Afro

Awesome Tapes From Africa surely scored one of the best reissues this year with the vinyl and CD edition of Obaa Sima, a quite startling album from Ghanaian musician Ata Kak that covered highlife, rap, pop, and more. The fact the discovery of the original tape was ATFA founder's Brian Shimkovitz original reason for starting the label made it all the more special. With copies of that album no longer in press, Awesome Tapes From Africa have tempered demand with a series of 12" releases featuring cuts from Obaa Sima. Here the title track makes the transition, pressed nice and loud at 45rpm (do try it at 33 too for a different vibe), whilst the slower electro funk-edged bliss of "Adagya" lines the B-side.

With their debut "Invisible Joy" the Polyversal Souls are ready to take off. Produced at the Berlin based Ru-Ting Clan Sound Lab by Max Weissenfeldt (Whitefield Bros., Poets of Rhythm), the band invited artists from all around the world to join their musical journey: from N.Y.C. Africa Baby Bam (Jungle Bros.), from Ethopia Hailu Mergia (Walias Band) and from west Africa's beautiful Ghana the music award winning griot Guy One, Ebo Taylor's son Roy X and freedom poet Y-Bayani. The result is a unique piece of global raw soul.

Pursuing their explorations in the vast corridors of international Funk and Disco music, Favorite Recordings and Bruno « Patchworks » Hovart present us Voilaaa. With this first single composed of 2 tracks that clearly reveal the Afro-Disco inspiration of this new experience, Favorite also expands its new series of Disco 12inch singles recently launched with several fine reissues, but this time with one of its special homemade production recipe.Under the imprint of the label and after their long years of collaboration in the achievement of projects such as The Dynamics, Mr President, Mr Day, Patchworks Galactic Project, or Taggy Matcher, the insatiable French producer therefore returns to his first love and specialty, Disco music, staring this time at the African and Caribbean influences.Indeed, as everywhere in the 70s and 80s, Funk and Disco movements were extremely influential in these regions, as it’s been very well highlighted by some specialized labels for years with multiple reissues. France and its African and Caribbean communities, was no exception and was also nurturing many productions of the genre. In most cases, the combination of the festive, yet sometime futile nature of Disco, and the instinctive, deep, sometimes rough nature of African music, sounds like a perfect balance.Aiming to find back this energy and specific sound, Patchworks quickly began producing a few tracks; Using his unique and ruling beats and bass lines as foundations, this time he dresses all with guitars, keyboards and brass distorted with vintage and DIY effects pedals and boxes. A field game dustier and less flamboyant than the traditional and flashy Disco’ codes, but perfectly suited for Patchworks, who seems at the top of his game and to have fun like crazy facing this new challenge.With a very dynamic music scene around him in Lyon, where there is no shortage of artists with African origins, he decided to surround himself with singers from the region, even if it means to accompany them on unusual musical paths. A more than successful bet with a result surprising of authenticity, as it’s unveiled by these first two titles alongside Sir John and Pat Kalla, both from a musical background as rich than different.With an album planned for the end of the year, that promises to be as explosive and magnetic, Patchworks and Favorite Recordings make a strike again and confirm them a little more if needed, as the true warrant of the modern dancefloors’ loyalty, to the spirit of their mythical ancestors … Voilaaa tout (Thaaat’s all)!!

High-quality reissue of holy grail 70s Ghana Funk LP available for the first time in 30 years. Totally unique sound, a rare Funk attempt by African female singer backed bu the legendary Uppers International, 3 massive Afro Funk tunes + some deep Highlife of the highest caliber. One of the nicest and rarest African records ever made in our opinion. Includes a nice insert with some treasurable vintage photos. Strictly limited to 1000 copies, don't sleep!

Long-awaited Superfly reissue of legendary Nigerian Funk UFO LP, this record is so rare in its original format that only a handfull of copies are known to be in existence, co-produced with Voodoo Funk, this LP is filled with Afro Funk nuggets, check 'Mota ginya' or 'we're gonna make it' - as usual, beautiful quality repress with paste on covers made in Japan and 180grs vinyl, limited to 1000 copies only!

The second of two self-titles albums released during Ghana's music explosion of the 1970's, K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas is a celebratory and powerful follow up to the album that made them famous. Backed by the mighty Vis A Vis band (here renamed the "Cubano Fiestas") Alhaji K. Frimpong and company create a sinous, infectious, funky sound that once heard can't be forgotten. This fusion of James Brown and Fela inspired rhythms with more traditional Ghanaian Highlife, depsite having been created nearly 35 years ago, still sounds stunningly fresh today. K.Frimpong songs have been licensed for compilations on Soundway, Strut and Analog Africa / limited edition vinyl comes with free-mp3-download-coupon!

BBE rolls on with their masters we love series with the long forgotten classic Charity Begin At Home from Eji Oyewole.We are proud to present another long-lost classic from the golden age of African music, from a figure who is still beginning to get his props internationally, Eji Oyewole. Born to a royal lineage in Ibadan, Prince Eji Oyewole has had a career as a flautist, saxophonist and sometime bandleader spanning well over half a century. He trained both in Nigeria and then at Trinity the prestigious music school in London, and his life as an itinerant musician also saw him living for extensive periods in Geneva, Hamburg and in Lyon. While for many years Fela Kuti (with whom Eji played) and King Sunny Adé commanded international attention to the exclusion of most other Nigerian musicians, as if there was only room for one Nigerian superstar at a time on the world stage, on the domestic scene things were very different. Eji was part of the huge craze for ‘highlife’, a generic term that in fact subsumed many different styles, united in their fusion of traditional west African forms with jazz influences and electric instruments, and in the bands’ working practices as entertainers at the nation’s numerous hotel/nightclubs.As this cracking album, recorded for EMI Nigeria at the tail end of the ‘70s and now remastered, reveals, Eji’s version of highlife was even more distinctive than most, eschewing the usual emphasis on guitars for a brasher horn-laden sound, seemingly influenced as much by American funk as it was jazz, and of course with the heavy percussive undertow central to most African music. This gave Eji a chance to shine, and there are some scorching solos as well as tight ensemble playing across the four lengthy (to ears accustomed to the threeminute pop song) songs. Eji also played piano on the session. The material has an element of social commentary (Oil Boom and Unity In Africa) and should help feed the seemingly insatiable appetites of the many who have been turned onto African music by the enterprising efforts of devoted collectors, labels and fellow fans. Surely one of the few musicians who has played with Fela, Miles Davis and Bob Marley, Eji Oyewole still plays regularly in Lagos, recently had an album of new material out with his current band The Afrobars, and has been a member of Faaji Agba, a super-group that has toured internationally and been dubbed ‘the Nigerian Buena-Vista Social Club’.

This Incredible afro-soul album was recorded in Italy in 1974 by the two Nigerians Ezy Hart and Isaac Olashugba. Deluxe LP in tip-on jacket with innersleeve !Ezy is known for his vocals while Isaac for playing saxophone. They are ex-members of Fela Kuti’s band, The Koola Lobitos and The Don Ezekiel Combination. After doing amazing collaborations together, recording a few Christian-Funk albums, and touring West Africa, these two finally settled in Italy.The Funky Fella, a group of 12 top Italian musicians such as Maestro Leoni from Rifi records, produced three albums with Ezy and Isaac. The first one is called Soul Rock and is considered as a Soul masterpiece.It contains the bomb track called “Bawagbe” ; This track is very tuff, hypnotic afro-soul groove with ruff Yoruba chants, smacking congas, afro horns, funky breaks and a wicked percussion breakdown of rattling cowbells. It`s a very unique collectors’ item for the afro-funk lovers and more.Hot Casa Records also included a bonus track called “I’m Ready For you”, coming from the rare funky 7inch released in 1976.