A cool Scandinavian combo, and one who've got heavy influences from both American and African funk of the 70s – influences that they weave together wonderfully here in a rich tapestry of grooves! There's as much Nigerian elements in the music as Ethiopian – especially the more exotic horn parts of the latter – and in addition to familiar funk instrumentation on guitar, keyboards, saxes, and trumpet – the record features some especially nice use of percussion, flute, xylophone, and sitar too! Titles include the long Indian-themed track "Bhimpalasi" – plus "Gunkali", "Movefeze", "What Could I Do", "Surrounded", and "Big Words". (Deep Funk, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A very clubby set from the Johannesburg scene at the start of the 90s – four longer tracks that really showcase that moment when house music influences were running through more mainstream R&B – all at a level that's richer and more soulful than some of the synth-heavy work of the decade before! The basslines are great – really grooving in that garage style that was big in the NYC clubs at the time – warming up the tunes in mighty nice ways, and making for some very seductive rhythms! Titles include the super-catchy title cut "Big World", plus "Unity", "Rebatla Muzik", and "Qinisela". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from one of the funkiest steel bands around – a totally hip combo who just seem to be getting better and better with each new release! This time around, they've stepped up the beats even more than before – mixing their 70s funk and steel drum work with just a slight current from hip hop production – all of which almost makes you feel like Wu-Tang made a trip to the Caribbean, then came back with these tapes as a result! There's also some additionally cool touches in the horns – used with maybe some slight Ethio jazz inflections at points – alongside other elements that really help move the Bacao aesthetic forward in a mighty nice way. Titles include "Hotline Bling", "Grilled", "How We Do", "Hazy Memories", "In The Crosshairs", "The Champion's Walk", and a very cool take on the "Stranger Things Theme"! LP, Vinyl record album

A lean take on the double-length self-titled set from this mighty funky combo – one that brings together a range of great funky 45s, plus a few other hefty nuggets! If you don't know the group, they're totally great – as Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band go back to the funkiest moments of the 70s steel pan scene from the Caribbean – but also have a harder edge that comes from the group's ties to the Mighty Mocambos, and other corners of the deep funk universe! These cuts are funk first, steel drums second – and have a wicked groove that's actually hipper than most of the original steel drum records from back in the day. Titles include "Queen Of Cheeba", "Port Of Spain Hustle", "Tender Trap", "Dog Was A Doughnut", "Beetham Highway Ride", "Pimp", "Bacao Suave", "Jungle Fever", and "Tropical Heat". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool Ethiopian record, but not the sort you might expect – as most of the instrumentation here is heavy on electric elements, which includes a fair bit of 80s keyboards, synth, and drum machine lines! The group were actually exiles, living in the Washington, DC area during the early 80s – and the record is almost a fusion of Ethio roots with more familiar American styles – a bit like the work that Mulatu created during his early time in the US, but with a very different vibe! There's lead vocals on one track, but most of the set is instrumental – and filled with plenty of sweet keyboard lines and guitar riffs – jazzy, electro, and plenty charming – on titles that include "Kalatashew Waga", "Anchi Bale Game", "Tez Alegn Yetintu", "Bahta's Highlife" and "Samba Shegitu". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully fuzzy work from Amanaz – one of the trippiest, headiest groups of the Zamrock scene of the 70s! The guitars here are very full and present – not at a hit you over the head jamming label, but with this rich sonic element that has lots of bassy undercurrents – at a level that makes the album a head-nodding gem all the way through – poised perfectly between some of the more psyche styles of the African scene of the time, and some of the more thoughtful singer-songwriter material. The group have a quality that's surprisingly deep – very soulful, and with a subtle power that comes through strongly – thanks to a mostly-English batch of lyrics (although a few tunes here are in their native Bemba.) No cuts are all-out funky, but all have this great slow-funk sort of charm – and titles include "I Am Very Far", "Sunday Morning", "Khala My Friend", "Green Apple", "Africa", "Making The Scene", "Easy Street", "Big Enough" and "Kale". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that became an instant legend in global music circles – the recorded debut of Victor Deme, a guitarist and singer who'd been working in his native Burkina Faso for over 30 years before getting the chance to step inside a studio! The turn "studio" might be a loose one here – as the album was recorded on a four track, in a distant space in the country – but has a vibrancy that beats most other bigger label releases of the time – thanks to a tremendous power in Deme's vocals, which have a raspy presence that grabs you far beyond just an understanding of language – and which are often matched by guitar work from Issouf Diabate, who inflects these subtle bluesy elements that spark new colors in the songs, but in a nicely understated way. A record with a very unique sound, and a lasting classic – with titles that include "Dankan", "Tama Ngogon", "Dala Mogoya", "Djon Maya", "Toungan", "Cherie", "Burkina Mousso", and "Djarabi". LP, Vinyl record album

A lean little groover from the Nigerian scene – an Edo funk set that's got a vibe that's more stripped-down than most – really focused on the rhythms, with a stark, spare quality that's very different than bigger groups of the decade before! There's almost an influence here going on from both post-punk and reggae – darker production with some echoey edges, heady basslines that often come across with a slightly spooky sound, and use of horns and guitars in ways that really have a sharpness that's unexpected – funky but lean too – on titles that include "Gaskya Kace", "Ekhueghamunu", "Onughara", "Aikemienaru Nanorunomwan", and "Bi Enu Ba Sahun". LP, Vinyl record album