Erasmo Carlos “Sonhos E Memorias 1941-1972”
via Light In The Attic: Erasmo Carlos has no counterpart in the universe of Anglophone pop music that could begin to hint at his relevance, popularity and his complex relationship with the only Brazilian pop star more universally recognized than himself, Roberto Carlos. He may be a beloved pop star …
Exclusive Premiere: Ivan Conti “Mamao’s Brake (IG Culture Remix)”
Ivan ‘Mamao’ Conti is one of the greatest drummers on earth. A true rhythmic innovator, he is Brazil’s answer to Tony Allen, Steve Gadd, and Bernard Purdie (no small claim considering the country’s famed samba connection). Known by most as one third of Azymuth, his career spans far beyond with …
Idris Ackamoor and The Pyramids “Tinoge Ya’a Ba”
via Philophon Records: 2016 was the year for Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids. Their album “We Be All Africans” (produced by Philophon and released on Strut) vaulted them among the global top acts of the current Spiritual Jazz renaissance. The strength of the group is its deep connection to Africa: …
Victor Assis Brasil “Toca Antonio Carlos Jobim” (1970)
via Far Out Recordings: Following the recent reissue of Jose Mauro’s Obnoxius, Far Out Recordings presents the second release in the treasure trove of the Quartin catalogue, Victor Assis Brasil Plays Jobim. Over the course of the 1960s, Roberto Quartin released more than 20 albums in Brazil on his label …
Forgotten Treasure: Joe King Kologbo “Sugar Daddy” (1980)
via Strut Recordings: Strut presents the first in a series of essential original LP reissues exploring rare and under-rated African, Latin and Caribbean music classics, curated by Duncan Brooker. In January 2017, the series kicks off with ‘Sugar Daddy’, an experimental highlife / disco outing by Nigerian highlife guitarist Joe …
Congo Beat The Drum – The Documentary
Two musicians from Tel Aviv travel to Jamaica to record an album with forgotten reggae artists from the past. The film follows Kalbata (Ariel Tagar) and Mixmonster (Uri Wertheim), from their basement studio in Tel Aviv, all the way to the Kingston ghettos, looking for their favourite singers of days …
Awa Poulo “Poulo Warali” (Awesome Tapes From Africa)
via Awesome Tapes From Africa: Awa Poulo is a singer of Peulh origin from Dilly commune, Mali, near the border with Mauritania. Largely pastoral and often nomadic, Peulh- (or Fula-)speaking peoples are found from Senegal to Ethiopia but predominate in the Sahel region of West Africa. Awesome Tapes From Africa …
Montezumas Rache “Wu Du Wu” (Music From Memory)
Discoid house track with light tribal feel guided by a high pitched melody and steady bassline. Includes A4 paper insert with information on the ‘ghost dance’ from the play Wu Du Wu. Wu Du Wu by Montezumas Rache
Shadow “Sweet Sweet Dreams” (1984)
via Analog Africa: It’s November 5th, 2016. The generally crackly phone connection between Dublin and Port-of-Spain, the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago, was as good as I’d expected it would be. I’d finally managed to “hook” the legendary Shadow – also known as Mighty Shadow – whose very first …
Jaubi “The Deconstructed Ego”
Jaubi (جو بھی) is an urdu word roughly translating to “whatever”. via Astigmatic Records: In Pakistan the interest in local traditional music is slowly dying. As western music and sounds are increasingly favoured, fewer musicians reach for traditional Hindi instruments, like the Sarangi, Cajon or Tabla. This a reflection of …
Future Classic: Los Sospechos “Postales OST” (Menahan Street Band, Budos Band)
Sometimes a record finds you. I was at a Charles Bradley concert perusing a crudely set up merch table when the LP caught my eye. Its cover featured the word “Cuzco”, and the Peruvian police uniform I had learned to recognize in my many months spent in Peru. On the …
Forgotten Treasure: Doing It In Lagos: Boogie, Pop & Disco In 1980’s Nigeria
Soundway Records present a new compilation of twenty rare and mostly unavailable tracks from the slick and sassy world of Nigerian pop music and club culture of the early 1980s. Buoyed by an explosive oil boom and a return to democracy after a series of military dictatorships, Nigeria’s economy in …