Sweet organ and guitar do a mighty nice dance together at the start of "Kyenkyen Bi Adi" – then these wicked beats come in, all snapping and syncopated – while horns carve out this nicely exotic vibe over the top! "Heaven" is a tune that certainly lives up to its name – with a heavenly groove way down at the bottom – as organ, bass, and drums bubble together to great this great ground-up approach to Afro Funk! (Funky 45's, Global Grooves) 7-inch, Vinyl record

(Soul, Global Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

A great early moment for the legendary William Onyeabor – music created for the film Crashes In Love – which tells the sad story of a princess who has to choose between love and money – a setting that helps make for some of Onyeabor's greatest music on record! The style here is maybe a bit more acoustic than in later years – strong use of horns over the keyboards, which almost creates more of a link back to a Fela Kuti mode – although the solos and main grooves here still come from William's keyboards, which are wonderfully sharp throughout! Lyrics are very positive, and presented in an hypnotic way – and titles include "Ride On Baby", "Something You'll Never Forget", "Crashes In Love", "Heaven & Hell", and "Jungle Gods". LP, Vinyl record album

A second version of William Onyeabor's music for the film Crashes In Love – one that's somewhat different than the first, and which almost has a different groove overall! Tracks are still nice and long, and have that hypnotic Onyeabor vibe – but there's stronger basslines at the bottom, and less horns on the top – which makes for tunes that have a bolder funk current at times, and a slight Caribbean vibe at others – although the whole thing's still held together strongly by William's mix of lead vocals and work with a larger backup group. Titles include "Ride On Baby", "Something You'll Never Forget", "Crashes In Love", and "Heaven & Hell". LP, Vinyl record album

Way way more than just the usual roots reggae collection – a stunning set that documents the growth of Rastafari ideals in Jamaican music – with examples that range from years before the birth of reggae, through that style's bit growth in the 70s! The set includes this very large booklet of notes and images – giving plenty of historical context for the spiritual movement, and linking it's roots to Ethiopian political freedoms of the early 20th century, which then became a huge inspiration for oppressed Jamaicans. Styles of the music vary nicely – and include pre-reggae styles, mento, and other folkloric modes – which then give way to more familiar sounds, but always with an ear for the unique, and spiritually powerful. Titles include "Zion I" by Winston & Ansell, "Ethiopia" by Lord Lebby & The Jamaican Calypsonians, "Soul Drums" by Count Ossie & Leslie Butler, "His Imperial Majesty" by Rod Taylor, "Jah Will Cut You Down" by Earth & Stone, "Haile Selassie" by Laurel Aitken, "None Shall Escape The Judgement" by Johnny Clark, "African Drums" by Bongo Herman & Jah Lloyd, "Hail The Words Of Jah" by Ashanti Roy, "Salaam" by Bongo Herman, Les & Bunny, "Narration" by Count Ossie & The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari, and "Rasta Dreadlocks" by The Heaven Singers. (Reggae, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

The early 60s roots of the Studio One sound – tight Jamaican R&B, nascent ska and killer tunes galore – on one of the greatest Soul Jazz forays into the Studio One archives in years! All of the tracks on Studio One Jump Up were recorded in the first half of the 60s, and the majority in the first couple years of the decade – and it's a wonderful blend of American rhythm & blues-influenced, though distinctly Jamaican music – it really is the birth of reggae to come. Incredible early recordings by soon-to-be Jamaican musical lynchpins including the Skatalites, formative work by Derrick Harriott, Bob Marley, Derrick Morgan, Lord Creator and more! Includes "Mr. Landlord" by Basil Gabbidon, "Wigger We Shuffle" by Derrick Morgan, "Wicked And Dreadful" by Neville Esson, "Rhythm Of The Blues" by Lord Creator, "Hip Rub" by The Jivin Juniors, "Walk All Over" by Owen Gray", "Heaven And Earth" by Don Drummond & Roland Alphonso, "Go Jimmy Go" by a very young Bob Marley & The Wailers, "The Slider" by Clue J And The Blues Blasters and more. 20 tracks in all. (Reggae, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Anthony Joseph just keeps on getting better and better, and even more interesting with each new record – to a point where the already-hip singer is really blowing our mind with music like this! The songs are longer, richer, and more deeply put together than some of Joseph's earlier work – in a spirit that definitely lives up to the promise of the title, but which also shows a lot of post-colonial diaspora elements, too – the kind of qualities you might expect from Anthony's role in the contemporary Parisian scene! Joseph has an even more majestic quality than before – and stands perfectly at the helm of a diverse group of musicians who provide shifting currents of jazz and percussion in support of his vocal passages – which are both spoken and sung. Titles include "The Kora", "Mano A Mano", "Brother Davis", "Neckbone", "Drum Song", "Our History", "Powerful Peace", "Caribbean Roots", and "Jimmy Upon That Bridge". (New Grooves, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual blend of jazz, fusion, and gwo ka rhythms from Guadelopue – served up here in a classic album from trumpeter Edmony Krater! Krater blows some beautiful solos on the record – a bit like Don Cherry in some of his more globally-oriented projects – but the overall approach is more rhythmic, and tied together by keyboards and basslines, which are then offset by rootsier percussion elements that trace back to the earlier days of the genre – while Edmony and his compatriots continue to inflect some modern touches over the top! The group's got some sweet guitar lines from Freddy Tisseur, whose playing nicely skirts both sides of this sound – and titles include "Crepuscule", "Tijan", "Gwadloup", "Chimin Spirit", and "Occitan Dance". CD features two bonus tracks – "Rime A La Vi" and "Sonje Pa Plere". CD

Not the kind of Vikings you'd find in medieval Scandinavia – and instead a landmark combo from Guadeloupe – one who were key in developing the sound of zouk in the late 70s, and who can also work with a fair bit of spiritual jazz touches in their music! This excellent collection shines the spotlight on the best vintage years of the group – and pulls together tracks from a number of hard-to-find indie recordings – often with an ear towards the kind of spiritual, jazzy currents that are often featured on other material from the Heavenly Sweetness label! Complicated rhythms mix with amazing horn passages – and although the music does have some vocals, there's often as much of a focus on instrumental moments too – which have a sharpness that's quite different than some of the brighter, more commercial strands of Caribbean music. The work of The Vikings is key in showing why Guadeloupe's always been a very special scene amidst the island cultures – one that often shared a close relationship with sounds in Paris, but also picked up elements from the US and Cuba as well. Titles include "Ahi Na Ma", "Let's Stay Up Vikings", "Rumbo Melon", "Ambiance Vikings", "Retour Au Pays", "Souvenirs", "Magdalena", and "Claro Que Si". CD

Not the kind of Vikings you'd find in medieval Scandinavia – and instead a landmark combo from Guadeloupe – one who were key in developing the sound of zouk in the late 70s, and who can also work with a fair bit of spiritual jazz touches in their music! This excellent collection shines the spotlight on the best vintage years of the group – and pulls together tracks from a number of hard-to-find indie recordings – often with an ear towards the kind of spiritual, jazzy currents that are often featured on other material from the Heavenly Sweetness label! Complicated rhythms mix with amazing horn passages – and although the music does have some vocals, there's often as much of a focus on instrumental moments too – which have a sharpness that's quite different than some of the brighter, more commercial strands of Caribbean music. The work of The Vikings is key in showing why Guadeloupe's always been a very special scene amidst the island cultures – one that often shared a close relationship with sounds in Paris, but also picked up elements from the US and Cuba as well. Titles include "Ahi Na Ma", "Let's Stay Up Vikings", "Rumbo Melon", "Ambiance Vikings", "Retour Au Pays", "Souvenirs", "Magdalena", and "Claro Que Si". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most hard-grooving set we've heard from singer Mary Afi Usuah – a set that has all these deep, bassy currents on the bottom – which hold a nice groove underneath Mary's heavenly voice! Usuah has a range that's much greater than some of her contemporaries – no surprise, since she studied opera in Rome – but the style here is nicely gritty overall, with bumping bass and some riffing guitar that almost pushes some numbers into Betty Davis territory, but with more of a 70s Afro soul vibe. Imagine if Miriam Makeba made a funk record, and you'll get part of the feel of this unique little set – which includes the cuts "What's A Woman To Do", "Sweet Elijah", "Our Generation", "Spread More Love", "Kam Fat Owo", "African Woman", and "Tenkim Kpoho". CD

A deep selection of grooves that are warm and breezy, but also nicely tripped out at times – way more than a simple compilation of sunny sounds – and instead a globe-spanning set of diverse gems! Volume 3 includes sun toasted sounds from tropical climates, plus similar-minded numbers from the US and even Canada – from easygoing Rhodes-led soul from Trinidad & Tobago, to breezy brass from Tunisia, to Jamaican disco and well beyond! The tunes might go as far back as the 60s, but certainly includes some great ones from the 70s and early 80s – all pretty obscure stuff that's well worth digging up! 14 tracks in all, including "Feel Like Making Love" by Gene Lawrence, "Moin Epi Vou" by The Group NSI, "Mystic Mood" by Billy Cole, "Soul Brother" by Dalton, "I Want To Make It With You" by Bobbie Houston, "Wars In Space Dub" by Brother Resistance", "I Need Your Love" by Scherzando and more. (Funky Compilations, Global Grooves) CD

A deep selection of grooves that are warm and breezy, but also nicely tripped out at times – way more than a simple compilation of sunny sounds – and instead a globe-spanning set of diverse gems! Volume 3 includes sun toasted sounds from tropical climates, plus similar-minded numbers from the US and even Canada – from easygoing Rhodes-led soul from Trinidad & Tobago, to breezy brass from Tunisia, to Jamaican disco and well beyond! The tunes might go as far back as the 60s, but certainly includes some great ones from the 70s and early 80s – all pretty obscure stuff that's well worth digging up! 14 tracks in all, including "Feel Like Making Love" by Gene Lawrence, "Moin Epi Vou" by The Group NSI, "Mystic Mood" by Billy Cole, "Soul Brother" by Dalton, "I Want To Make It With You" by Bobbie Houston, "Wars In Space Dub" by Brother Resistance", "I Need Your Love" by Scherzando and more. (Funky Compilations, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A cool collection of sounds when the music was really making a change in the French West Indies – especially in Guadeloupe, which was always trying to set itself apart from some of its Caribbean neighbors! The music here has all the electric touches you'd expect from the "digital" in the title – but the sound is still nice and warm overall – kind of an updating of older rhythms, maybe even a bit of biguine – but using both acoustic and electric drums, as well as a good deal of keyboards in the mix! The groove has an open, natural flow that's quite different from Haitian music or soca at the time – quite seductive in the way the songs progress – never trying too hard at all, but coming out with a sweet 80s funk sound in the end. The collection was put together by Diggers Digest – who did a great job of finding lesser-known gems – and titles include "Devenn" by Pierre Edouard Decimus, "Indiano" by Eddy La Viny, "Mande Moin On Lajan" by Group Nsi, "Vacance Union" by Raymon Pyrme and Jean Claude Cornely, "Nou Ke Sa Enmew" by Swanha Desvarieux, "Poutchi" by Zanma, "Biguine Inferno" by OREA, and "Mizik Nou" by Milton. CD

A really beautiful collection of jazz with strong Caribbean roots – music from the French West Indies, and served up with a vibe that's completely unique! This isn't calypso jazz, or reggae-inflected Jamaican jazz – and not even Cuban jazz, either – but instead this very fresh strand with wonderfully soulful elements – often a mixing of electric and acoustic elements, with rhythms that are quite different than the usual! If anything, there might be a stronger link here between the hippest African jazz of the late 70s – and maybe some of the spiritual jazz in the US a few years before – but there's also a rhythmic complexity that's very much this scene's own – and which often makes these tunes come alive in ways that are extremely vital, and well worth discovering. Many numbers mix keyboard or guitar parts with raw acoustic percussion, and strong reed or trumpet solos – and titles include "Gwadloup" by Edmondy Krater & Zepiss, "Kominike" by Erick Cosaque, "Vini Coute E Tann" by Jse Macliere, "Nikita" by Kat-Tet, "Mama Says" by Max Labor, "Crepuscule Tropical" by Max Cilla, "Wache" by Francisco, and "Soprann Aux Antilles" by Camille Soprann Hildevert. (Funky Compilations, Global Grooves) CD

Heavenly sounds from Madagascar – mostly music recorded in the southwestern part of the island nation – and mostly done on regional string instruments and percussion! The collection features a variety of different performers, all very well recorded in the field – and the spirit of the music is surprisingly unified, despite the range of talents – possibly as an illustration of the light, special vibe that the liner notes tell us can be in the Madagascan air at the right creative moments! A few tracks feature accordion over percussion, while others uses either the simple lokanga, or more elaborate marovany – whose cascading strings are possibly worth the price of the record alone. Includes full notes on the project, and done on the usual heavy Sublime Frequencies vinyl. LP, Vinyl record album

The fourth fantastic volume in this wonderful series – and maybe the best so far, as the Beach Diggin groove has extended past its familiar boundaries – to pick up rare soulful sounds from points all over the globe! The approach is wonderful – with a focus on slinky cuts that have an equal balance of funk and soul, but often carry some regional touches too – so that there's a criss-crossing of cultures throughout the collection, but with a sound that's always unified by an influence from American soul! The set features a number of cuts from Jamaica, but also includes work from Brazil, Japan, Australia, Peru, and Tunisia too – a superb set list that works together perfectly, with titles that include "Bon Momentos" by Serginho Meriti, "Love To The People" by Sue Barker, "Tokyo Melody" by Shoody, "Soul Brother" by Alec Khaol, "This Is Love" by Brooski, "Disintegration" by Orea, "Chiquito" by Denny King, "My Life" by Noriko Miyamoto with Isao Suzuki, "Crosslines" by Taxi, and "Breezin" by Boris Gardiner. (Funky Compilations, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most hard-grooving set we've heard from singer Mary Afi Usuah – a set that has all these deep, bassy currents on the bottom – which hold a nice groove underneath Mary's heavenly voice! Usuah has a range that's much greater than some of her contemporaries – no surprise, since she studied opera in Rome – but the style here is nicely gritty overall, with bumping bass and some riffing guitar that almost pushes some numbers into Betty Davis territory, but with more of a 70s Afro soul vibe. Imagine if Miriam Makeba made a funk record, and you'll get part of the feel of this unique little set – which includes the cuts "What's A Woman To Do", "Sweet Elijah", "Our Generation", "Spread More Love", "Kam Fat Owo", "African Woman", and "Tenkim Kpoho". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest Turkish singers we've heard so far from the 70s – an artist who's maybe a bit more funky and a bit less fuzzy than some of her contemporaries – blessed with a heavenly vocal style that's often set to these very groovy arrangements! The language is beyond the reach of our comprehension, but there's a quality to the overall tunes we totally love – very much like some of the coolest, grooviest French or Scandinavian pop of the time – thanks to some very well-placed electric bass, sweet soaring strings, and the occasional Turkish touch to make for a nicely exotic vibe. A few cuts also feature some nice moog, too – which is especially wonderful, and gives things a really spacey quality – and titles include "Yorgun Gozler", "Falci", "Kabahat Seni Sevende", "Dane Dane Benleri", and "Evet Mi Hayir Mi". LP, Vinyl record album

Mad grooves from the Ethiopian scene of the 70s – featuring work by the enigmatic Mulatu, plus some of the other extra-cool artists on that country's groundbreaking soul and funk scene! Mulatu plays Fender Rhodes and organ on his tracks – grooving with a slow, snakey approach that's almost a bit like the work of Sun Ra, but which also has distinct African touches. The sound here is quite different than the Nigerian funky work of the 70s – much more laidback and open-ended, with less American influences, and a really unique approach! Titles include "Yekermo Se", "Yegele Tezeta", "Munaye", "Metche Dershe", "Kasalefkut Hulu", and "Tezeta" by Mulatu Astatque; "Heywete" and "Bemgnot Alnorem" by Bahta Gebre Heywet; and "Yetesfa Tezeta" by Tesfa-Maryam Kidane. Vinyl release of tracks pulled from the Ethiopiques CD-only series, done with some good notes. LP, Vinyl record album

Mad funk from Ethiopia – classic work by the legendary Mulatu, one of Africa's heaviest artists of the 70s! Mulatu's been kind of a beathead secret for years – as most of his exotic grooves were never issued properly outside of Africa, and have only been the province of collectors who had the money and cash to get their hands on the work. The music's got a strange, other-worldly feel – a mix of bass-heavy dubby rhythms and spaced-out jazzy solos played on saxophone and electric piano – all coming together in a unique style that will blow your mind! The LP is the first-ever proper vinyl reissue of Mulatu's work – and collects together the best tracks from the recent Ethiopiques CD series, 9 titles that include "Yekatit", "Nesanet", "Sabye", "Ykermo Sew", "Asmarina", "Gubelye", "Dewel", and "Ene Alantchi Alnorem". LP, Vinyl record album

The fourth fantastic volume in this wonderful series – and maybe the best so far, as the Beach Diggin groove has extended past its familiar boundaries – to pick up rare soulful sounds from points all over the globe! The approach is wonderful – with a focus on slinky cuts that have an equal balance of funk and soul, but often carry some regional touches too – so that there's a criss-crossing of cultures throughout the collection, but with a sound that's always unified by an influence from American soul! The set features a number of cuts from Jamaica, but also includes work from Brazil, Japan, Australia, Peru, and Tunisia too – a superb set list that works together perfectly, with titles that include "Bon Momentos" by Serginho Meriti, "Love To The People" by Sue Barker, "Tokyo Melody" by Shoody, "Soul Brother" by Alec Khaol, "This Is Love" by Brooski, "Disintegration" by Orea, "Chiquito" by Denny King, "My Life" by Noriko Miyamoto with Isao Suzuki, "Crosslines" by Taxi, and "Breezin" by Boris Gardiner. (Funky Compilations, Global Grooves) CD

A cool collection of sounds when the music was really making a change in the French West Indies – especially in Guadeloupe, which was always trying to set itself apart from some of its Caribbean neighbors! The music here has all the electric touches you'd expect from the "digital" in the title – but the sound is still nice and warm overall – kind of an updating of older rhythms, maybe even a bit of biguine – but using both acoustic and electric drums, as well as a good deal of keyboards in the mix! The groove has an open, natural flow that's quite different from Haitian music or soca at the time – quite seductive in the way the songs progress – never trying too hard at all, but coming out with a sweet 80s funk sound in the end. The collection was put together by Diggers Digest – who did a great job of finding lesser-known gems – and titles include "Devenn" by Pierre Edouard Decimus, "Indiano" by Eddy La Viny, "Mande Moin On Lajan" by Group Nsi, "Vacance Union" by Raymon Pyrme and Jean Claude Cornely, "Nou Ke Sa Enmew" by Swanha Desvarieux, "Poutchi" by Zanma, "Biguine Inferno" by OREA, and "Mizik Nou" by Milton. LP, Vinyl record album

The definitely got the title right on this one – because the set is filled with some of the most heavenly tracks from the legendary Ethiopiques series – that legendary run of compilations that was the first introduction for most of us to the amazing music of Ethiopia! This package really zeros in on all the best bits – and has a special focus on the early 70s, with some other bits from the 60s as well – all the wonderful vintage material that captures that special time in Ethiopian music when the artists were really taking some new chances with their sound – and creating an otherworldly blend of jazz and funk with more local elements as well. The range of artists is great – a really compelling blend of singers and instrumentalists, not just a handful of tracks by Mulatu – and titles include "Presentiment" by Tsegue Maryam Guebrou, "Ene Negn Bay Manesh" by Girma Beyene, "Hedetch Alu" by Muluquen Mellesse, "Lantchi Biye" by Tlahoun Gessesse, "Tchereqa" by Menelik Wesnatchew, "Ashasha Beyew" by Abbebe Tessemma, "Ati Fettun Isani Infedhani" by Ali Birra, "Mela Mela" by Seyfou Yohannes, "Teredjew Neber" by Ayalew Mesfin, and "Hametegnaw" by Seyoum Gebreyes. LP, Vinyl record album

Mad music that's unlike anything else we can think of – a killer collection of funky grooves from the Ethiopian scene of the 70s – offered up here on a vinyl-only compilation! The set's a great one if you've heard the music of Mulatu, but want to dig a lot deeper – as the cats included on this set are most of his contemporaries from the golden years of Ethiopian music – and most of them work in a similar offbeat, other-worldly sort of style! Rhythms are skittish, horns are hypnotic, and the vocals on some of the tracks have a weird appeal that really transcends the boundaries of language – almost like another instrumental element that fits in wonderfully with the heavy grooves underneath. Titles on the collection are pulled from various volumes of the Ethiopiques series – making this set kind of a distillation of all its greatness. Tracks include "Yebeqagnal" and "Ene Negn Bay Manesh" by Girma Beyene, "Queresh Endewaza" by Samuel Belay, "Ewnetegna Feqer" by Hirut Bequele, "Lomiwen Teqebeletch" by Mahmoud Ahmed, "Gedamay" by Getatchew Mekurya, and "Metche New" by Asselefetch Ashine & Getenesh Kebret. LP, Vinyl record album

A really beautiful collection of jazz with strong Caribbean roots – music from the French West Indies, and served up with a vibe that's completely unique! This isn't calypso jazz, or reggae-inflected Jamaican jazz – and not even Cuban jazz, either – but instead this very fresh strand with wonderfully soulful elements – often a mixing of electric and acoustic elements, with rhythms that are quite different than the usual! If anything, there might be a stronger link here between the hippest African jazz of the late 70s – and maybe some of the spiritual jazz in the US a few years before – but there's also a rhythmic complexity that's very much this scene's own – and which often makes these tunes come alive in ways that are extremely vital, and well worth discovering. Many numbers mix keyboard or guitar parts with raw acoustic percussion, and strong reed or trumpet solos – and titles include "Gwadloup" by Edmondy Krater & Zepiss, "Kominike" by Erick Cosaque, "Vini Coute E Tann" by Jse Macliere, "Nikita" by Kat-Tet, "Mama Says" by Max Labor, "Crepuscule Tropical" by Max Cilla, "Wache" by Francisco, and "Soprann Aux Antilles" by Camille Soprann Hildevert. (Funky Compilations, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album