... LP, Vinyl record album

A boogaloo album, but one that's a lot trippier than most – and definitely worthy of the psychedelic reference in the group's name! As with so much of the best work from the Venezuelan scene of the late 60s, the music here draws on references from up north, but really abstracts the sound – almost as if the boogaloo had to go through a bit of a filter on the way down to Tono, where it picked up some cool production techniques, offbeat keyboards, and lots of other elements – often set to rhythms that aren't straight Spanish Harlem grooves, and instead also borrow bits from Colombia and Peru! Most of the record is instrumental – and titles include "Mr Boogaloo", "No Te Bote", "Chin Chin", "El Basuero", "Borinquen Bell", "El Guaycol", and "Las Hojas Secas". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Philadelphia has always had a strong legacy of amazing jazz musicians – so much so, that sometimes really great players sometimes get overlooked! That's definitely the case with the young DB Shrier here, a tenorist who's got a fresh modern sound that's all his own – not free jazz, but different than earlier modern styles too – stretched out with a new sense of space, and done with a very cool group of equally hip younger players too! Probably the biggest name in the group is bassist Tyrone Brown – a player who'd go on to do a number of great records over the years – and the rest of the lineup features William Roye on drums and Mike Michaels on piano. Michaels contributed a very cool Indian-inspired tune to the set, titled "Raveesh" – and other titles include Brown's "East", plus versions of "Blue Lights", "These Foolish Things", and "All Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from this groundbreaking electro pop trio – a group who seem to compress all the best electric energy on both sides of the planet at the time – creating a leaner, catchier take on some of the hippest German modes, mixing them with their own quirky energy, and paving the way for a huge amount of global acts to follow! The songs here are still better than so much that came later – a fantastic late 70s statement from the trio of Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Yukihiro Takahasi – who here seem even more confident than on their debut, with even enough gumption to remake The Beatles' "Day Tripper" as an electro theme. Other tracks include "Rydeen", "Technopolis", "Insomnia", "Solid State Survivor", and "Absolute Ego Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Harumi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi, not as much of an electro groove filled affair as the first, but still a great batch of quirky techno-electro Asian pop with lots of great bubbling synth touches! 8 tracks in all including "Behind The Mask", "Day Tripper", "Technopolis", "Multiples", "Citizens Of Science" and "Solid State Survivor". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from Chic – a record that maybe didn't include any super-huge hits, but which is maybe even better because of that – a sometimes-overlooked gem that has the team of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards in perfectly sharp formation! The group have already moved past disco, yet maintain that core funk that always makes their work so tremendous – rock-solid basslines from Edwards, ripping guitars from Rodgers, and unified vocals with help from Alfa Anderson and Luci Martin – who both really help the tunes soar! Titles include "Chip Off the Old Block", "Open Up", "26", "I Loved You More", "Real People", and "Rebels Are We". LP, Vinyl record album

Denis Wise plays all instruments on this record – everything but the kitchen sink! Oh wait – the liner notes actually indicate that he does play a kitchen sink – and a garbage disposal too – but in ways that are completely changed, as he mixes them with sounds from a variety of guitars, keyboards, percussion, and various electronic instruments – all in this wild style that's surprisingly earthy and organic! At some level, the music is more a garage version of electro-acoustic modes from the academy – but at another, it's pure unbridled creation, with a sense of sonic joy that really comes through on the best numbers. Some songs are slightly tuneful, and there's maybe a bit of offbeat abstracted vocals here and there – on tunes that include "Balfazzar", "Light As Air", "Valhalla", "Machine Time Ship", "Love In Foam & Surf", "Andro", "Celes", and "Hedonic Rapture". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic set from the Sudanese scene of the 70s – served up by a group who've definitely got all the jazz promised in the title, but who also have a special vibe that's all their own! The rhythms are nicely jagged – sometimes rolling and romping, almost with a South African jazz approach – other times a bit more stark, and almost always topped by superb reed lines that almost echo some of the Ethiopian jazz styles of the period – but again, with a very special sound of their own! A number of tunes have vocals – nicely snakey, and not entirely tied to the rhythms – and there's also lots of cool organ in the group, too – over riffing guitar that moves along strongly with the drums. The sound's a bit hard to sum up in words, but is every bit as cool as you could hope from the cover and title – and tracks include "Nile Waves", "Azzah Music", "Hilwa Ya Amoora", "Bride Of Africa", "Seira Music", "Saat Alfarah", and "Farrah Galbi Aljadeed". LP, Vinyl record album