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One of the most pivotal figures in the history of Malian music is Sorry Bamba. His work spans five decades and his music bridges the gap between Mali's cultural traditions and new the music which arose from the musical cross overs which occurred in Mali's post-Colonial period. Bamba was born in 1938 in Mopti. This is dissected by both the Niger and Bani rivers and known for its rich cultural diversity. Bamba's father was a distinguished veteran of Emperor Samory Toure's military and a nobleman in Malian society, however, this meant young Sorry was forbidden to make music, as under the nation's caste system, music was an art form reserved for the Griots.At the age of 10, Sorry's parents died and in traumatic times that followed the young teen found solace in music. He first taught himself to play am African six-holed flute. As he progressed he began to absorbed the rich tapestry of music of his surroundings, traditional Malian music, highlife from Ghana, local accordion master Toumani Toure, European singers and musicians. In 1957 Sorry formed his first band, Group Goumbe, named after a popular Ivory Coast dance style. In 1960 Mali gained independence from France, Bamba and his group benefited from a new openness toward local music on the state-run radio network Radio Mali. Sorry then went on to form two award-winning, further collectives Bani Jazz and later the Kanaga Orchestra. They fused Latin jazz, Western R&B, Psychadelic and funk, and traditional Malian styles made them a favourite in Mali and beyond.In 1979 Sorry produced his third LP for the Paris based Sonafric group. Long out of print Africa Seven is pleased to be re-issuing the LP with the authorization of the newly reformed Sonafric group. The re-issue benefits from extensive restoration and re-mastering to a spectral analysis level, bringing and polishing long lost and distorted sounds.The six track masterpiece opens with "Mayel". It blends Afro-space grooves, cowbell and swirling organ with psych guitar and punchy horns. "Kanaga 78" was named after his band of the time. Sounding as fresh (if not more so) in 2016 as it did in 1979 the hypnotic bass, expansive drums, twisting organ and snakelike fuzz-guitar all combine to create a masterpiece of African psychedelia. "Bayadjourou" closes off Side A of the LP with its pulsating, incessant organ hook-line and driving tom drums while adding in layers of Malian vocal from a female chorus and Sorry himself.Side B opens up with "Tjamantie Kolo" which is powered by driving conga and drums layered with traditional vocals and distorted picked electric guitar lines. "N'Nebakaidi" focuses on the song writing skill and delivery of Sorry who delivers a masterful vocal over grooves which somehow manage to sound melancholy but somehow also forlornly uplifting at the same time. The LP closes with "Nani Nani" which is a brass driven wall of African sound.Stay tuned for further re-issues of Sorry Bamba's first and second albums soon on Africa Seven.

Limited hand-stamped 7"The next instalment in the Dubplate series sees our very own Scrimshire step up to the plate for the fifth time!Having gained huge amounts of radio play for his own productions, as well as the occasional cheeky re-edit, Scrimshire brings us two firing reworks of a couple of musical rarities covering latin, soul and disco angles.His re-work of the 1975 Brazilian obscurity Tatarue by Giovana aims both barrels firmly at the dancefloor, while his extended edit of the Morris Wilson's version of Rappers Delight, entitled Bebopper's Delight, thankfully extends the original's 1'35" length with some typically Scrimshire twists and turns along the way.Once again, we hope you enjoy!

Australian vocalist extraordinaire Kylie Auldist will be no stranger to soul & funk fans, her searing soul singing having featured on her own albums 'Made Of Stone' ,'Still Life' (Tru Thoughts) also in The Bamboos, as well as Freestyle Records own Cookin' On 3 Burners.Her unmistakable voice is currently topping the pop charts across Europe, as the Kungs remix of Cookin' On 3 Burners 'This Girl' has proven a sure fire hit with club audiences as well as pop fans. It has been playlisted on BBC Radio 1 and Capital FM, and is now a Top 10 hit in the Official UK Chart.For her first solo album on Freestyle, Kylie, assisted by long time friends & collaborators Lance Ferguson (The Bamboos/Lanu/CO3B/Black Feeling) and Graeme Pogson (of Aussie electronic duo GL) have honed and perfected a collection of amazing new boogie, disco & electro-funk inspired tracks that evoke the feel and sound of late 70's & early 80's club classics. Think of classic acts like D Train, Sinnamon, and singers like Chaka Khan, Maxine Singelton, Sharon Redd and you will already start to understand where this new project is rooted.Kicking off this authentically disco style 5 track, 12 inch single and download single is Waste Of Time, a shimmering, soulful and devilishly catchy mid tempo groover. Graeme Pogsons' synthesizer bass lines are so evocative of that era , they act like a musical time machine! This is perfect summer time soul.Sensational (which has a sensational video to accompany it) hits a little harder, the beats, bass line and Kylie's vocals will drive you onto the dance-floor and stay there until the very last note and begging for more. Good Time Girl doesn't let the pressure drop for a second and also features a fantastic proto-rap contribution from King Merc - whilst Family Tree (the title track from the forthcoming album) is pure Saturday night, feel good disco aimed at the ears and dancing feet.The last track Rewards is yet another supremely insistent and catchy song that provides a tantalising hint of the goodies to come when Family Tree finally sees release later this year...can you wait?

Mind blowing Minneapolis boogie, there is so much to this story but lets start with their original 1982 press releaseHot Group, NOBODY, Definitely Going Somewhere!During the 1960s the American popular music scene was overtaken and dominated throughout most of the decade by a creative surge emanating fromDetroit. "The Sound Of Young America," as it was called, was Motown. As Motown declined another inspired voice took up the slack. Under the direction of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Philadelphia International, i.e., "The Sound Of Philadelphia" (T.S.O.P.), became the new voice under the early and mid-'70s.As is becoming quite apparent, the 1980s belong to the Twin Cities. Most people thought it would stop with Prince. It hasn't. A new band called Nobody is making sure that it doesn't. And although the group has been wrapped in mystery ever since they started just four months ago, their recently released demo tape (which will shortly be pressed on vinyl) is a monster that has music insiders buzzing with enthusiasm, "Right now nobody knows who we are. Once we become established, however, we will be casting a highly creative shadow that will be profound, and that other people will have to live up to," says the group.The band has seven members: two vocalists-one male and two keyboard players, one guitar, bass and drums. All but one of the members are from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, providing how fertile our sometimes mild little town can be. They've all had a diverse amount of experience-from jazz to funk-but their music doesn't fit any particular category. Some of Nobody's members even started out in the church, which gave their music a genuinely soulful feeling that can't be denied.Nobody was primarily put together by the female lead vocalist, a lady who's sung with manyTwinCityjazz and gospel greats. But beyond anything else the band is a team. A team with a mission. A mission to bring quality music to the community. Many of you will soon get to judge the sounds of their debut songs for yourself. KMOJFM is getting ready to add the single "I Saw You" to its playlist, and WLOL's music director said he "loved it." Along with the airplay will be an appearance on Scott Thompson's "Showcase" on KWTNMeanwhile the group's manager, Jordanna Gold is keeping busy on both coasts attempting to hook up a deal with one of the major labels for this dynamic, multi-talented group that many people say will be busting out by grammy time.

LIMITED EDITION RELEASE FOR RECORD STORE DAY 2015Sought after instrumentals for critically acclaimed album Sour Soul, by Toronto jazz/hip-hop band BADBADNOTGOOD and Staten Island rap champ Ghostface Killah. Inspired by 1960s and 70s music and taking inspiration from the recording techniques and production of that era , they embrace live instrumentation and zero sampling. BBNG with producer Frank Dukes created a dramatic, cinematic musical staging for Ghostface's vivid storytelling and this is the first and only time the instrumentals will be available as a standalone album.

Two odd Island bangers previously only avaible on the VERY rare Stephen LP you almost certianly don't own. Athens of the North is happy to drop these Funky Modern Pieces on our preffered format for the first time. Recorded in Freeport Bahamas and produced by the mighty Frank Penn. Catchy, on the Edge and full of personality. Records like this is why we do what we do.

It is late 1972. Six emigres from Congo, Benin and Cameroon find themselves in Pavia, near Milan in Italy. Sharing a passion for music and dance rooted in African culture they form a band called M'Bamina ("Lightning") they and stage their dance and music show in Le Rotonde di Garlasco. Two years of hard work and gigging follow before they make their first album "African Roll", released in 1975.Following a European tour in 1976 then find themselves performing in Cameroon for a landmark concert at the Stade de Yaounde with Claude Francois (French Pop star and the writer of the original version of Sinatras My Way) and African music legend Manu Dibango. As it often happened in the 70s when talented ambitious bands met Manu Dibango, a move to France and a record deal with Fiesta Records (Decca) soon followed.In Paris 1977 the band find themselves opening for a James Brown's concert Au Pavillon de Paris. By now the band is a well-oiled machine they have honed their live shows and sound by distilling a pure and fresh blend of R.& B, Rumba, Afro-Cuban, Funk and traditional African. M'Bamina then hook up with French producer Philippe Brejean to record their second album "Experimental" in Sysmo studios (a hot bed of album activity and French production music at the time). The results capture the band at the peak of their powers.The core of M'Bamina was made up of Samba Ngo (guitar and vocals), Antoine Nkouka Batenda (guitar and vocals), Bernard Bifuanibo (bass), Jean-Marie Bolangassa (percussion), Anselme Tambakassa (congas) et Ligali Ali Amidou (percussion and vocals). The band would go on to make 2 further albums before disbanding in 1985.