A really heady album with a nicely trippy vibe – almost as if some of the spirit of Kingston had seeped into a more psychedelic West African setting – with a really wild, unique album as the result! There's some great slow-stepping rhythms on the set, very heavy on bass – and the vocals of singers Danny Black and Moore Black are often recorded with a bit of echo that brings out all these cool qualities – and which, with the bass, almost make the whole thing feel like a more laidback take on territory explored a few years earlier by Cymande! The set's also got some lean keyboards sewing the rhythms together, but never getting in the way of the darkness of the grooves – on titles that include "I'm A Living Man", "I Know You Know What I Know", "Be What You Are", "Smiling Girl", and "Doing It If You Can". 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

A set that's a bit early in that moment when psychedelic elements were moving into the scene in West Africa – served up by a group who really helped forge a way forward for the new style, by mixing heady guitars and vocals with some mighty nice rhythms! There's already echoes here of styles that other acts would put forward even more famously in the next few years – but The Elcados already seem to have them beat, with a lean sort of energy that uses plenty of English lyrics to create a more international vibe in the music – alongside swirling organ lines, fuzzy guitar, and lots or earthy percussion! Titles include "The World Is Not Straight", "Power To The People", "Loving Is Right", "Run Away Girl", "I Was Stunned Into Speechlessness", and "Time Waits For No Man". LP, Vinyl record album

That's Tunde Mabadu holding a heavy tenor sax on the cover – an instrument which he uses wonderfully on the album's offbeat funky grooves, most of which are very different than more conventional Afro Funk of the time! There's often a slinky midtempo groove to the music – perfect for Tunde's instrumental solos, and his vocals too – and the instrumentation often has cool use of keyboards that come across as more electronic than other keys of the time – nice and thin, with almost a sci-fi vibe at times, in comparison to the other instruments on the record! The rest of the instrumentation is nice and lean too – added trumpet, bass, and plenty of percussion – on titles that include "Vicky", "Ise Orise", "Blue Bird", "Bisu Omi", and "Red Jeans". LP, Vinyl record album

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 more guitar-heavy, others will have more organ – and the rhythms shift between rock, funk, and maybe even a bit of inspiration from Jamaican music – as the group serve up lyrics that are mostly in English, but with a definite offbeat vibe. There's occasional currents that resonate with Zamrock work of the decade, while other moments are straighter Afro Funk – on titles that include "Cut Your Coat According To Your Size", "We Got To Live", "What We Did Today Is Gone", "Wait For Me", "Little Sister Of Line", and "Enia Se Pele". LP, Vinyl record album

A really heady album with a nicely trippy vibe – almost as if some of the spirit of Kingston had seeped into a more psychedelic West African setting – with a really wild, unique album as the result! There's some great slow-stepping rhythms on the set, very heavy on bass – and the vocals of singers Danny Black and Moore Black are often recorded with a bit of echo that brings out all these cool qualities – and which, with the bass, almost make the whole thing feel like a more laidback take on territory explored a few years earlier by Cymande! The set's also got some lean keyboards sewing the rhythms together, but never getting in the way of the darkness of the grooves – on titles that include "I'm A Living Man", "I Know You Know What I Know", "Be What You Are", "Smiling Girl", and "Doing It If You Can". LP, Vinyl record album