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Review: Los Angeles-based Orgone formed back in the 90s and this, if we're counting correctly, is their 15th album - which means existing fans will have a good idea what to expect already. For those yet to have the pleasure, Orgone draw heavily on the funk, soul, and jazz-funk of the 60s and 70s for inspiration, often stirring Afrobeat influences into the mix and always presenting it all in a thoroughly now-sounding kinda way - and that's exactly the musical cocktail served up on 'Chimera'. The Afro influences are heard most clearly on 'Zum Zum' and 'Tula Muisi', both of which star Congolese vocalist Mermans Mosengo, who's just one of four featured singers - though to these ears it's the cinematic, instrumental funk workouts ('Basilisk', 'Parasols', 'Hallowed Dreams') that hit hardest.
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617308 045260
09 Feb 24
Funk
09 Feb 24
Funk
Review: There is always a good backstory to the music that Emotional Rescue releases and this EP is a case in point. It comes from Betty & The Code Red and Betty was the girlfriend of Tunde Obazee, a Nigerian-born artist who used music as a "non-violent tool to express his socio-political opinions on global injustice." The pair would entertain people on campus by playing anything they could get their hands on, informed by the old Edo folk songs they had grown up around. They went on to live in Italy and the US and start a family as well as lay down self-released songs that have become cult classics. A selection of them feature on this, the first of two EPs from the pair.
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ERC 142
02 Feb 24
International
02 Feb 24
International
Review: Based in Hanover, Germany, Mo' Horizons started out as the DJ duo of Ralf Droesemeyer and Mark Wetzler in the late 90s, but have expanded over the years into a loose musical collective blending a variety of jazz, funk and world music flavas. Quite a bewildering variety, in fact: with cuts ranging from the self-explanatory 'Anotha Bossa' to the Afrobeat of 'Mango Woman', the scorching Latin funk of 'Havana Boys', the Balearicisms of 'Sunset In Palmar', the straight-up reggae of 'Good', the equally self-explanatory (and entirely unexpected) 'Balkan-Maasai Party' and the subdued big beat shuffle of 'Sudoeste', 'Mango' is an album that keeps you on your musical toes but, crucially, is coherent enough for none of it to jar.
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AR 159D
20 Oct 23
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
20 Oct 23
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
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
Various
The Rio District Vol 1EXCLUSIVE
Played by: Shantisan, Voodoocuts, Fab Samperi, Bakerman, Relative Dimensions, Juno Recommends International, KUT FUNK
Review: For this, their inaugural release, Beatnik City round up a pan-international squad (including British, Italians and Brazilians) in what proves to be a great homage to 'the world's sexiest city'. There's seven tracks here - all of which look back to the hazy golden 1960s and conjures up vintage Copacabana vibes through a combination of salsa and Latin loungey sounds and melodies all welded to tougher modern breaks for a contemporary slant.
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BCD 001
15 Aug 14
International
15 Aug 14
International
Cumbia Boogie 2EXCLUSIVE
Review: Los-Angeles boogie masher-uppers, Boogie Down Edits, are back with the second helping of their Cumbia Boogie chapter, a series reserved for Latin-influenced disco bombshells. Much like the previous outing, the second instalment of the series contains a gorgeous load of organic percussion and carnival-esque vocals; the shining moments reside in the piano-led "Espinas" and the reggaeton-leaning "It's A Pity". It's party time, people!
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BDE 008
08 Sep 15
International
08 Sep 15
International
Review: Here we have the debut long player from Pedro Guinu, a Brazilian artist who's currently based in Rio De Janeiro. The album, intended as a tribute to the greats of the Brazilian scene of the 70s, was recorded live in the studio and as such captures the raw, organic feel of recordings of that era well. Obviously, it'll be of most interest to Brazilian music buffs, but good places to start for the rest of us would be the slightly funkier 'Raridade', the hip hop-leaning 'Joana Joa' or the bruk beat-ish 'Electromandinga', the latter making great use of what sounds like a feedback hum.
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RNTD 083
28 Sep 22
International
28 Sep 22
International
Various
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".
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AR 145DD
03 Sep 21
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
03 Sep 21
Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Played by: Juno Recommends Deep House
Review: By now, we should all be familiar with the work of Sam Interface and Ahadadream's More Time Records, a largely digital-only imprint whose boundary-blurring, bass-heavy take on dance music draws on the many disparate styles popular in London. The label's latest release sees Ahadadream return to the fore with a pleasingly hard-to-pigeonhole four-tracker. He first joins forces with Mxshi Mo on the polyrhythmic, mind-mangling Afro-house weight of 'Rain Fall', before whipping his shirt off and heading for the rave on the sleazy, muscular and twisted rush of 'Piano Skank' (all grime bass, bouncy beats and surging electronics). 'Spaceship' is like a mutant take on UK funky with added dancehall sounds and bowel-melting bass, while 'Peak' adds dark string stabs, chopped vocal samples and trippy noises to a similarly elastic groove.
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3616846 303136
01 Jun 22
Deep House
01 Jun 22
Deep House
Colin Curtis / Various
Played by: Craig Charles Funk And Soul, Pete Haigh, Faze Action, Juno Recommends Funk, LEGO EDIT, NaCL
Review: One of the soul scene's most influential DJs, it's little surprise that Colin Curtis' Jazz Dance Fusion compilations on Z Records have been so impressive. He's dived even deeper into his vast record collection on this third volume, serving up a fine array of both classic cuts and sought-after obscurities. There's naturally plenty of Latin jazz on show - the backbone of the jazz-dance scene since the 1970s - but also forays into spiritual jazz, Hammond-heavy dancefloor workouts (see the sweaty 'Yatra Ta' by Martin Johnson), soul-jazz (JuJu), energy-packed percussion jams (GeeW) and Afro-Latin fusion (The Drive).
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ZEDDCD 056DD
01 Apr 22
Jazz
01 Apr 22
Jazz
Review: The second instalment in Sound Exhibitions' rare Afro-funk series Funk & Afro dropped back in August and, due to its success, they're already back with a follow up! This time we get four semi-anonymous tracks - the edgy, blaxploitation flick vibes of "Funk & Afro 3", the loose and twangy '70s shuffle of "Funk Bimp", the Streets-Of-San-Francisco-goes-hard-rock-isms of "Funk City" and the accelerated wah-wah cop show theme grooves of "Afro Boys".
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SE 130
18 Sep 14
Funk
18 Sep 14
Funk
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: 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: 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
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
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
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: 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
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
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
