Kaiso Power is a collection of rare jazz, calypso and percussive gems from Trinidad and Tobago from the revolutionary generation of the 1970s, bringing radical new political vision and reclaiming ancient spiritual consciousness through music.

Compiled by Trinidad based collective the Wajang Diskotheque - 1LP WITH OBI STRIP

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At the dawn of the 70s a shift was taking place all around the world. The streets of Port of Spain thronged with Black Power marches, trade union demonstrations and Carnival protest bands - one epicentre in a growing global exchange of ideologies and strategies among Pan Africanist circles in Jamaica, Guyana, London, New York, Montreal, Lagos, Accra and beyond. And when the meetings were over, the revolution moved to the cramped secret dance halls, the Carnival fetes, the steelband yards. The music always had a sharp edge. Searing commentary has always been part of the various types of music in Trinidad, and in the absence of lyrics, the defiant use of the drum maintains the resistance, as well as the re-framing of the playing of European instruments to the needs of the message. Lancelot Layne, Delano Abdul Malik De Coteau, Andre Tanker, Clive Zanda, Mansa Musa were more than artists, they were teachers, community workers and advocates for justice.

These recordings are as raw as an all night Carnival jam, the horns loud, the percussion ringing out, the bass dripping with joy and rebellion. Under the modern influences is a solid rhythm, an unbroken connection to Africa, the songs and keys and cadences brought across the middle passage. These songs are a peep into the untapped treasures of a revolutionary generation, looking at the world with fresh eyes and believing that music was a central part of the mission to build consciousness and regain confidence.

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Berlin-based sonic poet and composer Dumama offers her debut solo album ‘Towards An Expanse’.

Towards an Expanse Follows the acclaimed 2020 collaborative album “Buffering Juju” with Kechou, a fellow South African musician and artist, lauded as Global album of the month and “a wonderfully inventive debut” in The Guardian.

Sometimes gospel, sometimes electro-psychedelic space travel, the project starts with a languid lament that whispers a close-to-the ear invitation up and between the folds of what unfurls into an ever-expanding sonic universe.
Towards an Expanse began in 2019 at Figure 8 Studios (Brooklyn, NYC) under the generous guidance of Shahzad Ismaily, and has since evolved into a companion, a pulsating vessel of grief, vitality, and reclamation. The album meditates on learning to live with damage while regaining autonomy over how Black life is archived: a dialogue between the artist, her ancestors, voices like Miriam Makeba, Busi Mhlongo, Princess Magogo, Madosini, and the psychoacoustics of South Africa’s lore as a timeless technology. It brings these elders into a conversation with Dumama’s global orientation and experimental sensibilities – merging her formative influence with contemporary artists, Sudan Archives, Bjork, FKA Twigs and Pamela Z.
The work has been evolving over a 6 year period and was incubated and held throughout by South Africa–based Andrew Curnow of Mushroom Hour, before joining up with UK label Soundway Records. It was written in Port Alfred and Cape Town, South Africa, initially recorded in NYC USA, crystalized and matured in Berlin, Germany and completed in Johannesburg, South Africa, where musician and producer Nandi Ndlovu reimagined the 2019 NYC recordings with Dumama during a 3 week production workshop that involved Ndlovu sampling and re-arranging the NYC recordings, adding various electronic elements (drums, percussion and basslines), recording additional live musicians and extensive vocal production by Mushroom Hour’s Dion Monti.
Rooted in Black ontological understandings of circular time — where we are here, there, nowhere, everywhere — Towards an Expanse mediates realities and excavates the spiritual impulse within, bringing it into the discourse of the now. Produced and arranged with the hands of a feminine force (Nandi Ndlovu), this electro-acoustic body of work travels through radical sonic lineages defying one singular genre: future folk, gospel, left-field electronics, ambient, post-punk, and prog-rock, reminding us that we have much capacity to tap into the infinite. The songs are songs, but also long meditations on more-than-human listening and the sonic lexicons of anti-imperialist logic around grief, love, belonging and death.

It asks us - how do we compose ourselves?

Tracklist:


1.Layer After Layer
2.Indalo
3.No Abiding City 04:10
4.Tumbled Out (Digital Only)
5.Rising Falling
6.The Bridge
7.Mama Carries
8.Eating The Other
9.What Did The Rain Say? 06:55
10.Tulip
11.Layer After Layer (Dion Monti Version / Digital Only)

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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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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 presents a collection of Nigerian music chronicling a time when drum machines, synthesisers, imported pop, reggae, disco and soul collided with highlife, juju and cultural music.

The late 70s saw a period of political turbulence and prompted change across the country. Following suit, musicians and producers entered a period of experimentation, adaptation, modification and innovation, using new technology to renew and refresh cultural traditions. Nigerians formed their own unique approach to the limitless creativity these new instruments offered, to reveal a distinct sound which would dominate local airwaves for the decade to come. Nigeria Special Volume 3 celebrates the rich diversity of culture and musical styles of the nation, showcasing eighteen tracks across various genres which laid foundations for the innovation of Afrobeats artists of today.

Triple Vinyl gatefold LP compiled by Miles Cleret and Jeremy Spellacey, includes a large 8 page booklet with detailed liner notes, record scans and never-seen-before photos.

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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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Official Mr Bongo reissue, gatefold LP with insert. Japanese, high spec, gatefold sleeve. Replica original artwork. Mastered from original tapes.

A post-Tropicalia masterpiece from one of the movements key figures and true legends of Brazilian music, Gal Costa. Features a stellar line up of musicians including Gilberto Gil, Arthur Verocai, Dominguinhos, Rogério Duprat and Tenorio Jr. amongst others.

Replica original gatefold including the cover that was banned by the Brazilian military government in 1973 during the brutal dictatorship.

‘India’ includes the incredible ’Pontos De Luz’ as sampled by Kaytranada on ’Lite Spots’ – one of our favourite Brazilian songs of all time. A wonderful album from start to finish, touching on MPB, folk, jazz, funk and rock with strong Tropicalia and Nordestino influences throughout.

A record that we have long been wanting to reissue! Licensed courtesy of Universal Music Group Limited.

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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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Next up in the Mr Bongo Cuban Classics series is an outing by the mighty Juan Pablo Torres from 1978. Released on Cuba’s state-owned Areito imprint, Algo Nuevo showcases trombonist, bandleader, arranger and producer Juan Pablo Torres' unique scope of sound. A melting pot of an album that weaves together jazz-funk and traditional Afro-Cuban genres with tripped-out synth touches and dancefloor grooves.

The opener 'Pan Caliente' is a fiery celebration, combining a driving groove with Latin percussion, feverish horns and infectious “la-la-la” vocals. The wild, squelching cosmic synthlines give an otherworldly touch to proceedings that sit nicely on a modern dancefloor. 'Guajira 2001' is perhaps Juan's future-focussed take on the vibrant style of Cuban dance-led music called guajira. Blistering bongos, congas and claves moving together with trumpets, trombones and twanging acoustic guitars that you can’t help but bounce to.

Other highlights include, 'Cacao', a Cuban cosmic funk strutter that places the claves upfront, with a scatting vocal line and percussive climax reminiscent of George Kranz electronic disco anthem 'Din Daa Daa' from 1983. Elsewhere, 'Elvira' further showcases the psychedelic essence of many of the album’s tracks. A deep Latin workout where tasty percussive breaks and scorching keys blend with trippy vocals and rumbling synths.

A varied album encompassing a variety of Afro-Cuban genres and rhythms entwined with flashes of mind-bending cosmic influence. Algo Nuevo is a further jewel in Cuba’s musical crown of riches, with plenty of dancefloor treats and downtempo numbers held within.

Featuring replica artwork, the vinyl release is presented with an OBI Strip.

“One of my favourite albums” - Luke Una

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Some things take time to happen, some things perhaps take a bit longer than they should but, finally, we are delighted to present an issue of the iconic, and sought-after, Brazilian album 'Alucinolândia' by Zito Righi e Seu Conjunto from 1969.

The trippy, surrealist 60s cover design with hands holding eyeballs is somewhat confusing. Rather than the stoner acid rock record that the art may suggest, 'Alucinolândia' is actually a quintessential 60s gem, mixing samba, MPB, bossa nova, quirky organ-led mod-jazz groovers and easy-listening crooners with a relaxed cool swagger.

Zito Righi aka Isidoro Righi, the Brazilian saxophonist, instrumentalist, conductor and composer brought together an illustrious cast for this masterpiece, including the much-loved vocalist Sônia Santos. Sônia delivers a masterclass on the album's opener, and maybe its crown-jewel 'Poema Ritmico Do Malandro’. The song is fierce and driving with an enticing funk intro that bursts into a Samba / Batucada workout. A real monster that works magic on the dancefloor. Sônia would later re-visit this track in 1971 on a recording for Copacabana Records, which Mr Bongo released as part of the Brazil45 series. The Brazilian songwriter Roberval penned three tracks on the record, including another highlight and the far too short 'Birimbau'; a catchy Brazilian jazzy-samba dancer at its finest. Other musicians include the drummer Fernando who also recorded with the greats Dila & Guilherme Coutinho.

The fact the record was released in 1969 meant it was probably a bit out of step with its contemporaries in comparison to the works of artists such as Os Mutantes, Gilberto Gil et al. The core of 'Alucinolândia' is that of a more optimistic early to mid-sixties party feelgood vibe rather than the angsty, psychedelia, and rebellion of the Tropicália movement. Over 50 years since its release, the work can finally be judged on its own merit; and what a beauty it is.

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We've got a bit of an obsession with Hozan Yamamoto here at Mr Bongo! A legend of Japanese jazz, he is rightly regarded as a true master and was recognised as a "living national treasure" by the Japanese government in 2002. Over five decades he pushed the genre into new directions, absorbing fusion, funk, spiritual jazz and many other sounds, resulting in a discography studded with gems of rare beauty. Exploring his back catalogue has taken us on an engrossing journey that now sees us reissuing another work from this ground-breaking musician.

Though not translating perfectly into English 'Akuma Ga Kitarite Fue Wo Fuku', (kitarite has not been a modern expression in Japanese) roughly means 'The Devil Comes Playing The Flute' / 'The Devil Is Coming While Blowing The Whistle' or 'Devils Flute’. It is the original soundtrack to Kôsei Saitô’s 1979 mystery and suspense movie, ‘Devil’s Flute’. The film is based on a story by the famous author, Seishi Yokomizo, and is centred around a much-loved fictional Japanese detective, Kosuke Kindaichi. A Japanese Sherlock Holmes that has been popular for generations.

Hozan Yamamoto was invited to compose the soundtrack directly by the producer of the film, Haruki Kadokawa. Mr Kadokawa also hired keyboard player and producer Yu Imai as an assistant producer on the project, resulting in a stunning cosmic, breaks and beats-laden, funk, disco soundtrack extravaganza.

When it comes to the soundtrack and the technology of the time, Hozan Yamamoto and Yu Imai got inventive, tripped out, funked up, and experimented, creating a quirky soundtrack masterpiece that needed to be heard more outside of Japan. Differing from the more traditional Japanese music orientation of some of his other albums such as 'Beautiful Bamboo-Flute' (also released on Mr Bongo) the album showcases a number of genres, from lush atmospheric incidental music to disco and funk grooves, experimental nuggets, drum and flute workouts, to neo-classical and more.

A special record that showcases the further depths of this wonderful musician's talents.

Tracklist:
1. Fuenarinu
2. Kaendaiko
3. Tsubakishishaku no yuigon
4. Tengindoujiken
5. Kindaichikousuke nishie yuku
6. Ougonno Furuuto (Flute)
7. Yubi
8. a=x, b=x a=b
9. Chi to suna
10. Tabiyukumonoyo
11. Akuma fuewo fukite owaru

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For the third release in our Mr Bongo Cuban Classics series, we reissue the iconic 1974 debut album by the mighty Grupo Irakere. Led by Chucho Valdés, son of Cuban pianist and bandleader Bebo Valdés, the band would go on to become of the most influential and successful groups emanating from Cuba in this period. Their debut ‘Teatro Amadeo Roldan Recital’ is an in-demand and incredible Afro-Cuban, jazz-funk masterpiece originally landing on Cuba’s state-owned imprint, Areito.

One of the jewels of the album is the beast of an opener, 'Bacalao Con Pan’. A heavy dancefloor Latin-funk burner, with ripping Wah-Wah guitar, a blistering mix of Latin percussive elements and horns firing on all cylinders. It’s a song which builds and breaks with an energy and power that still lights up the dance to this very day.

The album is a varied bag of tricks, traversing moods, styles and genres whilst melding traditional rhythms with more contemporary mindsets. Take the delectable downtempo ballad ‘Danza Nañiga’ or ‘Valle Picadura’ that starts on a similar tip, before erupting into a horn heavy heater. Move through to find ‘Taka Taka Ta’ where Afro-Cuban jazz, call and response vocals and brain-busting organs marry in steamy unison.

Elsewhere, continuing this melting pot of musical influences, the prog/psychedelic rock leaning 'Quindiambo', expertly combines traditional Latin music with psych rock in a similar way to Santana. 'Misaluba' is another highlight, a cover version of a song by the British-Italian based group Cyan, written by Mario & Giosy Capuano, making it their own with this tripped-out, percussion-rich makeover.

As debuts go, Grupo Irakere’s ‘Teatro Amadeo Roldan Recital' is about as good as it gets and gives a snapshot of Cuba in the mid ‘70s, with a band that were destined for big things.

Featuring replica artwork, the vinyl release is presented with a Cuban Classic Series OBI Strip.

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'Sim Sim Sim' is the Latin Grammy award-winning debut album from Bala Desejo. A band who are at the forefront of Rio de Janeiro’s artistic renaissance, they channel influences of Brazilian 60s Tropicália, 70s psychedelia and MPB to create a nostalgic, yet joyfully, avant-garde sound.

The band is comprised of four distinct characters, each one an incredible talent in their own right and each with impressive credentials in the Brazilian Independent music scene. Central to the resurgent Rio de Janeiro musical community, the quartet of Dora Morelenbaum, Julia Mestre, Lucas Nunes and Zé Ibarra thrive in a group dynamic. They formed Bala Desejo to play collaboratively for a festival date in 2021, but when that show became a victim of pandemic shutdowns the idea for an album project materialised.

'Sim Sim Sim’, which translates into English as ‘Yes Yes Yes’, weaves through a fusion of genres, taking twists and turns as it progresses. There is Tropicália, MPB, rock, samba-canção soul-funk and reggae in the mix. It possesses many of the qualities of a classic album from Brazilian music’s golden era of the 60s and 70s, but also manages to sound very now, which is not an easy task to pull off. As solo musicians, they have worked and collaborated with Brazilian icons Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso and Milton Nascimento to name but a few. Bala Desejo feels like a natural extension of what came before, taking the baton from these luminaries, adding their unique spin and moving the sound forward.

When we first heard Bala Desejo, we were blown away. Their epic theatrical live shows leave audiences stunned and they are the band we had always been hoping to find. A modern-day Novos Baianos or Mutantes, but definitely not an imitation. They celebrate their influences, but are an innovative group, and consequently, they have created one of the finest records to come out of Brazil in recent years. A truly sensational debut!

Tracklist:
1. Embala pra Viagem
2. Baile De Máscaras (Recarnaval)
3. Lua Comanche
4. Clama Floresta
5. Dourado Dourado
6. Nesse Sofá
7. Nana Del Caballo Grande
8. Chupeta *CD Only
9. Lambe Lambe
10. Passarinha
11. Sim Sim Sim
12. Muito Só
13. Cronografia (O Peixe)
14. Faixa Técnica *CD Only

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The official Mr Bongo reissue. Krishnanda is an album in the truest sense of the word – a spiritual, psychedelic Brazilian masterpiece from start to finish – celebrated by everyone from Seu Jorge and Kassin to Floating Points, Madlib, Quantic, Gilles Peterson and DJ Nuts. These days, originals change hands for thousands of dollars.

Pedro dos Santos, born in Rio in 1919, was a percussionist virtuoso, composer and inventor of instruments that apparently included oddities such as the ‘Tamba’ (electrified bamboo drum) and the mouth berimbau whistle. Nicknamed Perdo ‘Sorongo’ after the rhythm he invented, that features throughout ‘Krishnanda’. A highly spiritual man who was regarded as a philosopher by many.

He worked with greats including Baden Powell, Elis Regina, Maria Bethany, Elza Soares, Sebastião Tapajós, Roberto Ribeiro, Milton Nascimento, Clara Nunes, Paul Simon and Arthur Verocai, playing on his legendary self-titled LP. In the same vein as Verocai and his self-titled LP, ‘Krishnanda’ was Pedro’s chance to shine with his own, and only, solo recording.

Krishnanda was produced by Hélcio Milito, the drummer of Tamba Trio, and arranged by conductor Joppa Lins, and originally released in 1968 on CBS (Brasil). Musically, the album touches folk, samba, afro-brazilian and psychedelia plus added effects, with a lyrical depth and diversity to match; themes including morality, perception, existence and ego.

Despite the genius of the record and the influence that it had on musicians at the time of release, it disappeared into obscurity. We first discovered the record around 2003, through a friend Julio Dui. Around that time Brazilian funk and bossa was the flavour of the day, so didn’t catch our ear immediately, however it continued improve with age and now we consider it to be one of the best albums ever made, regardless of genre or origin.

The Mr Bongo reissue is produced as a replica original LP / audio master by Ricardo Garcier at Magic Master (Rio de Janeiro) / artwork restored by Andrew Edwards, from the original copy borrowed from Julio Dui – thank you, sir!

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‘Carolina’ is the Brazilian virtuoso Seu Jorge's debut full-length album from 2002. Originally released under the title ‘Samba Esporte Fino’, its release and subsequent international acclaim dovetailed with Seu Jorge’s ascent into movie stardom. He is probably best known outside of Brazil for his work on Wes Anderson’s 2004 film 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’, in which he played a starring role and his Portuguese covers of David Bowie records were a highlight of the soundtrack. Having initially found fame thanks to his standout performance as Knockout Ned in the revered movie ‘City of God’. ‘Carolina’ would cement his global fame and launch an illustrious musical career that has earnt him a Grammy nomination.

Co-produced by Mario Caldatto of Beastie Boys and Planet Hemp fame, the album presented a vibrant, contemporary combination of samba and funk, backed by guitar, bass, drums, percussion, and horns. It kicks off with one of Seu's most loved tracks 'Carolina', an anthemic feel-good classic with timeless energy, ending in a sing-along crescendo. Other highlights included the Brazilian-Funk of 'Mangueira' reminiscent in places of Tim Maia with its 80s inspired vibe, and the catchy jazzy-samba of 'Tu Queria' which always ignites the dance floor.

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Golden-era, 1977, Brazilian jazz-funk-fusion album from the legendary, Azymuth.

Lush Rhodes, soaring synths and fusion guitars from Malheiros and Bertrami combine with the inimitable drum grooves from Ivan “Mamao” Conti that create the signature Azymuth sound.

The album moves from mellow soulful moods, into screaming disco-jazz-fusion, samba funk, synth boogie and ends with a tough 160bpm Batucada workout.

This is actually the first Azymuth album that we have released on Mr Bongo, which came as a surprise to us too.

Official Mr Bongo reissue. Licensed from Warner Music.

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With some of the best DJs and selectors there is a certain mysterious sound or underlying feeling which unites the music they play, regardless of genre, year or tempo. Luke Una is a master of telling a story through music and this compilation is a perfect example of his musical alchemy in action. Featuring tracks from Yusef Lateef, Airto Moreira, Crooked Man, Henri Texier and many more, it is a collection of new, old, rare and under-discovered music from around the world, all united by Luke under the banner of “E-Soul Cultura”.

It’s best described by Luke himself, who writes: “As the 5AM city sleeps and the strobe lights are slowly turned off, we gather on the wrong side of town in a transcendental journey alone together. We are the late night disenfranchised holding on in various after parties, flats, lofts, random kitchens and basements into the outer cosmos with É Soul Cultura. Music from exotic tear jerkers, Afro-spiritual jazz, cosmic Brazilian celestial grooves, machine street soul, dark horses, lost B-sides, £1 bargain-bin bombs, hidden gems, late night Italo dubbing, deep velvet N.Y.C garage, bass buggin sonic futurism, wrong speed 33BPM pitched up +8 new beat, majestic sunset strings, sweet vocals from heaven, no half steppin jazz dancing in outer-space and odd numbers. Yes… magical moments, together, holding on in witness protection suburban cul-de-sacs and Castle Court flats. Cosmic É high, 3000ft above the city getting evangelical to murky, wonky timeless beautiful music. This thing of ours dreaming of better days. Fail we may, sail we must, the sun will come up again.”

Beginning his career as an original Sheffield house young blood in the mid-1980s, Luke’s move to Manchester and partnership with Justin Crawford saw the birth of Electric Chair, a cornerstone cult night in the UK underground club scene, and later Electric Elephant, a Croatian festival paying homage to their wild eclecticism from Balearic to Brazilian to E soul, house, disco and techno. Luke’s much loved, long-running Homoelectric night and more recently Homobloc sell-out festival for 10,000 souls has been at the forefront of Manchester’s LGBTQ cultural landscape.

Luke’s Friday evening show on Worldwide FM has captured imaginations and has already become a cult four-hour must-listen monthly journey with fans all over the world. Today Luke remains, as ever, at the forefront of a changing scene, pairing the momentous legacy of Manchester’s 80s and 90s scene with the delivery of what today’s club communities need to get down.

Tracklist:
1. Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti - Eva
2. Chêne noir - Le Train
3. Metropolis - Every Time I See Him
4. The Brand New Heavies Featuring N'Dea Davenport – Stay This Way (The Lunar Dub)
5. Typesun - The P.L. (Extended Edit)
6. King Errisson - Space Queen
7. Yusef Lateef - Robot Man
8. Daniel Humair, François Jeanneau, Henri Texier - Le Cyclope
9. Airto Moreira - O Galho Da Roseira (The Branches Of The Rose Tree)
10. Francisco - Waché
11. Nar'Chiveol - Apocalypse Now Ho
12. On - Southern Freeez
13. Soylent Green - After All

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Repress!
Brazilian funk-soul at it’s finest. Both tracks taken from the increasing more expensive and sought after ‘Cartão Postal’ LP, originally released on Odeon Brazil from 1971.

Both tracks are heavy on the drums, bass and horns, with Evinha’s lead to top them off. ‘Esperar Pra Ver’ is a mid tempo funk soul jam, and ‘Que Bandeira’ moves between funk/soul and bossa/MPB grooves.

‘Que Bandeira’ was released on a 7” EP, featuring tracks from ’Cartão Postal’ LP, on Odeon under the artist name ‘Eva’, in 1972… Ridiculously expensive now, as you have no doubt come to expect – so, released here for your affordable pleasure!

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