Global Grooves — In Stock — CDs  

Sublime sounds from the always-amazing Ahmed Abdul-Malik – a jazz bassist at heart, but also a musician with a great ear for Eastern instrumentation as well! Ahmed cut a few key records at the end of the 50s and start of the 60s – and this spellbinding set may well be one of his... read more

Oud with a touch of jazz – a record that almost takes us back to the early experiments of Ahmed Abdul Malik, but which has a bit more world music feel overall! Rabih Abou Kahlil plays oud throughout – and he's joined by snakey woodwind instruments duduk and serpent – supported by... read more

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

A killer album of Afro Funk – with a very unusual origin! In the wake of Manu Dibango's big hit (and some kind of failure to register the copyright), many many versions of "Soul Makossa" were recorded and released, some good, some bad. This album is a good example of that... read more

A great step forward for the Afro Latin Vintage Orchestra – even better than their previous album, and a set that beautifully mixes together jazz, Latin, and African elements into one seamless groove! Percussionist Masta Conga is at the head of the group – leading the ensemble with a... read more

The first ever compilation of Indonesian psychedelia from AKA is a great one – fuzzy prog and funk steeped jams that the group tore up throughout the 70s – as cool as any single artist global rock compilations we've seen in quite a while! The group formed in Surabaya, East Java and... read more

An obscure Afro Funk combo from the early 70s – produced by Ronnie Lane of The Faces, who may very well have been inspired by Ginger Baker's love of the style! The record's got some pretty heavy guitar work, and there's lots of funky rock running through the grooves – so those African-i... read more

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... read more

A holy grail of 70s African Funk – and not just for the unusual look of the cover! The set's a really unique one – almost rootsier than most of the better-known Ghanian grooves of the time, but funkier too – with a brilliant blend of raw percussion, quirky basslines, and some... read more

The second wonderful project from this cool collaboration – one that features Arnaldo Antunes, Antonio Pinto, Taciana Barros, Edgard Scandurra, and others – all working together on some completely charming songs for children! These aren't really kids songs – and are more tunes... read more

Not Afrobeat, but Astrobeat – a unique hybrid of older funk modes and contemporary cosmic touches – all served up beautifully by Ariya! The album definitely echoes older modes from the Ethiopian scene of the 70s – particularly the chugging rhythms and tightly vamping... read more

Psychedelic folk rock from the Turkish scene of the 70s – a real criss-crossing of styles, carried off with strong emotive effect by protest singer Selda! There's a powerful sound here that's completely without referent, but immediately gripping – a blend of familiar and strange... read more

Ginger Baker recorded late in the 80s – but still keeping up the Afro-styled grooves he forged with Fela during the decade before! The set's got Baker very much upfront on drums – but he's also working with a range of African percussionists who really help shape the rhythms –... read more

A wonderful collection of work from Balla Et Ses Balladins – one of the leading group on the Guinean scene during its "authenticite" years of the 60s and 70s – presented here in a massive 2CD package of their work for the Syliphone label! The group have a really wide-ranging... read more

Crucial work from Moreno Batamba – a set that brings together his Sister Pili album with a few bonus tracks as well! The core record is a cracker from 1983 – a set that shows the farther-reaching style in East African music at the time, yet without any too-commercial styles at all... 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

A great new album from this 70s Afro Funk legend – work that shows that Gydeu Blay Ambolley hasn't lost a bit of his groove over the years! There's a really great approach to the album that keeps things fresh – a sound that's lean and stripped-down, and not overproduced at all –... read more

One of the hippest groups of the Nigerian scene of the 70s – presented here in two classic albums, back to back on a single CD! Chapter One is a landmark set of African grooves – very unusual in both conception and execution – with a feel that's unlike anything we can think of! ... read more

A record with a really timeless feel, and a great mix of classic and contemporary – rootsy Ghanaian instrumentation, modern production, and just a touch of electronics – all wrapped up in a mix that's mighty nice – and one that's a lot more earthy than you might expect! Bola's... read more

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 legendary early set from percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett – and a really sublime blend of spiritual jazz and Latin rhythms! Mora's percussion is definitely at the core – but the set also features wonderful contributions from Vincent Bowens on tenor and soprano sax, Jerome LeDuff... read more

Brilliant work from Francisco Mora Catlett – a really timeless record that encompasses a world's worth of elements in jazz! Catlett's at the height of his powers here – leading the group with a sense of righteous majesty that takes us back to some of the most ambitious heirs of the... read more

Sprightly, modernist Kollywood pop from the mid 80s – beautifully sung by KS Chithra, with the boundary-busting sounds and arrangements of Ilaiyaraaja! The songs are wonderful, time-honored regional pop sounds – traditionally-constructed songs blended with some 80s studio touches... read more

A really compelling blend of sounds – and a set that's billed as a hip hop album, but which is way way more than that – more a wonderful hybrid of global styles, all wrapped up with the crispness of the contemporary Brazilian underground! The set begins with a number that's straight... read more

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

One of the greatest grooves from the legendary Desco Records years – a brilliant album of modern Afro Funk done by The Daktaris – in a groove that's just as hard-hitting as any of Fela's work from the 70s! The album was one of the first to bring back an older African style to current... 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

The Fantasy debut of Dengue Fever – delivering beautifully on the promise of earlier work – a major step from one of the most adventurous groups anywhere! Dengue Fever have always been steeped heavily in 60s & 70s Cambodian rock, a style that blended myriad influences in its heyday... read more

A really wild little album – and exactly what it says in the title: hard rock from the Middle East! The album takes eastern instrumentation on oud, bouzoki, tamboura, and accordion – and fuses it with some hard grooving bass, guitar, and drums – all hitting heavy late 60s acid-ti... read more

Amazing sounds from Senegal – a group working here with a trio of singers and some mighty great guitar from Papa Seck – all wrapped up into a groove that mixes the earthy with the trippy! The rhythms bump around with some really hypnotic elements, and often wrap the guitar right around... read more

Senegalese singer Amadou Diop with a beautiful set for Sterns Africa! Abdou's voice is rightly out front in the mix – but instrumentally, his musicians do a terrific job of highlighting Senegal tradition, albeit with clean, modern and contemporary sound. It's a blend of acoustic and... read more

An early recording by the great 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,... 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

Super-rare Ghanaian funk from Edzayawa – one of the most unique and insistently appealing Afro Rock albums we've heard in years – with a hypnotic groove all its own! The album shares some of the same influences and instrumentation as many other groups from the time, but, there's really... read more

Rare late 70s Afro soul from Cameroonese bassist and singer Brigth Engelberts – insistent, hypnotic and danceable grooves that points the way to myriad trends in soul in the decade to come, well beyond easily categorizable Afro funk & soul! Some numbers have a punchier, hypnotic rhythmic... read more

A brilliant criss-crossing of group from this cool trans-global group – a set recorded in London, but with roots in Venezuela, LA, and Ghana – served up with a sound that's even greater than the sum of its parts! Malcolm Catto recorded the record – and really helps bring a funky... read more

Hard to go wrong with a set like this – because in our opinion, just about every track recorded by Fela is a "best" – which makes the collection a massive batch of goodness all the way through! Every track here is presented in its original extended version – a dozen... read more

A totally amazing little package – every single album recorded by Fela Kuti, served up in tiny LP-style sleeves, and brought together in one excellent box set – with a bonus movie as well! The collection features a total of 46 albums, most of which are paired up with crucial... read more

About as classic as you can get for 70s Fela – 2 albums that are overflowing with righteous politics, heavy rhythms, and super-extended grooves! The CD features the complete tracks from the albums Yellow Fever and Na Poi – both recorded in 1976, but compiled here with a bonus alternate... read more

A wicked dip into Colombian music – focused around the work of two true giants of the scene! CD1 features 21 massive tracks from Fruko – one of the hardest-hitting artists working in Colombia in the 70s – often in a sound that starts out in New York salsa, but takes all these... read more

The Funk Ark floats mighty high on this sweet little set – charting a course on the sea of grooves with strong currents of African and Latin rhythms in the mix! The group are a funk combo at the core, but they've got a great ear for all sounds global – complex rhythms, unusual... 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

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

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

Some of the best material from Gambian psych funk pioneers Guelewar – a double-length collection, pulled from stellar albums of the late 70s and early 80s! Guelewar's got a really great sound here – one that brilliantly blends heavy, hypnotic rhythms, passionate vocals, swirling... 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 Belgian take on the Congotronics vibe – not done in the same musical style necessarily, but definitely grabbing that great spirit for homemade instruments and unique stylistic hybrids! There's a punky, funky sort of vibe going on here – but one that also has more laidback qualities... read more

One of the most starkly beautiful recordings in Paul Horn's career – with spiritually resonant, almost spine tingling solo flute and some chants, all recorded in the Taj Majal one day in April of 1968! It's really all about the atmosphere, as it would have to be given the location –... read more

A heady set from mid 70s South Korea – the debut album from a mighty edgey little trio! The album's not nearly as psych as some of the other Korean efforts from the period – as the group's got a tight groove on most numbers, with a definite funk influence on the drums and bass –... 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

The first new music in years from Nigerian singer Bongos Ikwue – backed by musicians from Nigeria, the UK and US working together as Double X – and the record has the diverse and accessible vibe to show for it! Highlife, American soul, reggae and global folk inform the material –... read more

Great electronics from the Indian scene of the 80s – music that's a lot warmer and more evocative than you might guess from the "robotic" in the title – thanks to plenty of roots in the Kollywood soundtrack scene! The instrumentation is often spare, but still echoes the... read more

Great electronics from the Indian scene of the 80s – music that's a lot warmer and more evocative than you might guess from the "robotic" in the title – thanks to plenty of roots in the Kollywood soundtrack scene! The instrumentation is often spare, but still echoes the... read more

A pastiche of of styles from the late 70s and early 80s Kollywood cinema scene – amazing stuff produced and arranged by Ilaiyaraaja – music that trades as much in heavy funk as it does electronic pop! Over the span of a few decades, maestro Ilaiyaraaja recorded hundreds of scores, many... read more

An amazing set that documents the early years of the Zamrock scene – the funk and psych informed Afro Rock pioneered by vocalist and African guitar legend Rikki Ililonga and his group Musi-O-Tunya in Zambia from 1973 to 1976 – and compiled beautifully in this great set from Now... read more

A wonderfully weird project from Alan Bishop – famous member of Sun City Girls, and also the man who's given us the Sublime Frequencies label! The sound here is a great mix of both of those worlds – some of the exotic tones that SF has explored in its groundbreaking global releases,... read more

A rare Afro funk gem from Itadi – filled with righteous sounds and knowledge, and served up in a dubby groove that's pretty unique! Itadi hails from Togo, but already had experience in the US by the time of this recording – and the sound carries some cross-Atlantic styles that really... read more

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

They're not kidding about the title of this one – because the group are definitely a bunch of hotheads on the bongos – playing percussion at a pace that's pretty darn quick, while also throwing in some cool Casio keyboard lines too – all to create a groove that's earthy, rootsy,... read more

A hard-grooving, drum-heavy set from Jeri-Jeri – a project spearheaded by Berlin-based producer Mark Ernestus! 800% Ndagga is an incredible set of Sabar and talking-drum tracks – thunderous, unrelentingly thumped by a griot clan of drummers in Dakar – and taken to an even deeper... read more

Instrumental versions from the 800% Ndagga sessions – an absolutely incredible set of Sabar and talking-drum tracks – recorded in Dakar with an amazing group of players! The vocal versions are great, and bring in some beauty – but there's never a doubt that it's this amazing... read more

Lovely sounds on the kora from Dawda Jobarteh – a player with a touch that's light, and pretty rhythmic too – a wonderful complement to his work on percussion and vocals as well! The set's got a really crisp feel, yet still retains all the best rootsy elements of the music – kind... read more

The rare second album from Juju – the avant jazz collective who'd later morph into funk band Oneness Of Juju, but who still sound pretty revolutionary here! There's a bit more focus than before – still energy that's a lot like the best righteous jazz groups coming out of Chicago or St... read more

The first ever retrospective of Issa Juma & Super Wanyika Stars – excellent material from the heart of the early-to-mid 80s! The sound is a nice mix of delicacy and excitability, with a rhythmic interplay between the guitars especially wonderful. The percussion is lighter on this style... read more

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

A group with a sound like no other – one that features home-made electronics and amplification, and an array of highly-percussive instrumentation that includes thumb pianos, megaphones, microphones, and old car parts! Konono's been making this music for the past 25 years – working in... 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

A masterpiece of Turkish psychedelia – and quite possibly the greatest album ever from Turkish psychedelic maestro Erkin Koray – a mad blend of sounds that definitely lives up to its "elektronik" title! Most numbers feature a weird blend of electric guitar and baglama –... read more

Excellent mid 70s work from one of the hippest dudes in Turkey – guitarist Erik Koray, a player who had a wonderful talent for mixing together a range of cross-cultural influences! The style here is a lot more sophisticated than that of Koray's first album – in a mode that shakes off... 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

Incredible work from Sory Kandia Kouyate – not just an amazing singer, but also a powerful political force in independent Guinea as well! This 2CD collection brings together music from Sory's best period – very heavy on early 70s numbers that feature enigmatic instrumentation on kora,... read more

Turns out, it DOES run in the family – a great talent for Afro Funk grooves, with the same deeply soulful elements that made Fela Kuti's music so great back in the 70s! This smoker from Femi was recorded at the legendary Afrodisia studios in Lagos – with a nice degree of edge in the... read more

A sweet step forward for the Lijadu Sisters – a record that's filled with a lot more keyboards than before, used in a way that creates this great spacey feeling in their sound! There's still some nice groovers here, but there's also some wicked tunes that have this laidback vibe that's... read more

A contemporary set, but one that's unlike any other recent Brazilian recording we can think of – given the very unique vibe that Mauricio Maestro is going for! You might know Mauricio from his mid 70s work with Joyce on Visions Of Dawn – and although this set is a recent recording, it... read more

The last album ever issued by the enigmatic studio collective Mandigo – a batch of British musicians, but recording here in the best Afro Rock mode of the 70s sound library scene! As with some of the best British projects of this nature, there's a lot of different elements at play in the mix... read more

Brilliant modern jazz from German trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff – recording here in 1964, but sounding years ahead of his time, with an amazing a blend of jazz and Asian styles! The album's one of Mangelsdorff's best ever – a set of rhythmic tunes that seem clearly informed by the... read more

A sweet mix of Spanish and Cuban styles – as Pedrito Martinez takes on some older flamenco tunes, but in ways that have a really old school Havana sort of sound! Pedrito's vocals are served up with plenty of soul – and backed with tight guitar from Nino Josele, whose dexterity on the... read more

Sweet South African soul from Hugh Masekela – a set that shows that Hugh's greatness certainly hasn't dimmed with time! There's a warm, captivating sound to the record that draws us in right away – a maturity to Masekela's approach – a depth that not only stretches back to his... read more

A compelling combination of Brazilian forro and jazz, with a touch of American roots thrown in for good measure – all served up in a style that's pretty darn unique! Bold accordion lines are at the lead on most numbers – much more Brazilian than any sort of US or European use of the... read more

One of the hippest albums ever cut by Letta Mbulu – a perfect mix of her Soweto roots and the funky styles of her adopted California home! The album's the only one that Mbulu ever recorded for Fantasy Records – and the style brings together those great sing-song vocal modes perfected... read more

Funky sitar work – but recorded in pre-revolution Iran – a really amazing blends of scenes and sounds from the legendary Abbas Mehrpouya! Abbas' music has hardly been heard outside of his own nation – especially given the cultural crackdown of the past 30 years – and this... read more

Weird and wild sounds from contemporary Bogota – music that's got a very old school quality at its core, yet which also mixes in plenty of experimentation with the rhythms! Think of this as an old Colombian record with analogue electronics and sound samples – or some other-worldly... read more

This is definitely not your father's calypso – no living room limbo or Harry Belafonte cliches – and instead, a smoking batch of Caribbean grooves from The Mighty Sparrow! Sparrow was very much on the edge of the best styles in the 60s and early 70s – and although his basic... read more

Turkish folk meets fuzzier rock – in a unique cross-crossing of styles that comes off beautifully! From the cover and the start of the record, you might think it's just a bunch of traditional numbers – but as the set moves on, things get a bit weirder – and some unexpected... read more

The second album from Mombasa – and possibly even better than the first! The group have really come into their own by the time of this date – mixing together jazz and African roots with a sound that's unlike anyone else we can think of – quite unique in its approach to rhythms,... read more

Seminal Afro Funk from Monomono – a killer combo from singer/percussionist Joni Haastrup, with a groove that's right up there with the best acts on the Lagos scene of the 70s! There's a nice degree of warmth in the music – thanks to some complicated guitar and basslines, which don't... read more

Massive music from Monomono – and a set of Afro Funk put together with a wonderful criss-crossing of sounds! The style here isn't just the familiar grooves you might expect – and instead, there's almost a post-colonial vibe going on – an ear towards London, and another towards... read more

One of the most compelling albums we've heard from Luaka Bop in awhile – a set of tracks that draws from Sierra Leone roots and 70s African psych – all recorded with an intensity and urgency that really drives the album along, right from the get-go! Rhythms are fast, but never out of... read more

A landmark of 70s Afro-styled jazz – and the first album by this famous underground collective! Oneness of Juju were a Washington DC-based group that grew out of the ashes of the Juju avant jazz ensemble – formed in the culturally rich African-American community of DC in the 70s, with... read more

The first record in years from these Afro Funk giants – but don't hold it against them, as the whole thing's pretty darn wonderful! There's a rich, vibrant sound here that really lives up to the group's legacy from years back – and production is right on the money to keep things right... read more

The title gets it perfectly right on this sweet little set – as the grooves are raw and stripped down – often just to the core elements of Afro Funk! The music may be the most hard-hitting we've ever heard from this legendary combo – and it's served up beautifully in this well-sel... read more

One of the most incredible African collections we've ever heard – almost more amazing than the African Scream Contest set from the same label! The package focuses on work by Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou – a group who really live up to their name, by bringing in a host of... read more

A really wonderful third album from Osibisa – and a record that really crystallizes the group's sound into a trademark blend of African roots and more progressive-styled jamming! There's a mode here that's perfect for the cross-cultural London of the post-colonial 70s – a style that... read more

An album that definitely packs a powerful punch – thanks to a compelling blend of sounds from both London and Kenya, brought together in a whole new formation of African groove! The album's a wicked reworking of an older aesthetic – in a spirit that's similar to the really inventive... read more

A motherlode of music from the legendary Tunji Oyelana – a key figure in Nigerian music from the late 60s onward – with an influence that's almost as important as Fela's! Tunji's style is pretty darn funky, but different too – almost a pan-African sort of range that encompasses... read more

A groovy little set – one that mixes up Afro Funk influences with bits of Italian sound library grooving – but all with a contemporary twist that's mighty nice! Guglielmo Pagnozzi handles alto sax, farfisa, and even some percussion – and his horn really dominates the sound on... read more

A weird little record from the Nigerian scene of the 70s – much more laidback than you might expect, and a set with a definite Jamaican influence too! At times, some of these tracks are almost more reggae than Afro Funk – although at other points, there's definitely the fierce energy... read more

A Spanish group, but one with a sound that's heavy on Afro Funk – served up here in a culturally criss-crossing way that really lives up to the enigmatic title! There's some exotic moments that definitely echo the ancient strains you'd hear in Ethiopian and Egyptian funk – mixed with... read more

Dramatic funk from 70s Iran – some really compelling grooves, set to rich vocals by the lovely Ramesh! The approach here definitely borrows bits from Western culture – some rhythms and elements that echo American mainstream soul and funk of the time, with moogy touches too – but... read more