Now Again, Mid 70s. New Copy
The Nigerian scene might be best-remembered as a hotbed of Afro Funk in the 70s – but during the same key stretch, the nation also gave rise to a heady rock underground, too – one that often mix psychedelic inspirations with some of the soul and funk that were coming from the bigger ...
Luaka Bop, Late 70s/Early 80s. New Copy 5CD
A huge package of work that finally brings the rare Nigerian albums of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah to a much larger global audience – all beautifully brought together with a booklet that pays tribute to Oshomah, with contributions from his family – and sound quality that's a heck of a lot ...
Da'N Records/Mad About Records (Portugal), 1981. New Copy (reissue)
NSI stands for "new sounds from the islands" – and that's definitely what you'll get here from this combo who serve up a fantastic blend of Antilles rhythms and contemporary club funk – all very much in the best spirit of the early zouk movement at the time! There's lots of ...
Cosmic Disco Machine (Italy), Early 70s. New Copy 2LP
Maybe not the complete roots of African funk, but a set that does a great job of bringing together a range of different cuts that show the new sounds and styles that were really hitting the scene as the 70s moved in – work from a wide variety of sources, but which all seems to share a sound ...
RCA/Be With (UK), 1975. New Copy (reissue)
Maybe the best-known international album from Sidiku Buari – an artist who recorded some killer sets in his native Ghana, but who got a rare chance to work here in the US for this album – which features some tight funky elements by Bernard Purdie on drums, Paul Grivvin on keyboards, and ...
Left Ear (Austria), Late 80s. New Copy
A percussion record, but one with a very different twist – as the set was done both in collaboration with dancer Tonny Kennybrew, and based on his sense of motion – and it was done at the end of the 80s, and features a very cool mix of both acoustic and electric instrumentation! ...
Hot Casa (France), 2022. New Copy
New work from Togolese music legend Roger Damawuzan – but a set that feels as fierce and funky as if it were recorded in the 70s! The group is super-tight throughout – more inspired by the James Brown Band of the late 60s than other West African groups – and tracks are short, ...
Ayz/Comet (France), 1984. New Copy (reissue)
A record with a really unusual pedigree, in that it was recorded by a number of Haitian singers and musicians on the New York scene – done in the mid 80s with a bit of a groove, and a compelling blend of Caribbean roots and more spiritual elements! At some level, the record is years ahead of ...
Strut (UK), 2021. New Copy 2LP Gatefold
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 ...
Comet (France), 1975. New Copy (reissue)
The start of a legend – the tremendous debut of drummer Tony Allen as a leader, after some key 70s work in the group of Fela Kuti! Fela's group is backing Tony up here – the key Afrika 70 lineup – and even Fela gets in on the action by laying down some piano solos and tenor ...
Gallo/Outernational (UK), 1979. New Copy (reissue)
A stunning bit of Afro Disco from the South African scene of the late 70s – a record that almost seems to take on the interesting longform styles of earlier West African music, and fuse them with a tighter funky New York groove! All tracks here really stretch out, and have some great ...
Albarika Store/Acid Jazz (UK), 1978. New Copy (reissue)
The Ogassa story is a short one, given that the group only issued a handful of recordings – one of which is this really unique Nigerian album! Ogassa have a style that's much more deeply soulful than some of their contemporaries – as equally committed to sad-tinged lyrics as they are ...
Office Home (France), 2022. New Copy
Muyiwa Kunnuji played trumpet with Fela Kuti back in the day, and he definitely references Fela's legacy with the politics in the title of the set – yet his approach here is nicely his own, and a really fresh vision of the legacy of older Afro Funk! There's still plenty of the long tracks ...
EMI/Afrodelic (Italy), 1974. New Copy (reissue)
A funky psychedelic nugget from the Nigerian scene of the 70s – a record that's got more of a lean small group take on some of the bigger ensemble modes of the period, in a way that really seems to give the Moonrakers Band lots of flexibility with their sound! Some numbers might be a bit ...
SKJ/Mondo Groove (Italy), 1981. New Copy (reissue)
A record from that time when the Nigerian scene was really keeping pace with changes in soul music on the other side of the Atlantic – as you'll hear in the way that Kio Amachree serves up the grooves! Kio's the lead force here – not just on vocals, but also guitar and production as ...
Gusstaff (UK), 2022. New Copy
A really unique project from Philippe Samiguel – recorded in Bamako, where Samiguel has worked as a producer for many years – during which time he's pulled together ideas from all sorts of different projects, and forged them into a new groove of his own! Samiguel's worked most famously ...
Leaf (UK), 2023. New Copy
Percussionist Sarathy Korwar is maybe even more political here than on his previous record – and creates music that feels like it's got a definite mission – breaking down boundaries in jazz, Indian music, and just about any other style that Sarathy gets his hands on – at a level ...
Naughty Rhythm (Italy), Mid 70s. New Copy
A sweet little set that's exactly what's promised in the title – a batch of rare disco grooves from the 70s, all of which have a distinctly Middle Eastern vibe! Traditional instrumentation mixes with lots of great funky club touches – in ways that are often more wide-ranging and ...
Ahma/Heavenly Sweetness (France), Late 60s/Early 70s. New Copy
A seminal album of sounds from the groundbreaking Ethiopian scene at the start of the 70s – a full length collection of previous 45s from the excellent Ahma Records label – home to revolutionary sounds that continue to influence new generations of listeners! The music here represents ...
Buda/Heavenly Sweetness (France), Late 60s/Early 70s. New Copy
Mad music that's unlike anything else we can think of – a killer collection of funky grooves from the Ethiopian scene of the 70s – offered up here on a vinyl-only compilation! The set's a great one if you've heard the music of Mulatu, but want to dig a lot deeper – as the cats ...
Wah Wah 45s (UK), 2022. New Copy
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 ...
TP Orchestra Poly Rythmo De Cotonou
Afro Funk
Albarika Store/Acid Jazz (UK), Late 70s. New Copy
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 ...
Orchestra Poly Rythmo De Cotonou
Segla
Albarika Store/Acid Jazz (UK), 1978. New Copy (reissue)
One of the rarest albums ever issued by this legendary group – a small label issue on the Albarika Store imprint, but a set that rivals some of their more famous material! Side one features this wonderful long jam titled "Mi Kple Mi De" – a track that almost works like a ...
Knitting Factory, 1976/1999. New Copy (reissue)
A really killer 70s album from Fela Kuti – one that serves up a hell of a message, and some great slinky grooves too! "Yellow Fever" is a brutal attack on miscegenation, backed by a funky groove that makes the whole thing fall into place with an amazing riffing sound – bold, ...
Knitting Factory, 1977. New Copy (reissue)
An impassioned attack on police and army violence in 70s Nigeria – and easily one of Fela Kuti's best-remembered albums of the time! The lead track – "Sorrow Tears & Blood" – is really tremendous – a wicked groove that begins with a very long electric piano ...
Luaka Bop, 1979. New Copy (reissue)
A record with songs titles that maybe read more like the credits of officers of a business – but one with a sound that's wonderfully personal, and which really marks a strong step forward since the first album from Alhaji Waziri Oshomah! The set begins with "Alaji Yesufu Sado Managing ...
Luaka Bop, 1978. New Copy
A record with a groove that's hard to deny – yet one that's also maybe nicely understated, in comparison to some of the late 70s contemporaries of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah on the West African scene! The music's got this seductive quality that ebbs and flows with the groove – not full-on ...
Albarika Store/Acid Jazz (UK), 1978. New Copy (reissue)
A stunner of an album from this legendary group – hard and funky right form the start, with these long tracks that have the TP Orchestre showing that they can jam just as hard and long as Fela Kuti & Afrika 70 – but in a very different way! The percussion is great, the guitar lines ...
Fremeaux & Associates (France), Late 40s/1950s/Early 60s. New Copy 2CD
An overstuffed package of classic work from the Caribbean – most of it from midcentury, at a time before reggae and other styles would bring even more exposure to the scene! The music here is in a nice mix of modes – separate by island identity, but drawn together in a good way by the ...
Canopy (Netherlands), 2022. New Copy (reissue)
A killer groove from the legendary TP Orchestra – served up here with these really playful vocals from Tomede Ehue, a singer whose style really amplifies the groove! The original itself is great enough on its own – a killer club track with great percussion and horns – and the ...