A wonderful conflation of grooves all taking place in a single space – some of the West African modes of the late 70s, coming into play with more contemporary soul elements – all spun out over a quartet of long tracks that are filled with unusual grooves! Instrumentation is electric throughout, but the rhythms often have a very organic core – no drum machines, just bubbling bass and riffing guitar – with plenty of boogie elements at play in the roots, and a relatively bubbly sound overall – almost like some of the Caribbean club work of the time, even though the group hail from the Ivory Coast. Titles include "Africa Mawa", "Djwa Yango", "Sensible", and "L'Amour". CD

A very cool group that's every bit as groovy as their look on the cover – and who make a sound that's way better than you'd expect from a bunch of New Zealanders holding instruments from Indian music! The core of the group is Kevin Clark and Dave Parsons – who play together here on piano, trumpet, electronics, sitar, sarod, tabla, and other percussion instruments – often overdubbed, and recorded in ways that use the studio as an additional instrument – tripping things out with echo and effects, and finding space for a few other musical guests. One track here has vocals – "Nirvana", which was the only cut here ever released (issued as a single by HMV/EMI) – and all other tracks are instrumental, with a vibe that's maybe somewhere in the territory of some of the Don Cherry world jazz experiments recorded on the Scandinavian scene. Titles include "Nirvana", "Duddle Dup", "Haryana", "Kharmatic Prelude", "Amanzi", "Namaqua", and "Kharmatic Conversations". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet selection of sounds from Los Mirlos – a Peruvian group of the 70s, and one who recorded some really far out chica material at the time! The cuts here are mostly instrumental – although the group members also call out and shout along with their grooves – with some fantastic electric guitar in the lead, often taking on a tropical variation of a surf guitar sound from the 60s – but with less echo, and more of an ability to fit right into the lively rhythms! There's definitely a cumbia element at plan in the way the rhythms percolate – kind of that quick-stepping sound that was coming from Colombia, but with lots more freewheeling percussion touches, and nicely weird keyboard lines. Titles include "El Poder Verde", "Sonido Amazonico", "El Curandero", "Don Agucho", "Cumbia Amazonica", "La Marcha Del Pato",a nd "El Sonido De Los Mirlos". LP, Vinyl record album

They're not lying with the title of this one – as the set's definitely a revolution in Venezuelan music – a very unique album that blends together folkloric elements with 70s electronics, but all in a way that sounds way different than just the sum of its parts! There's some acoustic guitar in the mix, but often used with odd echo – which mixes nicely with the more subtle elements on the electric instrumentation, which is also often abstracted by the production too – so that the whole thing resonates with a beautiful sense of tone that really transforms the whole proceedings! Lyrical melodies mix with well-crafted rhythms – often in a breezy blend that reminds us a lot of some of the cooler European sound library material of the time – but with trippier touches around the edge. Titles include "Maracaibo En La Noche", "El Pajarillo", "Cantos De Mi Tierra", "El Cumaco De San Juan", "Polo Coriano", "Sombra En Los Medanos", "Barlovento", and "Rio Manzanares". LP, Vinyl record album

They're not lying with the title of this one – as the set's definitely a revolution in Venezuelan music – a very unique album that blends together folkloric elements with 70s electronics, but all in a way that sounds way different than just the sum of its parts! There's some acoustic guitar in the mix, but often used with odd echo – which mixes nicely with the more subtle elements on the electric instrumentation, which is also often abstracted by the production too – so that the whole thing resonates with a beautiful sense of tone that really transforms the whole proceedings! Lyrical melodies mix with well-crafted rhythms – often in a breezy blend that reminds us a lot of some of the cooler European sound library material of the time – but with trippier touches around the edge. Titles include "Maracaibo En La Noche", "El Pajarillo", "Cantos De Mi Tierra", "El Cumaco De San Juan", "Polo Coriano", "Sombra En Los Medanos", "Barlovento", and "Rio Manzanares". CD

A German group from the 70s, but one that's strongly influenced by the sounds of South America – which includes an especially big dose of musical elements from Brazil! The music is jazz fusion at the core – with strong keyboards, guitar, and alto and soprano sax solos over all the grooves and percussion – but there's also a bit of vocals at times, interwoven with the music in more soulful modes – almost like some of the contemporary German work on the Nabel label, or like some of the European/Brazilian blends made famous by the Glucklich compilations on Compost. Titles include "More & More", "Andy's Tune", "Canta Esta Cancion", "Sol Y Sombra", "La Salsa", "You Keep Me Runnin", and "Just Like A Rainbow". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful conflation of grooves all taking place in a single space – some of the West African modes of the late 70s, coming into play with more contemporary soul elements – all spun out over a quartet of long tracks that are filled with unusual grooves! Instrumentation is electric throughout, but the rhythms often have a very organic core – no drum machines, just bubbling bass and riffing guitar – with plenty of boogie elements at play in the roots, and a relatively bubbly sound overall – almost like some of the Caribbean club work of the time, even though the group hail from the Ivory Coast. Titles include "Africa Mawa", "Djwa Yango", "Sensible", and "L'Amour". LP, Vinyl record album

Baris Manco was one of the leading lights of the Turkish music scene in the 70s, but that didn't stop him from setting his sights on points farther west – as you'll hear on this funky gem from the mid 70s, complete with English language lyrics for the sorts of tunes that could have burst out big, had they gotten the chance! The tracks aren't as much in an Arabesk mode as Manco's earlier music, and instead he works here with a host of funky studio musicians in Belgium – including players who'd worked with Placebo and Janko Nilovic – on tunes that are surprisingly catchy, even if the lyrics are a bit offbeat – and which feature plenty of riffing guitar, often with this cool compressed mode that really sets the scene. Titles include "Lucky Road", "Lonely Man"," Little Darlin", "Blue Morning Angel", "Tell Me Old Man", "Emerald Garden", "Ride On Miranda", and "Nick The Chopper". CD

A much-needed look at the huge legacy of female singers in Turkish music during the 70s – one that stands as a great complement to so much of the recent reissues of male artists from the same time! Much of this music shares qualities with reissues on labels like Pharaway Sounds or Finders Keepers – in that the singers often have a strong sense of drama, mixed with a really evocative blend of modern and older instrumentation – electric and acoustic, Western and Eastern, all served up as a way of pulling folk roots into a more urban milieu! The package is very well-done, and not only features detailed notes, but also English translations of the lyrics – for songs that include "Var Oy" by Ferda Gul, "Vamyorum" by Gulden Karabocek, "Ara Leyli" by Gul Sorgun, "Vikilla Koyler" by Dilber Dogan, "Bir Sans Daha Ver" by Huri Sapan, "Tut Kalbimi Tut" by Nese Alkan, "Olmeden De Vasamak" by Esmeray, and "Sen Bir Vana" by Gonul Vazar. CD

A much-needed look at the huge legacy of female singers in Turkish music during the 70s – one that stands as a great complement to so much of the recent reissues of male artists from the same time! Much of this music shares qualities with reissues on labels like Pharaway Sounds or Finders Keepers – in that the singers often have a strong sense of drama, mixed with a really evocative blend of modern and older instrumentation – electric and acoustic, Western and Eastern, all served up as a way of pulling folk roots into a more urban milieu! The package is very well-done, and not only features detailed notes, but also English translations of the lyrics – for songs that include "Var Oy" by Ferda Gul, "Vamyorum" by Gulden Karabocek, "Ara Leyli" by Gul Sorgun, "Vikilla Koyler" by Dilber Dogan, "Bir Sans Daha Ver" by Huri Sapan, "Tut Kalbimi Tut" by Nese Alkan, "Olmeden De Vasamak" by Esmeray, and "Sen Bir Vana" by Gonul Vazar. LP, Vinyl record album