Global Grooves — Recently Added

Fantastic funk from The Apostles – a group who were easily one of the most hard-hitting on the African scene of the 70s – and one who definitely absorbed key currents from a range of American artists – from James Brown through Booker T & The MGs! The groove here is totally ... CD

Sweet grooves from Harry Mosco – once the leader of The Funkees, but stepping out here with some wicked work from the London scene at the end of the 70s! The album's got a snapping electric vibe – sometimes clubby, but with more of a funk feel overall – thanks to some heavy ... CD

The mighty RD Burman is at the height of his powers here – crafting a Bollywood soundtrack that has an even moodier, groovier feel than usual – with some currents that even link the music towards some European film score styles of the time! Tracks are shortish, and definitely have the ... CD

Nubiyan Twist really open up their sound here – in part by opening the door to a rich array of guest singers and instrumentalists – a lineup that includes Cherise, Pat Thomas, Soweto Kinch, Ria Moran, and Nick Richards – all artists who help bring a different personal flavor to ... LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal South African work from Harari – a group who'd previously recorded as The Beaters, but changed their name after getting a new spiritual awakening while touring Zimbabwe! That new name and new spirit really fits the sound here – an even deeper incarnation of the style they ... LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from the South African scene of the 80s – music that maybe provides a pathway to the new freedom to come, thanks to a joyous, upbeat sense of spirit – one that's equally wonderful all these many years later! The cuts here are all clubby, but less in the disco mode that ... LP, Vinyl record album

Vocalist Dele Sosimi joins this ultra-hip London group – a combo who are equally skilled in African and Cuban elements, hence the title of the record – and one who can also serve things up with lots of jazz-based energy as well! All tracks are nice and long – and in addition to ... LP, Vinyl record album

Two generations of the Fela Kuti legend work here back to back – in a double length set that features one full album from Fela's son, and another by his grandson! Femi is up first on a set titled Stop The Hate – full-on Afro Funk with plenty of message in the music – the older ... CD

Sweet funky sounds from east Nigeria, circa 1980 – a great little set that's got a laidback groove, and a style that's clearly learned plenty from the hipper corners of the American funk universe! The approach is a bit like funky club at times, a bit more like some of the larger funk acts of ... CD

Their name may be a mouthful, but the Black Children Sledge Funk Band have a groove that's nice and lean – a wicked blend of basslines, percussion, and lots of riffing guitar – plus these very cool keyboards that wander over the grooves and give the whole thing a sweetly spacey vibe! ... CD

An album that definitely lives up to its title – thanks to a strong embrace of funky boogie styles, but served up here with a sweet Nigerian twist! Some cuts are heavy funk right from the start – clearly inspired by Kool & The Gang and other sharp-edged American groups of the 70s ... CD

A stunning selection of highlife material from the Nigerian scene – a huge double-length collection that really offers up a vivid example of the music that was in place before the big wave of 70s Afro Funk and other new styles! The work here is different than some of the more commercial ... CD

A stunning collection of work from Bola Johnson – a key figure on the scene in Lagos in the years before Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade! Johnson's style here really shows Nigerian music at the crossroads – upbeat elements of early highlife informing the rhythms with plenty of lean guitar ... CD

Massive work from this funky Nigerian cat – a set that offers up a key mix of James Brown funk and home-grown elements – all in a blend that's totally unique! The 1970 album mixes together equal parts African highlife and American soul – making for a style that's heavy one minute ... CD

One of the funkiest combos we've heard from the African scene of the 70s – and that's saying a lot, given how much great music was going on at the time! These guys really know how to lean into a long song, and open it up with incredible instrumental sharpness – a way of coming together ... CD

Rare early work from Mulatu – material recorded in America, in the years before Mulatu returned to his Ethiopian homeland, and really set the scene on fire! The style here is a mix of Latin jazz with some more exotic elements – played by a combo that features Mulatu on vibes, alongside ... LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible! This is a stunning set of African-inspired jazzy percussion tracks – similar to some of the work done by Art Blakey on his Orgy In Rhythm albums, but with a lot better horn work, and with an overall conception that's much more unified! AK Salim did some sleepier work for Savoy ... LP, Vinyl record album

A definite disco sensation from Babla – a singer who refits older Indian film songs with new club grooves for the 80s – definitely very much in the mode that's promised by the title! The set features older songs by Shankhar Jakishan, Kalyanji Anadji, and Hemant Kumar – plus a few ... CD

The first-ever vinyl issue of a fantastic batch of music – tracks recorded by master Gnawa legend Maalem Mahmoud Gania – sounds originally only issued on cassette in Morocco, but which sound far more powerful here in a more durable format! The tracks are heavy on percussion, but the ... LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully groovy work from Rim Kwaku Obeng – an artist with African roots, but working here in the San Francisco scene of the early 80s – where he's clearly picked up a very international vibe in his music! Rim definitely plays some traditional percussion on the tracks, but there's ... CD

A killer set from percussionist Anthony Reebop Kwaku Bah – one done with the same sort of genre-crossing vibe as some of his work with the hipper members of the British rock scene – but at a level that's even cooler and groovier than his album for Island around the same time! The set's ... CD

An early 80s set from the Lagos scene – and one that's about as far from the Afro Funk sound of the 70s as that city is from New York! Instead of full-on ensemble styles, Danny Offia has this nice lean groove – basslines that bump with a wickedly catchy sound, laced with keyboard solos ... CD

Great work from this cool Nigerian funk combo of the 70s – a group who bore strong ties to the equally-great Akwassa, and who work here with an equally righteous groove! Lyrics are mostly in English, and have some political currents that give the music a social sort of edge – but the ... CD

An amazing classic from Orchestra Baobab – one of those records that reminds us why the group were always so different than anyone else! Some of the rhythms are familiar, but the execution is very unique – chopped up at times, so that the grooves are a perfect mix for the angular tenor ... LP, Vinyl record album

Soulful sounds from 70s Chile – and a record that easily rivals some of the best acoustic work from the post-Tropicalia generation in Brazil! Manduka's got a heady sound that's very much in keeping with his image on the cover – a freer sort of approach to the music than the decade ... LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a really wonderful groove – bubbling bass next to riffing guitar lines – a bit funky at times, but as a warm hybrid with more familiar highlife modes! The album's a key testament to the strengths of this 70s group from Ghana – filled with lively vocal interplay ... LP, Vinyl record album

A huge amount of work from a reedman we'd never heard before – Martinique-born Alexandre Stellio – a hell of a clarinet player, and one who effortlessly weaves together island rhythms and early strands of jazz! All of the recordings here were done in Paris during the mid 30s, and ... CD

A great little Bollywood soundtrack by one of key composers of the genre – and one that's still got all the right sort of elements you might expect! There's some really great upbeat tracks – nice groovers that even get a bit funky at times – and which have a few cool instrumental ... CD

A fantastic groover from Kiki Gyan – a singer from Ghana who worked in Osibisa during the early 70s – but one who's also got a really universal club vibe here on this overlooked gem from the end of the 70s! The record's got a bubbling, upbeat vibe that really lives up to its title ... CD

A blistering batch of live tracks from the amazing Geraldo Pino – super-tight Afro Funk with a groove to rival some of James Brown's funkiest work! Pino clearly takes a lot of cues from The Godfather in the way he leads the band – working with an MC who starts the set and calls him to ... CD