Salsa

Malamanya burst onto the recording scene with their self-titled debut in 2017, a bonafide tribute to the traditional sounds of Afro-Latin music in Cuba and the Caribbean, and perhaps more notably, that tradition's evolution into New York City's quintessential '70s street sound,la salsa. At first glance, you might wonder how this 9-piece orchestra out of Minneapolis of all places would manage to tap into such a sound, but the group's pedigree and vintage recording chops tell the real story. Tracked and mixed inpuroanalog at bass player and engineer Tony Schreiner's Brown Bag Studios, and featuring a multi-national mix of players from around the world, the group's first two original compositions make for an impressive debut on Names You Can Trust. Led by the fiery female voice of Cuban immigrant Zusel Balbìn, "La Tormenta" is one of the finest examples of modern-daysalsa durato come out in recent years. The recipe here includes huge orchestration complete with dual trombones and a rhythm section entirely in step with the group's impressive following ofsalseros —and the flavor is nothing butauthentico. The B-Side "Frio" features the group's complimentary lead male voice incantadorandcongueroLuis Ortego Castrellon. It's a double shot of peak dance floor design, and a prime example of the group's growing international appeal, wherever the taste for the sauce is desired.

From the melancholic electronica of Shadows, the ambient sheen of Outline to the lush arrangements of After The Fall & Take My Hand, Zero 7 fuse their long-standing gift for soulful songcraft and inventive production with the London-based Stone’s standout vocal delivery. “The Shadows EP came together after a very fertile period of writing together with Lou Stone” explain Sam Hardaker & Henry Binns. “It’s the first body of work we’ve released since EP3 back in 2015 and hopefully is the start of many more creations". Early tracks have received a groundswell of support from the likes of Lauren Laverne & Chris Hawkins at 6 Music, Robert Elms at BBC Radio London, as well as plaudits from Clash, The Independent, American Songwriter, Flood Magazine & KCRW. The group recently shared a stunning live video for Outline which Clash described as ‘a spell-binding union of inventive production and that beatific vocal from Lou Stone’. It’s almost twenty years since the release of the duo’s Mercury nominated debut Simple Things, which simultaneously catapulted Sia into the spotlight back in the early 00s. Shadows EP hears Zero 7 still at the very top of their game, and with an open ear for collaborating with rising talent along the way.

Following his recent studio album with Afrobeat Academy, ’Love And Death’, his first international release, Ghanaian highlife guitar legend Ebo Taylor teams up again with Strut for a long overdue definitive compilation of his seminal 1970s recordings, ‘Life Stories’. During Ghana’s highlife explosion during the 1950s and ‘60s following wartime highlife pioneers like E.T. Mensah, Ebo Taylor made his name as a prolific composer, arranger and frontman leading two of Ghana’s greatest big bands - Stargazers and Broadway Dance Band. Moving to London to study music in 1962 alongside West African luminaries like Fela Kuti and Peter King, Taylor formed the Black Star Highlife Band and began incorporating
jazz elements into traditional highlife forms. Returning to Ghana, Taylor became an in-house arranger and producer for Dick Essilfie-Bondzie’s Essiebons label, working with other major Ghanaian stars like C.K. Mann and Pat Thomas. Through the ’70s, he then recorded a number of solo projects, exploring unique fusions and borrowing elements from regional Ghanaian folk music, Afrobeat, jazz, soul and funk.
Tracklisting_
A1. EBO TAYLOR - HEAVEN
A2. EBO TAYLOR - ATWER ABROBA
A3. EBO TAYLOR & UHURU-YENZU - WHAT IS LIFE?
B1. THE APAGYA SHOWBAND - TAMFO NYI EKYIR
B2. EBO TAYLOR - PEACE ON EARTH
B3. EBO TAYLOR & UHURU-YENZU - VICTORY
B4. ASAASE ASE - OHIANI SUA EFIR
C1. EBO TAYLOR - ABA YAA
C2. EBO TAYLOR - OHYE ATAR GYAN
D1. EBO TAYLOR & UHURU-YENZU - LOVE AND DEATH
D2. EBO TAYLOR & THE PELIKANS - EGYA EDU
D3. PAT THOMAS & EBO TAYLOR - ENE NYAME 'A' MENSURO

Comprising DJs Hugo Mendez and Frankie Francis alongside The Might Crime Minister, Sofrito has become one of the leading party collectives in the field of Afro, Caribbean and Latin music over the last
three years. From their legendary Tropical Warehouse parties in East London to the clubs and bars of Brooklyn, from beach parties in Greece to festivals and clubs across Europe including WOMAD and
the Big Chill, Sofrito has brought it’s own unique and accessible mix of styles to the world’s dancefloors. Previous guests include Manu Dibango, the Poets of Rhythm, the Souljazz Orchestra, Quantic,
Nickodemus and Nappy G (Turntables on the Hudson), Tropical Treats Soundsystem and Natural Self. With regular releases during the last two years, the Sofrito Specials label champions the Tropical Discotheque sound – mixing up raw Afro flavours with Disco and Latin rhythms. It’s less “world music”, more about some of the best dance music ever made. Their debut compilation for Strut mixes up amazing old and new sounds from cumbia and Congolese guitar grooves to highlife, calypso and descarga for a unique album - a deep selection but an immediate party soundtrack for the casual listener.
TRACKLISTING
VINYL TRACKLIST
A1. Banda Los Hijos de la Niña Luz - Quiero Amanaçer
A2. Les Ya Toupas du Zaire - Je Ne Bois Pas Beaucoup
A3. Victor Uwaifo – Ohue (Frankie Francis & Simbad Edit)
B1. Fair Nick Stars - Arrete Mal Parlé
B2. Adolfo Echeverria - Sabroso Bacalão
B3. El Timba - Descarga Bontempi
B4. Ti Céleste - Popilation Basse-Terrienne au Abois
C1. Mighty Shadow - Dat Soca Boat
C2. Kyerematen Stars - Maye Obi Den
C3. Dany Play - Fa’waka
C4. Frente Cumbiero – Pitchito
D1. Quantic y su Conjunto Los Míticos del Ritmo - Cumbia de Mochilla
D2. Roaring Lion - Carnival Long Ago
D3. Safohene Djeni - Mahu Wo Asie
D4. Gnonnas Pedro - Yiri Yiri Boum