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Strut
Review: Risco Connection, a late 70s disco covers band put together by producer and reggae drummer Joe Isaacs, never released an album during their lifetime, despite having several hit singles. The cream of their output was, however, gathered together on an eponymous 2020 compilation on the Musica Paradiso label - an extended version of which now gets reissued by the mighty Strut. Including their takes on 'Good Times', 'I'm Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair)' and 'Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now', it's an album that's perhaps largely of historical interest, but worth picking up for those moments when the band's Jamaican roots are showing, such as on the Dub Version of 'Sitting In The Park'.
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STRUT264D
01 Jul 22
Funk
01 Jul 22
Funk
Played by: Craig Charles Funk And Soul
Review: Seminal American jazz label Black Fire sees its renaissance continue into the new age thanks to a series of reissues and compilation made in collaboration with Strut. One of those is the first ever reissue of an essential lost classic from the Black Fire catalogue, Wayne Davis' powerful self- titled gospel & soul album from 1976. Soulman Davis brings an explosive sound of gospel and rare groove to his work with an album here good enough for Saturday night as it is Sunday morning with loved up numbers like "Dawn Of A New Day" and "Morning". Find your dancier soul tracks in "Strive On & Be Strong" to the virtuosic manners and piano sections of "Intermezzo/Bahjia Habiba". A true soul album from a voice of the times that still resonates now.
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STRUT 244D
25 Jun 21
Soul
25 Jun 21
Soul
Review: Strut's series of Oneness Of Juju reissues continues apace. Last week they re-released the veteran US Afro/Latin/soul/jazz fusionists' 1980 'Make A Change' long-player; this week they delve back a little further in time to bring you 'Space Jungle Luv', an album that first came out on the Black Luv label in 1976, and that Strut themselves reissued in 2002. As with last week's outing, there's an almost bewildering array of styles on show - and it'll all be a bit "Welcome to Jazz Club!" for some - but if you want to hear the band at their best, check out the dark psychedelic funk of the title track and, in particular, 'The Connection'.
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STRUT 243D
21 May 21
Jazz
21 May 21
Jazz
Review: Keeping with their run of reissuing lost or overlooked classics from legendary DC label Black Fire, Strut presents the first full international release of Southern Energy; the only album ever recorded by the R&B, jazz, funk and soul collective, Southern Energy Ensemble. Recorded in 1977 and featuring the likes of trumpeter Marvin Daniels, disco drummer and percussionist William Johnson - to a host of other names worth looking up like Nat Lee, Adolphus Maples and vocalist Judith Spears - Southern Energy Ensemble presents a funky, freeform and a peak time lounge expression of jazz funk energy. Check out "Open Your Mind", "See Funk" and album highlight "Third House".
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STRUT 254D
21 May 21
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
21 May 21
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Review: It's quite the statement to have the words 'definitive edition' next to the music of Sun Ra however if it's Strut on the case you can imagine this going the whole nine yards. This re-release dates the avant-garde jazz classic back to 1978 when Sun Ra and his Arkestra appeared on Saturday Night Live for the first time. Directly after the show the band recorded Lanquidity in a single session. Delivering 10 alternate, largely unheard versions of Lanquidity, the album's longer sessions come via the free jazz grooves of "That's How I Feel" to the strung out and rather bizarre "There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)". Definitively alternative versions no less than bona fide.
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STRUT 237D
14 May 21
Jazz
14 May 21
Jazz
Review: Plunky J Branch and his band Oneness Of Juju have been plying their unique blend of jazz, funk and soul with Afro and Cuban rhythms since time, starting out in San Francisco in 1970 but based since the mid-70s in Plunky's hometown of Richmond, Virginia. Here, Strut reissue their 1980 album 'Make A Change' (also later released as 'Every Way But Loose'), now adding extended versions of five of the original album's six tracks, as well as bonus cuts 'Time' and 'Plastic'. Spanning reggae, jazz-funk, soul and more, there's much to enjoy here - the raw funk of the aforesaid 'Every Way But Loose' in particular.
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STRUT 257D
14 May 21
Funk
14 May 21
Funk
Review: Introducing Electric Jalaba, the coming together of Moroccan Gnawa master Simo Lagnawi, Italian-English drummer Dave De Rose, and four musical brothers; Henry, Oliver, Nathaniel and Barnaby Keen. As the band explains, they bring with them a traditional folk sound that weaves itself through elements of percussion and earthly funk grooves with the added boost of analogue effects and warped guitars. With these nine-tracks crafted in their south London studio, El Hal/The Feeling brings with it remnants of West African dialects - Bambara from Mali, Fulani and Hausa from the Sahel region - to Senegalese mbalax inspirations and dubby odes to Allah. Our picks, "Shabakru", "Diamla" and the dancefloor heavy "Cubaili Ba".
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STRUT 226D
19 Mar 21
International
19 Mar 21
International
Review: Strut continue their excavation into the archives of the legendary Black Fire label with another exclusive reissue, this time from legendary free jazz reed instrument specialist Hamiet Bluiett. Master in all things saxophone, clarinet and composition, Bearer Of The Holy Flame first hit the shelves in '94 following its original recording back in '83. Indebted to smokey, ragtime and free jazz inspirations, Bluiett hits on all matter of dynamics, range and playfulness in the live renditions of "Headless Blues" and minimal love ballad I'll "Close My Eyes" to more percussive numbers like "Footprints" and "Song Song". The sounds of jive start to finish.
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STRUT 246D
12 Mar 21
Jazz
12 Mar 21
Jazz
Played by: Juno Recommends Broken Beat Nu Jazz
Review: Twelve-piece jazz, funk and soul ensemble outta Leeds in the UK swiftly follow up their Jungle Run LP - released on Strut in 2019 - with their brand new album Freedom Fables. Taking in guest contributions from the likes of Cherise, Ego Ella May, Soweto Kinch, Pat Thomas and more, each vocalist on this record is said to explore their own memoir in a move that Nubiyan Twist says reflects on the power of narrative. With some beautiful artwork evoking images of exploration, allow Freedom Fables to take you on a trip through an exotic highlife of broken beat, blunted hip hop, Latin jazz, afro soul and UK love.
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STRUT 225D
12 Mar 21
International
12 Mar 21
International
Review: Strut's onward reignition of Black Fire's lesser known and truly respected back catalogue continues with the re-up of avant-garde brass and woodwind experimentalist, Byard Lancaster. Picking out one of Lancaster's lesser known classics, 'My Pure Joy', was recorded in 1992 taken from a discography that dates back to the 1960s. Throughout his career Lancaster was a community campaigner for street musicians and pushed what's been called the 'the Philly jazz sound, Germantown style.' Get your free jazz and minimal piano, then, from tracks like "Sweet Evil" to other solo sessions in "Sax-o-phonics Science", "Afro Space" and "Lancaster Brand Notes". For touches of percussion check out "Drummers From Ibadan" and "Philadelphia Savage", with full ensembles to be heard in "Jazz Lady", "My Pure Joy" and "Newest African Cities". Pure heat.
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STRUT 240D
26 Feb 21
International
26 Feb 21
International
Review: Until now it was perhaps only the more discerning collectors that were up with the legacy that jazz funk and go-go group Experience Unlimited may well have left us with Free Yourself. Exploding out of 1970s Washington DC, Free Yourself presents the band - which went on to release with majors like Virgin - with its debut album on the legendary Blak Fire label that Strut have been invigorating over the last 12 months or so. From the psychedelic funk trip of album closer "Funky Consciousness" to the straight up funk and go-go of its dynamic opener, "It's All Imagination", relive a classic album from a band considered pioneers of the 'go-go' sub-genre of dance and funk music from the times.
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STRUT 253D
05 Feb 21
Funk
05 Feb 21
Funk
Review: Led by frontman Stevo Atambire, Alostmen are at the forefront of kologo music, a genre based around the Frafra traditions of the kologo, a stringed lute instrument. The group also features Jo Ajusiwine on goje fiddle/vocals, Aminu Amadu on talking drum, and Sowah on gome box/djembe/conga, with production by Wanlov The Kubolor and Percy Yip Tong. It follows Strut's release of Sun Ra Arkestra's first studio album in 20 years, Swirling, from last October, and brings with it future kologo klassics like "Killer Fear Die", "Teach Me" and "Do Good". Take your pick!
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STRUT 234D
29 Jan 21
International
29 Jan 21
International
Review: Receiving a second reissue following its original release some 30 years ago, spiritual jazz ensemble Southern Freedom Arkestra returns again spearheaded by vibraphonist Lon Moshe outta Chicago and San Fran. Opening with "Prayer For Saude" that calls for Black self-actualization and revived connection to ancestral ways bookends this album with the 14-minute long freeform-jam, "Love Is Where The Spirit Lies". In between you'll find the dreamy atmospheres and chimes of "Ballad For Bobby Hutcherson" next to its skittery free jazz counterpart, "Low Ghost", and much more. A fresh, cultivated and reborn session of vibraphone, piano and brass-laced nu-jazz. Feel the bliss.
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STRUT 239D
15 Jan 21
Jazz
15 Jan 21
Jazz
Played by: Flash Atkins
Review: The venerable Sun Ra Arkestra, under the direction of free-jazz maestro Marshall Allen, release their first studio album in over twenty years, Swirling. Recorded at Rittenhouse Soundworks in Philadelphia, Allen himself describes the record as the Arkestra's "love offering" to the world, with tracks like "Space Loneliness" and "Seductive Fantasy" swooning in sultry blues like the cigarette smoke in a dimly lit cocktail bar. Others like "Astro Black" focus on acousmatic dynamics, solo voice and contemporary bass pulsations, to more definitive free jazz numbers in atmospheric form like "Angels & Demons At Play" to full on ragtime sessions in "Infinity/I'll Wait For You". Find playful big band numbers or covers in "Queer Notions" and "Unmask The Batman" that add to this full-blooded celebration of Sun Ra's legacy.
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STRUT 153D
30 Oct 20
Jazz
30 Oct 20
Jazz
Played by: Juno Recommends Experimental
Review: With two independently released albums to their name, Electric Jalaba out of the UK are introduced into the contemporary discography of Strut with a fresh new single, Cubaili Ba! Combining heavy duty electro synths and skittering jazz drums with sub-Saharan gnawa rhythms and Simo Lagnawi's lead vocal, "Cubaili Ba" signals a first transmission since 2015 that's backed by a dusty, percussive and instrumental Max Graeff remix that's stripped-back and dubbed out Berlin-style. Additionally, band members (and brothers) Henry & Oliver Keen turn in a slightly deeper and atmospheric version as Soundspecies. Max Graeff FTW.
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STRUT 226S
28 Oct 20
International
28 Oct 20
International
Various
Review: Founded out of Washington DC in the 1970s and running through until the early-'90s, Black Fire was a go-to label for all things spiritual in jazz, funk and soul; grounded in African rhythms, dialogue, funk and go-go. Inspiring a generation alongside like Strata-East and Tribe, Black Fire Records is responsible for delivering us the highest order of Oneness Of Juju material, while working with and introducing the likes of saxophonist Byard Lancaster, Ghanaian percussionist Okyerema Asante, Southern Energy Ensemble, and music drama troupe Theatre West. Also included in Strut's retrospective is the Experience Unlimited's soul and gospel number "People", the frenetic, hot summer jazz of Lon Moshe & Southern Freedom Arkestra and some alternative disco rhythms of "Look At The People!" by Wayne Davis. Our Pick: "African Rhythms (live In Washington DC, 1975)".
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STRUT 238D
14 Aug 20
Soul
14 Aug 20
Soul
Played by: Flash Atkins
Review: Idris Ackamoor and The Pyramids unveil their new album Shaman! with a tribute to jazz pianist Cecil Taylor! Originally formed in the '70s as part of Cecil Taylor's Black Music Ensemble, the group has disbanded and reformed over the last decades, with 2020's Shaman! incarnating a fresh Pyramids ensemble; find Ackamoor on sax, original member Dr. Margaux Simmons on flute, Bobby Cobb on guitar, Sandra Poindexter on violin, Ruben Ramos on bass, Gioele Pagliaccia on drums, and Jack Yglesias on percussion! A most accomplished long player, Shaman! completes a triptych of albums for Strut that dates back to 2016's We All Be Africans, with Idris Ackamoor and The Pyramids transitioning from the political and social commentaries of 2018's acclaimed 'An Angel Fell' into more introspective themes. With some striking artwork from Japanese artist Tokio Aoyama, Shaman! has been described by the group itself as personal statement on love and loss, mortality, the afterlife, family and salvation - our tips include anything over 10 minutes.
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STRUT 214D
07 Aug 20
Jazz
07 Aug 20
Jazz
Review: A reissue of a deep spiritual jazz masterpiece, Strut Records brings back into the frame a timeless relic from the not-so distant past. JuJu, a six piece space age, soul-jazz and freeform fusion group outta 1970s San Francisco was spearheaded by the longstanding leadership of Plunky J. Branch and the ensemble's deep African spirit. Chapter Two: Nia, originally released in '74, sees Strut descend on what aficionados would consider the band's most definitive album (alongside A Message From Mozambique) with New Yorkian minimalism colliding with ragtime in "The End Of The Butterfly King (Poem: Things Comin' Along)". Filled with powerful poetry and spoken word in the title track (and aforementioned) to explosive, wandering numbers like "Black Unity", timeless music never sounded so fresh.
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STRUT 245D
17 Jul 20
Jazz
17 Jul 20
Jazz
Review: Formed in 1970 and fronted by J Plunky Branch, Oneness Of Juju have gone through numerous personnel and name changes over the decades but are still peddling their Afrocentric take on funk and jazz to this day (currently as Plunky & The Oneness). This collection from Strut, though, focuses on their golden years in the 70s - and it's heavy stuff! While one or two tracks would fit nicely into straight-up funk sets, adding a little world flava, others explore model jazz, spoken word, Nyabhingi drumming and other more esoteric musical pastures. Imagine yourself surrounded by righteous dashiki-wearing dudes at a Panthers meeting in 70s Harlem and you'll get the general vibe...
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STRUT 233D
17 Jul 20
Funk
17 Jul 20
Funk
Review: Still reeling from the Linkwood & Foat self-titled collaborative LP released on Athens Of The North earlier this year, Greg Foat, a versatile mainstay in the UK jazz scene, brings in bandmates Moses Boyd, Art Themen, Clark Tracey and Phil Achille to create Symphonie Pacifique. Ebbing and flowing between ambient soul and liquid jazz in the live and improvised "After The Storm", there's lounge time flamenco in "Pointe Venus" to pastoral acid in "Man Vs Machine". Amid cinematic scores and library music you'll find heavy piano chords in the album's hit "Yonaguni" alongside dedications to the late Duncan Lamont ("Lament For Lamont") and 20th century French painters (Henry Valensi) in the cover art. Magnifique!
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STRUT 212D
03 Jul 20
Jazz
03 Jul 20
Jazz
Review: Idris Ackamoor and The Pyramids are releasing a new album entitled 'Shaman!' via Strut. Ackamoor and The Pyramids formed during the early 1970s as part of Cecil Taylor's Black Music Ensemble, releasing three albums before they disbanded. The album unfolds over four acts with personal musical statements about love and loss, mortality, the afterlife, family and salvation. "When Will I See You Again" is the first single taken from the album and it is one seriously soulful and funky groove that is a great taste of what's to come.
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STRUT 214S2XX
25 Jun 20
International
25 Jun 20
International
Played by: Craig Charles Funk And Soul
Review: These days you'll find her topping the bill at the world's leading jazz festivals, but back in the late 70s and early 80s Patrice Rushen was just another aspiring young disco/boogie chanteuse. It was 1982 album 'Straight From The Heart' that spawned 'Forget Me Nots' and propelled her to international stardom, but it's the album before that, 1980's 'Posh', that Strut is reissuing here. Stylistically very similar to its more illustrious successor, it's the perfect chance to get better acquainted with a supremely talented female artist who, despite some considerable successes, never quite attained the household name status that she surely deserved.
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STRUT 220D
03 Apr 20
Disco/Nu-Disco
03 Apr 20
Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Sam Redmore
Review: With the years Strut has spent cataloging modern times music with the countless amount of compilations and reissues, curated or otherwise, the label now dips into something from the current day, and nevermore have we needed the positivity of sun-drenched polyrhythms! Add bright and vibrant future electronic percussion intertwined with traditional afro-folk, chant and spoken word, ONIPA's debut LP breathes new life and brings a carnival atmosphere to the revival we're all looking forward to this spring.
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STRUT 217D
20 Mar 20
International
20 Mar 20
International
Various
Review: Disques Debs is the longest-running and most prolific label to have come out of the Francophone Caribbean. Based in Guadeloupe and helmed by producer and musician Henri Debs, the label ran from the late 1950s to the early 2000s and released over 200 LPs and 300 45s, playing a pivotal role in bringing the creole music of Guadeloupe and Martinique to a wider international audience. Formidable compilers Strut, with the help of Hugo Mendez (Sofrito) and Emile Omar (Roseaux) bring together a second Disques Debs compilation this time chronicling the label's '70s era during a time when the likes of Super Combo, Typical Combo and Les Vikings commanded the label's then-catalogue by breaking through the Caribbean diaspora into Europe and in doing so bringing a new vision of Caribbean music to the world.
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STRUT 189D
14 Feb 20
International
14 Feb 20
International
Played by: Sam Redmore
Review: Galaxy were leading lights of the Nigerian funk and Afrobeat scene in the late 70s, delivering nine albums in the years 1976-1983, no fewer than four of which were, somewhat confusingly, simply titled 'Galaxy'. What we have here is a single-track reissue of the closing cut from their 1977 long player of that name, which starts out as a languid, horn-led Afro-jazz jam, then gets progressively more frenetic as it builds into a fast and furious dancefloor workout that'll put even the most dedicated b-boys and jazz dancers to the test.
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STRUT 189S 2
17 Jan 20
International
17 Jan 20
International
Review: Legendary compilers Strut continue their celebration of Ghana's indigenous highlife by
converging the voice and modern African sounds of Pat Thomas and the Kwaishibu Area Band with the alt-contemporary-isms of Detroit Swindle's house and disco. The pair reinforce the skipping, lighter and feel good rhythms of KAB's original instrumentation of "Yamona" and pitch the timeless and iconic voice of Pat Thomas central to the mix, resulting in a peak time number of mass appeal.
converging the voice and modern African sounds of Pat Thomas and the Kwaishibu Area Band with the alt-contemporary-isms of Detroit Swindle's house and disco. The pair reinforce the skipping, lighter and feel good rhythms of KAB's original instrumentation of "Yamona" and pitch the timeless and iconic voice of Pat Thomas central to the mix, resulting in a peak time number of mass appeal.
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STRUT 219S
13 Dec 19
International
13 Dec 19
International
Review: UK hip-hop/soul/Afro fusionists Nubiyan Twist return with their first new material since their 'Jungle Run' album earlier this year. 'Portraits' features Cerise on vocal duties and is a luxuriant, melancholy and jazz-tinged neo-soul cut that should please fans of the likes of Amy Winehouse or Quantic Soul Orchestra. Ruby Wood then takes over mic duties for 'If Only', a livelier affair with intricate beats that veers into the nebulous zone where R&B, soulful house and broken beat collide - expect the latter to be big with the likes of Gilles Peterson, Mr Scruff and Snowboy, thanks not least to a haunting performance from Ms Wood.
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STRUT 225S
05 Dec 19
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
05 Dec 19
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Review: Onipa are a London-based four-piece outfit centred around the duo of K.O.G and Tom Excell (of Nubian Twist). Both are of Ghanaian extraction and the music of west Africa is their stock-in-trade, with a string of EPs released via Bandcamp. This latest outing on Strut is made up of two tracks: 'Onipa' is a midpaced affair that lollops along while a chanted, African-language female vocal and some plangent six-string work play out on top - think a 'Yeke Yeke' or 'Sweet Lullaby', but at today's lower tempos - while the accompanying 'Makoma' is one for the highlife purists.
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STRUT 217S
29 Nov 19
International
29 Nov 19
International
Review: Only the greatest labels do we have to thank for releasing the music of Tribe, a four piece outta Detroit made up of Doug Hammond, Marcus Belgrave, Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison. Their music over the years has found its way to Carl Craig's Planet E, Soul Jazz's Universal Sound label, and now, no one more fitting in compilation curation other than Strut. The UK label have, from a 15 year period, lifted 10 tracks from the acclaimed independent jazz collective and the original session recordings a full remaster (courtesy of Technology Works). With three numbers clocking in at over 10 minutes of live free jazz, it's "Freddie's Groove" that'll have you going back for more. Hometown heroes back to the big smoke.
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STRUT 210D
08 Nov 19
Jazz
08 Nov 19
Jazz
Review: Known in world music circles as "the Golden Voice of Africa", Pat Thomas is a Ghanaian highlife veteran who released his first long-player way back in 1974. Now based in Canada, he recently celebrated his 73rd birthday but shows no sign of slowing down, as this new album for Strut demonstrates. It's a bit late in the day to be expecting any radical new tricks, but fans of highlife and African music generally will find plenty to enjoy, with occasional hints of reggae, funk and jazz to help maintain the listener's interest and some truly splendid horn-playing.
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STRUT 201D
04 Oct 19
International
04 Oct 19
International
Played by: Juno Recommends Broken Beat Nu Jazz
Review: Album number nine here from Canada's Souljazz Orchestra, and it's something of a surprise in that, this time out, soul and jazz influences take a definite back seat. Sure, opener 'Charlie Foxtrot' brings all the parping sax and off-kilter keys you could ask for, but we move into Afrobeat territory with the next track 'Police The Police' and from there on out it's Afro and reggae influences that dominate. 'General Strike' recalls The Clash, 'Slumlord' is an Afro-tinged reggae jam and 'War Games' comes on like a ska-punk band who've been drafted in to play a Mexican wedding, while 'Well Runs Dry' closes the album on a more downtempo, melancholy note.
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STRUT 208D
13 Sep 19
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
13 Sep 19
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Various
Review: Though located just off the African coast, the population of Madagascar are descended from African and southeast Asian (and more specifically Malaysian) roots in equal measure. Being an island with such an ethnically distinct population naturally led to the emergence of distinct local musical styles such as salegy and soukous, and this compilation explores what happened when those styles collided with western funk, soul and pop in the 70s and 80s. Hammond organs, 6/8 rhythms, vocal chants and high, cascading guitar lines ? la West African highlife are the dominant themes - world music lovers, dive in to find out more!
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STRUT 207D
06 Sep 19
International
06 Sep 19
International
Played by: Craig Charles Funk And Soul, Don Dayglow, Flash Atkins, Juno Recommends Disco, Paper Street Soul, Shawn Lee, Tom Finlay (Groove Armada)
Review: Most active from the mid-70s to the mid-80s, Patrice Rushen's discography has spanned jazz, R&B, jazz-funk, soul and pop, but it's the jazz-funk/disco fusions she delivered for Elektra Recordings in the late 70s/early 80s that remain her best-loved work. Here, 15 tracks from that period are gathered together, with favourites like the evergreen 'Forget Me Nots' and 'Haven't You Heard' (reworked in the late 90s by Daddy's Favourite) snuggling up alongside less over-played but equally high-quality cuts like the jazz-funk piano groove that is 'Number One' and the ultra-smooth boogie of 'Feels So Real'. Smoochers like 'Where There Is Love' perhaps sound a little less relevant in 2019, but this is still a very classy collection indeed.
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STRUT 205D
19 Jul 19
Disco/Nu-Disco
19 Jul 19
Disco/Nu-Disco
Various
Review: The Strut disco detectives have been hard at work again to bring you another collection of unearthed musical gems from the African continent. Released as part of the label's 20th anniversary celebrations, this is the fourth album in the 'Nigeria 70' series and the first in eight years, meaning that fans of the sound will a) have a good idea of what to expect by now, and b) be eagerly anticipating a re-up of fresh tunes. Highlights include Felixson Ngasia & The Survivals' reggae- and jazz-influenced 'Black Precious Colour' and Etubom Rex Williams's suitably wigged-out 'Psychedelic Shoes'.
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STRUT 197D
29 Mar 19
International
29 Mar 19
International
Played by: Juno Recommends Broken Beat Nu Jazz
Review: Finally... The long-awaited sophomore from freeform 10 piece collective Nubiyan Twist has landed and y'all better have your seatbelts serviced because this is going to take you places. The bruk-meets-jazz-meets-techno-meets-soul title track is a perfect example of the energy and fluidity at play once again as we're exposed to high levels of fusion throughout the journey; the dreamy hip hop sass of "Brother", the psychedelic feels of "Addis To London", the middle eastern twangs and mysticism and cosmic grime of "They Talk"... Every track a different destination but all within the same trip, this will keep you twisting for a long time to come.
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STRUT 198D
15 Feb 19
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
15 Feb 19
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Played by: Flash Atkins
Review: 1986's Sewele is from the early career of Nigerian juju star Shina Peters, which Strut now present as an exclusive reissue. Peters had said that this album represented a time of transition in his music career, when he branched out as a solo artist after stints with Ebenezer Obey, Prince Adekunle and Segun Adewale. It was an important time: it's here that he found his own voice and to play juju in a more progressive direction. Three years later, he honed that sound into 'AfroJuju'. The title track translates to 'shower of blessings' and as Peters stated himself 'it's like a prayer for my fans throughout Nigeria and the diaspora.' The album audio has been restored by See Why Audio and remastered by The Carvery.
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STRUT 202D
25 Jan 19
International
25 Jan 19
International
Played by: Juno Recommends Funk
Review: With a new album on the way before the end of the year on Strut, their new home, Nubiyan Twist unleash two tracks to whet the appetite. 'Tell It To Me Slowly', featuring the almost crooner-style vox of Nick Richardson, is a near-broken soul-jazz workout that's likely to find favour with the likes of Gilles Peterson and Snowboy, while the Nubiya Brandon-sung 'Sugar Cane' takes us into laidback, late-night jazz pastures. Both cuts may be a little polite-sounding for mainstream club tastes, but the specialist spots - and the jazz-dancers - will lap them up.
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STRUT 198S
16 Nov 18
Funk
16 Nov 18
Funk
Review: It's third time around for this classic album, which Strut first reissued back in 2002. The band known at different times as Juju, Oneness Of Juju, Plunky & The Oneness Of Juju and eventually just Plunky & Oneness have been an institution on the funk, soul and jazz scene from the early 70s right through till the current decade, but this their debut long-player from 1975 arguably captures their distinctive blend of funk, jazz and Afro influences at its rawest and most hard-hitting. This release also now includes the slightly different single version of the title track, plus bonus cut "Afrobeat".
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STRUT 188D
21 Sep 18
International
21 Sep 18
International
Review: Strut and Art Yard's access to the very best music seems to be a bottomless pit of wonder, and there is no much better way to assert your dominance as a label than releasing killer material from the legendary Sun Ra. Like the last previously unreleased record, Of Abstract Dreams is a session most likely recorded at WXPN FM studios in Philadelphia, back in 1975. The opening "Island In The Sun" carries a majestic paino over triumphant percussion bumps, and "New Dawn" offers a steady, constant groove with that inimitable piano style stretching and twisting wildly around the hi-hats. "Unmask The Batman" is more of a classic bop piece, complete with a tough bottom end, and "I'll Wait For You" is the most experimental of the three, where Ra's singing comes out for the Sun Gods above. Highly recommended!
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STRUT 166D
16 Mar 18
Jazz
16 Mar 18
Jazz
Review: Legend Fela Kuti's youngest son, Seun Kuti, is increasingly making a name for himself, and for his own sound. While he is the son of a man who is often considered the Godfather of afrobeat, and possibly one of the greatest musicians who ever lived, Seun is here to do his own thing, with his own methods. Him and the Egypt 80 band have been jamming for several years now, and their new LP together, Black Times, feels like a point of maturity for all parties involved. Out through the invariably excellent Strut stable, this album is a rocking, energetic injection of funky Afro beats and driving jazz rhythms. If there is one thing Seun has taken from his father is the old man's lust for revolution, which is loud and clear across this entire LP. In fact, it shines a light on the current state of Nigeria, a country which, on paper, seems to have changed very little since his father's passing, and which is still searching for its messiah. Seun, it's your turn...
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STRUT 163D
02 Mar 18
International
02 Mar 18
International
Played by: Dicky Trisco
Review: The Souljazz Orchestra continue to be an unstoppable force. Nominated for a Canadian Juno award for the third time in 2016, the Ottawa based band regularly tour the globe and have shared bills along the way with heavyweights like Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, and Femi Kuti. Turbulent times call for strong voices and the eighth album by this sextet 'packs a suitably heavy lyrical punch, with wry observations and an urge for progressive change.' They've brought in new elements and influences; bringing lo-fi disco, boogie and electro touches alongside their trademark horn arrangements in addition to dusting off some vintage synths and classic drum-computers for the first time
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STRUT 155D
22 Sep 17
Disco/Nu-Disco
22 Sep 17
Disco/Nu-Disco
Various
Played by: Juno Recommends Soul
Review: Strut's archival remit remains as international as ever, with their latest compilation squaring the focus on late '70s Hawaii on the delightful Aloha Got Soul: Soul AOR & Disco In Hawai'i 1979-1985. Across the backdrop of societal change on the island (statehood into America in '59 and the Vietnam War) Hawaiian youth found inspiration in the music of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and later Earth Wind & Fire leading to a truly vibrant scene by the mid-'70s. It's after this where Strut pick up the story, bringing together a glorious 16 track collection that spans the genres and suggests Hawaii to be a most fertile location for music during this era. Do take some time to check the detailed sleeve notes from Aloha Got Soul's Roger Bong which offer further context for the music!
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STRUT 133D
18 Mar 16
Soul
18 Mar 16
Soul
Review: Henrik Schwarz's surprise remix of "Ene Nyame Nam 'A' Mensuro' - a suitably obscure collaboration between Ghanian highlife legends Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas, originally released somewhere round the turn of the '80s on a ridiculously rare LP - has arguably been one of the underground dancefloor hits of the summer. A ten-minute chunk of loose and languid, Highlife-deep house fusion, Schwarz has cleverly combined sections of the sweet-as-you-like original with his own atmospheric electronics and tech-house influenced beats. The veteran German producer also provides a dub, which strips out the vocal and allows his electronics, Taylor's delicious guitars and the original's punchy horns a little more room to breathe.
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STRUT 126S
18 Sep 15
Funky/Club House
18 Sep 15
Funky/Club House
Review: Canada's premiere afro-Latin fusionists Souljazz Orchestra return with their ninth album, Resistance, which arrives a decade after they first announced themselves to the world with the dazzling debut Uprooted. That album was issued on their own Funk Manchu Records, but the collective are firmly within the Strut Records bosom these days with Resistance their fourth album for the UK stronghold. Never a band to tread water, this 10 track collection finds the Souljazz Orchestra exploring new territory on record, explicitly the French Caribbean and Francophone West African influences that have been key to the band from their earliest days. What's most impressive here is the band's sheer versatility with saxman Ray Murray, percussionist Marielle Rivard, drummer Philippe Lafreniere and keyboardist Pierre Chretien all taking on lead vocal duties as Resistance progresses.
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STRUT 136CD
04 Sep 15
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
04 Sep 15
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Played by: Mike O'Mara, Sol Power All-Stars, In Flagranti, Michael The Lion, LEGO EDIT, Juno Recommends International, Olivier (La Freund Recordings)
Review: The unstoppable Strut label, usually associated to outstanding reissue anthologies, welcome a surprise package to their catalogue, and boy is this special. Ebo Taylor, one of Ghana's most prolific musicians over the last thirty years, is remixed by none other than Henrik Schwarz, German deep house king and electronic deviant. The track in question is "Ene Nyame Nam A Mensuro", which is transformed by Schwarz into a lively house number complete with Taylor's vocals and plenty of electronic tweaking and processing. The end result is just a straight-up summer jacker. Check!
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STRUT 126S 3
24 Jul 15
International
24 Jul 15
International
Review: Here's a rare treat for jazz fans: a previously unreleased recording of Sun Ra and his sprawling Arkestra performing live, during their early 1970s pomp. Planets of Life Or Death: Amiens '73 was, apparently, recorded direct to reel to reel during a concert in France, then mastered for this release from that solo tape copy. It sounds wonderful, as you'd expect, and as freaky, colourful, vibrant and psychedelic as you'd expect. Check, for example, the discordant percussion and repetitive organs of the 17-minute "Love In Outer Space", or the proto-modem noises of the decidedly intergalactic sax and electronics jam "Discipline 27-II /What Planet Is This". The latter is, without doubt, one of the most out-there freestyle jazz workouts you're every likely to hear.
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STRUT 123CD
18 May 15
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
18 May 15
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Various
Played by: Girls Of The Internet, Chrissy, Alkalino, DJ Sneak, Trevor Benz, Top Billin Soundsystem, Philthtrax, Round Table Knights, Joeski
Review: Given the rise in popularity of Dance Mania-inspired ghetto-house and ghetto-tech releases over the last couple of years, it was perhaps inevitable that someone would put together a compilation celebrating the label's greatest moments. That it was Strut that did it with Dance Mania Hardcore Traxx: Dance Mania Records 1986-1997 was something of a comfort; Quinton Scott's crate-digging imprint does these kind of history-driven compilations so well. Dance Mania: Ghetto Madness is a second trawl through the archives of the label and features some fifteen cuts of little-known or hard-to-find tracks from the likes of DJ Funk, Paul Johnson, DJ Rush, Jammin' Gerald and Wax Master Maurice (whose bizarre but brilliant "Bounce That Body" is a highlight).
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STRUT 120CDX
26 Jan 15
Minimal/Tech House
26 Jan 15
Minimal/Tech House
Review: Contemporary Afrofunk doesn't get more authentic or progressive than this: The Heliocentrics have teamed up with Nigerian legend Orlando Julius to revisit some of his past creations and lay down some of Julius's earliest work that has never been recorded before! The result is a timeless sound that carries all the hallmarks and urgency of the '70s while dynamically reflecting modern dancefloor arrangements and production standards. Peppered with psychedelic twists, raw analogue grit and an infectious funk that can't be denied., this is a proper schooling from two Afrofunk and modern jazz pioneers, old and new.
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STRUT 112CD
08 Sep 14
International
08 Sep 14
International
Various
J Boogie's Dubtronic Science - "Go To Work" (feat The Pimps Of Joytime - Hot Toddy mix) - (7:32) 119 BPM
Played by: Dave Lee ZR, Chris Massey, Rob Lee, YAM WHO?, Dario Piana, Faze Action, G&D, Juno Recommends Disco, Richard Rossa, Ray Mang, Freddy Love, Dirty McKenzie, Justin Gg Green, Alien Disco Sugar (Leonidas DeeJay), Erik Rug, Disco Funk Spinner - D.F.S
Review: London's Horse Meat Disco club really has beaten all comers in the -disco stakes: if a decade of packed parties, international DJ gigs and bringing the disco sleaze to Rinse FM isn't enough, they now deliver their fourth(!) compilation for Strut Records. James Hillard, Jim Stanton, Luke Howard and Severino all share the selection of a 16-strong tracklist, which also appears in mixed form too. Highlights include the quirky Chaka Khan-esque "Ain't No Way" by Opal, the sumptuous luxury vibes of "Stop" by Valerie Allington and the legendary low-slung bass-fest "Barah" by Cleavage. Full marks again, how do they do it?!
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STRUT 108DTM
09 Jun 14
Disco/Nu-Disco
09 Jun 14
Disco/Nu-Disco
Review: Strut completists will know all about Rodion GA from that excellent retrospective of the'80s era Romanian experimental outfit, but Delta Space Mission is near impossible to find in its original pressing. Thankfully, we can always count on Strut to release something totally bonkers and sought-after! This record is basically a dream for anyone whose into synths and anything space-age-related, with tracks such as "Bau-Bau" and "Planeta Misterioasa" really sounding like something out of a far, unknown and unexplored corner of the universe. "Study/Signal/Longing For Home" is another sublime slice of extraterrestrial funk, where odd bleeps and computer-game melodies collide for a battle to the death. Terrific.
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STRUT 117LP
19 May 14
Experimental/Electronic
19 May 14
Experimental/Electronic
