One of the lasting moments of genius from trumpeter Jon Hassell – his second entry in Brian Eno's 4th World series, and a set that's even more mindblowing than the first! As with that one, the approach here mixes together electric and acoustic sounds, with an imagined landscape of possibilities – music that sometimes feels as if it's come from ethnographic sources, but other times feels as if it's floated down from the future! Hassell blows trumpet on all tracks, often with a fair bit of electronic processing – alongside lots of percussion from other players, all mixed up by Daniel Lanois in the studio. The sound is almost a more abstract extension of the mixture of jazz and global elements that Don Cherry first explored about a decade before – and titles include "These Times", "Gift Of Fire", "Chor Moire", "Courage", and "Dream Theory". Features the bonus track "Ordinary Mind". (Rock, Global Grooves) CD

The Kim Trio have a very 70s-styled look on the cover, and come across with a very similar vibe on record – a groovy update of older Korean pop harmony modes, but served up with instrumentation that's heavy on keyboards, and almost gives the group a loungey sort of vibe! The three siblings harmonize nicely at times, and let individual members take the lead at others – and instrumentation is tight, with almost a pre-disco sort of vibe – lots of fast drums, riffing guitar, and keyboard lines – and more than enough bassbits to keep things grooving! Titles include "Graffiti", "The Waterfront", "Young Girl", "You In My Dream", "What Am I To Do", "Goodbye To You", "Not Lonely", and "To The Sky's Edge". (Rock, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Global psychedelic grooves from Zambia – the tripped out sounds of Witch! Witch works in a killer rock groove on Lazy Bones, with furious rhythms, heavy drums and fuzzed out guitars. It's all nice and raw and done with a really heady and fierce sense of groove – but there's some more delicate moments with acoustic guitars, and a focus on melody, too – but most tunes bring the a raw, echoing fuzz groove. The lyrics are in English and many of their influences are western, but the African rock groove is in full effect, particularly in the insistent rhythms. Titles include "Black Tears", "Motherless Child", "Strange Dream", "Havoc", "October Night", "Off Ma Boots", "Lazy Bones", "Little Clown", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Really rare grooves from an incredibly obscure scene – and that's saying a lot, given how many global sounds have been circulating in recent years! The cuts here represent a unique outpouring of funky club styles from the nation of Surinam – tracks recorded by a handful of groups in the wake of their mid-70s independence – and as filled with as much joy and positive energy as you might imagine from such a political moment! The grooves are surprisingly great – upbeat funk, with lots of jazzy inflections – in a space that's somewhere between the sound of Fantasy Records in the mid 70s, and Capitol soul at the start of the 80s – tight, but never too slick – and as cool as it is classy. Lyrics are in English, and titles include "Sweet Dream" by Alwin Reingoud, "Groovy Weekend" and "Disco Party" by Erwin Bouterse & The Group Roetoe, "Try Try Try" and "You Are Gonna Miss Me" by Solat, "Funkin In Your Mind" and "Going Insane" by Sumy, "Here's To You" by Thunderstorm, and "Waiting For Your Love" by Usje Sukatma. CD

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 and drums – so that although the tunes can be psych-styled, they're also pretty darn funky too – often at a level that's a bit like the Nigerian Afro Funk of the time, but much grittier and more righteous! The quality of the music and scene is explored in depth in the package – which includes a very detailed booklet of notes and photos – all to support the selection of music, which may well be the hippest so far from the Now Again label – and that's really saying a lot, if you know their other titles! Tracks include "Funky Lady" by Teddy Chisi, "Fast" by Salty Dog, "Rain & Sunshine" by Crossbones, "I Don't Know" by Born Free, "Fwe Bena Zambia" by Five Revolutions, "Who's That Guy" by Ricky Banda, "Changa Namwele" by Machine Gunners, "Poverty" by Cosmos Zani, "Dzikolino Ni Zambia" by Keith Mlevhu, "Running" by Blackfoot, and "Everyday Has Got A New Dream" by Dr Footswitch. CD