Review: Seven piece French group Vaudou Game explain themselves as a convergence of African and Afro-American musicians who champion a genre of funk called Vaudou Funk hailing from the cradle of Vaudou culture in Togo, Benin. Specific to this region of West Africa - places like Ghana and Nigeria - other Vaudou Funk inspirations come from the rhythm and blues of James Brown, Otis Redding and Wilson Picket. As a complete package this Apiafo LP is a varied, danceable and intriguing listen from start to finish - and of the many highlights, check out "Ata Calling" for something slower, "Pas Contente (feat Roger Damawuzan)" for the James Brown tip, and "Need A Job" for some psychedelic, coastal rhythms.
Review: Hailing from Lyon, and fronted by the remarkable Peter Solo, Vaudou Game, is an act that have take the world by storm. The band perform a pretty unique fusion of analogue Afro-funk and a rarely heard 70s style that was specific to the vaudou culture in Benin, Togo. This particular strain features rhythms and melodies, intended to be sung in honour of their divinities, and not heard elsewhere in Africa. Here "On Se Pousse", a raw and brassy chant-along, gets remixed into a cool and jazzy soft-house rework by Osunlade (here operating under the collective name of Yoruba Soul).
Review: The Garage Shared crew have always done a fantastic job of cultivating and pushing new UKG talent forward, with their continuously running 'Class Of' series doing a great job of showcasing that energy. This year it's another jam-packed event, welcoming 16 fiery new originals to the table, with the likes of BVNQUET, Soulecta, Clarcq, Purple Velvet Curtains and more all joining the party with a fabulous array of original UKG flavour. Despite so many established faces making this year's pickings, it's the newcomers that impress us the most, with Bill Bond's 'Nobody Like You' original providing it us with a quirky tap through new school garage fusion and Ashdun's 'Plasticine' original injecting a real sense of youth into the project. Another prime box of originality from all involved!
Review: Shall Not Fade's annual birthday compilations are always worth a look, not least because they tend to be packed with plenty of previously unreleased material from label regulars, friends and newcomers. This seventh birthday edition - the label's fifth compilation in total - is another epic, with 28 high quality tracks jostling for your attention. The track listing reflects the label's eclectic but largely dancefloor-focused approach, with highlights including the stomping big room techno darkness of Alan Fitzpatrick and Reset Robot's 'Alpha', the organ-rich New Jersey style peak-time house bump of Lis Sarocca's 'Oasis Floor', the bumpin' speed garage revivalism of 'All The Girls' by Main Phase, the warped, MC-sporting two-step wobble of Killjoy and Kwam's 'Active', and the deep and dreamy breaks/two-step fusion of 'Overcome' by Adam BFD.
Review: Despite not being a name on everyone's lips, Belgium is, actually pretty freakin' awesome. They've given us lots of cool clothes, food and architecture, but in terms of music? Unbelievable. The previous two volumes of The Sounds Sound Of Belgium were mind-blowing excursions into uber stylish electronic music from disco to EBM to techno. Now we have Volume Three. We 56 examples of awesomeness here to get through but highlights include the punky creep-funk of "Poison" by The Weathermen, the staccato electro of "The Voice" by Telex and the techno on steroids mayhem of "Horsepower" by Ravesignal. This album is gold!
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