Global Grooves — LPs  

Early work from a group who later grew into the famous Ikenga Super Stars Of Africa – recording here in London with a great raw sound – and an unusual mix of modes that's part Afro Funk, part something else entirely! The set's got that unique post-colonial vibe of some of the other great London recordings of the early 70s – such as work by Cymande or Demon Fuzz, both of whom have some dubby similarities to the Nkengas work on this set – possibly because the whole thing was served up for the Orbitone Records label – usually a home to sounds from Jamaica! There's a nice use of echo that really abstracts the basslines and percussion – although the grooves themselves are still more straightforward than any from Kingston at the time – and definitely echo the Nigerian roots of the group. Tracks have a lot of cool little funky corners and sharp edges that really set them apart – and titles include "London Special", "Ndu Bu Isi", "Anyi Bundi Igbo", "Jungle Beat", "Anyi Buofu", and "Ube Frank Special".

Driving rhythms, heavy percussion, funk and psychedelia filtered through native Haitian and more Caribbean-inflected music - the great Respect LP by the Tabou Combo de Petion-Ville! The handful of records we've been lucky enough to hear over the years by the group have all been exceptional – and this may very well be the best of them! The dexterity of the musicians – the exciting percussion backdrop and these spindly, swirling and hypnotic electric guitars are especially impressive – but everything's really, really great. There are impassioned lead vocals and sweet group backup, some accordion and more instrumentation – with songs that balance moving melodies with some surprisingly tripped out bits of echo and other atmospherics. Titles include "Respect", "Minouche", "Maria", "Alle Lave", "Ti Gran Mou'n", "Bebe Paramount", "Plus Pres De Toi" and "Compas Popcorn".

A world of rhythmic, danceable sounds from George Danquah – the legendary Ghanaian guitarist, composer and bandleader who had earlier played and/or toured with Benya Beats, Blue Monks and Uhuru Dance Band and other brilliant groups – and this rare mid 70s set is the only album billed to Danquah that we've ever been lucky enough to hear! It's amazing stuff and covers broad stylistic terrain while holding together strongly. There's some fairly straight up, yet uniquely arranged Afro Funk & soul, some reggae inspired rhythms, percussion driven gems and strains of highlife. Danquah plays guitar and handles the conducting and arranging, backed by a core of trumpet, tenor sax, organ, bass, drums and conga – with some vocals, wah wah guitar and flute. Includes "Mbesiafo (Part One)", "African Reggae", "Just For A Moment", "Araba Soso Wo Ndzema", "Chain Of Love", "Why Worry – Let's Do 'Highlife'", "Mbesiafo (Part Two – Vocal)", "Mese Medo No" and "Onyame Sane".

Early to mid 70s Persian Funk – a nicely compiled set featuring some of the funkiest music released on Iran's Ahang Rooz label from the early-to-mid 70s! It's got instrumental stormers and vocal numbers – in Farsi and English – funk and soul steeped Persian grooves from an incredible period for modern music in the Middle East! Ahang Rooz rose up during a much different period in Iran, when government's Ministry Of Culture nurtured the label and grew to release albums by the biggest acts in the region. From the outset, the label produced music that blended regional folk styles and instrumentation with globally popular genres. Secret Stash celebrates the funky stuff for Persian Funk – be it straight forward or global pop and psych infused. Includes a few great covers, include Martik's take on Stevie Wonder's "Past Time Paradise" and Googoosh's raw and funky version of "Respect" – and other tracks include "Cheshm Be Rah" by Shohreh, "Hard Groove" by Ahamaizadeh, "Soul Raga" by Mehrpouya, "Prison Song" by Shahram Shabpareh, "Del Dare Pir Misheh" by Kourosh Yaghmaei, "Morteza" by Morteza and more. 11 in all.

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 – the same sort of heavy, dark-tinged groups you'd hear from Cymande or Demon Fuzz – both of whom are a great comparison to the sound of this group! Bass is very heavy in the mix – not dubby, but really rumbling right from the start of each tune – and helping to set up the complicated percussion patterns, fuzzy guitar bits, and nicely trippy vocals – all of which are recorded in just the right way to make the sum of the elements sound like way more than the parts. Titles include "Afro Funk", "Tei Egwu", "Hot Love", "Farewell To Ibusa", and "Try & Try".

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 of some more familiar Nigerian music of the period – making for a really cool blend that sets this album strongly apart from most of its contemporaries! Production is great – not really dubby, but kind of spread-out – in ways that make the Afro-styled numbers really sparkle strongly – and which trips out some of the more Jamaican sounding grooves. Titles include "Papa's Black Dog", "Lahila", "Elizabeth", "Come Back Again", "My Home", and "Jahojah Comfort Me".