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 totally amazing little package – every single album recorded by Fela Kuti, served up in tiny LP-style sleeves, and brought together in one excellent box set – with a bonus movie as well! The collection features a total of 51 albums, most of which are paired up with crucial counterparts, as on some of the previous CD releases of the material. But this time around, there's way more than you might imagine in one place – classic records that include Afrodisiac, Confusion, Shakara, Fela's London Scene, He Miss Road, Kalakuta Show, Music Of Many Colors, Beasts Of No Nation, Army Arrangement, Coffin For Head Of State, Original Sufferhead, ITT, The Fela Singles, Roforofo Fight, Excuse O, Moise For Vendor Mouth, Why Black Man Dey Suffer, Na Poi, Authority Stealing, VIP, Fela With Ginger Baker Live, Underground System, Zombie, and lots lots more – a truly amazing run of music! Also features the bonus DVD – A Slice Of Fela. Plus, this package also features 3 more CDs than the previous complete box set – filled with loads of rarities, and 2 previously-unissued tracks! Also features a 52 page booklet with a biography and album commentary. CD

The original take of "Army Arrangement" – one of the greatest 80s grooves from Fela Kuti – stretched out here over the course of the entire album! The notes list side one as being the "instrumental" and side two as the "vocal" – but in truth, the whole thing moves across the space of the album together – with the band building up into tremendous energy as they get started, then Fela coming in for some very powerful lyrics that take the Nigerian government to task for its very corrupt practices. And of course, the music is fantastic – sharp, funky, and filled with this intensity that never lets up! 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