A cross-cultural tour de force from London’s Waaju crew and Moroccan Gnawa master Majid Bekkas on this fantastic live album out now on the mighty BBE! A stunning fusion of Afro-Latin, jazz, psychedelia, Gnawa and heavy heavy grooves recorded in the beautiful Church of Sound in East London, Ben Brown’s new arrangements of traditional Gnawa songs are revelatory, the ensemble’s performance transcendent. Read / Listen.
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Conjunto Papa Upa 'Fruta Madura' (Music With Soul) - a review
Our favourite Venezuelan polymath Alex Figueira is back with another full length album of burning hot ‘tropical’ psychedelic dancers. For once, he doesn’t do everything himself, inviting the members of the live incarnation of his Conjunto Papa Upa band to bring their instrumental magic to his ever-improving songwriting and vocal chops. With over two dozen genres mashed into this Latin music charged feast, ‘Fruta Madura’, has fire, wit and groove in its belly. Read / Listen.
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Brion Gysin 'Junk' (WEWANTSOUNDS) - a review
Initially released in 1985 and only one year away from his passing, this expanded and remastered version of Beat guru, inventor and pioneering multi-disciplinary artist Brion Gysin’s ‘Junk’ finally sees a vinyl reissue after 40 years. Produced by the ace French producer Ramuntcho Matta and featuring the cream of the French underground at the time, plus jazz-experimentalist Don Cherry and Senegalese drum legend Abdoulaye Prosper Niang, the record is both deadly No Wave-y funky and definitely a bit strange. The song ‘Kick (Discomix)’ is worth the price of admission alone. Read / Listen.
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The Belgian Soundtrack: A Musical Connection of Belgium with Cinema (1961-1979) (Sdban Ultra)
If you’re a fan of film soundtracks, sample-hunting or just a lover of evocative music, then this new compilation from the excellent Belgian label Sdban Records is for you. After the discovery of 650 soundtrack LPs in the attic of a former film journalist, the soundtrack addicts and researchers Robin Broos and Tom ‘Pélé’ Peeters waded through the entirety of the haul to bring us this brilliant collection of music that has in various ways, a Belgian connection. There are barely known composers and there are the super-famous, all of them are great. Read / Listen.
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Yebo! Rare Mzansi Party Beats from Apartheid's Dying Years compiled by John Armstrong
The ‘Bubblegum’ sounds of 80’s Black South Africa was a broad church of celebratory dance music fuelled by new technology and an escapist need to party during the last hellish years of the vile Apartheid regime. Somehow some of the happiest sounding music ever was created during the hardest of times and this forthcoming compilation by legendary curator John Armstrong for BBE contains the signposts for what would become SA’s particular brands of House music (Kwaito, SA House, Amapiano, Gqom etc). We asked John a few questions about the background to the record. Read / Listen
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Moreira Chonguiça 'Sounds of Peace' (Morestar Entertainment) - a review
The wonderful Mozambican musician and bandleader Moreira Chonguiça (and collaborator with the late Manu Dibango) released an incredible album of thirteen inspirational songs of sublime funky jazz last November, so we asked global music expert, veteran DJ and compiler extraordinaire John Armstrong to share his perspective with us all. Beautifully produced, packed full of joy and drawing on many strands of Mozambique’s rich musical culture, this is African jazz of the highest order! Read / Listen
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Lorenzo Morresi & Le Isole 'Pop Flop' (Space Echo Records / Dialogo Records) - video single
Italian musician, producer and DJ Lorenzo Morresi follows up his revered and sought after ‘Cosmica Italiana’ LP with a fresh collection of infectious, funk heavy, jazz-fusion jams that pay homage to the 70s Library Music sound. Vintage synths, slick drums and atmospheric moods for those who want to live a groovy life. Check the video as well for ‘Pop Flop’ featuring 22a’s Tenderlonious! Read / Listen
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Sababa 5 'Sababa 5' (Batov Records) - a review
Late last year, Tel Aviv based outfit Sababa 5 released their debut album for Batov Records and it is instrumental funk of the highest order. Touching on the melodic and rhythmic traditions from across the SWANA (South West Asia and North Africa) region, we can hear the reflections of East Africa segueing into Turkish and Afro-Disco vamps, their influences never cloaking their own melodic and rhythmic talents . Fans of Daptone Records and Khruangbin should be all over this! Read / Listen.
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Mauskovic Dance Band 'Bukaroo Bank' (Bongo Joe Records) - a review
The Amsterdam based outfit known for their hard-hitting tropical-fused grooves have returned to Bongo Joe with an album that sounds like an updated soundtrack to a night at The Hacienda circa 1982. Post-punk scratchy funk, cracked dub and all kinds of retro-future experimental sounds galore that will wobble the floor as well as your head. It’s great…. Read / Listen
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Edrix Puzzle 'Deep in Dionne' (On The Corner Records) - Single Premiere!
We present the PREMIERE of Edrix Puzzle’s second single from their forthcoming collision of cosmic jazz and heavyweight dub-funk - ''Coming Of The Moon Dogs” - released on On The Corner Records, the single is a militant yet loose drum and free violin number, a march to the cosmos through burning stars. Read / Listen
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Guinu 'Palagô' (Razor-N-Tape) - a review
Known mainly for their underground housey/disco dancefloor projects, this could be a surprising album release from New York’s Razor-N-Tape label. Though maybe it’s not. Brazilian musician, songwriter and producer Pedro Guinu has delivered his own respectful exploration of Rio de Janeiro’s musical heritage with great original songwriting that takes inspiration from 50 years of Rio’s musical treasures. Touching on MPB, AOR, Brazilian Boogie, Samba, Bossa and more contemporary genres, it’s complimented with a rock solid dancefloor-ready bottom end that makes this much more than a tribute. Read /Listen / Buy
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Hidden Waters: Strange & Sublime Sounds of Rio de Janeiro (Sounds and Colours) - an interview
Our good friend and editor of the ace Latin culture magazine Sounds and Colours, Russ Slater, has teamed up with Joe Osborne to bring us Brazilian music nerds a comprehensive look at the wonkier end of the contemporary music scene in Rio de Janeiro and it is a sprawling feast of sounds that only Brazil can offer. We asked co-curator Joe Osborne for some of his thoughts on the curatorial process and here they are! Read / Listen
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Jackson Mathod 'Come On Now' (Bridge the Gap x New Soil) - single review
A sunshine laden jazz-funk banger from virtuosic trumpeter Jackson Mathod and his ridiculously tight band here from his upcoming ‘Come On Now EP’ on new label Bridge the Gap x New Soil - Read / Listen
Read MoreCaytra 'You Lost' - Single Premiere
PREMIERE! The new single from London jazz trio Caytra is a hurtling four to the floor dance workout underpinned by a rock solid rhythm section and understated guitars and synths. From their forthcoming self-titled, self-produced album, ‘You Lost’ could fit into any DJ set that needs a bit of jazz-funk / Brit-funk energy to get the dance fizzing. Listen here….
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Milton Gulli 'Quotidiano' (Tangential Music) - press release
‘Quotidiano’ is the classy new album from one of Lisbon’s most accomplished artists, Milton Gulli. A true musical artist whose Mozambican heritage and cultural upbringing in the African diasporic suburbs of Portugal's capital have given him a rich palette of musical influences that he harnesses with great skill and energy. Sunshine music with a serious message… Read / Listen here
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vbnd 'Scum Funk' (DeepMatter) - a review
Check out this brand new album from Canada’s vbnd. Contemporary soul jazz that sits on the same sofa as SAULT and the Soulquarians with its funky, soulful jazzy tunes that make perfect sunshine food for the soul.. Read / Listen here…
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Gerry Weil 'The Message' (Música Infinita) - a review
A superb reissue of Gerry Weil’s funky Jazz-Rock opus ‘The Message’ is a snapshot of 1970’s Venezuela and a reminder that the hippie dreamers could create some serious art amongst the spiritual platitudes…Read / Listen here…
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Various Artists 'Tokyo Dreaming' (WEWANTSOUNDS) - a review
DJ and broadcaster Nick Luscombe has curated a superlative compilation of Japanese funk, City Pop, ambient and future house from the 1980’s for WEWANTSOUNDS. Packed full of synths, drum machines, soulful voices and occasional 80’s silliness we invited our man from Rough Trade Nottingham and Japanese music cheerleader, Jono Beard to give us his thoughts and his thoughts are good. Read / listen…
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Various Artists 'Covers 3' (Tru Thoughts) - a review
Tru Thoughts bring out the cover versions once again in the third installment of their ‘Covers’ series and there are beauties within. Hot 8 Brass Band, Quantic, Mark de Clive-Lowe, sUb_modU and J-Felix amongst many stirring up the ingredients and coming up with something fresh! Read / listen….
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Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad featuring Roy Ayers 'Synchronize Vibration' (Jazz Is Dead) - a review
A brand new Roy Ayers album? Check out the first single from the LP and get excited (in a chilled way of course)…read / listen more…
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