Vincent Ahehehinnou “Best Woman” (1978, Analog Africa)
via Analog Africa: In early 1978, Vincent Ahehehinnou left the Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou without explanation. He had been one of their principal vocalist since 1968 and had helped transform them from a hard-charging nightclub band into a musical powerhouse and Africa-wide sensation. By the end of 1977, after an …
SJOB Movement “Friendship Train” (1977, Cultures Of Soul)
via Culturesofsoul: We’re excited to announce the first in a series of rare Nigerian releases we’re putting out with the help of Uchenna Ikonne. 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 …
Exclusive Premiere: Dele Sosimi “E Go Betta (DJ Khalab Remix)” (Wah Wah 45s)
London’s new Afrobeat king is here to party and you’re all welcome to join in! Dele Sosimi’s album “You No Fit Touch Am” was released in 2015 to much universal acclaim. A perfect document of the lessons the keyboard master and vocalist learned in Fela Kuti’s ranks during the ’70s …
Various Artists “Synthesize the Soul: Astro-Atlantic Hypnotica from the Cape Verde Islands” (1973-1988, Ostinato Records)
via Ostinato Records: “In Cape Verde, we had no access to electronic instruments,” said Tchiss Lopes, a Cape Verdean singer based in Rome. “In Europe, we had access, but we had to adapt. Audiences expected electronic sounds, but we still stayed true to our sound. At first, the music was …
Forgotten Treasure: Joe King Kologbo “Sugar Daddy” (1980)
via Strut Recordings: Strut presents the first in a series of essential original LP reissues exploring rare and under-rated African, Latin and Caribbean music classics, curated by Duncan Brooker. In January 2017, the series kicks off with ‘Sugar Daddy’, an experimental highlife / disco outing by Nigerian highlife guitarist Joe …
Awa Poulo “Poulo Warali” (Awesome Tapes From Africa)
via Awesome Tapes From Africa: Awa Poulo is a singer of Peulh origin from Dilly commune, Mali, near the border with Mauritania. Largely pastoral and often nomadic, Peulh- (or Fula-)speaking peoples are found from Senegal to Ethiopia but predominate in the Sahel region of West Africa. Awesome Tapes From Africa …
Shadow “Sweet Sweet Dreams” (1984)
via Analog Africa: It’s November 5th, 2016. The generally crackly phone connection between Dublin and Port-of-Spain, the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago, was as good as I’d expected it would be. I’d finally managed to “hook” the legendary Shadow – also known as Mighty Shadow – whose very first …
Future Classic: Los Sospechos “Postales OST” (Menahan Street Band, Budos Band)
Sometimes a record finds you. I was at a Charles Bradley concert perusing a crudely set up merch table when the LP caught my eye. Its cover featured the word “Cuzco”, and the Peruvian police uniform I had learned to recognize in my many months spent in Peru. On the …
Forgotten Treasure: Doing It In Lagos: Boogie, Pop & Disco In 1980’s Nigeria
Soundway Records present a new compilation of twenty rare and mostly unavailable tracks from the slick and sassy world of Nigerian pop music and club culture of the early 1980s. Buoyed by an explosive oil boom and a return to democracy after a series of military dictatorships, Nigeria’s economy in …
Forgotten Treasure: Francis Bebey “La Condition Masculine” (1976, Ozileka)
Born in 1929, Francis Bebey was a multi-instrumentalist, composer, poet, story-teller, musicologist, writer, journalist, and an icon and innovator of contemporary african music. He had a profound impact on the Cameroon music scene, releasing over 20 albums from the late 60’s until he passed away in 2001. The “La Condition Masculine” album released in 1976 …
Forgotten Treasure: Mor Thiam ”Dini Safarrar” (1973)
Originally released in small numbers as a custom pressing in 1973, the compelling ‘Dini Safarrar’ by Senegalese drummer Mor Thiam has gained cult status around the world amongst enthusiasts of jazz, funk, hip hop & African music, and grail status among LP collectors. Here is the first official reproduction of …
Forgotten Treasure: Tee Mac Night Illusion (1980)
Soul Jazz Records’ are releasing Tee Mac’s ‘Night Illusion’, a lost classic Nigerian Afro soul meets disco boogie funk album originally released in Nigeria in 1980 as a private-press release of 1000 copies on the enigmatic artists’ own label. Impossibly hard to find, the record remains practically unknown outside of …