1
Ozobby Horn - We Are Getting On The Move (Good Moving)
2
Ozobby Horn - Do The Shake In Music
3
Ozobby Horn - Don't Stop Formular
4
Ozobby Horn - Happy Joe
5
Ozobby Horn - Hay! Mr. Man (I'm Your Superstar)
6
Ozobby Horn - Oh! Jah
7
Ozobby Horn - Getting Into The World
Ozobby Horn was a very obscure band from Nigeria composed of three musicians that only released one and only very hard to find cult album that has finally been reissued by Afrodelic. "Born To Move On" is an absolutely killer album that sums up the best of 1970s Nigerian sound. Heavy wicked psychedelic Afro-funk; phat drums and hefty, chunky bass with shredding fuzz guitar insertions on a bed of analogic keys.
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Germany
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Germany
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More records from Afrodelic
1
Maxwell Elemuo & Friimen Musik Company - Talking Time
2
Maxwell Elemuo & Friimen Musik Company - Ajiboye Special
3
Maxwell Elemuo & Friimen Musik Company - Thousand Kisses
4
Maxwell Elemuo & Friimen Musik Company - Carry On
5
Maxwell Elemuo & Friimen Musik Company - My Sweet Lord
6
Maxwell Elemuo & Friimen Musik Company - Justina
7
Maxwell Elemuo & Friimen Musik Company - My Lady
An extremely rare and incredible Afro Funk album recorded in 1976 but with a sound reminiscent of the 1960s; big fat drums, deep bass, wah-wah guitar, and organ by Friimen Musik Company accompany the soulful voice of Maxwell Elemuo.
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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1
Themba - Themba Themba
2
Themba - Ou Kaas
3
Themba - Fana Fana
4
Themba - Macs Secret
A nugget of rare South African groove originally issued alongside Bra Sello on the Soweto label in Johannesburg in 1976. A self-titled offering and the group's only album, Themba delivers the quintessential blend of sophisticated jazz improvisation over hip-swinging township pop that gives South African jazz from the 1970s its timeless appeal. Themba features a skilled ensemble led by Baba "Themba" Mokoena, who appeared on Dick Khoza's landmark Chapita album in 1975 and has gone on to earn a reputation (over the course of a career that spans into the 2020s) as one of the legendary guitarists of his generation. Reissued for the very first time on the cusp of its 50th anniversary, this edition of Themba is sourced from the original master tape under license from from As-Shams Archive.
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Germany
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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1
Black Disco - Dawn
2
Black Disco - Deep Blue
3
Black Disco - Spiritual Feeling Riding The Blue (feat. Mohamed)
4
Black Disco - Whiter Shade Of Pale
5
Black Disco - No More Tears
6
Black Disco - Slow Mood
7
Black Disco - Kids In The Dark
With a Yamaha organ and a dream, South African artist Pops Mohamed started his musical journey in the mid-1970s as the bandleader and composer of Black Disco, creating a hip melange of chill-out jazz with futuristic drum machine sounds and spiritual overtones. His cosmic organ transmissions were accompanied by two of the most sought-after session players on the South African scene, the sax and flute wizard Basil Coetzee, who had risen to fame in 1974 as one of the soloists on the hit "Mannenberg," and Sipho Gumede, the young bass prodigy who was already rubbing shoulders with the old guard at the outset of his career. Backed at first with polyphonic beats from Mohamed's electric organ and later taking on a drummer, Black Disco created a signature sound and a trilogy of innovative albums in a burst of studio creativity between 1975 and 1976. This is the first full reissue of their 3rd album, from the original masters. Limited Edition
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Germany
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Germany
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1
Black Disco - Spiritual Feel
2
Black Disco - Pops Blue
3
Black Disco - I'm Organized
4
Black Disco - Dark Cloud (Part 1)
5
Black Disco - Dark Cloud (Part 2)
6
Black Disco - My Girl
7
Black Disco - Ain't No Sunshine
With a Yamaha organ and a dream, South African artist Pops Mohamed started his musical journey in the mid-1970s as the bandleader and composer of Black Disco, creating a hip melange of chill-out jazz with futuristic drum machine sounds and spiritual overtones. His cosmic organ transmissions were accompanied by two of the most sought-after session players on the South African scene, the sax and flute wizard Basil Coetzee, who had risen to fame in 1974 as one of the soloists on the hit "Mannenberg," and Sipho Gumede, the young bass prodigy who was already rubbing shoulders with the old guard at the outset of his career. Backed at first with polyphonic beats from Mohamed's electric organ and later taking on a drummer, Black Disco created a signature sound and a trilogy of innovative albums in a burst of studio creativity between 1975 and 1976. This is the first full reissue of the debut album, from the original masters. Limited Edition
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Germany
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1
The Hal Singer Jazz Quartet - Soweto To Harlem
2
The Hal Singer Jazz Quartet - Blues After Six
3
The Hal Singer Jazz Quartet - The Gospel
4
The Hal Singer Jazz Quartet - Always Blues
5
The Hal Singer Jazz Quartet - Deacon Johnson
When the U.S. State Department announced in the mid-1970s that they were sponsoring a South African tour for the Oklahoma-born, Paris-based saxophonist Hal Singer, producer Rashid Vally took note. Even though his nascent record label As-Shams/The Sun (established in 1974) was making waves on the local scene, the idea of commissioning a recording from an international artist was a ballsy idea. With a discography that stretched back to the 1950s, Hal Singer was already somewhat of a legacy artist by 1976. Vally was well-versed on Singer’s accomplishments and specifically enamoured by his composition “Blue Stompin’,” which appeared on a Prestige album from 1959 that had struck a chord in South Africa.
With his irresistible charm, Vally managed to coax Singer into a studio in Johannesburg, South Africa, to record a new version of “Blue Stompin’” with South African sax star Kippie Moeketsi, which became the title track of a 1977 album by Moeketsi. The recording session also yielded an album’s worth of new material by Hal Singer and his quartet that took its name from a track inspired by Singer’s trip to South Africa entitled “Soweto to Harlem.” Released in 1976 and only available in South Africa, Soweto to Harlem captures a laid-back, cheeky and nostalgic rhythm and blues set from the Hal Singer Quartet that is unlikely to have emerged for a different target market.
With her irresistible charm, Vally was able to convince Singer to enter a Johannesburg studio. The recording session produced this album of new material by Hal Singer and his quartet named after a song inspired by Singer’s trip to South Africa, entitled “Soweto to Harlem.” Released in 1976 and available only in South Africa, “Soweto to Harlem” captures a laid-back, unabashed and nostalgic rhythm and blues of Hal Singer’s quartet that would hardly have been born for a different market.
Cinedelic’s 2024 edition of this rare album is sourced from the original tape masters and presents it on vinyl internationally for the very first time. The reissue follows Singer’s passing at the 100 in August 2020 as we contemplate and celebrate his extraordinary contribution to jazz in the United States and beyond.
Hal Singer – Tenor Sax
Alain Jean-Marie – Piano
August “Gus” Nemeth – Bass
Oliver Johnson – Drums
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With his irresistible charm, Vally managed to coax Singer into a studio in Johannesburg, South Africa, to record a new version of “Blue Stompin’” with South African sax star Kippie Moeketsi, which became the title track of a 1977 album by Moeketsi. The recording session also yielded an album’s worth of new material by Hal Singer and his quartet that took its name from a track inspired by Singer’s trip to South Africa entitled “Soweto to Harlem.” Released in 1976 and only available in South Africa, Soweto to Harlem captures a laid-back, cheeky and nostalgic rhythm and blues set from the Hal Singer Quartet that is unlikely to have emerged for a different target market.
With her irresistible charm, Vally was able to convince Singer to enter a Johannesburg studio. The recording session produced this album of new material by Hal Singer and his quartet named after a song inspired by Singer’s trip to South Africa, entitled “Soweto to Harlem.” Released in 1976 and available only in South Africa, “Soweto to Harlem” captures a laid-back, unabashed and nostalgic rhythm and blues of Hal Singer’s quartet that would hardly have been born for a different market.
Cinedelic’s 2024 edition of this rare album is sourced from the original tape masters and presents it on vinyl internationally for the very first time. The reissue follows Singer’s passing at the 100 in August 2020 as we contemplate and celebrate his extraordinary contribution to jazz in the United States and beyond.
Hal Singer – Tenor Sax
Alain Jean-Marie – Piano
August “Gus” Nemeth – Bass
Oliver Johnson – Drums
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Germany
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1
Bra Sello - Butterfly
2
Bra Sello - African Queen
With one foot planted in jazz and the other in the township groove of Mbaqanga, saxophonist Sello Mmutung was a powerful crossover figure in the history of popular music in South Africa. Using the stage name Bra Sello, meaning “brother” and used as a term of affection and respect in the jazz community, he came up in the era of shellac 78s as an exponent of the 1960s sax jive sound that brought the swinging rhythm of kwela into the domain of South African jazz. Despite the injection of American rhythm and blues into South African pop in the late-1960s, Bra Sello’s first releases on vinyl on the CBS label saw him backed by the group Abafana Bentuthuko and holding down an unapologetic township sound.
Joining the independent Soweto label under producer Cambridge Matiwane in the mid-1970s, Bra Sello recorded two records in the hit-making bump jive style popularised by serious jazz musician Dollar Brand on the one hand and prolific studio group the Movers, operating in funk and soul territory, on the other. Blending modern American and traditional African elements into joyful hip-swinging rhythms, Butterfly (1975) and The Battle of Disco (1977) reflect the vivacity of urban life in South Africa and document an era when dance music was performed by bands as extended jams laced with jaw-dropping solos. With music trends shifting dramatically in the late-1970s, the title of The Battle of Disco was an ironic call to arms in response to the territory that group musicians were beginning to cede to synthesisers and DJs.
For enthusiasts of African music from the 1970s, a full appreciation of the continent’s output is incomplete without South Africa’s pop-jazz sound providing a regional counterpoint to the funk experimentation of West Africa. Reissued for the very first time, Bra Sello returns in 2023 with limited replica editions from Afrodelic using master tape sources from the As-Shams/The Sun collection. Afrodelic’s unique edition of Butterfly features a previously unreleased track on Side B.
Side A: Butterfly 15:40
Side B: African Queen 15:32
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Joining the independent Soweto label under producer Cambridge Matiwane in the mid-1970s, Bra Sello recorded two records in the hit-making bump jive style popularised by serious jazz musician Dollar Brand on the one hand and prolific studio group the Movers, operating in funk and soul territory, on the other. Blending modern American and traditional African elements into joyful hip-swinging rhythms, Butterfly (1975) and The Battle of Disco (1977) reflect the vivacity of urban life in South Africa and document an era when dance music was performed by bands as extended jams laced with jaw-dropping solos. With music trends shifting dramatically in the late-1970s, the title of The Battle of Disco was an ironic call to arms in response to the territory that group musicians were beginning to cede to synthesisers and DJs.
For enthusiasts of African music from the 1970s, a full appreciation of the continent’s output is incomplete without South Africa’s pop-jazz sound providing a regional counterpoint to the funk experimentation of West Africa. Reissued for the very first time, Bra Sello returns in 2023 with limited replica editions from Afrodelic using master tape sources from the As-Shams/The Sun collection. Afrodelic’s unique edition of Butterfly features a previously unreleased track on Side B.
Side A: Butterfly 15:40
Side B: African Queen 15:32
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1
Bra Sello - Call And Go
2
Bra Sello - Washa
With one foot planted in jazz and the other in the township groove of Mbaqanga, saxophonist Sello Mmutung was a powerful crossover figure in the history of popular music in South Africa. Using the stage name Bra Sello, meaning “brother” and used as a term of affection and respect in the jazz community, he came up in the era of shellac 78s as an exponent of the 1960s sax jive sound that brought the swinging rhythm of kwela into the domain of South African jazz. Despite the injection of American rhythm and blues into South African pop in the late-1960s, Bra Sello’s first releases on vinyl on the CBS label saw him backed by the group Abafana Bentuthuko and holding down an unapologetic township sound.
Joining the independent Soweto label under producer Cambridge Matiwane in the mid-1970s, Bra Sello recorded two records in the hit-making bump jive style popularised by serious jazz musician Dollar Brand on the one hand and prolific studio group the Movers, operating in funk and soul territory, on the other. Blending modern American and traditional African elements into joyful hip-swinging rhythms, Butterfly (1975) and The Battle of Disco (1977) reflect the vivacity of urban life in South Africa and document an era when dance music was performed by bands as extended jams laced with jaw-dropping solos. With music trends shifting dramatically in the late-1970s, the title of The Battle of Disco was an ironic call to arms in response to the territory that group musicians were beginning to cede to synthesisers and DJs.
For enthusiasts of African music from the 1970s, a full appreciation of the continent’s output is incomplete without South Africa’s pop-jazz sound providing a regional counterpoint to the funk experimentation of West Africa. Reissued for the very first time, Bra Sello returns in 2023 with limited replica editions from Afrodelic using master tape sources from the As-Shams/The Sun collection. Afrodelic’s unique edition of Butterfly features a previously unreleased track on Side B.
Side A: Call And Go 18:40
Side B: Washa 19:40
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Joining the independent Soweto label under producer Cambridge Matiwane in the mid-1970s, Bra Sello recorded two records in the hit-making bump jive style popularised by serious jazz musician Dollar Brand on the one hand and prolific studio group the Movers, operating in funk and soul territory, on the other. Blending modern American and traditional African elements into joyful hip-swinging rhythms, Butterfly (1975) and The Battle of Disco (1977) reflect the vivacity of urban life in South Africa and document an era when dance music was performed by bands as extended jams laced with jaw-dropping solos. With music trends shifting dramatically in the late-1970s, the title of The Battle of Disco was an ironic call to arms in response to the territory that group musicians were beginning to cede to synthesisers and DJs.
For enthusiasts of African music from the 1970s, a full appreciation of the continent’s output is incomplete without South Africa’s pop-jazz sound providing a regional counterpoint to the funk experimentation of West Africa. Reissued for the very first time, Bra Sello returns in 2023 with limited replica editions from Afrodelic using master tape sources from the As-Shams/The Sun collection. Afrodelic’s unique edition of Butterfly features a previously unreleased track on Side B.
Side A: Call And Go 18:40
Side B: Washa 19:40
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Germany
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1
Black Children Sledge Funk Band - Be What You Are
2
Black Children Sledge Funk Band - I'm A Living Man
3
Black Children Sledge Funk Band - Smiling
4
Black Children Sledge Funk Band - I Know You Know What I Know
5
Black Children Sledge Funk Band - Imagination
6
Black Children Sledge Funk Band - Doing It If You Can
A little masterpiece of soul afrofunk with carpets of dreamy keyboards on their swirlingly seductive sound and their really cool voices. The second album of BLACK CHILDREN SLEDGE FUNK BAND released in 1978 is a delight. Repressed for the first time.
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1
Moonrakers Band - We Got To Live
2
Moonrakers Band - Cut Your Coat According To You
3
Moonrakers Band - Yara Manyan Gore
4
Moonrakers Band - What We Did Today Is Gone
5
Moonrakers Band - Enia Se Pele
6
Moonrakers Band - Little Sister Of Line
7
Moonrakers Band - Move On
8
Moonrakers Band - Wait For Me
An aura of mystery is hidden on this magnificent album released on EMI Nigeria in 1974 and today a collector’s cult object was the only one named Moonrakers Band.
Steve Black tells: “We were the original members of The Moonrakers and were based in Zaria, then in 1972 we left band management and started The Elcados. The original management of The Moonrakers sold the name to his elder brother who had a club in Kano and they brought Prince Bola Agbana to get other musicians to continue The Moonrakers while we moved in as The Elcados.”
Moonrakers Band and Elcados were the two bands that inflamed northern Nigeria in the early 70s with a more rocking and virtuoso sound, and especially with tons of rare grooves, then everything else around it.
Coming to the album content tracks like Wait For Me, Cut Your Coat According To You Size, Yara Manyan Gobe, but also Enia Sa Pele and Move on, will make floating camels appear on the dancefloor, or in your house.
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Germany
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Steve Black tells: “We were the original members of The Moonrakers and were based in Zaria, then in 1972 we left band management and started The Elcados. The original management of The Moonrakers sold the name to his elder brother who had a club in Kano and they brought Prince Bola Agbana to get other musicians to continue The Moonrakers while we moved in as The Elcados.”
Moonrakers Band and Elcados were the two bands that inflamed northern Nigeria in the early 70s with a more rocking and virtuoso sound, and especially with tons of rare grooves, then everything else around it.
Coming to the album content tracks like Wait For Me, Cut Your Coat According To You Size, Yara Manyan Gobe, but also Enia Sa Pele and Move on, will make floating camels appear on the dancefloor, or in your house.
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1
Tunde Mabadu & His Sunrise - Vicky
2
Tunde Mabadu & His Sunrise - Bisu-Omi
3
Tunde Mabadu & His Sunrise - Red Jeans
4
Tunde Mabadu & His Sunrise - Ise Orise
5
Tunde Mabadu & His Sunrise - Blue Bird (Instrumental)
Official AFRODELIC reissue of the ultra-rare Tunde Mabadu’s debut album. Originally released in 1978 on Blackspot label (DECCA’s West Africa division), Bisu, which includes the supergroovy ‘Red Jeans’, differs from the later 1980 ‘Viva Disco’ album by a much more pure African style.
A beautiful and soulful production in which Tunde’s deep voice and sax move on the excellent horns arrangements, percussions, the wahwah rhythm guitar and weird keyboards and synths (at times psychedelic as in the ‘Blue Bird’ 9 minutes).
As wrote on the original liner notes of the era “His music will mesmerize you from the first track. A dedicated Musician especially to his African Roots with so much to offer Musically”.
Repressed for the first time. Limited Edition.
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A beautiful and soulful production in which Tunde’s deep voice and sax move on the excellent horns arrangements, percussions, the wahwah rhythm guitar and weird keyboards and synths (at times psychedelic as in the ‘Blue Bird’ 9 minutes).
As wrote on the original liner notes of the era “His music will mesmerize you from the first track. A dedicated Musician especially to his African Roots with so much to offer Musically”.
Repressed for the first time. Limited Edition.
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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1
Black Children Sledge Funk Group - Satisfaction
2
Black Children Sledge Funk Group - Feelings I've Got
3
Black Children Sledge Funk Group - Mr. Who
4
Black Children Sledge Funk Group - Love Is Fair
5
Black Children Sledge Funk Group - Funky Child
6
Black Children Sledge Funk Group - Hard Life
7
Black Children Sledge Funk Group - Another Girl
8
Black Children Sledge Funk Group - Sledge Afro Funk
Nigerian classic Black Children Sledge Funk Group 1976’s debut album full of positive vibrations and feel-good grooves! A sunny blend of Reggae and Afro-Funk with a lot of percussions, psychedelic and rhythmic guitar and organ. In the mid-seventies in Nigeria everybody loved them; they were a symbol and pride of Africa.
Michael Hammedatha Moore sang and played congas and percussion. Daniel Carlos Yakubu played guitar. Jerry Freeman Nwokolo was on keyboards. Ricky Hardnar on bass and And Benson Teteh played the drums. Everyone in the band changed their last name to Black.
Repressed for the first time. Limited Edition.
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Michael Hammedatha Moore sang and played congas and percussion. Daniel Carlos Yakubu played guitar. Jerry Freeman Nwokolo was on keyboards. Ricky Hardnar on bass and And Benson Teteh played the drums. Everyone in the band changed their last name to Black.
Repressed for the first time. Limited Edition.
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1
Elcados - I Was Stunned Into Speechlessness
2
Elcados - Run Away Girl
3
Elcados - The World Is Not Straight
4
Elcados - Power To The People
5
Elcados - Time Waits For No Man
6
Elcados - Ku Mai Da Hankan (Let's Be Polite And Together)
7
Elcados - Loving Is Right
8
Elcados - Chokoi And Oreje
The ultra-rare holy grail masterpiece by Elcados originally released by EMI-Nigeria in 1973 and recorded by Kayode Salami. It’s their debut album, a real gem played in an extraordinary inspired moment. A top shelf heavyweight Afro-Psych Funk-Rock. Leader of the band the great guitarist Frank Martins. Includes the dreamy ‘Ku Mai Da Hankan’; For Djs ‘Chokoi And Oreje’ and ‘I Was Stunned Into Speechlessness’.
Repressed for the first time. Limited Edition.
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Repressed for the first time. Limited Edition.
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Enrico Rava - Bunny's Pie
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Enrico Rava - Trial N. 5
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Enrico Rava - Dimenticare Stanca
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Enrico Rava - Katcharpari
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Enrico Rava - Fluid Connection
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Enrico Rava - Cheerin's Cherry
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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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1
Ricardo Eddy Martínez - Expreso Rítmico
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Ricardo Eddy Martínez - Tambo Iya
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Ricardo Eddy Martínez - Yeya Son
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Ricardo Eddy Martínez - Te Quedas
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Ricardo Eddy Martínez - Que La Tristeza Se Fue
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Ricardo Eddy Martínez - Mi Conga Es La Que Es
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Ricardo Eddy Martínez - Mas No Me Falta Fe
8
Ricardo Eddy Martínez - La 132
9
Ricardo Eddy Martínez - Este Tumbao
10
Ricardo Eddy Martínez - De Mis Razones
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.
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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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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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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
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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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
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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DE - 22113 Hamburg
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.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
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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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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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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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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In 1974 Mazzotti recorded her first album Ninguem Vai Me Segurar (1974), enlisting the in-demand arrangement talents of Azymuth’s original keyboard maestro Jose Roberto Bertrami who co-wrote several of the tracks and plays organ, piano and synthesizers on the album. It also features Azymuth’s bassist Alex Malheiros and percussionist Ariovaldo Contestini, with Romildo Santos who produced the album on drums. Recorded in Estudio Haway around the same time Azymuth recorded their debut album there, it’s no wonder the samba jazz-funk pioneer’s distinctive aesthetic is present throughout, and Mazzotti’s sensational compositions are made even more beautiful for it. An artist as imaginative and unique as Ana Mazzotti doesn’t come around often. Dubbed a “super-musician” by fellow Brazilian virtuoso Hermeto Pascoal, Mazzotti’s short but rich musical career culminated in just two studio albums: Ninguem Vai Me Segurar (1974), and Ana Mazzotti (1977). Outside circles of Brazilian funk aficionados, these two gems of spellbinding samba-jazz, lysergic funk and trippy bossa have remained relatively obscure. This was partly as a result of Mazzotti’s premature death (she lost her battle with cancer in her mid-thirties), but also due to financial restraints and the prejudice she faced as a female songwriter in a fundamentally sexist society.
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In the late 1970s, four young musicians from Germany came together to form Green Cosmos, a quartet whose sound drew equally from John Coltrane’s spiritual fire, world music traditions, free jazz, and Indian classical influences. Morgenmusiken marks a pivotal stage in the group’s evolution, moving beyond the ballad-driven character of their debut Abendmusiken—reissued earlier this year by Frederiksberg Records
https://listen.k7.com/da006d6a-8756-40ab-8e19-f04a18b2538a
Tracklisting
Side A
1. Eine Reise
2. Fools of Paradise
3. Kalimba Walk
4. Galeria
Side B
1. Island
2. Gowande
3. Kalimba Song
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https://listen.k7.com/da006d6a-8756-40ab-8e19-f04a18b2538a
Tracklisting
Side A
1. Eine Reise
2. Fools of Paradise
3. Kalimba Walk
4. Galeria
Side B
1. Island
2. Gowande
3. Kalimba Song
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1
Harris & Orr - Spread Love
2
Terry And Deep South - Trying To Get By
3
Toshiyuki Honda - Burnin' Waves
4
Igna Igwebuike - Disco Bomp
5
Janette Renee - What's On Your Mind (Super Club Remix)
6
Grupo Serenata - Sodade, Tem Pena D’Mim
7
Vital Disorders - Zombie
8
Alphonsus Idigo - Flight 505
9
DJ Food - Peace (Harvey's 30 Something Mix)
10
Man Jumping - In The Jungle
11
Stars - Dancin’ People
12
Gaucho - Dance Forever (Club Version)
13
49th Floor - Night Passage (Bongo Mix)
14
Orion Agassi - Desacato
15
Fatdog - Remember (Ft. CJ Raine)
With two deeply cherished compilations already in the bag, Luke Una steps up for the third volume in his É Soul Cultura series on Mr Bongo. A love letter to the dancefloor and its power to unite people from all corners of society amid growing division and extremist politics. Genre-spanning in nature, the 15 tracks travel between cosmic soul, boogie, proto-house, slo-mo technoid grooves, drum machine afro, astral bass-bugging futurism, jazz funk, dance, and disco. Each having the ability to move the body as much as the heart.
From his formative years in Sheffield to co-founding Manchester’s much-fabled Electric Chair with Justin Crawford, through to helming the iconic LGBTQ institutions of Homoelectric / Homobloc, Luke has spent 40 years immersed in dance music. His latest outlet, É Soul Cultura, has grown from a label to a globe-spanning events series with Luke holding residencies and embarking on tours across the world from Japan and Australia to America and Europe.
“For me, the dancefloor was never about a one-dimensional, thudding, 130 BPM beat only. It's a much more dynamic, broader vision than that. I cut my teeth in an era where a 100 BPM record had as much impact, excitement, and energy as a 134 BPM dancefloor jazz funk or techno record”, Luke mentions. É Soul Cultura Volume 3 is the perfect embodiment of that notion: “It’s about four decades in the trenches playing dance music, the late-night afters, the shebeens, the basements, warehouse parties, the eight-hour journeys in East London, through to festival sets at Houghton and We Out Here. It’s music unconstrained by genre or tempo and more about making your body move”.
But this isn’t simply a collection of disparate dance tracks; they carry meaning and soul. “It’s less about escapism, more about reconnection. My experience of post-covid has been the coming together of all the clans in various clubs and gatherings. A reaction to a very toxic world out there, where the aggro rhythms of division have sought to divide us, and people don't meet as often. The coming back together face-to-face in clubs has encouraged a real love in the air, there's a real togetherness and collective spirit”.
Opening up the compilation is a track that channels that very message, the transcendental, soul-rousing Harris & Orr ‘Spread Love’. Joining the dots from there, to the low-slung deep house closer of Fatdog ‘Remember’, you’ll find electronic drum machine Nigerian funk, sitting side by side with dancefloor Cape Verdean brilliance, a post-punk cover of Fela Kuti, rubbing shoulders with cosmic electro, and an Una-championed, 8-minute, kickless DJ Harvey remix. There’s jazz funk in various guises moving from boogie synth to astral travelling, slo-mo acidic raw techno, and a ‘79 soul stepper, alongside swirling percussive Italo disco and tribal-charged house. All infused with an innate ability to bring people together.
As society becomes increasingly fractured, É Soul Cultura Volume 3’s message is more than movement. It’s about dance music’s power to unify people from all walks of life and break down the barriers that divide us.
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
From his formative years in Sheffield to co-founding Manchester’s much-fabled Electric Chair with Justin Crawford, through to helming the iconic LGBTQ institutions of Homoelectric / Homobloc, Luke has spent 40 years immersed in dance music. His latest outlet, É Soul Cultura, has grown from a label to a globe-spanning events series with Luke holding residencies and embarking on tours across the world from Japan and Australia to America and Europe.
“For me, the dancefloor was never about a one-dimensional, thudding, 130 BPM beat only. It's a much more dynamic, broader vision than that. I cut my teeth in an era where a 100 BPM record had as much impact, excitement, and energy as a 134 BPM dancefloor jazz funk or techno record”, Luke mentions. É Soul Cultura Volume 3 is the perfect embodiment of that notion: “It’s about four decades in the trenches playing dance music, the late-night afters, the shebeens, the basements, warehouse parties, the eight-hour journeys in East London, through to festival sets at Houghton and We Out Here. It’s music unconstrained by genre or tempo and more about making your body move”.
But this isn’t simply a collection of disparate dance tracks; they carry meaning and soul. “It’s less about escapism, more about reconnection. My experience of post-covid has been the coming together of all the clans in various clubs and gatherings. A reaction to a very toxic world out there, where the aggro rhythms of division have sought to divide us, and people don't meet as often. The coming back together face-to-face in clubs has encouraged a real love in the air, there's a real togetherness and collective spirit”.
Opening up the compilation is a track that channels that very message, the transcendental, soul-rousing Harris & Orr ‘Spread Love’. Joining the dots from there, to the low-slung deep house closer of Fatdog ‘Remember’, you’ll find electronic drum machine Nigerian funk, sitting side by side with dancefloor Cape Verdean brilliance, a post-punk cover of Fela Kuti, rubbing shoulders with cosmic electro, and an Una-championed, 8-minute, kickless DJ Harvey remix. There’s jazz funk in various guises moving from boogie synth to astral travelling, slo-mo acidic raw techno, and a ‘79 soul stepper, alongside swirling percussive Italo disco and tribal-charged house. All infused with an innate ability to bring people together.
As society becomes increasingly fractured, É Soul Cultura Volume 3’s message is more than movement. It’s about dance music’s power to unify people from all walks of life and break down the barriers that divide us.
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