Global Grooves — Recently Added

The tune might have "Praise Jah" in the title, but it's more of an Afro Funk groover than any sort of reggae tune – laced together with this wonderful bassline, and peppered with these sharp, spare bongo bits that are totally great – especially in the middle, where both the ... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The cover looks a bit cheesy – like some sort of Star Search graphic – but the album's a rock-solid gem from the second decade of Nigerian funk – recorded in Lagos with a great boogie vibe, and a groove that's as heavy on keyboards as it is on riffing guitar and percussion! Peter ... LP, Vinyl record album

A revelatory selection of tracks recorded on a Nairobi music scene that was really overflowing with creative energy – so much so that the music here doesn't just come from Kenyan talents, but from Tanzania and the Congo as well! There's a positive spirit that imbues most of the grooves ... LP, Vinyl record album

A treasure trove of rare singles recorded in Nairobi – easily one of the most welcoming scenes in East Africa during the 80s – especially in comparison to more restrictive cultural territory to the west! At the time, Nairobi really opened up its door to new sounds and ideas – ... LP, Vinyl record album

A monster of an Afro Funk album – one with a hard-jamming quality that reminds us of some of the best Fela classics of the 70s! All of side one features the massive "Cunny Jam Wayo" – a cut that has layers of percussion that build up beautifully, with lots of space for strong ... CD

Easy to dance with grooves this great – spare, stark electro rhythms that are heavy on basslines, beats, and keyboards – all with more of an edge than some of the later electro soul from the South African scene! The music is mostly instrumental, but the keyboards provide some mighty ... LP, Vinyl record album

Pure insanity from the mighty Mulatu – one of his few American albums from the 60s! The record's an incredible blend of New York Latin and some of the more Afro-styled grooves Mulatu explored more freely on his Ethiopian recordings – served up in a jazzy style that has plenty of vibes ... LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful old school Bollywood score – recorded at a time when Indian film music was first beginning to pick up some more contemporary modes! Lata Mangeshkar sings on some of the best tracks here – with a hauntingly melancholy performance – and instrumentation also mixes ... LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection of Ethiopian funk – rare singles from the late 60s and early 70s – all brought together as an amazing illustration of a time when the scene was really on fire! The music here has this incredible resonance between ancient and modern – local and global – ... LP, Vinyl record album

Sheila and Desmond Majek work here with support from the Nigeria Conservation Foundation – whose message really comes across in the album's earth-minded grooves! The rhythms are a blend of 80s soul modes, with maybe a bit of a Caribbean vibe at times too – and the spirit of the vocals ... LP, Vinyl record album

DJ Qbico spins tracks from his collection of rare work by OK Jazz – that important West African combo of the 60s and 70s, whose music helped transform a generation! There's elements in the rhythms that feel as if they floated over from Havana – and the instrumentation is heavy on ... LP, Vinyl record album

A really tremendous record from the Lagos scene of the 70s – a set that's completely sharp from beginning to end, and which has the same sort of side-long jamming that you'd find on the best records by Fela Kuti at the time! King Bucknor's billed as "The Black Isaiah Of Africa" ... LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent stuff – and a much-needed look at the funky 70s scene in Ghana! Much of the Afro Funk that's been revived over the past few years has come from the Nigerian scene – so it's great to hear this set of funky tunes from Ghana, a rich selection of grooves with a slightly harder ... LP, Vinyl record album

The rare second album from Ofege – an ultra-hip Nigerian group from the 70s, and one who was as influenced by the fuzzier sound of American rock as they were by the growing styles of Afro Funk on the Lagos scene! Ofege were younger than most of their contemporaries – and work here with ... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the only albums ever recorded by Djarama – a group with roots in Cape Verde, but who rocked the Dutch scene of the mid 80s – where their highly rhythmic style must have been a huge hit! The approach here is a bit like some of the post-colonial acts recording in Paris around the ... LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's maybe a bit different than other Nigerian grooves you might know from the early 80s – as Hycento Junior has a strong influence from American hip hop, and also a bit of reggae as well! Side one of the album feels almost as if it was lifted from the same scene as Grandmaster Flash ... LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant sounds from reedman Momo Wandel Soumah – a Guinean saxophonist, but one who works here in a richly expansive sound – one that mixes jazz elements with styles from different ethnic groups of Guinean, all for an approach that's pretty darn unique! Soumah's tenor is wonderful ... LP, Vinyl record album

A cool collection of sounds when the music was really making a change in the French West Indies – especially in Guadeloupe, which was always trying to set itself apart from some of its Caribbean neighbors! The music here has all the electric touches you'd expect from the "digital" ... LP, Vinyl record album

A great companion to the Togo Soul 70 compilation – one that features two more rare tracks from back in the day, and two new remixes that offer up a contemporary take on a pair of other rare cuts! If you missed the core volume, it's definitely well worth checking out – and is a ... LP, Vinyl record album

An early killer by Congolese combo Ry-Co Jazz – a set that's got as much Latin in the mix as the jazz in their name – and which serves up both with a lean style that's even groovier than some of the later work by the group! The album captures the combo at the height of their early fame ... LP, Vinyl record album