A damn soulful album from Ghanaian percussionist Rim Kwaku Obeng – recorded in LA at the end of the 70s, with loads of sweet clubby touches in the mix! Rim gets in plenty of tight percussion – lots of which showcases his rim-heavy approach to the drums – and also plays keyboards and sings a bit too – in a larger group that mixes in some very hip LA funky elements, a bit like some of the criss-crossing that Hugh Masekela did on his Chisa Records sessions! The style makes for a great bit of funky club with lots of deeper acoustic percussion elements in the sound – and titles include the massive break classic "Funky Drummer", plus "Nothing Is Free", "Spend Your Money", "Gas Line", "Sunkwa", and "Believe In Yourself". Special package – also includes the bonus 12" tracks "International Funk (voc)", and "International Funk (inst)". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully heavy sounds from Black Market Brass – a group who started out with more of a global funk approach, but who emerge here with the intensity of some lost funky soundtrack – all with the sort of edge you might expect from the cover! The style here is really revolutionary – unlike anything else we've ever heard from a group with "brass" in their name – in part because the group has some very cool distortion on the keyboards and guitar, which gives those electric elements a very sinister sound next to the straight ahead fire of the horns – served up with really hard-driving rhythms throughout, in a way that seems to pull together older traditions of Afro Funk, Nola Brass, and even some of the southern college bands – but all with a very 21st Century vision. Titles include "So Who (parts 1 & 2)", "Into The Thick", "War Room", "Cheat & Start A Fight", "Undying Thirst", and "NBT". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest records we've ever heard from Japanese drummer Akira Ishikawa – even wilder than some of his famous funk sessions of the time! The set definitely lives up to its African Rock promise – as it features lots of sparely percussive tracks that build beautifully – clearly drawing from African inspiration, in the same way that other albums by Akira drew from American funk – then also adding in some cool production and hip effects that help further some of the "rock" side of the agenda! At points, the record almost feels like a solo percussion jam – but at others, the guitars really get heavy, with a jamming intensity that's simply mindblowing. There's lots of psychedelic overtones when the guitars come in – and they make for a wicked contrast with some of the more organic, percussion-oriented moments. All tunes are nice and long, and titles include the extended break cut "Pigmy", plus "Vita", "Na Tu Penda Sana", and "Wanyamana Mapambazuko". (Jazz, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

The Kim Trio have a very 70s-styled look on the cover, and come across with a very similar vibe on record – a groovy update of older Korean pop harmony modes, but served up with instrumentation that's heavy on keyboards, and almost gives the group a loungey sort of vibe! The three siblings harmonize nicely at times, and let individual members take the lead at others – and instrumentation is tight, with almost a pre-disco sort of vibe – lots of fast drums, riffing guitar, and keyboard lines – and more than enough bassbits to keep things grooving! Titles include "Graffiti", "The Waterfront", "Young Girl", "You In My Dream", "What Am I To Do", "Goodbye To You", "Not Lonely", and "To The Sky's Edge". (Rock, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A really joyous album from the Kenyan scene at the end of the 70s – a set that has cascading group vocals even more in the lead than percussion and guitar – yet all delivered with this light, compact style that gives the whole record a really fluid sense of energy! Both presentation and production are nicely lean for the time – especially given some of the modes that were coming into play in the West African scene – and the whole approach really makes the whole thing almost feel more like some sort of spontaneous musical collaboration than a record that was cut in the studio for EMI. Titles include "Mapenzi Tele", "Pole Na Safari", "Rosa Wa Tanzania", and "Caren Atieno". LP, Vinyl record album

The best album in years from Seun Kuti – recorded live in the studio, with no overdubs at all – in a way that really lives up to the best sound of his legacy in music! Tracks are all nice and long, and as spontaneous as they are hard-grooving – a perfect update of older Afro Funk modes from the 70s, refitted with newer ideas and an important sense of message in the music – one that comes through not just in the lyrics and the instrumentation, but also in the overall collaborative cohesion of the group in this setting! All tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Struggle Sounds", "Bad Man Lighter", "Black Times", and "Theory Of Goat & Yam". LP, Vinyl record album

There's maybe more jazz here than folk – some incredible work on horns amidst the percussion and guitars of the large lineup of Super Biton De Segou – a legendary group from Mali, and one whose roots are given great presentation in this double-length set! The music has a rawness that's different than work from other parts of the West African scene at the time – maybe not so much as to be folksy, but with a strong highlight of acoustic instrumentation, and very unassuming production that gives these tracks an honest sense of power after all these years. Titles include "Bouguel", "Nantan", "Djiri Maridie", "Kibaru 75", "Mariana", "Moriba", "Waraba Tchatcho", and "Farafina". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that really lives up to its title, and one that brings together a host of rare singles from this legendary group – all of which are maybe even funkier than some of the tracks on their albums of the time! The bulk of the record is from very rare 7" singles issued on the Albarika Store label, and the set's completed by two rare compilation cuts as well – and the result is a record that's overflowing with hard-edged gems that really show off the unique funky sound of the TP Orchestra Poly Rhythmo – lots of heavy drums at the bottom, cool criss-crossing organ lines, and a style that's a lot leaner than that of Fela and some of his contemporaries. Titles include "Mi Si Ba To", "Minko E So Non Moin", "Gbeti Ma Diro", "Segla", "Kou Tche Kpo So O", "Mi Ve Wa Se", and "Aiha Ni Kpe We". LP, Vinyl record album

David Byrne waited a full decade before giving the world a follow up to his original Beleza Tropical collection of funky Brazilian music – yet during that time, it's also clear that he learned a lot more about the scene – and was able to pick up on some very hip artists who were much more contemporary than the first time around! The record has a fair bit of late 90s gems from a time when Brazilian music was really catching fire again – inspired both by its own experiments of the past, and new attention to its more groundbreaking styles by artists up north – which then seemed to let loose a new era of fresh sounds and styles! The set's got a total of 15 tracks in all – and titles include "O Seu Olhar" by Arnaldo Antunes, "Coriosidade" by Tom Ze, "Tanacara" by Gonzaguinha, "Balanca Pema" by Marisa Monte, "Acho" by Carlos Carega, "Bog La Bog" by Carlinhos Brown, "Pregoes Do Rio" by Moleque De Rua, "Batuque" by Daniela Mercury, "Hoje Eu Quero Sair So" by Lenine, and "Rios, Pontes, & Overdrives" by Chico Science. (Brazil, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Dj Qbico usually gives us grooves from other parts of the planet – but here, he focuses on rare vintage singles from the US – but all tracks that borrow nicely from other styles around the globe! In other words, the set features American artists working with touches of Eastern, Mid-Eastern, African, or South American elements in their music – often in a cool hybrid that involves plenty of jazz or soul as well, and which, given that most of these are 45s, stand as precursors to longer-form musical experiments to come at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s. Titles on this part 2 include "Mambo Arribique" by Otis Freeman, "Champs Jerk" by M Ali, "Man Want Water" by Elmer Crumbley, "Funk Key" by Jacobs Kelly, "There Will Be Light" by Free Form Experiment, "Your Autumn Of Tomorrow" by The Crow, "Bo Did It" by The Hidden Cast, and "Honkey Tonk Junk" by Pervis Herden. (Funky Compilations, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Iranian garage rock – kind of hard to believe at first, but a surprising musical discovery overall! The package documents a very overlooked scene – rock bands from late 60s Iran who were clearly inspired by the American underground of the time – working in a heady brew of guitar, organ, bass, and drums – usually with vocals in the local dialect, but a rockish groove that owes plenty to the US. There's less Eastern elements in the music than you'd find in Arabesk rock from Turkey – although some tunes here do have an exotic flavor at points, and really stand out from the rest. Yet even on the straighter numbers, the difference in language really gives these tunes an odd sort of feel – almost unsettling as you try to reach for familiar elements, then find them different in the end. Titles include "Mehtaab" by The Littles, "Shekar Dar Kohestan" by The Golden Ring, "Hadjime Khali" by Kourosh, "Raks Raks Raks" by Moha Jamin, "Meekshi Manoo" by The Flowers, "Dance Music" by Penahi, and "4 x 8 Jadeed" by The Littles. Comes with full note in English, too! (Rock, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest entries in the Red Hot series so far – a set of tracks dedicated to the legendary Fela Kuti – felled by AIDS after years of influential grooves – still being felt strongly by the rich array of artists collected in the set! Most tracks are contemporary, but feature a strong influence of the 70s modes of Fela's generation – those sharp percussive lines at the bottom of the tracks, soaring Afro-styled horn passages, and a righteous energy that really drives the whole thing all the way through! The package was put together in support of AIDS/HIV awareness, but is hardly an act of charity – as it's overflowing with great cuts that more than make the set stand as an Afro Funk collection on its own. Most tracks are remakes of older Fela numbers – and titles include "Buy Africa" by Baloiji & L'Orchestre De A Katuba, "Yellow Fever" by Spoek Mathambo & Zaki Ibrahim, ""Gentleman" by Just A Band & Baja, "Go Slow" by King, "Sorro Tears & blood" by Kronos Quartet & Kyp Malone, "Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am" by My Morning Jacket, "Afrodisco Beat 2013" by Tony Allen & M1, and "Lady" by Tune Yards, ?uestlove, and Angelique Kidjo. LP, Vinyl record album

Weird and wonderful grooves from the Taiwanese scene – tracks that definitely echo some of the disco and funky soul modes of the American market in the 70s, but which have plenty of strange twists and turns of their own! The vibe here is a bit like other collections of Southeast Asian pop hybrids from the 60s and 70s – material that's clearly influenced by the Anglo culture of the time, but which has plenty of localized touches – not just in language and instrumentation, but also in terms of production styles, which gives a lot of these tracks a really cool sound. Titles are all in Taiwanese, but we can say that the set features work from Tian Lu Lu, Liu Guan Lin, Wu Xiu Zhu, Luo Yan Li, Hua Yi Bao, Cui Tai Jing, and others. LP, Vinyl record album