Home  Artists  

Alma Negra

Filter

Alma Negra

Browse the latest digital releases by Alma Negra
Madrugada EP
Madrugada (dub) - (5:19) 118 BPM
Played by: Rob Lee, Superbreak, NaCL
Review: Throughout their decade-long career, Alma Negra has combined their love of disco and deep house with percussion, instrumentation and ideas excavated from African, Caribbean and tropical musical cultures. On this EP, they largely ditch the latter inspirations, instead delivering full-throttle revivalist disco sounds where the Basel-based band's organic instrumentation and vocals combine with colourful synth sounds and heady horns. The headline attraction is undoubtedly 'Madrugada', a warming and thickset, subtly deep house-influenced take on the turn-of-the-80s NYC downtown disco-not-disco sound. It comes backed with two revisions - an extra-percussive, dubbed-out Yuksek tweak and the band's own dub disco-goes-deep house 'Dub Mix' - and the riotous, party-starting brilliance of 'Funky Fever'.
 from $1.89
DOGD 97
22 Mar 24
Funk
San Jon EP
Mombasa To Lagos - (4:54) 118 BPM
Review: After many years spent performing gigs with their live ensemble, Alma Negra has finally decided to record and ready a release that showcases the band's dynamic brand of cross-cultural musical fusion. The Swiss combo first adds a tropical twist to the Afrobeat template on brilliant opener 'Mombassa to Lagos', before delivering something genuinely far-sighted and hard-to-pigeonhole: the mutant electronic bass, Tony Allen rhythms, deep house electronics and wayward Hammond solos of 'San Jon'. After a dash of Afro-Cuban dub-fusion - the inspired 'Taxi Radio' - we're treated to two club-friendly takes of 'San Jon'. First Mehmet Aslan goes all dark, cosmic and percussive on a wild (and brilliant) 'soca dub' take, before Alma Negra delivers a weightier, hazier and deeper 'Night Version' of their own. In a word: brilliant!
 from $1.89
ANR 009
02 Sep 22
Disco/Nu-Disco
Harambee EP
Harambee - (7:08) 113 BPM
When We Used To Dance - (7:20) 116 BPM
Harambee (Voilaaa remix) - (5:42) 118 BPM Hot
Review: Swiss crew Alma Negra have long been amongst the world's leading purveyors of electronic-acoustic, percussion-rich global fusion, so it's little surprise that their latest self-released EP is another top-notch release. The standout is undoubtedly title track 'Harambee', a sparkling and infectious chunk of Afro-disco brilliance full of Chic style guitar licks, bi-lingual vocals, groovy bass and ear-catching electric piano licks. French Afro-disco revivalists Violaa chip in with a late '70s sounding tropical disco take, too, adding in hazy horns to add extra authenticity. Elsewhere, 'When We Used To Dance' is a joyous chunk of revivalist, synth-heavy Afro-boogie and 'La Gozadera' is a high-octane chunk of Afro-Latin fusion propelled forwards by a hectic beat and lots of lush South American percussion.
 from $1.89
ANR 008
01 Jul 22
Disco/Nu-Disco
Zouk Combat EP
Zouk Combat - (6:08) 116 BPM
Sosso - (6:34) 118 BPM
Zouk Combat (Bosq remix) - (5:50) 119 BPM Hot
 from $1.89
ANR 007
15 Oct 21
Deep House
Two Tribes Volume Two
Various
David Nesselhauf - "Space Station" - (2:37) 119 BPM
Review: Maintaining a fresh approach to releasing and compiling music, Agogo out of Austria presents the second volume of their Two Tribes series. Bringing together 14 tracks from a plethora of artists, the LP keeps with its MO of building a musical bridge between Africa and Europe. A highlight straight off the bat is Alma Negra's "Oh Mar" next to the equally subby grooves of Rabii Harnoune & V.B. Kuhl's "Invitation To Dance". More afro-futuristic elements come into play thanks to tracks by Kaleo Sansaa, Lua Preta and Dowdelin's soulful downtempo joint, "Vis La Vie". Other spiritual jazz comes through Karthala 72's "Heavy Revolution", David Nesselhauf and The Kutimangoes "Money Is The Curse", to more vocal numbers by Guts, Onipo's "Yenimo", and Octa Push, Alai K & Isaac Anyanga's "Nyatiti".
 from $1.89
AR 145DD
03 Sep 21
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Fire EP
Yo - (6:08) 115 BPM
Review: Swiss world music fusionists Alma Negra are favourites with the likes of Gilles Peterson, Nightmares On Wax and Four Tet, which should give you a rough idea of what to expect here. 'Fire' is a midpaced, organ-led groove that'd work in longer deep house or nu-disco sets, and has rolling Afro-style percussion to match the chanted vocal that appears towards the end. The EP's other two tracks, 'Wedding Song' and 'Yo', operate in more straight-up African music territory and so are less well suited to house/disco sets, but could still find favour on those floors that like their beats a little more on the eclectic side.
 from $1.89
CREDIGIF 009
27 Mar 20
Disco/Nu-Disco
Manta EP
Sega Dub - (7:00) 115 BPM
 from $1.89
ANR 006
24 Feb 20
Deep House
Sedowa EP
Sedowa - (7:27) 118 BPM
Oya - (7:38) 115 BPM Hot
Review: Swiss trio Alma Negra have been on an unstoppable march in recent years, bringing their extensive knowledge of African and Latin music to contemporary productions in a circular fashion that exists beautifully out of time. That all the music on Sedowa is hand-played is testament to the natural flow of this infectious, instinctive dance music, leading in with the sprightly funk of "Sedowa" before easing into the transcendental stomp of "Sueno Latino." "Oya" is no slouch either, bringing a heavier disco-funk groove to the record that will suit more house-inclined DJs without compromising on the organic rattle and clatter that makes Alma Negra such a stand out crew.
 from $1.89
LIH 033
03 Sep 18
Disco/Nu-Disco
Visions
Capoeira - (7:29) 111 BPM
Berimbau - (7:35) 116 BPM
Review: After building up their reputation via a string of deliciously percussive EPs full of tasty Afro edits, Alma Negra switched to original production last year with quietly impressive results. Here, the Basel-based trio continues that approach with another three chunks of Afro-house fusion. While we're rather enjoying the sampled chanted vocals, drum machine kick drums and layered tropical percussion of "Capoeira" and the more musically expansive (and deeper) "Berimbau", it's "Visions" that will get all the plaudits. A tough but rolling chunk of life-affirming samba-house brilliance, it sees the duo make brilliant use of jangling piano loops and ghostly, cut-up freestyle vocal samples.
 from $1.89
ANR 001
05 Feb 18
Deep House
Digger's Workouts Part 3
Burkina Berlin (original mix) - (7:09) 114 BPM
Burkina Berlin (Rainer Trueby & Corrado Bucci Present Truccy remix) - (6:16) 114 BPM
Agadez (original mix) - (7:25) 118 BPM Hot
Review: Throughout the course of their Digger's Workout series, Swiss combo Alma Negra has proved adept at blurring the boundaries between re-edits, remixes, and original productions. The same could be said about the sun-kissed global fusion of "Burkina Berlin", where wild vocal chants and dense percussion samples are craftily combined with heady piano motifs and a rock solid deep house beat. Rainer Truby and Corrado Bucci provide a deeper, hazier and subtly soulful interpretation that plays down the sampled beats in favour of far more tactile hits, before the Basel-based trio closes proceedings with "Algadez", a rare Persian treat built around exotic fiddle lines, humid flutes and their usual chunky percussion.
 from $1.89
FINGERLP 003
09 Dec 16
Deep House
Digger's Workout Pt 1
In The Mood For Deepness - (5:36) 117 BPM
Review: Since debuting on the Highlife Edits series, Swiss digger collective Alma Negra have really blossomed, with their fusionist dancefloor style developing across further 12"s for that aforementioned label as well as Sofrito and Basic Fingers. The Diggers Workout Part 1 sees the quartet return to the Basic Fingers fold with a fresh four-track grip of goodness to satisfy the appetites of DJs everywhere. Presumably the onset of an ongoing series for Basic Finger, Part 1 sees three Alma Negra originals further complemented by a remix from Highlife pal Esa. Of the originals, the rather lush beat down of "Fala Flute" really stands out, with Esa teasing out a whole new sound on his subsequent 'live' remix with Santuri. Great 12".
 from $1.89
FINGERLP 001
02 Sep 16
Deep House
Cart subtotal: