Stunning Afro Funk from this incredible combo – as great as anything from the 70s, and maybe even better! The album's the second full length release from New York's Antibalas Liberation Orchestra – and like the first, it's an insanely wonderful batch of funk tunes that follows fiercely in the Fela tradition. Choppy guitars meet with chunky rhythms, riffing keyboards, staccato horns, and a deep commitment to rootsy production – one that keeps the sound of the record firmly in the classic mode, without any fancy remix touches of house music beats. The album's amazing – the sort you could easily pass off as a rare gem you find digging through the crates in Lagos – but it's even better than that, because these guys are young, alive, and headed to your town soon for a concert! Titles include "Talkatif", "Hypocrite", "World Without Fear", "War Is A Crime", and "NESTA 75". (Global Grooves, New Grooves) CD

A really fantastic collaboration between Coldcut and a host of South African musicians – and a set that also features a number of key contributions from the legendary Tony Allen! The record uses the older cutup style that Coldcut first forged on the London scene of the 80s – but has lots of live musicianship from an array of jazz and percussion players, plus a variety of singers too – stretching out in this really visionary blend that includes contributions from Dele Sosimi, Tenderlonious, Tony Allen, The Watts Prophets, Nono Nkoane, Lani Sigers, Gally Ngoveni, Miles James, Antibalas, and others! The project comes off way better than most of this type – very collaborative, and with a sound that's very unified, very together, and very fresh – definitely a whole that's even greater than the sum of its parts. Titles include "Freedom Groove", "Broken Light", "Crystallise", "Papua Merdeka", "Swift Gathering", "International Love Affair", and "Future Toyi Toyi". (Global Grooves, New Grooves) CD

A bold slice of work from the Daptone musical universe – a hip project that features work from members of The Dap Kings, El Michels Affair, Budos Band, and Antibalas – all put together with a range of sounds that really show the full spectrum of their styles! The groove's quite unique – even for the ultra-cool Daptone scene – as Menahan Street Band bring in bits of dub, funk, Latin, and Afro-styled sounds to their music – often working with a sense of spareness that seems influenced by 70s Ethiopia, but which comes off with a heavier Wu-inspired sound! There's no vocals at all – just really raw, stark instrumental bits – played on vibes, organ, tenor, flute, piano, trumpet, and some kickass percussion – produced with just the right sort of grit to make all tunes sound great. Titles include "Tired Of Fighting", "Home Again", "Montego Sunset", "The Traitor", "The Contendor", "Birds", "Esma", and "Going The Distance". (Deep Funk, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A bold slice of work from the Daptone musical universe – a hip project that features work from members of The Dap Kings, El Michels Affair, Budos Band, and Antibalas – all put together with a range of sounds that really show the full spectrum of their styles! The groove's quite unique – even for the ultra-cool Daptone scene – as Menahan Street Band bring in bits of dub, funk, Latin, and Afro-styled sounds to their music – often working with a sense of spareness that seems influenced by 70s Ethiopia, but which comes off with a heavier Wu-inspired sound! There's no vocals at all – just really raw, stark instrumental bits – played on vibes, organ, tenor, flute, piano, trumpet, and some kickass percussion – produced with just the right sort of grit to make all tunes sound great. Titles include "Tired Of Fighting", "Home Again", "Montego Sunset", "The Traitor", "The Contendor", "Birds", "Esma", and "Going The Distance". (Deep Funk, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album