Global Grooves — In Stock — LPs  

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

Amazing work from a legendary Peruvian guitarist – an electric player who works here with a really wonderful sense of groove – and often an echoey tone that's completely sublime! Most numbers have this bouncy, tropical sort of vibe – but the guitar really gives them all an edge,... 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

Amazing sounds from one of the best funky combos anywhere – ever! Antibalas have certainly risen to fame in the years since we first heard their Afro-styled grooves – working famously in the Fela musical, and reaching generations of ears with their own brilliant records. Yet... read more

The most outwardly political album to date from Antibalas – and quite possibly the funkiest one too! The set's got the group really grooving hard in their 70s Afro Funk-inspired vein – jamming at a level that would make Fela Kuti blush – working together with a fierce array of... read more

The collected work of a mighty trippy group from the Indian scene – a psychedelic combo who worked in the 70s, but who had the same sort of edge you'd hear from the American and British scenes of the late 60s! In truth, there's a fair bit of Anglo influence going on in the music – not... read more

A great album that Roy Ayers cut after his co-led record with Fela Kuti – and one with the same sort of hard-driving Afro-Funk grooves that you'd find in Fela's classic recordings! The songs are shorter than Fela's, and with more of Roy's usual smooth jazzy production style – but the... 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

A really unique little record – and one with a trans-Atlantic heritage too! The sounds here are all from Martinique, but are heavy in African roots as well – and offer up a criss-crossing of rhythmic and tropical modes that's mighty unique! The grooves have some vocals, but are often... read more

Groovy Eastern sounds from John Berberian – a musician we know from more rockish projects, but who steps out here on a relatively traditional set of tunes! As you'd guess from the title, Berberian's instrument is the oud – that weird stringed instrument we probably know best from Ahmed... 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 70s Afro Funk classic from Blo – really trippy grooves from this legendary Nigerian trio – and arguably their greatest album ever! Rhythms here are tremendous – not the usual sort of Afro style, and instead tightly focused at the roots, and coming off with this blistering blend... 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

How this burningly bad set has remained under wraps for so long is beyond us, but thanks to the folks at Honest Jon's, it's been brought to the much needed light of day! An excellent set collecting work from throughout the career of Cedric Im Brooks, spanning a wide assortment of styles, but all... read more

Not the Caravan group of Brit jazz rock fame, but a later Thai combo – working here in sharp protest of American military action in Southeast Asia during the 70s! The set's got a really unique regional flavor – a folksy blend of acoustic instruments and voices that often has guitar... read more

An incredible album of Eastern instrumentation and funky rock breaks – served up as one of the headiest studio sessions to come from the LA scene of the late 60s! The Ceylieb People work in the same territory as Devil's Anvil or The Orient Express – a blend of fuzzy psychedelia with... 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

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

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

Nicely priced reissue of this classic first album by the legendary British dub funk outfit Cymande – done with that gatefold cover and everything! A key part of the crumbling British colonial network that produced some excellent music in the postwar years, Cymande was comprised mostly of... read more

The second album of dubby funk by the legendary Cymande! This monster funk combo had a totally unique sound, with rolling bassy-grooves, and a very nice stoner-funk feel that had distinct Jamaican influences. This album's got some of their best tracks like "Anthracite", "Fug",... 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

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... 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

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

A fantastic bit of rare funk from Manu Dibango – originally scored for a film that starred Greg Morris, Ruby Dee, and Ossie Davis – but every bit as funky as Manu's own work of the time! The tunes are all very firmly in the best style of his earliest work of the 70s, with loads of... 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

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

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 second album from Ghana's K. Frimpong – backed by the group Vis-a-Vis (though billed in the title as his Cubano Fiestas) – a stunning blend of Ghanian Highlife music and rawer Afro Funk & soul! A few K. Frimpong numbers appeared on some of our favorite African... 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

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

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

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

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

``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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

An amazing new sound from Kokolo – one that takes their Afro Funk groove, and turns it on a host of James Brown classics – all with a result that's completely unique! The album's hardly a copycat of James' original style – and instead, it reworks his funky favorites with a... 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

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

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

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

Afro-inspired funk from Sydney's Liberators – impressive, energetic funky music from the fertile Oz scene! The feverish intensity of Afro Funk is certainly a big part of the equation, but there's ultimately a boundless funk & soul backdrop here – with some soundtracky grooves, slow... read more

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

A beautiful album from the Lijadu Sisters to cap off the 70s – and it's among their best ever! Horizon Unlimited is a nice blend of their soulful, harmony-rich vocals with lots of talking drum and electric bass in the mix – along with some other spacey soul touches! Their inspiration... read more

The amazing second album from the Lijadu Sisters – and even more amazing than the first! Like their debut, there's a sound here that's unlike anything else we can think of from the 70s African scene – but the groove is even more complex, and has a truly unique quality that's almost... read more

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

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

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

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

Pure insanity from the mighty Mulatu – one of his few American albums from the 60s! The record's an incredible blend of New York Latin and some of the more Afro-styled grooves Mulatu explored more freely on his Ethiopian recordings – served up in a jazzy style that has plenty of vibes... read more

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... read more

Pan-African rhythms from Ray Stephen Oche – topped with some great jazzy elements as well! The set's one of Ray's classics from the Paris scene – a set that draws heavily from his Nigerian roots, yet also takes full advantage of the wider cultural vibe going on in France at the time... read more

Colombian music, both classic and contemporary – as a group of older all-star players comes into contact with Will "Quantic" Holland! The set's easily one of the most smoking Latin-styled projects we've heard from Quantic so far – recorded in Colombia with work from Fruko,... 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

We'd never come across Orient Express before, one of the rare rock-oriented acts on the Mainsteam jazz label in the late 60s and 70s – but after a spin of this super rare hybrid of heavy psychedelic rock, HUGE percussion and electric Eastern string effects we're hooked! The group mixes heavy... 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

An excellent set from Tito – very funky, unlike most of his other work from the time! The record has a great electric vibe to it – thanks to a hip bass player in the group, to Charlie Palmieri, who plays organ and electric piano on the record, and to Tito himself, who's never sounded... read more

Amazing grooves like you've never heard before – the seminal sides by Salah Ragab and his Cairo Jazz Band! As you can probably guess from their name, the ensemble was an Egyptian one – working at the end of the 60s in an incredible blend of jazz and more traditional Egyptian-styled... read more

A pivotal piece of Mali music history – the first LP by The Rail Band – the Orchestre Rail-Band D Bamako album from 1970! This legendary material comes from their early days from their time at the Station Hotel of Bamako and were sponsored by Mali's Ministry Of Information –... 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

Kind of an amazing collaboration – a core group that features Tony Allen, Damon Albarn, and Flea – with guest appearances by Erykah Badu, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Fatoumata Diawara, M.anifest, Cheick Tidiane Seck, and Thundercat! The sound of the set is surprisingly wonderful –... read more

The first-ever recording from this legendary Senegalese band – unissued for years, and finally brought to light in this beautiful package! The set was recorded live in 1979 as a night club performance – and because of that, it's got a really cooking sound right from the start – a... read more

Plenty of fuzz and plenty of spirit – a wonderful debut from this African group of the 70s – a combo who work here with equal parts of influence from Jimi Hendrix and some of the other Zamrock groups of the time! Lyrics are in English, and have this blue-toned quality that's really... read more

Rare Afro Rock from Nigeria's Semi-Colon group – and it's an astonishingly strong record! It's got fuzzy guitar grooves and spacey electic piano that are indebted to the global psych soul and rock scenes of the late 60s and early 70s – but the rhythmic sensibility, percussion and... read more

Funky Afro Soul from Oz – the brilliant full length debut of Shaolin Afronauts! Flight Of The Ancients blasts off from the bedrock of 70s West Africa and Ethio funk influences, but their one of the rare few combos who pull it off without it feeling like a retread of past glories. Part of... read more

Ragas and disco – an amazing little combination, with results that are greater than the sum of its parts! This album's hardly the cheesy affair you might expect – and instead of just adding a few typical Indian flourishes to disco music, Charanjit Singh comes up with a unique new... read more

Sublime sounds from the scene in 70s Mali – music that's an amazing hybrid of styles, and which has made this album a collector's treasure for years! There's echoes of familiar Mali modes in the music – especially in the group's use of blue notes – both in the guitar lines, and... read more

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 –... read more

Ebo Taylor at his finest – stepping out here in a wicked set of work from the 70s – filled with upbeat rhythms, sweet instrumental touches, and a heck of a lot of soul! There's a bubbling undercurrent in the rhythms that's almost Caribbean at times, yet the overall groove is a lot... read more

An early gem from Ghana legend Ebo Taylor – a smoking little set with a really hypnotic feel overall! The tracks here are all nice and long – and build energy with kind of a minimal layering of sound – an approach that's different than some of the longer Nigerian jams you might... read more

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... read more

The first album by trippy Turkish trio 3 Hur El – a great blend of Eastern sounds and western styles – all coming together with a slightly progressive feel! The instrumentation often includes some heavy basslines underneath lighter lines on acoustic strings – a blend of folksy... read more

Incredible late work from the great West African dance band Vis-A-Vis – a brilliant set from 1977 that demonstrates good and well why the band were so greatly in demand both live and in the studio! The group had spent quite a bit of time backing the great Ghanaian singer K. Frimpong in the... read more

Amazing music from the legendary Barney Wilen – previously unreleased African recordings, done around the same time as his classic Moshi album! Although Wilen was best known as a hardbop giant in both his later and early years, the late 60s also marked a period of really rich experimentation... read more

Yes!! It's as if the folks at Honest Jon's have unearthed a great lost Fela session, and for all intents and purposes, they have! Mr Big Mouth is a session written and led by trumpeter Tunde Williams, a mainstay in Fela's group for many years and one of the most distinctive voices in the horn... read more

Tripped-out and wonderful sounds from Witch – served up in this excellent early record from the Zamrock kings of the 70s! Lyrics are in English, and have these dark tones that work perfectly with the group's offbeat guitar and organ lines – sometimes mixed here with acoustic guitar... read more

Global psychedelic grooves from Zambia – the tripped out sounds of Witch! Witch works in a killer rock groove on Lazy Bones, with furious rhythms, heavy drums and fuzzed out guitars. It's all nice and raw and done with a really heady and fierce sense of groove – but there's some more... read more

The fourth album from Zambian psych-prog-funk greats Witch! Lukombo Vibes finds the group conjuring up more African sounds than on their earlier records – but it's still stirring it up from a globally flavored cauldron. The keyboards as spacey and out there as ever – done with a proggy... read more

Melodic psychedelia from 70s Iran – an incredible full scale anthology of recordings by guitarist and vocalist Kourosh Yaghmaei from the pre-revolution years – and an absolute treasure! Kouroush often recorded with his brothers – Kourosh singing lead and playing guitars or bass... read more

Some of the hippest sounds ever recorded on the Afghan scene – and a great reminder that the nation's got some standout music if you know where to look! The package is the third whopping volume in Pharaway's look at Ahmad Zahir – a charismatic singer who rose to huge fame in the 70s,... read more

A great summation of the Afro-Portuguese sound – with work from Lisbon, Angola, Sao Tome, and Cape Verde too! The grooves are a mix of sambas, rumbas, and more rootsy modes – and titles include "Tulipa Negra" by Tulipa Negra, "Luis Kandihnha" by Pedro Ramos, "Ma... read more