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Rob "Roy" Raindorf, born on the 13th of May 1949 in Accra, is definitely one of the most enigmatic artists to come out of Ghana. He appeared from nowhere with a unique and twisted sound. An admirer of American artists Otis Reading, James Brown, Wilson Pickett and Ray Charles, Rob began his trade by learning the piano at a music school in Cotonou, Benin.When his education ended, he ventured out to make what money he could by getting gigs with the movers and shakers of the Beninese music scene, namely Orchestre Poly-Rythmo as well as the Black Santiagos. Absorbing and learning the intricacies of music composition, Rob returned to Ghana where he began to write his own songs and eventually sought the backing of a band, specifically one which possessed horns.In 1977, a young Rob travelled to the city of Takoradi in western Ghana to approach an army band named Mag-2 whom he had seen perform in Accra. Mag-2 had an entire section of its ensemble dedicated to horns and some of the sophisticated music equipment available in Ghana at the time - Hofner guitars, Yamaha keyboards and the like.Belonging to the "magnificient" second battalion of the Takoradi-based army unit, original founder Amponsah Rockson decided to aptly name the band "Mag-2." Joining the army during the 1970s was often an easy decision, particularly for musicians, since the army provided not only good music equipment but basic services such as food and medical care.Mag-2 was essentially filled with the best elements of "The Parrots," a highlife band in which Amponsah was the lead guitarist. Their primary task was to entertain soldiers and with the army tour bus, perform from town to town as well as in reputable venues in the captial. Enticed by the style of music Rob had proposed, Mag-2 backed the Ghanaian sensation on two of his most astonishing records - his first and second albums -"Funky Rob Way" and "Make it Fast, Make it Slow," both of which were recorded at Essiebons studios in Accra.Despite Rob's training and musical education, Amponsah was responsible for the vast majority of the compositions, such as building the chord progression and arranging the horns that Rob craved. Rob would even wait for the Mag-2 maestro's cue to begin singing. Despite early successes, a once-unflinching interest in Afrobeat began to wane by the early 1980s and Disco Boogie rapidly became the vogue style around which label owners and music producers sought to capitalize upon. The style Rob had shaped his career around was in decline and an adequate income consequently became a major concern, forcing him to travel to Hamburg, Germany in search of a financial backer.

Limited Edition of 1000 Numbered Copies.Licensed Courtesy Of Ricardo Marrero.

Julian Rogers aka Juju Rogers is a young Berlin based hiphop artist. Being the child of an American GI from New Orleans and a German mother with Austrian roots, Juju always got to know the best of both worlds through is parents. Born and raised bilingual in Schweinfurt, a small city in the south of Germany, he grew up with the problems, struggles as well as opportunities that both cultures presented to him.Though HipHop wasn't his first mingling with music, he was listening to his father's record collection and took trumpet lessons. At about the age of fourteen he started to discover his own taste in music and his own style of singing and rapping. After three semesters at Bamberg University he decided to move to Berlin, where he met Figub Brazlevic and Teknical Development. Shortly after, they founded a hiphop band called Man Of Booom.With Juju Rogers releasing his debut album "From The Life Of A Good For Nothing" things are coming full circle. Juju was our first intern Jakarta Records ever had & now he becomes our latest signing. though signing him has nothing to do with helping an old homie out, this would be a form of help that Juju musical talent wouldn't ask for at all. His classic, yet not old school, sound is paired with an effortless flow and beautiful productions that derives from various influences. Juju Rogers is a dedicated observer of his surroundings and manages to condense those observations into meaningful powerful songs.His debut album "From The Life Of A Good For Nothing" will drop on the 3rd of July. The album was produced by beat makers such as Twit One, Tufu, JuSoul, Knowsum and many more and features guests such as Oddisee and Mic Donet.

LP+DVDOriginally released as a Record Store Day exclusive (and often fetching L50 a pop), Gil Scott Heron recorded these raw, stripped-back versions from his classics during the years he wrote I'm New Here. There's a delicate, fragile nature to his voice that's usually backed up with much broader, fuller instrumentation. Bringing his stories and emotions to the fore, it's one of the most touching documents he's ever done. Complete with a DVD documentary and unseen footage, this is an incredible insight into one of soul's most pained and complex characters.

Indonesian native, Midnight Runners, transmits 8 songs from the city of Bandung, where the industrialized creative community and the island's tropical rainforest meet. Check! Known in circles for disco/funk sample based music, Midnight Runners has transformed the studio with the vintage analog gear that he used to sample, giving the multi-instrumentalist the ability to arrange and preform in the ways of his teachers on record. Open labs is dripping wet with deep grooves built on foundations of live drums and drum machines twisted together to light the fuse on explosive synth arrangements and thick baselines. For dance floors and lifestyles alike, each song is masterfully crafted with a sensibility that uniquely molds industry and nature harmoniously. Interweaving synth and slap bass lines with hard sultry melodics, carrying listeners through the rubble of city life to the mist of the tropics, on a path to where the vantage point enjoys both.

The title says it all: Joia rara...Rare jewels. The well-established and authoritative knowledge and enthusiasm of Mojoknights blog comes correct on this collection of boogie, funk and soul rarities from the Brazilian motherland. From the staccato narrative and slinky boogie guitars of Jackson Goes "Variacoes" to the Parliament-style chants, heavy percussion and Chic/Sugar Hill references of Bons Tempos "Sao Paulo" to the velvet lounge-lashings of Brasil Show's piano-happy "Lagrimas", the whole collection sparkles with myriad sunny-side soul grooves and Latin heat that has largely been unavailable until now. Universal.

This major new release from the Greg Foat Group sees celebrated jazz quintet making the most of the acoustics of an ancient church, accompanied by a full ensemble of supporting musicians. The fourth album from the celebrated jazz combo will further delight Foat fans who have been consistently enthralled by the taste and finesse with which they execute their beguiling arrangements and instrumentation.Last year, during the long, hot summer of 2014, a couple of tons of vintage studio gear were bundled into an ancient church on the charming and picturesque village of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. There the centuries-old church organ was the centerpiece and the Group was accompanied a string quartet and woodwinds to create a musical style like no other. The resulting hauntingly sublime sounds need not only fill vaulted chapel ceilings, but our hearts and ears as well.Recorded across three of the hottest days in summer, direct onto 1" tape and with all the rich, live analogue sound and the hallowed magnificence that church acoustics can bring, The Dancers at the End of Time features the classic Foat group with guesting local musicians and friends, and celebrates the summertime and beach ambience of living on the island.Recorded on vintage analogue equipment in an ancient church on the Isle of WightOnly 1000 vinyl LPs available with printed innerOnly on Jazzman - all because WE DIG DEEPER!

Just in time for summer! Some serious heat from the darkest corners of the TK Disco vaults, dug up, re-mastered and brought back to life for your listening and dancing pleasure!To say Trama's sole LP is a rarity is an understatement! Released on TK offshoot CAT Records in 1977 it's swaggering street-funk attitude, tight ass rhythm section, blistering arrangements and stellar vocal performances from a young Donna Allen has left beat digging, Soul, Boogie and Disco freaks hot under the collar for over 3 decades!Often selling on-line for tidy sums (£250 +) this LP is a true gem, now is your chance to own a %100 legit, TK Disco sanctioned, vinyl copy of this killer Soul LP. Re-issued just the way it originally came out in 1977, no tricks. Essential!