Afrique —
Soul Makossa ... CD Mainstream/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1973. New Copy ...
$13.99
A killer album of Afro Funk – with a very unusual origin! In the wake of Manu Dibango's big hit (and some kind of failure to register the copyright), many many versions of "Soul Makossa" were recorded and released, some good, some bad. This album is a good example of that ... (Soul, Global Grooves)read moreCD
Tony Allen —
Source ... CD Blue Note, 2017. New Copy ...
$13.9914.98
One of the coolest records in years from the legendary Tony Allen – and that's saying a lot, given that his legacy includes famous work as a drummer with Fela Kuti, and a much more recent run of very experimental recordings! This set has Tony soaring out on Blue Note – and working with ... read moreCD
Antibalas —
Antibalas ... CD Daptone, 2012. New Copy ...
$5.9914.99
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 moreCD
Apples —
Mind Twister ... CD Odion Livingstone (UK), 1978. New Copy ...
$13.9914.99
A legendary group from the 70s Nigerian scene – one who could be as trippy as they were funky – often in ways that had them using studio production to really get some cool effects from their vocals and guitar! There's a spacey edge to most of these tracks – one that comes through ... read moreCD
Barbatuques —
Ayu ... CD Mr Bongo (UK), 2016. New Copy ...
$6.9911.98
Very cool sounds from this unique Brazilian group – an ensemble whose music mostly comes from their voices and percussive sounds made on their bodies! The approach is surprisingly great – and maybe not nearly as squishy as you'd expect – as there's a clean, clear sound to the ... (Brazil, Global Grooves)read moreCD
A fantastic contemporary performance from Girma Beyene – a key artist in the golden age of Ethiopian, working here with the excellent Akale Wube quintet! Girma's one of a number of singers who went into exile during the changing political climate of the 70s – but in recent years, he's ... read moreCD
CS Crew —
Funky Pack ... CD Cultures Of Soul, 1976. New Copy ...
$9.99
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 moreCD
An album with an ancient-looking image on the cover, but one that actually represents the continuing tradition of ritual percussion in the Haitian scene – a fantastic musical legacy that began with voodoo practices in the 18th century, but which has continued to transform as the years moved ... read moreCD
El Rego —
El Rego ... CD Daptone/Voodoo Funk, Late 60s/Early 70s. New Copy ...
$13.9914.99
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 moreCD
Ennanga Vision —
Ennanga Vision ... CD Soundway (UK), 2017. New Copy ...
$10.9912.98
One of those records that definitely lives up to its cover – as it's not only a great mish-mash of styles, it's also got some 80s instrumental currents that might come as a surprise if you know other records on the Soundway label! The work recasts older elements of Ugandan music with old ... read moreCD
Gato Preto —
Tempo ... CD Unique (Germany), 2017. New Copy ...
$14.9915.98
A mix of beats and bass, electro and African percussion and rhythms from duo Gato Treto – producer and beatmaker Lee Bass and vocalist Gato Misteriosa – delivering a seamless set of Afro-futurist dancefloor club grooves and tough, yet seductive vocals! Gato Preto claim Mozimbique, ... (New Grooves, Global Grooves)read moreCD
Grotto —
At Last ... CD Odion Livingstone (UK), 1977. New Copy ...
$13.9914.99
One of the most unusual groups we've heard from the Lagos scene of the 70s – a combo who definitely have a bit of funk in their style, but also a pretty trippy sound too – one that seems to draw from some of the headier sounds in the UK from a few years before – maybe folk-funk, ... read moreCD
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 moreCD
Ifriqiyya Electrique —
Ruwahine ... CD Glitterbeat (Germany), 2017. New Copy ...
$9.9914.99
Very dark sounds from this cross-cultural combo – a group who certainly draw from Tunisian roots at times, but who almost come across sounding more like one of the darker acts from the post-punk generation! The "electrique" in the name is well-put – as even the acoustic ... read moreCD
Wonderful work from the Kasai All-Stars – a group we first discovered in the Congotronics series with Konono No 1 – and who still have the same wonderful blend of raw rhythms, fuzzy distortion, and very powerful vocals! Their music has this powerfully organic vibe – with acoustic ... read moreCD
(Also includes a bonus CD with 10 remix tracks by Afrikaine 808, Daedelus, High Wolf, Ramzi, and others.)
King Ayisoba —
1000 Can Die ... CD Glitterbeat (Germany), 2017. New Copy ...
$8.9914.99
New work from this legendary Ghanian singer – an artist who also plays the guitar-like kologo, but in the company of a fierce amount of percussion! The album's got an approach that really comes on strong – mixing older modes with a slightly contemporary crackle – a bit like the ... read moreCD
Kondi Band —
Salone ... CD Strut (UK), 2017. New Copy ...
$11.9912.99
Very cool sounds from a wonderful pairing of sources – the ancient African thumb piano and contemporary funky production – at a level that's almost a 21st Century update of the American 70s kalimba experiments by Phil Cohran and Earth Wind & Fire! There's moments here that ... read moreCD
A double-length set of work from Laraaji – all contemporary tracks, done with producer Carlos Nino – but with a vibe that really takes us back to his mindblowing explorations in the early years! Bring On The Sun represents the first half of the album – and features Laraaji ... read moreCD
A beautifully trippy set of tracks from Edward Larry Gordon – an artist who's probably better known for his later Laraaji album recorded with Brian Eno, but one who sounds even better here on this debut set! The sound is very spiritual and meditative – long, drawn-out, side-long tracks ... read moreCD
Lancelot Layne —
Blow Way ... CD Cree (Germany), 1970s. New Copy 2 CDs ...
$26.9939.99
The first-ever collection we've seen to focus on the mighty talents of Lancelot Layne – an important talent on the Trinidad scene of the 70s – and an artist who really helped forge a unique hybrid of soul at the time! The music here isn't the usual Caribbean club groove – ... read moreCD
Lord Echo —
Harmonies ... CD Soundway (UK), 2017. New Copy ...
$10.9911.98
The third album from Lord Echo – and the set in which this sound may well be finally hitting its stride! As before, there's lots of strands of different scenes going on here – bits of Jamaican, African, and American funk and soul – but there's also a unified vision that really ... (New Grooves, Global Grooves)read moreCD
Ahmed Malek & Flako —
Electronic Tapes ... CD Habibi Funk (Germany), New Copy ...
$7.9915.98
Quite an unusual package – one that brings together unheard electronic experiments from Ahmed Malek – the Algerian composer who's better-known for more famous soundtrack material in the 60s and 70s! The music here is all from rare tapes that were Malek's own experiments, and are ... read moreCD
A groundbreaking mix of exotica, Afro Funk, and electric 70s production – the first album from Mandingo – a tight, thumpingly savage barrage of jungle rhythms and sterling electronics! The record's a landmark from the Brit easy scene, but it's also got an amazing funky sound that sets ... read moreCD
A killer blend of Latin and African rhythms – topped by Kante Manfila's amazing work on guitar, which is produced with a range of weird and wonderful sounds! There's a quality to this music that's beyond easy description – a 60s blend of African roots and outside influences – ... read moreCD
Matata —
Wild River ... CD President (UK), 1972. New Copy ...
$3.9919.98
Swirling Afro soul from Matana – with lots of African rhythms and heavy percussion laced with some trippy elements from the psychedelic scenes in the US and UK! Matana arrived in London, via their native Kenya in the early 70s – and rather seamlessly blended elements of soul, and on ... read moreCD
Hailu Mergia & Dahlak Band —
Wede Harer Guzo ... CD Awesome Tapes From Africa, 1978. New Copy Gatefold ...
$11.9914.98
Maybe the coolest music we've ever heard from Ethiopian keyboard legend Hailu Mergia – a late 70s session that has his organ lines sounding even groovier than ever, on some sweet tracks that also bring in a fair bit of funk to the grooves! The style is much more in an Ethiopiques vein than ... read moreCD
Amazing work from the legendary Mulatu Astatke – one of Ethiopia's funkiest musicians of the 70s, making a rare appearance here on this lost American recording! The album has been a holy grail for years amongst beatheads – loved for its killer blend of weird rhythms, sweet funk, and ... read moreCD
(CD features the full album in both stereo and mono versions!)
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 ... read moreCD
Steps Ahead is just about the least we could say about Ethio jazz funk genius Mulatu Astatke – he not only remains on a creative high point after so many years, he takes a couple more giant strides on Mulatu Steps Ahead for Strut Records! To put it simply, the music Mulatu makes here more ... read moreCD
The second album from this cool Colombian project that includes Will "Quantic" Holland – a group that's very much in the same criss-crossing of cultures as his Flowering Inferno ensemble! The first Ondatropica album had a vibe that was maybe more traditionally Colombian at times ... read moreCD
A tremendous compilation of rare work by one of the hippest African groups of the 70s – the mighty Orchestra Baobab, a combo who wove together many different strands of jazz, funk, and soul! The tunes here are all live ones – recorded in the mid 70s in the group's home turf at Club ... read moreCD
Peace —
Black Power ... CD Copperbelt/Now Again, Mid 70s. New Copy ...
$9.9917.98
A really raw set from 70s Africa – one that's more rock than Afro Funk, but which has a pretty hypnotic groove overall! The group's heavy on guitars, which are often played in a fuzzy, jamming sort of way – but with different tones and phrasing than American or Anglo psyche groups ... read moreCD
Let's Have A Party, indeed – as it's hard not to celebrate when a record sounds this great! The album's a boiling batch of Afro Funk numbers from the legendary Geraldo Pino – a key influence on the sound of Fela, and an artist with a sound that's got a bit more James Brown in his ... read moreCD
Roger Raspail —
Dalva ... CD Heavenly Sweetness (France), 2017. New Copy ...
$11.99
Great work from Guadeloupean percussionist Roger Raspail – a set that offers up an unusual blend of jazz and island modes, but in a way that's very rich and organic – without any sort of self-conscious attitude about its presentation! Raspail's worked for years on the Paris scene ... read moreCD
Shabaka & The Ancestors —
Wisdom Of Elders ... CD Brownswood (UK), 2016. New Copy ...
$10.9911.98
A fantastic jazz group from the contemporary South African scene – one who've got a very righteous vibe, and a sound that's maybe even more far-reaching than any jazz we've heard from that scene back in the 60s or 70s! The group's led by Shabaka Hutchings on tenor, but is a very ... (Jazz, Global Grooves)read moreCD
Influential ragas from the Ravi Shankar – centered around the hypnotic recordings Ravi made with producer George Avakian in '57 – plus and additional '54 recording, plus Ravi and Ali Akbar Khan numbers culled from the UNESCO Anthology Of Indian Classical Music from the mid 50s. Great ... read moreCD
Fantastic funk from SJOB Movement – a 70s group who only cut a handful of records – all of them every bit as righteous and heavy as this one! The group have a perfect fusion of funk, psych, and other cool elements – all served up in a blend that's more straightforwardly soulful ... read moreCD
Somi sounds even better here than on her previous records – and we really loved those a lot – taking a stronger step into the world of American jazz and soul, which he handles with effortless ease – thanks to some excellent musicians on the session, and some really well-penned ... read moreCD
Excellent work from Souljazz Orchestra – a group who've consistently been one of the strongest contemporary Afro Funk ensembles for the past decade or so! There's a richness to the Souljazz approach that sets them apart from other groups that might just be going through the motions – ... read moreCD
Voilaaa (Patchworks) —
Des Promesses ... CD Favorite (France), 2017. New Copy ...
$18.99
Fantastic sounds from Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart – served up here in his Voilaaa project, which might well be our favorite of all his many musical enterprises! The groove brings together funky club with some slight touches of 70s Afro Funk – maybe not as much as you'd guess ... (New Grooves, Global Grooves)read moreCD
Funky-strutting genius from Wells Fargo – one of the coolest, heaviest acts to come out of the Zimbabwe scene of the 70s – a moment when hard rock and soulful basslines came together brilliantly, to power the raw edge of a handful of groups like this! The music is maybe more late 60s ... read moreCD
(Very cool package – a complete 72 page, hardcover book – with loads of notes on the band, and a huge amount of vintage images too!)
Incredible work by Randy Weston – light years ahead of his trio material from just a few years before! The album is one of his most progressive from the early years, and features an extended suite dedicated to the newly-won freedoms of the African Nations – with occasional lyrics by ... (Jazz, Global Grooves)read moreCD
Kourosh Yaghmaei —
Malek Jamshid ... CD Now Again, 2016. New Copy ...
$7.9915.98
Stunning new work from Kourosh Yaghmaei – the Iranian rock legend whose trippy sounds of the 70s have become the rage of global collectors – a style of music that Kourosh continues strongly with this new record! The album took over a decade to record – due to all the censorship ... read moreCD
Daniel Zamir —
Alive ... CD Koren (Israel), 2015. New Copy ...
$7.9918.99
Fantastic work from Israeli saxophonist Daniel Zamir – one of the most popular jazz musicians in his home nation, and an incredibly spiritual force who just seems to get more and more powerful every time he hits the recording studio! This live performance is wonderful – with Zamir ... (Jazz, Global Grooves)read moreCD
A huge range of accordion sounds from the Americas – both north and south – served up in a package that's got way more than you'd expect! The music here isn't the polka, pop, or Tex-Mex sounds that most folks know from the instrument – and instead includes jazz instrumentals, ... read moreCD
A fantastic collection of funk from the 70s scene in Ivory Coast – music that's every bit as heavy on jazz-based solos as it is on the grooves – with some especially strong sax lines that really give the tunes a lot of soul! The music here is nice and raw, and often very stripped-down ... read moreCD
A great look at the farther reaches of AOR during the glory days of the genre – not the oft-played hits that still seem to clutter the radio airwaves all these many decades later – but instead a big batch of underground tracks that serve up all the best modes of the style, but in a ... (Funky Compilations, Global Grooves)read moreCD
The set's billed as "the perfect soundtrack to chill on the beach", but it's way more than that – and besides, when we always used to go to the beach, all the radios were always blaring classic rock or mainstream pop – and this collection is way way deeper than that! Guts ... (Funky Compilations, Global Grooves)read moreCD
The early years of biguine – showcased here in a huge collection of recordings from Guadeloupe – an overseas French territory who seemed to share the same early love of jazz as the Parisian scene! Biguine is a wonderful hybrid of Caribbean rhythms and jazz-based instrumentation – ... read moreCD
There's no breakdown to the boogie here – as the album's overflowing with stunning sounds that are right up there with better-known club music from the early 80s – every bit as full of basslines, beats, and keyboards as the best tracks from the American scene of the period, but maybe ... read moreCD
A really wonderful survey of Brazilian instrumental modes at mid-century – a set that moves between choro, samba, and early bossa styles – and also opens up into some other genres as well! The focus here is on key instrumentalists – players with a strong ability to improvise and ... (Brazil, Global Grooves)read moreCD
The crumbling of the 19th Century colonial empires may have hurt the European economy a bit – but it also did wonders for their music – as artists and styles got mixed up even more than before, and a strong wave of new sounds from the south and west started to have a big impact on the ... (French, Global Grooves)read moreCD
A fantastic collection of music – 66 tracks that show the huge influence of Cuban rhythms in American music during the mid-century years – presented here in a wider range of styles than you might expect! This isn't just Latin music, made by Cuban cats hitting the New York scene – ... (Jazz, Global Grooves)read moreCD
Damn great work from the early 80s Nigerian scene – music that's evolved strongly past the Afro Funk of the 70s, and often has the same electro soul sound as work from the US at the time! These cuts are unabashedly upbeat, and aimed at the dancefloor – full of the kind of basslines and ... read moreCD
Ethiopian music from the 70s, but mostly work that's much more rootsy than the sounds you'd hear on the Ethiopiques series – despite the placement of "urban" in the title! Instead, these cuts represent a recorded version of that nation that circulated more widely amongst listeners ... read moreCD
Excellent stuff – even if this volume isn't as funky as other numbers in the Ethiopiques series! Instead, the tracks are soulful and bluesy numbers – half vocal, half instrumental tunes, with a really dark approach, and backings that are spare and extremely haunting. The vocalists are ... read moreCD
One of the rootsier CDs in the Ethiopiques series – a set of work from the Konso subculture, mostly spare numbers performed on the kihayta, a really haunting stringed instrument that's vaguely like the lyre. Most of the tracks feature the kihayta, along with vocal and percussive ... read moreCD
A totally smoking set of tracks from the Somali scene of the 70s – and maybe the coolest East African music we've heard from the time! The material here is all from a small label that was spun off an appliance store – and the imprint had a really great ear for recording these acts in ... read moreCD
Not the better-known sounds of Havana, Rio, and Acapulco – but instead a range of sounds from more rural settings in Latin America – music from sources that run the gamut from Argentina through Brazil, Venezuela, and Peru – on up to Mexico and Cuba as well! The package isn't ... (Latin, Global Grooves)read moreCD
Not the usual Nigerian funk collection you might expect – as the music here is from the years before Fela Kuti and other artists exploded onto international 70s fame – and instead, come from a time where the Nigerian scene was busy drinking up influences from a range of other cultures ... read moreCD
One of the best collections of music from Mali that we've ever heard – and a set that nicely gets past some of the overdone cliches of that scene, to really focus on the kind of overlooked 70s gems that showcase sides of the music that are funky, jazzy, and plenty soulful throughout! There's ... read moreCD
Amazing sounds from Reunion Island – a relatively tiny spot, but one that's always had a very compelling cultural legacy! The nation was completely deserted four hundred years ago, and has been populated by waves of colonization from Europe, Africa, and Asia – which has made for a very ... read moreCD
You might know "Soul Makossa" – the worldwide hit by Manu Dibango that was covered by many folks, and sampled heavily in later years too – but this set takes a look at the deeper scene behind that famous groove, through a host of wickedly funky tracks from the late 70s scene ... read moreCD
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 ... (Reggae, Global Grooves)read moreCD
A stunning discovery in music – incredible sounds from the under-documented Somali scene – collected together from an archive of tapes that was rescued from a radio station right before the nation's years of political turmoil! The music here was mostly issued on cassette in the 70s and ... read moreCD
A fantastic little collection – and one that's way different than the usual Afro Funk compilation! Instead, this is an album that takes the "soul" in its title seriously – and goes for unusual tunes from the Togo scene of the 70s – almost all of which feature incredible ... read moreCD
A more modern entry in this cool series of Japanese pop singles – one that focuses on a time when the scene was digging disco grooves, 80s electro, and other lively styles – all woven into a fresh sort of tapestry for the Japanese singers in the collection! As with the other volumes, ... read moreCD
A very cool collection of vintage pop from Japan – material from a time when Tokyo was finally coming back into its own after the postwar years – and starting to become a source of incredibly groovy music! The tunes here are kind of like the playful pop that you'd hear coming from a ... read moreCD
Cool Japanese groovers from the 70s and early 80s – served up here in a range of great styles that run from string-laden pop to some of the more electronic modes that would come into play in later years! Apart from one track by the Yellow Magic Orchestra, all the other artists here are ... read moreCD
Fantastic sounds for fans of funk and rock alike – music from the freaky, fuzzy 70s scene in Zambia – a place where styles effortlessly criss-crossed to really produce something new and unique! The work here is often heavy on fuzz guitars, but also has some wickedly soulful basslines ... read moreCD
Fantastic sounds for fans of funk and rock alike – music from the freaky, fuzzy 70s scene in Zambia – a place where styles effortlessly criss-crossed to really produce something new and unique! The work here is often heavy on fuzz guitars, but also has some wickedly soulful basslines ... read moreCD
(Comes with a very cool hardcover book – which includes some variations on the conents from Volume 1.)
Zanzibar dance grooves from the nation-building Ujamaa years of the late 60s – all done in a style that's somewhat different and a bit more laidback than work from neighboring scenes at the time! Most of the numbers here build up a base with percussion, bass, and a handful of guitars – ... read moreCD
A timeless blend of traditions – music with Sufi religious origins, performed by a contemporary Zanzibar group who are part of the small living legacy of the style! There's a really slow-building and hypnotic feel to the long tracks in the set – a mix of ensemble vocal performances and ... read moreCD
A Tanzanian battle of the bands – on this sweet little set that features two of the biggest dance orchestras of the 80s! The ensembles in Tanzania at the time were far more than just musical acts – as most were funded by larger organizations, and had either a political or economic ... read moreCD
Unusual grooves from around the globe -- Afro Funk, Bollywood soundtracks, Turkish rock, gamelan, ethnographic/field recordings, sitar sounds, and more!
Tony Allen —
Source ... CD 
