(78 RPM, Global Grooves) 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A classic from this legendary Malian group – with vocals from Sekou Kante! Titles include "Bedianamogo", "Lanfia Diabate Gna Gna", and "Diabate". LP, Vinyl record album

There's nothing quite like the voice of Nahawa Doumbi – a sound that's lean and powerful at once, haunting and heartfelt, and served up here on a set of tunes that were originally only issued on cassette in her homeland of Mali! The music features really deft guitar work from N'Gou Bagayoko – who crafts these lines that are as rhythmic as they are melodic – dipping, turning, and making great musical moments alongside the fantastic lyrics. Titles include "Tou Dibile", "Djankonia", "Sokono Woulouni", "Nianimanjougou", and "Kourouni". LP, Vinyl record album

(Latin, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully hard-to-categorize album from the start of the 80s – a Mexican record that mixes folkloric roots with electronic instrumentation – but all in a way that sounds much more ancient than you'd expect for the time! The fusion of modes here is wonderful – almost at a level that reminds us of some of the Graeme Revell experiments of the mid 80s, or some of the more organic electronics from Japan – as the whole thing feels a lot more acoustic than electric, with a wonderful blend of woody sounds, percussion, and other great elements. Titles include "In Altepetal Tonal", "I Pan In Xiktli Metztli", "Xochiyaoyoloh", and "Ketzalkoatl Yauh Miktlan". (Latin, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

An Afro-Peruvian classic, and a folkloric set that really gets at the complicated modes of the genre! There's plenty going on here, but always in a relatively organic way – an unusual blend of Spanish-styled guitar, earthy percussion, and vocal passages that evoke styles from island cultures in Cuba, Haiti, and even Cape Verde! The real mystery is how these elements came into play on the other side of South America – and with such a timeless quality that the record feels far more ancient than the 1973 date of its release – maybe like some of the Discos Marcos Pereira releases in Brazil at the same time. Titles include "Cancion Para Ekue", "El Payande", "Negrito De Donde Vienes", "Ollita Noma", "Toro Mata", and "Pobre Negrita". (Latin, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

(Latin, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most unique musical talents we've heard in years – finally given his due in this wonderful collection of work from the late 70s and early 80s! Alain Peters works in a style that's beyond description – a global mix of elements from both the Caribbean and Africa, but often given a slight South Asian spin, given that Alain spent a fair bit of time exploring the cultures of the Indian Ocean – which he weaves here into a hypnotic blend of percussion, guitar, and extremely evocative French language lyrics! Rather than stepping on and pilfering from a range of cultures – Peters is instead a unique citizen of the post-colonial world, and allows himself a boundary-less space to stretch out beyond any simple generic descriptions. If we had to try to relate this music to anything, we might say that it's at the level of some of the most perfect experiments on the Saravah Records label – with a similarly haunting, live-changing vibe. Titles include "Mange Pou Le Coeur", "La Rosee Si Feuilles Songes", "La Peche Bernica", "Wayo Manman", "Rest'La Maloya", and "Ti Pas Ti Pas N'Arriver". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

(Rock, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Youthful cumbia from Los Golden Boys – a combo with a spirit that really lives up to their name – and which is served up here with some very cool use of organ next to more familiar cumbia rhythms! The instrument is lean and spacey – almost otherworldly – and the quality makes for a record that's very unique, almost as if Saturn Records had decided to do a co-release with Discos Fuentes! In addition to the "boys" in the group, the lineup also features some vocals from female singer Amparo Muniz – on titles that include "Cumbia Y Beso", "Cumbia De Juventud", "Cumbia De La Mariguana", "El Buena Vida", "Si Me Quieres", "A Volar Moscas", "El Ano Viejo", and "Vengan A Baila". (Latin, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album