The Swedish quartet Dina Ögon seemed to appear from nowhere a few years ago with two perfectly realised albums that merged their wide influences into some kind of perfect ‘pop’ hybrid. Not chart fodder pop but the old-fashioned kind that harnesses extraordinary songwriting with amazing individual performances that deserve to crossover everywhere. Anna Ahnlund’s voice alone demands that you listen, instantly recognisable as something very special. Sung in Swedish, their perfectly constructed songs contain traces of Brazilian and West Coast soul music, Scandinavian folk, deep funk, and other influences that combine to create their wondrous sound. The new album ‘Orion’ takes another step forward without losing a drop of their magic serum. Read / Listen.
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Cover art & design - Fiona Ryan)
Assiko Golden Band De Yoff 'Magg Tekki' (Sing a Song Fighter / Mississippi Records) - a review
If drums are your thing then this sensational debut album from the Senegalese band Assiko Golden Band De Yoff will blow your head off. The massed ranks of the Dakar-based outfit teamed up with Swedish producer and Sing a Song Fighter label boss Karl Jonas Winqvist after meeting in 2018, somehow pulling this record together via recordings in Senegal and Sweden. With the subtle addition of sax, accordion and kora, some of these potent songs signpost the Senegalese connections to Brazil’s bloco de rua traditions, others offer a link to the Caribbean but the source is always Senegal. In alliance with Mississippi Records, we now have this brilliant album to listen to and own and I can’t recommend it enough. If you know about Babatunde Olatunji’s ‘Drums Of Passion’, then you know I’m making a big call saying this offers that same energy. Read / Listen.
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Daniel Ögren 'Fastingen-92' (Mr Bongo) - a review
Originally released in 2020 on Sing A Song Fighter, Daniel Ögren’s brilliantly uncategorisable 'Fastingen-92' LP is being lovingly repressed by Brighton’s Mr Bongo (sing hossana!). A founding member of cosmic soul outfit Dina Ögon and a contributor to Sven Wunder’s musical universe, Daniel is a prime example of Sweden’s new golden age of musicians, producers and labels. Hugely ambitious in scope, he slides easily from cinematic orchestral grooves into Balearic dreamscapes via pan-global dancing oddities without ever being too difficult to understand. In an alternative dimension, this would be topping the mainstream charts. Read / Listen.
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Vumbi Dekula 'Congo Guitar' (Hive Mind / Sing A Song Fighter) - a review
There’s something special appearing soon for fans of the irresistible and hypnotic grooves of Congolese soukous and rumba. After 40 plus years of playing with some of the best dance orchestras, we shall have the first solo album from the legendary Congolese guitarist Kahanga Dekula aka ‘Vumbi’! Composed and recorded in just two days, this is the sound of the Congolese guitar traditions at its rawest. Complemented by the occasional use of Karl Jonas Winqvist’s rhythm box drum machine and subtle complementary backing vocals and percussion, Vumbi’s sparkling syncopated playing is front and centre. Bursting with joyful verve and bluesy intent, this co-release between Karl Jonas’ Sing A Song Fighter imprint and the UK’s brilliant Hive Mind Records is a standout of the year for me so far. Read / Listen.
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