vocals in English! Instrumentation is pretty unique – like some of the hipper experiments on Strata East in the 70s –... read more

A great little album of percussion grooves – hidden under a package that looks like it's going to be a lot more rootsy, but which ends up sounding like some of the hipper conga-heavy sessions on labels like Liberty or GNP from the late 50s. Jackson plays much of the percussion, but there's... read more

The first album by the group that later went on to become Oneness Of Juju! The album was recorded with a group that featured Plunky Nakabinde and Lon Moshe on reeds and percussion – plus Babatunde on congas and drums – and the overall sound is very much in kind of an Art Ensemble Of... read more

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An even cooler record than before from Jungle By Night – a set that still has lots of Afro Funk elements at its core, but which brings them together in some really unique ways! Some of the rhythms are nicely offbeat – not straight, and sometimes moving in weird patterns that really... read more

One of the most unique Afro jazzy soundtrack you could ever hope to hear – African drummer, keyboard player and composer Remi Kabaka's soundtrack to Black Goddess! The film is from Nigerian director Ola Balogun, but was actually cast and shot in Brazil – and this soundtrack is really... read more

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Amazing performances from Kesarbia Kerkar – a key Indian singer of the postwar years, heard here in a variety of beautiful vintage recordings! Kerkar's got a voice that influenced many in generations to come – but the original sound here is much more mindblowing than so many others... read more

A short, but totally killer Ghanaian disco record from KG Band – which is led and produced by multi-instrumentalist Kiki Gyan – and recorded at Lagos' Decca Studios in 1980! Disco Train is a rare one – with one long grooving dancefloor stormer per side. Each cut is a really... read more

Plenty of fanfare here – given the great horns that top the groove of Kingdom Afrocks! The ensemble have a Afro Funk vibe that's mighty nice – one that's slightly askew, but in the best way possible – with some cool flat-toned electric piano running ragged over the rhythms, while... read more

The Jimi Hendrix of Turkey? That may well be the case with the legendary Erkin Koray – a musician who may not have had the pure chops of Hendrix, but who definitely helped transform the guitar sound of an entire generation! Erkin's got this massively wicked groove – rooted in years of... read more

Trippy Turkish rock from Erkin Koray – rarities and singles recorded in Istanbul, and every bit as brilliant as the work on his famous self-titled albums! The music is awash in a blend of buzzing, hypnotic folk sounds of Turkey – mixed with western and otherwise globally resonant... read more

A record that bristles with joy and life right from the very first note – a glorious celebration of sound, served up in a rich mix of percussion and melodic elements! The set was recorded in Bamako during the same stretch as key fighting in the capital of Mali during 2012 – but the... read more

Some of the most deft kora playing we've ever heard – a vintage recording from the legendary Sekou Batourou Kouyate, who plays the instrument with a quality we've never heard before! The overall sound of the set is still relatively spare – and Sekou's playing isn't too frenetic, but... read more

Seun Anikulapo Kuti returns with another strorming set of neo classic Afro Funk in the great tradition of his father – once again fronting the incredible Egypt 80 group! It's remarkable stuff that finds Seun – the youngest son of Fela – standing up as a visionary talent. He's... read more

Amazing music from Mali – quite different than most other albums we've heard from that scene in the 70s – with wonderful reed work that really lives up to the "jazz" in the group's name! The sound is bold and righteous, but with an other-worldly vibe too – a really... read more

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Timeless sounds from Lewlewal – a contemporary group from Senegal, and part of a vanishing culture in the city of Podor! The tracks were recorded recently, but have a feel that goes back decades – mostly acoustic instrumentation on percussion and guitar, played with an intimate... read more

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Amazing work from the 70s Nigerian scene – and one of the few female funk records to come out of Africa back in the days! The Lijadu Sisters have a groove that's unlike anything else we've ever heard before – partly Afro Funk, but often changed up a lot in really weird ways –... read more

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Do yourself a favor, and buy this album – you won't be disappointed! The record is a gem all the way through – a really unique mixture of LA soul jazz and African rhythms, with a sound that's almost like Hugh Masekela sitting in with the Jazz Crusaders! Of course, there's a lot of... read more

Do yourself a favor, and splurge on this album – you won't be disappointed! The record is a gem all the way through – a really unique mixture of LA soul jazz and African rhythms, with a sound that's almost like Hugh Masekela sitting in with the Jazz Crusaders! Of course, there's a lot... read more

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Although South African vocalist Miriam Makeba had been cracking the American scene for the better part of the 60s, this was the album that really put her on the map – as her hit version of the song "Pata Pata" forever guaranteed that African-tinged grooves would have a place in the... read more

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A great little project that's very much in the same spirit as the Havana Cultura project on Brownswood – a set that features British producer Mala working with a host of contemporary Cuban musicians – all in a groove that takes their roots, and pushes them very firmly towards the future!... read more

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Funky, freaky, and freewheeling – a killer 70s set from Baris Manco – and quite possibly the greatest realization of his unique blend of sounds! Some tunes are short, while others are much longer – and Manco seems really set free to experiment here – still using the cool... read more

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One of Hugh's more poppy efforts, but still a nice batch of instrumentals with a good Afro soul groove to them, and the jaunty trumpet sound that was Hugh's stock in trade at the time. Tracks include "Actin' Like A Fool", "If I Needed Someone", "Sounds Of Silence",... read more

One of the funkier albums by African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, and a record that's filled with lots of short little groovers that have more of an edge than on previous pop instrumental albums – much more of the hard funky vibe of the Chisa years! The set features loads of great funky 45 cuts... read more