Modern flip of Marco Bosco's classic, Metalmadeira

"In 1983, Grammy-winning Brazilian percussionist Marco Bosco released Metalmadeira — a groundbreaking fusion of hand-built percussion, early drum machines, and lush synth textures. Four decades later, celebrated Curitiba-based collective Alter Disco (Bárbara Boeing, Phil Mill, De Sena) reimagine the album for today’s dancefloors.

Working from the original stereo recordings (the master tapes long since damaged), Alter Disco preserved the organic feel of Bosco’s unquantized rhythms while infusing them with deep, modern grooves. The result is a cross-generational dialogue between Brazil’s early electronic avant-garde and contemporary club culture.

Highlights include Pedra, pulsing at 130 BPM with a vintage vocoder line nodding to Detroit techno pioneer Juan Atkins, and Camila, which wraps Bosco’s sharp percussion in atmospheric synths and hypnotic beats.

Metalmadeira II is raw yet refined — live instrumentation and electronic production in perfect balance, blurring the line between archive and innovation.

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Seminal sounds from the golden age of Ghanaian music. Highlife, rock, and soul collide and merge with tradition and culture. New styles meet old styles. A new generation renews old musical customs. New fashions meet old fashions, creating new fusions. Features rare tracks from Hedzoleh Soundz, Ogyatanaa Show Band, Honny & the Bees and early Ebo Taylor (Asaasa Sa). These tracks were originally available on vanishingly rare 70s pressings, then a highly collectible 5LP box set released in 2009.

This special vinyl edition is produced in conjunction with the James Barnor archive, featuring a previously unpublished 1976 photo from the archive of Ghana's most famous photographer

Comes with Obi-strip.

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Black Vinyl! Repress!


Orbits, the sophomore LP from The Circling Sun, channels the cosmic energy of '70s spiritual jazz, filtered through synths, layered percussion, and ethereal choirs. The Aotearoa collective expand their sonic universe with nods to Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Azymuth, and ambient jazz — offering deep listening for jazz heads and newcomers alike.

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Seminal album from cult Ghanaian musician Alhaji K. Frimpong, recorded in 1976 and considered to be one of the best highlife albums ever recorded.

The Blue Album brings new arrangements to traditional Ghanaian melodies and features the masterpiece Kyenkyen Bi Adi M’awu (come back my love) - universally known in Ghana, covered and sampled by artists such as Chronnix, Gnarls Barkley and many more.

Backed by Vis a Vis - one of the most influential bands to come out of the Ghana Highlife / Afro Rock movement.

Although popular in Ghana at the time of the release, the albums were never distributed internationally and originalcopies of the album are extremely rare. The albums got a limited reissue in 2011 and have been unavailable since - even reissue copies sell for high prices on the second hand market

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Seminal album from cult Ghanaian musician Alhaji K. Frimpong, recorded in 1977 and considered to be one of the best highlife albums ever recorded.

The Black Album expands the electronic elements and features the equally visionary Hwehwe Mu Na Yi Wo Mpena, although the real gem is hiding on the B side: the extended groove of “Adam Nana”. Sinuously evolving guitar lines, clavinet vamps, harmonised vocal snatches and otherworldly percussion expand and contract over a full quarter of an hour - a Ghanaian repost to the Afro Jazz experiments going on at the same time on the other side of the Atlantic.

Although popular in Ghana at the time of the release, the albums were never distributed internationally and original copies of the album are extremely rare. The albums got a limited reissue in 2011 and have been unavailable since - even reissue copies sell for high prices on the second hand market.

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Mythical soul/boogie record recorded in Louisiana by Nigerian multi instrumentalist Rick Asikpo when he was studying in Houston.

Rick Asikpo started his musical career while studying in Houston, joining local Black Artist collective The People’s Workshop, before returning to Nigeria and releasing a run of successful albums throughout the 80s.

“Got To Be Me” was recorded at River City Studio in Baton Rouge in 1981 but was only released back in Nigeria and sold little at the time, with original copies vanishingly hard to find.

Layers of synths wash over drawn out, Earth, Wind and Fire inspired grooves, moving from the uptempo “Disco Life” and “Jam” to the languid boogie and two step soul of “Love” and Donny Hathaway-esque “Let’s Get High”. The album is shot through a Texan/Nigerian filter that stands as a missing link between the dancefloor experiments of Houston and Lagos

As featured on Soundway’s seminal “Doing It In Lagos” compilation

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New Generation Carnival Riddims from St. Lucia and Dominica

A hurricane of turbo-charged, body-buzzing tracks collide on Road Fever, a compilation of razor-produced, road-tested instrumental riddims from St. Lucia, Dominica & Guadeloupe that showcases the producers forging the future of Caribbean music in 2025.

Road Fever draws together instrumental Dennery Segment and Bouyon riddims originally made for vocalists, presented for the first time as stand alone pieces of music. Distilling carnival riddims down to the bare bones, producers push minimal 150+ bpms, FL-percussion packs, DJ/vox samples & synth riffs, bridging trap, drill, dancehall, sped-up Haitian konpa & Angolan kuduro

Ricocheting at the intersection of TikTok culture, best heard blasted through walls of speakers travelled by stage-sized carnival trucks or via bluetooth car speakers, St.Lucia’s ‘Dennery Segment’ sound, (as iconic producer, G6 described in an interview), “sparks your inside; a sound you can’t hear and not move”.

Amsterdam-based, Curaçao-raised compiler Rozaly echoes G6: “Once you hear it, you can’t unhear or unfeel it. This is a musical movement with an entire history with so many relevant reasons why it still exists, and why it exists the way it exists right now”. Rozaly concludes, “there is nothing more simple, let the artists speak.”

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Soundway Records delivers an exciting new compilation, diving ever deeper into South-East Asia. Ayo Ke Disco celebrates the musical identities emerging during the 1970s and 80s from the newly independent countries nestled around the South China Sea.

This time, Soundway’s long-time general manager Alice Whittington (aka DJ Norsicaa) steps into the limelight, embracing her Malaysian heritage and selecting music from her heavy collection of Asian records. Aside from steering the label, she is often found on international stages and radio stations playing an eclectic array of music.

For Ayo Ke Disco (meaning ‘Let’s go to the disco’ in Indonesian), 10 rare tracks of disco-funk, psychedelic funk, synth, city pop, and Hindustani-Arabic rhythms were painstakingly licensed from local labels – forming a snapshot of the vibrant discotheques and live scenes across Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

The vinyl release is also accompanied by the Ayo Ke Disco zine from Norsicaa, with extensive research on the history of music in South-East Asia, archival photos and exclusive interviews with some of the region’s most respected collectors.

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Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH275gX4auQ

The debut album from Bahraini-born, British-based musical duo Dar Disku is a celebration of their Arabic heritage and multicultural influences that melds golden age West Asian and North African sounds with a contemporary dance floor focus. Recorded between the UK, Algeria, Turkey and Tunisia, the album seamlessly crosses from disco to Raï, piano house to Turkish psychedelia, ambient to Bollywood and features guest artists from Algeria, Turkey and Bahrain as well as legendary Indian singer Asha Puthli.

Dar Disku is the innovative duo of Mazen Almaskati and Vish M, known for their dynamic DJ sets and eclectic mixes, into which they bring a deep-rooted passion for the rich musical traditions of the SWANA region (South West Asia and North Africa).

The self-titled album is a culmination of years of learning, listening, and creating. It serves as a transportive portal into the duo's expansive world beyond the dance floor, capturing the cosmic emotions of cinema through a meticulous analog approach to live recordings. It channels a wide range of influences, including Egyptian folk, Turkish psych, Algerian rai, Sudanese funk, Ethiopian jazz, and Khaleeji disco.

“Sonically we have tried to capture what time traveling with Dar Disku through our different influences would feel like,” they say of their recording process, “and although inspired directly some of our favourite hidden gems from the past, the sound of this record remains unmistakably rooted in our present day where current influences from electronic genres, hip hop, jazz and psychedelia also shine through.”

The pair explain that they learnt much of this through their own previously released edits of middle eastern music “which inspired us to create our own brand new original songs that draw from a similar breath. We've been able to combine this with our contemporary inspirations and bring to life something that is comfortingly nostalgic and yet refreshingly new.”

Vish and Maz have put immense effort into researching the songwriting and recording methods of the decades they draw inspiration from - utilising vintage consoles, analog synthesisers, and carefully crafted sonic spaces. This dedication is evident in every track, which combines their contemporary influences with the rich musical traditions of the region to create something that feels both timeless and innovative.

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Following on from his previous debut album Tape 1/Tape 2 on Soundway, Felbm delivers Tape 3/Tape 4: an intimate, emotional, lilting and melodic solo project. These 14 lo-fi, instrumental, jazz-infused sketches were written on guitar, with cascading keyboards, vibraphone and drum machine. Possessing a restorative and soothing quality, it goes some way to balancing out a chaotic year for the world at large. With echoes of the dreamier end of 1980s English indie-pop, minimal ambient music and Brazilian bossa-nova, Topper"s musical storybook includes touches of The Durutti Column, hints of Antônio Carlos Jobim and Baden Powell, whilst all set firmly in the summer fields of Germany and the Netherlands. The recording method used for the creation and recording of Tape 3 and Tape 4 follows the same as his previous release: all sketches were initially recorded onto cassette on a 4-track tape machine. Most notably a vibraphone finds its way onto almost every track fitting Topper"s sound-palette perfectly: warm yet distinctive, a percussive as well as sustaining sound that evokes some melancholy and a certain timeless nostalgia. Features that most certainly also apply to the other "new" instrument on the tapes: mellotron flutes. Tape 3/Tape 4 navigates the space between quiet, open, meditative tunes and more solid instrumental works, reflecting his constant search for an optimal balance between stillness and movement.

Tracklist
1.1Filatelie
1.2Tartufai
1.3Tiquetonne
1.4Veluwe
1.5Herausweh
1.6Talmen
1.7Heisei
1.8Brunnengasse
1.9Colorists
1.10Langeweile
1.11Beaufort
1.12Somnambulant
1.13Regtur
1.14Midori

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Soundway presents Ferdinand ‘Maréchal’ Papillon’s underground club classic Moulongo - recorded in Paris in 1995 and highlighting the Zouk/dancehall/Makossa crossover sound that was then coming out of the city’s studios. Features a new remix from Canadian producer Poirier for a 2024 bassline zouk mover, cut loud and proud on 12” vinyl.

Ferdinand ‘Maréchal’ Papillon was part of the makossa wave that moved from Cameroon to France and across the African diaspora in the 80s and 90s, bringing the sounds of rhythms of Douala and Yaoundé to the clubs and dancefloors of Paris. Although best known for his Sakissa style - his own uptempo take on the makossa of Cameroon - Papillon also regularly featured zouk and reggae influenced tracks on his albums, combining Caribbean and African influences into a unique sound that has stood the test of time.

‘Moulongo’ originally appeared on Papillon’s highly sought after 1995 album “Homme fort….je suis sérieux” and was recorded at Studio de la Madeleine in Paris. The Moulongo session features a who’s who of the Paris scene of the time - Aladji Touré and Toto Guillaume from Cameroon as well as Congolese guitar greats Ngoma Lokito and Nene Tchacou - and combines dancehall, zouk and makossa elements for a pan-African dancefloor sureshot.

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Cult soca disco 12”, produced by Leston Paul and originally released in 1984 - now available for the first time in 40 years.

Barbara Hernandez was working as a backing singer for Kool and the Gang in New York at the time the track was recorded, and the session featured their horn section as well as a who’s who of the Trinidad music scene for what would be Barbara’s only solo release. Suffering from poor distribution at the time of release, the 12” failed to make waves at the time but is now lovingly remastered and cut loud, a sure fire dancefloor sure shot.

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In the early 1980s, a particular alchemy between new musical technologies and significant social, cultural, and political transformations in Ghana gave rise to a new style of highlife. Drum machines and synthesisers appeared alongside lilting guitar lines and punchy horns, and the emerging Ghanaian diaspora began incorporating US disco and boogie, R&B, European new wave, and Caribbean zouk and soca into their music.

This style soundtracked the birth of a new, proud Ghanaian identity and captured the idiosyncrasies of a rapidly changing postcolonial society, marked by increased migration and wider access to global sounds and modern technology.

More than 20 years after the release of the heavy funk and Afrobeat-focused Ghana Soundz compilations, and following the success of 2009’s Ghana Special: Modern Highlife, Afro Sounds & Ghanaian Blues 1968-1981, Soundway is now shining the spotlight on the multifaceted, diasporic sounds of the ‘80s on new compilation Ghana Special - Volume 2, a collection of 18 burger highlife, electronic afrobeat, and reggae tracks.

Though Ghanaian to its very core, burger highlife emerged mostly outside of Ghana and just as the sun was setting on the country’s musical golden age. In the 1960s and 1970s cities such as Accra, Tema, Takoradi, and Cape Coast were home to thriving music scenes, and the loud horn sections of the big highlife bands, or the simpler, socially conscious palm wine music ruled the dance halls, locals drinkeries, and airwaves.

Back then music represented a powerful force, and an artist’s endorsement or dissent could make or break a politician. Perhaps to curb this power, the incoming military regime-imposed curfews and substantial import taxes on musical instruments in the early 1980s. These measures, coupled with a profound economic downturn and shifting musical preferences that saw DJs replacing large live bands, served as the final blow to Ghana's once-thriving music scene.

Musicians left Ghana in droves, scattering across West Africa, Europe, and North America. Thanks in part to its more permissive migration policies Germany became the heart of this scene, and the movement in fact takes its name from “Bürger”, the German for “citizen”. Less confined by genres than back in Ghana, artists in the diaspora were quick to engage with the different styles, working disco, boogie, and funk into their highlife melodies. Access to state-of-the-art studios and modern musical technologies also gave birth to all sorts of mutations: burger highlife in fact is less defined by one particular sound, than by the experimental approach and global outlook of its artists.

Tracks such as Ernest Honny’s experimental cut “New Dance” are an example of just how far artists strayed from original highlife arrangements. Honny, who started his career as a keyboard player with Dr K Gyasi’s band The Noble Kings, had moved to Benin in the 1980s, where he experimented with synthesisers and drum machines at one of Cotonou’s top studios. Similarly, Nan Mayen’s “Mumude” is a slick, 80’s pop track which was recorded in Germany, with only a slight echo of highlife in its opening Fanti lyrics.
This generation of artists found inspiration in sounds that transcended geographical boundaries: singer and guitarist Nana Budjei, who was originally from central Ghana but had moved to the UK in the 1980s, says that his radiant, sun-drenched 1988 track “Asobrachie” is “influenced by reggae maestros Bob Marley and Alpha Blondy, and traditional Akan folklore music”; on “Jigi Jigi”, the Kumasi-born, Sweden transplant Delips Apo draws on soca, latin, and zouk influences.

Throughout the 1980s Ghanaian artists kept producing increasingly innovative and experimental hybrids, winning over new audiences abroad. Though back in Ghana the new sound was initially met with disapproval by purists, it slowly became a symbol of a new, worldly and modern Ghanaian identity. The creativity and open mindedness that characterised burger highlife have gone on to shape the evolution of Ghanaian music since, giving artists the freedom to explore new global sounds while preserving a proudly Ghanaian soul. Ghana Special - Volume 2 stands as a vibrant tribute to the lasting legacy of this groundbreaking musical era.

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The star-studded Sai Galaxy project returns, bringing together West African legends Steve Monite and Rob with multi-instrumentalist Simon Durrington, guitar maestro Alfred Bannerman and Egypt 80 trumpet player Bade for a second EP of vital Afro Disco and Soul. The EP follows up 2022’s “Get It As You Move” EP, blending layers of vocal harmonies and synth washes with a rock solid disco base. The sound stays faithful to the analogue production techniques of the 70s and 80s, adding a modern touch informed by Simon Durrington’s Digital Afrika project.


Lead single Hold You Tonight features Nigerian disco icon Steve Monite (best known for his mega hit “Only You”), revisiting his 80s origins with a dancefloor-ready slice of dubby boogie.


Rich Man Poor Man (featuring Ghana’s very own Rob) slows down the tempo and brings the highlife influence to the fore, while Sometimes It Rains brings a neo soul bump with the Omar-esque sound of Fijian vocalist Kaivili.

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Soundway presents a long-awaited remaster and re-cut of the 1976 album ‘Ifetayo’ by Black Truth Rhythm Band, an important and overlooked chapter in Trinidad’s rich musical history that blends West African influences with jazz, funk and the social commentary of the calypso tradition.

Led by the charismatic Oluko Imo (who went on to record with Fela Kuti and perform with members of Fela’s Egypt 80 band ), the group drew on the strong connections to Yoruba culture and Orisa traditions in Trinidad, looking to Africa for inspiration and reflecting the burgeoning Black Power movement of the time.

Recorded at KH studios in Port of Spain, Ifetayo (Yoruba for ‘Love excels all’) was the group’s sole album release. Imo contributed lead vocals and played bass, kalimba, conga, flute and percussion, channelling music from both sides of the Atlantic into a distinctive and unique slice of Afro Trinidadian expression.

Includes bonus track “Imo” not included on the original LP

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Reissue of the 80s 12” single from Trinidadian musician Oluko Imo (Black Truth Rhythm Band), featuring Fela Kuti and Femi Kuti.
Recorded between Lagos and New York in 1988, the tracks sit at the fault line of the Trinidad-Yoruba connection, blending calypso heritage with the Afrobeat and jazz of Nigeria

On the A-side, title track ‘Oduduwa’ is a brooding slice of peak-era Transatlantic Afrobeat, blending a heartfelt plea for social justice and equality with a haunting piano line, shuffling drums and ethereal sax solo.
The song takes its name from Oduduwa, the founder of the Ife Empire, who is also seen as a divine Orisha (deity) in Yoruba culture, one that is often evoked by musicians and activists in Trinidad as a signifier of Yoruba heritage on the island.

On the flip, ‘Eyes Are Getting Red (Were Oju Le)’ is a long-lost slice of low slung Afrobeat featuring both Fela and Femi Kuti. Classic Nigerian horns and keys combine with Oluko Imo’s Caribbean-influenced guitar and Fela’s virtuoso sax solo, bridging the musical gap between Lagos and Port of Spain.

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Reissue of the highly sought-after 7” from 1979 by Chicago reggae outfit Gypsy Fari.

Gypsy Fari was a project born in the south side of Chicago, after a chance meeting between St Kitts expat Leroy Webster and local music grad Kevin Coleman. The pair set out to blur the boundaries of genre with their unique brand of music,spearheaded by Webster’s Caribbean roots and fused with the soul and blues the midwest is famous for.

A striking stand-out of the band’s repertoire comes via their debut recording, laid down at Curtis Mayfield’s legendary Curtom Studios. The EP opens with Chi-Town Reggae - a super-charged blend of reggae and disco, led by Websters infectious vocal, steeped in soul and powered by a relentless rhythm section. Hail Jah follows closely, written on the hilltops of the outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica, it’s a deadly roots reggae missile that pays homage to Websters beginnings.

Once dubbed by a local news outlet “Gypsy Fari are to Chicago reggae what Muddy Water is to Chicago blues” - now remastered, repackaged and made available again for the first time since its initial release.

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Five of Rex Omar's premier cuts remastered for a new self-titled EP - an irresistible blend of street-soul-come-highlife, with elements of bouncing 90s RnB/hip-hop !

Over his career Rex Omar has evolved the genre, pushing boundaries and dazzling listeners. A definitive piece of his repertoire comes via his Dangerous album: while it was self- produced and recorded in London circa 1997, upon CD release it saw success mainly within his homeland of Ghana. An irresistible blend of street-soul-come-highlife, with elements of bouncing 90s RnB/hip-hop, it was developed with help from Ibibio Sound Machine’s Kari Bannerman and prolific Jamaican producer Bill Campbell. From this album rising London producer and DJ Aroop Roy revisits the four-to-the-floor excursion ‘Dada’, repurposing for today’s dancefloor with the addition of fizzing synth chords and stabs.

While Omar regularly raps on his earlier works, on ‘Kele Ngele’ (taken from his 2004 album Ajala) we hear a yearning melodic vocal over a more laid back RnB beat. This rounds out the new Rex Omar EP for the discerning listener to experience the full breadth of his inventive output.

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Blue note / Schema / Far Out recordings artist shares a new compilation of golden age italian library music.

Following his acclaimed five-part Viagem compilation series celebrating Brazil's forgotten bossa nova and samba jazz, Far Out, Blue Note and Schema recording artist and international DJ Nicola Conte turns his curatorial attention homeward with Viaggio, an extraordinary exploration of Italy's library music renaissance 1970-79.

The 12-track compilation spotlights the remarkable creative explosion that occurred during the seventies: when some of the greatest yet most historically overlooked composers, including Amedeo Tommasi, Alessandro Alessandroni and Max Rocci, were composing and recording huge amounts of original music for film and television libraries.

Unlike commercial releases designed for mass consumption, library music was created specifically to accompany images on screen. This meant creative freedom for composers who imagined scenarios, feelings and worlds to soundtrack. Pressed in limited quantities, these recordings were distributed only to internal circles of music supervisors, journalists, and television professionals – making them virtually invisible to the general public for decades.

"This is a journey through a largely forgotten world," explains Conte. "While major jazz recording opportunities were scarce, an incredible network of small labels owned by publishing companies – often created by the composers themselves – began to flourish. This created an open space where musicians could express more experimental and free thinking sounds."

At the heart of Viaggio stands Amedeo Tommasi, the sophisticated jazz pianist who emerged in 1960 backing international stars like Chet Baker, Bobby Jaspar, and Jacques Pelzer. Tommasi was among Italy's earliest artists to introduce Black US modal jazz influences, and when traditional recording opportunities dwindled, he pivoted to soundtrack and library music, helping define a distinctly Italian sound that bridged experimental jazz with the emerging possibilities afforded by developments in synthesizer and recording technologies.

The compilation features rare gems from small label outputs, namely the Cenacolo and Rotary label catalogs. Tommasi's contemporaries include the great Alessandro Alessandroni and his vocalist wife Giulia De Mutiis (Kema), Stefano Torrosi (under the alias Farlocco - meaning fake/phony), and Belgian composer Joël Vandroogenbroeck. The recordings capture the technological evolution of the era as beguiling synthesis often combines with global influences spanning Brazilian rhythms, jazz-funk explorations, and Middle Eastern scales.

"You can hear both the haunting melodies and sun-kissed atmospheres so typical of Italian culture from that era," Conte observes. "Some of these albums could have been proper artist releases, while others were specifically designed for accompanying images on screen, yet all were crafted with exploratory creativity that still resonates powerfully today."

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2 x Black Vinyl LP cut at 45RPM with double sided insert

Mr Bongo proudly presents the debut album from Tasmania-born, Melbourne-based, Finn Rees. Gliding across a swirling palette of saturated hues, Dawn Is A Melody feels vintage yet vibrant, new but familiar at the same time. A spiritual, deep and textured jazz record, tipping its hat to greats from the past, capturing memories and reformulating them into new ideas with the help of some of Melbourne’s finest talent.

Expert keys player for the likes of 30/70 and Elle Shimada, alongside one-half of Close Counters, this debut LP was Finn’s conscious departure from the realm of groove-based jazz. Instead, Dawn Is A Melody places the piano and arrangements centre stage, giving Finn and his fellow Melbourne crew freedom to explore the spaces in between, new emotions and alternate soundscapes.

In Finn’s own words: “My intention with Dawn Is A Melody was to create a world; a microcosm of colour. Something rich and beautiful that allowed the melodies and compositions to reach their full potential. It was driven by hope, curiosity and the search for beauty and reassurance in this ever-changing world. The emotion behind the music is really about the journey of life, growing up and changing, as well as my relationship with Tasmania’s natural landscapes where I grew up, a part of the world that is incredibly unique and beautiful.”

The album arcs between opening, middle and end. Beginning with the optimism of ‘Looking Up’ and ‘Lagoon’, the former a celestial, string and harp marbled slice of positivity, the latter a spiritual journey of exuberance and hope, Finn’s fingers dancing across the ‘70s Yamaha grand piano. From there the songs blossom outwards with the cinematic soulful journey of ‘It’s Behind Me Now’ and Brazilian-inspired ‘Expansion’, as the divine ‘Crossing’ signals a transition to a new realm. The energy is transformed from the rich cosmic textures to a more intimate and personal feeling with ‘Ablaze’, ‘Between Spaces’ and ‘As It Passes’ which blissfully fades down to simply piano and strings to close out the record.

Recorded at Rolling Stock in Collingwood, Melbourne, Henry Jenkins was drafted in as recording and mix engineer, his minimal vintage mic setups giving a live aesthetic and warmth to the arrangements. Lucky Pereira and Blakely McLean Davies form the rock-solid rhythm section, with a hand-picked line-up of other Melbourne talent on display, including Cheryl Durongpitikul on tenor sax, Siwei Wong on harp, Audrey Powne on trumpet and Allysha Joy on vocals to name only a few.

Plotting a course from Alice Coltrane, through Herbie Hancock, to Arthur Verocai, this is a debut nourished by the past but firmly made in the present. A record unable to be age-stamped, casting ambiguity as to when, what era and by whom it has been crafted. Like a vintage lens capturing a current scene, Dawn Is A Melody is warm and familiar yet focused on the here now.

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Seminal album from cult Ghanaian musician Alhaji K. Frimpong, recorded in 1977 and considered to be one of the best highlife albums ever recorded.

The Black Album expands the electronic elements and features the equally visionary Hwehwe Mu Na Yi Wo Mpena, although the real gem is hiding on the B side: the extended groove of “Adam Nana”. Sinuously evolving guitar lines, clavinet vamps, harmonised vocal snatches and otherworldly percussion expand and contract over a full quarter of an hour - a Ghanaian repost to the Afro Jazz experiments going on at the same time on the other side of the Atlantic.

Although popular in Ghana at the time of the release, the albums were never distributed internationally and original copies of the album are extremely rare. The albums got a limited reissue in 2011 and have been unavailable since - even reissue copies sell for high prices on the second hand market.

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Black Edition!

Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few return with a new musical journey, "The Almighty". The first quartet offering since 2021's Cosmic Transition.

Collier's compositions and lyrics focus on using music to communicate deeper principles that are part of everyday. Isaiah showcases these principles through sounds that evolve within the titles: Love, Compassion, & Perspective. These principles once taken fully in are arranged to deliver the message that there is a Divine energy connecting through us all and is seen within all things. The album opens up with LOVE, featuring the legendary Chicago vocalist Dee Alexander channeling her energy to deliver the message of love to the human family. With lyrics written by Collier specific to Alexander's qualities as a maternal figure to him and other musicians, the message remains strong within the music throughout the album. Searching deeper to share more sincerely through our interactions with others, is the albums objective. Collier & The Chosen Few showcase those Principle with Musicianship and an unyielding commitment to put their all into each breath of this episodic journey. The album features the legendary Saxophonist Ari Brown, who has mentored Isaiah for over a decade in their native Chicago. The conversation between student and master evolves on the song "Compassion". Collier's steps into the vocalist roll on the infectious, Perspective (Peace & Love) which serves as Collier's acknowledgement of Pharoah Sanders for his musical contributions, that features percussive sounds that connect the ancestors of the diaspora. Throughout "The Almighty" the group explores elements heard on 2021’s Cosmic Transitions and 2022’s Beyond by I AM (Isaiah Collier and Michael Shekwoaga Ode), and streamline the sound with laser focus in this incarnation.

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In 2012, Prince Fatty produced a signature dub reworking of tracks from Hollie Cook’s debut 2012 LP, plus a selection of other choice dub-infused covers. Mr Bongo now presents a fresh repress on blue vinyl of this classic album.

In the tradition of vintage reggae albums, renowned producer Prince Fatty took to the controls and dubbed out Hollie Cook's self-titled debut album from 2011. In trademark dub fashion, Prince Fatty strips back Hollie’s classic reggae and tropical pop productions, adding in extra bass alongside delays, tape echoes, and reverbs to Hollie’s captivating vocals. The resulting versions give the songs space to breathe, whilst adding in a weighty, heads-down element to the productions.

As Prince Fatty mentions, “The dub versions showcase real tape echoes, heavy spring reverbs and alternate instrumental elements such as melodica, percussion or horns that were hidden in the vocal versions. All the dubs are mixed live in my studio in the same Rub a Dub style as was made famous in ‘70s Jamaica by King Tubby and others, i.e, not with the use of computers for automation and endless digital nonsense but with fingers, late night vibes and re-arranged with a razor blade!”.

In addition to the tracks featured from the debut album, this dub release features mixes of Hollie Cook and Prince Fatty’s cover version of The Whispers’ disco classic ‘And The Beat Goes On’ and ‘For Me You Are Dub’, a ska cover of an old Andrews Sisters’ classic. Alongside that, there’s a delicious adaptation of the Shangri-Las’ legendary record ‘Walking in the Sand’, and ‘Baby’, a revamp of the heavily requested anthem, in collaboration with French synth-pop outfit, The Shoes.

Thirteen years on, this superb dub album sounds as quintessential and authentic as ever.

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Second Pressing, Fanzine is now printed on the innersleeve.

With two critically acclaimed albums and a swathe of award-winning production turns under their belt, Ana Frango Elétrico present their most confident and accomplished work to date: Me Chama De Gato Que Eu Sou Sua / Call Me They That I’m Yours. Gesturing to a tradition of Brazilian boogie music, but bouncing with modern pop ebullience, the album sees the Rio artist evolve from a captivating upstart into a surefooted scene leader in full stride.

At just 25, the prolific artist and producer has already garnered worldwide admirers. Ana’s sophomore Little Electric Chicken Heart was nominated at the 2020 Latin Grammys. Since then, standalone singles have received the WME ‘Best Music Producer’ Award, recognising Ana’s deep passion for music production – a passion which has led to collaborations with nascent Brazilian stars Dora Morelenbaum, Illy and Sophia Chablau. Most recently, Ana was hailed for their co-production of Bala Desejo’s 2022 Latin Grammy-winning album Sim Sim Sim.

The new album finds Ana at their most assured and full voiced. Album opener “Electric Fish”, with funky bass and shimmering backing vocals, sets a buoyant tone. “Boy of Stranger Things” is its bombastic counterpart. It’s the grooviest Ana has ever sounded. And the most brazen. Lyrically, where Ana was once oblique on personal matters, they are now forthright – lucidly exploring their gender identity, citing accessible cultural references, and often singing in English.

“I started this album in 2021 with the intention of showing, in means of sound, understandings and feelings about queer love, subjectively exposing myself,” the non-binary artist states – before qualifying that though “feeling was its driving force, the album is really about musical production."

“There’s so many references to different decades,” Ana explains. “Seventies drums with eighties processing … Going back, getting beyond … Testing the limits of organic sounds”. Characteristically playful, on Me Chama, Ana takes vivid and rewarding detours through funk-inflected R&B (“Dela”) and art pop (“Dr. Sabe Tudo”). “Nuvem Vermelha” is a cinematic chanson with lush strings that recalls Arthur Verocai. Then, “Coisa Maluca” loafs with the indie insouciance of Canadian slacker Mac Demarco. Later, “Let's Go Before Again”, is a full-on drum machine workout evocative of Stereolab.

“Even if people don't find my own references here, they'll find theirs,” observes Ana. “Maybe that’s this record’s biggest goal.”

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Announcing the debut album from one of London’s most electrifying acts, New Regency Orchestra. An 18-piece Afro-Cuban big band, inspired by the musical melting pot of NYC in the 1950s, but with the punch and power of a whole host of London’s best Latin and jazz musicians. Blowing new life into these compositions, the album is a reimagining of some of the finest music from that golden era. From early 1950s René Hernandez and Tito Puente, through to the 1970s salsa of Rafael Labasta and Orlando Marin, produced and performed with fresh fire.

NRO is the brainchild of its artistic director, and the man behind Total Refreshment Centre and co-founder of Church of Sound, Lex Blondin. Through a long-held passion for jazz, Lex discovered the explosive Afro-Cuban rhythms of mid-1940s NYC via the godfather of Afro-Cuban jazz, Mario Bauzá. A time when two musical worlds collided in a fusion of creativity and energy, jazz luminaries like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker joining forces with Cuban greats like Machito and Chano Pozo. This vibrant sound was music to dance to and found a home at The New York Palladium, a formative space of freedom and expression that was key to the scene’s development.

Although dance-focussed in their makeup, those early recordings are not often heard in modern club environments and Lex dreamt of retelling their story with a contemporary dynamism. A slice of serendipity followed, as a slot at a new festival opened up and Lex jumped at the chance to make this idea a reality, an 18-piece big band breathing new life into these beloved songs.

Enlisting the expertise of some of the capital’s finest talent, Lex and co-captain Andy Wood, of Como No fame, put together a world-class line-up of talent. Bringing in Eliane Correa as musical director and bandleader, a fluid and interchanging 18-piece band was formed.

The album itself is a hand-picked selection of timeless Afro-Cuban jazz classics, reimagined with NRO’s unbridled energy. It contains ten incredible instrumental tracks including 'Pregon' with its anthemic horn stabs and the addictive head nod bounce of 'Mambo Rama', alongside two scorching vocal numbers in 'Papa Boco' and 'Labasta Llego'. Coupling a heavyweight rhythm section with a wall of horns, they provide a fresh spin on songs from Tito Puente and Chico O'Farrill, René Hernandez through to Rafael Labasta.

“Some of the tunes like Tito Puente’s ‘Mambo Rama’ and ‘Scarlet Mambo’ might sound like they went to a gym as extra drums and bass synth were added to them whilst the tune ‘Sahib & Tito’ is a mix of Tito’s ‘Mambo Buda’ and Sahib Shihab’s ‘Nus’. Our intention is to be both respectful to the innovators and inventors of this incredible music and to pay our dues, but also to add something special from London where the city’s new jazz scene connects with its Latin American musicians and the musical influences around us.”

This pure collective joy, shared experience and music you can’t help but move to.

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Razor-sharp production of the highest order from two of the masters of the early 80’s Rio de Janeiro boogie sound, Robson Jorge and Lincoln Olivetti.

Both were highly acclaimed music producers of the time, starting around the mid-70’s. Over the course of his career Olivetti worked with artists including Rita Lee, Erasmo Carlos, Don Beto, Marcos Valle, Tim Maia, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Sandra Sa, Painel de Controle and many more.

The album takes in mid-tempo, AOR, boogie and even latin all way through the tempo’s to ultra-quick Prince style disco-funk workouts. Includes several standout tracks – ‘Aleluia’ and ’Ginga’ being our two favourites. Synths, horns, claps, drum machines, guitars, keys and vocal harmonies combine effortlessly.

Originally released in 1982 on Som Livre, Brazil. Replica original reproduction.

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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




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Kalita are proud to release a coloured repress of the first ever 12” single of Emerson’s 1988 mythical electro boogie grail ‘Sending All My Love Out’, accompanied by two remixes courtesy of the genre’s most respected innovators, Egyptian Lover and Detroit In Effect.

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