An obscure later album from Wally Badarou, but one that still continues the wonderful vibe he served up on his Island Records material in the early 80s – a blend of Caribbean roots, funky soul, and some sweet electronic touches! The album is all instrumental, and blends percussion – both electric and acoustic – with basslines, keyboards, and some other instrumental touches along the way – all shaped with some global inspirations, but mostly groove-heavy, although in a nicely laidback way! If you dug Wally's work in years past, you'll find plenty to love here – on titles that include "The Lights Of Kinshasa", "Pictures Of You", "Keep On Tryin", "Dance In The Dust", "Amber Whispers", "Crystal Falls", and "Purple Lines". LP, Vinyl record album

A tough record to peg – but a great one too! Wally Badarou plays a range of spacey keyboards that include synclavier, mini moog, and prophet 5 – all over some beats that are a mix of electro and Carribean rhythms – in a style that's part jazzy, part new agey, and part 80s groove! The record's an unusual one, but it's pretty darn compelling – especially from a vantage point of the many years since it was recorded – because Badarou's clearly years ahead of his time, working here in a style that predates many changes to come in electronic music of the 21st century! Tracks include "Endless Race", "Jungle", "Rain", "Keys", "Mambo", and "Canyons". LP, Vinyl record album

Gwen Guthrie's first album for Island Records – a unique little soul set from the early 80s, recorded in Nassau with backing from Sly & Robbie – in a groove that's totally great! The rhythms here are really at the heart of the set – not in a way that eclipses Gwen's vocals, but which does plenty to make the record stand out from the pack at the time – in a groove that's partly clubby, mostly soulful, and which has some key elements from its Nassau connection! Other players on the date include Wally Badarou on keyboards and Sticky Thompson on percussion – and titles include "Peek A Boo", "Your Turn To Burn", "God Don't Like Ugly", "Dance Fever", "Getting Hot", "Your Turn To Burn", and "For You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums ever from Grace Jones – a record that has her shedding some of the disco excesses of earlier years, and moving into a great blend of sounds that really showcases the energy of the New York scene from which she sprang! The album was recorded in Nassau, with help from Sly Dunbar on drums, Robbie Shakespeare on bass, and Wally Badarou on keyboards – and most tunes have an edgier feel that makes Jones sound even darker than before. There's loads of great disco-not-disco moments – from the straight funk of "Pull Up To The Bumper" to the insane post-punk grooving of "Demolition Man" – to other tracks that include "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)", "Art Groupie", "Walking In The Rain", "Nightclubbing", and "Use Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums ever from Grace Jones – a record that has her shedding some of the disco excesses of earlier years, and moving into a great blend of sounds that really showcases the energy of the New York scene from which she sprang! The album was recorded in Nassau, with help from Sly Dunbar on drums, Robbie Shakespeare on bass, and Wally Badarou on keyboards – and most tunes have an edgier feel that makes Jones sound even darker than before. There's loads of great disco-not-disco moments – from the straight funk of "Pull Up To The Bumper" to the insane post-punk grooving of "Demolition Man" – to other tracks that include "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)", "Art Groupie", "Walking In The Rain", "Nightclubbing", and "Use Me". CD

A really funked-up batch of dancefloor tunes – produced with a uniquely cross-cultural approach! Ze Records diva Lizzy Mercier Descloux works here with influential post-disco, post-punk producer Steve Stanely – on a set of tunes cut in Nassau, with some great backing by a combo that includes Wally Badarou on keyboards. The resulting groove takes the skittish pan-club sound of the early 80s Ze Records scene, and infuses it with the hippest take on Jamaican rhythms of the time – resulting in a groundbreaking batch of tunes that were years ahead of their time! Titles include "Room Mate", "Sports Spootnicks", "Payola", "Funky Stuff", "Slipped Disc", "Lady O K'Pete", and "Bim Bam Boum". CD features bonus tracks "Maita", "Mister Soweto", "Sun Is Shining", "Don't You Try To Stop Me", and "Corpo Molli Pau Duro". CD

One of Grace Jones' best albums – recorded at a point when she was really beginning to stretch the boundaries of club music, crossing over with the early 80s post-punk/post-disco crowd through a melange of sounds that was all her own. The oveblown diva mode of her disco years is gone by this point – and in its place is a wonderfully stripped down sound that bubbles with influences from reggae, post-punk, and elsewhere! The set was recorded in Nassau, with rhythm from Sly, Robbie, and Wally Badarou – and titles include a fair bit of original numbers penned with Barry Reynolds. Tracks include "Nipple To The Bottle", "My Jamaican Guy", "The Apple Stretching", "Cry Now, Laugh Later", and "Inspiration". LP, Vinyl record album

A mini-LP, but one that packs more punch than most full length sets – thanks to a top-shelf lineup all the way through! The set's a project put together by Sly & Robbie, and recorded at Compass Point Studios – all with a groove that's kind of a dubbier take on the sound of New York dancefloors a the time – nicely bassy, slightly beaty, and topped with some really wonderful vocals from Gwen Guthrie! Larry Levan mixed the whole thing to perfection, giving it a real Paradise groove – and instrumentation is by Wally Badarou on synth, Harry Whitaker on keyboards, Darryl Thompson on guitars, and Jimmy Maelin on percussion. The set's kind of a mini-suite, based around a few key musical themes – and titles include "Padlock", "Hopscotch", "Seventh Heaven", "Peanut Butter" and "Getting Hot". CD also features 6 more bonus tracks – "Hopscotch (Larry Levan rmx inst)", "Getting Hot (original 12" version)", "Padlock (album mix of Portrait)", "Seventh Heaven (album mix of Portrait)", "Hopscotch (album mix of Portrait)", and "Peanut Butter (original 12" version)". CD

An overlooked gem from the 80s years of Fela Kuti – and a set that has the Afro Funk genius working with strong studio help from Wally Badarou! The vibe's still as fierce and frenetic as Fela's classic material – each track takes up a full side of the record, with lots of hard rhythms, long instrumental solos, and righteous lyrics – but Badarou has a way of fleshing out the sound without making things sound clunky or commercial – using the some of the subtle elements of his own records, in ways that really bring out the darkness in the tunes! These effects are subtle, but powerful – and maybe work better with Fela than any other producer in the 80s. Titles include "Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense" and "Look & Laugh". (Global Grooves, Soul) CD

One of Grace Jones' best albums – recorded at a point when she was really beginning to stretch the boundaries of club music, crossing over with the early 80s post-punk/post-disco crowd through a melange of sounds that was all her own. The oveblown diva mode of her disco years is gone by this point – and in its place is a wonderfully stripped down sound that bubbles with influences from reggae, post-punk, and elsewhere! The set was recorded in Nassau, with rhythm from Sly, Robbie, and Wally Badarou – and titles include a fair bit of original numbers penned with Barry Reynolds. Tracks include "Nipple To The Bottle", "My Jamaican Guy", "The Apple Stretching", "Cry Now, Laugh Later", and "Inspiration". CD

One of our favorite albums ever from Grace Jones – a record that has her shedding some of the disco excesses of earlier years, and moving into a great blend of sounds that really showcases the energy of the New York scene from which she sprang! The album was recorded in Nassau, with help from Sly Dunbar on drums, Robbie Shakespeare on bass, and Wally Badarou on keyboards – and most tunes have an edgier feel that makes Jones sound even darker than before. There's loads of great disco-not-disco moments – from the straight funk of "Pull Up To The Bumper" to the insane post-punk grooving of "Demolition Man" – to other tracks that include "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)", "Art Groupie", "Walking In The Rain", "Nightclubbing", and "Use Me". 2CD set is filled with great bonus material – 13 more titles that include "Me I Disconnect From You", "Use Me (long version)", "Demolition Man (12" version)", "Pull Up To The Bumper (long version)", "Walking In The Rain (12" version)", "I've Seen That Face Before (12" version)", "Peanut Butter (inst)", "I You Wanna Be My Lover", "Feel Up (ext rmx)", "Pull Up To The Bumper (1985 rmx)", and "Esta Cara Me Es Conocida". CD

A crossover classic from Level 42 – a set that catapulted the soulful British group into international stardom! The tunes are catchy, filled with electro bits, and produced with some great bubbling touches from Wally Badarou – whose hand in the studio really keeps things from ever getting too cheesy, despite the commercial fame of the set. There's a balance here that's hard to describe, but it's one that's allowed the record to hold up well over the years – almost waiting to be rediscovered by a younger generation who'd appreciate whole other aspects in the music. Titles include "World Machine", "Physical Presence", "It's Not The Same For Us", "Lying Still", "Coup D'Etat", "Dream Crazy", and "Good Man In A Storm". CD

A crossover classic from Level 42 – a set that catapulted the soulful British group into international stardom! The tunes are catchy, filled with electro bits, and produced with some great bubbling touches from Wally Badarou – whose hand in the studio really keeps things from ever getting too cheesy, despite the commercial fame of the set. There's a balance here that's hard to describe, but it's one that's allowed the record to hold up well over the years – almost waiting to be rediscovered by a younger generation who'd appreciate whole other aspects in the music. Titles include "World Machine", "Physical Presence", "It's Not The Same For Us", "Lying Still", "Coup D'Etat", "Dream Crazy", and "Good Man In A Storm". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album by the Tom Tom Club – showing this Talking Heads spinoff project as way more than a fluke! The sound here is similar to the first – a sing-song blend of rhythms that's got one foot in the island and one in the street, peppered with a quirky approach overall that makes for some very nice tunes. Wally Badarou gets in some nice work on the album, and tracks include "Pleasure Of Love", "Never Took A Penny", "On The Line Again", "This Is A Foxy World", and "The Man With The 4 Way Hips". LP, Vinyl record album

Early work from Gwen Guthrie – produced by Sly & Robbie, but with a sweet modern soul sound that's got a lot less of their influence than you'd guess! The sound is much more New York than Jamaica – and that's probably due to some great instrumental backing on keyboards by the likes of Harry Whitaker, Bernie Worrell, and Wally Badarou – all massive talents that bring a nice sweet jazzy sound to the best cuts on the record. There's a definite 80s sing-song groove going on – in that not-yet-top-of-the-charts soul sound that you'd hear on the better small urban stations at the time – moving back and forth nicely, in a strong link between the mainstream and the underground clubs! Tracks include "Hopscotch", "Seventh Heaven", "Oh What A Life", "Younger Than Me", and a nice cover of Sly Stone's "Family Affair". CD features 3 bonus tracks too – "Padlock (Larry Levan special mix)", "Hopscotch (Larry Levan rmx inst)", and "Peanut Butter (Larry Levan special mix)". CD