Global Grooves — In Stock

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A 12" single, but one that's nearly got an album's worth of grooves – thanks to two super-extended Afro Funk numbers, back to back! "BFBF" may be the greatest tune we've heard so far from these guys – a cut that's even tighter and more focused than the work on their ... read more 12-inch, Vinyl record

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Rare soul from 70s Kenya – music that's quite different than the usual Afro Funk of the period, and which has a sound that's more in the mode of American southern soul! Slim Ali since throughout, mostly in English – and it's clear that he's learned plenty from Tennessee soul of the ... read more CD

A seminal set that really put Tony Allen back on top – a record that showed that Allen was way more than just Fela's drummer, or another Afro Funk artist in general – but instead a really free-thinking, deep-concept musician overall! The album comes from key time that Allen spent on ... read more CD

A seminal set that really put Tony Allen back on top – a record that showed that Allen was way more than just Fela's drummer, or another Afro Funk artist in general – but instead a really free-thinking, deep-concept musician overall! The album comes from key time that Allen spent on ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Unusual sounds from Alpay – an artist who perfectly shows the unique east/west crossroads that ran through the Turkish scene of the 70s! At one level, Alpay's as Western as you might guess from his look on the cover – and attempts here to serve up rockish tracks aimed at the mainstream ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

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 CD

A series of longer tracks from 70s Nigerian artist Alhaji Amuda – served up in two extended song medleys that both feature lots of low-end percussion and chanted vocals! Given the lack of real liner notes, it's hard to say what's going on here – but overall, the music is a fair bit ... read more CD

Stunning Afro Funk from this incredible combo – as great as anything from the 70s, and maybe even better! The album's the second full length release from New York's Antibalas Liberation Orchestra – and like the first, it's an insanely wonderful batch of funk tunes that follows fiercely ... read more CD

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Great Ghana grooves from the 70s – a smoking set that features some lead vocals from Christie Azuma, but lots more sweet sounds from The Uppers International Dance Band – a really well-titled combo, given the positive spirit of their music! The tunes bubble along wonderfully in this ... read more CD

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An amazing groove from the legendary Amadou Balake – music that's got this tight focus that has everything coming down together right in the middle – from basslines to percussion to some mighty skittish guitar! The rhythmic lines here are even sharper than in other Afro Funk from the ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

The most focused and stylistically linear set yet from Balkan Beat Box –who really focus and their box of beats without sacrificing the globally inspired eclecticism – with loads of propulsive beatcraft and synthy funk in the mix! This is a move that makes a whole lot of sense for BBB ... read more CD

Rousing soukous from Tanzania! Throughout east Africa Congolese rumba remains a major force, Dar Es Salaam, in particular, has long been a hotbed for those Cuban-tinged sounds and the great Bana Maquis represents one of the best contemporary exponents of the tradition. Singer and band leader ... read more CD

With a singer this obscure, you might take the word "essential" in the title a bit loosely – but the set is a stunning batch of work from this popular Thai vocalist of the 70s! Dao Bandon's voice is amazing right from the start, even if you can't understand the language (although ... read more CD

With a singer this obscure, you might take the word "essential" in the title a bit loosely – but the set is a stunning batch of work from this popular Thai vocalist of the 70s! Dao Bandon's voice is amazing right from the start, even if you can't understand the language (although ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

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The second album from Batida, and even more crackling than the first – bristling beats, bubbling electronics, and a strongly Brazilian undercurrent – all blended together in the best contemporary styles we've been hearing from the Soundway label of late! Vocals are by a shifting lineup ... read more CD

The second album from Batida, and even more crackling than the first – bristling beats, bubbling electronics, and a strongly Brazilian undercurrent – all blended together in the best contemporary styles we've been hearing from the Soundway label of late! Vocals are by a shifting lineup ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

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Totally cool, totally amazing music from the enigmatic Francis Bebey – a contemporary on the early 80s African scene of William Onyeabor, and an equally experimental artists! Bebey used a fair bit of electronics, but often with sounds that had acoustic roots – in this case, the ultra ... read more CD

Totally cool, totally amazing music from the enigmatic Francis Bebey – a contemporary on the early 80s African scene of William Onyeabor, and an equally experimental artists! Bebey used a fair bit of electronics, but often with sounds that had acoustic roots – in this case, the ultra ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

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Sweet Bollywood funk – great edits of two tracks from the Bombay Disco 2 compilation – both of which really extend the groove! The legendary Asha Bhosle sings on "Jab Chaye" – a tune with soaring strings, heavy drums, and a killer sort of snap in the rhythms – ... read more 12-inch, Vinyl record

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 CD

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 CD

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One of the most solid albums we've ever heard on the Sublime Frequencies label – a studio recording by a group with a really great approach to their music – a style that mixes classic Afro Funk elements with rootsier elements on the instrumentation! The grooves are tight, but the sound ... read more CD

One of the most solid albums we've ever heard on the Sublime Frequencies label – a studio recording by a group with a really great approach to their music – a style that mixes classic Afro Funk elements with rootsier elements on the instrumentation! The grooves are tight, but the sound ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

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 CD

Maybe the funkiest albums ever from Marius Cultier – and definitely one of the records that perfectly shows off his wonderful post-colonial blend of sounds! There's bits of funk from both sides of the Atlantic going on here – roots in both Africa and the Caribbean, but fused through ... read more CD

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A strong live set from the great Paco DeLucia – one that has his sublime acoustic guitar sounds really ringing out in the large space of a theater – which creates a slightly different vibe than some of his more close-up studio records of the 70s! DeLucia is extremely commanding in this ... read more CD

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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 CD

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Incredibly funky work from Manu Dibango – a set that's easily as great as his classic Soul Makossa album – but which is a lot more obscure overall! The work's got a fiercely-jamming quality all the way through – lots of rumbling percussion at the bottom, and also a bit of ... read more CD

An album of Manu Dibango's that was released after his big hit "Soul Makossa", but which was actually recorded before, in a very heavy Afro Funk mode! Manu plays organ and piano, as well as his usual soprano sax, and the tracks include "Weya", "Tom Tom", "Pepe ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Really unique music from Aby Ngana Diop – a poet as much as a singer – and one who speaks here over some really raw, really driving music that's plenty heavy on percussion! The sound is quite different than other Senegalese styles you might know from the time – as the sabar and ... read more CD

Really unique music from Aby Ngana Diop – a poet as much as a singer – and one who speaks here over some really raw, really driving music that's plenty heavy on percussion! The sound is quite different than other Senegalese styles you might know from the time – as the sabar and ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Great traditional sounds from Mali! Djigui Traore, a member of the Minianka ethnic group, is a master of the m'bolon, a fascinating native instrument that's a distant cousin of the more familiar n'goni. It's a three-stringed rhythmic instrument with antelope skin covering a gourd resonator played ... read more CD

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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 LP, Vinyl record album

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