A mad mix of sounds from the glory days of Indian cinema – served up in a package that offers up a much broader blend of styles than other Bollywood collections – as it features numbers from the late 50s all the way through the early 80s! Some of the tracks here have a rockish vibe that's great – romping rhythms, organ and guitars, and a sharp vibe that's contrasted by some of the fuller numbers from later years – including a few nuggets from the heyday of Bollywood funk! The whole thing is upbeat and grooving all the way through – with work by Mohammad Rafi, Asha Bhosle, Kishor Kumar, Kamal Hasaan, Geeta Dutt, Lata Mangeshkar, and others – from films that include Ek Phool Char Kante, Sholay, Aazhi, Bhoot Bungla, Intinti Raamayanam, Blackmail, Junglee, and Howrah Bridge. LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing look at a really stunning musical moment in Indonesia – a postwar period when older sounds from the nation were updated with more western-styled instrumentation – yet often at a level that still retained all of the charm of their roots! If you dig Indonesian gamelan or vocal performances, you'll find plenty to love here – as rhythmic and melodic elements from those worlds are mixed with jazz instrumentation, electric guitar, and plenty of percussion that often seems to draw a bit from Latin inspirations as much as it does from larger local ensembles and their musical legacy. The style is maybe a bit like musical shifts that were taking place in other Southeast Asian nations at the time – but the results are far less slavish to western pop, and still really retain all the cultural care of earlier years – sometimes in ways that are a lot more lean and personal, with extremely beautiful sounds throughout. Maybe one of the best collections the Soundway label has ever given us – with the usual detailed notes, and tracks by artists who include Orkes Kelana Ria, Mus DS, Zaenal Combo, Yanti Bersuadara, Band Nada Kentjana, Orkes Tropicana, Nada Kantjana, and Chris Byantoro. LP, Vinyl record album

The Heavenly Sweetness label celebrates its first ten years in business – with a special birthday present of all-exclusive unreleased tracks! This set doesn't look back at the previous decade of the label, but instead points the way forward – with a wonderful selection of newly-recorded tracks by some of hte label's best artists – including some who've helped define their groove strongly in recent years, and some whose talents are soon to be presenting full length sets for the company! As with the previous ten years of records, the music here is a fantastic blend of new styles and global elements – some strands of soul, jazz, and hip hop influences – but often used in ways that are completely fresh and contemporary – at a level that's made Heavenly Sweetness one of our go-to labels for new and interesting sounds over the past decade. Titles include "You Party Too Much" by The Mule, "O Circo" by Cotonete", "Have A Little Faith" by Blundetto and Ken Boothe, "An Ba Galba" by Roger Raspail and Vincent Segal, "Tijan Ka (2017 version)" by Edmondy Krater and I Live, "Tijan (Hugh LX rmx)" by Edmondy Krater, "F*ck With The Police" by Florian Pellissier Quintet with Roger Raspail and Nawer, "Hip Hop Muse (Lefto rmx)" by Rongetz Foundation, "Be The River" by Anthony Joseph and Hanyo, and "Move In Silence" by Guts with Patrice, Feve, Djeuhdjoah, and Lieutenant Nicholson. (New Grooves, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Not what you might expect when shopping for African music – unique electronic sounds from Cameroon musician Francis Bebey – as heavy on keyboards as other 70s work is on guitar! There's still plenty of acoustic elements in the mix though, too – lots of earthy percussion at the bottom, which links some of these tracks to other styles of the time – even though some of the more unusual tunes here have these great electronic sounds that almost feel like they came from the late 70s German underground! The mix of modes is breathtaking – as if Moebius and Roedelius recorded with musicians from Lagos – shaking off the colder sounds of the Conny Plank side of the spectrum, to come up with a warm new style that's really unique! Titles include "La Condition Masculine", "Sahle", "The Coffee Cola Song", "Super Jingle", "Pygmy Love Song", "Agatha", "Catching Up", and "Divorce Pygmee". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most unusual groups we've heard from the Lagos scene of the 70s – a combo who definitely have a bit of funk in their style, but also a pretty trippy sound too – one that seems to draw from some of the headier sounds in the UK from a few years before – maybe folk-funk, touched with a bit of acid guitar – set to basslines that groove nicely on some of the album's best tracks – in a way that nicely offsets the unusual vocals! The whole thing's pretty trippy – even when funky – maybe more like some of the Zamrock funk of the period, but very much its own thing too – with tracks that include "Grottic Depression 1", "Change Of Tide", "Doomed", "Funk From Mother", "Grottic Depression 2", and "Bad Times". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual British jazz group gets even more unusual – with a sound that's even more mindblowing than some of their better-known records! The combo's headed by pianist John Mayer, who cut two fantastic Indo Jazz Fusions with reedman Joe Harriott in the late 60s – working here on an unreleased studio session from a few years later – with stunning guest work on harmonica from the great Larry Adler! At the core are the familiar Indo Jazz Fusions sounds – reeds from Stan Sulzmann on alto and flute, plus sitar from Clem Alford, guitar from Jim Moyes, bass from Jeff Clyne, drums from John Marshall, and tablas from Krishav Sathe – players who continue that jazz-meets-Indian spirit at the start of the set – then step back slightly on the Eastern tip from track two onwards – as Adler comes in with these amazingly eerie harmonica lines – a very strange but compelling blend with the energy of the rest of the group, and quite different than any of Larry's better-known recordings from earlier years. Once things get going, the mix of harmonica and Indian modes really steps up – a really cool mix, with lots of modal energy – on titles that include "Raga Malika", "Serenade", "Raga Megha", "Summertime", and "Sarabande". (Jazz, Global Grooves) CD

Possibly the greatest album ever from the enigmatic Lloyd Miller – his legendary Oriental Jazz album from the late 60s, and a really wonderful blend of musical modes! Some of the tracks here really stretch out in the Eastern promise of the title – mixing jazz rhythms with santur, oud, zarb, and other unusual instrumentation – all in ways that are modal one minute, meditative the next, and which even echo gamelan styles on one tune! Other tracks are a bit straighter in the instrumentation, but still sparkle with a globe's worth of influence – Lloyd on piano, carving out sounds in a very unusual way! Some tracks are by Miller's trio, other by a quartet that features him, but which is led by pianist/trombonist Press Keys. Titles include "Hue Wail", "Pentalogic", "Tanya", "Natanie", "Guzel Gozler", "Prelude In The Iranian Mode Shur", "Impression Of Bhairava Raga", and "Njonja Mirah & Yona". Some of these tracks have appeared on Millers Oriental Jazz CD compilation – but others haven't – and this is his reissue of the full original album! (Jazz, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest records we've ever heard from this legendary Argentine pianist – a set that has Jorge Lopez Ruiz playing lots of Fender Rhodes, and mixing it in with both rootsy Latin percussion and a number of other keyboards too! The set's almost a South American version of some of Herbie Hancock's work with the Headhunters – with more traditional percussion passages in the mix, but blended with sounds that include Arp and mini-moog too – which gives the whole thing a criss-crossing vibe that alternates from the surface of the planet to the deeper ranges of the cosmos! Ruiz is wonderful throughout – often very spacious, in a thoughtful way that only makes each note have more power – and titles include "La Hora De La Sed Maldita", "Eterna Prescencia", "Mira Tu", "El Viaje De Dumpty", "Balewada", and "Para Nostros Solamente". (Jazz, Global Grooves) CD

A contemporary album on the legendary South African jazz label As Shams, and one that really continues the strong legacy of sounds it began in the 70s! The tracks have this long, building approach – strong rhythms at the core headed by pianist Kyle Shepherd, which are topped with work on saxes from Marc Stucki and trombone from Andreas Tschopp – both European players, who bring in some nicely modern inflections to the music, and maybe a slight touch of improvisation! Other group members include Shane Cooper on bass and Jonno Sweetman on drums – and titles include "Future Past", "The Storm That Guides You", "Porcupine", "Like A Leafe On A Tree", "All The Flame", "Radha III", "Kudu Chant", and "Method Of Moments". (Jazz, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible third coast salsa from the late 70s – amazing stuff from the orquestras of Carlos Ruiz and his Ebirac label – made by singers and players in Chicago's Puerto Rican community of the period that stands up just as well today! Chicago salsa, unlike more nationally popular styles, was rooted in the city's rich Puerto Rican community. They cover material adapted from traditionals and more, done with less pan-Caribbean derived sounds than the Cuban-rooted salseros of NYC and Miami. As fondly remembered as the players of the Chicago salsa scene are by the older Puerto Rican community, records by Orquestas La Justicia, La Solucion, Juventad Tipica '78, Tipica Leal '79 and others are terribly hard to find. Not only has Numero managed to compile a terrific batch of songs, the sound quality is impeccable, too! Titles include "Plena Matrimonial" by Ebirac All-Stars featuring La Calandria & Ramito, "Stone Flower", "Alegre Jibarito", "Guaguanco Coroco" and more by La Justicia, "Afro Theme" and "Ano Nuevo Y Reyes" by Juventud Tipica '78, "A Bailar Son Montuno", "El Gordo Y El Flaco" and "Mini Minoso" by La Solucion, "Mozambique" by La Solucion featuring Mongo Santamaria, "Donde Estabas" by Tipica Leal '79 and more, plus the bonus "Ebirac Radio Spot". The booklet is lavish, too – full of notes and photos that that make it all the more revelatory – providing a historical perspective that can't be overpraised! CD

Sweet grooves from the Duomo Sounds label – a short-lived Nigerian imprint who cut some mighty funky sounds at the start of the 80s! The title here uses the word "disco", but these cuts have none of the strings and polish of the sounds you'd hear at Studio 54 – as most numbers here are stripped-down and raw, really more in a clubbier take on the more famous Nigerian funk of a few years before! However, there's also a quality here that could easily cross over to the hipper clubs on the New York underground – as most of these guys are also using the same sort of small combo funk instrumentation of the best of the indie post-disco scene – which means that some tracks resonate with the work of labels like P&P, and others echo some of the more global currents that were showing up in New York funk during the period! Most lyrics are in English, which further gives these tracks a universal appeal – and titles include "Perfect Disco Machine" and "Disco Connection" by Bindinga, "Aimiuugwia" and "Advice" by Christy Ogbah, "Xmas Eve" by Johnny O Bazz, "Look At Me" and "Shake You Body" by Mike Umoh, "You Do Good You Do For Yourself" by Godfrey Odili, "On My Mind" by Bassey Black & The Natty Messiah, and "Ariro" by Eunice Mokus Arimoku. CD

A really cool collection of cuts from the contemporary underground in Singapore – new music, but work that often resonates with some of our favorite funky global tracks of the 60s and 70s! Think "sitar funk", and you'll start to get the vibe of the set – as there's some of that here, but plenty more going on too – all sorts of unusual hybrids of funky rhythms and exotic instrumentation – not totally retro, but often with some great old school funk elements in the mix! Titles include "Zapin Lucah" by Rebana Funk Brothers, "Prem Durga" by Sitar Funk Group, "Luna" by Hong Chungao Street Band, "Korkap Mestap" by Anak Anak Abu, "Morning Sex" by Golden Mile Band, "Great Wall Of Aria" by Maggot, and "Parkiu" by The Ugly Voices. LP, Vinyl record album

South Indian music played on Venu (or flute), tamboura, kanjeera, and mridangam. Stretched out over 4 long tracks – "Sarasa Saama Dhaana", "Koluvai Unnadae", "Kadhanavarike", and "Varanaaradha Naaraayana". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary group from the 70s Nigerian scene – one who could be as trippy as they were funky – often in ways that had them using studio production to really get some cool effects from their vocals and guitar! There's a spacey edge to most of these tracks – one that comes through most strongly on the mellower moments – which include one or two slow-funk killers that are quite different than the usual sounds of Lagos! But even the more upbeat numbers have this wash around the edges – which seems to filter things together in an unusual way, and really make them come out sounding great. Titles include "Try Me", "Deep Funk", "Mind Twister", "Lay On The Ground", "Don't Drive Me Out", and "Time For Me To Go". CD

Heavenly sounds from the Ethiopian scene of the 70s – a set that has the vocals of Aselefech Ashine and Getenesh Kebret wrapped together wonderfully – not exactly harmonies in the conventional sense, but maybe a double-barreled approach that really makes the music soar! The instrumentation includes work by the Army Band – with nicely offbeat piano lines over percussion, and the unusual reed phrasing you'll know from other Ethio groovers of the time – all a perfect match for the vocals! The style here is right up there with some of the better-known classics from the scene in the golden era – and titles include "Ene Yalant Feker", "Kenawtte", "Lametew", "Anlak Abet Abet", "Ayinouma", "Jegenaw Belaye", and "Amerewal Shegenuo". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool quintet of Korean lovelies from the 70s – five gals who could sing sweetly when they wanted, but also hit some funkier sounds on their instruments as well! The Happy Dolls follow strongly in the tradition of earlier Army base acts from the postwar Korean scene – but they've also got a groovier sound overall, and maybe more of an international appeal too – given the time they spent on the Vegas stages in the early part of the decade, and their frequent work in Canada during the latter half. This set was recorded in Toronto, and it's got a very unusual approach that mixes equal parts small combo funk with some fuller harmony singing as well – a shift that takes place from track to track on the set, which makes for a surprising sense of variety. The group turn in two great covers – "Funky Stuff" and "Pick Up The Pieces" – both of which work great in kind of an indie funk mode – and other tunes include their own "Bombie", a take on "Shake Your Booty", and even a "Drum Solo" number! (Vocalists, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Grooves unlike anything else you've ever heard before – the rightly legendary musical legacy of William Onyeabor, one of the most enigmatic talents to come from the African scene of the 70s! The work here is all plenty darn funky, but it's also very different from familiar Afro Funk too – as the instrumentation is heavy on keyboards, handled by William with incredible dexterity – and spun out in these soaring lines that bristle with righteous touches that really support the message of his tunes! The vibe mixes in some electro elements with long-drawn rhythms – and the vocals often step aside for lots of keyboard and rhythm interplay, then come in to send things home at just the right moment. Onyeabor's been a pretty elusive cat over the years, and it's taken Luaka Bop quite some time to put this collection together – amazing work that may well make the album one of the most important to ever come from the label – and the first introduction to the non-African world of Onyeabor's incredible sounds. Titles include "Body & Soul", "Atomic Bomb", "Something You'll Never Forget", "Why Go To War", "Love Is Blind", "Fantastic Man", and "Let's Fall In Love". 3LP set features four bonus tracks not on the CD! LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe an even more compelling album than the debut set from Wau Wau Collectif – as this record continues the cultural crossroads of the first, but at a level that feels even more joyous and ambitious! Traditional elements like the balafon and kora are mixed with more contemporary production, sweet keyboards, and lots of great guitar – topped with a shifting array of vocals that really brings a strongly collaborative vibe to the proceedings – maybe the group living up to the collective promised by their name! Titles include "Bayet Kate", "Xale", "Jarabi", "Necessaire", "Yonou Natangue", "Liguey Len", "Thiaroye 1944", "Mariage Force", and "Ya Balma". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe not the complete roots of African funk, but a set that does a great job of bringing together a range of different cuts that show the new sounds and styles that were really hitting the scene as the 70s moved in – work from a wide variety of sources, but which all seems to share a sound and spirit with some of the newly independent African nations! There's a few African funk cuts in the mix, but the more interesting ones are almost those from the Anglo world that show a similar sense of groove, but with a slightly different vibe – coming across here on cuts that include "Waterbed (inst)" by LTD Exchange, "African Queen" by Allez Allez, "Them Changes" by Lionel Hampton, "Sangandongo" by Niagara, "Wassahoumba" by Africa Djole, "Do The Choo Choo" by Jack Ashford, "Africa Gone Funky" by Screaming Jay Hawkins, "Super Kumba" by Manu Dibango, "Tite Rope" by Harold Alexander, "Fat City Strut" by Mandrill, and "Corey Died On The Battlefield" by Wild Magnolias. LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool sounds from the 60s scene in Italy – music that's clearly inspired by the best British female pop of the period, and also a bit by Detroit soul – with maybe just a touch of French "yeh yeh" modes thrown in for good measure! Yet because the sounds come from a scene that was also reinventing the sound of movies with its studio genius, there's also a really special vibe going on here – in part because the music often features contributions from soundtrack and sound library maestros – including Nora Orlandi, Berto Pisano, Alessandro Alessandroni, Bruno Nicolai, and others – who put these tunes together with a wonderfully spacious, wonderfully creative vibe – which really helps take them past their basic musical influences. The set list is every bit as well-chosen as the Ace Records collections of 60s French female pop – and titles include "Il Beat Cos'E" by La Ragazza, "Cartoline" by Mina, "Le Ragazze Semplici" by Orietta Berti, "E Proprio Inutile" by Meri Marabini, "Coccodrillo" by Ornella Vanoni, "Se Mi Vuoi Mi Vuoi" by Catherine Spaak, "Il Treno" by Rita Pavone, "A Me Piace Lui" by Vibeke, "Come Ti Vorrei" by Iva Zanicchi, "Tamburino Ciao" by Milva, "Zero In Amore" by Gigliola Cinquetti, "Il Paradiso" by Patty Pravo, and "Una Stanza Vuota" by Lisa Gastoni. (Rock, Global Grooves) CD