... LP, Vinyl record album

Super-rare Ghanaian funk from Edzayawa – one of the most unique and insistently appealing Afro Rock albums we've heard in years – with a hypnotic groove all its own! The album shares some of the same influences and instrumentation as many other groups from the time, but, there's really nothing else quite like it – a wicked blend of rhythms and sounds that's completely compelling! The percussion and the rhythms pull you right in and hold on tight – with thick layers of organ floating throughout. The vocals are great, too, mixed with some occasional flute – and overall, there's a heavy vibe, but it's not an ominous one – kind of an undercurrent of rock mixed in with the funk – although never totally tripped out. One of the most amazing albums from Soundway in a long time! Includes "Darkness", "Gondzin", "Edzayawa", "Naa Korle", "Amanehun", "Abonsan", "Obuebee" and "Adesa". LP, Vinyl record album

A great sampler of Ghana grooves from Soundway Records – a taste of the wonderful Ghana Sounds compilation of 70s Afro funk! Oscar Sulley's "Bukom Mashie" is a wonderfully jazzy selection, with the deep, heavy percussion providing the requisite huge percussion back drop for some awesomely dexterous riffing from the horns. Groove heavyweight champs Quantic give the track a sweet remix, at first slowing the percussion backdrop for a dubby feel, before slowly speeding the beats in a huge way, with the horns and vocals calling from the distance and letting the beats carry it. "Ogyatanaa Show Band" is another great example of the Afrobeat community's deep affection and understanding of American soul and funk from the time. Wicky wicky guitar and thick organ funk up the Afro vox before it all dips out into a percussion joyride, and then it all floats back up again! Quantic layers the synthy bass and adds some sweet echoey effects in their remix of the track. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A hip group from Sierra Leone – but one who recorded these tracks in the US during the late 70s – which makes for a very unusual hybrid of sounds! The group's original approach was to update regional sounds from their nation, and avoid some of the more commercial cover versions of Anglo hits on the market – but over the years they played a fair bit on the Canary Islands, and then on the west coast of the US – and seemed to pick up a range of funky influences in the process! The result is a sound that's rooted in Africa, but peppered with lots of skittish rhythms and fast instrumental riffing – a bit like some of the post-colonial work on the London and Paris scenes of the time, but a bit different too. The cuts here were all originally issued in the US on the Makossa label – that hotbed of cross-cultural creativity – and titles include "Bi Loko", "Yamba Sowe", "Wali Bena", "Be Patient", and "Ben Ben Bee". LP, Vinyl record album