... LP, Vinyl record album

Mostly "east" – as the violin of the famous solist comes into play with the sitar of Ravi Shankar, plus tabla and tanpura! The vibe's a bit like some of the best John Mayer albums, although less jazz. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A weird set of sitar and bongos backed sing-speak about gurus, devil gods, leprechauns, elves, opium, the wind, hippie boys and other oddball psychedelia enhanced storytelling from Kali,The Gypsy Star Child! We don't know a thing about Kali – she has a cute, girly-girl, Anytown, USA voice, but the hippie fantasy, pseudo spiritual storytelling is weird, yet genuinely committed – with droning, Eastern-tinged psych backdrops. Includes "A Game Called Who Am I", "Cosmic Remembrance", "A Cosmic Telephone Call", "From The Angel Liesle & The Buddha" and "How Can I Tell My Guru?" (Rock, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

80s Afro grooves, recorded in Belgium – given a nice twist by the Crammed Discs label, which was one of the first to really open up African styles with more European elements! Bony Bikaye handles vocals, and Hector Zazou plays plenty of keyboards and adds in beat – so there's an electro-styled groove to most cuts, in a mode that's similar to some of the New Africa material on Celluloid Records from the same time! The remaining member of the group handles lots of saxophone solos – but the trio also get some studio help that includes more saxophone from Marc Hollander. Titles include "Angel", "Mr Manager", "Nostalgie", and "Soki Akei". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing set that documents the early years of the Zamrock scene – the funk and psych informed Afro Rock pioneered by vocalist and African guitar legend Rikki Ililonga and his group Musi-O-Tunya in Zambia from 1973 to 1976 – and compiled beautifully in this great set from Now Again/Stones Throw! It's incredible stuff that blends fuzzed out guitar psychedelia, raw rhythms and brass-heavy funky soul. Ililonga's legacy is represented strongly on the record made by the group he founded, Musi-O-Tunya – who work with electric guitar, bass, sax, western and African drums and percussion – as well as the Zambia album, credited to Rikki Illilonga, in which he sings and plays all instruments except trumpet. The set also includes his Sunshine Love album, in which he sings and plays all instruments except bass and drums – and a it's got a rawer, bluesier psych soul approach overall. The CD version compiles most tracks from those albums plus Musi-O-Tunya's Wings Of Africa LP and bonus tracks from 7-inches from the time. 31 tracks on 2 CDs and comes a great, book-bound package with extensive liner notes by Eothen Alapatt and an interview of Ililonga by Eothen. Disc one includes Musi-0-Tunya tracks "Tsegulani", "Mpondolo", "Walk And Fight", "The Sun", "Dark Sunrise", "The Wings Of Africa", "Jekete Yamankowa" (Parts 1 & 2), "Mpulula", "Smoke" and more. Disc 2 features tracks from the Rikki Ililonga cuts "Sansa Kuwa", "Sheebeen Queen", "Stop Dreaming Mr D", "The Nature Of Man", "The Queen Blues", "Working On The Wrong Thing", "Sunshine Love", "Angel Black" and more. CD

A fantastic late life album by the Argentine musical genius Astor Piazzolla – and a set that shows just how far he'd transformed the format of the tango along his musical path of the previous decades! The sound here is completely unique – with some elements of modern string quartet modes, avant jazz, and other styles – blended together with guitar, violin, piano, and bass next to Astor's completely sublime lines on bandoneon! The whole thing's a treasure, and if there's one record to hear by Piazzolla, this is it! Titles include "Tanguedia III", "Milonga Del Angel", "Concierto Para Quinteto", "Milonga Loca", and "Contrabajissimo". (Latin, Global Grooves) CD

A fantastic late life album by the Argentine musical genius Astor Piazzolla – and a set that shows just how far he'd transformed the format of the tango along his musical path of the previous decades! The sound here is completely unique – with some elements of modern string quartet modes, avant jazz, and other styles – blended together with guitar, violin, piano, and bass next to Astor's completely sublime lines on bandoneon! The whole thing's a treasure, and if there's one record to hear by Piazzolla, this is it! Titles include "Tanguedia III", "Milonga Del Angel", "Concierto Para Quinteto", "Milonga Loca", and "Contrabajissimo". (Latin, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Pepe Aguirre and Orquesta Angel Capriolo, Jorge Omar with Francisco Lomuto and Orquesta Tipica, Orquesta Tipica Victor, Roberto Maida with Francisco Canalo, Alberto Reynal with Juan D'Arienzo, Alberto Vila, Roberto Ray with Osvaldo Fresedo, Jorge Abril with Orquesta Luis Veloso, Antonio Quintanilla with Orquesta Tipico Hermanos Carbone, Ada Falcon with Franciso Canaro, Oswaldo Pugliese, and Ricardo Ruiz. (Latin, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Caribbean styles hit the American scene – then get transformed into something completely different in this huge collection of recordings that span styles that include jazz, Latin, R&B, soul, and blues! In some cases, the Caribbean element comes through in the song structure – which might be lifted directly, then reworked for an American audience. But at other times, the influence is more in the rhythms or instrumentation – used as inspiration to then create something new – a bit in the way that American soul would provide the inspiration for reggae in the 60s. The package has the usual fantastic Fremeaux presentation – with a big booklet of historical notes, in both French and English, to support 66 titles that include "Jamaica Farewell" by Sam Cooke, "Salty Fish Aki Rice" by Ruth Wallis, "Bajan Girl" by Lionel Belasco, "Sly Mongoose" by Sam Manning, "El Gallero" by Dioris Valladares & Angel Viloria, "El Mambo Diablo" by Tito Puente, "Hey Little Girl" by Professor Longhair, "Un Poco Loco" by Bud Powell, "Chee Koo Baby" by Lloyd Price, "Shrinking Up Fast" by Camille Howard, "Ojai" by Joe Lutcher, "Salee Dame" by Albert Nicholas & Baby Dodds, "Inside" by Hector The Ram, "Run Come See Jerusalem"b y Stan Wilson, "I Learn A Merengue" by Robert Mitchum, "Afro Blue" by Cal Tjader, "La Maricutana" by Damiron & Chapuseaux, "Magical Joe" by Herb Jeffries, "Begin The Beguine" by Charlie Parker, "Make It Do" by Slim Gaillard, "Guitarambo" by Mickey Baker, and "Don't Touch Me Nylon" by The Charmer (aka Louis Farrakhan). (Jazz, Global Grooves) CD

A completely different side of Colombian music than you'd know from Discos Fuentes and some of the other mainstream outlets from that scene – as the tracks here are all from the contemporary underground, and represent a really rich flowering of creative grooves and soulful modes! In truth, most of this work might hail from any hip spot in the global underground – save for the fact that the lyrics are often in Spanish, and many tunes have some slight reference to older musical modes – sometimes an acoustic element mixed in with more electronic instrumentation, sometimes a more direct reference! The quality of the tracks is wonderful – a really strong surprise to our ears, as we never would have discovered this music otherwise – and it represents a really great alternative so some of the more staid, often boring attempts to create a global fusion of elements in the mainstream. Titles include "Cada Paso" by Liannia, "Cumbia Lobina (ext mix)" by Dragao featuring Nidia Gongora, "Aquazero" by Systema Solar featuring Pedro Ramaya, "Oyele" by Jimena Angel, "Cuando Canto Grito" by Cerrero featuring Lucia Pulido, "El Leopardo" by El Leopardo, "Mujer Divina" by Salsangroove, "Gualayo" by Radio Rebelde Soundsystem, "La Negra Y El Fantasma" by Bareto, "Nunca Termina" by David Caneva Akle, "Manana Sera" by Ruzto, and "De Donde Vengo Yo" by Los Transatlanticos featuring Pilar Matarola. (New Grooves, Global Grooves) CD

A deep dive into the world of Puerto Rican music in the years before salsa and Latin Soul – overflowing with the sounds and styles that also helped forge a huge new wave of expression on the New York scene as well! The package does a great job of pulling together tracks that really get at this prehistory of more familiar Latin modes – beginning with rare tracks from the 78rpm years, then focusing on killer album cuts from the late 50s and early 60s – grooves that were helping Puerto Rico to rival Cuba in terms of fresh rhythms and razor-sharp instrumentation! Just about all of this work has been out of print on any format for many years – including CD – and the package does a great job of tracing the line from San Juan up to New York – with a selection of 44 tracks by artists who include Humberto Morales, Bobby Capo, Orquesta Panamericana, Noro Morales, Cesar Concepcion, Cortijo, Roy Rosario, Ismael Rivera, Chiquitin Garcia, Angel Luis Torruellas, Cuarteto Puerto Rico, Roberto Casillas, Lou Perez, and others. (Latin, Global Grooves) CD

Music as lively and colorful as the image on the cover – upbeat work from the second half of the 80s scene in South Africa – music that has a very positive vibe overall, and a sound that's perfect for the mix of keyboards and beats used in the rhythms! The styles here are those which were borrowed – or plundered – by artists in the mainstream up north – but these are the tracks that really made the SA scene back in the day, and have a wonderful blend of synth, basslines, and vocals that often trade back and forth nicely – warming up the music a lot more than you'd expect! Titles include "Crocodile's Rock" by Black Moses, "I Was Born In Africa" by Richie S, "Blackout" by Tools & Figs, "Dayshift" by Dieketseng, "Ximamane" by Joy White, "Chomesa" by Chicco, "Nwananga Washanesera" by Joe Masunga, "Pusa Twala" by Sky Jinx, "Khombora Mina" by Paul Ndlovu, "Johnny Boy" by The Angels, "Don't Follow Me" by Mafika, and "Special Angel" by Babsy Mlangeni. CD

Music as lively and colorful as the image on the cover – upbeat work from the second half of the 80s scene in South Africa – music that has a very positive vibe overall, and a sound that's perfect for the mix of keyboards and beats used in the rhythms! The styles here are those which were borrowed – or plundered – by artists in the mainstream up north – but these are the tracks that really made the SA scene back in the day, and have a wonderful blend of synth, basslines, and vocals that often trade back and forth nicely – warming up the music a lot more than you'd expect! Titles include "Crocodile's Rock" by Black Moses, "I Was Born In Africa" by Richie S, "Blackout" by Tools & Figs, "Dayshift" by Dieketseng, "Ximamane" by Joy White, "Chomesa" by Chicco, "Nwananga Washanesera" by Joe Masunga, "Pusa Twala" by Sky Jinx, "Khombora Mina" by Paul Ndlovu, "Johnny Boy" by The Angels, "Don't Follow Me" by Mafika, and "Special Angel" by Babsy Mlangeni. LP, Vinyl record album