David Byrne waited a full decade before giving the world a follow up to his original Beleza Tropical collection of funky Brazilian music – yet during that time, it's also clear that he learned a lot more about the scene – and was able to pick up on some very hip artists who were much more contemporary than the first time around! The record has a fair bit of late 90s gems from a time when Brazilian music was really catching fire again – inspired both by its own experiments of the past, and new attention to its more groundbreaking styles by artists up north – which then seemed to let loose a new era of fresh sounds and styles! The set's got a total of 15 tracks in all – and titles include "O Seu Olhar" by Arnaldo Antunes, "Coriosidade" by Tom Ze, "Tanacara" by Gonzaguinha, "Balanca Pema" by Marisa Monte, "Acho" by Carlos Carega, "Bog La Bog" by Carlinhos Brown, "Pregoes Do Rio" by Moleque De Rua, "Batuque" by Daniela Mercury, "Hoje Eu Quero Sair So" by Lenine, and "Rios, Pontes, & Overdrives" by Chico Science. (Brazil, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff from global funk phenoms Nomo – deftly blending Afro steeped funk with an astral reach – with more of a spiritual jazz influence and off kilter avant touches! Invisible Cities arrives just about a year since their breakthrough Ghost Rock opened so many doors, and although productivity and consistency have never been a problem with Elliot Bergman & co, we're still pretty awestruck – especially given that Ghost Rock set the bar pretty high! Blazing horns, dynamic rhythms and rapturous percussion galore, with the electric kalimba still defining the group's identity nicely, with lots of sweaty funk, more spacious spiritual jazz atmosphere, and a couple of choice covers – Moondog's "Bumba" gets a bit of Caribbean funk treatment with steel drums, plus a reverent take on Tom Ze's "Ma"! Other tracks include "Invisible Cities", "Waiting", "Crescent", "Patterns", "Elijah" and "Nocturne". CD

A stunner of a joint effort from Ethio jazz funk visionary Mulatu Astatke and psych funk genre-busting combo the Heliocentrics – a record we had the highest hopes for and still find wildly above and beyond our loftiest expectations! The collective touch on some classic Mulatu compositions, but the bulk of the material here is brand new, and purely collaborative – if you know the Helioecentrics or you know Mulatu, you can clearly hear what each bring to the table – and it works together brilliantly! There's often a gritty funk bottom end, the best drums and percussion, fat electric bass lines underneath Ethio jazz inspired sax, trumpet, trombone and flute – swirling psychedelic flourishes with theremin and other effects that never take away from the groove. Mulatu's on vibes, percussion, Wurlitzer, drums and keyboards – and his compositions and the Helios trade back and forth throughout the set. There's some additional Ethiopian instrumentation and atmospheric vocals in the mix on some tunes, and more of an astral, avant funk vibe on others, but there's always a brilliant confluence of styles. Bottom line, the album is everything we wanted it to be and more – this will undoubtedly be favorite for years to come! Titles include "Masenqo", "Cha Cha", "Addis Black Widow", "Mulatu", "Blue Nile", "Esketa Dance", "Chik Chikka", "Live From Tiger Lounge", "Chinese New Year", "Phantom Of The Panther", "Dewel"., "Fire In The Zoo", "An Epic Story" and "Anglo Ethio Suite". (Deep Funk, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing 70s recordings from Ethiopian singer Alemayehu Eshete – one of the greatest stars of the Ethiopiques series next to Mulatu! The style here is often quite funky at times – a strong James Brown influence in some of the rhythms, hitting hard with a heavy funk groove at the bottom, and topped by some sharp-edged, angular horns that further freshen up the sound. Other tracks are a bit more soul-based, and make great use of Eshete's amazing vocal style – kind of a back of the throat style of singing, and one that's quite a change from other expectations you might have of African funk from the 70s! Vinyl-only collection features some of the best tracks by Alemayehu from the Ethiopiques CD series – titles that include "Yeweb Dar", "Tashamanaletch", "Telantena Zare", "Feqer Feqer New", "Hameta", "Tey Gedyeleshem", "Eskegizew Bertchi", and "Quondjit". LP, Vinyl record album

A gem from the great Lloyd Miller – backed by modern Brit jazz funk maestros The Heliocentrics – and a credit to the legacies of all involved! Miller has worked timeless, hypnotic magic on an array of Middle Eastern and Asian instrumentation throughout his career, here playing piano, Indian santur, clarinet, Chinese sona, sitar, wood flute, oud and more – and this effort stands strongly with his best. He's accompanied by the masterful Malcolm Catto & The Heliocentrics – showing as much depth and versatility as ever in largely acoustic and improvisational setting – and the bottom line is that it's just as wonderful as their work with Mulatu. As much as we've flipped out over the Heliocentrics efforts as headliners to date, it's quite stunning how well they work backing such influential and legendary figures. Essential! Includes "Electricone", "Nava", "Mandala", "Spiritual Jazz", "Bali Bronze", "Modality", "Salendro", "Pari Ru", "Lloyd's Diatribe", "Fantasia" (Pts 1 & 2), "Chahargah", "Sunda Sunset" and more. (Jazz, Global Grooves) CD

A sweet 70s set recorded in Lisbon, but with roots in Cape Verde – the original home of Pedrinho before he recorded this debut album at the age of 18! The tunes all have this joyous, skittish sort of energy – groove that bubble on up from down at the bottom, woven through nicely with lots of fast-riffing guitar – all at a pace that's even more deft than some of the guitar-based grooves from West Africa at the time! Pedrinho sings and plays keyboards – almost always sounding as if he's completely caught up in the grooves himself, and just responding to the motion of the music. Titles include "Ze Maria", "Benfica De Tra Cthapeu", "Chipetite", "Oracao Do Jovem Triste", "Contrato La Banana", "Ei Se Vous Dance", and "Nhos Baxa Nhos Panha". (Brazil, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Nice one – a nice batch of funky sountrack material, culled from classic Indian "brownsploitation" action films from the 1970s – and the music's every bit as wild and funky as you'd imagine. The bottom groove is classic 70's funk, as you might hear in an American action film from the time, but then there's also some fantastic elements of Indian music thrown in – like funky sitar, extra percussion, and cool synthesizers. Plus, some of the tracks have additional production work by The Automator, and extra beats by DJ Shadow, to extend the funkiness of the originals. The whole thing's very lavishly packaged, with great graphics, and a nice book that has lots of images from the films. Some of the titles (which were added recently, since this is incidental music) are a bit weak – like "Punjabis, Pimps, & Players", "Fear Of A Brown Planet", "Fists Of Curry", and "The Good, The Bad, & The Chutney" – but believe us, the music is stone cold funky, and very very nice! Some good breaks, and lots of groovy funky sounds that you'd never hear on this side of the Pacific. CD

Really hypnotic sounds from Ethiopian singer Kassa Tessema – heard here on two records from the 70s, both of which have a very ancient feel! Kassa has this very deep sound in his voice – a range that really goes down right to the bottom, with less of the higher tones of other Ethiopian instrumentation or singers – and the backings for the records are very spare, often just a bit of krar or harp – used in simple melodic patterns, but which get very compelling as they cycle through in repetition. Some tracks are instrumental, and the booklet also offers translations of the most compelling lyrical passages – on titles that include "Woubye", "Tezeta", "Fanno", "Gelel", "Yemuziqa Moges","Satenaw", and "Antchi Hoy Lene". CD

Overlooked mid-period work from this legendary Korean trio – music the group recorded after their first three albums – all records that have been reissued a bit over the years, which these tracks have not! There's a deeply moody vibe to the music – still all the fuzz, freak, and messed-up elements of the past – but sometimes a bit more focused and tuneful – not in a way that has you thinking that these guys are going for hits at all, but just with this quality that shows them maybe finding a way to bring subtle power to their psychedelic leanings, and slip them into the mainstream! Given the timing of the tracks here – from the late 70s/early 80s generation – the music is almost a bridge between older psych modes and that huge explosion of new psychedelic energy that would show up on the UK scene in the latter half of the 80s – music that certainly resonates well with some of these cuts. 2LP set features 23 tracks in all – with titles that include "Dreaming Doll", "Red Balloon", "A Teacup", "Let's Go To The Vineyard", "Portrait Of A Lady Shaman", An Hourglass In Midday", "Chameleon", "Tomorrow & Tomorrow Again", "Fly Away Bird", "A Strange Day Like This", and "Naughty Boy". (Rock, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Warm, soulful sounds from a crucial time in the Japanese music scene – a 70s moment when the nation was finding a special groove of its own – but one that also drew heavily from American soul and jazz as well! It's no secret that the Japanese have always had a great love of American sounds – but by the mid 70s, that longtime love had also turned into some great homegrown sounds of their own – as Japan developed a number of its own strong soul singers, who were often backed by the ever-growing array of great jazz musicians, particularly those of the fusion side of the spectrum. Plus, there also seemed to be a lot more criss-crossing between Tokyo and US studios at the time – particularly those on the west coast – which resulted in a special blend of sounds that had all the class and cool of the Japanese urban scene, but also some of the sunniness of the west coast too. That special mix of music is perfectly summed up here – in a collection that offers up plenty of cuts that were never issued outside of Japan back in the day – with vocals both in English and Japanese, and plenty of grooves that are perfect for any fan of fusion-styled R&B. Titles include the classic "LA Nights" by Yasuko Agawa – plus "Say Goodbye" by Hiroshi Sato, "I Say Who" by Tomoko Soryo, "Sports Men" by Haruomi Hosoni, "Midnight Driver" by Minako Yoshida, "Machibouke" by Tazumi Toyoshima, "Exotic Yokogao" by Hitomi Tohyama, "Lady Pink Panther" by Shigeru Suzuki, "Drip Dry Eyes" by Yukihiro Takahashi, and "Bamboo Vendor" by Masayoshi Takanaka. (Funky Compilations, Global Grooves) CD

A powerful and righteous album from Brother Moves On – as you might guess from the title – a group led by singer Siyabonga Mthembu, who's worked with Shabaka & The Ancestors – in a lineup that also features some contributions from Shabaka Hutchings as well! The group span their South African roots with some of the contemporary London vibe – mixing jazz elements with vocals and other production elements – in a lineup that also features work from Mthunzi Mvubu on alto and Muhammad Dawjee on tenor. Shabaka Hutchings adds in some flute and clarinet to the group's songs – and titles include "Bayakhala", "Sphila", "Puleng (ext version)", "Sweetie Love Oh", "Mazel", "Ta Tom", "Itumeleng Revisited", and "Hamba The Reprise". (Jazz, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A funky psychedelic kaliedoscope of grooves from India – killer numbers from the 70s and into the early 80s – Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga, from the folks who put together the equally heavy Psych-Funk 101 and Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas compilations! Most of cuts here have a raw, fuzzed out undercurrent of psychedelia – guitars that buzz or lead searingly, depending on the needs of the number – with heavy, funk-based drums and/or hand percussion with rumbling bass rhythms. From that core, they bust out mightily with more furious percussion, rhythms, mad horn arrangements, and vocals that work as either a sweetener or for even more wild-eyed excitement! In short, global psychedelic funk rhythms with regional Indian folk and classical flourishes, blended with mod, soul, garage and soundtrack influences from around the globe. It's a funky, psychedelic fusion of east and west that's billed as a seminar, but this is no academic endeavor – it's a psych funk party all the way! Includes "The Mod Trade" by The Black Beats, "Psychedelia" by X'Lents, "Somebody To Love – Edit" and "Gairaag Dance Music – Edit" by Kalyanji Anandji, "Dance Music From Hare Rama Hare Krishna" by RD Burman, "Lekar Ham Diwana Dil" by RD Burman feat Asha Bhosle & Kishore Kumar, "Mary Long" by Atomic Forest, "Dharmatma Theme Music" by Kalyanji Anandji, "Phir Teri Yaad" by Hemant Bhosle feat Asha Bhosle, "Thanimayil" by Ilaiyaraaja fet Vani Jairam & Chorus and more. 20 tracks in all – with a thick booklet of notes on each track, plus loads of photos, original album & poster art, and more. (Funky Compilations, Global Grooves) CD

European waltzes side by side with music by Ottoman Turkish composers including Hamamizade Ismail Dede Effendi, Abdi Effendi, and Demetrius Cantemir. (Classical, Global Grooves) CD

A collection of work from one of the biggest bands on the scene in Sao Tome & Principe years ago – combo who rocked the small island nation with a great blend of West African modes and more tropical sounds! The guitar work is often very lively, and percolating strongly with the rhythms – which themselves maybe have a bit more punch than usual, almost hitting funky drummer moments at times – while the larger ensemble top the sound with these gently cascading horn parts that have the same unified feel as the vocals! Given that the group never got much circulation at the time, and that some of the cuts here were only issued on cassette, the well-done collection is a great addition to our ever-growing knowledge of sounds from this part of the globe – served up on titles that include "Saozinha", "Vence Vitoria", "Carambola", "Ple Can", "Zun Zon Pedelelu", "San Tome Plodozu", "Pedlelo", and "12 De Julho". LP, Vinyl record album

A double-length collection of work from Pedro Lima – maybe not the biggest name in global music, but a really key figure in his home nation of Sao Tome E Principe! Pedro's got a voice that's both sweet and down to earth at the same time – perfect for the well-crafted rhythms of the tunes, which are heavy on acoustic percussion and electric guitar on most of these numbers – but also shift slightly as the years move on! Yet much of the music is still nicely spare and free of some of the more polished, commercial modes that were coming into play during the big rise of the world music years – still always with a strong focus on the lyrics and message that made Pedro way more than just a singer on his scene, with a political and cultural legacy that's built up strongly from the tracks on the set. The collection features a few unreleased numbers too – and titles include "Balanca Cunxenca", "Non Conveta Qua", "Glavi Funcon", "Floli Xacla", "Meu", "Subocha", "Ami Cu Manu Mu", "Philomene", "Inen Mina Fleguedja", and "Sueste". CD