A beautiful celebration of the first ten years of Heavenly Sweetness – a fantastic French record label that's not only given us spiritual jazz from giants of the 70s, but also opened our ears to both new sounds from contemporary artists, and a wide array of rhythms from around the globe! All those elements are perfectly balanced here – showing Heavenly Sweetness as an imprint that can live up to the legacy of earlier European giants – with a similar culture-crossing vibe as MPS or Saravah, but a much more contemporary approach too! Titles include "We People" by Doug Hammond, "Blue Train" by Byard Lancaster, "Mother Of The Future" by Anne Wirz, "Don't Stress Me Out" by Monette Sudler, "Valse Pour Helene" by Florian Pellissier Quintet, "Flow Like A River" by Robert Aaron, "Rip With John Coltrane" by Patchworks, "Journey To The Shore" by Dopegems, "September Sun" by Jacaranda Muse, "Sam's Intro" by Rongetz Foundation, "Where's My Soul" by Baron Retif & Conception Perez, "Our History" by Anthony Joseph, "Voices" by Blundetto, "Don't You Know" by Leron Thomas, "Want It Back" by Guts, "Womanarium" by Sly Johnson, "Untitled/Inspiration From Home" by Don Cherry, "Dead Sea Scrolls" by Raphael, "Ode To Ethiopia" by John Betsch Society, and "NT" by Tagi with Georgia Anne Muldrow. 40 tracks in all! CD

A beautiful celebration of the first ten years of Heavenly Sweetness – a fantastic French record label that's not only given us spiritual jazz from giants of the 70s, but also opened our ears to both new sounds from contemporary artists, and a wide array of rhythms from around the globe! All those elements are perfectly balanced here – showing Heavenly Sweetness as an imprint that can live up to the legacy of earlier European giants – with a similar culture-crossing vibe as MPS or Saravah, but a much more contemporary approach too! Titles include "We People" by Doug Hammond, "Blue Train" by Byard Lancaster, "Mother Of The Future" by Anne Wirz, "Don't Stress Me Out" by Monette Sudler, "Valse Pour Helene" by Florian Pellissier Quintet, "Flow Like A River" by Robert Aaron, "Rip With John Coltrane" by Patchworks, "Journey To The Shore" by Dopegems, "September Sun" by Jacaranda Muse, "Sam's Intro" by Rongetz Foundation, "Where's My Soul" by Baron Retif & Conception Perez, "Our History" by Anthony Joseph, "Voices" by Blundetto, "Don't You Know" by Leron Thomas, "Want It Back" by Guts, "Womanarium" by Sly Johnson, and "NT" by Tagi with Georgia Anne Muldrow. 17 tracks in all! LP, Vinyl record album

The Heavenly Sweetness label celebrates its first ten years in business – with a special birthday present of all-exclusive unreleased tracks! This set doesn't look back at the previous decade of the label, but instead points the way forward – with a wonderful selection of newly-recorded tracks by some of hte label's best artists – including some who've helped define their groove strongly in recent years, and some whose talents are soon to be presenting full length sets for the company! As with the previous ten years of records, the music here is a fantastic blend of new styles and global elements – some strands of soul, jazz, and hip hop influences – but often used in ways that are completely fresh and contemporary – at a level that's made Heavenly Sweetness one of our go-to labels for new and interesting sounds over the past decade. Titles include "You Party Too Much" by The Mule, "O Circo" by Cotonete", "Have A Little Faith" by Blundetto and Ken Boothe, "An Ba Galba" by Roger Raspail and Vincent Segal, "Tijan Ka (2017 version)" by Edmondy Krater and I Live, "Tijan (Hugh LX rmx)" by Edmondy Krater, "F*ck With The Police" by Florian Pellissier Quintet with Roger Raspail and Nawer, "Hip Hop Muse (Lefto rmx)" by Rongetz Foundation, "Be The River" by Anthony Joseph and Hanyo, and "Move In Silence" by Guts with Patrice, Feve, Djeuhdjoah, and Lieutenant Nicholson. CD

The Heavenly Sweetness label celebrates its first ten years in business – with a special birthday present of all-exclusive unreleased tracks! This set doesn't look back at the previous decade of the label, but instead points the way forward – with a wonderful selection of newly-recorded tracks by some of hte label's best artists – including some who've helped define their groove strongly in recent years, and some whose talents are soon to be presenting full length sets for the company! As with the previous ten years of records, the music here is a fantastic blend of new styles and global elements – some strands of soul, jazz, and hip hop influences – but often used in ways that are completely fresh and contemporary – at a level that's made Heavenly Sweetness one of our go-to labels for new and interesting sounds over the past decade. Titles include "You Party Too Much" by The Mule, "O Circo" by Cotonete", "Have A Little Faith" by Blundetto and Ken Boothe, "An Ba Galba" by Roger Raspail and Vincent Segal, "Tijan Ka (2017 version)" by Edmondy Krater and I Live, "Tijan (Hugh LX rmx)" by Edmondy Krater, "F*ck With The Police" by Florian Pellissier Quintet with Roger Raspail and Nawer, "Hip Hop Muse (Lefto rmx)" by Rongetz Foundation, "Be The River" by Anthony Joseph and Hanyo, and "Move In Silence" by Guts with Patrice, Feve, Djeuhdjoah, and Lieutenant Nicholson. LP, Vinyl record album

The definitely got the title right on this one – because the set is filled with some of the most heavenly tracks from the legendary Ethiopiques series – that legendary run of compilations that was the first introduction for most of us to the amazing music of Ethiopia! This package really zeros in on all the best bits – and has a special focus on the early 70s, with some other bits from the 60s as well – all the wonderful vintage material that captures that special time in Ethiopian music when the artists were really taking some new chances with their sound – and creating an otherworldly blend of jazz and funk with more local elements as well. The range of artists is great – a really compelling blend of singers and instrumentalists, not just a handful of tracks by Mulatu – and titles include "Presentiment" by Tsegue Maryam Guebrou, "Ene Negn Bay Manesh" by Girma Beyene, "Hedetch Alu" by Muluquen Mellesse, "Lantchi Biye" by Tlahoun Gessesse, "Tchereqa" by Menelik Wesnatchew, "Ashasha Beyew" by Abbebe Tessemma, "Ati Fettun Isani Infedhani" by Ali Birra, "Mela Mela" by Seyfou Yohannes, "Teredjew Neber" by Ayalew Mesfin, and "Hametegnaw" by Seyoum Gebreyes. LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a great one for this album by Blundetto – given that the groove is beautifully deep, and the music moves at a pace that would make it hard to do anything but dance slow! Yet the set's not a sleepy one – as it's got all the richness and complexity of previous Blundetto efforts, and show the continuing evolution to dubbier corners of the musical spectrum explored on the past few records – a revision of Jamaican roots, but with a sound that's never standard reggae at all – despite guest appearances from Ken Boothe, Cornell Campbell, and others. Titles include "Good Ol Days", "My Weed My Queen", "Passed The Worst", "Have A Little Faith", "Story Never Told", "Colombette", "Chamber Dub", "History Dance", and "Satta". LP, Vinyl record album

Guts bills this set as "an Afro-Tropical experiment" – but to us, the album's just a further expansion of his wonderful talents as a producer – which have really come a long way in just a few years! Guts maybe got his start in hip hop, but he's able to embrace a globe's worth of sound, especially in a project like this – which we might liken to some of the more globally-conscious records by Quantic – although Guts is working here on the Parisian scene, and maybe has even closer access to cross-cultural channels! The set includes work by plenty of guests – a lineup that includes Pat Kalla, Pinduca, Nazare Pereira, Emma Lamadji, Kandy Gura, CAtia Werneck, Djeuhdjoah, and others – on titles that include "Voyaging Bird", "Ja Nao Ha Mais Paz", "Li Dous Konsa", "Sa Ce Kado", "Kenke Corner", "Mucagiami", "Penda", and "Matadou". CD

Maybe the best work so far from one of the hippest beatmaking collectives on the European scene – on a record that definitely has some of the righteous power you'd guess from the title! As before, the approach is rooted in hip hop, but also has a lot more going on too – lots of musical elements that include some keyboards from Florian Pellissier, who we love for his jazz work – and some other live instrumentation on horns at a few points. The album features both instrumental and vocal versions of all the tracks – and titles include "Stop The Violence", "Pick Me Up", "Everybody Wants To Be A Star", "Ain't Perfect", and "Drummer's Delight". CD

Anthony Joseph takes a trip back to his roots – recording this album in his home turf of Trinidad, for a set that may well be his best record to date! The music sparkles with all the sunny touches you might guess from the title – but also has all those deeper, righteous currents that Joseph has brought to recent records – a very hard-to-define blend of jazz, funk, Caribbean roots, and other global elements – served up here with plenty of guest help from Meena Joseph, 3 Canal, John John Francis, Ella Andall, and Brother Resistance. The sound is great – with a powerful vibe that's gotten Anthony huge acclaim overseas, even if he's yet to take hold on this side of the Atlantic. Titles include "Sufferings", "Sans Souci", "Bandit School", "Dealings", "Dig Out Your Eye", "He Was Trying", "People Of The Sun", "On The Move", and Jungle". CD

Anthony Joseph takes a trip back to his roots – recording this album in his home turf of Trinidad, for a set that may well be his best record to date! The music sparkles with all the sunny touches you might guess from the title – but also has all those deeper, righteous currents that Joseph has brought to recent records – a very hard-to-define blend of jazz, funk, Caribbean roots, and other global elements – served up here with plenty of guest help from Meena Joseph, 3 Canal, John John Francis, Ella Andall, and Brother Resistance. The sound is great – with a powerful vibe that's gotten Anthony huge acclaim overseas, even if he's yet to take hold on this side of the Atlantic. Titles include "Sufferings", "Sans Souci", "Bandit School", "Dealings", "Dig Out Your Eye", "He Was Trying", "People Of The Sun", "On The Move", and Jungle". LP, Vinyl record album

Really driving percussion, and some great horns as well – the former served up by KOG, who also delivers some fantastic vocals on the set – the latter from The Zongo Brigade, who work in a great mix of funky rhythms, jazzy horns, and some sweet keyboards too! The set's very different than most Afro Funk albums in recent years – with an unbridled style that's clearly driven by the energy of KOG, whose expressions really have things leaping out on most tracks right from the start – then keep things warm all the way through. Titles include "For My Money", "Medowo", "Imela", "Agoro", "Mona Lisa", "Transmission", "Mad Up", "Dr Mensa", "Sahara", and "Suro Nipa". CD

The first album in many years from Edmondy Krater – an overlooked musical genius from the scene in Guadeloupe – and one who maybe sounds better here than ever before! Krater's always had an ear for blending jazz with some of the more recent currents of the island – but that concept is maybe expressed here most perfectly in the handling of his music by Heavenly Sweetness – a label who've been a recent champion of his classic records, and a great choice for bringing him back into the studio. Krater vocalizes, and plays trumpet, flugelhorn, djembe, and other percussion – with a tight quintet of bass, drums, and additional percussion – plus some great Fender Rhodes – and titles include "A Pa Jodi", "Mi Yo Rive", "Ti Jan Ka", "Lage", "An Ka Sonje", "Nou Kontan", and "Jouwe Tanbou". CD

The first album in many years from Edmondy Krater – an overlooked musical genius from the scene in Guadeloupe – and one who maybe sounds better here than ever before! Krater's always had an ear for blending jazz with some of the more recent currents of the island – but that concept is maybe expressed here most perfectly in the handling of his music by Heavenly Sweetness – a label who've been a recent champion of his classic records, and a great choice for bringing him back into the studio. Krater vocalizes, and plays trumpet, flugelhorn, djembe, and other percussion – with a tight quintet of bass, drums, and additional percussion – plus some great Fender Rhodes – and titles include "A Pa Jodi", "Mi Yo Rive", "Ti Jan Ka", "Lage", "An Ka Sonje", "Nou Kontan", and "Jouwe Tanbou". LP, Vinyl record album

The best album yet from one of the hippest groups working on the French scene today – a group that really explodes with modal and spiritual energy that take us back to the 70s – but who also have a lean, focused sense of delivery that's all their own! The group's led by Florian Pellissier on piano, but is a strongly cohesive unit that also features this brilliantly bold bass work from Yoni Zelnik, plus drums from David Georgelet, saxes from Christophe Panzani, and trumpet from Yoann Loustalot – all players with just the right sense of tone and color to match Pellissier's vision! The album features a bit of guest work – vocals from Arthur H on two tracks, and Antony Joseph on one more – plus guest percussion throughout – on titles that include "Bijou Voyou Caillou", "Hibou Bleu", "Boca", "Colchiques Dans Oles Pres", "Espion", and "Colosse De Rhodes" – plus a great version of the Azymuth classic "Jazz Carnival". CD

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" in the title – but the sound is still nice and warm overall – kind of an updating of older rhythms, maybe even a bit of biguine – but using both acoustic and electric drums, as well as a good deal of keyboards in the mix! The groove has an open, natural flow that's quite different from Haitian music or soca at the time – quite seductive in the way the songs progress – never trying too hard at all, but coming out with a sweet 80s funk sound in the end. The collection was put together by Diggers Digest – who did a great job of finding lesser-known gems – and titles include "Devenn" by Pierre Edouard Decimus, "Indiano" by Eddy La Viny, "Mande Moin On Lajan" by Group Nsi, "Vacance Union" by Raymon Pyrme and Jean Claude Cornely, "Nou Ke Sa Enmew" by Swanha Desvarieux, "Poutchi" by Zanma, "Biguine Inferno" by OREA, and "Mizik Nou" by Milton. LP, Vinyl record album

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 the Golden Age at its peak – sounds that partly reform older traditions with new modernist ideals, partly shift sideways from western influences, to the sorts of enigmatic, other-worldly styles you'd know from the music of Mulatu and some of his contemporaries! And lest you think that "hit parade" means commercial crass, think again – because these tunes are every bit as mindblowing as the music you'd find on the seminal Ethiopiques series. Titles include "Addis Abeda Bete" by Alemayehu Eshete, "Tezeta" by Seifu Yohannes, "Yeberehe Lomie" by Abayneh Degene, "Gara Ser Naw Betesh" by Teshome Meteku, "Asha Dedawo" by Menelik Wossenachew, "Ayamaru Eshete" by Essatu Tessema, and "Hedech Alu" by Muluken Melesse. LP, Vinyl record album

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 included on this set are most of his contemporaries from the golden years of Ethiopian music – and most of them work in a similar offbeat, other-worldly sort of style! Rhythms are skittish, horns are hypnotic, and the vocals on some of the tracks have a weird appeal that really transcends the boundaries of language – almost like another instrumental element that fits in wonderfully with the heavy grooves underneath. Titles on the collection are pulled from various volumes of the Ethiopiques series – making this set kind of a distillation of all its greatness. Tracks include "Yebeqagnal" and "Ene Negn Bay Manesh" by Girma Beyene, "Queresh Endewaza" by Samuel Belay, "Ewnetegna Feqer" by Hirut Bequele, "Lomiwen Teqebeletch" by Mahmoud Ahmed, "Gedamay" by Getatchew Mekurya, and "Metche New" by Asselefetch Ashine & Getenesh Kebret. LP, Vinyl record album

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Blundetto's given us some great work in the past, but this album may well be his best – as it's all instrumental, and very much in a different style than his previous forays into more dub, global, or hip-hop influenced material! Instead, the approach here is more open and almost cinematic – soundscapes that are very tuneful, yet also very spare – usually just working an organ line, guitar riff, Rhodes melody, or a bit of moog – with elements that gently glow amidst the richer tones of the album's overall approach. There's way more going on than just downtempo or instrumental hip hop – thanks to a cohesive sensibility, and a great focus on music over just beats and sound. Titles include "Shameless", "The Bells", "Minuit", "Their Spirit", "Gumbo", "Ken Park", "Lord Of The Fields", "Movin In", and "From The Floor". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic full length set from this hip French collective – an assemblage of musicians who draw equal inspiration from the worlds of jazz, funk, and global-styled grooves – then forge those influences into a really fresh sound of their own! The album's funky, but not in a familiar way – and these guys have the sharpness of top-level fusion players, but don't play that way at all – as they have a groove that's warm and open, with a very organic sense of flow – one that seems especially well-guided by the Fender Rhodes work of Florian Pellissier, who we already love for records on his own! The lineup features two trumpets, saxes, trombone, bass, guitar, and drums – and there's also a bit of guest wordless vocals on one track – next to the other all-instrumental tunes. Titles include "Layla", "Last Drink", "Barbados", "Escola Francesa Dos Tubaroes", "Fried Grease", "Isaac Washington", and "Super Vilain Wants Love". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that became an instant legend in global music circles – the recorded debut of Victor Deme, a guitarist and singer who'd been working in his native Burkina Faso for over 30 years before getting the chance to step inside a studio! The turn "studio" might be a loose one here – as the album was recorded on a four track, in a distant space in the country – but has a vibrancy that beats most other bigger label releases of the time – thanks to a tremendous power in Deme's vocals, which have a raspy presence that grabs you far beyond just an understanding of language – and which are often matched by guitar work from Issouf Diabate, who inflects these subtle bluesy elements that spark new colors in the songs, but in a nicely understated way. A record with a very unique sound, and a lasting classic – with titles that include "Dankan", "Tama Ngogon", "Dala Mogoya", "Djon Maya", "Toungan", "Cherie", "Burkina Mousso", and "Djarabi". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic full length set from this hip French collective – an assemblage of musicians who draw equal inspiration from the worlds of jazz, funk, and global-styled grooves – then forge those influences into a really fresh sound of their own! The album's funky, but not in a familiar way – and these guys have the sharpness of top-level fusion players, but don't play that way at all – as they have a groove that's warm and open, with a very organic sense of flow – one that seems especially well-guided by the Fender Rhodes work of Florian Pellissier, who we already love for records on his own! The lineup features two trumpets, saxes, trombone, bass, guitar, and drums – and there's also a bit of guest wordless vocals on one track – next to the other all-instrumental tunes. Titles include "Layla", "Last Drink", "Barbados", "Escola Francesa Dos Tubaroes", "Fried Grease", "Isaac Washington", and "Super Vilain Wants Love". CD

Guts bills this set as "an Afro-Tropical experiment" – but to us, the album's just a further expansion of his wonderful talents as a producer – which have really come a long way in just a few years! Guts maybe got his start in hip hop, but he's able to embrace a globe's worth of sound, especially in a project like this – which we might liken to some of the more globally-conscious records by Quantic – although Guts is working here on the Parisian scene, and maybe has even closer access to cross-cultural channels! The set includes work by plenty of guests – a lineup that includes Pat Kalla, Pinduca, Nazare Pereira, Emma Lamadji, Kandy Gura, CAtia Werneck, Djeuhdjoah, and others – on titles that include "Voyaging Bird", "Ja Nao Ha Mais Paz", "Li Dous Konsa", "Sa Ce Kado", "Kenke Corner", "Mucagiami", "Penda", and "Matadou". LP, Vinyl record album