Strut continue their essential work with the "Godfather Of Ethio Jazz", Mulatu Astatke, with the first official reissues of his early classics 'Afro Latin Soul' Volumes 1 and 2 from 1966, recorded as The Ethiopian Quintet. Arriving after Astatke's life-changing years studying at Berklee College in Boston, the albums were the first experiments in his pioneering sound, fusing Ethiopian cultural music with Afro Latin and jazz forms. "I have always felt a deep connection between Latin and African music," he explains. "I travelled to Cuba and listened to their musicians; the tempo, rhythm and feeling was very similar to different African forms. In the mid-'60s, I formed a band called The Ethiopian Quintet in New York comprising Ethiopian, Latin and Afro-American musicians - the band included trumpeter and pianist Rudy Houston who later played with Yambu and Felix Torres who played with La Sonora Poncena." Supported by Worthy Records' Gil Snapper who offered to record the quintet, Astatke began to experiment during two separate sessions: "We created a different feel and different arrangements. On the first recording, I played an adaptation of an ancient Ethiopian warrior song, 'I Faram Gami I Faram' - the lyrics were translated so that the singer could sing it in Spanish. Some compositions were important steps for me: 'Mascaram Setaba' ('Summer Is Coming') 'Shagu' and 'Almaz'. With the second album, a personal favourite is 'Girl From Addis Ababa' which worked very nicely as a fusion of Ethiopian modes and R&B rhythms." Astatke would start to perfect his Ethio jazz sound on his later album for Worthy in 1972, 'Mulatu Of Ethiopia' (STRUT129) but the two volumes of 'Afro Latin Soul' stand as important recordings documenting his early career. "It was a very interesting time to be in New York during the mid-'60s. I was there at the same time as Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba and Fela Kuti and we each tried to play our part in putting Africa on the map of contemporary jazz." 'Afro Latin Soul' Volumes 1 and 2 come in their full original artwork and are painstakingly remastered by The Carvery. All formats feature personal liner notes by Mulatu Astatke.
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More records from mulatu astatke
Strut presents Mulatu Plays Mulatu, the first major studio album in over 10 years from the father of Ethio-jazz, Mulatu Astatke.
Tracklist
CD / Digital:
1. Zelesenga Dewel
2. Kulun
3. Netsanet
4.Yekermo Sew
5. Azmari
6.Chik Chikka
7. The Way To Nice
8.Motherland Intro
9. Motherland
10. Mulatu
11. Yekatit
Listen: listen.k7.com/ae404432-cbfc-45cf-8ee4-958f2945bef9
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Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Tracklist
CD / Digital:
1. Zelesenga Dewel
2. Kulun
3. Netsanet
4.Yekermo Sew
5. Azmari
6.Chik Chikka
7. The Way To Nice
8.Motherland Intro
9. Motherland
10. Mulatu
11. Yekatit
Listen: listen.k7.com/ae404432-cbfc-45cf-8ee4-958f2945bef9
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Strut presents Mulatu Plays Mulatu, the first major studio album in over 10 years from the father of Ethio-jazz, Mulatu Astatke.
Tracklist
Vinyl:
A1. Zelesenga Dewel
A2. Kulun
A3. Netsanet
B1. Yekermo Sew
B2. Chik Chikka
B3. Motherland
B4. Yekatit
Listen: listen.k7.com/ae404432-cbfc-45cf-8ee4-958f2945bef9
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Germany
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Tracklist
Vinyl:
A1. Zelesenga Dewel
A2. Kulun
A3. Netsanet
B1. Yekermo Sew
B2. Chik Chikka
B3. Motherland
B4. Yekatit
Listen: listen.k7.com/ae404432-cbfc-45cf-8ee4-958f2945bef9
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
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White Vinyl 2LP (Contains original album and mono-mix retrieved from original tapes)
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Strut label, we are delighted to unveil a special edition of a landmark album within the realm of African music - Mulatu Astatke"s "Mulatu Of Ethiopia". Recorded in New York in 1972, this pivotal album marks a juncture in Astatke"s musical journey when he adeptly fused various styles to craft the distinctive genre known as Ethio-jazz. For this special edition, the release features the original stereo mix of the full album, as well as a special "mono-mix" of each track retrieved from the original 2" tapes, pressed on opaque white vinyl 2LP.
A1 MULATU 5:00
A2 MASCARAM SETABA 2:40
A3 DEWEL 4:00
B1 KULUNMANQUELESHI 2:05
B2 KASALEFKUT-HULU 2:25
B3 MUNAYE 3:15
B4 CHIFARA
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Strut label, we are delighted to unveil a special edition of a landmark album within the realm of African music - Mulatu Astatke"s "Mulatu Of Ethiopia". Recorded in New York in 1972, this pivotal album marks a juncture in Astatke"s musical journey when he adeptly fused various styles to craft the distinctive genre known as Ethio-jazz. For this special edition, the release features the original stereo mix of the full album, as well as a special "mono-mix" of each track retrieved from the original 2" tapes, pressed on opaque white vinyl 2LP.
A1 MULATU 5:00
A2 MASCARAM SETABA 2:40
A3 DEWEL 4:00
B1 KULUNMANQUELESHI 2:05
B2 KASALEFKUT-HULU 2:25
B3 MUNAYE 3:15
B4 CHIFARA
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Vibraphone and keyboard player, master arranger and bandleader, Mulatu Astatke is one of the all-time greats of Ethiopian music and the creator of his own original music form, Ethio jazz. Through the acclaimed Ethiopiques album series and through featuring on the soundtrack to the Jim Jarmusch film Broken Flowers, his music has belatedly reached a global audience and a new, younger generation of fans. In November of last year, he recorded an inspired new album with London psych jazz band The Heliocentrics for Strut’s ‘Inspiration Information’ studio collaboration series. Now, Strut are proud to present, for the first time anywhere, the definitive Mulatu career retrospective covering his landmark ‘60s and ‘70s recordings.
Mulatu is a true pioneer of African music. He was the first Ethiopian musician of his generation to travel extensively and to record abroad – he studied in the UK in Wales and at Trinity College Of Music in London, cutting his teeth on the buoyant London jazz scene of the early ‘60s. He became the first African student to attend Harvard and he lived and recorded in New York, developing a unique sound that fused Western jazz with traditional Ethiopian melodies. Tracing the progression of his Ethio jazz experiments with full access to all of the labels for whom he recorded, Mulatu Astatke: New York-Addis-London is the essential Mulatu. Covering his first recordings in the UK during 1965, his groundbreaking fusions for the small Worthy label in New York and his key ‘70s recordings back in Addis on Amha, Phillips and Axum, the album features comprehensive sleeve notes by Miles Cleret, boss of the excellent Soundway Records imprint, and rare, previously unseen photos from Mulatu’s personal archive.
TRACKLISTING
1. ASIYO BELEMA (feat. Frank Holder)
2. MASCARAM SETABA (with Ethiopian Quintet)
3. I FARAM GAMI FARAM (with Ethiopian Quintet)
4. SOUL POWER (with Ethiopian Quintet)
5. GIRL FROM ADDIS ABABA (with Ethiopian Quintet)
6. SHAGU (Mulatu Astatke Quartet)
7. MULATU
8. DEWEL
9. NETSANET
10. YEKATIT
11. ENE ALANCHIE ALNOREM
12. YEGELLA TEZETA
13. YEKERMO SEW
14. TEZETA
15. EMNETE
16. YEKITIR TEZETA
17. LANCHI BIYE with Tilahoun Gessesse
18. FIKRATCHIN with Menelik Wossenatchew
19. EBO LALA with Seifu Yohannes
20. WUBIT with Muluken Melesse
21. KASALEFKUT HULU with Tilahoun Gessesse
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Mulatu is a true pioneer of African music. He was the first Ethiopian musician of his generation to travel extensively and to record abroad – he studied in the UK in Wales and at Trinity College Of Music in London, cutting his teeth on the buoyant London jazz scene of the early ‘60s. He became the first African student to attend Harvard and he lived and recorded in New York, developing a unique sound that fused Western jazz with traditional Ethiopian melodies. Tracing the progression of his Ethio jazz experiments with full access to all of the labels for whom he recorded, Mulatu Astatke: New York-Addis-London is the essential Mulatu. Covering his first recordings in the UK during 1965, his groundbreaking fusions for the small Worthy label in New York and his key ‘70s recordings back in Addis on Amha, Phillips and Axum, the album features comprehensive sleeve notes by Miles Cleret, boss of the excellent Soundway Records imprint, and rare, previously unseen photos from Mulatu’s personal archive.
TRACKLISTING
1. ASIYO BELEMA (feat. Frank Holder)
2. MASCARAM SETABA (with Ethiopian Quintet)
3. I FARAM GAMI FARAM (with Ethiopian Quintet)
4. SOUL POWER (with Ethiopian Quintet)
5. GIRL FROM ADDIS ABABA (with Ethiopian Quintet)
6. SHAGU (Mulatu Astatke Quartet)
7. MULATU
8. DEWEL
9. NETSANET
10. YEKATIT
11. ENE ALANCHIE ALNOREM
12. YEGELLA TEZETA
13. YEKERMO SEW
14. TEZETA
15. EMNETE
16. YEKITIR TEZETA
17. LANCHI BIYE with Tilahoun Gessesse
18. FIKRATCHIN with Menelik Wossenatchew
19. EBO LALA with Seifu Yohannes
20. WUBIT with Muluken Melesse
21. KASALEFKUT HULU with Tilahoun Gessesse
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Strut are proud to present a new repress 0f the definitive Mulatu Astatke career retrospective covering his landmark ‘60s and ‘70s´recordings.
2LP TRACKLISTING
A1 Yèkèrmo Sèw
A2 I Faram Gami I Faram
A3 Shagu
A4 Emnete
A5 Mulatu
B1 Yègelé Tezeta
B2 Asiyo Bellema
B3 Ebo Lala
B4 Fikratchin
B5 Yefikir Tizita
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2LP TRACKLISTING
A1 Yèkèrmo Sèw
A2 I Faram Gami I Faram
A3 Shagu
A4 Emnete
A5 Mulatu
B1 Yègelé Tezeta
B2 Asiyo Bellema
B3 Ebo Lala
B4 Fikratchin
B5 Yefikir Tizita
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1
Mulatu Astatke - Dèwol
2
Mulatu Astatke - Yèkèrmo Saw
3
Mulatu Astatke - Gubèlyé
4
Mulatu Astatke - Asmarina
5
Mulatu Astatke - Yèkatit
6
Mulatu Astatke - Nètsanèt
7
Mulatu Astatke - Nètsanèt
8
Mulatu Astatke - Sabyé
9
Mulatu Astatke - Ené Alantchi Alnorem
*2023 REPRESS **
180gram vinyl. The Ethio Jazz album by Mulatu Astatatke is a jewel of the modern Ethiopian music. Essential.
An incredibly groovy Ethiopian record, originally from 1969-1972. Amazing orchestral 'Ethio-groove' filled with US soul, jazz, sometimes Latin and the deepest Eastern rhythms, even including some great nasty and dirty fuzz guitars. A true gem of Ethiopian modern instrumental music, which illustrates perfectly this symbiosis of strong rhythms and quality arrangements of subtle yet deep Ethiopian melodies. A must for all '60s/'70s collectors! In the Ethiopian musical landscape, Mulatu Astatke is a unique musician, composer, arranger. His real contribution consists in his action for instrumental music, in a country where orchestral traditions doesn't exist. For the last 30 years, he is the leading head of the Ethiopian musical scene. First vinyl reissue and definitely one of the most important Ethiopian music albums."
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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180gram vinyl. The Ethio Jazz album by Mulatu Astatatke is a jewel of the modern Ethiopian music. Essential.
An incredibly groovy Ethiopian record, originally from 1969-1972. Amazing orchestral 'Ethio-groove' filled with US soul, jazz, sometimes Latin and the deepest Eastern rhythms, even including some great nasty and dirty fuzz guitars. A true gem of Ethiopian modern instrumental music, which illustrates perfectly this symbiosis of strong rhythms and quality arrangements of subtle yet deep Ethiopian melodies. A must for all '60s/'70s collectors! In the Ethiopian musical landscape, Mulatu Astatke is a unique musician, composer, arranger. His real contribution consists in his action for instrumental music, in a country where orchestral traditions doesn't exist. For the last 30 years, he is the leading head of the Ethiopian musical scene. First vinyl reissue and definitely one of the most important Ethiopian music albums."
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Strut presents the official reissue of a landmark album in the field of African music, Mulatu Astatke’s ‘Mulatu Of Ethiopia’ from 1972.
A1 MULATU 5:00
A2 MASCARAM SETABA 2:40
A3 DEWEL 4:00
B1 KULUNMANQUELESHI 2:05
B2 KASALEFKUT-HULU 2:25
B3 MUNAYE 3:15
B4 CHIFARA
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
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A1 MULATU 5:00
A2 MASCARAM SETABA 2:40
A3 DEWEL 4:00
B1 KULUNMANQUELESHI 2:05
B2 KASALEFKUT-HULU 2:25
B3 MUNAYE 3:15
B4 CHIFARA
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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1
Mulatu Astatke - Yègellé Tezeta
2
Mulatu Astatke - Yèkatit
Repress!
Africa 45, number 3; a Mulatu Astatke double A side.
Mulatu is an Ethiopian born instrumentalist, composer and arranger extraordinaire. Schooled in the UK and then the USA, Mulatu fuses jazz, latin and traditional Ethiopian styles to create a unique sound, most commonly referred to as Ethio-jazz.
Over the past decade years he has gained much exposure via the Ethiopiques series, a collaboration project with the Heliocentrics, and through the inclusion of ‘Yegelle Tezeta’ - featured here - in the soundtrack of Jim Jarmusch's film, ‘Broken Flowers’, starring Bill Murray.
A: Yègellé Tezeta
Low slung, mysterious organ led groover, with building, layered horns a sampled by Nas & Damian Marley on ‘As We Enter’ released in 2010.
Originally appeared on the legendary ‘Ethiopian Modern Instrumentals Hits’ compilation album from Ethiopia in 1974, of which six out of ten tracks were by Mulatu. It was also released on an Amha 7”, that is very tough to find.
AA: Yèkatit
Originally appeared on the also legendary ‘Ethio Jazz’ album by Mulatu that changes hands for $1000's, released in Ethiopia. Typically Ethiopian horn line, about as classic as it gets.
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Africa 45, number 3; a Mulatu Astatke double A side.
Mulatu is an Ethiopian born instrumentalist, composer and arranger extraordinaire. Schooled in the UK and then the USA, Mulatu fuses jazz, latin and traditional Ethiopian styles to create a unique sound, most commonly referred to as Ethio-jazz.
Over the past decade years he has gained much exposure via the Ethiopiques series, a collaboration project with the Heliocentrics, and through the inclusion of ‘Yegelle Tezeta’ - featured here - in the soundtrack of Jim Jarmusch's film, ‘Broken Flowers’, starring Bill Murray.
A: Yègellé Tezeta
Low slung, mysterious organ led groover, with building, layered horns a sampled by Nas & Damian Marley on ‘As We Enter’ released in 2010.
Originally appeared on the legendary ‘Ethiopian Modern Instrumentals Hits’ compilation album from Ethiopia in 1974, of which six out of ten tracks were by Mulatu. It was also released on an Amha 7”, that is very tough to find.
AA: Yèkatit
Originally appeared on the also legendary ‘Ethio Jazz’ album by Mulatu that changes hands for $1000's, released in Ethiopia. Typically Ethiopian horn line, about as classic as it gets.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
Strut continue their essential work with the "Godfather Of Ethio Jazz", Mulatu Astatke, with the first official reissues of his early classics 'Afro Latin Soul' Volumes 1 and 2 from 1966, recorded as The Ethiopian Quintet. Arriving after Astatke's life-changing years studying at Berklee College in Boston, the albums were the first experiments in his pioneering sound, fusing Ethiopian cultural music with Afro Latin and jazz forms. "I have always felt a deep connection between Latin and African music," he explains. "I travelled to Cuba and listened to their musicians; the tempo, rhythm and feeling was very similar to different African forms. In the mid-'60s, I formed a band called The Ethiopian Quintet in New York comprising Ethiopian, Latin and Afro-American musicians - the band included trumpeter and pianist Rudy Houston who later played with Yambu and Felix Torres who played with La Sonora Poncena." Supported by Worthy Records' Gil Snapper who offered to record the quintet, Astatke began to experiment during two separate sessions: "We created a different feel and different arrangements. On the first recording, I played an adaptation of an ancient Ethiopian warrior song, 'I Faram Gami I Faram' - the lyrics were translated so that the singer could sing it in Spanish. Some compositions were important steps for me: 'Mascaram Setaba' ('Summer Is Coming') 'Shagu' and 'Almaz'. With the second album, a personal favourite is 'Girl From Addis Ababa' which worked very nicely as a fusion of Ethiopian modes and R&B rhythms." Astatke would start to perfect his Ethio jazz sound on his later album for Worthy in 1972, 'Mulatu Of Ethiopia' (STRUT129) but the two volumes of 'Afro Latin Soul' stand as important recordings documenting his early career. "It was a very interesting time to be in New York during the mid-'60s. I was there at the same time as Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba and Fela Kuti and we each tried to play our part in putting Africa on the map of contemporary jazz." 'Afro Latin Soul' Volumes 1 and 2 come in their full original artwork and are painstakingly remastered by The Carvery. All formats feature personal liner notes by Mulatu Astatke.
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
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Germany
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More records from Strut Records
lim. Yellow & Orange Vinyl LP
Strut proudly presents Nuclear War, a powerful collaboration between UK collective The Heliocentrics, Sun Ra Arkestra legends Marshall Allen and Knoel Scott, and vocalist Bilal - issued on limited-edition “hazardous” orange and yellow vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day 2026.
Tracklist
Side A
Nuclear War
Where Pathways Meet
Side B
Angels & Demons At Play
Astro Black Ft. Bilal
https://soundcloud.com/strut/sets/the-heliocentrics-marshalll-allen-knoel-scott-ft-bilal-nuclear-war/s-58Rc2hElR1I?
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Strut proudly presents Nuclear War, a powerful collaboration between UK collective The Heliocentrics, Sun Ra Arkestra legends Marshall Allen and Knoel Scott, and vocalist Bilal - issued on limited-edition “hazardous” orange and yellow vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day 2026.
Tracklist
Side A
Nuclear War
Where Pathways Meet
Side B
Angels & Demons At Play
Astro Black Ft. Bilal
https://soundcloud.com/strut/sets/the-heliocentrics-marshalll-allen-knoel-scott-ft-bilal-nuclear-war/s-58Rc2hElR1I?
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
As the world sinks deeper into screens and algorithms blur the line between creation and imitation, Nubiyan Twist return with "Chasing Shadows", a record that reclaims the pulse, warmth and spontaneity of human connection. The band"s fifth studio album is a rich and restless blend of jazz, afrobeat, hip hop and electronic textures, exploring the space between the organic and the digital. It"s music that moves, sweats, and breathes, made by real people in real rooms with heavyweight features bringing together varied voices from the music community which they inhabit. Following 2024"s acclaimed "Find Your Flame", "Chasing Shadows" pushes the band"s sound further into new soulful territory under Excell"s expert guidance, featuring bright new vocalist Eniola and a glowing cast of icons and innovators. On "Chasing Shadows", Nubiyan Twist continue to look outwards with their music but keep the focus firmly on humanity and positivity. It is an album which crosses continents and which shamelessly celebrates our collective strength.
Tracklist
1.1Azimuth
1.2Red Herring (Ft. Booty Brown)
1.3Chasing Shadows (Ft. Fatoumata Diawara)
1.4How Far (Ft. M.Anifest)
1.5Body Flows
1.6Mlonje: Voices Joined (Ft. The Zawose Queens)
1.7Echoes
1.8Message (Ft. Mr.Williamz)
1.9Sunlight
1.10Rhythm of You (Ft. Joe Armon-Jones)
Listen: https://listen.k7.com/8e73a364-4743-4287-b882-89f4618fdd3b
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Tracklist
1.1Azimuth
1.2Red Herring (Ft. Booty Brown)
1.3Chasing Shadows (Ft. Fatoumata Diawara)
1.4How Far (Ft. M.Anifest)
1.5Body Flows
1.6Mlonje: Voices Joined (Ft. The Zawose Queens)
1.7Echoes
1.8Message (Ft. Mr.Williamz)
1.9Sunlight
1.10Rhythm of You (Ft. Joe Armon-Jones)
Listen: https://listen.k7.com/8e73a364-4743-4287-b882-89f4618fdd3b
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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As the world sinks deeper into screens and algorithms blur the line between creation and imitation, Nubiyan Twist return with "Chasing Shadows", a record that reclaims the pulse, warmth and spontaneity of human connection. The band"s fifth studio album is a rich and restless blend of jazz, afrobeat, hip hop and electronic textures, exploring the space between the organic and the digital. It"s music that moves, sweats, and breathes, made by real people in real rooms with heavyweight features bringing together varied voices from the music community which they inhabit. Following 2024"s acclaimed "Find Your Flame", "Chasing Shadows" pushes the band"s sound further into new soulful territory under Excell"s expert guidance, featuring bright new vocalist Eniola and a glowing cast of icons and innovators. On "Chasing Shadows", Nubiyan Twist continue to look outwards with their music but keep the focus firmly on humanity and positivity. It is an album which crosses continents and which shamelessly celebrates our collective strength.
Tracklist
1.1Azimuth
1.2Red Herring (Ft. Booty Brown)
1.3Chasing Shadows (Ft. Fatoumata Diawara)
1.4How Far (Ft. M.Anifest)
1.5Body Flows
1.6Mlonje: Voices Joined (Ft. The Zawose Queens)
1.7Echoes
1.8Message (Ft. Mr.Williamz)
1.9Sunlight
1.10Rhythm of You (Ft. Joe Armon-Jones)
Listen: https://listen.k7.com/8e73a364-4743-4287-b882-89f4618fdd3b
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Tracklist
1.1Azimuth
1.2Red Herring (Ft. Booty Brown)
1.3Chasing Shadows (Ft. Fatoumata Diawara)
1.4How Far (Ft. M.Anifest)
1.5Body Flows
1.6Mlonje: Voices Joined (Ft. The Zawose Queens)
1.7Echoes
1.8Message (Ft. Mr.Williamz)
1.9Sunlight
1.10Rhythm of You (Ft. Joe Armon-Jones)
Listen: https://listen.k7.com/8e73a364-4743-4287-b882-89f4618fdd3b
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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Strut proudly presents the debut album from producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Momoko Gill. Fresh from her critically acclaimed collaboration Clay recorded with cult electronic artist Matthew Herbert, Momoko steps forward in her own right for the first time with her remarkable debut solo album.
Listen: listen.k7.com/a3aef2bd-1ccc-4c12-b4c1-227a8e216711
TRACKLISTING
LP:
A1. SATELLITE
A2. NO OTHERS
A3. HEAVY
A4. REWIND/REMIND
A5. SHADOWBOXING
A6. TEST A SMALL AREA
B1. 2CLOSE2FARR
B2. ANYWAY, I’M DROWNING
B3. WHEN PALESTINE IS FREE
B4. RIVER
B5. INEFFABLY
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Listen: listen.k7.com/a3aef2bd-1ccc-4c12-b4c1-227a8e216711
TRACKLISTING
LP:
A1. SATELLITE
A2. NO OTHERS
A3. HEAVY
A4. REWIND/REMIND
A5. SHADOWBOXING
A6. TEST A SMALL AREA
B1. 2CLOSE2FARR
B2. ANYWAY, I’M DROWNING
B3. WHEN PALESTINE IS FREE
B4. RIVER
B5. INEFFABLY
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Strut proudly presents the debut album from producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Momoko Gill. Fresh from her critically acclaimed collaboration Clay recorded with cult electronic artist Matthew Herbert, Momoko steps forward in her own right for the first time with her remarkable debut solo album.
Listen: listen.k7.com/a3aef2bd-1ccc-4c12-b4c1-227a8e216711
TRACKLISTING
LP:
A1. SATELLITE
A2. NO OTHERS
A3. HEAVY
A4. REWIND/REMIND
A5. SHADOWBOXING
A6. TEST A SMALL AREA
B1. 2CLOSE2FARR
B2. ANYWAY, I’M DROWNING
B3. WHEN PALESTINE IS FREE
B4. RIVER
B5. INEFFABLY
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
Listen: listen.k7.com/a3aef2bd-1ccc-4c12-b4c1-227a8e216711
TRACKLISTING
LP:
A1. SATELLITE
A2. NO OTHERS
A3. HEAVY
A4. REWIND/REMIND
A5. SHADOWBOXING
A6. TEST A SMALL AREA
B1. 2CLOSE2FARR
B2. ANYWAY, I’M DROWNING
B3. WHEN PALESTINE IS FREE
B4. RIVER
B5. INEFFABLY
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
Ajomasé is the groundbreaking debut album by legendary Nigerian percussionist Gasper Lawal. Originally released in 1980 on his own label CAP, Strut are proud to now bring this unique album back to the racks.
Listen: listen.k7.com/63a1f322-4080-4795-8995-5acdf8777083
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
Listen: listen.k7.com/63a1f322-4080-4795-8995-5acdf8777083
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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From the crypts of Parisian funk obscurity comes the long-lost Halloween holy grail, Disco Frankenstein from Ice AKA Lafayette Afro Rock Band. A teasing album of horror-disco oddities, pressed on blood-stained black-red vinyl LP. Our special edition release for Halloween 2025
Listen: listen.k7.com/32fce7b1-89fd-4e25-8964-d3f42aea14dc
Tracklist:
A1. City Beast - Ice
A2. Disco Vampire - Ice
A3. Godzilla
A4. Creature From The Freak Lagoon
A5. Disco Frankenstein
B1. Dr Beezar "Soul Frankenstein"
B2. Zeke The Zombie
B3. Vampire Blob
B4. Igor's Reggae
B5. She Devil
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Germany
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Listen: listen.k7.com/32fce7b1-89fd-4e25-8964-d3f42aea14dc
Tracklist:
A1. City Beast - Ice
A2. Disco Vampire - Ice
A3. Godzilla
A4. Creature From The Freak Lagoon
A5. Disco Frankenstein
B1. Dr Beezar "Soul Frankenstein"
B2. Zeke The Zombie
B3. Vampire Blob
B4. Igor's Reggae
B5. She Devil
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A landmark recording from one of Ghana’s great musical architects, Ebo Taylor’s 1977 self-title release marked the first solo LP by the legendary guitarist, arranger, and composer after years behind the scenes shaping the sound of modern highlife.
Listen: https://listen.k7.com/43913d58-98b2-4916-b06e-9dfbd6105dad
Tracklist
A1. Saana
A2. Ntsir A
A3. BRA
B1. OHYE ATAR GYAN
B2. heaven
B3. AMPONSAH
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Listen: https://listen.k7.com/43913d58-98b2-4916-b06e-9dfbd6105dad
Tracklist
A1. Saana
A2. Ntsir A
A3. BRA
B1. OHYE ATAR GYAN
B2. heaven
B3. AMPONSAH
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Strut presents Mulatu Plays Mulatu, the first major studio album in over 10 years from the father of Ethio-jazz, Mulatu Astatke.
Tracklist
Vinyl:
A1. Zelesenga Dewel
A2. Kulun
A3. Netsanet
B1. Yekermo Sew
B2. Chik Chikka
B3. Motherland
B4. Yekatit
Listen: listen.k7.com/ae404432-cbfc-45cf-8ee4-958f2945bef9
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Tracklist
Vinyl:
A1. Zelesenga Dewel
A2. Kulun
A3. Netsanet
B1. Yekermo Sew
B2. Chik Chikka
B3. Motherland
B4. Yekatit
Listen: listen.k7.com/ae404432-cbfc-45cf-8ee4-958f2945bef9
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
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Strut presents Mulatu Plays Mulatu, the first major studio album in over 10 years from the father of Ethio-jazz, Mulatu Astatke.
Tracklist
CD / Digital:
1. Zelesenga Dewel
2. Kulun
3. Netsanet
4.Yekermo Sew
5. Azmari
6.Chik Chikka
7. The Way To Nice
8.Motherland Intro
9. Motherland
10. Mulatu
11. Yekatit
Listen: listen.k7.com/ae404432-cbfc-45cf-8ee4-958f2945bef9
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Tracklist
CD / Digital:
1. Zelesenga Dewel
2. Kulun
3. Netsanet
4.Yekermo Sew
5. Azmari
6.Chik Chikka
7. The Way To Nice
8.Motherland Intro
9. Motherland
10. Mulatu
11. Yekatit
Listen: listen.k7.com/ae404432-cbfc-45cf-8ee4-958f2945bef9
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Strut Records proudly presents the official reissue of Hidden Fire Volumes 1 & 2, the final album released by Sun Ra on his El Saturn label in 1988.
Listen: listen.k7.com/1c1cafdc-38a4-416b-bd99-1070d9c14e3d
Tracklist:
A1. Retrospect - This World Is Not My Home
A2. Hidden Fire Improvisation
B1/B2. Hidden Fire Blues
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Listen: listen.k7.com/1c1cafdc-38a4-416b-bd99-1070d9c14e3d
Tracklist:
A1. Retrospect - This World Is Not My Home
A2. Hidden Fire Improvisation
B1/B2. Hidden Fire Blues
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Vinyl LP + insert
An electrified meeting of minds, Candy Girl is a lost 1975 session by jazz pianist Mal
Waldron, recorded in Paris with core members of the mighty Lafayette Afro Rock Band, the
American funk unit who had made France their home and whose deep grooves would later
be mined by generations of hip-hop producers.
TRACKLIST
A1. Home Again 05:20
A2. Red Match Box 09:35
B1. Bits And Things 09:05
B2. Dedication To Brahms 06:20
B3. Candy Girl 03:30
Listen: listen.k7.com/98feffb8-7b4b-432b-a986-4de530e35d2d
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An electrified meeting of minds, Candy Girl is a lost 1975 session by jazz pianist Mal
Waldron, recorded in Paris with core members of the mighty Lafayette Afro Rock Band, the
American funk unit who had made France their home and whose deep grooves would later
be mined by generations of hip-hop producers.
TRACKLIST
A1. Home Again 05:20
A2. Red Match Box 09:35
B1. Bits And Things 09:05
B2. Dedication To Brahms 06:20
B3. Candy Girl 03:30
Listen: listen.k7.com/98feffb8-7b4b-432b-a986-4de530e35d2d
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Strut present a new single vinyl reissue of Vambe"s sought-after privately pressed album from 1982, Drumland Dreamland. A self-taught drummer, inventor, and sonic experimentalist, Vambe holds a unique place in British music. The creator of his own instrument, the drumgita (pronounced "drumguitar") or string-drum, he aimed to create music that had never been previously made to pursue access to the fourth dimension and forge a radical new musical language - intuitive, polyrhythmic and metaphysical. Drumland Dreamland is deep and haunting; a dense tapestry of layered percussion, time-warped tape loops, and spiralling drumgita figures, all underpinned by hypnotic improvisations from Brazilian pianist Rafael Dos Santos. It is both ecstatic and unsettling, a landmark recording in black British experimental music.
Tracklist
1.1Drumsong (One)
1.2Drumsong (Two)
1.3Drumsong (Three)
1.4Strumelody
1.5Drumelody (One)
1.6Drumelody (Two)
1.7Ydolemurd
1.8Hum Drum Dring (One)
1.9Hum Drum Dring (Two) The Freedrum Song
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Tracklist
1.1Drumsong (One)
1.2Drumsong (Two)
1.3Drumsong (Three)
1.4Strumelody
1.5Drumelody (One)
1.6Drumelody (Two)
1.7Ydolemurd
1.8Hum Drum Dring (One)
1.9Hum Drum Dring (Two) The Freedrum Song
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Strut now present a new single vinyl reissue of Vambe"s privately pressed original album from 1982, Drumgita Solo. A self-taught drummer, inventor, and sonic experimentalist, Vambe is a unique figure in British music. The creator of his own instrument, the drumgita (pronounced "drum-guitar") or string-drum, Vambe intended to create a kind of music that had never been made in order to pursue access to the fourth dimension. The album plays with time, mixing hypnotic, trance-like drumgita pieces with the same segments played backwards. You can hear echoes of African drumming traditions, minimalist repetition, and tape-manipulated musique concrète - but ultimately, the album defies genre. It is a solitary voyage, spiritual and futuristic.
Tracklist
1.1Intro
1.2Drumgita
1.3Ancient Boogie (Mantra)
1.4Artnam
1.5Mantra
1.6(One) Boogie Home Going
1.7Going Home Boogie (One)
1.8Un Minuto (One)
1.9Un Minuto (Two)
1.10Going Home Boogie (Two)
1.11Going Home Boogie (Three)
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Tracklist
1.1Intro
1.2Drumgita
1.3Ancient Boogie (Mantra)
1.4Artnam
1.5Mantra
1.6(One) Boogie Home Going
1.7Going Home Boogie (One)
1.8Un Minuto (One)
1.9Un Minuto (Two)
1.10Going Home Boogie (Two)
1.11Going Home Boogie (Three)
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Strut proudly presents a new edition of one of Sun Ra's most celebrated albums, Sleeping Beauty, reissued in its original artwork for the first time.
Tracklist:
A1. Springtime Again 9:12
A2. Door of the Cosmos 8:53
B1/B2. Sleeping Beauty 11:48
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Tracklist:
A1. Springtime Again 9:12
A2. Door of the Cosmos 8:53
B1/B2. Sleeping Beauty 11:48
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In 1975, the late DJ / producer and jazz distributor Jimmy Gray and James "Plunky" Branch joined a musical revolution, founding Black Fire Records and releasing the label"s debut album, the classic African Rhythms by Oneness of Juju. This July, Plunky brings this important musical relationship full circle with Made Through Ritual, produced by Plunky"s son Jamiah "Fire" Branch and Jimmy"s son Jamal Gray. The resulting album is a fascinating listen. Opening with the meditative soul chant "Share This Love" voiced by regular Oneness vocalist Charlayne "Chyp" Green, the album opens out into a series of jazz vignettes including the title track, "In Due Time" and "Free Spirit". The powerful album closer, "Children Of The Drum" celebrates black culture and legacy through the poetry of Roscoe Burnem.
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Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT502LP
Release-Date:27.06.2025
Genre:Electronic, Electronica
Configuration:LP
Label:Strut Records
Cat-No:STRUT502LP
Release-Date:27.06.2025
Genre:Electronic, Electronica
Configuration:LP
Matthew Herbert and drummer/vocalist Momoko Gill announce the release of new album Clay, via Strut Records in collaboration with Accidental.
A soulful, elastic collaboration, Clay treads nimbly between the dancefloor and the more introspective moods of the early hours, both reminiscent of Herbert’s iconic album Around The House while taking off in a compelling new direction. Agile and open-hearted, Clay is a thrilling, sonically adventurous record from two of the UK’s most forward-thinking artists.
Tracklist:
A1. CALM WATER
A2. NEED TO RUN
A3. MOWING
A4. MORE AND MORE
A5. HEART
A6. ANIMALS
B1. FALLEN AGAIN
B2. BABYSTAR
B3. SHOW ME
B4. SOMEONE LIKE YOU
Listen: listen.k7.com/97599f47-9f5f-4c87-ae52-111f6740d1a4
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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A soulful, elastic collaboration, Clay treads nimbly between the dancefloor and the more introspective moods of the early hours, both reminiscent of Herbert’s iconic album Around The House while taking off in a compelling new direction. Agile and open-hearted, Clay is a thrilling, sonically adventurous record from two of the UK’s most forward-thinking artists.
Tracklist:
A1. CALM WATER
A2. NEED TO RUN
A3. MOWING
A4. MORE AND MORE
A5. HEART
A6. ANIMALS
B1. FALLEN AGAIN
B2. BABYSTAR
B3. SHOW ME
B4. SOMEONE LIKE YOU
Listen: listen.k7.com/97599f47-9f5f-4c87-ae52-111f6740d1a4
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Berlin-based Colombian DJ, producer, and curator Edna Martinez presents a sonic journey into the electrifying world of Picó—the vibrant and dynamic sound system culture that has defined the streets of Cartagena and Barranquilla for decades. More than just a musical movement, Picó is a way of life, a bold expression of identity, community, and resistance.
Tracklist
1.1Wulomei - Takoradi
1.2Conjunto Ana N'Gola - Puxa Odoette
1.3Zeal Onyia & His Music - Egbe Ne Lueli
1.4Los Corraleros De Majagual - Remanga
1.5Aquí Suena - Abel Llinas
1.6Peacocks International Highlife Band - Igbala Oso
1.7Pedro Lima Et L'Orchestre Os Leonenses - Philomene
1.8The Shoe Laces - Isitha Somunthu
1.9Claudio Y Su Combo - Como Sea
1.10Pa' Entro Mi Gente - Angelo El Auténtico
2.1Zaire - I'm Tired Of Living In The Shack
2.2Afous - Anavdhou (Edna Martinez Extended Edit)
2.3Zaïko Langa Langa - La Tout Neige (Edna Martinez Edit)
2.4Erick Cosaque Et Les Voltage
2.5Pico Sin Fronteras - Abel Llinas
2.6La Calandria - Como Duele Una Traicion
2.7African System International - Amina
2.8Carlos Díaz Y Su Orquesta - Tres Meses De Vida
2.9No Puedes Conmigo - Angelo El Auténtico
Listen: https://listen.k7.com/1675649d-ff05-4d34-b5d8-d12fd73fe97e
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Tracklist
1.1Wulomei - Takoradi
1.2Conjunto Ana N'Gola - Puxa Odoette
1.3Zeal Onyia & His Music - Egbe Ne Lueli
1.4Los Corraleros De Majagual - Remanga
1.5Aquí Suena - Abel Llinas
1.6Peacocks International Highlife Band - Igbala Oso
1.7Pedro Lima Et L'Orchestre Os Leonenses - Philomene
1.8The Shoe Laces - Isitha Somunthu
1.9Claudio Y Su Combo - Como Sea
1.10Pa' Entro Mi Gente - Angelo El Auténtico
2.1Zaire - I'm Tired Of Living In The Shack
2.2Afous - Anavdhou (Edna Martinez Extended Edit)
2.3Zaïko Langa Langa - La Tout Neige (Edna Martinez Edit)
2.4Erick Cosaque Et Les Voltage
2.5Pico Sin Fronteras - Abel Llinas
2.6La Calandria - Como Duele Una Traicion
2.7African System International - Amina
2.8Carlos Díaz Y Su Orquesta - Tres Meses De Vida
2.9No Puedes Conmigo - Angelo El Auténtico
Listen: https://listen.k7.com/1675649d-ff05-4d34-b5d8-d12fd73fe97e
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Next up in our Cuban Classics series, one of the jewels of record label Areito’s extensive and sought-after catalogue. Ricardo Eddy Martinez’s Expreso Ritmico from 1978 is a prized album fusing funk, disco, and orchestrated influences with Afro-Cuban percussion, Latin breaks, and lush vocal harmonies.
Whilst maintaining its distinctive Cuban identity, Expreso Ritmico is one of the more American / Western-influenced Cuban titles of the time drawing inspiration from jazz funk, disco, and library music. The album was directed, written, and orchestrated by keyboardist and drummer Ricardo Eddy Martinez, who was also the mastermind behind the orchestration of the Los Reyes 73 album (that was recently reissued by Mr Bongo). Martinez would later go on to work with international musicians and singers such as Gloria Estefan, José Feliciano, Chick Corea, and many more, whilst also working as a sound engineer in the US.
Produced by Adolfo Pichardo, who worked on much of Areito’s output, Expreso Ritmico is packed with gold. The opening title track carries a loose, breezy Latin-disco-funk vibe that breaks into a brilliant Afro-Cuban workout. ‘Que La Tristeza Se Fue’ was expertly sampled and looped by Jazzanova on their 2008 song ‘Look What You Are Doing To Me, featuring Phonte from the hip hop group Little Brother. Elsewhere, ‘Tambo Iya’ has an Afro-funk, Soul Makossa-esque groove, while tracks such as ‘Te Quedas’, ‘Mi Conga Es La Que Es’ and ‘La 132’ run with a heavy pulsating Latin-funk sound. Head to the sultry psych funk of ‘Este Tumbao’ for a spacey journey that blends and morphs through genres.
A record that was ahead of its time, Expreso Ritmico is a superb and unique album that merges western influence with Cuban flair. It comes housed in a replica of its original Cuban sleeve design.
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Whilst maintaining its distinctive Cuban identity, Expreso Ritmico is one of the more American / Western-influenced Cuban titles of the time drawing inspiration from jazz funk, disco, and library music. The album was directed, written, and orchestrated by keyboardist and drummer Ricardo Eddy Martinez, who was also the mastermind behind the orchestration of the Los Reyes 73 album (that was recently reissued by Mr Bongo). Martinez would later go on to work with international musicians and singers such as Gloria Estefan, José Feliciano, Chick Corea, and many more, whilst also working as a sound engineer in the US.
Produced by Adolfo Pichardo, who worked on much of Areito’s output, Expreso Ritmico is packed with gold. The opening title track carries a loose, breezy Latin-disco-funk vibe that breaks into a brilliant Afro-Cuban workout. ‘Que La Tristeza Se Fue’ was expertly sampled and looped by Jazzanova on their 2008 song ‘Look What You Are Doing To Me, featuring Phonte from the hip hop group Little Brother. Elsewhere, ‘Tambo Iya’ has an Afro-funk, Soul Makossa-esque groove, while tracks such as ‘Te Quedas’, ‘Mi Conga Es La Que Es’ and ‘La 132’ run with a heavy pulsating Latin-funk sound. Head to the sultry psych funk of ‘Este Tumbao’ for a spacey journey that blends and morphs through genres.
A record that was ahead of its time, Expreso Ritmico is a superb and unique album that merges western influence with Cuban flair. It comes housed in a replica of its original Cuban sleeve design.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
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7
Enrico Rava - Peace
The breakthrough album. Enrico Rava's second solo record, recorded in Milan in January 1973 and released on the German BASF label, is nothing less than a cornerstone of Italian jazz-rock - the record that caught Manfred Eicher's attention and opened the doors to ECM. Rava himself has called it his breakthrough, and history proved him right. The lineup is killer: John Abercrombie on guitar, Bruce Johnson on bass, Chip White on drums. Four musicians operating at the absolute peak of early seventies fusion energy - electric, cosmopolitan, burning with that particular fire that only existed in that brief window when jazz met rock and nobody knew the rules yet. Abercrombie, already on his way to becoming one of the most distinctive voices in electric jazz guitar, delivers some of his most ferocious early work here. White's drumming is relentless, pushing the music forward with an intensity that never lets up. If Miles' Bitches Brew-era speaks to you, if Ian Carr's Nucleus gets you moving, if you know Sun Ra's Lanquidity and Don Cherry's Relativity Suite by heart - this is essential listening. Rava's vision was already fully formed: South American rhythms, Mediterranean warmth, free jazz ferocity, rock power - all flowing together without borders or categories. By the early seventies, Rava had absorbed everything - the New Thing, the European free scene, the electric revolution coming out of Miles' studio - and forged something entirely his own. The seven tracks cover serious ground. "Bunny's Pie" introduces the music with an almost cosmic atmosphere of suspense, hovering in that liminal space before it trails off into the up-tempo vibrant frenzy of "Trial N. 5" - Abercrombie and Rava trading swirling solos at full intensity, the rhythm section locked in tight. "Dimenticare Stanca" moves from Rava's expressive balladic intro into pure funk, guitar and trumpet steering over the rhythmic drive with absolute confidence. The title track carries the lyrical feel and cadence of an Incan-Peruvian folksong - that cosmopolitan spirit made audible. "Fluid Connection" rides a funky bass riff into fusion heaven, with standout trumpet and guitar solos that build and release with perfect tension. "Cheerin' Cherry" pays homage to the great Don Cherry - Rava's spiritual mentor and fellow traveler in world music - exploring a North African soundscape that points toward the global jazz to come. Johnson's "Peace" closes the album with a minute and a half of serene, blissful calm - a moment of stillness after the storm. This audiophile reissue - cut from the original masters, pressed by Pallas in Germany on 180gm vinyl, housed in a thick laminated hand-glued gatefold - does full justice to an album that remains a collector's holy grail.
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Germany
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lim. Yellow & Orange Vinyl LP
Strut proudly presents Nuclear War, a powerful collaboration between UK collective The Heliocentrics, Sun Ra Arkestra legends Marshall Allen and Knoel Scott, and vocalist Bilal - issued on limited-edition “hazardous” orange and yellow vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day 2026.
Tracklist
Side A
Nuclear War
Where Pathways Meet
Side B
Angels & Demons At Play
Astro Black Ft. Bilal
https://soundcloud.com/strut/sets/the-heliocentrics-marshalll-allen-knoel-scott-ft-bilal-nuclear-war/s-58Rc2hElR1I?
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Strut proudly presents Nuclear War, a powerful collaboration between UK collective The Heliocentrics, Sun Ra Arkestra legends Marshall Allen and Knoel Scott, and vocalist Bilal - issued on limited-edition “hazardous” orange and yellow vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day 2026.
Tracklist
Side A
Nuclear War
Where Pathways Meet
Side B
Angels & Demons At Play
Astro Black Ft. Bilal
https://soundcloud.com/strut/sets/the-heliocentrics-marshalll-allen-knoel-scott-ft-bilal-nuclear-war/s-58Rc2hElR1I?
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1
Roland Brival - Créole Gypsy
2
Roland Brival - ABCD
3
Roland Brival - Tan Jou Mab
4
Roland Brival - Tunji
5
Roland Brival - Chaj Mile-a
6
Roland Brival - Just For You (Eden)
Soundway presents a forgotten piece in the jigsaw puzzle of Caribbean music - a seminal work of Pan-Caribbean Spiritual Jazz. Recorded in Martinique in 1980, Roland Brival"s visionary fusion of spiritual Caribbean jazz, poetry and Creole consciousness flows through Rhodes, saxophone and traditional percussion. Recorded with a group of Martinique"s top musicians, and combining the bèlè and carnival percussion traditions of the island with free flowing saxophone, rhodes flourishes and languorous bass, the album was rejected by Roland"s label of the time, and was ultimately self released in miniscule quantities to a small local audience. Themes of créole identity and colonial injustice combined with universal ideas of love and longing sung in Créole, English and French sound like an Antillean answer to Gary Bartz and Jon Lucien, underpinned with the insistent rhythms of the ti bois percussion. Long unheralded in the English-speaking world, Créole Gypsy is a key piece of the jigsaw of Caribbean music.
Selling Points:
-Musician, poet and painter Roland Brival’s 1980 album is a lost classic of Caribbean spiritual jazz.
-Recorded with a group of Martinique’s top musicians.
-Combining the bèlè percussion traditions of the island with free flowing saxophone, rhodes flourishes and languorous bass.
-Long unheralded in the English-speaking world, Créole Gypsy is a key piece of the jigsaw of Caribbean music.
-Newly remastered and presented in a luxury flipback sleeve.
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Selling Points:
-Musician, poet and painter Roland Brival’s 1980 album is a lost classic of Caribbean spiritual jazz.
-Recorded with a group of Martinique’s top musicians.
-Combining the bèlè percussion traditions of the island with free flowing saxophone, rhodes flourishes and languorous bass.
-Long unheralded in the English-speaking world, Créole Gypsy is a key piece of the jigsaw of Caribbean music.
-Newly remastered and presented in a luxury flipback sleeve.
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Label:London Records
Cat-No:LMS1725711
Release-Date:18.04.2026
Genre:Electronic, Electronica
Configuration:LP Excl
Label:London Records
Cat-No:LMS1725711
Release-Date:18.04.2026
Genre:Electronic, Electronica
Configuration:LP Excl
RSD 2026 - don't sell before 18th of April - Rights: World excluding France & UK
Packaging/Notes: 1 LP White. First re-issue since 2012, as exclusive colored LP to RSD
Tracklisting:
Side A
1. Bonafied Funk (feat. Main Source)
2. It's Getting Hectic (feat. Gang Starr)
3. Who Makes The Loot (feat. Grand Puba)
4. Wake Me When I'm Dead (feat. Masta Ace)
5. Jump N' Move (feat. Jamalski)
Side B
1. Death Threat (feat. Kool G. Rap)
2. State of Yo (feat. Black Sheep)
3. Do Whatta I Gotta Do (feat. Edo. G)
4. Whatgabouthat (feat. Tiger)
5. Soul Flower (feat. The Pharcyde)
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Packaging/Notes: 1 LP White. First re-issue since 2012, as exclusive colored LP to RSD
Tracklisting:
Side A
1. Bonafied Funk (feat. Main Source)
2. It's Getting Hectic (feat. Gang Starr)
3. Who Makes The Loot (feat. Grand Puba)
4. Wake Me When I'm Dead (feat. Masta Ace)
5. Jump N' Move (feat. Jamalski)
Side B
1. Death Threat (feat. Kool G. Rap)
2. State of Yo (feat. Black Sheep)
3. Do Whatta I Gotta Do (feat. Edo. G)
4. Whatgabouthat (feat. Tiger)
5. Soul Flower (feat. The Pharcyde)
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1
Minoru Muraoka - Take Five
2
Minoru Muraoka - Mogamigawa Funauta
3
Minoru Muraoka - The Positive & The Negative
4
Minoru Muraoka - And I Love Her
5
Minoru Muraoka - The House Of The Rising Sun
6
Minoru Muraoka - Do You Know The Way To San Jose
7
Minoru Muraoka - Soul Bamboo
8
Minoru Muraoka - Call Me
9
Minoru Muraoka - Scarborouge Fair
Japanese jazz/breakbeat, folkloric mega-rarity as hallowed the likes of DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Egon and co. Uniquely combines traditional Japanese instrumentation with Western jazz influences.
Minoru Muraoka plays ‘shakuhachi’ – a traditional bamboo Japanese flute – joined by his band members accompanying him on the ‘koto’ (strings) and ‘tsutsumi’ (drum) amongst others, to create their ‘Shakuhachi Jazz’ sound.
Official Mr Bongo reissue. Gatefold single LP.
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Minoru Muraoka plays ‘shakuhachi’ – a traditional bamboo Japanese flute – joined by his band members accompanying him on the ‘koto’ (strings) and ‘tsutsumi’ (drum) amongst others, to create their ‘Shakuhachi Jazz’ sound.
Official Mr Bongo reissue. Gatefold single LP.
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Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
1
Mário Rui Silva - Kazum-zum-zum
2
Mário Rui Silva - Kizomba Kya Kisanji
3
Mário Rui Silva - Dembita
4
Mário Rui Silva - Ngisumba
5
Mário Rui Silva - Sung'ali
6
Mário Rui Silva - Mgeni
7
Mário Rui Silva - Lonjura
8
Mário Rui Silva - Madimba M'ami
9
Mário Rui Silva - Kora Kya Ngola
10
Mário Rui Silva - Nu Tempu Du Antigamente
11
Mário Rui Silva - Maniku
12
Mário Rui Silva - Nahary
13
Mário Rui Silva - Lembrança De Um Velho
14
Mário Rui Silva - Dongada
15
Mário Rui Silva - Depois De Uma Conversa
16
Mário Rui Silva - Ngele-ngele-ngele
17
Mário Rui Silva - Kambanza K'etu
The roots of Angolan popular music explored in the meticulous guitar studies of Mário Rui Silva 1980s albums.
Whether on mesmerising acoustic ballads or hypnotic groove-led tracks, the music of Angolan guitarist, researcher and intellectual Mário Rui Silva has a beguiling, melancholy quality, woven into the dynamics of his deft guitar playing.
Rhythmically complex yet supremely effortless, the music collected here stems from three albums Mário released in Luanda in the 1980s that reflect his diverse range of influences, from traditional Angolan and West African rhythms to European jazz and classical instrumentation.
It is united by a sense of low-key beauty, whether on the chugging opener ‘Kazum-zum-zum’, the jazz-funk keys of ‘Lembrança Dum Velho’, or the twinkling, late-night poly-rhythms of ‘Kizomba Kya Kisanji’.
????
Born in Luanda, Angola in 1953, Mário dedicated his life to Angolan popular music. His fifty-year career has seen him live between Angola and Europe, rub shoulders with Cameroonian musicians Francis Bebey and Ewanjé, record the seminal album Angola ’72 with fellow Angolan musician Bonga, and draw influence from Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell.
It was the teaching of Angolan legend and Ngola Ritmos co-founder Liceu Vieira Dias that Mário gained a technical, political and spiritual understanding of Angolan musical culture. In the hands of Liceu, the traditional Angolan semba and kazukuta rhythms of the 1940s and ‘50s helped create an emancipatory sense of national pride and collective agency that awakened its listeners to the racism and tyranny of colonial rule, underpinning the country’s push for independence in the process.
What might sound like the intonations of Brazilian influence are what Mário attributes to the “African rhythms taken by the slaves [which] gave rise to other musical cultures” around the globe. Instead, this music emerged from a collective instinct to assert a cosmopolitan Angolan identity free from the patronising falsehoods of Lusotropicalism.
“There was a need within me to contribute in doing new things,” Mário describes. “In the sense of solidifying the music of Angola that was the result of the meeting of two cultures, and wanting to value the Angolan part whenever possible.”
A selection from Mário’s three 1980s albums, Sung’Ali (1982), Tunapenda Afrika (1985) and Koizas dum Outru Tempu (1988) have been compiled here as a 2xLP release by Time Capsule’s Sam Jacob and Kay Suzuki. Together, they provide a snapshot of one man’s journey to the core of his nation’s music, charged with the search for a culture uprooted by colonialism.
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Germany
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Whether on mesmerising acoustic ballads or hypnotic groove-led tracks, the music of Angolan guitarist, researcher and intellectual Mário Rui Silva has a beguiling, melancholy quality, woven into the dynamics of his deft guitar playing.
Rhythmically complex yet supremely effortless, the music collected here stems from three albums Mário released in Luanda in the 1980s that reflect his diverse range of influences, from traditional Angolan and West African rhythms to European jazz and classical instrumentation.
It is united by a sense of low-key beauty, whether on the chugging opener ‘Kazum-zum-zum’, the jazz-funk keys of ‘Lembrança Dum Velho’, or the twinkling, late-night poly-rhythms of ‘Kizomba Kya Kisanji’.
????
Born in Luanda, Angola in 1953, Mário dedicated his life to Angolan popular music. His fifty-year career has seen him live between Angola and Europe, rub shoulders with Cameroonian musicians Francis Bebey and Ewanjé, record the seminal album Angola ’72 with fellow Angolan musician Bonga, and draw influence from Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell.
It was the teaching of Angolan legend and Ngola Ritmos co-founder Liceu Vieira Dias that Mário gained a technical, political and spiritual understanding of Angolan musical culture. In the hands of Liceu, the traditional Angolan semba and kazukuta rhythms of the 1940s and ‘50s helped create an emancipatory sense of national pride and collective agency that awakened its listeners to the racism and tyranny of colonial rule, underpinning the country’s push for independence in the process.
What might sound like the intonations of Brazilian influence are what Mário attributes to the “African rhythms taken by the slaves [which] gave rise to other musical cultures” around the globe. Instead, this music emerged from a collective instinct to assert a cosmopolitan Angolan identity free from the patronising falsehoods of Lusotropicalism.
“There was a need within me to contribute in doing new things,” Mário describes. “In the sense of solidifying the music of Angola that was the result of the meeting of two cultures, and wanting to value the Angolan part whenever possible.”
A selection from Mário’s three 1980s albums, Sung’Ali (1982), Tunapenda Afrika (1985) and Koizas dum Outru Tempu (1988) have been compiled here as a 2xLP release by Time Capsule’s Sam Jacob and Kay Suzuki. Together, they provide a snapshot of one man’s journey to the core of his nation’s music, charged with the search for a culture uprooted by colonialism.
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Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
Emerging from the depths of private-press obscurity, The People’s People Present The Spirit of David is a remarkable testament to the ambition and discipline of its creators. This singular album, originally recorded in 1974 and released in 1976, marks the first original work by tenor saxophonist Jeff Jones, who also arranged, wrote, and conceptualised the project.
Track list
A1 Monica
A2 Q Street
B1 Fritz
B2 Where Is My Autumn Love
Listen: https://listen.k7.com/31245c38-b72d-419d-aac1-68de15bb3ca6
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Track list
A1 Monica
A2 Q Street
B1 Fritz
B2 Where Is My Autumn Love
Listen: https://listen.k7.com/31245c38-b72d-419d-aac1-68de15bb3ca6
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1
Various - Miki Hirayama - ???? (Tsukikage
2
Various - Miki Hirayama - ????? (Denshi Le
3
Various - Chu Kosaka - Music
4
Various - No Title
5
Various - Junko Yagami - ???????? (Johan
6
Various - Miharu Koshi - ???????? (Co
7
Various - Marlene - Hittin' Me Where It Hurts
8
Various - Lily - ?????? (Tenkini Naare) ab
Repress!
The smooth and funky sound of prime-time Japanese reggae pop in the 1970s and ‘80s fired up an obsession with Jamaican music that persists to the present day.
If there is a year zero for the introduction of reggae music to Japan, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was 1979 when Bob Marley and the Wailers toured the country, trailed by an entourage of journalists, photographers and fans ready to spread the message of the music into all corners of Japanese society.
But the story of Japanese reggae is not a linear one, and the music that is collected on Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 captures the moment J-reggae entered the broader public consciousness, merging commercial city pop style with an infectious backbeat, that has drawn comparisons with the emergence of Lovers Rock in the UK.
Rather than look directly to Jamaica, many producers and artists in Japan were inspired instead by the more approachable sounds of The Police and UB40, their reggae fix arriving pre-filtered through the lens of new wave pop from the UK. Playful and groovy, these album deep cuts have been overlooked for too long.
Among them are Miki Hirayama, the idol singer who borrowed the bassline from Bob Marley’s Natural Mystic on ‘Denshi Lenzi’, Chu Kosaka, who headed to Hawaii to cut the Jimmy Cliff-inspired ‘Music’ and Marlene, the Philippine songstress whose cover of Roberta Flack’s ‘Hittin’ Me Wear It Hurts’ owed much to her producer’s obsession with Sly & Robbie’s Compass Point sound.
Then there was Izumi “Mimi” Kobayashi, who enlisted the Babylon Warriors to perform on a dubbed-out version of her own track ‘Lazy Love’, the city pop-meets-new wave reggae sound of Miharu Koshi’s ‘Coffee Break’, Junko Yagami’s anti-apartheid deep cut ‘Johannesburg’ and Lily, whose ‘Tenki Ni Naare’ was produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto and closes out the compilation with a flourish.
While these stories may not always conform to neat narratives, they do provide a more accurate reflection of the indirect ways in which styles infiltrate one another and, in their naivety, have the potential to create something beautifully strange and entirely new. Previously only available in Japan, the tracks on this compilation are a testament to that curious alchemy.
Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 is released on vinyl and as a full album download (no streaming), featuring original artwork by Japanese Fukuoka-based artist Noncheleee, whose cover pays homage to the iconic dancehall album art of Wilfred Limonious.
Released on 1st September, Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 is a part of Time Capsule's Nippon Series, a loose series of compilations exploring different musical scenes from Japan between the 1960s and 2010s.
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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The smooth and funky sound of prime-time Japanese reggae pop in the 1970s and ‘80s fired up an obsession with Jamaican music that persists to the present day.
If there is a year zero for the introduction of reggae music to Japan, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was 1979 when Bob Marley and the Wailers toured the country, trailed by an entourage of journalists, photographers and fans ready to spread the message of the music into all corners of Japanese society.
But the story of Japanese reggae is not a linear one, and the music that is collected on Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 captures the moment J-reggae entered the broader public consciousness, merging commercial city pop style with an infectious backbeat, that has drawn comparisons with the emergence of Lovers Rock in the UK.
Rather than look directly to Jamaica, many producers and artists in Japan were inspired instead by the more approachable sounds of The Police and UB40, their reggae fix arriving pre-filtered through the lens of new wave pop from the UK. Playful and groovy, these album deep cuts have been overlooked for too long.
Among them are Miki Hirayama, the idol singer who borrowed the bassline from Bob Marley’s Natural Mystic on ‘Denshi Lenzi’, Chu Kosaka, who headed to Hawaii to cut the Jimmy Cliff-inspired ‘Music’ and Marlene, the Philippine songstress whose cover of Roberta Flack’s ‘Hittin’ Me Wear It Hurts’ owed much to her producer’s obsession with Sly & Robbie’s Compass Point sound.
Then there was Izumi “Mimi” Kobayashi, who enlisted the Babylon Warriors to perform on a dubbed-out version of her own track ‘Lazy Love’, the city pop-meets-new wave reggae sound of Miharu Koshi’s ‘Coffee Break’, Junko Yagami’s anti-apartheid deep cut ‘Johannesburg’ and Lily, whose ‘Tenki Ni Naare’ was produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto and closes out the compilation with a flourish.
While these stories may not always conform to neat narratives, they do provide a more accurate reflection of the indirect ways in which styles infiltrate one another and, in their naivety, have the potential to create something beautifully strange and entirely new. Previously only available in Japan, the tracks on this compilation are a testament to that curious alchemy.
Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 is released on vinyl and as a full album download (no streaming), featuring original artwork by Japanese Fukuoka-based artist Noncheleee, whose cover pays homage to the iconic dancehall album art of Wilfred Limonious.
Released on 1st September, Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 is a part of Time Capsule's Nippon Series, a loose series of compilations exploring different musical scenes from Japan between the 1960s and 2010s.
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Germany
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1
Dora Morelenbaum - Japão
2
Dora Morelenbaum - Vento De Beirada
3
Dora Morelenbaum - Avermelhar
4
Dora Morelenbaum - Dó a dó
Tracklist:
1. Japão
2. Vento De Beirada
3. Avermelhar
4. Dó A Dó
Singer-songwriter Dora Morelenbaum is one of the stunning voices at the forefront of Brazil’s exciting new musical wave. Her sublime 'Vento De Beirada' EP takes you on a trip into the sensuous sounds of Dora's world. On first hearing her music, we were reminded of the transformational moment when we first discovered the Brazilian singer-songwriter, Joyce. The music is completely new to you, yet instantly familiar, like rediscovering a past love.
Dora is a member of the Brazilian Latin-Grammy-winning superstar quartet Bala Desejo; a trailblazing light opening up Brazilian music to a whole new audience outside of the country. 'Vento De Beirada' EP showcases a different sound to the riotous, joyful, avant-garde Tropicália sound of Bala Desejo. This solo set takes a more dream-like, downbeat, MPB stance. It is firmly contemporary, yet you can also trace the lines of influence back to idols such as Gal Costa and Maria Bethânia.
The EP is comprised of four tracks that have already garnered critical acclaim following their digital release. It starts with the tender and gentle 'Japão', which was inspired by the melodies of the legendary Japanese composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto. Sakamoto once collaborated with Dora's musician parents, Paula and Jaques Morelenbaum, when she was young. 'Dó a Dó' is drenched in lush, sweeping strings that were arranged by her father himself, and is co-written by Dora and Tom Veloso of the band, Dônica. There’s further collaboration on the EP, including production from one of the lynchpins and stars of the current Rio scene, Ana Frango Elétrico. Fellow Bala Desejo band member, Lucas Nunes, contributes towards the production, writing, and guitar with Guilherme Lírio also on production, guitar, and bass. Whilst Bala Desejo’s Zé Ibarra penned the song 'Vento De Beirada' with Lucas and Victor Vasconcellos.
The four-track EP has been cut to 12" and mastered for vinyl by Joker (Liam McLean). With crystalline beauty and a breezy sense of ease and serenity, sounding classic yet contemporary. This release serves as the perfect introduction to an extraordinary talent.
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1. Japão
2. Vento De Beirada
3. Avermelhar
4. Dó A Dó
Singer-songwriter Dora Morelenbaum is one of the stunning voices at the forefront of Brazil’s exciting new musical wave. Her sublime 'Vento De Beirada' EP takes you on a trip into the sensuous sounds of Dora's world. On first hearing her music, we were reminded of the transformational moment when we first discovered the Brazilian singer-songwriter, Joyce. The music is completely new to you, yet instantly familiar, like rediscovering a past love.
Dora is a member of the Brazilian Latin-Grammy-winning superstar quartet Bala Desejo; a trailblazing light opening up Brazilian music to a whole new audience outside of the country. 'Vento De Beirada' EP showcases a different sound to the riotous, joyful, avant-garde Tropicália sound of Bala Desejo. This solo set takes a more dream-like, downbeat, MPB stance. It is firmly contemporary, yet you can also trace the lines of influence back to idols such as Gal Costa and Maria Bethânia.
The EP is comprised of four tracks that have already garnered critical acclaim following their digital release. It starts with the tender and gentle 'Japão', which was inspired by the melodies of the legendary Japanese composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto. Sakamoto once collaborated with Dora's musician parents, Paula and Jaques Morelenbaum, when she was young. 'Dó a Dó' is drenched in lush, sweeping strings that were arranged by her father himself, and is co-written by Dora and Tom Veloso of the band, Dônica. There’s further collaboration on the EP, including production from one of the lynchpins and stars of the current Rio scene, Ana Frango Elétrico. Fellow Bala Desejo band member, Lucas Nunes, contributes towards the production, writing, and guitar with Guilherme Lírio also on production, guitar, and bass. Whilst Bala Desejo’s Zé Ibarra penned the song 'Vento De Beirada' with Lucas and Victor Vasconcellos.
The four-track EP has been cut to 12" and mastered for vinyl by Joker (Liam McLean). With crystalline beauty and a breezy sense of ease and serenity, sounding classic yet contemporary. This release serves as the perfect introduction to an extraordinary talent.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
1
Hollie Cook - Shy Girl
2
Hollie Cook - Ooh Baby
3
Hollie Cook - Rockaway
4
Hollie Cook - Night Night
5
Hollie Cook - Holding On
6
Hollie Cook - In The Pictures
7
Hollie Cook - Frontline
8
Hollie Cook - Take Me In Your Arms
9
Hollie Cook - Crying Wolf
10
Hollie Cook - River Runs Deep
11
Hollie Cook - Hello Operator
12
Hollie Cook - We Share Love
Almost fifteen years since the release of her self-titled debut LP on Mr Bongo, reggae’s orator of love Hollie Cook is returning to the label for Shy Girl, her fifth studio album and her most authentic yet. Woven with tight grooves, beautiful vocals and catchy melodies, Shy Girl hears singer and songwriter Hollie Cook revel in her contemporary lovers rock sound, more confident and open to vulnerability than ever before.
A sun-drenched exploration of love in all its guises, Shy Girl tells stories of the magical and the melancholy, the heart-lifting and heart-breaking, across 12 luscious, analogue reggae compositions - the culmination of a soft-hued and instantly recognisable “tropical pop” sound that Cook has made her own.
Put together across three years and four cities – from LA and NYC, to Vejer de la Frontera in Spain and Cook’s hometown London – Shy Girl was written with long-time collaborators, The General Roots Band, and features a contribution from legendary dub MC, Horseman, who lends his voice to the album’s first single ‘Night Night’.
The album opens with the title track ‘Shy Girl’, a buoyant and elastic slice of lovers rock that was written in a moment of spontaneous intuition, and bubbles with a charisma and positivity that Cook radiates. “I’m not a natural show-off,” Cook explains. “The Shy Girl theme is me. It’s just about being my most vulnerable self and being as true to the music that Iove as possible.” It is this honesty which shines throughout, from the chugging deep dub of ‘Frontline’, complete with raking electric guitar lines, to the bittersweet roots ballad ‘We Share Love’, which closes out the album.
It's clear to see that Cook’s songwriting draws on a lifetime of musical influences and inspirations. From her father, Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook’s record collection and touring with post-punk icon Ari Up’s The Slits, to her love for strong female-led pop music and the bassweight of London’s sound system culture. Enamoured with the music of Janet Kay and Phyllis Dillon, Shy Girl represents a homecoming and a coming-of-age for Hollie Cook, distilling and refining a shimmering reggae sound that will capture your heart, as it first captured hers.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
A sun-drenched exploration of love in all its guises, Shy Girl tells stories of the magical and the melancholy, the heart-lifting and heart-breaking, across 12 luscious, analogue reggae compositions - the culmination of a soft-hued and instantly recognisable “tropical pop” sound that Cook has made her own.
Put together across three years and four cities – from LA and NYC, to Vejer de la Frontera in Spain and Cook’s hometown London – Shy Girl was written with long-time collaborators, The General Roots Band, and features a contribution from legendary dub MC, Horseman, who lends his voice to the album’s first single ‘Night Night’.
The album opens with the title track ‘Shy Girl’, a buoyant and elastic slice of lovers rock that was written in a moment of spontaneous intuition, and bubbles with a charisma and positivity that Cook radiates. “I’m not a natural show-off,” Cook explains. “The Shy Girl theme is me. It’s just about being my most vulnerable self and being as true to the music that Iove as possible.” It is this honesty which shines throughout, from the chugging deep dub of ‘Frontline’, complete with raking electric guitar lines, to the bittersweet roots ballad ‘We Share Love’, which closes out the album.
It's clear to see that Cook’s songwriting draws on a lifetime of musical influences and inspirations. From her father, Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook’s record collection and touring with post-punk icon Ari Up’s The Slits, to her love for strong female-led pop music and the bassweight of London’s sound system culture. Enamoured with the music of Janet Kay and Phyllis Dillon, Shy Girl represents a homecoming and a coming-of-age for Hollie Cook, distilling and refining a shimmering reggae sound that will capture your heart, as it first captured hers.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
1
Niningashi - Ameagari (After the rain)
2
Niningashi - Semai Boku No Heyade (In My Small Room)
3
Niningashi - Ososugite (Too Late)
4
Niningashi - Miyo Chan
5
Niningashi - Oraga Murano Soncho San (Our Village Chief)
6
Niningashi - Restaurant
7
Niningashi - Natsu (Summer)
8
Niningashi - Chikan No Uta (Molester Song)
9
Niningashi - Hitoribotchi (On My Own)
A long-lost Japanese acid folk gem, Niningashi’s 1974 private press debut Heavy Way shimmers with originality, deft song writing and a dream-like groove.
Although he was training as a pharmacist, Kazuhisa Okubo was much more interested in prescribing musical medicine.
A coming-of-age album, Heavy Way captured a turning point in Okubo’s life, and Japanese society more widely as a nostalgia for the pastoral calm of the traditional life, met the cosmopolitan thrill of coffee, sex and cigarettes in the big city.
Intoxicated by Tokyo, driven by a passion for music and surrounded by a thriving acid folk scene, the young student filtered his experiences through a psychedelic cocktail of soulful influences from the US and Japan.
Niningashi was his first band, and Heavy Way was their only album. It was honest and raw, deep and strangely funky, in an off-beat kind of way. Across nine tracks, Okubo and the 6-piece band put their own spin on the new folk sound of Japan, combining witty lyrics with electric guitar-driven solos and crisp, understated grooves.
Melancholy and profound, opening track ‘Ameagari’ feels like a synthesis of Harvest-era Neil Young and Haruomi Hosono’s Happy End. Then there’s the whimsical washboard country sound of ‘Semai Boku No Heyade’; the moody, low-lit charm of ‘Restaurant’; and ‘Hitoribotchi’, a sensitive portrayal of childhood, steeped in memories of rainfall that will resonate with fans of Woo and Mac Demarco.
While Okubo would go on to taste success with psychedelic folk bands Neko and Kaze, the latter of which scored three #1 albums, little is known about his mysterious debut with Niningashi.
Self-released by Okubo in 1974, and featuring album artwork by his brother, it has slowly generated a cult following online, intrigued by its soft and enchanting sound. So few records were ultimately pressed that those remaining have fetched up to £1,500 online.
Featured on Time Capsule’s era-spanning collection Nippon Acid Folk, Niningashi’s Heavy Way is a deep-cut grail of a vibrant time in Japan’s musical history, where even the pharmacists were making jams.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
Although he was training as a pharmacist, Kazuhisa Okubo was much more interested in prescribing musical medicine.
A coming-of-age album, Heavy Way captured a turning point in Okubo’s life, and Japanese society more widely as a nostalgia for the pastoral calm of the traditional life, met the cosmopolitan thrill of coffee, sex and cigarettes in the big city.
Intoxicated by Tokyo, driven by a passion for music and surrounded by a thriving acid folk scene, the young student filtered his experiences through a psychedelic cocktail of soulful influences from the US and Japan.
Niningashi was his first band, and Heavy Way was their only album. It was honest and raw, deep and strangely funky, in an off-beat kind of way. Across nine tracks, Okubo and the 6-piece band put their own spin on the new folk sound of Japan, combining witty lyrics with electric guitar-driven solos and crisp, understated grooves.
Melancholy and profound, opening track ‘Ameagari’ feels like a synthesis of Harvest-era Neil Young and Haruomi Hosono’s Happy End. Then there’s the whimsical washboard country sound of ‘Semai Boku No Heyade’; the moody, low-lit charm of ‘Restaurant’; and ‘Hitoribotchi’, a sensitive portrayal of childhood, steeped in memories of rainfall that will resonate with fans of Woo and Mac Demarco.
While Okubo would go on to taste success with psychedelic folk bands Neko and Kaze, the latter of which scored three #1 albums, little is known about his mysterious debut with Niningashi.
Self-released by Okubo in 1974, and featuring album artwork by his brother, it has slowly generated a cult following online, intrigued by its soft and enchanting sound. So few records were ultimately pressed that those remaining have fetched up to £1,500 online.
Featured on Time Capsule’s era-spanning collection Nippon Acid Folk, Niningashi’s Heavy Way is a deep-cut grail of a vibrant time in Japan’s musical history, where even the pharmacists were making jams.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More