One of our favorite volumes in the London Is The Place For Me collection – and a brilliant batch of work that criss-crosses West African, West Indian, and postwar jazz styles! Most of the recordings here were done under the leadership of Ambrose Adekoya Campbell – a transplant to London from Lagos in the postwar year, and an artist who had a huge influence on the changing rhythms of his scene. Campbell mixed styles of his roots with those of the larger London community around him – in a way that let in more Latin and Caribbean influences to more traditional African styles – often using guitar in a high-life styled way, but also bringing in some key jazz phrasings as well. As usual with Honest Jons' reissues, the notes are quite detailed, but ultimately a bit unspecific about the actual recordings in the set – although we can say that Campbell's on nearly all of these, and they were all done as 50s 78rpm singles for the Melodisc label. Titles include "We Have It In Africa", "Iku Koni Payin", "I Am A Stranger", "Lagos Mambo", "Ela Da Awa", "and "Calabar-O" by West African Rhythm Brothers; "The Wind In A Frolic" and "Unity" by Nigerian Union Rhythm Group; "Ibikunle Alakija" by Ayinde Bakare & His Meranda Orchestra; and "Late Ojo Davies" and "Geneva Conference" by West African Rhythm Stars. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Cheikh Lo, Assane Ndiaye & Le Raam Daan, Baaba Maal & Mansour Seck, Orchestra Baobab, Tata Dinding Jobarteh, Ifang Bondi, Youssou N'Dour, Baaba Maal, Dembo Konte & Kausu Kuyateh, Malang Mane, Ismael Lo, Mass Lowe, and Mansour Seck. CD

"A high fidelity guide to the enchantment that awaits you in Japan, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore" – brought to you by Japan Air Lines. LP, Vinyl record album

Contemporary recordings from Mali, featuring female singer Kokanko Sata in spare settings, mostly accompanying herself on the N'Goni, which is similar to the banjo, and on the calabash. Some numbers feature a larger ensemble, adding flute, guitar, balafon and djembe. Like some other Malian music, this set features the singer at the forefront, over spare, interlocking rhythm parts with gentle arpeggios and pulsating tones. 12 tracks in all, including 'Tata Kan To Gnonkon Ye (Parting Is Hard)", "Kan Be (See You , My Love)", "Be Mogo Ya (The World We're Living In)", "Djudjon (The Beginning)", "Wonanfeku (The Hypocrite)", "Djina Musso (The Goddess)" and "Kono Kuru (Birds That Flock Together)". CD

The legendary Gilles Peterson takes on the African sound of the 70s – serving up the music at 2 different levels on this overstuffed set! Disc 1 features "The Soul" – classic tunes from the Afro Funk years, brought together by Gilles with a real ear for an interesting groove – and the kind of deeply soulful tracks we've come to expect in his collections over the years. Disc 2 features "The Spirit" – modern tracks from the global underground – all of which have echoes of the older African groove in their rhythms, but which update the sound with changes in rhythm, production, and instrumentation. As with Gilles Peterson In Brazil, the package is a wonderful overview of a genre – done in a way that goes deeper and sounds fresher than most other collections of its nature on the market! 2CD set features 19 tracks in all – including "Bukom Moashie" by Oscar Sulley, "Ajo" by Peter King, "Asmarina" by Fequadu Made-Mesqel, "Mulatu" by Mulatu, "Mahlalela" by Letta Mbulu, "MAW Expensive (Tribute To Fela)" by Masters At Work, "Heart's A Lonely Hunter" by Thievery Corporation with David Byrne, "Aso Kere (IG Culture mix)" by Lekan Babalola, "Lufala Ndonga" by Konono No 1, "Samba" by Miriam Makeba, "Afrika" by Osborne, "Angola (Carl Craig rmx)" by Cesaria Evora, and "New Bell" by Manu Dibango. (Funky Compilations, Global Grooves) CD

Fantastic sounds from the glory days of the Burkina Faso scene – a time when the country's place at the crossroads of West Africa was helping to create some really amazing music! There's no set style here that defines the groove – as some tracks seem to flow from Nigerian funk, while others have echoes of Mali, and still others might show an influence from the North African changes of the period – but all with an ear towards the kinds of sounds that might burst out from the landlocked nation, and try to catch fire on the wider global market of the time. As you might guess from the Mr Bongo presentation of the music, there's a fair bit of funk in the mix – some heavy basslines or drums on about half of the tunes, mixed with lighter local instrumentation on some of the others – criss-crossing throughout in a really great way! Titles include "Boy Cuinsinier" by Pierre Sandouidi, "Jeunesse Willia" by Cisse Abdoulaye, "Kombisse" by Bozambo, "A Son Magni" by Cisse Abdoulaye and Super Volta, "M'Ba Lale" by Nabolle John Oumar, "Whisky Et Coca Cola" by Amadou Balake, "De Nwolo" by Coulibaly Tidiane and Dafra Star, "Djanfa Magni" by Youssouf Diarra Dit El Grand Ballake, and "Pop Konde" by Mangue Konde Et L'Orchestre Les 5 Consuls. CD

The legendary debut of this equally legendary group from Mali – a completely compelling ensemble who made music that's continuing to trans fix generations all these many years later! The album's got this very hypnotic vibe right from the start – all sorts of funky drums, guitar lines, and horns woven together in snakey styles that echo West African roots, but also showcase some of the new prosperity and independence of the 70s – really grabbing up a bold, soulful sort of energy, while still keeping things raw in both the vocals and production. Titles include "Nantan", "Moko Jolo", "Sunan", "Jurukan", "Marabayasa", "Tidiani Kone", and "Bajala Male". LP, Vinyl record album

The brilliant follow up to the first Congotronics album – and a set that goes even deeper than the initial groundbreaking work by Konono! This album follows in a very similar spirit to Konono's Congotronics set – and like that one, focuses on musicians with a unique electro/acoustic approach to African rhythms! Groups on the set all hail from the Kinshasa scene, like Konono, they retro-fit older styles with homemade amplification – in a way that electrifies the grooves, but often with a sound that's highly distorted – creating great fuzzy tones and noises alongside the rhythms! Konono appear on one track in the set, but the real strength comes from these other groups working in a similar mode – as they bring new instruments, sounds, and modes of expression to the format – showing that the style is not just a happy accident, but a powerful new wave of music from the urban African scene! Titles include "Mulume" by Basokin, "Bosamba Ndeke" by Bolia We Ndenge, "Kiwembo" by Sobanza Mimanisa, "Wa Muluendu" by Masanka Sakayia & Kasai Allstars, "Soif Conjugale" by Kisanzi Congo, "La Laboureur" by Masanka Sakai, "Koyile/Nyeka Nyeka" by Kasai Allstars, and "TP Coleur Cafe" by Konono No 1. CD

One of the most compelling entries so far in the all-great Congotronics series – a set of highly percussive work from this unique ensemble! The Kasai All Stars is a collective of members from six other groups – all working here in Konono-like territory that's heavy on distorted rhythms from electrified thumb piano and xylophones, then topped with some great guitar lines that link the music to older African traditions – all with a sound that's completely hypnotic and downright other-worldly! There's vocals on most of the tracks, but the real appeal of the record is the instrumentation, which is totally great – a mindblowing blend of sounds that shows that there's still plenty of key musical changes taking place in the African scene. Titles include "Quick As White", "Mukuba", "Beyond The 7th Moon", "Analengo", "Mpombo Yetu", "Mbu A Matumba", and "Drowning Goat". CD

Killer cuts from two different studio groups led by the legendary Fruko – work that bristles with all the best raw energy from the more underground side of the Discos Fuentes label in the 70s – plenty of percussion, really rootsy basslines, and a fair bit of electric guitar and keyboards snaking through the mix! Wganda Kenya serve up cuts that are every bit as great as the material on their other records – while Kammpala Grupo work in plenty of cool moogy keyboards, almost creating some sort of sound library blend with more earthy Colombian rhythms! Titles include "El Nativo", "Chao Amor", "La Riphyta", "La Trompeta Loco", "El Gallo Africano", "La Yuca Raya", "King Kong", and "Caimito". (Latin, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A nice update of older Ghanian modes – as Isaac Birituro mixes his beautiful work on the balafon with some more contemporary rhythms and vocals – all at a level that's nicely different from other recent work in an Afro Funk mode! The woody sounds of the core instrument make for a nice balance with the shifting array of male and female vocals – and even when rhythms are more driving, they're never too forced or beat-heavy – which also keeps the record away from some of the overproduced work of the Afro-remix scene. Titles include "Senye", "Ta Soo Maa Yele", "Dondomo", "Doniyan", "Bawa", "Sivukile", "Kontomo", and "Told You So". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique project from Philippe Samiguel – recorded in Bamako, where Samiguel has worked as a producer for many years – during which time he's pulled together ideas from all sorts of different projects, and forged them into a new groove of his own! Samiguel's worked most famously with Samba Toure – who's here on the record alongside other artists who include Hugo Race, Mariam Kone, Mamadou Sidibe, and others – working on music that has roots in Malian blues, Tuareg guitar, and other west African modes – but which has a quality that's also very much all its own. There's an experimental nature to the project that takes us back to some of the best global experiments from the early days of the Crammed label – and titles include "Are U Satisfied", "The First Tone", "Minamba", "Heaven Sands", "Mad Girl Lament", "Quicksand Blues", and "Golden Cage". LP, Vinyl record album

Two groundbreaking collections in one cool package! Volume 3 is one of our favorite volumes in the London Is The Place For Me collection – and a brilliant batch of work that criss-crosses West African, West Indian, and postwar jazz styles! Most of the recordings here were done under the leadership of Ambrose Adekoya Campbell – a transplant to London from Lagos in the postwar year, and an artist who had a huge influence on the changing rhythms of his scene. Campbell mixed styles of his roots with those of the larger London community around him – in a way that let in more Latin and Caribbean influences to more traditional African styles – often using guitar in a high-life styled way, but also bringing in some key jazz phrasings as well. Titles include "We Have It In Africa", "Iku Koni Payin", "I Am A Stranger", "Lagos Mambo", "Ela Da Awa", "and "Calabar-O" by West African Rhythm Brothers; "The Wind In A Frolic" and "Unity" by Nigerian Union Rhythm Group; "Ibikunle Alakija" by Ayinde Bakare & His Meranda Orchestra; and "Late Ojo Davies" and "Geneva Conference" by West African Rhythm Stars. Volume 4 features a collection of incredible work from the postwar, post-colonial years in the UK! As with other volumes, there's an array of Carribean and African influences at work here – often highly rhythmic and performed with lots of percussion, but also served up in ways that has the original modes coming into contact with more contemporary UK styles! Most of the work here was recorded in London, but overflowing with global styles that include mentos, high life, calypso, Latin, and even a bit of jazz – played by an array of artists who all found new means of expression in the capital. Titles include "Mambo Indio" by Shake Keane, "Alphonso In Town" by Lord Kitchener, "Give Her The No 1" by Eric Hayden, "Khauleza" by Dorothy Masuka, "Chicken & Rice" by Young Tiger, "Egyptian Bint Al Cha Cha" by Ginger Johnson, "Don't You Go Away" by Cab Kaye, "Highlife Piccadilly" by The African Messengers, "Darling Don't Say No" by Nat Akins, "African Jazz Cha Cha" by Ginger Johnson, "Piccadilly Folk" by Lord Kitchener, and "Ilu Oyinbo Dara" by Victor Coker. CD