Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound “II” (1970, International/Fania)
About eight years ago a good friend (shout out to Hector) and I put together a mix as a promo for a store we had established back in Orlando, Florida. Rather than handing out flyers, we felt it was more effective to make some mixes and add a commercial at …
Zazou Biyake “Noir et Blanc” (1983, Crammed Discs)
via CD: At last, the re-mastered vinyl reissue of one of the biggest cult albums in the history of Crammed Discs. This record is constantly being (re)discovered by generations of fans, musicians and DJs, who hail it as an unsurpassed Afro/electronic milestone. Noir et Blanc by Zazou Bikaye The album …
Professor Rhythm “Bafana Bafana” (1995, Awesome Tapes From Africa)
via ATFA: Professor Rhythm is the production moniker of South African music man Thami Mdluli. Throughout the 1980’s, Mdluli was a member of chart-topping groups Taboo and CJB, playing bubblegum pop to stadiums. Mdluli became an in-demand producer for influential artists (like Sox and Sensations, among many others) and in-house …
Exclusive Premiere: Lucho Neves y su Orquesta “Caymenita” (Tiger’s Milk Records)
A window into the full-blooded, captivating spirit of music from the Andes, ANDINA shines a fresh perspective on Peru’s multifaceted heritage. A co-release between Tiger’s Milk Records and Strut Records, the album is selected from records originally released between ’68 and ‘78, upending clichéd ideas of Andean music and bringing …
Various Artists “Digital Zandoli 2 (Compiled by Julien Achard & Nico Skliris)” (Heavenly Sweetness)
Digital Zandoli 2 incoming! The fantastic compilation of further explorations in zouk and synthetic funk from the French west indies. Digital Zandoli 2 by Heavenly Sweetness This is the new selection of digital sounds from the Caribbean, chosen from master ears by experts Julien Achard (Digger’s Digest) and Nico Skliris. …
Los Camaroes “Resurrection Los” (1979, Analog Africa)
via AA: Cameroon, 1978: it’s like any good western movie. A man drifts through the plains at the furthest edge of the country in search of two former gunslingers, hoping to coax them out of retirement for one last showdown. Except this time, the weapons are guitars and the gunslingers …
Tumbao Radio – Show #03 “Cuba” (Hosted by Tumbao)
Tumbao Radio returns with a deep dive into the music of Cuba – a heritage whose Afro-spiritual roots and genre-busting creativity underpin a fierce resilience of both culture and people. The show starts with some older classics from the godfather of the son montuno, blind tres master Arsenio Rodríguez, beloved …
Exclusive Premiere: Ra Toth & The Brigantes’ Orchestra “My Ghetto” (New Interplanetary Melodies)
At the third New Interplanetary Melodies’ astral journey stopover, it was mandatory to catch an Italian project deeply inspired by the Sun Ra visionary realm, expressing contemporary trials of hybridizing jazz rubbles with artful electronica. Ra Toth & The Brigantes’ Orchestra landed on vinyl grooves for the label, after having …
Exclusive Premiere: Forastero “El Submarinista En El Tejado (Susso aka Huw Bennett Remix)”
UK bassist and producer Susso AKA Huw Bennett is best recognized for his debut album “Keira” on the UK’s Soundway record label in 2016. “Keira” was a surprise package of deeply rooted electronic music repurposing the sounds of the Mandinka people of Gambia. This remix of Forastero, Madrid’s jazz-not-jazz outcasts …
Exclusive Premiere: Caravela “Maraguês” (None More Records)
Caravela are an Afro-Brazilian quintet with members from Portugal, South America, Australia and the UK. Their music is an exploration of the communal traditional and spiritual music of Lusophone countries like Brazil and Cape Verde, approached with a contemporary groove and feel. Caravela shine a light on traditional rhythms and …
Manu Dibango “Electric Africa” (1985, Tidal Waves Music)
via TWM: Manu Dibango needs litle introduction, born in Cameroon in 1933, Manu developed a musical style fusing jazz, funk, and traditional Cameroonian music. He’s definitely among the best known African artists outside of Africa. Collaborations were numerous and include top acts like Fela Kuti, Herbie Hancock, Bill Laswell, Sly …
Jan Schulte “Tropical Drums of Deutschland” (Music For Dreams)
via MFD: Copenhagen’s Music For Dreams comes with yet another strong release – a double album of personal favourites compiled by Jan Schulte. According to all maps and witness accounts, Germany does not officially have any tropical forests. This is of no concern to Schulte however, who has unearthed many …