One of the many 70s disco projects recorded under the supervision of Michael Zager – and although this one isn't nearly as Latin as the name might imply, the record is a nice mix of clubby grooves and conga sounds, in the manner of some of the best Latin Hustle records of the time. Titles include "Rhythm Of Life", "Black Widow Woman", "Moon Is The Daughter Of The Devil", and "Delicado". LP, Vinyl record album

Fierce funky grooves from the legendary Nico Gomez – a set cooked up in Europe, but heavy with influences from the other side of the Atlantic – from Havana all the way up to New York! There's definitely a Latin groove to the record – one that's similar to other Gomez productions – but there's also lots of heavy funk at the bottom – with basslines that drive most numbers along boldly, really raw percussion played with a nice sense of spontaneity, and these super-tight keyboards and guitars that you might find in American funk! The mix of modes is very much in the best spirit of contemporary groups like Chakachas or Lafayette Afro Rock Band – and titles include "Caballo Negro", "Lupita", "Baila Chibiquiban", "Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!", "One Note Samba", "Cuba Libre", and "El Condor Pasa". LP, Vinyl record album

Fierce funky grooves from the legendary Nico Gomez – a set cooked up in Europe, but heavy with influences from the other side of the Atlantic – from Havana all the way up to New York! There's definitely a Latin groove to the record – one that's similar to other Gomez productions – but there's also lots of heavy funk at the bottom – with basslines that drive most numbers along boldly, really raw percussion played with a nice sense of spontaneity, and these super-tight keyboards and guitars that you might find in American funk! The mix of modes is very much in the best spirit of contemporary groups like Chakachas or Lafayette Afro Rock Band – and titles include "Caballo Negro", "Lupita", "Baila Chibiquiban", "Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!", "One Note Samba", "Cuba Libre", and "El Condor Pasa". LP, Vinyl record album

A confusing title, but a wonderful little record! The album's as much a Herbie Mann Latin session as it is a record by Johnny Rae – which is probably why the album's titled as such – and the group on the set features Rae on vibes, Herbie on flute, Jack Six on bass, Philly Joe Jones on drums, Bobby Corwin on piano, and Jose Mangual, Patato Valdes, and Victor Pantoja on an assortment of Latin and African percussion. The groove is tremendous – Latinized jazz, but with a real tension between the heavy percussion on the bottom and the ligher flute and vibes on the top – especially on the album's more tribal, African-styled numbers. The "suite" features 7 tracks in all – 5 composed by Herbie ("Sorimao", "Beouin", "Sudan", "Ekunda", "Guinean"), plus a version of Sonny Rollins' "St Thomas", and the track "Jungle Fantasy" by Noro Morales. LP, Vinyl record album

A confusing title, but a wonderful little record! The album's as much a Herbie Mann Latin session as it is a record by Johnny Rae – which is probably why the album's titled as such – and the group on the set features Rae on vibes, Herbie on flute, Jack Six on bass, Philly Joe Jones on drums, Bobby Corwin on piano, and Jose Mangual, Patato Valdes, and Victor Pantoja on an assortment of Latin and African percussion. The groove is tremendous – Latinized jazz, but with a real tension between the heavy percussion on the bottom and the ligher flute and vibes on the top – especially on the album's more tribal, African-styled numbers. The "suite" features 7 tracks in all – 5 composed by Herbie ("Sorimao", "Beouin", "Sudan", "Ekunda", "Guinean"), plus a version of Sonny Rollins' "St Thomas", and the track "Jungle Fantasy" by Noro Morales. LP, Vinyl record album

A great document of the crossover between the New York Latin scene and the Catskills – the upstate resort community that was as important to the Latin groups as the uptown clubs! Like many groups of the period, Machito's found a heck of a lot of work in the Catskills during the 50s – most notably at the Concord Resort, paid tribute to by this set – which includes photos of famous Concord staffers that include swimming instructor Buster Crabbe and golf pro Jimmy Demarest! But apart from that gimmicky approach, the album's actually a strong one for Machito – showing the kind of grooves that helped his 50s group cross over big – a mix of mambo and early cha cha tracks that include "Patricia", "Guaglione", "Torero", "Cha Cha Cha Loco", "Cotillon Mambo", and "Mambo La Concord". LP, Vinyl record album

Lots of upbeat mambo tracks – and titles include "Cha Cha Charinette", "Bananas", "El Jamaiquino", "Feedin The Chickens", "Dragnet", "Mamboscope", and "Sentimental Mambo". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty straight album of Afro percussion from Jean De Vries and his Afro Drums ensemble – kind of in the spirit of work from the time by Sabu or Olatuunji! The recording quality is relatively ethnographic, with lots of echo in the mix – and titles include "Drums Of Love", "Drum Dance", "Voice Of The Wind", "Let Me Hear Drums", and "Maracaibo". LP, Vinyl record album

A completely righteous mix of jazz and African percussion – put together by drummer Art Blakey at a time when he was riding high with the Jazz Messengers, but also was willing to work on great experiments like this! The album's years ahead of its time – and arguably opens the door for countless spiritual jazz projects like this in the 70s, more proof that Blakey was a groundbreaking artist who was always opening doors for others! Blakey's own work on drums is joined by percussion from Montego Joe, Chief Bey, Garvin Masseux, James Ola, Folami, Robert Crowder, and Solomon Ilori – the last of whom would record his own record for Blue Note – and the rest of the group features Yusef Lateef on flute and tenor, Curtis Fuller on trombone, and the great Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass – a great choice for the record, given that he was mixing together similar modes on his own records of the time. Titles include "Tobi Ilu", "Love, The Mystery Of", and "Obirin African". LP, Vinyl record album

Fierce funky grooves from the legendary Nico Gomez – a set cooked up in Europe, but heavy with influences from the other side of the Atlantic – from Havana all the way up to New York! There's definitely a Latin groove to the record – one that's similar to other Gomez productions – but there's also lots of heavy funk at the bottom – with basslines that drive most numbers along boldly, really raw percussion played with a nice sense of spontaneity, and these super-tight keyboards and guitars that you might find in American funk! The mix of modes is very much in the best spirit of contemporary groups like Chakachas or Lafayette Afro Rock Band – and titles include "Caballo Negro", "Lupita", "Baila Chibiquiban", "Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!", "One Note Samba", "Cuba Libre", and "El Condor Pasa". LP, Vinyl record album

A great document of the crossover between the New York Latin scene and the Catskills – the upstate resort community that was as important to the Latin groups as the uptown clubs! Like many groups of the period, Machito's found a heck of a lot of work in the Catskills during the 50s – most notably at the Concord Resort, paid tribute to by this set – which includes photos of famous Concord staffers that include swimming instructor Buster Crabbe and golf pro Jimmy Demarest! But apart from that gimmicky approach, the album's actually a strong one for Machito – showing the kind of grooves that helped his 50s group cross over big – a mix of mambo and early cha cha tracks that include "Patricia", "Guaglione", "Torero", "Cha Cha Cha Loco", "Cotillon Mambo", and "Mambo La Concord". LP, Vinyl record album

Bold new work from the legendary Pyramids ensemble – a spiritual jazz group who go back to the 70s, but who've reemerged in recent years with a renewed sense of energy, and a very forward-thinking sound! Leader Idris Ackamoor is still a master of tone and feeling on reeds – including alto and tenor, plus some other instrumentation as well – and he also vocalizes a bit on the record too hitting some righteous expressions that are in the spirit of Leon Thomas or Dwight Trible, mixed along with instrumentation from other players on drums, percussion, keyboards, trumpet, trombone, and guitar. The album's got a beautifully positive vibe – and titles include "Police Dem", "First Peoples", "Afro Futuristic Dreams", "Garland Rose", "Truth To Power", and "Requiem For The Ancestors". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

African rhythms, jazzy instrumentation, rock inspiration, and a motherlode of funky sound library grooves from two of the best British maestros working in the business! The album's an early 70s gem from the KPM catalog – one of the most sought-after records ever issued by the label – and like the rest, never really made for public sale back at the time! Despite that humble origin, though, the grooves here are right up there with the funkiest work coming out from that side of the Atlantic at the time – a brilliant post-colonial blend of acoustic percussion, electric keyboards, and a fair bit of fuzzy guitar – all presented with a stripped-down, no-nonsense approach to the rhythms that's often funkier than work by some of the bigger names in the genre. Titles include "Heavy Water", "Ice Breaker", "Solid Satin", "Punch Bowl", "Frozen Steam", and "Black Light" by Alan Parker – and "Swamp Fever", "Range Rover", "Survival", "Afro Waltz", "Heat Haze", "Rocking Rhino", and "Afro Metropolis" by John Cameron. LP, Vinyl record album

There's a really fresh vibe to this record from trumpeter Theo Croker – a sensibility that recalls older jazz and funk traditions, but which also reaches for something new as well – at a level that really lives up to the experimental promise of the title! The rhythms are deep, but the instrumental lines are often quite free – never outside, but soaring and searching as they're driven on by a mix of acoustic percussion and electric bass – plus sweet Hammond and Fender Rhodes as well! Croker's conception is not unlike the best Blue Note work of late – particularly material from the Robert Glasper side of the universe – and the set features guest work that includes Dee Dee Bridgewater on vocals, Stefon Harris on vibes, and Roy Hargrove on trumpet. Titles include "Save Your Love For Me", "Alapa", "Realize", "It's Not You It's Me", "Bo Masekela", "I Can't Help It", "Roy Allan", and "The Fundamentals". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal bit of Latin jazz from the early 50s – Machito's first "Afro Cuban Jazz Suite", written by Chico O'Farrill, and packaged here in the original 10" LP on Mercury, complete with the David Stone Martin cover! The set features a stunning mix of jazz and Latin playing, in a manner that was to forever shape the future of both musics – with solo work by Flip Phillips and Charlie Parker, and Latin percussion by Mario Bauza, Jose Mangual, Candido, and Machito. The writing and playing is superb, and Chico O'Farrill arranged the whole thing with an energy level matching his best early work! LP, Vinyl record album

Noro Morales' most ambitious recording, and a beautiful reading of Ernesto Lecuona's extended Afro Cuban Suite! The suite spans both sides of the album, and is done here in a beautiful orchestral intervweaving of Latin themes, with arrangements by George Siravo, and piano by Noro, who also leads the group. The set's one of the best-ever Latin records to come out on RCA's Vik subsidiary, and it's a darn tough one to find! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Olatunji's best LPs, and a record that breaks out of his usual straight hard percussion stuff by adding some jazz players like Yusef Lateef, Clark Terry, and George Duvivier. There's also some singers augmenting the ensemble, but they drop out in parts, and the percussion and jazz take over. Olatunji's joined by Ray Barretto and Montego Joe on congas, and the whole thing grooves like one of Art Blakey's jazz/percussion experiments. 7 tracks: "Masque Dance", "Zungo", "Ajua", "Esum Buku Wa-Ya", "Gelewenwe", "Jolly Mensah" and "Philistine". LP, Vinyl record album

A great companion to the famous Latin-tinged recordings that Charlie Parker made for Norman Granz in the late 40s – a series of live material that echoes the style of those famous dates with Machito, but which also showcases Parker's alto in some nicely different Latin settings too! There's some work here that features a small group with Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet – also a key proponent for mixing in Latin elements during the bebop years – and there's others that have Parker blowing with larger charts, as on the Verve/Granz sessions – in one group led by Machito, one led by Woody Herman, and another headed by Stan Kenton, with Candido on congas! All material is live, and works well together – and titles include "Manteca", "Leo The Lion", "Lemon Drop", "Cuban Holiday", "Mambo Fortunato", "Lament For The Congo", "Groovin High", "Confirmation", "On The Alamo", "Night In Tunisia", "Salt Peanuts", and "Dizzy Atmosphere". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that really lives up to its title, and one that brings together a host of rare singles from this legendary group – all of which are maybe even funkier than some of the tracks on their albums of the time! The bulk of the record is from very rare 7" singles issued on the Albarika Store label, and the set's completed by two rare compilation cuts as well – and the result is a record that's overflowing with hard-edged gems that really show off the unique funky sound of the TP Orchestra Poly Rhythmo – lots of heavy drums at the bottom, cool criss-crossing organ lines, and a style that's a lot leaner than that of Fela and some of his contemporaries. Titles include "Mi Si Ba To", "Minko E So Non Moin", "Gbeti Ma Diro", "Segla", "Kou Tche Kpo So O", "Mi Ve Wa Se", and "Aiha Ni Kpe We". LP, Vinyl record album

The Scorpios are a Sudanese group, now living in exile in London – and working here in this amazing remake of sounds from their homeland! The music has some echoes of the contemporary takes on Ethiopian music – definitely that blend of funk and exoticism – but there's also an extremely striking presence of the vocals, often sung by a female singer, whose ability to flow and inflect really leaves us breathless! The rhythms are great, too – with romping funky instrumentation that often has the guitar and keyboards coming down with the groove – and although there's some trumpet and tenor on the record, the horns are less of a factor than the interplay between percussion/guitar rhythms and the voice. Production is great, very vintage in approach, but never in a cliched way – and titles include "Eujoaideen", "Yadob Yadob", "Benreed El Etam", "Safar", "Saparna", "Kirfaya Mosa", and "La Shaftak Tabel Elshoog". LP, Vinyl record album

The Scorpios have a really wonderful sound here – a mode that's way different than just the familiar Afro Funk styles you'll hear from other groups – and a style that really represents their long journey in music! The record is really fleshed out with a range of sounds – at times very rootsy and organic, with lots of percussion and vocals, other times almost jazzy – and sometimes a bit more in a deep funk mode, but always with a vision towards the larger mission of the group! There's a cohesive imagination here that's wonderful, and which keeps things moving at a very fresh pace throughout – as trumpet, tenor, guitar, keyboards, and all the other familiar instruments are used in nicely different ways – on titles that include "Samara Brown Complexion", "Yellah Let's Go", "Samha Beautiful", "Traditional Bridal Song", "Azzah", "Algrbow Yahenan", and "Mashena We Want". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's every bit as groovy as you might guess from the title – served up by one of the most unique combos to record for Colombia's Discos Fuentes in the 70s! Afrosound certainly have plenty of rhythms and sounds that resonate with their contemporaries at the top of the South American scene – but they also use rootsier percussion, and served up a rawer sound too – definitely bringing back some West African modes, after that scene had an earlier influence from the world of Afro-Cuban music! There's some especially cool keyboards that get all weird and distorted – like electric guitar on some Peruvian records – balanced with plenty of live, loud percussion – on titles that include "Banana De Queso", "Baila Felipe", "Negua", "Ponchito De Colores", "Carruseles", "Zaire Pop", "Rapsodia Del Chinito", "Me Voy De La Vida", "Salsa Con Tabaco", and "La Negra Saramuya". LP, Vinyl record album

Roy Ayers in a very Afro-styled mode – working here on his own after a famous collaboration with Fela Kuti – in a set that's filled with the same sort of hard-driving Afro-Funk grooves that you'd find in Fela's classic recordings! The songs are shorter than Fela's, and with more of Roy's usual smooth jazzy production style – but the overall influence is very much in the Afro-Funk vein, and the album's sort of a "part 2" to the Music Of Many Colors set that was cut a few years before. William Allen worked on the record with Roy – playing choppy Afro-Funk bass, and arranging and producing a lot of the material with Roy and Jaymz Bedford – and the record also features a host of extra percussion players, as well as some vocals by the lovely Sylvia Striplin. Includes the great groover "Africa, Center Of The World", plus "The River Niger", and a great remake of "Third Eye", which was on Everybody Loves The Sunshine, but is redone here with a heavier sound! Other tracks include "There's A Masterplan", "I'll Just Keep Trying", and "Destination Motherland". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweden's Beatfantatic returns with an offering – one that's filled with elements of the best funky soul, Afro groove, thumping Latin and hip hop turntable wizardry one could spin into a glorious set! One listen and you'll understand why some of the globe's most tasteful DJs are singing the Beatfanatic's praises. The record is clearly built from samples and found grooves – but mixed with the dynamic genius of the funkiest DJs! Where some of the better known turntablists, DJs and producers that get mentioned in the same circles have grown ponderous, Beatfanatic is all about the funky party at hand – really living up to their moniker! The LP version includes 8 long tracks on 2LPs: "Pete's Funk", "Like A Sound", "Mighty Love", "Blow My Mind", "Origins Of Hip Hop (extended version", "Holdin' Out", "Blow My Mind" and "Doin' Fine". LP, Vinyl record album

80s Afro grooves, recorded in Belgium – given a nice twist by the Crammed Discs label, which was one of the first to really open up African styles with more European elements! Bony Bikaye handles vocals, and Hector Zazou plays plenty of keyboards and adds in beat – so there's an electro-styled groove to most cuts, in a mode that's similar to some of the New Africa material on Celluloid Records from the same time! The remaining member of the group handles lots of saxophone solos – but the trio also get some studio help that includes more saxophone from Marc Hollander. Titles include "Angel", "Mr Manager", "Nostalgie", and "Soki Akei". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice update of older Ghanian modes – as Isaac Birituro mixes his beautiful work on the balafon with some more contemporary rhythms and vocals – all at a level that's nicely different from other recent work in an Afro Funk mode! The woody sounds of the core instrument make for a nice balance with the shifting array of male and female vocals – and even when rhythms are more driving, they're never too forced or beat-heavy – which also keeps the record away from some of the overproduced work of the Afro-remix scene. Titles include "Senye", "Ta Soo Maa Yele", "Dondomo", "Doniyan", "Bawa", "Sivukile", "Kontomo", and "Told You So". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album from the Black Children Sledge Funk Band – a combo who've got a sound that's a lot more lean than their name – with plenty of the funk that you might expect, mixed with some of the slightly trippy elements of the Zamrock generation too! The vocals are processed in a really cool way, and layered down next to the guitar – which often has some nice effects as well – all of which creates this swirlingly seductive sound on top of the funky rhythms at the core! Titles include "Mr Who", "Love Is Fair", "Funky Child", "Another Girl", "Hard Life", "Sledger Afro Funk", and "Feelings I've Got". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the coolest set so far from this excellent combo – a record that infuses their unique blend of Afro Funk with some slightly psychedelic currents – as you might guess from the cover! The record's not entirely in the territory of a group like the Heliocentrics, but there's certainly more fuzz than before – yet always balanced with the forward-moving rhythms that the group does so well, plus plenty of that soaring brass work that graces their name – horn lines that are in a fantastic tradition that includes both styles from New Orleans and Nigeria! Titles include "The Pit", "But At What Cost", "Aethervision", "Little Ghosts", "Hox C", "Echo AD", "A Web A Knot A Tangle", and "Doom Country". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the coolest set so far from this excellent combo – a record that infuses their unique blend of Afro Funk with some slightly psychedelic currents – as you might guess from the cover! The record's not entirely in the territory of a group like the Heliocentrics, but there's certainly more fuzz than before – yet always balanced with the forward-moving rhythms that the group does so well, plus plenty of that soaring brass work that graces their name – horn lines that are in a fantastic tradition that includes both styles from New Orleans and Nigeria! Titles include "The Pit", "But At What Cost", "Aethervision", "Little Ghosts", "Hox C", "Echo AD", "A Web A Knot A Tangle", and "Doom Country". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully heavy sounds from Black Market Brass – a group who started out with more of a global funk approach, but who emerge here with the intensity of some lost funky soundtrack – all with the sort of edge you might expect from the cover! The style here is really revolutionary – unlike anything else we've ever heard from a group with "brass" in their name – in part because the group has some very cool distortion on the keyboards and guitar, which gives those electric elements a very sinister sound next to the straight ahead fire of the horns – served up with really hard-driving rhythms throughout, in a way that seems to pull together older traditions of Afro Funk, Nola Brass, and even some of the southern college bands – but all with a very 21st Century vision. Titles include "So Who (parts 1 & 2)", "Into The Thick", "War Room", "Cheat & Start A Fight", "Undying Thirst", and "NBT". LP, Vinyl record album

A great third album from Staten Island instrumental funk titans The Budos Band – who've brought eclectic inspiration all along and have always colored from a much broader palette of styles than most of their peers – going even further this time out and delivering their best yet! The Daptone House Of Soul blueprint is a big part of the recipe, as it should be. Classic funky soul grit holds it all together and each cut has an unshakable groove, but with that in full effect, the group is free to explore. The Budos horns are as impeccable and communicative as ever, with brass that ranges from classic stateside funk and Afro influences. The percussion (bongos, clave, cowbell and more) is just as broadly thought out and tightly delivered, snakey bass lines, flute and the sometimes secret weapon on Budos Band III, the electric organ – which brings a bit of a garage psych/funk rock vibe. Truly exceptional work from the one of the best bands of their generation! Includes "Rite Of The Ancients", "Black Venom", "River Serpentine", "Unbroken, Unshaven", "Nature's Wrath", "Golden Dune's", "Budo's Dirge", "Raja Haje", "Crimson Skies", "Mark Of The Unnamed" and "Reppirt Yad" (a funked up Lennon/McCartney cover...read it backwards, kids). LP, Vinyl record album

Soaring and soulful work from the legendary John Coltrane – a tremendous live set that's one of his best early 60s albums! The groove is open and free – filled with pulsating modal rhythms, and handled with a slightly more relaxed feeling than some of Trane's studio work from the same time. The quartet features McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – and Coltrane himself plays both tenor and soprano sax, the latter with an especially beautiful sound. The set kicks off with a beautifully firey reading of "Afro-Blue" – one that really opens up, and remakes the tune into one of Coltrane's most legendary recordings – and other titles include a classic reading of "Alabama", plus the titles "Your Lady" and "The Promise". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible bit of Afro Funk and soul jazz! Marius Cultier has a unique sound that's 50% 70s Afro Funk, 25% Latin, and 25% bits of breezy jazz – similar to some of the best European players of the mid 70s, or to some of the Blue Note work of Moacir Santos! This rare album from 1977 features Cultier running through a number of different vibes – all pretty darn great, and highly appealing to an ear that's finely tuned for an interesting groove. The album begins with a strange sound effect, and rolls into the heavy funk of the cut "Zouk", includes two great mellow soul numbers "The Way It Should Be" and "Qui Coule Manman-Ou", and features some excellent Latin numbers with a nice touch of funk, like "Piano A Marius Cultier", "Ce Roule Man Ka Roule", and "Easy". A great little album with a very fresh sound – and one that we won't find again that easily! LP, Vinyl record album

That's quite an image on the cover, and Curly Castro follows through strongly with all the Afro-Futurist expectations it might trigger – not just in his words, but in the way the album comes together – as some sort of a moody, unified document – powerful words in the frontline, but all this sort of darkly shimmering static at the back! The intensity of the record never lets up, and contributions from Billy Woods, Mr Lif, Margel The Sophant, and Breeze Brewin only seem to add fuel to the fire – on tracks that include "Kill Her Priest", "Freehuey Fitteds", "Killmonger Was Right", "Khujo Taught Me", "Bleek Shadows", "F Stands For Hampton", "Black August", "Weapon 13X", and "Raynathan & Romello". LP, Vinyl record album

Yussef Dayes works here under a title that was first coined by Rahsaan Roland Kirk to refer to jazz – but Dayes takes the term to a whole new level with this groundbreaking set – really moving past jazz to unlock a whole field of soulful expression – served up an excellent group at the core, and key contributions from very hip guests throughout! Dayes has always been someone who defies expectations, but here he's going past just some sort of unconventionality to really make his own mark in music – letting an instrumental solo take center stage when needed, or working through vocals in another moment – but all with this effortless flow that really comes together over the course of the album! The group features Charlie Stacey on keyboards, Alexander Bourt on percussion, and Venna on tenor – and guests include Shabaka Hutchings, Leon Thomas, Miles James, Theon Cross, Chronixx, and others. Titles include "Early Dayes", "Afro Cubanism", "Black Classical Music", "Rust", "The Light", "Pon Di Plaza", "Marching Band", "Tioga Pass", "Cowrie Charms", "Crystal Palace", and "Presidential". LP, Vinyl record album

Legendary drummer Tullio De Piscopo is all by himself on the cover, and that's how he sounds on the record – just playing solo, but with amazing grooves that hardly make you miss the other instruments at all! Tullio's got a long legacy in both jazz and club music – yet this set may be one of his most unique, and one of the purest demonstrations of his talents as a musician – as he manages to serve up these solo tracks that are all rhythmic and very groovy, with a melodic command of the drum kit that fills in all the other elements you might miss – on tracks that move between classic hip hop break cuts, to Brazilian-inflected groovers, to some other rhythmic masterpieces that were certainly years ahead of their time back in 1974! Titles include "Afro Cubano", "Samba Carnival", "Rocking Special", "Afro Jazz", "7/4 Rock", "Fast Afro Samba", "Drum Fantasy", "Onda Nueva 3/4", "Moderato Swing", and "Dodiciottavi". LP, Vinyl record album

Ernesto Djedje left the planet at a very young age – but thanks to recordings like this, he really left his mark on the music scene in the Ivory Coast – and the larger world of West African music as well! There's a special blend of traditional sounds and contemporary elements going on here – a hybrid that Djedje clearly picked up while working in the French scene earlier in his career, before returning home to make some really amazing records like this! Tracks have a pulsating groove throughout – more a flow directed by the guitar and bass than the heavier sound of Afro Funk – and Djedje's vocals have a raspy charm that grabs you instantly, and which really work well beyond the boundary of language. Titles include "Zigilbithiens", "Golozo", "Bilwana", and "Nini". LP, Vinyl record album

Monumental Afro Soul from El Rego Et Ses Commandos – El Rego's best recordings from the late 60s to early 70s – a beautifully done compilation put together by Daptone and Frank Gossner, the deep digging West African music expert behind Voodoo Funk! Theophile Do-Rego is a legend in his native Benin, essentially credited as the godfather of Benin funk – but to date, he hasn't been celebrated around the world nearly as famously as the superstars of African music hailing from Nigeria and Ghana. That's something that can change really quickly if enough people pick up this truly great compilation of pioneering recordings. Singer El Rego and his excellent, diversely capable band – sax and flute by Baboni Oudou, sax by Michel Diogo, guitar by Oscar De Souza, trumpet by Emmanuel Ganssounou, guitar by Roger Coffi, tumba by Marcelin Kpohonon, additional vocals by Christian Agueh, and bass by band leader Paul Hounnou – take a tighter approach to funky soul. Just a couple tracks on this set roll past the 4 minute mark – which gives it a tighter soul sound, along with some Benin blues and some riveting JB-indebted vocal affections. We owe Voodoo Funk and Daptone big for putting this together! Includes "Feeling You Got", "Zon Dede", "E Nan Mian Duku", "Dkobime", "Dis-Moi Oui", "Djobime", "Hessa" (the centerpiece of the album, 3 minutes of Afro Soul perfection. . .the whole set is great, but this track is unforgettable), "Kpon Fi La", "Do Do Baya", "Vive Le Renouveau", "Achuta", "Cholera" and "Ke Amon-Gbetchea". LP, Vinyl record album

Dele Sosimi joins the group on many tracks here – which seems to really increase the righteous power of the record, and push the group's already-great Afro Funk energy over the top! The vocals are great – filled with message and meaning – and the group themselves are completely tight, and have a way of rising together that really makes for a strongly unified, very sharp vibe overall! The set also features vocals from Afla Sackey on one track – and titles include "My Beautiful City", "Black Lives Matter", "Take To The Streets", "Who Invented Black & White", "From London To Lagos", and "Follow The Money". LP, Vinyl record album

Fela's no gentleman here – and instead, the Afro Funk legend is wide-open and completely unbridled – soaring with boundless energy over the course of the side-long title track, then still serving up a really extended groove on the two shorter tracks on side two! The album's one of the earlier in Fela's classic run, but the core sound is very firmly in place – a sublime blend of heavy rhythms and jazz-based improvisation – with some especially wonderful saxophone on "Gentleman" and "Fe Fe Ne Eye Fe" – which really illustrate the jazz inspiration that the man brought to his music! LP, Vinyl record album

Fela's no gentleman here – and instead, the Afro Funk legend is wide-open and completely unbridled – soaring with boundless energy over the course of the side-long title track, then still serving up a really extended groove on the two shorter tracks on side two! The album's one of the earlier in Fela's classic run, but the core sound is very firmly in place – a sublime blend of heavy rhythms and jazz-based improvisation – with some especially wonderful saxophone on "Gentleman" and "Fe Fe Ne Eye Fe" – which really illustrate the jazz inspiration that the man brought to his music! LP, Vinyl record album