LP

Record Store Day 2017 release. Recorded live in the studio by a band of touring musicians that played William Onyeabor's music over the previous few years. Artists on this album include Jamie Lidell, Alexis Taylor, Charles Lloyd, Money Mark, Pat Mahoney and Ahmed Gallab. Album sleeve opens up into a double sided 4-way poster (measuring approx. 24" x 24").

First released in 1992, available for CD only and out of print for many years, Addis 1988 is now remastered and available as limited edition on vinyl for the first time, a stunning reissue 180 grams for audiophiles and collectors.Addis 1988 is the document of a moment in time when Mulatu Astatke was not yet the global Ethiojazz superstar he is today, but a change was gonna come for him, and for the whole world. In Ethiopia, the Derg had started to tumble and fall, Europe saw the wall between East and West gain more and more holes until it came down, Southern Africa witnessed Apartheid taking its final lap before Nelson Mandela was finally set free. With Ofra Haza's Yeminite Songs and Mory Kanté’s ‘Yéké Yéké’ high on the international charts, music of the wider world finally entered the house of Western pop, giving high hopes and deep inspirations for many musicians who were previously excluded. Fuelled by Mulatu Astatke as artistic director, composer, arranger and collaborating musician, Ethio Stars and Tukul Band's Addis 1988 recordings vibrantly sustain the innocence of these musical originators, yet hold up to modern standards with timeless aplomb. The album also helps to fill a gap: the period when Mulatu and his music were largely forgotten outside of his homeland. First released in1992, available for CD only and out of print for many years, Addis 1988 is now remastered and available as limited edition on vinyl for the first time, a stunning reissue 180 grams for audiophiles and collectors.QUOTES: »A fascinating album with a disarming blend of soul, jazz, funk, rock ,reggae and carefully plotted tracks. Great stuff!« fRoots (Aug 1992) »Innovative musicians that deserve greater exposure. The Ethio Stars and Tukul Band work strikingly diverse variations on Ethiopian popular music by performing xperimen-tal sonic surgery on traditional styles and instruments.« SPIN (Feb 1993) »Quality music, capturing the energy and passion of the soul-influenced traditional Ethiopian sounds.« CMJ (Aug 1992)- Mulatu is featured as artistic director, composer, arranger and collaborating musician- Helping to close the gap in Mulatu’s discography between 70s and 90s- A classic – high on the European World Music Charts in 1992- Two very different bands – Ethio Stars & Tukul Band - that emerged out of the cultural melting point Addis- Released for the first time on vinyl- High-quality reissue and remaster for collectors on 180 gram vinyl- Download code included- Released for the first time digitally on all download and streaming services

SJOB Movement's Friendship Train was the second LP by the group and one which saw the group rise to new heights. It's a masterpiece of African music with it's fluid afro beat grooves and spaced out Moog synthesizer sounds. Here is an excerpt from the liner notes written and researched by Uchenna Ikonne:"Prince Bola Agbana might hardly be the most immediately recognizable name in the constellation of Nigerian music stars, but for a significant portion of the last half-century he labored in the shadows, dutifully serving as one of the key movers in its development: An in-demand session musician. An early and respected exponent of funk. A catalyst in the retrofit of juju into a modern pop genre. Most of all, though, he is recognized as the founder, leader, drummer and principal vocalist of the SJOB Movement.SJOB: Sam, Johnnie, Ottah, Bola. For a moment in the mid-1970s, they were le dernier cri in modern Nigerian music, representing the next step in the evolution of afro rhythms, and a new paradigm for the band economy. Their first album, 1976’s A Move in the Right Direction, was a minor sensation and was swiftly followed by Friendship Train in 1977. Then it appeared that the movement stopped moving, and SJOB disappeared from the scene."

"The only time you wear a Tuxedo is when it's time to party." So says legendary West Coast player Snoop Dogg on the opening track of Tuxedo II. The blessing of the Doggfather is of special importance to Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One, whose second album as a duo finds them at the forefront of a new wave of gangster boogie - one that owes as much to G-funk as P-funk. This is the territory of pre- and post-hydraulic low riders: a mélange of Cali boom-bap, analog synth bass and elegant disco that resonates truth and authenticity in an era where so many are faking the funk. Bonding over a shared love of Chic, Parliament, and the other signs in the greater funk Zodiac, Mayer Hawthorne (Aquarius) and Jake One (Taurus) were early predictors of the sea changes that American music would undergo in 2016. Their first release in March of 2015 debuted at #1 on iTunes America's RnB charts, christened as “Dance Floor Catnip” by the Boston Globe, and “Pure disco-funk hot fire” by Okayplayer. Considering their individual successes (Mayer's four solo albums, Jake's production work for the likes of Drake, Future, The Weeknd, and De La Soul) and five GRAMMY nominations between the two of them, it's no surprise that their powers combined have yet again yielded a bevy of absolute slappers that are packaged perfectly for dance parties in 2017. The material here, while wholly original, is an exercise in honoring its forebears. Tuxedo’s II recalls the future funk wobble of Zapp, Gap, Jam/Lewis and Junie Morrison, while nodding lyrically to Mtume, Jodeci and Cameo. The crystallization of the album's concept comes courtesy of its message of universal love, thanks to the signature combination of soul and pop sensibility that have come to define Mayer's hooks. "You gotta do what you love..." says Mayer in a recent interview with Nordstrom's style blog, one of the many fashion outlets to cover Tuxedo's rise. After all - the transcendental ritual of the party and the rippling self affirmation of the funk are of one spirit: the spirit of self-love...of self expression. Tuxedo II is a modern testament to unity and positivity in trying times. It is a reminder that the dance floor will always be there to welcome you, whoever you are. Do you Fux with the Tux?

The late, great J Dilla is widely regarded as one of the greatest hiphop producers of all time. An innovator who pushed the genre in new sonic directions, the Detroit native born James Yancey crafted timeless soundscapes for the likes of Slum Village, Busta Rhymes, Common, Erykah Badu, A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, and many more. Since his death in 2006, Dilla’s mother Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey has worked tirelessly to further her son’s legacy, and her latest effort is the new posthumous album Motor City. Inspired by Dilla’s beloved hometown, Motor City is a collection of rare and unreleased Jay Dee instrumentals, hand-selected and sequenced by Ma Dukes. Conceived as a “letter” to her son, Motor City is packaged in a limited-edition mailing envelope, complete with a handwritten message from Ma Dukes to J Dilla inside. Both CD and vinyl formats also include access to an exclusive mix of the album by Dilla’s close friend J Rocc, a world-renown DJ and founder of the Beat Junkies.

After two incredible EPs, Wayne Snow — the Nigerian-born, Berlin-based vocalist and songwriter — now presents his debut album on Tartelet Records.Freedom TV is the natural sequel to the Max Graef-produced tasters Red Runner (2014) and Rosie (2015), a project marinated in Afro-Caribbean, soulful grooves and topped by Wayne’s effortless falsetto acrobatics.As the title suggests, Freedom TV is an album with themes of liberty, struggle and creative identity pumping through its veins. Within ten tracks, Snow fluently meanders between musical styles: from low-tempo soothers like album opener “Cooler” and “Fall” to the syncopated bruk of “The Rhythm” and cosmic funk escapades found on “Nothing Wrong”.Production comes from three varied and solid sources. The tag-team between Snow and fellow Berliner, Max Graef — which started on Graef’s 2014 debut Rivers of the Red Planet — is in full effect. The result is six tracks (“Cooler”, “Still In The Shell”, “Drunk”, “Red Runner”, “Rosie” & “Fall”) anchored by Graef’s now-signature brew of warm-to-the-touch boom-bap, soul, jazz and house. Elsewhere, trips to see the French capital and Neue Grafik yielded three stormers: “The Rhythm”, “Freedom R.I.P” and “Nothing But The Best”.Naples-formed, Berlin-based duo Nu Guinea also lend a hand on “Nothing Wrong”, an uptempo jam which will receive remix treatment from Francis Inferno Orchestra as well as the pair themselves. The works of criminally overlooked, Zimbabwean guerilla fighter-poet, Freedom Nyamubaya (?1958-2015), bind everything together. It’s her verses, which occupy the end of soul-searching, Peven Everett-esque joint “Freedom R.I.P” and provide a regular referential touchpoint. More than anything, Freedom TV is the soundtrack for anyone seeking a wholesome exploration of groove.Smooth and contagiously danceable at points, Wayne Snow has arrived in album territory with an assured cool.